Sam!

Seth and I were lucky enough to meet up with one of my most favorite roommates from college (and her hubby, Peter) this weekend in Baltimore before their flight back to Boston. Seth and I took them on a "walking tour" of the Inner Harbor (not entirely on purpose) before grabbing a quick lunch and heading to the airport. It was so good to see Sam & Peter! Can't wait to see you again!

(Although I already adore Sam, she won extra points for referring to me as "tiny" when she saw me in all my pregnant-ness. Quite possibly the only time in my life that word has been used to describe me. Thanks Sam!!)

Thankful for Chainsaws and Turkey

Thanksgiving was most enjoyable this year. Seth and I drove down to join Mom, Dad and Joan along with both Grandpas for a day of chopping trees and eating good food.

The men-folk headed out right away to work on getting some trees down. The first to come down was a "practice" tree, but then it was on to a big one close to the house. It was decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to cut it at the base, it's a tall tree and there were worries it would hit the house on it's way down. So...it was decided that it would be a good idea to have Grandpa climb to the top of a ladder and cut the tree down from there, and then cut the rest of the tree down after. The video isn't too bad, it at least gives an idea of how tall it was. That's Grandpa wielding the chainsaw at the top of the ladder, and Dad H is on the rope. Before the tree actually comes down, Seth joins his Dad to help on the rope. I'm afraid the video really doesn't capture the big crash at the end. Oh well...



All the boys took turns cutting the wood. I'm pretty sure there will be enough firewood to get them through the winter...and probably the next ten! I also learned today that to live in Maryland two must-have items are: chainsaw and a leaf-blower. We'll work on that for Seth.

After the tree excitement it was time for some good eats. Mom H prepared a serious feast for us. I helped where I could in the kitchen, but quickly realized I'm not much help! When it came time to "roll out the rolls" I think I may have had a slightly panicked look on my face. (What? Rolls don't come from the freezer section or the Neighborhood Bakery??) Seth was the only one who dared point out that my crescent rolls looked more like whales. Ah, I try. I do feel my cranberry sauce and pumpkin cheesecake saved some of my cooking dignity.

Leaves Are Fallin' All Around...

We were checking out some of the pics on Seth's camera, and decided to post a few of our recent favorites. We've had some requests for pictures of the trees changing out here. This picture is clearly lacking trees. Seth took it last week while we were exploring our backyard (literally). I "hiked" to the top of the hill...then realized that was the most "hiking" this pregnant girl has done in a while and thus, I waddled home...oh wait, that's not entirely true. On our way back to our house, we realized we had visitors, and we ran the last little bit to meet them at the house... the waddling took place the rest of the evening. (For those that have asked for preggo pictures, just picture Geri, rounder stomach, and a slight bow-legged gait. There you go!

I really like this tree. It's on our street,and I love how RED it is. I don't know that the pictures do it justice, it was bright red. About the time the leaves started looking ugly on it, it's buddy, one tree over, turned bright red too. Awesome. They must be Ute Trees.
This was one of our many jaunts down to DC last month. Seth loves to catch me when I'm not paying attention (at least he didn't get me picking my nose or something...) I sometimes laugh when he's taking pictures of me from a distance, and I am pretending not to notice...the thought crosses my mind..."Who's the big stalker now??" That's right, we've both got a little stalker in us.
I don't really know what to say about this one, I think it kind of speaks for itself.

Flooring 101

Step 1: Begin with brand-new, unsoiled, non-upgraded carpet.

Step 2: Document the messy house, and the sweet vinyl in the kitchen.

Step 3: Remove the baseboards. (Warning: it is possible the builders may have used 80 nails to attach foot long sections...may take time)

Step 4: Cut carpet into large sections and roll it up. Watch your fingers when assisting Seth in the rolling, he may try to roll them up in the carpet...OUCH! Once carpet is rolled, remove paper-thin carpet padding. (Be thankful you upgraded the carpet and pad in the rest of the house).

Step 5: Pry the vinyl and the board it's attached to off the subfloor. Be prepared to hammer down hundreds of staples that were apparently necessary in attaching the vinyl. Step 6: Remove the carpet tack strips. This may cause giant, blood blisters. (Side note, you know how kids have two different cries of pain? Type one: they let out giant wails and cry for a bit...Type two: you hear the thump, see the pain, but no cry comes out. They are stuck in that wide-mouthed silent wail. That's when you know it realllly hurts. Yeah, I let out the silent wail when I caught my palm between the prybar and the hammer.)Step 7: Step back and admire the demolition. Step 8: Adjust to life in mayhem and dust. Step 9: Roll out the smelly felt paper. Get used to having black floors, you'll be looking at these a while. Oh, and that pile of wood in the corner...that's over 3000 pounds of wood. I helped Seth with a max of maybe 75 pounds of it, for one he didn't want me lifting anything too heavy, and for another I was too nauseous to be of much help. He's amazing for carrying all of that upstairs from the basement by himself. Step 10: Convince Dad H that he wants to spend the day helping with floors.
Step 11: Admire the work, it's slow but steady. (You will quickly realize this is going to take more than a few days. For one, you only have a few hours each night to work on it, and it's just the two of you!)
Step 12: Try not to fall apart, when your parents, sister and friend come to visit and THIS is what your house looks like. Also, try not to glare at people when they say, "aren't you done with those floors, yet?" Instead bite your tongue and kindly say, "nope, not yet." Then hold back tears as you wish some of your buddies from home were around, because you know they'd be there from beginning to end. Now is also a good time to apologize to amazing husband for throwing up every ten minutes, and in reality, slowing down his progress. Although he claims you are really a "big help". Step 13: A big thanks to Dad G and a rainy day spent with Seth. Front half of the house is completed! (Sorry, no pics, I guess they moved too fast).

Step 14: Tackle the kitchen. Fridge first. Thank amazing husband again for his patience and his hardwork.
Step 15: Accept the much appreciated help of Dad H and cousin Luke for their help in the kitchen area, stove completed.

Step 16: Work your tail off to finally have the floors done. Once laid down, you will then need to reattach the baseboards, touch up the paint and call it good for now!

Step 17: Enjoy the fruits of your labors! (Ignore the fact you are still waiting on a few pieces of molding for the kitchen and stairs from the builder...it will come). Just enjoy how great it is!!

Ahh, I love the new floors. I am sooo grateful that they are done, it took just under a month and a half. Seth claims he's excited to tackle the next home-improvement project, I personally think we'll hold off 'til after the holidays. I can't even begin to say how awesome Seth was through all of this. I was a wreck, and not much help at all. He pushed through and worked his tail off to make our house BEAUTIFUL!!

A Utah man sir, will be til I die, KI YI!

Seth and I were extremely bummed that we don't have the MTN out here in Maryland, so we couldn't watch the Utah-TCU game. Thankfully Kellie (my fellow Utah alum sister) kept us posted with text messages. I must say, at times we thought it wasn't looking good.

It began with a phone call, where she informed me the score was 3-0, TCU.
The rest of the texts for the evening went a little like this:

• TCU 10-0. They are freaking fast.
• Louis kicks as 49 yard FG. 10-3 TCU.
  
• TCU marches down the field but we sack the QB and put them out of FG range. 2nd qtr.
• Defense and crowd finally helping us. 3 offsides penalties on TCU and they punt. Blackout is awesome!
• Interception! 25 seconds left to go in the half. Go Utes!
• Louis kicks a FG. 10-6 at the half.
• And we're back. Scare for a TCU TD but was out of bounds. Next play huge sack by Kruger and they are out of FG range. Utes ball.
• Offense can't get anything going. I am going insane.
• End of 3rd. 10-6 TCU. Defensive battle.
• TCU bounces a FG off the upright for a miss. Still 10-6.
• 2:48 left TCU botches another FG.
• UTAH TOUCHDOWN!!!!!
• 13-10!!! 47 seconds left!
• Utah intercepts with 4 seconds left!!! We win! 13-10!
  

I saw this video on a few fellow Utes blogs a few weeks ago, and didn't want to jinx my Utes by posting it too early. But after last night, I think it's safe. Besides, it really makes me laugh. Turn the music off at the bottom of the blog, and don't be offended, it's all in good fun.



Now, we all know what really matters is the game in two weeks. Anyone want to host two kids at their house to watch the game on the 22nd? (We will be wearing a lot of red and cheering extremely loud.)

A Visit to the Haunted Woods

Seth and I mustered up all of our courage and headed over to his aunt and uncle's house to attend a bonfire in their Haunted Woods. We enjoyed some tasty hot dogs and yummy cider, then we gathered up our mob and headed deeper into the woods. Frights galore! I'm afraid I don't have any pictures of the actual hike through the woods. I was too busy squealing and running from the big, hairy, beady-eyed spider that was attacking me. (It's possible it wasn't exactly real). When I wasn't being attacked by a spider, we were coming face to face with ghosts, graveyards and witches. Creepy!! To ease our rattled nerves, we gathered around the fire and told scary stories. As always the infamous story of Booger Rock Holler was retold. Ah, the visual of Seth and Byron clawing their way out of the car as the blue, fiddle-playin' dog attacks from the back seat (or Aunt Susan hiding under a sheet) still brings tears to my eye. Poor kids.

Oh! The creepy spider, now see why I was running? I don't like spiders. I have a sneaking suspicion this is not the last I will see of that nasty spider...thanks Matt. And thanks to the Sheridan's for such a fun night! We'll be back!!

Happy Halloween!

We just thought we'd share our sweet pumpkins that we carved. I really like Seth's googly-eyed, grimacing pumpkin and my polk-a-dots aren't so bad either!

So...If You Have a Little Time (And A Heart)

Maybe over the next few days, you could remember this sweet little fam in your prayers.
They are amazing, and could use all the prayers and good vibes they can get.

It's A.....GIRL!!!!

The Peach Pit is officially a girl. We visited the perinatologist today, and she assured us that all the bones, organs, blood and brains are as they should be. It was incredible to watch her moving all around, kicking, waving and squirming all over. It's still a little surreal to me! It was neat watching everything be checked and measured, and then the wild news that we are having a girl! Not the greatest picture...but she's waving at the camera! (Okay, so it might look like she only has three fingers, but there's really five on each hand...I counted...twice.)

She totally has my nose and Seth's eyes...or something like that!

The big question, are those the legs of a runner or a swimmer. Time will tell.

When they doctor told us it was a girl, we both just started grinning stupidly. When the doctor left the room, I realized Seth's grin had been replaced with panic. I think it had sunk in, he looked at me with a stunned face and said, "Ribbons? Bows? Dancing? Girl Stuff? ...PINK??!" He took a deep breath, and then looked at me and said, "Ger, I don't know the first thing about girls!" I am not worried in the least bit, she'll be a Daddy's Girl, and he'll be the perfect Dad.

(PS- Samantha, we'll be counting on "Aunt Sam" to help us out if she wants to get into dance!)

Mellie!

Praise be! A familiar face from home!! Melanie swung by on her trip out East, to stop at our house for a bit. She had never been to DC, so we did a quick run through on Saturday. I was a horrible tour guide, as I was on the verge of puke most of the day, however, Seth stepped it up and did his best to show Melanie the sights. I'm glad they both put up with the achy, slow girl.
Thank you Miss Melanie for coming out to visit! Our visit was super short, but it was so nice to see a friend from home! It made me realize just how much I miss my girls- Seth and I agree, there's just something special about those friends who were with you through the college years.

Sistah Sistah!

The sister has landed! Karen was in NYC for a vacation and I somehow managed to talk her into extending her trip and taking the train down to see ME! Originally we were going to run the Baltimore Half Marathon together, but well...due to the fact that I'm well, due...we settled on sightseeing instead! (I'm pretty sure with all the walking around we did, we probably would have been less tired running the race!)
Karen had never been to DC before (she was uber pregnant with Mason when the fam came out for our wedding), so Friday after a day of shopping, Seth and I took her down to see the monuments at night. There is something about seeing them at night that is just amazing!
Although Seth and I have taken several trips to DC, this was the first time we saw the FDR monument...very cool. I caught Seth jumping in line with the other hungry men. Silly kid.
Clearly walking all over DC Friday night wasn't enough...Karen and I headed back down Saturday to see some museums and a few more monuments. We also stopped in Annapolis on the way back.
We had to document our attire for the day, as we were asked not once, but twice if we were twins! I can see sisters, but twins?? Okay, so we do happen to have the same running shoes. Details.Sunday was gorgeous so we packed a picnic and went down to the park to eat by the boardwalk. Karen was able to see her very first lighthouse. We even climbed all the way to the top- which included a white-knuckled climb up an old ladder. The view is awesome from the top, but my wobbly knees were ready to get back to solid ground. Karen must have been eager to get back down as well, she took one peek out the windows and almost immediately started climbing back down! Guess we'll take pics another time!!Seth was hanging out on the dock.A quick self-portrait of the happy hosts!

Thanks for coming out Karen, it was so great to see you!!! I hope we didn't tire you out too much, it was so nice just hanging out with you! We hope you had a good time, and can't wait to see you at Christmas!!

Check Karen's blog in the next couple of days for her recap of the trip, she tried out her new camera, so I'm sure there are some sweet pictures.

Oh- did I mention it was 80 and sunny all weekend? Rumor has it Karen flew back to freezing cold and snow! He he he :)

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

What on earth is this? Why, it's my girls' night! Traditionally, I get together with my mom and sisters to hang out while the men-folk go to the Priesthood session of General Conference. Well, I am 2000 miles away, and could not participate. Sniff, Sniff. Yes, I surely could have called uh...someone? But really it wasn't so bad, I curled up in the lovesac (feel the love) and caught up on my tivo. It was nice. While it would have been fun to cheer on my cousin, click here or here for that, I really did enjoy the time to myself, maybe that will become my new tradition. Oh, and then it occurred to me, next time this comes around I won't be alone...the Peach Pit will be here. Gulp!

Wahoo for Parents!

Look who came to visit!! My Mom & Dad! I was so excited to see them at the airport Thursday afternoon.

We spent the afternoon catching up and enjoying each others company, we woke up Friday morning and the weather report said "100% chance of rain". Dad's home improvement fingers were itching to help Seth with the floors, so they spent the majority of the day installing our bamboo. (It quickly became clear that Dad makes a more efficient partner than me!) They flew through the living and dining rooms. And I think Seth and I both felt a little less overwhelmed by our undertaking.
Saturday had a "slight chance of rain" so we headed down to Annapolis. We started out at the Naval Academy (where we remained dry for about three minutes) and then the rain hit! We dashed for shelter in the gazebo across from the chapel (which was closed for a wedding). We tried to wait out the rain, but the rain appeared to be winning, so we made another mad dash to another building and had a little bite to eat. We were soaked, but in good spirits. We headed into town, to walk around and visit the shops. The rain resumed it's downpour status, and we bought an umbrella and continued our sightseeing! We had a great time, I think it's safe to say the rain didn't stop us at all! Annapolis is one of my favorite places in Maryland. I love it!
Sunday we packed a picnic and headed down to the boardwalk, we walked all around and even stopped by the Decoy Museum. Duck anyone? We also discovered that Mom is not used to all the trees in Maryland. We caught her staring at a sign, then aloud she said, "What kind of Museum is that? U.S.E.U.M?" I refrained from laughing and said, "uh Mom, that's 'museum', there's a branch covering the first 'm'." He he he. So, if you are in town, you are welcome to join us at the U.S.E.U.M Museum :) (Sorry Mom, it still makes me laugh!)Monday morning Seth was back to work. Being put in charge of entertainment, I went the easy route...gardens! Mom and Dad love gardening. We headed up to Pennsylvania to visit Longwood Gardens. Um, super cool! We walked here, we walked there, we walked around that tree, and past that flower. It was amazing, tons of pretty flowers, plants, trees, gardens and more! They even have treehouses! That's where I found my dragon friend. If you are anywhere near Pennsylvania, I highly recommend this place, I hear it's amazing at Christmas time, Seth and I will be back!
To end our wonderful week, we headed to dinner right on the bay. We insisted that Mom and Dad try some crab cakes, you can't come to Maryland without eating crab. I think they even liked it! We had such an awesome time!
We had a great time with the parents. They took excellent care of Seth and I while they were here. They put up with my constant puking and nausea (thankfully they are patient and understanding!) They also managed the rain very nicely, I'm surprised their feet weren't webbed when they left! We greatly appreciate the help with the floors and the good times!
I don't think I realized how much I miss Mom & Dad until I dropped them off at the airport and as I watched them walk away the tears started! (Okay, slightly sappy, but seriously...I am a little emotional right now!)
Thanks Mom & Dad for coming to visit- can't wait to see you at Christmas!


Driving out of Annapolis- after walking in the torrential downpour!

If you want to see even more soggy pics, click here for the album, or just visit the "Mom & Dad album" on the sidebar!