27 years old!

Happy Birthday to me (on Monday, April 21)! I had a great day.

Steve and I went out to lunch at Gratzi, a fancy Italian restaurant. In the afternoon/evening we went to a "barbeque" for Steve's program--the last one ever for us, which is wierd. We had a good time and Nash loved the Ali Baba's chicken.

We had birthday cake at night and since it would be ridiculous for Steve and I to eat a whole cake by ourselves, we quickly called some neighbors to come over and have a piece. All in all it was a nice day. Steve's gift to me is an upcoming weekend trip to Chicago. I have never been there, so I'm really excited.

Last week, Steve, Nash, and I went to the Detroit Zoo for the first time. We had so much fun! Nash loved being outside (as always) and pointed at all the animals, kids, wagons, etc. that he saw. Here's some pictures from the zoo:

In other news, I got a haircut on Saturday, which I love. You can see it in the birthday picture. I also finished the birthday banner I've been working on. I was in a group with some other friends where we got together to work on birthday banners for ourselves. You can also see it in the birthday picture. Oh, and we found out that Steve didn't get the lectureship at U-M. We were disappointed to say the least, but you know what? Life goes on and things will work out. I just hope that people don't keep asking us what we are going to do. Because you know what I'm going to say? "Live." That is what we are going to keep doing.

Here's to "Not Knowing"

Steve has turned in his thesis (yea!) and will be awarded his MFA in Creative Writing soon. His parents are coming next week for graduation. Although we've applied to various jobs, fellowships, internships, etc., we still do not know what we are doing next year, or the years after that.


We've found out we didn't get some fellowships that we applied for, but that's all we've heard so far. Tomorrow we will find out if he got a one-year lecturship at the University of Michigan. It's one of our last hopes that something will turn out of this job search we've attempted over the last few months. Steve deserves it--he's a great teacher. But come what may...


I just want to say that I am proud of my husband. I am proud of him for pursuing something he loves even though it's not the easiest field to be in. I am proud of him for choosing to do something because he likes to do it. I am proud of him for not getting discouraged amidst all the critique of his writing he has to hear. I am proud of him for remaining confident in his talent despite the credulous faces people make when they hear what he is studying and ask, "what do you do with that?" And most of all, I am proud of Steve for being a wonderful husband and father and setting a good example to me.


This is my sweetheart:

Mamamamama!

At about 5:00 this morning, I woke up to Nash crying and yelling, "Mama Mama Mama!" I'm not convinced that he really knows what that means, but regardless, he was calm when I held him. I rocked him and let him cry himself back to sleep a few times (only a minute of crying each time), but he kept waking up. Finally, I just brought him in bed with me and we slept for another hour and a half.

So this is my dilemma--what do you do when your baby (who is usually a fabulous night-time sleeper) wakes up at night like that? It's my inclination to make sure that nothing is wrong. However, most of the time nothing is wrong and then I get into a cycle of him expecting me to hold him that night or he'll cry. And I guess I'm not always totally sure that nothing's wrong because how am I supposed to know if he's cold or if his tummy hurts or if he has an earache or something like that?

I don't think there really is an answer to my questions, but I'm still at a loss for what to do in situations as these. I do have to say that I adore my son and it is such a good feeling to hold him when he cries and see him calm down almost instantly because I'm there.

To end with a couple more positives:
* Nash has a consistent schedule now! Nighttime sleep is from 7:30 to 7:30. He has two naps: one at 9:30 and the other at 1:30.
* His naps are finally longer! He sleeps about 1-1 1/2 hours for each nap.

Running

I've finally started consistently running again and it has, once again, changed my life. Or at least my outlook on life. I feel so good about myself, about my marriage, and about my life responsibilities when I have an exercise routine that I stick to. Something about exercise, and running in particular, really gives me a more optimistic outlook on life. I feel like I can handle things better and I have more energy, too. I am so lucky to be so close to so many friends that I can run with. I have made numerous life-long friendships over the past two years because of these running groups. The benefits are limitless! I need to keep this up my whole life. Just imagine: a beautiful, healthy woman, with good relationships, a positive outlook, and an ability to get the things done that need to get done. Wow, sounds like a dream.

Spice Rack

I just wanted to give a shout out to my sister who gave me the coolest gift for Christmas--a spice rack! And not just any spice rack, mind you, but one she created herself. I love it!

Just for Kicks

Mackinac Island

Saturday, Oct. 27 was the Mackinac Island Great Turtle Run. My friend, Whitney and I ran in the 5.7 mile race and had a great time. Steve and I drove 6.5 hours from Ann Arbor to Mackinaw City on Friday night (it was only supposed to be 4 hours...traffic...ugh) and got to the hotel at 2:30 am. We woke up to find a freezing and rainy morning. Not the best for a race, but it was still very fun. We took a ferry over to the island (no automobiles are allowed on this island--only horse-drawn carriages and bikes are used to get around).

The race started at 11 a.m. The first part was hilly as we ran through some wooded areas, then the last couple miles were along the perimeter of the island. It was beautiful! I'd love to go back there in the summer sometime.

Steve and Nash hung out with some friends and bought fudge. Then we all relaxed and had lunch on the island and walked around a bit before we rode the ferry back. That's when the sun came out.

It was a quick trip, but a fun weekend. It feels good to know that I am "in shape" enough to do that run and feel good about it! And I've been lucky to have such fun running partners lately.

With Amy and Jan on the ferry (they ran the half marathon that day!):Whitney and I after the race:
Steve and Nash at a lighthouse:
The Mackinac Bridge (connecting lower Michigan with the Upper Peninsula):