Wednesday, September 16th

Today was our first event for the Sales Meetings...think Iron Chef Dole = ) We headed out to Malibu Winery for a team cooking competition. We were assigned to teams and within our teams we were broken up into smaller groups with a specific dish to create. I definitely have to admit that I am not the most innovative chef in the group but it was incredibly interesting to learn which fruits compliment which meats and vegetables within a dish. I will definitely be bringing home my cheat sheet. After a hard fought battle (one hour of fighting over two blenders, two grills, and tables full of ingredients) my team sadly did not come out victorious. Had we known that starting the judges off with Mint Mojitos at our table could have sealed the deal we may have gone that direction = )

The competition was followed by wine tasting (don't worry, I did ot participate) and a delicious Dole healthy dinner. It was an all around fantastic Dole event.

Tuesday, September 15th

Another fantastic day in WLV! I do love the Dole Garden Cafe for breakfast...delicious soyrizo and spinach scramble burrito = ) Not to mention the mountain of fresh fruit to consume! And I do hate to just go on and on about food but the lunch crew ventured out to Lamppost Pizza today...a must for any visit back to Dole! The Sales meetings started today which means the next two days will be full of teambuilding and nutrition learning. Love it!

Also a highlight of any trip back to the old neighborhood...I visited my hair stylist Erin after work. She worked her magic and my hair has come back to life! My last touch up of the year...sad times! I might even have to find someone in ABQ to get me thru the first part of 2010 since I won't make it back to Erin until April = (

Two days in a row I have failed to snap a picture of my adventures! I'll be sure to bring my camera with me tomorrow to Malibu Winery! Cheers!

Monday, September 14th

First, we have to start off with HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOYCE! Yesterday was the Gramma-to-be's birthday and Avery and I can't wait to celebrate this weekend in San Diego!

One day in the office down and it was wonderful to see all of my coworkers again! Its very lonely in the office at 6am but at least that only lasts for about an hour. My lunch crew appeased my Alamo needs...yummm, Chipotle Chicken and Rice. And it didn't make me sick! After nap time Melissa and I went on our traditional birthday pedicure date and followed it up with a small dinner at Golden Spoon. Ok...so I was still full from our delicious lunch but my tummy was aching for a little something so what better than a little Non-fat Frozen yogurt! I do have to say it was fantastic and Golden Spoon is now at the top of my Frozen favorites list...right up there with Shave it!

Baby Belly - 25 Weeks

This 'one-size-fits all' maternity cami sure was snug! Avery just continues to grow, she is now the size of an Eggplant! That oh-so-handy sense of equilibrium is kicking in, and baby's learning to distinguish right side up from upside down!

Yesterday afternoon Melissa, Aly, and I went to Motherhood Maternity on a mission to find a cute top for Saturday's Baby Shower in San Diego. Mission accomplished...along with a few other things = ) I even got my two ladies into the strap on bellies to see just how adorable they will be when pregnant, hilarious! We would be quite the trio = )

Sunday, September 13th

What weekend visit to Westlake Village is complete without a stop at my favorite dessert spot - Shave It! Aly and I are digging into the deliciousness post 4 mile walk around Westlake Lake. Note to self...my body no longer enjoys 4 mile walks.

And as if Shave It wasn't already fantastic enough (combination of ice cream and snow cone) they now have a new technique of ice cream on the bottom, middle layer of snow cone, and then another small scoop of ice cream on top! I opted for combo cherry/raspberry flavor this time but I definitely plan on talking someone into going again this week so that I can test out a new combination...maybe something a little more daring = ) Who am I kidding...cherry raspberry was too delicious to top!

Saturday, September 12th

I arrived into LAX right on time, got my sweet rental car from Enterprise - Dodge Charger, supposedly a free upgrade but I'm not buying it, and then made it to Aly's house just in time to scarf down some strawberries and bananas. I feel like I'm always starving when I show up for the weekend = ) Aly had these two gifts waiting for Avery...I think she has successfully encompassed my love of Avery and my love of wine! Super cute, and these two onesies will definitely be worn often!

Cali Bound!

I am getting much too excited about my upcoming trip! Tomorrow I leave for my 9 day visit to Southern California! I am off to Westlake Village tomorrow to get in some quality Aly time over the weekend. Then it is a week at Dole for the September Sales Meeting! I love getting back into the office even if it is only for a week. I miss my Dole kids! On the schedule for the week we have some of my favorite lunch locations, a company trip to Malibu Winery, Paradise Cove, not to mention pedicures and hair appts...oh my!

Then it is off to San Diego for a baby extravaganza weekend = ) Gramma Hinck, Aunt Susi, and Kathy Deen are hosting a baby shower for our little Avery! Adorable cuteness to follow! I'll be sure to have the camera handy all week to capture the highlights.

Travis is missing out on all the fun, but he and Remi will be able to get in all kinds of man-time while I'm gone. They won't know what to do with themselves!

Man Vs. Food

Wednesday nights at our house are currently reserved for Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel. This is a dangerous show to watch if you are hungry...although I find all food shows dangerous to watch these days! Normally I can just sit back and enjoy Adam's crazy new challenge but last night's did me in...PANCAKES!! He went to Honolulu and took the Mac Daddy Pancake Challenge - 4 lbs of blueberry pancakes with macadamia syrup. Every time they flashed a shot of the massive pancake stack I'd ask Travis to go get me pancakes. Granted it was 8pm and he turned me down every time...but it was torture! I even called my Dad to try to persuade him to somehow get pancakes to me and he didn't answer his phone. I guess late night pancakes just weren't in the cards last night = (

And to top it off...Adam was not able to eat all 4 lbs of pancakes in 90 minutes. I would have settled for his leftovers!

Family Nap Time

Travis had to leave pre-4am this morning for a hearing which is no fun, but on the positive side - it means I get my hubs home early today! Looks like 3pm will be family nap time = ) Now Travis can see just how productive I am from 3pm - 5pm every day! I thought I would have so much energy back by now but alas, I still require a solid afternoon nap every day.



I did have an incredibly productive lunch break today. I finished cleaning all of our base boards and booked our carpet cleaner to come rejuvenate our carpets. Not the most exciting lunch break but we can finally mark another major task off our list! I'll be out of town the next two weekends so I have to be super productive up until I go.

One Exhausted Dog

This is as much activity as I expect to see from Remi today. Remi spent the entire Labor Day weekend playing with one of his best friends - Charlie. It doesn't matter that Charlie is a German Shepherd and therefore 3 times bigger than Remi...he plays like its an even playing field. Remi is sore, exhausted, and couldn't be bothered to open his eyes for a picture this morning. He snores on the daybed in my office while I work...that doesn't seem fair!

Baby Belly - 24 Weeks

This week Avery's skin is becoming more opaque as the fat starts to pack on. And, thanks to the formation of small capillaries, her newly thick skin is taking on a fresh pink glow.

We've had a fantastic long weekend of dinner and a movie dates, hiking up in High Desert, and relaxing in general after a long week. I have never in my life craved pancakes until now. The good news is that I am undertaking an intense study of ABQ restaurants to find the best pancakes in town. So far I have narrowed it down to two restaurants - Perennials (delicious and thin pancakes) and The Grove Cafe and Market (crepe style with fresh fruit and yogurt). Both fantastic if you're in the mood for some pancakes! I have a feeling I won't eat pancakes for a long time once Avery is born...

Ready for Labor Day Weekend!

I plan on starting this long weekend off right! I get off work 2 hours early today so I am going to meet up with my friend Eileen for a nice little lunch = ) I rarely leave my house for lunch anymore so this is seriously exciting! Also on the agenda for the weekend - hiking with the boys, movie dates with Travis (yep, I'm trying to work in 2 movie dates this weekend since I'm going to be out of town the next two), Scrapbooking party on Sunday to check out my friend Sada's new business, and less exciting but always on the agenda these days....serious house cleaning. I'm sure some Avery errands will be run this weekend also...hopefully we'll get out to purchase her crib mattress!

Remi has an exciting weekend planned also. His friend Charlie is staying with us until Monday so that is one fantastic play date for the Remster. We will have two exhausted dogs on our hands in no time = )

Restoration Hardware

The paint arrived yesterday! Now we just need to get our professional painters into town for the dirty work (Joyce and Steve). I absolutely cannot wait to watch the transformation!

Operation Reflux Management

One day down and it looks like the new game plan definitely worked without having to take any medicine! Hopefully I just ate something that triggered it a couple days ago and now I'm good to go. I'll still stick with gum post-meal for a while and I'll probably start a new ginger-ale addiction since its something other than water to drink, but after two days of acid reflux I am definitely excited to have made it a day without!

We had a blast at the Isotopes game this past weekend and sadly it looks like the season is coming to an end. Hopefully we'll make it to some playoff games but just putting it out there now that next year everyone needs to come visit Avery and make it to at least one Isotopes game = )

I am off to support our local high school volleyball team this afternoon! My friend Siera coaches volleyball at La Cueva so I finally have an excuse to watch! Go Bears = )

Avery says...

welcome to the wonderful world of acid reflux! I am definitely thankful that I made it 28 years without knowing the joys of acid reflux but apparently our little Avery has taken over all available space and squeezed out some of the room for my stomach. For the last two days I had no idea what this new pregnancy symptom was (yes, now that Bri diagnosed me it is obvious but I had never experienced reflux before). So my new game plan is reflux management = )

- Chewing gum after every meal
- Eating smaller more frequent meals
- Drinking a little ginger-ale throughout the day (hopefully there is a little ginger in there)
- Sleeping with my head elevated
- And of course if these don't work...medicine

I have always loved pillows but this is getting ridiculous. Travis bought me the massive Comfort-U pillow for my birthday b/c I am a back sleeper which is not recommended during pregnancy. So I have this fabulous U shaped pillow - one end propped between my knees, a small portion tucked under my belly, top part under my head, and the back portion propping up my back so that I won't roll over. And now I have an extra pillow under my head to elevate...there is officially a mountain separating my side of the bed from Trav's.