THE ADVENTURES OF PUDDLE JUMPING

New blog

2011-07-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that this blog just isn't working the way it should. I can't get people to comment because that seems to be working incorrectly and I feel like I have fiddled with it so much that it is beyond repair. Plus it is linked with my (old) personal e-mail and I want Jimmy to have the opportunity to post as well.

So I set up a new e-mail address for both of us and started a new blog. All of the old posts are there, so don't worry if you feel like you have missed something-- it will all be there. I wouldn't want you to feel cheated.

Please let me know if it is working alright. I really love your feedback.

Here is the new blog: Puddle Jumping: Family Edition

That is where I will post from now on. Hope to see you there!

It's in the blood

2011-07-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took Lucy to her first Red Sox game. New England sports events are very serious and important things that must be introduced early in a child's development. Not only did they hand us a baseball card for our little Red Sox fan in the making, but she actually particpated in the wave. You will have to get Jimmy to tell you the story. It is one of his favorite things about yesterday's game.

The only negative aspect of the game, as far as Lucy was concerned, was that we happened to be in a row where the vendors would stop and yell. So, if she was beginning to lull off to sleep, she was suddenly awakened by "peanuts! Sport's ba..." And no, I left the 'r' off on purpose. We are in Boston. There are no 'r's here.

I don't want any peanuts!

I think it was success.

I would also like to include a picture from yesterday afternoon's festivities. All of the Cooprider children were home this weekend, including Anne. So we took a picture of all of us. It will be some time before we can do that again. Joe leaves for his mission in about a week.

I have decided I need to do a better job at telling stories, so my posts aren't always so disjuncted and random. But for now I will end with this: it is fun to be a Cooprider (and a Schillemat!).

water and such...

2011-07-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

We have had many occasions to introduce Lucy to water. Bathtime is her very favorite time of the day. If she is cranky, she breaks out in smiles as soon as we put her in the bath. In fact she calms down as soon as she hears the water turn on. It makes me want to put her in the bath all day sometimes.

Grandma Schillemat introduced her to Center pond. She seemed quite indifferent about the whole thing. But the water wasn't that cold and she did a good job at remaining pretty calm.

Jimmy took her in the Grandma Coop's kiddy pool yesterday. The first try was right after her nap. Jimmy was a little too excited and she was still groggy and hungry. Needless to say she let out a scream that sounded like she had just been stabbed with needles. We tried again after she was fed and little more pleasant. She flinched a few times, but wasn't upset.

Not to mention she has touched some ocean water and Granite Lake water with her toes. Slowly but surely we will make her a water lover yet.

Besides her natural affinity for water, we have noticed as of late, her pleasure in facing outwards. Meaning, she really loves to be held facing forwards, looking at the world around her. I think it tires her out as well. So we tried the home-made moby wrap (thank you Melanie!) with her facing forward. She likes it. Tomorrow we are going to a Red Sox game and that will be the fashion we will be stylin'.

I feel like I have extra limbs when she is facing out like this. Jimmy like to call me 'Octo-Mom.' Yes, it is reference to the original Octo-mom...Though I only have eight limbs and not eight same-aged children.

And naps...well, we are trying to get her to take naps in her crib. It has been rather successful. For the first few weeks, well, pretty much up until last week, I couldn't get her to take a nap anywhere but on me. Though there were some flukish (albeit incredible cute) times when she would fall asleep on the living room floor (see picture below). It was very difficult to do anything, including going to the bathroom or taking a shower. This past week I have tried to catch her before she gets too crabby, swaddle her, rock her a little and put her in her pack and play. Normally it takes a few tries to get her to sleep, but she has taken some extended naps. It is heavenly! She is gettting better naps, and I am getting some time to take care of myself. No, we don't really have scheduled naps yet. I am afraid that will take another month or two to really pin down. But we are moving away from always sleeping on me (which is partially sad, because I do love me a good snuggle!)

By the way, it has been insanely hot these last few days. Not the temperatures of the Midwest, but the humidity certainly has rivaled the country's highest. Today I went for a run and I felt like I was running through slush, warm slush. It was difficult. Yes, I am running again, but it is very slow going. I don't always run that far, and I am pretty sure I could walk faster than I am running. But it is a start.

And that is all for now. I feel so accomplished...

Things I like about Lucy

2011-07-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

She now sleeps from 10 pm to 5 am

She has really cute chunky cheeks

She smiles and sometimes it is even when she is looking at me

She has a very unusual affinity for architecture, specifically beams

She has long and very active legs

She has VERY blue eyes

She makes a mullet look cute

And...She is my daughter!

blessing and beach

2011-07-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

I have received a few e-mails notifying me that the comment function on my blog doesn't work. I am not sure why, but I will look into it. Sorry!

In other news, Lucy was blessed in church on Sunday. It was a nice event. Both sides of the family were present. Lucy apparently let a little scream during the blessing, but everyone collectively rocked her back to sleep. She was sporting a blessing dress from Grandma Schillemat and a blanket from Grandma Coop. I thought she looked very pretty.

She may not look happy, but she sure looks cute!

Dressed up with Daddy

The whole gang

Along those lines, I have given up on headbands for a while. They don't stay on her head. 30 minutes into church both her headband and shoes were gone. I gave up. She just isn't terribly aware at this point, and if something falls off while she is sleeping I don't feel that it worth waking her up just to make her look cute. Let's face it, she is cute without all the clothes. Maybe I am just one of those moms who isn't terribly concerned with designer baby clothes. I am pretty sure out of the 6 weeks she has been in this world most of the days she has been wearing a onsie. That is just how it goes I guess.

On Monday we went to the beach with some friends and my sister. We went early enough that we didn't hit the too much traffic and the beach was relatively empty until about 10am. Lucy was not really old enough to enjoy the sand, water or sun, but it was good to get out. She ate when we got there and was a little fussy until she fell asleep and enjoyed the ocean from my arms. Jimmy had a good time digging in the sand and playing with his friend Davis. You can tell they have been friends for a while.

Lucy and Mommy

Dad is definitely a kid at heart

Aunt Jo and Lucy -- the beach bums!

Daddy playing in the sand with Davis

Family picture at Salisbury beach

It is so much easier to update this blog when I have pictures of a cute baby...just sayin'....

My new favorite picture...

2011-07-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

Okay...I actually have a few!

5 generations

2011-06-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

The Schillemats had a family get-together this weekend to celebrate my great grandmother's 100th birthday. The secret to my grandmother's longeavity? I think she would tell you that it was because she danced. She says she used to listen to music when she was a little girl out in the countryside and dance with her sister. She is quite a character, and quite an amazing woman. I am glad that Lucy knows her.

5 generations of "Schillemat" women

We also finally purchased a stroller, which Lucy seems to like. We have the rest of the summer to figure out how we are going to get all of this stuff back to Virginia. Lucy has accumulated quite a bit of gear in the last month.

Today I took Lucy to the doctors for her 1 month appointment. Before I tell you her stats, I would like to say how nice it was that she was in a good mood this morning. It was the first time just Lucy and I went out, and it went very well. I realize this will not always be the case, but it was thoughtful of her to help me transition into motherhood without a major meltdown. I felt so good about driving with her that we stopped at the store on the way home.

But onto the appointment. Lucy is now 9 lbs 12 oz, 22 inches long, and very healthy. This last week she had some rough patches with gas, but after talking to the doctor about some gas drops, I think we will be able to help her feel better. We are learning....

just because she is cute....

2011-06-20T09:30:00.001-07:00

I guess it is time to update the world...it has been 4 weeks since Lucy was born. Needless to say I still feel like I have no clue what I am doing, but we have a great support system helping us. Lucy is fantastic. I mean really, who can't love a cute baby like Lucy? She is sleeping pretty well. There have been a few nights where she has slept for 5 hours straight. It is very nice of her. She is also one strong growing baby. At her last appointment she weighed 8 lbs 12 oz. I think it is all going to her cheeks.

We finally got our car back. Perhaps I didn't relate the car story on this blog, so I will give the short version. The first outing with Lucy and our car resulted in a shattered driver-side window while we were driving down route 2. We have no clue what hit our car, but everyone was okay. After a couple weeks of insurance estimates, we finally got our car back.

But let's be honest all you really want to see are pictures. Here you go!

Happy girl!

Are these not fantastic slippers?!

She looks so big in this picture...

All bundled up

Why are you taking so many pictures of me?!

And by the way...Happy Father's day!

Lucy Pearl birth story

2011-06-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a little bit about my birth story since there were some who seemed interested. I wrote this a few days after the experience (on my birthday in fact) and I must say it is a little sappy and may be a little too much detail for some of you. Also excuse the poor writing technique. Take it as you may, this was my experience...

I guess it is time for me to write a little birth story. It is my birthday today, so I am going to take a little time to myself to write a little description of my experience of giving birth.

I would like to start back on the 21^st early in the morning. I woke up with twinges of contractions. They felt like cramps in my lower back and stomach, similar to menstrual cramps. They were about 10 minutes apart, and not terribly painful. Jimmy and I stayed in our room and I got up a few times to kind of push out some of the crampiness. I must admit it was making me a little bit excited because I knew that this was something different than Braxton Hicks contractions, i.e. they hurt a little bit more than general tension. The contractions started around 2:00am and ended around 5am. I knew this because I feel asleep without much problem.

We lazed around most of the rest of the day, I felt slight contractions, but still nothing terribly painful. At 4:00 pm I called the doctor mostly as an opinion because we were heading out to my cousins wedding and didn’t want to go into labor while there. The doctor said I had probably had some false labor and that I should just be aware of the signs. We went to the wedding, ate WAY too much candy, and headed home around 9:00 pm. We went to bed anticipating another round of false labor.

At 1:30-2:00 am the contractions started up again. Jimmy thought it might be nice to walk them out a little bit more, so we moved down stairs and turned on a movie. During the contractions I would walk back and forth in the living room and do some stretches on the birthing ball. It was at 3:30 am, about 30 minutes into the movie (The Princess and the Frog...in case you were wondering) and half way through a contraction, that a very unfamiliar but knowing important gush occurred. According to Jimmy my eyes kind of lept out of my face. My water had broken. But it didn’t break and stop, it gushed two more times while we were still at home and continued in the hospital. Jimmy called the hospital and they advised we make our way to the hospital.

I cleaned up the best I could, grabbed our hospital bag and we headed to the hospital around 4:30 am. I remember commenting about how great it was that there was no traffic to make Jimmy or me anxious. We arrived at the hospital around 5am, and parked in the garage since I still felt well enough to walk. We walked in and the 1^st nurse had me change and prepare to be initially checked. Mini Coop at the time was being a little bit fussy in womb, and her heart rate went way down, and the nurse within 15 minutes of the hospital suggested two changes to our birth plan. First was constant monitoring, but thankfully they had wireless connections so that alleviated my concern of being confined a bed for labor. The second was that the baby would have to be suctioned before she could be put on my chest. She had swallowed muconeum because she was seemingly stressed.

I guess that I was also a little disappointed because they hooked up an IV right away but thankfully it was short-lived and was changed to a saline block for most of the pregnancy. Yes, I worked hard to stay hydrated!

The next 24 hours were a blur of contractions that ranged from 4-10 minutes apart. I went through 4 different nurses which all did a relatively good job of keeping me moving. I even had the opportunity to use the tub, which flooded while I was having a contraction. It was humorous mostly because Jimmy didn’t even notice. Did I mention how wonderful it was to have both Jimmy and my mom helping me throughout the entire process? Not to mention Karen, who waited outside in the waiting room throughout most of the process. I felt much loved. The second to last nurse helped me into several labor positions to ease the baby down, and even reminded me a breathing technique that kept me from hyperventilating and throwing up.

After 24 hours, the nurse checked me again and I went from 3-3.5 centimeters. Not much at all. She said the baby had moved down, but because I was getting tired, my uterus was having a hard time contracting and everything was slowing down. This was a very difficult thing to hear. I am pretty sure throughout the next contraction I was crying only because I felt like I had done so much and achieved so little. It was then that I looked at Jimmy for some guidance. I had hoped to have a purely natural childbirth, but little mini coop wasn’t coming very quickly and my body wasn’t helping. So we asked the nurse for some advice and she suggested a drug to help take the edge off the pain, and then use pitocin to regulate the contractions. After praying with Jimmy we decided it was the right thing to do. I was exhausted and I needed something to give me hope that I could finish the process that I started. I still feel a little upset that I didn’t do it exactly as I had planned, but I acknowledge that it was the right thing for me.

After the nurse administered the pain medication I was able to rest through some manageable contractions. Jimmy also slept while my mom helped me breathe through the little pain I was feeling at the time. About an hour later the pitocin kicked in and thus began the regulated contractions with the normal amount of pain again. They hurt, but they had purpose, and that made me happy. The only strange part of the labor at this point was that I was literally falling asleep during my contractions. So for 2 minutes between a contraction I would rest. Strange but true. In the final hours of labor I was switched to one final nurse, who was sweet and very understanding. I was getting close and I knew it, and when she checked me I was 6 centimeters, but very low and well on my way to having the baby.

Through more contractions and a regulated breathing technique I was checked again. I had begun to feel the urge to push, and wanted the nurse to see how close I was. I didn’t have to say anything, she just knew to check. I was 9.5 centimeters, still not time to push. Through every contraction I screamed that I wanted to push. Jimmy, my mom and the nurse urged me to breathe through the pain. It was extremely hard. It was amazing to me, from start to finish, how much of a voice I seemed to have. Meaning, I really did know how to express my pain. Jimmy said he had to leave a few times, just because I was in pain. He really was the most amazing support person.

When I was told I could push, there are no words to describe the relief I felt. I knew that now I would have purpose. With every push I was getting closer to seeing my baby. It took 45 minutes for our dear mini coop to arrive. The doctor, now the second one I had seen, even had me feel the head as I was pushing. Yes, I could feel the head. Jimmy watched the whole thing, although there really was now way he couldn’t avoid it. There were no shields. With some pretty major burning, finally mini coop emerged from by body and was carried away to be suctioned. As soon as they were done they put her on my chest for the magical skin-on-skin. It was amazing. Within a few minutes she even started to nurse.

Those moments were unreal and undeniably imprinted in my mind. I am not sure I will ever forget holding her for the first time. After the in and out of several nurses and my mom, Jimmy and I had a moment to discuss the name of our firstborn child. We had talked about both Susan and Lucy. We liked them both. In the end we chose Lucy with the middle name Pearl. I think it suits her quite nicely. She is the most amazing gift I have every received and I am indebted to Heavenly Father for entrusting me with this honor and responsibility.

To finish this account I was to honor my husband Jimmy and my mother Kathy. When I think about the word support I think about them. There were times I was walking down the halls or sitting in bed, that I didn’t think I would be able to finish was seemed an almost insurmountable task. I knew that ultimately the baby would come out, but in all fairness when one is in pain, it doesn’t seem that way. Jimmy is an amazing husband. He cares for me in the most subtle and important ways. He never left unless I said he could leave, he never stopped caring for me. There was even a moment when I asked him how he was doing, and no one could believe it. It was because he deserved every bit of credit that I received. I would not have had this baby so successfully without him.

And that was how little miss Lucy Pearl Cooprider entered the world and joined our humble family.

Lucy is a keeper, beautiful and healthy and a wonderful addition to our family.

We like her...

2011-06-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Lucy Pearl

2011-05-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

Lucy Pearl
May 23rd at 9:58 am
7 lbs 6 oz 20 inches

It is an understatement that we love her! We are so glad to have her here. It is the best birthday present ever (yes, today the 27th of May, I turn 27....).

transitions....

2011-05-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

These last few days have been quite a medical adventure. Because of our transition from VA to MA we had to make some introductory visits here to make sure we were ready for delivery at a different hospital. Yesterday we met with the nurse practitioner who asked questions mostly related to the beginning of pregnancy. She even gave us a packet which contained all of the information that we received around 8 weeks. Needless to say she didn't spend a lot of time talking about things that we had already heard. She was friendly and nice. I appreciated her patience with us and the situation.

Today we did a hospital tour at the Emerson birthing center. Small (but comfortably sized rooms), cozy, and it has a tub--I am happy! Jimmy is happy because it seems to be very easy to get to, and very easy in terms of parking. After the hospital tour we met with the OBGYN, who was very kind and understanding. She mentioned a few logistical things, and set up an ultrasound. Yes, I had an ultrasound week 39 just because they wanted their own record of seeing the baby. The ultrasound was uneventful and even hard to understand. I think Mini Coop is pretty squished. They calculated her weight to be 8 lbs 4oz! I realize there is some error, but needless to say I was a little surprised! Everything is going well, Mini Coop is healthy, and it seems that my body and Mini Coop are just starting to progress, so any day now is possible!

Tomorrow Jimmy and I will meet the pediatrician, next week I meet with another OBGYN from the same practice, and Tuesday I begin stress tests in the actual labor and delivery unit. It seems we are set to go. Mini Coop is free to come as she pleases. She is has been such an obedient little girl already, let's hope that is some indication of her behavioral tendencies outside the womb.

So in conclusion, moving can be hard, but it is doable at 38-39 weeks pregnant. Although I don't reccommend it!

WE MADE IT!

2011-05-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

I can breath a little easier now....no more wondering if the baby is going to come before we move to MA, because WE MADE IT! Now we are waiting for little miss Mini-Coop to come. I am excited to say the least, albeit a little nervous about the whole experience. But let's be frank, it will happen when it happens, and deep down inside I know it will all work out just fine.

Well, that is all. I just felt like celebrating the fact that we made it to MA without any mishaps or adventurous twists or turns.

mothers' day -- i.e. every wonderful woman day!

2011-05-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

Celebrating mothers of all kinds!

(38 weeks pregnant!)

Even if I don't have a picture of you, I am still thinking about how wonderful you really are!

toes....

2011-05-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

When I am supposed to be resting, I start writing instead. It makes me feel productive without having to do all the heavy lifting.

These last few days have been interesting. I feel kind of helpless. I know that 9 month pregnant woman shouldn't do heavy lifting of boxes, or bend down too much, all that jazz, but seriously... how do things get done if I don't? Jimmy is pretty occupied with the write-on and research, and I don't want him to feel like he has to do all the packing stuff by himself. So, I let him work and I do projects that don't seem too strenuous. And I sneakily carry a box or two. Don't worry, they are not that heavy. Jimmy still gives me the Cooprider stare when he catches me so I don't do it often. Plus, I don't want to go into labor just yet.

Today we delivered two more car loads to our "storage" space. We disassembled a few more bookcases/furniture, and took all our clothes and starting putting them in suitcases. We are constantly filling boxes, and moving things around. Hopefully by early next week most of our apartment will be packed and we can begin cleaning. I am determined to clean the apartment to the point that it looks better than when we first arrived.

Funny story. Last night before I went to bed, Mini Coop was doing fetal gymnastics and consequently it took me a little longer to fall asleep. I think because of her movement I had the following dream. Jimmy and I were with some of his friends from law school when Mini Coop began some pretty intense movement. So intense that I could make out a foot with toes protruding from my belly. When I counted the number of toes on her foot she had 7. Yes, I dreamed our little Mini Coop had 7 toes! Later in the dream one of the law students saw the foot and began to tug at it and by doing so the entire leg our baby began to appear. Remember the baby is still inside my belly. I must have very elastic skin, or at least in my dreams I do. Funny, funny dreams.

Only 5 days until we leave. Can Mini Coop hold out? We will see.....

By the way, Happy early Mother's Day!

Report

2011-05-04T15:59:00.001-07:00

In case you are wondering, Jimmy and I went to the doctor today, and I was "checked." It's not like they don't check something every time. This time I was checked-checked. Mini Coop is head down, but still high up. Not to be terribly gruesome (you don't have to think about it too much) but my doctor felt her skull. I think that is quite incredible...Jimmy thinks it is insane, borderline--too much for him to bear. I think he is going to spend most of his time comforting me from the shoulders up. And I am okay with that.

So, not too much to report.

Actually that is a good thing. We are moving in a little over a week and it would be much appreciated if it wasn't an eventful week. Just pack, get in car and drive to MA. Inserting -- going to hospital to deliver baby--might make things a little more eventful. I reiterate from previous posts, not bad, just more eventful!

Today commences Dabney finals. I will turn in all my grades by Tuesday the 10th. I am excited. Very excited.

And that is my report.

not my favorite

2011-04-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today Jimmy and I moved out 20 or so boxes. And by moved I mean, I packed most of them and Jimmy did the heavy lifting into the car. We have a good friend who is keeping her apartment during the summer but not living there, so she letting us store our things. It is awfully nice of her.

Let me tell you a little about my thoughts on packing. I dislike like it very much. I usually feel like it will never end, and every time we pack a box, I feel like more things suddenly appear and need to be packed as well. Thankfully after two car loads of boxes, I see some progression, i.e. more space, in our apartment, meaning things are in fact getting packed and put away and not just magically multiplying. Let's just say packing is just not my favorite....

In other news, my classes for DSLCC are over, but I still have over a week left because of reading days and finals. Honestly, this semester has been quite pleasant in terms of students, just a little more uncomfortable physically. This coming week I am driving back and forth mostly
for office hours. I am only giving one final this week and the another the following Monday. Then we are outta' here. Well, after a few more days of packing and such...but really we are excited to get up to New England. Family, friends, and the place where we want Mini Coop to be born all await us.

Jimmy started his research on Thursday and will start the dreaded write-on on Monday. Needless to say, he will still be busy. Kind of cruel that Law School "ends," but not really.

But aside from the craziness of moving and finishing school related things, I am thoroughly enjoying the fact that it is beautiful outside. Spring has arrived in all its glory, green, pink and purple blossoms, and higher temperatures abound. I even enjoy the rain because I know it is bringing more life to this time of year.

Ahh...springtime is a good time of year.

36ish weeks

2011-04-25T17:00:00.001-07:00

I talked to my mom today. She said it was funny that Andrea and I talk about our pregnancies in terms of weeks passed rather than weeks until our due date. I guess that is the terminology these days.

I have always thought that the system they created for determining the number of weeks you are pregnant was kind of silly. If I go by the normal standard these days, which is forty weeks pregnant that makes a me pregnant for 10ish months (there has to be a better way to describe the time!). Who thought that would be a good idea? I mean seriously, I think women are pretty ready to be done at 9 months. But oh well.

I am actually hoping for right around 39 weeks... If Mini Coop comes much earlier we will have a very interesting ride up to MA. By interesting I don't mean bad, I just mean interesting and possibly very adventurous. I ramble...

Today I did A LOT of packing, and it probably wasn't a good idea. My feet swelled up like large sausages and I felt kind of sore all over. But in general I still feel great, in case you are wondering (I feel like I am always complaining these days...). I hate just sitting around and doing nothing, so I continued filling boxes and moving them around to keep our apartment somewhat livable.

We also had a painter cleaning up our bathroom (yes, our bathroom is being fixed 2 weeks before we leave), and I felt weird just sitting around doing nothing, so I decided to be really productive-looking. Along with the packing, I did three loads of laundry, marinated some lamb, wrote a bunch of thank-you cards, and made lunch for Jimmy who returned early afternoon from another final. He now only has one left!

Thankfully I had a little time to ice my feet and nap in the afternoon before I headed out the door for my night class. That is where I am now....my students are taking their final chapter test. Yes, it is the last week of classes. I have no choice but to give them a test on the last day of class. It is the consequence of limited night class periods.

But that is a rant I have already explored, so I will end.

Appreciation

2011-04-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

I appreciate many things, but I would like to point out a few particular people and things.

I appreciate my friends. On Friday I made a voyage to the Baltimore area to visit my best friend Andrea. She is amazing! She and her husband treated me like royalty, treating me to some great food, and friendship.

We had a fabulous meal on Friday, with a very tasty potato salad, and fish. We continued the festivities by making kale chips with a cheesy sauce (with no actual cheese in it!). We put them in the dehydrator to eat the next day. And we finished the night watch a family movie, nothing too special but it did make me feel warm and fuzzy.

Elephants and bestest friends - two of my favorite things (yes, my face is starting to look a little swollen)

The next day we went to the zoo (and saw elephants--my favorite) and ate at an amazing Indian buffet. I have never seen chick peas prepared in so many ways. It was fantastic! By the time we got back it was time for me to leave again, so they sent me on my way with some kale chips and homemade granola bars. I really appreciate them both!

I also appreciate Andrea's family. Her mother Betty made me a beautiful Moses basket. They are amazing people and I will forever love them as family.

I appreciate my husband. When I got home he gave me hugs and kisses like we had been apart for weeks. He even bought me flowers. It is good to feel loved. This morning he had me do a little Easter egg hunt. He is going to be a marvelous father. I appreciate how really great he is.

I appreciate opportunities to serve in church. I serve by teaching 5-6 year olds. They are very smart and spiritual little beings. It impresses how much they know and share. They probably don't realize how much they teach me. I did notice that most of them were on sugar-highs today, but that is what sugar in the morning will do to you.

And lastly I appreciate the opportunity to worship, especially on this special holiday of Easter. I appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his great and lasting Atonement that makes eternal life available to all. I can't describe how grateful I am for this knowledge.

It feels good to be reminded of all the good things I have in my life.

Another week gone by

2011-04-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I can't believe how fast time is going. As a physicist I realize that time really isn't going any faster or slower, I am not moving at the speed of light or anything. But honestly how did I get to the point where I can say to people that in a week I will be full term?

I am 36 weeks pregnant on Monday. Huh?! How did that happen? Well, Kirstin, it is the end of April and you have been pregnant since August, so logically yes you are about 36 weeks pregnant. Stop wondering how, and embrace the fact that you will have a child in just a few short weeks.

This week was a good week. Last week I ordered a pack-and-play for Mini Coop in the event that she comes while we are still here in Lexington. It came yesterday. We have it set up and ready to go. I like having it in our room, though we hardly have any room to walk now. It reminds me that we are preparing for a new addition to our family. I also set up a hospital tour. We are doing that next week. This whole planning for delivery in two places makes Mini Coop's birth kind of interesting. I figure seeing at least one hospital is better than not seeing any.

Jimmy had his first final yesterday. He said it went relatively well. Tomorrow he has his second final. I think he is very ready to be done. I second the motion, but from the perspective of the teacher. I still have one week of classes left. I really want to be done (I know I already indirectly said that). Being pregnant, and knowing we are moving makes me want to finish even more.

We are anticipating the move by packing up all our books, and putting things in piles. I dislike the look of our apartment, but it is better than having to do all the packing at the last minute.

And that is all.

the good with the bad...

2011-04-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

I really don't want to complain this entire time, so I will start with complaints and end with how nice this week actually was.

First of all there are certain things a pregnant lady does not want to hear. And I quote "you look like you are about to give birth....is this your second because you look really big!" What?! Are you seriously telling me I look huge?! I am gaining the right amount of weight, and when I am measured I seem to be right on track. So no lady (who I don't know at all), I am not about to give birth, and no I am not abnormally large for this stage of pregnancy. That is just not something I want to hear especially when I still have a month to go. Just saying...

Second, the rain we have been getting these last few days have been bizarre. Today we had a hail storm that I thought might actually puncture holes in our car windshield. Thankfully it didn't what is up with this weird weather?

Third, leaks, leaks, leaks. We have a leak coming from our fan and all along the back wall in our bathroom. Until just a minute ago it was pretty steady. It has made my trips to the bathroom at night a little more adventurous. But we have a great landlord, and they told us they will have everything fixed pronto. They are going to replace pretty much everything by the mid next week. I could complain more, but honestly I think the situation is being handled better than it could have been, so I will be grateful.

And now onto the rest of the week, because in reality it hasn't been all bad. Jimmy finished classes yesterday. You would think that would be a great relief, but that just means he has finals next week, and that has made him a little more anxious than relieved. Seeing as how finals are what determine his grades I can see why. However, he is enjoying the fact that he HAS time to study because he doesn't have the classes.

I went to a conference this week sponsored by the Virginia Community College System. I thoroughly enjoyed all the sessions and the abundance of food they offered. Plus, it was all free. My school paid for all expenses minus the parking. I learned about test anxiety, the necessity of adjunct faculty, how the developmental math classes are going to change and much more. I also realized going to sessions lead by teachers is more enjoyable than sessions led by researchers. At least they know how to talk to people and make their topics interesting. My conference experiences at American Astronomical Society meetings was quite a bit different mostly because even if the title of the session seemed interesting most of the time the people were not. Don't get me wrong, I still love those conferences, but there is definitely a difference.

And our little Mini Coop is growing and moving just fine. Yes, I feel huge (though that is not necessarily what I want to hear from strangers) and I figure that is good thing. I only have about 5ish weeks left, I should feel big. My ankles are not their normal size anymore, but I can still wear my wedding ring, and my doctor said that my face still looks normal. He did say that in a week or two my face might start to swell, enough that I might look like a different person. But until that day, I will accept the state that I am in. Though, I would rather be holding Mini Coop in my arms, than have her living in rib cage kicking ferociously.

I'm glad she is an active little thing.

Baby Shower

2011-04-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday a lady from my Church threw a baby shower for me and Mini Coop. It was a delightful time. We ate, we talked and we open lots of fun gifts that will make Mini Coop a very well dressed baby. I was very appreciative and excited for this event. People from Church, Law School and work came. It was great!

In other news. Jimmy and I went to DC yesterday. We were able to drive with another group of people from church so we wouldn't have to drive ourselves. Can we say AMAZING?! Not having to drive in the traffic was wonderful. Plus the driver was a old truck driver, and I felt very safe. Jimmy and I went to the Temple feeling happy without any post-traffic grumpies. The only downside to the entire trip was the ankle swelling. My feet looked like balloons. And they still kind of look like balloons. But I can deal with it. It doesn't really hurt, unless I try to fit my feet in my normal shoes. Time to buy some flip-flops and clogs.

Can you read this?

2011-04-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

I was told that the text on my blog was not very easy to read. So I am trying this new font. I think it is better, and still not boring...

In other news, today I called a gazillon doctors (a little bit dramatic, I know!). Jimmy and I are planning to move from VA to MA on the 12th-13th of May. We figured that since I will be 37ish weeks at that point that we shouldn't rush the driving, and make it a day long trip in the car. My full term pregnant body may not be able to handle all the sitting.

Anyways...because of the time period of this move I have been making plans and back-up plans. We have a doctor/hospital down here (in case she comes early), and a doctor/hospital up there. I am now working on getting our little Mini Coop her own doctor for here and up in MA. Just in case...

It makes me tired just thinking about it! But it will all work out in the end, I am sure of it. Jimmy tells me that Mini Coop has whispered to him the date that she will arrive. It is awfully unfair of him and her not to give me the heads up!

Prayers answered

2011-04-02T18:03:00.000-07:00

Jimmy got a job, actually two jobs for the summer. I will be honest, I was starting to get a little anxious. In my goal-oriented mindset I decided that it would be nice to know where Jimmy was working by the end of March. I prayed A LOT!

And we found out March 30th. God really does answer prayers. Though I wouldn't have been angry or anything if Jimmy had found out in April. I guess God really knows how anxious I was!

So Jimmy is going to work for the Assistant District Attorney in Worcester MA, and do research for a Washington and Lee professor long distance. We feel incredibly blessed.

Now we just have to figure out where we are going to store some of our stuff this summer. Minor details....

8ish months

2011-03-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

It must mean that I am getting close, because my doctor started mentioning how giving birth now would still be safe. Of course he advocated waiting until closer to the due date (did you hear that Mini Coop?!), but the fact that he was talking about giving birth makes me think that I am getting pretty close.

There are a few things that have marked a new period of pregnancy. I can't complain too much, I still feel very good, just a little more tired than usual.

First, I have hit the stage where if I am standing up and looking down at my feet, I cannot see them. They are no longer in view. That must mean I am getting pretty big.

Second, we have a carseat. It is currently installed in our car because we wanted to try it out, and honestly we don't have that much room in our apartment.

Third, I eat continuously. It's like this baby is gobbling up all of the food before my body gets to use any of it.

Fourth, sleep will be forever elusive in the extended sense. I can't complain. I sleep at night, but I haven't slept for the entire night. I guess, as I have heard many times before, it is a good preparation for motherhood.

I took both of these pictures on the same day. I look remarkably bigger without the fleece on.

Pasta making!

2011-03-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

I tried for the first time, making pasta. It something I have always wanted to try. My Grandpa Schillemat used to make it a lot, and just this last Christmas he made it as an addition to our Grinder night. It inspired me to try it for myself.

So yesterday Jimmy and I were planning meals for the week (yes, we were a little behind) and I thought it would be fun to make some pasta and fill it with some left over ricotta cheese.

Today, I looked up a simple recipe for whole wheat pasta, and ricotta-spinach filling. Pasta is ultimately pretty easy, but making sure it is thin is hard. I don't have a pasta roller, nor do I plan to invest in one anytime soon. It is turned out pretty well. Again, a little bit thick, but edible.

It is always nice to make a meal from start to finish.

In other news, we looked at car seats about a week ago, and had to ordered one because they didn't have the color we wanted in the store. To get a discount, it was ordered and shipped to the store. It is now in the store and waiting for us. It makes me giddy really, knowing that our little baby girl will have a transportation vessel when we take her home from the hospital.

I also began putting together a hospital bag. Yes, I know it might be a little bit early. However in the next month or so, Jimmy and I will be packing/moving and I wanted to make sure that we didn't forget about making sure we were ready to go the hospital. By the way, I will be 32 weeks (8 months) pregnant on Monday. Times flies...

Changing my mind....

2011-03-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

I know, I change my blog outline A LOT! Truth be told, I never really like how it looks, so I experiment and find something that leaves me content for at least a month or so. Oh well....

Jimmy is BACK! He was in MA for the weekend getting ready for two interviews that he had yesterday. He said they both went well. Let's hope we hear from them soon. I am getting a little anxious about not knowing exactly where we are going to have this baby. Sending another "oh well!" out there. We will have to be patient I guess.

I haven't really talked about my classes this semester. They are going fine. Last week I went to the regional science fair with 4 of my students. It was quite an impressive site. My students did a great job! One of them even received a special award for her work in the physiology of yogic breathing. I also had the unique opportunity to judge some of the team physical science projects. I talked to students who made a customizable ankle guard, studied hypermiling, and even grew mold to model the Virginian Amtrack train system. Pretty cool stuff!

preparations

2011-03-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last few days doing some research. I am very interested in how this childbirth thing is going to happen, and so I have been reading, "googling", and even watching some birth stories. When Jimmy and I leave our childbirth class I feel pretty good about the whole thing. I can sit on a birthing ball, I can swing my hips from side to side, and I can definitely handle back rubs. I say, "sign me up!" I am ready. But then I read the books and I watch the videos and I think, geez, those women sure are screaming and crying a lot.

I only vaguely remember Geoffrey being born. My mom thought it would be a good experience. And it was. I was 11 years old at the time. I watched the heart rate monitors with a very extreme excitement and I cut the embilical cord. Generally, I don't think I really understood the pain my mother endured, and this was her sixth delivery.

Now I am contemplating my ability to endure pain. It seems to be the most recurrant consequence of labor. I told Jimmy last night that I was a little nervous because I don't think I have ever had an experience where I have tested my pain limitations. I have run, and been exhausted, but even then my body was trained for that experience. I have never really broken a bone or had a terrifically horid sickness. All in all I have been pretty healthy, and that makes me nervous. Does that make the whole giving birth thing more difficult because I have never really had to go through anything like it before?

I am going to try natural childbirth, but not to the detriment of my child or myself. I realize if something is wrong and the child or I is unsafe I shouldn't resist medication or interventions just because I am determined to do it all by myself. I think making a finite resolve in that direction could be foolish and downright dangerous. That being said, I do want to experience the triumph of giving birth naturally if that is what I am intended to do. Knowing my decision, I am trying to figure out how I am going to be strong enough for the process. Labor positions, breathing techniques, support system, etc... Let's just hope that Mini Coop agrees to be healthy and small!

North Carolina

2011-03-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend, to end our Spring Break we made our way down to a nice town outside of Rayleigh NC, called Apex. I have an aunt, uncle and cousins that live minutes from the Temple. We decided to make a weekend out of it. We left Friday late morning, arrived to their house around 3pm, went to the Temple that evening, and spent the rest of the weekend playing games, and playing at a park with their family. It was a great break from the norm. Plus, this whole week Lexington's weather has kind of been depressing. When we got to NC it is a 60 degrees and slightly breezy. It was perfect weather. I got a few pictures of the weekend's festivities, including our walk at a park. There were a few good animal life sitings (turtles and swans!). It always so nice to get away and be with family!

Lars, Mara and Carmel

Rayleigh Temple

Swan (A.K.A the ugly duckling)

Spring Break - taking a break!

2011-03-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

What does one do for spring break, when you have a pregnant, sleepy wife? You stay in town and relax. It has been fabulous! We have gone on walks every day, gone to the booming metropolis of Roanoke to look at baby gear and attend a childbirth class, slept and slept, ate lots of smoothies, and just been plain lazy. I really like having Jimmy around. He is very helpful, especially because he makes sure I don't overly exert myself. He is such a good husband.

I have started having more back pains. It doesn't help that my back has always been a little crooked. But we bought a snazzy body pillow which has proved to be a little more comfortable for sleeping and even sitting. The positive of this back pain is that I know it is caused by a little girl inside me, who will be part of our family in just over 2 months. Yeah, 2 months.....pure craziness!

Happy Birthday

2011-03-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

To Jimmy!

Today my husband is 26. Yes, I had to remind him of his new age this morning.

If you know anything about Jimmy that means we are eating bbq ribs tonight for dinner. Gosh he loves ribs. And I love him.

Today he is sporting one of his Life is Good shirts (thanks Cooprider parents!) and trying to figure out how he is going to use his banjo ukulele. Yes, that is what I got him. He is always talking about how he wants to learn to play the banjo (This is one of his favorite songs: Banjo Boy - Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband) . I figured we would start small scale, so I bought him a banjo-shaped ukulele. No this isn't a dollar store ukulele, it is actually well reviewed on amazon. I just couldn't afford a fancy banjo this time. Once he is a ukulele master I think we will upgrade.

He had no clue, and let's face it, who would? What kind of wife buys her husband a ukulele? I do. And maybe it is silly, and maybe a little childish, but remember I am making him ribs. I am sure that makes up for my ridiculous present giving skills!

Happy birthday Jimmy dear!

How did we get to this point so quickly?

2011-02-28T07:41:00.000-08:00

Well, that's it folks, I am now officially in my third trimester. Can you believe it? I can't. Sometimes I look down at my ever growing belly and think, wow she IS going to come out. And that coming out thing is supposedly going to happen within the next 3 months. Coupled with these blunt and often obvious thoughts, I have had some very weird dreams. Needless to say some of them are not terribly realistic, but altogether quite interesting.

Well, here's to 12 weeks left.....

And a shout out to Gretchen! Today is her birthday.

newborn dress what?!

2011-02-22T19:36:00.000-08:00

Today I used an actual pattern to make a newborn dress. I still feel like it is too big, but I suppose too big is better than too small. She can always grow into it.

I am growing...and so is Mini Coop

2011-02-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest of my growth, or shall we say Mini Coop's growth. 27 weeks tomorrow. Next week I start the third trimester!

Becoming romantic

2011-02-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

My relationship journey has not left me as a truly romantic person. I try to do things that are nice for my husband, but I don't always feel like I am being romantic. Jimmy on the otherhand really likes to be romantic. He is usually the one who thinks of breakfest in bed, or buying me chocolate, taking me out to nice resturants, you know the nice stuff like that.

This year I have realized more and more that me being romantic does not necessarily mean being spontaneous or over the top, but rather subtle and helpful. Case in point. Today I made Jimmy breakfast, I didn't make anything really too difficult, and I didn't bring it to him in bed. I made him something that he liked. Fried egg in toast with the middle taken out. He said it was wonderful!

Then I went and had lunch with him at the law school. While I waited for him, I organized his carrell a little bit. Then we ate a fairly simple lunch of leftovers and I gave him a chocolate. It was nice, it was simple, and dare I say it was romantic.

Tonight I am teaching a night class, so we won't be able to do anything super special. However, I am sure I am going to give Jimmy some extra hugs for being a great husband. I guess that is what life is all about. Taking time all the time to cherish simple moments whether they be wildly romantic or not.

By the way, it has been over two years since Jimmy proposed to me on the top of Y mountain. Just thinking about that day makes me feel more romantic!

Saturday bills...

2011-02-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

I really don't enjoy getting bills on Saturdays. Especially insurance/medical bills. And this is why: In my mind I have a running balance on what is going in and out of our bank account. I am very aware of the amount of money we are spending. When I get a bill on a Saturday, and it doesn't seem right (which is how most of our medical bills have been lately) I realize that I can't do anything about it until Monday between 9am and 5pm.

So in my compulsively obsessed mind I am trying to figure out what I need to do in order make this bill correct. It is awful. My mind cycles the same thoughts over and over again and usually it ends in me getting all anxious and sometimes overly emotional. I want so badly to talk to some customer service rep about how I think this bill is wrong, but I can't.

Does anyone else have this problem? This has really only been more of an issue since we've had more medical bills and we have had to deal with our new insurance company. Did I mention how ridiculous it is that insurance companies and medical providers don't seem to communicate in a timely manner? I always feel like I am getting bills for things that haven't gone through claims quite yet. When you are budgeting kind of person, you can't help but get a little anxious when you get a giant bill for something that your insurance should be paying at least part of.

Someday, just someday I don't think I will be such a frugal financial beast, but for now all I can do is wait for Monday and my next chance to talk to a customer service rep. Lucky them! Did I mention I am not exactly the best phone conversationalist? That is a topic for another day, and perhaps another rant that you may not feel up to reading right now.

Things that I love

2011-02-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

There are several things that I love quite dearly. On the top of my list is my husband and my beliefs, but today I would like to mention some of my more casual loves.

Today as I went on my daily walk I decided to make a stop at the Healthy Foods Coop in town. Inside was one of my loves, dried fruit. They have dried cherries, pineapple, mango, vegetables, etc... Plus it is in bulk. I can get as much as I want. It is blissful!

Later today, Jimmy came home and I commenced on another sewing projects. I have determined, after make a few aprons, a bag and today's sewing adventure that another one of my loves is accomplishment. I love finishing projects, and sewing has proved a good way to accomplish tasks without feeling terribly overwhelmed. I can finish my projects in a day or two.

Today was the "baby" dress. The baby is in quotes because I really didn't have a pattern with sizes, so I am positive it is too big for Mini Coop upon arrival. But I do think between ages 1 and 2 (maybe even 3) she may be of adequate weight and size to fit in it. It was a good start for my adventure of sewing baby clothes.

By the way, this is supposed to be a summer dress. I figure a shirt underneath, or sweater over the top would make quite a nice ensemble.

A is for Apron

2011-01-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

I finally used a gift card the other day. I bought a book of apron patterns, and a exercise video for pregnancy. I will not show you pictures of me exercising. That is embarrassing.

However, I will show you pictures of my first apron. I currently own two pieces of fabric and therefore practice all of my designs using this fabric. I will upgrade to better fabric once I feel a little better about my sewing skills. For now, I am feeling pretty good about how this apron turned out.

It will be nice when I have other colors besides purple and pink.

Confession

2011-01-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

Hi, I'm Kirstin and I still have my baby blanket.

But today I realized that the tattered mess of a blanket needed either to be thrown away or renovated. In fact I have decided now is the time to turn this blanket over to the next of kin, Mini Coop. Of course she isn't arriving for another couple months, but to mentally prepared myself for this parting, I fixed it up, just a tad (and by tad, I mean a TON!). Probably not as professionally as I would have liked, but it was a much needed improvement.

I am pretty sure this used to be a very large blanket, but now it is probably 2' x 2' blanket, with a purple border (which was part of the upgrade).

Dear old blanket, you have served me well. It seems only right that I pass you on to my own daughter who will hopefully enjoy your warmth and comfort for years to come!

Funny things

2011-01-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

There are just a few things these last few days that have made me inwardly chuckle.

First, look at this weather.

Would you cancel school on a day like this? Probably not. I have started being able to predict when they are going to cancel school. If the weather predicts more than an inch, and there is a possibility of a rain/snow mix sure fire cancellation. Today it has made me chuckle. I have one night class, but at least with this night class I have a little flexibility. For the record it is raining a little bit right now. Hooray for being able to sit at home most of the day.

Second, if I am going to sit around a home, my favorite room is our bedroom, and not because it has the bed and I want to sleep in it all day. It is because A) it can be warmed quite thoroughly and B) it actually has a little natural light. Our living room is in the corner of our apartment and if I am stuck inside, gets to be a little depressing. Today I did pilates, watched a show or two on hulu, and even finished off the leftover eggplant lasagna in our bedroom. I am now typing this post, in our bedroom.

Third, the little space heater we bought is good practice for having a child. It goes with me everywhere. It is my favorite little buddy and I am often trying to sit so close that it is almost like hugging it. Jimmy even tried to bring it to bed last night. We might have a slightly unhealthy obsession with this little heater. Until this obsession transfers over to Mini Coop, I think I am quite happy being warm.

So today I am inwardly chuckling at myself and the world around me.

The bag

2011-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

My sewing skills are not exactly the most extensive but I really do enjoy making a little craft or two. As I discussed before, one of my 2011 goals was to use my sewing machine. One of my great friends got me a very spiffy model and it totally deserves my attention. I want to try a few new projects: baby clothes, aprons, maybe if I am feeling really ambitious a skirt or dress.

For now I have resorted to my younger years by making a bag. Nothing fancy, nothing super beautiful, but it works.

Hopefully in a week or two I will have something new and exciting to show the world. For now, I will go with what I know. The important thing is I am using my sewing machine and it works fabulously!

B-b-b-belly!

2011-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

Some people like these types of pictures. I don't really like it, but it is proof that all my hoot and hollering about being pregnant is not a lie. I am 22 weeks pregnant. Enough pregnant to show, not quite enough for my back to tell me so. We will see how that changes in the next week or so.

reactivating my physical and cooking activity

2011-01-18T16:09:00.000-08:00

I have determine from our daughters recent activities, that she is going to be one active little girl. Let's hope that this activity translate to athletics and not mischief. One can only hope...

Maybe she has is retailiating. I have decided to get back into my physical activity groove. Holidays do such an impressive job at making me immobile. I have started doing pilates and walking everyday. It makes me feel a whole lot better. I think maybe our little Mini Coop has decided that if mommy can move more, so can she. Guess I deserve it. And honestly I would rather feel her move...it reminds me that she is there!

In other news, I made chicken parm. tonight. I was quite proud of myself. I even decided to stuff it with spinach. I feel that since more food network shows have shown up on hulu, that my cooking creativity has blossomed, or rather re-focused. It is refreshing to have the gumption to try new recipes and actually make them work.

Just thought I would share...

Female Mini Coop

2011-01-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

I think my favorite quote today was when Jimmy told me he wanted to come home to spend time with his "two favorite girls!" It made me all giddy to think that in just a few short months I will be holding a newborn that is my own.

We did indeed find out that we are going to be having a girl. I went to the doctor's this morning, not assuming a gender. I really did want to think that I would be let down if it wasn't what I thought it was. So I let everyone else guess, but me, I just let it be exciting no matter what. And it was, and it is, and it will be!

Do you know just how fascinating it is to see an image of a little baby moving around in your stomach? I could hardly believe that all of the legs and arm movement that our little girl was doing, was happening inside of me. Jimmy couldn't go, but I got a DVD of the entire ultrasound. I have now watched it 2.5 times. I am sure even 20 times won't be enough times for me to believe the miracle that is pregnancy.

So now onto the next phase of pregnancy, the preparation period. I promise I am starting to show now, however I am little bashful about the idea of posting a picture of my belly. Perhaps when I am a little bigger and look more pregnant than overweight.

I have now told all of my classes. I figured it was appropriate, seeing as how I will be growing quite steadily this entire semester. I didn't want rumors to accumulate, and force some poor soul the responsibility of asking me if I am pregnant later on. No one wants to ask that question. It is awkward. Thank goodness, if it did ever come to that, I could say "yes, student with great courage, I am pregnant. This is not a donut gut you see, it is 100% err....80% baby." It would be a lie to say that I haven't been overeating a little bit (i.e. 3 week Christmas-New Years-eat whatever I want binge!)

Cross-legged chica!

Goals 2011

2011-01-02T18:16:00.001-08:00

I have been looking at several blogs, and I notice a theme: GOALS. I am not a stranger to these motivating ideas that we as people so naturally concoct, especially at the beginning of the year. In college I spent at least 15 minutes at the end of the each night making a to-do list for the next day. And when I was bored in class, I would make lists of the things I needed to finish within the week/month/semester, what have you. It was a little bit of an OCD tendency, but it worked for me.

Lately however, I have not been in the goal oriented mindset. I mean, it is not like I didn't get anything done last year. I did finish my thesis, and that did require several lists, and goalish type things. Jimmy and I successfully moved to VA and have established ourselves in a new community. I have worked hard to help Jimmy in Law school by being supportive emotionally and financially. I am very grateful for all of these things, so believe you me, I am not complaining.

However in all of that I didn't really do anything personally satisfying, like running some races, or making more efforts spiritually. I want to make some goals that will make me more efficient, healthy (emotionally, spiritually, and mentally), productive, and self-sufficient.

So this year I am going to write some of my goals down here, publicly encouraging you to comment on and question my progress. I really want to make some personal strides in the right direction.

Here goes:
Establish a daily routine (before and after the baby is born)
Maintain a healthy diet (Multi-colored meals)
Attend the Temple at least once a month
Study the scriptures daily (with a topic in mind-choose a topic for the week)
Run a half marathon (this should force me to get back in shape after the baby is born)
Recreate a family budget and stick to it (Manageable and easy to maintain--only spend within our means)
Use my sewing machine (clothes, blankets, etc...)
Try at least 30 new recipes (keep them organized)
Write in my journal/blog at least 2 times a week

Oh gosh, I could keep going, but that could get a little overwhelming. I will stop here. There is no obligation to my readers to become my personal motivators, I am just asking for any advice/ideas on how I can motivate myself to do all of these things.

Happy 2011 and happy goal-setting!

updating

2010-12-30T08:22:00.001-08:00

Sorry. I should be better at updating my blog. I wanted to include pictures, and FINALLY, I have had opportunities to snap a shot or two.

We are in NH/MA. I love New England, and more specifically the areas in which the Coopriders/Schillemats live. Rural, relaxing, and definitely beautiful. We have participated in a snow storm, and several family traditions. The pictures do a better job at describing.

Jimmy enjoying the snow!

Peder's Eagle Court of Honor

Ada and Alice pulling their uncles Jimmy and Joe

Do you recognize this cake? It was once in much better shape. We loved it on our wedding day. 1 year and 4 months later, not so yummy.

Grinder night at the Schillemats

Good to be home, good to be with family!

New perspective on finals week

2010-12-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is finals week. I am the instructor so I view things a little bit differently.

Finals week is almost my favorite week of the semester.

Reason 1: Because I teach developmental algebra classes, the only students that take the final are the ones that actually passed all the tests. They are the good students. I like them.

Reason 2: I don't have to prep for my classes, besides printing off my finals.

Reason 3: I go into this week not stressing, but kind of getting excited for Christmas. It is a much smoother transition.

However, I do have a very stressed husband this time around. He is smart, believe you me, but he has never really had to study all the much to do well in his classes. Law school is a little different. It has forced him to learn how to study, and he has been doing just that all week. He made it through his first final quite well, and now he is taking his second. My job is to make good dinners and to remind him off how he will be done in a few short days.

Ohhhh finals!

Christmas time

2010-12-01T06:58:00.000-08:00

This year Jimmy and I are really on the ball. We actually had our Christmas tree up on the 28th of November.

We are in Virginia for 3 weeks and then we are off to the great northern parts of the country for the holiday. All we must do is take/give finals. Just that one 'little' thing....

Happy Holidays!

Lifetime bestest buddies

2010-11-14T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have this wonderful friend Andrea (Luber) Escobar. She is great! She and I lived together all four years at Clarkson. With exception of my family, I have lived with her the longest (that includes Jimmy). She is a great person to be with, has awesome spirituality, has great cooking skills, is a wonderful friend, and has all of those good things you look for in a person.

It was such a treat when she and her husband Adam came down for a visit. She is in Baltimore right now, and that is the closest she has been since we both graduated in 2006. We played games, explored one of the Appalachian trails, and had a delicious dinner. I am so glad she is my friend. Lifetime buddies are great :)

Atop Bluff Mountain

I am sure glad I have this bestest buddy forever!

Blah, blah, blah.....

2010-11-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

Today is a blah day. I think I am going to blame it on the flu shot I got yesterday. I feel kind of weak and generally yucky. I guess other people would probably say it could be the fact that I am pregnant, but I had been feeling better the last couple days. And I did just hit 12 weeks, isn't that when I am supposed to feel a little better?

Anyways..... I have a new result from one of my developmental classes. 3 out of 18 passed the last exam! I feel pretty disappointed with them, and maybe a little of me. Is there something else I should be doing? I really wish I could stress enough the importance of them putting in the work and studying harder. Most of them haven't even put in an hour of studying before taking the exam. Time is ticking and the semester is dwindling.....

I think I also blame the blah feeling on Tuesdays. It is always such a long day.....

Jimmy's countdown

2010-11-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

His is a little more intimidating...

4 crim law classes
4 civ pro classes
6 torts classes
6 contracts classes
1 burks final
1 memo rewrite

Countdown

2010-11-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

Jimmy and I are very ready for Thanksgiving break. Now that it is November I deem it appropriate to countdown.

Today is the 5th, so 14 days(2 weeks) until official Thanksgiving break.
One weekend with my parents
One weekend with my bestest bud Andrea
8 MTH 03A classes
2 MTH 163 classes
4 Research classes
3 tests to give

Okay, so this is really just a countdown for me.

A visual description of our lives

2010-10-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

3 times a week Jimmy is an assistant coach of the W &L wrestling team. This past Saturday they had a decathlon. One of the events was a tire push. look at how strong Jimmy is....

Then Sunday we celebrated Amber's birthday. Doesn't Amber have the best birthday blowing-out-candles look?

Here is the cake up close. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. I added some white chocolate pieces, and some raspberries (which were not in season, by the way...)

And yesterday Jimmy and I carved a pumpkin. Does he look like anyone you know?

Oh, I am so glad it is the autumn season!

Ramble, ramble, ramble

2010-10-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

I feel like these days I do more rambling than updating. I mean, did you really need to know about my cucumber sandwich? At that moment I thought so.

Today is Tuesday. I seem to use Tuesday as my venting day. Hopefully I don't come across as angry or bitter. Most of the time I think I am pretty happy, but long days at work seem to bring out the frustration in me.

So here goes. This is the last week that students can retake the first two exams. And by the way, they are taking for the first time, their third. It is almost humorous to see students come in at the last minute and say, "whoops, I probably should have retaken chapter 1 months ago, and whoops, I still need to retake chapter 2. Do you have time for me this week?" I am not a confrontational person so I shake my head in dismay and say "come during my office hours, and we will see what we can do..." Do you think I should be more harsh? Should I holler and yell, and tell them how irresponsible it is of them to wait until the very last minute? I just don't know what would be more effective. I am not a very big person, 5 feet 3 inches, and I probably look like I am 18 years old. Do you think they would believe me? Anyways...I am not really angry about the whole situation, just puzzled at how I should handle it.

My second ramble goes out to insurance companies, and this is more of an angry ramble. Jimmy and I signed up for health insurance in August. We paid a handsome fee, although i am not an expert on good or bad prices when it come to health insurance. And we have been calling them for the last month,( yes, 1-2 months after I saw the money taken out of our account), about getting some sort of confirmation, a policy number, documentation, etc... It has been pretty frustrating. Needless to say, I am not super impressed. Supposedly our cards went out last week. I will check the mail when I get home...I hope it is there. Don't you think once they took our money that they would be forced to give us some sort of confirmation, even through the phone? You would think....thankfully day by day Jimmy is becoming more and more knowledgeable about the law and how we can make sure that we are not being scammed.

As I become more and more familiar with so-called "real-life" I become more and more confused. But thankfully, and this will be my last ramble, I have a husband, who is seemingly good at calming me down after I have exploded about another stressful thing in life. I used to get kind of annoyed when he would say "it will all work out." In fact, because I am so easily stressed, I would think to myself "how can he say that it will work out, when he has no clue about the future?" Little did I know that stepping back, breathing deeply, and letting myself realize that life will work out really does help in the process of, well, life working out. Stress does not usually help things work out. In my case it never does, because I become so emotionally absorbed in the problem that I can't see the solution.

Ramble, ramble, ramble.....

Cucumber and swiss sandwich

2010-10-16T17:27:00.001-07:00

Did you know that if you take 2 slices of bread, put a little butter on one side, cut up some cucumber slices and Swiss cheese that it makes a delightful sandwich?

Well, if you don't know that, maybe you should try it. My mom seemed to have invented it, although maybe it was something that all Haehnels ate. I just know that today I was craving a swiss, cucumber sandwich and when I ate it, it was still delicious, just like I remembered from my childhood.

It might be an acquired taste.

Hibachi and fall weather

2010-10-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity to use a wedding gift, our Hibachi. It was a nice fall day, and we wanted to enjoy it. I even got to put my feet in the nearby river. Oh, the joys of nature. Yes, we have matching ponchos....

A teacher's frustration

2010-10-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

I am imagine that all teachers have a day like this. I wake up and check my campus e-mail. I am flooded with my research students' next assignment. A research plan. I begin going through them, and none of them, I mean none of them, are complete. The students aren't following the instructions I gave them, they just seemed to turn something in so that they would get credit. So I start thinking "it must have been my explanation...maybe I didn't describe the process well enough." So I go through the day wondering how I could have improved. It is in my self-pitying moments that I open one last student's e-mail and see that that one student has followed the directions correctly. It is a well prepared assignment completely and wholely written. Maybe that one student was listening, or actually took time to read the instructions on the paper I gave all the students. Maybe I are not a failure after all. Ahh...the joys and frustrations of teaching.

But I am not done. I teach a developmental class where everyone has to get a 75% on all the tests. If they don't pass a test, they can retake it until they pass. My mon/wed/fri class has enough flexibility that I can include a few re-take days into my schedule, meaning I can take a class period and make it into a retake test day. Doing this on the first test was close to disatrous. Out of the 10 people who had to re-take the test, maybe 2 passed. None of them had studied before the retake. Seriously people, if you didn't pass it the first time, why don't you study to pass it the second time around? I don't get it. Why do people think that information will magically appear in their brains?

I thought maybe if I instill this principle into their brains, maybe some of them will be prepared by the time I give them the retake for the second test. And some of them did...some tried really hard to be ready. I can tell when they are studying. And even though they didn't necessarily pass even on the second time, at least they were improving and making a valid effort. However some of the other people just didn't even work at it, and those people really drive me nuts. They came into the test, sat down, realized that the information still wasn't there, and turned in almost blank tests.

Maybe it is because I was the kind of person who was not woefully smart. I had to study several hours, and do lots of problems just to do decently on a test. That had to be one of the funniest differences between Jimmy and I. When he told me that he studied the night before he took an exam, I thought "seriously, you haven't been studying for it all week?" He is good at taking tests, and he I am pretty sure he retains things after one run through. I however, required lots of scrap paper, and probably hundreds of problems before I really felt confident about material. That was how my undergraduate career went. I spent most of my college life studying. I admit now, that I may have been a excessive studier. But I won't take back the fact that it did almost always ensure good grades. I say almost because some of my physics tests would have been hard even with the solution set right in front of me. Although it may have cost me a significant social life, I went to a school were drinking was THE activity, and I wasn't interested in that.

Maybe people just don't know how to study. Maybe I am being too critical. Okay, I feel a little bit less angry and little more sympathetic for these people. I guess I just needed to write it down.

Note: I realize for all you exceptional writers out there, that my writing method may be sloppy and not entirely grammatically correct. I try to read through all my posts, but I am not characterized as a good writer. I even go back and read my posts and think "why--this girl can't put together a single correct sentence!" I will try my best to accomodate to your talents.

What to do....

2010-09-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday is a very long day for me and Jimmy. I teach a class at 8am and then another class at 6pm. I am in Clifton Forge for over 12 hours because I really don't think it makes sense to drive back and forth twice in one day. Sure I can run some errands, there are some stores down the road. And sure I can work on preparing for my classes, but one can only do so much. It ends up being a very long day, and I get home excited and ready for bed.

Because of this dilemna I have decided that I need to invent a few items that would facilitate to a day like this. First, teleportation. Star Trek is not a dead show. I want a teleportation device that would "beam" me home and "beam" back at needed times. I could even "beam" myself straight into my bed. Now wouldn't that be wonderful?! Jimmy said that because I studied physics and even more astronomy that I should invent this device. But then he realized if I invented it, we would probably make enough money that we wouldn't even need to leave our house hence not use our teleportation device. So I am leaving that design up to the smart people that don't have anything else better to do, and need the money.

Secondly, I would like to invent a bed in a bag. Sometimes, all I really want to do is take a nap. I have an entire afternoon, and a power nap would really help me re-focus and continue. Said bed would be small enough to fit in a small bag (you are thinking sleeping bad aren't you?), and would have a built in mattress system. It would be waterproof for outdoor lounging, and invisible. Once I placed my tired body upon its comfortable area I would disappear. I could put this bed anywhere and not be distrubed by onlookers, confused by my desire to sleep in the middle of the lawn or under a neighboring tree. It would also be sound proof. Nobody wants to hear a person snore. And let's face it, it would be more like a tent with a built in bed.

The pieces are still coming together. I don't think I am ready for a patent.

As you can see, I am a little bored.

Driving....

2010-09-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

There are several things I notice as I drive back and forth from Lexington to Clifton Forge. I notice large mountains, almost full moons (Waxing Gibbous -- in case you were wondering), an airport that has a grass runway, trucks, trucks and more trucks, valleys, leaves changing colors, and my own inability to take it all in. I have become quite fond of these excursions every day. I am not however, excited about the looming cold/winter weather that may taint the peacefulness of driving on an almost deserted interstate.

In other news, Jimmy is in his 3rd week of school. He turned in his first graded paper on Monday and has contributed in several class discussions. We met the married and family oriented people in the Law School when we went to a BBQ last Saturday. It was nice to know that other people had spouses and let's be honest, a life outside of law school.

My classes are going well. Most of my students are doing well, and those who are not are coming to me for help. I feel all sorts of responsible. Things are jolly, joyful, and exciting even though we can't go on many outdoor adventures. And let me announce it plain and clear--we finally have a couch.!Okay, so it is still at the store. But we bought it, and we have made space for it to rest and enrich our lives.

Okay, onward. I teach in a half and hour.

the AT

2010-09-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

The Appalachian Trail was our latest Virginian adventure. We only spent 30 minutes hiking due to Jimmy's work schedule and my silly little cold. It was however, a beautiful day to get outside and hike along the one of the longest trails in the US of A.

A little bit of ivy...

Trees oh how I love thee!

Things I like

2010-09-07T13:17:00.001-07:00

I like Jimmy

I like sweaters and the weather that goes along with it

I like dark chocolate

I like tests days, when you are the teacher

I like compliments like "we are sure glad you are here..."

I like binge shopping trips where you get a lot more than you expected, including chocolate

I like disney movies, especially when you buy them on binge shopping trips ($13/movie is a steal!)

I like surprizing my husband (I hope he doesn't read this until later...)

I love to see the Temple

2010-09-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jimmy and I made any exodus about 3 hours north to Washington DC. I had not been the DC Temple in probably 10ish years. What a beautiful place to go. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment and entertainment.

After going to the Temple in the morning we went around DC to see where Jimmy worked and lived the fall he was in DC. The weather was nice and because we were not driving in DC, I didn't get too stressed. To be noted, Jimmy and I don't do well in any city when we are in a car. I have realized, though Provo may have been one of the worst places to drive, that any city with traffic makes us both a little grumpy.

A peak....

2010-09-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have talked a little bit about our apartment, maybe only in passing, but I thought it would be appropriate to add a few pictures to the blog about our current apartment design.

Below is a picture of our bedroom. We have windows, a closet, and just recently we add some clothes space. It is nice, albeit kind of plain. We can work on that.

Then there is our kitchen, by far the nicest part of our apartment. The appliances are new (frig, microwave, oven, etc...) The counter space is lacking, but I will explain our solution in the next picture. Kitchen aid and spice rack in place, I am in heaven!

The lack-o-cabinet fix. We had these squarish storage in our old apartment. It seemed fitting for our kitchen. Next to it is our rolling dish drainer. I was a little baffled when I saw that next to the sink was the oven. Where does one put the drying dishes? So we bought this rolling cart and put the dish drainer on top. When we are doing dishes we roll it over, put the wet dishes in the drainer and off they go. In the drawers we put some of our plasticware. It is a good solution for now. Very crafty of us, if I do say so myself.

Our living room is currently bookcase and camper chair infested. I like the space because it is probably the biggest room we have. All we need now is a couch. We plan to get a futon again. It is easy to put together, relatively inexpensive, AND conducive to visitors. By the way the ottoman is great for our games.

And this beauty, is the newest addition to our apartment. Our rentor upstairs said that she had a rocking chair when we first moved in. We told her we would think about it, we were still organizing. Well today we dropped off the extra microwave and took the rocking chair. It is perfect. I am now mandating that all our apartments must be furnished with a rocking chair. I like them that much.

3 hour classes

2010-09-02T11:26:00.001-07:00

I would like to rant about my dislike of 3 hour classes. I teach two of them. One of Tuesday night and the other on Wednesday night.

Beside the obvious fact that sitting in class for 3 hours is no fun, it has become very real to me that students do not learn effectively when they have to learn large chunks of information in one night. And I do not like teaching large chunks all in one night. I don't have time to go over old homework, or even do a considerate amount of example problems to make the information sink in more thoroughly. And although I am more than willing to meet with them outside of class, a lot of these students have families, work, and go to school. They just don't have that kind of time, and I feel for them.

But as for now, I will deal with my frustration and hope that all these students are realizing the significance of their decision when they signed up for my section. Oh well! Life goes on.

In other news, Jimmy's parents are in town. They are having so much fun seeing all of the historical sites. Lucky! I can't wait until we have a free weekend to do the same.

Plus! And this is a big plus--they brought all of our wedding presents. Dishware, baking pans, towels, etc... It is like our wedding all over again.

The excursion

2010-08-30T07:21:00.001-07:00

I guess I should document some of the experiences Jimmy and I have endured (a little dramatic I suppose).

I GRADUATED! Thanks to my mom, Grandma Marie and Jimmy for being there!

I forget how short I am sometimes.

Jimmy and I spent a lot of time packing....

And I even got to take apart somethings, like our box-spring. Yes, I took a hammer to it.

We went to California, this is the Newport Beach Temple...correct me if I am wrong. It is pink!

And we spent time with these cute people. Jimmy is a lover of Disney world, and what better, but two princess loving nieces to share the Disney magic.

Jimmy and I battled. Look at my focus!

The Dumbo ride was one of Alice's favorites. Family resemblance. I think so!

You think they are siblings?!

We went to the beach. Jimmy and Joe did some pretty spectacular wave surfing. Annie and I got in later, but needless to say I was a little more of a whimp.

Then we headed back to Utah to start doing this.....driving...

And driving....

And then we stopped in Dallas. Another non-white temple....

And we saw this fabulous cute family!

We drove some more, until we arrived in a more green, luscious area such as this.....

More pictures of our Virginia experience to come. We don't have pictures of that yet.

Lexington VA

2010-08-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

WE MADE IT! No more road-trip for us, we made it to the balmy, humid city of Lexington VA. We did pass about 4 Lexingtons on the way, but this is the one that has the right Law School in it. Our road trip was successful, with only minor mishaps (i.e. mean little rock that put a chip in our windshield).

Now to settle in to our apartment....no wait!--we have to start school tomorrow. Guess we will unpack later ;)

packing...

2010-08-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

This last week Jimmy and I have done some serious packing. Our apartment has been reduced to a bunch of boxes and suitcases piled in one corner of the living room, and clothes still folded in the baskets. It doesn't seem right to put our clothes away anymore. We got rid of our futon (phew!) and even our computer desk! We even got a little mullah out of it :)

Yesterday we sent off 5 boxes of books and pictures and I imagine we might have another trip to the post office before this week it through. However we are so excited to be moving, and of course for the little vacation we get before we actually make the exodus to Virginia.

Oh yes, and I almost forgot, my graduation is this week. With all this moving stuff, my graduation really is not the first thing on my mind. But my mama is coming to town, which makes it all the more special.. Hooray for special little hood-thingy and choir-looking robes, receiving an empty dipolma cover, with a firm handshake from the department chair. No really, the sarcasm is not totally intentional. I am excited to be done, and to move on with my life. BYU has been a unique experience, with lots of good people and mostly good classes ;)

Hopefully in the next few weeks I will actually post a picture or two.

Oh goodness July

2010-07-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

I have neglected 3 birthdays, and today is my parent's anniversary!

Happy day/month to you all! Jobo, Ange, Pouly, Mom and Dad (and all the other cousins/grandparents who have birthdays in July!)

Not sure

2010-07-30T12:51:00.001-07:00

I am not sure I like this new blog background, but we will have a go at it for a while....just to see what happens. Maybe I will like it after a few weeks, or maybe I just won't care enough to change it again.

In other news, I got the job at the community college. I got a call last week from the dean and he said that he would at least offer me a class on Wednesday, so I would have a day to prepare. Turns out they still need someone for the other classes, and after talking with another high-up person, I got the position to teach those class as well. So in summary, I am teaching 2 Precalc classes and a research class. The book for the Precalc class is being sent to me in the mail, and the research class seems to be somewhat unorganized so I have some free reign on that. Hooray for having a job, hooray for us moving in just a few short weeks, and hooray for Jimmy starting law school. He is so ready!

Today

2010-07-28T12:40:00.001-07:00

Today I wanted to fix my blog...it didn't really work.

Today I wanted to express my happy feelings! :)

Reupholstery project

2010-07-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Our friends Davis and Melanie are expecting a baby by the end of the month. We promised them our rocking chair, since we could not bring it with us and because we thought they needed it more than we did. Grandma Marie found this rocking chair, and I must say, it is very comfortable. The only drawback was its color. It had a rusty orange color upholstery.

I decided one night, laying in bed, that we would reupholster the chair and give it to our friends as a gift. No, I didn't know how to reupholster a chair, but I thought it would be a good project to tackle. This goal was made over a month ago, but it wasn't until this last Saturday that I decided to rip off the old material so that I wouldn't have any excuses. I had to to reupholster it. Without much more being said, here are some before and after pictures. Thank you Grandma Marie for the staple gun. It saved us a lot of time and stress!

7/11: more than a gas station

2010-07-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

Happy 50th Birthday Papa!

Weekends gone by....

2010-07-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Friday and Saturday, and last weekend....

We went for a short backpacking trip and this is where we went - Rock Caynon, part of the Uintas

The 4th of July block party

The 4th (5th) of July parade - our stake float!

Allowing sappiness

2010-07-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Today I am allowing myself to write a little bit about the great things in my life, the blessings, the triumphs and the exciting life that I lead....

Jimmy and I are preparing for a very big journey across the U.S. of A and well, it can be slightly overwhelming at times. But these last few weeks we have made some giant leaps and bounds in this process, such that I feel the need to talk about them as blessings and miracles in my blog.

#1. My thesis! It is almost done. I am currently awaiting a signature or two, but potentially I will have EVERYTHING submitted by noon today. Excited?! You bet I am!

#2. We got new phones. Did you know that Costco is a heavenly store? Okay, tiny exaggeration, but seriously. We were able to upgrade my phone for $0 and get Jimmy a nice touch screen phone for $20. Our only hitch--making sure the plan stuff gets all figured out....

#3 We found and APARTMENT. I will relate the entire story, just because I am so excited about it. Jimmy now has a Washington and Lee e-mail account and apparently they send out e-mails everyday relating to all the students apartments, and furniture for sale. Yesterday Jimmy received an e-mail with a few apartments one of which seemed to be too perfect. Washer/dryer, sewer, water, trash, and wireless included, backyard, etc...for a very inexpensive price. We thought, what is wrong with this place? How could they be asking for so little? So Jimmy sent an e-mail to the seller and later that night I called. I had a very pleasant conversation and found out that we would be renting the basement of a house. It was in good shape and we would get pictures later that night. And we did, and we liked it, and so we said we would take it. The seller e-mailed us back and said because we called AND e-mailed she was happy to give it to us. Can you say, AMAZING? Okay, so granted this is not a ritzy, over-the-top place, but who has the money to live in those kind of places during Law school anyways? Basically for our minimalistic living style, it is GREAT (Jimmy told me I used exclamation marks too often, so I have decided to use capitalization for emphasis instead...)

So, sappily speaking, (yes I just invented a new word), I am feeling very blessed. Maybe I should write down my miracles/blessings more often. It really does put me in a good mood :)

West Mountain continued....and the random stuff too

2010-07-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some more pictures. By the way, we went to Stadium of Fire with Carrie Underwood. It was a good show. Plus, we appreciated the patriotism and the time they spent honoring the scout program. Not to mention the fireworks! They were pretty amazing!!! These pictures are not from Stadium of Fire. When do I ever post pictures that actually have something to do with what I write about?! ;)

Up on West Mountain

An ironic sign on the way up to West Mountain

Sunset

My own picture of West Mountain...

Patch

2010-06-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today our family dog died.

He was a wonderful dog. And if there are people who say dogs aren't important are wrong. It is like one of my family members has died, and it is hard to imagine my family without him.

The first time I met Patch was when I was mowing my neighbor's lawn. He was not our dog at the time. He was owned by our neighbor's tenant. A few weeks later my mom accepted Patch into our home because his previous owners didn't want him anymore. Who wouldn't want a wonderful dog like Patch?

Patch was playful and mischeivious, and just what our older dog Scooter needed to keep him on his toes and lively. When Scooter passed away Patch was heartbroken, and though we too were sad we were glad that we still had Patch to keep our house exciting.

Patch ran a few races with me, and always kept my mom company on her morning walks. He got lost with me in the woods when I decided to go snowshoeing in the woods, and he went swimming in the lake with all the rest of our family. He was a great friend and fantastic watch dog!

Today he passed away, with my mom close by. We will miss him.

Up on West Mountain

2010-06-28T22:43:00.000-07:00

I am still awake and will be until 5:00am. Yes, I am observing in the mountains of Utah! I am becoming a real live astronomer by making a rite of passage into no-sleep land. And, even better, it looks like some of my research may be observed tonight, while I am here.

So if I talk a little slurred and make some non-nonsensical comments when I see you next, it is because I am working on my astronomy night habits!

IT"S OVER!!!

2010-06-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

I did it! I passed my thesis defense. I felt good about the questions, I didn't blush too much, and most importantly, I AM DONE!!! But I don't have pictures of that.

However I do have pictures of Peder's graduation. I have heard he has a new haircut, but let us reminense about his old haircut and his graduation.

Congratulations PEDER!!!

Frazzled....

2010-06-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

My defense is on Wednesday...enough said!

Thanks Jimmy, for keeping me sane! Isn't he cute?!

Youth Conference

2010-06-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever spent 2 nights and 3 days with a bunch of youth? Oh I have, and it was great! Not only that, but we spent this delightful little conference in Aspen Grove, a family camp owned by BYU. It was beautiful and well stocked with entertainment. The second day we went hiking, the youth on a short hike, and then some of us leader on a second longer hike. At the end of the hike there was a very large waterfall. Jimmy tested out his coat. Here are some pictures.

26 candles

2010-05-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

This last Thursday was my 26th birthday. I feel kind of old.....

*********See pictures and words below*********

Roland's brother Adrian had his birthday on the 15th. It was a joint celebration!

Zion's National Park

The group

The most exciting thing about my birthday was that I was able to spend it with several of my family members. Johanna was in town visiting and we(Gretch, Jo, Jimmy, and I--and Nick Carigan) went down to St. George to see Ange, Roland and Liam. It was a splendid trip. We were easily entertained by Liam, who can walk, yoodle like the best of them, and steal people's cell phones. We also went to Zion's national park and did two hikes, one to the Narrows, which was flooded and unhikable, and Angel's landing (we only hiked the concrete and safe parts!).

PLUS Jimmy gave me a wonderful scrapbook for my birthday. I asked him where he got all of his scrapbooking skill. He said that he picked up a book from the library "Scrapbooking for Dummies" but in the end used what he learned for watching his mom make them. I was very impressed! Let's just say in summary, I am very thankful for all the great family and friends who made this week wonderful. I am very grateful for you all!

****Nerd Note: I submitted 2, yes 2 radio observation proposals. Not only that but I did it four days ahead of time. Victory!!!!****

Tentin'

2010-05-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I see from other blogs, that it looks like I put up another post, but in fact I didn't. I had a draft of one, but our computer at home is finicky about uploading pictures and all that jazz. So I will finish this blog mostly so you can see something new. Last week was Jimmy's Grandpa's funeral. It was wonderful. I was impressed by my in-laws talks and I especially loved seeing all the grandsons as pallbearers. There was just something about it that seemed very special to me. Maybe because my husband was one of them and I was honored to be part of their family and be there with him...I don't know. Everything was special about it...

The tentin' part is actually because Jimmy and I slept in the backyard the night before the funeral. Grandma Marie's house was FULL of family. And we gladly accepted because we had been camping the week before in Moab, and her soft cushy lawn was much more comfortable than dirt and rocks. But I did love camping in Moab, don't get me wrong...

So there you go, a post, little bit of an explanation of why this post is called "tentin'" and of course an opportunity to see some pictures. Yes, the pictures are random, but that is just the way I like it ;)

Grandma and Grandpa Bob were so wonderful to let my family visit....

Moab's petraglyphs

Jimmy, the hikin' man

Chili

2010-05-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't reported on our food lately. We haven't had too much to brag about until today!

First, we went to Costco this week and stocked up on eveything lovely. Produce, so we could dehydrate a lot, and the essentials for meal planning. Since then we have made some pretty yummy meals. Yesterday I tried making risotto. It was kind of a flop mostly because I have never made it before and didn't know what I was doing. But it was worth eating and Jimmy told me the flavor was really good, I just needed to improve upon it. Heather I would love to know your secret. According to your blog your risotto sound delicious. I submit to having no risotto talent.

Today we made chili and I am proud of it. It looks good and the flavor seems authentic. Thank you Racheal Ray. You do have a good basic recipe that is easy to build upon. We took the "chili for veg-heads", and added meat (we are far for vegetarians) and corn. Who doesn't like chili with corn?! It has the kick for the "wow-factor" and the substance for nutritional value. It is nice to know that I can cook things well once and a while.

Remember Ragnar....

2010-05-05T09:39:00.001-07:00

We just got this image today! Nice team huh?
Just thought I would share.

For posterity and an explanation

2010-05-03T13:09:00.001-07:00

Jimmy asked me this morning, well he actually said "if you get bored, you should write a post about how we met." Okay....I am not exactly sure why, but I will do it for the sake of posterity (and so you all know why this blog is called the "Adventures of Puddle Jumping"). I did just teach a lesson to the Young Women of our ward about Family History and how we should be creating our own family history by writing down experiences in our lives.

Why wouldn't I want to write a little bit about how Jimmy and I met. It was a glorious time in my life...and still is!

The story actually begins many eons ago... back when the world was new (I just like that line because it comes from Disney's Hercules...not relevant, sorry!)

Okay, back to the real story. The first time that I was exposed to Jimmy's presence was right before my mission. I was asked to give a talk in the young single adult ward in the Lowell. I must confess, I was a little reluctant, mostly because it is about 1.5 hours away, but it was excited because I was about to leave on my mission to SPAIN! Okay, I must humble my Spain-bragging tendencies.

I arrived a little late and didn't get a chance to sit on the stand. My cousins had come with me, and we sat in the back, visible enough so that the bishopric didn't think I backed out or something, but not up really close. It is always embarrassing to walk into church late and sit in the front row. I don't like to be late, and didn't really want to announce it by marching to the front while everyone was singing. I digress....

Jimmy spoke before me, and I only recognized his name because his last name was the same as the stake president. He had just returned from his mission in Mexico. It was a I-will-or-do-or-have-always-speak/spoken-spanish day. After Jimmy gave his talk, I was announced to speak and I did so, without much thought about having given a talk after my to-be-husband. You see, I didn't know it at the time. I was about to go on a mission. Boys, yuck!

I went on that mission, and it was fantastic! But that is not what this is all about. I am supposed to talk about Jimmy. So I will skip the super amazing spiritual part....

I came home from Spain quite excited about life and needless to say scared of boys. I was again asked to speak in the single young adult ward. I still wasn't too excited. That drive to Lowell never was on my to-do list. But I went, this time with my whole anterage of family members. You see, now half of my siblings were considered "young adults!" I was quite appalled too. I couldn't believe they were adults either, but again I disgress.

We arrived early, I was a return missionary, of course I couldn't be late.... I sat on the stand, and guess who was sitting next to me. Why mr. Jimmy Cooprider!

Let's stop for a second and talk about my memory. I am terrible with names unless I have heard the name a number of times. However faces I never forget. Half the time I don't know where I know people from, but I remember their face. This was the case with Jimmy. He must have mentioned his last name because, I knew the Cooprider name and he did look familar. And in those moments of reconciliation I mentioned "you know I think we have already spoke(ense?) in church together." I told him of our indirect connection and we talked about our lives for the few minutes that always occur before church starts. Remember we were early.

Church started and Jimmy spoke before me. Of course. And this is how he started "Kirstin and I were reminencing...." What?! We must have arrived at church super early because we apparently had something to reminense about. I chuckled, you know the half smile you get when you are not really sure how to react and looked down at my family who was grinning. Not a normal grin, but a mischeiveous grin. A grin that said "I know something you don't know..."

Before I got up to speak Jimmy touched my shoulder and said something to the effect of "good luck!" and I headed for the pulpit. Let's stop again. I was a return missionary. Remember the boys yuck thing? Oh and that included me not knowing how to react when a boy touched my shoulder. And not to mention girls react anyways when a boy touches their shoulder. Just saying....

I spoke and talked about the Gospel being like a food, probably rambled a little too much, but got some quality laughter from the audience. I felt pretty good about the whole thing. I sat down, probably smiled at Jimmy because he was sitting next to me, and then the meeting was over.

****Intermission****

Just when you thought the story was getting good, it gets better....

I believe it was during Jimmy's talk that he mentioned spending a summer in New Mexico. I was interested by this, since I had spent a summer in New Mexico as well. His dealings included hiking and taking Boy Scouts in the woods, and mine included VLA research with some really fun hiking trips on the weekend. I really enjoy hiking, biking, anything that gets me outdoors. So Jimmy and I arranged a date where we would go hiking around Nelson, my hometown.

We talked about it a few days in advance because the weather was not supposed to cooperate. It was supposed to rain. I joked we could go puddle jumping, and he agreed (I think!). We started our date hiking up a short "mountain" and ate dinner at the top. Pita, cheese and avacados. He wasn't sure if I was a vegatarian or not. I am not, but I do love all of those things.

Turns out that "mountain" didn't take us very long, and neither one of us wanted to end the date early, so we decided to climb another small "mountain." The isn't Utah, mountains are generally more like hills with lots of trees. We watched a sunset, which was pretty pitiful, but both of us seemed to enjoy the fact that it wasn't raining, and so it was welcome and nice.

We decided to do one last outdoor activity and that was playing on the small Nelson playground. We drove to my house and walked down to the playground, did some swinging and all that childish stuff and then walked to the center of the field. It had rained and I was eager to do at least a little puddle jumping.

It was in those moments that a crazy childlike fantasty struck me. It was like the girl that throws dirt at the boy on the playground. She really likes him, but being mean is just easier. And so I followed that tendency. I picked Jimmy up and threw him in the nearest puddle getting him all wet and dirty. I probably looked down at him thinking "what have I just done?" and I know that the minute he went into the puddle I was helping him out, but it was gutsy and it felt empowering and awfully silly.

We walked back to my house and I am sure I apologized maybe 100 times and he called home to let them know he was about to drive back. We said goodnight and I headed inside to change (I had gotten wet in the process of being outside) and he drove home.

And since that time we began dating, did the whole engagement thing and got married. I probably should regret throwing him in a puddle, but I am positive that that is what made him like me....my undenyable strength. And that is how we met and how this lovely blog got its name. You just never know what kind of crazy things bring people together!

The engagement...Jimmy can tell you that story!

Jimmy says "goodbye BYU!"

2010-04-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

We are proud of you

The stud himself!

The Family

The Graduates

I promised a summary of the graduation activities so here goes! We started the week going up to Murray and enjoying some time with the family. We ate, we played games and we did all the fun things one can do when there are no more finals and school is over. And let me tell you, Jimmy was in a good mood. Why shouldn't he be?! He was well on his way to graduation bliss.

Thursday was commencement. Jimmy and I showed up relativily early to save his family seats. The Marriot was packed. In fact they didn't leave enough room for all the graduates and had to do some shifting to get them all seated and ready to go. It was pretty quick even with a general authority speaker. Elder Christofferson gave a great talk and it was short and sweet. After commencement we went up to Murray for ribs and Grandma Marie's cooking goodness! We even played a game of Bang with friends and family. Ask Jimmy, it was a funny game.

Friday was convocation. Jimmy and I again found ourselves at the Marriot again. We found seats for the family and Jimmy went to get in line again. This ceremony was quite a bit longer and Jimmy's name was called towards the end, but it was worth it. We took some pictures and then headed to Murray this time for Cafe Rio. And yes, Cafe Rio is amazing, even though it is worth two or three meals. Yum!

And from then on we did a little more family visiting and came home Saturday night to start our summer! Since then I have worked everyday on campus, and Jimmy has done a lot of the housework while looking for jobs. He is such a good sport!

Yesterday we went up to Riverton to visit some family friends and today we went to the Provo temple. Now Jimmy is camping with scouts and I am home doing thesis corrections and writing a blog post. So, that's it...what more can I say, we lead an exciting life!

By the way, sorry about he formatting. I don't know what is going on!

Summer hiking....

2010-04-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Nice View!

Brothers!

Us

Melanie and Davis

I am sure I will have something to say about graduation in a day or two, when everything is over and done, but as for now I thought I would show you some pictures of some recent Y-Mountain hikes. About two weeks ago we went with Davis and Melanie because the weather was just starting to get better. It has, of course, fluctuated between cold and hot since then, but it was a nice change of pace. Our other hike up the to famous concrete Y was with Joe. It was even better weather that day, maybe even a little to hot for me. We got a treat at the top. Three para-sailing (sp?) guys were preparing to take-off just above us. They began sailing right before we starting hiking down, and we watched them the whole way back to the car. Splendid day indeed!

Stay tuned for the graduation play-by-play. It is going to be a doozy!

Can you feel it?!

2010-04-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's the NO-MORE-CLASS feeling!

Yesterday was the last day of classes and we are just giddy with excitement. I still have research, and Jimmy still has two finals and a paper, but we are naturally relieved to be done with the semester.

Yes, my friends, Jimmy will graduate in 9 days!

In other news, I finally bought some new casual shoes. My old pair wore out in one month, and it had holes in the soles (poet?). I am pretty hardcore with my shoes. Now I have some nice new shoes with extra-strength sole protection.

Last week in general was a very productive week. We got our tax refund, we bought a universal camera charger (I lost my in DC), we bought my new shoes, and we even bought a new game as a reward for finishing the semester. Ticket to Ride Europe!

This week Anne, Jimmy's sister, is coming out, and then soon after the rest of the family. We are excited to spend some time with them, and take a little break from work! Until then....bring on graduation!

We are sooooo close!

2010-04-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

First, Jimmy is the most wonderful husband ever!

Second, above is a picture of Washington and Lee. Yes, he visited Virginia, and this is what he saw.

Third, Jimmy finished Logic today. It is a HUGE relief for him! It was a very hard class, but he made it to the end, and that was very exciting.

Countdown:

6 class days

13 days until last day of finals!

No-mountain-day!

2010-03-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

No MOUNTAIN-DAY

Jimmy's Beef Jerky

Banana Chips!

Today was no-mountain-day! Yup, the dust hid them, silly dust obscuring those large, very prominent objects! Nope this wasn't inversion, just some very dusty and dry weather.

But onto the real reason I am writing. We are dehydrating fiends. We have dried apples, kiwis, strawberries, bananas, green beans, red peppers, fruit leathers, and even some beef...yes we made beef jerky! Not only are we getting lots of yummy dried food, but the dehydrator is sending waves of heat and good odors throughout our apartment! Today's scent of choice, barbequed beef jerky! It was Jimmy's own recipe. I don't even know what he put in it, all I know is that it is tasty.

Unmotivated

2010-03-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those days were you just don't feel like doing anything?!

Oh, yeah, it is one of those days. I went to two meetings this morning, sent out some e-mails, stared at my computer a whole bunch, and I still don't feel like I have done anything useful. I suppose staring at my computer really isn't productive, but that is what my research mostly requires. I am working on a paper for my Stellar Interior class, but it is not giving me astronomy gumption, like astronomy sometimes does...and it being Thursday kind of reminds me that I still have one more day until I get to the ever-so illusive weekend.

So let's think of the good things that have happened today. I got a 96% on my Stellar Interiors test. I found out that there is a community college in Buena Vista, VA (15 minutes from Lexington) that has a physics teaching opening. Jimmy and I experimented with our dehydrator last night and this morning we woke to another fantastic batch of yummy dried food.

Okay, so life isn't that bad...I just have to get out of this unmotivated slump......hmmm, maybe I should find some chocolate :)

Dutch oven - Spring is HERE!

2010-03-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we went Dutch oven cooking with our friends Davis and Melanie. The weather was brisk, but beautiful! The food was hearty and delicious. Basically, it was a fabulous way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon.

The menu was as follows:

Tennesee Beef

Dutch oven potatoes

Baked Potatoes

Wheat rolls

*Marshmellows as an appetizer

Hot fire, good friends, and good fun! A great way to start the Spring!

Melanie's rolls

Potatoes and the meat!

Davis and Jimmy watching the fire

The Dutch ovens in action!

We would also like to send a very Happy Birthday out to Grandpa Bob! We love you!!!!

37 days....

2010-03-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Jimmy said that I could commence with the end-of-the-semester countdown. This is a big one for him, since he is graduating at the end. Day by day we are making it closer...but until tomorrow, the countdown is

37 days

For me the countdown is a little more distant:
1 more class to finish
Lots of researchin'
30 bazillon drafts of my thesis to go through
1 big ol' thesis defense
and...157 until I graduate

ugh...

But who's counting?!

Happy Birthday Jimmy Dear!

2010-03-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

Ragnar Relay del Sol

2010-03-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

We made it through the weekend!

And let me quote Jimmy, just so you can get a little flavor of the fun we had...
"I feel so good, I think I could do another Ragnar this weekend!"

What?! Did he say that he would do another one?! Well, well, well my friends, it seems this weekend was a success :)

So, let me give you a little bit of a summary. And for those of you who know nothing about it, well I hope this will fill you in a bit.

This past Friday and Saturday, Jimmy and I ran what is called the Ragnar Relay. This one was in Arizona, but actually the first Ragnar was run along the Wasatch front here in Utah. Our friends Davis and Melanie invited us to run, and we accepted. So we trained and trained in hopes of not being the slowest people there.

On Thursday we left to drive down to Arizona to meet up with our group early Friday morning. Our team was made up of 12 people, 2 vans and 200+ to run.

This is how is goes:
Each team has 2 vans with 6 people in each van. The first van starts the relay and each person in van runs and hands off to the next person, until the last person hands off to the first person in the next van. While the other van is running through its people, everyone in the first van gets to rest.

Van 1 started at 7 am, and after running all of its people through their legs, our van, van 2 started around 11 am. This rotation of people and vans is done 3 times, meaning each person runs 3 different legs throughout the race.

And that is precisely what we did. It lasted about 30 hours, which meant we were running through the night, on very limited sleep. In the rotation, Jimmy ran before me. He did a wonderful job!

**Note: Ragnar Lingo- If you pass someone, it is called a "kill"

Jimmy was able to "kill" quite a few people and not many people "killed" him. He did a great job of maintaining our place. He had some pretty hard runs, with some steep hills, but I know that he was proud of finishing and doing his best.

As for me, my first let (the longest one...) was pretty awful. I was extremely tired, and it was a lot hotter than I expected. I did pass a few people and I did it in fairly good time. My second one was at 3 am, and I felt 100 times better. And the 3 leg, I got stuck at 4 traffic lights, but it was only a 3.5 mile leg, so I was pretty happy!
Our team did fairly well in the end. There was an accident that happened behind us, so several teams had to restart the race further up at another exchange. We were one of the only teams that ran the pretty much the entire race. I think everyone was happy and excited to accomplish something so difficult but worthwhile.

And that is the report. We had so much fun we may just do it again. There are even Ragnars on the East Coast. Watch out! We may ask you to be on our team!

6 Months

2010-02-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it has been six months since we were married?!

I love you Jimmy!

By the way we finally got some snow here in Provo. I am pretty sure that Provo forgot that snow is a necessary ingredient of winter in states of this latitude.

VALENTINE'S DAY

2010-02-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Today I made Jimmy oatmeal with banana, pecans and chocolate. Then I made him a banana chocolate shake. It was the best I could do. I guess that describes my romantic tendencies. Add chocolate and it is heart-felt. But really, I love Jimmy very much. It was just over a year ago that he proposed to me on the top of Y mountain. How time flies. This Saturday we will be married for 6 months!

So in attempts to celebrate this heart, love and super pink and red time of the month, Jimmy and I went to a Stake Valentine's day dance. It was for families so we didn't feel too awkward. Davis and Melanie came too. We pretty much rocked the house.... Anyways....part of the activity was winning prizes by dancing on the heart that they called out. After spending 30 minutes on the same heart, we won! A candle and a vanilla spray.

So happy heart's day :)

1st Week of February....

2010-02-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note about some fun things that have happened lately. On our weekly dinner menu we put grilled salmon and veggies. Jimmy took this idea a little bit further and made a type of rice, enchanted broccoli forest salmon dish. It was delicious!!!

Sorry, you will have to wait on the pictures.

In other news, this last week was one fabulous adventure. I will just give you a brief overview because, I indeed have work I should be doing, but I also feel like I have neglected my blog for far too long.

This last Friday I was to give the public night Planetarium show. I did in fact give that show 1.5 times. Normally it is 2 times, but a smoking trash can on the same floor of the science building set off the fire alarms and I had to send everyone home. It was very eventful.

Besides my adventures in the planetarium Jimmy and I have been trying to diligently prepare for this big relay we have at the end of the month. On Saturday we did our longest run of the training, 2 hours. And to make it even more of a test we ran all the way to Tucanos (Jimmy's favorite restaurant in Provo) and didn't even stop by.... It was a beautiful day to run, and we did feel quite a bit tired after, but I do think we are getting well prepared for this race.

So that is the current news. Sorry, it is has been so long.

Oh and my goodness I forgot to mention that Jimmy got into another Law School. It is called Washington and Lee and it is in Lexington VA. It is a well known school and it is in a very small but beautiful town. Either way I will be happy...Hooray for Jimmy!

And thank you Grandpa Bob and Grandma Marie for the fun festivities at your home last night. My steak was cooked just right!!!!

Iron Chef Provo - Battle Maindish

2010-01-22T19:58:00.001-08:00

Because Jimmy and I can't watch Food Network online, we decided to have our own Iron Chef competition. What a fantastic date it was!

It was a snowy day in the Cooprider kitchen stadium. Two chefs came together to cook two different meals. No one had any expectations; no one had any limits. This was just the beginning of their culinary journey to the top...Food Network.

But first, it was up to these two chefs to make a meal out of one seeming impossible secret ingredient.

The rules were as follows:

1. 1 Secret Ingredient picked at random (coupons from Buy Low)
2. $5 to buy any other ingredients that would enhanced the secret ingredient
3. Use of our kitchen for any other spices or additions to the dish

The dishes were "judged" on three criteria (we had very unbiased judges...ourselves!):

1. Originality
2. Taste
3. Plating

And thus began the competition. The battle of whits; the creative fight for good food!

What was the secret ingredient you ask?!

Drum roll please..........

FRESH NECTARINES ($1.00/lb at Buy Low)

To the store we rushed. We bought the nectarines in bulk (we need fruit anyways) and then both took $5 to spend on whatever we thought would make a nectarine friendly dish.

I bought the following for $4.88
1. 1 Eggplant
2. 2 Carrots
3. Mango nectar
4. 2 Apricots
5. Boneless pork rib
6. 1 Zucchini

Jimmy was a little more money saavy, spending $3.75
1. Boneless pork rib (It was the cheapest meat available!)
2. 2 packages Raman noodles
3. Canned Pineapple
4. Tamarind soda

Notice the differing menus. Can you tell our differences in cooking styles?!

On to the play by play:
We rushed home and Jimmy made use of the kitchen in the first couple minutes.
He took the nectarines and blended tamarind soda and pineapple into a marinade for the boneless pork. Yum!

He then took the ramen noodles and cooked them, addinh some cut up onion and pepper.

Meanwhile I made my own marinade by cuttin up the nectarine and adding a little bit of lemon juice, fresh orange juice, a dash of sugar, salt, mango nectar, pepper, and onion. I then cut the pork into thin slices and added it to the marinade to sit and soak.

After setting the pork aside, I cut the eggplant, zucchini, carrot and onion in to small slices....

As I furiously cut, Jimmy put the canned ringed pineapple on the Forman to grill, adding nice grilled flavor to the sweet fruit. This he added to his ramen mixture.

After several minutes of marinading Jimmy took the meat and placed that on the Forman.

I however was still cutting, in effort to make the vegetables seem as much like a pasta mixture as possible. I thought of Heather's christmas present, and how wonderful it would have been to cut these veggies up jullian style....

I made another marinade for the zucchini, onion and carrot. It was based off of the last marinade with no pepper or salt and blended into a smoothie consistency. I decided then that I would use the rest as a drink along with the meal.

As Jimmy's pork was finishing he add some sliced nectarines to the grill as another garnish to his creative spin on sweet and sour pork.

He plated his masterpiece and awaited his wife who was still cutting vegetables.

I finally finished the eggplant and put it on a cookie sheet with a little lemon and E.V.O.O. You Food Network fans should know what that means. Then I steamed/fried the eggplant on the stovetop, just to that it would absorb all the flavor and soften. I then added the marinaded veggies and a little salt to the pasta-like stirfry.

As that was absorbing the flavors, I took the pork and all the fixing and placed them in a hot stirfry pan. The juices cooked the pork and kept it moist.

As the pork finished and the "pasta" cooled, I began plating.... These are the final results.

And that ended the cooking portion of our battle.

As we ate and "judged" the meals we made a few good critiques to our food.

1. The Forman takes a lot of moisture out of the meat. It was hard to taste the nectarine in Jimmy's meat simply because the Forman does a great job of getting rid of everything but the meat...cooking the meat in the marinade keeps the meat moist and it absorbs and keeps the flavors.
2. Eggplant is hard to gauge in terms of how long it should be cooked and how much flavoring should be added.
3. The eggplant mixture was not as colorful as hoped. Perhaps the veggies lost their energetic color due to too much cooking.
4. Raman noodles are in fact the cheapest noodles you can buy at the store!
5. Rachel Ray is right about juicing lemons. If you press down on them before cutting them, thus making them juicy and ripe, it is easier to get the needed juice out!
6. Grilled fruit is delicious!

Jimmy said that I won, but I put the results in a dead tie. Both our dishes had pros and cons. But isn't that always the way cooking goes?

And that my friends ends another chapter in the Cooprider kitchen stadium. Stayed tuned for another battle of epic proportions...main dish AND DESSERT!

DC experience for the visually minded...

2010-01-16T08:55:00.001-08:00

Lincoln Memorial

Did you know there is a statue of Einstein?! We are friends now...

Washington Monument

Me and my poster - OH Megamasers in Merging Galaxies