Wales

Wales was the last country in the UK that we hadn't visited. This summer a great Groupon came up to a resort on the northern coast so I jumped at it!

We had a really busy fall so we were not able to get up there to use it until the weekend before Thanksgiving. I was pretty nervous about what the weather would be like since this is the UK after all. Being late November and on the sea, it was a gamble.
We have been lucky with the weather out here this year. It has been warmer than normal and we have not had much rain.

The drive up was gorgeous!! There are beautiful green mountains mixed with countryside all along the coast. The sun was out and it was absolutely breathtaking!

After we got into Llandudno (I still have no idea how to actually pronounce this) and checked in to our hotel we took a walk around the town.

It is so picturesque and exactly what I picture a seaside resort town to be. It is much busier here in the summer I imagine.
There was a Celtic Winter Festival going on this weekend. People from the all over the region were selling local goods. Lots of interesting things to look at, but our only purchase was a jar of cherry jam (which I am super excited about by the way).

This is the shore and boardwalk just after sunset. Bill is going a great job perfecting his night photography.

The next day we took a scenic drive up and around the Great Orme, a mountain made of limestone. It was a pretty clear day, but a bit windy up there. We had some beautiful views of Llandudno and the Irish Sea from up here.

Climbing yet another mountain. This time 26 weeks pregnant!
Ok, we drove up most of it because I didn't feel the best this day, but we did climb the last bit :-)

On our way down the backside of the mountain, we came upon the village of Conwy. There was a 1/2 marathon going on that ended just outside Conwy Castle. Town was a bit crowded with all the runners and fans so we had to park in a neighborhood and walk back in.

Here is a view of Conwy Castle. No, the castle isn't for sale :-)

Conwy Castle was built in 1283 by Kind Edward I

Views from the top of the castle.

Conwy Harbor.

It was a sweet little weekend getaway and such a nice surprise.

Balke-Nelson Wedding

We just got back from a fantastic visit to Wisconsin yesterday. We were there to celebrate my brother's wedding to Allison Balke. It was a beautiful day last Saturday with lots of sunshine. It was so amazing to get to spend time with everyone in my extended family as well as old friends and neighbors.

The happy couple, Adam and Allison Nelson!!

Lovely Bridal Party

The Bridesmaids

My pretty mama with the beautiful bride.

The classiest bridesmaid. Showing off that 23 week bump.

How handsome is Bill?? I love when he dresses up!

It was a great party and everyone had a blast! Congratulations Adam and Allison. I am so happy for you and thrilled that I finally have a sister :-)

22 weeks

The bump has made its appearance! We got our first official baby gift last week. A jogger stroller from my parents!! Bill got it put together and we've practiced pushing it around the living room. Do I look like a mommy yet??
We are getting packed right now to head home to Wisconsin tomorrow morning. We are very excited to have the honor of standing up in my brother Adam and his wife to be Allison's wedding this weekend. I just hope this bump doesn't get much bigger before Saturday or I'm not going to fit in my dress :-)

2 years Already!

Man how time flies! Bill and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary this past weekend by taking a "city break" to London.

I've really been wanting to see "Rock of Ages" and it just came to London's West End (their version of Broadway) this fall.
To Bill's credit, he actually remembered me saying this and made arrangements for us to see the show this past Saturday night.

We got to town in early afternoon and made our way to a sports bar in London where the Wisconsin Alumni Club meets to watch the Badger games. We met some great people and were able to enjoy the first half of the game. Bill was a good sport and even wore his Wisconsin t-shirt and cheered along with the rest of us. Luckily the Badgers (not surprisingly) were waaaay ahead of Indiana so I didn't feel so bad missing the rest of the game.

The Shaftesbury Theater.

The show was FANTASTIC!! I highly recommend you see it if you have the chance...just don't bring the kids. The music was amazing. It is all classic 80's rock so of course it was!! During the first act I felt the baby kick for the first time!! It was so cool! Like she was dancing along with us :-) She has good taste already.


The next day we got up bright and early to head over to the Tower of London for a tour. My friend Lisa was in town from California and she met us there so we could spend some time with her. I was so surprised because I thought the Tower was just a prison. Turns out it is that as well as the home to England's monarchs for over 600 years!
The prisoners kept here were typically of noble or upper class status. Famously held and executed here include a few of Henry VIII's wives.

The Royal Crown Jewels are housed here as well and very impressive. The most extravagant of which is this.
The Sovereign's Scepter with the Cross, it was remade in 1910 to add the world's largest and finest diamond, the Cullinan I, weighing 530 carats. That is some serious bling!!

The Tower is just next to the London Bridge on the Thames River.

There are a group of men known as: Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman of the Guard Extraordinary who preside over the site. Got that? Quite a mouthful. These Brits love long titles, that is for sure! They are more commonly referred to as Beefeaters. No, not the gin, but these are the guys they got their name from :-)

The Beefeaters historical role was to guard the prisoners of the Tower back in the day and protect the Crown Jewels, but now they provide historical tours of the grounds and actually all live there as well. Beefeaters were first appointed 1485 in the time of Henry VII. These men and (one woman, the first of all time) must have served in the military for 22 years or more and spend 3 years training on the history of this site and pass several tests before they are given this illustrious title.
This is our Beefeater guide telling us the history of the White Tower.

It was a great (and exhausting!) weekend. London is such an amazing city. I think we could go there every weekend and never run out of new things to see and do.

I am a very lucky gal to have a husband like Bill. Happy Anniversary and I love you babe!

Naples. Kinda cool, but really icky.

A few weeks ago, Bill was sent to Naples for work.
Did I also mention he got to go to Venice for work in August?
No way was Bill going to go to Italy for a second time without me!!

Mt. Vesuvius over Naples. View from our hotel window.

I've been to Italy before, but never to Naples. When we were looking at orders a few years ago, Naples was on the list as a choice. Boy am I glad we chose England.

I arrived a few days after Bill got there. When he picked me up at the airport he warned me that the way people drive there was probably going to scare me. He was not kidding. I've seen some crazy driving in my life, but nothing like this. I don't know why they even bother with street lights or signs, because no one cares. One way street? Doesn't matter, go which ever way you want!! One lane of traffic? 2 cars can fit!! Completely unreal.

Bill was working nights while I was there so I spent a lot of time in the hotel on my own. We were not staying in the safest area and I wasn't really feeling up to exploring on my own in the pick pocket capital of the world.

We did manage to get out and do some sightseeing. There were a small group of people from Bill's work in town as well so after the night shift they stayed up and we did some exploring. On our walk to city center we passed mounds of trash everywhere just sitting on the streets. I'd heard there were some issues with trash collection in this city, but dang. This was nasty.
We got ourselves lost among the locals, stumbled through back streets and neat little neighborhoods.

So Italian.

The only thing nuttier than how these people drive is the way they park their cars. Can you tell that some of these are parked in the middle of the intersection? Nuts.

Little side streets with vendors selling their wares. Nativity scenes are very popular here. They like displaying them in globed cases.

The next day we got up early and the group decided to visit Mt. Vesuvius. We took an all-terrain bus most of the way up, but we did climb the final 890 meters (almost 3,000 feet).

Here I am, conquering a volcano 18 weeks pregnant!
My conquering pose.

It started raining shortly after we got to the top. The guides told us this was the first rain they had seen in 3 months!! It was much colder up there than at the bottom and we were a bit under prepared. Lucky for us they were selling these super chic ponchos.

Looking down into the crater of the volcano. With the rain we could see the smoke raising from the center. A bit creepy to think about since this volcano is still technically active!

After looking in the mouth of the beast, we decided to have a look at one of the towns destroyed by the most devastating of its eruptions in 79 A.D., Herculaneum.
This fishing village is on the coast. It was first buried in mud and then covered by magma. The mud preserved much of this village which was first discovered in the 18th century with excavations ongoing every since. There are parts of this village still buried under the existing city today.

Bill felt the need to demonstrate what these holes were used for.

Some of the frescos are still visible on the walls.

Can you believe this building is 2000 years old and still standing?? Unreal.

View down one of the streets. This area used to be full of merchant stalls.

Our final evening we went out for dinner to a beach town to visit an old friend who used to be stationed with us in England. We enjoyed some amazing seafood and had a great night.

Naples has an amazing history, beautiful churches, and some of the best pizza you will ever eat, but it is also very dirty, dangerous, and crazy! As a group we all agreed that our quiet, rainy, overcast England isn't so bad after all.

20 Weeks.......and Counting!!

Halfway there already! We can hardly believe it. Today we had our 20 week scan and thankfully it was all good news! Little Miss was being a bit stubborn and lying in a position that would not allow the ultrasound technician to view the base of her spine so I need to go back in a week to have another scan so they can complete her measurements.

Right now she is about 12 ounces and 11 inches long!! The scan today was great. She was kicking and waving her little arms around the whole time. I am absolutely amazed by everything the scan can see. We saw her tiny feet (which she apparently enjoys kicking my bladder with!), her brain, the chambers of her heart, and a double confirmation that yes, she is a girl :-)

I have not felt her yet, but they said because of her positioning in my uterus, I will likely not feel her until 25-28 weeks

My first official belly pic. Not too obvious yet. Just looks like I had one too many burritos!!

It's a...........

GIRL!!!!!


Here is the proof.
An under view of the baby reveals the answer. Those are her legs on the left, feet pointing toward the right.

Our sweet little baby, 17 weeks, 1 day

Baby Girl in 4D. Covering her tiny face.

All cuddled up and sleeping like an angel. Side view.

We are very excited with the news. We bought her a cute little outfit to celebrate. I have to admit, it was really sweet watching Bill sift through a rack of pink clothing trying to pick something out for her.

Daddy is in sooooo much trouble.