My little lunch date

Emilie and I ventured to Methodist over lunch to meet our new little buddy: Jackson Kieth Seger. Jackson arrived last night at 5:44 weighing in at eight pounds, three ounces. He, mom and dad are all doing well! He is absolutely precious and I'm thrilled for the Segers. Kind of makes me tear up when I think back to when I met Michelle - in Mrs. Meeker's 5th grade class - and how fast the years have gone.

Enjoy these photos of the little one.

Also thought you'd enjoy a photo of the sleeping arrangements at our house last night (minus me). We watched Berkley Seger last night so we could take her to Bark Avenue today. She and Macy are having a great time being roomies! So much in fact I dropped their hound hineys off at Bark Ave. at 6:40 this morning (they open at 6:30) and as Brian said, "Wendy will probably pick them up at 6:29:30 tonight." (They close at 6:30.) Just want to make sure we and the Segers are getting our money worth :-)

Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear T Fitch,
Happy Birthday to you.

Dear John

Just say what you need to say already. Your song is driving me bonkers!

Your listener,
Wendy

There's Gonna be a Widdle Won!

Michelle and Brian are at the hospital and by the sounds of it baby Seger will be arriving today! Good choice poppin' out today, little one. You're gonna be a Virgo like your aunt Wendy!

In all seriousness, I can't concentrate because I keep thinking about what's going on! I can't wait to hear about the newest addition ... thinking about you, Segers!

Such a sad story

Bellevue man accused of beating his dog with golf club
BY RICHARD EGAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A Bellevue man used a golf club to beat his rat terrier because it wouldn't stop barking.

The dog's injuries were so severe that it was euthanized.

Carson Smith Sr., 41, of 1416 St. Joachin Court, was ticketed Sunday night by the Nebraska Humane Society on suspicion of animal cruelty.

Smith was cited on suspicion of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Mark Langan of the Humane Society said he forwarded a report of the incident to the Sarpy County Attorney's Office, which will decide whether to upgrade the charge to a felony punishable by up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Langan said Smith got angry when his dog, Sam, wouldn't stop barking. Smith struck the dog on the head with a golf club, causing massive skull and brain injuries. The family rushed Sam to a veterinarian's office. The dog had to be euthanized at 3:30 p.m.

Langan said Smith was with the family at the veterinarian's office and was remorseful about the incident.

Langan encouraged pet owners to call the Humane Society's behavior hot line (444-7800, ext. 221) if they become frustrated with their dogs.

"People can get help from professionals about behavioral issues like barking, showing aggression or house training," Langan said. "We have great success. He (Carson) chose the wrong alternative and was criminally and morally wrong."

My Weekend Totally Sucked

Literally.

It's been sneezefest 2008 for me the last few weeks. I'm sure part of it has to do with the crap in the air (hayfever), but I am sure the amount of dust in the Fitch household was also a contributing factor. So, yesterday I said sayonara dust and busted out the Dyson.

I'm obsessed with the thing and thank the Hites for introducing us to such a sucky vacuum.

I started with our room and bathroom and spent two hours in those two areas only. The Dyson dominated the blinds, the ceiling fan, lamp shades, air vents, an artificial plant and other places where dust was inconspicuously hiding. I took a photo of how much crap the vacuum pulled up - and that was before vacuuming the carpet or the bathroom.

It
Was
Nasty.

I don't know if it's a good thing the Dyson was able to suck up that much dust or if it's a bad thing there was that much dust in our room.

Vacuuming might not sound like that exciting of a weekend, but in reality it was exactly what I wanted to do. Being that this was my first weekend home in five weeks (Boston Aug. 14-17, Cleveland August 21-24, Denver Aug. 29-31, Michigan Sept. 4-7 and KC Sept. 13-14) I was looking forward to a productive weekend. We purged cabinets and closets and cleaned the garage. Macy got groomed. We visited TCBY. We moved dangerously close to buying a new car. I worked Secure Your ID Day. We hosted an impromptu BBQ Saturday night.* It was a great weekend!

*One of the highlights of the BBQ was that the Neals came. It's so fun that they live in Omaha and can just swing by! Plus, they brought Stella, the world's happiest baby. Josh, Shannon, Emilie and Eric and Michelle and Brian came by too - it was great to see Shel...might just be the last time we see here prego! Baby Seger is coming any day now!!

Day at the Spaw

Didn't my new groomer do such a great job? Thanks for the referral, Ellie.

But man, getting beautiful is such tough work.

Yo to the Yo

It's Friday. It's 4:20. You know what that means. Time to blog.

It's been a good week. Has flown by actually. Last night we went to the MicroBrew HaHa, a benefit for Habitat for Humaity. It was a good time. Decent beers (I prefer my Mich Ultra over really dark MicroBrews) and a host of great restaurants, including Ms Pub, Flemings and Liberty Tavern. The weather was beautiful-I encourage all three of you who read this blog to go next year.

We have a pretty low-key weekend planned. I have a work event early tomorrow morning so we've decided to stay in tonight. After traveling for five weekends in a row (count 'em five) I'm looking forward to a Friday AND Saturday night in my own bed getting pestered by Macy.

Peace out reada.

Because $25 for the second bag wasn't enough

United Airlines is doubling its fee for a second checked bag from $25.00 to $50.00. The charge goes into effect today for travel beginning November 10 and applies to tickets for flights within the U.S. or to or from Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.*

If you have two bags you might as well just add $100 onto your ticket price.

Unbelievable.

*This annoying update brought to you courtesy of The Boston Globe.

I just felt like a total nerd

taking this photo of my office. And of course the freelancer walked by right as I was taking it. But I had too many requests to see what my office space is like. Kidding. I just think it's cool so I had to share. We're adding on - hence the sheets of plastic. I have a great view of the Woodmen Tower, First National Building and other downtown monuments. It's pretty nice to be able to peer out the window when I am blowing my nose or stretching or what have you. With the addition, I don't know if I am staying in this space or not - which is why it looks a little drab right now. Just wait until I bring in my boxes of crap and brighten up my office! Is a valance in an office too much?

For all you baby Mamas out there

I was on Bed Bath and Beyond's Web site looking for a wedding registry and noticed they now carry baby items. I perused; they have some cute stuff. If you're into that kind of thing.

How 'bout them Apples

Trevor got me a new iPod for my birthday. I had the original old school iPod and he upgraded me to a video iPod. I'm excited about it.

He bought it SUNDAY. That's not capitalized to emphasize that he bought it on my actual birthday. It's capitalized because TODAY Steve Jobs announced a new line of iPods. Today. Two days later. My brand-spanking-new-although-opened-but-still-without-music-iPod is already outdated.

I have a rotten Apple.

Getting a Wii Bit Fit

We broke out the Wii Fit last night. I'm pretty obsessed with it...especially since it weighed me and said I'm about 20 lbs. less than I actually am. So the scale on the balance board isn't exactly right...

Anyhoo, I got quite the ab workout from the Wii Fit. Not from the exercises per say but from laughing while watching TFitch yoga. It was damn funny.

Congratulations Amy and Brad

A very special friend of mine got married over the weekend: Amy Hartfelder. I met Amy in 1991…not at the usual place a 5^th grader would meet a new friend – like school or softball or church. (Yes we went to church back then.) We met the Hartfelder family in 1991 at Kennedy Space Center. Random? A bit.

We were visiting Cape Canaveral because the weather that day was rainy and dreary (typical for a Floridian March.) Kalin, a 1^st grader, was adamant about sitting in the front row on the top deck of the double-decker bus and, because of his running and probably pushing old folks aside, he got his wish. Sitting next to us was another family of four. One thing led to another and my parents got to talking to the parents of the other family. Turns out they were going on the same cruise as us the next day – the Big Red Boat – and staying at the SAME hotel after the cruise – the Disney Inn. Most importantly, the four adults also learned they were all big fans of Bud Light. To make things more ironic – they figured out Amy and I were born five days apart.

Amy and I never talked that day, but I did kind of stalk her. She had these enormously high bangs and I thought she was SO cool. Every time she got off the bus to take a picture, I asked my parents for the camera and followed her. Apparently I was a weird kid.

The next day we boarded the S/S Majestic and not 20 minutes after we checked into our cabin there was a knock at our door. It was Amy, and her cousin Amanda whose family had joined them on the cruise. We’ve been friends ever since that knock on the door. For several years when we were young I would fly to Michigan and Amy would fly back to Omaha with me. Her family has been to Omaha several times; including for my wedding and my parents’ 40^th AND 50^th birthday parties. My family has been to Michigan, numerous times including for Amy’s graduation from Central Michigan. (We were supposed to go to her brother’s wedding, which was 9/15/01. I will let you guess why we weren’t able to attend.) Our families have been to Chicago, Toronto and Lake of the Ozarks together. It’s truly a friendship of fate. And while we don’t see each other as frequently anymore, it’s a friendship that picks up right where we left off.

We were thrilled to be at the Hartfelder/Reuther wedding. It was a gorgeous event and I wish Brad and Amy a lifetime of happiness!

Below: The gang at the rehearsal dinner (minus Trevor & Kalin who were unable to attend)

Happy Birthday to Wii

I got a Wii Fit for my birthday. I'm so pumped!!

In the words of Dave Matthews, "So Much to Say"

It's been over a week since I last blogged and I think something exciting has happened each day since. I witnessed my last Breast Cancer 3-Day event as a member of the event's PR team. I began a new job. I attended one of my best friends' weddings in Denver. I met my second cousin for the second time ever. I attended the best movie ever: "Mama Mia: the Sing-a-long." Needless to say there hasn't been a lot of time to blog. So let's catch-up.

I attended the Cleveland Breast Cancer 3-Day August 21-24. Cleveland is the biggest shit hole I have ever been to. Just going to throw that out there; that is really beside the point. The Cleveland Breast Cancer 3-Day was an interesting one to say the least. Getting asked to dinner by a reporter. Stung by a bee on my finger. Hal Sparks and Dr. Roizen. The list goes on and on. There was a huge surprise at the Cleveland Breast Cancer 3-Day though, when I went to a "meeting" behind the closing ceremony stage and it really was "Wendyfest 2008" as my clients and partners affectionately named it. They had a little going away celebration for me and it meant so, so very much. I'm looking forward to walking in 2009 (probably in Denver - I already have one walking buddy!) to see them all again!

I started my new job as a Public Relations Account Executive at Bailey Lauerman August 26. I really, really am enjoy it and feel I am adapting well. I think being in a smaller office makes it easier to get to know everyone and the surroundings better and quicker. I've jumped right into projects, including assisting with press conferences in Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney and assisting with media relations for today's BBB Integrity Awards in Lincoln. So far, so good!!!!

Kristi and Andy were married in Denver Labor Day weekend and it was such a fun and beautiful event. I could go on and on about how memorable their wedding was. I thank them for letting me be a part of their special day and wish them many, many years of happiness. The PG photos have been posted here. 

My cousin Olivia was in town with her son, Micah. He turned one in March and I've only met him once before this time (totally unacceptable! Austin is just too far.) My aunt and uncle were in town for my aunt's 50th birthday so we had some quality family time at Tanners - of course we'd meet at a bar. We see each other so rarely; I love the times when we are able to get together.  

I just got back from by far the best movie ever: "Mama Mia: the Sing-a-long." Emilie and I saw it with six of our closest friends. Really it some sucker-of-a-guy who was roped into seeing it with his girlfriend/wife/date and a group of four women who had admitted to margaritas beforehand. One in particular was a "dancing queen." I snapped a picture of her on my camera phone but I'm still trying to figure out some features of the Mac and can't download it. Rats.

I'm sitting here now watching Tina Fey speak. Oh wait, that's Sarah Palin. They have an amazing resemblance. 

Tomorrow it's off to Michigan for Miss Amy Hartfelder's wedding ... which reminds me I better get to packing!!

Today

Today the Rameys welcomed baby boy Everett to their family. WOO!

Today was my last day in the Barkley office. BOO.

I'm not going to lie, walking out of Barkley this morning totally sucked. Barkley has been a huge part of my life for the past five years, two months and 20 days. That's a long time. In that time I've went from Account Manager to Senior Account Manager to Account Supervisor. I moved from Omaha to Kansas City. I went from Hicks to Fitch. I tooled around on Organized Living, Learning Quest, Ameristar, Blue Bunny, Payless, and the Breast Cancer 3-Day. And most importantly several colleagues turned into lifelong friends. It was extremely hard to say good-bye to everyone this morning and I already miss them.

I am very, very excited to start at BL on Tuesday and I know making the move from Barkley to Bailey was the right decision. But it still doesn't make leaving my friends and colleagues at Barkley any easier. Will I stop tearing up? Cause it feels like that is all I have been doing today.

Rolling Stone Article

The Heavy Soul fellas brought this article on the Von Maur shootings to my attention.

This article disturbs me for several reasons.

First, one commenter to the article and blogger points out that in the hard copy the pages are splattered with red ink to represent blood. How distasteful Rolling Stone, seriously.

Second, I realize Hawkins had a horrible childhood. I really do. But what about the people that grow up with terrible childhoods and turn out better than fine? Those that were abused as kids that grow up to be successful? Where are the seven page stories about those individuals and their achievements? I don't understand what the writer is trying to get across in this article. Is he trying to say that Hawkins did this and is excused for doing this because his life was so shitty growing up. (Newsflash - Hawkins continued to make poor decisions throughout his life, in drugs, infidelity, etc.) Really, is that an excuse? Is he trying to place blame on the parents? Do they need to be tried on murder charges? Yes, he was a troubled man. But you didn't need to point that out Mark Boal. We knew he was troubled by what he did December 5, 2007. Thanks for writing about the obvious.

Third, the comment about Hawkins having to get a job at McDonalds because the Nebraska farming industry was so poor is just bogus.

Fourth. The description Mark Boal, who I am beginning to dislike more and more, portrayed after Von Maur's reopening is just sick. As I commented on the Heavy Soul site: "the reponening of Von Maur after the shootings was not about making up for lost profits for the holiday season. It was about helping a community move on and cope with what they dealt with. Knowing a Von Maur associate, who was at the store during the shootings and right next to one of the victims, I applaud Von Maur for how they handled this situation and how they treated their employees and victims' families. Also, less Mr. Boal forget about the reopening ceremony of the event where wreaths were placed at the store's entrance in memory of the victims. And the fact that hundreds of people made a memorial outside of the store with signs, snowflakes, cards, posters, etc. and that, once those items had to be removed, they were boxed up and placed in large plastic tubs and kept - not thrown away - shows that the support Omaha showed for the victims, the community and one another, was not taken lightly. And if he'd go to the store now he'd see a plaque hanging in the store listing the victim's names."

And finally - the stupid writer saying the Von Maur shootings have been forgotten about. Just because something is no longer in the news every single day does not mean it has been forgotten about. The country's most prolific terrorist act, 9/11, isn't in the news every day. Does that mean we forgot about what happened that September day? No. The Von Maur is the biggest incident in Nebraska in 50 years. Things like that do NOT go unforgotten.

Muffin Top

Trevor and I saw this commercial Friday night and we were dying. Check it out HERE.

8.8.08

Today marks the beginning of one of the most impressive events in the world - and I am not talking about the Olympic games. Today the 2008 Breast Cancer 3-Day Series kicked off in Chicago. This morning nearly 2,000 men and women attended Opening Ceremonies for the first of 14 three-day, 60 mile walks taking place through November.  

The Chicago Breast Cancer 3-Day holds a special place in my heart as that is the event I participated in three seasons ago with Michelle, Lizzie and Shannon. 

To most walkers, the Breast Cancer 3-Day is their Olympics. For months, participants have trained for the life-changing event. For many, walking 60 miles and raising $2,200 is the biggest accomplishment of their lives. And each will receive a gold medal, which is knowing they are making a personal difference in the fight against breast cancer. Honestly, the only real difference between the Breast Cancer 3-Day and the Olympics is that Matt and Meredith were in Beijing this morning - not Chicago :-). 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the importance of the Olympic games starting. I got goose bumps watching "Today" this morning just hearing the Olympic games theme song and stories of Michael Phelps, Dawn Johnson and other amazing athletes preparing to set world records and achieve personal victories. Macy is really enjoying that I am walking around the house this morning singing "God Bless the USA." 

8.8.08 is a day people around the world have been anticipating for years. And with that, good luck to the pink, red, white and blue.  

PS: Happy 28th Josh!

Today is August 7

which not only means it's Heartguard day for Macy, it also means one month 'til my birthday!

My eyes are watering a bit

I was in college, living at 616 N. 16th Street (aka the Kappa house in Lincoln), when the Anthrax scare was going on. Our house mom Carol really wanted us all to wear gloves and masks when we got the mail - which was kind of funny. Anyway, I just watched this video and it freaked me out a bit.

Countdown 'til Baby Seger Arrives

Brian and Michelle will be welcoming a little one at the end of September. Over the weekend Annie, Shannon, Emilie, Megan, Denise and I hosted a shower at Roja to prepare them for baby Seger. It was a great shower. The venue was perfect and complemented the brightly-colored theme we had going on, and the margs (regular and non-alcoholic) were refreshing on the 100+ degree day! We played a few fun games and, most importantly, Brian and Michelle received great gifts. They should be very prepared for him (that's my guess) :-) to arrive.

More photos from the shower can be found HERE. Enjoy!

Random observations from class

There are three girls in my current class that drive me bonkers. The first two come exTREMELY dolled up and flirt with the professor the entire time. It's gross. And annoying. Today they chatted with him so long I wanted to say, "take it outside and pass out the damn tests!" (Which I think I did well on, BTW.) Next to the annoying brown-nosers is a girl who listens to her iPod the entire class. Only one headphone though. Lectures, today's TEST - you name it. How the professor let's her get away with it is beyond me. It's not like he doesn't see her. She sits in the front row right next to the suck-ups. What song (besides anything from the Mama Mia! or Wicked soundtracks) is that good that you have to listen to it during class? It's just rude.

Finally, as I turned the hallway leaving class I about ran into a woman carrying a green parakeet on her hand. Maybe it was a parrot. I don't know. What I do know is I hate birds and and I hated that it was loose, indoors, so close to me. Fine then - if she's bringing her bird for show and tell, I'm bringing Macy.

An Apple a Day

Keeps Wendy at Play.

We bought a MacBook this weekend. We have been wanting to get a computer and went to look at Nebraska Furniture Mart. We were thinking of a Mac and we walked out of NFM with one about an hour later. You can't argue with No Interest Financing! The guy at the Apple store in NFM really sold us on a Mac vs. PC and I think we'll really like it. We've spent the past two days playing around with it. The only problem is we should have bought two because neither of us really want to share :-)

I'm such a sucker for the animal stories

Teared up on this one, too. Seriously with the kittens purring. And with Lily rescuing the cat from the water bowl. And with the tiger taking in the little baboon (mean of him to kill its mom though). Thanks to my friend Julie for sharing this tear-jerker.

Goosebumps

The boy scouts that were at the Little Sioux Boy Scout Camp when a deadly twister hit in June were recognized for their bravery with a visit to Washington D.C. and a meeting with President Bush.

This photo just gave me goosebumps. The stories told about how the scouts remained calm and executed their disaster readiness plan after the tornado hit are honorable. They deserve this recognition.

Sarah McLachlan Asks You to Help Animals

Click HERE to watch a commercial that aired while I was upstairs making lunch today. I immediately teared up; so much that I had to grab Macy and snuggle with her while I finished watching the spot. It'll break your heart. $.60 a day sure doesn't seem like a lot to help these poor little animals and is something I'll definitely consider.

Nicely done, ASPCA. You pulled at the heartstrings and will likely win.

The River

It's all fun and games...




...until the hound pukes three times in the Jeep.

Eat this, Tiger

Congrats to Michelle who not only got a hole-in-one, she got a hole-in-one seven months pregnant! That's something I sure haven't seen Tiger Woods do.

Proof from the Omaha World Herald

Published Sunday July 27, 2008
Hole in one, double eagle
Hole in One • Elkhorn Ridge: Michelle Seger, 117-yard, No. 8, with a 5-iron. Witnesses: Emile Shannon, Callie Smith, Sarah Head.

When Fergie wrote the song “Glamorous” she wasn’t talking about air travel

Because, really. What is glamorous about air travel? Taking your shoes off and standing barefoot on a nasty tile floor where millions of others have stood barefoot before you? (And according to a quick, very scientific Google search, 20 percent of people have onychomycosis – also known as toenail fungus. I’m gagging as I type.) Nope, I’ve got it. The glamorous thing about air travel is exposing the others in the security line to the kind of toothpaste, hairspray, shampoo and other 3.4-ounce or less beauty products you use via your one quart plastic bag. Oh no. Wait. The glamorous thing about air travel is hauling ass in high heels to a gate halfway across the airport to attempt to catch an early flight only to see a “standby for this flight is closed” sign on the counter. More glamorous than that? Riding the monorail thing back to your original gate and having a bitchy American Airlines flight attendant basically push you out of the way and say “are you going?” in an attempt to exit the monorail. (What WOULD be glamorous is saying “listen bizo, I’m in a bad mood because of your damn company so I’d suggest being polite!) But I’ve got it. The most glamorous thing about air travel is, as I am currently doing, sitting in DFW airport since 3:30 p.m. waiting for my 5:50 flight that is now departing at 8:30.

When I started my job I remember being so excited to travel. Now, I can say from experience, many bad experiences, it ain’t so G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S.

Just a quick little post

I'm sitting in my hotel room in Dallas, Texas, getting ready for two days of pretty big meetings. But before I'm immersed in results, planning and budgets, I thought I'd give a quick update.

Saturday we went boating with five other couples. It was such a fun time! It was one of those days that reminded me how grateful I am for such good friends and the great times we have together. Thanks to Josh, Shannon, Denise, Mike, Annie, Sam, Emilie, Eric, Scott and Meghan for a wonderful day on the Muddy Mo.

Last night we went to the DMB concert. Honestly, I didn't think it was one of his best. He started out with some very new stuff that I didn't know. And he ended up playing classics, which was great, but overall I wasn't crazy about it. Maybe it was the fact I only had a few beers vs. the million I normally have at concerts (early morning plane trip today!). Maybe it was the fact that he played until 11 and it was a school night. (At one point we were all sitting down and it might have made us seem like the oldest people in the Qwest.) Anyhoo, all in all I'd give it a 5 out of 10. But, DMB is still pretty amazing.

The reviews are in

Three thumbs up for Mama Mia. I've always thought if I wasn't in PR I'd star in the Broadway production of Mama Mia (might need to learn to sing and dance before that happens) but now I might opt for being in the movie instead. It was fun, colorful, and all around great. The music was right on and, most importantly, Pierce Brosnan is a HOTTIE!

Mama Mia!

I've been a little down in the dumps this week, primarily because the vacation we were looking forward to so much is over, and we really don't have anything all that exciting coming up anytime soon. The next vaca day I'll take will be in August for Kristi's wedding and that just seems like an eternity away. Just a whole lot of work, business trips and nothing between now and the next 45+ days.

But just tonight, I had an epiphany. I DO have something to look forward to, and it's coming this Friday to a theater near you. I just can't wait!

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

I wrote to United Customer Service about the frustration with the cancelled flight, lost luggage and unexpected hotel charge in Toronto. (I also eluded to the fact I am very perturbed by their checked baggage policy.) Anyway, I thought I would let you know United has given us $200 in travel vouchers, which is nice. (Of course we spent $129+ tax on our hotel room so really they are only giving us $50 or so.) Regardless, my "you treat customers like dirt" line must have gotten through to them.

While I love Omaha, I wish I was still in Nova Scotia

We just had the most incredible trip; it was the vacation of a lifetime. While I have been on many, many great trips in my 27+ years this one was unforgettable and one of the tops. I'm not sure what made it so amazing - perhaps the fact we stayed at the most gorgeous home on acres of oceanfront land and were treated way too well. Perhaps it was the fact we just needed a vacation. Or maybe because my mom, dad, Trevor, Kalin and I have never taken a trip together besides the trip to South Bend, Indiana, for my cousin's wedding. It could also be that while it was busy and nonstop and crammed full of activities it was extremely relaxing.

I have to admit I was a little concerned about how our trip to Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia would go after we landed in Chicago to see this on the monitor:

See the Halifax flight? That was supposed to be ours. We instead hung out at O'Hare for five hours and made it to Toronto around midnight EST. Upon arrival in Toronto we, of course, had no bags. At this point we just laughed. Trevor and I checked into the airport's Renaissance hotel and, after the guy could not look up my Marriott rewards number and I got a little ticked, we brushed our teeth with airline provided toothpaste and called it a night around 2 a.m.

Alarm clock went off at 6:30 and we caught the shuttle to the airport at 6:50. It's amazing how quick you can be out the door when you sleep in your clothes. This is the point at which Trevor said "It feels like we are on the Amazing Race" and his eyeballs were the color of Barney since he had his contacts in too long.

All was well though - we landed in Halifax around 11 a.m. and were greeted by "Carl" in the baggage area - holding a sign that said "Fitch" of course :-). Our bags, at this point, had made it from Chicago to Toronto, but we were told we wouldn't have them that day (Wednesday). After about an hour car ride, we arrived at paradise and immediately hopped in the sailboat. (I owe my mom a big thanks for letting me borrow some clothes so I didn't have to sail in the capris and polo I'd been wearing for 24 hours!) After that it was nonstop. Hot tubbing. Cornhole. Dark and Stormies. Homemade strawberry daquiris. Huge home-cooked steak dinner. Wine. More wine. A third bottle of wine. Great conversations, lots of laughs and a night cap in the guest house/sports bar. Our luggage arrived Thursday -yay!- which was another nonstop day. The boys hopped aboard Mrs. Maverick - the speed boat - and the girls piled in the Explorer and headed to Mahone Bay for a little shopping. We met up with the fellas at the Lunenburg Yacht Club and parted ways again, where we went back to Mahone Bay for more shopping. It's a darling little area. We reconvened at the "compound" and all headed to Lunenburg where we toured the fisheries museum. My mom and I hit up a few shops in the area and met up with everyone to wet our whistles with a dark and stormy. It was then time for dinner and we feasted at a great Italian restaurant. Trevor and I opted for Penne pasta with lobster and vodka sauce and it was incredible. Back to the house, listening to McGinty's sea songs - a CD that Dave bought. (Apparently it is his eighth one because Peggy keeps throwing them away. This copy was gifted to Trevor and is now in our library.) More drinks in the sports bar and another fabulous day comes to an end.

Friday = Happy Fourth of July! We started our day with a relaxing boat ride aboard Mrs. Maverick where we tooled around and visited the Bay of Chester. Back to the house for Deluxe nachos and then steamed mussels. That was also the day we kayaked and played a lot of Bocce and Cornhole. (Trevor and Kalin are horrible at that game, BTW.) We had an Americana dinner of burgers, brats and dogs and capped the night off with fireworks at the firepit. Mom, Trevor and I did take the Bobcat for a late night drive on the trails to try to look for wildlife and it was pretty damn funny - especially mom pretending she was a ghost. WEIRD - we had a few more "for the ditch" at the sports bar and it was nighty night for all.

Saturday - our last full day in Nova Scotia :-(. We woke up and headed to Peggy's Cove, which is home to the most photographed lighthouse in North America. The setting was gorgeous and picturesque. We then had an appetizer and beer lunch at a pub back in Mahone Bay - one of my favorite meals. Here we were introduced to poutine which is a staple of the area. At lunch we had Clancy's Amber Ale but throughout the week we had been drinking Alexander Kieth's which is awesome. The boys went sailing and apparently had a lovely day. Mom, Peggy and I got massages and briefly lounged by the pool at the spa which was awesome. We met back up with the boys at the house and had a very yummy dinner - an outdoor boil consisting of corn on the cob, potatoes, shrimp and sausage. We wrapped the night up by playing a very fun game. We each had a person taped to our foreheads and had to guess who we were by asking questions to the others around the table. It was a hoot.

We flew home Sunday aboard a private jet, which, let me tell you - is THE way to go. If I had the option, I'd never fly commercial again :-).

So here we are, back in Omaha. It's back to work tomorrow, which I am dreading but if I learned one thing this week it's work hard to play hard. Cliche? Yes, but so true.

We are so, so grateful for the vacation we just had and words can not express our thanks to Dave and Peggy for opening their home to us for some of the best days of our lives. Thanks to Dave, Peggy, Peggy's mom or "GG" as we came to know her, mom, dad, Kalin and Trevor for the memories and the laughs while in Nova Scotia. You're the best. And a thanks to the Hites for watering flowers, taking out trash and looking out for the Fitch abode and to Joe, Kathy, Griffin and Cassidy for taking such good care of Macy while we were gone. Somehow she's more wiped out than we are!

Happy 4th of July!

Just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July! We're heading to Canada (eh) tomorrow to spend the week in Nova Scotia and we absolutely can not wait. Photos and a recap will definitely be posted upon our return to Nebraska - if we decide to return to Nebraska.