Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thanksgiving Part 2

Ben and I hosted Thanksgiving for the 2nd year in a row and had my parents as our guests. I think we are finally getting the hang of preparing a huge meal in our tiny kitchen. Ben literally had a timeline of when to prep and cook everything so all the food was hot and ready at 5pm exactly.... I think his time management has been influenced by his time in the military.....

For our Thanksgiving meal we had: 
Egg Casserole for breakfast 
Turkey  (Ben did a fantastic job... the turkey didn't need any gravy and you could cut it with a fork!) 
Stuffing (only thing not homemade...) 
Sweet Potatoes with marshmallows and walnuts 
Cranberry Sauce 
Loaded mashed potatoes (cheddar cheese, roasted garlic,& bacon) 
Green bean casserole







Applebutter Pumpkin Pie
Rum Pecan Pie




Ben's Timeline:

Preheat oven to 5001:10
Insert Turkey @ 5001:40
Oven to 3502:10
Boil Water3:58
Boil sweet potatoes4:08
Remove turkey4:10
Roast garlic @ 3504:05
Boil water4:15
Boil white potatoes4:25
Cook bacon4:25
Bake beans @ 3504:25
Sweet potatoes in dish with sugar4:28
Bake sweet potatoes @ 3504:33
Cut turkey4:40
Mash potatoes4:40
Remove garlic4:35
Add marshmallows and nuts4:43
Cook marshmallows and nuts4:45
Top beans with onions4:50

Notice the time on the clock.....

Not too shabby for a tiny kitchen....

Friday, November 18, 2011

Pregnancy Surprises

I am officially in my 2nd Trimester and feeling so much better. Finally getting my energy back (can actually get through the day without a nap!) and am slowly getting back into my old routine. I am definitely showing and am in maternity pants, which by the way are so comfortable

There have definitely been some 
pregnancy surprises along my new journey.  
Such as....
  1. "Morning Sickness" all the time, nausea and throwing up. I think I might be the only person to get sick... while driving. One week all I could keep down were baked potatoes and toast with peanut butter.
  2. Vivid dreams.... and nightmares! One night Ben woke up to me screaming bloody murder (well, I was actually screaming something about feet). It took him awhile to calm me down and wake me up. He half expected one of our neighbors to call 911 because I was screaming so loud. Crazy!
  3. Cramping. Did you know cramping is totally normal? My poor doctor gets to reassure me that cramping is fine every doctor's appointment.
  4. Lethargy. I have never felt so tired in my life! Some days I would come home from work, crash on the couch, eat dinner, then fall asleep by 8pm.
  5. Migraines! Yikes! I have never had migraines before in my life. Got one so bad that I was stuck in bed for 2 days
  6. Nasal congestion... imagine you have a cold.... but 3x worse. Very weird.
  7. Food aversions. For awhile the only meat I could eat was pork and the thought of chicken made me nauseous and beef tasted weird. Oh, and the smell of coffee made me sick.
Last but not least....

CRAVINGS!

Some of my oddest cravings have been...
  1. Udon Noodle Soup (Ben was nice enough to pick some up on his way home from work)
  2. Beer (No, I didn't give into this craving)
  3. Ice Cream (About 1/3 a tub to be exact.... which is odd because I never have had a sweet tooth)
  4. Plain, white rice.... was my dinner one night
  5. Green olives.... had to be the green ones
  6.  
    And one of the coolest experiences thus far.... 
    hearing the baby's heart

    Sunday, November 6, 2011

    It's About Time...

    Hello All,

    It has been too long since I have last written. A lot has happened since January 2011...
    • We moved from Coronado, CA to Chula Vista, CA
    • I survived my first deployment.... with a few snags like 3 flat tires and a dead battery.... oh, and a school bus ran into my car....
    • I started Graduate school at the University of San Diego and am pursuing my master's degree in International Studies
    • Ben and I FINALLY went on a (semi) honeymoon, the weekend he came back from his deployment we went to Catalina Island for a few days
    • I am now officially Amy Craig (sorry high school friends, I am no longer "Nemeth")
    • I have a new niece!!! My brother and sister-in-law adopted a beautiful baby girl named Aubrey. She is the sweetest thing and absolutely perfect.
    And last but not least....

    Ben and I are pregnant!

     Baby Craig is due May 15, 2012!

    Sunday, January 9, 2011

    New Year's Resolutions

    Here are some things I would like to accomplish this year

    Change my name from Nemeth to Craig
    Go to Pilates 3x/week
    Travel to South Korea/ Go on a honeymoon
    Do a cardio workout at least 2x/week
    Get Sierra certified as a Therapy Dog
    Go on a date with my hubby once a week


    Here are some things on my "Bucket List"

    Return to Uganda
    Get my master's degree
    Adopt a Pit Bull from Villalobos Rescue Center
    Travel to Greece
    Learn a new language
    Travel to India
    Use my master's degree to expand Invisible Conflicts
    Travel to North Korea
    Teach in a 3rd World Country

    LASTLY
    Become a teacher as dedicated and influential as my brother Josh.

    2010: A Year in Review

    This year has brought many changes to my life...

    I started the year working at 
    as a Parent-Teacher.  

    Mooseheart is a residential facility for
     children from infancy through high schoolers.  
    The children live in family-style homes 
    arranged by gender and ages groups 
    with 2-4 adults in each home.

    I began working in New Jersey Home which housed 
    middle school and high school girls.  
    At any time I had up to 11 girls in my care

     To say the least, it was challenging.  

    I learned a lot but realized that being a parent to 
    11 teenage girls at the age of 24 
    was not for me.  

    I transfered to "Baby Village"

    A group of homes designated for babies and toddlers.
    I absolutely loved working with this age group!
    PLUS
    I also got to work with my new friend Brittany.  
    Here were some of my children...
       


     How could you not fall in love with these faces?

    On August 7, 2010 I got married to 
    Benjamin James Craig

    The wedding was wonderful 
    I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time 
    at the reception too.




       
    After Ben and I got married, 
    I moved to Coronado, CA
    And got an apartment at 
    Coronado Bay Club Apartments

    We acquired a cat, Lucy, from my sister

    And adopted the cutest dog in the world, 
    Sierra, a Pit Bull Mix

    My family lost my brother (and my Godfather) 
    Josh in September

    At least we were able to find the 
    "silver lining" in this tragedy....

    We were able to learn what an amazing teacher
    mentor, and friend he was to his students at 
    Cristo Rey Jesuit High School

     

    I finally found a nanny job .... 
    only to lose it when the father got released 
    from the San Diego Chargers and
    joined Jacksonville Jaguars.

    for the first time

    I survived my first "stint" of Ben being gone
    He was gone for 15 days on a pre-deployment work-up.

    I had my first visitor
    Ms. Nikki Skells!

    Ben and I hosted our First Thanksgiving
    With special guests Mom (Peaches) Nemeth and Matt Nemeth

    I attempted to find friends through


    And
    And 


    I ended the year in Chicago,
     spending time with my family for Christmas 
    and celebrating the New Year at the Knickerbocker Hotel 
    for my sister Meg's wedding




    And I'm beginning 2011with a JOB!

    Thursday, December 23, 2010

    San Diego + Rain = ...

    For the past 2 days it has 
    RAINED
    in San Diego.  

    Rain and San Diegans don't get along.
      Because we got about 5 inches of rain
     the city essentially shut down.

    How did I spend my time indoors?

    Finished 2 books

    Used my Dutch Oven for the first time

    To make a very yummy Red Wine Pot Roast

    And of course....
     Hung out with Sierra 

    Sierra is a true San Diegan & hates the rain.
    It is a battle to get her to go 
    outside to go potty.

    This is how she acts after spending 
    3 minutes outside in the rain.

    She apparently thinks she has hands 
    and tries to catch her toys with her paws.




    Unfortunately... 

    Sierra "died" in the process