Autism Awareness Month

Even though April is in its waning days, and a million things have prevented me from writing this post, I need to share my thoughts on Autism Awareness Month.

This precious boy is my nephew, Ethan Lee. He's been my Buddy from nearly the moment of his birth. I remember holding him for the first time (all 11 pounds of him!) and feeling a mutual comfort pass between us; he was content to be held in my arms and I was only too happy to finally have a baby in the family to play with! As the first grandchild in my family, this boy achieved a special status just by being born. Then during his first night of life, when he was diagnosed with double pneumonia and whisked away to NICU, he became that much more special to us. As he recovered, we realized what a fighter we had on our hands! Then during his second year of life, when his mama and daddy began to realize Ethan had communication issues and we finally got the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, he achieved a whole new echelon of special in our hearts, because we knew that our Ethan was in for the fight of his life.

Getting a special hug on my wedding day

I can't even put into words how much I love this boy. My sister Katie (his "Aunt Modey") and I often comment to each other how privileged we feel to be included in this little man's inner circle of trust and love. You see, kids with autism sometimes have challenges expressing and accepting affection. Not our Ethan! Yes, he is very wary of strangers (which is always a good thing), and it takes quite a while for "outsiders" to earn their place in his world. My Marty has made careful attempts to reach out to Ethan, not wanting to overstep his boundaries and wanting Ethan to feel comfortable accepting him as an uncle when he felt like it, and not before. Just a couple months ago, Marty finally "got the nod," so to speak. He was standing in my sister's kitchen, getting a refill of ice water from the fridge, when he felt a little hand on his waist. He looked down to see Ethan just touching him for a brief moment, and Marty says he knew he was "in." What a great moment! As for me, I've always been the recipient of special hugs and kisses. Sometimes, Ethan will be watching one of his beloved Thomas videos (there's nothing this kid likes more than Thomas!) and he'll pat the sofa cushion next to him and beckon to me. I'll sit down next to him and my Buddy snuggles right up into my body and puts his hand rather possessively on my leg. This never fails to make me smile, and more often than not, I'll even shed a couple of tears. I've even been known to lift my 60+-pound nephew in my arms and carry him around (not while I've been pregnant, I promise!) because I still feel that feeling of mutual comfort pass between us.

As for Ethan's fight with autism? Still ongoing, of course, but he keeps making new strides. Even though he struggles, it's such a huge joy to see him jump new hurdles. I remember when he wrote his name for the first time, how we cried and cried. And even though they're somewhat limited, we have actual conversations now. A million praises go to my hard-working sister, who pursues every therapy and every curriculum and every learning tool she can get her hands on. Sarah is such an inspiration to me, and I've learned so much about the passionate love of a mother from her experiences fighting for the best of everything for Ethan. Right now, she and my brother-in-law are working to save money for a special dog who's trained to help kids with autism. There will be a couple types of fundraisers later this summer toward this effort, and I'll be sure to post about those here.

So why "autism awareness"? Before Ethan Lee came along, I had no idea of the struggles that autistic kids face. I had no idea how the parents of these kids have to challenge school boards for proper education, how they have to transport these kids from therapy session to doctor's appointment to kindergarten to home, sometimes in a single day (and how some of these parents have 3 other kids!). I never knew the emotional rollercoaster you take when you love a kid with autism. How you would do anything to fix it, but how there's very little you can do but love and cuddle and play with and comfort. And pray...and help in any way you can. If you know a family with an autistic kid, just know that the parents and grandparents and yes, even the aunts and uncles, face all kinds of challenges in nurturing and raising their very special gift. If nothing else, be aware enough to say a prayer for these families, but mostly for the kids who have to fight their disorder every day.

I'm sending you lots of special hugs today, my sweet Buddy! Auntie B loves you!!!

the April list

*New categories!*

Okay, I'm sure this excites no one else but me. I think of my blog as the closest thing I'm capable of keeping as far as a personal journal goes, so I wanted my monthly list to capture just a wee bit more than what it had been. So here goes!

*new* What we're watching: American Idol, and for me, because of Adam Lambert!

Um, could I love this kid any more than I do??? He was my favorite from the very beginning (don't believe me? Ask my husband -- I picked him out long before he made any of the big cuts!). I love his adorably punk self, with the black nails and spiked hair and earrings. You better believe it. I keep telling Marty that he's this amazing combination of Freddie Mercury, Steve Perry, and Barry Gibb! Oh, the falsetto he can achieve! The only reason I'm really watching American Idol these days is to catch my 5 minutes of Adam Lambert, because the crazily greedy people at the network CHARGE you on iTunes just to catch the latest competition songs. How stupid is that? Anyway, whether he wins or not (and personally, he really doesn't HAVE any competition up there), I know he's going on to have a great career, and Marty has already promised me concert tickets and CDs when they come out! Honestly, it's not just his extraordinary talent that has captured my attention. He is the only contestant who always acknowledges his back-up vocalists and band performers. He is actually quite humble and gracious for a kid who's a total rock star!!! I heart you, Adam Lambert!

We're also watching The Office (last night's episode had to be the best one ever -- Jim is always the hero!) and 30 Rock, as usual. The Thursday night line-up is really the only thing we consistently watch besides American Idol. Usually we're Food Network and HGTV junkies.

What I'm reading: I've been a reading fiend this month -- perhaps I know it's because my time is running out to devote hours upon hours to books??? I can tell my son one day that ONLY for him would Mommy have ever given up her book time!

1) A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goolrick. I finished this one a couple weeks ago, and wow, this was a sexy book! However, the sexiness was intrinsically tied to the plot, and I can't say anymore without revealing too much, but if you like thrillers/mysteries with great characters, and you don't mind a certain degree of sensual content, this is a great book for you. There is a major plot twist that I had to read 3 times to be sure I understood the revelation!

2) Mommywood, by one of my favorite celebrities (don't judge me, even deep, complex people can have favorite celebrities, in my humble opinion!), Ms. Tori Spelling! Kids, this girl cracks me up. She has one of the most unique perspectives on Hollywood and all the glitz and glamour, because she was raised in such a privileged way, but has been self-reliant her entire adult life (her mother is a real piece of work). She is so honest and her sense of humor is right up my alley. And I loved reading about her experiences with motherhood, for those very reasons -- she's brutally honest and laughs at all her misadventures along the way (the poop in the pool incident was hysterical). Fluffy to the extreme, but I highly recommend it.

3) Finally, Marty and I are sort of co-reading this Smart Guide to the Book of Revelation by Daymond Duck and Larry Richards. I guess you could say I'm a (very?) amateur theologian, because I love understanding the Bible and church history and apologetics, and though I'm pretty well-versed (get it?) in some areas (I could teach Genesis), I'm quite woefully ignorant in others (uh, Revelation). So far, I am really getting into it. I now know the significance of the seven angels, seven letters, seven lampstands, etc. And I love how the book (Revelation) is written -- so much parallelism and great imagery. Of course, when I get further into it, I might really be ready to pull my hair out because I know it gets pretty difficult the deeper you go. But Marty and I are having fun reading this and discussing. We come from such different viewpoints: I believe in the Rapture and I'm a sold-out Millenialist, whereas he was raised not believing in the Rapture and is quite a-Millenialist. So this book is prompting all kinds of discussion in our home! One of our favorite things to do is have a down-and-dirty theological debate. How nerdy are we?

What we're spending on: A cradle, probably something like this one.Thing is, I HATE the rollers/casters. I'm sure they're practical for putting the baby down for a nap in various rooms throughout the day (so it serves you, rather than you being a slave to its location), but we'd be opting for a cradle over a bassinet anyway because of the aesthetic. I just can't get into the frilly, fluffy, bells-and-whistles bassinets. They look cheap and ugly to me! Anyway, I love the classic look of a cradle, but I'm going to see if those casters come OFF before I buy! Or I'll just get used to it and somewhere around the middle of July be thankful that the cradle can roll around!

What we're saving for: The pay-off of my labor & delivery bill. I never knew you had to make payments on these things loooong before you have your first contraction! Or is it just my screwy insurance? I don't know, but heavens-to-Betsy, it feels weird making payments on something that won't happen for 11 weeks yet, and especially so, considering my mind gets all fuzzy when I start thinking of how everything's going to go down...I think my mind goes into self-protection mode, like, "don't think about it yet, Becky! Too scary just now!"

What I need to do: File all my paperwork for maternity leave (yee-haw!). Get a couple more outfits/dresses for business trip/baby shower in May. Learn the ins and outs of nursing bras and invest in a few (here's where nursing moms, past and present, give me all kinds of advice on brands, etc.). Move my office downstairs, set up nursery in current office (this is going to be no SMALL task).

What I'm thinking about: God's providential care. He keeps working things out in my life, more perfectly than I could have planned or dreamed. One of these days I'm going to actually learn to trust Him implicitly.

What I'm working on: You guessed it. Evil Storage Room. It really is a monstrous project, and while we are making progress, it seems like the chore that will not die.

*new* Things I've learned this month: 1) That you're supposed to have 3 sets of sheets for every bed in your home: one on the bed, one in the laundry, and one clean and folded, waiting in the closet. I'm pretty sure I got this handy advice from House Beautiful (magazine). 2) That sometimes colds last longer than 7-10 days. I still can't hear out of my left ear. 3) That I'm sick to death of "going green" ads and commercials and shows and articles and just get out of my face about the environment already!!! One of my magazines last month told me to stop using Windex, paper towels, bottled water, the list went on and ON. Of course I don't want to trash our planet, but for heaven's sake, I'm going to wipe down dirty mirrors with Windex and paper towels and then take a nice big slug from an Evian when I'm done, thank you very much, if that's what I WANT to do! We don't live in a communist country (yet).

What I'm happy about: May is just around the corner, and we're so busy that month, that before I blink, June will be here and we're hoping to take a quick little "babymoon" if we can afford it. I plan on doing NOTHING the month of June and just enjoying the last few weeks of having my hubby all to myself, before we embark on the grand adventure of parenthood!

That's it for now. Happy weekend everyone! It's going to be in 80s all weekend here, and Evil Storage Room notwithstanding, we're going to spend time outside!!!

Viral infection, Day 9

When I went to see my doctor (OB/GYN; because apparently PCPs don't want to treat you if you're pregnant, who knew?) last week about the worst cold ever, he ran a strep test (which was negative) and looked down my throat, in my ears, etc. He pronounced me sick with a virus and recommended TheraFlu, sleep, and fluids. He also told me I'd "probably feel miserable for 7-10 days." Well, Dr. Hinton, here I am on Day 9, and I'm still sniffly, sneezy, and stuffed up, not to mention the fact that I haven't been able to hear out of my left ear for 2 solid days. And "miserable" doesn't really come close. All I did all weekend, besides completely wear myself out with a 2-hour trip to WalMart, was sleep. Or lie on the couch in a semi-comatose state. Because I have no energy to do anything else! Meanwhile, my laundry is piling up and my to-do list has begun mocking me. I have exactly 2 weeks until I start an extremely busy week/weekend in Indiana, with a 3-day business trip, immediately followed by my baby shower on May 9th. I have to be up to snuff to focus on my work and all the meetings I'll be in, and of course I want to feel good so I can enjoy seeing so many loved ones at my baby shower!

I've heard that "every pregnancy has its cold" but this cold is threatening to stick around for the duration, or at least it seems so. I actually felt better on Friday but I should have known it was just the eye of the storm, teasing me with a brief reprieve.

Anyway, here I sit, on Day 9, having exhausted 3 boxes of Kleenex and living in fear that my son will be born addicted to Tylenol. I'm getting ready to go make another pot of decaf Earl Grey tea and hope I can concentrate on my work for this afternoon.

I'm getting desperate to feel better! Does anyone have any pregnancy-safe suggestions for kicking a cold to the curb, once and for all?

Pix and tales from our Easter weekend

So I know my sister is ready to shoot me if I don't put up some belly shots soon, so even though the latest pix of me aren't my greatest, one has to appease one's sister. Here are a couple shots from the doctor's office at our 26-week visit (read more about that here):

Notice the bandage? I honestly don't know why they do blood draws at EVERY visit. And is it just me or am I looking swollen?

Our appointment was on Tuesday the 7th and by Thursday the 9th, we were on the road to an Easter weekend in Mississippi. We decided to stay in Memphis the evening of the 9th, and Marty was thrilled to take me out to his favorite BBQ joint, the famous "Rendezvous." Marty almost had tears in his eyes eating his ribs, but I was actually disappointed in mine. I think I'm just a Yankee, tried and true. Memphis BBQ is seasoned with dry-rub and smoked, resulting in an almost tough texture, whereas BBQ where I'm from means it's dripping with sauce and falling off the bone!

Anyway, the next morning we set off for Greenville, Mississippi, where Marty hails from. When we pulled into the driveway, my sis-in-law Melissa was...what else?...barbequeing!!! Her boyfriend, Keith, had parked his enormous smoker/grill in the driveway and I think they had at least 3-4 animals cooking in there. It smelled amazing and after lots of hugs and belly rubs from the sisters and nieces and nephews, we feasted. I called it "Meat-a-palooza." Then we went to a Good Friday service at the church that Marty and his siblings grew up in, and where Marty's dad was the officiating vicar before his passing last May. The new pastor gave a meaningful and somber message, and we refrained from speaking in the sanctuary. My aunt-in-law Linda sang the "Via Dolo Rosa" and it was very moving. Easter is my favorite holiday and it's so much better when you get the opportunity to observe the entire Passion week.

The next morning started with a big box of Shipley's donuts (quite famous in Greenville) and I can't even describe how good these donuts are...but eat your heart out, Krispy Kreme! Like Melissa says, "You can't eat just 3." :) We sat around the table and ate and drank coffee and just visited. Then we all left to go visit with Aunt Linda for awhile, and when I walked in her house, I noticed about a half-ton of wrapped presents on her fireplace hearth but looked right past it without really seeing it. Melissa said from behind me, with a giggle in her voice, "It's a baby shower!" My response was, quite literally, "Who's having a baby?" I laugh now, but seriously, I didn't say that because I'm dumb or slow (although I'm certainly dumber and slower these days), but honestly, it's because my pregnancy is still very surreal to me at times and I find myself shocked in some moments that I actually get to have this experience!

So after the initial shock wore off, Marty's lovely sisters and aunt got us placed near the gifts and I started opening. Here are a few shots!

This little sleeper says "Daddy's Champ" on it. If you don't know, "Champion" is our son's middle name and his Daddy has taken to calling him "Champ." Marty held the sleeper as if our little guy were already filling it out, and it was such a sweet moment.

We got this set of funny bibs...this one says "Being good is boring!

Finally, this might be my favorite picture. I don't know that Marty has a really strong idea of what a baby activity gym is, but he's so very much enjoying the process of becoming a Daddy. The joy on his face blesses my soul!

In all my life, I've never had a surprise anything -- party, shower, what-have-you. And I was wonderfully surprised, and both Marty and I were just overwhelmed by the generousity of our family. (I'm also overwhelmed by the fact that I can never seem to get any pictures of anybody!!!) Thank you again and again and again, Melissa and Sarah and Linda (and Keith and Nick and Mike and all the kiddos...). We love you guys sooooooo much!

We closed out the weekend with a wonderful Easter breakfast at church, an Easter egg hunt for the kids, and then a beautiful service. It was so hard to leave after all the fun we'd had, but Marty wanted to pace ourselves (in other words, pace ME) on the trip home, so we left for Nashville, where Marty had planned a little evening/day excursion for us at the Opryland Hotel! (If you haven't spent much time in Tennessee, you should know that the Opryland Hotel is like a cruise ship without the water -- it's a massive building with several hotels, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, etc.) We arrived in the evening and got dressed up to go out for a fancy-schmancy meal. Here's me, dolled-up and 27 weeks pregnant:

We knew the prices would be extravagant, but we really wanted to live it up, so we tried our best to ignore the ridiculous numbers attached to the menu items. However, we couldn't ignore that the food was really only just okay, and then it was only too easy to start thinking how we could have spent that money in other ways. Talk about disappointing! When we got back to our room, I started having a really sore throat and wanted to call it a night...which became a very LONG night, as I was up coughing and sneezing and blowing my nose, and basically just miserable because I couldn't breathe, swallow, or rest. In the morning, we ordered a fabulous breakfast tray and that I can say was really pretty good (I had cinnamon waffles with cherries in Grand Marnier syrup with whipped cream...uh, HELLO yummy!). I also got a few good shots out our atrium-facing balcony:

The hotel "exterior" in the Cascades section is done in the New Orleans French style, which of course I loved!

We tried to do some shopping in the hotel, but the bookstore I wanted to visit was mysteriously closed, so we decided our Opryland Hotel stay was a bit cursed. Either that, or we were exhausted from all the traveling and activity (I think it was a bit of both). So we headed home early, and I'm so glad we did, because by the time we got home I was in the throes of one of the worst colds I've ever had! However, small disappointments and one nasty cold notwithstanding, we had a wonderful Easter weekend. Now we're thinking about making the pilgrimage home to Missisisippi every Easter!

under the weather

I have lots of tales and pictures to share from the last week and our trip to Mississippi, but those will have to wait for a couple days.

I am currently sneezing and sniffling and going through Kleenex like crazy. It hurts to talk, swallow, even breathe. My eyes are red and watery from fever and sinus pressure. The worst part is that my OB/GYN's office won't just call me in a prescription. Nooooo -- make the sick pregnant girl get out of her jammies just to come into the office, say "ahh," and be told what she already knows to be true: it's a raging sinus infection and I need an antibiotic. I'm 32 years old and I've had at least a dozen sinus infections in my time; seriously, this is not rocket science, nor anything requiring a doctor's time and my energy (what little I have) to diagnose. Can you tell I'm a little bit bitter? (Especially since I called yesterday and they ignored me until 5 pm last night, and are only just squeezing me in today! Apparently you have to be in labor to get any attention from an OB/GYN's office.)

In the meantime, I'm trying to work and meet a deadline, all the while I'm longing for my pillow and comforter and the bliss of sleep. And Panera's baked potato soup. Hopefully I'll be in a better state and better spirits soon!

More pregnancy information than you can shake a stick at

Pregnancy information about me, that is. I want to start off with a few of my favorite recent interactions with people...

Interaction #1
Random lady at WalMart: *grins at my belly* "When are you due, hon?"
Me: "Oh, not 'til July."
Random lady at WalMart: "JULY???" (Please read as much exaggeration in her tone as you can imagine, and you wouldn't be far off.)

Interaction #2
Dude at church handing me the bulletin: *grins at my belly* "How are you this morning?"
Me: "Oh, pretty good."
Dude at church: "Are you sure you're going to make it through the service?" (Strong implication that he fears imminent labor. I was 25 weeks at the time.)

Interaction #3
Lady I know from church but encountered at Kroger: *grins at my belly* "Wow, you're really coming along there!"
Me: "Yeah, I know, I just really popped out!"
Lady I know from church: "Are you sure you're not having twins???"

I promise you, I invented none of this. In fact, wherever Marty and I go about town, whether we know the people or not, we get comments. All. The. Time. Another example...this past weekend we decided to start stocking up on diapers. We stood in the diaper aisle for quite some time, debating this brand and that brand..."honey, does that one have a slot for the cord?"..."but honey, this one's cheaper"...you can imagine. Anyway, we were actually enjoying getting our feet wet in this tiny area of new parenthood when a lady (who'd been debating paper towels and obviously listening) couldn't help but say aloud, "Gee, you can really tell first-timers!" Her tone was humorous but because from the time I started showing, and I became the target of well-intentioned but rather lame comments, my outward response has always been a smile and a little nod of the head, but inside I can't help but be slightly irritated. Marty always wants me to take it positively, because he sees people who generally just smile at my belly and look at us with an "oh how cute" expression. And I suppose I'd miss some of the comments (ie, attention), but the comments concerning my size...well, I'm just about OVER those.

Anyway, moving on to our Week 26 visit with the good doctors at JC OB/GYN. This time we saw Dr. Pickler, who tends to be my least favorite, but we had a really great visit with her featuring a pretty long Q&A session about labor and delivery. The answers from our session revealed I might need to have a C-section (I need surgical records from a hospital stay from about 5 years ago so they can make that decision). I'm not thrilled with that prospect at all, but from what we were told, a scheduled C-section would be so much preferable and safer, just in case my uterus has been "compromised" by previous finaglings in there (for lack of a better expression!). I would very much like to deliver vaginally, and I was given so much reassurance from Dr. Pickler regarding the practice's general rules for administering episiotomies (only in case baby is in danger, otherwise, patience is the rule!). Big sigh of relief there.

In other news, my BP is excellent at 105/65 and perhaps the greatest news of all, I've only gained 13 pounds my entire pregnancy thus far!!! The average is 16-22 pounds by this point in pregnancy, and I love that I'm staying under the curve. Not that there's anything wrong with gaining the average (or more), but kids, I'm five-foot-two. There's nowhere to hide any extraneous poundage. And who knows, the pounds might pack on yet, so for right now, I'm just going to be very grateful. The shortness of breath is bad enough with the weight I'm already carrying!

My under-the-curve weight has not affected my sweet William, though. The fundus measurement of my belly was 29 cms at 26.5 weeks, which means, good-sized baby who's right on track. There for a minute I got excited, because I know that your gestational weeks and fundus measurement in centimeters should roughly match up, but Dr. Pickler gently burst my bubble by telling me that yes, they generally match up, but with a rule of plus or minus 3 cms either way. Pooh. Will's heartbeat was his usual 148 bpm; I had to giggle because he is so incredibly consistent with his little heartbeat. In fact, I could have guessed 148, because he never wavers out of a range of about 3 bpms!

I also did the glucose test; I had to drink "Hawaiian punch"-flavored glucose, and honestly, it tasted like Hawaiian punch found in a A-bomb shelter from 1962. Nasty, nasty stuff. I had to brush my teeth immediately afterwards to get the taste out of my mouth, but even then, my stomach rebelled and wanted to reject, but I fought it hard. Because if it comes back up, you just have to repeat the darn thing!

Other than these little tidbits from the doctor, not much else is new with me and Will. Except I'm going through a new stage of fatigue, almost reminiscent of early pregnancy. I fall asleep at random times (with a TV blaring and people talking around me!) and tend to need naps in the early afternoon. This might also be due to the fact that my little boy seems to think midnight is the perfect time to wake up and play with Mama. Several nights lately, I've laid in bed begging my son to go night-night so Mommy can get some sleep. It's really hard to be irritated about it, though, because his movements are just so cute -- very intense and purposeful. He's just very wiggly and tumbly -- I think he's bored in there, poor little guy!

Well, I think that's it for now (whew, right?). We're off to Mississippi for a long-ish weekend to see Marty's family. I'm not exactly up for a roadtrip but Marty's made some plans to break up the trip a bit and he's even thrown in something really fun for Monday! I'll share pix of that when we return. Happy Easter, everyone!

Random thoughts and April showers

Marty and I closed out the month of March in the most apt way possible, given the difficulty of the month for us: sick from a virus! March just refused to go out on a whimper. But we are starting April feeling somewhat better...I actually have a clear head today, something I haven't had in a couple days, but apparently not clear enough for a cohesive post, so here are my quite random thoughts today:

• I want rain boots. Galoshes? I don't care what they're called, I just want 'em. I know SteinMart sells really cute ones for pretty cheap, so I think I'll be paying them a visit. Isn't the pair shown above especially darling? How cute would they be with a spring-ish petal pink 3/4-length sweater and your favorite jeans? We had a terrific thunderstorm last night that woke me up with rain pounding against our windows, and it tends to stay pretty wet and misty in the mountains this time of year, so I think I can certainly consider rain boots a "need"??? :)
• Notice my pregnancy ticker? Yeah, I'm down to the double digits. Just 99 days to go. It feels I've arrived at this point rather quickly and too slow, simultaneously. And what a dose of reality -- that's just a tad over 3 months! We are going to start stocking up on diapers this weekend. I've read on another pregnant girl's blog where moms gave diaper recommendations, but I'd certainly welcome those here, too!
• I've seen my baby shower invitation. My sister sent a scan to me as a sneak preview and I burst into joyful, amazed tears. My sisters are awesome and know me so well. And it's just so...William. I love it, love it, love it. Once the invitations have been sent out, I'll post it here.
• Please read this blog post about feeling anxiety in these uncertain times facing our country...it really encouraged me.
• I finally finished the Twilight series of books. (And yes, I stood in line at Wal-Mart at midnight on the 20th/21st when the DVD came out -- boy, was that a hoot. Marty and I felt nearly geriatric compared to most of the other people waiting in that line! And yes, I loved the movie, but yes, I can see where, if you haven't read the books, you might sense gaps in the story/plot/character development. So yes, read the books!) I loved this series, but Stephenie Meyer (the author) really slowed down in the middle of Book 4. Or my interest started to lag...I can't decide which. However, she picked it back up just in time to end the story well! I can't wait for the next movie.
• Once again, I need book recommendations. We're going on a Barnes & Noble date tonight, and I've been perusing the store online, looking for something to catch my interest. I'm definitely wanting something a little more grown-up and intellectual, but it doesn't have to be non-fiction or history, like I normally read after I've read an "indulgence" book (usually chick lit, or in this most recent case, adolescent literature!). Any recommendations?

Well, we're supposed to have April showers nearly all weekend, so I'm definitely thinking of picking up those rain boots, buying a new book, and maybe going to the movies with my hubby. Should be a good weekend, but I'm hoping this is one of the very last in which I'm doing cozy, indoor activities! Sunshine, please come to Tennessee!!!