The Red Pepper Deli

Yesterday for lunch I had the last PBJ of my life. (I hope.) It was totally unappetizing - I choked it down out of pure desperation. We're out of sandwich meat, so I declined to pack a lunch today and went out with Shelby for some grub. Our options are fairly limited near the office, and we already had Dairy Queen this week. I saw a new place the other day that seemed really busy around lunch time, so we decided to try it out. The Red Pepper Deli did not disappoint! The sandwiches were tasty, the service very pleasant - all for a very reasonable price. Glad to have found a new, local eatery!

A list for late summer

Things I'm going to do postpartum:

1) Sleep on my back.
2) Go to Sapporo, best sushi in Louisville (or anywhere, for that matter), and gorge myself on raw fish and seaweed.
3) Buy new pants that actually have a number for a size. S, M, L elastic can only fit so well.
4) Kettlebell.
5) Breed Woody.
6) Drink a beer.
7) Join a moms' group.
8) Scrapbook, I guess.
9) Watch Ellen daily (hello, maternity leave).
10) Convince friends to make friends for Josie.

On Being Brave

I finally learned how to transfer my blog from my old gmail account to my new one. The once necessary logging out and in of different gmail accounts was one hinderance to my blogging frequency. Seriously - I can be that lazy.

The transfer process was actually very simple. I held my breath as I deleted the old account's privileges, hoping that my whole blog would still be in tact. It turned out alright, with only one minor glitch. My "About Me" section was deleted, so I had to revisit my very first post to accurately sum up the story behind this blog.

I've never been one to "journal," but I can see why people might enjoy it. There's nothing like having your own thoughts jotted down somewhere to be rediscovered by a later You. Finding little pieces of the past can remind you of where you've been and teach you a lot about where you're going. Reading my very first post took me back to November 2007, all accompanying memories from my first year in Kentucky, and everything it took to get me here: a wonderful man, opening doors, and a lot of faith.

I'm not big on a lot of contemporary Christian music, but I really, really, very much enjoy Nichole Nordeman. She sings (and I think wrote) a song called "Brave," which speaks to a lot of different situations, but definitely to circumstances of change. Moving to Kentucky took a lot of courage for me, as I had only lived in one town (with the exception of college, which wasn't really any different) for my whole life. Most of my family is there, or nearby. My closest friends had grown up with me since kindergarten. I could drive the streets blindfolded and had memories around every corner.

I left all that behind, armed with God-given bravery, for Kentucky, where I knew only one person very well, and knew no street names. A blank slate can be exciting - and a little scary, to say the least. God was calling me here, and I answered in a big way. "To say Your name, just Your name, and I'm ready to go..."

I would guess that most people thought I was crazy to move. But - "if You believe in me, that changes everything..." I had the Lord encouraging me, believing in me, that this was not so crazy after all. Married and with a child on the way, I have seen God's hand at work in me in Kentucky. I was brave because of Him. "The way it always was, it's no longer good enough..."

And still, "You make me wanna be brave."

Words that end in "tip"

We're getting the house ready ("nesting") for Josie's big arrival, so all of our outlets now host either a plug or one of those plastic outlet covers. So when I found Woody chewing on something that looked like a frosted piece of plastic about the size of an outlet, I quickly freaked out and rushed to scold him so he would drop the darn thing. It turns out it was only a piece of ice, and I felt terribly guilty for yelling at him in my panicked state for merely enjoying a cool treat.

Once I figured out it was just a harmless piece of ice, I changed my tone and tried to coax him into eating it (mainly to make myself feel better for getting on his case). He wouldn't have any part of that, thank you very much. ("You just yelled at me, lady!") What a good dog he is, doing exactly as I told him. I saw this was going nowhere, so I took the piece of ice and encouraged him to eat it out of my hand.

Let me remind you this dog has had raccoons for dinner. Natural born killer, this one.

Anyway, he reluctantly took the ice and seemed to enjoy it thoroughly from my fingertips. Speaking of words that end in -tips, I caught Woody the Best Dog Ever eating a Q-tip yesterday, so my freak-out today wasn't completely out of turn. I only found half of the Q-tip, so here's hoping the rest makes it through his digestive system.

In other Woody news, I've started thinking about packing my bags for the hospital. At 32 weeks, you've gotta start thinking about the possibility of being early. I got an overnight bag from the basement last night, and put it by the bed for packing in the somewhat near future. Woody, however, had different plans for my bag, and has now claimed it as his bed. As a 25 lb. Jack Russell, he really likes being curled up in beds that are too small for him. Whatever floats your boat, Woods. Just lay off the Q-tips before I have a coronary next time you're chewing on anything but dog food.

Couch potato

As my pregnancy continues to progress (32 weeks now!), I spend more and more time on the couch. Fortunately, we found the best deal on an exceptional sectional from craigslist, the source of 95% of our furniture. (The other 5% was either a gift/discard from family or something we bought used - consignment, yard sale, etc. We proudly claim that we haven't purchased a single, new item from a furniture store. So thrifty, so nifty!)

During all this time on the couch, I have watched a considerable amount of television. Some of the shows I currently watch are featured to the right. A few sitcoms here and there, the occasional reality show - but I have most recently become nearly obsessed with the crime drama. I find that I schedule my evening around the Law & Order/CSI/Without a Trace/Cold Case programming. It doesn't help that some form of Law & Order is on most hours of the evening - I've started DVRing random epidsodes from 1997 and 2003 while I'm out of the room to make dinner or put laundry away.

I've been trying to put my finger on the reason behind my recent tv habits. I think I like the fact that the same show is available so often throughout the day, with very few repeats. Seems comfortable, in my generally uncomfortable [physical] state. I also seem to have somewhat of an addictive personality: Kristen and I watched many more episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" than your average college sophomore... On a subconscious level, it's also kind of nice to watch shows that are somewhat self-contained. In a few short weeks, I won't have time for nearly as much tv, so I don't want to get roped in to a continuing story that would require a weekly dedication postpardum. Makes sense, right? Or maybe my pregnancy cravings come in the form of crime dramas instead of strange food combinations...

Fettucine Update

Well I tried the Dairy Free Fettucine Alfredo again. When you don't use active yeast, it's pretty good! It's not exactly alfredo sauce, but how could it be 100% without the cheese? If you're wondering where to get nutritional yeast, it's in the protein powder aisle at Whole Foods, or you can bag it yourself in their bulk food aisle.

A bit about Whole Foods: this particular grocery store is known as "Whole Paychecks" around our house. Not to say that they don't have some great things - it's just unrealistic to buy your entire grocery list there. For instance, the Kroger avocados are NEVER ripe, no matter how many "RIPE NOW" stickers they put on each avocado. So if you need an avocado for tonight's dinner, better go to Whole Foods. Also the Whole Foods' clementines are to die for, according to Shelby's latest report. On my Whole Foods grocery list: ice cream (they definitely have the widest variety of dairy free ice cream), nitrate free bacon and hot dogs (the hot dogs WILL GO BAD in a very short period of time, so eat 'em quick!), bison, and SUSHI!! Well, no sushi until June. (I admit, I have gotten a couple funny looks buying the *vegetable only* sushi once or twice. Ok, it was twice.)

I also just found out that Whole Foods sells a natural tea tree oil that is good for on-the-spot blemish treatment. Thanks for the tip, Rube!

Long Lost

I just learned that one of my Virginia cousins LIVES and WORKS in the Greater Louisville area!!  Not to be confused with the cousin in Owensboro, this newly discovered neighbor cousin and I lost touch about 10 years ago (for no reason that I can think of).  I cannot wait to see her again to catch up on so much time that has gone by.  

I found out about our shared geography when my dad saw her mom at a relative's funeral today.  Apparently her mom and stepdad are coming to visit them this weekend...  Also, she is expecting her 2nd child, due in JUNE.  Could this get any more interesting???

Feature City: Elizabethtown, KY

We have several malls here in Louisville, housing large department stores like Macy's, Dillards, and J.C.Penney. One not represented, however, is Belk, the department store that dominates most of the Central Virginia area. If I want to shop at Belk (maybe I have a Belk return, or my mom is visiting and has a craving to swipe her Belk card), the closest store is in Elizabethtown, less than 60 miles south of Louisville. So I'd like to take a trip down there and make a day of it. First of all, Elizabethtown is featured in the movie "Elizabethtown" with Orlando Bloom, which has been saved in our DVR for a few months now. (I really do want to watch it, but only when I know I won't fall asleep...) The Etown website declares, "We're more than a movie," so I'm eager to find out more about it for myself. The Kentucky Heartland Festival in August sounds particularly appealing. Road trip, Josie!

Blogs 101 (minus 1)

If you're looking for other blogs to read, this list will give you 100 options to fit your fancy. All of the blogs listed are written by women, which is appealing to those wmst-minded folks like me. Whether you're interested in fitness, politics, or trashy romance novels, you're bound to find something interesting on the list. One thing it's missing, though - there are no "cooking" blogs! Bring on the recipes, please. Surely lots of women write about cooking. Right?

A run for my $$

I am 100% confident in my husband's ability to remain faithful to me. I really think he's being totally honest when he says I am the most beautiful lady he has ever seen. All sweetness aside, we have an incredibly strong relationship. But if there ever was a woman to give me a run for my money, it would be Cindy Crawford. And who could blame him? It's Cindy, afterall. Sure, she's got genes on her side. But she also seems to have a realistic view on life, body image, aging, etc - all to make the envious woman that much greener. One of my new favorite blogs, "Workout Mommy," recently highlighted Allure Magazine's feature on Cindy. Supermodel role model for the aging woman. As my mother would say, "she really seems to have her head on straight." If we can't all look like Cindy when we're 43, maybe we can at least have her self acceptance and confidence. And anyway, not everyone would look so sultry with a facial mole. Let's be honest!

Cheering on the Cards

There's one thing I've learned about living in Kentucky:  you have to choose a sports team.  And not just any team - the choice is between the University of Louisville Cardinals or the University of Kentucky Wildcats.  Whether you're a diehard sports fan or you don't know the difference between football and baseball, everyone likes one team or the other.  Generally, I'm a Cards fan, mainly because I usually hang out with other Cards fans, and also because I don't have very close ties to the state except for those in Louisville.  (If I lived in Pikeville or Paducah, maybe I'd be a UK fan - hopefully we'll never know, haha.)

So if most of the people in Kentucky choose to support choose one or the other, I imagine there must be a lot of Cards fans.  Particularly excited Cards fans because the women's basketball team has made it to the NCAA Championship Game!  My loose fan support is swelling with Kentucky pride!  

Go CARDS!