Well we're only 2 months away from the start of another hockey season (training camp at least) and it's on to another city for Mike and I. In case you missed it, Mike signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets! This means we'll be in Springfield with the Falcons. It's year number 9 of Mike's pro career, year number 8 that I've been living and moving with him, and jersey number 12 that Mike will officially wear in a regular season game. Yep, we've done a lot of moving, haha.
I'm definitely sad to be leaving the Blues organization. It was Mike's hometown team and not being able to see him put on a Blues jersey for even a pre-season game (thanks a lot, lockout) is a real bummer because I know how much it would have meant for him. Still, we had a great time in Peoria and I enjoyed getting to spend time with the girls. I'll miss all of them. Not to mention it was awesome getting to be able to go home to our house in St. Louis once a month for a night or two because we lived so close.
On the other hand I'm so excited to be going back east. We'll be only about 2 hours from my family and friends. Teams are much closer together so less nights away from home for Mike, which matters more with Kenlin getting bigger and learning new things every day. Less chance for him to miss something exciting! Also, Bauer will get to be close to his best friend Nash again. He missed not being able to see him for an entire year last season!
The icing on the cake this time around is that I'm actually going to know a couple of the girls on the team when we get there. That has never happened before. I've written before about always being the new girl and while I'm still going to be the new girl, I have girls to talk to before I get there and to help me out when I do! And they both have kids as well. Totally clutch.
I'm looking forward to getting to explore another city and experiencing a proper northeastern fall again. Any advice from anyone on things to do, places to live, or great restaurants in the Springfield area are greatly appreciated! Let's go Blue Jackets/Falcons!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Kenlin's Birth Story
Warning: I'm not going to get all graphic or anything, but if you don't
want to know about childbirth, skip the words from here on out and
simply look at the adorable (I may be slightly bias) pictures of my
sweet baby girl.
Well folks, it's official. I'm now a mom! I'm so in love with my little monkey it's ridiculous. What is even more ridiculous is how I had her. I mean, I had admittedly an easy pregnancy with no morning sickness to speak of, hardly any pains, I fit into many of my normal clothes until I was about 8 months, and had just about none of the pregnancy side effects people complain about. Sure I had my rough days, but overall it was easy. Because of that I just knew that labor was going to suck. No one gets it easy through pregnancy AND the birth. This thought had me terrified for the entire last month. I was not looking forward to the pain of contractions, the hours and hours I'd be spending in the hospital dealing with them, and the potential for a c-section. Like I said, I just knew I was in for a worst case scenario delivery.
Here is Kenlin's birth story.....
On Wednesday May 8 I went to my scheduled doctor's appointment and was told I was just about 2 centimeters dilated. It hadn't changed from the week before. For those that may not know, you need to hit 10 centimeters before you can actually push out your child. I was a little disappointed in the lack of progress despite the fact that things can change quickly. I was impatient and wanted Kenlin here sooner rather than later. Also, I was afraid she was going to go over her due date.
Thursday rolled around and in the late afternoon I started to feel crampy. We're not talking on and off time-able contractions of the Braxton Hicks (the non-labor inducing contractions) variety, but constant period-like cramps. I knew this was fairly common and while I spent a large portion of the night curled up in the fetal position, it never became time-able nor did it become any worse. By the time I fell asleep it was mostly gone, and by Friday morning I felt nothing.
I actually spent the day Friday cleaning, running errands, and finally packing my hospital bag less than a week before my due date. There was no cramping, no contractions, nothing. It felt like a normal day. I woke up Saturday excited because my mom was getting into town that day. She got in around 3 that afternoon and it was around then that I noticed something might be going on. I thought maybe my water hadn't broken, but was leaking. I called the doctor who told me to go into the hospital to get checked. After that advice we hurriedly scarfed down the dinner that had been cooking in the crockpot, but wasn't quite completely done (because you can't eat once you're in labor in case of emergency surgery), grabbed some last minute things, and headed off. I honestly fully expected to be sent home with a false alarm.
I got to the hospital just after 5:00 and started the admitting process. After giving all the information they needed the nurse checked to see how dilated I was since there was no liquid leaking at the time so they weren't sure my water actually had broken. The following was our conversation:
Nurse: How many centimeters were you at your last check?
Me: I was 2 centimeters on Wednesday.
*she does the exam*
Nurse: You were 2 centimeters the doctor said?
Me (in my head): Crap, she thinks I'm less. This sucks. Kenlin is never coming and I'm about to get sent home.
Me (out loud): Yeah, that's what she said.
Nurse: Well, you're at 5 centimeters now. You're not going home.
Me: What?!
Apparently all that cramping Thursday night had been progress. They put the monitors on me to track Kenlin's heartbeat along with the frequency and intensity of my contractions. The machine tracking it was behind me so I couldn't see it, and I wasn't really trying to watch it. I figured that when things started really moving and contractions started kicking in I'd know, because that's what everyone says. You can't mistake real contractions from Braxton Hick's or cramping. They hurt, and hurt bad. Unmistakeable. That's when the next shocking thing happened.
Nurse: Are you feeling any sort of pain, pressure, or discomfort?
Me: No, not at all.
Nurse: Well, you're having a contraction and a pretty serious one.
Me: I am?!
Yep, that's right. Apparently I was having contractions about every 3-4 minutes and had no idea. I'd gone through almost all of labor without knowing it. At that point we decided to break my water to get things moving and I chose to have an epidural before doing that. Things were about to get more intense and even though I wasn't feeling the contractions then, I didn't want to gamble on the chance that I'd be able to handle it when they got worse. A few hours later I was ready to go and hadn't felt pain for even a single second.
However, I'm glad I got the epidural because that actual pushing part kind of sucked. I pushed for almost 3 hours, which is just about as long as they let you go before suggesting a c-section. The epidural started to wear off and while I still didn't feel any pain, the pressure started to overwhelm me a bit. That and I was exhausted from waking up at 7am that morning and it was after midnight. I hit the button to give me a new dose of the epidural and not long after, I actually fell asleep. Yes, I fell asleep in the middle of pushing. Only for about 5-10 minutes, but when I woke up I felt refreshed. It didn't take much longer after that for Kenlin to finally arrive.
At 1:54 in the morning on May 12, which also happened to be Mother's Day (and my Maid of Honor's birthday) Kenlin Teresa McKenna was born.
It's definitely been an adjustment since coming home with her, but Mike and I are slowly starting to figure it out. Unfortunately Kenlin seems to have the same hours as her mom and doesn't go to sleep until after midnight, and sleeps in until sometime between 10-12. We're going to have to work on that. My mom was here for almost 3 weeks to help out, and my dad came in for a week as well. They were huge helps in the time when Mike and I were just trying to adjust and I'm so grateful they were there. Now Kenlin will be a month old tomorrow and I'm starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of things. Of course, as soon as I do, she'll hit a growth spurt or reach a milestone and I'll have all knew things to learn and worry about. The life of a parent I suppose. Even so, I love my little monkey and can't wait to watch her grow and learn about the world. The moment I hear her giggle for the first time will probably be one of the best moments in my life. I can't wait.
Here's a few more pics of her:
Well folks, it's official. I'm now a mom! I'm so in love with my little monkey it's ridiculous. What is even more ridiculous is how I had her. I mean, I had admittedly an easy pregnancy with no morning sickness to speak of, hardly any pains, I fit into many of my normal clothes until I was about 8 months, and had just about none of the pregnancy side effects people complain about. Sure I had my rough days, but overall it was easy. Because of that I just knew that labor was going to suck. No one gets it easy through pregnancy AND the birth. This thought had me terrified for the entire last month. I was not looking forward to the pain of contractions, the hours and hours I'd be spending in the hospital dealing with them, and the potential for a c-section. Like I said, I just knew I was in for a worst case scenario delivery.
Here is Kenlin's birth story.....
On Wednesday May 8 I went to my scheduled doctor's appointment and was told I was just about 2 centimeters dilated. It hadn't changed from the week before. For those that may not know, you need to hit 10 centimeters before you can actually push out your child. I was a little disappointed in the lack of progress despite the fact that things can change quickly. I was impatient and wanted Kenlin here sooner rather than later. Also, I was afraid she was going to go over her due date.
Thursday rolled around and in the late afternoon I started to feel crampy. We're not talking on and off time-able contractions of the Braxton Hicks (the non-labor inducing contractions) variety, but constant period-like cramps. I knew this was fairly common and while I spent a large portion of the night curled up in the fetal position, it never became time-able nor did it become any worse. By the time I fell asleep it was mostly gone, and by Friday morning I felt nothing.
I actually spent the day Friday cleaning, running errands, and finally packing my hospital bag less than a week before my due date. There was no cramping, no contractions, nothing. It felt like a normal day. I woke up Saturday excited because my mom was getting into town that day. She got in around 3 that afternoon and it was around then that I noticed something might be going on. I thought maybe my water hadn't broken, but was leaking. I called the doctor who told me to go into the hospital to get checked. After that advice we hurriedly scarfed down the dinner that had been cooking in the crockpot, but wasn't quite completely done (because you can't eat once you're in labor in case of emergency surgery), grabbed some last minute things, and headed off. I honestly fully expected to be sent home with a false alarm.
I got to the hospital just after 5:00 and started the admitting process. After giving all the information they needed the nurse checked to see how dilated I was since there was no liquid leaking at the time so they weren't sure my water actually had broken. The following was our conversation:
Nurse: How many centimeters were you at your last check?
Me: I was 2 centimeters on Wednesday.
*she does the exam*
Nurse: You were 2 centimeters the doctor said?
Me (in my head): Crap, she thinks I'm less. This sucks. Kenlin is never coming and I'm about to get sent home.
Me (out loud): Yeah, that's what she said.
Nurse: Well, you're at 5 centimeters now. You're not going home.
Me: What?!
 |
| Feeling no pain |
Apparently all that cramping Thursday night had been progress. They put the monitors on me to track Kenlin's heartbeat along with the frequency and intensity of my contractions. The machine tracking it was behind me so I couldn't see it, and I wasn't really trying to watch it. I figured that when things started really moving and contractions started kicking in I'd know, because that's what everyone says. You can't mistake real contractions from Braxton Hick's or cramping. They hurt, and hurt bad. Unmistakeable. That's when the next shocking thing happened.
Nurse: Are you feeling any sort of pain, pressure, or discomfort?
Me: No, not at all.
Nurse: Well, you're having a contraction and a pretty serious one.
Me: I am?!
Yep, that's right. Apparently I was having contractions about every 3-4 minutes and had no idea. I'd gone through almost all of labor without knowing it. At that point we decided to break my water to get things moving and I chose to have an epidural before doing that. Things were about to get more intense and even though I wasn't feeling the contractions then, I didn't want to gamble on the chance that I'd be able to handle it when they got worse. A few hours later I was ready to go and hadn't felt pain for even a single second.
However, I'm glad I got the epidural because that actual pushing part kind of sucked. I pushed for almost 3 hours, which is just about as long as they let you go before suggesting a c-section. The epidural started to wear off and while I still didn't feel any pain, the pressure started to overwhelm me a bit. That and I was exhausted from waking up at 7am that morning and it was after midnight. I hit the button to give me a new dose of the epidural and not long after, I actually fell asleep. Yes, I fell asleep in the middle of pushing. Only for about 5-10 minutes, but when I woke up I felt refreshed. It didn't take much longer after that for Kenlin to finally arrive.
At 1:54 in the morning on May 12, which also happened to be Mother's Day (and my Maid of Honor's birthday) Kenlin Teresa McKenna was born.
It's definitely been an adjustment since coming home with her, but Mike and I are slowly starting to figure it out. Unfortunately Kenlin seems to have the same hours as her mom and doesn't go to sleep until after midnight, and sleeps in until sometime between 10-12. We're going to have to work on that. My mom was here for almost 3 weeks to help out, and my dad came in for a week as well. They were huge helps in the time when Mike and I were just trying to adjust and I'm so grateful they were there. Now Kenlin will be a month old tomorrow and I'm starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of things. Of course, as soon as I do, she'll hit a growth spurt or reach a milestone and I'll have all knew things to learn and worry about. The life of a parent I suppose. Even so, I love my little monkey and can't wait to watch her grow and learn about the world. The moment I hear her giggle for the first time will probably be one of the best moments in my life. I can't wait.
Here's a few more pics of her:
 |
| Meeting her brother Bauer for the first time |
 |
| Proud of Daddy! |
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
35/35
Well, it's certainly been a long time since I've updated the blog. I suppose I should give an update on how everything in the McKenna household has been going. I feel like I've been busy and not all at the same time. I honestly have no idea where the last 2 months have gone.
You know those memes about cameras should follow people around because their lives are so interesting/funny? Um, yeah, that's not us. We're boring. Like I'm shocked we have any friends boring. So not much to update on the things we've been doing for fun lately front.
As far as hockey has gone, it's been a rollercoaster. Mike had an unbelievable month of March, winning player of the week in the AHL towards the end of March. I mean, a 1.44 GAA and .954 SV% with two shutouts is pretty kick ass for a goalie. Unfortunately for the team they're not going to make playoffs this year. While I'm sad for the guys to miss out on the opportunity to play for a championship, I'm selfishly happy because I get to go home to St. Louis and have the baby there while at home instead of here in Peoria. I can't even begin to imagine the hassle moving baby stuff, a newborn, and the rest of our stuff home after the birth would be. You girls who have babies in Europe and fly home with all of that are my heroes. Seriously.
Work has been pretty good for the most part as well. My hours have been cut back recently, mostly because I'm so pregnant I can't do any of the heavy lifting and rearranging that's been going on and is standard for the weekday work days. I've been down to just weekends for a bit now. Actually, this weekend is my last two shifts of work. It's kind of bittersweet. I'm sad because I liked my job and my co-workers. This was the first time I had a job for an entire hockey season, and not just a temporary/seasonal one that lasted a month or so. It's going to be almost as hard saying goodbye to some of the girls I worked with as it is saying goodbye to some of the hockey girls. At the same time, I know I have a more important and exciting job just ahead to look forward to!
As of today I have hit another pregnancy milestone.....well, just kind of a fun one as opposed to anything significant. The fun 35/35 milestone! Today I am officially 35 weeks pregnant and also 35 days away from my due date! It's crazy to think how quickly the time has gone and how close Mike and I finally are to meeting our little monkey! For the record, I call her monkey (rarely, but it happens).....Mike does not. We don't really have a nickname for her. Mostly we just call her Kenlin.
We were lucky enough to spend a couple days in St. Louis recently and finished up getting just about everything we need for Kenlin's arrival. One long 6 hour shopping day later, I feel pretty much ready. The only thing really left to do is a little babyproofing as soon as we get home, and we've got all the stuff we need for that sitting around already too. It's funny that at 7 weeks out, we were pretty much done, and all I hear from people close to my due date is how unprepared they are. Guess that happens when you don't live at home so you have no choice but to get things done the couple of days you do manage to get there.
As far as the pregnancy itself, that's been a rollercoaster as well. I admittedly had a ridiculously easy pregnancy through my first two trimesters. If it wasn't for the fact that I had a belly and a child that enjoys kicking my ribs, I would have forgotten I was pregnant a fair amount of the time. I have not been so lucky this trimester. I can go a few days no problem, and then suddenly I have a few days where I can't eat, I feel sick, and I can't sleep. Not to mention the fact that half the time I have cankles.....or at least I feel like I do. Also, there's been an serious increase in the amount of people treating me like I'm an invalid who can't do anything on my own, and that's been completely obnoxious. Actually, I'm pretty sure I can stand up and get my own glass of water without dying, thanks. I appreciate the concern and offers to do things for me, but when I say I can do something, don't argue with me about whether I actually can or not.
The good news is that every doctor's appointment I've had has been a positive one. She's head down, facing the right way, and super active which are all good signs. There have also been no concerns about any complications at all since I haven't had any problems (that aren't standard third trimester problems I mentioned above), and all my labs, blood pressure, weight gain are in the ideal ranges. It's funny too that every single time I tell someone how far along I am, they get this shocked look on their face and say "You're so small!" Some people get worried when they hear stuff like that, but if the doctor's aren't concerned, then I'm not. Not to mention at my last doctor's appointment they told me I literally have the perfect pregnancy bump. Not sure what that means exactly (shape? size? lack of stretch marks? [I'm seriously lucky there - don't hate me, there's still time]), but I'll take that compliment any day.
So that's what has been going on in life for me lately. The next two weeks are going to be full of packing and getting ready to make the move home. Once there I'll only have a couple of weeks left until I get to start my new job.....being a mom! Sorry for the cheese factor there, I'm just excited. And now I'll leave you with this grainy, not great, selfie to try to show off my 35 week belly.....
You know those memes about cameras should follow people around because their lives are so interesting/funny? Um, yeah, that's not us. We're boring. Like I'm shocked we have any friends boring. So not much to update on the things we've been doing for fun lately front.
As far as hockey has gone, it's been a rollercoaster. Mike had an unbelievable month of March, winning player of the week in the AHL towards the end of March. I mean, a 1.44 GAA and .954 SV% with two shutouts is pretty kick ass for a goalie. Unfortunately for the team they're not going to make playoffs this year. While I'm sad for the guys to miss out on the opportunity to play for a championship, I'm selfishly happy because I get to go home to St. Louis and have the baby there while at home instead of here in Peoria. I can't even begin to imagine the hassle moving baby stuff, a newborn, and the rest of our stuff home after the birth would be. You girls who have babies in Europe and fly home with all of that are my heroes. Seriously.
Work has been pretty good for the most part as well. My hours have been cut back recently, mostly because I'm so pregnant I can't do any of the heavy lifting and rearranging that's been going on and is standard for the weekday work days. I've been down to just weekends for a bit now. Actually, this weekend is my last two shifts of work. It's kind of bittersweet. I'm sad because I liked my job and my co-workers. This was the first time I had a job for an entire hockey season, and not just a temporary/seasonal one that lasted a month or so. It's going to be almost as hard saying goodbye to some of the girls I worked with as it is saying goodbye to some of the hockey girls. At the same time, I know I have a more important and exciting job just ahead to look forward to!
As of today I have hit another pregnancy milestone.....well, just kind of a fun one as opposed to anything significant. The fun 35/35 milestone! Today I am officially 35 weeks pregnant and also 35 days away from my due date! It's crazy to think how quickly the time has gone and how close Mike and I finally are to meeting our little monkey! For the record, I call her monkey (rarely, but it happens).....Mike does not. We don't really have a nickname for her. Mostly we just call her Kenlin.
We were lucky enough to spend a couple days in St. Louis recently and finished up getting just about everything we need for Kenlin's arrival. One long 6 hour shopping day later, I feel pretty much ready. The only thing really left to do is a little babyproofing as soon as we get home, and we've got all the stuff we need for that sitting around already too. It's funny that at 7 weeks out, we were pretty much done, and all I hear from people close to my due date is how unprepared they are. Guess that happens when you don't live at home so you have no choice but to get things done the couple of days you do manage to get there.
As far as the pregnancy itself, that's been a rollercoaster as well. I admittedly had a ridiculously easy pregnancy through my first two trimesters. If it wasn't for the fact that I had a belly and a child that enjoys kicking my ribs, I would have forgotten I was pregnant a fair amount of the time. I have not been so lucky this trimester. I can go a few days no problem, and then suddenly I have a few days where I can't eat, I feel sick, and I can't sleep. Not to mention the fact that half the time I have cankles.....or at least I feel like I do. Also, there's been an serious increase in the amount of people treating me like I'm an invalid who can't do anything on my own, and that's been completely obnoxious. Actually, I'm pretty sure I can stand up and get my own glass of water without dying, thanks. I appreciate the concern and offers to do things for me, but when I say I can do something, don't argue with me about whether I actually can or not.
The good news is that every doctor's appointment I've had has been a positive one. She's head down, facing the right way, and super active which are all good signs. There have also been no concerns about any complications at all since I haven't had any problems (that aren't standard third trimester problems I mentioned above), and all my labs, blood pressure, weight gain are in the ideal ranges. It's funny too that every single time I tell someone how far along I am, they get this shocked look on their face and say "You're so small!" Some people get worried when they hear stuff like that, but if the doctor's aren't concerned, then I'm not. Not to mention at my last doctor's appointment they told me I literally have the perfect pregnancy bump. Not sure what that means exactly (shape? size? lack of stretch marks? [I'm seriously lucky there - don't hate me, there's still time]), but I'll take that compliment any day.
So that's what has been going on in life for me lately. The next two weeks are going to be full of packing and getting ready to make the move home. Once there I'll only have a couple of weeks left until I get to start my new job.....being a mom! Sorry for the cheese factor there, I'm just excited. And now I'll leave you with this grainy, not great, selfie to try to show off my 35 week belly.....
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Getting a Good Workout in There, Eh?
So after being on twitter for almost 5 years and having a blog that is at least somewhat active some of the time (Ha!) for almost 2 years I realized I've still never put up any sort of "Our Story" on how Mike and I became Mike and I. Time for that to change, and it's perfect timing as well! Not only is it Valentine's Day, but it's also 9 years ago today that we officially started dating. Hard to believe we have spent the better part of a decade as a couple, but we have! And it's been a crazy and wonderful ride. It's kind of a long story, but that's the way I like it.
In August of 2002 I left home and headed to St. Lawrence University for my first year of college. I was nervous and excited at the same time. Due to being on the volleyball team, I had to be at school early, which was kind of nice, because I got to learn the campus and adjust before being overwhelmed with all the students and classes. I felt pretty settled by the time I had to go around and meet with my professors and tell them I'd be missing my first day of their class due to travel for a volleyball tournament.
I met with my Intro to Canadian Studies (yes, seriously that class existed and I took it) professor and he informed me that the class would be moving to a different room, and gave me the room number. Monday morning when I walked into that room I found myself the only one there. Um, wasn't there supposed to be a class going on? I had to meet with my professor again to find out where the right room was, and by the time everyone else was attending their third class on Wednesday, I was attending my first.
I headed to class determined to try to find anyone I maybe potentially recognized to sit near when I got there. That all flew out the window the second I walked through the door. There, sitting front row in the auditorium where class was held was the hottest guy I had literally ever seen in real life. You know how you have that fantasy image of what your perfect guy would look like? This guy was it. Dark hair and eyes, facial hair (I've always been partial to the rugged scruffy look), tall, athletic body type, great smile. There was nothing flawed about this guy's looks, at least to me. I headed straight for a seat a couple of rows behind him and proceeded to stare at the back of his head for the entire class.....and for every class the rest of the semester.
I'd never been struck like that about someone I'd never so much as said hi to before. And it wasn't really okay because I had a boyfriend back home at the time. Oops. Even so, every time I saw him I got that butterfly feeling. I found I couldn't even make eye contact with him. I got so nervous just at the sight of him it was ridiculous. I didn't know this guy at all. He could have been a total jerk for all I knew, yet he had this really strange and new affect on me. Again, totally not okay since I had that boyfriend at home.
Then my crush started speaking up in class. He answered questions (correctly every time), he entered debates with other classmates (and won every single one of them). This guy was smart. Great, not just gorgeous, but seriously intelligent too. Like I needed that. Also, I've always been known as having kind of an "off" sense of humor. While I find the same things everyone else does funny, it's really the intelligent, inappropriate and dick sarcastic comments that get me. As class went on this guy started cracking jokes. He'd say something and the entire class would be dead silent in shock, and I'd be struggling to keep in my laughter and not be the only asshole in there cracking up. Awesome, add hilarious to the mix.
I gushed about this mystery guy named Mike to my friend on a nearly daily basis (way more than I talked about my boyfriend.....oops again) and it was a month into the semester before I finally saw him on campus when I was with her so I could point him out. As I watched him from our perch at our usual table in the dining hall I felt her slap me hard on the shoulder. "Rachel! That's Mike McKenna, the goalie of the hockey team!"
Seriously? She had to be joking. That couldn't be real. You see, my friend knew that I was a big hockey fan. I've stated before that I attended Adirondack Red Wings (old AHL team) games my entire life. I chose to watch hockey on TV over other shows on a nightly basis. My brother played and I went to many of his games. We were a hockey family. And as a kid I'd had a fascination with goalies. On the few occasions that my family showed up early enough to games to watch warmups I'd make my dad take me down to the glass and I would just watch the goalies. I don't know what it was, but I thought they were awesome. I mean, what are the odds that in a school of 2200 kids, I pick out the freaking goalie to have a crush on?
Crazy side note: I found out years later that on my school visit during my senior year of high school when I attended a SLU hockey game, Mike was in goal.
Now I knew who he was, and while part of me was excited because he had the same love for the sport I'd grown up loving, part of me was bummed because hockey players don't exactly have the best reputations on the planet. At the time I never dreamed I'd ever so much as speak to Mike let alone date him, but still that disappointment was there, despite that boyfriend at home I still had.
Then in October our Intro to Canadian Studies class had a field trip to Ottawa. Our school was a mere 20 minutes from the border and it took just over an hour to get to Ottawa. Our day consisted of a trip to Parliament and a museum. Kind of stalker creepy, but I kept close to Mike while we took the tour before heading inside to observe a session of Parliament. As we filed in, I literally cut another girl off so I would be the one who was able to sit next to Mike. He claims I nearly threw her off a balcony jockeying for my spot, but that's a slight exaggeration. I was so nervous sitting next to him that I ended up having involuntary restless leg, which he definitely noticed.
"Getting a good workout in there, eh?"
Those were his first words to me. In total panic mode at the fact that Mike had actually spoken to me, mixed with fear that I'd been annoying the shit out of him with my shaking leg I managed to squeak out a high pitched, barely audible "Yeah". Mortified as all hell, I was relieved when our professor signaled for us to get up and head out to move on to continue our tour. Once outside we ended up having our very first conversation.....about squirrels. Seriously. I can't make this stuff up. A black squirrel crossed our path, and I'd only ever seen gray ones and said so. Mike then told me all about the white one he had pictures of that had been in his yard in St. Louis.
I didn't intentionally follow Mike through the museum, but we ended up visiting all the exhibits at the same time and then the group gathered in one spot while we all waited for our professor to finish his tour. The one guy I knew in class ended up sitting on the bench next to Mike, and upon seeing me standing, shoved aside and told me to sit.....between him and Mike. I hesitated due to my earlier most embarrassing moment ever, but sat down anyway, which worked out nicely because I was able to join the conversation Mike was having with other classmates. We agreed on the proper pronunciation of "Aunt" (like the insect), and he called me un-American for not liking Krispy Kremes. I spent the entire bus ride back to campus grinning at my wonderful day.
Not long after that my boyfriend from home discovered that there was a guy at school I thought was hot, and decided that he'd befriend Mike, because in his mind friends don't steal their friend's girlfriends. Really dumb move on his part. He'd talk to Mike through Instant Messenger while I was sitting in the same room, thinking that if I saw the conversations I'd lose my crush on Mike due to the rude and inappropriate things Mike would say. It went the opposite direction. Apparently my ex did not understand my sense of humor at all. Not only did I learn more about Mike, but I found him to be funnier than I expected. My crush only grew. Little did I know at the time that Mike only put up with those conversations to learn more about me.
I ended up transferring out of St. Lawrence to another college after that year, and I thought that was the end of my crush. I went back to SLU to visit when the team played hated rival Clarkson a year and a half after the first time I saw Mike. The friends I was visiting were doing a raffle at the game so I got to get in early and we sat in the student section, just the four of us, in the empty building. I had this weird urge to look across the ice, and just after I did, Mike walked out onto the bench. It was like part of me knew he was on his way out there. Turns out Mike didn't go out to the bench before games very often, he just happened to that day. Our eyes locked immediately, and I knew my crush was not gone.
SLU won the game, and I went out to the bar with my friends hoping to see Mike. And I did. And I literally ran away from him when I saw him because because I was so nervous about seeing him again. Finally my friend chased me down, grabbed me, and pushed me back the other way where Mike was on his way over to me. We ended up spending the entire night talking. We talked until the sun came up. And when I say talked, I honestly mean talked. Seven straight hours of getting to know each other, and confessing our crushes.
I drove back to my school that morning and promptly called my boyfriend and broke up with him. Mike and I weren't a couple, and I didn't know if we would be, but it wasn't right to date one person while getting to know another, even if it was all by phone and instant message. I was willing to take a chance on Mike. Three weeks of talking daily, and repeatedly throughout the day, on Valentine's Day, Mike and I decided to give it a go. I transferred back to St. Lawrence the following year (Not just for Mike, but also because I missed everything about SLU and hated everything about where I'd gone to).
We spent my junior year and his senior year together at school, and it was apparent pretty quickly that he was the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We did a year of long distance his first year of pro while he was in Vegas and I was finishing my senior year. It was hard, but we made it through and I moved to St. Louis with him after I graduated in 2006. We've lived together and haven't spent a hockey season apart since.
Every year as we move on to a new team and get to know new people, we eventually hear the inevitable "It's sickening how perfect you two are for each other." Last year in Binghamton when the girls threw me a bachelorette party we played a game where they had asked Mike questions, and I then had to answer the questions correctly or take a shot. I don't know if you know Mike, have met him, or have ever listened to his interviews, but the guy's a talker. He can't just answer the question, he has to elaborate, go into tiny detail, tell a story in the middle. Every one of his answers to the questions were full paragraphs. The girls thought I'd be falling over after the game with all the shots I'd be taking. I took two shots out of something like 15 questions. They'd never seen anything like it.
It's crazy to think that just over 10 years after that insane crush developed on the hot mystery guy in my Intro to Canadian Studies class we're married with a daughter on the way in just a couple of months. And I've loved every moment of it. I still occasionally wake up in the middle of the night after a dream about my crush on Mike in college, still half asleep, and realize that I'm actually with him in real life. I still get butterflies when I see him again after he's been on the road for a few days. He still makes me laugh just as hard as he did in the beginning. I hate when he's gone even just for one night, and when he's gone for more than just a couple, I still cry when he leaves. He's my best friend and I love him more now than I did when I first fell for him. I don't know how I got so lucky.
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone out there and Happy 9 years to my husband!
 |
| The first picture ever taken of us back in 2004 |
I met with my Intro to Canadian Studies (yes, seriously that class existed and I took it) professor and he informed me that the class would be moving to a different room, and gave me the room number. Monday morning when I walked into that room I found myself the only one there. Um, wasn't there supposed to be a class going on? I had to meet with my professor again to find out where the right room was, and by the time everyone else was attending their third class on Wednesday, I was attending my first.
I headed to class determined to try to find anyone I maybe potentially recognized to sit near when I got there. That all flew out the window the second I walked through the door. There, sitting front row in the auditorium where class was held was the hottest guy I had literally ever seen in real life. You know how you have that fantasy image of what your perfect guy would look like? This guy was it. Dark hair and eyes, facial hair (I've always been partial to the rugged scruffy look), tall, athletic body type, great smile. There was nothing flawed about this guy's looks, at least to me. I headed straight for a seat a couple of rows behind him and proceeded to stare at the back of his head for the entire class.....and for every class the rest of the semester.
I'd never been struck like that about someone I'd never so much as said hi to before. And it wasn't really okay because I had a boyfriend back home at the time. Oops. Even so, every time I saw him I got that butterfly feeling. I found I couldn't even make eye contact with him. I got so nervous just at the sight of him it was ridiculous. I didn't know this guy at all. He could have been a total jerk for all I knew, yet he had this really strange and new affect on me. Again, totally not okay since I had that boyfriend at home.
Then my crush started speaking up in class. He answered questions (correctly every time), he entered debates with other classmates (and won every single one of them). This guy was smart. Great, not just gorgeous, but seriously intelligent too. Like I needed that. Also, I've always been known as having kind of an "off" sense of humor. While I find the same things everyone else does funny, it's really the intelligent, inappropriate and dick sarcastic comments that get me. As class went on this guy started cracking jokes. He'd say something and the entire class would be dead silent in shock, and I'd be struggling to keep in my laughter and not be the only asshole in there cracking up. Awesome, add hilarious to the mix.
I gushed about this mystery guy named Mike to my friend on a nearly daily basis (way more than I talked about my boyfriend.....oops again) and it was a month into the semester before I finally saw him on campus when I was with her so I could point him out. As I watched him from our perch at our usual table in the dining hall I felt her slap me hard on the shoulder. "Rachel! That's Mike McKenna, the goalie of the hockey team!"
Seriously? She had to be joking. That couldn't be real. You see, my friend knew that I was a big hockey fan. I've stated before that I attended Adirondack Red Wings (old AHL team) games my entire life. I chose to watch hockey on TV over other shows on a nightly basis. My brother played and I went to many of his games. We were a hockey family. And as a kid I'd had a fascination with goalies. On the few occasions that my family showed up early enough to games to watch warmups I'd make my dad take me down to the glass and I would just watch the goalies. I don't know what it was, but I thought they were awesome. I mean, what are the odds that in a school of 2200 kids, I pick out the freaking goalie to have a crush on?
Crazy side note: I found out years later that on my school visit during my senior year of high school when I attended a SLU hockey game, Mike was in goal.
Now I knew who he was, and while part of me was excited because he had the same love for the sport I'd grown up loving, part of me was bummed because hockey players don't exactly have the best reputations on the planet. At the time I never dreamed I'd ever so much as speak to Mike let alone date him, but still that disappointment was there, despite that boyfriend at home I still had.
Then in October our Intro to Canadian Studies class had a field trip to Ottawa. Our school was a mere 20 minutes from the border and it took just over an hour to get to Ottawa. Our day consisted of a trip to Parliament and a museum. Kind of stalker creepy, but I kept close to Mike while we took the tour before heading inside to observe a session of Parliament. As we filed in, I literally cut another girl off so I would be the one who was able to sit next to Mike. He claims I nearly threw her off a balcony jockeying for my spot, but that's a slight exaggeration. I was so nervous sitting next to him that I ended up having involuntary restless leg, which he definitely noticed.
"Getting a good workout in there, eh?"
Those were his first words to me. In total panic mode at the fact that Mike had actually spoken to me, mixed with fear that I'd been annoying the shit out of him with my shaking leg I managed to squeak out a high pitched, barely audible "Yeah". Mortified as all hell, I was relieved when our professor signaled for us to get up and head out to move on to continue our tour. Once outside we ended up having our very first conversation.....about squirrels. Seriously. I can't make this stuff up. A black squirrel crossed our path, and I'd only ever seen gray ones and said so. Mike then told me all about the white one he had pictures of that had been in his yard in St. Louis.
I didn't intentionally follow Mike through the museum, but we ended up visiting all the exhibits at the same time and then the group gathered in one spot while we all waited for our professor to finish his tour. The one guy I knew in class ended up sitting on the bench next to Mike, and upon seeing me standing, shoved aside and told me to sit.....between him and Mike. I hesitated due to my earlier most embarrassing moment ever, but sat down anyway, which worked out nicely because I was able to join the conversation Mike was having with other classmates. We agreed on the proper pronunciation of "Aunt" (like the insect), and he called me un-American for not liking Krispy Kremes. I spent the entire bus ride back to campus grinning at my wonderful day.
Not long after that my boyfriend from home discovered that there was a guy at school I thought was hot, and decided that he'd befriend Mike, because in his mind friends don't steal their friend's girlfriends. Really dumb move on his part. He'd talk to Mike through Instant Messenger while I was sitting in the same room, thinking that if I saw the conversations I'd lose my crush on Mike due to the rude and inappropriate things Mike would say. It went the opposite direction. Apparently my ex did not understand my sense of humor at all. Not only did I learn more about Mike, but I found him to be funnier than I expected. My crush only grew. Little did I know at the time that Mike only put up with those conversations to learn more about me.
SLU won the game, and I went out to the bar with my friends hoping to see Mike. And I did. And I literally ran away from him when I saw him because because I was so nervous about seeing him again. Finally my friend chased me down, grabbed me, and pushed me back the other way where Mike was on his way over to me. We ended up spending the entire night talking. We talked until the sun came up. And when I say talked, I honestly mean talked. Seven straight hours of getting to know each other, and confessing our crushes.
I drove back to my school that morning and promptly called my boyfriend and broke up with him. Mike and I weren't a couple, and I didn't know if we would be, but it wasn't right to date one person while getting to know another, even if it was all by phone and instant message. I was willing to take a chance on Mike. Three weeks of talking daily, and repeatedly throughout the day, on Valentine's Day, Mike and I decided to give it a go. I transferred back to St. Lawrence the following year (Not just for Mike, but also because I missed everything about SLU and hated everything about where I'd gone to).
We spent my junior year and his senior year together at school, and it was apparent pretty quickly that he was the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We did a year of long distance his first year of pro while he was in Vegas and I was finishing my senior year. It was hard, but we made it through and I moved to St. Louis with him after I graduated in 2006. We've lived together and haven't spent a hockey season apart since.
Every year as we move on to a new team and get to know new people, we eventually hear the inevitable "It's sickening how perfect you two are for each other." Last year in Binghamton when the girls threw me a bachelorette party we played a game where they had asked Mike questions, and I then had to answer the questions correctly or take a shot. I don't know if you know Mike, have met him, or have ever listened to his interviews, but the guy's a talker. He can't just answer the question, he has to elaborate, go into tiny detail, tell a story in the middle. Every one of his answers to the questions were full paragraphs. The girls thought I'd be falling over after the game with all the shots I'd be taking. I took two shots out of something like 15 questions. They'd never seen anything like it.
 |
| Yep, that's us |
Happy Valentine's Day to everyone out there and Happy 9 years to my husband!
Monday, December 17, 2012
I'm Coming Out
This is a post I've really wanted to write for so long, but was always too scared to. In fact, I'm still a little terrified. Make that really terrified. Even so, it's important to me to get this out, so here goes.....
I grew up with an amazing family. My parents have always been a huge part of my life, always there for me and giving me everything I could possibly want. I was probably a bit spoiled. I have a younger brother I'm still close to, who has always been able to make me laugh. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.
I was raised Presbyterian, sort of. We didn't go to church on Sundays, or have religious discussions, but I knew what religion I was. I went to church a few times with my grandparents, and my brother attended the pre-school at the church. Two of my closest friends were part of religious families, but of different religions. One was Catholic and the other Episcopalian. Back then I didn't know the difference. I went to their Vacation Bible Schools in the summer. When I had a sleepover at their house on a Saturday night, I went to church with their families on Sunday morning before getting dropped off at home. The mother of one of them taught church school up the street from my house, and so I spent afternoons there with my friend after school until her mom could get her home.
I was also a good kid. Kind of a goody-two-shoes. The teacher's pet in school. I always did my homework. I got straight A's. If my grades went into the 80's I got extra help from the teacher, because I wanted it not because my parents told me to. I played sports. I never partied. I never got in trouble. To this day I've never even been pulled over while driving. I volunteered once in a while at the SPCA with a friend. I was in key club (the charitable club in school), and donated my time and energy to many worthy causes. I was in National Honor Society and graduated with honors. My brother had a tough act to follow. Sorry little bro!
I did these things because I wanted to. Because they were important to me. Because my parents taught me that being a good person and respecting and helping others was just what you did when you could. It's a belief that I've carried with me past childhood and adolescence and into adulthood. I've proudly married a man that has been recognized in three different cities as the team's Man of the Year awarded to the player who does the most to help out the community he's playing in. A man who believes just as strongly as I do that you help where you can. I've always willingly attended everything he did that I could and I jump at the chance to assist any ideas the team or the other girls have to give back to those in need. I love doing it. I'll never stop.
One last thing about myself.....
My name is Rachel McKenna and I'm an atheist.
Yes, you read that right. I don't believe in God. I haven't since I was in high school. I'm sick of having to keep my mouth shut in fear of what other people will think of me. I've finally decided that I don't care. It's not fair that I have to hide because someone might have something nasty to say about me simply because I don't believe. So I'm done hiding.
Why did I choose now of all times to finally fess up? Because I can't handle all the Facebook posts, tweets, and blog entries that have popped up recently that basically tell me I'm a bad person because I don't pray. Really? Does the person described above sound like some heathen bent on destroying the world? I don't think so. In fact I think I care about this world too much sometimes.
This is not going to turn into some religious debate. I won't go into why I feel the way I do. That's not why I'm writing this. I would never dream of telling anyone who believed that they are wrong. That they are stupid or crazy. That they shouldn't have the faith they do. I respect that they have those beliefs. It would be so incredibly insulting of me to say anything of that sort to them. So why isn't it insulting that they say those things to me?
All I keep seeing lately is how everyone needs to pray, get right with God, and bring prayer back to school. Maybe if we did those things all these disasters like shootings and hurricanes and gays getting married wouldn't happen. I don't even know how to respond to that. (Side note: I am 100% behind allowing everyone the right to marry whoever they want) Quite honestly all of that sounds a whole lot like, "Rachel, because you and others like you don't pray or believe in God, you've killed all these people". Fuck that. You don't get to place blame on me simply because I'm an atheist. I won't be your scapegoat. And you sure as hell will not force my children to pray in school. Freedom of religion counts for those of us without it too, you know.
The point of this blog post was to open up, to reveal a part of myself I've kept hidden for way too long. I shouldn't have to hide. I shouldn't have to feel like views I don't share are being forced onto me. I shouldn't have to feel guilty or at fault for things I've had zero part in. I shouldn't have to cry over the stress of being different and the fear of what people would think of me. I have many friends who are devout and we get along fabulously because we respect each other for both our similarities and our differences.
I don't judge anyone only on their faith, so I'm asking you not to judge me on my lack of it. If you can't help it and you hate me only because I don't believe, then so be it. If you can't be okay with the fact that I'm an atheist feel free to stop reading my blog and stop following me on twitter. It won't hurt my feelings. I'm only interested in relationships - both in person and online - where there is mutual respect for each other no matter what. To those of you that can understand and support that, I whole-heartedly thank you. For those of you that can't, I won't miss you.
And there it is.....I've come out of hiding. And I have a huge knot in my stomach. The fear is never going to go away, but it was time to suck it up and defend myself. And as difficult as this was, I'm glad I did.
I grew up with an amazing family. My parents have always been a huge part of my life, always there for me and giving me everything I could possibly want. I was probably a bit spoiled. I have a younger brother I'm still close to, who has always been able to make me laugh. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.
I was raised Presbyterian, sort of. We didn't go to church on Sundays, or have religious discussions, but I knew what religion I was. I went to church a few times with my grandparents, and my brother attended the pre-school at the church. Two of my closest friends were part of religious families, but of different religions. One was Catholic and the other Episcopalian. Back then I didn't know the difference. I went to their Vacation Bible Schools in the summer. When I had a sleepover at their house on a Saturday night, I went to church with their families on Sunday morning before getting dropped off at home. The mother of one of them taught church school up the street from my house, and so I spent afternoons there with my friend after school until her mom could get her home.
I was also a good kid. Kind of a goody-two-shoes. The teacher's pet in school. I always did my homework. I got straight A's. If my grades went into the 80's I got extra help from the teacher, because I wanted it not because my parents told me to. I played sports. I never partied. I never got in trouble. To this day I've never even been pulled over while driving. I volunteered once in a while at the SPCA with a friend. I was in key club (the charitable club in school), and donated my time and energy to many worthy causes. I was in National Honor Society and graduated with honors. My brother had a tough act to follow. Sorry little bro!
I did these things because I wanted to. Because they were important to me. Because my parents taught me that being a good person and respecting and helping others was just what you did when you could. It's a belief that I've carried with me past childhood and adolescence and into adulthood. I've proudly married a man that has been recognized in three different cities as the team's Man of the Year awarded to the player who does the most to help out the community he's playing in. A man who believes just as strongly as I do that you help where you can. I've always willingly attended everything he did that I could and I jump at the chance to assist any ideas the team or the other girls have to give back to those in need. I love doing it. I'll never stop.
One last thing about myself.....
My name is Rachel McKenna and I'm an atheist.
Yes, you read that right. I don't believe in God. I haven't since I was in high school. I'm sick of having to keep my mouth shut in fear of what other people will think of me. I've finally decided that I don't care. It's not fair that I have to hide because someone might have something nasty to say about me simply because I don't believe. So I'm done hiding.
Why did I choose now of all times to finally fess up? Because I can't handle all the Facebook posts, tweets, and blog entries that have popped up recently that basically tell me I'm a bad person because I don't pray. Really? Does the person described above sound like some heathen bent on destroying the world? I don't think so. In fact I think I care about this world too much sometimes.
This is not going to turn into some religious debate. I won't go into why I feel the way I do. That's not why I'm writing this. I would never dream of telling anyone who believed that they are wrong. That they are stupid or crazy. That they shouldn't have the faith they do. I respect that they have those beliefs. It would be so incredibly insulting of me to say anything of that sort to them. So why isn't it insulting that they say those things to me?
All I keep seeing lately is how everyone needs to pray, get right with God, and bring prayer back to school. Maybe if we did those things all these disasters like shootings and hurricanes and gays getting married wouldn't happen. I don't even know how to respond to that. (Side note: I am 100% behind allowing everyone the right to marry whoever they want) Quite honestly all of that sounds a whole lot like, "Rachel, because you and others like you don't pray or believe in God, you've killed all these people". Fuck that. You don't get to place blame on me simply because I'm an atheist. I won't be your scapegoat. And you sure as hell will not force my children to pray in school. Freedom of religion counts for those of us without it too, you know.
The point of this blog post was to open up, to reveal a part of myself I've kept hidden for way too long. I shouldn't have to hide. I shouldn't have to feel like views I don't share are being forced onto me. I shouldn't have to feel guilty or at fault for things I've had zero part in. I shouldn't have to cry over the stress of being different and the fear of what people would think of me. I have many friends who are devout and we get along fabulously because we respect each other for both our similarities and our differences.
I don't judge anyone only on their faith, so I'm asking you not to judge me on my lack of it. If you can't help it and you hate me only because I don't believe, then so be it. If you can't be okay with the fact that I'm an atheist feel free to stop reading my blog and stop following me on twitter. It won't hurt my feelings. I'm only interested in relationships - both in person and online - where there is mutual respect for each other no matter what. To those of you that can understand and support that, I whole-heartedly thank you. For those of you that can't, I won't miss you.
And there it is.....I've come out of hiding. And I have a huge knot in my stomach. The fear is never going to go away, but it was time to suck it up and defend myself. And as difficult as this was, I'm glad I did.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Hello Second Trimester
Time sure does fly during hockey season. Ever since I've gotten to Peoria in the beginning of October I've been busy. Busier than I typically am during a season at least. I mean, I've kind of got a lot going on this year that isn't typical. And it suddenly hit me last night at about 9:30 PM that I only had two and a half hours left in my first trimester. Where did that first third of my pregnancy go?
I find that the hockey season portion of my year goes by faster than the off-season does. Mostly because there's more routine during the season with Mike's practices and games dictating our schedule. This year it's gone by even faster. Within two weeks of getting to town, I got a job. And not just a seasonal for the Christmas holidays job I've always had in the past, but a job that will last me all hockey season barring pregnancy complications. And I actually like it. I only work about 20 hours a week, but it's always days so I never have to miss a game, and it gets me out of the house and doing something. Making some money isn't a bad deal either. And I really like all the people I work with.
On top of the job, and Mike's games I've also got this whole pregnancy thing to think about. I've had three doctor's appointments since I got to town, and I've loved every single one of them. Usually I bitch, complain, and do everything to avoid going to a doctor's office, but this time it's different (obviously). It's been crazy, but amazing to see the baby on the two sonograms I've had so far, and hear it's heartbeat the third time. The second sonogram I had the baby was actually doing squat jumps for nearly half an hour straight. Potentially longer, but that's how long the sonogram lasted. It was hilarious to watch, not to mention I've apparently already got an athlete who is going to have powerful legs growing in me. Our tech also took a guess based on what she saw on the gender at that appointment. We're not telling until our 5 month appointment when we'll know pretty much for sure, but it's kind of fun to potentially already know.
These appointments are literally the only reason I even know I'm pregnant. The first trimester is known pretty much as the worst trimester of pregnancy and people can't wait to get out of it. I wasn't one of those people. Somehow I got lucky, which I didn't see coming. I spent my whole life just knowing that I was going to have horrible morning sickness and food aversion. Aside from about a week and a half, none of that happened to me. I felt a little sick only twice, both times to the smell of spices cooking. The second I removed myself from the area, I felt better and it didn't come back when I re-entered the kitchen. And that was it for "morning sickness".
That week and a half I referred to was a goofy one. For some reason everything sounded amazing to me, but everything tasted like garbage. I mean everything. Mike cooked some of our favorite meals that week trying to find something I could eat, and a few bites in I couldn't swallow anything anymore. It wasn't making me feel sick at all, I just hated how it tasted. The only things that didn't taste horrible were chips and salsa and chocolate. I ended up losing three pounds that week and a half simply because I wanted nothing to do with food.
Suddenly one day, that was all gone. Now I can eat everything again. Well, everything except Mexican food. That still doesn't taste very good to me, which sucks because I freaking love Mexican food. Again, it doesn't make me feel sick thinking about it or eating it, it just doesn't taste good. I've tried fajitas, and that didn't work. I tried tacos, and while they were fine, they didn't do it for me. The sound of other favorites of mine don't sound great to me anymore. But give me the chips and salsa and I'll take them down! Haha.
I have discovered my first craving however. Cheese. And that's kind of a weird one because I'm not a big cheese eater. I never have been. I can do the occasional bites of pepperjack on crackers, but even after just a couple pieces of that I'm over it. I used to pull the cheese off of pizza and eat just the dough and sauce. I dug under the layer of cheese that covered baked pasta and only ate the pasta that didn't have melted cheese on it. Now I can't stop. And grilled cheese is topping that list. I've had it for lunch every single day I haven't had to be at work by lunchtime in the past two weeks. And there is no sign of that going away. Even as I type I'm seriously contemplating making myself one right now. I had pizza recently, and there was no thought of taking the cheese off of it. I walk into a hockey rink and all I can think about are nachos and cheese or a pretzel and cheese. I just made Mike make homemade chicken parm last night and I didn't pull half the cheese off the top like I typically would. And yes, it's officially settled. I'm making a grilled cheese the second this post is up.
Now, as of today I am starting my second trimester. The Bump tells me that baby is the size of a lemon. Weeks ago it told me to start shopping for maternity clothes. I was ready, but I've still got time before that happens. I'm 14 weeks along, and every single one of my jeans still fits and almost exactly the way they did before. They're barely any tighter and with these belly bands out there designed to delay the need for buying maternity clothes, I'm thinking I'm still weeks away from even having to start looking. I know it can take longer to show when it's the first child, but at this rate I'm just going to look a little chunky until baby's about to pop out! Haha. Maybe next time I write a post I'll actually have a baby bump picture to put up. So far, there's just not much to see.
So life in Peoria so far has been pretty fun. The girls are great, baby's doing great, the job is great. We also have a park right behind our apartment complex, so Bauer and I have gone on plenty of walks there. As much as I miss being back east and close to my family and friends, it's not so bad to have it be November and having temperatures still hitting the 50's on a consistent basis instead of snow. I'll take it! And it's nearly Thanksgiving and Christmas, so even better. One of my favorite times of year! Well, I'm off to make that grilled cheese now. What little lemon wants, little lemon gets! Haha.
I find that the hockey season portion of my year goes by faster than the off-season does. Mostly because there's more routine during the season with Mike's practices and games dictating our schedule. This year it's gone by even faster. Within two weeks of getting to town, I got a job. And not just a seasonal for the Christmas holidays job I've always had in the past, but a job that will last me all hockey season barring pregnancy complications. And I actually like it. I only work about 20 hours a week, but it's always days so I never have to miss a game, and it gets me out of the house and doing something. Making some money isn't a bad deal either. And I really like all the people I work with.
On top of the job, and Mike's games I've also got this whole pregnancy thing to think about. I've had three doctor's appointments since I got to town, and I've loved every single one of them. Usually I bitch, complain, and do everything to avoid going to a doctor's office, but this time it's different (obviously). It's been crazy, but amazing to see the baby on the two sonograms I've had so far, and hear it's heartbeat the third time. The second sonogram I had the baby was actually doing squat jumps for nearly half an hour straight. Potentially longer, but that's how long the sonogram lasted. It was hilarious to watch, not to mention I've apparently already got an athlete who is going to have powerful legs growing in me. Our tech also took a guess based on what she saw on the gender at that appointment. We're not telling until our 5 month appointment when we'll know pretty much for sure, but it's kind of fun to potentially already know.
These appointments are literally the only reason I even know I'm pregnant. The first trimester is known pretty much as the worst trimester of pregnancy and people can't wait to get out of it. I wasn't one of those people. Somehow I got lucky, which I didn't see coming. I spent my whole life just knowing that I was going to have horrible morning sickness and food aversion. Aside from about a week and a half, none of that happened to me. I felt a little sick only twice, both times to the smell of spices cooking. The second I removed myself from the area, I felt better and it didn't come back when I re-entered the kitchen. And that was it for "morning sickness".
That week and a half I referred to was a goofy one. For some reason everything sounded amazing to me, but everything tasted like garbage. I mean everything. Mike cooked some of our favorite meals that week trying to find something I could eat, and a few bites in I couldn't swallow anything anymore. It wasn't making me feel sick at all, I just hated how it tasted. The only things that didn't taste horrible were chips and salsa and chocolate. I ended up losing three pounds that week and a half simply because I wanted nothing to do with food.
Suddenly one day, that was all gone. Now I can eat everything again. Well, everything except Mexican food. That still doesn't taste very good to me, which sucks because I freaking love Mexican food. Again, it doesn't make me feel sick thinking about it or eating it, it just doesn't taste good. I've tried fajitas, and that didn't work. I tried tacos, and while they were fine, they didn't do it for me. The sound of other favorites of mine don't sound great to me anymore. But give me the chips and salsa and I'll take them down! Haha.
I have discovered my first craving however. Cheese. And that's kind of a weird one because I'm not a big cheese eater. I never have been. I can do the occasional bites of pepperjack on crackers, but even after just a couple pieces of that I'm over it. I used to pull the cheese off of pizza and eat just the dough and sauce. I dug under the layer of cheese that covered baked pasta and only ate the pasta that didn't have melted cheese on it. Now I can't stop. And grilled cheese is topping that list. I've had it for lunch every single day I haven't had to be at work by lunchtime in the past two weeks. And there is no sign of that going away. Even as I type I'm seriously contemplating making myself one right now. I had pizza recently, and there was no thought of taking the cheese off of it. I walk into a hockey rink and all I can think about are nachos and cheese or a pretzel and cheese. I just made Mike make homemade chicken parm last night and I didn't pull half the cheese off the top like I typically would. And yes, it's officially settled. I'm making a grilled cheese the second this post is up.
Now, as of today I am starting my second trimester. The Bump tells me that baby is the size of a lemon. Weeks ago it told me to start shopping for maternity clothes. I was ready, but I've still got time before that happens. I'm 14 weeks along, and every single one of my jeans still fits and almost exactly the way they did before. They're barely any tighter and with these belly bands out there designed to delay the need for buying maternity clothes, I'm thinking I'm still weeks away from even having to start looking. I know it can take longer to show when it's the first child, but at this rate I'm just going to look a little chunky until baby's about to pop out! Haha. Maybe next time I write a post I'll actually have a baby bump picture to put up. So far, there's just not much to see.
So life in Peoria so far has been pretty fun. The girls are great, baby's doing great, the job is great. We also have a park right behind our apartment complex, so Bauer and I have gone on plenty of walks there. As much as I miss being back east and close to my family and friends, it's not so bad to have it be November and having temperatures still hitting the 50's on a consistent basis instead of snow. I'll take it! And it's nearly Thanksgiving and Christmas, so even better. One of my favorite times of year! Well, I'm off to make that grilled cheese now. What little lemon wants, little lemon gets! Haha.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Major News!
So, this has officially become best year ever territory. I already thought it had been. I mean Mike and I got married, he signed with his hometown team the next day, and we were in Aruba the day after that. It didn't seem like it could get any better. And then it did.
That's right, folks. Baby McKenna is on the way! I've got until May until I can meet the little green olive (or so the bump tells me is currently baby's size). I don't think Bauer understands why we stuck a skate lace attached to paper around his neck quite yet, but I'm confident he'll enjoy being a big brother.
Mike and I have known since just after Labor Day, but wanted to hold on to the secret until after the first doctor's visit. Once we got the "everything looks great" we couldn't hold the news in any longer. Somehow I've managed to luck out on not getting any of this morning sickness I was so worried about. Aside from being exhausted all the time, I feel perfectly fine! We're both pretty terrified, but super excited as well! Can't wait to meet him or her!
That's right, folks. Baby McKenna is on the way! I've got until May until I can meet the little green olive (or so the bump tells me is currently baby's size). I don't think Bauer understands why we stuck a skate lace attached to paper around his neck quite yet, but I'm confident he'll enjoy being a big brother.
Mike and I have known since just after Labor Day, but wanted to hold on to the secret until after the first doctor's visit. Once we got the "everything looks great" we couldn't hold the news in any longer. Somehow I've managed to luck out on not getting any of this morning sickness I was so worried about. Aside from being exhausted all the time, I feel perfectly fine! We're both pretty terrified, but super excited as well! Can't wait to meet him or her!
Friday, September 28, 2012
On the Road Again
It's been a few hours since Mike headed out of town for Peoria for the season. I've been way more emotional about it than necessary since it's only 3 hours away from home and I'm going to be there in a week. I'm a big baby. Plus, it's not helping that Bauer won't stop sitting in the window gazing down the road waiting for Mike to come home, complete with a big sigh before he gives up and takes a 15 minute nap before repeating the process. I mean, look at this poor guy.....
I've gotta admit, I haven't exactly had it rough as far as pre-seasons have gone. Either I've gone with Mike, or I've been able to spend the time apart from him with my family since up until this year he always played within a couple of hours of them. That meant that Mike could always pop in for a night on an off day that broke up the time spent apart.
Some girls go months apart, and that sucks. I did that one time when I was finishing up my senior year of college and Mike was playing his first year pro on the complete opposite side of the country. I know how it feels, and I would never want to go through that again. My heart goes out to them.
I am looking forward to this season, more than I expected to. I think it's a combination of how much summer we got to enjoy at home and the fact that we're so close to home this year we know we'll probably be able to make it back at least once a month, even if it's for a night. No long goodbyes to St. Louis friends and family this year. The only negative is that this is the first year I won't be close to my family and friends back in NY, who I was always able to see fairly consistently the past five seasons.
I can honestly say that there is something about every place we've played that I'll miss and will forever remember. It's tough to leave the teams, the girls, and the cities and move on year after year. Some of these places and people I'll probably never see again, and that's sad, but is also the life. It's a life I chose and choose to appreciate for all the experiences it has given me.
Now it's time for a new adventure in Peoria and I'm looking forward to it. More new girls to meet, another rink to explore, and a new team to watch. Not to mention that in my six years of living in St. Louis in the off-season, having a house here, and being a Missouri resident, I've never gotten to experience a mid-west fall, winter, or much of spring. I'm kind of excited to see what it's like, even if it's taking me away from the apple cider donuts that are unmatched at the apple orchard I went to with my parents every year.
Now I just need these next 8 days to go by in a hurry.....
I've gotta admit, I haven't exactly had it rough as far as pre-seasons have gone. Either I've gone with Mike, or I've been able to spend the time apart from him with my family since up until this year he always played within a couple of hours of them. That meant that Mike could always pop in for a night on an off day that broke up the time spent apart.
Some girls go months apart, and that sucks. I did that one time when I was finishing up my senior year of college and Mike was playing his first year pro on the complete opposite side of the country. I know how it feels, and I would never want to go through that again. My heart goes out to them.
I am looking forward to this season, more than I expected to. I think it's a combination of how much summer we got to enjoy at home and the fact that we're so close to home this year we know we'll probably be able to make it back at least once a month, even if it's for a night. No long goodbyes to St. Louis friends and family this year. The only negative is that this is the first year I won't be close to my family and friends back in NY, who I was always able to see fairly consistently the past five seasons.
I can honestly say that there is something about every place we've played that I'll miss and will forever remember. It's tough to leave the teams, the girls, and the cities and move on year after year. Some of these places and people I'll probably never see again, and that's sad, but is also the life. It's a life I chose and choose to appreciate for all the experiences it has given me.
Now it's time for a new adventure in Peoria and I'm looking forward to it. More new girls to meet, another rink to explore, and a new team to watch. Not to mention that in my six years of living in St. Louis in the off-season, having a house here, and being a Missouri resident, I've never gotten to experience a mid-west fall, winter, or much of spring. I'm kind of excited to see what it's like, even if it's taking me away from the apple cider donuts that are unmatched at the apple orchard I went to with my parents every year.
Now I just need these next 8 days to go by in a hurry.....
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Wedding Video Trailer
I received an email yesterday from our videographer saying that the trailer for our wedding video was up and the whole thing would be complete next week. I was so excited considering after getting our pictures back from our photographers, we were a little disappointed. Partially our fault for being a little too caught up in the moment and not making sure we got shots we really wanted, partially their fault for doing next to no editing and almost strictly shots from a distance.
We watched the trailer and and absolutely loved it. If the whole video is seriously anything like the trailer it will be exactly what we wanted. After watching it repeatedly throughout the day and night Mike and I decided to share with anyone who cared to see.
By the way, our videographer was awesome. I seriously wish I had booked her before the photographers, because she does both photos and video with her fiance, and I would have had her do both. If you are in the Lake George/Albany area and getting married, seriously book LaRose Media.
We got to choose five songs plus our first dance song to have incorporated into the video. I can't even get over the song she chose for the trailer. Just perfect. We love it! Haha. And I have no idea how I did those high knees during Double Dutch in my 5 inch heels without breaking an ankle. Okay, here it is!
Rachel + Mike Trailer from LaRose Media on Vimeo.
So much fun to watch this over and over again and relive our wedding. I'll probably do the same with the full video when it gets here. Best night of my life!
We watched the trailer and and absolutely loved it. If the whole video is seriously anything like the trailer it will be exactly what we wanted. After watching it repeatedly throughout the day and night Mike and I decided to share with anyone who cared to see.
By the way, our videographer was awesome. I seriously wish I had booked her before the photographers, because she does both photos and video with her fiance, and I would have had her do both. If you are in the Lake George/Albany area and getting married, seriously book LaRose Media.
We got to choose five songs plus our first dance song to have incorporated into the video. I can't even get over the song she chose for the trailer. Just perfect. We love it! Haha. And I have no idea how I did those high knees during Double Dutch in my 5 inch heels without breaking an ankle. Okay, here it is!
Rachel + Mike Trailer from LaRose Media on Vimeo.
So much fun to watch this over and over again and relive our wedding. I'll probably do the same with the full video when it gets here. Best night of my life!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Little Squirrel
Yesterday while working in the backyard, out of the corner of his eye Mike noticed something fall out of one of our trees. He walked over to investigate and found a young squirrel lying on the ground, unmoving and barely breathing. Being the animal lovers that we are, I was determined to help it. I immediately made my way to the computer and began looking up wildlife centers that would accept injured squirrels. Of course, it had closed 15 minutes before the squirrel had fallen out of the tree.
I did some more research to see if there was anything we could do to try to help it until the center opened back up this morning. The squirrel still wasn't moving, and wasn't making any distress noises, which wasn't a good sign. There was also blood around it's mouth and on it's chin, like it had landed mostly on it's face or head. Mike wasn't convinced the squirrel was going to live, and honestly, I didn't either, but I had to try.
I sent Mike to grab a cardboard box while I went inside and grabbed some old pillowcases we had lying around to line the box with. (By the way, if you ever have to save a little squirrel, don't put towels in the box. Their nails get caught in the loops in the fabric and they can break toe nails and toes if they get caught during a panic.) He carefully picked up the squirrel and put it into the box before we carried it into the garage.
Apparently when young squirrels fall out of trees, they can go into shock even if they aren't really injured, and this lowers their body temperatures. I filled up a large water bottle with warm water and wrapped it in another old pillowcase and placed it on one side of the box to provide heat for the squirrel to keep it's body temperature up and hopefully eliminate the shock. Not wanting to stress it out anymore than necessary, we put the box in the garage for the night, since it was really our only dark quiet place to keep it.
I knew enough not to feed the squirrel or give it anything to drink since all wild animals have very strict diets and any variation in that diet can kill them. Instead I spent my night checking on the squirrel every hour until bed, making sure it was still breathing and the water bottle was warm, replacing it if it wasn't. It's safe to say I didn't get much sleep last night because I was either worrying about the squirrel or downstairs checking on it.
It spent the whole evening and night curled up in a little ball next to the water bottle. It wasn't moving much, but it was alive and that gave me hope when I headed to bed. When I checked on it again this morning it was much more alert which was amazing to see. It started climbing up onto the water bottle and moving around the box when I was around.
As soon as the center was open I prepared the squirrel for transport. When I did that, it started moving around the box, trying to climb out the sides, and chirping in distress. I know that it definitely had a jaw injury of some sort because it's chirping was really quiet and it wasn't opening it's mouth at all, but hopefully that's something the vet at the wildlife center can fix. I also noticed it was holding it's left front paw a little strange as it moved around, so it might have injured that as well. I dropped it off this morning at the wildlife center, giving it it's best chance to be rehabilitated and released back into the wild.
I actually cried a little after I left, because Little Squirrel (as I started calling it last night) was just too cute. I mean, how could you resist helping this little guy (or girl - no idea)?
I don't care if some people think they are pests or don't like them. They are a living being and deserve every chance to live their lives just like we do. I don't care what kind of animal I find injured in my backyard, I'm going to do whatever I can to help it. I don't know how injured this squirrel was, but I'm going to believe that it'll be rehabilitated and then released into the wild to live a long happy life.
Update: We received a card in the mail from the Wildlife Center that told us that Little Squirrel had been fully rehabilitated and released back into the wild! The center backs up to a state park, so there is plenty of safe space for Little Squirrel to make it's home!
I did some more research to see if there was anything we could do to try to help it until the center opened back up this morning. The squirrel still wasn't moving, and wasn't making any distress noises, which wasn't a good sign. There was also blood around it's mouth and on it's chin, like it had landed mostly on it's face or head. Mike wasn't convinced the squirrel was going to live, and honestly, I didn't either, but I had to try.
I sent Mike to grab a cardboard box while I went inside and grabbed some old pillowcases we had lying around to line the box with. (By the way, if you ever have to save a little squirrel, don't put towels in the box. Their nails get caught in the loops in the fabric and they can break toe nails and toes if they get caught during a panic.) He carefully picked up the squirrel and put it into the box before we carried it into the garage.
Apparently when young squirrels fall out of trees, they can go into shock even if they aren't really injured, and this lowers their body temperatures. I filled up a large water bottle with warm water and wrapped it in another old pillowcase and placed it on one side of the box to provide heat for the squirrel to keep it's body temperature up and hopefully eliminate the shock. Not wanting to stress it out anymore than necessary, we put the box in the garage for the night, since it was really our only dark quiet place to keep it.
I knew enough not to feed the squirrel or give it anything to drink since all wild animals have very strict diets and any variation in that diet can kill them. Instead I spent my night checking on the squirrel every hour until bed, making sure it was still breathing and the water bottle was warm, replacing it if it wasn't. It's safe to say I didn't get much sleep last night because I was either worrying about the squirrel or downstairs checking on it.
It spent the whole evening and night curled up in a little ball next to the water bottle. It wasn't moving much, but it was alive and that gave me hope when I headed to bed. When I checked on it again this morning it was much more alert which was amazing to see. It started climbing up onto the water bottle and moving around the box when I was around.
As soon as the center was open I prepared the squirrel for transport. When I did that, it started moving around the box, trying to climb out the sides, and chirping in distress. I know that it definitely had a jaw injury of some sort because it's chirping was really quiet and it wasn't opening it's mouth at all, but hopefully that's something the vet at the wildlife center can fix. I also noticed it was holding it's left front paw a little strange as it moved around, so it might have injured that as well. I dropped it off this morning at the wildlife center, giving it it's best chance to be rehabilitated and released back into the wild.
I actually cried a little after I left, because Little Squirrel (as I started calling it last night) was just too cute. I mean, how could you resist helping this little guy (or girl - no idea)?
I don't care if some people think they are pests or don't like them. They are a living being and deserve every chance to live their lives just like we do. I don't care what kind of animal I find injured in my backyard, I'm going to do whatever I can to help it. I don't know how injured this squirrel was, but I'm going to believe that it'll be rehabilitated and then released into the wild to live a long happy life.
Update: We received a card in the mail from the Wildlife Center that told us that Little Squirrel had been fully rehabilitated and released back into the wild! The center backs up to a state park, so there is plenty of safe space for Little Squirrel to make it's home!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Aruba!
So we left for our honeymoon the Monday after the wedding and went to Aruba. We were originally thinking Barbados, but it was so difficult to fly in and out of from the airport closest to Lake George. Also, summer is hurricane season in the Caribbean, but Aruba lies just outside that area so we wouldn't have to worry about a hurricane blowing up on us. The fact that we could skip all-inclusive and get some culture in Aruba, while also being able to drink water from the tap also aided in our decision to choose Aruba instead.
We landed in Aruba in the afternoon so we had enough time to kind of wander around the hotel and the beach area to check it out before heading to dinner. We found a tapas place for a pretty good first dinner. After we finished eating we walked through the rest of the shops and restaurants to scout out where the rest of our meals would come from.
We spent the first two full days in Aruba just laying out by the water. It was so nice to finally not have anything to do, that I wasn't in a rush to do much exploring. We did learn pretty quickly that it's windy in Aruba. Not sure if that's the case all the time, but I had read that there could be some pop up weather due to it being hurricane season in most of the Caribbean, so maybe the wind was a product of that.
The first day we chose to lay on the beach, and that wasn't the best idea we've ever had. Every time a wind gust picked up we would just get railed with sand which hurt like a bitch. We learned our lesson and spent the rest of the time claiming chairs by the pool where the hotel blocked some of the wind, there was no sand, and the ocean was still next to us when we needed to cool down.
The only other thing I noticed and thought was a little strange was the complete lack of waves, even with the wind. Seriously, waves were just non-existent. The water was definitely a little colder than I was expecting considering we were almost in South America while in Aruba, but not cold enough to keep me out. In fact, it felt nice to hop into the water while the sun was beating down on us all day.
On Thursday Mike and I decided to take a trip out to De Palm Island for an all-inclusive 8 hour all you can eat, drink, and snorkel trip. We hopped on the bus, took the ferry, and spent all morning and afternoon laying on the beach on the island and snorkeling. I had only been snorkeling once in Mexico, and it was horrible, so I was really looking forward to seeing what Aruba had to offer. It was amazing. Mike and I were in the water three different times for at least half an hour each time. The place even offered food you could buy for the fish. We didn't buy any, but enough people did that we got to experience the swarm of fish suddenly surrounding us.
There was also a small water park on the island so we spent some time hanging out there. I'm not a big water slide person, so I just sat in the shallow end catching some sun while staying cool while Mike did work alongside the rest of the 8 year old kids there, haha! We also found a ping pong table going unused, and went to town. I'd never really played before, and Mike is a master at the game, so we were just playing for fun.....until I realized that I was pretty good for a first timer. I'm pretty dead set on buying a ping pong table for our place now.
Friday we decided to explore the downtown area of Aruba. We hopped in a cab which dropped us off and grabbed lunch at a place he suggested. That was where we discovered papaya hot sauce. I've got to admit, I'm not a big fan of spicy things, but holy cow is this stuff good. Mike hightailed it to a grocery store to buy a bottle to bring home immediately. We picked up a couple of souvenirs before heading back to the hotel.
Saturday was our last day so we spent that sitting by the pool and hanging out in the ocean enjoying our last day of zero responsibility. By Sunday afternoon we were on a plane headed back to NY with a 17 hour drive from there to St. Louis looming ahead of us. As much fun as the honeymoon was (and relaxing), it was good to be back in the states, and especially to see Bauer again! He however was much less excited to see us. While Mike got some attention he literally refused to come see me the entire night after we got back. Guess he was kind of pissed, haha. By the next day he was back to giving me hugs and cuddling up after getting over his anger at being ditched, even if he got to spend the entire week with his best friend Nash.
I would definitely recommend Aruba, and not going all-inclusive (um, liquor is so cheap at Duty Free there!) so you can experience everything the island has to offer. As long as you can tolerate the wind unlike one woman we heard saying she would never go back. Here's some more pictures from the honeymoon.....
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| The view that greeted us from our balcony |
We landed in Aruba in the afternoon so we had enough time to kind of wander around the hotel and the beach area to check it out before heading to dinner. We found a tapas place for a pretty good first dinner. After we finished eating we walked through the rest of the shops and restaurants to scout out where the rest of our meals would come from.
We spent the first two full days in Aruba just laying out by the water. It was so nice to finally not have anything to do, that I wasn't in a rush to do much exploring. We did learn pretty quickly that it's windy in Aruba. Not sure if that's the case all the time, but I had read that there could be some pop up weather due to it being hurricane season in most of the Caribbean, so maybe the wind was a product of that.
The first day we chose to lay on the beach, and that wasn't the best idea we've ever had. Every time a wind gust picked up we would just get railed with sand which hurt like a bitch. We learned our lesson and spent the rest of the time claiming chairs by the pool where the hotel blocked some of the wind, there was no sand, and the ocean was still next to us when we needed to cool down.
The only other thing I noticed and thought was a little strange was the complete lack of waves, even with the wind. Seriously, waves were just non-existent. The water was definitely a little colder than I was expecting considering we were almost in South America while in Aruba, but not cold enough to keep me out. In fact, it felt nice to hop into the water while the sun was beating down on us all day.
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| See? No waves. |
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| Hellos! |
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| Loved our underwater camera |
There was also a small water park on the island so we spent some time hanging out there. I'm not a big water slide person, so I just sat in the shallow end catching some sun while staying cool while Mike did work alongside the rest of the 8 year old kids there, haha! We also found a ping pong table going unused, and went to town. I'd never really played before, and Mike is a master at the game, so we were just playing for fun.....until I realized that I was pretty good for a first timer. I'm pretty dead set on buying a ping pong table for our place now.
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| At the water park |
Friday we decided to explore the downtown area of Aruba. We hopped in a cab which dropped us off and grabbed lunch at a place he suggested. That was where we discovered papaya hot sauce. I've got to admit, I'm not a big fan of spicy things, but holy cow is this stuff good. Mike hightailed it to a grocery store to buy a bottle to bring home immediately. We picked up a couple of souvenirs before heading back to the hotel.
Saturday was our last day so we spent that sitting by the pool and hanging out in the ocean enjoying our last day of zero responsibility. By Sunday afternoon we were on a plane headed back to NY with a 17 hour drive from there to St. Louis looming ahead of us. As much fun as the honeymoon was (and relaxing), it was good to be back in the states, and especially to see Bauer again! He however was much less excited to see us. While Mike got some attention he literally refused to come see me the entire night after we got back. Guess he was kind of pissed, haha. By the next day he was back to giving me hugs and cuddling up after getting over his anger at being ditched, even if he got to spend the entire week with his best friend Nash.
I would definitely recommend Aruba, and not going all-inclusive (um, liquor is so cheap at Duty Free there!) so you can experience everything the island has to offer. As long as you can tolerate the wind unlike one woman we heard saying she would never go back. Here's some more pictures from the honeymoon.....
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| There were lizards all over the place down there. I think they're so cute! |
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| In downtown |
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| So sad that places like this need Pizza Huts to please tourists - Branch out people! |
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| Not terribly afraid of people |
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| Saw these guys all over the rocky areas |
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| Sunset from the balcony |
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Wedding Day!
I woke up on the morning of June 30, 2012 and immediately started crying. I'm already typically an emotional wreck, and realizing it was my wedding day took a toll the second I turned off my alarm. Having to stop myself from turning into a blubbering idiot was an overriding theme of the day. My hair and makeup girl showed up at 9 am followed closely by my bridesmaids and my wedding day officially got going.
Everyone talks about nerves and such on your wedding day, but I wasn't feeling it. I was just really excited. Then, I was getting my hair and makeup done around 1:30 that afternoon. Most of my bridesmaids were taking care of making sure the reception area was set up and I was in the room with just one bridesmaid and the girl doing my hair and makeup. It was quiet in the room for the first time when suddenly it hit. My stomach started to tie itself in knots, and my heart started racing. No cold feet for me, but I started to panic about whether Mike would like the dress, my hair, and my makeup. I mean, I couldn't look like shit on the most important day of my life! Thankfully the girls calmed me down and the day resumed.
Of course just after my hair and makeup finishes a couple of the ushers came by to take my stuff up to the room Mike and I would share that night and bring Mike's note and present to me, and pick up my note and presents for him. While my note was written on lined notebook paper, because that's all I had access to the night before, Mike had to one-up me (so typical, haha). They handed me our iPad, which Mike had recorded a video on the night before as his "note". I cried my eyes out listening to what he had to say, and work on a bridesmaids hair had to come to a halt for a makeup fix.
Later I was dressed and ready to go and it was wedding time. It felt like an eternity that I was hidden in a room while everyone else walked down the aisle. Finally it was time, and off I went. He'll probably kill me for saying this, but Mike made me cry when he started to tear up as I got to him. Thankfully I held it together enough to get through most of the ceremony, up until vow time. I'd started to tear up listening to Mike say his, but when it was my turn I literally had to pause halfway through for a moment because I was on the verge of a total breakdown. I made it through better than I expected, which was awesome, but I don't think I heard a single thing our officiant said. I was too busy grinning like an idiot at Mike and forcing myself to hold the tears in.
We were then officially married and got to spend the rest of the night celebrating with our closest friends and family. Unfortunately last minute a few couldn't make the trip for the wedding. One guy couldn't get clearance by his doctor to travel after hitting a deer on his motorcycle the previous month and flying a nice 100 yards down the road. One of Mike's groomsmen also couldn't make it because his wife gave birth the night before. Thankfully one of our ushers stepped up and filled in.
Towards the end of the night something really awesome happened. Turned out there were fireworks over Lake George that night. It was unexpected and I found out about it only the night before. My dad joked that he spared no expense for the wedding, but it was amazing to be able to enjoy those before the party ended.
For the record, I highly recommend using music from the Vitamin String Quartet for pre-ceremony, ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner music. We received so many comments on how awesome it was to listen to. If you don't know, VSQ does orchestral versions of modern mostly rock songs. People had a blast trying to pick out what all the songs were. Since Mike and I don't agree on music most of the time this was a great choice for us. We chose mostly 90's to early 00's music from bands like Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Coheed and Cambria, etc.
Our music lineup (all Vitamin String Quartet covers) went like this:
Parents and groom entrance for ceremony - "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac
Wedding Party entrance - "Soul to Squeeze" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
My entrance - "Beautiful Day" by U2
Recessional - "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins
When we made our entrance to the reception we wanted to choose something that would typically be played at a hockey game for a team's entrance, because let's be honest, hockey runs our lives. We chose AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" the real version. Our first dance was to "Stuck on You" by Failure. Not exactly first dance material, but it's our song and our wedding, so we did what we wanted, decent first dance be damned, haha. People spent all night saying how "us" the music selection was.
We haven't gotten any of our professional photos or video yet, but received so many amazing pictures from friends and family. I figured I'd throw some of those in here and put up some of my favorite shots from the photographers later on when I get them. Before I do I just wanted to throw out a big thank you to everyone who sent either of us messages wishing us good luck and congrats. It means so much to us to see all the support from family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers alike. I'm the happiest I've ever been right now and looking forward to what the future for us holds. Thanks again!
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| Sign outside of our reception room |
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| Reception room - view of Lake George and surrounding mountains out windows |
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| Close up of table settings (annoyed that ribbon came off my favor box) |
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| Cake! |
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| Just pronounced husband and wife |
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| First kiss! |
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| Married! |
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| Wedding Party (3 guys on left were ushers) |
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| Love this photo of ring bearer and flower girls |
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| First dance |
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| Double Dutch ropes |
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