North Carolina Baby Shower

After spending almost two months apart, I am so grateful that I had a chance to fly back to the East Coast and see Daniel over President's Day weekend. With winter weather wreaking havoc on many travel plans across the country this year, we added some padding to the agenda, so I flew out on Wednesday, February 16th... plus I was a bit nervous about flying at nearly 7 1/2 months pregnant... but thankfully everything went fine and I landed safely in Norfolk, Virginia, without any issues and very happy to see my husband again!

Since Daniel was attending classes on Thursday and Friday, I kept a low profile those days, but by late Friday afternoon we were on the road looking forward to spending the long weekend with Daniel's parents in McLeansville, NC. After a five hour drive (which included a dinner stop at Cracker Barrel... yum!) we had made it, and not only were we greeted by Allen and Jan but also by Daniel's aunt, Anne, as well. Needless to say, it was fantastic to see them all again!

Before moving to Europe, Daniel had sold his truck, so for the last couple of years we have been a single car couple. However, with our family expanding to three very soon and since we are also living in southern California once again, the need for a second car is imminent. Therefore, we spent some time on Saturday car shopping, and we were able to narrow our choices down to the Honda CR-V. While we looked at and test drove several different ones that day, we weren't quite ready commit but glad we had checked out the options together.

After a three year hiatus, it was great to finally return to Daniel's church in North Carolina, Apples Chapel, and to see many family friends. After the service, Daniel's cousin, Whitney, joined us for lunch, and it was wonderful to see her too. All of this was followed by more excitement... a baby shower thrown by seven very sweet ladies from the church! Held in the church fellowship hall, it was an "open house" format where people could come and go as needed while everyone enjoyed the delicious food and visited with others.

Most of the time, Daniel and I kept quite busy opening the many thoughtful and generous gifts, but thankfully we had a chance to catch up with everyone too.

Before we wrapped up all the fun, we had to get a few more photos to capture the moment, to include one with Daniel's parents, one of the baby bump at 7 1/2 months, one more of Daniel and me, and one of the ladies who threw us the shower... Sandra, Kathy, Nancy, Donna, Pam, and Betty Carol, plus their little helper, Hannah. Unfortunately, Dot is missing from the photo because she was sick that day and couldn't make it to the shower. We truly appreciate all of their hard work and thoughtfulness and we felt so honored... it was a very lovely event!

On Monday, we had to head back to Virginia, but on the way we made a pit stop in Elizabeth City, NC to check out one more car dealership. As it turns out, they had just what we were looking for, so we ended up buying a dark red 2007 CR-V that day! I even got to drive it to Virginia Beach that night :)

During the rest of Daniel's time on the East Coast, he will get to enjoy our "new" car and once it is time to head to California, he will be driving it cross country with his dad with an expected arrival in San Diego at the end of March. Needless to say, I am looking forward to having my husband rejoin me on the West Coast, but in the mean time I have plenty to keep me busy, like moving back into our condo and getting everything prepped and ready for the baby! Hopefully by the time Daniel arrives, things will be in order around here and we can just relax for a few weeks before our little bundle of joy makes his appearance!

As always, thanks for stopping by and please come back again soon as I still have a few of our Europe trips to catch up on. Until then, take care!

7 months and counting...

So yesterday marked 28 weeks of my pregnancy... yep, believe it or not, it has been 7 months, which means we only have a couple more to go! With the recent move back to the States, I have now been assigned to a midwife through the Navy's medical system...since she ordered one more ultrasound to make sure our little guy is still doing well, I had the joy of seeing him once again yesterday. He has grown quite a bit as he now weighs in at 2 lbs 12 oz! This is probably the last sonogram until his arrival... needless to say, we can't wait till then!

Day trip to San Francisco

Happy Groundhog Day! Luckily Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow this morning, so an early spring should be on its way... I am sure most people are happy to hear that since a huge portion of the country has been dealing with continual snow storms this winter. Not to brag or anything, but out here in California it has been quite the opposite... beautiful, warm weather almost everyday. While part of me misses Germany, I must say I have been loving the weather since I returned to the Golden State! In order take full advantage of the pretty day we had here today, my parents and I decided to head into San Francisco for a few hours to enjoy the sights and the gorgeous weather.

Our first stop was Golden Gate Park, which three of us had never visited before. One of the largest city parks in America, we walked along its pathways and around Stow Lake, taking in the greenery and eventually making our way up to the top of Strawberry Hill. Between the trees, we could see the city and the bay peeking out in all directions.

At the base of the hill, there is a colorful little Chinese pavilion that was a gift from the city of Taipei. And even though it is only the beginning of February, the cherry blossoms were already blooming... I guess Punxsutawney Phil was right about the early spring :)

Following our walk around this part of the park, we headed to the western edge where it meets the Pacific Ocean. Near the water, there is a Dutch windmill located next to a tulip garden... together they made for a nice photo op. And just around the corner is the Beach Chalet, which housed a lounge and changing rooms in the 1920's for all those spending the day at the beach. Today it is a visitor center sharing the history of the area and showcasing some neat murals, depicting different aspects of life around San Francisco at the time. Right across the street are the wide stretches of sand that make up Ocean Beach and the blue expanse of the Pacific beyond.

After taking in the view and sea air for a little while, we decided to drive down to Pier 39. We strolled among the shops, listened to the barking of the resident sea lions, and peered across the bay toward Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, all while soaking up the sunshine.

By then it was definitely time for a late lunch so we walked down to Boudin Bakery at Fisherman's Wharf, where we enjoyed chicken salad sandwiches on sourdough... yum! That seemed like a good way to end a few pleasant hours in the city, so afterwards we jumped in the car and made our way back to the East Bay.

All in all, it was a very lovely day trip... as one of my favorite cities, I am always looking forward to my next visit to San Francisco. Hope you enjoyed the pics, and please come back soon as I continue to catch up on the back blogging. Until then, take care!