To My Make-up Artist
2007-04-17 13:44:09
Happy Birthday, Kari!!
Kari is selling this cool new bakeware, and I’m totally gonna host a party sometime in May. (Steph, it would be good for your blog!) So everyone just sit tight..
Tip one back for me today, honey!
Read more: Artist
To My Neighbor
2007-04-18 18:13:29
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROLINE!!
Tip one back for me!
Read more: Neighbor
Naw, Dawg..
2007-04-20 21:08:36
Naw, Dawg..
Originally uploaded by SarahLena.
This is one of Delle’s pics, but it makes me laugh. Hard.
Because in my head, the holder of the camera has been talking smack. Something along the lines of, “Aww, you can’t even keep from droolin’, dawg! Step up!”
And clearly Baby Matthew (on the right, covered in drool) was gonna come over and whoop some camera ass, but his homie to the left was like, “No, dawg, chill! I got this! I. Got. This.”
(And quite frankly, that anonymous baby scares me a bit.)
Chicken Gizzards.. mmm..
2007-04-20 16:18:34
I know it’s been quiet here. I’m sorry. How horrible of me to drop a bomb like “I’M PREGNANT!” and then keep silent. In truth, I took Wednesday off (as planned) and then yesterday as well (unplanned, entirely). So I’ve spent time at home and offline, doing stuff that I never thought I would do.
Namely, I got on waiting lists for daycares (gasp!) and bought maternity clothes (bigger gasp!). The daycare thing is quite worrysome; can you believe you can put your unborn fetus on some lists and STILL not make it in? But the maternity clothes? Man, I almost cried when I tried them on yesterday. Not because I was bummed about it, but because they felt so good. No more cramping my belly or restraining my breasts. I just felt.. happy.
So, as promised, here are some thing that you’re going to experience in early pregnancy that I don’t think anyone prepared me for:
YOUR BODY IS NOT YOUR OWN. This struck me most when it ca
Read more: Chicken
When I’ve Been in a Theatre Too Long.
2007-04-23 17:06:51
In our morning scheduling meeting..
Manager: Yes, I spoke to Angela on Friday and she said that she would be bringing.. bringing..
Me: Sexy back?
Gimme a Double.
2007-04-23 15:40:32
Something I didn’t know about pregnancy? It gives you VERY strange dreams. I had two very in-depth, very vivid dreams on Saturday night, both revolving around the beach. Last night, the same thing.
Last night’s dream was a journey. I was walking with Greg Howard, and some other guy whose face I couldn’t see. This other guy, though, was sooo sweet to me.. he carried me when my feet got tired, and he made me laugh when I thought I couldn’t go any further, and he sang to me when I couldn’t sleep. Finally, we got past a certain point in our journey, and I turned to face him. It was Bryan.
I know that sounds uber-cheesy, but it was so reassuring to know that he IS the man of my dreams.
Other things that Lil Peep has made clear:
Bacon cheeseburgers are God-sends.
Five shows a weekend is too much. How about four?
Try and eat too much salt. I dare you.
Frozen Milky Ways are almost as good as bacon cheeseburgers. (Almost.)
If you insis
Read more: Gimme
The Low Down from the Momma
2007-04-27 16:49:19
I’m about to give you a big one for the “Sarah is such a HORRIBLE person” category. I know you’re excited.
Here’s the lowdown: I’m not excited about my pregnancy.
Don’t misunderstand. I am very much looking forward to being a mother. I can’t wait to do nursery stuff. But am I excited? About being bloated, constipated, gaining weight, and not sleeping? No, quite frankly, I’m not.
And I know that comes across as callous. Which is why when people gush and beam and ask me questions, I will put on some fake-happy-grin and say, “Yes, we’re very excited!”
That’s half true. Bryan is excited.
Does this make me horrible?
I don’t FEEL any different. I mean, I feel ill from time to time, and I hate how my weight fluctuates with the frequency of my bowel movements, and it’s weird to only crave healthy food.. but I don’t feel PREGNANT. At all. I just feel.. you know, like
Read more: Momma
Happy Daisy Day!
2007-04-25 20:55:16
Today was a good day.
After the long night, I thought I would be dragging today, but a large Hi-C is keeping me strong. I got a call around 10:45 that I had a delivery at the Visitor’s Center.
I stopped there on my way to let Mom’s dogs out at lunch, and lo and behold.. there is a pretty arrangement of daisies waiting for me.
It’s Administrative Professionals Day.
In my three years with this company (and the two as a temp before it), I have never, ever been recognized on Admin Pro Day. I have often coordinated other people’s gifts and cards and lunches, but this is the first time someone has thanked ME.
This year caught me especially off-guard because my new job code doesn’t necessarily scream “Administrative Professional”. But the team said I’m their “gal Friday”. They can’t get by without me.
I know I’m a bit hormonal right now, but that meant a lot to me.
Read more: Happy
, Daisy
Any Story Containing a Black Widow ROCKS.
2007-04-25 16:08:33
I’m sure everyone has heard the expression “When it rains, it pours.“ This is especially true in plumbing.
As a preplanned favor, I went to pick my parents’ dogs up from the vet yesterday afternoon. They were crazy, as always, but very excited to not be in a kennel. Mom and Dad were due in from Santa Barbara later that evening, so when I dropped the dogs off, I didn’t stay long enough to notice that weird sound.
I got a message from Dad around six, letting me know that the tornados in Dallas had diverted their flight to San Antonio. They had been taxiing on the plane for two hours by this point, but he was sure they’d be taking off any minute.
After I went grocery shopping (buying completely odd mixtures of items: pickles and ice cream, olives and Milky Ways, yogurt and sardines) and unpacked everything, Daddy called again. It was eight o’clock or so by this point. He said that there were no flights in or out of San Antonio o
Read more: Black
Lil Peep - 8 Weeks
2007-04-24 16:09:27
Lil Peep – 8 Weeks
Originally uploaded by SarahLena.
Have you seen the Friends episode where Jennifer Anniston goes for her ultrasound and can’t find the baby?
I TOTALLY didn’t have that experience. My little bean wasn’t shy at all. Now, I can’t tell you which end is the head and which end is the.. not the head, but there’s the Lil Peep, showing off for the camera. At one point, Lil Peep looked like one of those King Cake babies, a perfectly tiny little person.
The coolest part? The heartbeat. It is SO fast! Lil Peep’s heart works so hard to get blood going. It was the neatest thing to watch; it looked like a hummingbird’s wings.
In other news, my OB did the FASTEST pap smear I’ve ever had done. So much so that I kept waiting for the speculum, and began to freak out when he took off his gloves. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he was so fast that I DIDN’T KNOW HE WAS DOING IT. I don’t know if I made him uncomfortab
GET OUT OF MY WAY.
2007-04-24 15:54:49
GET OUT OF MY WAY.
Originally uploaded by SarahLena.
How you know he loves you:
I jumped up at 10:15 Sunday night and said, “OHMYGOD, I HAVE TO HAVE ICE CREAM.” He was smarter than to argue with me, so I flew into the kitchen and made myself a “medium size bowl” of Bluebell Cookies ‘n Cream. And some chocolate syrup.
When I came back to the couch, all he said was, “Hey, you’ve got a little something on your neck.”
I said, “Oh, I probably itched myself.”
He said, “No, I think it’s chocolate.”
I said, “I don’t have any chocolate on me.”
So rather than just laughing hysterically, he leaned over, grabbed the camera, and took this picture so that I could see that, yes, I not only had SOME chocolate on me, but I looked as if I had suffered a seizure while using the Hershey’s bottle.
And how I know he loves me? I didn’t care, and began eating the ice crea
Today’s Advice for Sarah
2007-05-01 20:18:14
So, there’s one thing about pregnancy that is really weird to me. And it’s not true with everyone, I’m sure, but it drives me nuts.
And Mom, this is probably not a post for you.
When Bryan and I went on our first “official” date.. the kind where you are allowed to kiss at the end.. I made that first move. I lunged at him from the passenger seat of his Pathfinder and planted one on him. Why? Because he would not make a move! He was sitting over there, trembling, while I practically leaned over while licking my lips. It could not have been easier. But he was too scared.
Since then, he has not been timid.
Well, because he is a complete and total gentleman, he knows that 90% of the time, I’m not really into sex right now. I feel GUH-ROSS, fat, bloated, gassy, exhausted.. and did I mention fat? All of those things do not make a very sexy-feeling Sarah
. So most nights, we cuddle, and I rub his back, and he plays with my hair un
Read more: Today
Consistency is Key.
2007-05-01 16:25:00
Last night, I had the best dinner EVER.
Unfortunately, it was hell to get there.
You know how, here in Huntsville, restaurants will open strong and then.. slowly.. the quality comes down? Yeah, well, Carrabba’s (SADLY) has taken that turn.
While we used to eat there almost once a week (Bryan, of all people, LOVES calamari), our temporary residence in the Playhouse curbed our frequency. And, apparently, without our frequent visits, the staff stopped caring.
We went there one Friday night (maybe opening night?) late, and had to send the calamari back because it was so incredibly salty that it made my stomach cramp after two bites. We were assured it would be removed from our bill, and they sent out another platter of calamari as an apology.
Sure enough, that damn plate of calamari was on our bill at the end. We let it go.. karma and all.. but the rancid taste of overly-salted squid may have turned me from the dish for a long while.
We went again last night bec
Read more: Consistency
I Would’ve Wet My Pants.
2007-04-30 22:26:10
OHMYGOD. I totally neglected to share with you one of the most awesome experiences I have ever been privilaged enough to witness: I watched a man come-of-age. And become a god.
First of all, lemme say that I have known this man since he was the gawky teenager who decided to be a techie when he didn’t have anything else to do. He came to a party at the Bitter House once (with someone we did not invite), and he was actually kind of funny. I watched him and thought, “Well, look at him, all growin’ up.”
Next thing I knew, he was married. And then there was a baby. So I figured, “Man, he grew up FAST.”
But then he was a spot operator for Pinocchio. And he wore Heeleys (the shoes I hate) and drove a motorcycle. So I was kinda torn. Grown up? Or Not?
Dude. He so kicked my ass with this.
Saturday night, we all met at the Debil’s house for an adult party. We were SO excited to not have children around, after the horrid
Read more: Pants
Around 10 Weeks
2007-04-30 15:57:20
It’s time for another pregnancy update. I know you’re excited. I sure am.
Lil Peep was actually very good through most of this weekend. Peep finally had had enough yesterday, and I suffered from mild cramps most of the day. (The books say it’s common if there’s no bleeding and the pain is no worse than your menstual cramps.) Of course, this had Bryan and I worried. Lil Peep is apparently not the stage whore we are.
This morning, I am suffering from an exhaustion I can’t articulate. Granted, we just did 7 shows in four days, which is a lot for anyone, but I’m dragging ass this morning.
Last night, we had coconut soup with shrimp. Which, quite honestly, may have been the best thing I’ve eaten since I got all knocked up.
My weight has pretty much leveled at this point. While I had been fluctuating between 3-8 lbs a day, I’m now just waivering between 1 and 2. And now that we have our lives back, I can eat like a n
Read more: Weeks
How Much Postage is Required for Heaven?
2007-05-04 20:03:05
Dear God,
First and foremost, I want to thank You.
I know I’ve lodged complaints with You almost daily now, upset about my stomach pooching out or my nausea or the consistency of my pooping. I know I’ve used Your name several times when getting upset with clothes that don’t fit anymore, shoes that suddenly make my feet swell, and allergies that I never had before. And I’m sure that all of this makes me sound pretty ungrateful.
Today, I wandered over to a message board at BabyCenter.com. I had no real question to answer, no real conundrum to solve, but I thought, “You know, it might be nice to know what’s happening to other women at this same point in their pregnancy.”
I shouldn’t have gone. Well, I mean, I’m glad I did. But man. Man oh man oh man. Wow.
I read about women who have been spotting nonstop since conception and have limited their lives to walking to the bathroom. (And they’re only at 10 wee
Read more: Postage
, Heaven
It’s the little things.
2007-05-04 16:16:54
Last night was a good night.
I had been fighting a sinus issue all day, and when I got home, I thought, “There is just no way in hell I can go to an outdoor baseball game today. No way.”
Of course, I totally ended up going.
It was a calm night, with rain noticeably around us, but never once did we get a sprinkle. We said hey to The Boy and perched a row above BioMom and her new husband. The game started and all was well.
I really do love baseball season. It’s my favorite sport. I don’t enjoy watching it so much, but I love being outdoors during such a great time of year. I love the smell of popcorn and the multitudes of siblings playing wall-ball while the game goes on.
The Boy went up to bat and we all cheered him on. I’m always the one that yells, “C’mon, Comer! Hit a homer!” and then I snicker because I’m lame. (Although I learned last night that the new stepdad is equally as lame and we found things
f
Read more: little
Today’s Cravings
2007-05-03 20:05:10
You know how I have weird sick foods to begin with? Well, now that I’m pregnant.. I don’t. I know EXACTLY what I want, and it’s all in line with what I can get at Red Lobster. Don’t know why Red Lobster, but..
I want:
warm applesauce with lots of cinnamon
garlic cheddar biscuits
a cold, crisp salad
popcorn shrimp
some more biscuits
shrimp and crab alfredo
LOTS of unsweet iced tea
Doesn’t that sound like a damn fine meal? Throw in some crab legs, and you have one very happy Sarah.
Read more: Today
, Cravings
She’s Alive. Sort of.
2007-05-03 16:30:01
I feel like I haven’t written in this thing in days. Which is almost true. Not quite, but almost.
I don’t have much nice stuff to say right now. I’m exhausted, as we had our big review yesterday and I’ve worked eleven hours most days for the past week to prepare. On top of that, I’ve adopted a pleasant upper-respiratory/sinus infection. Oh, and did I mention that it’s “cautioned” that you not take any allergy medication during your first trimester?
Yeah. Suck.
I almost “came out of the closet” on Monday afternoon. I’ve mentioned before that a coworker of mine is pregnant. She LOVES to play the pregnant card. She will decline tasks “because of the baby”. Things like sitting in meetings. Like stuffing binders. Like STUFF THAT ANYONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO.
After I finished hauling eight boxes of supplies to our war room to build the books, she announced that she couldn’t help
Read more: Alive
Happy to Be Here
2007-05-09 17:36:33
There are a lot of things lin life that I enjoy and look forward to. A big one is my neighborhood when the warmer weather comes. Last night is a prime example.
I loved cooking dinner with the windows open, while listening to lawnmowers and people walking by. After dinner, Bryan and I took a walk down to Five Points and stopped by Sonic for some tea.
I love walking down our streets because you can hear so many varied things. You hear all sorts of instruments practicing. You hear laughter. You hear kids. You hear languages other than the one we speak.
I know that I have a serious, ongoing love affair with Five Points, but it always blossoms come spring.
Read more: Happy
I Know the Secrets That You Keep..
2007-05-08 21:24:11
Bryan has this thing about talking in his sleep. He will mutter when he’s dreaming, and most of the time it doesn’t wake me up, but when he’s having a bad dream, he will bellow. And I don’t have any way to try and liken this to anything other than what the Monster sounds like when he’s doing “Putting on the Ritz”. Now, in all fairness, I fart in my sleep.. and drool, on occasion.. so I’m not throwing stones.
But there are times at work when my mind wanders, and I (for whatever twisted reason) will think of him bellowing in one of his nightmares, and I can’t help but laugh. Out loud. And when a cubemate asks what I’m chuckling at, all I can say is “puttinontheriiiitz”. And they think, I’m sure, that I’m mentally retarded.
The last time that this happened (and I’m struggling to not guffaw as I type this), Bryan was dreaming that some child was looking in our living room window. So,
Read more: Secrets
THIS is advertising!
2007-05-08 15:52:35
THIS is advertising!
Originally uploaded by SarahLena.
I promise you’ll have a real post later (it’s crazy this morning), but I wanted to share with you how much my husband loves me. He would willingly stick my rack on the side of a truck.
I don’t care what the industry says: a good pair of boobs beats any professional photography of lighting design any day.
Dare I dream of a pair of boobs WITH lighting design?!
V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N
2007-05-07 21:39:16
I have decided that Bryan and I need to go on a vacation. Soon. Like, over the summer. Because we have not taken a vacation together EVER. We had a honeymoon, and occasionally, we will go somewhere for a night.. but I think we need to get away for a weekend. Maybe longer. Maybe four nights.
Since we went to the mountains for the honeymoon (and since I don’t know if I could deal with the heat in the mountains), I think we should visit the beach. The problem? I haven’t been to the beach since you went to the Miracle Strip in Panama City Beach, I have NO idea where to go.
Hence YOU, my lovely readers!
Here’s my quandry: where do people go now? Are there places that you always stay when you go? Why? And most importantly, are there amazing restaurants within walking distance? Bonus points if those restaurants deliver!
So tell me where to go. Be the boss of me.
Around 11 Weeks.
2007-05-07 16:14:12
This weekend brought some interesting new symptoms of pregnancy to light. Some of them caught me by surprise (as in, “OHMYGOD, I just spit all over you”), some of them I had been expecting, and some of them were funny (maybe not at the time, but definitely later).
Saliva is INSANE right now. I am producing more saliva than a fly needs to dissolve his food. I don’t know how many times I spit all over Bryan this weekend, but it was enough that I had stopped apologizing by Sunday night.
I run out of breath WAAAAY quicker than I used to. This is normal at this point, and nothing to worry about, but my morale was dashed when we walked the dogs last night and even chubby Mabel was pulling me along. I got schooled by the fat dog.
Caffeine is okay. I had read this from day one, but something about it didn’t sit right with me. I finally gave in this last week, when I was so ill, and I feel much more normal now. I don’t go crazy; I have one can
Read more: Weeks
En Route
2007-05-12 02:45:13
I’m writing to you from L.A.
It’s COLD here. Like, I wore a sweater (really, more to contain the girls than to cover my arms), and my sweater was too light. It’s just downright chilly.
Thus far, the travel has been fairly painless. I mean, I’m EXHAUSTED. I didn’t realize how large LAX is. It’s massive. As in, you must take a bus from terminal to terminal. I thought, naively, that the buses were for the lazy individual. But no.. it’s because you can’t logically walk from one to the other without missing your connection.
I can’t wait to get to the hotel, mainly because I have no obligations tonight. No one’s meeting me here; I don’t have any meetings to try and make. Which means I’m going swimming in the hotel pool (I LOVE EMBASSY SUITES) and then going to bed. Have I mentioned how tired I am? Kudos to all of the working preggo women out there; this is a bitch.
Although it wasn’t
Not Quite the Norman Rockwell.
2007-05-10 21:17:28
So Bryan is taking me out tonight, a sort-of farewell dinner and a pre-Mother’s Day dinner. It’s weird that Mother’s Day now applies to me. That’s very, very odd. Because even if you’re a stepmother, you’re not a mother. It’s just not the same. But now I have something living inside of me. (Admittedly, it kinda creeps me out.)
Anyway, back to stuff that doesn’t give me goosebumps: dinner. I have NO idea where to go. My stomach is just so finicky that I only know a few places are guaranteed to please. Surin is a safe bet. PoBoy’s is a safe bet. But we eat there ALL THE TIME. Shouldn’t this be special?
(Sidenote: has anyone seen commericals for the new scary flick, Bug? OHMYGOD, looks amazing. Has Ashley Judd in it [whom I’ve been compared to.. he must’ve been drunk], and it’s about bugs that live inside of you. Yes, I’m still thinking about that.)
Ask me what I’m
Read more: Norman
, Rockwell
A Little A.M. Bitching.
2007-05-10 16:07:37
I’m gonna take a second to bitch here about something that is COMPLETELY my fault. It’s my bed, and I’m lying in it, but it doesn’t mean it sucks any less.
I HATE not being pregnant at work.
It’s not a selfish thing, like, “Man, I wish everyone would coddle me and only talk about my baby 24/7”, cause it’s not. I’m not like that about ANYTHING. I didn’t even tell anyone at this new job I was getting married, because I didn’t want every conversation to be about the damn wedding. I feel the exact same way about the baby.
It’s more like.. this is a physical thing, and I need to be able to slack off physically. I’m not gonna avoid work and say that I can’t stuff binders because I’m pregnant, but I would like to be able to call in sick (as I did yesterday) with a valid excuse. Yesterday morning, I was spotting and was nauseous, so I stayed home. But since I’m not pregnant at wo
Not Much to Say.
2007-05-14 22:02:06
I am tired. I do not like these California time zones. I want to watch tv at eleven o’clock at night here and see Weekend Update on SNL, not just begin the local news. Jesus, when do you people sleep?
I’m not happy with the food here. Everyone talks of these awesome local watering holes (including an entire danish town!), and then we go to some chain to eat.
I often feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle here. The upshot to this? Going home and really appreciating my staff.
Lil Peep is HUGE now. I can’t wait to visit the doctor on Friday and see how big Lil Peep is now. My tummy is portruding. I think me “hiding” will be an option too much longer.
Most of all, I’m sad that I won’t get to watch Heroes tonight, curled up on the couch with my hubby. I do miss him terribly; our time difference means he’s already long-gone to bed by the time I make it back to the hotel room. And I would kill him if he c
A Shout Out in the Dark
2007-05-13 19:11:30
I’m trying to be positive about my experience thus far, because Lord knows it could be WAAAY worse. But have you ever been in one of those positions where you realize a peer of yours knows NOTHING about the job you both do?
Today, I had to teach someone who does my job (and has for five years, so probably makes a great deal more money than I do): how to connect to a printer; how to use a template to make table tents; how to use arrows in a PowerPoint flow chart..
It’s gonna be a long week.
Uplifting
2007-05-13 03:19:25
I just want to paint a picture for you.
I am sitting, poolside, in 67 degree weather (with a breeze that is typical of this area, so I’m told), sipping a Starbucks (because they are on EVERY corner.. sometimes twice on one street), and drinking a fake martini.
The one thing that sucks about being on a business trip and not being pregnant? You have to come up with REALLY lame-ass excuses as to why you’re not drinking like a fish on the company’s dime. For instance, today, we toured the wine country of Santa Maria. It is GORGEOUS, by the by, and you drive another ten feet to get to another winery.
… WHICH I CAN’T ENJOY.
So, yes, I did the really lame-ass thing of tasting the wine, and then spitting it out. We had some AMAZING merlots (and I am not a fan of reds) and a pinot noir that made me rethink my unwaivering devotion to pink wines.
There are such weird things about this place, as beautiful as it is. For instance, did you know tha
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