Congrats, Ryan!

We thoroughly enjoyed having Gregg, Julia, Launa, and Sarah in town for Ryan's graduation this weekend. It was fun to show them our apartment, take them on a walking tour of campus, and introduce them to a lot of our friends. Friday night after they got in at about 10:30, we headed right for the grotto. Saturday was our walk around Notre Dame, commencement mass, and a formal dinner for Ryan's program. Sunday was graduation for the business school in front of the library and the infamous Touchdown Jesus mural. It was such a fantastic location for graduation, and I could hardly believe it was happening. What a fast year! After graduation was a brunch put on by his program, and then we chatted for a while at our place before sending the Nielsens on their way. (Thank you so much for coming!)


Thank goodness it didn't rain!


Us in Ryan's building, the Mendoza College of Business. (Can you see my little bump?)


The baby wanted to have his/her picture taken with the golden dome.


The girls by one of the lakes.


Ryan and I with some of our closest friends here, David and Ashely. We are going to miss them and their cute kids! This was taken at the fancy dinner Saturday night.


Everyone in Ryan's program. (He's toward the top, on the left.)

Ryan, Dwight, Austin, and David--friends from his program.

Next stop for us...Utah!

Real Blog to Come

Pack, clean, repeat. Sorry there's not much to blog about! Will blog soon...for real. Graduation is this weekend, so that will be fun! We're looking forward to seeing Ryan's parents and sisters!

Baby Shower Bliss

My South Bend girls threw me the nicest baby shower on Friday! It is so touching to have people come and support you at a shower. I was remembering my bridal showers and thinking about all the excitement of getting married to Ryan. A baby shower is a slightly different story because the excitement (and we are definitely excited!) comes with a fair share of anxiety. I didn't have too much to be nervous about in getting married, but becoming a mommy......I have a lot to learn! So thanks, girls, for showing your support Friday!

I am elated about our new baby things. I usually keep one of the little onesies within sight, just because they are so cute to look at!

We found a new home!

We’re back from beautiful California feeling refreshed and ready to tackle our last month in Indiana. (Last month?!?) We flew to San Jose on Thursday to interview for a position as resident managers of a complex in San Mateo. We tried not to have our hopes up since we knew several others were interviewing and that the home owners’ association originally had a retired person in mind for the job. But we decided we’d make a fun trip out of it and also look at other apartments while we were there.

This is us at our favorite beach...which unfortunately has a little history of having at least one fat old naked man roaming around. This time was no exception. Wonder what I’m pointing at in the next picture... (Don’t worry, we stayed as far away from him as possible. This time Ryan managed NOT to get in a conversation with him.)





Thanks, E&Y, for financing our stay in a Hilton Gardens Hotel, via Hotwire.com. I could have stayed all day in that hotel!



And best of all, about 30 minutes after we left our interview, we got a call offering us the job. We interviewed with two men and two women on the HOA board, and it turns out that the women in particular “liked our energy.” Guess that’s what did it!

Here’s a shot of our new home! All of the 52 units are privately owned, so we’ll be working for the HOA board, not individual owners. As far as we understand, we’ll be coordinating with the pool guy and grounds crew, ensuring that the common areas are tidy and the trash is taken out, letting people in if they’re locked out, etc. Most of the residents are older, so we’re doubtful that we’ll have to tell too many people to turn their thumping music down! We know it will be work, but we’re excited for the opportunity. In exchange, we get a free two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, which in the Bay area is a pretty darn good deal.



The nicest thing about the trip was leaving knowing where we’ll be living. Neither of us expected that. We drove around looking at what will be “our Costco” and “our Target.” We even walked inside our church building. It is crazy how quickly life can change.

What would this world be without iTunes?

Last night Ryan and I had an iTunes party to find some new music to add to our ipod. Consequently, today is a great day! Working out and editing (though very different tasks) benefit equally from the same the new songs. I thought I'd share our new discoveries, which probably aren't so new for most of you cooler people out there.

1. Dear Maria, Count me In by All Time Low
2. Until You by Dave Barnes
3. Say It Again by Marie Digby
4. Beauty in Walking Away by Marie Digby
5. Tim McGraw by Taylor Swift
6. Madly by Tristan Prettyman
7. Breathe In Breathe Out by Mat Kearney
8. All I Need by Mat Kearney

Eight dollars well spent!

Feast or Famine

In January and February, business for me was slow. I had been busy June through December (thanks to many answered prayers!), but then January came along and BAM--where did the work go? I figured that most of the personal historians I was editing for had recently wrapped up projects for Christmas gifts, so they weren't at the point where they needed editing help.

Apparently, high season begins in March and is insane in April! I currently have four major projects going on (one of those manuscripts is 400 pages!), and ALL of my clients have given me end-of-April deadlines. I love it! (and I'm not even being sarcastic)

Ryan encouraged me during my slow months to market my services adequately to bring in some major business later on, and he always said to just enjoy the slow times because before I knew it, I'd be back to staring at my computer screen eight hours a day. He was right(!), and I'm grateful I had him to tell me to chill out and enjoy it at the time.

Mainly I'm just writing this because I felt the need to express my immense gratitude for my blessings. Isn't life great?

Life Update

It's a little weird putting pictures of your whole profile into the public domain...But in response to popular demand, I thought I'd share with all my out-of-town readers what I'm looking like these days. My belly isn't too much to talk about, even at 21 weeks (just over halfway!), but I like it. :)

* The baby has been giving me some early Braxton Hicks contractions in my back...Who knew they could start coming this early?! I've redoubled my efforts to drink unreasonable amounts of water, and so far, they've eased up.

* Call my hoaxy, but I do breathing and relaxation exercises most every day. I am convinced that labor can be a calm and beautiful experience. (So if you have any horror stories for me about birthing, tell them to some other pregnant lady!)

* Business for me is going wild (so to speak), and I love it. I'm also working with a business coach to get everything ready to launch my business in California.

* Ryan's working with the Scouts, and I love hearing all the crazy stories about the boys running around, bulldozing each other, crying in the corner, yelling like mad, etc.



* From the front, I think I just look like I've gained 12 pounds. But that's okay. Also, thanks to my friend Larissa and our downtown Chicago extravaganza last Saturday, I've finally entered the 21 century and gotten some funky accessories. Thanks, Larissa!

* Hope you enjoyed the life update...well, mainly pregnancy update. Life is good. Spring is coming. Love you all!