Rumbly in my tummy

Baby boy did not want to come out in time for Halloween, so I was the "tubby little cubby all stuffed with [baby] fluff." And, of course, we had our pot of pure gold escorting us to the trunk-or-treat. Happy Halloween 2011!

p.s. We won for most creative trunk at the church trunk-or-treat party. :)

No children were stung by bees when they reached into the tree to retrieve their candy!

Jonathan and Robin like Bison too.

Bison Trek Down City Streets

There is much to document from our epic trip across the United States. But the most memorable, and the best in pictures, has to be our encounter with the bronze carvings of Nebraska wildlife.

"The stampeding herd of larger-than-life bronze bison runs down Omaha’s sidewalks, ripping through planters and even a building. The bison in the park are headed toward the flock of geese, to flush them out of the fountain. “The bison ran here on the open plains for centuries,” Ullberg says. “Their spirits are still with us today, paying no heed to our modern cities and structures.”

http://www.boodyfinearts.com/WA_UllbergArticle.pdf

Join us for our journey around a city block of Omaha . . .

Crafty things

Today I went to Kayleen's house and we ate baked potatoes for lunch. Dessert consisted of Coco Wheat Brownies and homemade ice cream - both of which are not too great on their own, but together are quite tasty. After lunch we ventured into the beauuuutiful outdoors we painted chairs and worked on Halloween costumes. We were glad the sky waited to rain until we were good and done.

Then I came home where Joshua and I made pumpkin waffles. Mmm they were so yummy! One of them turned out looking quite villainous:

Then I spent the whoooole rest of the night making baby booties. Thus completing my baby blessing outfit. Quite proud of myself, really . . . Just don't look too close, and especially don't look on the insides! Joshua said our baby will look like a little Amish boy. :)

 
                 
                                    Ahh, cute!

Fruit flies

In our lovely little apartment, we have a fruit fly infestation. Joshua likes to kill them. Sometimes when I wonder where Joshua went, I will find him in the bathroom. Smashing fruit flies against the mirror.

Mecca and the Covered Bridges

Last weekend we went to the Covered Bridge Festival  located in Parke County, about an hour and a half drive north from us. During the week of the festival, vendors from all around come to sell their wares. We enjoyed the free samples of dip, pork rinds, jams, and breads. We smelled alllll the candles, admired the model cars made of super-polished mahogany, and watched the chain saw guys turn tree stumps into bears.

     

Abraham Lincoln played tunes on his saw with a violin bow and there were some crazy boys running around with dead chickens on their heads (just hats, don't worry, it was sanitary). Both novelties disappeared before I could snap a picture, so you will have to take my word for it and enjoy my illustrations:

The main draw are these beautiful bridges, set in the rural country side. We went on a driving tour and saw about four of them (there are maybe 20-something!). All but one were still in use. The Mecca one was our favorite because, since it was no longer in use, you could get out and walk through it. Joshua liked the windows :). The bridge was very long and set over a pretty big creek/river. 

After visiting the Mecca Bridge we thought it adventurous to drive into the little town of Mecca; we like looking at old buildings. There was not much to the town, a few wooden bus stops and a tavern.

Wooden Bus Stop at Nighttime.

Well, we did see one other cool thing - a large old schoolhouse turned combined General Store and Gymnasium. It was a beautiful building, and while Joshua was admiring the architecture of the place, my eyes were reading the signs: "Haunted House. This way -->." Yep, so we went to the haunted house. It started in a half-hour, and dinner was included (delicious hotdog, popcorn, chips and a drink).  For a mere $8 each, we had quite and evening. 

"This is a Haunted House, not a FUN House. No refunds will be given if you chicken out."

 

The group we went through with consisted of 4 elementary school girls and a dad. By the end they were hanging onto Joshua and I, "I don't know you but I am staying right here with you!" I can't recall going to any haunted houses before, but even if I have, this one would still top the list. It took a while to get through all the pitch-black mazes, work your way through the crawl space in the basement, run from the nasty-scary clowns and grim reaper, lay down on the butchers block and get carved open, and stand trial on the gallows. They really put a lot of work into the thing (whoever "they" are). We had a blast. My heart was racing, and some people there were scared it would put me in labor. I survived, although every time a scary monster jumped in front of us, Sydney screamed and hugged my stomach so tight I thought she was going to pop me. :)

And those were our adventures in Mecca and Parke County last weekend. Stay tuned for my sewing projects and Halloween greatness. 

We live in Indiana

Therefore we pick apples . . . and eat them and make lots of treats out of them.

 And we love our bright friends who visit our porch...

When we are not covered in apple puree or filling up our bird feeders, Joshua does some homework and I sew something or pretend to clean the house. Mostly I just sit around and wait for our baby to come. :)

Marriage

Just a few pictures from the wedding that make me smile. The rest you can see on facebook. :)

 Jonathan and Robin Nelson!

















                                 Silly Wheatleys...

A little update

This is definitely not inclusive of all our summer's adventures. But at least it is a little update of what's going on this fall . . .

First day of School!

                     We are doing great here in Bloomington, IN! Joshua is    
                      really enjoying his graduate program. He likes his classes and his teachers and the students he is working with. The caliber of his peers frequently impresses him. They are also very kind and interested in me and our new baby! We don't doubt that some of them will be bringing by meals along with the RS. Joshua says that Law and Public Management are the two classes easiest for him - in the sense that they are much like his History major course work. Economics and Stats require a little more brain work, but he is doing well. Luckily he has great groups to work in. I think right now his concentrations are Finance and Public Management, but that could change. I am in charge of looking up and applying for Summer Internships. There is a CIA one that looks really neat!

Usually he has a good handle on all of his work, but he is going a little crazy this week - mostly because last weekend we went to my brother's wedding in North/South Carolina. It was a long 12 hour drive (each way), but we made it! The wedding was lovely and I enjoyed being with my family. I was very grateful to Joshua for making the sacrifice. We had some fun stops on the way - Joshua's favorite being the very first KFC, complete with small museum. We enjoyed a bucket o' chicken.

First KFC, well, actually it is where Colonel Sanders really got started. In Corbin, KY.
http://www.corbinkentucky.us/sanderscafe.htm

  Sunset welcoming us home to Bloomington.

Another reason his life is slightly more hectic is that he just got a pretty sweet job. Somehow one of his professors is connected with an international organization that needed some Arabic translating. Joshua was hired to read Egyptian news and translate summaries of articles to help this company stay up-to-date on the going-ons there. He really loves that he gets paid for something he already enjoys doing! The problem this week is that because they hired him late in the time-table, he has to do 1 month's worth of work in 1.5 weeks. But hopefully we will get some more sleep soon . . . before we have a hungry baby...

Me and the baby are doing great. My family had fun feeling him move all over this weekend. It is pretty cute until he repeatedly kicks my ribs! I think I am getting a bruise . . . ;) But it is good to know he is healthy. Hopefully we are all ready. I am determined to use cloth diapers, we'll let you know how long we last! My mom is coming for a few weeks around his due date, hopefully he at least comes before then! And Joshua's parents are stopping in a week or so later. It will be fun to have them around the new baby.

I think that is about all the excitement around here. I stay at home and sleep all day. Try to make yummy dinners and clean once in a while! I am attempting to start up a graphic design business, but have been pretty slow and not super motivated. I will let everyone know of my website when it is presentable. Until then, you can send any graphic design needs my way (invitations, logos, flyers, you name it)!

Example of yummy food (Ratatouille)