Casey's grandparents (on the Hetrick side) are in town this week helping us finish the basement... or attempt to... before baby Hetrick arrives. I have to admit that I haven't been the most helpful down there because the faint paint fumes (I stayed far away during that process, by the way) and the saw dust are driving my nasal cavity insane!! I think I've used half a box of Puffs already since Friday. They have gotten a lot done, though. There is a skeleton of the guest room, and I'll bet by the time I get home from work this evening, the studs for the closet should be finished as well. We went to Menard's last night and bought a toilet, shower, and lumber for the bathroom. I wouldn't doubt that they will have at least one wall in the bathroom done by the time I get home. Fred and Doris were both up every morning and started to work by 7:30 am and they usually didn't stop working until around 8:30 pm, with the exception of stopping to eat lunch and dinner. They had wanted to stay until they finished everything, but I think that was before they realized how much we wanted to do. I think they are going to stay until Tuesday morning, and spend most of the day tomorrow roaming around the Chicagoland area... I'm glad, they deserve a day off! I hope I am remotely as active as they are when I am in my late 70s!
I will be glad when this project is finished. I don't think Casey or I realized how much really goes into something like this until we are so far into it.. there's no way out now! Unless we give up and hire someone to do it. I don't think that will happen until the electricity hook up needs to be done. It is kind of neat to walk downstairs now and start to see what it is going to look like. They worked on doing the chalk outline for the walls last night, so I got a better idea of how the bathroom will be set up. Hopefully we'll be able to get enough done so that when we have visitors in the future, they will at least have a place to sleep once we are done with the nursery (which we obviously haven't even started yet). So many projects!! Ahhhh!! Time is ticking.
Well, I guess I should get back to work now... and should probably eat some lunch... Peanut is letting me know that this orange I've been munching on for the last hour or so is definitely not cutting it right now. Only 3 hours until I get to go home...
-Ash
Casey, Ashley, Keaton, Nikolaus, & Rowan take on Chicagoland...
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Pics from Shedd Aquarium
Here are a few that I felt were worthy enough to share.. :)
Dolphins playing...
Beluga Whales showing off their tricks...
Sea Otters playing...
Sea Horses... hanging out..?
That's about it... it was tough to take pictures in that place because of the strange lighting/taking pictures of moving objects thru a thick piece of glass/lack of skills and knowledge in that department. In all, it was a neat experience and I'm glad we decided to take a day to do it!
Love,
Ash
Dolphins playing...
Beluga Whales showing off their tricks...
Sea Otters playing...
Sea Horses... hanging out..?
That's about it... it was tough to take pictures in that place because of the strange lighting/taking pictures of moving objects thru a thick piece of glass/lack of skills and knowledge in that department. In all, it was a neat experience and I'm glad we decided to take a day to do it!
Love,
Ash
Work work work...
God forgive me for blogging at work. It is so quiet today (karma's going to get me for saying that) and I'm a little... hate to say it... bored.
Work has changed a lot since I first started in February. The phone calls really started picking up in March, and March-July was pretty crazy. With the addition of 50 agents transferring from the closed Bolingbrook office in May, the phone calls multiplied and the work load was border-line overwhelming. There were times I considered quitting, but decided to stick it out. Now that it's almost the end of August, it's strange to sit here with minimal phone calls and very little paperwork to do.
I am glad I finally got a job. It got depressing the more I applied for jobs and didn't receive any kind of feedback. Being basically stuck in the house with the dog was not ideal, and I got to the point where I didn't want to do anything at all. I get a little nervous about that sometimes, but I don't think it will be possible for me to fall back into that hole once the baby is here. I just have to make sure I make some kind of contact with the outside world, though, so I don't get depressed. I have to be around people!! As much as they drive me nuts sometimes, I realize that I thrive off the company of others. In the words of a character on Office Space, "I'm a people person, dammit!"
The agents here have so many different personalities. So many adjectives come to mind... demanding, clueless, funny, charming, witty, quiet, LOUD!!, hungover (yes, really), awkward, stuck-up, sneaky... the list could go on forever, especially with 150 agents! But I generally like them all. There are a few that I would like to punch in the face every now and then, but I get over that fairly quickly. :)
I should get back to 'work' now. I'll post pics and details about our trip to Shedd Aquarium yesterday... hopefully the pictures turned out!
-Ash
Work has changed a lot since I first started in February. The phone calls really started picking up in March, and March-July was pretty crazy. With the addition of 50 agents transferring from the closed Bolingbrook office in May, the phone calls multiplied and the work load was border-line overwhelming. There were times I considered quitting, but decided to stick it out. Now that it's almost the end of August, it's strange to sit here with minimal phone calls and very little paperwork to do.
I am glad I finally got a job. It got depressing the more I applied for jobs and didn't receive any kind of feedback. Being basically stuck in the house with the dog was not ideal, and I got to the point where I didn't want to do anything at all. I get a little nervous about that sometimes, but I don't think it will be possible for me to fall back into that hole once the baby is here. I just have to make sure I make some kind of contact with the outside world, though, so I don't get depressed. I have to be around people!! As much as they drive me nuts sometimes, I realize that I thrive off the company of others. In the words of a character on Office Space, "I'm a people person, dammit!"
The agents here have so many different personalities. So many adjectives come to mind... demanding, clueless, funny, charming, witty, quiet, LOUD!!, hungover (yes, really), awkward, stuck-up, sneaky... the list could go on forever, especially with 150 agents! But I generally like them all. There are a few that I would like to punch in the face every now and then, but I get over that fairly quickly. :)
I should get back to 'work' now. I'll post pics and details about our trip to Shedd Aquarium yesterday... hopefully the pictures turned out!
-Ash
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Haps
SO a lot has been going on around here, and I feel it's time for an update since last weekend. We made it home to Topeka around midnight last Friday. Saturday was spent doing a little shopping with my mom, going to visit Aaron Brumley at the Bookmobile (and making sure he was coming to the reunion that night!), and getting ready for the reunion itself. I think I was more nervous that Casey was. We got to Bullfrog's around 6 pm that night, and left around 10:45-11 pm. Of course parts of it were awkward, mainly because I either didn't know people, or I hadn't seen them in so long that it was sort of a strange conversation, but Casey enjoyed himself, which was most important. There were definitely cliques of people that all hung out together, so you could tell who hadn't really matured much since high school. It was a little different that we had expected, but overall, I think it was good that we went back.
Sunday morning, Casey and I met up with Lindsey & Sara at IHOP. We spent about an hour or so there, eating breakfast and having inappropriate conversations, as usual. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile, though... I definitely almost had milk come out my nose at one point. I miss hanging out with those girls- it's always nice to catch up with them, even if it's only for a few hours at a time. After breakfast we decided to go out for coffee, and we found out that Lindsey is going to enlist. She will probably be at boot camp in February. I think the shock of hearing this and the reality of it all hit me at once, and I lost it. I feel bad crying, but I am scared for her. I really hope everything works out and she will not be in harms way. It was sort of a sudden thing, so I don't really have many more details right now, but I'll update later. Definitely an emotional visit for me.
After having lunch at Texas Roadhouse with both sets of parents and Leslie, we headed back to Kansas City to catch our flight. It felt like the shortest trip we've taken to Topeka thus far. I spent the rest of the week trying to catch up energy-wise. Monday and Tuesday were pretty exhausting. It helped that Mom & Dad drove up to help out with finishing the basement. Dad painted a big chunk of the floor with mold-resistant paint. Mom cooked up a storm, as usual. Our tummies were very content with her accomplishments. :) I feel like I've eaten my weight in Chicken & Noodles and fruit this week! Just writing about this is making me hungry... time for lunch!
In other news, I got a phone call on Wednesday that my Friday class had been cancelled because not enough people enrolled, which has forced me to take the Tuesday/Thursday morning class. I can't tell you how utterly stoked I am about driving back and forth to COD twice a week, esp. when the winter weather kicks in. It looks like my weekly schedule will be the following this semester:
Monday- 10 am - 7 pm
Tuesday- Class until 11:30 am, lunch, then work 2-7 pm
Wednesday- I may have a day off! Which I will need for homework and cleaning!!!
Thursday- Same as Tuesday
Friday- Apparently until we get another part-timer, I'll start working Fridays again. :( I may also have to work the occasional Sunday if they can't find someone else. Yuck.
We'll see how I do this semester. I think I work better when I am busy because it forces me to prioritize my time... I just hope that it's not too stressful, and my car makes it through the winter. But I'll worry about that if/when I need to.
That's all for now... the next month is going to be insane so I'm trying to think ahead and make it a little less stressful for myself... if possible.
-Ash
Sunday morning, Casey and I met up with Lindsey & Sara at IHOP. We spent about an hour or so there, eating breakfast and having inappropriate conversations, as usual. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile, though... I definitely almost had milk come out my nose at one point. I miss hanging out with those girls- it's always nice to catch up with them, even if it's only for a few hours at a time. After breakfast we decided to go out for coffee, and we found out that Lindsey is going to enlist. She will probably be at boot camp in February. I think the shock of hearing this and the reality of it all hit me at once, and I lost it. I feel bad crying, but I am scared for her. I really hope everything works out and she will not be in harms way. It was sort of a sudden thing, so I don't really have many more details right now, but I'll update later. Definitely an emotional visit for me.
After having lunch at Texas Roadhouse with both sets of parents and Leslie, we headed back to Kansas City to catch our flight. It felt like the shortest trip we've taken to Topeka thus far. I spent the rest of the week trying to catch up energy-wise. Monday and Tuesday were pretty exhausting. It helped that Mom & Dad drove up to help out with finishing the basement. Dad painted a big chunk of the floor with mold-resistant paint. Mom cooked up a storm, as usual. Our tummies were very content with her accomplishments. :) I feel like I've eaten my weight in Chicken & Noodles and fruit this week! Just writing about this is making me hungry... time for lunch!
In other news, I got a phone call on Wednesday that my Friday class had been cancelled because not enough people enrolled, which has forced me to take the Tuesday/Thursday morning class. I can't tell you how utterly stoked I am about driving back and forth to COD twice a week, esp. when the winter weather kicks in. It looks like my weekly schedule will be the following this semester:
Monday- 10 am - 7 pm
Tuesday- Class until 11:30 am, lunch, then work 2-7 pm
Wednesday- I may have a day off! Which I will need for homework and cleaning!!!
Thursday- Same as Tuesday
Friday- Apparently until we get another part-timer, I'll start working Fridays again. :( I may also have to work the occasional Sunday if they can't find someone else. Yuck.
We'll see how I do this semester. I think I work better when I am busy because it forces me to prioritize my time... I just hope that it's not too stressful, and my car makes it through the winter. But I'll worry about that if/when I need to.
That's all for now... the next month is going to be insane so I'm trying to think ahead and make it a little less stressful for myself... if possible.
-Ash
Hormones + Emotions = Hormotions
Who knows what is going on with that title. Anyway, I've noticed in the past week or so that my emotional state is pretty shaky. In fact, I've cried more in the last week than I have in the last month or so. I'm letting little things get to me, and while I know I'm upset for a reason, it's slightly annoying to get so worked up about some things.
Part of me feels like I have a right to be a little more emotional right now, so when people tell me not to get so worked up or not to worry about something, it almost makes the situation worse. But I have noticed that I'm getting a little bit more angry lately and letting comments get the better of me, which I know I shouldn't do. And it usually doesn't kick in until after I have overreacted and gotten pissed off. Sometimes I wish I could make things go in slow motion so I could allow my brain to comprehend what's happening before I react. But I guess before the baby hormones kicked in, I was emotional to begin with. The situation did not need to be compounded!
I also feel like I can't think straight anymore. Again, a problem I've had most of my life, but there are times that I feel like I can't concentrate at all, or I am easily sidetracked and miss the point of what is going on. Casey and I will have a conversation about something, and I'll start thinking about something completely random.
I guess this entry is a good example on how things are going inside my head right now. I know it will get better. I just need to slow down and step back to reanalyze thing better. Easier said than done, but in order to stay sane in the next 6 months, I need to make it a priority!
Alright, enough of that... time for an entry about what's been going on around here...
-Ashley
Part of me feels like I have a right to be a little more emotional right now, so when people tell me not to get so worked up or not to worry about something, it almost makes the situation worse. But I have noticed that I'm getting a little bit more angry lately and letting comments get the better of me, which I know I shouldn't do. And it usually doesn't kick in until after I have overreacted and gotten pissed off. Sometimes I wish I could make things go in slow motion so I could allow my brain to comprehend what's happening before I react. But I guess before the baby hormones kicked in, I was emotional to begin with. The situation did not need to be compounded!
I also feel like I can't think straight anymore. Again, a problem I've had most of my life, but there are times that I feel like I can't concentrate at all, or I am easily sidetracked and miss the point of what is going on. Casey and I will have a conversation about something, and I'll start thinking about something completely random.
I guess this entry is a good example on how things are going inside my head right now. I know it will get better. I just need to slow down and step back to reanalyze thing better. Easier said than done, but in order to stay sane in the next 6 months, I need to make it a priority!
Alright, enough of that... time for an entry about what's been going on around here...
-Ashley
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Appointments and Craziness
As a true slacker, I think it's been at least a few weeks since I've written. Well here I am again... this time with quite a bit more to tell!
First of all, I took my first round of Leslie's senior pictures last week. I think out of anxiety, I waited to look at them until today. I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed in myself, but I realize that it is my first real time taking Senior Pictures... maybe I should cut myself a little slack. It has been years since I tried to pose someone in pictures, and I'm pretty rusty. I'm glad we have at least one or two more sessions to work on that aspect of things. I think a few of them turned out well, though. I'm beating myself up over some of the angles, and lighting. But overall, I think she might approve of a few of them. I'm thankful we went out Thursday when the weather was perfect... because it rained all day Friday, and turned to an inferno Saturday & Sunday. Oh well, there will be other times! So that pretty much sums up the end of last week.
I woke up Monday morning at 5:30 to the tune of Casey freaking out because I did not wash any of his work pants over the weekend. Oh crap. With Leslie's arrival on Wednesday, I spent the majority of the time hanging out with her, and totally neglected some (most) of the household duties. By Monday, I realized that I barely had work pants to wear, either! Way to go, Ash! I took care of it, but needless to say it was tough to get back to sleep for a bit before I had to get back up and get ready for work myself. I'm trying to make up for that misstep this week as we will be out of town this weekend. We're headed back to Topeka on Friday night (tomorrow!!!) for Casey's 10 year high school reunion! I think I may be a bit more excited about it than he is. He doesn't seem to be dreading it, but I find myself thinking about it quite a bit as the week goes on. That also means my HS reunion is right around the corner! Wow...
I ended up working a bit more hours this week than I had expected, but I think with the extended time off last week, I was happier to be there. I also think that I'm finally getting more energy now, so my productivity at work is improving. I feel like I've been dragging a bit the last month or so. Anyway, Michelle is off today, so I am half expecting a phone call from them to have me come in a little earlier, but so far I'm glad I haven't heard anything, because I have plenty to do around the house! That includes blogging!!!
Yesterday I went back to the doctor for my ~12 week check-up. We got to hear Peanut's heartbeat again, which was really neat. :) The doc estimated that it was ~160 bpm. I also found out that my blood type; A+! That is one of the few A+'s I've ever gotten in my life!! ;-) I always wondered what it was, so it was nice to know. They said my blood looked good (meaning it wasn't out of whack like it's been in the past) and I am not anemic. That's something I was a little concerned about, too, so I'm glad things are looking good in that department. Next time I go, in 5 weeks, we are doing the blood screening for Downs Syndrome and other defects. I'm a little nervous about that one, but all I can do is continue to eat well, exercise, and hope for the best. Oh, I almost forgot! All my worry about thinking I was gaining too much weight was put to ease yesterday when they said I lost a pound! That's pretty strange... but they didn't seem concerned. I have been walking a lot more in the past week, so maybe that had something to do with it. (I stole Casey's pedometer and have been taking it to work each day to find out how much I walk... I've averaged 4500 steps/day, just at the office! And last Saturday when Casey, Leslie and I went to downtown Chicago, I walked 9500 steps just in the afternoon. No wonder I lost some weight!)
We scheduled the 20 week ultrasound/check-up for 9 weeks from now. By then they should be able to tell the sex of the baby. That just means we have 9 weeks to decide if we want to know or not! The debate continues. :)
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I've got a busy month ahead:
Aug 14-16: Topeka for Casey's HS Reunion (and my mom's birthday!!)
Next week: Parents come up to help with our basement project... which we haven't worked on since mid-June.
Week after: Casey's Grandma & Grandpa Hetrick arrive to help with the basement.
Aug 28th: First day of class for me!
September 5th-6th: Kansas City for Ben's wedding (What the heck am I going to wear?!!?)
Sept 13th: Dr appointment/blood screening
There is talk that the Hetricks might come to town the week after... more Senior pics?
End of September... I will drop dead from exhaustion. j/k
One day at a time... speaking of time, looks like I need to get back to the laundry. :-|
Love,
Ash
First of all, I took my first round of Leslie's senior pictures last week. I think out of anxiety, I waited to look at them until today. I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed in myself, but I realize that it is my first real time taking Senior Pictures... maybe I should cut myself a little slack. It has been years since I tried to pose someone in pictures, and I'm pretty rusty. I'm glad we have at least one or two more sessions to work on that aspect of things. I think a few of them turned out well, though. I'm beating myself up over some of the angles, and lighting. But overall, I think she might approve of a few of them. I'm thankful we went out Thursday when the weather was perfect... because it rained all day Friday, and turned to an inferno Saturday & Sunday. Oh well, there will be other times! So that pretty much sums up the end of last week.
I woke up Monday morning at 5:30 to the tune of Casey freaking out because I did not wash any of his work pants over the weekend. Oh crap. With Leslie's arrival on Wednesday, I spent the majority of the time hanging out with her, and totally neglected some (most) of the household duties. By Monday, I realized that I barely had work pants to wear, either! Way to go, Ash! I took care of it, but needless to say it was tough to get back to sleep for a bit before I had to get back up and get ready for work myself. I'm trying to make up for that misstep this week as we will be out of town this weekend. We're headed back to Topeka on Friday night (tomorrow!!!) for Casey's 10 year high school reunion! I think I may be a bit more excited about it than he is. He doesn't seem to be dreading it, but I find myself thinking about it quite a bit as the week goes on. That also means my HS reunion is right around the corner! Wow...
I ended up working a bit more hours this week than I had expected, but I think with the extended time off last week, I was happier to be there. I also think that I'm finally getting more energy now, so my productivity at work is improving. I feel like I've been dragging a bit the last month or so. Anyway, Michelle is off today, so I am half expecting a phone call from them to have me come in a little earlier, but so far I'm glad I haven't heard anything, because I have plenty to do around the house! That includes blogging!!!
Yesterday I went back to the doctor for my ~12 week check-up. We got to hear Peanut's heartbeat again, which was really neat. :) The doc estimated that it was ~160 bpm. I also found out that my blood type; A+! That is one of the few A+'s I've ever gotten in my life!! ;-) I always wondered what it was, so it was nice to know. They said my blood looked good (meaning it wasn't out of whack like it's been in the past) and I am not anemic. That's something I was a little concerned about, too, so I'm glad things are looking good in that department. Next time I go, in 5 weeks, we are doing the blood screening for Downs Syndrome and other defects. I'm a little nervous about that one, but all I can do is continue to eat well, exercise, and hope for the best. Oh, I almost forgot! All my worry about thinking I was gaining too much weight was put to ease yesterday when they said I lost a pound! That's pretty strange... but they didn't seem concerned. I have been walking a lot more in the past week, so maybe that had something to do with it. (I stole Casey's pedometer and have been taking it to work each day to find out how much I walk... I've averaged 4500 steps/day, just at the office! And last Saturday when Casey, Leslie and I went to downtown Chicago, I walked 9500 steps just in the afternoon. No wonder I lost some weight!)
We scheduled the 20 week ultrasound/check-up for 9 weeks from now. By then they should be able to tell the sex of the baby. That just means we have 9 weeks to decide if we want to know or not! The debate continues. :)
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I've got a busy month ahead:
Aug 14-16: Topeka for Casey's HS Reunion (and my mom's birthday!!)
Next week: Parents come up to help with our basement project... which we haven't worked on since mid-June.
Week after: Casey's Grandma & Grandpa Hetrick arrive to help with the basement.
Aug 28th: First day of class for me!
September 5th-6th: Kansas City for Ben's wedding (What the heck am I going to wear?!!?)
Sept 13th: Dr appointment/blood screening
There is talk that the Hetricks might come to town the week after... more Senior pics?
End of September... I will drop dead from exhaustion. j/k
One day at a time... speaking of time, looks like I need to get back to the laundry. :-|
Love,
Ash
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Maternity clothes, and my out-of-body experience.
I am rather 'disenchanted' (that phrase stuck in my head since I heard one of our agents use it the other day at work) by the lack of cute maternity clothes around here. I have checked out Old Navy, Target, Motherhood Maternity, and Kohl's, as I hear they normally have cute stuff... so far no luck for me. I did look at Old Navy's website this evening and felt a little better about the situation. If we weren't working on getting rid of our debt by the first of the year, I probably would have caved and actually submitted everything I put in my online cart. Alas, I saved it, and will probably not look at it again until I am in desperate need of clothes. Which may be next week at this rate...
It's a little depressing to be ~11 weeks along and not have a very good selection of clothes to wear in my closet. I tried wearing a few of my t-shirts last week, but found myself getting paranoid at how tight and short they are becoming. I like that Juniors have a lot of things that could easily pass for maternity clothes (although when I think of it, it's a little disturbing, too...). I'm just tired of shopping in the pregnancy section and feeling like the shirts look like a tent or something equally unflattering. Again, props to Old Navy for a lot of their stuff... it looks like it actually has shape. The only downside to that (besides the $ factor) is that you can only get most of it online, and I prefer to try things on at the store, esp. now with my body being so... different. I have said, and will say again, that I feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience right now. I always wanted to have curves growing up, and now that I have them... and plenty OF them... it is just tough to get used to.
I'm sorry if it seems like I'm complaining a lot, but I guess that's one reason I blog. I've gotta get it out or I'll go crazy!! Tack on the hormonal factor, and I'm sure I am an absolute joy to be around sometimes. Poor Casey. I have cried more in the past 3 weeks than I have in probably the past year or two. I guess that just comes with the territory. For the most part, I have to say that I've been pretty happy so far during the pregnancy. I try to keep myself from worrying too much, for Peanut's sake. I even eat all of my vegetables now! Hell, I even tried to drink a protein shake today for Peanut. YUCK. Banana has a weird texture to begin with, and when you throw it in a shake, it's sort of grainy and very unappealing to me... so Peanut got a few gulps of that before I went back to drinking water. Sorry, kid... I tried!!
I know this will get better, I'm just in a little bit of a slump at the moment. It happens more frequently now when I go shopping because I can't look at the same things I used to. I'm trying to walk frequently so I don't gain weight too quickly and complicate things down the road. Anyway, I realize that all of this is for a good cause, and it will be totally worth it when Peanut is born. I can't help but think, though... if I'm already having trouble now... what's it going to be like in a few months?? I'm going to have my own zip code by the end of this, guys. :-P
Enough complaining for me. I'll probably reread this sometime in the future and laugh at myself... but for now, I'm still on the lookout for cute maternity gear that doesn't make me look like a whale.
-Ash
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