Two weeks

Since I haven't blogged since I was 21 weeks pregnant, I suppose I have a lot of catching up to do.

Olivia Faye Cowden was born 8-13-13 at 545am.

She is absolutely beautiful!

Taking care of a newborn is hard. Really really hard.

But it is totally worth it.

We're exhausted.

Whoa baby baby!

Well, I suppose it's about time I update the blog world on the haps in our world.

Although I kind of feel like Facebook has stolen the blog-world thunder. 

I never blog anymore because I post all relevant information on Facebook. And yet, there is so much more you can say on a blog. Plus, I know that at least Anna reads this (if she looks at it) and that makes it worth posting a little something every 6 months or so.

In case FB didn't make this point clear: I'm preggo. 21 weeks today, in fact. And we learned on Friday that we are having a baby girl. Yes, I'm about to learn just what my parents went through raising daughters... 

Back in December, when we discovered my pregnancy, I admit that I was hoping for a boy. 

Boys scare me less (in theory)-- mostly because I didn't have brothers, I know less about boys, and I know EXACTLY what it was like to grow up as a girl and with 2 sisters.

Girls are work. At least, the girls in my family were work. We've gotten better with age, or better able to hide the maintenance required...

But I do know more about girls! And my mom raised 3 and my Nanny raised one and helped raise the 3 of us, so they are fountains of useful information. 

Mostly, (whichever way it had gone) I'm excited for this baby and lots scared. Stephen and I had talked about kids and how we wanted them someday. And I am so glad that we waited several years before this girl came along. 

Now we talk and talk about our little girl and the ways she'll change our life and the stuff we'll need to get and how we wish we lived closer to our families. 

And we have to name her! Crazy. We have to decide the name she will live with for the rest of her life. There are the potential nicknames to consider, a middle name that fits with the first and last name, and all sorts of things. 

I've already eliminated any name that starts with C... Alliterative names are rarely cute.

And there are lots of names that neither Stephen or I like. It's finding ones that we both like that is a challenge...

We have to buy her a crib and make sure she has clothes, diapers, blankets...

She isn't born, she doesn't have a name, but she's already taken over our life. 

And I'm pretty sure Stephen and I couldn't be happier about it.

Our little girl will be loved.

I have spoken.

Musings

Dear blogoverse (but mostly Anna),

Hi! How's it going?

Things have been pretty slow around here.
Work, husband, reading, the usual...

I feel a little cheated at this time of year. Now that I've got a full time job, I don't really get a summer... It's enough to make me miss school, just a little.

The regularity of school is what I miss. Knowing my schedule would be the same every day - having class, hanging with friends, etc.

I also miss having a plethora of friends around. Waco is not my favorite place to start with: it's in Texas, it's hot, and far far away from my friends and family.

Stephen, however, does make up for some of that.

Speaking of Stephen, we got into a discussion tonight about personal bubbles. Not like a personal space bubble ("don't stand so close to me" and all that), but like a bubble of relationships.

My bubble is very small. I'm choosy about who I want in my bubble. For example, my family is, of course, in my bubble. Mom, Dad, Sarah, Rachael- very important to my bubble. My matey soul, Anna, is deeply entrenched in my bubble. You'd basically have to pop it to get her out of there.

So there are maybe 10 or 15 people who I would definitely say are in my bubble.

Stephen has a much bigger bubble. He is less choosy about who comes in his bubble. There are lots and lots of people who he would say are part of his bubble!

And then, I think he and I have a collective bubble. People who may not necessarily be in one or either of our personal bubbles, but who are nonetheless in a mutual bubble. This bubble is much larger than my personal bubble.

I feel like I've gotten off track. My point in all of this was: Over the course of the last 3 or 4 years, I have drastically changed. My bubble used to be much larger and I was much less choosy about who came inside. And I'm not sure if it's part of getting older, or being far away from people I know, or something else. But I do miss the days when I had a bigger bubble and had more friends  to fill it.

I love Stephen. And he fills a good chunk of my bubble. He makes everything about my life better. And I love my family and the friends that I have. But I still hope that someday I can live in a place where my bubble can grow.

How about you? What's your bubble like? Are you very aware of your bubble like me? Or do you, like Stephen, rarely notice or worry about your bubble?

Auf weidersehen!

Breaking the silence

Hello blog world!

Well, I have been out of the blogoverse (did I make that up or is it something nerdy I shouldn't say?) for a looooooooong time.

Between work and Stephen and the holiday seasonsss, I have found very little time for blogging.

And, to be even more honest, very little to blog about.

The most exciting thing to happen round here in the last few months (besides my 2 year wedding anniversary and our trip to WA for Christmas, which, while blog-worthy, happened so fast and went by like blurs!), is that my best Anna is illustrating a silly little children's book I wrote.

I've never been great at writing.

Don't get me wrong - I could knock out a solid B+ or A- research paper or reading response or other academic type writing.

And I've always been good at noticing other's good writing (which is why I love to read).

While in college, the most creative writing I did was for my poetry workshop and then the poetry writing class I took.

Poetry was not my forte, but I was actually proud of a few of my poems.

But not real writing. Not like, sit down and write a story writing.

But one day, bored and bored and bored, I wrote a little story for Stephen about 2 monkeys in the jungle who become friends.

Like any good husband, he loved it! And encouraged me to write more.

So then I had an idea for a story about a shark.

It stank.

And then, my best Anna drew a picture of a penguin.

(For those of you who don't know me well, I LOVE penguins!)

And the story just fell into my head.

So Anna is drawing the pictures to go with my story and pretty soon, there will be a real live (not really published but sill super cool for us) book, written by Heather Cowden and illustrated by Anna Robertson.

Years from now, when there are little Cowden's running 'round, I'll have a little illustrated storybook to read them that I wrote! And that Aunt Anna illustrated.

The same goes for Anna when she's got some babies!

It's cool and fun and I'm excited to see the finished product.

Penguin in Love, not coming soon to any bookstore, but coming soon to live with me!

God's sense of humor

Well, isn't this ironic.

2 posts ago, I wrote a looooong post about how I may never be a grown-up and how I've had lots and lots of jobs (or so it seems).

God's funny.

And I think that God sometimes sits up in heaven and (while watching me type that suuuper long post) says, "Hahaha.. This should be fun! She has NO idea!"

In a humorous way, of course.

Because I truly had no idea. Still don't perhaps. But that is neither here nor there.

What is here is a new job. Or to be more exact, an old job but better.

On Wednesday, I was offered the position of Assistant Manager at the bookstore where I used to work.

It's a full-time position.

Which is a blessing, because with Stephen in school and doing church stuff and working part-time at the bookstore, he is way busy.

And I haven't been. And that has been hard for me.

But I'm also feeling a little sad.

Because it's a real grown-up job.

While working at the church had some serious drawbacks, I liked the freedom and flexibility I had there. If Stephen got home early, I could ask to leave early and meet him at home.

Or if my parents were flying into DFW with a long layover, I could ask for the day off to drive up and see them.

Or if I wanted to take 14 days off after Christmas so that Stephen and I could go to Washington, I could.

Now I'll be in a job where time off is accrued and I have to fill out requests for time off and going to Washington after Christmas for 14 days is impossible (but we might be able to do 5 or 6 days.. we'll see)

Stephen sometimes tells me that I over-think.

It's true, I do.

And sometimes I agonize more after I've made a decision than while I was trying to make it.

But I do think that this is a good move for me. I already know some of what I'll need to do, I know a few of the people I'll be working with, and I know the manager above me (who is an excellent boss).

I'm excited and scared and I feel blessed and nervous and I think that God is upstairs chuckling and saying, "Just stick with me, kid, and we'll do this together."

And that makes me feel better.

Cowden's Rentals

Dear Anna,

This post is mostly for you. I think it is a fabulous idea for us to trade movies or tv shows! Such fun! Plus, who doesn't love getting mail.

Love, Heather

(P.S. If any of my other friends want to "rent" from us, please feel free to make a request!)

TV Shows:

Arrested Development (All seasons (1-3))

Best of Will Ferrell (vol. 1; SNL series)

Flight of the Conchords (season 1)

Friends (seasons 2, 3, 4, 5, 7)

Gilmore Girls (seasons 4, 5, 6, 7)

How I Met Your Mother (seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

The Office (seasons 2, 3, 4, 5)

Movies:

27 Dresses

Alex & Emma

The Bachelor

Batman Begins

Batman Forever

Batman & Robin

Benny & Joon

Bewitched

Bridget Jones Diary

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

The Dark Knight

Down with Love

Elf

Enchanted

Ever After

Fantasia 2000

First Wives Club

Footloose

Galaxy Quest

Get Over It

Grease 2

Hairspray

Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban

Hope Floats

Hot Rod

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Seuss cartoon)

The Incredible Hulk (with E. Norton)

Iron Man

Iron Man 2

Joe vs. the Volcano

Leatherheads

Love Actually

Night at the Roxbury

Oceans 11, 12, & 13

One Fine Day

The Pink Panther

Prince of Egypt

P.S. I Love You

The Producers

Robin Hood - Men in Tights

Robin Hood (Disney cartoon)

The Sandlot

School of Rock

Sleepless in Seattle

Someone Like You

Step Up

Transformers

Walk the Line

The Wedding Date

When Harry Met Sally

Where the Heart Is

While You Were Sleeping

Wimbeldon

X-Men, X-2, X-Men 3 - The Last Stand

X-Men Origins - Wolverine

You've Got Mail

WOOOOO!

Here I go again...

I may never actually be a grown-up.

It's true.

For although I went to college, graduated with a Bachelor's in English, got married (and moved to Texas - ewww), I apparently still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up.

I've had approximately 1,000 jobs since I graduated.

OK not 1,000, but it feels like it.

And all the things I think I want to do seem just outside my reach.

For instance, with my English degree I thought I'd pursue a position in editing. Masters of Editing program, internship, then entry-level copy editing...

Um, God apparently had other plans, cause I married Stephen and we moved to Texas.

So there went the Masters, and the (unpaid) internships (cause although he may not look it, Stephen is a gold-digger).

And while I still get to use my editor-ing skills on small stuff at my current job and editing Stephen's school papers, I'm not that crazy about editing anymore. I think maybe I'd like it, if I could get my editing dream job, but that dream has kind of fizzled.

I've toyed with the idea of trying culinary school again. There are schools around with programs I could enter, but it would have to be part time, and once I was finished, even if I got a good job at a good restaurant, I'd probably work most evenings for dinner and this would be a tiring thing with Stephen in school and nights being my best time to see him.

And then there are kids. Someday (I emphasize, SOMEDAY), we'd like to have a couple kids. And, while I know that most people have jobs when they are preggo and then after the kids, suddenly, I feel like I could be a stay-at-home momma...

How weird is that?

I promise, this is not an option I would have considered in my younger days. But, lately, I can see it.

So I don't know. I feel sort of lost. Like a high-school senior who has no idea what they want to do after graduation. Like a kid on Career Day who just doesn't know what they want to be when they grow up.

But here are the things I do know: Jesus loves me, even in my indecision. And he knows what I'm going to do even if I don't. Stephen loves me and is incredibly patient with my job switching and my unknowingness. My family and friends love me, even if they didn't know all this before reading my post.

So at least I have a few constants in my sea of inconsistency.

And the constants are my favorite part.

An apology of sorts

Let me just tell you:

It is kind of hard to be funny when life is boring.

Not that my life with Stephen isn't happy (cause you know he will read this :)

It is VERY HAPPY!

I love him, I love being with him.

But my job isn't very exciting.

And I still don't have very many friends who I could just call up to hang out.

So my witty side is becoming wilted.

At the beginning of May, I made a summer reading list for myself!

I've already read all the books (except 1 - Anna Karenina. So boring. And weird. And all about adultery. All things that are offensive to me)

I wanted to blog about the awesome weekend I spent with my friends (Anna, Emily and Kristin - You know who you are!!), but it already feels like so long ago and all the stories are of the "you-just-had-to-be-there" variety.

The best part about last week was when Stephen and I definitely (maybe?) decided that we aren't going to move, so we hung up a bunch of posters and got a few new ones.

I did a 1000 piece puzzle (with some assistance ((ok a lot of assistance)) from Stephen) and I glued it together and we're going to hang that up too... Someday.

But-- On Friday the 10th of June, my sista SARAH arrives!!! This will be the greatest thing (no offense to all the other things/people in my life, but I haven't seen my sister since January)!!

And then in July, Stephen and I are planning a trip to the KCMO area to see his family and some of our friends (Anna, Emily and Kristin I hope!)..

So maybe after these events, I'll have some funny to share.

My sista and friends will help water the witheredness of my wit and I'll come back with a blog post so epic your socks won't just fall off -- they'll melt!

Muahhahahahahahahaha!

I love socks.

I have spoken!

What a 'Day-cation'!!

Let me just tell you, I have the greatest husband in the entire world.

THE ENTIRE WORLD!

You may disagree if you wish, but once I share with you these details, you'll nod your head and inwardly (or outwardly...) think, "Yes, Stephen Andrew Cowden is a superior man".

I'll begin with the beginning:

Picture it: Wednesday evening, after the church programs, Stephen and I are sitting at home.

It's been a long week, because we are both looking forward to having 3 whole days off from everything.

Stephen is imagining hours and hours of time with me and a chance to catch up on homework.

I'm picturing hours and hours of time with Stephen and a chance to catch up on housework.

And then, he turns to me and says, "How do you feel about spending Friday in Fort Worth?"

I ponder and reply that it sounds like fun. I ask, "What would we do?"

And he's off!

He checks out websites and looks at stuff and types furiously on his laptop.

I watched some tv and made dinner.

Then we went to bed, with me thinking that he'd come up with a plan the next day.

So Thursday morning, while we're eating breakfast, Stephen says, "I think I've got a plan for Fort Worth."

He spells out a beautiful plan: head up that night, stay in a downtown hotel, have a nice dinner out, and check out the town all day Friday!

I sort of wanted to cry.

I felt (and still feel) blessed beyond belief that my wonderful husband would want to whisk me away on a 'day-cation' (as we are calling it) just because. It wasn't an anniversary, or a special occasion, or anything. It was simply an act of love.

And it rocked.

We headed out at 530ish on Thursday, and got to Fort Worth about 7ish. We checked into our hotel-- a pretty nice place downtown that had an overly trendy vibe, but was still really nice. The woman at the front desk gave us a free upgrade to a room with a huge king-sized bed and all sorts of other neat stuff. Naturally, I had forgotten my camera.

So we unloaded our stuff, freshened up a bit, and headed out. To get to Sundance Square, this nice downtown area with lots of restaurants and such, we took a trolley called Molly the Trolley. It was pretty hot, even at 730pm, so it was better than walking. We got out in the heart of downtown and set off to find a place to eat. We'd gotten some suggestions from a man on the trolley, and we were looking for a Thai restaurant that sounded good. But after about 45 minutes of walking around, we were too hungry to keep looking. So we walked by this dark looking place called the Mercury Chop House and just decided to go there.

As soon as I walked in the door, I regretted it. For starters, we were a little under dressed... The place was so dark and all the people there looked super rich. The waiter seated us and handed Stephen a giant menu that was all wines. It was literally 6 pages of wine! At that point, I knew we were in a little bit over our heads.

So I was already pretty uncomfortable, and then the waiter put some water on the table in glass goblets. He asked if any wine suited us, and Stephen said we'd just have water. The waiter gave us a snooty look.

Then he handed us the real menu.

I almost passed out. Literally.

I think the cheapest thing on there was $29.99 and that was some kind of chicken with no sides. There may have been a side salad for like $20.00 but still. It was at that point that I knew I could not eat anything in that restaurant.

So I gave Stephen this look that said, "Um... Do you see these prices?" And he nodded. I said aloud, "Is it really $36.95 for a steak without sides??" He nodded once again in the affirmative.

I turned to him and said, "How weird would it be if we left?"

We placed the menus on the corner of the table and I scampered out of that place!

Apparently, I was not meant for the high life...

So after we cooled down, we decided to eat at this little burger joint. The whole meal was under $25.

It was so much more our scene.

After dinner, we tried to find this jazz club that was suggested to us, cause it sounded swell, but we got pretty turned in our dinner search and decided to head back to the hotel. We ended the night cuddled on the big bed watching Conan and the Food Network. It was glorious.

Friday morning, we slept in. Beautiful in and of itself.

We’d found this little café we wanted to try for breakfast only a few blocks away downtown. So we checked out of the hotel and headed for the café. It took us forever to find a place to park and once we made it inside, we were informed that they had no more breakfast.

Thankfully, we are resourceful people and we consulted our Garmin to find us the closest Starbucks.

It was only .3 miles away! Since we’d already paid for an hour on our meter, we decided to walk. This turned into the second fiasco of our trip! We couldn’t find it. Not even my Starbucks bloodhound-nose could sniff it out. We must have walked a mile by the time we found it. But good ole Starbucks still had coffee and muffins!

After lots of coffee, we headed to Fort Worth’s Cultural District. It was neato!

Our first stop was the Science and Natural History museum. We got to be goofy and act like kids. On the top floor, they had an exhibit about humans and genes and stuff. We took our pictures and had them modified to see what we would look like as a person of a different race. We learned about babies and biases. It was pretty cool.

After we’d poked around for a while, we went to a movie at the IMAX theatre called “Wild Ocean”. It was great. I felt like I was under ‘da sea with all the fishes, sharks, and whales.

After the SNH museum (I made that abbrev. up, but it works), we went to the Kimbell Art museum.

Let me preface this by saying that I love a good art museum. I mean, if I can see some real masterpieces, I get goose bumps.

I saw Michelangelo’s first painting ever. An original Donatello. An original Rafael. That’s 3 of the 4 Ninja Turtles! I saw several originals by Cézanne and Monet. And, the coolest thing ever, I saw an original Van Gogh. It was amazing. Van Gogh is my all time favorite artist. I have a poster of Starry Night above our bed. To see one of his paintings up close was thrilling.

Which probably makes me sound super dorky, but I don’t care.

It really was a great museum. We spent several hours there, just wandering around. It was so a highlight of the trip.

After the Kimbell, we decided to head home. We ate a delicious dinner at Outback here in Waco, so we got to come home to a clean apartment. After a full weekend, we tumbled into bed and got to sleep in till almost 11 yesterday.

So after all that, is there anyone who would disagree with me?

I think not.

I have the greatest husband in the world, who shows his love to me in fun and romantic and creative and thoughtful and outrageous ways.

I am one blessed, blessed wife.

Big Oops

So, I just dropped my cell phone into my cup of water.

(It is now drying out on the counter)

Many a phone has been doused or dropped in the Lewis household, but I somehow managed to keep mine going. Probably because I use mine less than my family members...

(Lammeeeee = me)

And I was so proud of the fact that I had never damaged a phone before.

(They say pride cometh before a fall)

Then I took a sip of that cup of water.

(momentarily forgetting my mishap)

It tasted like phone.

(This day was going so well too)