Happy Easter (finally updating!)

I'm still here!  Happy Easter!

The last time I updated, we had just moved to Georgia and I was about 6 weeks out from giving birth to baby #2.  Fiona Margaret arrived 6 days late almost exactly like Jon, so I had another c-section, but we were just happy to have a healthy baby!  It's crazy to think that she will be six months old in a couple of weeks!

We're kind of settled in here in our new home.  Jonathan is one week away from the end of his first year at Oxford College, and it has been such a blessing!  There are things he doesn't like, of course, but we are so happy for his job as an assistant professor.  Jon, Fiona, and I spend our days playing at home, going to the YMCA, the library, the park, and the square.  We have a great coffee shop with a fun play area for kids.  I had a meeting there last week, and Jon was completely occupied while I got some things done : )  I am venturing back into the world of (volunteer) volunteer management with Newton Trails; hopefully it will be a productive partnership and I will be able to do some good.  We have joined a great church, Christ Community Church, which is small and has a big heart.  I was able to volunteer with our church tutoring program this semester, which gave me an evening away from the house and an opportunity to help out the community.  

I am hoping to update the blog a little more, mostly because I love reading the blogs of our old friends we don't get to see anymore, and I feel guilty that I don't update!  So Happy Easter to everyone, and hopefully write again soon.

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.

Megan's love of dance pop

Yes, you read that correctly.  I have a secret love of dance pop.  Believe me, my husband laughs at me constantly about this.

I listen to pop music in two distinct situations: while exercising and cleaning : )  At the activity center in town, I take about three Zumba classes, two Spin classes, and 2 CRT classes a week, and we do all of our exercises to top 40 pop hits!  (If you think that's overloading...I've lost almost 30 pounds in 6 months thanks to exercising 6 days a week).  And there's nothing that can get me psyched up to clean a bathroom or tackle a pile of dishes after dinner like One Direction, am I right?

2012 was an awesome year for dance pop, so here are my favorites (along with the rest of the country):

Kesha, Die Young - Yes, it's full of debauchery, but it allows me to reminisce about my crazy clubbing nights in Aberdeen as an exchange student.  I drank A. LOT. and danced with probably too many boys.  But it's the only time in my life when I've been that crazy. 

f.u.n., We Are Young - The best song for a hill in spin class

Psy, Gangam Style - Yes, I have done the silly dance in Zumba class.  There is no way to dance to this song without smiling, and I love it!  I also thought the backstory to the song was interesting, that Psy wrote it as a social commentary* on the consumer driven culture of South Korea and ridiculous rap stars. 

One Direction, What Makes You Beautiful - I enjoy this song because it makes me smile and we do a pretty awesome routine to it in spin class involving push ups.  Slate also had a great comparison of One Direction with the boy bands of our adolescence here.

Taylor Swift, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - This is a fave of my cleaning routine, because you kind of have to bounce around while listening to it, and that gives me the energy needed to do unpleasant tasks.

Flo Rida, Good Feeling - Just a fun song, and you can't help but dance to it, even if you are washing dishes.

Maroon 5, Moves Like Jagger - Okay, I guess this was a 2011 song, but I really only started listening to it this year.  This is one of my top songs because we do a kick ass abs routine to it in Zumba class.

So if you want to see me dance in public, come to the San Marcos Activity Center most evenings, but you'll probably regret it.  It has been fun to mix up my usual prog rock and indie rock leanings with some good dance pop, and I hope 2013 brings with it some more awesome hits!




* Anyone who can reference my disdain for this term, and the person associated with it, earns a prize

Out and About (and excited about Christmas)

I was able to walk a little bit around town today, which I was so thankful for!  I walked Jon to and from school, and I also went to the post office (as did the rest of our town, apparently!).  I'm still a bit light headed, but my energy level is really good.  Yesterday, I was still so weak, and some of our friends offered to take Jon home with them after church, so we gratefully accepted, and I came home and slept all afternoon!  Since I felt much better today, I'm hoping this means the iron is kicking in, and I'm on the mend.  On the way to pick up Jon this afternoon, I was feeling so good that I contemplated going to my aerobics class Tuesday morning.  Then I stopped to wait for a walk signal, and felt my heart beating super fast and sucked some air...just from walking down the street, so I think I'll wait a little bit on the aerobics classes : )

In other news, I am super excited about Jon's Christmas present this year!  We have ordered him a push bike, and I think he's really going to like it : )  We were able to get it from a locally owned bike shop on our town square, so I feel good about supporting workers in our town.  We pick it up on Sunday, and I'm not sure how we're going to hide it from Jon in our tiny apartment for two days...any ideas?  Jonathan's present also came in the mail today.  It's more utilitarian than fun, but I think he'll like it all the same.  My present was a new phone, and it is already in use...but Jonathan is going to wrap up the box so I have something to open up on Christmas morning : )

Time to go heat up dinner.  Our friends from church have showered us with meals since I came home from the hospital - we are so blessed!

Another long week

Hello friends,

I've spoken to many of you directly, but I did want to share this with my far away friends.  We had another miscarriage last week.  Similar to last time, the baby stopped growing around 6 weeks and did not have a heartbeat when I was checked at what should have been 8 weeks.  Different from last time, I experienced significant contractions and excessive bleeding that led to going to the ER Sunday night.  I fainted once we made it to the ER, and I ended up needing emergency surgery to complete the miscarriage and stop the bleeding.  My wonderful mother drove down Monday morning and has been with us all week, since I have been very lightheaded and weak.  I'm most likely anemic from the blood loss, so I'm taking iron supplements in addition to my other medications.  Hopefully I'll be able to be out and about soon.

We are still in the grieving process, and as I get healthier, I am facing trying to get back to the status quo, but without the hope of a baby in the summer.  I realize that in the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut today, our loss seems insignificant.  We are very thankful for Jon, and very thankful for all the love and support sent our way.  We are seeking God's will as we want our family to grow, and we are reliant on his timing and his sovereignty in our lives.

Just wanted to share our lives with our friends.  I'm hoping all of you have a happy, blessed Christmas!

It's Cold Outside!

Cold weather has finally come to San Marcos!  I am very excited - flannel sheets, sweaters, cute little boys hats, you name it!  Who knows if the cold is here to stay or if it is just a short cold front, but I will take what I can get.

I voted! Have you?

Jonathan and I went to our neighborhood community center this morning to vote!  Jon was very good - he asked several times where we were, what we were doing, and if we were waiting.  He got to sit in Jonathan's lap at the voting machine, and if I hadn't been afraid that it was against the rules, I would have taken a picture of it - very sweet.  After Jonathan voted, Jon hung onto my leg while I voted.  I told him that it is very important to participate in the election to choose who will run our government. 

Since we're in Texas, one could argue my votes for president and US Congress didn't matter all that much, but I did it anyway.  I also voted for any of our local officials who said they wanted to put in bike lanes and make our town more pedestrian friendly.

So go out and vote today!  Even if you're a Republican ; )

25 reasons from 25 people who are voting Obama:

1. "The Affordable Care Act is saving my daughter's life."
Stacey, Arizona

2. "Obama is for the vets. He helped us wind down in Iraq, he's improved mental health policy with VA benefits."
Joel, Minnesota

3. "Obama stuck his neck out for us, the auto industry. He wasn't going to let it just die, and I'm driving in this morning because of that, because of him."
Brian, Ohio

4. "Osama bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive."
Joe Biden, Delaware

5. "Supreme Court Supreme Court Supreme Court."
Andrew, California

6. "Arithmetic."
Bill Clinton, New York

7. "He cares for the 100 percent."
Shana, Texas

8. "When Obama came into office, he successfully renewed our country's place in the community of nations, making cooperation in tackling the world's challenges possible."
Willis, North Carolina

9. "The actions he has taken with respect to protecting us from terrorism have been very, very solid."
Colin Powell, Virginia

10. "I was really very grateful to him for standing up for those kids who are having a really rough time out there because of their orientation."
Jane Lynch, California

11. "For me, President Obama is our best choice because he has a vision of the United States as a place where we are all in this together."
Bruce Springsteen, New Jersey

12. "He has a real plan for rescuing the economy that passes the 'math' test."
Teresa, Virginia

13. "Having someone in office who understands how powerful our voice can be is very important."
Jay Z, New York

14. "I am voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden because I can trust them to care for the middle class and restore the American dream."
Steven, Florida

15. "The first measure he signed into law after becoming president was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act -- so a female high school counselor or physical education teacher can fight for equal pay for equal work."
Connie Britton, California

16. "I believe in the America he wants for my grandchildren."
Nancy, Michigan

17. "We need four more years of repair, of helping the middle class achieve a sustainable economy."
James Taylor, North Carolina

18. "I've watched him fight for our country, stand by the middle class, the working class, the military, the education of our children, universal health care, women, the environment, and matters of national and domestic security."
Susan, Virginia

19. "The gifted 12-year-old I taught, whose parents were deported and left her here with her grandmother, will be allowed to stay and finish her education. She's been in the U.S. since age one."
Jamie, North Carolina

20. "I want our president to place scientific evidence and risk management above electoral politics."
Michael Bloomberg, New York

21. "I have four children who are under 26 and able to stay on my health care plan. That's been huge."
Amy, Pennsylvania

22. "He's fighting to defend and better Social Security and Medicare -- because millions of Latino seniors rely on them."
Cristina Saralegui, Florida

23. "Thanks to the President's efforts to keep student loan rates low, I can expect to save nearly $1000 as I work to repay my student loans. And I don't have too many of those, thanks to the Federal Pell Grant program."
Sam, Minnesota

24. "It's been wonderful to have President Obama as a champion for access to health care for all women in this country."
Cecile Richards, New York

25. "Re-electing Barack Obama would lead to a stronger economic recovery than would be the case were Mitt Romney to win on November 6th."
Jared Bernstein, Washington, D.C.


http://my.barackobama.com/25-Reasons

Trick or Treat!

Jon's first trick or treating experience was a success!  He said "trick or treat" and "thank you" to all of the neighbors, and he wasn't scared of the scores of zombies we saw.  He also had his first lollipop! 

Hope everyone else had a Happy Halloween!

Quick update

Life continues on at a steady pace here in San Marcos!  I have been helping out at Jon's school a bit more this semester, although my sweet husband yesterday said that maybe I should learn to say 'no' more.  Was that because I was crying on a Friday afternoon because my son was refusing to take a nap for the 6th consecutive day, and I had not been able to get my monumental list of weekly to-do's done?  Probably.  Oh well, I constantly struggle with trying to get everything done and live up to the expectations I put on myself as a stay at home mother.  Seriously, I don't know how families with bunches of kids and/or two full-time working parents manage it - I am in awe!

Here are a few moments from our home over the past couple of weeks:

Jon likes to wear his drum as a helmet, and he thinks he's pretty cool.  One day he said that now that he has a helmet, he can ride a bike like a big boy!  We'll see : )  I have thought about investing in a balance bike, as it seems to ease the transition into big kid bike.  Anyone had experience with them?

Our first LEGO gun.  *sigh*

Reading with Daddy - one of the few moments in the day when he is still (though he is playing with LEGO blocks while he listens to the story)!

A few sweet moments

I am mostly recording this here as a reminder for my future self, but I hope you get a kick out of these moments as well.  As an almost 3 year old, Jon definitely has his challenging days, but he is also so incredibly sweet, curious, and happy!  Here are some moments I have enjoyed this week:

- "I...K...hey!  That spells IKEA!" reading from the bottom of his breakfast plate on Saturday.  I nearly cried, and had to call the grandparents.  His first word to read on his own, and it is the name of a store...

- "This little piggy went to Target..."  Oops...I guess he really does love his stores, doesn't he?

- "Mama, work this puzzle with me on the couch," or "Mama, come play with me, please," or "Mama, you can't do the laundry. You have to play with me." 

- "Where did my penny go?  Maybe I wost it."  He has a toy penny.  Yes, I know it is a choking risk, but he is kind of past putting random things in his mouth, and he LOVES to play with that penny. 

- "Is Sigma so cute, Mama?  I love her!"  "Is that Mr. Knecht? (at church)  I love Mr. Knecht!"  "Is that Snoopy and Woodstock?  I love Snoopy and Woodstock!"  Pretty much any "Is that ____?  I love ____!"

- "Where do we go on Tuesday?"  Often at the breakfast table, we talk about the day to come.  This morning, he started the conversation, and I was so impressed he knew that is Tuesday.  It may have been a coincidence, of course!

First cool day

I know we'll probably crank the AC back on any day now, but I am so enjoying the cooler weather that we've had this weekend.  I am sitting in my apartment with all of the windows open, finally getting to use the screen door we installed in June.  My run this morning was a breeze in the 70 degrees.  Hope everyone else is enjoying the beginning of Fall!

Sunshine!

Yesterday, the walls were closing in on me!  Jon woke up with hives all over him, which meant staying home from preschool, spending half the morning on the phone (Jonathan, pediatrician, trying to find a friend to watch Jon while I went to the dentist, the dentist to reschedule my appt for the 2nd time due to Jon being sick, all of the places we went on Tuesday to see if they had cleaned carpets/used bug spray over the long weekend), double washing all of his clothes and bedding in case the new stain pretreater I started using two weeks ago was the culprit, and in general not spending my day the way I had planned.  When I took the trash and recycling out last night at 10 p.m., I realized that was the first time I had been out of the apartment all day! 

So today, I was thrilled that Jon's hives were mostly gone when he woke up, and I had a list of errands to run.  We walked to the bank, the post office, preschool to pay tuition (where Jon was quite disappointed he didn't get to stay), Chipotle for a veggie filled lunch, and then back home.  The sunshine was amazing!  I love living right by our little town square, so we can walk almost everywhere.  If Jon was old enough to do all that walking without the stroller, we would have made a quick trip to the grocery store, too.  He is a good walker - last week I needed to get one of the stroller tires replaced, and he walked with me while I pushed to stroller with the flat tire all the way to the bike shop (about a third of a mile), then to the grocery store.  But I think two walking errands are his max at this point. 

Now I'm full of vitamin D and ready to tackle the rest of my day!

A Narrow Escape From the Roaring Fires

This is an amazing story of how one man survived the wildfires in our area last year.  I heard it on the radio this morning, and just had to share it.  

A Narrow Escape From the Roaring Fires

San Marcos Tradition #27

Grocery store trip the day before school starts!

Most of us avoid the grocery store during peak hours, especially if you are like me and go to a tiny store.  My grocery store, affectionately called "little HEB" by locals, is just a little bit bigger than the Midtown Schnuck's, for my Memphis friends.  Despite the crowds, though, one of my favorite days to go to HEB is the day before school starts.  For the people watching : )  New college first years, with their deer-in-the-headlights look, push carts as their moms or dads drop in bread and mayonnaise and frozen pizza.  It's very cute and a lot of fun to watch.  Although yesterday I was caught in an aisle with four pint-sized sorority girls trying to decide which flavors of Snak Paks to get. 

Second to the pre-class grocery store trip is the Target trip.  You don't get quite the sense of urgency of the students, though, since it is not such close quarters.

Just enjoying the silly things I do while living in a college town!

Small victory!

This morning I successfully went down one size in jeans! (We were serving in nursery, and at this church, I wear jeans when I'm on nursery duty!)  I haven't been a size 12 since before Jon, and I'm super pumped.  Earlier in the summer, I was diagnosed with poly cystic ovarian syndrome, and put on some medication and diet restrictions.  The PCOS may have contributed to the miscarriage, definitely makes it hard to conceive, and along with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and uterine cancer...let's just say I have been following doctor's orders.  I have joked in the past with friends that I needed a kick in the butt to make behavioral changes, and I definitely have it now!  Kudos to all of you who stay size 6 or 8 without a medical diagnosis : )  I need a professional to tell me that chocolate chip cookies really are a sometimes food! 

Although I have been exercising nearly everyday at our town rec center this Summer, I haven't been running in the heat.  Watching all of the track coverage for the Olympics is making me want to run, though, and I have been toying with the idea of trying for an October half marathon.  Jonathan starts back to work tomorrow, so I'll have a bit more of schedule during the day, and maybe I can take Jon out for a run when Jonathan leaves for work in the morning. 

So excited to see some external proof of my work in my jeans size, so I suppose setting a running goal is next!