We just got the news from Brandon's sister....the next addition to the growing Lockwood clan will be a BOY! That is so exciting! We can't wait to meet our nephew in December.
All our love and prayers to Dan, Gabbie, Emma and "nephew."
This may take a month, but I'm bound and determined to get through it...!
So, on Wednesday, Brandon helped Dad with a home improvement project. Lucky guy got to run cable under the house. I even helped some by fetching tools and parts. But, oh my gosh was it HOT!
That night (well early morning), Brandon and I were scheduled to leave by Amtrak for New York City. Of course, the train was running late, so our 3 a.m. departure became a 6 a.m. one. Neither of had ever taken a passenger train, so it was a new experience for both of us. I would probably do it again in the same situation, even though our 10 hour trip turned into over 12. Going by car would have put us more in control, but we would have had to deal with the frustrations of traffic, as well as stopping everytime we needed to stretch our legs. The train gave us the opportunity to catch a few zzz's, watch a movie on the laptop, and walk around when we felt like it.
Anyway, we finally arrived at Penn Station a little after 7 pm. We carried on our personal luggage but checked our bikes. It took about another hour to recover those. Then, in the middle of Penn Station, Brandon and I unpacked the bikes and put them together. Our next task was to ride (with all our belongings on our backs) a couple of miles, in downtown NYC, to our hotel in the East Village. Let's just say it was challenge. I don't think the riding through town was too bad, but add to that 12 hours of traveling, no dinner yet, a new city, and carrying 40 pounds each, it was just a little stressful. But, of course we managed, thanks to Brandon's excellent navigation skills.
Our hotel was a wonderful little bed and coffee, recommended to us by another bike messenger, East Village Bed & Coffee. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a no frills (but, affordable, conveniently located, and very friendly) place to stay. (We stayed in the Children's room.)
To be continued....
I'm so excited! I just got back to my desk from my manager's office. He called me in to give me the official notification of my promotion. I am now a Level 3 Business Planning Analyst! (Wow, when you see the words it looks pretty boring, huh? LOL) No change in my job duties right now, this is a reflection and acknowledgement of the quality of work I am doing. To put a little perspective on it, I've been with the company almost four years. From what I've heard, if you get promoted to this level by five years you're doing pretty good. There are only 5 non-management levels in my job function, so I'm doing pretty darn well. (And it comes with a decent raise...)
Go Christie!
OK, let's see if we can finally get this started...
Recap of our trip to the East Coast....
After a long day of class on Saturday, June 25th, Brandon rushed home to help put the finishing touches on packing. The three of us flew out of Seattle about 10:30pm. Abigael did fabulous on the plane. We were a little worried at first because while we were waiting to take off she started yelling and kicking the seat in front of her. By some miracle, she fell asleep shortly after takeoff (I say miracle, because for Abigael, there is no such thing as "sleeping like a baby.)
We arrived in North Carolina on Sunday morning to the welcoming hugs of Christie's mom and dad. The plan was to spend the next few days relaxing, visiting and letting Grandma and Grandpa get used to taking care of Abigael. (see pic - hanging out with Great Grandma) I think we succeeded with that. Sunday was a day of rest for everyone after the long flight. Monday, our good friend Wes (along with his fiancé), came down from Boone to visit for a few hours. It was so great to see him! Wes, we miss you!!! We've know him almost as long as we've been married, so it was fun to catch up on how far we all have come in life. Also Monday, Abigael and Christie spent some time in the "pool" that Grandma and Grandpa had set up. It took her a little while to get used to, but by the end of the week we had to literally drag her back in the house. The pool was definitely a hit though, especially on those 95 degree days!
Tuesday was more of the same. That evening my parents hosted a get-together in our honor, inviting the extended family over for pizza and a chance to visit with Brandon, Abigael, and I. I grew up around this huge family, but I almost forgot how loud and boisterous they can be. It was a lot of fun. And then there was the great surprise we got that day. Brandon's folks called us up and said they were currently driving from Washington, D.C. down to South Carolina, would it work out if they tried to stop by? Of course! They were able to stay for a few hours and see Abigael. Speaking of Brandon's parents...we're so excited that his Mom is coming to visit us in a couple of weeks. She and Abigael will get a chance to get to know each other a little better and spend some quality time together.
Sorry everyone that we haven't posted recently. It's been super busy. Of course, you know we were gone on vacation for almost two weeks. We intended on posting during that time, but we were too busy having fun! By the way, we had a great time, but more on that later.
We arrived back home in Seattle last Thursday. The next day our good friends from Spokane, Eric and Nikki, came to spend the weekend, along with their three boys. Talk about a house full of babies...Along with Abigael, there was a Noah, the five year old, and the six week old twins, Zack and Drew. Abigael and Noah had a blast together. She learned so much from him in just a couple of days. He's going to be a great big brother. Brandon and I had a nice visit with Eric and Nikki, and they were able to get away from the pressures of home and work for a couple of days. We can't wait to see them again.
Anyway, I just wanted to make a short post so that everyone knows we're still around. As soon as I can sit down again, I'll tell you about our vacation and hopefully get a few pictures up.
Take care!
