sara without an h

the lake.

tonight we went out to the lake one last time.  it had been almost a year since our last visit.  we ate dinner at the token tourist restaurant, which offers cheap food with a spectacular view.  i have a soft spot for that place.  it is just touristy enough to be kitschy and fun, but far enough off the beaten path that it's mostly locals who dine there.  i will miss the lake.  we went there often to walk last summer when i was very pregnant.  it is calm and beautiful and just far enough out of town to feel like a special trip.  every time we visit we take family pictures in the exact same spot.

this is the 3rd time this week we tried to visit the lake.  the first 2 attempts were thwarted by tornado sirens, heavy storms, and power outages.  the 3rd time really is a charm.  i'm glad we made it because i did not want to seek shelter in the nearby mall again.  target is awesome and all, but being trapped there while sirens go off is not as fun as it sounds.  thank goodness the weather is supposed to stay clear for the remainder of our time here. 

i'm off to have a glass of wine and continue packing up our life.  the pressure is on!

shelter from the storm.

our little town got a beating from last night's severe storms.  our tornado sirens sounded 5 times in 5 hours last night.  the first 4 produced nothing more than a breeze and some heavy rain.  the 5th siren was another story.  it sounded at 10:10 last night.  all was quiet.  suddenly, at around 10:15, the skies opened up and the trees in our backyard were bending in half.  we live on the top floor of our building and had no time to get to lower ground.  our only option was to grab sylvie, the dog, and a mattress and seek shelter in our bathtub.  

we were lucky.  our building lost some roof shingles.  the trees out back lost some branches, but none of them went down.  the rest of our neighborhood and town didn't fair so well.  another apartment building in our development had its windows blown out.  the buildings across the parking lot had their trees ripped out of the ground.  the business across the street lost its entire roof (including a large glass skylight) and its sign.  the huge, old oak trees across the another adjacent street got completely uprooted.  the whole town is littered with branches, street signs, and down wires.  we are lucky.  we never lost power or internet.  the beautiful little park down the street is leveled.  every 100 year old tree there is in pieces.  we are lucky.  i can't keep writing it, thinking it or saying it.

this is some of the damage from across the street, and is by no means the worst of it.

this is our damage, which amounts to roof shingles littering the ground and a leaning stop sign.

i am more thankful than ever to leave the midwest next week.  huddling with my little family in our bathtub, with a crib mattress over our heads, is something i do not care to relive.  sylvie, on the other hand, was thrilled to be up well past her bed time watching sesame street.

i'm glad we held it together well enough to keep the mood light as the storm raged on.  i'm sure sylvie could feel my heart beating out of my chest and hear the panic in my voice, but she seemed pretty unfazed.  it ended as quickly as it came and we were able to get her back in bed by midnight.  i stayed awake until the national weather service warnings stopped at 2am.  we're expecting more storms tonight, but nothing severe.

still, we are lucky.  bloomington is not joplin, missouri.  i've been following the devastation there all week and my heart goes out to the residents there who lost family, friends, and possessions.

we are lucky.  i can't write it, think it, and say it enough.

vloggin' vednesday: hidden talents.

this week's vloggin' vednesday is all about hidden talents.  enjoy!

p.s.  travis' video gets really good about halfway through.

 

 

left and leaving.

the countdown is on.  sylvie and i have our one-way plane tickets to houston set for next tuesday.  travis will drive our car down and arrive with the dog a few days later.  our apartment is littered with boxes, piles of clean laundry, and disassembled furniture.  our POD arrives tomorrow.  the fridge  and pantry are slowly emptying as we create crazy improvised meals to use up what food we have left.

today we ate our last family lunch (al fresco) at our favorite little cafe.  we took what will likely be the last set of pictures with the tree in front of our apartment building.

we have lived in this little town for 2 years.  2 years is just long enough to get acquainted with a place.  we have made friends here.  we have favorite restaurants.  we have a favorite tree in the park.  i know a front way, a back way, and a back back way to get everywhere i need to go.  we're leaving just as we're really getting to know this town.  this was the first place we lived together as husband and wife.  this is the town where sylvie was born and spent most of her first year.  it is a little bittersweet to know that we may never come back here or see any of these people again.  it is, however, time to go.  we have a new life waiting for us in texas.  one with numerous family and friends close by.  texas has been calling our names for 2 years now and the time has come to answer.

crawling.

oh my.  our new place will need some serious sylvie-proofing.

the start of great things.

oh my gosh!  so much is happening!  we just got back from a whirlwind trip to texas.  in 3 days we applied for a house, signed the lease, and travis got a job.  his top choice job.  i am exhausted and have so much to do before our POD gets here on tuesday.  this is just a quick post to fill everyone in on our goings on.  thank you for continuing to visit my internet home despite sporadic, short posts.  come june 1st we'll be texans and settling into our beautiful yellow 1940s bungalow.  travis will be working at the restaurant with the best wine program in the state and sylvie will be crawling all over our new home.  this is the start of great things.

life (i got one).

i've been somewhat absent around here lately.  truthfully, i haven't felt much like writing.  the weather has been gorgeous and my little family has been taking full advantage.  we've been walking every night for the better part of an hour.  sometimes around downtown and other times just around our neighborhood.  sylvie has gotten so used to this routine that she squeals with delight when she sees one of us put the baby bjorn on.

we've taken her swimming twice.  she still loves it.  i've been cooking almost all of our meals at home, with the exception of the GIANT chocolate chip pancake i ate yesterday.    

gluttony aside, i've had a wonderful time in the kitchen lately, taking full advantage of the midwest's beautiful, bountiful spring produce.  tonight i made quinoa "tabouleh" with parsley, lemon, garlic, roasted red peppers, and feta.  it was the perfect dish for a warm night such as this.

i'm also smack dab in the middle of working on another illustration.  this one is a belated birthday gift for my nephew.  i have to finish it by tomorrow so i can bring it on our trip this weekend!

and then there's the packing.  we move to texas in less than 3 weeks.  in addition, we're headed there this weekend to look at a couple of houses and for a job interview for travis.  i'm really looking forward to it, but that's 5 valuable days of packing time gone.  it's starting to get overwhelming.  i need a cold beer just thinking about it.

perfect.

so that's my life right now.  it's a wee bit stressful, but i got to take time out for a pedicure today.  not too shabby.

9 months.

my dearest sylvie,

you are 9 months old today, and i find myself at a loss for words.  just this once, i think i'll let pictures do the talking for me.

happy mother's day to you, sweet girl.  you are, after all, our reason to celebrate.  i love you.

with all the love in my heart,

mama

Happy Mother's Day, Sara

Hello Everyone,

This is Travis. Those of you who are long-time readers may remember that last year on Mother’s Day, I commandeered this blog to express my appreciation for my wonderful wife Sara, and mothers everywhere!  This year I thought I would check in again to report on the year since then.

At this time last year, Sara was six months pregnant, and I was just finishing up my first year of grad school. It is amazing how much can change in such a short time! Today Sylvia is 9 months old, I have officially finished my degree, and in a few short weeks we will be starting a new life in Houston, Texas! The three of us could not be more excited for all the wonderful new changes in our life! 

Looking back on our life one year ago, it is hard to imagine what things were like without Sylvia. She has truly brought us closer in ways that we never could have anticipated. Over the course of this last year, the two of us have shared tears of desperation and sheer exhaustion as we learned to care for a newborn. We have worried together about Sylvia’s health (thank goodness we’re past her tummy troubles!), about money, and insurance.  We have learned how to lean on and support each other through all of these experiences. We have had to learn how to more easily forgive each other when being tired and over-worked gets the best of us. Having Sylvie has truly strengthened and deepened our relationship.

But it has also been a joy to share so many wonderful new experiences too. We have shared moments of joy and wonder as we have watched Sylvie grow and flourish. She is looking less like a baby and more like a toddler everyday. As Sara has reported, Sylvie is talking (well, sort of!), freely rolling around (SO CLOSE to crawling), smiling, laughing, hugging, and kissing (licking, to be more precise). She is getting HUGE!  Where has the time gone? 

Throughout all of these months, I have been increasingly amazed how blessed I am to have married such a wonderful woman. Being a mother truly brings out the best in Sara, and it is a joy to see her settle more and more comfortably into that role. How is it possible for someone to be so nurturing without being stifling? There are so many things about the baby I find baffling that come completely natural to Sara. How in the world do you tell the difference between a ‘sleepy’, ‘hungry’, and ‘I have to poop’ cry? I guess it’s a mom thing.

This time last year I had to work on Mother’s Day, and this will no doubt be the case in future years.  That is one of the downsides of my profession. This year however, on our first official Mother’s Day, we are fortunate to be able to spend the entire day together and celebrate (Sara doesn’t know it yet, but we are going out for brunch at our favorite restaurant!). Devoting just one day a year to the women that keep the world running seems wholly inadequate, but we are going to try and make the best of it! In this coming year, I pray that I can make Sara feel loved, honored, and appreciated every day.

Before I finish, I would like to thank my mother and mother-in-law for supporting the two of us this year. The advice, the help with the baby through school and surgeries, and the wonderful toys, clothes, and books have been such an enormous blessing. Thank you for providing such incredible examples for us to try and live up to!

So, to all you mothers out there (and mothers-to-be!), and to my dear wife Sara, I wish you all the best on your special day, and I would like to thank you for everything you do. You are an inspiration to us all, and you somehow manage to find ways of making us fall in love with you all over again each and every day. Thank you for reading this post, and for supporting Sara by frequenting the blog. We hope that you will continue to follow along in our incredible adventure.

All The Best, Travis

 

water baby.

yesterday we took sylvie to the pool for the first time.  thank goodness this one is indoors.  i don't know when it's finally going to get warm enough for a real swim, but it certainly isn't yet.  regardless, we had a great time and sylvie loved the water.  

i think we have a water baby on our hands!