Ooh, Baby I Love Your Way (post 17 of 30)

The snow finally started to fall around 4:30pm here in Ohio and hasn't stopped in the last seven hours.  I just took the pups out and everything is so quiet amidst the swirling snowflakes.  The snow glistened and sparkled in the moonlight as little Hershey tried to eat the snow off our covered patio floor and Dusty pranced around trying to find just the spot to relieve himself.  Now, the three (rather the four) of us  are cuddling in the living room as we try to warm ourselves up as Adam watches TV in the St. Francis room.  

I love the peace that comes with the snowfall each winter...that is, when I don't have to go out in it!  I'm thankful that Adam's car is dry and snow-free in the garage and mine is turned around in the driveway so that when I do have to drive off this slippery hill, I don't need to back out of the driveway.  Our fireplace was cleaned this morning so we have a crystal clean seemingly new fireplace to keep us warm and our blankets are extra cozy as we get comfy on the couch and bed tonight.  Feeling all safe and warm indoors while the wind and snow blow outside remind me of many childhood days/nights spent bundled up indoors with my brothers and parents.  I'm so thankful for the sweet memories of snow days, two hour delays, playing outside in the snow (remember the snow forts we would build out in the Bell Telephone lot boys??), that feeling of the snow crunching under my boots then coming home to peel off all the ice encrusted stiff layers of hats/gloves/scarves/coats and lay them on the fiery hot radiators in our old house to dry, and warm soup and hot cocoa to help warm us up again.  It seems like it was just yesterday my brothers and I were snowbound in the PA mountains yet in other ways, it feels as if it was a lifetime ago.  

The last time I remember being sooooo cold in the snow and warming up to a steaming mug of hot cocoa was a few years ago after my first and only experience at March for Life in Washington, D.C.  Much like today, snow was in the forecast, and after a frigid wintry cold day of marching in our nation's capital, my friends and I sought and welcomed the warmth at my godfather's house.  Reggie, his wife, graciously had hot chocolate waiting for us and it was oh so good to enjoy the company and hot beverage before we hit the road to return to icy North Carolina that had actually received more snow than DC had.  Today was the March for Life for 2016.  Many folks braved the elements and impending snowfall to march and my thoughts and prayers were with them all day today as I stayed bundled up inside today.  If everyone reading this could say a quick prayer for all those affected by abortion that would be amazing.


It was different thinking of the March for Life and all those unborn babies today as I could feel ours stirring inside me all day.  At one point, I said to Adam that our child must be dancing the jitterbug that's how active he or she was!  No matter how many years go by since the only March I was able to participate in, the impact still hasn't left me.  For more on that life changing experience, you can read more and see pictures here.  I really hope to be able to go again some day and the thought of some day maybe returning with our own little one blows my mind.  I hope that our child grows up as a child of God who is not afraid to back away from important issues yet treats everyone with love and kindness embracing others as Jesus would.  Anyhow, now on to what you're really here for....the start of the Babymoon blog postings within this series!

Tuesday, December 15:  28 weeks 2 days

We woke up so excited for our trip west.  I loved seeing Adam so happy and looking forward to returning to his “homeland”.  At one point on Monday night, before bed, he said casually, “Hey babe, are we doing anything tomorrow?”  Hehe!  So when early Tuesday morning rolled around, we didn’t mind.  We were ready with suitcases at the end of our driveway when Marita pulled in to take us to the airport.  This was also the first time we were able to use our two suitcases together we received as a Christmas gift last year from Mark and Liz.  Both sported luggage tags I had made for our family members and put in the “wedding survival kit bags”.  We were able to spy our luggage from the plane window as they wheeled them out with the other suitcases thanks to these distinctive tags!

Thanks to my former roommate's mom we were able to enjoy some treats at one of the airports that held us over until we landed in CA.

Once out of the airport, we headed to the car rental place and patiently waited for our turn to claim a car.  The customer in front of us had a bit of bad luck when his charge card accidentally fell between the non moveable desk and the wall but after several minutes of the car rental workers using a flashlight and getting down on all fours, the card was retrieved.  Even so, Adam made sure to hang on tightly to our bank card to keep that from happening to us!   

Within an hour, we were on the road driving to Oceanside in our little white Ford Fiesta!  It feels a lot like my Vibe and is a cute little car.  A little under two hours later we pulled into the resort we will be calling home for the next few days and the Babymoon was officially under way.  After unpacking and getting settled, we headed to Carlsbad for dinner at where else but In n Out.  Mmmm!!!

YUM!  Obligatory first meal in CA.

Wednesday, December 16:  28 weeks 3 days

This morning was the first time we were able to see the gorgeous ocean side view since it was already dark when we pulled in last night.  We are one block back from the ocean, the palms on the palm trees are blowing in the 30 degree wind, and the sun is shining down on the waves as they crash to shore.  Many many thanks to Margo and Matt for this generous wedding gift!!  I hope we are able to take a walk in the sand later today!

View from our window!

Penthouse view during our tour of the resort

 

Entrance to the pier.  This pier was constructed in 1888 making it the longest active pier in CA although this version of it was reconstructed in 1987.

 

This is at the end of the pier as we walked around Ruby's Diner.  We learned the pier was 3/4 of a mile long one way so we got in a lot of walking by walking along this pier a couple times throughout our stay in Oceanside.

Modeling for us

Our morning got off to an interesting start considering we attended a two hour presentation on buying a timeshare that lasted for four hours instead!  Once we finished with the presentation we ran out to the pier, walked past Ruby’s Diner, then returned back to the shore just in time to get in the car and head out to our facial (for me) and massage (for the hubby) appointments.  Thanks, in part, to a wedding gift of a spa gift card, we were able to pamper ourselves on this first day of the babymoon!  

It was so relaxing compared to yesterday’s hectic day of travel.  However, three times, while lying on the table, I had to sit up due to feeling light headed and as if I were going to pass out…yet again I felt claustrophobic.  Fortunately, the therapist was very understanding and didn’t rush me as she proceeded with the remainder of the facial.  Adam enjoyed his deep tissue massage (it was his first massage since our wedding day) and we agreed after the couple hours at the spa that it was dinner time especially since we had missed lunch due to the extra two hours of meeting at the resort! 

 

We headed over to Oceanside Harbor and enjoyed the lit up boats in the water.  How festive!  We settled on dining at Dominic’s at the Harbor, an Italian restaurant, and thoroughly enjoyed our shared appetizer of Funghi Ripieni (mushroom caps stuffed with breadcrumbs, pine nuts, craisins, mozzarella, and drizzled with a yummy butter-cream sauce), shared entrée of the Chicken Fantasia meal (breaded chicken breasts layered with mushrooms, spinach, prosciutto, baked with mozzarella, and finished with vodka tomato cream sauce), and a dessert of Caramel Apple Walnut Cake.  I highly recommend this restaurant but the pricing is a bit steep.

We then returned to the resort where I propped my feet due to further swelling of the ankles and feet.  I guess this is going to be a regular thing during the last couple months of pregnancy since we didn’t do all that much walking today unless you count our walking out to the edge of the pier and back which doesn’t seem like a lot but then again, it’s all relative now.  I’m definitely feeling movement everywhere and all day (and throughout the night) now.  Guess our little one is enjoying the Babymoon too!