Adventures in raw

Ok - so where I last left off...I was doing a cleanse in preparation for my 32nd Birthday.  It went fine...until I got strep throat.  When I emailed my "coaches" their main advice was to do another cleanse after I was off the antibiotics.  I said "uhm, that's more $$ than I want to spend" and they said "nothing".

So - then I happened onto a cleanse by a woman here in Boulder, Eloise Nelson, and it looked actually pretty good.  I bought the book from her and started the cleanse on Wednesday.  It's a mostly vegan and raw cleanse...which is different for me.  So far - the 3 recipes that I've made out of her book have been really pretty tasty.  Oh, the shakes that I have for breakfast in the morning are...interesting.   The texture is...interesting.  But - they're bearable and they're mostly fresh fruit, spinach and then some Chia seeds and hemp protein powder.  The downside of this cleanse is it was somewhat $$ to get the products - but they will hopefully last the entire cleanse.  The upside is I think this is a nutritional cleanse as well as fiber...and I'm having REAL food and not pellets and chocolate over-processed "what the hell is in this" shakes.

So - I'll let you know the updates.  Otherwise I'm just full of stress and that's awesome.  I seem to have broken the damn on an unhealthy Etsy addiction.  Ohhhh....handmade goods...

Sidelined by Strep...wah wah waaaaah.

So - disappointingly - I have had to stall on the end of the cleanse.  I've been doing shake days for this week...but as far as weight loss I think it's stalled out.  I'm down 8 lbs - which I really need to look at as a positive thing.  I was just hoping for more.

I got strep this week. I woke up Tuesday with a terrible burning in my throat.  I thought immediately that it was strep - so I went to Urgent Care and got a test...and then went to Walgreens for the antibiotics.  The 1st day was pretty awful but I felt better on day 2. 

I talked to my coaches - and they told me that while I'm on an antibiotic I'm not really supposed to do the juice part of the cleanse.  So, like I said, I've done shake days and today is day 11. 

After I finish the antibiotics- I plan to do 2 more shake days and then 2 cleanse days so I can finish the product. Hopefully I'll get more results.  We'll see!

Cleanse - Days 5, 6, 7

I've made it halfway!  I've completed my first two pre-cleanse days, my two juice days, and now I'm on my third shake day of 5.  I have to make it to Friday - which means two more juice days, but I think I'm doing ok right now.  John compared it this morning to SlimFast...which I guess is somewhat correct in the replacing two meals with a "shake"...hopefully this Isagenix stuff is a bit healthier?

I am happy with results so far.  Sure - I'd like to have dropped 20 lbs the first day - but that's not realistic.  I am happy with the ~6lbs that I've dropped and I hope I get in a few more before this is over.  My energy is ok.  I really wanted to nap all day yesterday - not sure if that's just because I needed sleep or if I was overly tired

Saturday was nice with the return to shakes and food.  I was mostly good at the Farmer's Market - but chef Deb made polenta and seeing as it was gluten-free, I had to have some.  So - I substituted it as my mid-morning "snack" instead of freaking out about eating a DELICIOUS polenta with butter and parmesean, and tasty greens on top of it. Yum.  I had my shakes in the morning and at noon so I could eat dinner with John...which didn't exactly happen due to his construction project.  Ah well - things happen.  I made us a healthier version of Chipotle's burrito bowl - used brown rice, probably less salt and less cheese and sour cream.  It was o.k.  If I were really cooking and not trying to be super healthy - I think I would have kicked in a few more things to make it tastier. 

Sunday was a normal, mostly schedule following day.  I had my meal at lunch - and I made a delicious omlette with applewood smoked chevre, sauteed local spinach (purple and green!), garlic and tomato.  It was deeeeelicious.  The shakes were fine and the snacks were fine. My bloodsugar dropped on Sunday afternoon - but overall it was just fine.

One of the things I've been appreciating from the fast is how it is helping me appreciate the little food that I'm eating right now.  I have a plan to head to Whole Foods for lunch to make a big and healthy salad for myself.  Yum.

So - today, so far:

7:00 - Shake and accelerator capsule, isaflush and water
7:30 - iced passion tea from *$ (no sweeteners - doesn't need it!)
9:30 - 1 Snack & 2 nuts, water

Cleanse Day 4 - day 2 of juice

Let me begin with: Hi, Jackie!  Glad someone is reading this!!

Day 3 ended ok. I was drained of energy and I sooooooo wanted to eat.  Having to feed Ada-Ruth was torture.  Her meatloaf looked like the most delicious food ever made...even though I knew it wasn't.  I had my juice - which seems to be better diluted- and my wafers and went to bed earlyish.

Day 4 - I may feel better than I did yesterday. I followed my Friday ritual of getting Starbucks - but I opted for an iced-non-sweetened Passion tea.  No chemicals - just some herbal tea over ice.  It was good.

7am - Juice & water, accelerator cap and fiber stuff
8:30 - Snack & H20
10:45 - late due to a meeting - snack & H20
12:00 - late due to meeting - Juice & water

In positive news, I'm down 4.5 lbs!  Woooooo.  And supposedly the 2nd day of the cleanse is supposed to be very "cleansing"...

Day 3 - the real cleanse begins

So today is my 1st day on the "Cleanse for Life" juice and day without food.  Actually - I have my Isagenix "Snacks" to munch on...redefining "snack" to mean "tablet" or possibly "pellet" and "munch" to mean - savoring an oversized-Necco wafer.  It kind of tastes like Astronaut Ice Cream (of which, I am a big fan).

I have had 2 of the juice doses so far.  I have another at 4.  The juice is...not so great.  But - the "cleanse coach" told me it will start to taste better.

I keep thinking about food and the food I want to have when I'm done with this stinking thing - but I guess that's really counter to what I'm supposed to be thinking about.  I'm supposed to be thinking healthy thoughts - not about how I'd really like to have food...any food.  The soup my co-worker ate today at lunch smelled like the best french onion soup ever...she said it was only ok.

So here is the journal thus far. 
7am - 4 oz juice, fiber supplement, metabolism accelerator, water, tea
8:30 - snack, water (DYING of hunger)
10:00 - snack, water (still dying)
11:30 - 4 oz juice, water (yup, not satisfying)
1:00 - snack, water, metabolism accelerator (hungry hippo am i)
2:30 - snack, water (oh -snack was totally what I needed.  Oh wait)
3:10 - dying of hunger...only 50 minutes until my next 4 oz of juice.  Whoooo.

But - so far I am down about 3 lbs and besides hunger, I don't feel too bad.  And, it's nice knowing that I'm doing something good for my body...flushing out toxins and bringing in the good nutrients.  Good stuff.  Still - I can't wait for next Friday (the last day of my 11 day cleanse...)

Cleanse me - Day 2

Day 2 -

I have that undercurrent of hunger that just doesn't go away.  But - I'm doing ok.  I worked from home today - not sure if that was good or bad but it was nice to be home.  I also realized that I had read the paperwork wrong - my "snacks" are 2 almonds + a small snack - so I'm had more robust snacks today.  Yea!

Also - as far as weight - I was down 2 lbs this morning.  There is a lot of water going in/coming out - so who knows if it is real or water weight.  Still kind of nice.

730 am - shake & water
10am - 2 almonds & water
1130 - peanut butter and fiber supplement & water
115 - lunch (mexican bowl with spinach and chicken) & water
2:45 - tea
318 - 1/2 apple, 3 small almonds
4:15 - hungry and wanting another snack.  Will get one when I get off of this call.
4:45 - celery and 2 almonds.

I'll be having another shake tonight. I'm about to go get a pedicure.  I need it - and it should take my mind off of food? :)

Tomorrow is the all-juice day.  I'm a little worried about how it will go - no real food - all juice but some snacks.  We'll see...

Cleanse me - Day 1

I am doing a "nutritional cleanse" for the next couple weeks.  Some may wonder why I'm trying to add stress - but I'm feeling good about this.  With my birthday in a couple weeks, I want to start the next year of my life healthier and more active.

I want to journal this - but don't really want to use Facebook so I think I'll use my Victory Garden Blog. :)


So I'm in day 1.  Here is what's happened so far:
6am- Wake up, weigh in & measure.  SO not happy with weight and measurements.
7am - Chocolate shake thing, fiber supplement, accelerator.  The shake was really thick - almost too thick.  I feel good afterwards.
730am - I've switched to herbal tea for now and feel pretty good. Not missing my caffiene too much.
8:30am- water
9:00am - water
10am - hungry.  I can have 2 almonds (2??!?!) so I have 2 almonds and a "snack" provided by them. I also have lots of water
11am - hungry.  I have 2 more almonds and more water
11:55 - leaving to have my "meal" of the day - I'm about to go to Whole Foods to make a nice salad from their beautiful salad bar.
1:15 - Salad.  It was huge and yet I was still somewhat hungry
2:30 - 2 nuts and water
4:00 - 2 nuts
6:15 - shake
7:30 - 2 chocolate almonds (whoops!)

End of day - feeling ok just a bit hungry.

Helen, Harriet, Clementine, ClaraBell and two others...

Welcome to the chicks!  They're sleeping right now...so not too much excitement yet.   

Lessons thus far

Gardening is a very Zen activity.  You can't really control anything, your patience is rewarded and hope for certain results should be abandoned. 

Practical lessons thus far:
-Growing lamps need to be VERY close to the seedlings.  Too far away and the seedlings get leggy.  Leggy, in the world of seedlings, is bad
-It doesn't matter what the seed packets say - the "time to germination" will just depend so don't get frustrated when the 5-7 day germinating eggplants take 14 days
-When you first plant seeds - it can seem like you're planting waaaay too many.  When they begin to sprout - it doesn't seem like enough.
-You have to be close to the seedlings.  They need a lot of care and watering (literally) or they shrivel up.  This can happen overnight.

We get the chicks tonight or tomorrow morning. We build garden boxes today.  Exciting stuff!

Seeds and chicks

Hello.  Yes, it's been a while.  You're looking good - keep up the good work.  I've changed the name of the blog.  Moving on. 

In a new chapter of our life - we're taking on a Victory Garden.  Our suburban-farm will be comprised of a vegetable garden, herb garden, some fruit and a chicken coop with 4 layers.

I've felt compelled to learn how to make food out of dirt and little pebble-like things called "seeds".  I'm not sure how good we'll be at this.  I'd say that John has a closer heridatary link to farming but I seem to have more of an interest in learning how to plant seeds and pray the buggars turn into plants.  Last week I planted a flat of heirloom vegetables and a flat of tomatoes (13 heirloom varieties).  So far - after a week of waiting - about 5 plants have popped out of the soil - leaving about 90% of them unmoved and me worrying that I've planted bum seeds.  This new hobby requires a lot of patience and reading the fine print on heirloom seed packages. 

The other major component of our farm will be four egg-laying hens.  We're really excited about the chickens.  We can only have four because Longmont requires that a) you have a permit for Urban Hens and b) that you can only have 4 living in a coop 6 feet from your house and from your property line.  Sooo...4 chickens it is.  Since John grew up working for McMurray Chicken hatchery - he had a pretty clear idea of the rare birds he wanted to get.  No Rhode Island Reds or CXRs for him...we're getting beautiful heirloom birds.  Next Sunday we will become the proud owners of two Light Brahmas, one Silver Laced Wyandotte and an Auracana.  They will lay brown eggs and the Auracana will lay blue and green ones.  We get them as 2 day old chicks...so egg producing won't actually begin until September or so.  We've got names picked...stay tuned. 

The S-W family continues to do well.  Ada-Ruth is the light of our lives and has been growing like a weed.  The past 2 weeks have been a bit rough - she's had her 1st ER visit, 1st ear infection, 1st hospital stay, 1st IV, 1st diagnosis of pneumonia and 1st bout with thrush.  She comes off of her antibiotic tomorrow and she's feeling much better.  John and I are both battling some un-diagnosed malase...hopefully we'll all begin Spring feeling healthy.  I know one thing for sure - I am ready for Winter to be over.

Last but not least - just in case you've been looking into career options during these economically difficult times...consider chicken sexing.  Enjoy.  Part 1 and Part 2.

Returning to work? When the hell did that happen?

So - I'm sitting here in wrist braces and a baby wrap with a snuggly, wiggly little baby inside.  She is waking up off and on and reminds me how quickly I need to get stuff done when she's sleeping - because she could be awake and hungry at any moment.  I am trying my hardest to fully appreciate these moments - because in less than 2 weeks I return to the work world again.  

I think like any new mom, I have very mixed emotions about this return. I won't be able to sleep in until 8am and wake up to my smiling baby girl.  But, at the same time, I'll be back in Adult-land - speaking and thinking like a grown-up, not cooing and wiping spit-up.  I am nervous about this return.  I'm much heavier than when I got pregnant - so clothing options may have me returning to maternity clothes (ugh).  I will be commuting from my home north of Denver to the "Tech Center" which is south of town (ugh).  The client and project sound very promising - and it is actual Change work - just like I've always wanted.  So...we'll see. I'm cautiously optimistic, excited twinged with sadness...it is somewhat like that feeling I had when I'd return to school after a holiday or summer break - but this time it's somewhat less jubliant.  

I really enjoy the questions from people asking "Oh, are you returning to work?" as if this is a choice I have.  Yes - I'm going back.  Not exactly a choice right now.  After a move, maternity leave and all of the joys of homeownership (the most recent joy being termites....eeeeek) - I really have to return to work.  I don't know what I'd be doing if I did have more of a choice - yes I'd still go back- but would I be trying to do something part time?  Humm...not sure.  

I'm incredibly lucky that my little Ada-Ruth will be cared for by people who care about her.  I know this makes it easier.  Mom will be here a couple days a week.  John will be here on Fridays (or Mondays?)  and it looks like our doula Abby will care for Ada-Ruth a couple days a week as well.  We are blessed to have options.

I have so much I need to do - write thank-yous (it's embarassing at this point how far behind and how many we need to write), start yoga again, finish organizing the home office, finish appealing the insurance company, lose 50 lbs, understand taxes, write my birth story...it's overwhelming.  And, not all of it will be finished when I return to work.  This is a good lesson in letting go and non-attachment.  I wish I could delay a return to work (and stop Ada-Ruth from growing so quickly) until just a couple of those were finished and put to rest.  But - well - I can't.  I have felt myself get a touch panicky recently - and I'm just having to let it go.  Ok- I'm not the best at writing thank-yous.  Emily Post would make an example out of me.  There are people who write thank-yous as soon as they recieve gifts.  Yes- they're superior letter writers - but I have to let go the feeling that they're better than me.  They're human, too.  Right?  I can't let unwritten thank-yous keep me up at night- especially when my baby girl is sleeping!  

I don't know.  I don't have answers.  I just have a lot of rambling observations and questions.  Yeesh.

Nourish US - our new family recipe blog

Dear Family and Friends -

Here is a Christmas present for you all from me and my dear cousin Meliors. 

Nourish Us, a new blog at http://nourishus.blogspot.com/ is a gift for all members of our far flung extended families to have a place to share family recipes, stories and photos.  We hope that it will help family members stay connected, ensure that family memories and pictures are shared and recorded, and provide many delicious dishes for us to remember or try.

This was designed as a space to post and find favorite recipes. It was inspired by our maternal grandparents - Ada Ruth and Jess Kellerman - who shared a love of cooking and large meals shared by family and friends alike. Their house rule was one visit you were company, but on the second visit you became family. (Being family also meant you had to do dishes...but that was an easy price to pay after enjoying a delicious meal at their table).

We would love to have you post to this website to share your favorite heirloom or new favorite recipes.  You can either send me or Meliors your recipes and we will post them.  Or - if you would like to post recipes yourselves - let us know and we'll add you as an author for the blog.  

Please keep in mind - we are still working out some of the setting-up kinks across our different time zones (with me here in Colorado and Meliors in Melbourne, Australia).  However...please hop on board and send us your recipes!  Also - please send this to family or friends who I've missed or who you think would enjoy the blog!!

Meliors and I hope that this will be such a lively family meeting place that eventually we can plan fun activies like a virtual family reunion dinner, where we nominate a dish or menu to all cook on the same day, then each share our photos and stories - it could be the next best thing to sitting down to eat around the same table.

Lots of love, and Merry Christmas!!

Kimberly & Meliors

She's perfect

Ruth Lorraine arrived on November 7th at 5:14pm.  While she was "late" or past the due-date guesstimate...when she decided it was time to be born she came pretty quickly.  

She was 7lbs 13.5 oz, 19.5 inches at birth.  It is almost a month later and she's 9lbs 2oz and 21.5 inches.  So, she's growing!

Ada-Ruth Lorraine is named after both John and my maternal grandmothers - Ada Ruth was my dear grandma and Lorraine is John's feisty and wonderful grandma who lives in Wisconsin.  

We are very lucky and feel very blessed.  This past month we've been able to introduce her to both sets of grandparents, her uncles and aunt...and we look forward to Ada-Ruth meeting many more people who love her.  The outpouring of love from our friends and family has been overwhelming and heartwarming and we thank everyone for the warm thoughts, cute gifts, prayers and love you've been sending our way.  We all appreciate it.

And now...I have to go feed the baby...:)

Chaz's new digs

October 24, 2008: No Chaz yet.  However, as consolation prizes the Carpal tunnel and heartburn are still here.  Sleep seemingly wisened up and has not really been around (at least at night) for many weeks.  Wheee!

So...since I'm just sitting here waiting...I've resorted to taking photos of the crib.

Here is the beautiful crib!  Uncle and Aunt-to-be David and Melissa gave the baby the crib and mattress - and we're excited to start using it!! 

Babyclothes!

These are gifts from the great-grandparents.  The (very dusty) cradle was made for me by my Grandpa Kellerman when I was a baby.  My mom and dad have saved it and I'm very proud our baby will be able to use the cradle as well.  We'll be using this cradle on the main level for baby naps.  And, the white blanket with color strips was made for the baby by John's grandma Lorraine.   

The baby has a 3rd bed...it is the co-sleeper in our bedroom.  Chaz will be spending nights next to us so the initial wakings, feedings and comforting is easier on all of us.  We have also learned that having the baby sleep in the same room as the parents may teach the baby better breathing patterns and regulation possibly preventing SIDS.  So, it seems to be good all around!

Last but not least, here is the view out of Chaz's window. 

In the distance are the mountains - with Meeker and Longs clearly visible.  I think it is the best view from inside the house.  Only the  best for our baby.

Ouch, ouch, ouch...that hurts

Ok- so no one told me that I could get carpal tunnel. I was expecting the swelling, the sleeplessness, the strange emotions, the strong need to "nest", the food cravings...but I wasn't expecting any carpal tunnel nonsense. For about the past 2 weeks - I no longer wake up with leg cramps because I wake up with hand and arm cramps. What the heck?

Now, I don't mean to complain too much. I have been really blessed so far with this whole pregnancy thing. But, I now understand why the last couple weeks are not so much fun. Movement is restricted, food is unappealing, sleep is difficult...ah well. The joys of mother-to-be-hood. I'm in the home stretch and I'm ready for the baby to come home. The nursery is painted, crib is put together, linens and clothing is washed and hanging, bag is packed...now we need a baby and many sleepless nights.

Today I was treated to a baby shower lunch by my fellow women co-workers here in the Denver office. We had a great time- I need to get the pictures back and I will post. The lunch was wonderful and the cake was spectacular! I also got some lovely gifts to help welcome Chaz. It was so sweet of the ladies to host a lunch for me & babe- and made me feel very special, especially when these ladies have only known me for a couple months. Thanks to Melissa S, Melissa L (aka cake goddess), Karen, Melanie & Jenn - not to mention all the guys who stayed back in the office (understandably...for it was a very estrogen heavy lunch). Again- it was a really fun time - I was really touched.

So...now my time is taken up with working from home, creating "to-do before baby" lists, doing my prenatal exercizes and trying to convince Chaz that this week is as good as any for Chaz to join us. I'm trying to use some logical reasoning: the sooner Chaz arrives, the easier it will be on everyone involved in the labor process; Chaz's daddy is REALLY tall...so...it's ok if Chaz wants to come out a little bit early; once Chaz arrives, there are SO many gifts Chaz will get to enjoy all to her/himself; the middle of October allows Chaz to have a birthday party and also take credit for Halloween...instead of having to blend them into one event; um...and if Chaz comes in the next week or so then I don't have to buy any more pregnancy clothes...cause I got nothing to wear when the weather dips under 50 degrees. So...send your "induction" vibes along to the little one - we're ready to go. Hopefully Chaz is, too.

I'll try to post again before the big day and I don't mean the election... :)

It's all about baby Chaz...

We're at 34 weeks and counting. Today is all about baby - so it is only appropriate that I post a little bit about the little one. Besides, it's about time I post something!

The baby is growing - I can tell because I have started to feel like a beached whale. Moving around has become more and more difficult. The heartburn, backaches and restless sleeping aren't much fun. I hear that the heartburn will go away as the baby drops...which should be happening very soon.

And...today has been all about the baby.

First- we had a photographer over this morning for a maternity session. We had a lot of fun and laughs...and she's already posted a few of her favorite shots - take a look at them here. They look great. I can't wait to see them all. I am having a bit of difficulty accepting how large my face looks...but knowing that this is "baby fat" and that it will go away after Chaz joins us does help. *sigh*

Second- we went to our birth class and learned all about the "transition" period and the second stage of labor. We talked about and practiced labor positions. We talked about how vaccinations are good and bad. We talked about local produce and farmer's markets. Good times.

Third- we met with Abby- our labor doula. We talked about the pregnancy and how we've been doing, how I'm feeling, what we're hoping for in the birth, etc. More good times. We really like Abby and I feel she's going to be a great coach and support for us while I endeavor to deliver little Chaz.

Tomorrow we go in to Mountain Midwifery, where we are going to deliver, for a checkup. I'm looking forward to meeting another of their 4 midwives and hearing Chaz's heart beat on the doppler. That's just the best sound in the world - I can't wait.

So- in the next 6 or so weeks...we have to put together a nursery, pack a bag for delivery, buy all of the stuff we're supposed to buy for the baby (onesies galore, diapers (!!!), little hats and socks...so cute), drink a lot of raspberry leaf tea, do my Kegels, sqats and pelvic tilts...and just get ready for this baby who will be here sooner than we realize. Nevermind the continued need to unpack, hang art, wash and put away clothing, organize paperwork...yikes. Bottom line is...baby will be here whether that stuff gets done or not!

Exciting times ahead! We'll be keeping you posted. :)

Dwell meets Fine Homebuilding...

Here is a post with photos. The original MLS listing for our home stated it was "Dwell meets Fine Homebuilding." After an inspection and a much closer look...maybe it is a bit of an exaggeration. (I won't get into the HVAC issues...) However - I'm hoping you'll enjoy the photos. Last night we were both struck with some disbelief that the home we wanted (and don't have to do any work to immediately) is the one we actually bought!

As soon as we get out stuff moved in (hopefully Monday) we'll start taking photos with our stuff. These were photos from the original listing. I will also begin to investigate the other hilarious claim that was in the original listing..."The large corner lot is VERY private with lots a mature landscaping and laced with edible treats." Edible treats??

Front:










The front railing part of a wrap-around deck. It's kind of a widow's walk meets deck- with more width and decking in the back. There will be major changes in the front - we're contemplating how to landscape instead of having the circular driveway in front.

Living Room:












Here is the sunken living room - this is in the front of the house. The fireplace is a wood burning fireplace - and it opens to both sides of the wall. The dining room is in the back of the 1st photo. John thinks we will need a flat-screen to hang on the limestone wall...funny coming from a guy who didn't have a TV in his apartment just 4 years ago.

Sitting Room/Kitchen











Ok- the fireplace you see behind the chair- that is the other side to the living room's fireplace. The floorplan on this level is one big open circle (or donut) around this center stone wall. While you can't see through the middle of it - it does at least remind me of Wright organic architecture - very open and I could run laps around the floor.

Sunroom/Backyard:















Here is the sunroom. Right now it is empty - we will probably have a table both in the sunroom/3 seasons porch/solarium (haven't decided quite what to call it yet...) and outside on the patio. The backyard shot are the sunroom windows.

We'll be posting additional photos as we get them...for now the only work "we're" planning to do is paint the nursery. Now we have to decide which bedroom is the nursery...

We have a winner!

Hello, Folks!

Quick status to bring everyone up to date:
-We drove from Chicago to Colorado
-We arrived safely with few mishaps
-We are staying in a Residence in here in Longmont
-We found a house
-We found a place to deliver our baby
-We're doing pretty o.k.

So, this afternoon, John and I just threw all caution to the wind...and closed on a house here in Longmont, CO. We may take possession tonight or tomorrow...but without furniture until Monday. No phone until next Thursday. But we have electric, gas, trash, recycling, water and sewage set and ready to go tomorrow.

So- we're pretty excited here in Longmont. The above picture is our new kitchen. I'll probably be posting more photos soon.

As for settling into Colorado - it takes about 15 minutes to drive around our new town...probably less time than it took me to drive around Roger's Park. There is one movie theater, no Whole Foods, a handful of Pedi/Mani shops...and thank god there is a Chili's. And, it now has our home - Villa S-W West.

We hope everyone is doing well. We'll be sending out address and phone info soon!

Just a couple things are stressin' me out

We are in Colorado. Exhausted but in relatively good spirits...considering our adventures in the past 24/48 hours. I'm still on Chicago time and I only have 5,000,000 things to think about right now...


The final days spent in Chicago were so wonderful and bittersweet. I watched all of our stuff get handled and packed - very strange to have all of our stuff there with us and yet not be able to use or touch any of it. It was heartbreaking to leave the city. We packed up our remaining items on Wednesday morning, did a final walk through (or 12) through the condo, saw Venus and almost lost it completely...and then we drove from our place down to the Robie House and then back up out of the city. I am pretty sure I'm dehydrated from the crying...and I'm still in disbelief that I won't be jaunting around Chicagoland within a couple days.


We arrived safely in Colorado with no incidents. Sadly, though, last night my iPod looked REALLY good to someone who was walking by our car on my parent's street...so they broke in and grabbed it. So - now this morning John and Dad took the Volvo to a glass place to fix the broken driver-side window before we head up to Longmont this afternoon. It was strangely reminiscent of my 1st night in Chicago - my first and only break in while I lived in Chicago. 8 years and one burglary...not so bad odds. I guess it was a good reminder that crime lurks even in the relative saftey of Colorado Springs. Ah well.

And then...this morning...Tycho saw an open door to the free world- and went leaping outside. This led to about 15 minutes of agonizing stress (that felt like an hour) for all of us humans as Tycho thought we were all playing the best game in the world - keep away from Mom and Dad. John followed him as he sprinted around my parent's neighborhood. He gave me quite a good scare...and I want to beat him mercilessly...but know that won't help anything. So- we now know that Tycho is a flight risk with the door open. And I'm a bit more dehydrated after the scare that he gave me. What a friggin jerk. Lesson learned - Tycho will be spending a lot of time on the leash and in the crate during our move-in process in Longmont.

Lastly- the house. It looks like we've come to an agreement with the seller. This was only after the seller refused our counter and basically said we were making stuff up to get a credit, offered us $1000 to mitigate about $20k in home repairs, relisted the house as "Active" while we were still UNDER CONTRACT...but it looks like they are finally realizing we weren't BS-ing them and they're ready to move. We should close on the 14th assuming there are no other dramas to speak of.

So- there are a few things stressing me out right now. I still need to figure out issues regarding staffing, driving, hospital & midwife. I am hoping that we've had our adventures and now we can settle into some peace and quiet while we finish closing, moving and getting to know our new home.

Please, please, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers at this time. While we're ok...it's been pretty stressful and crazy. We truly appreciate all of your thoughts and good energy right now - we can certainly use it.

Much love,
Kimberly (& John) (& Chaz) (& the pooches)

It's about that time...

I am sitting on my couch and I am actively practicing denial. I'll be gone from Chicago in three short days. There is so much I have yet to do and see and explore here...and sadly those adventures will have to wait until I visit my adopted hometown again.

On the bright side- this has been a great last few weeks in Chicago. My mom has been here visiting for over a week now - she was here taking care of me while John was in Colorado. It's been lovely having her here - and it illustrates how much I need to find a wife to take care of John and myself. I saw a couple plays - including Superior Donuts at the Steppenwolf. I can't say enough good things about that show. The weather has been pretty good, work wasn't bad...all in all it's been a good time. And now I have to leave.

This past weekend a handful of my friends threw me a baby shower. A huge thank you to Chandra, Patricia, Steffie, Jackie and Betsey! We had a great turn out - though I missed everyone who wasn't able to be here. We received many lovely and heartfelt gifts including three handmade blankets, lots of clothing, books galore and the best breast pump ever. :) I can't wait to use them all with Chaz. It was overwhelming how much love was swirling in the room with us...I had a wonderful time. That evening we had a going away party - also a wonderful time had by all.

I have tons more details to type...but sadly and scarily - the movers just showed up. Yikes yikes yikes.

Please keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers!!!