Bootcamp Continues

The weather is so nice today that I thought I'd step it up a notch, taking the dogs for a hike instead of just a walk. I don't believe in the philosophy of eating for two but I think there has to be some philosophy pertaining to exercising for two. The dogs had fun exploring the back woods of our neighborhood while I struggled to keep up. Roxy is a spry thing so she was running laps around me and Holly, barely breathing hard. I was impressed with how well Holly did though. She is losing weight, which shows on our walks/hikes. We had one very steep hill to climb at the end and I had to keep calling the dogs back to stay at my pace (which was that of a turtle!). Finally Holly just stayed by my side until we got to the top because I honestly believe she didn't think I'd make it. Once we got to the top we were almost home. But, instead of climbing up one more steep hill, I opted for the longer flatter route. Now that we're home we're all resting. But, I'm sure we'll be back out again before the sun goes down! It's too beautiful of a day to be cooped up inside, "resting".

Alligator....WHAT??

On Thursdays Rob and I try to go out to dinner for "Date Night" but it hasn't been a priority lately with the holidays, work schedules, getting sick. So, I was pretty excited last night when we were finally able to go out again. Rob picked the place, a Cajun restaurant. It was a lot of fun...live jazz band, big screens showing basketball (my fav sport to watch), memorabilia. Rob ordered alligator for an appetizer and I thought it was just a "cute name" for something else. Come to find out it wasn't. But, I tried some anyway and really liked it. I wasn't a big fan of the crawfish dish he ordered but I loved my hush puppies and stir fry. We may have found a new favorite to frequent. It's also next to a huge sporting goods store that we both enjoy so if you're looking for us on a Thursday night you know where you'll most likely find us!

A Walk in the Snow

I got home before the sun had set and Rob was working late so I decided to take the dogs for a walk. They have become fast friends, only having "spats" once in awhile. They play fetch together, rest next to each other, wrestle with Rob together, watch after us together. But, their favorite thing to do is explore the neighborhood together. So, we went out for some much needed exercise and, needless to say, they had a blast. Roxy tried to eat the snow and had a white snout. Holly jumped through the snow like a rabbit. Both had a blast!
I joke with Rob that Holly is at the Herrington bootcamp because I walk her (and Roxy) so much and really limit the doggie treats. But, it's paying off. When we walked up the hill today (which was not my choice but a loose dog forced us onto the "hard route"), I was the one that needed to stop and rest instead of Holly. The first time we went up that hill Holly literally leaned on me most of the way up. Once we got up the hill and back home today, though, she even had enough energy to play fetch. That being said, she has been sleeping ever since we came in. But, we all had fun and enjoyed the snow filled walk we needed.

Weird Dream

I don't have many pregnancy symptoms but one I've had even before I got pregnant is weird dreams. Last night was a good one, which must have originated earlier in the evening. You see, Rob got me the Wii Fit last week so I try to do that or Pilates every day. Yesterday I didn't work out until right before bed, which I rarely do. My dream last night is probably why I work out earlier in the day.
Anyway, in my dream I was training for the pregnant Olympics. I worked hard and knew I was going to medal. The unfortunate thing is that another lady knew I was going to win so she asked her husband to make sure I couldn't even start the race (Think Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding). Right before the race was about to begin the husband jumped on me and pinned me down. Well, I was too strong for him (I must've really worked out in preparation for the Olympics) and started to get free. That's when he began strangling me. In my dream I tried to scream but it came out as more of a groan that no one could hear. Luckily, my noise and thrashing around woke Rob up, who in turn woke me up before my dream went any further. I was able to go back into a peaceful sleep until my alarm went off. However, I am pretty tired today.... probably because of all my "training". So, I think I'll retire to bed early tonight.

What Do You Get When....

You put a fire truck and a U-Haul on a steep snow covered road?? If you guessed a big accident then you guessed right! We were on our way to church when a car stopped us going the opposite way. The driver told us of the accident and said that the entrance was completely closed. I, being like my mom, wanted to go see it. So, Rob drove us over to the accident. We couldn't see the damage but sure enough the road was blocked by the vehicles involved and multiple cop cars. So, we turned around to take the back roads out. By the time we got down the hill it was almost 45 minutes later. So, being too late for church we decided to go get Jim Shockey's autograph at Sportsmans Warehouse. For those of you that don't know, he is a world famous hunter who holds the only record for killing one of every big game in the world. I didn't care so much about that but I really liked his wife's dress. So, while Rob got his autograph and talked hunting with him I talked to his wife and daughter about fashion. After we got the autographs and his advice on raising kids, Rob took me to lunch at Chili's. Getting home was easier than leaving as the road had been cleared of the cars by the time we got back in the area. We are now home, enjoying the falling snow (We've gotten about 3 inches so far this morning!) in the comfort of our home.

Let it Snow, Let is Snow, Let it Snow!

FINALLY! The white stuff is falling from the sky! We have had such a dry winter so far that Rob and I were worried. But, the worrying may be over. It rained pretty much all day Thursday and Friday, with a little rain yesterday morning. (Don't I sound like the weather forecaster?) Then, this morning Rob got up early to go coyote hunting (one of his newest favorite pasttimes, not hunting but hunting for coyotes). Being lazy, I slept in but when I did get up, I woke up to snow falling....and quite a bit of it I might add. I put the dogs out, thinking they'd go to the bathroom and come right back to the door. But, when I looked out the window, they were running around like little kids, having a blast (at least I assume so since their tails were wagging and they wouldn't come when I called them). It's so peaceful watching the snow fall. I think I'm going to make me a cup of hot decaf java and watch the snow fall a little while longer!

One of Those Days

I had to look to see if today was Friday the 13th because today has been weird. I got to school this morning to find out one of my students was being taken out of my classroom because I wasn't at school yesterday and his dad hadn't gotten the message that our conference was rescheduled. His dad got mad and pulled him out of my class, which was a huge disappointment because I really liked the student. Then, another one of my students was caught with cigarettes in his backpack. I had my upteenth observation and it didn't go as well as I would've liked because I was dragging from my migraine after effects. Then, Rob called to say he had been in an accident. Luckily he is okay and his truck can be fixed. Needless to say, I was happy to be home in my little bubble. I just want to veg and go to bed early as I am drained.

Lazy Girls' Day

Occasionally I get migraines and luckily I have always been able to take medicine to make it go away quickly. However, being pregnant, I can't take anything that strong to help ease the pain. So, last night I was in a dark, quiet room as soon as I got home from work, praying that it would subside. Unfortunately it actually got worse as time went on (I didn't know that would've been possible). Rob was very thoughtful and researched how to get rid of a migraine without medicine, even though he was sick. We tried the "tricks" but nothing helped. So, after laying in bed crying for over an hour, I decided I couldn't deal with 27 sixth graders today and called in sick. When I woke up at 11am I finally felt halfway normal. It was raining outside so Roxy, Holly and I had a lazy day around the house. We lounged around until the rain stopped then I took the girls outside for a few minutes to get some fresh air. Luckily, I feel almost 100% again and am ready to tackle the world of sixth graders again tomorrow!

Girls Take Over

As of right now, Rob is sadly outnumbered. We need to have a boy so he has at least one man in his corner. The good thing is that all of the girls in the house are getting along. Roxy and Holly have figured out they are stuck with each other. After being in the garage together for 14 hours on Tuesday (I felt so bad about that.) they seemed to bond. The only dilemma is that they love to be where we are and I am so clumsy as it is that I trip over at least one of them each day. Since Rob is gone, yet again, I've let them sleep in our bedroom. It reeks havoc on my allergies but they seem content to both be protecting me and in the same room together. Roxy sleeps under our bed or in her doggie bed, while Holly sleeps in the doorway or by my side of the bed. They are becoming fast friends. The one I feel sorry for is Dixie. They like to gang up on her. When I go out to feed her both dogs run into the corral at different angles. She doesn't know which one to go see. Then when she starts toward one the dogs run around, throwing her off again. Since I have a dr. appt this morning to get a baby check (YAY!) I don't have to go to work until lunch. That means I have time to take the dogs for a walk, which is what I'll do now. Baby and I need the exercise as well!

Growing clan

The Herrington household continues to grow! Yesterday I went to Sacto to pick up Roxy. She was so glad to see me after being spoiled by my parents for a month. Now that she is here we have a houseful between me, Rob, Roxy, Holly and Dixie. (We discovered that all the girl pets have "ee" names) Roxy and Holly aren't 100% sure of each other but they kind of let the other do her thing. They'll "talk" as they pass each other but for the most part they mind their own business and lay around. Last night Roxy was in our bedroom, but was worried about what Holly was doing in the living room. So, she paced our room all night long. Between that and nightly pregnancy issues I got very little sleep. But, everything will settle down....in time for the baby to come along. It is fun having a houseful, especially after it got so lonely last week with Rob gone. The only problem is Rob is going to be gone for work again so I get the fun responsibility of feeding all the creatures. There are worse things in the world though so........

Breaking the "Rules"

Rob laughs at me because he says I have become an "expert" now that I'm pregnant. In a way I guess I have as I have read a lot of literature on pregnancy lately. I can tell you the do's and don'ts, what part of the baby is developing right now, what symptoms I can expect next...you get my point. I have been so careful to follow all the guidelines to keep the baby as healthy as possible. However, yesterday, I got fed up with some of the guidelines. I started thinking that 9 months is a long time to deprive myself of things I enjoy. So, I stopped and placed a sushi order on my way home from work (I didn't, however, get raw fish). I had been craving it for so long. Sadly, after building up my excitement all the way to the restaurant, it wasn't as good as I had hoped. Then I decided to induldge in a warm bath. But, that too didn't work because I couldn't stay warm and I was afraid to add too much hot water. I know both things I did are debatable among pregnant women and their doctors, but I couldn't resist. The great thing? I didn't feel guilty about it in the least. With Rob being out of town for work, I am trying to make my time alone as comfortable as possible. So, that's what worked for me. I topped off my rule breaking this morning with a big decaf coffee. I know that any woman reading this that has had a child is laughing but I honestly felt guilty the last time I drank half a cup of coffee at deer camp to warm up. But, like I said, 9 months is a long time to go without on some things....AND, you only live once so might as well enjoy the little things in life along the way!

Back home

After leaving over two weeks ago, we are back home safe and sound. Going on a trip is exhausting! It seems like it will never get here and when it does there is so much anticipation. But, when it's over all there is left are the memories, unpacking, laundry and the "real world".
The trip back didn't seem as long as the trip there. We made it in 39 hours, only stopping at one truck stop to sleep for a few hours. I had tried to take over the driving when Rob got tired but at one point it was too much. I was cramping from the pregnancy and near tears. Rob, being the sweet protective husband that he is, tried to find us a hotel room. But, to our dismay, there were only 2 rooms in all of Santa Rosa, NM and both were smoking rooms. So, we pulled into the truck stop, rearranged Holly (Rob's yellow lab) in the front seat, and I sprawled out in the back. We slept for 3 hours then got back on the road.
Come to find out we live in a beautiful country. I loved the mountains of New Mexico and sunsets in Texas. It was nice to see things I hadn't seen before, but I can honestly say I have never been so happy to get out of a car as I had been last night when we pulled up to our house! Although I enjoyed traveling cross country, I don't plan on making that long of a car trip....EVER again!

How Time Flies!

I can't believe that 2008 is now a thing of the past. What a great year it was for us! We bought our first house, Jen finished her Masters, we got married, and we found out we are expecting our first baby. We have been so blessed!
Our time in MS is quickly coming to an end. It feels like we just got here, yet we are packing up the Yukon today to hit the road early tomorrow morning. It has been a fun trip, filled with many family memories. From deer hunting to kareoke to walks down memory lane, we have thoroughly enjoyed our time here.
Now that we're heading back we'll have many things to look forward to in 2009. Our baby being born in July is the biggest one! I have so many fears of being a parent but am also excited beyond belief. I will most likely take at least a year off from teaching to focus on our baby and learning how to parent. Rob's parents are planning on coming out at least once and Rob and I are talking about taking a trip or two before the baby comes. Life is so good and we have a lot to be thankful for as we ring in the new year!