Moment of Beauty

It isn’t much of a secret that I’m (a little more than) ready for the Worm to arrive and the heartburn; cactus-y attitude; extra pillows; random, unnecessary projects; mobility issues; and vegetarian sushi to disappear. These past two weeks have been particularly annoying with bouts of nausea and cramping; lack of sleep; and a cactus-y attitude that has turned into a pissy one.

Earlier this week I was having a particularly tough moment and a colleague-friend stumbled into my mood. Her reaction? Here's a hint: it wasn’t snippiness or avoidance or offense.

Answer: it was flowers. Beautiful, beautiful flowers.

Thank you, Ms. Toes, thank you.

xo

Good People Galore

Last week the Mr, the worm, and I crossed the ocean to visit friends and family, celebrate two baby showers, and shop, shop, shop, and shop some more. We succeeded in every respect, mainly because of others’ generosity.

This blogs feels a bit of an Oscar speech because there are so many people to thank: my parents for hosting both parties; my sister for spending about two days shopping with me; my mom and my sister for giving me a crown not once but twice (finally confirming my princess status!); my brother for introducing us to Jersey Shore; our family and friends that were generous with their time (a number of people drove 4+ hours to spend the day with us) and their gifts for the little baby (we carried home almost 60 pounds of gifts, not including the fabulous cake, food and drink we couldn’t take with us); and much more that I don’t time for because the photo montage and orchestra music is coming up.

The First Baby Shower, with Friends from Pittsburgh and Detroit

The Scientist was the first to unsuccessfully aim my princess status.

Mr. Pittsburgh and my mom.

My crown, the Mr.'s crown, Chelle Belle and her man.

Yummy foods, especially the rice krispies.

The whole pack of friends!

The Man was the second to try to steal Princess status. I got tired to the chaos and promoted myself to Queen.

Totally handmade hat by the Scientist, sweetness!

From Mr. Pittsburgh - who else?

 Everyone at both showers drew on onesies/bodies...except to see many of those starting in late June!

Yes, sis has that many awesome nail colors.

The two pregnant ladies got very tired.

The Second Baby Shower - with Family from Dayton, Maryland, and St. Louis

The fabulous cake made by my talented cousin.

Two lovely ladies.

All the ladies in the family.

Ladies that I've known my entire life.

I got my crown for a second time!

The Mr. also got a crown.

Mom.

Little One.

The Man and our Colorado Girl.

At the second baby shower, we played a few games. Goodness occurred in the form of pictures (thanks for playing along everyone!):

My two cousins - the Cake Magician and Ms. Alabama (above) - were the absolute winners in charades.

Mexican mama and papa.

Bubby with far too many pieces of toilet paper ... sorry but you just had to be there.

My nana made a lovely blanket, with paisley, of course.

Really, we weren't sure: for the baby or for the Mr.?

A good amount of the crew.

An exhausted dad-to-be with the balloons he wasn't keen on giving up. They almost made it to the airport with us (okay, not really).

xo

The Flower Surprise of 2010

Last week I was sitting on my couch when our door bell rang. After some communication difficulties I buzzed the person into our building and walked slowly into the person’s direction. I assumed I was going to accept a neighbor’s package, instead it was a flower delivery for me! The delivery was hidden in plastic, so I could only read the card. Two of my colleagues sent me surprise flowers!

And not just any flower delivery – they sent me these beautiful flowers.

I work in the corporate world and while it may not be the cutthroat environment of the American, hire-and-fire corporate world, it also isn’t a warm and fuzzy kinda place. Something about that framework makes me even more thankful and touched that my colleagues thought and, more importantly, acted to surprise me with a moment of joy.

Thanks you two! They are still beautiful.




xo