We're fine

For anyone concerned about us here in the metro-Atlanta area given the latest weather, DH and I at least are just fine. I even drove into work this morning (early!) as planned. It was not the most fun drive I've ever made. My usual rule is that if there is winter precipitation sticking to the road, I don't go in. But I really had to if I wanted to go to Myrtle Beach, and I can't really afford the whole day off. Barely got above 30 mph, but I did make it. Steve just called me from work, and he is safely there, too. Will probably take longer to get to Myrtle Beach than I had planned, given that the east side of town was hit even harder, and the area between Atlanta and Augusta may still be slushy, but as far as I'm concerned, I will still be going. Everyone in the area, be careful and stay safe! See you when I get back.

Work stinks, then you get fired (no, not yet)

Sorry everyone. Work has just been completely bonkers. And since I do most of my blogging from work, I just haven't had the time to come over here to wow you with my writing. (Ha ha) BTW, no word yet on an official date for our "major and devastating" headcount cuts. Rumor mill is reporting March 8. We shall see.

In baby news, all seems to be well. "Morning sickness" seems to be getting worse, but it's still just nausea, and usually comes on worse as the day progresses (guess that should be night sickness). As long as I keep nibbling on crackers or something, I'm okay. Not great, but okay. I'm officially 8 weeks tomorrow, so (hopefully) only a few more weeks of such annoyances to go. Then I get a whole set of new ones! LOL

I'll be out of town this weekend, on my way to Myrtle Beach for a cross stitching retreat called "Stitching at the Beach." Teresa Wentzler of TW Designworks, Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams Designs, and Karen Weaver of Black Swan Designs will each be teaching a half day class with an exclusive chart. I did this same trip with these lovely ladies three years ago, and I had an absolute blast! Given the craziness of work, I am SOOO ready. And for anyone worried about me advertising being gone on the internet, I am leaving my poor husband behind, so the house will not be unoccupied. He'll be fiddling with our new computers all weekend, I'm sure. So, I won't be back here until Monday, but I promise a full trip report as soon as possible. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! I sure intend to.

Pitchers and catchers report today!

You know what that means? Baseball is almost here!!! YIPEE!!! I get to see baseball again, in person, in just 4 weeks, and the Braves home opener is in 8 weeks (a little less actually). Ah, I love baseball. Winter is sooooo boring without it! :-)

Academy Award Ballot

Cool! I found a printable Academy Award Ballot online. Much easier than trying to make up my own. I'll be posting my best guesses (and more than a few WAGs) on Wednesday before the Oscars on Sunday (I'll be out of town most of the weekend), and then we'll see how well I do. I'll probably send them to my Movie Musings readers as well, since I have been asked by several people who my picks are. Just thought I would share the "official" printable ballot with those interested: the GIF version and the PDF version (my preferred). Enjoy!

Snow!! It's snowing!!

I drove to work this morning in the snow! How exciting!!! We're in no danger of having it stick, otherwise I would have stayed home. This beach girl doesn't drive in snow if there is even the *slightest* chance of it sticking or making the roads icy. It's just been too warm lately for any of that to be a possibility. Now I'm sure several of you are wondering what the heck the big deal is. Most of you probably wouldn't have even considered it snow, just flurries (which, I guess, it really was). I know some of you drive with snow on the ground and roads most every winter day.

It doesn't work that way in Atlanta. We just don't have the equipment or the know-how to handle it. It simply doesn't snow often enough. They usually cancel school at the first sign of flurries (no joke) if they think the ground is cold enough for it to stick. There is almost always a run on the grocery store for bread, milk, eggs, batteries, and water. If snow sticks to the ground, everyone is almost in a panic. If it starts sticking to the roads, the entire city shuts down, no joke. We just can't handle it. Give us 120% humidity and 110 degrees any day, but no snow. So to actually be out driving in it was quite the novelty. And I didn't even panic. Yay me! LOL

Tums are my friend!

This is my punishment for bragging about how good I had been feeling lately. I have not felt good at all this week. And how on earth can I be nauseaus and hungry at the same time? It just makes no sense. I've also started having heartburn. I knew it was coming, but ever since giving up caffiene about 18 months ago, I've almost never had it, so having to live with it again has been a bit of an adjustment. Thank goodness for Tums! By the way, I can't say enough good things about the Smooth Dissolve kind. They may be more expensive, but they are totally worth it! I always hated the way the old kind just hung around with that chalky aftertaste forever. These taste a little better, aren't quite as chalky while chewing, and then they're gone! I don't feel like my mouth and throat stay coated forever. Yay! I know, probably TMI. Sorry, but given that I will be discussing my pregnancy for quite a while, you may as well get used to it.

BIG NEWS!

I've been trying to come up with some clever way to announce this, but I can't, and a few of you already know, so I'll just come right out and say it. Steve and I are expecting our first child in early October! To knock off most of the FAQs:
1) Official due date is October 7; my first appointment was Friday (02/06) and "everything looks great," according to my doctor.
2) No, we will probably NOT find out the gender in advance, but I reserve the right to change my mind.
3) No, we don't have any names picked yet.
4) Yes, I actually feel fine. Mild nausea early on, but it has mostly disappeared in the last few days, thank goodness. About the only lingering "symptom" is constant hunger, which is to be expected.
5) Yes, we're both very excited, but not nearly as excited as the grandparents and uncles-to-be. LOL
6) No, I don't have any baby webpages set up, yet. :) Give me a little time. We've barely even known for a week.

There really isn't any other news to report at this point. I'm only about 5.5 weeks along. My first ultrasound (to verify the position of the sac, and to potentially verify a heartbeat, though it might be too early) will be in early March, and I *may* even have pictures (no promises).

I briefly debated starting a separate blog for endless jabbering about pregnancy, but I decided against it. This blog is about my life and all that it involves, and I can't imagine much of anything involving more of your life than your first pregnancy (except the arrival of a child, which I can't speak to, yet). So, advanced apologies to those who don't want to read about my journey. Come back next year and read all about my new baby instead. :-) And to those who do want to read about it, thank you for your interest and support in our next amazing adventure! I do have an email list for "direct to your inbox" monthly pregnancy updates, if you're interested (drop me an email if you want to be on it), but to be honest, blog readers will probably know most things before the email list folks will. Don't you feel special?

Forgot a stitching update!

Yep, I actually stitched this past weekend. Can you believe it? Looking at pretty pictures has to be better than my depressing post below, right? So here are my completely beaded scissor fobs, both designed by Tomorrow's Antiques (no, they don't have a website that I have found): A Strawberry for Emily and An Acorn for Andrew: front and back. Aren't they pretty? I stitched them together all by myself and everything. :-)

Where has the Movie Muse gone?

I hate doing posts like this, but I feel compelled to for the moment. I'm here, I'm swamped, and I am all but convinced that I will not have a job come June given the current situation at work. They're using words like "major" and devastating to describe the upcoming round of cuts in March or April; rumor mill is reporting an *average* of 40%. Expect meaningful posting to resume sometime next week. I hope your lives are a little more calm and a lot less stressful.