36 Weeks

Fall has finally arrived, and just in time for company! I had another busy week with the final installment of my weekend class wrapping up Saturday afternoon. Now I just have to get working on these papers and try to get them done before the baby comes.

 Josh and Lola enjoying the 60's on the balcony

My good friend Angelica and her boyfriend Jon were in town for the night on Saturday and I was sooooo excited to see her! She is our first friend to come visit and I loved having her here even though it was for such a short amount of time. We had dinner at Whiskey Kitchen and showed them around town Sunday morning before she had to jet off back to PHX. We had a little photo shoot on the terrace at our place, and this is the only shot I have of us. Hopefully Jon got some better pics with his pro self-timer skills.

 Jon, Angelica, Riley, Me and Josh

(Standing next to little Angelica you can really see how big this belly is!)

Less than 4 weeks to go...I don't think I can grow anymore!

Baby Shower

Chelsea did a fabulous job throwing Baby Riley a shower. She thought of every little detail and meticulously searched for the perfect linens, flowers and favors. My lovely mother and grandmothers also helped with the food, and my sweet friends Holly and Angelica brought yummy treats. My step mom Wendy made Riley that amazing butterfly mobile, that looks better than the original I found on Etsy.

I just want to pinch myself thinking about all of the amazing things people have done for Riley and me. I do not feel worthy of all of the wonderful, generous and loving family and friends that I have. I keep finding myself feeling guilty about it. It just makes me want to be a better daughter, sister, granddaughter, aunt, niece, cousin, and friend.

To all of my friends who have yet to get married and have babies, I really owe you ; ) I promise when you get around to it, I will spoil you just as you have spoiled me!

Homesickness

Great Grandma, me, Mom, Grandma

Homesickness has finally hit, and boy has it hit hard. I know, you are probably thinking "but Whitney, you bashed on Arizona for years... claiming you would never return once you left the desert." It is true. I did. I am ashamed. I caught myself talking to two different people within the span of about 30 minutes about how much I miss home. When the first victim of my bantering passed by while I was carrying on the same conversation we had shortly before with someone else, I was embarrassed and hoped she didn't hear me. She was probably thinking, jeez girl, get over it. Well I am not over it!

It might be that I have completely lost the memory of the intense heat (weird how quickly it fades). Or maybe the fact that the holidays are slowly creeping up. Whatever it is, I want to go home. I want to see my freakin nephew, who doesn't even know me and wouldn't recognize my big bulging eyeballs if they were popped out in front of him! Sigh...

I also miss things like Sunflower Market, highways that have exits every mile or so and also have on ramps at the same place as the exit, streets that either take you north-south-east or west, and the light rail. I really got used to her convenience last year.

It has only been 3 months. I need to suck it up and stop thinking about it! But, I will tell you, it definitely makes you appreciate your family and friends. And at least I will know what it is like to live somewhere else...cause everyone wants to know that, right?

Dear Tempe,

I can't stop thinking about you on this exceptionally dreary day. Nashville is grey grey grey today. My skin misses the warmth of the sun and my hair misses the dry air. (Who knew I had wavy/frizzy hair?) When I return to your beauty, I will do just as I had done before. I will focus my gaze on your clear blue sky and let the sunshine wash all over me.

I miss my family and friends a lot today. I want to go home, go through my sister's closet (her clothes always smell good) and then grab dinner at LGO with Dad and Wendy. I want to watch a football game at my Mom's house with my brother just for the amusement of his loud emotional outbursts. I want to drive down the street to my Grandma's house when I am having a bad day and lay on her couch for an entire afternoon. I want to gather with my family at the "Fall Birthdays" party and play with my cousins, before they are too old and decide that I am really not all that cool.

And to my friends, I miss you like crazy too. I am learning how rare it is to find people you always have something to talk about with. Please don't forget about me, even though I am not on Facebook, I still exist!

Pic: Mill Ave bridge, via Flickr; Palm walk at ASU, via Wikipedia