Just give a little whistle

What a busy month it has been for this little lady!

I finally got to cash in on my Valentine's gift from Jake when I flew to NM for a long weekend. The flight into El Paso was long and I was ever so anxious to get to those babies, but I met a nice guy that I spent the whole second flight talking to... so that helped the time pass. Courtney and I made the long trek from El Paso to Carlsbad and got to spill our guts the whole way - I loved catching up and sharing so much with her. When we got to the house, the kids were already asleep, but I did get to peek at them :)

Bright and early the next morning I heard my door knob turn - low and behold I see little Lily hugging her pooey and staring at me. I said "come and see me!" and she jumped on the bed and let me smother her with hugs and kisses. For the first time, I didn't have to start at square one with her. Then Colton came running in; he was a bit more distant but still let me love on him a little bit. We had a yummy breakfast and did puzzles while watching Buzz and Woody, just relaxing with my babies was so much fun. I had lots of help the whole weekend with my hair and makeup -- Lily was very in to helping and exploring all the big girl things I brought in my suit case. We went out for a fun lunch at Sonic, hit the grocery store and then came home and played outside until dinner. I kept blowing bubbles and there was just enough wind to carry them all over the yard - the babies were fascinated and chased them as hard as they could. If they caught one, they'd jump up and down with such excitement... it was an epic activity.

That night Courtney made AMAZING homemade carne asada, salsa and pico. We feasted on the freshness and it makes me salivate just thinking about it. The babies went to bed and the grown ups had some wine and watched a movie.

The next day we got up and headed down the road to the Carlsbad Caverns. I, of course, came unprepared and had to chose between flip flops and super sucky flats to make a 2 hour track 800 feet below ground. Oh well, it could have been worse. We started walking down into the cavern and the temperature dropped dramatically within like 10 feet, and the smell from all the bat dookey was terrible. Courtney looked like she was going to throw up or pass out from holding her breath, but she got ahold of herself after a while.

Lily was the leader of the group more or less... she headed the front of the line with a flashlight alllll the way down. She was looking for the bears - the "brown ones" as she said, even though I told her the only bears in the caverns were of the purple, hotdog eating variety.



Luckily, we didn't run into them because they were all either "sleeping or hiding," said the Lilybug. At one point during the hike she farted and it was soooo funny because all she did was yell out, "whoops! excuse me :)" Colton was so clumsy that we couldn't really let him walk on his own - the whole track was down hill and he would have just hit the ground and rolled to the bottom. I felt bad because Courtney and Justin kept passing him back and forth - he's a rock!

We had a terrible and overpriced lunch at the cafe and then got the kids some miner hats, which they LOVED. I wanted to start singing HIIII-HOOOOO!



After hopping in the car, Lily and I began to snack on some left over Corn Nuts, and she just got herself and COlton tickled to DEATH over the "cruuuuuuuuuunchy" sound they made in your mouth. Courtney and I were almost in tears at their silliness. The tiniest things can make them laugh for hours. We got home and played outside a little bit more, then made cookies together. I think the kids ate more dough that actual cookies in the end, but it was so much fun to have them help out and look at everything with such curiosity.




THe following weekend my Mom and Dad came down from Michigan for a weekend visit. We had a fun time out Thursday night to dinner and around Goldsboro. Friday (still feeling stick from the strep and ear infection I had been blessed with earlier in the week) I decided to take the day off and take my parents in to Raleigh. We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and shopped around the mall for a bit; then we went over to Whole Foods where they treated Jake and I to all sorts of yummy, fresh and organic groceries. When we got home, Darren drove up from Clinton and we had a BBQ at our place. Yum yum - steaks, chicken, veggies, corn on the cob and angel food cake for dessert. Of course, let's not forget the case of glass-bottled Coke Jake picked up from Sam's. Such a treat!

The next day we all shoved into a car and drove out to Southport, a little town right on the coast. Our first stop was for lunch, at this little hole in the wall place called the Yacht Basin Provision Company. The atmosphere was amazing - we walked in to find a freakishly friendly staff in an overly crowded yet open kitchen, a menu with barely a dozen items on it, and a giant patio with tables right on top of the old rickety pier. Mom, Dad and Darren all order the special crab cake and grilled shrimp platter, while Jake and I got the crab cake sandwiches. SWEET JESUS THEY WERE THE BEST THINGS I HAD HAD IN MY LIFE - my thighs are quivering just thinking about it two weeks later. Just imagine: a fresh, lump crab cake, toped with house-made tarter sauce and an obnoxiously yet perfectly toasted bun; fresh lettuce, tomato and onion and french fries. THANK YOU GOD!

We sat so content, listening to the steel drum music playing over the speakers, enjoying to cool ocean breeze that brought the smell of salt and summer freedom right to our table. Needless to say, we'll definitely be going back sometime this summer to binge again. What a gem of a spot!

We then took the ferry out to the NC Aquarium, which I wasn't crazy pumped for to start with, but it turned out to be something I really enjoyed. They had some great displays/exhibits and it was nice to just walk around at our leisure and be silly with one another.







We took the ferry back to the port and then set out to find a bistro on the marina that had been recommended to us by the folks at the Provision Co. Again, we had a fantastic culinary experience with fresh foccacia bread and oil/herbs to dip in... JUMBO JUMBO shrimp and yummy house-made ravioli...



and of course, CRAZY desserts like cannoli and coconut and pineapple cake. No one fought or bickered, every one was laughing and it was just such a gift to have my family there with me. The only bad thing: we missed Courtney Lauren. It just didn't feel 100% complete without her.

After the long drive home, we all went to bed because we were dead tired. Mom and Dad left early the morning and we spent the day recovering from and exciting weekend. This week we only have 4 days, and then come Thursday evening we're off to Miami for our honeymoon cruise :) Here's me sending up a prayer that it goes by fast... Lord knows we need a break.

Tonight we're going out to an early bday dinner with friends for Jake's 26th - tomorrow we'll be going to a Durham Bulls baseball game which we're really excited for! Pictures to come <3

A Chubby Girl's Ode to Brussel's Pita Street

Pita Street, Oh Pita Street... a beacon of hope.
Weary from traveling, you rescued me mid-mope.
I set down my bag, and squeezed in the booth,
Immediately I felt at ease and so couth.

Your menus were simple, with prices so cheap,
Your kabobs are so sexy- stuffed so deep!
Yes that sounded dirty, but you must know the truth
Pita street = boner, and that is for sooth!


Add a good friend, and a raspberry beer...
With pitas in hand, we were so full of cheer!
Night after night, we came back for more
They knew us by name... yes, the Pita whores.

Cucumber sauce, corn and savory lamb,
I'm dreaming of Pitas- I am, I am!
One day I'll return and bring my hubby,
We will eat pitas and come back so chubby.


So the next time you ask me just what I'll eat,
I'll just close my eyes and think of Pita Street.
I wish so badly that I could apparate,
But this hungry girl needs to get something straight...


Kabobs and Pitas will always be there,
But for now, at my pictures I will have to stare.
When the time is right, I shall return
Until that day, my tummy will yearn!

Oh yea, this is powerful stuff

I am the definition of laziness, because I cannot find the time or inspiration to be consistent with blogging. We haven't been doing anything too exciting, but life is just beautiful of late. In addition to a slew of random and unorganized photos, here's a renewed promise - I'll be making a much more earnest effort to keep you all up to date on our lives. I know you're just itching to know every detail.

After the wedding, Jake and I went into Raleigh and made Build-a-Bears for Lily and Colton to say thank you for being such wonderful helpers at the wedding; it was a spontaneous date filled with fluff, fun and factory. Cheesecake Factory that is :)

Even though this is WAY out of date, I just wanted to show everyone how AMAZING my brother is. He came over for THanksgiving and stayed the weekend. We made a wonderful meal together: portobello- stuffed pork tenderloin, cornbread stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, baked mac and cheese, homemade citrus and cranberry relish and pumpkin roll/chocolate eclair for dessert. We could barely move afterwards but it was such a treat to be together.

We got a super crazy waffle maker for the wedding - this was the first batch :)

Jake and I went to Kinston with Mary, Derek and Allison to try out a new brewery called Mother Earth. It was a little strange because it was set up like a lounge; you could only purchase beer in house, but you could bring in anything from outside. We ordered a pizza, bought some pop and played euchre all night. It was good to get out with friends and just have a good time. Of course, I didn't drink any beer but Jake really liked it and bought a cup to remember the occasion :)

While we were home for Thanksgiving break, Jake and I went to Frankenmuth with my parents. Jake and I anihilated some Cracker Barrel breakfast and rocked out Bronner's -- my mom bought us an ornament for a our first married Christmas, Jake surprised me with some inside joke ornaments and I bought a big snowman sign that says The Howland Family. We had a great dinner at Zehnders and laughed so hard at my parents that we cried on two different occasions. I guess hickies are not proper dinner conversation... who would have thought? We walked around town and took some pictures, checked the lights out and drove over the covered bridge. On the way home we had to stop in EL to get gas, and it made me so sad! It always slips my mind how much I came to think of EL as my home... if it hadn't been 10:00 at night, I would have gone knocking on old friends' doors and perusing about on campus.

During Christmas break we had a great time. Jake finally got to spend some good time with Brayden, he had been missing him so much! We went sledding, watched movies, played with Stinky the Garbage Truck... and laughed. So cute :) It was good to be home with family, even with all the rounds we tried to make to see everyone. Hard to believe it will be June or July until we're back.

When we got back from break, I moved into the Media Center at work. I'm still interpreting, but it's a much welcomed change of pace being in the library. The days go by faster, I don't feel as confined and I get to spend more time socializing with the kids and my favorite work buddies. I busted my balls for the past two months to get the yearbook done - yes, one person doing a 56 page yearbook featuring nearly 1000 people - it was such a headache and there were a couple of occasions where I really thought I was going to lose it. No one wanted to cooperate or help, I was stretched thin with the 50 different hats I wear and the deadline just kept coming. I sent the final proof in yesterday, so the books should be here within a month. Everyone who saw the book gave it raving reviews and really showered me with compliments... I have to say it felt good because I EARNED THE PRAISE.

Jake is doing well in his classroom. He's almost through with his first year of teaching and I know he's learning a lot. The kids challenge him every day - whether it's discipline, not doing their work, etc. Even though it seems at times that he is at a disadvantage being somewhat inner-city, he really is changing the lives of some of these kids. I will never understand where his patience and compassion come from.

March is underway and it should prove to be a good month: NM visit, parent's coming down, final stages of the honeymoon countdown too! Jake and I bought the INSANITY workout DVD set... and it legitimately is insane. We want to tone up and feel our best when we hop on the big boat, so we figured diving head first would be the best plan with working out. The first night we did the work out, we were panting within 45 seconds... sweating within 3 minutes... and absolutely DRIPPING within 10 minutes. It's just non-stop movement, high HIGH intensity cardio and toning. We're pushing it, hopefully in a few weeks I'll have some good results to share.

Nothing much else is going on. We're starting the house hunt this weekend (have to get away from this townhouse) and will probably be joining a church within the next month. For the most part, taking it slow and soaking in all the experiences are our main priorities. We're waiting to see what doors will be opened next, and just trying to appreciate each other every day. We miss our family and friends so much that it's obscene, and we can't wait to spend the summer with you all.

Alright. Stop nodding off while reading this. I'll holla back soon <3>