The END of an ERA

When I turned 16 my first car was  a cute little red '89 Jeep Wrangler with a tan hard top. It only lasted about 19 months then it got totaled  because some crazy lady hit me head-on in her F350 pickup truck. I remember going to the tow yard to clean my stuff out of it and crying because I really loved that Jeep!

A year later I was surprised with a slightly nicer and newer version of the old friend...a red '93 Jeep Wrangler with a tan hard top! I cannot tell you how excited I was! That was February of 2001. "Little Red" was such a good car for me! I loved her in the winter to use the 4x4 in big snow storms and I loved her even more on hot summer days when the hard top was off and my friends and I could cruise around in the heat with the radio up (getting a tan while we were at it) and have lots of fun!

Little Red made for a lot of fun memories....and some not so fun like when I fell asleep driving one night and ran off the road in 2002....basically I drove off the road and up a dirt hill---sideways, hitting a reflector pole which tore one of the motor mounts off and punched a hole in the oil pan. My dad was not happy with me (to say the least), but we both made it out ok and she has been a trooper ever since! Basically, she was my baby!

In the early Spring of 2007 we thought we lost her due to a radiator leak we didn't know about and the engine basically melted. I thought that was it, but luckily we found another engine and she came back to life. She made her trek to Ohio by transport in Fall of 2007 and has lived with us ever since. She really has been reliable and I knew the day would soon come when she wouldn't be ours to keep because a 2-door Jeep just isn't that practical for a carseat in the back. THAT DAY CAME YESTERDAY...

Brett put Little Red up for sale on Craig's List yesterday morning at 10 am and within the hour started receiving phone calls. It kept him busy all day answering the phone and letting people come by for  test drives. Around 8 pm I heard Brett on the phone agreeing to an offer and telling the person on the phone he'd see them in about 10 minutes. My heart sunk. REALLY?!? She's leaving TODAY?!? I guess i just didn't think she would sell that fast, but apparently it was true. 

I won't blame the tears that started flowing completely on the pregnancy hormones because to be honest I really was a little torn....starting to think, we could just keep 3 cars around for fun! Brett tossed me the keys so I could take her for one last spin around the block. I was totally crying! How did I get so attached to that car?! I don't know....I guess like they say "it's a Jeep thing!" AND I TOTALLY GET IT! I made Brett promise me that one day (when we really do have some spare $$ for a 3rd car) that it HAS TO BE A WRANGLER! So, for now I guess it's the end of one era and we look forward to the new one that will be starting soon, with a new baby to take care of!

Brett taking off the license plate before they came to pick her up

Mine and Little Red's last moments together....

yes, my face really is red from crying ( I was not joking)!

I really will miss you Little Red. Thanks for a great 8 years!!  I will have a new baby to take care of soon, so I hope the home you went to treats you well! 

AND ON A LIGHTER NOTE... (well not "light" if we're talking about how I feel when I get on the scale each week at the doctors office)...

We're at 35 weeks pregnant now! 

It helps me think its further away whenI tell people we have  5 weeks. When I say 33 days....it makes me nervous! YIKES!! 

AM I READY FOR THIS?!

Today was just one of those poopy days at work and I came home all flustered and bugged. I decided to blog about some positive things to change my mood!! I really am so blessed and I need to focus on that more. So, here's a few pics of our recent "going-ons" and things that make me happy and grateful...

I'm grateful for a friend (Megan) who helped me sort through a LARGE stack of paint chips and decide on what colors would look good for baby girl's nursery!

I'm grateful for my sweet husband who (without complaining) was eager to get the nursery ready and has been dealing well with my nesting issues!! After we painted I was dying to get the crib up...he said he'd wait a few days, but really he surprised me last Sunday and did it before church while I was at an early meeting! I came home and it was all done! NO, her nursery is not green...this was prior to painting, it's only a sneek peek of the work in progress. There's still a few final touches to add and I'll definitely post some pics!

2 Weeks ago I finally gave in and moved to the couch to sleep. I was really sad because I really LOVE our bed and for some reason lately (possibly our growing child) I can't seem to get comfy at night. So, I spent the first night on the couch alone and hated not being next to Brett. Ever since, he's been sleeping on an air mattress next to me! I just love this sweet boy! I think it helps that the large TV is right in front of him just before he hits the sack! Either way, I won't complain!

Here he is again...I have to say I'm so grateful for such a wonderful husband. He is so caring and sweet. He rubs my sore back several times a day, helps with the housework, goes to school, does the dishes, helps with dinner, shares my icecream, and makes me laugh all the time!! He came downstairs like this last weekend on his way to play basketball....SERIOUSLY?! The goatie was getting pretty sick...i mean thick!! I appreciate his style! He's now a little more clean cut!

I'm grateful this mess wasn't any messier....Last weekend I put our kitchen under an inch of water...LESSON TO LEARN: Don't do wash if you're not home to supervise...especially if it's been below zero all week because maybe your pipe will freeze or clog or something really suspicious will happen and the washer will drain all over your floor and not through the pipe! FREAK!!!! Thanks to good friends who saved our lives (and kitchen) with a shopvac, space heater and fans! And...to my handy husband (again) for spending 4 hours to fix the problem so we didn't have to pay a plumber!

I'm grateful for good friends....especially ones with birthdays so we can eat amazing chocolate cake and celebrate with!

 Apparently I have a sweet tooth lately....I got a trifle bowl for Christmas and I used it for the first time to make this yummy dessert to take to work. It was posted on our friend recipe blog a while back, but in case you don't check that, here's the recipe: (thanks to meg)

OREO MADNESS:

2 full pkgs. Oreos

2 cubes butter, melted

*Smash the Oreos (with filling) and mix with melted butter. Set aside.

2 small pkg. vanilla instant pudding

3 1/2 c. milk

1 brick (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

12 oz cool whip

*Mix pudding and milk, and beat for 3 min.

* Add softened cream cheese and mix well.

*Fold in cool whip

*In trifle bowl, layer: Oreo mixture, then pudding mixture...beginning and ending with Oreos.

* Refridgerate before serving. Can top with a little extra cool whip when serving! 

Adios 2008!!

We spent New Year's Eve having takeout pizza, playing games, laughing, snacking, "banging" (I'll explain, that sounds terrible!), and enjoying the company of great friends! First we got in a couple rounds of Settler's of Catan...one of our favorite games to play! Then the Perry's introduced us to a new card game called "BANG!" It was a hit! At midnight we interrupted our game playing for some sparkling grape juice...you know, the hard stuff!....and a New Year's Kiss!

Dallin and Amanda...the hosts!

Yowza! 

Me and my New Years Hotty!

Shayne and Sherri

Brett & Meg

Prior to midnight...and these little guys bedtime...we rang in the new year with them too! They were so cute running around making lots of noise!! 

At 2 AM I was wiped out, but the hard-core gamers were still going strong! I sacked out on the couch and the next thing I knew Brett was waking me up to go home and it was 4 AM!!! I think a few of them would have even gone another round! What a crack up! Who says married people are boring and go to bed early?!?! Thanks for such a fun New Year's Eve Williams'! I don't remember the last time I stayed up that late!!