Austria - Part I

I'm not sure really how to start this post.  There is so much to write about, so many pictures and so little time and space.  So I have decided to split it up into two posts so hopefully it won't be so overwhelming for you and me!

I had an awesome time in Austria with Katie.  I will never be able to fully express how appreciative I am that Katie invited me on this trip.  Not only was it a unbelievable just being in Europe, but getting to spend a week of quality time with Katie was great.

After an extremely cold, 10 hour flight, with a several hour layover in Houston.  Katie and I finally made it to Vienna around 8:00pm Thursday evening Austria time.  We were very tired with greasy hair so we checked in, unpacked, took showers, ordered room service and went to bed.

Friday morning we were suppose to go on a bus tour of the city but due to a slight case of jet lag we opted to sleep in and explore the city ourselves that afternoon.  We had a blast getting familiar with the area surrounding our hotel.  We shopped, tried our first Austrian cuisine and walked through beautiful parks.

This was the park that was right across the street from our hotel.  It was gorgeous!!

That gold statue is a statue of Mozart as a young child.

This guy was playing as we strolled through the park....it was very picturesque!

Friday evening we met up for dinner with Katie's friend Travis and his friend Pat.  Travis is also a State Farm agent.  Let me just say that dinner with Travis and Pat was a real treat....I don't think I stopped laughing the entire time!

Katie and Travis on our way to dinner.

On Saturday we got up early and took a bus trip to Salzburg.  We were both still pretty tired/jet lagged so we slept a good a bit of the bus ride but it was very cool getting to see the Austrian countryside.  It is absolutely beautiful!!  Once we arrived in Salzburg, our tour guide pointed us in the direction of some tourist hotspots and we took off walking.  We ate at one of the oldest restaurants in Salzburg.  At the restaurant we met up with Katie's good friend Stephanie and her husband Kirk.  Here are some highlights of what we saw in Salzburg:

The garden where "Do Re Mi" from The Sound of Music was filmed.

A fountain from the same garden.  I believe the Von Trapp children skipped around this fountain in the movie.

We breezed by Mozart's home.

This is "The Fortress."  It was built into the mountain and was really a city within the city.  You could easily get lost in this place!

Katie and I at the top of "The Fortress" with a hint  of the Swiss Alps in the background.

After touring through "The Fortress" it was time for us to head back to the bus.  The bus ride back to Austria was HOT and we were all very tired from walking all over Salzburg.  Plus our tour guide played the entire soundtrack of The Sound of Music on the ride back.   That was fun at first but others thought it necessary to show off their singing abilities and me, Katie, Stephanie and Kirk got slightly annoyed.  Needless to say, we were happy to get back to the hotel.  I took a nap the minute we got back (don't forget....I was just 8 weeks pregnant so not only was I "first trimester tired" but I just walked ALL OVER Salzburg).  Katie and I decided that this was another good night for a shower and room service, followed by a movie on my laptop since only two channels on the television were in English.  Stay tuned for Part II!!

Widget Alert!

I added a pregnancy countdown to the blog!  So now my plethora of readers can keep up with the pregnancy progress!  It's going to be fun to watch the ticker countdown!

Don't miss the pregnancy post below!!

And I love exclamation points!! :)

Itty Bitty Wumpydump

So, as promised, here is the pregnancy post!

As I mentioned in the previous post, we found out in June that I was pregnant.  I guess you could say we were sort of trying.  I had been off birth control for a month because I had a skin condition come up called melasma, which is a side effect of birth control.  I had even gone to a lower dosage of estrogen in hopes that my skin would clear up but that didn't help.  So I decided just to be done with birth control all together.  Once I made the decision to get off birth control Preston and I decided to officially start trying to get pregnant once I got back from Austria and that we would just "be careful" until then.  As Mrs. Libby would say, "famous last words."  I had one period off of birth control and was pregnant the next month.

The day I missed my period I honestly didn't think much about it.  I knew that I was suppose to start but since I had just gotten off birth control I knew there was a possibility that everything wouldn't be like clockwork as before.  Saturday, Sunday and Monday came and went...nothing.  I remember telling Preston Monday morning that if I was pregnant I would be surprised because I didn't have any other symptons, besides the missed period, that pointed to pregnancy.  I told him I felt normal, no sickness...nothing.  Again, famous last words.  Monday afternoon I started feeling strange.  My tune changed completely.  The rest of week I told Preston, "If I'm not pregnant then something weird is going on."

Preston was out of town that week.  He was in Tempe from Sunday until Thursday evening for work and he pretty much demanded that I was not to take a pregnancy test until he was there.  So Thursday, on my way home from work, I stopped at Target and picked up two pregnancy tests.  The minute he got home I went straight to the bathroom, followed all of the instructions and as Preston and I stood in our powder room, me checking the test every few seconds, I watched as a "yes" popped up on the digital screen.  I turned and grinned at Preston and he said, "What does it say?!!"  I told him it said yes and in true Preston form, being completely silly in such a surreal moment he asked me, "'Yes' we are pregnant or 'yes' we aren't pregnant?!?!"  We both started laughing!  I guess that is a pretty valid question!  I took one more test for good measure (which was positive) and then we went back to our regular evening routine of dinner and watching tv.  That night, whenever there was a pause in our conversation or a commercial came on, we would grin at each other and say things like, "We're gonna have a baby" or he would say to me "You're pregnant."

The following week the morning sickness set it. I never actually got sick but was just nauseous all the time.  Looking back on it, I had it easy but during the thick of it, it sucked and I was a total wuss about the whole thing.  I also had some anxiety that accompanied the morning sickness.  Mainly I was anxious about my trip to Austria with Katie.  I am a worrier by nature so I was going through all of the "what ifs" in head.  Thankfully the morning sickness eased up and was pretty much nonexistant by the time I left for Austria.

I had my first doctor's appointment with a nurse practitioner before I left for Austria to verify that I was indeed pregnant.  My second doctor's appointment was after I returned from Austria.  I had a sonogram at this appointment and we got to see Itty Bitty Wumpydump.  I will never forget looking over at Preston when the nurse first brought the image up of the baby.  As he looked at the screen he had, what I like to call, his "sh$t eatin' grin" on and for those of you that know Preston well...you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about!  The third and fourth appointments we just met with the doctor and got to hear the heartbeat.  The heartbeat was much stronger at the second appointment and we could hear little sounds that were actually the baby moving.  Our next appointment is in about three weeks and we will get to find out the sex of the baby!  We both can't wait!  We have been sort of taking a poll and the majority thinks that it is going to be a girl.  Preston, Mr. Markel and Nana are the only ones, so far, that think it is going to be a boy. 

People keep asking me how I am feeling and honestly I am just feeling fat.  I am fifteen weeks pregnant (sixteen weeks on Saturday), through the first trimester and down to one pair of pants and one pair of shorts.  I am pretty sure there is a bit of a baby bump there but I have never had a flat stomach and there has been a pooch there since about sixth grade!  I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks though....finding out what the baby is and starting to feel the first flutters of movement.  And of course registering and decorating a nursery! :)

So that brings us up-to-date on the baby front.  Sorry for such the long post but I really want to try to document all of this as much as possible so just bear with me!  For those of you interested, stay tuned because I am sure there are going to many baby posts to come! :)

Ketchup and Cornbread

Well I know I have been a VERY bad blogger. Needless to say, I have a lot of catching up to do especially since the last time I posted which was in May. So I am just going to cut to the chase so we can get to the good stuff.

In May:
Mr. Markel came to visit for Memorial Day weekend.  He and Preston had a blast playing golf two days in a row at a VERY nice resort.  I worked the days that they played golf but I did grace them with my presence for lunch at the resort.....somebody has to earn the money to feed Preston's golfing habit! :)  We missed Mrs. Libby though.  She was suppose to come out with Mr. Markel but was recovering from a "fun" trip to Belize. :)  Fortunately, we are getting to make up for lost time right now!  As I type this (at work...shhhhh don't tell anybody), she is out our house giving Preston a cooking lesson in cornbread.  I can't wait to go home!! :)

We also said goodbye to the Bulmer family at the end of May.  I can't even begin describe how much Preston and I both love this family!  Before they moved, it had gotten to the point where it was just a given that we were going to eat pizza with them on Sunday evening.  Oh the amount of pizza we consumed with the Bulmers.....!  They moved to Florida, which is not too far from home so I know, before too long, that a "meet in the middle" trip will HAVE to occur! 

In June:
Oh sweet June!  This was the month that I found out I was pregnant!  Do you like how I just threw that into the mix?  Don't worry....I have a post solely dedicated to that entire subject matter in the pipeline.  That is all I am going to say about that right now.  Yep, I'm just going to leave you hanging like that.

In July:
Katie Bell invited me to go on a once-in-a-liftime trip (for me) to Austria.  We left June 30th and arrived back in the states on July 7th.  We had a full week in Austria and it seriously was an amazing trip.  Again, I am working on an Austria post because, let's be honest, a trip to Europe definitely deserves it's own post accompanied by pictures.  And if you are putting two and two together, I did travel to Europe in my first trimester.  So again, that's all I'm going to say about that right now.  Aren't you loving the cliff hangers?

After my trip to Austria, my mom and grandmother came out to visit the following week.  I wasn't able to take off from work, seeing how I had just returned from Austria so it felt like a very quick trip but we had a blast!  I LOVED having Nana here and I felt so blessed that she made the long journey out here.  Because of her trip out here, I officially gained and still hold the title of "favorite grandchild."  And yes, this was acknowledged by the other cousins!  Not only did she make the long trek just to see ME but this was the first time she had flown since my grandfather passed away three years ago.  Seriously, who can argue with that cold, hard evidence!

At the end of July I took a quick, two day trip to Holland, Michigan for work.  It definitely was a work trip with a little fun thrown in but I was VERY glad to get home. 

Phew!!  July was a busy month!

So that pretty much brings us up to date.  Things in August have slowed down a bit and we are back to our daily grind....well...as "daily" as it can be with the whole pregnancy thing thrown into the mix.

Ok, I have officially wasted enough time at work.  Time to go home and eat some cornbread!

Pure Class

Preston and I ate a very classy establishment tonight called "Buffalo Wild Wings" and we were joined by the classiest of the classy....



Needless to say, Preston was slightly embarassed after I licked my fingers and put my elbows on the table. And he felt a little bit out of place without a mustache and a tattoo of the virgin Mary...not to mention that he was also wearing a pink polo shirt.

P.S. If you look closely you will notice a little "like father like son" action going on.

Classin' it up in Tucson,
Anna


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Easter 2010

Our Easter weekend was a little different for us this year.  Normally Preston's parents are out here and we all spend the weekend with the Knights and the Molls.  On Saturday before Easter Sunday the men usually play golf (which was dubbed "The Desert Shootout" after the first year) and the women and kids brunch and go shopping.  Then on Sunday we all meet up at church and spend the morning praising God for the gift of His son, watching the kids hunt Easter eggs after the service and then off to an AMAZING brunch at one of the local resorts where we stuff ourselves silly.  This year was a little less eventful.  Preston and I did a little shopping on Saturday (I still had to purchase an Easter outfit) and that was about it.  Sunday we went to church and were very blessed by every aspect of the service.  And even though it was "just us" we still carried on the tradition of having brunch at a local resort and we were joined by our friends Zak, Lisa, their daughter Lilly and Zak's mom.  We missed having the Whittington's out here and our normal festivities but we managed to get by! ;)

Me and the hubs!

Lisa, Lilly, Zak's mom and Zak

March Madness

March proved to be, yet again, another pretty busy month for us starting with a fairly impromptu trip for me to Chicago.  I went for a training for a new design related computer program that my company is looking in to. While in Chicago I got to mix a little business with pleasure and spend some much needed quality time with my long lost friend Drew.  Here is a picture of me and Drew from our "glory days" in the Mississippi College Naturals.

Unfortunately I did not take one single picture while I was in Chicago.  I would've loved an, obviously much needed, updated photo of me and Drew but I think we were too busy catching up and a little overwhelmed that we were actually seeing each other after at least four years.  Preston asked why I didn't at least take any pictures of the city and I must admit that I have huge reservations about taking "scenic" pictures.  What's the point really?  "Ooooo look at that cool building" or "Ooooo look at that OTHER cool building."  Scenic pics just don't make that much sense to me....maybe they will one day....but not today.  Plus it was rainy and overcast the whole two days I was there so if I would have taken scenic pictures, I don't think they would have been very "scenic."  Anywho, I had a blast in Chicago.  The training was excellent and getting to spend time with a long lost friend is priceless.


Next on the March Madness list is my parents' trip to Arizona.  They drove in (yes, they drove...they love me, can you tell?) on a Sunday and left on the following Thursday.  It felt like such a quick trip because I worked half days on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but I am so thankful they came to visit.  The Monday afternoon when they were here we made the 1 hour trek up to Ski Valley on Mount Lemmon and had a fun afternoon of a little Southern Arizona skiing.....quite different from the Colorado snow we are all used to skiing in (huh Daddy?) but it was still a blast.  It still boggles my mind that we can go from 75 degrees in the cacti & dust covered desert to 35 degrees in the pine & snow covered mountains.  We were bummed that Preston had to work and couldn't ski with us.  Here are a couple of pics from the day.

Momma and I on Ski Valley's sole ski lift.

Momma and Daddy

And finally, to end our March Madness, Preston headed to Nashville for Reed Hillen's and Jennifer Osland's wedding.  His weekend started out a little rough with a few traveling hiccups.  He was suppose to fly from Tucson to Nashville with a connecting flight in Dallas but, to make a long story short, he ended up flying to Atlanta, meeting up with Chris McAlilly and driving to Nashville.  It made for a very long day but I think he loved the QT with Chris.  He had a blast all weekend spending time with family, friends from home and friends from the river and he was more than honored to stand by Reed as one his best men on such a special day. 

Preston and The Groom hanging out in Nashville before the big day!

Congrats Reed and Jennifer!

So I think that about does it for our crazy March.  April is shaping up to be a pretty quiet month thus far and we are honestly sort of looking forward to it.   Hopefully I will be able to find something semi interesting to blog about!

-Anna