What a difference 2 years makes!

Mom just posted a blog with pictures of Ella playing in the snow. One of the pics struck me as very similar to a picture we have of her from a couple of years ago. When I looked up the older pic, I found something interesting. The first picture was taken on 1/21/07...almost exactly 2 years before Mom took the newest ones! After looking at them side by side, the pics aren't too similar, but they are both cute pictures of her, so I'm going to post them anyway (because I'm the aunt, and I can post as many pictures of her as I want.) She is looking less like a baby and more like a little girl everyday! :)

16 things

Leslie just did this in her blog, and then challenged everyone else to do the same, so here goes nothing! 16 things about me right now, each statement starting with "I":

1. I hate doing laundry. I love the smell of clean clothes, especially when they're washed with ERA detergent, but I can't stand folding clothes. I generally just pull things out of the dryer as I need them, which doesn't go over well with Will. Unfortunately it seems I am always doing laundry, so I guess I will just have to get over my hatred. Speaking of which, it's time to switch some laundry right now.

2. I am starting to experiment more in the kitchen. No earth-shattering culinary delights being created, but I am trying to make different dishes at night. I've been baking more, too, because I love the way the apartment smells when cookies or bread is in the oven. I'm also slowly getting better at having multiple meal elements come together and be ready to go to the table at the same time. I used to be terrible at timing in the kitchen, but I'm getting the hang of it.

3. I have an irrational fear of the ocean. I think the ocean is beautiful to look at, but I unfortunately don't do so well being in the water. This phobia has creeped up on me in the past couple years. I think I've seen one too many shows about shark attacks, and even though I know the likelihood of being attacked by a shark is not great, I still freak myself out when I'm in the water. SCUBA diving would probably give me a heart attack. Hence the reason I would like to become SCUBA certified. Gotta attack those fears somehow!

4. I am becoming aware of the fact that I'm growing older. It was definitely realized this weekend when I opted to drink far more water than beer because I didn't want to wake up with a hangover and ruin my day in the mountains. Not too long ago I was perfectly capable of drinking all day AND night, and feeling fine and even goin to work the next morning. Lately, though, just a few cocktails are enough to leave me feeling pretty awful the next day. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.

5. I check my email, Facebook, and even people's blogs FAR too often. I am on the computer researching all day for work, and a quick check of my email, or a glance at status updates on Facebook is a great way to relax my eyes and concentration for a minute or two. My bosses encourage us to take breaks when we feel are losing focus, and I love taking a second to read up on what's happening with friends and family.

6. I absolutely love when I answer my phone and hear my little niece say "Hi, Meaghan!" No matter what my mood is, hearing her talk always lifts my spirits...even if I can't really understand what she says all the time. She is so funny at this age, and I'm glad she thinks of me when I'm not around...and that Molly and Mom call me when she's in the mood to "chat".

7. I went from having no cable for about 2 years to being obsessed with any shows on Bravo (the reality shows...embarrasing to admit, but once I start watching, I can't stop!) or HGTV. I enter to win the HGTV dream home once a day. I know I couldn't afford the taxes on the multi-million dollar home, but it's nice to dream, right? Maybe my mom could help me turn it in to B&B...and she and Dad could retire in Napa and run it for me.

8. Speaking of TV, I have "power hour(s)" every night while I make dinner. I watch 2 episodes of "Cash Cab", followed by one episode each of "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune". If I ever go back to New York, I think it would be awesome to ride in that cab! Van Cab #7N78, I'm coming to get you!

9. I haven't been to a live concert in months...and that makes me sad. In Chicago I saw live music all the time...and that tapered down a bit when I lived in Denver...and now here in Nashville I have yet to go to a show. That in itself is ridiculous. I live in Music City! I'm making it a goal to see at least one show a month.

10. Another sad thing to admit- I haven't read a book since the first week we moved to Nashville. I don't know why that is...there is a library right up the street from our apartment, and I enjoy readin. I'm thinking getting a library card should also be on my goal list. If anyone has any book suggestions, please let me know!

11. I have a travel bug in me again, especially since going to Colorado last weekend. I love, love, love to travel. Will and I have several weddings to attend between now and October, plus (hopefully) an extra trip to Houston to visit my family, so I'm sure plenty of traveling will be done, but really...I would go somewhere every weekend if my finances allowed for it. Nothing beats a packed suitcase, a plane ticket, and a new (or not-so-new) place to explore.

12. I am craving sushi. Similar to my live music scenario, I went from eating sushi several times a month in Chicago, to only having it a few times in Denver, to not having it at all in Nashville. I have read some good reviews about a couple restaurants downtown. Now, if Will ever has a weekend off, maybe we'll be able to check one of the spots out!

13. I have a love/hate relationship with scary movies and tv shows. I love to watch them and get that creepy, heart-pounding in your throat feeling, but I often have trouble forgetting about them once the show's over. My imagination runs wild and I freak myself out!

14. I would love to learn how to analyze dreams. Lately I have been having some vivid, albeit, weird dreams involving odd scenarios and people that I've known for a long time but haven't spoken to in years. I would love to understand what these dreams mean, if anything at all. Perhaps a dream book should be my first library rental?...

15. I love going to the grocery store. I don't really know why- I'm not that fantastic at cooking (see #2) and I certainly don't have a bottomless budget to purchase whatever I would like. But I thoroughly enjoying walking up and down each aisle and seeing all the types of food that are there, and trying to imagine all the things I could make. Same goes for Sam's Club. I am in awe of anyone who buys and actually uses a 10 lb can of olive oil, or 25 pounds of frozen chicken.

16. I find it terribly difficult to get out of bed before 8:00 AM during the week, but for some reason I am up with the birds on the weekend. I guess it's easier to wake up when you know you have all day to do whatever you'd like.

Finished that just in time for power hour!...and to switch laundry. That was fun, though- thanks for the idea, Leslie! Hopefully everyone has a chance to write one up themselves.

Estes Park and Steamboat

Oh how I love the mountains! Seeing work friends, enjoying a beautiful drive through canyons to get to Estes Park, having a productive work meeting, loving the lodge B&B we stayed at, and digging into a tasty dinner were the highlights of Thursday and Friday. It was great to put in some face time with work people, and even nicer to catch up with them in a relaxed atmosphere.

The rest of the weekend was spent in Steamboat Springs with our friends Paul and Erica. I will never get tired of driving through the mountains, and the drive from Estes Park to Steamboat did not disappoint. We spent our time in Steamboat apres-ing at Slopeside Grill at the bottom of the mountain, soaking in 2 different hot springs, going down a fantastically fun water slide into the hot springs, having drinks and dinner at Rio Grande (one of our favorite Colorado restaurants), and snowmobiling! We had a great time, and of course, had to return to Nashville way too soon. Now, it's back to reality...Will is in class all this week learning how to rock at being Mr. McDonalds, and I'm trying to stay warm while I work at home.


Here are some pics from our fun weekend!

The great view from our room at the Taharaa Lodge in Estes Park:

Will looking good with some rabbit ears. We went snowmobiling around Rabbit Ears pass, which is around 10,000 feet. The snowmobile company picked us up at this motel in town.

Our fantastic snowmobiling get-up: Snowmobiling really gives you freedom to be fashion forward...note my neon goggles. Awesome.
My driver for (most) of the day. I opted to be a passenger instead of driving my own sled so I could take in the gorgeous views, but really can you blame me? Look at how pretty the view was:

Gorgeous...why did we move away from this?!

Unwinding after snowmobiling at Strawberry Park, some of the hot springs in the Steamboat area. After dark, clothing is optional...though we opted to go during twilight hours so we didn't see any nekked people. Those hot springs felt AWESOME!!

Hi-ho, Hi-ho,...

it's off to Colorado for work I go! I'm getting ready to take off for sunny warmer Denver for a long weekend in the mountains! My company's annual budget meeting is tomorrow in Estes Park at a cute little B&B Lodge called Taharaa. We meet all day, then we're going to spend the rest of the evening relaxing over cocktails and dinner. Everyone has their own room to stay in, and each room is complete with a private balcony and fireplace with the gorgeous mountains as the backdrop.

Will couldn't stand the idea of me getting to return alone, so he worked this visit into his schedule as well! :) He's flying in later this evening and will meet me in Estes tomorrow evening after our meetings are over. Saturday morning we are going to drive up to Steamboat Springs to spend the rest of the weekend with our friends Paul and Erica. Skiing is a possibility, but more than likely we'll go on a snowmobile tour, followed by a relaxing dip in the hot springs. We are really, really looking forward to having some down time together this weekend. Will's crazy work schedule doesn't let us spend a whole lot of time together right now. And we are SUPER excited to get back to Colorado- it feels like we just left, but then again it feels like we've been gone forever. Strange how time works.

Hope everyone has a safe, WARM weekend! I'm off to the Rockies!

She said what?!

I got a call from Molly this morning- she wanted to share Ella's newest words. Ella seems to be at that stage where she repeats anything she hears, but I must admit, I was not prepared to hear what I did! A brief recap of the conversation:

Molly: Guess what my daughter's keeps saying again and again?
Me: I don't know, what?
Molly (getting Ella to come on the phone): Ella, tell Aunt Meagie what you just told me
Ella: Meaghan-- Barack Obama.
Me: WHAT?! Ella, what did you just say?
Ella: Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Barack Obama.

I died laughing. My 2 year old niece not only can say Barack Obama, but she can say it clearly enough that I immediately understood what she said. I tried to ask her some questions to see if she realized that he was a person and was going to be the president, but she just kept repeating his name. I guess she finds it fun to say. Oh, that child- she cracks me up!

Ser-wii-ously

I am Wii-ly sore from using my new Wii Fit! I had to write that since Will was making fun of me for saying that to him earlier. I thought I was very clever. He thought something else, I'm sure. :)

Though I really wanted a Wii Fit, I was somewhat skeptical about whether or not it would be a good workout. But I really am sore from using it. Certain features, like all the Balance games, don't exactly work your muscles, but most of the Aerobic exercises have made me break a sweat. I really like the Boxing and Hula Hooping. When I worked at the dating service It's Just Lunch! in Chicago, I kept a hula hoop by my desk and would hoop it up between phone calls, so that feature brought me back to those days. The nice thing, too, is that you can move on to the more advanced versions of each feature as you progress. I also feel like I'm learning to ski and snowboard from the Balance games. Probably not, but I think it helps me get a feel for how to move going down a mountain...in case I ever get to go to the mountains again.

I am trying to get in at least an hour a day of Wii time, for a couple reasons. #1- I am curious to see if I can really notice a change in my body from using it, and #2- because Will was convinced (prior to getting the Wii) that I would play with it for a couple weeks, and then get bored and never really use it. I really want to prove him wrong! But even he has even admitted that it's a fun toy to have around. Our living room makes a great bowling alley, so many many rounds of bowling have been played in the last week.

We're off to see our 3rd movie of the week tonight. We love to go to the theater to see movies, but the last couple months we've hit a dry spell. Not a lot of movies that we were dying to see were out. So we're very happy that Holiday Blockbuster time has arrived! We saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Seven Pounds (both of which we really enjoyed, but I can't say which I like better because they are so different). Tonight, we're in the mood for comedy, so it's going to be either Marley and Me or Yes Man. I have heard they are both funny, but I know I will probably cry if we see Marley and Me, because I think I have an idea of what happens. It's going to be a game time decision, depending on how quickly we can make and clean up dinner!

Happy New Year!

Wow, 2009 already. That is so hard to believe! Christmas was fantastic this year. I must have been a very good girl because Santa hooked me up! A new Wii, Wii Fit, a camera (3 cameras, actually!), kitchen gear, and on top of that, my very own Sams Club card! It was really nice to be able to spend Christmas with Will's family. The feast was wonderful, and the sausage rolls were a huge hit.

I made it to Decatur on the 26th, after an AWFUL drive through nasty fog the whole way up from Nashville. Not being one to shy away from procrastination, I finished my Christmas shopping literally an hour before the Wingard family Christmas festivities began. Nearly all my dad's brothers and sisters made it to the celebration this year, which is no small task since there are 9 kids in the family and everyone is spread out. Grandma Wingard has been in a nursing home but she was able to sneak away to be at the party, too.

We had our annual "Naughty Santa" gift exchange, which is always a trip. You never know what you're gonna get. Some years you can end up with a really nice candle or movies or a board game, and other years...well, other years you may not be so lucky. I was the latter this year, being the proud recipient of an "Anti Monkey Butt" bathroom gift pack. Hooray! Just what I always wanted! Regardless of the gift you end up with, though, that game is always fun to play, especially with 30+ people involved!

Andy (or Will, whatever he is now-a-days...I just can't get used to calling him Will) and Sandy got a Wii and Wii fit this year, too, so most of our weekend at home was spent bowling, playing darts, playing quiz shows, and teaching Sandy how to use the Wii-mote. She just didn't get the hang of it. :)













Some highlights from Decatur: wearing matching pajamas all weekend (the boys had one pair that matched, the girls, another) taking our family picture at K-Mart (hilarious!), singing karaoke with Kelly at Curly's, going to Holy Family's 50th anniversary "Jubilee" mass and then walking through the grade school (it's amazing how tiny everything looks in that school now!), running into my old boss from LaGondola, Tony, seeing my old 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Farris, and avoiding my old teacher from St. T who despises our family, Mrs. Keller. Oh yes, and watching my adorable niece lock herself inside the dog crate.

We spent New Years in Nashville this year. We went to the Music City Bowl with Colin and Jackie during the afternoon, and then spent the evening at another Colin's house. It was a pretty lowkey New Years, but we had fun.















Shaughn stopped by Nashville last night and stayed with us. He is en route to Houston, where he's starting school in a couple weeks. He's heading to Dallas right now, and should be in Houston by tomorrow evening! It's strange to think that almost half my family are now Houston residents. I'm looking forward to heading down there and visiting once he gets settled in.