Category: Life Updates

Bennett is Six Months

Bennett is Six Months!

I am really loving this stage. Bennett is starting to get more of a personality every day. He’s so fun!

This month’s highlights include: Bennett getting baptized, me spending my first weekend away from him, and finally, he started solid foods.

Bennett’s baptism was beautiful and so special. Family and friends came out to St. James Catholic church and then to our house for a celebration. I didn’t take nearly enough pictures (especially of the decorations – I put gold cross confetti on every table). B wore a family heirloom gown and bonnet my Oma got in Ireland that three of my cousins wore for their baptisms. It was so special!

baby baptism
He looked like an angel ❤

We started solids! We started with rice cereal, then introduced a new food every three days: sweet potatoes, followed by applesauce, then pears, then oatmeal, then bananas, then carrots finally avocado. He loved (in order of preference): 1) carrots, 2) pears, 3) applesauce, 4) oatmeal. He did not like the bananas or avocado. I think it’s a texture thing – he’s just not ready for non-puree yet.

Finally, my weekend away. I went on my annual girls lake weekend with my best friends to Smith Mountain Lake. It was so much fun! But, you guessed it, I missed B a lot. Jimmy did a great job solo Dad-ing. He even worked on Benny holding his own bottle while I was gone.

Typical Day:

7 am wake up & bottle

9 am nap for Ingrid & Bennett in their own rooms

10 am – 5 pm bottles on demand, naps every 1.5 – two hours; in this time, errands/I try to squeeze in a workout/lots of playing

5:30 pm bath

7 pm put Bennett down

7 pm dinner & Ingrid & Jimmy hang out time

B wakes up once a night for a bottle – Ingrid gives him and then sleeps until 7 am

Monthly Questionnaire

Age: 6 months

Weight: 20 lbs

Length: 28.25″

Size: 12 months

Eyes: blue

Hair: light brown

Sleeping:  he typically sleeps from 7 pm to 5:30 am. Wakes to chug a bottle. Then back to sleep until 7 am.

Eating: formula bottles: 6 oz each feeding; some solid foods (see above)

Milestones: “discovered” his feet; started solids; spent his first solo weekend with Daddy; got baptized

Memorable outings: his first vineyard trip

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Bennett's first vineyard trip @chrysalisvineyards

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Likes: holding his feet, eating puréed carrots, rolling onto his tummy, getting his face cleaned, moving all the time

Dislikes: staying still, getting strapped in the car seat, not being able to crawl yet

Words/sounds: “a” “ahh” “ohhh” “mmhm”

Nicknames: “Little Man,” “Benny,” “B”

Interesting Facts: B loves him some vegetables

Funny moments: Every time he takes a bite of a food, he makes a face, then remembers he likes it and gobbles it down

Looking forward to: introducing more solid foods – it’s so fun!

Photos This Month:

Bennett Six Months
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Bennett is Three Months

Bennett is Three Months!

 

People claimed it would get easier around three months. They were so right! We no longer feel like this baby will kill us (which would lead to an amazing Lifetime movie).

Sleeping wise, we finally figured some things out, first of all, we were keeping him up way too late! Benny needs to go to bed around 6-7 pm. Secondly, Bennett does better when Mommy is no where around him. This means, Jimmy starts the night in Bennett’s room (where we have a full sized adult bed) while B sleeps in his Rock ‘n Play.

Feeding wise, we’re stopping nursing at the end of this month. Cue all the tears. I literally gave it my all. Blood, sweat, and tears here. However, Bennett screams and hits me every time I try to nurse him now. His nursing sessions are getting shorter and shorter. The lactation specialists think it is because he knows a bottle is coming (we still have to supplement). I’m pumping for 20-30 minutes six times a day just to get half of what he needs. It is not sustainable. At least I made it to three months. That is a solid foundation.

Typical Day:

3 am nursing

Ingrid & B sleep in B’s room

6 am nursing

Ingrid & B try to sleep some more

7 am wake up & pump

9 am Gigi comes over, Ingrid naps, B gets bottles and naps with Gigi downstairs

noon – 6 pm: nurses every 3 hours, formula bottle after while Ingrid pumps, Ingrid naps whenever she can while Gigi watches B

6:30 pm put Bennett down

7 pm dinner while watching The Wheel of Fortune

8 pm last pumping followed by bed for Ingrid in master bedroom & Jimmy in B’s room

midnight – Jimmy gives B a bottle

midnight-3 am Jimmy & B sleep in B’s room, Ingrid in master

3 am (or whenever Bennett wakes up for his next feeding) – Jimmy gets Ingrid and they swap rooms

 

 Monthly Questionnaire

Age: 3 months

Weight: didn’t weigh him

Length: didn’t measure him

Size: 6 months and some 9 months – holy growth spurt

Eyes: blue

Hair: light brown

Sleeping: sleeps 5 hours straight on the regular *THANK YOU JESUS!

Eating: breastfeeding as much as he’ll let me, supplementing with breast milk or formula bottles 2-4 oz at a time

Milestones: first giggle when I brought him into City Hall and he thought Sandy was hilarious; first Easter

Memorable outings: went to City Hall; first road trip – went to Richmond so Ingrid could be in her friend Meredith’s wedding

Likes:  trying to talk, kicking, his mama, making faces, and trying to suck his thumb.

Dislikes: baths, being naked

Words/sounds: agu

Nicknames: “Little Man,” “Benny,” “Mr. Agu, “B”

Interesting Facts: he sneezes three times in a row once a day, every day

Funny moments: while organizing laundry, a burp cloth fell off the back of the couch right onto Bennett’s head – we all laughed

Looking forward to: his first recognize me smile; and sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep

Photos from Bennett’s Third Month:

Bennett Three Months
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Bennett is Two Months

Untitled

Bennett is Two Months!

Month two is a little easier than the first month. We’re still having nursing challenges, but he’s finally gaining weight, thank goodness for formula. Fed is best everyone.

Sleeping is still rough but that’s to be expected. He’s up every hour and a half. Eating every hour and a half round the clock. Team Baby is Mommy, Gigi & Grandpa during the weekdays, Mommy, Gigi & Daddy for week nights, and just Mommy & Daddy for weekends. Kai is contemplating running away. I wouldn’t blame him.

Bennett saw his first snow! I insisted Jimmy go into work late so we could take some photos outside. I love snow! Then, while watching the news all day (like I do every snow day), I submitted a photo of Bennett doing his “snow angel” and he got featured! Little celebrity 🙂

Monthly Questionnaire

Age: 2 months

Weight: 11 lbs 12 oz

Length: 22″

Size: some newborn, mostly 3 months

Eyes: blue

Hair: light brown

Sleeping: not well. Towards the end of the month, we got a Rock n’ Play he sleeps better in that

Eating: breastfeeding with supplementation via a bottle. Eats every hour and a half around the clock

Milestones: started babbling, can fully support head, first smile

Memorable outings: 1) first time out to eat (Dogfish Head Alehouse with Mommy, Gigi, and Grandpa) 2) first movie – La La Land at the Cry Baby Matinee with Mommy and Gigi

Likes: ceiling fans, kicking, stretching, smiling, and of course eating

Dislikes: sleeping & baths

Words/sounds: agu

Nicknames: “Little Man,” “Benny,” “Mr. Agu”

Interesting Facts: he sneezes three times in a row once a day, every day

Funny moments: while organizing laundry, a burp cloth fell off the back of the couch right onto Bennett’s head – we all laughed

Looking forward to: his first recognize me smile; and sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep

Photos from Bennett’s Second Month:

Bennett Two Months
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Bennett is One Month

UntitledBennett is One month!

The past month has been a bit of a blur. Between the doctor’s appointments for the bilirubin, the weight gain problems, and the nursing challenges and the sleep deprivation, I barely remember anything. Team Baby is on full-team press to try to survive. (Team Baby is Jimmy, Ingrid, GiGi, and Grandpa).

Read more about the first month here.

Monthly Questionnaire

Age: 1 month

Weight: 8 lbs

Length: 21″

Size: newborn

Eyes: blue

Hair: dirty blonde

Sleeping: HAHAHAHA only when held or on his Daddy’s chest and that’s for a hot minute. I miss sleeping so much!

Eating: breastfeeding with supplementation via a feeding tube

Milestones: FINALLY passed his birth weight and is no longer jaundiced

Memorable outings: does the doctor count???

Likes: eating, windows, sleeping on Daddy, walks

Dislikes: being changed, waiting a second for anything, sleeping in his bassinet, crib, swing, rock ‘n play, etc…

Words/sounds: grunts all.the.time when sleeping

Nicknames: “Little Man,” “Benny,” “Mr. Piggy”

Interesting Facts: he sneezes four times in a row once a day, every day

Funny moments: his first bath was hilarious

Looking forward to: sleeping, getting nursing down, sleeping, his first real smile, sleeping, oh and sleeping

Photos from Bennett’s First Month:

Bennett One Month
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Naming Bennett

Jimmy and I used our September drive to Blacksburg very productively. I was armed with a list of baby names I didn’t hate (literally spent all my free time going through thousands of names) and a baby name book a wonderful coworker gave us. We went through names one-by-one. Deciding we liked some a bit. Favorite compromise was Gregory. However, it didn’t really meet all our requirements.

Ingrid’s Requirements:

  • be unique but not too weird
  • ideally have family significance
  • “flow”

Jimmy’s Requirements:

  • be normal
  • ideally have Christian ties

These requirements did not match up on many names. There were a few we liked and had jotted down. One in particular, Bennett. During the drive, Jimmy was on the phone with his best friend Andy. I got a call from my brother Kurt, so we were on two different phone calls. Kurt asked how the drive was going. I said there was traffic, but we were working on our baby name list. Kurt asked for favorites. I said “well we think we like Gregory and then I really like Bennett, but didn’t you guys want that name?” Kurt and Kate said we should use it. It was still a little grey area for me.

Then, we’re driving back from Church on Sunday in Blacksburg and Jimmy notices a street sign “Bennett St.” He goes, “what about Bennett.” I said “that was my grandfather’s name!” [it was on our list but he forgot]. He goes: “I really like it.” I reply “I really like it too!” Now, Bennett Street is a tiny two block street in Blacksburg, very easy to miss. We literally saw a sign for our son’s name!

bennettst

Then, on the drive back home, we were getting onto 81 and I said “what about middle names.” Jimmy replies: “William. It’s my dad’s middle name.” I smile and say: “It’s my dad’s middle name too!”

And there you have the naming of Bennett William Racine.

Ingrid’s Requirements:

  • ✓ be unique but not too weird – absolutely! When he says “Bennett” people will know what he’s saying but there shouldn’t be 8 other Bennetts in his class.
  • ✓ ideally have family significance – definitely does! Honoring the late MSGT Leland Bennett, my grandfather. William for Jimmy’s dad, my dad, and my brother Kurt.
  • ✓ “flow” – yep, with or without the middle name

Jimmy’s Requirements:

  • ✓ be normal – nickname “Ben” aka completely normal
  • ✓ ideally have Christian ties – there are quite a few saints named William

 

2016 Year in Review

2016 was clearly all about the baby bump.

Jimmy

Jimmy continued his health and fitness commitment: playing lacrosse at least twice a week, going to the gym almost daily, and using the 5×5 weight lifting program. He went hunting a few times and got one deer. He continued growing the National Harbor branch of his company as the Geotechnical Department Manager.

Ingrid

Honestly, I don’t remember what I did pre-pregnancy. I know I continued pure barre. I chopped my hair off. I’m sure there were lots of brunches and wine nights with my friends. Then, positive pregnancy test and my whole world changed 🙂 Oh, in June I went to Smith Mountain Lake for our annual Girls Wine Weekend trip. Obviously I was drinking all the seltzers and none of the wine, but didn’t matter, I had a blast! I was spoiled at an amazing baby shower in October. I turned 30 in November.

We (Ingrid & Jimmy)

January 2016 – we had an amazing time enjoying the Blizzard of 2016 when it snowed for basically a day straight.

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Snow dog #KaiRacine #blizzard2016 #kaigotstuck

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February – we went to the boat show in Annapolis.

March – We took a spring break to the Penthouse to use up Jimmy’s “use it or lose it” leave. We also got to go celebrate our wonderful friends’ Keli & Mike’s at their wedding. Congratulations Keli & Mike!

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Starting our spring break #beachfishing #jimmyfishes

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Morning mimosas #beachtrip #surfsidesc

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April – April started rougher. A HUGE tree fell on the house my grandmother owned that Kurt and Kate were currently living in. But then, we got to go celebrate another wonderful couple and see their engagement at the spring game in Blacksburg 🙂 Congratulations Meredith & Ryan!

May – We went to the Outer Banks with friends.

June – We found out we’re having a Baby!

We told my family about Baby at the Cottage. We went to Massachusetts to visit Jimmy’s family. We also told Jimmy’s parents, his sister, and his extended family about Baby this trip.

July – We went on our annual beach trip to SC.

August – We told my extended family about Baby at a house warming party Kurt & Kate threw.

September – We found out we’re having a son. We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary.

We went to Blacksburg for Homecoming weekend.

Homecoming weekend Blacksburg 2016

October – we went apple picking.

Looking to 2017

Obviously 2017 is Baby year. So, we’ll mainly work on becoming first time parents this year. We also want to do the following:

  • Ingrid: lose the baby weight! (I’m already obsessing just because I want to feel and look like me again, and I want to fit in my cute clothes that I miss).
  • Trips: Penthouse, Blacksburg for a game (and bring Baby), Richmond for Meredith & Ryan’s wedding, Atlanta for Petey & Danielle’s wedding, lots of Cottage trips – Baby has his own crib & changing table there
  • Jimmy – wants to continue lacrosse & shooting, possibly join a hunting “lease”

 

28 Weeks

I’m officially in the third trimester! In less than three months, I will have a baby boy. This is so exciting and terrifying at the same time. I’m basically ready, see my check-list, but there are a lot of unknowns with becoming a first-time mom. I’m mainly excited though. I’m also completely torn with wanting him to “keep cooking” for 12 more weeks and be born tomorrow (because I want to meet him so badly!)

Monday I was exhausted (why in the world did I move out of Baby’s room again??) and struggled all day through work. But then, I felt Baby have the hiccups for the first time – it was adorable! I think he’s had them before while I’ve been sleeping because I wake up a lot when I let out a single hiccup (not a burp, this is a clear hiccup). Not sure if him having them could ever make me have them, but I like to think he’s sharing.

Monday afternoon I got a call the SUV we transferred to Dulles Carmax arrived and was ready for us to go check it out. So, Monday night, Jimmy and I headed over to test drive the car. We loved it and ending up buying it! #CarForBaby. It’s a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse that only had 20,000 miles on it and looked brand new. It has all the safety features I wanted: side airbags, backup camera, Bluetooth. It also has a tow hitch, seats 8, and has a full roof rack.

Wednesday afternoon I got an email saying my new iPhone 7+ was delivered! It wasn’t even supposed to ship until 11/30 so I’m very excited! This was my 30th birthday present to myself (although I told Jimmy it was from him so he didn’t have to get me anything when I was getting myself a big gift). I am a little nervous about the big size, but I NEED that camera. I know I’m going to be taking 80000000000000000000 pictures of Baby Racine so I want the best camera possible on my phone. Unfortunately the store that had my phone was “unexpectedly closed due to a down system” so I couldn’t get my phone until Friday.

The rest of the weekend, I cleaned and watched Gilmore Girls. Jimmy hunted and got his first deer of the season on Saturday morning! I was so happy because that meant he could come meet me, Meredith, Ryan, and a couple of their friends at Open Road in Merrifield to watch the Tech/UVA game.

On Sunday, Jimmy and I headed to BabiesRUs to try to pick out a glider. Conclusion: I like all the gliders and all gliders are too expensive. I give up.

Questionnaire:

How far along? 28 Weeks

How big is baby? 14.8″ & 2.2 lbs; the size of a large eggplant

Maternity clothes? Absolutely.

Sleep: was better so I moved back to Jimmy & my room – that was a terrible idea that resulted in terrible terrible sleep, so I moved back to Baby’s room. I’m not sure if it’s the memory foam topper or not waking up every time Jimmy breathed or moved, but I’m sleeping way better in Mini Moose’s room. I will stay there.

Best moment this week: 1) Thanksgiving, 2) Getting our new car, 3) getting my new iPhone

Movement: I love baby kicks. I also love this kid so so much: he sleeps when I sleep. I’ve only been woken up by kicking a couple of times. Bless you sweet child, mommy needs all the sleep I can get before you are born.

Food Cravings: pumpkin bran muffins

Food Aversions: the tacos I made Tuesday night 😦

Gender: Baby’s a boy!
it's a boy confetti

Labor Signs: nope. Stay that way for at least 2 months please.

Pregnancy Symptoms: oh my goodness with the back aches; I even started prenatal yoga hoping to help alleviate these pains.

Belly Button in or out? Flat

What I miss: nothing – it was a glorious week

What I am looking forward to: decorating for Christmas

Upcoming appointments/events: 7 month OB & glucose screening 11/30

Weekly Wisdom: being pregnant around the holidays is not good for weight gain

Milestones: we started the 3rd trimester!

Bump Picture:

28 weeks pregnant

2015 In Review

24309514106_89e32b9bc6_bLooking back on 2015 seems like a blur. I feel like I wrote our 2014 post two days ago. Time is crazy. Anyways, I’ll summarize 2015 as water, woods, and surgeries.

Jimmy

Jimmy took up hunting this year. He also got a compound bow to use hunting (woods). He got two deer this winter, success, so we’ll be enjoying venison chili throughout this year.

Jimmy continued his skeet shooting league. He was captain this year. He also joined two lacross leagues, which he loves.

Jimmy is still working as the Geotechnical Department Manager at the National Harbor office, which he loves.

Ingrid

In 2015, I finished my first half marathon! In well under the time I predicted. And I did not walk once – that was my main goal, well that and not just give up and lay on the side of the road.

Speaking of health, I discovered a new love affair with Pure Barre. I was a ballet dancer for oh, 10 years of my life, so this workout brings back all of the memories. It’s hard. It’s fun. It makes me so happy! And, it’s a fantastic workout. Jimmy was the best and got me classes for Christmas (it’s sadly, very expensive:( )

I took a wonderful girls trip to Smith Mountain Lake with some of my best college friends.

In the most exciting news, I got lasik! I absolutely love it! In the most painful news, I got my wisdom teeth out in December (all four and two were impacted) and that was brutal. (two surgeries there)

We (Ingrid & Jimmy)

We spent almost every Spring & Summer weekend in Southern Maryland (woods & water). We helped my parents work on the new property throughout the Spring and then enjoyed boating, fishing, bow shooting (Jimmy), swimming, and family time throughout the summer. It is Kai’s favorite place in the world so we go as often as we can. It’s all about the dog amiright?

We went to the Outer Banks for a Memorial Day trip with a bunch of friends, that was a blast. Jimmy really enjoyed surf fishing. (water)

We went to the Penthouse twice, once with Ted & Lauren, and once with Kurt & Kate. (more water). We’re so thankful to have that property in the family.

We saw Cinderella during a wonderful night out with Jimmy’s parents and sister Katie for my birthday – thank you!

We went to our 6th Vintage Virginia wine festival.

We celebrated our third anniversary.

We went to Blacksburg for a football game with some great friends. In true Bburg fashion, it was cold and rainy the whole time, but man, it was wonderful to be back!

Finally, we hosted a fun New Years Eve party for our friends to close out the year.

Looking ahead to 2016.

I am copying and pasting from my 2014 (and sadly 2015) posts because, well, we very much failed on accomplishing any of our goals. Whoops. I’ll write a little commentary on if we completed anything or not.

From 2014 & 2015 posts:

“This is also a challenge because you never really know where life is going to go, but I do see some things happening.

We have some house projects we want to complete:” (reflections on my 2014 list)

  • Fixing our side steps. The concrete’s been struggling since I was around 12 so we’re going to just replace it with a pressure treated wood step/landing/storage thing – this is clearly more Jimmy & my Dad’s plan – We did this!!!!!
  • Finishing painting. In 2012/2013 we painted the living room, dining room, master bedroom, kitchen, guest bedrooms (2) & Jimmy’s video game room. In 2014 2015 2016, we have the entryway, stairway, hallway, 3 bathrooms & basement and we’re done [whew] – didn’t do any of this.
  • Landscaping. There are plans for the backyard. I am vaguely aware of them. I have stated Sugar’s stones stay. That’s all I care about. – nope, not done. Actually not even started…
  • Building a slate patio in the backyard. – didn’t even start this either
  • Organization. As much as I hate to admit, I still have a couple of boxes of my things that don’t have a place in our home yet. I want to get everything organized and condensed as much as possible this year. – those boxes are still there. Things are a little better organized – our pantry and linen closet definitely – but still a ways to go on everything else.

Grade: D

New 2015 projects & goals: (let’s be ambitious and add to the list we didn’t accomplish last year, that’s totally the way to do this life planning thing, right?)

  • Helping restore/renovate Hotel California (new property addition to the Freemyer family – posts to come) – we did this!
  • Renovating our two bathrooms – nope, maybe not doing that and actually doing the kitchen (depending on if you talk to me or Jimmy)
  • I: Run in my first half marathon – did this!

Grade: B

Since it worked so well the last time, let’s add some more goals here.

  • Declutter. “Living clean in 2016.” I want to get rid of the clothes/crafts/stuff we don’t use any more and simplify and declutter our lives.
  • continue as many Pure Barre classes as possible

 

Trips for 2015:

  • Penthouse to enjoy the beach – did this twice, A for I&J
  • Hotel California to enjoy boating – did this all Spring & Summer, and some Fall actually, A for I&J
  • Colorado to visit Todd – nope, did not happen
  • Blacksburg for a Tech game – scheduled for October – yep, did this!

Grade: B+

Trips for 2016:

  • Penthouse to enjoy the beach
  • Hotel California to enjoy boating
  • Colorado to visit Todd
  • Boston for a Lombardo family reunion of sorts

Well, considering how successful we were in 2014 2015, I’m going to leave our projects, goals, and trips at that and see how we do.

2014 In Review

Looking back on 2014 is more challenging than on 2013 (did not see that one coming). But maybe that’s a good thing. We’re settling into our life together and finding comfort in our routines. Of course, there were some highlights. We also did a pretty good job of keeping up with our goal of being my physically active/fit.

Jimmy

Most importantly: Jimmy turned 30! We celebrated in a very “Jimmy way” starting with Jimmy and the guys going shooting. Then meeting up with some friends & family for lunch (and lots of beers) at Blackfin in Merrifield. Followed by a brief break and then heading to dinner at Ray’s the Steaks with the rest of the Racines. It was great.

Jimmy also discovered a new love for skeet shooting. He joined a shooting league through work and has really enjoyed learning this new skill.

Speaking of work, Jimmy got a promotion and is now the Geotechnical Department Manager at a new National Harbor office.

Jimmy also played in a lacrosse league this year. That is until a knee injury took him out of the game.

Ingrid

In 2014, I registered for my 1st half marathon and trained my butt off for that. And then injured my ankle so I couldn’t run in the race. But, I am already signed up for another one (it’s in a few weeks) so I’m going to complete this goal. Towards the end of the year, I got a new job that I’m enjoying a lot. I took a couple trips to Blacksburg.

We (Ingrid & Jimmy)

Looking ahead to 2015.

I am copying and pasting from my 2014 post because, well, we very much failed on accomplishing any of our goals. Whoops. I’ll write a little commentary on if we completed anything or not.

From 2014 post:

“This is also a challenge because you never really know where life is going to go, but I do see some things happening.

We have some house projects we want to complete:” (reflections on my 2014 list)

  • Fixing our side steps. The concrete’s been struggling since I was around 12 so we’re going to just replace it with a pressure treated wood step/landing/storage thing – this is clearly more Jimmy & my Dad’s plan – didn’t do this. Need to complete this year.
  • Finishing painting. In 2012/2013 we painted the living room, dining room, master bedroom, kitchen, guest bedrooms (2) & Jimmy’s video game room. In 2014 2015 we have the entryway, stairway, hallway, 3 bathrooms & basement and we’re done [whew] – again, didn’t do any of this.
  • Landscaping. There are plans for the backyard. I am vaguely aware of them. I have stated Sugar’s stones stay. That’s all I care about. – nope, not done. Actually not even started…
  • Building a slate patio in the backyard. – didn’t even start this either
  • Organization. As much as I hate to admit, I still have a couple of boxes of my things that don’t have a place in our home yet. I want to get everything organized and condensed as much as possible this year. – those boxes are still there. Things are a little better organized – our pantry and linen closet definitely – but still a ways to go on everything else.

Grade: F

New projects & goals: (let’s be ambitious and add to the list we didn’t accomplish last year, that’s totally the way to do this life planning thing, right?)

  • Helping restore/renovate Hotel California (new property addition to the Freemyer family – posts to come)
  • Renovating our two bathrooms
  • I: Run in my first half marathon

We have some trips we want to take: (reflecting on my 2014 list)

  • Boston to visit Ted & Lauren and Jimmy’s family – we did this! A for I&J
  • Penthouse to enjoy the beach – we did this! twice! A+ for I&J
  • Cottage – not really a trip trip but we want to go here more this summer. Kai just loves it here and so do we. – eh, not really, maybe one or two trips, so D?
  • Germany or Hawaii – clearly the details aren’t worked out on this one – this one did not happen
  • St. Louis to be in Ted & Lauren’s wedding – we did this! A for I&J

Grade: B-

Trips for 2015:

  • Penthouse to enjoy the beach
  • Hotel California to enjoy boating
  • Colorado to visit Todd
  • Blacksburg for a Tech game – scheduled for October

Well, considering how successful we were in 2014, I’m going to leave our projects, goals, and trips at that and see how we do.

6 Years Together

6 years ago today, I started dating Jimmy. This is my fun post to him. All about our story.

Jimmy and I met 6 years and 3 months ago on a spring break cruise.

We went on a week long cruise from Charleston, SC to Grand Cayman Island, Cozumel, and Key West.

We cruised on the Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Norwegian Majesty.” Now retired (I feel old).

Although we both went to Virginia Tech, we had never met. He was in grad school and I was an undergrad. He went on the cruise with his fraternity and I went with my sorority.

We happened to be assigned rooms that were two doors down from each other.

He walked past my room like:

And I was like:

And after that we were

188202_1002371030556_3892_n

Although we weren’t officially boyfriend and girlfriend until June 18.

Fast forward 4 years later when this happened

So we got married,
483500_10101333610096533_1967631527_n

Bought a house,

And got a dog (not in that order)
e-Kai

Although we celebrate our anniversary on our wedding anniversary now, none of this would have happened if not for that cruise and June 18.

Love you Jimmy!