Top 10 Top 10 Lists Everyone Should Make: 6-10

So found this in my work files as I was wrapping up and decided I'd finish them up all at once. :)

Top 10 Presidents
1. Abraham Lincoln – no contest!
2. FDR
3. George Washington
4. Thomas Jefferson
5. Teddy Roosevelt
6. Harry Truman
7. John Kennedy
8. Andrew Jackson (on entertainment factor alone)
9. Bill Clinton
10. Barack Obama (I’m feeling optimistic)


Top 10 Songs That Address The Topic of Love – This was definitely the hardest to make.

1. First Day of My Life – Bright Eyes

This is also the sweetest video EVER. If you watch only one of the ones I've posted, watch this one.



2. The Luckiest – Ben Folds



3. In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel



4. God Only Knows – The Beach Boys



5. Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash



6. Let’s Stay Together – Al Green



7. Dimming of the Day – Bonnie Raitt



8. Ordinary People – John Legend

Ordinary People ~ John Legend
by Cehcw

9. Open Window (The Wedding Song) – Sarah Harmer



10. Shania Twain – Still the One



Top 10 People You'd Most Want to Meet (no, not him. living people.)
1. The Dixie Chicks
2. Gayle King (I’ve already met Oprah) ;)
3. Tina Fey
4. Julia Roberts
5. Justin Timberlake
6. Kate Gossling
7. Sarah Jessica Parker
8. Barbara Kingsolver
9. Michael Pollan
10. Dolly Parton

Top 10 Band Names
This is impossible because I honestly do not even think about a band’s name. I don’t think I’ve ever said, “I love the band name!” So I’ve decided I’m going to let my friend Leslie, queen of obscure bands, fill this one in in the comment section.

Top 10 Moments of Joy To Experience Before You Die

1. I think I’ve got a major one coming up around May 18 ;)
2. And related to that – first words, first laugh, first steps.
3. A winning election night
4. My 50th Wedding Anniversary
5. Skydiving
6. Standing at the top of Angel Falls
7. Watching my children graduate/get married/ have kids of their own
8. Publishing a book.
9. Speaking in front of a crowd of thousands
10. Being a guest on the Oprah Show.

Week 26

We had a really great week. The highlight of my week was the Lincoln ceremony (see below) but overall we've just been getting ready to go. We started packing this weekend and put a real dent in it I think. We also continued the Lincoln theme and went to see the "With Malice Towards None" exhibit at the Library of Congress, which was fantastic.

We had a lovely Valentine's Day - although I have to say for any of you doubting how seriously takes spending money, I think you'll understand after this story. We had had reservations at the French restaurant up the street from our house for a week or two. Nicholas had scoped out the menu and we were both really looking forward to it. However, when we showed up, we realized there was only a limited Valentine's Day three course menu available for $65. Well, let me tell you, Nicholas balked. He doesn't like feeling like he's being taken advantage of at the best restaurants but this place is French bistro - nothing spectacular. So, we turned our happy butts around and went and had sushi instead! It was a little disappointing at first but I think we did the smart thing in the end. Plus, we still had a really lovely Valentine's night out.

Two Downs:
1. I had a midwife appointment this week and they totally freaked me out because she measured me about 3 weeks ahead according to my fundal height. I made a huge mistake of googling what this could mean before consulting my fellow preggers and freaked myself out even further. Apparently, this is pretty common but I'm going back in two weeks just to see if there has been any change. Also, I have low iron and have to start taking iron pills. Boooo!
2. I've started having Braxton Hicks contractions. While they don't hurt, they are uncomfortable and can make breathing difficult depending on my position.

Two Ups:
1. I passed my glucose screen! Take that gestational diabetes!
2. I still haven't gained too much weight and it's all in my belly. No fat face here!

The 200th Birthday of our Greatest President

Today was the Congressional Ceremony honoring the Lincoln Bicentennial. As a self-professed "Lincolnite," I was honored to attend the ceremony and was particularly excited when I found out our current President would be speaking.

It was a pretty profound experience to be sitting in the Capitol Rotunda with the President of the United States listening to the National Anthem. Not surprisingly, in his remarks, President Obama touched on Lincoln's gift for empathy and desire for reconciliation after the Civil War and the lessons we can take away from that today. I was particularly touched by his remarks because it is not only my favorite aspect of Lincoln's character but also what I find most appealing about our current President - that drive to unite us under a common goal and point us towards our better instincts as a people.

There was a long list of other speakers on the program, but I have to say I was most excited about Doris Kearns Goodwin, the Pulitizer Prize winning author of the famous Lincoln biography Team of Rivals. She only spoke a short time but I was able to introduce myself afterwards and tell her how much I loved her book and how it really sparked a deep affection and curiosity for old Abe. The funniest part was I was clearly not the only fan because a group of 6 or 7 Senators gathered around her aftewards like a bunch of groupies.

All in all, it was a pretty fantastic experience and it made me realize how much I'm going to miss the opportunities D.C. affords me.

Metro Angel

I do believe the pregnancy gods heard my plea about Metro seat rudeness.

This morning Nicholas and I stepped onto a semi-crowded train. I was looking around for a seat and telling Nicholas that I wanted to sit down. I thought one guy saw me but I don't think it registered. Then all of a sudden this older woman is snapping her fingers in his face, "Dude! Get up and let this lady sit down!"

It was amazing. I think the guy was still about half asleep, but he hopped up and offered me his seat. I thanked the woman profusely. Not only had she gotten me a seat, she had made my entire morning.

Week 25

So, remember how over the past couple of weeks I kept reporting that we didn't have too much going on?

Internet, I might have been telling the tiniest of fibs.

Turns out we do have a little bit to report. Mainly that both Nicholas and I have quit our jobs, we sold our condo, and we're moving back to Kentucky! And y'all thought getting pregnant was our big news! ;)

Actually, getting pregnant was really where all this started because Nicholas and I never really had aspirations to raise our children in D.C. If being pregnant is this hard, I can't imagine how hard actually taking care of this little being will be and I have absolutely no desire to do it while working at a demanding job with no support system in place.

So, after much discussion and maybe a little bit of convincing Nicholas (who is notoriously risk adverse), we decided that Nicholas would start looking for a job and we would see how things went. Well, the universe definitely agreed with us that we belonged back home in Kentucky because this fabulous job basically fell in Nicholas's lap. Still we had the major hurdle of selling our condo in a less than great economy. Apparently, we wasted a fair amount of mental energy worrying about that too because we got an offer after about 10 days.

We close on March 5th and then we're loading up the Uhaul and headin' to Kentucky!

Two Downs:
1. I'm starting to really resent people on the Metro who look straight at me and don't offer up their seat. Even if I don't actually need to sit down, it really pisses me off.
2. I am so over my winter maternity clothes. I'm tired of wearing black.

Two Ups:
1. Eight more days of work! Wooty woo!
2. I ordered a bunch of spring maternity clothes off Old Navy that I'm totally pumped about. :)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

So, it was only a matter of time before the cameras started rolling. Nadya Suleman, the now infamous mother of brand new octuplets, did her first television interview with Ann Curry after being released from the hospital.

It has taken me several days to be able to discuss this woman and her current situation rationally. To be honest, I have a pretty visceral reaction to huge families no matter how the children are conceived. I truly feel that at a certain point (let's say double digits) there are more children than there is time in the day to meet their emotional needs. Childhood is precious and finite. As an only child, I grew up having a large community of adults loving me unconditionally and meeting whatever needs (not wants) I had in pretty short-order. As I quickly approach motherhood myself, I cannot express in words what a blessing it is to feel completely and totally validated as a child. I was never told to take a backseat and I never felt ignored, even for a moment.

Did I feel misunderstood at times? Of course. Did I get everything I ever asked for? No. However, even if I felt like my parents and I were on different planets, I always knew that in that moment they were willing to drop everything and at least listen to me. In a family of 10 - 12 - or God save us - 14, that is simply not a reality. The logistical reality is that raising that many children takes up almost more hours than there are in a day.

Now, most of you know that I am a huge fan of Jon and Kate + 8, which might seem a bit hypocritical. However, the crucial difference to me is that Jon and Kate did not choose their current situation. They had twins and decided to try one more time. Now, they knew that there was a small chance of multiples and they accepted that risk. What I appreciate the most about them is when they got struck by lightning and fell in that tiny percentile, they were VERY honest about how devastating it was. They accept that in some ways their children, particularly the twins, will suffer as a result and they face it honestly. Most importantly, they STOPPED. They don't act like more kids is always better and they realize their own limitations.
Which leads us back to Ms. Suleman. This was her SEVENTH fertility treatment. The fact that she already had six children and decided to take that risk and put all of their fates in the balance seems completely irresponsible to me. In the best of circumstances, one has to know that each treatment increases the chances that this time you will get struck by lightning.

Of course, her specific circumstances are what make Ms. Suleman infamous as opposed to in pre-production for her own TLC show. She claims in the interview that people are reacting so strongly because of discrimination against single mothers. First, I am not completely convinced that the public's reaction wouldn't be just as strong against a couple who had six children and continued to get infertility treatment, because I know mine would be. But the fact that this woman is single, unemployed, and living with her parents and chose to have another round of treatment is the height of irresponsibility. I think a single mother of one child would tell you those circumstances make raising a child incredibly difficult, much less raising fourteen. She also claims in the interview that after she finishes her degree (which I'm not sure she'll have time to do with fourteen kids) she'll be able to provide for them all. But again, she seems to have a warped since of reality. She is pursuing a masters in psychotherapy. In order to become a psychotherapist, who do make good money, she'll need to get her PhD and then take a LOT of clients in order to provide financially for fourteen kids on her own. Not to mention, making enough money to be the sole provider for fourteen kids will leave almost no time to be their primary caregiver.

However, while I feel like a lot of the public outrage is on her lack of resources, I personally would be just as outraged if she was married to Bill Gates. If you want to see how consistent I am, I suggest being in a room with me when a commercial for 17 Kids and Counting comes on. I honestly don't care if you can perfectly provide for all their physical needs. The truth is if you really loved children that much, you would improve the lives of the ones you already have. I think the reason I have such a passionate reaction to Ms. Suleman and others like her who claim that their desire for large families is based on a love of children or some sort of selfless instinct is because I don't believe them. I think the real truth is that they are making these decisions for incredibly selfish reasons and to meet their own personal emotional needs. Unfortunately, long after we've forgotten about Ms. Suleman and the cameras have stopped rolling on others like her, the children are left living with the repercussions of those decisions.

Update: It just keeps getting worse.

Week 24

We had a pretty uneventful week. The baby is cooking away. We took this weekend to go to the Museum of American History to see the new First Ladies exhibit and the temporary Abraham Lincoln exhibition. We also got to see the Star Spangled Banner. The line was crazy long when we went to the unveiling a couple of months ago. However, this time we got through and I have to say they've done a fantastic job. I rounded to corner to see it and burst into tears. I didn't expect it to be that powerful but it truly was. Unfortunately, Nicholas had to skip out to go to work after the First Ladies but I enjoyed Abraham Lincoln immensely. I also got to go to The Butterfly Conservatory, which was overwhelming and gorgeous. The butterflies were everywhere. They even have to check you before you leave for "hitchhikers."

Two Downs:
1. I think my pregnancy heater kicked on.
2. Getting up is getting difficult.

Two Ups:
1. The baby is moving so much. She seems particularly active for Nicholas...already a Daddy's girl I suppose.
2. Got more awesome stuff off craigslist for the cheap! A My Brest Friend for $15 and a Snugglenest for $30. ALSO, somebody (whoever you are - thanks!) bought the first thing off our registry. It TOTALLY made my week. An unfortunate side effect is now I check it obsessively to see if anyone else has bought anything. :)

Week 23

Not too much going on this week.

Two Downs:
1. Big. Stretchy. Belly.
2. I've had low energy lately, not too bad but enough to affect me.

Two Ups:
1. I love feeling her move and I usually get at least two or three pretty solid kick a day. Nicholas also feels her move almost every day.
2. I'm right on track for weight gain and haven't gain much more than I wanted to.

Inauguration

As you could probably tell from my preview, our Inaugural experience was less than expected to say the very least. We had decided to stay with my generous friend Amy Hille who only lives several blocks from the Capitol so that we could wake up early and get a good place in line. I received two now infamous purple tickets from my office and we had discussed the day before how thankful we were that we wouldn't have to deal with the masses on the Mall...oh how wrong we were.

We both woke up at 6am and Nicholas set out to scope out the situation and get a spot in line. When he arrived, the line was orderly and he was directed to the end of the line which reached down into an underground tunnel near the Capitol. He told me to wait until 8 or 8:30 to join him. When I started walking over there around that time, I thought I would start at the gate and then follow the line back to Nicholas. However, when I arrived at the gate there was no more line to be found and the entire block was filled with people with no movement. The gate should have been open for an hour at this point.

I waited for about 30 minutes to see if anything would happen. During this time, a woman fainted near me and they had to call a doctor from the crowd because there were no police or volunteers or emergency workers to be found. Finally, I decided that I just wanted to find Nicholas and leave and attempted to find the entrance to the tunnel where he was still trapped. When I attempted to walk that way, the street was completely block and people told me no one was getting through. I then turned around and called Nicholas. We decided to meet back at Amy's apartment.

However, when I went back down C St., they had opened a gate and begun to let a very small amount of people through an opening the size of two door ways. Since there was a crowd of literally thousands trying to squeeze through this entry, the crowd would surge everytime someone would get through, packing us all in tighter and tighter. At this point, I had no choice but to stay with the crowd. I could not move my arms much less turn around.

Far from being happy that I was getting closer and closer to an entrance, I started to panic as the pressure from all sides increased. Luckily, the people around me were calm and patient and tried to talk to me and keep me calm. It was just so terrifying to feel the pressure increasing, especially around my stomach, and I couldn't help but feel like I had put myself and my baby in a really risky situation.

I finally got through the gate to a near empy security screening area. I called Nicholas, who had gotten back to Amy's, and basically burst into tears. I didn't want to be there - not by myself - and I hated so much that Nicholas was missing it. I tried really hard to be positive and think that I could tell my daughter she was there. As the ceremony started, I just tried to focus on the moment. I was close enough I could actually see Obama on the podium, which was pretty amazing, and I did enjoy witnessing the event and hearing his speech.

Looking back, I realize now that compared to some other ticketholders Nicholas and I were pretty lucky. We hadn't spent our hard earned money traveling from far away. Plus, we both actually got to hear the speech live unlike so many others who got trapped outside the entry or in the tunnel. Nicholas says that at the end of the day we both saw the ceremony the way we wanted. I wanted to be there and he wanted to be on the couch.

A preview of my Inauguration post

I sent this to the Post:
4:46 p.m.: I had tickets to the purple North Standing section. My husband got in line at 6:30 and shuffled far back into the D street tunnel. I tried to join him at 8:30 a.m. and became stuck in the 1st St./C St./Louisiana corridor by Jones Day. When they opened the gates, I got stuck in the crush of people which got tighter and tighter as the crowd pushed their way towards the entrance. I am five months pregnant and the experience was completely terrifying…

Which is posted on their website here.

Week 22

So, this week we went back for our follow-up sonogram. As I posted before, they got the pictures of the heart they wanted no problem this time, which was very reassuring. The technician was about to wrap and leave the room when I requested one more gender confirmation. I had been paranoid since last week that they would tell me it was a boy. However, she found the gender and proclaimed it a girl with no hesitation. So, let the pink purchasing begin in earnest!

I also had my monthly appointment with my midwife this week. Everything seems right on track. She listened to the babies heart rate and measured my fundal height for the first time. She also took some blood to test my thyroid because I've had a pretty high resting heart rate lately. I'm pretty sure that's because (as I've been insisting to Nicholas daily) being pregnant is hard work!!!

We had a very fun date night Saturday night. We went out to see Adele at the 9:30 club, which was really great. We sat next to a lovely couple at dinner who have two daughters. They seemed a little traumatized by their teenage daughter's journey through adolescence, but they did offer some great advice. The best part was their youngest daughter's name is Sylvia, which we really like and immediately got added to the list.

As far as the concert, I'm a big fan of Adele and she was just as amazing in person as I had hoped. Although it was the first time I felt really old at a concert, which was kind of a bummer. She's only 20 and it really came through at times when she was chatting with the crowd. The funniest thing was at one point she's discussing her appearance on Saturday Night Live and how she got to meet Tina Fey. She described her as a "real nutter" and you could feel the confusion spreading through the crowd. Adele goes on to describe how she tried to avoid her but couldn't and how she was so glad we didn't "let her in." At this point, we all realize she's talking about Sarah Palin NOT Tiny Fey. I tell you it was a real relief for the hipster crowd who worships the crown Ms. Fey walks on. ;)

On Sunday, we had our lovely neighbors Laura and Danny over for pancakes. Afterwards, we all headed out to the big Inaugural concert together. We clearly waited way too long to get there and they shut down the entrances not soon after we got there. We ended up on the hill by the Washington Monument watching about half the concert on the JumboTrons, until we gave up and came home to watch from the comfort of our sofa!

Two Downs:
1. My congestion is getting really bad and with the dryness my nasal passages are pretty pitiful.
2. I'm exhausted with staying hydrated and maintaining good nutrition. There is so much pressure and guilt.

Two Ups:
1. I loved seeing my baby girl up on that screen again.
2. We got another great find on Craigslist - this time new in box!

Sweetest baby ever

Baby Girl Holland
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas

We had our follow up sonogram today. They go the pictures of the heart they wanted and assured us that everything is 100% perfect.

Also, for anyone secretly hoping the universe would throw me a curve ball, I got one more confirmation that it is in fact a girl. :)

Week 21

So, this was a big week. We found out that our precious baby is a baby girl! I immediately bought the most darling little dress but have pretty much resisted baby girl clothes otherwise. We also purchased a Graco Playard off Craigslist for a very reasonable price.

We went away for a mini-babymoon over the weekend because we had our kitchen floor painted and I had to escape the fumes. We went out to a hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Our room had a big bathtub for two, which was fantastic. We just spent the weekend relaxing - going to dinner, talking about the baby and baby names, and just generally enjoying each other's company. It was really wonderful.

Two Downs:
1. My stomach feels super-tight and crowded. I know this will only get worse and I'm trying not to think about it too much.
2. I started getting a sore throat on Saturday that has yet to go away.

Two Ups:
1. Nicholas felt the baby move for the very first time! It was so exciting and his smile was priceless.
2. Did I mention we're having a girl? ;)

Celebrating

Celebrating Baby Girl Holland
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas

Me: So, are you worried about being outnumbered?
Nicholas: I'm already outnumbered. One to one is outnumbered with you Sarah.

Was there ever any doubt?

Today was the big day! We had our first sonogram, where they look at all major organs and make sure everything is normal. We also found out the sex of the baby, but I know you all want a full narrative before the big reveal!

We had a student do the majority of the screen. She showed us the legs, toes, arms, and hands. Then she found the kidneys and stomach. She had a lot of trouble getting a perfect picture of the heart because Baby wasn't being cooperative AT ALL. She said she had an idea of the gender but the cord was between the legs so she was going to call in the main technician.

The main tech came in and was much more comfortable and seemed to get everything she was looking for. Towards the end, she says, "You don't want to know the sex?" and I reply loudly, "Ummmm...NO!" So she stars looking and she says the baby is not in the best position. I start getting nervous. Then, "It's a girl!"

Me: "Yeah!"

So I was super-excited when the doctor finally came in. She piddled around for a minute and said she also wasn't perfectly happy with the picture of all four chambers of the heart. She said she couldn't say 100% that everything was normal so she wanted us to come in next week. It was a little bit of a bummer but I had already figured they'd make us come back for something and Nicholas looked it up online and it seems pretty normal.

So, yeah!!!! Who's excited about a baby girl?!?! Nicholas and I are having pink cupcakes tonight in celebration. :)

Week 20

Nicholas and I both had a great week back home in Kentucky. We spent the weekend at the Lake celebrating the holidays with the Allen and Skidmore families. We had such a blast eating my grandmother's specialties of lasagna and cinnamon rolls. (My cousin suggested she open a restaurant serving only these two items.) We played rousing games of Monopoly and Dirty Santa. We basically just enjoyed each other's company.

I basically spent the rest of our time in Paducah trying to pull my mother and husband away from the Wii. On New Year's Eve, we drove to Louisville to celebrate with several of our college friends. First, we had dinner with Annie and Kyle, which was wonderful as usual. Then, we went to Tim and Emily's for a great party packed with familiar faces from our time at Transylvania.

We drove home on New Year's Day and I have to say Nicholas's suggestion that we have the last couple days home to settle before returning to work was an excellent one. We've just been working around the house and going to movies and it's been fantastic. We saw The Wrestler Friday night and Frost/Nixon last night. Both were excellent and I'd recommend either.

Of course, tomorrow is the real big day because we go to our first ultrasound and will hopefully post the happy news that our baby is healthy. I'll also tell you the sex if you're really, really lucky. ;)

Two Downs:
1. I can't take any more gender speculation. I'm at the end of my rope with people taunting me that it will be boy or with one person saying the way I'm carrying means it's a girl and another saying it's definitely a boy. I'm just over the whole thing.
2. The sleepy rib continues and it's driving me crazy.

Two Ups:
1. My mom and grandmother both had me near tears with gifts for the baby. My grandmother found a little stuffed duck that looks just like the "Gaga" I carried around as a baby. If that wasn't enough, my mother found an exact replica of my childhood baby doll Baby Beth on ebay. I really was touched that they went out of their way to find such sentimental gifts.
2. Did I mention that we find out the sex tomorrow!?!?!?!?

As requested

Fireman Stephen
























Fireman William

Week 19

Christmas week was a whirlwind. We left Saturday morning early and drove all the way to Atlanta. We got to spend a couple of days with Nicholas's brother Geoffrey and his family before they had to return to Florida. It was a little sad having Christmas without them but we were happy to be able to visit at all.

The most interesting part of them leaving was we got to see our nephews separate from our little niece Elizabeth. It was hilarious to see how different the little boys played from the little girl. Stephen and William would come in and dump the entire bucket of legos on the floor and go straight for the bulldozers and "scoop-a-truck." Elizabeth took one lego out at a time and played with the dinosaur and "flowers" aka the palm trees.  However, no matter how differently they played, they were all completely adorable and really into giving hugs and kisses. I'm also proud to report that our Christmas gifts were a big hit, particularly the fireman costume I bought for Steven under the excellent advice of my friend Laura. 

Two downs:

1. My skin: Not. Getting. Better.

2. The rib thing is driving me freaking crazy. 

Two ups:

1. My new little silver bell Pamela gave me for Christmas. It should come in real handy as I get bigger and bigger. Nicholas is not a fan. ;)

2. All the fabulous baby gifts Nicholas's family gave us. They were all so adorable but Pamela wins the award for purchasing us the first baby gift actually on our registry. We are now the proud owner of our first big ole tube of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. 

Merry Christmas, One and All!

Christmas in New York
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas

I hope your day is filled with food, family, and LOTS of presents! ;)

Week 18

Almost halfway there!!! Who's excited?

We had a good week as everyone can see from the great heartbeat video below. We are now in Atlanta after a very long car trip - the entirety of which I felt like I had to pee.

Two ups:
1. I still feel great with lots of energy.
2. The baby moves more and more and it never stops being awesome.

Two downs:
1. I'm having more and more trouble getting comfortable at night. Recently I've felt like one of my ribs is asleep most of the night, which is superweird and annoying.
2. I just realized today that my belly button is starting to strain under the pressure :(

For those far away...

Baby Heartbeat from hollandnm on Vimeo.

I thought it might be fun for everyone to hear the baby's heartbeat and I know I might be biased but it sounds like the most awesome baby heartbeat in the history of the world.

New York, New York

We had a fantastic weekend in New York. Our dear friends Laura and Daniel put us up for the weekend and ushered us around to one great restaurant after the other. On Saturday, we went to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes and it was all the spectacular it promised complete with 3D glasses, Santa, the Nutcracker AND the Nativity. They really covered all their bases.

Afterward we did some baby shopping around the city, then Laura and I met her sister Julia for Christmas Tea at the St. Regis. The best part was Julia works for a children's magazine and brought me some free swag from her work! It was so incredibly generous of her and I love few things more than free stuff.

On Sunday, we met my dear friend Dave for brunch and did some Christmas shopping at the market at Union Square. Then Nicholas and I made our way to all the classic New York at Christmas stop - FAO Schwartz, Rockefeller Plaza, Saks. It was really nice because we got to see it all lit up at night, where the last couple of years we've only walked around during the day.

Week 17

This week I've begun feeling the effects of the baby's current three week growth spurt. Little Bell Pepper (the current size equivalent) is supposed to double in size over the couple of weeks and I can sure feel it. I've been really, really hungry and I also feel like my belly looks noticeably bigger every day.

Two downs:
1. I had a very paranoid day or two where I felt like everything that possibly could go wrong would.
2. I've been getting tired really really easy lately.

Two ups:
1. I have felt the baby move several more times over the past couple of days. It's pretty awesome, except by the time I realize what it is it goes away!
2. While we were in New York, I bought the hippest baby toy I've been coveting at a discount!

Week 16

We had a great week, mainly because of our fantastic weekend. We had Nicholas's holiday party on Friday night, which was a swanky affair at Ritz. It's always fun to get all dressed up (even though my options were a bit limited) and see his coworkers.

On Saturday, we went to the White House to see all the Christmas decorations. The tour is very short and I can see how it would be less than impressive on a regular day. However, the decorations really made it exciting and interesting. They were beautifully done and it was fun to hear about all the Christmas traditions. More important than anything of the decorations was that I saw my favorite members of the Bush administration - Barney and Ms. Beasley!!! They were playing outside and I was ridiculously excited to see their adorable little faces. :) After the Tour, we went to see Milk, which was excellent, and went to a cocktail party thrown by my friend Amy to showcase her mother's art.

On Sunday, we had brunch with some friends and then went shopping. We drove out to Maryland so I could go to an Old Navy Maternity and Gap Maternity, mainly because I despise shopping online. Man, was it worth the trip! I bought a ton of stuff and no longer feel like I'm wearing the same things over and over.

Two Downs:
I've got nothing - it's been that good of a week :)

Two Ups:
1. I think I felt the baby move on earlier this week, but it was really light and I haven't felt anything since so I'm reserving the full level of excitement. :)
2. All my new maternity clothes!

Week 15

I spent the majority of this week home with family, which wonderful. It fun to see everyone and hear all the advice on pregnancy, baby names, labor, and childrearing. This baby is going to be so blessed to be born into such an amazing and loving family.

Two downs:
1. I had a crazy bad sinus headache for like 3 days in a row. It was apparently due to the dryness because once I got some nasal spray and a humidifer it went away.
2. I thought shopping for maternity clothes would be fun. It is not.

Two ups:
1. I've gotten almost all of my energy back and I feel amazing. I still get tired easy but overall I feel great.
2. I also don't food aversions anymore and I'm basically eating whatever I want (within reason of course).

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

In a year when so many are struggling, I am more thankful than ever before for all the blessings in my life.

I wish the same for all of you.

Me and a Gold Medal

Olympians
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas

Two New Jersey Olympians stopped by our office and we all got to meet them and see their medals. It was exceptionally cool. That's me in front with the gold!

Week 14

This was a big week. I had my second midwife appointment this week. I got to hear the heartbeat again which was exciting. Everything else looks really good and she told me I had a very "roomy pelvis" which was reassuring!

Also we bought our stroller! I've wanted a Bugaboo forever. I love the way you can switch the handle bar back and forth. I love that you have a pram and a regular stroller. I love its versitility and I love that it isn't one of those light green plaid and plastic monstrosities that I see on the street. Of course, what I love the most is I got a lightly used one off Craigslist for half the price! I am super-happy with our purchase and Nicholas and I spent several hours last night ohhing and ahhing over it.

Two downs:
1. My skin is NOT getting better and I'm so over it. This baby is going to owe me for acne scar removal.
2. I'm still not totally over my food aversions. I wish I could just go back to eating whatever I want.

Two ups:
1. Nicholas is getting really excited about the baby, which makes me very happy. I know it's not constantly at the forefront of his mind like it is mine (for obvious reasons). But I think it's getting more real by the day for him and it's fun to talk about all the baby stuff together.
2. I know this is technically next week but I'm super excited about going home and all my family seeing my baby bump! It's getting bigger and cuter by the day and I can't wait to show it off. :)

7 weeks v. 15 weeks

HA! How bout now!?!?!

Week 13

This week I've been obsessed with my belly - or absence there of. I definitely think my stomach has pooched out a little due to relaxed abdominal muscles but the baby is still down low in my pelvis. I won't really start to show until, in the immortal words of the Jeffersons, she start movin' on up! This should start happening any time.

Two downs:
1. I've been getting headaches the past couple of days. They're not too bad but I could do without them.
2. I recently learned I'm supposed to be getting 80 grams of protein, which seems all but impossible.

Two ups:
1. Overall, I'm still feeling much better - I even did prenatal yoga twice this week. :)
2. I got to see a former coworkers twin baby girls, which always lifts my spirits and reminds me of the light at the end of the tunnel.

Christmas Music Inventory

So, for those of you who still need help understanding my obsession with Christmas, I did a little inventory of my holiday music collection.

I have:
- 7 versions of Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
- 7 versions of O Holy Night
- 9 versions of The Christmas Song
- 9 versions of I'll Be Home for Christmas
- 9 versions of White Christmas
- 11 versions of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

I will not obey your arbitrary deadlines!

You know one of the best parts of being pregnant? You get to do what you want and no one can be mean to you because you're pregnant.

So you know what I'm doing today?

I'm downloading all of my several hundred holiday songs today and I'm going to start listening to them today. I've decided it is officially "the holidays," which means I can listen to holiday music.

If you don't like it...I don't care. Take it up with the baby. ;)

The Worms

So, I had a super weird dream last night about worms and I think it was the universe's way of telling me I can't put off the worm update any longer. I clearly shouldn't have put it off this long or I could have at least posted a successful update before things went down hill.

The worms died.

All of them.

In my defense, they were really thriving for several months. They seemed to suffer when we were away in Tunisia but I thought I'd got them back on track soon thereafter. However, once I got pregnant, I had bigger things on my mind like rolling around on the couch trying not to hurl and the worms took a back seat. I think the real problem was that since I only wanted to eat peanut butter and jelly and PopTars there wasn't much to feed them and they starved.

I feel really bad and if I ever get a yard I will definitely attempt outdoor composting. However, doing it indoors and making sure they ate enough but not too much or that things didn't get too acidic or mold didn't grow was a lot of work.

Nicholas was right. I was wrong. I don't want to talk about it.

Can you tell a difference?

Week 12

So, now that I'm out of the pregnancy closet and free to talk, I've had several requests for updates on how I'm doing. I want to clarify that I wasn't posting because the pregnancy was a secret. I wasn't posting because pregnancy made me feel like A BIG BALL OF CRAP! Seriously, I had about two weeks of feeling good and then I felt nauseous pretty much 24/7 for the next 11 weeks. After about three weeks of feeling like that, I began to refer to our future daughter/son as the baby dictator. I'm not quite ready to change the title yet. ;)

I have felt much better over the past several days. I've gotten more energy and feel more like eating, although I've realized that I still mainly crave my comfort foods. The weirdest symptom is I can't really read or have no desire to read. It's like I can't focus or something but my friend Annie said she had a similar reading aversion and it eventually went away.

So, that's basically it. Nothing too exciting. We've only had one appointment with our midwife where we got to hear the heartbeat, which was amazing. We don't go back again for a couple more weeks and we don't find out the gender until January. I'm going to try to post every week and I thought I'd start a little weekly tradition based on my favorite pregnancy podcast - Pregtastic - where every week each woman lists 2 Ups and 2 Downs of her pregnancy.

Two Downs:
1. The nausea isn't completely gone and I'm still afraid to drink orange juice, which is one of my favorite drinks but sets my stomach on fire.
2. I do feel good enough to exercise so I can no longer use feeling crummy as an excuse. ;)

Two Ups:
1. I bought two very cute pairs of maternity jeans at H&M that I can't wait to wear this week.
2. Now that I've completed my 13th week, I'm officially in the second trimester! Wohoo!

Holy Crap!!!

Me and Obama share a brain!!!!

The Scene from the White House

A New Birth of Freedom

Election Night
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas

We went to the Lincoln Memorial to let it all soak in. The last words of the Gettysburg address struck me as particularly relevant.

My vote

My vote, originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

The Future

Tomorrow is Election Day. I will wake up early, go to my polling place, and cast my vote for Barack Obama for the next President of the United States. In past elections, I've written long explanations for why I am a Democrat or why I voted for Hillary Clinton. To be honest, I could write a book the size of War and Peace about why I am voting for Barack Obama instead of John McCain.

Instead, this post seems to coincide with another post I've been working on for awhile. The coincidental timing seemed to make sense so I thought I would combine the two.

At the end of May, Nicholas and I will welcome our first child into the world. We are beyond excited and cannot wait for our lives to be changed in every way possible. So, I can't help but look at this election through the prism of not only how this election will affect me, but also future generations, and this is what I know for sure.

On July 27, 2004, Barack Obama stood on the stage of the Democratic National Convention and stated these words:


He offered a vision of America that took my breath away. It is an America I believe only he can deliver.

Most importantly, it is an America I want to raise my baby in. That is why I am voting for Barack Obama.

We are so clever!

It's ok you can admit how jealous you are of our totally awesome costumes.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween 1989, originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

The South

Two days ago, the New York Times published a story entitled "The South:For Some, Uncertainty Starts at Racial Identity." The short article features interviews with six Southerners. Now, I use the term interview very loosely because several were done in the parking lots of Wal-mart and Kroger and I'm not sure how in-depth one can get standing next the grocery cart bin. Those interviewed said despicably racist things about Barack Obama and his candidacy and the author of the article used those statements to make assumptions about all Southern voters.

I waited to write about this article because I hoped some of my anger would dissipate. It hasn't. I am still furious.

Now, let me be clear. There are racist people in the South. To say the South has a long, complicated racial history is a bit like saying the Grand Canyon is a hole in Arizona. However, I am extraordinarily tired of people from other regions of the country acting like we have a monopoly on racism. There are racists in every, single state in this country. Racism is institutionalized and it's pervasive. However, that is not the conversation people want to have. It's so much easier to march down to Mississippi, find the first redneck in a baseball hat, and sit in judgement on the racist South. Everybody feels superior to the poor, backwards South and nobody is forced to examine the real complexity of the issue.

While we're at it, I'd like to clear something else up. Not everybody in the South is a racist! I realize this might come as a shock, especially if you partake mass media from time to time, but it's true. Southerners are just as complex as any other group and we are not all the same. Unfortunately, Southerners are one of the few, remaining groups it completely acceptable to stereotype. What if the tables were turned in this article? What if I marched into a predominantly Asian or gay or feel-in-the-blank neighborhood, quoted six people as saying the most stereotypically ridiculous remarks, then made assumptions about the entire group? And made them without quoting a single poll, study, or historical example? How would that go over? I'm guessing not very well.

Of course, the source of the article is another source of the problem. Not to sound like a Pace Salsa commercial, but New York City! Are you kidding me? There is already a lot of animosity between Southerners and what they see as the Eastern elite who look down on them. Needless to say, articles like this don't help.

I'm not asking for pity. I know people don't have a lot of patience for white girls complaining about stereotypes. However, the South is my home and I love it. It's a fierce love based not on delusions about it's perfection or superiority, but on honest respect for its history and what I believe it has to offer. And I do not take kindly to what I see as cheap and easy exploitation of it for a story.

Please watch

I am writing to ask all of you to watch Oprah tomorrow. We all know my love of Oprah, but I don't think I've ever asked you to ask a specific episode. However, tomorrow's episode is Lisa Ling Reports: How We Treat the Animals We Eat, which is an issue that I feel passionately about.

I truly believe one of the most important questions to ask as moral, ethical people is "Where does my food come from?"

We eat three or more times a day and the decisions we make affect our psyche, our body, our budgets, our communities, our planet. It is a gift to yourself to become informed on this issue.

So, watch!

Britney

Believe me I don't say this lightly...I'm proud of Britney Spears.

The last CD I wasn't rooting for her because I didn't honestly believe she was better or had her life in order. I think this time is different, especially if the quality of her performance is any reflection.

Mad Men

The only thing cooler than the show are these illustrations inspired by the show.

Hey!

I'm still alive!

I have some thoughts and updates, I promise. It's just been a little busy and I haven't been feeling awesome.

I'm watching the Vice Presidential Debate and I've got LOTS of thoughts on that. ;)

So stay tuned. I promise I'll post soon.

Sarah's Selections

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Ain't kharma a bitch.

Believe me when I say, if they lied to members of their own team, they most certainly lied to us...just in case anyone was still wondering.

Awesome.

What was that about understanding the worries of the average woman?


That's right being a mayor or governor absolutely doesn't qualify you!

Top 10 Top 10 Lists Everyone Should Make: List #5

Top 10 Movies of All Time

Like Leslie, I believe this is impossible, so I’ll do my personal top ten.

1. Steel Magnolias – if you want to understand me on a whole new level, watch this movie
2. Gone with the Wind – I used to collect GWTW memorabilia when I was little
3. Almost Famous – for those who love music
4. Dirty Dancing - because I wanted to bring Patrick Swayze to show and tell
5. Pretty Woman - Julia Roberts is my number one celebrity I want to be my friend, although if I was being honest Tina Fey is giving her a real run for her money.
6. 40 Year Old Virgin – funny EVERY time
7. Shag - PERFECT slumber party fare
8. Working Girl - see here.
9. A Christmas Story - the best Christmas movie of all time
10. Office Space - perfect every time.
    

Top 10 Top 10 Lists Everyone Should Make: List #4

Top 10 Cities You Would Live In

I figured I should include all the places I've actually lived.

1. Paducah, KY
2. Lexington, KY
3. Durham, NC
4. Washington, DC
5. New York City - but not too long and not with kids
6. Paris, France
7. Louisville, KY
8. Nashville, TN
9. Charleston, SC
10. Savannah, GA

Top 10 Top 10 Lists Everyone Should Make: List #3

Top 10 Pop Culture Quotes (from tv or movies)

1. Ricki: "How did you know that?" Rayanne: "Because I live…like in the world." (My So Called Life)
2. Julia Sugarbaker: "In general it has been the men who have done the raping and the robbing and the killing and the war-mongering for the last two thousand years.... and it's been the men who have done the pillaging and the beheading and the subjugating of whole races into slavery. It has been the men who have done the law making and the money making and the most of the mischief making! So if the world isn't quite what you had in mind you have only yourselves to thank!! (Designing Women)
   Link
   
3. Baby: "I carried the watermelon." (Dirty Dancing)
   
4. Tess: "You want another answer. Ask another girl." (Working Girl)
   
5. Lester Bangs: The only true currency in this bankrupt world... is what you share with someone else when you're uncool. (Almost Famous)
6. Jay: "Dude, you think this is accident! This is premeditated partner!" (40-year-old Virgin)
7. Mark: "Don't tease me about my hobbies. I don't tease you about being an asshole." (Garden State)
8. Shelby: "My colors are blush and bashful. I have chose two shades of pink one is much deeper than the other." (Steel Magnolias)
9. Grandpa: "Dewayne, that's your name right? Dewayne? This is the voice of experience talking. Are you listening? F*** a lot of women, Dewayne. Not just one woman. A lot of women." (Little Miss Sunshine)
   
10. Scarlett O'Hara: "After all, tomorrow is another day." (If I have to tell you, we shouldn't be friends)
    

This my friends is a tomato

This my friends is a tomato, originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

It's next to a nectarine to give you some perspective. We got it at the farmer's market and it is some pre-1900 heirloom variety.

I can NOT wait to eat it.

David

Summer 2004, originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

So, I just finished scanning the last of my photos! Yeah!

I think I've told a lot of you about this photo. This is Elizabeth's son David...when he was about FIVE MONTHS OLD!!!! Seriously, he's four now and he looks 6. I think he might grow up to be 8 feet tall.

The funny part was Elizabeth was my first close friend to have a baby, so David totally skewed my perspective. I would see other babies and think they were sick or something because they were so small.

Adele

Adele - Chasing Pavements
by wonderful-life1989

So, I am now officially obsessed with Adele. I saw her perform this song on The View and bought the CD that night. I have now listened to the whole album approximately a million times.

Dang

We could have put this thing to rest the whole time with Sarah Palin's own words. She's towards the end of this clip but please believe me when I say that the whole segment is worth your time. Bill O'Reilly in particular is not to be missed.

Sarah Palin: Part Deux

Well, my goodness, what a maelstrom. I haven't seen y'all this riled up since I told you I was getting worms (update on the worms coming soon btw). I seriously think we broke a new record for comments.

I hope everyone still loves each other after all that because I'm about to embark on another journey so buckle your seat belts!

Actually I just wanted to clarify/address a couple of things.
1. The "If she was a man..." argument: People make this argument often when discussing identity politics and it infuriates me. It infuriates me because there is an imbalance of power at the heart of any discussion about race or gender. Men in our society have historically held more power then woman. White people have historically held more power than people of color. Period. Therefore, it is illogical to reverse the positions and assume the same rules apply. Different rules apply precisely because there is an imbalance of power. It's the reason I can call my girlfriend a bitch but her male coworker can't. It's the reason we wouldn't have to worry about how a male candidate like Sarah Palin would be treated because if Sarah Palin was a man she would have never been picked in the first place.

2. Women with young children in public office: Let me make myself perfectly clear. I do not in any way believe that being the mother of young children disqualifies you from public service. In fact, I was thinking back and I remembered "Oh wait, I do actually care about equal representation for women!" because I posted a Washington Post story that profiled working moms in Congress, including one Republican who had recently given birth to a child with down syndrome. However, I loved that article because there wasn't a single thread of "you can have it all" in the entire piece. Debbie Wasserman Schultz talks about the guilt she feels leaving her 8 year old with a fever to go to a fundraiser. Deborah Pryce talks about putting her daughter on a pretty unique schedule so they can spend time together. And then there is Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who gave birth to a son with down syndrome in April of 2007. (FYI - she took a month, not three days off)

"Our goal is to maximize our time together as a family as we learn more about the demands and what it's going to take," said McMorris Rodgers, who took a month off and eased back to work part time, shuttling between her Hill house and the Capitol complex to greet constituents or attend committee meetings. A beeper at home summons her when it's time to vote. She breast-feeds Cole while flipping through briefing books.

All I'm saying is that I would like to hear the same honest, self-reflection from Sarah Palin. I don't think that's sexist - just the opposite. I can't emphasize this enough. I don't think it's progress to expect women candidates to act like male candidates and never address how they are going to meet the challenges of work and family. We want to go in the other direction. We want male candidates to be forced to answer these questions because everyone doesn't assume their wife will take care of the kids. In fact, I would hope that the power of female candidates is their ability to uniquely understand the concerns of primary caregivers all over this country and bring those concerns to the forefront, because like it or not women are the overwhelming majority of primary caregivers. I wish she'd come out and said, "I am making history not only because I'm a woman but because I'm a working mom. I understand the challenges and sacrifices mothers all over this country make every single day. I know that we do the things we do because of our kids, not in spite of them, and I will bring that very valuable perspective to this administration." Then I would have stood up and cheered. But she didn't.

To be honest, as someone who wants to run for office one day, I'm going to go ahead and say I have thought more about this issue than anyone who reads this blog or made a comment. I have spent a lot of time thinking about the fact that because of the career path I want to take I will simply not be there for my children all the time. There will be times when they are sick, or in a school play, or just need a hug and I simply will not be there. I have decided that the benefits they will receive will hopefully outweigh the costs. I have chosen a partner who is committed to my goals and was raised in a family where everyone pitched in no matter their gender. I have decided to move home and be near my family because if I'm not going to be there all the time I want the people who raised me to be there in my place. So, please, do not think for a millisecond that this is not an issue I have not thoughtfully considered or that by pointing out that men are held to a different standard you are somehow telling me something I didn't already know. And to imply that I only care about the equal rights of women in my own party is such a low blow I will only address it to say, how dare you.

3. GOP - Party of Progress?: So, just to be safe I went to John McCain's website and you know to see if they all of a sudden supported the Family and Medical Leave Act or paid maternity/paternity leave or the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act? Turns out, not so much. What about equal benefits for part-time work or universal preschool for all three and four year old? Nope. Maybe making discrimination against parents illegal or a universal child allowance? Negatory. Actually there wasn't a section on women's issues at all.

However, Obama has a section on women and families. Of course, he supports Fair Pay and you can read about his support for expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act, high-quality after school programs, and a child and dependent care tax credit here. Oh, and he wants to protect against caregiver discrimination.

So, yeah, on your mark, get set, go!



P.S. This is completely unrelated but if I hear one more Republican say that Sarah Palin is more experienced because she's made executive decisions and Barack Obama has not I'm going to scream. Unless I was taking a nap and missed John McCain as Governor of Arizona, I'm pretty sure he has never served as an executive either.

P.P.S. I just watched this video and gave my first ever donation to Barack Obama.

Sarah Palin

Several people have asked me how I feel about Sarah Palin. One friend even asked me I would vote for John McCain now that he has picked a female running mate.

Let me make this unequivocally clear.

I will be voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

The choice of Sarah Palin has one upside and one upside only - that no matter what it won't be two white guys. That's good. That's progress. However, Sarah Palin does not represent me or my interests or what I believe is best for this country and I will not be voting for her.

When I first heard that John McCain had picked a female running mate, I admit that I was immediately concerned. I worried that disgruntled Hillary supporters might connect with this decision and feel like John McCain understood their concerns. The more I learn about Sarah Palin the less concerned I am.

First and foremost, I was shocked to learn of the age of her youngest child. I find it massively hypocritical that the party of traditional family values has embraced this woman who is clearly not going to fulfill her traditional role. If she wants to discuss openly that her husband will quite his job and become the primary caregiver then fine, but this narrative I keep hearing that she'll be able to do it all is insulting and it hurts all the progress women have made over the last few decades.

You cannot have it all. Every day I watch dear friends struggle with these issues and I constantly think about the tough decisions Nicholas and I will make when we have children of our own as we pursue careers and raise a family. Our society needs an honest discussion about work and life balance, not to be told that of course you can raise a family of five with time left over for the second most powerful job in the country.

I understand that Sarah Palin is not the first executive with young children. John F. Kennedy, Jr. was only a few months old when the Kennedys entered the White House and Barack Obama has small children of his own. However, at least Barack and Michelle are honest. Michelle Obama has made it clear that this campaign was going to be a huge life-changing sacrifice for her children - one she was hesitant to make. That it meant their dad and mom would not be there as much but that she felt for their future and the future of our country it was a sacrifice worth making.

If Sarah Palin were to honestly admit that she will not be the one their to take her infant son to therapy or doctor's visit, but that she feels that she can make a difference not only for him but for all special need children then maybe I would have a bit more respect for her decision. In fact, I purposely held off writing this post to give her a chance to address these issues in her speech tonight and she did not. She waved her mom flag repeatedly but did not honestly address the real sacrifices she would be making as a mother - primarly time with her own children.

Then, of course, we all learned that in addition to the infant son, her 17-year-old daughter Bristol is five months pregnant. Again, Sarah Palin and the conservative pundits waved this flag as proof of her pro-life credentials then balked if anyone wanted to discuss the issue further - if they wanted to discuss her cutting funding for projects that help teenage mothers or her opposition to sexual education in schools that might keep other kids from the same fate. Actually, policy aside, I want to know what made Sarah Palin decide that this job was worth the public scrutiny her young daughter (not to mention the baby's father) would be under or, even worse, if she was delusional enough to think it might not come out at all. Openly acknowledging that there will be upsides and downsides of public life for your children is one thing. Putting them in the spotlight during the most difficult time in their life is quite another.

I admit that this is pretty personal stuff but to be honest with you I don't know much else about the woman. I know that she has a little under 10 years of public service - most of it as the mayor of a town of 6000. The town where she advocated the banning of books. I know she supported the Bridge to Nowhere and Ted Stevens - the two biggest sympols of corruption and government waste in the last decade. I know she has shockingly little education. I know she's under investigation for abusing her power as governor and I know if I was raped tomorrow by my own father, she would deny me the right to an abortion.

I'm not sure what more I need to know.

Top 10 Top 10 Lists Everyone Should Make:

I only did one list before we left for Tunisia but I'll try to get back on track because I know all of you are on pins and needles waiting for my answers. ;)

Top 10 places you want to go before you are too old to enjoy them: I picked places that I think would be too exhausting either based on physical excersion or the mental excersion of being in a completely different culture.

1. Tanzania on Safari
2. China
3. India
4. Japan
5. Antartica
6. Hking in the Grand Canyon
7. Brazil
8. Argentina
9. Egypt
10. Thailand
    

Our friend

This guy stopped us in El Jem and insisted that we try on these head scarves and take pictures with him. He then wanted something "American" to remember us by. He didn't want my Transy pin so we ended giving him my little portable fan.

Roman villa

Another totally amazing aspect of El Jem was this Roman villa and the fact that this incredible mosaic was intact and OUTSIDE! It represents the unity of Roman empire with each person representing a different area.

El Jem

El Jem, originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

The colosseum was another highlight of our trip. It's slightly smaller then the one in Rome but in much better condition. As we kept walking up and up to the top levels, I kept thinking how many ancient peoples walked were i walked. It was pretty unbelievable.

Sidi Bou Said

Sidi Bou Said, originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

All of Tunisia is famous for these beautiful, ornate doors but Sidi Bou Said's brilliant blue variety are particularly striking.

Carthage

This was the hottest day of our trip but luckily Carthage was so beautiful it was easy to overlook.

The Butt Sprayer

The Butt Sprayer, originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

These were in every single bathroom we went in to in the entire country. I don't think it's a bad idea. I just don't see any need to get rid of the toilet paper all together.

Dar el Medina

Our courtyard, originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Our hotel in Tunis was absolutely beautiful. This is our own little private courtyard.

The Return of our Bag: Final Victory

Victory!!!!, originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

We really thought it was gone forever so it was so exciting to finally see it. Also, to clarify for those of you following along (or delighting in our suffering...I'm looking at you Rob!) We had packed our carry-ons assuming our bag would get lost and we couldn't get it back til we returned to Tunis on Thursday. So, we had clothes, toiletries, books, etc. The only thing we forgot was Nicholas's swimsuit and sunscreen, which was easily bought. It actually worked out ok because we weren't lugging our heavy bag across the desert and to three different hotels in three nights at the beginning of our trip.

Jerba

We actually didn't take a ton of pictures while we were on the island of Jerba because we were so ready to just sit back and relax. We basically just spent our entire time there by the water or the pool. It was glorious.