WIAW - 1st Edition!

Many of the HLB (Healthy Living Blogs) I follow link up to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for WIAW - What I Ate Wednesday! I don't normally participate because I'm at work and don't think or take the time to snap pics, but due to the winter storm I'm working from home today.

Beautiful!

Breakfast was granola, blueberries, raspberries, Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, topped with agave nectar. My usual go-to favorite breakfast. Since I ate this around 10 AM it was a little bigger than normal. :)

 

 

I didn't actually eat "lunch" but snacked on several things throughout the day including an apple, some celery, and Better N' Peanut Butter (that stuff is amazing):

Kettle corn and turkey jerky:

Light Babybel cheese:

Dinner was a version of the freezer lasagna I made for Callie, though not quite as good as I didn't have all the ingredients (and wasn't about to leave the house to get them!). It had a shredded chicken, spinach, egg, cottage cheese filling with whole wheat noodles and organic pasta sauce. Despite some missing cheese, in the filling it was still very tasty!

And dessert was (frozen, naturally) Thin Mints and milk. Darn you, Girl Scout cookie time...

A random day of eats, but hey, I'm pregnant and could be craving weirder things! :)

Search my heart, O God

I have a confession to make - as excited as I am about the upcoming missions trip, I also kind of wish we were going on a typical vacation. I have been so tired lately that the thought of sitting on a beach with no decisions to make aside from where to take my afternoon siesta sounds fantastic. Now don't get me wrong, I am so happy that we chose to do a missions trip instead and know that it will be an amazing experience and far more rewarding and impactful than any vacation we've ever taken.

That being said, I just had to get my confession out there. We had a really good mission team meeting last weekend where we talked about the trip and I felt God was speaking to my heart and cleansing me of some thoughts and attitudes.

The church Missions Directors were there and went through a conflict resolution study with us that was really helpful. We discussed how to truly build community on the mission field by letting go of expectations, letting go of control, and trusting God. All three things that are very hard for me to do! I've been told I'm a natural leader (perhaps that's a nice way of saying control freak haha) so not jumping in and taking the reigns when the meetings or planning aren't going as I think they should has been tough for my Type A personality. I came to the conclusion that I'll need to humble myself, just as Christ did:

Phil. 2:5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.  Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.                                        

Now our group of 11 is about the most diverse group I've ever seen! Very few of us knew each other before hand, and we're about as different as can be with regards to professions, seasons of life, opinions, personalities, etc. But we do have the most important thing in common - we love Jesus and are going to serve His people in the way He calls us to. The goal of our group is to be in true community where we aren't trying to fix each other but are accepting and encouraging in love. We'll need to acknowledge the reality of God's calling on us and that we are all equally broken before Him - He'll use us to help each other and grow one another.

We also learned about conflict and that it is inevitable on the mission field - in fact mission teams often fast-forward due to the intensity of the missions experience and the continual presence of other team members. We learned these biblical principles for conflict resolution:

Biblical Principles for Conflict Redemption

Speak truth in love                                             Eph. 4:15,25

Seek to edify and be gracious                              Eph. 4:29-32

Settle private disputes privately                          Matt. 18:15-17

Think before you speak                                       Prov. 15:23,28

Do not return insult for insult                               1 Peter 3:8-9

Check your motives for conflict                          James 4:1-2; Prov. 13:10

Pursue peace and edification in relationships        Rom. 14:19

Avoid needless quarrels                                       Prov. 20:3; 2 Tim. 2:24

Remember group interests as well as your own      Phil. 2:4

We realized that there will be many conflict producers on the trip - differing personalities, leadership styles, expectations, administrative details (the hardest one for me!)  - and add to these being in a foreign country with little sleep, different food, and being pregnant and it could be a recipe for disaster! It was really a good self check for me that I can't control everything and that I'll need to lay down my expectations of how the trip should go, how the leaders should lead, what time we should get on the bus, etc. I am there to SERVE and be LED, not to lead.

I realized that to redeem or even prevent conflict I'll need to first focus on God - I'll need to pray for love, discernment, for eyes to see others as He sees them and see their perspective. I also will focus on myself - check my motives, speak only for myself, be honest and kind - and not worry about or try to control what others are doing.

A good reminder in Hebrews 13:16-18 -

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.   Pray for us.  We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.

Lastly, we heard a quote that I thought was an awesome illustration of how, in turning towards God and tuning into Him, we can grow closer as a team than we would if we simply focused one each other. From A.W.Tozer in “Pursuit of God”:

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other?  They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which one must individually bow.  So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.   

14 weeks - 2nd Tri, baby!

Due Date: August 25, 2012
How far along: 14 weeks - officially in the 2nd trimester, whoo hoo!!!!
The Bump:

Total weight loss/gain: still -9 lbs overall 

Workouts: Though I'm feeling better than last week, still not up to moving much. Sleep and/or the couch sound better. :)

Baby items purchased: Nothing, but starting to look at nursery things online.

Sleep: Still very tired and going to bed early most worknights.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The nausea is getting much better! There are still some foods I have aversions to and certain smells that I don't love, but overall it's a lot better.

Symptoms: The newest symptom this week has been migraines in the afternoon that last until bedtime.

Food cravings: Kettle corn and applesauce this week. And soup - I've eaten it for lunch the past 4 days in a row.

Maternity clothes: Wearing maternity jeans and black work pants now! Again, can still wear the old stuff but why not wear something that feels like sweatpants but is office appropriate?! :)

Stretch marks: No

Gender ideas: No idea - I find myself saying "he" but nothing in particular makes me feel that way - and we're not finding out!

Movement: Not yet

Labor Signs: Not yet, thank goodness!

Miss anything: Working out hard

Best moment this week: My sweet husband helping me with migraine pain on Monday night by making me lie down in the dark bedroom with soft music playing, an ice pack on the back of my neck and a cold washcloth on my head - he is so thoughtful.

Looking forward to: Girl's Night tonight - dinner at Good Earth followed by seeing The Vow!

Turkey & Spinach Meatloaf

My good friend Callie has recently been placed on bed rest until her baby boy comes, and I had planned to go over last night to help her make some freezer meals for post baby but since she was relegated to the couch, I made a few at home and brought them over!

One of the meals was a meatloaf that sounded so good, I made it for Tyge and myself for dinner as well and served it with roasted squash and green beans. It's been awhile since I've cooked and blogged a good meal, so I wasn't in the habit of snapping photos and totally forgot, until my plate was licked clean. Oops. Anyway, here's the recipe - you can imagine how good it looked and how much better it tasted!

Turkey & Spinach Meatloaf
from A Life To Bragg About

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. turkey
• 2 cups spinach
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 small onion, chopped
• EVOO
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (I used a mix of panko and whole wheat)
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 Tbps. pepper
• 1 Tbps. oregano
• 2 Tbps. Worcestershire
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (I used less)
• 2 Tbsps. hot sauce of choice

Directions:

1. Saute spinach, onion, and garlic together in EVOO and set aside.
2. Mix turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, spices, Worcestershire, and parm together. Add the spinach mixture. Form into meatloaf pan.
3. Mix tomato sauce, brown sugar, and hot sauce together and smother top of meatloaf with sauce.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until cooked throughout.

3TT

Three Things I'm Thankful/Excited For:

1. The chance I had to serve as a sub on the worship team at WH last weekend - what an awesome experience! I got to practice with them last Wednesday evening and Saturday afternoon and sing in all three services. Not only was the team awesome to work with, but the chance to do what I love (singing) to serve the One I love (Jesus) was beyond cool. Tyge came to all three services (and snapped a few pics) and Betsy & Eric, Bridget, and my parents came on Sunday as well to support me! It was the highlight of my weekend and I hope to be asked to sub again.

2. Better sleep on the horizon! Part of the reason we don't sleep well is because our mattress is terrible. We purchased a new high quality one just a year ago and it's already like a hammock in the middle. We went through the painstaking warranty process and finally heard back that they will replace it! And thanks to the hubby's awesome negotiating skills, they are replacing it with one of their top of the line mattresses, which should be delivered this weekend! I can't wait for that first good night's sleep!!!

3. Some relief from most first tri symptoms - I'm starting to feel like myself again! Thank you Jesus!

Three Things I'm Praying For:
1. Petrie - of course. I can finally say that! Grow baby, grow!

2. With only a few weeks to go until Mexico, I'm praying for all the preparations and things that need to get done before we go (we have a craft night on Saturday!) and for unity for our team.

 3. Job "stuff" for a few of those in my life that I care about.

With eyes on Him,
Kate

First Tri Recap - Humbled

Another wordy post ahead - still getting caught up on first tri things...So after some of our friends and family knew, life went about as normal for us. I still wasn't looking at nursery photos online, wasn't researching baby items, it wasn't consuming me like it did the first time around. The first week after we found out was a bit nerve wracking for me - I'd be nervous every time I went to the bathroom and did worry about another miscarriage. One thing that helped was the realization that there was nothing I could do to cause or prevent it from happening again, and the first time was just me being the unlucky 1 in 4.

The thing that helped me the most was, duh, prayer. We obviously prayed for the health of the growing baby, but what helped me the most was our prayer that God guard our hearts. I tend to get so wrapped up in something that I'm excited about and want to plan it out 100% right from the get-go. I knew I couldn't do that again but didn't have the willpower myself to just NOT, so that's where prayer was so necessary. Tyge and I prayed for that cautious optimism and protection from getting too excited and ahead of ourselves, and God really came through for me especially in that area. After about week 5 I just felt this calm - I wasn't anxious or nervous, and I forgot I was pregnant half the time! I was so amazed by and thankful for God's faithfulness in protecting my heart in that area.


Weeks 5 through 7 were pretty good symptom-wise and I was able to eat normally and work out 3 times a week - pregnancy was a breeze! Somewhere around mid-weeks 7 I started to get the intense nausea, though no throwing up thank goodness. I really couldn't eat much and even when I could stomach it, nothing sounded good. I was so tired all the time that I stopped working out (aside from some walking on nice days) and slept any free moment I could. I am so used to be able to multi-task and find pride in being able to "do it all"! However, these past few weeks have been very humbling as I realize that I can't do it all right now and need to admit that. I have learned to be okay with not having a perfectly clean house, cooking healthy and blog worthy meals every night, and attending all the social events I am used to. Working my demanding 40-50 hour/week job has been enough for me, so in my spare time I haven't been up to doing much else.

Thankfully I have a supportive husband who pitches in to clean without asking, has assumed all care for Keely (besides lab snuggling of course - I can still do that), and cooks delicious and healthy meals for us. He even made me turkey bacon THREE ways when I had a craving - what a guy. :) I've had to skip a few bible studies and birthday parties because I didn't feel up to going, and I'm learning to be okay with saying no during this time. And while I'd like to think it is only temporary, perhaps it's to prepare me for when the baby actually comes! I know I won't be able to keep my pace of life the way it was and take care of a baby, so maybe this is God's natural way of slowing busy supermoms-to-be down a notch in order to prep them for life with a baby.

Now that I'm passing the 13 week mark the bad symptoms are starting to fade and I am feeling more "myself", but this first tri has been an amazing and humbling experience. And not that I didn't know it, but it's been a wonderful reminder of how incredible my husband is - I couldn't have made it through without him and am so thankful to have him as my partner in all of this. 

I cannot believe I am almost to the second trimester and cannot wait to experience more of this pregnancy - despite the symptoms, I am loving every minute of it and fully realize how blessed I am to be a mom-to-be!  

First Tri Recap - Telling Everyone

I promise this blog won't turn into a pregnancy only type of blog, but I've had SO much going on the past few months that I haven't been able to blog about and now that the secret is out, I want to get it all down - warning, long, wordy, and picture less post ahead. :)  

I guess now that we're heading into the second trimester it's finally hitting me that I'm not just pregnant, but we're having a baby! I would be lying if I said the first tri flew by because it didn't - the days until week 12 (the "safe zone") have slowly ticked by for sure. I guess I'll just start at the beginning and highlight some important milestones of the first tri - telling our friends and family.

After the miscarriage we tried again one month with no positive, so this was only our second month of trying. Though I was hoping for it to happen again soon, both Tyge and I had prepared ourselves that it could take a very long time, and I was finally at peace with that. My lady friend was due on a Wednesday and didn't come, so I took a test and it was negative. I figured by body was still out of whack from the m/c so didn't think anything of it. That weekend we went to SD for my family Christmas and I even tested again before we left, knowing I'd most likely be drinking wine - it was again negative. One thing I didn't mention in that post was my cousins announced their pregnancy, and while I was happy for them, yet another person announcing did hurt a little - little did I know I was also pregnant!

We drove back early that Monday morning and I just felt a little "off" so decided to test when we got home. Tyge went into work that afternoon while I was at home, so I was alone. When I saw the two lines I was shocked to say the least! It just didn't feel real (and still didn't until recently haha), even though all three tests I took said positive! I had dinner made for us when Tyge got home, and had wrapped the stick in tissue and put it in a Christmas bag by his plate. He opened it and was also shocked, but said he knew something was up! Our reaction was bittersweet - don't get me wrong, we were very excited and thankful, but very cautious. We didn't have that blind, innocent excitement we had the first time around due to what happened. I didn't start making nursery plans, stroller comparing, making a list of who to tell and when, or anything like that.

We thought about waiting until 12 weeks to even tell our parents, but decided that because we'd be with his family for Christmas up North it would be too hard to hide it. We were leaving that weekend so wanted to be sure to tell my parents before we left. We ended up seeing them last minute that Wednesday before we left and I had a "Christmas Kisses for Grandma" bib wrapped up for my mom to open. She got it right away and of course started tearing up - both her and my dad were very happy for us. In order to protect ourselves, we said that we didn't really want to talk about the baby or make plans until we were past 12 weeks which I knew would be so tough for them, but that's what I needed for myself. They understood and were cautiously excited right alongside us.

We told Tyge's parents and brother and sister-in law when we got up North that Friday night. We were all sitting around playing Loaded Questions and when it came Tyge's turn to read the answers he threw "We're having a baby" in there and it took a few moments for everyone to catch it. Once they did, the game stopped, hugs started, and everyone was very happy for us. The weekend went on without us telling the rest of the family, but it was kind of fun to have our little secret. :)

We really debated about telling our friends at the NYE Pajama Party but in the end, I decided I'd rather just have people know than hide it all night. I wanted to be myself and enjoy the time and not have to worry if others were wondering what I was hiding. I also didn't want to make a big deal about it as I was only 6 weeks along, but our good friends quietly found out one by one as they saw my drinking fake champagne. Of course they were all excited, but respected my wishes to be cautiously optimistic and not spread the secret just yet.

The next set of friends to tell was our "Nuts" group, which happened at one of our meetings when I was 8 weeks along. Almost the whole night had passed and Tyge and I suggested that we read out NY Goals to them since we missed their NY weekend at the cabin where they all shared theirs. We read ours through, and ended with the Physical category where I shared I wanted to gain less than 25 lbs. of pregnancy weight. Everyone was kind of silent and someone said "like, someday?" and I said, "Nope, now - I'm 8 weeks along." Hugs all around along with happy tears of joy.

From then on we told close friends as we saw them or over the phone. We also called our grandparents a week ago and close family that we wanted to tell, and gave the okay to our parents to tell the rest of the family. I know they loved getting the secret out as well!

13 weeks

Due Date: August 25, 2012

How far along: 13 weeks

The Bump:

It does look like I have a teeny bit of a bump, but I didn't have a super flat stomach to begin with so who knows what's baby vs. what's food. :)

Total weight loss/gain: - 9 lbs (due to nausea and no appetite)

Workouts: Let's just say I'd like to do better next week...

Baby items purchased: A cute little owl pillow from Patina (I'm thinking a woodsy gender neutral theme for the nursery and couldn't resist this)

Sleep: All. The. Time. I've been so tired! I try to go to bed early and sometimes close by eyes a bit after work. Though it's not good sleep - I wake up several times throughout the night.

Anything making you queasy or sick: I always feel pretty queasy throughout the day and light headed getting out of the shower in the morning, and I just haven't had much of an appetite in general. I had an adverse reaction to some salmon I made, so apparently don't like that anymore! Also can't stand the smell of fried onions.

Symptoms: So so so tired, all the time. No throwing up (praise God!) but pretty nauseous all day long, with some uncomfortable stomach pains. I've needed Metamucil and that's all I'll say about that. I'm also having some weird dreams and not sleeping well. All that being said, the symptoms make me feel grateful because it means the baby is cooking in there!

Food cravings: Greek yogurt (specifically Chobani Apple Cinnamon - the BEST flavor), turkey bacon, cereal (I hadn't had Lucky Charms in years until recently!), and water - I can't get enough liquid.

Maternity clothes: I did buy a pair of maternity jeans - I can still wear my old stuff but these are SO much more comfortable. :)

Stretch marks: No

Gender ideas: No idea - I find myself saying "he" but nothing in particular makes me feel that way - and we're not finding out!

Movement: Not yet

Labor Signs: Not yet, thank goodness!

Miss anything: Sleeping well

Best moment this week: My 13 week appointment yesterday - I got to hear little Petrie's heartbeat again! I'll never get sick of hearing that sound!

Looking forward to: Date night with the dad-to-be on Saturday! He planned something for us and never dissapoints. I'm also excited to be singing at church this weekend - I was finally asked to sub last minute and am able to!

A miracle starts with the beat of a heart

**I wrote this post after our first appointment on 1/20 when we heard the baby's hearbeat for the first time. We had our 13 week appointment this morning and heard it again at 155 BPM - I feel the exact same way. :)

Today (well, Friday 1/20 since I'm publishing after the fact!) was our 9 week appointment with the midwife and while there were several things we learned today, the most important thing is...

...we heard the heartbeat. There is a BABY in there! A growing baby that is, according to the midwife, coming along perfectly! She prepared us that it was early, that we most likely wouldn't hear anything, so I didn't get my hopes up and figured we wouldn't. She put the Doppler on my stomach, listened for a second, and her face lit up as she exclaimed "Oh my goodness!" - there it was! We heard a little "whoosh-whoosh, whoosh-whoosh, whoosh-whoosh" and it was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. Such an amazing gift from God and just a relief to hear that there was an actual baby in there and I had more "proof" than just a pee stick. Tears immediately filled my eyes as I grabbed Tyge's hand, and it was such a cool moment for us. We are so grateful for this second chance to be parents and though we're not out of the woods yet, I feel so much peace and have only God to thank for that.

As I was driving back to work in a blissful fog, I was humming a lyric in a Steven Curtis Chapman song that goes "A miracle starts with the beat of a heart" but I couldn't recall what song it was from. I googled it when I got to work and had a DUH! moment as I saw it was from one of my favorite SCC songs, "When Love Takes You In". In fact, we had Tyge's cousin sing this during the lighting of the Unity Candle at our wedding, as we huddled in prayer with our families and had our bridesmaids and groomsmen praying over us and our marriage. God is so faithful, so good, and has truly blessed our marriage. We pray every day for little Petrie and know that he/she is in God's loving hands as well - we just can't wait for him/her to be in ours!

When Love Takes You In

by Steven Curtis Chapman

I know you've heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You've heard about a place called home
But there doesn't seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream

Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heartWhen love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in

And somewhere while you're sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heartWhen love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in

A LOVEly Valentine's Day

I'm a sucker for love and all things lovey-dovey, so of course I like Valentine's Day. Even when I was single I liked the looove holiday and now appreciate it even more now that I have a hunny to share it with! Don't get me wrong, Tyge and I don't fall into all the hype and go all out or anything (well he doesn't and I TRY not to haha), but I do like to celebrate in some way and acknowledge the day.

I started the morning my publishing the long awaited (well for me anyway, these 8 weeks of secrecy have crawled by) pregnancy post on the blog and Facebook and man - it was great to get the secret out! I was so overwhelmed by all the sweet responses and congratulations - I guess you could say I felt very loved by friends and family. I enjoyed reading the comments throughout the morning!

Then just before lunchtime the ProFlowers guy walked in...duh, duh, duh. My heart skipped a beat as I thought "Are those for me?"  (Sidebar back story: Tyge sent me flowers at work on our first Valentine's Day dating to make a good impression I suppose ;), but really doesn't like getting into the VDay hype and expectations so hasn't done it since. I really didn't expect it from him, but like any girl, kinda-sorta-maybe still had teeny hopes for flowers on VDay.) Anyway, the guy says "These are for Kate Blomberg" and my face lit up! I felt SO special and so loved by my hunny, and I thoroughly enjoyed gazing at the beautiful red tulips and purple iris bouquet all day.

And they haven't even fully bloomed yet!

Then my mom surprised me with a last minute lunch request and came downtown to meet me! She brought me some lovely pampering mom-to-be gifts from Patina and we enjoyed a nice lunch together.

After work Tyge and I exchanged cards and I gave him his gift. I made him this little mailbox filled with personalized reasons why he will be an awesome dad - I think he liked it.

We don't typically go out to eat as it's overpriced and crowded on VDay itself, so we had Bridget & Ryan and Katrina & Brian over for a three-course fondue meal! I can't believe I forgot to take pictures, but I guess I was too busy dipping and eating. We had a cheese course (Gruyere and Swiss with white wine, garlic, and lemon juice) with dippers of broccoli, cauliflower, bread, and 3 kinds of apples. Next was the meat course (Burgundy wine, vegetable stock, garlic, mushrooms, and scallions) with dippers of chicken, steak, shrimp and pheasant. Last but CERTAINLY not least was my favorite - the chocolate course (semi-sweet chips, milk, vanilla) with dippers of strawberries, bananas, oranges, apples, pound cake, and pretzel crisps. We were all stuffed! It was a lovely dinner enjoyed with great friends and I think fondue-ing on VDay may be a fun new tradition.

Hope everyone else had a nice Valentine's Day as well! Xoxo.

EDIT - As if my Valentine's Day wasn't special enough, I just got another delivery at work of Sharri's Berries "For the office, Love Tyge" - what a guy! I called him to say thanks and he said they were supposed to be delivered along with the flowers yesterday, but it was even better as a two part surprise received today. :) And because I didn't consume enough fruit dipped in chocolate last night, I will now enjoy chocolate covered strawberries for lunch. :)

A Valentine's Day Love Story

First comes love:

Then comes marriage:

Then comes Keely, with news about a baby carriage!

Announcing Baby B, coming August 25, 2012.
Tyge and I couldn't be happier - God is so good.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

We interrupt today's regularly scheduled 3TT post to bring you breaking news - it's my Mom's Birthday!!! I wanted to wish her a very Happy Birthday and year to come. I've said this before, but as an only child I grew up very close to my parents and have so many good memories with my mom.

She was so silly with me, so patient, and would always stop to smell the roses, pick the dandelions, look at the ducks, or whatever my little heart desired to do.

She was the one who inspired my love of music and theater as we had season passes to the Children's Theater (and later the Ordway) and saw many a musical. She also was there for every one of my concerts and shows in high school and was my #1 fan!

She was there every day when I got home from school with a treat, homework help, and dinner on the table. She was and is an amazing cook! And even though you didn't think I was paying any attention, I learned a lot of my cooking skills from you, Mom!

As much as it annoyed me at the time to pose for pictures, I have at least a million photos to capture the memories from my childhood (none on this computer right now, unfortunately!) and am so grateful for all the photos my mom snapped. She is an amazing photographer!

She lovingly took in Mia the chiweenie when I wasn't able to care for her myself, and now has given her the best doggie home ever.

She was the first to hug me after the proposal - she was so excited she ran out into the street with her sign flipped already! :)

She helped me plan my wedding, get ready on my wedding day, and made sure I didn't go hungry. :)

She has always been so loving to all my friends - they call her Momma Candy! In high school, our house was always the place to go because my mom made everyone feel so welcome, made treats, and made my friends feel a part of the family. Not having siblings, she knew how important these friendships were (and are!) in my life and really fostered an environment where I could make great memories with them.

Happy Birthday to the best Mom a girl could ask for! You were (and still are!) my biggest cheerleader, my greatest support system, my shoulder to cry/vent on, someone who encourages me to slow down and enjoy the little things in life, and someone I can always count on for anything. I am inspired by you in so many ways - your joyful attitude and strength to name a few - and hope to be as great a Mom as you someday!

I love you!

Rub a dub dub, Lab in a tub!

Keely Girl is such a water dog - from the first time she swam in a lake she loved it and we have such a hard time getting her out of (or keep her away from) water anytime she sees it. In the summer we have a little wading pool in the backyard for her to splash and play in on days we don't make it down to the lake, but in winter she misses her water.

I was taking a bubble bath the other night in our jet tub and she was sitting outside the tub whining at me as a soaked. Once I was done and the bubbles were gone, Tyge and I had the brilliant idea to throw her in since she seemed to want to so badly! Tyge picked her up and put her in there along with her Kong toy and she splashed around for awhile and had a great time! We didn't get this on video but she'd stick her head all the way underwater and blow bubbles with her nose, silly girl. This video doesn't fully show the fun she had, but I can't believe we didn't think to do this sooner. She LOVED it, so we'll definitely let her play in the tub again until summer comes! :)