surprises!

For those of you who remember, I started an internship with The Ohio State University Department of Recreational Sports back in September last year. After the internship was over in December, they asked me stick around temporarily to help with some staff transitioning until the baby was born. So for the past three months I have worked with new people within the department and have really enjoyed it (especially since I actually got paid this time!).

My job is not that exciting, and it's actually pretty boring to describe to other people. I work with the membership services, and I help process the memberships (even students are required to pay for their membership, plus staff/faculty/affiliates/dependents/etc.). It's a little redundant some days as I literally enter memberships into the computers systems they use for hours. I help with intramurals every once in a while, and I help with a lot of filing as well. Basically, I'm a student employee who gets paid more than the students. Not that glamorous. But I absolutely love the people that I work with now, and we really have a good time! This past Wednesday, I walked into the office suite making my daily trip to my cubicle, and I saw this:
It was an early congratulations surprise! The Welcome Center desk employees (student staff who basically are the front lines for the entire building that I work in which is huge!) had decorated my cubicle, covered the little entry way with baby wrapping paper, and had filled the entire thing with balloons! It was such a fun surprise, and I loved it!
But the surprises didn't stop there! After I had eaten my lunch, a few of my co-workers met me in the staff kitchen with a HUGE dessert pie. But this is no ordinary dessert pie. It's official title is "Sharkfin Pie" and the Columbus Fish Market has it at the top of it's dessert menu. It is literally to die for - a double layer ice cream mound that is the tallest in the middle (hence when you cut it, it looks like a shark's fin), covered in peanuts, molded in an oreo crust, with a middle layer that is this divine chocolate/peanut butter concoction that makes you feel like you are in heaven. The middle layer, however, is about as hard as a rock - when we tried to cut it, it broke the electric knife! We ended up using this power tool saw, and even then it took three people to cut it! Talk about intense!! It's by far one of my favorite things in the world - and they bought a whole pie for me! It was a magical day. :)

Belly update: I'm still progressing, and we are expecting the baby any day now! My mom flies in on Wednesday, so I hope he decides to meet us all pretty soon! We can't wait! (As for the pictures - Ryan seems to think that I don't look that pregnant with the shirt buttoned ... so we took the second one for a better look. haha ... for posterity's sake, right?)

monster truck!

What do you do when you are six days away from your due date on a Saturday night? You go to a monster truck rally of course! Ryan and a bunch of friends from med school all got tickets together, and we figured what the heck - sure! Might as well do something rather than just sit and wait for the little guy to arrive! It was a lot of fun - and quick the experience! We had fun stoking out mullet-heads, and being amazed at how seriously some people take their monster trucks. Since we had never been to one, we didn't come prepared with ear plugs - so if you look closely in the pictures you'll see what we had to substitute with: toilet paper! It worked great. :)

So check out how nice the cars look in the beginning of the show:

And how they looked at the end:

Here's the group of friends we went with - it's hard to see the end of the line!

Here's an example of those individuals who get a little too excited by those monster trucks.

And here we are again! Yay. :)

dominating, part two

I'm not sure if you remember our post a few weeks ago about Ryan's dodgeball tournament ... but in case you forgot, we decided we needed to document his team's second championship! After another successful trip to the top, his team's thinking about signing up for some community league or get some kind of sponsor, because they seem to be unbeatable! Shockingly enough! (you'd never guess it by looking at 'em!)

Here's some pictures for fun - enjoy!






Note of sadness: Due to an error of judgment, Drew Stacy was unable to attend this tournament. As a previous member of the team, he now realizes where his priorities lie and will not miss any future events.

the last box!

I know this may be silly, but every time I look at the baby counter at the top of the page it's a huge reality shock. And even though I look frequently enough, it never seems to be 'old news.' I was shocked to see last week that our baby was finally in the last box!! I just got home from a doctor's appointment. He's in the right position ... but that's about as far as it goes. I'm dilating to a one. No other progression. Looks like he's content to hang out for just a little while longer. And in some ways, I am grateful for that. It allows me time to be reflective ... and here's what I've been thinking about lately.

Amusing milestones I reached through this pregnancy:

1. There is a pair of jeans that I still wear to this day only because of the miraculous capibilities of a belt. I cannot button these jeans - as with many other articles of clothing - but even worse is the fact that I can't even zip any part of the zipper. I wear them quite often, and it's all because of the belt. Amazing.

2. Whenever I poke my belly, or lean against my desk, or exert any kind of pressure on my stomach I feel him move around to try to get comfortable again (at least that's what I think he's doing!). It's fun to play games with him and make him move around in his increasingly smaller home. I figure that if he's making my body look the way it does, the least I can do is have fun with him!

3. I have been rather stubborn at times to continue any form of indepence, but I finally reached the point this past weekend of needing Ryan to tie my shoes. In any normal circumstance I really try hard to accomplish little tasks like this by myself - just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean that I'm incapable! But when we bundled up to go outside in the snow, with all the layers (even though I couldn't zip or button up my snow pants), it was just too painful to bend over. Sad, but true. And I hope it won't happen again.

4. It is a rare day while at work I do not spill food on myself. This belly seems to attrack all kinds of attention, and stains are no exception! Since I sit at a computer all day long, I always have some kind of food out which somehow makes its way onto my shirt. Soup days are the worst!

5. Normally the comment "you look tired" is never a good thing (it obviously means you're not looking your best!); but someone said that to me last week after a night of tossing and turning and I gladly accepted it as a compliment! It's hard work carrying a baby, and it was nice of that person to acknowledge my efforts. :)

6. While playing soccer in high school, my friends and I used to joke that our shin guards made us look like we had 'cankles' - or in other words, there was no definition between our calves and our ankles. Sadly, I have come to know this term more intimately than ever before. Ryan and I joke that sometimes I look like I have 'thankles' ... but that might be one of those you-had-to-be-there kind of jokes!

7. I've had a handful of people say to me, "Why, you're all baby!" Previously, I translated this comment in my head as nice way of saying "Holy cow, you're huge! That belly's about to explode!" I have always just agreed with the person and tried to keep the conversation going. But today, while at the BMV (that's Buckeye jargon for DMV) as Ryan and I finally succumbed to turning in our prettier licenses for ugly Ohio ones, one lady in particular made this comment, and elaborated to say that I would have the baby and be back in a bikini by the beginning of summer! (little does she know ...) As we continued to talk, I realized it was a compliment to have someone say that I'm "all baby" - and I've been ignorantly agreeing with all of these compliments the whole time! Oh well ... it's nice to get a good laugh in once in a while. :)

spring break?

Ryan had his test day on Thursday last week, and so his official "Spring Break" started on Friday (and will continue through this week as well). However, it seems that he was the only person who understood the message! He came home after his test and surprised me with beautiful tulips!! Why I was the one who got the surprise gift after he had been working so dang hard is beyond me, but I definitely love it! In my mind, tulips are the ultimate 'spring' flower - and just looking at them makes me excited to see the sun again!

Here's the catch. All day Thursday we kept hearing about a major storm warning that would come in Friday and leave Saturday night. Here in Columbus, we have heard probably a dozen or so times of a major storm coming in - and the end result is maybe two-three inches. There is nothing major about it! But this one was different. On Friday it started to snow in the evening, and this is what we woke up to outside our apartment:
CRAZY!! And even for all of those not-so-major-storm-warnings we get, everything shuts down. So when this storm hit, it's as if the world as we know it ends! Everything is closed, and the news is on all day long updating us on the fact that they've hired more independent snow-plows; and while we still won't be able to see the pavement, they'll be able to clear at least a couple inches off the roads (as if that helps!). Honestly - it's the packed snow/ice mixture that's left on the roads that ends up creating all the scary situations! It definitely makes us miss and appreciate the efficiency in Utah. Oh to live with people who knew how to survive again.

And here's another little Columbus-weather-tidbit: the wind blows like crazy! For the past few months I have felt like I've been living in the story of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day - remember how they all get blown all over the place - especially Piglet? Yep, that's what life has been like out here. I feel like if it weren't for this belly that weighs me down, I would literally be blown away!

So needless to say, the wind was worse with this storm! It's really cool to watch if you're inside - but painful to experience! There are some areas where the drift made the snow waist deep, and I'm not even kidding!! Ryan and I decided to have fun in the snow yesterday - and we had a blast! We mostly just played in our parking lot, and then ventured beyond our little back roads to see if life really was standing still for the whole city. And it definitely was! The major road that we live close to looked horrible still - and it was 4 in the afternoon! Ryan helped some people push their car into a gas station because they got stuck; and we had to keep an eye on anything driving somewhat close to where we were because no one had control. Luckily there weren't many cars out!

Here's a couple more pictures of our snow fun. Oh - and Jeep has never looked so pretty. She's in her element, and we can't seem to find the courage to clean her off yet. She enjoys it too much. :)

the little things

A couple weeks ago I was driving home from the grocery store. It had been just one of those busy days where you seem to be moving but not really getting anywhere all day. I was having a rough time, and kept thinking about all the current challenges we had as well as the ones looming in the future. A good cry was definitely in the cards for me that day - although I was surprised by the reason for the tears.

**Disclaimer** I love associating certain songs with time periods and different experiences throughout my life. I could hear one song by so and so and immediately think of a church dance when I was 14, or remember singing in the car with one of my sisters, or think about my freshman year in college and how much fun it was to feel/act independent even though I really wasn't!

So while driving home that day, a song on the radio came on that I'd never heard. But almost before the chorus began, the tears had started. For the most part, I am not a fan of Trace Adkins ... I prefer artists who actually sing. But there is definitely an exception - and this is it. The song's called "You're Gonna Miss This" and it immediately became a favorite of mine. The song describes this girl going through life always looking forward to the future and wanting to skim-over what's happening right now.

There's such a strong temptation in our lives right now to say "oh after this block and after this test we'll have more time" or "when we're out of medical school then we can do this" or even "can't wait until the weekend!" And I admit, that day I definitely fell for it. But I have to remind myself that every day is a good day if I want it to be, and that I am in control of enjoying it. Even some of the most difficult times can be the most enjoyable ones, and I know that Ryan and I really do have a very good life and are blessed tremendously! We will miss these days in the future, and wish that they didn't go by so fast. So even if I'm having a hard day, I like to remember that and try to think about ways that I can make the most of it. It's hard work - but I know it's worth it!!

dominating the elementary school

Amid the never-ending amount of studying that Ryan does on a weekly basis, he honestly tries to get out and participate in some form of physical activity. He does a really good job of it in my opinion (maybe because walking around the track is a huge accomplishment for me these days!), and plays a lot of pick-up games with other medical students and friends. And this past weekend he proved - with other first-year med students - that domination on the school playground still counts for something.

Let me ask you, when was the last time you felt this ecstatic?

What was the last time you played dodgeball?

It was a pretty exciting day. Many guys showed up with sweatbands, funky jersies, even mouthguards - ready to play the most intense game ever. And after almost two and a half hours of play, Ryan's team won the championship! We got a pile of coupons of restaurants around here which we will use to go and celebrate our victory with the entire team. And they even got medals. It was pure sweetness! It definitely took me back to being ten years old and playing line tag, four square, and tetherball ... ahh the memories.

Oh, and he was definitely sore the next day. But it was well worth it. Even though we didn't get pictures, we hear there's another tournament coming up soon where the guys can defend their title. We'll keep you posted.

the new home!

Ryan and I would like to make an announcement ... ... After six months of living in Ohio, we finally have a real living room! This may sound silly to those of you who are unfamiliar with our previous situation. To help you feel just as excited as we are, let me tell you about it! Quick recap: here is our living room when we first moved in:

Once boxes were cleared (organized was more like it), we had one place to sit down: our large love-sac-wanna-be. The only other thing in the room was a coat rack. We searched garage sales, craig's list, furniture stores, and second-hand stores until we got a couple of screaming deals ($10 hide-a-bed couch, $5 TV stand unit, and moving boxes turned up on their sides to create some very rustic and natural looking bookshelves) and bought ourselves some time until we found what we really wanted.

We eventually found couches that we liked, and then made a stop at IKEA on our way out to PA for the ski trip to buy a bookshelf and other fun items! This picture does not do it justice whatsoever, but I tried to capture the feeling. The boxes that held the bookshelf were just a few inches longer than we had anticipated ... and since we were also carpooling with our friends and had to fit four bodies plus gear into our Jeep, our stop at IKEA made the car ride a little bit tighter than expected!!

So use the picture above and your imagination: Ryan's seat is as far forward as it could go. His knees were touching the dashboard. The wheel blocked his view of the speedometer, thus making him lower the wheel as much as possible causing him to hold his arms at a 90 degree angle the entire drive. Additionally, there was no head rest other than the box - if he tried to check his blind spot too quickly it was a painful reminder that there really was no head room! Thankfully, we made it home safe and sound!

And here is the result!! Our lovely living room with actual pictures on the wall - it's amazing! I still get surprised walking into our house and realizing that people actually live here!! It's awesome! There are still a few additional items needed (curtains and baskets) ... but this is the most complete it's ever been and we are so excited!! Yay for having a real home! :)

30 weeks ...

This picture was taken last Sunday - after a long day in a very full car (ski gear plus a trip to IKEA will do that to you). So forgive the tired look in my eye, and the very natural look (who cares about make-up at a time like that?). Either way, you can tell that our baby is growing! He's getting heavier and stronger every day, and it's so much fun to actually see him moving around - as weird as that sounds! I am almost 31 weeks, and realizing more every day that this baby's coming in two months! Holy cow! What were we thinking?! Becoming parents? I don't think so! We still want to play and be kids ourselves! I guess this whole medical school thing and baby thing are really changing our plans - although secretly we think it's for the better. :)

skiing in the midwest?

So as many of you know, Ryan is an avid skiier. And thanks to him and my two brothers, I have become addicted to the sport as well. Living in Utah, we were surrounded by skiing resorts, and tried to take advantage of them. We have many memories on family ski trips (visit my brother Dave's website for full details and some really funny videos too!) and wish that we could go more often now. But sadly - Ohio does not have any mountains! People say that there are some, but we want to clarify their falsehood by stating the fact that they are merely hills. There is no such thing as a mountain out here. Sadly enough.

So when the medical school started publicizing a ski trip in January, Ryan and I were a little sketchy about if it would be worth it. But skiing is skiing, right? And desperate times call for desperate measures. We decided to chance it. The resort was four hours away, in a place called Champion, Pennsylvania; and we heard that it was one of the best resorts out in the mid-Atlantic region (which, honestly, instilled little confidence).

Even though it was different than other ski resorts we'd been to, for instance the elevation was 3,000 feet with a 750 foot vertical drop, and the longest run is barely over a mile long which gives you just enough time to really get warmed up and then you're back at the lift again. When we first drove up, it was like the entire mountain (if it really is on) could be seen all at once. All the runs were wide open and visible from the bottom it seemed like - not much room for exploring! Nevertheless, it was still skiing! And that made it all worth it! Here's some pictures from our adventures:

These are the pictures of what is right outside the lodge. Wide open space, covered with people. We decided that this really was one of the best resorts for about a 4-5 hour radius - meaning that everyone from Washington D.C., Virginia, Ohio, PA, and surrounding states would all accumulate here. It was a very busy weekend!

The one on the left is Ryan showing what scary terrain they have. No easy way down? Hmm ... looks pretty flat to me! The picture on the right are our friends Justin and Brianna. It was Brianna's first time ever skiing, and Justin was a great teacher! Plus, I had some company in the lodge whenever Brianna wanted a break, and Ryan had some company out on the slopes whenever Justin was available! We made a great team.
This last picture was needed for documentation purposes. Yes, we did drive 4+ hours to get there. Yes, we did have a chance to go skiing at least once this winter. And yes, I would've given anything to be out there on the slopes with Ryan if I could've. But there is a slight chance that this baby will be forever grateful that I did not risk mine and his life for one weekend of pure pleasure. I was the fan club watching everyone's belongings in the lodge, and trying to read as much as I could. It was a hard sacrifice to make, but I guess I'm just in training! However, I am pleased to announce that he was moving around like crazy whenever I would go outside. He likes the snow already, and he will definitely have skis on his feet as soon as possible. It's for his own good. Trust us.

it's never too late

So I know that it is now a month past due. But honestly - I work at a computer all day long, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is to go on the computer again. So I apologize for not posting these earlier. I'm home today sick, so I figured I could at least do something to feel productive!

Anyway - here's the previously mentioned Christmas pictures! It was so much fun, and we loved seeing all of Ryan's family. What a blessing!

So this is all of us kids waiting downstairs on Christmas morning. The Christensens have a tradition of having all the presents out (including one big gift for each kid that is unwrapped),
Christmas music playing, and camera/video cameras ready and waiting before the kids are allowed to come up and see. The anticipation is worth it!

These pictures are of our nephew Colby and niece Sara - both were quite the center of attention this year as you can tell! Colby loved to have Cynthia play with him, and she loved every minute! He also learned a new trick - called "freak out." It was so funny! Whenever you said those words, he would flex all of his muscles in a spasm kind of way and stretch our his arms and hands. His face was often the funniest part - and I caught it one time! It's really one of those you've-got-to-be-there moments, but I still love the picture. He's a riot! And sweet little Sara was adorable, and Jen and I had a lot of fun doing photo shoots with her.
This family picture is not the best - but it's the only one with everyone in it. There will be a better one coming soon hopefully! Thank you for such a wonderful and enjoyable Christmas break! We miss you so much already!

a few days in utah

So after Ry and I arrived in Denver, I caught another flight into SLC. I flew in and stayed with Dave and Tiff for a day - and it so much fun to see them again!! Besides picking me up at the airport at 10:30pm, letting me sleep with the heater right next to me, coordinating it so I could have a car to use the next day, letting me eat their food, taking me out to lunch at Tucano's the next day (we ate like kings!), hanging out in Provo with me, and going to my baby shower (only Tiff came ... how come guys aren't really even invited to baby showers? Sorry Dave - hope you didn't mind!), Tiff topped it all off by making her famous oreo cookies just for me (well ... that's what she said at least!)!!! It was pure icing on the cake (or should I say cookie? oh well)! I mean, honestly, could there be any better friends than that? I submit that there cannot!

Even though we've only been away from Provo for five-six months, I have to admit that I cried when I saw our old apartment and walked onto BYU campus again. I am just so grateful for all the wonderful memories that we created there!

So like I mentioned before, my two sisters-in-law on Ryan's side of the family threw me a baby shower while I was in Utah! It was so much fun to see old friends and to catch up - how I miss you all! And I missed all those who couldn't make it too! Sadly, I forgot to ask for a group picture until after Emily left - but she was there, and I included a picture with her in it to prove it! Thank you all for coming and for your friendship!! What would a girl do without her friends?! You all are such great examples to me!! A BIG thank you goes to Cassie and Jen for planning it and doing all the work!! And Jen and Tiffany took all the pictures, so thank you for that! I wish I could see you all again!!