Home sweet home!

Hello, friends! I am back from my whirlwind spring break trip, and getting ready to get back to the grind tomorrow. I had such a wonderful time in Charlotte, visiting Anna and her now 7 week old baby, Mae. I won't bore you with words ... instead, photos of a cute baby!!! Yay!!!

Anna, Mae and I went out to lunch at my fave spot in Huntersville, Maddi's Southern Bistro.

Doesn't Anna look fantastic?!
Afterwards, we strolled around Birkdale Village while Mae took a little nap.
....and more napping.
...napping after a bath...
...and look! It's my other Charlotte friend, Cassie, and her now 11 month old, Charlie. Remember the last time you saw Charlie? He's a lot bigger now!
He is crawling now, and getting into everything. How can you resist that face??!!!
Moms and kids ... complete with Charlie chewing on a cord. Don't worry, it wasn't plugged in. :)
Mae, hanging out!
We took a nice long walk along Lake Norman while Mae napped in the Baby Bjorn.
...and then napped a little bit more at home ...
... until she woke up when daddy came home!!! I love this photo!
All ready for bed!
As if the baby fever wasn't bad before ... it's kicked up a (huge, massive) notch after this visit. Matt, when are you coming home?? :)

Nashville, Spring Break, and 2 Months!

Hi friends! Remember me? I realize it's been a week since I blogged last ... AGAIN. Lots has been going on and I've been super busy with no time to blog. I feel like I have a lot to talk about today!

1. Nashville visit! Last weekend I went down to Clarksville, TN to visit my bff Jenn. I took no photos, but we had such a great time! Last Saturday, we went into Nashville and ate at Pancake Pantry (seriously ... could pancakes be any tastier???), then did a bunch of fun baby stuff like pushed around strollers. Jenn and her husband are expecting their first little bundle of joy on or around July 9th (Jenn, I feel like I can out you here since you FINALLY said something on Facebook!). We had so much fun looking at baby stuff! We also found the most adorable baby dress EVER and I bought it for her, despite the fact that they aren't finding out if it's a boy or a girl. We just decided if she ends up having a boy, the dress will come back to me and we can just trade it back and forth. I can't find a photo online, but it is from BabyGap and sooooo so sweet.

2. Spring Break! I'm on spring break and it feels so good. I took Friday off and drove up to my parents' house in Michigan on Thursday night. On Friday, my parents played a recital at the Jewish Community Center for a group of retired people, and I tagged along to see them play. It went great, and was fun to see them play together! And also kind of fun to see how many people in the audience were falling asleep. Oh well, what can you do! Yesterday, I spent the day in Ann Arbor visiting my friends Adrienne and Jillian, and I also spent some time with an old college professor, John, who married Matt and me. So much fun! The day was absolutely miserable - rainy and windy - so I couldn't go walk around campus, which was a bummer. But still a great day! Today, I get to spend some time with my bff Catherine, who I haven't seen since Christmas 2008! She has been living in Mexico City, interning with the Associated Press, but her internship is over and she has temporarily moved back up to the Detroit area while she job searches. Can't wait to see her this afternoon! And tonight, my parents and I are celebrating my birthday - finally! So, that should be fun. Not exactly sure what my plans are for tomorrow yet ... but then Tuesday I am driving 10 hours to Charlotte, NC to see my sweet friend Anna and her new baby, Mae. And I PROMISE I will have photos of that!!!!

3. 2 Months! As of today, Matt has been gone for 2 months. Seriously, it seems like I was just typing out a "1 Month!" blog post. I do still feel that time is flying, although he is actually nearing the time when he will leave "for real" to head overseas and I am dreading it. I have been so spoiled, being able to talk to him pretty much every day - either on the phone, gchat, email, whatever. But I am confident that time will continue passing quickly, and he'll be home - at least for R & R - before I know it!

How are all of you doing?

Four Years Ago...

Four years ago today, Matt and I met on a blind date at what quickly became our favorite dive sushi spot. Which, coincidentally, is NOT the sushi spot in the background of this photo. But this is the first (good) photo of the two of us on record. :)

Two years ago today, Matt asked me to marry him at the same dive sushi spot.

Happy four year date-iversary, Matt! I love you ... and miss you more than words can express.

Weekends!

Happy Thursday night, friends! I am really looking forward to the weekend. I ended up staying home sick today from work ... could not wake up this morning (after 11 hours of sleep!) and had some migraine/sicky feelings. Just could not shake it. This morning, I woke up and then went back to sleep for another 3 hours. Craziness. I lazed around all day and am feeling better tonight, so staying home was definitely the right call. Lots of kids to see/things to do tomorrow, though.

And then - off to Nashville for the weekend to see my friend Jenn! Can't wait. The weather is supposed to be great there (55 and sunny!!!) and I can't wait to spend some quality time with her. Then ... only one week of work left until spring break! Whoo! I am going to Michigan for a few days to celebrate my birthday with my parents, see a recital my parents are playing, and visit with some friends. And then I'll be driving straight down to Charlotte, NC to visit my friend Anna and her new baby Mae! Lots of driving involved, which I'm less enthused about, but excited to see everyone!

What are you all looking forward to in the next few weeks? Anything fun and exciting?

Blog Rant!!!

Dear Blog Land,

Since many of you read the same blogs that we do, you're probably aware of a lot of "blog drama" that's been happening over the past few weeks. Just typing that is laughable, but we have some things to say because we’re sick of hearing about it. People are getting upset because of mean comments left on their blogs or feeling that they no longer have any privacy and that people pry too much into their lives. They claim that blogging is an outlet for them, that it's their way of expressing themselves. And that others are ruining that for them.

Well, here's the deal as far as we see it. If you don't want people to know something - don't post it on your blog for the world to read. Stop creating Formspring accounts where anyone & everyone can ask you whatever they please. And seriously - stop answering the questions you don't want to answer. But for the love of God, stop complaining. Because you've created a monster, and then throw your hands up in the air like you had nothing to do with it. Please.

Because if you say something like "I had (fill in the blank) happen to me, but I don't want to talk about it on my blog. Email me if you want to know more," or "I bought (fill in the blank) but I don't want to share how much it cost on my blog," then don't act surprised when people get curious. It's like a child who claims to have a secret, but won't tell anyone. If you really have a secret, keep your mouth shut. Don't parade your "secret" around your blog, and then point your finger at others for asking too many questions. It's human nature to be curious. If you hadn't said anything in the first place, people wouldn't have asked. It's as simple as that.

If you're mad that people are calling you pretentious - stop posting pictures of your expensive material possessions on your blog, and blog about something else. If you really blogged for "you," then we believe you'd have more to share than pictures of your house, your car, your clothes, your furniture, or your jewelry. People only know what they see. With blogging, where people only know what you share - you have 100% control of your image. If you don't like it - do something about it. If you don't like the mean comments, delete them.

But the problem is that those who claim to want privacy, really don't. They say things like "I would still blog if no one read. I only blog for me as a way of expressing myself." Sorry, but we’re calling your bluff. If you really felt that way, you'd go private. You'd create another blog that no one knew about. But you won't do that. Because you love the attention. You've turned blogging into a popularity contest, and then act stunned when it turns against you.

Don't act so surprised when things don't work out the way you wished. If you think you're going to put yourself out there to the entire internet, and have everyone compliment you or talk about how amazing you are, you are seriously naive. It's like being a celebrity, in a MUCH reduced sense. When you put yourself in the public eye, people are going to judge and question the way you live your life. Period. It’s the way it works whether it’s right or wrong. You can't expect everyone to like you. And unfortunately, you can't expect those who don't like you, to ignore you. If you really blog for you, then continue to do that. Don’t let people bother you.

Either toughen up & accept that people aren't always going to love you, or make your blog private. It's not rocket science. But the complaining has to stop. Because it comes off as whiny and immature. If you can't handle the criticism, don't put yourself out there. And no one would judge you for deciding to close your blog. No one would judge you for deciding to go private. But people will judge you when you put your entire life in front of the public, and then complain about the repercussions.

Rant over.

love,

jenn, shaina, and d.a.r