red means STOP!!!...

Growing up I learned very quickly that a red light meant you were to stop. I think its a pretty easy concept to grasp, at least I did until we moved here to Pittsburgh. Now, I'm not saying that I'm the greatest driver, I do have a bit of road rage that I picked up while living in VA and fighting DC traffic, but I do try to be careful and cautious of other drives on the road. And knowing that there is another "life" in my hands has slowed me down considerably.

So many times since moving here, Nathan and I have been sitting at a red light and watched someone drive right through it. We've been coming up to green lights and all of a sudden someone comes flying from the right or left (with a red light) and goes right through the intersection. I was at a red light one day and about died laughing when out of nowhere the car beside me just took off. Luckily there weren't any other cars coming or turning, but it was so random and the woman who pulled up beside me after that looked over at me and shrugged. Nathan also has been witness to the delayed red light runner. While waiting for a green turn signal at the stop light by our apartment the other lights turned red and he said he could have counted to at least 4 (one one thousand, etc.) and a car came out of nowhere from beside him and ran right through the light.

We've determined that here in the Burgh traffic signals, and signs for that matter, are optional. It was again revealed to me today as I headed out to Target this morning. I was sitting at the light by our apartment and it turned green. There wasn't another car at the intersection, so I started making my left hand turn. As I started to make my way into the far right hand lane (the slow lane) and straighten out my car a huge black car came out of nowhere and passed me on the right... and by nowhere I seriously mean I couldn't tell you where this car came from. It was truly by the grace of God that I was spared, because I was pulling into the right lane when the lady snuck around me. I eventually ended up passing her after she slowed down and it was an older lady, but my goodness. My only guess is that she ran the red light! She was going so fast there wasn't any way that she could have come down the hill and turned onto the main street. It just blew my mind and my heart was racing.

We choose to obey the lights, signals, and signs here and for those of you who have visited us, we've already told you about the traffic up here, as for the rest of you...you've been warned. In Pittsburgh, red lights don't always means stop!

a marathon weekend...

Not only was there an actual marathon this weekend, but just the word, marathon, describes our weekend. (as well as the past month or so)

At 2 pm on Saturday we, Melinda, Nathan, & I, jumped in the car and headed for Cleveland for a marathon on Sunday. It was only about a two our drive, and after a few stops we made it with plenty of time to get the race packets and walk around the expo for a little while. We had dinner, hung around the hotel, and eventually went to bed. 4:45am came way too early the next morning, but we were all up and ready to go. We headed out at ten till 6 in 49 degree weather and a downpour.

Nathan and Melinda before the race
clean, dry, & warm!

We got down to the starting line around 6:15 and piled into a little mall where all the runners and their supporters were trying to dry off and stretch before the race. We had parked quite a few blocks away to ensure that we wouldn't get stuck in traffic after the race, but that also meant by the time we got to the start we were all pretty wet from the knees down. We were also lucky enough to run into the Mertens as they made their way into the mall and send them off with a "Good Luck" too.

Unfortunately, as you can see from the picture above, Nathan didn't get to run in the race. Since he hadn't run in about 4 weeks because of work, he didn't want to chance getting hurt, so he sat this one out.

Shortly before 7am, we went out to the starting line. It was still raining and quite chilly, but everyone was in great spirits. Nathan and I tried to get as close as we could to the start to see everyone take off, but it was impossible, so we stayed back and just listened to the announcer over the loud speaker. The horn sounded and the runners took off with 'Cleveland Rocks' playing in the background. We headed back inside to wait for a text message as to when Melinda had crossed the 10K mark. Texting was a cool feature they had at this race. You could sign up and receive texts that would let you know when runners of your choice had crossed certain marks. We signed up for Melinda & the Mertens so we'd have a better chance of seeing them throughout the race.

Nathan waiting in the rain for Melinda before the 12 mile mark

Melinda in the front of the pack, black shirt, green shorts

(right in front of the guy in the red shirt)

We tried to catch the Mertens a few times, but were unable to. The course was quite spread out and reaching different points was a little difficult... that could have been my fault since I am a little slower these days.

Three hours and forty seven minutes after the beginning of the race, Melinda crossed the finish line. By this point the rain had stopped and the sun had come out a little. It was still cold and the wind was terrible, but at least the runners had started to dry out. Melinda's time was about 7 minutes slower than what she had wanted, but she had a lot going against her yesterday; the weather, an incredibly flat course she wasn't used to, and a nasty cold she was battling. She did incredibly well though, don't you think? I can't imagine running 26.2 miles.

Melinda as she is about to cross the finish line


crossing the finish line
(the time was a bit off... she finished in 3:47)

It was so exciting to see Melinda finish, it was a great ending to a long day. I say long day and by this point it wasn't even noon yet!

We hung around for a while longer hoping to see the Mertens finish, and right as we were getting ready to leave (Melinda was freezing, I was freezing, and we both needed to sit down), the Mertens crossed the finish line. Their time was 4 hours and 45 minutes, roughly. I'm sorry to say we didn't get any pictures of them, but if you go over to our "friend's blogs" posted on the side and click on 'Sally Ann Mertens' I'm sure she'll have their adventure up before too long.

All in all it was a good day. We were very excited for our friends and happy it was over and we were on our way home. Nathan said he was very inspired, but that inspiration was actually to NOT run a marathon, but maybe a half. He said he couldn't imagine now putting himself through that. Hopefully we can get him in a half marathon before the year is over. As for me, I'm inspired by all them, but I too will never run a marathon, or a half... or even a 10K. I set my goals a little lower, a 5K will be just fine by me!

a new do...

this is me now:

the long brown hair w/ funny layers and bangs "do"

(this picture was supposed to go at the bottom but my blog

wasn't being nice today, too many pictures I guess)

so I've once again come to that point where I need a change, I need to feel better about myself. The easiest, cheapest, and quickest way I know to change me is to change my hair. I've done it many many times over my life, and now as I contemplate another change I wonder what I should do. I honestly don't even know what hairstyle I like best on myself. I've had good ones and bad ones, some that are very similar just in a different color. I've been short, medium, & long, as well as blonde, strawberry blonde, every shade of brunette, and almost black. I just can't make up my mind... or maybe its the fact that I get bored with my hair very easily.

I started looking back through some pictures to see if I could find a style that I really liked. I came across quite a few different hairstyles and thought I'd share those pictures with you. I've only posted a few...

It all began here:

the bald "do"

the classic bob (my step-dad's favorite)

the cheerleading "do" (only for giggles)

the shoulder length blonde "do"

the prom "do" - long, blonde, & curly

short brown w/ lots of blonde

(this is a version of the inverted bob that I once had)

the short brown accident "do" - turned

out pretty well actually

So what do I do now? Should I go shorter? A lot shorter? Darker? Just give up and leave it how it is?

This is the reason I thought I'd get your advice, see if you had any ideas. People keep telling me I have the pregnant 'glow' but I just don't see it. Instead I'm stuck on my hair. It has gotten thicker recently thanks to the hormones, but thats actually made it look frizzy and I already use silk drops to combat that. And the layers...well they are just all over the place. But if I let them grow out then we're back to fine hair (check out that bald picture one more time!) I'd really just like to have a style that looks good on my very round face, one that won't take me hours to fix after the baby arrives, and still helps me feel young and pretty.

I can't guarantee I'll choose a style from what everyone tells me, but it would be nice to get some ideas and options. Oh, and as a side note, I probably won't go light again because of the cost of maintenance.

So let me know what you think, and please don't laugh too long and hard at some of my pictures.

Five things...from Ashley

I got this from my friend Ashley's blog...she said she like to see my answers, and thankfully I get a chance to list 5 things because I usually don't have just ONE favorite...so here we go.

1. 5 things under $5 that I couldn't live without

~Water, like Ashely said its actually free, but even when its not, its still under $5
~Fruit
~peanut butter
~milk
~a toothbrush (everything else could be a mess but at least I'd have fresh breath...hehe)

2. 5 favorite movies

~Sweet Home Alabama
~Father of the Bride (1 & 2)
~Shag
~White Christmas
~the Bourne movies


3. 5 baby names I love

~Ava
~Ryan (for a girl, not a boy)
~Lilly
~Ethan
~Jackson
(Could I have picked names that were any more popular right now? Wow)

4. 5 songs I could listen to over and over again

~Somewhere Over the Rainbow (What a Wonderful World)
Isreal Kamakawiwo Ole's version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A2Jt4WOxN8)
~Marvelous Light by Charlie Hall
~O Holy Night (my favorite Christmas song)
~Who Am I? by Casting Crowns
~anything by Carrie Underwood

5. 5 people who have influenced me in a positive way

~Jesus Christ
~Nathan
~my family (they count as one)
~Amanda
~Laura White

6. 5 things that are always in my purse (okay, maybe not always, but usually)

~my wallet
~chapstick
~lotion
~a pen
~glasses case

7. 5 moments that have changed my life forever

~when I became a Christian
~when I married Nathan
~when I first heard Ava's heartbeat
~when I first felt her kick
~when I first went to CRC (CRCC at the time)

8. 5 obsessions I have now

~(still) love being out in the sun
~lazy nights at home
~spending as much time with Nathan as I can
~reading the Left Behind series
~sleep

9. 5 places I would like to go

~Tuscany
~Jamaica
~out West
~London
~anywhere extremely tropical

10. 5 appliances or kitchen tools I cannot live without

~a wisk
~a spatula
~scissors
~our Cuisinart coffee maker
~a skillet (gotta have something to cook in)


11. 5 people whose top 5's I would like to see

~Lauren R.
~Ashley I.
~Sally Ann
~Ashley B.
~Lorrie Y.
(I too picked random names off my friends list... no pressure!)

friends...

This past weekend we had the privilege of spending some time with our old friends, and it made for a wonderful, but busy, weekend. We cherish the times we get to see friends from WV, for it usually isn't often.

On Saturday a bunch of the girls got together to shower Amanda Jo and Baby Huff with laughter, smiles, tons of food, and lots of wonderful gifts. Amanda looked just beautiful, she definitely had the mother-to-be glow. There were lots of babies crawling around which was an endless source of entertainment after the festivities were over. The day left us all exhausted, be extremely happy to see each other and to get to spend the time together while celebrating such a wonderful person and her soon-to-be little boy.

While the girls were off oooing and ahhhing over baby onesies and miniture shoes the boys were off playing racketball and passing frisbee. The weather was nice and allowed them to be outside some before the spring showers set in.

It was great getting to talk and hang out with everyone even if it was just for a few minutes or only in passing. We love getting to catch up and share a hug or two with those we love so much, yet don't see often. After all of our business the past few weeks this was a welcomed relief.

To all our friends, we love you, miss you already, and can't wait to see you again.

the link didn't work...

so the link to my Grandpa's obituary didn't work so I copied it. It was a lovely funeral and I will miss my Grandfather dearly.

W.F. Strickler June 22, 1927 - April 23, 2008 (Staunton)

Walter F. "W. F." Strickler, 80, husband of Virginia (Rosen) Strickler, of Staunton, died Wednesday morning, April 23, 2008, at his residence.

He was born June 22, 1927, in Augusta County, a son of the late Robert Wallace and Mary Helen (Evans) Strickler. He was a United States Naval veteran of World War II.

Mr. Strickler was a licensed Virginia funeral director and embalmer for 57 years. In 1969 he became the Assistant Manager of Henry Funeral Home and was made Vice-President in 1984, prior to retiring in 1996.

He was a member of Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church, the Middlebrook Ruritan Club, and the Staunton Jaycees.

In addition to his wife of 58 years, to whom he was married on April 8, 1950, family includes two sons and daughters-in-law, Mark R. and Katherine Lee Strickler of Locust Grove and David M. and Melodie Lynn Strickler of Staunton; a daughter and son-in-law, Jane S. and Roger D. Mooney of Charleston, WV; a brother and sister-in-law, Wallace A. and Elizabeth M. Strickler of Greensboro, NC; a sister, Betty J. Comer of Stuarts Draft; six grand-children, Mark R. "Skip" Strickler Jr., Lee Ann Barr and her husband, Jon, Virginia Joanne Strickler, Bethany Kaye Strickler, Marisa Hope Strickler, and Sarah Virginia Berry Ann and her husband, Nathan; several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by a sister, Katherine A. Shover.

A funeral service will be conducted 11 a.m. Saturday, April 26, 2008, at the Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church by the Reverend JoAnn Bunn. Burial will follow at the Church Cemetery.

Active pallbearers will be R. G. Heizer, Thomas Hanger, Dr. Samuel Rowe, Donald Hanger, Mike McCray, Nathan Berry Ann, Jon Barr, Jack Root, and James Custard.

Honorary pallbearers will be Ricky Thompson, Dr. John Marsh, B. B. Hanger, Sam Heizer, Howard Sensabaugh, Harry McCray, Gary Rosen, Philip Rosen, Sam Heizer, Mark R. Strickler Jr., and Roger Mooney.

The family will receive friends from 7 until 9 p.m. Friday, April 25, 2008, at the Henry Funeral Home and at other times at his residence.

Memorials may be made to the Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church, 334 Mt. Tabor Rd., Staunton, VA 24401 or the donor's favorite charity.

busy, busy, busy...

WOW...I think I might need to stop and take a breath before I even begin. The past week or two have been incredibly busy around here. We have been constantly on the go and honestly haven't seen a whole lot of each other since last week.

It all started with work...Nathan's work. Currently he is in charge of a major project, but last week was handed another project that needed immediate attention. While Nathan was trying to work on his personal project which involved some incredibly late nights testing (he'd got home one night at 2am), he was also trying to fit in time on this other project. So on nights when he wasn't testing he was staying at the office until about 9 or so to get everything done.

On my end, I was trying to get the house inspection and mortgage papers in order. Oh, in the midst of all our craziness I guess we forgot to tell you we are buying a house! Anyway, everything with that was going well until Wednesday morning. I got up early because I was supposed to be at the new house at 9 for our inspection. I checked our email before heading out to find an email from my Mom that my grandfather had passed away. Now, it wasn't a total surprise, he had been sick for some time, but even if you are somewhat prepared for that, its still kind of surprising. Needless to say that put my day into a tailspin and I felt like I was a chicken running around with my head cut off. After a bunch of phone calls and getting the inspection done, I had to run up to Old Navy to get a maternity dress since I didn't have anything to wear to a funeral, at least anything that fit. By Wed. night I had figured out that Thursday was going to be just as crazy.

On Thursday I had to run papers up to Nathan's office, then to the post office so they would get to our broker by Saturday. I then returned home and packed as fast as I could so I could get on the road and head to Charleston. By about 3pm I was headed south. 4 hours later I arrived in Charleston and headed to Va the next morning with my Step-Dad. From there on out it was a mess of car rides, talking to people I didn't know, taking care of my Mom and Grandmother, tears, and lots of stress. (The stress is a totally different story I can share at a different time.) Oh, and did I mention that since Nathan was so busy at work that I had to go alone? Yeah, that was fun let me tell you.

(link to Grandpa's obit. if your interested: http://www.legacy.com/NewsVirginian/Obituaries.asp?Page=SearchResults)

By Sunday I was on my way home, and was incredibly relieved to get to see Nathan. That evening he had a softball game, and I think that was the most I've seen of him since. The new week began and he has been in the office most evenings until at least 9. Today he headed to New Jersey to do some equipment testing and won't be home until tomorrow. And it won't end there, after he gets back, we'll jump in the car and head to Morgantown. Amanda Jo's baby shower is Saturday and I need to be there early enough to help get things set up in the morning. Yikes...I think I need to take another breath.

I also had another doctor's appointment today. We're 21 weeks and doing well. Our baby girl is still very active and I love it when the doctors giggle when they try to hear her heartbeat. She is constantly moving and kicking and making it hard for them to get a steady beat to count. When Dr. Dintini asked if I could feel her moving and kicking I was quick to say yes. Sometimes it feels like she is making waves in my stomach, flipping this way and that. But its a wonderful feeling and I don't have to worry as much any more, I know she is there and doing well and she lets me know often. I'm so excited to get into the new house and get the nursery ready for her arrival.

So as you can see we've been busy and on the go. The rest of May isn't looking any better, we'll be traveling somewhere every weekend this month. We have a baby shower, a marathon, and two graduations, not to mention softball games every Sunday. And it all seems a bit more stressful when I think about the price of gas. Oh well, it will be wonderful to see friends and family.

I hope you haven't been nearly as busy as we have and have had time to relax recently and enjoy the beautiful weather.