Week in the Life 2013 | Saturday

Hello again!

Here's a look at our Saturday in photos + words.

 
Waiting at the door for daddy.  {Lucy: almost 10; Noah: 20 months; Rudy: almost 8}

Taking my vitamins.     

 Packing for our upcoming camping trip. 

Looking forward to trying out this product, Sand-Off!  (Thanks for recommending this, Tina!)

Hanging my apple wreath on the front door.


Saying "No, thank you" and "Run, Noah, run" and "Good job" and "Boo" to Noah.

Hearing Noah say "No" and "I know" and "Owl" and "Elmo."

 Cheering on the Notre Dame football team.

Washing my face with this Avon cleanser.  I started using it about six months ago and I'm really pleased.  It's a great product, especially for a thirty-something like me who still gets breakouts. Did I mention it's only $5.49?  And you can order it directly through Avon's website.        

We're heading out on a short camping trip this afternoon, so look for my Sunday photos + words later on in the week. 

This Week: Thanks and Wow

Right now, I'm reading a book by Anne Lamott called Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. 

As I think about the prayers I offer up to God, I realize that Ms. Lamott couldn't be more right.  

I'm either asking for help, giving thanks, or as Lamott writes, "feeling awe at the world around [me]."

This past week, I've been saying lots of "thanks" prayers and "wow" prayers.

Truth be told, though, I don't know if there really is more "good stuff" happening in my life right now, or if I'm just more open to seeing and acknowledging it.  

Regardless, I'm thankful.  And hopeful.  And happy. 

Here's a look at what's been happening around here:

Saturday: We celebrated Noah's first birthday in the company of family and friends.  Noah was showered with new toys, clothes, shoes, books, and even some money for his college fund.   

Sunday: I watched Downton Abbey for the first time--after seeing a photo of the show on Instagram. I know I'm a little late to the party (Season 3 just started), but I'm glad to have found a series I really enjoy watching!  Now, I just have to hunt down Seasons 1 and 2, so I can get caught up on the storylines and characters.  (ETA: Brian just picked up Season 1 from Redbox...woohoo!)

Monday: Even though Notre Dame lost to Alabama, Brian had fun playing poker with his friends. Meanwhile, Noah and I enjoyed dinner (Dos Coyotes' burritos) with my mom, sister, and 2-month-old niece, Zoey.   

Tuesday: Noah received a beautiful, handmade quilt from our friend, Noeleen.    You know how we all have gifts from God?  Quilting is definitely one of Noeleen's gifts!  (If you'd like to see the quilt, check out my Instagram photo here.)

Wednesday: After Noah's nap, we headed to the library to pick up a few books.  On the way there, Noah and I were listening to Christian music when "Proof of Your Love" by For King and Country came on.  I LOVE that song!  I cranked up the volume and sang loud, especially during the refrain.  Noah just smiled from the backseat... 
 
Thursday: I received a wonderful package in the mail.  Inside, there was a wooden hanger with my name on it, along with a card from my sister, Katie. 

The card said:
Plan with me,
Stand with me,
Cry with me,
Laugh with me
...will you be my matron of honor?"

My answer: YES! 

Friday: Marilyn, our babysitter, watched Noah for four hours in the afternoon.  During that time, I finished the tenth (and final) assignment for my children's writing class.  It's been a great experience, and I'm excited to start submitting my stories and articles to children's magazines. 

Saturday: Both Noah and I were glad to see Brian this morning; he's been at work for the past three days.  Also, I planted seven paperwhite bulbs a few weeks ago, and one of them bloomed today.  I love having fresh flowers in our home!

Now it's your turn: What are you celebrating?  Watching?  Listening to?  Baking?  Writing?  Reading? Feeling grateful for?   

October Picture Share

Is it really November 9th already?

Wow!

I think the month of October flew by faster than usual because we were super busy with lots of adventures--both near and far. 

Here are some of my favorite photos and memories.

October 14: A day at Apple Hill

If you've been following my blog for a year or more, you know that visiting Apple Hill with the Liotine family is an annual fall tradition for us.  I wrote about our experiences here in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

We always have a great time, but this year was even more fun because there were three little boys with us: Noah, age 9 months; Chase, age 2 and Tyler, age 6.  Add Brian and Steve to the mix and Nicole and I are way outnumbered!
 

The seven of us stopped at our favorite farms--Boa Vista Orchards, High Hill Ranch, Rainbow Orchards, Apple Ridge Farms--and of course, Kids Inc.--where we feasted on apple donuts, apple juice (unpasteurized), and apple crisps.  

It was a delightful day with friends!

October 17-23: Trip to Notre Dame

 

I have so many great memories from our week long trip to Illinois and Indiana.  For the purposes of this post, though, I'm going to focus on the football game since that is the primary reason we flew out to Notre Dame.    

Two years ago, Brian and I journeyed to Notre Dame to see the Irish play the Utah Utes.  This time around, we saw Notre Dame take on another Utah team, the BYU Cougars.  It was Noah's first college football game--and yes, we had to buy him a ticket.  Ironically, Noah missed the whole first half; he was sleeping soundly, thanks to a pair of ear muffs.  During the second half, though, Noah was wide awake, smiling and loving all the attention from the fans seated around us. 

 

Noah was quite the hit with all of his ND gear.  It was cold on game day, so we dressed Noah in all the ND clothing we had packed--a onesie, sweatshirt, jersey, pants, mittens, and a beanie.  Plus, a warm jacket.  He looked like the boy from A Christmas Story who was wearing so much clothing, he couldn't put his arms down.  Or better yet, a miniature Notre Dame football player.  A couple of times, Brian remarked, "Coach, put me in!"    

In the first half of the game, Notre Dame was down, but they came back in the second half, beating the BYU Cougars, 17-14.

When Notre Dame scored their last touchdown, Brian lifted Noah up into the air and did 17 push-ups, just like the cheerleaders and students do each time ND scores.

I wasn't fast enough with my camera to capture this moment, but believe me, Noah had a big grin on his face, just like in the photo below.  Brian was elated as well--not only because ND scored (and took the lead), but also because he was sharing this joyful time with his son in Notre Dame stadium.



October 28: Four Bridges Half Marathon   


Five days after returning home from our ND trip, I ran 13.1 miles in 2:23:58.  I'd been training for the Lake Natoma Four Bridges Half Marathon for over three months and all that preparation paid off during the race.  I felt really good--both physically and mentally--and only stopped to walk when I drank water or took a Gu packet.  To be fair, I didn't have a fast time--but that wasn't my goal.  My goal was to cross the finish line--and I did.  And then I crossed "Run a half marathon" off my bucket list.

Will I run another half marathon?  I'm certainly open to it in the future (with the goal of improving my time), but for now, I'm content to just keep running regularly, 3-4 times a week.

October 31: Halloween

We dressed Noah up as a puppy dog for the half marathon and I took these shots in our front yard after the run.  (Thank you Costco for the $12.99 costume!)

Then, on Halloween, Noah donned his costume again.  Living out in the country, we don't get any trick-or-treaters, so we loaded Noah up in the car and drove 45 minutes to visit family.

Here's hoping you and your family had a wonderful October, too.

How's November going so far?  Any favorite moments or experiences?

Our Little One

Today, Noah's adoption was finalized.

It was a wonderful day for our family, as we received legal custody of our 8-month-old son.

About a week ago, I started writing a letter to Noah.

I had hoped to have it ready to post today, but alas, it's not quite finished.  (Packing for Texas took precedence over revising the letter.)

I plan to finish the letter soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share this picture of Noah.

Every time I look at this photograph, my heart just melts.

Oh, those blue eyes.

That button nose.

Those chubby cheeks.

I didn't know it was possible to love a little one this much.

 

Welcome, September!

This month is going to be an exciting one for us--for several reasons.


For one, Notre Dame football is back!


Brian and Noah donned their ND gear yesterday and rooted for the Irish as they beat Navy, 50-10.

A big thanks to the Karreman family for the onesie and the Greenfield family for the pants and hats.  


Also this month, Noah's adoption will be finalized.  Yay!

Plus, we have plans to travel to Texas to visit my sister and meet her boyfriend.

Later on in the month, Brian will be participating in the Tough Mudder in Tahoe.

And lastly, at the very end of the month, we will celebrate Brian's 34th birthday. 

Here's to fun + family + fitness!

Notre Dame Layout

In November 2010, I wrote a blog post about our Notre Dame football game experience.

Then, a few months ago, I decided to create a hybrid scrapbook layout using pictures and words from that post.

Here's the finished layout:



This sentiment is from Ali Edwards's Loving Words stamp set.


The journaling reads: In celebration of Brian's 32nd birthday, we journeyed to Notre Dame to see the Fighting Irish take on the Utah Utes. Experiencing a Notre Dame football game was so much fun, and I'm not a fan of football. Notre Dame wasn't favored to win, but they beat the Utes, 28-3. While at Notre Dame, we also attended the Brian Kelly Radio Show, toured the beautiful campus, walked the practice fields, and cheered on the Notre Dame men's basketball team (who handily beat Georgia Southen, 98-60). Visiting Notre Dame (and seeing the Fighting Irish play) was a dream come true for my husband. He could have easily visited the university with friends, but I'm really glad I had the opportunity to accompany him on this special trip. It was a whirlwind adventure (Brian's Disneyland as I like to call it), but I'm glad we packed as much as we could into our days there. We came, we saw, and the Irish won...twice! What more could we ask for?! November 2010

For added visual interest, I highlighted a few of the words by printing them on pieces of blue card stock and adhering them on top of the cream card stock.


In addition, I wanted to document some of the words and phrases we chanted throughout the game, so I typed them up in Word and printed them out on blue card stock.

I'll be back tomorrow with another layout to share!

Hugs,
J

Notre Dame, Part II

Hi Blog Readers,
You may be wondering why one of my recent posts (delivered via e-mail) looked very familiar. Well, I decided to rewrite the Notre Dame football post because I didn't think it flowed very well. After revising the piece, I published it, not realizing that when I clicked the Publish button, the post would be sent out via e-mail again. Sorry! Thanks for continuing to read (and comment) on my blog posts. I appreciate your support more than you know.
J
_______________________________________________
When Brian and I visited the University of Notre Dame in November, we flew in and out of Chicago O'Hare International Airport. We've flown in and out of Chicago before, but neither one of us had ever been beyond the airport. Eager to see the Windy City, we decided to take a tour on Thursday morning. We only had a few hours in the city, so we opted for a Segway tour.


I loved cruising around the city on a Segway! Being rather uncoordinated, I was a bit nervous when I first stepped onto the Segway. But it was so easy to use. After ten minutes of practice in the park, I was ready to take to the streets. I had so much fun that I didn't want to give the Segway back at the end of the tour. Brian, on the other hand, said he felt like he was going to crash at any moment. (When we finished our tour and were turning in our helmets, one of the other tour guides mentioned that taller folks, particularly gangly men, have a harder time riding Segways. Apparently, being vertically-challenged has its advantages!)


After our Segway tour, Brian and I walked down to Navy Pier and rode the ferris wheel.


We enjoyed spectacular views of the city...


...and Lake Michigan. We really lucked out in the weather department. Temperatures were in the 70s,which as you know is particularly warm for mid-November in Chicago.


An hour and a half after departing Chicago, we reached Notre Dame. (This shot was taken as we drove in the main entrance for the first time. Up ahead is the administration building's golden dome.)


The campus is simply b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.


Part of its beauty lies in the gorgeous buildings.


Almost every campus building has this pretty brick facade, regardless of when the edifice was built. How is that possible, you ask? Well, during a tour of the campus, we learned that all of the bricks are brought in from Italy.

Maybe that's one reason why tuition is $37,000 per year! Just kidding...


During our student-led tour, we also visited the library, which is home to Touchdown Jesus.


Did you know that Touchdown Jesus is made entirely of stone? And that the reflecting pool below it is only ten inches deep? Just a few more fun facts we learned on our tour...


We also briefly passed through the Basilica and later returned for Mass.


While in the Grotto of our Lady of Lourdes (a replica of the one in France), we said a few prayers for loved ones and lit a candle.


When lunch rolled around, we opted to dine in the south dining hall (currently ranked the second best dining hall in the country). There we were treated to a huge array of food options...many, many more than I remember at UC Davis. Just as impressive were the dining hall's vaulted ceilings, massive fireplace, and oak tables and chairs. (Our tour guide likened the dining hall to Harry Potter's Hogwarts, but I've yet to see any HP movies, so I cannot confirm nor deny.)

Later, we learned that the furniture--the tables and chairs--date back to the 1930s. According to our tour guide, the priest in charge of purchasing the chairs 80 years ago, asked a number of local carpenters to build sample chairs for him. When all of the chairs were completed, he threw them one-by-one down the stairs of the main administration building. The chair in the best condition after the fall was selected, and its builders received a contract to produce all of the chairs and tables for the dining hall. :-)


Perhaps, my favorite place on campus was here on the banks of St. Joseph's Lake. Brian and I sat on a wooden bench near the edge of the water and gazed out on this peaceful body of water, sprinkled with flocks of geese. This scene, for me, conjured up bits and pieces of poetry by Walden and Thoreau--pieces I haven't read since high school and college.


Later on that day, we cheered on the Notre Dame men's basketball team, thanks to free tickets from the family we were staying with. (We rented a room in the Oliva family home in South Bend through the Notre Dame Bed & Breakfast Registry. It was a wonderful experience and we'd highly recommend it!)


It was a great game, and Notre Dame handily beat Georgia Southern, 98-61.

Visiting Notre Dame (and seeing the Fighting Irish play) was a dream-come-true for my hubby. He could have easily visited the university with a few friends, but I'm really glad I had the opportunity to accompany him on this special trip. It was a whirlwind adventure (Brian's Disneyland as I like to call it), but I'm glad we packed as much as we could into our days there.

We came, we saw, and the Irish won...twice! What more could we ask for?

J

Notre Dame Football Game

In celebration of Brian's 32nd birthday, we recently journeyed to Notre Dame to see the Fighting Irish take on the Utah Utes. But before I delve into the game itself, I want to mention a few of the football-related activities we experienced leading up to Saturday's game.


On Thursday evening, just after arriving on the Notre Dame campus for the first time, we attended the Brian Kelly Radio Show, taped in the Legends restaurant, which is located on campus in the stadium parking lot. (Brian Kelly, seated on the right, is in his first year--and hopefully not his last year--as head coach of the Notre Dame football team.)


On Friday, Brian and I walked down through the Notre Dame tunnel, the same tunnel that the players use during home games. You can't walk out onto the field (well, I guess you could, but you would be escorted out by police), but you can take pictures of the stadium.




On Saturday, prior to the game, we visited the impressive practice fields...


...and strolled through several parking lots where Irish (and Utah) fans were holding tailgate parties.


But we didn't fly 2,000 miles to see the Brian Kelly show (which "my Brian" regularly listens to on his iPhone), walk down the tunnel, take in the practice fields or check out the pre-game parties.


We flew 2,000 miles to see the Notre Dame football team play some ball. And they did just that! Although the Fighting Irish weren't favored to win, they beat the Utes, 28-3.


Experiencing a Notre Dame football game was so much fun, and I'm not even a football fan.

My favorite memories from the game include:

- Seeing Brian's face light up with excitement when the Irish scored

- The students donning "The Shirt," creating a sea of green in the student section

- Wearing lots of layers (For me: a long sleeve shirt, short-sleeve shirt, windbreaker, and sweatshirt)

- Donning ponchos when it started raining

- Drinking two mugs of hot chocolate (which kept me nice and warm)

- With each kick off, raising the index finger on our right hands to the sky and shouting, "G-o-o-o-o Irish!"

-The seniors engaging in a massive marshmallow fight at the end of the second quarter (Food and drink are not allowed in the stadium, so the seniors have to smuggle the bags of marshmallows in by duct taping the bags to their legs and arms and concealing them under their jackets and baggy pants.)

- Cheering on ND, chanting "We...are...N...D!"

- Laughing at the push ups in the student section after each touchdown

- High-fiving the ND fans around us each time the Fighting Irish scored

- Clapping along as the band played the fight song

- Listening to Brian talk football with nearby ND fans

- Watching the gleeful students storm the field after the game

And even though the football game was the highlight of our trip, we had many other enjoyable experiences while in Indiana and Illinois.

In the next week, I'll share pictures and thoughts from our campus tour, an ND basketball game, and our Segway tour of Chicago.

J