100th POST!

Well, this is officially our 100th post. It is nothing special, just another update, but a fun milestone none the less. We are in Hanover, Pennsylvania. We arrived Tuesday night with our carry-on and carseat. Our luggage arrived Wednesday night. :)
So far, Ilana has discovered her nostrils... discovered that she enjoys pickles with her burgers... and gotten a hair cut (don't worry we just trimmed her bangs)... We went to JCPenney to visit friends today and are off to Gettysburg tomorrow. This is definitely the way to go when Paul's away for 3 weeks! I heard from Paul today. He's doing well - traveling 17 hours tomorrow down to New Mexico to pick up in-coming first year students to take them into the backcountry for 9 more days. He's having a great time, but ready to be home and see us. We're getting there, too.
-H

3 things

I recently read that you can tell a lot about a person by how they handle these 3 things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights. Well, I've officially dealt with all 3. Rainy days come once in a blue moon in Waco. I think I handled them pretty well. Paul and I happily de-tangled our friend's Christmas tree lights for them last Thanksgiving.
Today I'm dealing with lost luggage for the first time. It's no fun. When I travel with Ilana I only carry what is absolutely necessary to keep her happy, which means no deodrant, no clothing for me, not even my camera. According to Delta's on-line service (and the woman who called us) our luggage is on route to us, but it could be another 2-4 hours. Apparently there are a lot of other people dealing with lost luggage today, too.
Thankfully my mother-in-law is gracious enough to lend me anything I need. We're making the most of it! I'll never be more thankful to see my luggage again. But, I must say, I think I took it pretty well last night. It wasn't worth getting stressed over. Ilana and I had safey made it to Harrisburg and we were relatively happy, and a bit tired. I'm currently enjoying the hummingbird outside the window. I'm about to take a shower. What could be better? :)
-H

Astoria, Part 3

Tomorrow we say "goodbye" to Astoria and the Oregon coast and I am really going to miss it! To any of our mutual friends: Zach and Carolyn are AMAZING hosts and I'd highly recommend coming to visit. :)

Today we went to Cannon Beach again to try to see Haystack Rock up close, during low tide (the world revolves around the tides here). It was really foggy. As we were walking there this was what the beach looked like behind us: zombies, it was actually a bit creepy...

but once you got a little bit closer the rock was beautiful...

And we did get to walk right up to it and see all sorts of starfish and other sea creatures around it...

but the tide was coming in so we couldn't stay for too long. We were hoping to stay at this beach all day, but it was too cold. So we went 20 minutes up the road to Indian Beach and it was beautiful! We stayed there the rest of the day...

I'll really miss Oregon. It's beautiful here, but the weather is really wild. It can be super foggy in one place and beautiful, clear and sunny just 20 minutes up the road. Enjoy your time here, Zach, Carolyn and Ada! And thanks again for being amazing hosts.

-H

Astoria, Part 2

As promised, here is the carousel picture. Ilana didn't seem too enthused, but when it stopped and we got off she SCREAMED...I guess that means she had fun.
We drove down to Cannon Beach, where Haystack Rock is out in the ocean. It's one of the most photographed places in Oregon. You can see why! It was BEAUTIFUL and we couldn't even get close.
The next day (Saturday) we drove over the big bridge to Washington State. The tide was so low in this picture that you can see the sand on either side if you enlarge it.
In addition to going to a local fair and a local market we drove all the way down to Cape Disappointment. Unfortunately it lived up to its name.
We came home and that evening we drove to the local beach, about a mile down the road to pick fresh, wild strawberries. The one in the picture is the average size. These things are as tasty and sugary as the big, normal strawberries, but in this pint-sized (about the size of your pinkie finger nail - seriously!) berry. They are SWEET and SO GOOD!!
Today we had a BEACH DAY!!! We drove down to Oswald West and sat on the beach like bums for 3 or 4 hours. This is Ilana at the PACIFIC Ocean (she was at the Atlantic Ocean in May - I'm so proud of her, the true American Traveler).
Ilana actually wore her hat all day. She amused herself by throwing sand over her shoulders and playing with the rocks she found. She was obviously sucking on a few too many sandy rocks... she got a sand-stache!
Then we drove down to see Manzanita. This is an overlook along the way. The fog is amazing down here.
The girls are really getting along wonderfully. They're pros at sleeping in their car seats, and we're really learning a lot about sharing this week. :) They're still swapping habits and "tricks." I think Ada is teaching Ilana how to talk. Ilana's babbling tons more than she did a week ago.
Tomorrow's our last full day here. I'm not sure what we're doing. We're really excited to see family out east (not excited about changing time zones again, but Ilana seems to do alright with it). Alicia we miss you like crazy too! Wish you could've been here. We'll have to plan a time to all get together again...soon.

-H

Astoria, Part 1

Well, I wasn't sure I was on vacation until I heard Carolyn's unforgettable laugh in baggage claim at the Portland Airport. It had been a rough day, but I was instantly in vacation mode when I saw her. We are having a wonderful time! LOTS of firsts and I'm sure more to come. Here's a glimpse thus far.

Our first night here Ilana had corn on the cob for the first time. She LOVED it.

The next morning we walked all around downtown Astoria. We stopped at Bowpicker for lunch. It was THE BEST fish & chips I've ever had. The fish here is amazing.

Ilana discovered ketchup. Again, she loved it! I think Carolyn's secretly trying to make her a "messy" baby while we're here.
The next day we went to the Lewis & Clark National Historic Park and walked through Fort Clatsop (this is where Zach works). Ilana slept the whole walk out...
but woke up for our picnic lunch and enjoyed the ride back - especially the fresh blackberries and huckleberries along the path we picked for her.
We came home and the sun was out - a rarity for this area. So, while Ada took a nap, the 3 of us played in the sandbox (yet another first for Ilana). It took her awhile to warm up to the idea, but eventually she really enjoyed it. I think she's doing a sic 'em in this picture. :)
After 2 short days here Ilana's caught on to getting up the stairs. She screams when she's at the top because she can't get down, but wow! she's really catching on.

We've had a wonderful time and both Ilana and Ada are swapping habits and "tricks." I'm so glad our week isn't even half over yet. We're off to the carousel today!

-H

Email forwards

I received a forward from another mom. The subject of the email was "FW: Warning about "cafe" outdoor tables!!!!!! Please read!" My initial thought was "ugh, not another silly forward, some kind of warning to make me second guess another area of my life." But I read on. I was so happy I did, here's the whole thing...

Ladies, Be cautious!! Don’t ignore this one, please read it.
THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU...IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR MOTHER, YOUR SISTER OR YOUR DAUGHTER...
The strangest thing happened to me this weekend. I was sitting at a local outdoor cafe having lunch by myself and two men came and sat down at my table. I gave them the death look, but they just casually stayed at my table and wouldn't leave me alone. I shined up my ring on my married finger, and then placed my hand on the table and I hinted to them that I was married and that I was not interested in them.
Luckily for me they got the hint and left, but thankfully the whole thing was captured on the Cafe's camera. I'm sending you this picture as a warning, just in case they try and pick you up too.
Honestly, some men think they are God's gift to women.
...(scroll down a bit)...
Then I fell out of bed and woke up!!! How did YOUR day start?

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Sweet dreams. :)
-H

Family Day!

In anticipation of the family being separated for 3 weeks in a few days, we decided to make today FAMILY DAY! This morning we went to the...
After walking all over, and thoroughly enjoying the inside exhibits...
it was snack time...
then we saw Paul's favorite display, the giraffes...
then we saw mine, the flamingos...
We had such a fun time. Ilana did a fair amount of pushing the stroller (yes, this was uphill)...

The hat was water-soaked in an effort to keep her cool. It worked really well. We can't believe she's actually steering her stroller! By the time we got home for lunch we had one tired baby on our hands. So, you might ask "What did Paul and Heather do while Ilana took a nap?" CLIMBED OF COURSE!! Ilana slept really well in the Student Life Center's conference room for 2 hours, and we climbed! (We checked on her about every 20 minutes, don't worry.) It was loads of fun.
Yep that's me at the top and Paul's belaying. We each climbed 3 routes and then bouldered a bit.
We just ended our day by watching the Tour de France highlights on TV. (Go Lance!) It was a really fun day.
-H

The only safe place

As you can see below, we've flexed a bit on our rules with Moses...
But at least we have a good reason - Speed Demon Ilana!
Ilana RUNS all over the apartment with her alphabet train and poor Moses gets chased off his rug every time she comes through. So the only safe place is the couch. Poor dog. He makes himself right at home...

and eventually Ilana comes over and pets him. I think she's trying to apologize or maybe just practice talking (what is she doing with her mouth?).

But I don't think he quite understands. His life will never be the same either.
-H
ps-No, we don't make a habit of watching TV unless it's Sunday morning. We can't seem to quit our 6-year addiction to CBS Sunday Morning!

A Facebook Divorce

Lately I have heard "Are you on Facebook?" more times than I can count. So when a climbing (stranger) new friend said "I'll find you on Facebook," I thought THAT'S IT!! Paul and I have shared a Facebook account for a few years now, but I knew it was time for me to venture out on my own. So, as soon as we got our feet back under us yesterday from another climbing weekend in Austin, I set myself up my own Facebook account.

***CRAZY***

Paul and I have officially gotten a Facebook divorce. So, come find me - just me. I'm using my old email: polkadot99@hotmail.com. I can't stand when my personal email is cluttered, so I use that one for anything "public." Also, don't be annoyed if I don't check it every day. I've got a few other things going on.

-H

Fun Fact: my first "friend" was my Dad!!

Something finally clicked

and Ilana can finally steer her walking toy!

She's been a lot less frustrated since she finally figured this out yesterday afternoon. She'll be walking in no time at all!
-H

Size: 9

Think...

• road-sign green (we're talking GREEN people!)
• 4 1/2" heels
• silver-accented toe
• my trendy best friend's wedding in October

and you'll have...
Yep! These are my newly-purchased shoes for Emily's wedding in October. Let's just say that I'm going to have to wear them almost every day to get my feet used to them, and build my endurance for the wedding. If I can build up my stamina to wear them long enough for the ceremony and pictures I'll be ecstatic! :)
-H