Somebody Pinch Me Please...

Last Saturday, 9.10.11, Nick and I went to the Incubus concert in Camden, NJ. We bought the tickets several months ago. We got seat tickets, since we knew that the pit probably wouldn't be a good idea for a pregnant lady, especially at 7 1/2 months.

This was the fourth time I've seen them in concert, and the fifth for Nick. This day/concert will be a story we can talk about for the rest of our lives: The day Nick surprised me with back stage passes to meet the band and get autographs. Honestly, a dream come true...for the both of us.

Nick had contacted one of the local radio stations that he listens to, schmoozed them, and got the passes...I'm sorry, (but really not sorry), that I continue to toot the horn of how wonderful my husband is :-)

Baby Hinman even gets a piece of this memory, a signed onesie.

1st Wedding Anniversary

Hard to believe that a year ago today, Nick and I were getting ready in separate rooms with our bridal party, preparing to walk down the isle in front of friends and family, to dedicate ourselves to each other in marriage.
Today, we spent time looking back on that day, and talking about how amazing it truly was.

This morning, Nick and I both worked together to prepare our Anniversary dinner. It was nice to have him in the kitchen for more than five minutes <wink>.

We made crock pot Beef Carbonnade. While waiting for it to cook, we looked through our wedding albums and watched our wedding DVD. (It's funny how you pick out things that you didn't notice the last time we watched it...for instance- siren going off in the middle of the ceremony. We definitely don't remember that.)

Yes, today we spent the whole day at home. Nothing extravagant, just a relaxing day with each other.

I have to say, I was also very impressed with the top of our wedding cake. It preserved so well. It made it through the 3 hour journey from Williamsport to our new home; it did not freezer burn; and as it thawed, the butter-cream frosting scented the kitchen. Yeah, the cake was a little dry, but all in all, a good evening dessert.

MMA trainee/ Birthday Celebration

Nick has signed up for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes at a local MMA fight club training site. He came home this past Monday after his first class, and I had to take a picture of him wearing his attire.

I'm excited to see the progress he makes and hope to watch a class sometime.

June 17th, we celebrated Nick's birthday. I made reservations at Chima, Brazilian Steakhouse in center city for dinner. We've been talking about trying it out since we've moved here. I decided that turning 27 years old was a great reason to book a date there.

The food was amazing! I love filet, the kind that melts in your mouth, and that's what we got.
Creme brulee for desert was the perfect way to finish off the meal.

A New Chapter

As much of a planner as I try to be, I've learned a very important lesson about two weeks ago:

Some things happen with out a plan; or a current plan you have may change in the blink of an eye......or with a simple urine test.

Yes, your eyes are correct; Nick and I are expectant parents!
Home pregnancy test was positive on both 3/2/11 and 3/3/11; had to make sure, even though we already knew :-)

Please, Meet Us in Outer Space, and join us as we open this new chapter of our life together and as we pave our way down a path we've never traveled before.

Becoming Opposite Schedules

January begins a new shift for Nick at work. On Monday he started evening shift....11 hours. He works 12:30pm-11:30pm. So he's still lying in bed when it's time for me to hit the road in the morning. I come home to an empty house, and go to bed before he gets home. I never notice when he actually crawls into bed because i'm a deep sleeper.

Nick will continue this shift for the next month, until he is then switched to the shift he was originally hired for: 10pm-9am. At least from here on out, he has Fridays off, making a good 3 day weekend to catch up from what we experienced over the week.

New Years Resolutions....

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2011. It's going to be hard getting used to writing ..."11" at work.

So...it's about four minutes until the ball drops, and Nick, Nina, and I are sitting in our living room discussing the year 2010.
Nick: "2010 was a really weird year for me..."
Me: "why?"
Nick: "Well, i did get married."

Five minutes later...

Nina: "My New Year's resolution is to be more positive."
Me: "I really want to work on paying off the bills."
Nick: "Making babies."

Whoa! Wait just one minute. Ha Ha. Did my husband just say that?....Again? I know his paternal instincts are starting to kick in, but that almost threw me off the couch. :-)

For those who may be wondering, "when do they plan to have kids?..."
I am still on the "five year plan;" however, there has been discussion about possibly one to two years from now. We'll just go with that for now.

"Textbook" Marriage

On September 5, 2010, Nick and I joined our lives and officially became Mr. and Mrs. I feel like the majority of those that know us were probably thinking..."it's about time!" After four  years of dating, Nick "popped the question" and two years later, we were married. We've been living the married life for the past 6 years; nothing seemed like it would change with the exception of the rings on the fingers....

But it has all changed. Since the wedding, Nick and I have been living in separate households, living separate lives. With a distance of 200 miles, a few short phone calls a week, and actually seeing each other in person once every 1-2 weeks, it's a little stressful not having the "textbook" marriage.

Everything happens for a reason (my life's motto), helps me to remember why we are at where we are. We are purchasing a new home in the 'burbs of Philly, starting new careers, and starting a brand new chapter in our life together. The light IS at the end of the tunnel. So I have to keep my head held high, smile, and live for the moment, and those moments to come, because when they get here, it will be such a sweet surrender.