First comes love, then comes marriage...

I wrote this post in late July so I could remember the details of the day I found out we were going to be parents.  Enjoy :-) Or stop reading now!!

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes... YES, a baby Miller!!

Two days before I left for Canada, I woke up feeling a bit off (and by off, I do not mean sick; just off). So naturally, I took a pregnancy test (isn't that what you do when you feel "off"?) The cheapo kind from the dollar store (literally, a $1 test.). I'd taken 2 a few weeks earlier and then both almost immediately showed up negative, but this one was taking awhile longer. All of the sudden, I see two lines appear. I literally could not believe my eyes.

Grant had always joked (but I think he was serious) that if I ever got pregnant, he wanted me to tell him in a special way, since he had to do so when we got engaged. I always hoped I would be able to keep it a secret from him, but when you are about to leave the country for 3 1/2 weeks in TWO DAYS, you are definitely emotional. And very short on time.

So he is lacing up his running shoes downstairs and I run down with the test in hand, and was like "Look at this." He responds, "What does that mean?" I showed him the explanation on the box and well, I still didn't believe it was true.

I was supposed to meet one of my best friends for coffee followed by lunch at 10, so I was heading to a 7am jazzercise class. I went to class and worked out as hard as ever. After class, I ran to Meijer and bought a more expensive test- the kind where the word "pregnant" shows up on the screen. Still in disbelief, I drove home. Took the test... and the word "pregnant" appeared. Took another one... the word "pregnant" appeared again.

I immediately called my family practitioner who let me come in at 10 to talk to the nurse practitioner... she says, "Congrats." And I go "ummm no I'm not pregnant. I do not feel pregnant." And she asks, "HOW many tests did you take?" I said 3. She said, "Yeah, you are pregnant, congrats mama!" Riiight.

I had a great coffee and lunch date with my friend Emily, and then on the way home, stopped at Target and bought a few things I still needed for my trip and yet another brand of test.

What do you know... the final test of the day also said pregnant...

Don't laugh.  I know I'm not the only one who took 3 different brands of tests...  And a total of 8 of them before I went to my first OBGYN appointment at 9 weeks :-)

Menu Plan Monday 9/5

One week of school down, 35 more to go.  Just kidding, I don't look at the school year like that.  I'm hoping this year will be better than the last.  So far, so good.  It has just been super busy.  The kind of busy that kept me at school til 6pm on Friday (not cool, that's a 12 hour day people) and kept me working on school stuff over Labor Day weekend.  Ok, I always work on school stuff on the weekends... but Labor Day weekend, the weekend after the FIRST week of school? That is just not right. I'm going to be celebrating my birthday the next two weekends (it's on a Wednesday, so that makes sense, right?), so I am working so hard this week to try to avoid doing school work either of those weekends.

Here's the menu this week.  Which is delayed due to the massive amount of schoolwork I had to do on Monday. 

Sunday: Grilled TJs Andouille Sausages, Dill Red Skin Potato Salad

Monday: City BBQ :) 

Tuesday: Modenese Pork Chops, TJs Harvest Grains Blend, broccoli

Wednesday: Gnocchi (frozen) w/ Creamy Garlic Sauce, Green beans, bread

Thursday: Baked Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes, Basil & Parmesan (spaghetti squash is a new one for us... one of us is excited about it... the other is already slightly concerned).  There will be some TJs frozen meatballs on in the freezer should the concerned spouse be in need :) 

Friday: Turkey Tacos & refried beans

Saturday: Pizza on the Grill, round 2!!! Who's gonna join us?? 

Well... tomorrow is Wednesday! Halfway through the week! Hope you all have a wonderful next three days :-)

Menu Plan Monday 8/28

Another first day of school is over.  Year five is off to a good start, I think.  I have about 50% returning students, 50% new students, which is the norm when you are the only French teacher in your building.  I am teaching four classes of lower levels (1 & 2) this year and two of upper levels (3,4,5).  I have students fill out an info sheet on the first day, and it's always hilarious to read the comments of my returning students.  A few highlights: "What is your favorite snack?" Ribs. "Is there anything else you want me to know about you?" "I'm your favorite." "You love me." "Do you have any siblings? What are their names and ages?" "Princess and lil princess." Why did you take French this year?" "Uhhh because it's awesome."  That's right kiddos.  


Anyways, last week was SO crazy with teacher meetings and open house and family celebrations and such, so for once, I am going into the first week of school feeling much less stressed.  Yet my meals are still easy because well, it's the first week of school. 


Sunday: Beef & Spinach lasagna (that I froze for Grant to eat while I was in Montréal, and  he never needed), bread & salad
Monday: Chicken Cilantro Won Ton (from TJs) Soup (I boil chicken broth, add won tons & add some chopped green onion, some thinly sliced carrots... super easy), Garlic Broccoli Spears & egg rolls (from TJs)
Tuesday: Chicken Caesar Salads & pita
Wednesday: leftover lasagna
Thursday: Black Bean, Zucchini & Tomato Quesadillas, Mexican rice, chips & salsa
Friday: leftover quesadillas
Saturday: going to our very first Buckeyes game(!!) with my parents, then perhaps grilling out??


 For more menu planning ideas, go to http://orgjunkie.com/2011/08/menu-plan-monday-august-2911.html

Menu Plan Monday 8/22

Today is officially my last day of summer :-( Where am I spending it, you might ask? A doctors appointment, followed by a long day of working in my classroom, followed by my 1st afternoon Jazzercise class since the 10-11 school year... and then I'm coming home to a crockpot dinner that I am starting this morning.  We have FOUR days of in-service this year.  Ridiculous.  One of those is a teacher work day, where I get to work in my classroom, but the others are full days of meetings about this and that... therefore, my last day off must be spent preparing for the upcoming year.  We also have open house this week, and Grant & I have a few other commitments, so it will be a busy one.  So the meals this week are easy.  

Sunday: Sneaky & Sloppy Joes (have zucchini, carrots & a red pepper purée in them!), the grilled potato salad I never made last week (that I made in the oven last night)

Monday: one of my faves- CrockPot Chicken Tortilla Soup (I always use up leftover produce with this- this time it will have leftover carrots & zucchini & probably some rice in it, along with 2 cubanelle peppers from our garden), corn muffins (frozen!)

Tuesday: Toad in a hole (or Egg in a frame as I call them... and I scramble the egg), fruit

Wednesday: leftover sloppy joes & potatoes

Thursday: open house for me, chicken sandwich & veggies for Grant

Friday: off to Cleveland asap after work to celebrate Grant's grandparents' 60th anniversary!!

Nantucket Vacation: Part 1- getting there & the B&B

first view of Nantucket from the ferry

 Grant & I wanted to do a beach & big city combination vacation, sans car.  Turns out, this is rather hard to manage when your destination is the east coast. (Which is why a cruise on the Mediterranean through the Greek Isles was my first choice...).  After a bit of research and some good recommendations from friends, we realized we could visit Boston, which I loved when I was there 13 years ago and then Cape Cod (or the Cape, as the New Englanders like to call it)... except you need a car on Cape Cod... so we went further, to the island of Nantucket.  The travel was complicated- but definitely worth it. Here's how it worked: flight to Boston Logan, followed by a 1 1/2 hour bus ride to Hyannis (on Cape Cod), a less than a mile walk to the port, followed by a 2 hour ferry to Nantucket (there is a high speed ferry, but for $39/person one way, we took the slow one). Good thing I've learned to pack light. 

enjoying the ferry ride

Nantucket was surreal- so beautiful, so quaint, and so preppy. Seriously, so preppy.  And my solid-color, Gap-loving self was delighted for a few days, as I walked past the valet parkers wearing "Nantucket red" (yes, that is a color!) shorts, Sperry top-siders and white polos.  The only name-brand stores on the island (the rest being boutiques): Lilly Pulitzer, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines and Jack Wills. Definitely not your typical shopping at the beach.  (But yes, there are plenty of shops where you can buy tshirts... they are just a bit pricier than your average shirt from the beach.) 

Valet guys sporting their "uniform"

 

 

 I have always considered myself to be anti-bed & breakfast.  It has to do more with the decor than the general concept.  To be honest, sleeping in an old bed with a floral bedspread in a room full of knickknacks is not my ideal setting in which I like to relax.  Well, on Nantucket, there are pretty much only B&Bs... so I looked at all of them and The Veranda House, the #2 rated  B&B on Trip Advisor was exactly my style- modern, clean and simple... and the website bragged about their amazing breakfast.  

Let's talk about this breakfast...  It WAS amazing.  A 3-course continental (only 2 B&Bs on the island are allowed to serve eggs & meat) breakfast was served to us each morning.  It started with coffee, and their own juice blend that included a little yogurt, making it taste a little like a light smoothie.  Then the bread basket appeared, with the warm muffin of the day and some other breads and crackers.  It came with five different types of spreads: unsalted butter, strawberry butter, butter with sea salt & chives, raspberry preserves and honey. Delicious.  

The second course was always two slices of fresh fruit, followed by a mini smoothie, topped with whipped cream and granola. 

 The third course was our choice: toasted bagel, granola, raisin bran or the special of the day.  We had bagels one day, and the special of the day the other two.  Here's one of the specials: 

banana crepe with raspberry & peanut butter sauces

I wish I could eat like this every morning.  Especially on a veranda, looking out at a garden, in the warm sunshine. 

Menu Plan Monday 8/15

And again I'm writing on Tuesday.  We just got back from vacation yesterday- flight got into Akron at 10:08pm Sunday night, we stayed the night at my parents' house and then drove home at 5:45 the next morning.  I spent yesterday doing laundry, grocery shopping & unpacking... and managed to squeeze in a workout.  Priorities. I ate a lot on vacation! Starting probably tomorrow I will have to head back to school... I have a lot of planning to do for the upcoming year! 

Here's what we are eating this week:

Sunday: dinner at Boston Logan Airport... yum??

Monday: BBQ Grilled Chicken, Grilled Caesar Salads (used store bought dressing), rice

Tuesday: Broccoli & Cheese Macaroni, caprese salads (yeah... thats a lot of cheese but we have a lot of tomatoes...)

Wednesday: Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burritos, Mexican Rice

Thursday: Pancakes, sausage & fruit

Friday: I'm eating dinner twice :-) Northstar with 3 of my sorority sisters who are coming to town, followed by a cookout w/ friends!

Saturday: TJ's Andouille Sausages, grilled potato salad, green beans (thanks Katie!)

Adieu King Elementary School :-(

My sister Laura & I attended King Elementary School in West Akron for Kindergarten through fifth grade.  (Emily was in private school K-8.) It was a great elementary school and I have many memories from my days there.  I went up to Akron last Sunday & Monday to visit my parents and see my sister who was in town from Chicago, and Monday morning, after a 2 mile walk in Sand Run Metro Park (many good memories there too!), my mom, sister & I headed to King School... to say goodbye :-(  They are tearing down and rebuilding many of the Akron Public Schools, many of which are beautiful, historic buildings.  I currently teach in a building that was built in 2003... so I see both sides of this issue, as there are tons of problems with old buildings and advantages to having a new one.  Still, it is sad. The building is long, so I don't have a picture that shows all of it (and the trees in West Akron are so big it blocks part of the building anyways.) Here are a few of my partial pics: 

On the Summit County Historical Society blog (Mom, did you know they have one?!?), I found out this building was built in 1922!! Crazy.  So perhaps it is time for a little updating... We were only able to visit the outside as they have already started work on the inside, doing whatever it is you do before you demolish and old building.  Here are some pics of Laura & I at our favorite recess and gym class spots: (Please keep in mind they stopped landscaping and weeding b/c there's no point anymore... it used to look much better!)

Here's the good old kickball field:

The climber... we used to be able to hang from the top with our feet dangling... yikes:

The small portion left of the playground that existed when we were students there... they have done some upgrading, but why would I want pictures of the plastic new stuff ??:

Close-up of the double monkey bars... pretty sure we used to race on these: 

 And of course the tire... we usually were UNDER it, hiding inside... but we are a little too big for that now...

The soccer/tag/tetherball/Mother May I (all-purpose??) field: 

Standing on the steps where we once took 5th grade graduation pics... Adieu King School :-(