A time to remember

We were feeling a bit giddy last night after a combined job interview. SR is modeling some of my clothing as incentive for me to keep cleaning the house with him. The house is quite clean now. But we got a bit too horny to finish the task completely.

We interviewed for 3 month jobs that we are planning to take after SR graduates and before I receive my citizenship card for moving to Europe. The jobs are in a small town surrounded by hills and trails in the middle of nowhere. SR's job would be in a clinic with inpatients in an attached hospital doing emergency room work on the weekend when he chooses. Mine would be working in a clinic for the employees of a furniture manufacturer. The patients would be mostly Hispanic, Hmong and Somali in my practice. I get to go through a two week paid "Spanish Immersion." I'm really excited about that. I already speak Spanish, but could certainly stand to get better. And we get to pick our job hours. We're both planning to work part time so we have time for adventures with the baby this summer. Our first plan for the summer is to climb Mount Whitney.

For Christmas SR bought me cross country skate skis. Neither of us considered the fact that 7 1/2 months pregnant might not be an ideal time to learn how to skate ski. Here we are in the car just about to get stuck in the 14 inches of snow that fell rapidly in the area.

A really nice family drove along and helped push us out. We went skiing for over an hour on two separate days and I LOVED it! Of course I fell a fair number of times and the second day I kept having contractions and felt like there was a bowling ball in my pelvis. But it all felt healthy and good. I've reached a point in my pregnancy where I can use my contractions as a way to tell me I'm working hard enough. Yes, it is true. If I don't have contractions while I'm spinning, for example, I know I'm not pushing myself hard enough. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about? It feels so natural that it doesn't worry me. In fact, I feel like it's great preparation for labor.

Finally, we had a great Christmas. First we celebrated in town with the ex-wife and the kids. The ex-wife and her girlfriend are both great cooks so we ate very well and had a lot of fun. The next day we went to my parents' house. Seeing relatives at my parents' house and old friends at church was interesting considering the last time many of these people saw me was at the wedding to my ex-husband just a year and a half ago. And now here I was with some foreign guy, his 6 year old daughter and a big baby belly of my own. I can't say I ever thought I'd be that person. But no one could deny how happy we all look together. And my aunt and uncle said they had never seen me look so "healthy and robust." So people are generally really understanding, though they could easily be condescending or made uncomfortable by the situation.

Below is SR in his "Christmas sweater." Everyone wanted to know what the cross signified in Scandinavia. My relatives seemed to figure that everyone in Scandinavia wore those sweaters and were so intrigued. He gets a lot of credibility just by playing the foreign card. In all likelihood the sweater was from the Gap or American Eagle.

We have a lot to be thankful for! And as SR said last night, "This is a time I will remember for the rest of my life." I noticed tears in his eyes and we kissed.

Running Song of the Day: I am John by Loney, Dear