Celebrating Love

Brady and I had a wonderful Valentines weekend. We kicked off the weekend Friday night by having a special five course meal at the Traders Point Creamery. The ambiance was great. After the soup and salad I barley had room for dinner but somehow made room for the tiramisu for dessert! Saturday morning, Valentines Day, Brady made me a breakfast sandwich with a side of clementines! And then he read me some poetry selections that he had specially picked out-a first for him. Then we traveled to the Indy Winter Farmers Market-our first visit there. It was neat and we got to catch up with a few of the vendors from Broad Ripple. Then it was onto Menard's for perhaps the greatest gift of Valentines Day-Brady going with me to price some items for a potential bathroom remodel. Brady hates shopping for those that don't know. There is one other important tid bit that needs to be shared on the blog. I'm sure you have noticed that not a lot of activity has been happening on the blog-well that's been for a reason. I've had to keep a secret-we are expecting a baby! Yep-you heard right for those that don't know-I'm right at 12 weeks and growing by the day. We heard the heartbeat last week which was a miracle in itself that something so small can have a heart that beats so fast. Another reason for the lack of blogging is that initially i was very nauseous 24 hours a day-I've been coming out of that the past 2 weeks and are very thankful to be feeling better. So there is it-the update my readers have been waiting for!! Enjoy

Snow Glow

Thought I would share some of our snow photos. We got so much snow that even Brady didn't go to work on Wed. By the end of the day he shared that he felt a little couped up-I said how do you think I feel? I'm thankful to have the flexibility to work from home but I've been saying this all winter long! The snow is beautiful though and we're hoping to go out for a short walk/run in the neighborhood tonight. Rodi may be the most couped up as she hasn't been on a walk in quite a few days and she has been letting us know how displeased she is by her constant whining.

Blogging Blues

Well, haven't had much to blog about lately. Thinking about spring and longing for some sunshine. Rodi is feeling couped up too-she hasn't been on a walk in a few days. We did frolic out in the snow for a little bit today. The snow makes her frisky. I think I would like winter much better if it were around 40 with fluffy snow on the ground and sun shinning through instead of freezing temps, gray skies and slick roads. January is not all bad as my mom and Megan celebrated another birthday-happy belated birthdays to them. I've been reading a good book called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle about a family who deliberately ate food produced from the same place where they lived and worked, etc. for one year. I think I would have a hard time giving up bananas! Seed catalogs also start arriving in January which also makes me long for time in the dirt. Soon I will be able to start some seeds for spring planting. The farmers market is also starting to buzz with the promise of the upcoming season and who our vendors will be. Maybe an Indiana shrimp farmer? Who knew?

More Holiday Please

Here is a pic from an after Christmas visit with my good friends from college days gone by. And another pic from New Years Eve at the Beef House with our two families. Is anyone else feeling the after holiday low? Winter blues?

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was filled with many blessings of family, food and presents. Brady and Rodi arrived at the Deckers around 10 and we preceded to read the Christmas story, retrieve our stockings and open presents. This was the first year our stockings weren't hung by the fireplace due to the flood damage-but Santa still found them to fill. Brady and I were surprised to receive a T-shirt quilt that my aunt had been working on-it turned out just beautiful! I also received a surprise GPS unit to help find my way on my out-of-town jobs (and even in-town jobs). After dad and Todd have gone with me to work-guess they thought mapquest wasn't all that it's cracked up to be. Brady proved to me that he indeed did have some Christmas spirit and surprised me with dance lessons-how fun! We continued the merrymaking at the Hansels later in the day where Santa had delivered the Wii...fun and friendly competition was had by all. Congrats to the bowling record holder Mary Jane! No one can step to her skills.

Ye Ole Festivus

On December 23rd we were able to get together with our good friends Dan, Steph and Larry for a pre-Christmas meal and merriment, also known as festivus-even though according to Dan we did not have the traditional festivus meal of spaghetti and meatloaf. Dan plays a darn good Santa at Christmas time always bearing many wonderful gifts-I know Rodi was not disappointed by her drum sticks and chicken jerky! Christmas Eve Brady awoke to his first ever bout with the flu so he wasn't able to go to Terre Haute that night, but joined us on Christmas day healed by cinnamon rolls and red velvet cake.

Merry Christmas from the Hansels

I've been calling Brady a scrooge a lot so far this month! He should celebrate festivus-a revolt against the holiday consumerism and materialism. So in rebuttal to my comments he assured me that he elfin loves Christmas...enjoy!!!