Whew! What a busy few weeks we've had/are having! Currently, we are in the car heading to Ohio for Christmas. I had to work today, so Jonathan loaded the car and picked me up as soon was school was over so we could get on the road. We'll hopefully get to my parent's house around 1 AM... But who knows how long this drive will take with a 26 week pregnant lady! :)
Last Tuesday, December 13, I had my concert at school. The kids did a fantastic job - I am very proud of them! I always like to make sure that I look nice for my concerts and usually use it as an excuse to buy a new outfit... And despite my growing belly, this concert was no exception (much to Jonathan's chagrin!). Here's a picture that Jonathan snapped of me at school, just after the concert was over.
The night after my concert, we flew to Chicago so that I could attend the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference. I was in band geek heaven! Jonathan attended the conference with me and we had a lovely time. I learned so much and I can't wait to apply all of these new ideas to my classroom. One of the great things about Midwest is seeing old friends who are scattered around the country doing various things within our profession. So nice to see some friendly faces!!
When I was a senior in high school, my band had the honor of performing at Midwest... A truly memorable experience for me. They performed again 5 years ago, and got to make their third appearance as official Midwest performers this year. Their concert on Friday morning was nothing short of magnificent! We were fortunate enough to get to spend some time with my dear friend, Katie, while we were in Chicago. So happy to have gotten to see her and hang out!
It was much warmer in Chicago than I was anticipating... But I'm not complaining! It was still fairly chilly, but nothing like it was when I made my first trip there for Midwest 11 years ago. We did, however, wake up to some snow on Saturday morning. That didn't deter our plans at all. We bundled up and walked to a restaurant my parents had recommended for breakfast and had a great meal.
That's a picture of me, all bundled up, to stay warm on the way to breakfast. After breakfast, we went to Shedd aquarium and enjoyed the fish, penguins, and other marine wildlife. Jonathan loves Shedd, and I had never been, so it was fun. On the way back, we got on the slowest bus ever and had to run from the bus to the hotel to grab our luggage and hop on another bus to get to a train (did you follow all of that?!?) to go out to the suburbs to spend time with Jonathan's family.
The time spent with Jonathan's family was wonderful. We stayed with his cousin, Michelle, and her husband, Paul, in their beautiful home. On Saturday, we went out to dinner with the whole clan and enjoyed a great meal at an Italian restaurant near Michelle and Paul's house. Sunday morning meant time spent at church, followed by brunch and a visit to Jonathan's 93 year old Grandma. Before we knew it, we were back on a plane and heading home for New Jersey!
This week has been hectic as we worked at a very long "To Do" list to get things ready for our departure today. There were gifts to be made (more on that later, after these gifts have been given), items to be wrapped and shipped, pretzels (among other things) to be dipped in chocolate, and general housecleaning to do.
I also got to do my glucose test at the doctor's office yesterday. So much fun, let me tell ya! I had to drink a very sweet, sugary drink, then sit there for an hour before having my blood drawn to check to see how my body processes the glucose. This screening test can indicate the presence of gestational diabetes. Our office is a "no news is good news" office, so if I don't hear anything by next Tuesday or Wednesday, we can assume that I passed. The process is a little slower due to the holiday weekend, but that's okay... I can enjoy my Christmas goodies guilt-free!
The electrician is coming while we are gone to re-wire Little Man's room... He is also doing work in our room as well as the front porch. All of this puts us one step closer to being able to get the nursery put together! So exciting!
Speaking of Little Man, he is currently doing backflips in my belly as we drive through the eastern part of Pennsylvania. So exciting to think that he'll be with us when we make this trip next year! We can't wait!!!
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