Apple Hill

So the first time in a long time Eric and I had a whole day off together.


........he has been working at Buca Di Peppo as a buser to help out a bit while he was waiting for subbing to pick up. Well, subbing has picked up, he is subbing anywhere from 3-5 days a week which is great. So therefore, he has put in his two weeks notice to Bucca and we will finally have our weekends back......

But back to Apple Hill, we were both off on Veteran's Day so we decided to make the 45 minute trip up to Placerville to Apple Hill, this is basically a couple of long country roads with ranches on the side where they set up "attractions" for us city folk. The biggest one is High Hill Ranch, it is filled with great crafts, and apples of course, fudge, apple doughnuts, apple cider, a great pond for the kids to fish at and the splendor of the changing colors and the solace you get from being out of the city. I love it, truly love it.

So, we hung out at High Hill Ranch for a while, walked around the craft booths, bought some apples for both baking and eating, and got some apple butter (how can you go to apple hill and not get apple butter). We just relaxed and enjoyed each other. After High Hill Ranch we drove over to Abel's Acres which was another ranch down the road their line for apple doughnuts was not nearly as long so we bought a couple and walked over to their pond and sat and ate our apple doughnuts and met a lovely lab named Cody...which made us miss our Tucker and Sammie and we promised each other that we would bring them next year. All in all it was a lovely morning at Apple Hill.

After Apple Hill we drove back down into Old Placerville which is one of my favorite towns. We parked at the end of their Main Street and just walked. To my surprise and joy the first shop we came across was a Knit Shop which was exciting for me as I have just started to knit. We went in and I found some great yarn for a new scarf...we then made our way over to Sweetie Pies, for lunch which was a quintessential "mom and pop" restaurant and so lovely. We had lunch and then of course had to get a piece of pie each to go. I got peach and Eric got Olallieberry and Peach. We had never heard of Olallieberry but asked the waitress and she said it was a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry...and yummy!

So, with our full tummy's we walked Old Placerville, stopping in shops that caught our eye and of course stopping in the Thomas Kincaid gallery, which even thought his art is not really my taste you can't help but marvel at his work and how each painting looks like there is a light on behind it. And a personal to me because my Grandma Muterspaugh loved him so every time I see his work it reminds me of her.

On our way back to our car we were passing a coffee shop and Eric stopped in his tracks, now Eric does not drink coffee so I could not figure out why he stopped until I saw it...the case with the Gelato...my husband LOVES gelato..so of course we had to go in and get a scoop, it is hard to find and when we do we always get some no matter how full we are. So we sat for a while in the cozy coffee shop eating our gelato and then decided our day was a perfect one and time to go home to see our pups. I love days like these and also love that we make sure to tell each other how much we enjoy each other’s company......

 

On our way

Pretty picture by the Christmas trees

Gorgeous Color

The Pond at High Hill Ranch

Eric with our purchases :o)

My attempt at photography

Another attempt

Gelato

End to a perfect day!

The Domestic Goddess

Have you ever met one of "those" women? You know the put together one. House is always clean, she bakes, cooks, sews, crafts, decorates, gardens and still has enough energy and time to take care of her kids and her husband? You know that womnn? Well, until now I have never wanted to be her. But as I have been reading random blogs I have this admiration for those women. Whose organization skills are above and beyond anything that I currently know. Yes, I can cook, yes, I clean my house, sure, I can whip up a cupcake now and then. But what I didn't realize is how much I would enjoy being a wife and how much I want to be a mother and how much I want to be that put together women who can do it all. I know, that isn't very progressive of me to want to be a great homemaker. But I do believe I can have the career and still be a great housewife. Now I understand the stigma, and that a lot of women overdo it all and don't leave enough time for themselves and give everything they have to their family. I am not talking about that woman, and let me tell you if I have enough time to watch three-four hours of television a night I have enough time to add in some things to my life that I think will make me happier.


Now, the key is to figure out how to do it, how to balance it all. I know this will be a work in progress but I am willing to do the work. I will let you know how it goes.

Another craft here I come

So, I have always wanted to learn how to knit. I have some friends who do it and I have always been jealous when they talk about working on their blankets, scarves etc. Therefore, I decided I was going to teach myself, off of you tube videos no less. Now, I have tried to start many different crafts in my life, scrap booking, sewing, painting..the list goes on and on. My patience level unfortunately has made me stop on all occasions. So here I go again, wish me luck that I can stick with it and make my ultimate goal, a blanket :o)

Reigning in the Craziness

So, when I started this blog a short couple of months ago I thought that it would be a great way to get out my frustration on our journey of trying to conceive, and it has. But now when I think about writing in the blog I think about other things, my family, my dogs, my husband, my life and I realized my life is not only about trying to conceive it is about so many other things. Yes, that is a huge part of our life right now but there is so much more to our life. So many lovely, happy moments that I would love to capture here. So I have decided to change the concept of this blog. I will still write about our struggles but also our good times so that way I have a record of this wonderful life I am living.

Limbo Land

I have found in my short 32 years that there is a weird phenomenon that happens once "we" start to get married, get pregnant, have a baby. Everyone is in a stage...and if you are not in the same stage as someone else, well then to put it bluntly you are disregarded or in limbo land.

Let me explain, I didn't get married until I was 31. I now say I was lucky enough to find my husband when I was ready but yes it was a little later then some. So when I was single, it was obvious that to some people that I couldn't possibly understand what it was like to be in a relationship and understand the complexity that it entailed. Regardless of the fact that I was a grown women and had experienced many things in my life.

So, after I was married everyone around me started getting pregnant and having babies, now I was in a new category. Not single anymore but not pregnant and then not a mother. So again, it was obvious that to some people, I couldn't possibly understand what it was like to be pregnant or have a child. Which yes, this is true. I do not know what it is like to be 38 weeks pregnant or have endless sleepless nights, or know all the ins and outs of breastfeeding or diaper changing or....well you know..... But let me try to make you understand...I AM NOT AN IDIOT. I have nephews, god daughters, friends with babies, so maybe I don't know the finite details, I do understand that your 5 month old baby does not eat steak and that he/she is not going to go to the bathroom all by her/him self. And in regards to pregnancy, yes maybe I don't know what it feels like to have a baby kick inside me but I have done enough research on the subject to make your head spin...and just because I am not pregnant doesn't mean I don't get to have opinions on how I would like my pregnancy/child birth to go. Just because you had a baby, does not make you all knowing...no...nooo...nooooo it really doesn't.

So the next time you decide to leave the woman out who is in limbo land of your friendship or discussion please remember, just because I am not in the same "stage" you are does not mean I am not interested or might even...just a thought...have an opinion or an idea that might help you.

The Humor Factor

So, when I started this blog I figured it would be a great way to get out my frustration and anxiety with the whole process of trying to have a baby. Then, after writing my first few posts and talking to one of my greatest friends about the blog she said something that has stuck with me ever since. She thought it was great and interesting but could tell I was hiding behind humor. Now let me tell you about my great friend, she says things constantly that are so astute and make me stop,think and really look at myself. And you know what she was right on. From my first post when I explain about things like my miscarriage, my husband's SA analysis and just my overall feeling about this process never did I say how scared, sad or worried I am about this. Why do we do that, hide behind our humor? Because, it is uncomfortable for everyone involved, for me who is writing about it and you who are reading it. I knew that when I decided to do this blog up that possibly a lot of people would read it. People like my mom, dad, sister, friends, extended family. So when I started to think about writing about the really hard stuff I thought how do I make this sound o.k., so that way no one will feel uncomfortable. So, therefore I used humor. This is not to say that I can't talk about experiences that I will and have gone through with some jest because face it some of this stuff is just really funny. But today is different....

I need to write about something sad, and there is no way to sugar coat it or make it funny or lighten it up because in the end it is just...sad.

Next Tuesday, 09/15/09 is what was supposed to be my due date. A whole nine months have passed since I got pregnant and a whole 8 months have passed since I lost the baby. No words can describe how sad I am about this. Instead of saying I will be okay, it's alright it will happen for us again or any other words that try to make this something that it is not, which is just hard, I am going to say that 8 months ago I lost something that was so special to Eric and I, something that we both loved very much in the short time we had it, 09/15/09 will pass for most as just another day and for me it will be forever ingrained in my memory, it will forever be the day that was supposed to be one of the happiest of my life.

It's In The Water

How many times have you heard that expression or, it comes in threes, it's contagious? All references to getting pregnant. Well, let me tell you something...if it were in the water I would be drinking gallons, no buckets, no TANKER fulls!!


Pregnant People All Around


First off let me explain, I am truly not bitter about ever pregnant person that come across my path, I may be a little jealous sometimes but never bitter. Never do I say...SHE gets to have a baby or deem someone not worthy of it. But with all that said it does get a little hard when they are popping up pregnant all around you!


In the months that we have been trying to get pregnant which has been a total of 10, 4 people in my life have become pregnant and two of those were surprises.


My sister, who I love with all my heart and is one of my best friends and I love her kids as if they were my own...I mean I literally miss them when I don't get to see them for a couple of days...got pregnant by surprise. She was done, finished, no more and then came the infamous Whiskey Wild night...and well let's just say six weeks later it was determined that nope, contrary to popular belief she wasn't done. But never have I been bitter. She on the other hand apologized to me greatly over and over again. I never thought a thing of it other then, damn I wish it were me too and DAMN you are fertile...


Then my sister-in-law gets pregnant by surprise...and again not bitterness just the same thoughts....


So my point in all of this is that not all women with conceiving troubles are bitter women who hate all pregnant women. I love and will love each of those babies and no matter what if if there are more to come will love those also.


Just all the while hoping my time will come and I might just might go searching for the elusive water that is taited with the pregnancy gene...maybe one day I will get my hands on it ;o)