Baby Shower #1

Julie, Lori, and Mom threw a shower for me last night. I'm not a real sentimental person, and I don't think it really struck me during the shower, so I don't think I showed the appreciation I should have. But it really is amazing to me how many people are supporting me and Tanner when it comes to this baby. I know I could call on any of those women who were there last night ... many whom I havn't seen since my wedding ... or maybe since my Grandpa's funeral ... and they would be more than happy to give me advice or anything else I could use from them. That is really something.

And, the amount of work Julie, Mom, and Lori put into the shower was touching. It seems to go by in a flash considering how much prep they did to make it perfect.

OK, pictures to come soon!

Ohiopyle

We got to go camping this weekend. Tanner's roommate from college used to always be the one to organize our trips in college, and it seems we can't organize anything without him! So, thank goodness, he had time to meet us at Ohiopyle this weekend. We got to go hiking, rock climbing, biking, and campfire-food making with Dan, his wife, and 2 daughters. They brought thier little dog and we brought Drake, which made things even that much more fun!

Sorry, no pictures yet. We need to get the cord that connects the camera to the computer from a friend we let borrow it.

So, maybe this little trip will give Tanner and I the ability to start planning things ourselves!

The Porch

Although I realize that it will never make a Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, I like my porch. The swing is really just for show. I don't think more than one person can sit on it at a time, and that one person can't be Tanner! And the furniture certainly isn't the most comfortable out there. But the rug has been a nice touch, and the dogs occasionally actually use the dog bed ... although mostly they like the rug and sunning themselves in the grass.
Tanner says sitting out there makes him feel old. Well, playing video games makes me feel juvenile, so we are even! There is not much that is more relaxing to me than sitting out there talking on the phone, reading a magazine, playing my guitar, or just listening to the birds. And I love that the neighbors always stop to say hi when they see me sitting out there. Country folk are very friendly!
So next time you are passing through Waynesburg, PA ... take a little detour and stop by the place. Just don't sit on the swing!

Pittsburgh Half Marathon

Well, we did it! Mom kept thinking I was going to drop out (which I would have if I had any concerns about the baby) ... I thought Mom was going to drop out based on the weather ... but we all finished the Pittsburgh Half Marathon walk on Sunday.

Honestly, I don't think I will walk another race again. I was rather irritated when they didn't keep the road open for us. It kinda makes you feel like an afterthought. Plus, all of the spectators and bands and stuff are gone by the time you come through. And the racers themselves are few and far between. It is much more fun to run and be in the middle of all the action.

But, I can say that I walked 13.1 miles in 3 hours 48 minutes during the third trimester of my pregnancy. Not bad!

New Car!

I know I am a little behind this week It has been a bit of a wild week ... and next week doesn't promise to be much better. But, summer is coming. I can see the end of the tunnel!

So, our big news is that we finally decided that people who are as mechanically inhibited as Tanner and I are have no business trying to keep a car with 150,000 miles and monthly breakdowns alive. The really sad thing is that my trusty (well, until recently) little Sentra was worth less than my road bike at trade in.

And we got a Subaru Outback. I figured as long as I had to get a new car, it should be able to hold our entire family and gear without being a huge gas guzzler and without being a minivan. (Sorry to all you minivan drivers. I'm just not there yet.) The only vehicle that fit the bill was the Outback. Plus, we were thinking that was a great sporty vehicle! Apparently, we are older than I thought.

My neighbor said I looked "matronly" driving it. I know that she ment the best by it, but it still stung a little. My sister couldn't believe that I got a gold Subaru. Gold wasn't really my first pick, but one can't be too picky when looking for used Outbacks. They are few and far between. People seem to hold onto them. Besides, it is more tan than gold I guess. And the college kids said Tanner's coolness rating has really dropped since buying a Subaru. Here we were thinking we were cool and sporty, but the generation below us just thinks Subarus are for old people. I guess that makes us old and not cool in the eyes of the college kids anymore. Well ... life goes on!

All in all, I love it! The dogs are getting used to being in back. I am so excited to not have their hair all over the back seat anymore. It drives a lot smoother than my Sentra did. It has all-wheel drive, so if we get another winter like this last one, the snow might not keep me from going skiing! And, so far, it hasn't broken down! Yay!!!

So, even though it may make me matronly, old, and un-cool ... it is an awesome car!

Pittsburgh Bike Ride

So, the last fun thing I got to do over Easter was go on a bike ride on some of the trails that go along the rivers in downtown Pittsburgh with my parents and sister. Dad wanted to rent one of those recumbent bikes. It was really fun watching him get the hang of it. He did really well, but had a hard time getting started again once he was stopped. Here he is going across one of the bridges toward the end of our trip.

Julie and Mom went too fast for me to get pictures of them riding, but here is a good one of them at the place we rented the bikes from. It was a great day to just sit and enjoy the sunshine!

I hope we get a chance to do that again this summer!

Hanging Out

We also got to have just some relaxing hang-out time at John and Debra's. Remember the CornHusker Hole that Tanner made for his brother's graduation? We pulled it out again (apparently it has gotten quite a lot of use). We had a number of good rousing games of cornhole in the backyard. Yay for spring weather!!
This is one of my favorites from the weekend.