I am a tad bit late on posting about this, but our perfect little babies came on October 15th!

Maxwell John (6 lb 5 oz, 19.25" long, born at 8:58 am) and 

Clara Evelyn (6 lb 7 oz, 19.5" long, born at 9:23 am)

This is the first picture we have of them together. They were about 6 hours old at this point. 

I think Max looks just like Russ, and Clara looks a lot like I did as a newborn. 

And for a quick rundown of how they made their entrance into this world. I had been feeling really uncomfortable since Sunday morning. After little to no sleep that night, I woke up Monday morning feeling like something was different. I remoted in to work for most of the day just to distract myself from the pain. By about 3:00 pm my Mom drove me down to my OB to just get checked out and see if what I was feeling was in fact labor pains (Russ was working). I was 5 cm dilated! I was sent to labor and delivery and after a quick ultrasound we found that Clara had flipped yet again and was breach - they started preparing me for a C-section. By the time the doctor arrived at about 6 pm she had flipped AGAIN! The doctor felt we could try for a vaginal delivery. I was finally fully dilated at about 4 am. At 4:30 am I started pushing. I pushed for over 4 hours (yes, that is correct) until Max finally came with help of forceps. That little stinker just didn't want to come out. It took every ounce of motivation to push again, but after holding him for about a minute I found it in me to push again. I was so exhausted. However, with help of forceps as well, Clara was finally born. 

Both Max and Clara had to spend a few hours in the NICU to check out their lungs, but I was able to have both of them in my room with me by about 2:00 pm. What an amazing blessing. 

I love them so much, and I am so grateful to have two little perfect babies. Thank you to everyone for their continued support. It's been a long road, but so worth it. 

Clara feeling pretty as we were leaving the hospital.

 

Mr. Max snoozing next to his sister on our first day at home.

And now to go cuddle these babies some more. I seriously can't get enough of them. 

Pre-Baby Ramblings

I was going through my "Baby Stuff" Pinterest board a few days ago and I saw this e-card and laughed out loud... again. This is truly how I feel! 

I'm still on bed rest (obviously) but will be 36 weeks on Wednesday. That is a very "average" time for twins to come, so really, these guys could come pretty much any day. And maybe I'm freaking out a bit?

Not in a bad way, don't get me wrong. I want them here more than anything. But how in the world do you begin to prepare for going from "just Russ and I" to parents of TWO newborns? Besides the obvious checklists of 2 cribs, 2 bouncers, diapers upon diapers, clothes for two genders, etc., I don't think you can. I'm pretty much expecting this to be a day-at-a time experience. It will be crazy. It will be exhausting. But I am also positive that it will be amazing. 

It's still very surreal. We bought two Fisher Price Rock n' Plays last week and as I sit on this couch and stare at them set up in the living room it seems so crazy that soon, very soon, my son and daughter will be laying in them. I feel so blessed. It's been quite the year, and I have a feeling that it's only going to get a little crazier from here on out. 

Bring it on!  

Laundry Room!

One of the few projects we were set on completing before the babies came was our laundry room. I love our house, but I had always HATED the laundry room. It is in the worst location (in between the garage and the kitchen). It is cramped. It allowed zero room for "dumping" the every day items before walking into the kitchen. These factors then translated to everything flooding into the kitchen resulting in constant clutter. Let me show you our "laundry room" before:

The shelf above the washer/dryer was nice, but it was very hard to keep organized (and was so visible!). We knew we wanted a new washer/dryer -- especially with all the laundry we will be doing very, very soon. We had bought our used ones from an old retirement home when we got married for $300 combined. They were very used. I was also positive we needed front-loaders. Since there was no counter top, we would place things on top of the washer, then when it came time for laundry I would move the clutter either onto the counter in the kitchen, on the floor in the kitchen, etc. And then when it came time to clean up, the clutter ended right back on top of the washer, and the cycle continued. 

After racking our brains on the best arrangement of our new washer/dryer, cabinets, shelving, and hangers, we finally came up with an arrangement that has made life a lot easier (and cleaner).

We decided to stack the washer/dryer and add a cabinet and counter top that would be the perfect "dumping place" for the purse/mail/keys when we came in from the garage. 

We used the original shelf and just cut it in half and added brackets. These shelves are the one area where things didn't work out as planned - I wanted a small rod on the bottom shelf to hang clothes that shouldn't be dried. However, after we finished the shelves and almost placed the rod, it was too shallow for hangers. DANG! If I knew this wasn't going to work, we probably would have hung the shelves a little lower, but such is life. We ended up removing the door from the closet and hung the rod there - this is basically where I'm standing in the picture. This is also where we can now take off shoes and store laundry baskets during laundry time (as opposed to the kitchen).

The baskets and mail organizer are from Home Goods (and the baskets are actually empty)! The cabinet ended up storing everything! I'm sure I'll find stuff to put in there before too long. :) The magnetic chalkboard is an old magnetic board I had from Freshman year of college that I bought at Ikea. I just spray-painted it with chalkboard paint so that you can write on it as well as hang up invitations, coupons, etc.

The cabinet and drawers have been soooo nice. All the cleaning supplies and odds and ends can be placed in this cabinet rather than in plain sight above the washer/dryer. I painted the cabinet (that is just from Home Depot) one of my favorite paint colors - Benjamin Moore's Palladian Blue. The counter top was the left over butcher block from our DIY island project.

So there ya go. My main "nesting" project is completed, and I am oh-so-happy about it. Besides the new washer/dryer, I think we ended up spending maybe $200 total since we used a lot of supplies on hand (i.e.: the counter top, shelf, magnetic board, etc). It feels good to get such a big project out of the way before these two crazy babies turn our world upside down!

Bedrest

A week and a half has gone by since we were admitted to the hospital for preterm labor, and I am just so grateful that these twins decided to wait it out a little longer. We were there from Friday evening till Monday evening -- definitely not the kind of weekend getaway I would have chosen, but it was worth it. I had already progressed quite a bit, leaving the hospital at 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced. However, the ultrasound with the parinatologist showed that the twins were doing awesome, so much so that they were both measuring "ahead of schedule." As of last Monday, baby girl was 5 lb 14 oz and baby boy was 5 lb 4 oz. Such a relief! The doctor released me from the hospital on strict bedrest with continued "hospital behavior" (aka I can't do anything). 

Bedrest has been an adventure. I have been able to remote into work which has been really nice actually. It makes me feel somewhat productive. There has been plenty of TV and movie watching, reading, and online shopping :). I have been completely overwhlemed with the kindness and service we have received from friends and family. The friends in my neighborhood stop by regularly to make sure I'm not going too crazy. My friend took it upon herself to organize weeks worth of meals brought into our home. Last night a friend even came to my house to cut and color my hair -- just the pick-me-up I was needing. And of course, Russ has been the kindest husband and makes sure I'm well taken care of. I know some women have to be on bedrest for months, and my hat goes off to them. It is harder than I would have thought, but again, so worth it.

I will be 35 weeks tomorrow! We are getting to a much safer place and I'm not as worried about the health of the babies should they come early. I probably have about a week or two max until they come. Yikes!

One of the few activities I have allowed myself to perform is making headbands for baby girl! There are plenty more I plan on making, but I think I have a good start for when she comes. Some of the tutorials I referenced include my good friend Sada, here, and here.

I will continue to try to keep this blog updated as we get closer and closer to the twins arriving. I cannot wait for them to come. Life will be very different, but definitely for the better. 

Thank you again to everyone for the calls, texts, visits, and love sent our way. It has meant so much. 

Stay Inside Babies!

Well this weekend sure isn't turning out how I thought it would. I had plans to play Bunco with my friends (yes, I play Bunco and love it), show up to my hair appointment with unbelievable excitement (we all know getting your hair done is the best feeling, right?), and attending a football-watching party for the BYU vs UofU rivalry game tonight. All fun and exciting things.

Well, my main new goal for this weekend is this:

It all started at my routine appointment where I get strapped to all sorts of monitors as they watch the baby's heartbeats and check to see if there is any contracting. Well there was, which was a bit of a surprise to me. If I had been contracting, it hadn't been painful or regular enough for me to notice. They then took a "fetal fibronectin" test to check whether or not my body was producing a protein that can indicate preterm labor. They sent me home to lay on the couch until I heard my test result. 

At about 4:30 pm they told me to head straight to labor & delivery because all signs were pointing to preterm labor. I have to admit, after this call I was scared and emotional (duh). Luckily Russ was home within 10 minutes and we headed out together. Thank goodness for Russ. 

I was given a steroid shot last night, and will receive one more tonight. This is meant to help the babies' lungs get stronger at an accelerated rate in case they do in deed decide to come early. I have also been given some medicine every 4 hours that help relax the muscles and hopefully slow contractions. I will be here most likely till Monday morning so that I can have an ultrasound with the neonatalogist to check the babies' physical state (besides heart rates).

I woke up this morning feeling pretty crappy, I'm not going to lie. I was frustrated and discouraged as I watched contractions come across the screen every 2-5 minutes. It probably didn't help that I got a max of 4 hours of sleep and have cables coming off of me all over. I really want these babies to be healthy, and I'm going to try my best to keep them inside. I'm 33 weeks and 3 days, so luckily if they came today (which hopefully will not happen) they would be OK. We would have time in the NICU, but they would be OK.

When I am released I will be on strict bed rest. I'm trying my hardest to stay positive and optimistic. At least while I'm in the hospital I get huge meals brought to me, right?!? (how's that for looking on the bright side?) :)

32 Weeks!

Forgive the quality of the picture. I'm just still patting myself on the back for doing my hair today. I'm 32 weeks and 1 day, and I thought it was time that I quickly documented how things are going. Even though this pregnancy has been looooooong, I also cannot believe I have a maximum of 6 weeks left! Crazy!

* I have grown out of most of my maternity clothes by now. This should get interesting.
* Baby girl keeps flipping from breach to head down (boy has always been head down). At this point I am just expecting a C-section, and if something changes last minute it will be a nice perk.
* I feel movement almost all day long. It's really fun. When they both have hiccups I feel like there is an earthquake inside of me.
* These babies are seriously IN my ribs. Sometimes I feel kicks in the back part of my ribs, which really hurts my back. I still get comments like "you are so small! I can't believe there are two in there!" These comments get kind of annoying because believe me, there are two in there. I want to say "I wish I was popping out further so they weren't jammed up in my rib cage." Discomfort aside, it's still a miracle.
* I had to stop wearing my fat, fake wedding ring last week. I gave up on my real ring in June. But it was a bit depressing when the fat ring no longer fit.
* The nursery is coming along! Just some last minute touches here and there and I will be set.
* I. Am. Exhuasted. A lot of twin moms get put on bed rest which I have been fortunate to avoid thus far. However, sometimes I wish I was prescribed bed rest so I had an excuse to be laying down all day. I am still working both my jobs (accounting and piano teaching) pretty much the same amount of time I was before I was pregnant. I have also maintained my calling as 1st counselor in the Young Womens' organization (a group for youth ages 12-18) in my church. We'll see how much longer all of that lasts.
* Still no set names.
* Sleeping? Not really happening.
* I go back and forth between getting extremely excited to meet my two little babies and extremely terrified that I will be a mom to two newborns. Like I know how to keep two newborns alive! :)

At the end of the day, I am just so grateful that both babies are healthy and I've made it this far. I'm trying to take it day-by-day, and you know what? It's working. :)

Trinity Lake, Round 3

About a month ago we went on our third annual trip to Trinity Lake, a remote and gorgeous lake in the Shasta National Forest in Northern California. I look forward to this trip all year long. It's my favorite! We are disconnected from everything spending the days as we please - fun is definitely had by all. This year I couldn't really do, well, anything, but I still loved every second of it. 

*All pictures are taken by Bella Torgerson - thanks Bella! You rock behind the lens.

Glass. A skiier's dream.

This guy obviously stole the show pretty much all week. He loved the boat!

Go Russ!

Captain of the boat.

My bro.

Pure happiness.

My doctor didn't really even want me to go. I was just about 28 weeks along -- he said being so remote wasn't the smartest thing. Well I went, and it was worth it. My dad bought a "Relaxation Station" that was just what the doctor ordered... kind of. 

My cute parents - Dad must have just finished with a sweet ski run.

So this happened. Stu and Russ shaved mustaches. No comment.

Me and the G-man. 

These guys have fun together. They were mustache twins. It was gross.

The air chair was a new addition -- I can't wait to try it next year! (Russ's face cracks me up, by the way,)

Can't wait till next year. It's crazy to think I will have two crazy 10 month olds running around. Oh how life will change, but definitely for the better. Thanks mom and dad, another amazing trip to remember!

The day I met Dave Matthews

I can't believe I even typed out that sentence.

I'm a huge Dave Matthews Band fan {major understatement}. The obsession started early in high school and continued throughout college. Last night was my 8th time seeing his live show. I have stood in the rain for ten hours to get as close as possible. I was a stalker and drove by his house in Seattle. I would wake up having weird/creepy dreams that we were BFF's (Dave and I). I think I know just about every song he has ever written, and own all of them. OK, I think that gives enough information. Believe me yet?

Well imagine how I felt when my brother-in-law, Stuart, told me he was going to get to go backstage for the DMB show in Utah, along with the rest of Fictionist. They were playing at a gig where the saxophone player (Jeff Coffin) was involved and were being compensated with these tickets. Embarrassingly enough, I started crying (I blame it on the pregnancy hormones). Stu said he would try as hard as possible to get an extra one for me. After a month or so, he found out he was only going to get 2. For the last few years, I have been doing the accounting for Fictionist. Stu, being the best brother-in-law in the world, asked the rest of Fictionist if it was OK if I got the other ticket as compensation for keeping up the books. They all agreed... I couldn't believe it was actually going to happen.

I was so giddy leading up to the show. When we arrived to the amphitheater, the special badges we had also gave us a dinner ticket. We were free to pretty much roam around backstage. I, of course, was keeping my eyes peeled for Dave, or any other members of the band. They all must have been in their vans or something, because no one was to be seen, until I finally saw Stefan Lessard, the bass player. COOL! We hooked up with Stu's friend/connection and we went in to the room to get our food. From the few minutes we were in there loading up our plates to when we rejoined the group for dinner, a miracle occurred. As we were approaching the picnic table outside, there were a few guys sitting down and eating, and one in particular standing and leaning over the table. {HEART SINKS} I start whispering from behind Stu saying something like "Stu. Stu. Stu. Look who it is. Stu. Stu. Oh my gosh. Stu." We finally approach the table and sure enough, Dave Matthews and I are within feet of each other. I set my plate on the table, he turns around, looks at me and says:

"I've heard about you!"

I'm in complete shock. Yet somehow manage to respond by saying "Oh yeah? Why is that?" His response was so completely unexpected but also very characteristic of him (since I know him so well).

"You're the one who got knocked up!"

hahahahaha

I kept it cool and we start joking around and I say "And how do you know that?" he responds with "I'm pretty good on picking that up." Blah Blah. And for about a minute or so we just kind of joke back and forth. Stu steps in and says "this is my sister-in-law, Camille" and then I shake Dave's hand. Woah. After he said it was nice to meet me, I said something like "Nice to meet you, too. I'm a huge fan." Whew! I didn't make a fool of myself. Somehow I muster something like "Can I get a picture with you?" And there ya have it. My new favorite picture ever. An image I never thought would come to pass. To be honest, in all the times I dreamed of this happening, I didn't think that's what Dave was going to say to me, but hey, I'll take what I can get! :)



After this lifetime dream just happened, I couldn't even eat. My hands were shaking! Stefan Lessard came and sat at the picnic table next to us, and after about 10 minutes Stu approached him and started chatting with a fellow bass player. I later joined them and we sat and talked to Stefan for about 15-20 minutes. I wanted to pinch myself as I was asking questions about the early days with DMB and he was freely telling me stories of his time with the band (22 years!). So surreal.





Later on we were able to watch the Head and the Heart (the band who opened, also another favorite of mine) from side stage. Stu, being the charmer he is, was somehow able to talk to pretty much every single member of that band. They were all so nice and down-to-earth.

We ended up seeing every member of DMB backstage, even though we only talked to Dave, Stefan and Jeff Coffin. For the actual DMB show we went to our seats out in the audience and rocked the night away. He played some fan favorites - Dancing Nancies, Halloween, #41, and All Along the Watchtower. That band never ceases to amaze me! Every show is amazing and I never walk away disappointed.

Life goal to meet Dave Matthews... check! DMB fan forever!

Finished Island & Kitchen Upgrades

I've had a handful of requests to finally see the finished island. We started it forever ago, I think last November? And true to DIY form it took longer than expected. However, I am so proud of Russ. He built this thing from scratch. Neither of us knew what we were doing, but he kind of just learned as he went. The paint color was also a decision, not surprisingly. At first I painted it a beautiful blue-green color that tied in with my wallpaper, but with my dark cabinets and everything else, it just wasn't working. So I decided to embrace the contrasting cabinet look and painted it the same white as our trim (Sherwin Williams Milk White).

 It's been in it's current state since the spring. We have been at a standstill because we still need to add "fake drawers" on the cabinet side. We went to Ikea to buy two handle bars to match the rest of the kitchen, and wouldn't you know it? They no longer make that style. AWESOME. So, the island is still missing fake drawers, but I figured you guys could look past that, right?! :)

And here's the side where all the cereal-in-the-morning magic happens. Since having our island I've realized how much I missed it! The extra storage space and working space is nice, but we also love just pulling up the stool for a quick bite to eat. You can find those stools on Overstock.com, but for all of you Utah folk, you need to go by the Overstock Outlet. It's a total hit-or-miss place, but when you "hit" you really hit! We found these stools for $16 TOTAL. Yes, $8 a stool. SCORE! They've been great. Easy to clean and easy to move around and stack.

The butcher block counter top has been one of my favorite aspects of the island. Butcher block can be really expensive, but Ikea saved the day once again. We bought Numerar counter top and trimmed it to size.  We first applied a pre-stain by Minwax, and then stained it "Dark Walnut" by Minwax. We finished the job with a few coats of Polycrylic to give it the nice, shiny finish. 

One of the major upgrades we sprung for was finally getting a new oven. Whoever built our house put in the cheapest, crappiest electric coil stove-top oven EVER. I hated it from the day we moved in. We had thought about wiring in gas so we could get a gas stove, but soon realized it was going to be either really expensive or really dangerous for Russ to attempt messing around with gas lines. :) So we opted for this great LG double oven. The two different ovens have really been a life-saver. I would highly recommend it!

The final major upgrade we made was a new table and chairs. Once we had built the island, our table really wasn't working. (You can see it here) It was black, which wasn't working with the wood tones of the island, and it was a counter-height table which was awkward as it was the same height as our new island. There needed to be more dimension. We sold it on KSL and bought a new table for less than we sold it and the matching chairs for! Can't complain.

We found the grey-tufted dining chairs at World Market for about half the cost. Finding deals makes me happy.

Russ made the bench from scrap wood he found around the neighborhood (there is still new construction going on, so Russ finds joy in a little dumpster diving).

And finally, the Overstock outlet I mentioned above pulled through again. We found 4 tabouret chairs for less than $40 total! I'm still looking for the perfect chair pads, but until I find them these outdoor pads from Ikea have done the trick. 

 And finally, no more boob lights!!!! I'm not sure if you understand how happy this makes me. We found a great deal on some LED recessed lights at Home Depot. After sending in a rebate and selling our old fixtures, they came to about $10 each. You can see in the picture below from a few years ago, we had way too many boobs to handle. Thank goodness this situation has been remedied. (You can also see another picture of our old table). The only one left is in the living room -- still hunting for the perfect replacement.

....  and now, such a clean ceiling. My happy place. 

So I think our kitchen is a million steps closer to being a kitchen I love. Now only if I could convince Russ that white cabinets and wood floors are essential... They are, right? :) 

25.5 Weeks

Oops! Another month went by. It's been a busy month full of weddings, family get-togethers, and growing. I mean literally growing. Since journaling is something I am absolutely terrible at, I thought I should be better about documenting this crazy twin pregnancy. Overall I still catch myself just staring at my belly thinking "is this really happening?" The thought that Russ and I are soon-to-be-parents of two new little people is a bit mind-boggling and overwhelming at times, but something we thank Heavenly Father for every night. This truly is a miracle and a blessing. 

I want to remember how I felt at this time, so these are merely "how I'm feeling points," so forgive me if they come off like whining. As I mentioned above, I am so incredibly grateful to even be in this situation.

* I have felt pretty "good" for the last month or so (it's all relative, right?), but I can definitely feel myself slowing down a lot this last week. Exhaustion hits fast and it hits hard lately. I'm pretty sure the babies have found a home partly in my ribs, which is just awesome. Sitting at work all day gets really uncomfortable/painful on the ribs, so laying down is always a nice treat.

* My pregnancy "vice" is definitely swollen feet and ankles (and pretty much everything else too. You know, the face, hands, limbs, etc.). Not only do I really miss seeing my ankles and my actual feet, walking becomes quite painful. The only way to describe it is little pin pricks every time I step. It started right around 18 weeks and hasn't really gone away. My doctor said it is expected to be worse (and start earlier) with multiples, which has definitely been the case.

* My doctor also restricted me from pretty much any exercising pretty early on, except for walking. But as I mentioned in my last point, walking becomes painful, so that doesn't happen often. The most I have done are some bike rides here and there. Needless to say, I cannot wait for a good hard workout sometime after these babies are out!

* I can feel the babies move all the time now! It's so fun and surreal. I'm sure it's going to get even crazier as they get bigger and there are 8 limbs pushing and squirming around. :)

* We have started accumulating random pieces of baby gear, nursery furniture, and clothes. Everything is so fun to prepare for. We still haven't bought cribs, but I'm sure once those come, nursery planning will be in full-force. Until then, nesting has kicked in and I've been cleaning and organizing closets and getting other projects done that I know will be impossible come October. We are almost done with re-doing our laundry room, which is going to make life so much easier. That's what it's all about these days.

* I am like always hungry. Early on I was ravenously hungry, but now it's like this dull hunger that never really goes away. I get full fast (probably because my stomach is all squished), but I am hungry an hour or so after a main meal. My main goal for these babies is to get them to a healthy birth-weight, so I try to not feel bad about the fact that I am
a l w a y s   e a t i n g.

* Oh, and if anyone is wondering, no names have been chosen... or even close. We should probably get on that knowing how long it takes Russ and I to make decisions. :)

Insta Update!

Thank you, thank you for all of the kind and supportive comments about our recent discovery! We sure are excited about having a boy and girl, even though all three options would have been equally exciting. I think all three have their fun and hard aspects, but of course we are excited for what the future holds. 

It's been a busy spring and summer (when is it not, right?!) so I thought I should do a quick update via my Instagram feed. Smart phones sure make it easy to document small moments of every day life.

Left to right:

* Sunday walks in our neighborhood with the mister. Walking is about all I can do these days -- my doctor said no to running (and similar activities) since twins can be a "high-risk pregnancy." Sigh.

* Hiking with the Young Women of our ward (church organization). Utah sure is gorgeous. 

* A glimpse of the Salt Lake City temple while I was on yet another outing with the Young Women.

* Our first baby gear purchase! It is the City Select double stroller with two car seat attachments and two toddler seats, thanks to the KSL classifieds. I love getting things half off! :)

* Our garden that Russ works so hard on is starting to bring yummy things into our house. 

* I am still obsessed with this little boy. 

* My sister-in-law, Marcella, had her fourth baby! Baby Milly joined the world on June 13th with a full head of dark hair.  She is beautiful! I also love that her name is one of the main nicknames people use for me. We already have a special bond. :)

* My half-way (for twins) baby bump documentation! It sure is weird (and amazing) watching your body grow so fast...

* I've been on a baking kick these days (which I'm sure Russ is grateful for since I took a few months off of being in the kitchen when I wasn't feeling so great earlier on). Last night I made some Blueberry Shortcakes from Martha Stewart Living. I love summer berries. And Martha.

Boy and Girl!

We just got back from our ultrasound this morning and I couldn't wait to document our results! A baby boy AND girl will be joining our family in about 4 months!! I was so incredibly nervous for the ultrasound, not just for the gender reveal, but also because I felt like there were twice as many things that could go wrong! When we got in the room I was dizzy and anxious! But luckily both babies look perfectly healthy and right on track for size and weight. I feel so blessed and grateful. It's been a long road, but here we are with two little people coming our way mid-October.

Baby boy was NOT shy at all and we found out his gender within the first few minutes. He was also taking up the entire front section of my belly leaving the second baby to be crowded in the corner. She is way more prim and proper. She was hiding out in the corner just minding her own business and would NOT uncross her little legs. After about 5 minutes of navigating around, she finally decided to reveal enough to deduce that she is in fact a girl. I'm predicting that baby boy will be the bolder personality of the two.

Anyway, we are so excited. And of course now comes the fun part of planning/buying/scheming, etc.... :)

New York City Pt. 2

As mentioned in the previous post, Russ had to go to New York City for work, so I tagged along! I figured the time to do this was quickly slipping from our fingers. :) I hadn't been to NYC since I was a lot younger, so I really didn't remember much at all. Holy moly that city is INTENSE, and slightly overwhelming. Everywhere you look there is something going on, and the energy is tangible. It's pretty much impossible to get bored there! I have to admit, I was ready to come home, but that is probably due largely to my current state of being. :) 

Highlights:

• The National Concert
• Fancy restaurants and yummy bakeries (two words: Levain Bakery)
• Central Park
• Highline Park in Brooklyn (a park on top of a railroad and overlooking Brooklyn -- gorgeous!)
• Chelsea Market
• Brooklyn in general - I was charmed by the less "crazy" and artistic area of Brooklyn
• "Once" on Broadway - a fun and intimate Broadway show that was basically a Mumford & Sons concert with a story :)
• MET Museum

Less Awesome Moments:

• THE SUBWAY! Out of all of the public transportation systems I have experienced both in the US and Europe, the NYC Subway is by far my least favorite. Completely confusing and frustrating. The end.
• Getting rained out on Friday, and having to walk around in it all day while Russ was working. I'm talking flash flood rain. So not cool.
• Getting "mooooo-ed" at by an incredibly rude and most-likely drunk man. I'm not even kidding. By Saturday night my feet were swollen and I was feeling especially pregnant. We were slowly walking down the sidewalk (that was plenty wide) when I heard the man behind us start "mooooo-ing." I turned around and said "did you just MOO at me?" He was obviously surprised that I actually called him out, and muttered something about being late to his show, so I said "pass me by!!" And then because my blood was boiling and I was NOT in the mood to be compared to a cow, I pointed at my belly and loudly stated "I'M PREGNANT WITH TWINS! And you're incredibly rude!!" He and his posse just looked at me, shocked, and again just muttered something like "oh, I'm sorry... ugh... gotta go." Haha. I was in shock that someone could be so rude, but felt better that I spoke my peace. :) I hope he learned a valuable lesson that you do NOT mess with a pregnant woman walking around in NYC. 

Ok, I just had to record those memories for history's sake. How often can you say you have been "mooed" at? New York City is a city all it's own! I'm not sure I could ever live there, but it sure is fun to visit! 

The National in NYC

One of Russ's biggest clients is in New York City and he needs to go onsite every other month or so. I haven't been to NYC since I was a lot younger, so I've been itching to tag along. We finally made it happen last weekend! (more on our trip to come). Russ was able to plan the visit around a specific date we had in mind -- the night our favorite band, The National, would be playing at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn. I'm still a little amazed it all worked out. Sure can't complain about a very highly subsidized trip to the east coast to see my favorite band.

I was first introduced to the band in college and I instantly fell in love with the lyrics, melodies and brooding vocals of Matt Berninger (the lead singer). I can easily say The National helped me get through my years of infertility and all of the ups and downs (mostly downs) that we experienced. I have a 6 disc CD player in my car and their albums have been constants -- never to be removed! I really am grateful for their music. It helped me cope and heal. Music is powerful!

This concert turned out to be more than just any old concert. Soon before our trip I read this article and learned that this show would also be the band's first time to play in an arena, and in their hometown, nonetheless. They have been a band for about 14 years, and their hard-work and persistence has paid off. They have sure had their fair share of struggles and playing for empty rooms, which I'm sure every band can relate to. It is encouraging to see that sometimes (a lot of) patience, time, and hard work can actually lead to something. I couldn't stop thinking about my own brother-in-law (and my patient sister) and their endeavors with Fictionist. The members of that band work so incredibly hard and deserve nothing more than to make it, just like The National. The members of The National are not young kids -- they are all nearing 40 and have wives and kids. Success comes in many different forms, but I think the kind that is organic and well-earned is even more deserving.

Just as this show meant a lot for me as one of the 12,000 in the crowd, it also meant a lot to them. I loved being at that show and seeing just how grateful, humbled and reflective the members of the band were. They pulled out all of the stops -- St. Vincent even came and sang a song with them! As always with highly anticipated concerts, I was sad to see it end, but also comforted because I get to see them again August 1st when they come to Salt Lake City! Yes! My very own home. They will be playing at the Twilight Concert Series, so any of you local folk should pay the $5 (crazy good price) and come check out The National.

Crappy iPhone picture before the show! So excited!

The Barclay's Center is huge and awesome. 

... and since I can't pick just one, here are a few of my favorite songs (there are so many more)...

This song, a more subdued one, was on repeat for weeks. Words can't explain how much this song means to me. 

This song was the first song I heard, introduced to me in college by my friend Kim Paul. Whenever I hear it I instantly become nostalgic for such a momentous time of my life.

And this one makes me want to run. Or jump around. Or something. Such a good song.

Natalie's Big Day

You know those type of people that everyone loves? They have a special light about them and make everyone happy, just by being there. They are also the type of people where in the back of your head you think "who could ever be good enough for this person??" Well Natalie is one of those people. Natalie and I were friends way back in college and lived in the same apartment complex. After a year or two of knowing her, she set me up with her older brother (which in itself is a huge compliment). As you can guess, I ended up marrying this brother of hers! I feel so lucky to have met Natalie for obvious reasons, but also because my sister-in-law was my friend before she was my family!

Anyway, we've wanted nothing but her happiness, so seeing her on cloud nine last week at her wedding was a dream come true. Natalie looked gorgeous and so, so happy. She found the most perfect person to spend eternity with. We love Greg and feel so lucky to have him in our family. They are perfect for each other. 

Isn't her dress gorgeous??

 

The whole Lewis clan!

The bridal party! I love all of these girls.

We love you and are so happy for you Nat! And welcome to the family Greg!!

(by the way, if you are wanting to tap into a market to make mega bucks, make maternity bridesmaid dresses. Seriously, those things are practically non-existent. I guess no one ever thinks they will have 3 pregnant bridesmaids) :)