Hard at work

Regretting ever cleaning up that spilled milk

Happy Birthday H!

Don't you want him in charge of pulling your teeth?

Today is Helaman's birthday! Make sure to wish him a happy one!

My Charbaby

Charlotte has become a lot more brave playing in the play area at the mall lately. Usually bowled over by bigger, more obnoxious kids, and scared to death - today she got out there and had fun.


Though riding this horse wasn't her favorite (she's a lot more cautious about horseback riding than I am - that's good).


I looked over at the bookcase a few minutes ago and saw this scene. It is significant. I was working at the computer and Charlotte made herself busy dumping her milk sippy cup on the bookshelf here. I saw that and told her she needed to clean it up to which request she laughed hysterically, and to be truthful, I did too - I mean, here I am asking a baby to clean up her own mess. As if. A few minutes later I looked over and saw that rag sitting there and the milk cleaned up! She had gone into the kitchen, gotten a rag from the one cabinet that is not childproofed, and mopped it up! I couldn't believe my eyes - which is why I took a picture, just to be sure it happened.

Magnets

I've never liked the look of a cluttered fridge. But... we love getting magnets. I didn't want a dorm-room style magnet/cork board you can buy at Staples. So, inspired by Helaman's cousin, I created this magnet board to contain all of them. First I had to decide on a suitable frame size and shape. Then it was very tough to track down the "magnet receptive" material that I put in the frame. I looked everywhere and ended up buying it online. In the end though I love it!

In other news, Charlotte got her 4th tooth and has fallen in love with the little cars at the supermarket she can ride around in that are attached to the cart. Genius! Last time she didn't want to get out when we were done - I could've shopped for another hour!

Helaman's schedule has slowed down a little and we are seeing him a lot more now, especially with the new edger/weedeater Dad got him that saves a few hours when he does the lawn.

Land of the Blazing Sun

Charlotte lived out her dreams of having someone there to constantly play and read with her last weekend when my parents came to visit. Dad spent a ton of time out in the blazing sun picking up the slack from our amateur lawn efforts - thanks Dad! We also had fun shopping, and eating homemade ice cream and frozen custard. Charlotte and I were sad to see them go. It's a twosome here these days with Helaman working an insane amount of hours - his residency is not considered a "medical" residency and thus is not governed by their 80-hour workweek maximum. However, we did catch a glimpse of him last night and we were able to go out to dinner using a gift card we got in the mail, one of the many "welcome to the city" freebies we've gotten lately, before getting home and him promptly collapsing on the couch.

Speaking of freebies, I have to report the best deal we've gotten in a long time and give kudos to Helaman and his dad for making it happen. A free laser printer! When Helaman was driving the moving truck across the country, at a hotel he checked the internet for deals and saw that Office Depot had an HP LaserJet printer/scanner/copier on sale for $199 with two $100 mail-in rebates. By sheer luck Helaman's dad spotted an Office Depot driving through Knoxville, TN. They had one left and they threw it in the moving truck. We got our rebates last week and the rest is history. There is nothing more frustrating than a crappy printer - it is really nice to have a good one.

Memory

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Thanks for the idea, Emma.

This is me and 3 of my brothers. We would swim countless laps in the Stash N' Splash pool in an effort to get all the gunk into the middle.

Happy 4th

For 4th of July weekend, we had our friends Jared, Mandy and their son Jaden over for steaks on the grill and a juicy watermelon. Charlotte is always shy when she meets new people but warmed up quick when she and Jaden started playing in the pool and they had a blast splashing, throwing stuff and testing the limits of their diapers while we ate.

Wedding Bells

Congratulations to the happy couple and newest member of our family, Amy!

Charlotte and I spent the week in Utah to attend the wedding while Helaman stayed behind to go to orientation. We missed him but had fun seeing lots of family and friends that we hadn't seen in a long time.

Jen (+Wade), Katie and me at the beautiful Grand America hotel.
Baby Wade was anxious to meet Charlotte.

But Charlotte was more interested in the fountain, which reminded her of her pool at home.

We're now glad to be back home with Helaman, who made himself very busy while we were gone weeding the flowerbed, making it possible to park BOTH cars in the garage, and painting Charlotte's chest of drawers! He officially starts his residency tomorrow - wish him luck!

Pool Installation

Charlotte loves to spend hours and hours in the pool these days. I like the canopy because it keeps us from becoming burn victims but its poor design has made it really droopy lately.

Before and Afters

In honor of our now getting the HGTV channel, here are some family room before and afters.

Although we thought the maternity clothes tub entertainment center was particularly classy...

A new look was in order. Ottoman on its way.

Charlotte waving her bread.

Charlotte's favorite new fort.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you!


Happy Father's Day Da-da! I hope to be as cool as you someday. Love, Charlotte

Welcome to Texas!

I know, I know - I need to change my title, my picture, my web address. Currently that is #117 on my to-do list! Updating the blog was a little further up so here goes, starting with a few things I'm happy about.

Fun last BBQ. I forgot to post about our last roof BBQ three weeks ago (seems like a year ago!), which was a huge success even though the day was a bit chilly and raining. It was great to see most all of our friends one more time and enjoy that unique, beautiful spot for grilling.

Tons of help moving. People were moving stuff faster than I could pack an overnight bag for myself and Charlotte! Scheduling the move on Memorial Day was a good idea - 15+ guys showed up to help and it was done in no time. The cleaning up afterward wasn't so fun, but luckily Mary took in Charlotte so she could get a nap and Andrea helped a lot with the sweeping, scrubbing and feeding me afterwards! Everyone thought we were crazy to take the subway to the airport, but I thought I could brave it one last time and it was no problem. After hearing how much Helaman was spending on the moving truck gas (YIKES), I was glad to save the cab money too.
My mom who drove up to Dallas with Charlotte and I and took care of her while we did the house closing and moved in. Charlotte was instantly attached to her new "nanny" and started preferring her over me! Thanks also to my cousin JoEllen for welcoming us to Dallas and letting us stay with her, and Helaman's dad for driving all the way from New York with him.


Conveniences like a Kroger, CVS, Quizno's and Kohl's a block away. A friendly, fast post office 3 minutes away. SuperTarget, IKEA and a mall 5 minutes away. I really am still in shock that I have such quick access to these places and many more.

(Imagine the Price is Right guy's voice here) A new car! I bought my old Camry back from Pete, but that wasn't a new car to me. We also got an '04 Hyundai Santa Fe which I am loving for all the space to load and unload Charlotte and her stroller. It has been a little shocking to buy so much expensive stuff (house, cars, furniture) in the space of a week. I guess usually you space it out a bit!

eBay and Craigslist. In the end we did end up selling quite a bit of old cheapo furniture and randomness on Craigslist (despite its problems) which was good. We also have been selling Helaman and some of his classmates' old dental equipment on eBay which has helped a lot in paying for the aforementioned ludicrous gas bill across the country.

Baby steps. Proving she just needed some unencumbered SPACE, Charlotte started walking the second day we were in the house, and before the week was over she was a pro. No more dirty knees!!! However, she won't sit in the stroller anymore while shopping:(

Nice people. I'm still amazed at how friendly the Texans are. Store employees have asked me if I need help. The seller of our home arrived with a welcome basket for us. The ward was very welcoming (not that NY's wasn't). It's really nice and I have to get rid of my NY knee-jerk reaction of "what does this person want from me!?"

All in all, everything is great and we are so happy to be here!

Farewell New York

It's Moving Day Eve, and before this laptop gets packed away, I just wanted to give a last farewell to my New York friends. I didn't get a chance to hug each one of you, so I hope you know how much you mean to me. A girl couldn't ask for better friends and I will remember every one of you forever. Literally - I have a great memory for names and faces. Below is just a few of the memories that we share and that I will always be grateful for.

- Girls' Nights!
- All the meals and support when Charlotte was born
- Laughing and chatting (never complaining;) at work
- The 24 Crew
- Moms of babies born in '06-'07 - endless talks about poops and naps
- Serendipity mornings in the freezing cold
- Breadwinner wives - we rule!
- Card club gals - one night a month to count on
- Many funny sunbeam moments
- Help getting the stroller up and down stairs from many wonderful strangers
- Bad jobs (and bosses) and how they made me appreciate the good ones
- Student Tower friends - just a button away
- Roof BBQs
- Baby showers
- Rides to Target, Costco and IKEA
- Exploring the city
- Out of town guests' touristy trips
- Everyone's teeny, crammed apartments and craigslist furniture
- Bus rides to DC and Boston
- Amazing conversations and friendships with smart, understanding people
- Surviving the big city and becoming a better person because of it

I know we'll run into each other again and I can't wait for that to happen. Until then, I'll be reading your blogs. A sincere good luck with all you pursue and PLEASE stop by if you are ever in Dallas (or move here if you get the chance!).

Graduation Day!

Dr. Erickson

The day finally came! Congratulations H! Four years ago we moved to New York as wide-eyed newlyweds and it seemed like it would take forever to reach this point. He collected the Research Excellence Award and the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology Horace Wells Award in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Luckily it didn't rain on the parade of graduates but rather turned out to be a beautiful day for the outdoor ceremony.

To celebrate, later that night we went to see "Wicked" the Broadway show, which was great! Many thanks to my team of babysitters for the day - Malesa, Linda, and Andrea! Charlotte loved them all.

Now on to the business of actually moving! Wow, is it a lot of work or what?!

Napping on the job

FOR SALE

Class dinner on a midtown roof

So is it just me, or do when people become 300x more flaky than usual when they decide to buy stuff, sell stuff or even just give stuff away on Craigslist?? Obviously Craigslist is a test of character to see how you behave when the person dealing with you doesn't know you and you have zero recorded or public accountability. Recent experiences suggest that a disappointing number of people fail this test all the time. I wonder if Craigslist will ever set up a feedback mechanism like eBay's - I think it could really help the site as I'm sure many get so frustrated with it they bag it completely and look elsewhere for cheap stuff.

Anyway, for you local readers, here are some items for sale that we are trying to get rid of before we leave:

IKEA Poang Chair/Ottoman - $75
Area Rug - $30
Rice Cooker - $5
George Foreman Grill - $10
Low Bookshelf (30" x 57")- $20
Tall Shelves (2 ft x 5 ft)- $20
Computer desk - $15
Corner computer desk - $40
IKEA dimmer lamps (3) - $15 each
Barstools (2) - $5 each
Magazine rack - $5
Entertainment Center - $15

Email me if you want to see any pictures. If you help us move on May 26 there is a good chance you'll be able to walk away with some of this stuff for free, but no guarantees!

I really can't believe we are leaving!!

Happy Rebate Day

For a couple months Charlotte has been emptying this shelf, and every time I've cleaned it up. Finally I just packed it up and our lives are much better.

In my very brief and ill-conceived corporate recruiting career here in the city I was instrumental (by handling the logistics of the extensive interview process) in getting Bob Evans his job as CEO of Churchill Downs. So... Helaman and I watched our first Kentucky Derby last week and I was rooting for Eight Belles to be the next filly to win it. How tragic that she gave it her all, came in second and then died right there on the track after breaking both ankles. How depressing!!

Helaman finally gave me a checkup and cleaning yesterday since I hadn't had one in a couple years since finishing the Invisalign. I'm happy to report 28 years = no cavities!

Keep the change, ya filthy animal

18 Days until Helaman's graduation. He passed his licensing exam and is ready for another round of fees and applications to get licensed in Texas. 23 days until we move. As I booked my flight out of here, I thought how crazy it was that it would be the last time we'd be flying out of New York. Right at this moment I am incredibly anxious to leave, due to Columbia's shutting off our heat even though the temperature is still in the 50s during the day, much lower at night and our 30-year old windows' insulation capabilities are non-existent. Thank you so much Jess for the space heater! Thankfully Charlotte's nose has ceased to run.

The other night was another gal-pal night out at the dessert place Cafe Lalo. We all wish we had been doing this all year instead of just the last couple months we'll all be here! These girls are amazing and I am so, so lucky to have had them and many others just as wonderful to call friends the last few years. I'm glad we all have blogs so we can keep up with each other.

Back at it

I knew I wasn't in New York anymore when in one day the following three things happened:

- At a fast food restaurant, two employees came up at different times and offered to refill drinks. They were so enthused I felt like I was doing them a favor by letting them clear my tray. Great way to start a day.

- At a bank, when we walked through the door an employee literally leaps up from behind his desk to see how he can help us. We needed certified checks since I left the checkbook at home and who knew you had to write a check for a house? :) Instead of waving us on to the teller line, he took care of the whole thing while we sat at his desk, and waived the $8 per check fee. Bliss.

- At Ann Taylor Loft, I remembered I had received a Friends & Family 25% off coupon in my email, but hadn't printed or brought it. I mentioned it to the manager and she said she'd give me the discount anyway. Swwweet. These things may seem usual to most people, but good customer service is not something I've seen a lot of the past four years in the city.

I love Dallas!! We really had a marathon week full of driving around and viewing over 70 houses, which according to our agent is the most she's ever shown anyone. After some hard bargaining, we ended up with the best of the lot and are very excited to move in next month.


But now we're back!! After a week in Dallas I thought I would be glad to see my good ol' friend New York City, but after sitting in a traffic jam at midnight last night with the taxi meter ticking away... I went back to my original plan of being really excited to move.

Charlotte seems to have grown a foot since I saw her last and had been doused in suntan lotion by her grandmother who was afraid of returning a tomato-child to me.

back to her usual haunts

Secrets Revealed

Can you see both bridges (the real one and the playground one)?

Goodbye Blockbuster. A couple weeks ago we found out that our local Blockbuster was closing, which is kind of sad. This past year we have made many a trip up the street to exchange the DVDs we got in the mail so we would have no less than 6 DVDs on hand at any given time. This was especially useful when catching up on past seasons of Lost, ER, and Beverly Hills 90210 (well, there's nothing else on!) So it looks like we'll be canceling the total access Blockbuster online membership and trying out Netflix for a while. As usual, I checked with Ebates to see if we could get a good deal, and sure enough, we'll get $18 cash back after the free trial ends which is good for at least another couple months.

Shopping Thoughts. I love shopping. It's really fun. When we moved to New York I had major sticker-shock at the prices on everything from rent to bananas. Quickly I realized the only way to enable my shopping habit was to find serious deals. Everyone always says it's not worth the time and effort it takes to find deals, but I disagree. Like anything, it is a skill that is developed. The initial investment of time, effort and diligence can be large. But once you start and commit to this lifestyle, it becomes easier to spot good deals, know where to look, and know what tools to use for what kind of items and services.

5 Easy Shop-like-Christina Tips:

1. I use Discover Card's 5% cash back on certain categories. This quarter they give the 5% cash back on department store, home store and clothing purchases. Next quarter will be gas! I always keep the categories in mind and only use the Discover for those. This really paid off last month when I bought plane tickets and a rental car, since travel stuff was the category. Your cash back builds up quick this way, and you can then trade your cash back for gift cards worth even more.

2. I have a small stack of coupons paper clipped in my purse at all times. This is a terrible filing system. But, coupons do you no good at home in a box. When I'm shopping I can quickly check the stack. Every couple weeks I go through and throw out the expired ones. I only tote around coupons on stuff I actually buy and never shop for things based on if I have a coupon for it.

3. I subscribe to a couple of blogs that tell you when stuff is cheap. My favorite is babycheapskate.blogspot.com, which has weekly updates as to where the best diaper deals are among many other baby stuff-buying tips.

4. When shopping for something specific, look at a couple of deal sites. There are a million. My favorite is dealnews.com. It doesn't pay to look at those sites when you don't have anything in mind though. You'll end up buying things you don't need just because it's a good deal.

5. I used to subscribe to Lucky Magazine, and one of the benefits was an online click-through cash back operation like Ebates, but not as expansive. They did, however, give 25% cash back on discount theater tickets which we used all the time (you have to here - the tickets are $13!). Our apartment got taken over by magazines this past year though, so I had to stop that madness and now just use Ebates which I've mentioned before. Most beneficial lately was that I used Ebates to book a rental car through Hotwire, where it gives 2% cash back. So add that to the Discover Card's 5% - that's 7% cash back for doing nothing but remembering a couple of clicks. On big ticket items like that - definitely worth it.

Ok, I've shared with you some of my tricks. Tell me what yours are!

This post is dedicated to Andrea because of her comments on Sunday:)

Spring has sprung

High time for a thankful list!

Great weather. This week we've been able to get out and about and have loved every minute.

Girl friends. Getting together with Julia and Emma at Columbia's main campus for lunch. Getting together with girls definitely re-energizes you. Believe it or not - Julia is pregnant!
Good news. My little brother Mark just got engaged and will be married in June in Salt Lake.

A winner. Helaman's research won first place in last year's competition and he went on to present it in San Francisco's national dental meeting. This year, he was awarded the opportunity to present somewhere else.

One nap. Charlotte's mid-day nap is great - we can do things in the morning and in the afternoon.

Giving kitty "a kiss"

Wonderful counsel. I keep recalling Elder Ballard's talk he gave at our church's annual worldwide conference on Sunday directed to young mothers which I really need to hear.

"After observing and empathizing with three generations of mothers and thinking of my own dear mother, I surely know that there is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood.... There are moments of great joy and incredible fulfillment, but there are also moments of a sense of inadequacy, monotony, and frustration. Mothers may feel they receive little or no appreciation for the choice they have made."

Comforting words from an inspired man.

Countdown. To next week's house-hunting trip!

Deals. All of a sudden Charlotte outgrew her size 3 diapers, and there was a great deal listed on BabyCheapSkate for Seventh Generation diapers, which are supposed to be environmentally better than regulars. First, sign up for Ebates, which you should do if you ever buy anything online - it's cash back for every purchase just for clicking through their site. Then, find drugstore.com through the ebates site and buy the Seventh Generation diapers which are on sale for $31.32 (after $5 instant coupon). You will get $2 cash back from ebates plus their $5 sign up bonus, making the size 4 diapers .17 cents each - smaller sizes even less. Of course, you have to be a first-time user of drugstore.com to get free shipping. I was already a user - so I signed up Helaman and it worked fine. You also get cash back from drugstore.com, but you have to use it within a month which I never do before they expire so I didn't figure that in the calculation. The diapers came in two days, and they hold strong in the face of blowouts just as well as the others.