I've been tagged...

so I'm going to tell you fun facts about the whole fam.
ryan...
1- loves the first bite out of a new bottle of peanut butter
2- studies with sunflower seeds and rice cakes
3- is the most well-rounded person i know - he is a skater, redneck, beach boy, geek all rolled into one
4- would think he was in heaven if time stopped on a day off with his family in California and the ocean had suddenly become warm
5-wants to shoot the turkey for thanksgiving this year

christine...
1-likes emptying full lint filters in the dryer
2-takes peeled grapefruit to almost every holiday potluck
3-would think she was in heaven if she woke up living on the ranch in Legends of the Fall (equipped with modern conveniences of course)
4-had a crush on Bobby Flay
5-is currently obsessed with buffalo sauce

bel...
1- likes to eat non-edibles like paper and hair balls from our floor
2- when it comes to edibles she only likes veggies so far - no fruit
3- would think she was in heaven in a room with all kinds of flooring (tile, wood, carpet and lots of different textured rugs - the shaggier the better), with strings hanging from the ceiling, full of electrical cords and toothbrushes to play with
4-can't resist peeing in the open air (like her dad)
5-toots a lot (like her mom)

I tag... Mandy, the Treehouse girls and my parents (that includes Ned and Cindy too - since you don't have blogs you can email it to me for Ryan and I to enjoy).

the many faces of belén

This is the quintessential "Belén nose scrunch" face - it always makes me smile.

Tradeshow Adventures continued

While the glitz, glamour and long days of the tradeshow are fun and rewarding the other half of the good time is the evenings that I got to spend with my dearest friend and "nanny" for the week and our two little gals. Andie was my hero for handling a 2 yr old and a 6 month old on the go in Las Vegas. Here are a few pics of their adventures.




On the last day of the show Andie and I loaded this little double stroller beyond its recommended weight capacity, and while I helped tear down the booth, Andie (aka superwoman) took this heinous cargo through the convention center, as it rapidly turned into a disastrous construction site, to a "nearby" hotel to feed the girls, put them down for naps and take a couple online quizzes for school. This undertaking was not for the faint of heart.
After this exhausting day (preceded by 4 others like it), we were determined to enjoy at least one fun dinner downtown, so we piled ourselves onto the monorail, walked the 2 miles to the Cheesecake Factory and reenergized ourselves with some massive salads, Amelia's leftover mac&cheese and the tantalizing fish aquarium and fire-breathing dragon show at Caesar’s Palace.

This stroller carried: 2 children, a diaper bag, a shopping bag, a throw blanket, an enormous pink breastfeeding/body pillow, a car seat, our leftovers from dinner and yes that is a toilet seat attached to a ladder. It was pushed by 2 chatty girls with b.o. and big smiles carrying oversized backpacks. Needless to say, in the "family friendly" town of Las Vegas, we turned a few heads.
All in all it was a smashing success

Thanks for the memories Andie!

Tradeshow Adventures

I didn't document this nearly as well as I should have, but hopefully it's enough to give you all a little flavor of what our trip was like. Every year I get to go to the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas. It is a massive tradeshow with more than 800 exhibitors spread over 750,000 square feet all selling their baby, children, maternity & parenting goods - it is quite a sight to behold.

This year JJ Cole's booth was in the back corner at least a half mile from the front doors, but well worth the trip, if I may say so myself. Here are a few pics of where we sell current and potential customers on our products and where I meet with magazine editors and other media contacts.

For those of you who are suckers for the details - the centerpiece is beautiful curly sticks and fresh green orchids. The candy in the glass jars below matches the booth and tastes good too: baby blue jordan almonds (eater beware : a gal chipped her tooth on one), smores balls (tasty but not as good as they sound) and giant mint chocolate malt balls (good thing they aren't available in stores near me)

a few things...

...highlighting our life in Kirksville so far.

I totally blackened our potstickers. I figured this was a rite of passage to serve my hardworking, constantly studying husband a really easy to make dinner, almost burnt to oblivion. Don't worry, he still gave me the sincerest what about bob-esque compliments and sound effects about how delicious it was. What a champ.

I went to the farmer's market (yay we have one) It's not quite the california array of produce - as you can see it's the muted midwest version. But yes those are small asian pears and they were scrumptious.

Ryan was glad to learn that we live next door to an avid bow hunter, making our side yard a pre-approved practice range.

Just for the record - he's an amazing shot. Watch out turkeys, hunting season is open and thanksgiving is approaching fast.
We finally got our stroller out of the box - Bel thoroughly enjoyed her first ride.

BEL

Interstate Journey

We have arrived! I guess we've been here a few weeks, but I tend to work a little slower than most. It's kind of a crazy thing to move your life away from familiarity to take advantage of life's opportunities - it is a great journey and an adventure that we are enjoying so far.

This truck contains all our possessions, but I care about these two folks in the perifery the very most of all.

On the road...

Pit stop #1 (of many)... you can see we are all a little happier after a potty break, snack and some fresh air. This overpass provided some nice shade for us to hang out in.

I thought the drive was so neat - it was a beautiful sampling of a few states that I've seen little or nothing of. Bel was always happy to be out of her carseat and got excited about all the pit stops even just to...

watch cars go by...

or to take in the vast expanses of Wyoming sagebrush...

Wyoming has so many long flat plains - these snow drift fences stretch for miles and miles and it really makes for quite the sight.

The Nebraska plateaus are covered with windfarms. Each windmill is so gigantic up close

and let's not forget the cornfields...and the acres of soybeans.

Another big smile for a pit stop in the corn fields

But still miles to go before we sleep.