Back with a quick update!

I have meant to put up a post so many times over the past few months, then something comes up, and I forget! Things have settled down for the moment, so I thought I'd post an update for anyone who still checks this : ) We're in Georgia and getting settled pretty well. Oxford College is great, and Jonathan seems to be enjoying the first month of teaching. The faculty and staff there are very warm and welcoming, and we have had a good time getting to know some of them. Jon especially likes the faculty members who have pets and/or children : ) We're waiting to close on our house, but thankfully we were able to move in with a lease to own contract, so no need to move twice! Hopefully closing will wrap up in the next few weeks. We had a bit of a hiccup on the seller's end needing to resign all of the paperwork with a co-executor, so things are moving a bit slower than we wanted, but we are very grateful to have the opportunity to purchase this home. I'm a soccer mom....yay? We signed Jon up for soccer as a way for him to get some other kid interaction since he isn't in preschool yet, and I thought it would be a good way for me to meet people. Well, the meeting people bit isn't coming through like I imagined, but I think that's because all of us parents have blinders on at practices and games, just trying to keep our three and four year olds on task. Jon does have fun, which is what really matters, right? And lastly, we are having a baby in six weeks! I have not advertised the pregnancy too much out in world, because at first I was waiting until we hit 13 weeks, and then I thought I'd wait until we hit 20 weeks, and now here I am at 34 weeks. Baby is doing great, and I am so thankful for a healthy pregnancy and baby after two consecutive miscarriages, the second of which was pretty physically traumatic. I am hoping to have a VBAC, to avoid four surgeries in four years, and my doctor says I am a very good candidate. We'll see how things turn out! Right now we are just thrilled that this little guy or girl is developing well and kicking the heck out of my rib cage : ) Jon is over the moon about having a brother or sister, and he loves seeing babies out an about in town. We're trying to prepare him for the fact that babies cry a lot and won't be too interactive at first. He has taken to asking babies that he sees crying if they need a toy or need to eat something, since he thinks those are the two reasons babies cry. I'll get my act together with some pictures soon!

Happy Mother's Day

Georgia, here we come!

The Hulgans are returning to the South!  Jonathan has accepted a position as an Associate Professor at Oxford College of Emory University in Oxford, GA starting in August 2013.  I am so incredibly proud of him!  This is a tenure track position, so if he does well and likes it there, we could possibly be there for a long time.  (Forever-ever). 

We'll most likely move in either June or July, and aside from that, I have no information.  Hopefully we'll be able to make it out there soon to look for a place to rent, and I can try to start planning the move.  So, the next several months will be pretty busy around here! 

My TV guilty pleasure

For the first time ever, I watched a reality show from start to finish - even anticipating Tuesdays when I could either go online or use my iPhone to watch the next episode!  I was hooked on The Biggest Loser this season.  I have never watched it before, but for some reason I started watching it and kept watching it.  I know, I know, the weight loss tactics they use can be really harmful, shaming, etc. and tons of previous contestants gain the weight back.  The positive thing for me has been when I have wanted to eat some candy or slack off in a workout, I have thought back to some of the people on the show, and that has motivated me to stay on track.  I am also encouraged in our work to provide Jon with healthy food and some form of exercise every day.  So now that the season is over, I guess I'll just go back to my normal reality show-free existence!  Now, House of Cards is another animal all together!  While I find the characters vile, I somehow feel a need to find out what happens to them next.  That's just what Netflix wants me to think, and I have fallen for the trap.

Enchanted Rock (Jon's first camp out)

We started off our Spring Break with a little overnight camp out at Enchanted Rock with some friends from church.  I actually documented this, because it was Jon's first camp out!  He was very excited, probably because he loves the story "Curious George Goes Camping."  He chose to wear his fire fighter boots, though I hope he wasn't expecting a fire like in the book.

Jonathan setting up the tent, and Jon "helping."

Testing out the tent!

By the time we got everything set up, it was too dark to take any outdoor pictures.  I cooked steaks and peppers for dinner, and we ate with the "college kids" of the church, although only one or two of them are still in college : )  After dinner, we roasted marshmallows, and Jon enjoyed his first s'more!  I broke my no-sugar rule to enjoy one with him.  It was worth it!  Here he is about to snuggle down into bed in the tent.  He did a great job - slept all night without waking up.  There was so much wind, our tarp (covering up a hole in the rain shield...it's over 12 years old) flew off and landed in the campsite next to us.  Thankfully it didn't rain!

Enjoying bacon, eggs, and bread for breakfast.

"My compass says we should go left."

All the kiddos smiling before we take on the summit hike to the top of Enchanted Rock.

Taking a water break on the way to the summit.  We didn't take a picture from the top, but it was VERY steep and VERY windy!  So much so, that when we stopped for even a short period of time, I had to sit down on the rock.  I have this fear of falling...not heights, but falling.  And if you fell on this thing, I could image you tumbling down...  Needless to say, I had a death grip on Jon's hand while we were walking up.  Due to the wind, Jonathan and I thought we might just walk a little ways up and then hike back down, but whenever we suggested turning around, Jon started crying and said that we had to get to the top of the mountain.

Another break on the way down this time.

Enchanted Rock

So it doesn't look that big, but I promise it was!!  Still, it was a short little hike, and relatively toddler friendly.  I think it took us about an hour.

Tuckered out on the drive home.

Purgatory Trail Race

Some other titles under consideration were "Megan's justification for three pairs of running shoes," or "How life changes when you have a child."

I ran a 5k trail race this morning, and it was a lot of fun!  I wanted to run the whole thing without walking, but I took a couple minute walk break during a particularly rocky uphill section after I had tripped twice.  I thought that was my feet telling me to give them a bit of a break.  I finished in the third quarter of the field, and I was able to pass a bunch of people, which is always fun : )  I didn't finish ahead of the girl in front of me who was walk-running, and would inevitably start running whenever I caught up to her.  Some of my favorite parts of the run were when we would hit a straight stretch and I could lengthen my stride and run a bit faster, and when we were in the woods and it felt like I was running alone.  I don't run on trails by myself, because I have a horrible sense of direction in the woods, but I felt very confident with all of the race markers out there to keep me on the correct path.

When I signed up for the race, it was advertized to start at 8am.  Jonathan had to work today (parents' weekend), so we had planned that he and Jon would hang out at the coffee shop near the race start, and I would just come pick up Jon (with the stroller) after the race and walk the mile or so home.  Perfect.  Then earlier this week, the race organizers let us know that the 10 milers would start at 8am and the 5k-ers would start at 8:20am.  Since Jonathan had to be at school at 9, and I was pretty sure my time would be around 40 minutes, our original plan would not work.  Thankfully, we have friends who live about half way between our apt and Jonathan's school, and they agreed to watch Jon while I ran the race.  Here is where the three pairs of shoes comes in handy.  I wore my trail shoes during the race, then to walk the two miles from the race course to our friends' house, I wore my old running shoes that were left at the start of the course (if they were picked up, no loss, I'd just have to wear trail shoes for 2 miles of concrete...not ideal), then I switched into my current running shoes (left with Jon and the stroller at our friends' house) to walk the 2 miles home.  I essentially walked four miles and wore three pairs of shoes so that I could run three miles in the woods.  Maybe a bit more complicated than it needed to be, but I'm still glad I did it.