Not much going on...

It has been a few weeks since I've posted and I always look forward to other people's new posts... so I am going to post despite the title I have chosen. We have three more weeks here in Charlotte. It has been good to be here, but it has also been kind of a weird time. It kind of feels like Groundhog's Day (the movie) but instead of just a day - we just do the same week over and over. We don't have a car - so we are limited to a few select activities: grocery store, working out and hanging out in our apartment. It is quite a contrast from the busy NYC lifestyle - so I should appreciate it while I can. I am suprisingly slightly looking forward to going back to New York. We only have a few more months there, so it will be fun to see our friends there and eat and all the yummy places again before we go for good.

We did change things up a bit this weekend, though! We rented a car and drove to Raleigh, NC to visit one of Brett's friends and his wife: Decker and Christine Smith. It was great to get out of town and to visit them. So, thanks to them for a great weekend!

This week there is another change in the line-up: I get my glucose test! Yay - I have heard great things about the orange stuff you get to drink and I always love getting my blood taken :) Not really... I am kind of like a little kid and make the nurse say comforting things to me before sticking the needle in my arm. It is all for a good cause though!

I will wrap it up now, even though I am sure you are all rivited by the goings on in Charlotte, NC. Monotony aside, we are grateful to be here and are very glad to have had this experience!

The Belly has Arrived!

So my belly has popped, my friends... and I don't know how I feel about it. I am very glad that I look more on the prego side then on the "is she?" side, but it is so strange to have your body change so fast. I hardly recognize myself. I had Brett retake this about 3 times and finally just decided to post this one after he told me to stop over-analyzing :). So, this is me now at 23 weeks along! I just have to accept it and get ready to continue to grow! Pregnancy is quite an adventure that's for sure. I think that I am finally starting to feel like I am pregnant. Up to this point, I have been able to exercise with no problem. Now, I am having to walk-run more than run and am having a little trouble sleeping. I think that the uncomfortable sleeping is just nature's way of preparing mommy to be for all of the sleepless nights ahead. I can't wait :)!

Happy Birthday to Brett!

So, I am married to a 28 year old man now... weird! Brett's birthday was yesterday and unfotunatley it was probably one of the more boring birthdays he has had... except for the time when his mom and dad forgot that it was his birthday when he was 15 :)... poor kid - I guess that's what happens when you are the youngest! I actually was in CA for that last week baby shopping with my mom! We got lots and lots of blue stuff! I think that I am going to start a new business making baby boy clothes - why do they all have to have dogs and reptiles and tools all over them? Can't we get just some basic colors or stipes? It is probably good we are having a boy first when we are poor graduate students... I am not as tempted to buy clothes. Anyway... back to the man of the hour. I got back the night before the big b-day, so it was a fun reunion. Brett had to go to work early, so he worked then we went to dinner and came home and watched a movie. I did make a chocolate cake that was supposed to be like Linda's Fudge cake from Cheesecake Factory...supposed to being the key phrase. It was acutally pretty good, though. We have A lOT of cake as a result of being in a place where we have not many friends to come help us eat it... we'd better make some in the next few days before the cake goes bad! So, that was it for the celebration. It was great to be together again after being apart for almost a week and I must say I am very happy that Brett was born! He is such a great husband and friend to me. So happy birthday to him!

Yes, that is a grocery cart in our apartment!

So, funny story - to us at least. We live about a block from a grocery store called Harris Teeter, which we like to call Harris "Tweeter". We went to the store on Saturday and realized we bought too much to carry it all home (we are carless). So we just snuck out with the cart and walked home. We took it up the elevator and into our apartment - unloaded and then took it back later. We were laughing the whole time because we felt a little white trash and we got some funny looks from people. But it was quite nice actually. I think it might become a weekly thing if we can get away with it. Sometimes they have security guards by the doors, and I don't know how they would feel about us walking off with one of their carts...

Charlotte!

We are now in Charlotte for the summer. Brett is an intern for Bank of America for the next 10 weeks. He really likes it a lot. He is a learning consultant... I don't know exactly what he does, but he gets paid and likes it, so it is all good! We are living right downtown - well, they call it uptown here - so it is kinda like being in NYC, but there is not as much going on. The bank put us up in a great apartment that we like a lot. We have laundry and a bedroom, a regular bed, a walk in closet - it is heaven! Brett can walk to work, so that is nice. I am nannying for the summer. It is definitely something to keep me occupied. This weekend we decided to take a little road trip. We are hoping to take quite a few this summer. We went up into the Blue Ridge Mountains... and camped. I must really love Brett to have done that :). I am not a camper, but marriage is about compromise, so I have to do it once in a while. We didn't really camp I guess - we slept in our car at a KOA. We did have a campfire though. We woke up really early Saturday and went mountain biking - quite a feat for a pregant lady - to a lake and walked around downtown Asheville. We stayed with Brett's cousin Saturday night, went to church Sunday and then came home. It was a great trip. I guess compromise isn't so bad.... Our next trip is to a beach though. :)

Random

Here are some random pics from our trip

1. Christie and I went on a sister date with Lorraine and her little sis. We went and had tea... herbal, of course!

2. So, one of the things that we need to buy whenever we are not poor students anymore is luggage! Brett's bag fell apart in the airport and we had to tape it back together!

3. Alvera ( I don't know how to spell it) Street in LA.

Also for a random side note, Brett and I saw the musical Wicked in LA. It was AWESOME! Probably my favorite ever. I encourage all those who can to see it!

The Elder Whites are home!

After spending the last 2 years counting down the months, weeks, days and finally minutes, my 2 brothers returned in all their glory from thier missions. Brett and I got to visit his brother and sister in law and their 2 cute girls in Denver, then spent about 10 days in UT with the rest of the Andersen fam and got to CA 2 days before the big return. Michael came home on Monday the 21st. It was so fun to go to the airport with our signs and balloons and pick him up. I think that he was a little shell shocked to be home and we just spend the whole day just watching him and listening to him talk. It is like when there is a baby in the house - you can just watch it and be entertained... that is how Michael mus have felt. Then we got to do it all over agian on Wednesday for Danny! It was awesome to do the airport thing twice. It was amazing to see my brothers all grown up. I mean, they are very much the same, but there is a maturity and a spirituality that was not there before. It is pretty cool to see. Brett and I were in CA for 3 weeks, so we just hung out with the bros the whole time. We had a great time... I think they were a little tired of not doing much, but we had fun just hanging out.

We have an announcement to make....

Ok, so most of you know already, but we will make it offical with a post... we are having a baby! The offical due date is November 23, 2007 - so I am about 18 weeks along. However, when I went to the doctor in Charlotte for the first time, they didn't have my medical records and informed me that my due date is November 9th. I would love my due date to be the 9th, but my mom is pretty sure that they are wrong - and encouraged me to get a doctor that can do math - so Nov. 23rd it is! The first 6 weeks were great - then week 7 hit and I all of the sudden didn't like food anymore. It was the weirdest thing - I LOVE food - so when I couldn't even smell it, I knew that I was not just fake pregnant. I hated anyting that smelled like anything, too. When Brett would come in from school I would make him change his shower, change his clothes and brush his teeth before even coming close to me! OK, I didn't have him so all that, but I would have him change his clothes. For those of you who have been in NYC - it often smells bad, so those smells would come in with Brett. Anyway, I am doing much better now and again like food except for salad. I have posted some pictures of my belly - the first is at 16 weeks comparing my belly to my brother Michael's belly and the 2nd was today - so 18 weeks. I think that I have grown quite a bit in the last 2 weeks, but I still don't look pregnant. I just look fat. So, it will be nice when I am past this stage( at least I think so now - some 9 month pregnant ladies might inform me otherwise). In conclusion, Brett and I are very excited about our upcoming adventure and would love any parenting advice you can give!

It has been way too long!

And far too much has happened! So because so much has happened I am going to do 2 or three mini posts instead of one HUGE one because it will be eaiser to read... so get a snack, find a comfy place to sit and get ready to read... that is if you care enough to really do those things!

Commercial Debut

Who would have ever thought that moving to New York would kick start my acting career! I did my first commerical a few weeks ago and I think it is pretty good - I just might get an award for it :). OK really, my cousin who works at an optical shop knew I wasn't doing anything that day so she roped me in to help out her boss. How could I pass up being on a commercial on citysearch.com! Just don't blink when you watch it... you might miss my magical preformance!http://http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7087966/new_york_ny/devonshire_optical.html