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Our Babymoon

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Mike and I decided that because we are having a baby so soon into our marriage (almost a year to the day we got married!) that we were going to take a little vacation for one last hurrah at being a twosome. Being that we did just get married and we are having a baby, we decided to keep it local and inexpensive. We actually saved change in order to take our trip. That’s practically like taking a free vacation!
Now, I have been saving change in a red piggy bank since I was about eight years old. My family went to an arcade where my brother (six at the time) dominated everything that gave out tickets. He had so many that the prize counter was his for the taking. I, on the other hand, was choosing between an eraser and a temporary tattoo. My brother, feeling sorry for me, got me a red piggy bank that I have kept all of these years. The change grew in it slowly, and then more rapidly as I began working and then got married. Mike and I filled that bank up and decided that whatever we did with the money, it had to be fun. Seeing that we saved almost $600, it was going to be really fun!
So, this weekend we took a three day trip up to Traverse City, MI. We had the best time starting from the drive up there. We had gotten into a fight the night before (yes, we do fight once in a while…), and the drive up was so nice talking and laughing together about how ridiculous we are sometimes.
We checked into our hotel, and went out to eat at Apache Trout Grill. I love food, and I’ll eat just about anything, so it is rare that I stumble across a meal that stands out to me as amazing. Their rainbow trout was amazing. Go here. It is so worth it. Bonus: you get a great view from the water almost anywhere you sit.

 Mike and me taking a closer look at the great view of the water.


Afterward, we walked around downtown stopping in little shops and sampling cherry products (as this is what the city is famous for). The best was a jar of cherry preserves we tried at Cherry Republic. We had to buy it. Here we are in the store. I don’t mind making a fool of myself in public. I think I am converting Mike as well!

Later that night, we went to Mackinac Brewing Company. Mike and I love breweries and wineries, and unfortunately I am unable to partake in these as of late. I didn’t want Mike to miss out though. He had an IPA and I had a great water. We also LOVE to do crossword puzzles at the bar. I know, crazy twenty-somethings. But, it’s our thing, and we love it, so we did it.
After the brewery, we went to Moomer’s Ice Cream. It was voted best ice cream in America by Good Morning America, so of course we went there every night. That is three times, people.

You might think we are odd, but after ice cream we went back to the hotel to watch tv. We don’t have cable, and this was vacation. So, we watched an hour of mindless crap, and it was glorious!
The next day consisted of fishing and Sleeping Bear Dunes. I was determined to catch a fish as I never have before. Mike just throws his line in the water and they come to him. I, on the other hand, am a complete genius at catching seaweed. You know what? We did not catch a thing! Not even when I tried using my bubble gum as bait. The gum did however catch a bush, a tree and the dock. That’s more than Mike caught with his real bait, so I guess I won that round. We had to leave once it got so cold that I was making ugly faces. If you can zoom in on the second pic, do so. My face is worth the laugh.

Here is an iris farm we saw on our way to the dunes.

Taking a break after thinking it was a good idea to hike the dunes while pregnant.
That night, we went to two other breweries: Right Brain Brewery and North Peak Brewery. Again, they had great water and crosswords.

Our last day consisted of church, Dish for lunch (including more crosswords), Fustini’s Olive Oil tasting and the Dairy Festival down the street from our hotel. It was a small little festival – perfect for our last day in town. We walked around the tents, got some Moomer’s and then headed back home. Not before we saw the most perplexing part of our trip though. The entertainment at the Dairy Festival was a belly dancer. I wish I would have got a picture of this, but let me paint one: dozens of children lined up, mouths open, staring at a half-naked woman gyrating what God gave her. It was the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. Not sure I would have been cool with Ellen seeing that…whatever.

Here’s an old, abandoned insane asylum on the grounds of the festival.

 So, we made our way home, and both agreed that it was a fabulous time. We recognized that it was the last time we will ever be able to pack lightly and be spontaneous on a trip. We relished every moment of it, and now we are even more ready for our little Ellen to come.

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Honey, how much do you love me?

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Have you ever felt like you are bleeding money?  Of course you have. Don’t we all? Only this past week was different. Most of it was unjustified…until I justified it.
Ok, here is my thought process:
1. Lunch with my cousin: Justified. Mike told me to buy lunch and enjoy myself. So I did. Besides, Krystal brought me some awesome chocolate and good things to sniff, so I essentially was saving money.
2. Two books at Borders: Justified. Two books that I wanted were in the bargain section for $3.99 a piece! How could I pass that up. I might have to pay full price later on, right? Besides, I have been reading the Lord of the Ring series for Mike, and it is seriously cramping my reading style. I needed something to rejuvenate me. I wouldn’t want to lose my zest for reading and become dumb.
3. Lunch for homeless woman and her friend: Justified. She told me I only looked three months pregnant…max! Then she asked for two burgers, chips and a pop. Nice move. It worked, and besides, it is what Jesus would have done.
4. Parking meter: Justified. That’s an easy one. I wouldn’t want to get in trouble with the law.
5. New underwear: Justified. You cannot walk around with ill-fitting underwear when you are eight months pregnant. You just cannot. It is a rule of pregnancy.
6. Hollywood tape: Justified. You might think it was an impulse buy at the counter, but what if I run out? I love that stuff, and it was there, so I needed it. Ok, maybe I’ll return that one.
7. Popsicles and face lotion: Justified. If you know me, you know I have been craving lime popsicles. I ran out. I needed to get more. Another pregnancy rule. Same with the lotion. I ran out. No-brainer.

8. Coupon organizer from Etsy seller Grandma’s Little Lilly: Justified. Coupons are flying all over my purse. Now they will be organized, and we will save money. Duh. By the way, you have to check them out. Here is the link. Just adorable, and I would highly recommend going with this seller. Cute fabrics, very friendly, and the most organized product I saw after some research. She’s awesome!

9. New comforter and throw pillow: Justified. It was cold outside the other day (believe it or not…), so I decided to walk around Meijer to get a little exercise. I ran across this awesome coverlet and a cute pillow to match, and they were ON SALE! So, again. I was saving money. Besides, it is really nice, and it matches with everything. I will never need another one after this.
I normally don’t ever do this. I am very conscious of saving money. I just went a little crazy last week, and it will never happen again. I’m just considering it like Mike’s speeding ticket he just got. What if I got a speeding ticket? We would be spending that money. So, yeah. It’s like a speeding ticket. Which you have to pay. That’s the law.
But wait. One more confession. Remember how I said that comforter was on sale? It was. In brown. I didn’t buy brown. I asked for a price check, seriously. Then, I couldn’t swallow my pride with a million people behind me and say I didn’t want it. So I bought it. But, I kept the receipt and told Mike I would return it without a peep.
He let me keep it :) How could he not? It’s so cute! And mind you, I wrote this past post before I bought it. I’m no suck-up.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. It will never happen again…

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The Baby Shower

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This weekend was our baby shower! I have been to so many showers in my life, and it was really cool to finally be at my own. My parents worked their little behinds off to make their house look like it should be in Better Homes and Gardens. Take a look at some of the pictures of their garden. I overheard so many people talk about how jealous they were, and I would definitely count myself among that group (although I lack all motivation to ever accomplish something like that…).
The food was phenomenal, the sun was out, and many of my favorite people came to celebrate with us. Everyone was so generous that Ellen has everything she could need and more!

So, before more pictures, a very special thank you to my mom and dad, my in-laws, my Aunt Ann and Uncle Gary and my husband and brother. Everyone did such a fantastic job, and Mike, Ellen and I are blessed to have you in our lives! Thank you!
A gift from Rylie: her blanket from when she was a baby. Rylie said she was all done with it, so Ellen can have it now. So sweet.
Opening a bracelet from Agape Gifts. You have to check this place out. They make the most beautiful gifts for any occasion!
Flowers and a rubber ducky from my Godson, Nikolas. Another sweetie pie!
The men did a great job serving all of us ladies!
Our cake from Mannino’s Bakery. I love birds and flowers, so this cake was just perfect. Some of you might remember our cake from our wedding shower which read, “Jenna and Mike sitting on the porch…”
Opening gifts from so many generous and thoughtful people.
The crowd. Check out Nikolas holding strong as the only male representative of the entire group.
And the dad-to-be. Mike and I made white chocolate popcorn for the shower. I don’t know if he liked making it or eating it better… 
 
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Gestational Godsends

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There are a few things I am learning that I cannot live without while I am pregnant. If you’ve been following along, you probably can guess what they are. But, today I am feeling particularly grateful for these, dare I say, miracles. So, here is my salute:

Three Things I Could NOT Be Pregnant Without:

1. Lime Popsicles
Particularly the Edy’s brand. Where do I start with these? They are cold which is so refreshing as the weather gets unbearably hot (unbearable is anything over 65F when you’re pregnant btw). I LOVE the crunchy/icy texture when I bite into them. And the lime flavor is sour and sweet at the same time. Ugh. Drool. I eat 2-3 of these a day on average. I’m not sure Ellen likes them all that much as she throws a fit whenever I eat one. I’m pretty sure she is spending her 40 weeks figuring out different places and times she can poop on me to exact her revenge.

2. Flash Tape
Without getting into too much detail, these girls are getting out of control. They will not be tamed, and the only way to wrangle them and still wear a tank top is a $70 vice and some Flash tape. Love it.

3. Chewy Bars
I will admit, I am getting a bit sick of these. However, you can’t beat a snack that holds well in a purse without spoiling. Those of you who have been pregnant know that hunger comes on Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift when you have a bun in the oven. You have pretty much 30 seconds to get something into your mouth or else panic ensues. Chewy bars are great for those cute little moments.

I wouldn’t want to do this list without giving props to the honorable mentions: Tums, Zantac, body pillow, things that smell good (That should just be on the list. Who am I kidding?), and organizational products (for moments when I am feeling less than ready for a baby and become even more compulsive)

Many thanks to all of the products that are making this journey even more enjoyable! How about you? Is there anything you couldn’t live without in your pregnant months?

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Mike’s ManCraft

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So, this might be a bit old (Easter, obs), but I found these pics and just had to show you how creative (read: dorky) my husband is. He’ll be such a good dad!

The egg on the right is a crossword puzzle. The egg on the left is a ninja.


The finger puppet is one of Ellen’s toys. Mike hijacked it.

Now that you know the cast, I’m sure you can figure out the rest.






Gotta love his creativity and enthusiasm for the arts :)
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Little Grandma

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Today is my great-grandma’s (who I called Little Grandma because, well, she was little) birthday. She would have been 110 years old. Because of her, I can officially say I used to be bilingual. She only spoke Italian to me, and I understood every word. It’s easy to pick up on language when you’re under five years old. After she passed away, no one exclusively spoke Italian to me, and sadly, I lost it all. Ah well. It was something special I had with her, and I like it like that.

Little Grandma and me many moons ago:

Little Grandma and Nanny (her daughter, my grandma) holding my brother, Alex:


In honor of her birthday, I want to share part of an email that my mom sent me yesterday. It is a list of all of the things Little Grandma used to make me for lunch, including recipes. They aren’t complicated recipes, but they are delicious and bring back the most vivid memories. I can’t wait to feed these to Ellen someday! I’m leaving it in (mostly) my mom’s words from her email. I like it better that way. So if you have any questions, let me know.

Scalodie
Wash at least 2 bunches of escarole, (it shrinks like spinach) and put in a large pot. Not the huge one i make soup in.. like a 5 qt. Barely cover scalodie w water. add a drizzle of olive oil, and garlic. gma always used fresh, i use powder or jar. add a cube of beef or chicken bouillon.  The rule for using the cubes is 1 cube per cup of water.. if i use about 3 cups of water i use just 2 cubes.. i dont want to broth to over power. Bring to a boil pushing it down into the water.. you can tell when its done.. it just takes about 5 mins or so. Now gma always drank the broth.. she said all the flavor and vitamins were there, i have to agree :) I served it to you guys like a soup, a little broth with lots of greens :)
 
Veggie Soup
Boil orzo or alphabets to very al dente. drain.  put the noodles in broth (cubes) add cut up carrots or any other veggie u have on hand (cooked)…leave soupy. This was one of your favorite lunches when you were around 3 and older

Rice w Eggs (another one of your favorites)
cook rice as directed on top of stove, just before its done and still has water in it add beaten eggs (1 egg to 1 cup of rice) a little garlic powder, just a dash, a dash of salt. thats it. sometimes if we had left over scalodie, we would add it too. be creative.
Green Pepper Sandwiches
saute green peppers in olive oil with s&p and garlic. pile on top of good bread and drizzle with a bit more olive oil.
If there is any family reading this, and you have any recipes I left out, leave them in the comment section. Happy Italian eating, and happy birthday Little Grandma!
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Feeling Nostalgic

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I’ve been up since 4 am, and call me a sap, but I’ve been thinking about my husband. I know. He sleeps right next to me, but he fills my attention even throughout the night. This could be because I love him so much, or it could be because he sleeps on his back which causes him to snore like a lumberjack matching his beard.
Regardless, I started thinking about the day we got engaged. How about a trip down memory lane with me?
I always refer to our engagement as the best Martin Luther King Jr. Day ever. I had the day off work, and Mike was still in school. He came down to see me and had an entire day planned. We went to mass in the morning, and I started to feel something happening. I was sure that I was getting engaged after church. I did not.
We then were going to stop by my parents’ house to pick up my skis and his snowboard, but Mike said we had another stop to make. He took me to a salon where I had the most wonderful massage and manicure. I had always told Mike that I wanted a manicure when we got engaged because everyone wants to see that bling! I knew at this point that it had to be soon. I even said to him, “You know, manicures really only last a week at most…”
Mike picked me up from the salon to take me back to my parents’ so we could go skiing. I’m thinking, “my nails are wet.”
After arriving, Mike shuffled me upstairs to my room where he stood looking at me so proudly. The rest went like this:
Jenna: (being a very focused individual) Oh, you made my bed. Thank you!
Mike: Do you notice anything else?
Jenna: (looking around…)
Mike: Look around, honey.
Jenna: Flowers! Thank you, honey. You’re so sweet.
Mike: Where is that old ring that your mom gave you?
Jenna: In my jewelry box.
Mike: Go get it.
Jenna: (opening box and realizing a much more sparkly ring was in its place along with the sweetest note)
Mike: bloop blop bleep. bleep balp boop. shme shma shmo.
My husband is not an idiot; I just have no idea what he said at this point because I was so over the moon. I know I screamed. I know we hugged. I know I said yes. But the words just escape me.
Six months later we were married, and now Ellen is on her way. We don’t waste time in these parts. But why would we want to? I love Michael so very much, and I look forward to every event and challenge we will share. I’m just not totally willing to go back to bed right now and listen to the chainsaw…
(Last four photos courtesy of Luna’s Eyes Photography)
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New Jersey…Finally

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I’m in the process of importing all of my cds to itunes. Welcome to 2011, Jenna. Anyway, while I wait for my computer to do so, I’ll give you the promised story of New Jersey.

I have to apologize for it taking so long, although I am not ready to admit full blame. I was not in control of the photos that weekend and finally received them today (ahem, Michael…) Totally not my fault.

Anyway, let’s talk Garden State.

This was my second time to NJ and NY and Mike’s first. The first time, I spent spring break with my old college roommate at her parents’ house. We flew there first class and got picked up by a limo. It was awesome, and we had a blast! 
This time, we drove there. With my parents. In the backseat of a Lacrosse. 31 weeks pregnant.

Now, don’t get me wrong, we still had a blast. The purpose of the trip was to go see my little brother (who is not so little at over six feet tall and 23 years old…) who works for Cadbury. It is really hard being related to a person who works for a chocolate company and gets unlimited free samples. Not!

Highlights of the trip:
1. Visiting my brother: Duh.
2. Seeing Blue Man Group: I laughed so hard that my face hurt. I couldn’t talk to anyone for 20 minutes after the show. It is a great show to take the kids to as well. I had almost as much fun watching the five-year-old’s face in front of me!
3. Watching Mike experience NY city for the first time: Best Mike expression? After a guy on the street noticed my pregnant belly and looked at Mike saying, “Congrats, man. At least you know they’re swimming upstream!” Right in front of my parents aka Mike’s in-laws. Priceless face.

4. Eating at Jefferson Diner in NJ: Before we got rid of cable, I watched copious amounts of Food Network. Now, when we travel, I always want to eat somewhere featured on the station. This diner was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We were not hungry in the least, but, oh boy, did we eat anyway. And it was worth it!

I’ll leave you with a few photos. I’m going to go upload the next cd: Poison’s Greatest Hits. Don’t judge me.

Under the ball-dropping location

My good-looking family

Brother-in-laws rockin’ out at Rockefeller
 

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

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Art Show and Smell

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Mike and I visited the East Lansing Art Festival this weekend. It was really great to have some time with the hubs without having to travel 1.5 hours in the car beforehand. Now, don’t get me wrong. We love going to see our families, but at 31 weeks pregnant, I like to keep car time to a minimum (Speaking of which, I still need to fill you in on our road trip to NJ. Coming soon). 

We went with Mike’s aunt Sis on Saturday, and grabbed some dinner with her afterward at Dublin Square. Turns out they have fantastic French Dips. Ahh they brought back memories of that time that I would only eat French Dips for an entire month. Mmmmm. I wasn’t even pregnant then. But, more about the art:

Here I am looking at some super cute button jewelry from Tallulah’s Satchels.



Sis and I taking a much needed break after walking all day. It was nice to sit outside the ol’ MSU English Office.


I would also highly recommend checking out Nicole Smith’s Family Trees. Kwang Cha was fabulous as well even though I am not normally a huge oil painting  fan. And, for the men in your life, look up Dick Cooley.

After dinner, we headed back to Sis’s house where we had the best time indulging in my most bizarre pregnancy craving: clean smells! I’ve had sudden urges for certain foods here and there (remember the early morning fried fish and donuts), but my most prominent and strongest craving is to smell things. Is that weird? I don’t care.

Now, don’t freak out or anything. I haven’t started huffing glue or drinking Lysol. Instead, I have been craving good smelling body soaps, shampoos, fresh laundry, citrus….ugh I’m making myself crazy right now! It is absolutely the best craving because it has no calories and nobody has to run to the store at 3am so I can smell sunscreen.

So, back to Sis’s house. Sis wanted to figure out what types of scents I loved the most (turns out clean, citrus, lilac and lavender are the winners). Let me just give you a visual of a small percentage of what I was able to indulge in:


It was awesome! I am now the proud owner of that lot! Sis had all kinds of great smelling things, and we sat on the couch and tested them all while we ate chocolate. Doesn’t get much better than that! Thanks, Sis!
Sunday, I just hadn’t had enough of the sunshine and art, so we drove back to East Lansing, went to church and saw the other half of the show. I was able to do some more sniffing when Mike and I paused next to the lilac bushes. Heaven!



After all the art I could handle, we went to our favorite bar, The Peanut Barrel, where we sat outside and played Scrabble with Mike’s friend James. Now, this may have been the best part of the day. I actually beat Mike and James. Mike I have beat before, but James, NEVER! It was awesome. It came down to the very last letter and I won by one point! VICTORY!!!


Mike then went to play disc golf, and I spent three glorious hours walking around Barnes and Noble where I somehow came up with the idea that I now need a netbook for blogging on the go. I want something small, lightweight, Internet ready, lots of storage and fast enough to upload photos and blog. I don’t need any frills or extras. Now I need your help. Do you know anything about them? Are they worth it?

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A Shameless Plug

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Hello blog readers! I’m hoping you can do me a teensy weensy: subscribe to my blog. I know, I know. You just wait for posts on Facebook, and that works just fine for you. But, like I said, do me a solid.
“What does it mean to subscribe or follow a blog?” you say! Try reading this. Ugh. More reading. You’re smart. You can handle it.
Now, take a look over to the right. Your other right. Yup, that sidebar. Down a bit. Ok, good. I’ve given you a few options as you can see. Try clicking one of the following (or all of them…):
  • Follow
  • Follow by Email
  • Subscribe!

My sincerest gratitude to those of you who can help me out. And, as always, feel free to leave comments here on my blog. It’s always a nice surprise to wake up to your wonderful words!

Many THANKS!
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