authentic life

Counting is fun!

2011-06-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

9 months and taking care of babies

2011-06-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Daxton turned 9 months old last week (on Father's Day). I forgot to mention in my Father's Day post that he said dada for the first time on Father's Day!! BEST. GIFT. EVER. I took Dax for his 9 month appointment on Friday. Here are his new stats:

Height: 29 inches (73%)
Weight: 21 lbs 3 oz (60%)
Head: 17 3/4 cm (46%)

Isn't he handsome?

Ignore me.....I find it hard to find motivation to put on make-up. Dax doesn't care either way! :)

New accomplishments this month: Saying dada. He tries to sneak ice cream. Dada always gives in! He started standing unassisted and a couple of days ago he took his first step unassisted. He can only go one step right now, but I'm sure he will be taking more very soon. He also had another tooth come in on the top! That makes six teeth (four on top, 2 on bottom)!!

For the past week I have had another baby to take care - one much bigger (and more demanding) than Daxton. I kid.....but I have been doing my best to take care of Zach for the past week. He had laser eye surgery. Thank you military for amazing insurance!!! Zach can see for the first time without glasses or contacts for the first time in 20 years. It is a quick recovery, but also very difficult to be without your eyes for 4 days.

We are getting very excited around here, because this weekend we are getting out of North Carolina. We're venturing down to South Carolina to visit my friend Jenn (Aunt Jenn). Her and her husband just had their first baby and I cannot wait to give their little boy some love! I have been dying to get out of NC which is difficult to do when you are preggo.

Speaking of being pregnant: LESS THAN TWO MONTHS UNTIL I AM DONE!!!! There are many people that love being pregnant. For the most part, I enjoyed being pregnant with Daxton (until the end), but this pregnancy has been dreadful the entire time. I was very sick the first/second trimester and my body has been aching for the past 7 months. I cannot wait to feel normal again!

Father's Day Weekend

2011-06-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing Father's Day Weekend. But first, I have to tell you a reason why I love military life. If I were to be honest...I really don't like a lot of things about being a military wife, but there are some great things about it! On Saturday, one of Zach's co-workers came by with his family (wife and two kids) to bring us some baby stuff they no longer use. They were an amazing family and we were blown away by their generosity. They brought us a jogging stroller, an umbrella stroller, a pack-n-play, one of those little infant baby seats that vibrates, and a wagon full of Lego blocks for Daxton! As if that weren't enough they also got us a cute gift basket for Aleah full of fun goodies for her. I think I also mentioned that we got a crib, crib mattress, baby girl clothes, and a ton of maternity clothes from a neighbor and they also have a military background. So even the people I don't know very well treat you like you are family. They understand a lot about you before they even get to know you just because of the military background!

On Sunday, we celebrated Zach! He is an amazing father. I can't tell you how much it thrills my heart to see him playing with our son. You should see the way Daxton's face lights up when Zach gets home from work. We started the day by making Zach breakfast (homemade biscuits, eggs, and bacon). We got Zach an oar/paddle (not sure what you call it) for Zach's kayak. So Zach went for a 5-mile kayak trip. This has become a new love of Zach's since we moved to North Carolina. We just chilled most of the afternoon. Zach likes to joke that on Father's Day he had to change a dirty diaper and put child locks on the kitchen cabinets. I guess it comes with the territory when you have a 9 month old. The reason why the child locks had to go on this weekend.......I went to go get a hair tie from my bathroom and when I came back Daxton was no where to be found. It took me awhile, but this is where I found him.

That night our plans were to grill steaks for dinner. It kept raining off and on so we decided to go to a local steakhouse that we had never tried before. After all, it was a steakhouse so they must do steaks right. WRONG!! We waited for 20 min even though there were a ton of open tables and only 3 parties in ahead of us. I was already a little turned off by the place because they had a salad bar. I know, I know......I'm weird. I could point out that during our wait I noticed the 10 year old boy that was stocking the salad bar left the ham sitting out on the hostess table AND he sneezed all over the cucumbers while he was putting them away. YUCK! I hate all buffets except for pizza buffets for some reason. During our wait we set outside in the rocking chairs (which are pretty much everywhere you go in North Carolina).

I love these boys!

On with the story: We finally get seated and I quickly notice that the hostess is also a waitress, she's cleaning tables, and restocking the salad bar. The hostess takes our drink order because no one has come to our table to help us. We have plenty of time to look over the menu which consists of about 8 steaks and 5 other menu items (chicken, pork, and 3 fish options). Finally, an older gentleman walks up to our table. He introduces himself as the owner/cook/and waiter. Not kidding! He tells us that there is a small problem. What would that "small" problem be? Oh yeah....the problem is that they have run out of steak....at a steakhouse......on Father's Day. By this time, the whole situation is just a little hilarious to us. I sweetly tell the man that it's no problem. We'll just come back another time. He looks at me like I'm completely nuts! He says, "But we have a great salad bar." Ummmmmm.......wrong selling point. I start to get a little more short with the man because I think it's completely fine that I want to leave a steakhouse that doesn't have steak, and come back another time when they do have steak. Right? I say to him, "Look. It's Father's Day and my husband wanted a steak for Father's Day. I think we will go somewhere that can provide that. We'll take our check please." He huffs away. There are so many things wrong with this whole situation. Any normal business would have warned the 10 people that were waiting that they were going to run out of steak, OR they would have offered an incentive to come back again (gift certificate), OR they would have not made us pay the $3.75 for our drinks!!! Yes.....they still made us pay for our drinks. But, everything turned out fine. When we left the restaurant the weather had cleared up a little bit so we ended up grilling out anyway. Here's the spread. A total man meal, complete with french fries and a Blue Moon with orange slice.

After dinner we watched a movie together. I love them!

I will leave you with this little gem. Daxton has decided this week that he does not like any green food. Lovely.

Doesn't this scream summer?

2011-06-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

I wish we had a yard with a fence. *Sigh* Because I would do this:

Photo Credit

I decided I needed to set some summer goals for myself/my family (you're welcome, babe)!

Spend as much time as possible enjoying the beach. This wasn't a big deal when we lived in Cali, because we could go to the beach all year round. In fact, I preferred the beach in the fall and winter because there were no tourists. Winter around here is weird to me....everything shuts down. When I say everything I'm not joking. I grew up in Kansas and experienced the most brutal winters. It doesn't matter in Kansas....the world keeps moving.
Get everything prepared for Aleah's arrival. Our little girl will be joining/completing our family in August. The nursery needs to be finished. I got all of her bedding washed and put away, but that is about all I have done.
Stop biting my nails. Confession: I'm a nail biter. I always have been. It is a disgusting habit - one that I do not want my little girl observing/learning from her mother. I do really well as long as I keep my nails painted and filed. Easier said that done with a 9 month old running around. I can just see the hot pink nail polish (my summer color) all over our carpet.
Get prepared for Daxton's first birthday party. It is in September, but with Aleah coming in August I would like to have the majority of the planning done. It is going to be super cute and the theme is going to be so much fun. We are hoping a lot of our family members will be able to make it out here for the big event!
Refinish the dresser in our bedroom. It is a cheap dresser that came from IKEA - I think. In the move(s) we had the brilliant idea of taping the drawers shut. Well.....it pulled off the cheapo finishing.
Organize the garage. We really need to go through all the boxes, see what is in each one, donate, organize, label, etc. Sounds fun, right? Especially when it is 100 degrees outside. Maybe this one can wait until the winter. :)
Get family pictures printed, put in frames, and hung up. Our house is so bare. I was thinking I would wait until Aleah got here, but I think I might just put some place holder photos up and then replace them with the photos of my beautiful girl when she arrives.
Dream about my exercise routine that I can't wait to start after Aleah gets here. I would like to run a race. I have never done it before. I have said I was going to a million times. This time I mean it! :) At least a 5K. Anyone can do that, right? I have heard that once you do your first race you are hooked. I hope that is the case, because my butt and thighs could use it.
Read books! I started reading while I walk on the treadmill. It makes the time go by quickly and I love that I can make the font bigger on my Kindle because 1. I'm going blind. 2. It makes it easier to read as I bounce. I have already read Water for Elephants and Bossy Pants. There were both so good.
Get a sewing machine and re-learn how to sew. I have a million projects in mind. Like this, and this, and I want to do this with all of the white onsies that Daxton doesn't wear anymore.

I'm sure I will add more as the summer progresses. Anyone else have a to-do list for the summer?

OMG!!! I want these on my feet now.

2011-06-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

Ugh!! I am beyond done with being pregnant. Yes......it's worth it! Babies are wonderful - especially if they are as cute as this guy.

BUT......I would love to have a reason to get super dressed up and put these beauties on my feet or any other of the little beauties found here.

Don't they just scream, "TAKE ME DANCING ALL NIGHT LONG!"

My kid can stand!

2011-06-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

To say I'm a proud mama would be an understatement. He's been standing for a week now, but he's very sneaky. It's usually when I'm in the kitchen and he's in the living room on his own. I walk in and he's standing!! By the time I get my camera he's down. Then, when I try and get him to do it while I have my video camera with me he thinks it's funny to do anything and everything (except stand)! So....here's Daxton at 8 1/2 months!

Pregnancy and Weekend Update

2011-06-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

I'm 30 weeks pregnant now. I figure if I survived 10 weeks of a Rhode Island winter, living in a hotel with my husband, a dog, and a baby - while enduring the joys of my first trimester - then I can survive the last 10 weeks of this pregnancy. Just a little perspective: I have essentially been pregnant since December 2009! That is not a typo. I had two months when I wasn't pregnant, but let's be honest: the two months after having a baby are the adjustment months. You still don't feel like yourself. I'm ready for pregnancy to be a thing of the past!

Alright....here's my 30 week picture. It's completely unflattering, but we have such busy schedules that by the time I get Zach to take a new one I'll be 35 or 40 weeks.

We cannot wait for our little Aleah Jayne to get here! She'll be here before we know it.

So far Aleah has more clothes than Daxton has had his entire life. I guess that's what being a girl is all about. Her room is painted, we have a crib & mattress (thanks to our neighbors), her bedding just arrived while I was putting this post together (thanks, grandma & grandpa Avery), and her changing table should be here this week sometime (again, thanks g&g Avery), and we have a glider rocker that we just got for $20 (the baby stuff you can find around a military base for dirt cheap is amazing). As soon as all of that is put together I'll take a pic of the nursery! :) Hopefully by next week.

Oh yeah....and the weekend update: On Saturday, we hit up the beach. It is starting to become our weekend routine. It's free, we live 5min away, and Daxton LOVES the beach! He crawls all over the place. Unfortunately, he enjoys the taste of sand. I'm hoping he grows out of that really fast. This weekend he got shell and tried to eat it. He ended up with a little cut on his lip and we had to end our beach day early to get the cut cleaned up. Zach had grand plans to go camping on Saturday night, but the plans fell through at the last minute. Turned out to be a blessing, because Zach got sick on Saturday night with the cold/flu junk that's going around. On Sunday, I had two babies to take care of! :) I kid, but I guess it's good practice for when I actually have two babies to take care of. It was a super lazy day. Daxton and I made waffles for dada (which is a big deal, because it's the second time I have made pancakes/waffles since Zach and I have been married - it's sort of his territory). Then, Zach vegged out and watched movies all day. I don't think he moved from the living room. I haven't talked to him today yet, but I hope he feels better after a day of relaxing!

P.S. I told you I would get better about blogging. Hope I can keep it up! :)

Proof that my house has been taken over by Daxton

2011-06-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

Well....it's official. We can't have nice things and the house will always look like a tornado has hit it. I have come to grips with the fact that my house will probably be in constant disarray for the next 18 years. Need proof?

I don't know why I even bother picking these toys up during nap times and when Dax goes to bed for the night. Within 5min of him being awake they are out again! The blinds have to be pulled up so that Daxton doesn't rip them down.

I had to move the pack-n-play in front of the fireplace (for obvious reasons).

Disney movies are the norm around here. He shows minor interest in the TV so I feel bad making him watch the View or my vast interests on TLC, Bravo, or E! all day long.

Protecting the carpet! Diesel has learned that he gets a belly full of treats if he stands under Daxton during meal times. The other two chairs go in front of the sliding door shade so that Daxton can't rip it down.

Things that I would normally throw away immediately are now considered toys. I love that we could spend a fortune on toys, but his favorite things are always trash or kitchen utensils.

BUT....It's all worth it! Just look at that face.

May 2011

2011-06-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

May was a little more relaxed....well, for Daxton and I. Zach really started to get busy with his new job.

The first big event in May was my first real Mother's Day! Zach made the entire weekend so special for me. On Saturday, Zach was so sweet and set me up with a pregnancy massage. It was so relaxing! On Sunday, we started out the day with breakfast in bed - my favorite. Then our plan was to go to a nearby lighthouse. I have wanted to visit a lighthouse forever. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. It didn't matter. We still made the most of the day. We headed out to the "big city" and had lunch at a sidewalk cafe (made me think of the beautiful days in California and how much we enjoyed eating outside) and walked around to all the different shops. I was so tired from the long day, but was able to enjoy a Mother's Day nap. Here is the only picture I have from the day.

Here I am at 25 weeks pregnant with Aleah.

Daxton also turned 8 months old in May. Gah.......where does the time go? His big accomplishments this month: He started eating big kid food (goldfish, pancakes, yogurt melts, etc). He also started to crawl!! He goes everywhere now. He's lightening fast and chases Diesel around the house. Not only did he start crawling, but he started pulling up on everything within the same week. He went to the beach and the pool for the first time. He also started to get 3 teeth more teeth in on the top. He's going to have a mouth full of teeth before we know it.

April 2011 - yet another move!

2011-06-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

On April 1st, Zach graduated from Naval Justice School. After 3 years of law school and 1 1/2 years of training Zach is finally able to practice law for the USMC. The ceremony was early in the morning and wasn't long at all. In fact, it was a little anticlimactic for such a monumental occasion. We didn't care too much because we were very anxious to get on the road and into our first home (yes, after 6 years of marriage we finally got our first house) in North Carolina. Here is the fam on graduation day.

And I love this picture of Dax and I

As soon as Zach walked across the stage we checked out of the hotel, said our goodbyes, and hit the road for North Carolina. Fun Fact: This was our 7th big move since Zach and I got married. OK to CA, CA to TX, TX to CA, CA to VA, VA to NC, NC to RI, RI to NC. Another fun fact: This was Daxton's 3rd move since he was born. Military life is interesting. I was sick for most of the drive. Dealing with a grumpy little boy and nausea made for a very unpleasant road trip. We made it home safe and got moved in as quickly as possible. It was so exciting for Daxton to have his own room again and his crib! This was our first day in NC. Dax and I needed a break from unpacking.

We didn't have much time to settle in before we took off on more travels. We headed to Dallas for the annual crawfish boil. This was Daxton's first trip in an airplane. He did pretty good. Unfortunately there are not many direct flights out of our area so it takes two flights to get anywhere. We would have done a lot better if we had just had the one flight each way. He was always a champ on the first flight and little a little fussy on the 2nd. Who can blame him? I was a little fussy as well. It's so hard to travel with a baby but add being pregnant to the mix and it's just miserable. My favorite pic from the trip:

In April, our little man turned 7months old. He started to get up on his knees like he was going to crawl, but he wasn't ready yet. Besides, he got around just fine by rolling around all over the place. He also had two teeth come in on the bottom. It was super cute! Here he is at 7 months and with all the Easter baskets he received:

The adventures didn't stop there for us this month. My parents came for a couple of days. We did a lot of fun things: went to an aquarium, my dad went deep sea fishing with Zach, spent a day at the beach, and mom and dad helped me out a lot by painting both of the baby rooms! It really made the place feel more like home to make the kids rooms special.

It was wonderful having family in town. Zach and I were able to go on a date and I was able to run a ton of errands without dragging Daxton around.

Whoa! April was a busy one. This is why I shouldn't wait 4 months to blog. Lesson learned.

I promise I'll do better! March 2011 update

2011-06-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

We need to keep this updated better. I know I can probably no longer use the move as an excuse. After all, we have been living in NC now for 2 months now!

In March we were still being troopers. All 4 (almost 5 of us) living in a hotel room in Newport, RI. By March we were all a little stir crazy!! Lucky for us, we were surrounded by wonderful friends. Zach and I were able to go away overnight for the first time since Daxton was born to celebrate 6 years of marriage! Hard to believe we've made it this long - I kid! :)

I cried as I left my baby for the first time. Once we got on the road to New York City I started to relax. I knew we had left Daxton and Diesel in great hands!

Zach and I went to NYC several years ago for New Years and we stayed in a terrible motel. It was so bad that I would spray the bed everyday for bedbugs and put clean sheets from home on the bed. If anyone knows my grandma they would say I probably got this crazy gene from her. So, we wanted to do it right this time (and because we were only staying one night - we could afford to). Zach reserved us a beautiful room at the Waldorf Astoria (yay for military discount). We had dinner at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse, which is situated in the balcony of Grand Central terminal. This has become our go to spot when we are in NYC. If you have never used OpenTable to make reservations I highly recommend it. I made our reservations online and added in the notes that it was our anniversary. They brought complimentary chocolate cake to our table! We spent the rest of the time walking around and enjoying the city. The only tourist thing we didn't do the last time we were there was going to the Empire State Building. We decided to hit it up right before we headed home. It was a short 2 day trip, but was exactly we what we needed. We were long overdue for a break from our hotel room.

Daxton turned 6months old in March! Here is my handsome, little man at 6months. And Zach isn't too bad either! :)

More exciting news came our way in March. We found out we are having a little girl! I was soooo happy. We are naming her Aleah Jane and she is due August 22nd. I can't wait to meet my little princess.

our crazy life

2011-02-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

I am sure the world thinks we are crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

We are currently in Newport, RI (living in a hotel with a 4 1/2 month old and a dog). We are here for 10 weeks for Zach to go to Naval Justice School. It is actually not so bad. Newport is beautiful (except I'm not a big fan of all the snow). Here are a few pics of the area. I hope the snow starts melting soon and we can take more pictures.

This is the view from our hotel room.

I love this!!

It feels a little like being at summer camp. We are here with a bunch of friends we met while in Virginia. I hangout with my girlfriends all day (while they spoil Dax rotten). He is going to wonder what happened to all his special ladies when we leave here in 10 weeks and he is stuck with boring mom all day again! :) The upsides to living in a hotel: Someone cleans my bathroom, takes out my trash, and makes my bed - so I guess Dax isn't the only one being spoiled. You won't hear me complaining. The down side: I'm pretty sure my little man is starting to teeth and sometimes gets a little cranky. It makes me anxious, because I am afraid we are disturbing everyone in the hotel. It's also a little claustrophobic. We have a kitchenette, but you are basically living in your bedroom. Plus, we have a million baby things everywhere so it feels very cluttered. We are ready to move into our house in NC.

In other crazy news: We are expecting again and couldn't be happier! Jellybean #2 is scheduled to arrive on August 23rd. My kiddos will be 11 months apart. Here is Jellybean #2 (taken about 4 weeks ago).

Dax went to get his 4 month check-up today (he's really 4 1/2 months). Here are the stats:

Head: 41.9cm (30%)
Weight: 16lb 11oz (73%)
Height: 26in (81%)

Here's what everyone wants to see:

He always has his fingers in his mouth

Official Christmas Letter

2010-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

We placed our blog address on our Christmas cards in order to keep our family and friends apprised of the Herbert Holiday Happenings. So welcome! Here is a summary of what happened to us in 2010:

In January, Zach left Jennifer in Los Angeles in order to attend Officer Candidates School in Quantico, VA. Of course, we found out that we were pregnant exactly 2 days before Zach left! While Zach was getting yelled at by Sergeant Instructors for 10 weeks, Jennifer was enduring the joy of morning sickness. While Zach battled hypothermia while crawling through freezing water, Jennifer enjoyed the perpetual warm weather in Malibu. We figured it was a trade-off in the end. On March 26, Zach was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Jennifer flew out to Quantico for the graduation, and wore a shirt that said "Marine baby on the way!" Also in attendance were Zach's parents, his grandparents, and his "Uncle" Charlie.

We were able to move all our possessions from California to Virginia before Zach started the next step to becoming a Judge Advocate: The Basic School (TBS). TBS is 6 months long. It teaches newly commissioned Second Lieutenants everything they need to know about officership, leadership, and tactics. Every Marine is a rifleman first, so every Marine officer is a rifle platoon commander (even lawyers!). While Zach spent 16-18 hours a day training, Jennifer hung out with her new friends (wives of Lieutenants) and busied herself preparing for our new arrival.

On September 19, at 5:42 PM, Daxton Edward Herbert was born. He weighed in at 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long:

On November 4, Zach graduated from TBS. His parents came to Quantico to see him and their new grandson. Our good friend, Cara Zoch, came as well. Warrior Day, or Family Day, is a day to let families and friends see what their Lieutenant has been doing for the past half-year. Zach's parents, Jen and Cara were able to shoot guns and grenade launchers and machine guns! Zach dressed in his blues for pictures with his son:

After graduation, we had a couple of weeks before we had to be in Camp Lejeune, NC, so we decided to visit both sides of the family in an epic cross country road trip. 11 total states, 5 stops, 1 birthday. Dax saw 4 grandparents, 4 great grandparents, 1 great great grandma, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, 2 great aunts, 1 great uncle, 2 second cousins, and lots of best friends.

After the road trip, we packed up everything and drove from Quantico, VA to Camp Lejeune, NC. Zach hit a deer on the way down, and Jen did not get pulled over for speeding away from Virginia. We are currently staying in a temporary rental in Morehead City.

Next year will have more adventures for the Herberts! We will go up to Newport, RI in January for 10 weeks of Naval Justice School (NJS). Zach will become certified as a Judge Advocate and promoted to First Lieutenant in April. Then we will move back down to North Carolina, where we will spend the next 3 years of our lives! We are already planning trips to the beach, camping, hiking, kayaking, hunting, and visits from friends and family!

Happy Holidays and may the new year be filled with life and love for you and yours.

Love Zach, Jen, and Dax.

North Carolina

2010-12-09T06:41:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we made our way down from Quantico, VA to Camp Lejeune, NC with all our possessions in a budget truck. Jen drove the Mom Car. I drove the truck and towed the Jetta behind. As with all road trips involving Herberts, there is a story:

It's pitch black, no street lights, no moon. I'm on some back country road going as fast as I can (55), when a deer appears in my headlights! No time to brake, no time to swerve, I run over the beautiful animal with my front and back tires. I immediately stop, worried that the Jetta is ruined. In fact, It is just very, very dirty. The truck minced up the deer, spraying the entire front and side of my car with deer juice. I stopped at the next gas station and left what remained for them in their parking lot. When I went inside, I said, "I'm sure you get this all the time." I then reported my deposit, and promptly departed.

Jen and I are now in a rent house that overlooks a river:

We have another month and a half before we leave for Newport, RI for 10 weeks of Naval Justice School, where I will learn about military law and be finally certified as a Judge Advocate. I've enjoyed watching my little guy change every day:

Done Graduated

2010-11-27T06:03:00.001-08:00

Finally graduated from TBS (The Basic School)!!! 6 months of Basic Officer training in Quantico, VA. We learned all the basic skills required of a provisional rifle platoon commander. We were assigned duty stations near the end, and I got Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Another place I never would have seen. For graduation, we had an organized day for our families called "Warrior Day" where different displays showed our families what we have been doing for the last half-year. The best part was the rifle range. Jen shot a grenade launcher, machine gun and m16 service rifle.

Here is Jen shooting an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW:

Here is my little man and me all dressed up:

My little pumpkin

2010-10-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

We took Dax to his first pumpkin patch. Enjoy!

My boys! :)

1 month - are you kidding me?

2010-10-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

When people say it goes by fast.....they aren't kidding! Sorry I haven't been blogging. I'm trying to get use to the whole new mommy thing. Zach works crazy long hours during training, we have had family and friends visiting, we have been house hunting, and we will be moving in less than two weeks. I think that is enough to get me off the hook.

He changes daily - seriously. He is holding his head up pretty well. He sleeps really well - which I am so thankful for. Here are Dax's 1 month pics! Enjoy!

First picture was good, but I had to take more....

But, he started to get grumpy.....but thank god for that hand he loves to chew on.

When the hand stops working......

ahhhh......that's better!

Kissy

2010-09-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

www.carlzochphotography.com

I can't get enough of those baby cheeks!

Meet Daxton Edward Herbert

2010-09-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

39 weeks and a cute baby

2010-09-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

Here I am at 39 weeks:

The good news is that I know I'm going to have this baby by Sunday! On Sunday morning we are going in at 7:30am to have my water broken. My doctor has said that she doesn't expect my labor to last long because of the progress I have already made. I don't think she's lying to me, but if she is....I still love her! :)

Until Sunday I'll just continue to dream about what Daxton looks like and think about how wonderful the new addition will be to our life. No matter what.....I'm pretty sure he's going to be good looking. Just look at the evidence for yourself!

TWINS?!

2010-09-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

At 37 weeks we had a false alarm. I was having contractions coming about every 4 1/2 min for an hour. I called my doc and she told me just to go in and get checked out. We, of course, got super excited! We packed the bags up in the car and took a picture just in case it was the last pic to memorialized this pregnancy. So....here is my 37 week picture (we took it with an iPhone because the camera was already packed).

I was super bummed that it wasn't the real deal. I apologized to everyone saying how sorry I was but that I had no idea what I was doing. My doctor told me not to worry about it. She said she went in 3 times with her first baby and she was an OBGYN!!

Now I'm 38 1/2 weeks along. My favorite things that have happened this past week:

A man asked me if I was having twins - Zach quickly escorted me away before I had a chance to tell him what I thought about his manners.
Everyone saying, "So....you're still hanging in there." Yep - I guess I am.
The look I get from strangers when I'm out in public. Their eyes no longer say....."look at that cute little pregnant woman." Their eyes now say...."poor girl. It looks like she's about to pop."

I didn't take a 38 week picture so I'll try and make sure I take a picture at 39 weeks - if we make it that far! :)

Baby Shower

2010-08-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing baby shower this past weekend! I can't believe that I have met so many wonderful women in the short time with have been in the Marines.

The yummy spread! :)

All these ladies are dying to get their hands on Dax! This will have to suffice for my 36 weeks picture.

I tend to test everything out on Diesel. He wasn't around so I had to test out this adorable bath towel myself. :)

This is me with baby Rivers! Ugh!!! I cannot wait to have my little man in my arms!!

In two days I will be considered full term at 37 weeks. We're beyond ready. This week I got pre-registered at the hospital, got the car seat checked by the police department, bags packed and ready to go, and the camera and video camera charged and ready to go. On Saturday we have a private tour of the Labor and Delivery unit set-up so I can ask all of my last minute, neurotic, first time mom questions! So, feel free to come anytime, Daxton. We're waiting to meet you!

Almost there!

2010-08-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

I feel like we're nearing the finish line. Here I am at 35 weeks!

I go to the doctor every week now and Daxton will be here before we know it. I think he's coming early. Don't ask me how I know - I just do! :) Or....it's just wishful thinking. I'll spare you the details, but I am progressing and Daxton is in position - ready to go! And we're ready too. We have the car seat and the birthing ball in the car, my bag is almost completely packed, and we are just waiting for our little man to arrive.

We have been trying to make the most of the time we have left as "just the two of us." We went to the beach in Ocean City, MD. It was little longer of a drive than we are use to. It took us 5 hours to get there and 3 1/2 to get back. We were sooo spoiled with our 10min drive to Malibu when we lived in California. We did all that driving in one day - a little miserable for me, but totally worth seeing the look on his face when he got to the ocean:

We also experienced "Virginia's Largest County Fair!" For anyone that knows Zach and I well, they know we can't pass up a good fair experience. We love ourselves a good corny dog and loads of people watching. We didn't take a picture of ourselves, but here we are ready to go to the LA County Fair two years ago:

We like to fit in!

We didn't dress up this time, but we did find this little gem in the display of crafts. I thought it was a little glimpse of my near future:

32 weeks and dumpster diving!

2010-07-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Well.....I'm 32 weeks and I'm ready for this to be over. Everyone says to enjoy it.....you don't want to rush it....blah, blah, blah. Those people were obviously never 7 months pregnant trying to survive the Virginia heat! The other day the "Feels like" temperature was 115 degrees. Insane!

I think I'm more antsy now, because our friends just had their baby boy a week ago. Zach and I went to visit the little guy, and I can't resist posting this picture of Zach holding the baby. He's going to be a great dad! It was so special to hold him knowing that I'll have our little man in my arms very soon!

Here is my 32 week picture.

Yes, I know I'm huge! No, I won't tell you how much weight I've gained.....and please don't ask (seriously, people ask me all the time). No, I don't have any swelling (that's such a weird thing for strangers to ask me, but they do). Yes, I plan on delivering naturally. Yes, I realize this is my first baby and I have no idea how painful it will be. I am amazed at how many discouraging things people will say to a pregnant woman. *sigh*

In other news: My friend Jennifer and I went dumpster diving. Well....kind of. People put stuff they don't want to move with next to our dumpster all the time. We went to take the trash and we found this gem:

Before you judge me......the changing table on our registry costs $150 (that doesn't include the changing pad, the baskets I want to put in it, and all the baby goodies). My changing table cost me $0 (so far). What Zach doesn't know yet, is that this is on his "honey do" list for this weekend! Lucky guy. I need him to inspect the structure (a couple of screws need to be replaced). Then, we're going to paint it white to match the crib! If someone out there really loves me they will put a gently used glider rocker out there! ha!

I had my 32 week appointment with my hippie, California doctor! It was such a RELIEF to spend time with her. We sat and chatted about the benefits of natural child birth and she was super encouraging. It makes me so happy to have a doctor that's going to be completely supportive and understanding of what I want to do. I know she's not going to be constantly pressuring me to change my birthing plan, or be annoyed with me the whole time because she thinks it's silly.

Quick Update

2010-07-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last week was a tough one for Zach. He was in the field all week (read: smelly camis and the need for me to have him take two showers before he smelled like a normal human again). Being in the field means camping (but not the fun kind of camping), long days/long nights, shooting guns, and non-stop exposure to the "wonderful" Virginia weather. Normally a week without Zach would be awful for me as well, but my good friend Cara came to visit me! She got full exposure on what it means to be a Marine wife: which consists of pool time, a trip to the commissary and the MCX, sleeping in, pedicures, and hanging with the other wives!

In other news: 9 weeks until our little man gets here. Sorry....I should have taken a picture, but after Zach's long week we were both incredibly lazy this weekend. Our weekend consisted of sleeping, eating, non-stop pj time, and season 4 of Dexter. We did get out on Saturday to see Toy Story 3 (bring the tissues) and a BBQ with TBS friends!

30 week apt.

2010-07-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

GREAT NEWS!!!!!

I just had my 30 week apt this morning. The reason I chose this practice was because of one particular doctor. I hated the fact that there were seven docs in this practice so I could end up having any one of them deliver my baby, but went with them anyway because of this amazing doctor. I couldn't believe I had moved to Virginia and found a California doctor that not only supported my birthing method, but her daughter was even doing my birthing method. Anyway....she's been on this mysterious "leave of absence" for a month or so and I was starting to get a little nervous. I've become friends with the nurse and I have asked her about the doctor every time I come to the office. Today I received some good news! The nurse had just received an e-mail this morning saying that my doctor had moved to another practice, and she gave me her new contact information. She still delivers at the same hospital and still practices in the area. Long story short: within and hour of leaving my doctors appointment I had my next appointment with the doctor of my choice, my medical records sent, and I learned that she is one of two doctors in the practice. That means the chance of her delivering my baby are soooooo much higher! Huge sigh of relief!

Zach is out in the field all week - which means I probably won't see or hear from him until Friday night. The good news is that my good friend Cara is coming to spend the week with me! Yay!

30 weeks

2010-07-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

Only 10 weeks left!! I don't know if it was the heat wave this week or just hitting the 30 week mark, but.... I. AM. DONE. So ready for this baby to get here! Of course, we're not prepared at all. We have a crib, a crib mattress (bought for $20, b/c I'm thrifty like that), and some baby clothes. We'll get there though.

Speaking of adorable baby clothes.........we got a great spread of goodies from Zach's aunt! When I opened this package I seriously sat in the car and just bawled. Baby jeans and baby shoes are my weakness. Thank you so much, Aunt Esther!!

Daxton isn't the only one making bank in the clothing department. I met a fellow Marine wife that let me borrow her maternity clothes. It was such a huge blessing!! My maternity wardrobe went from this:

to this:

Thanks, Tina!!

And here is the 30 week belly pic featuring one of the new dresses I borrowed from Tina.

Cloth Diapers and Hypnobirthing

2010-06-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

I have received a ton of questions regarding my decision to use cloth diapers and also my choice of birthing method.

Let's talk cloth diapers. Reasons why I want to use cloth diapers:
1. Better for the environment. Did you know that the average child uses between 6 and 8 THOUSAND diapers?!
2. The cost. With the average child using that many diapers the cost is exponential. Cloth diapers have come a long way in the last decade. Most cloth diaper options can be used from birth until they're potty trained. Then, consider the fact that you can even reuse them for the next child!
3. Better for the baby. The toxic chemicals used in diapers cause diaper rash and other problems for the baby.
4. Cloth diapers are super cute! I want these or these.

There are many more reasons why I want to use them, but those cover the big ones. There are numerous articles on the subject - this one gets to the point quickly.

This leads me to why I'm the nutty woman that wants to birth my child naturally (without drugs and little assistance from doctors/nurses). I have decided to do hypnobirthing. The biggest question I get is people wondering if I'm going to be hypnotized. The answer is no - I will not be hypnotized. It's self relaxation. It will basically look like this: when we get to the hospital I will have no drugs, no machine hook-ups, the lights will be dimmed, we'll have soothing music playing and I want the freedom to move around and birth my child as I please. If anyone has been to a yoga class I equate the mindset of hypnobirthing to that of the last segment of a yoga class - when you are coached into a relaxed state through breathing and meditation. Here is more information on hypnobirthing. Now, I know I'm going to get some feedback on this. Some will be positive and I'm expecting negative feedback as well. I've received both. Before you start in on me - please know that I do realize that this is my first baby and I, of course, do not understand fully what giving birth will feel like. I get that! But, this is my plan. I'm prepared for the fact that births don't always go according to plan. I fully intend to keep this plan unless it becomes a medical emergency and I have to alter the birth.

Welcome new stalkers/27 weeks/Father's Day

2010-06-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

Alright....we have lots of ground to cover:

First, I would like to welcome some new military wife followers to our blog. If there is anything I have learned (in the my whole 5 months of military experience) it is that the wives have got to stick together. I don't know what I would do without my new girlfriends that keep me company when Zach has late nights, a week in the field, or he just has to go to bed before the sun goes down because he has worked a 15+ hour day and has to leave for work at 4am the next morning! If you haven't introduced yourself yet - please leave a comment so I know you're lurking around my corner of the Internet.

We hit the 27 week mark last Sunday. Zach has been able to feel Daxton move for awhile, but this past week he was able to SEE the little man move. It kind of freaked Zach out a little. I went to the doctor this week and the nurse was trying to get his heart rate and he did the same big kicks - she was shocked that he was so strong/active this early! Here are the 27 week pictures. I wanted to show off my new maternity bathing suit (Thank You, Target)! Also, it was Father's day so I wanted Zach to be included in the picture.

This leads me to Father's Day - Zach's first! I wanted to do something really memorable for Zach so I was going to surprise him with new saddle bags for his Harley motorcycle. I went into the Harley store the week before Father's Day to pick out the perfect (read: not cheap) saddle bags for the daddy-to-be. Zach's birthday (in April) was kind of skipped due to the move from California to Virginia so this was more of a birthday & Father's Day gift all rolled into one. Plus, Zach drives the motorcycle to work every day and he needed the extra space to take stuff to and from work. Anywoo....the day his bags were going to be delivered to the store was the morning that Zach's motorcycle broke down. Go figure!! So, for a week we've been sharing a car (meaning I've been getting up before the sun to take Zach to work)! It's going to cost a small fortune to fix Zach's motorcycle (it seems like that is always the case when you have vehicle repairs). Regardless, we still tried to make Father's Day special here. Zach loves his saddle bags. I'll be sure to post a pic once we get the darn thing back. I framed a little daddy poem with a sonogram picture of Daxton, we went to IHOP for breakfast, and spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool. He's going to be an amazing Father!

Maybe I could reconsider my diaper choice.....

2010-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have committed to trying out cloth diapers. BUT..........I may need to reconsider!

My favorite line: "When it's #2......I look like #1!"

Seriously, I'm still committed to cloth diapers. Any recommendations/advice?

24 & 25 weeks

2010-06-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry this has turned into such a pregnancy blog. It's a little selfish of me, because we are only on this adventure because of Zach's job. I'll try and fill you in a little bit on what's going on in his world. Frankly, I understand about 1/2 of what's going on (this is really my first experience with military life), and I'm still trying to learn the "language." And, yes, there is a special language you have to learn to understand the job of a Marine. So....here is a quick Zach update and when things slow down for him maybe he will get on here and explain it better than I can.

This past week and this week are Rifle Range Weeks. As far as I can tell it's two very difficult weeks for families. Zach's day goes a little something like this: we both get up around 3am (I eat a bowl of cereal and have a glass of soy milk while Zach gets ready for the day). He's out the door by 3:30ish and I head back to bed. I try not to tell Zach what time I actually get up for the day (but if y'all must know: I usually get back to sleep around 4am and wake up between 9am and 10am). In my defense, for some reason these are the hours that Dax likes to sleep - making it so much better for my sleep. He apparently likes to play between the hours of 11pm and 2am. Once Zach gets to base he has to eat "chow" with the other guys before hiking 3miles out to the rifle range. The spend all day shooting rifles and pistols. Sorry I don't know more detail than that. I couldn't tell you what kind of guns or any specifics. I'm just not a gun person. So Zach is out there all day in the hot, humid Virginia weather (if you're wondering where I am during all of this - I'm most likely by the pool). I know.....it's so unfair! At the end of the day they hike back the 3miles, do some cleaning, eat dinner, and wait to be released. Zach gets home between 7 and 9pm. You heard me right!!! That's a 16 - 18 hour day. When Zach gets home he usually doesn't last more than an hour before he is in bed. A week from today the rifle range qualifications will be over and I cannot wait. Zach really enjoys it despite how long the days have been.

Enough about Zach. More about me and Daxton! ;-) ha!

In the 24th week I noticed for the first time having problems sleeping due to Dax's movement - Daxton would be up most of the night. Sleeping has been difficult for awhile now, because I'm not a fan of sleeping on my side all the time. Little did I know that it would get worse as soon as Daxton was big enough to start soccer practice in there! Here I am with the future David Beckham at 24 weeks.

My favorite thing about week 24 was setting up Daxton's crib. Grandma and Grandpa Avery got us our first piece for the nursery. Here we are setting it up!

I'm sure I'm giving very helpful directions. I'm a good helper! ;-)

Here is the proud daddy with the finished product.

We sat in the nursery for awhile looking at the crib in disbelief! This is happening! I, of course, cried while I told Zach how this is the very beginning of him having to assemble different things for Daxton and any other future Herbert children. I see a lot of Christmas Eves and birthdays in our future that require Zach to put together things with small pieces!

Sorry this is such a long post, but here is the 25 week update:

Not much to report for the 25th week except for that I cannot believe we only have 15 weeks left!! I did have my glucose test this week which was not very fun. I also found out this week that the doctor that I fell in love with (she's from California & fully supports my birthing method because her daughter is doing it) is taking a leave of absence for an undetermined amount of time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she's on leave because her daughter is giving birth, but for the life of me I cannot remember when she said her daughter was due. Chances are good that's what it is, because I saw this doctor for the first time in April and I knew her daughter was due sometime between then and my due date. There are a lot of other great doctors available to me, but they just aren't as familiar with my birthing method.

This weekend I finally wised up and bought some slip on shoes! I don't even care what anyone thinks. These shoes are comfortable and I don't have to bend to put them on - that sounds like a win/win to me!

Thank you, Target!!

23 weeks

2010-05-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

Daxton,

You already know how to make me laugh! Today the doctor was trying her best to listen to your heart beat, but you were being so ornery. Every time she would get it you would karate kick her away. You had us both giggling!

Every now and then I get a little nervous, but your dad is the cool one. I say things like, "our lives will never be the same. Doesn't that scare you?" Your dad responds with, "I think that it's exciting that our lives will never be the same!" You know what? He's right! I can't wait for this next exciting chapter of my life to begin.

Love,
Mommy

22 weeks!

2010-05-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

Baby Daxton,

I'm 22 weeks in this picture. We're more than 1/2 way there and you'll be in my arms before I know it. Ignore the "deer in the headlights" look on my face. This was taken after a very long, crazy weekend. We took a fun trip to southern Virginia and spent the day out on a boat with great friends from law school. I'm not sure if you appreciated all the rocking on the boat, because you decided to kick me pretty hard a couple of times that day.

I already love you more than you will ever know! You take my breath away everyday. Although, according to my pregnancy update that I received this week it might be because:

"Real estate within your belly is getting tight, with growing baby leaving little room for your lungs to...well...breathe. Expect the huffing and puffing to start soon. There's not much room for your belly button, either -- it'll pop out any day now."

All of the above are true - I have started having a lot of trouble breathing and my belly button is doing a disappearing act.

Your daddy and I will sit around at night and talk about what you're going to be like when you get here. We're pretty sure you're going to have a full head of dark, curly hair. We know you'll be brilliant (like your mom - hehehehehe) and strong like your dad!

Your crib arrived this week, but we need to wait until dad gets some free time to help put it together. We also received the cutest Harley baby shirt and shoes for you. I can't wait to see how cute you look in them.

Love you so much,
Mommy

Holy Cow - it's update time!

2010-05-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try and cover the past month and half in 1 (hopefully not too long) post.

April 3rd - We celebrated our 5 year anniversary (March 12th is our actual anniversary) at our favorite Malibu restaurant - Geoffrey's.

April 6th - We did our last beach day. It was a windy day, but we braved the elements anyway.

This is me at 16 weeks (sorry that it's my last belly pic). I'm now 21 1/2 weeks and I promise to have Zach take a picture asap! It's long overdue.

April 7th - The movers came and packed up everything - I watched! It's the best way for a pregnant woman to move. I didn't freak out either! It helped that Zach was able to come home and help out.

April 8th - We hopped on a plane for VA and began to settle into our new home. (I promise to take pics of the new place soon). Here's me with flowers I planted on our balcony. My attempt at making this our new "home." This is my planter that I got at the Malibu flea market!

April 10th - We spent the day exploring D.C. It was so much fun. Zach's friend from law school lives and works there and was kind enough to show us around. We didn't get a chance to see everything because walking all over D.C. is a little exhausting for a pregnant woman. We'll be back though. We only live 30 min away!

April 15th - was Zach's 26th birthday. We celebrated with a new motorcycle helmet, a motorcycle ride, and dinner at Applebee's for military appreciation night with some friends.

April 26th - The BEST DAY EVER!!!! We had an ultrasound. Zach was able to go and see our little baby moving around in there for the first time. We found out that we're having a boy!!! His name is Daxton (Dax) Edward Herbert. Daxton is just a name that we love (it means leader), and Edward is Zach's grandfather's name. He passed away in January. So, bring on the blue, sports, and trucks!!

May 1st - My little brother got married! It was so fun to see family and watch these two wonderful people join their lives together. I'm 20 weeks here, but it's not the best of belly shots.

Last week I went to an all day class learning how to be a Marine wife - and it's not easy. There is so much for me to learn. Zach had 10 weeks to be fully immersed in the Marine culture and now it's catch-up time for me. I'm trying to learn all the acronyms, lifestyle rules, etc. Zach works VERY long hours - at least 15 hours a day, so we're both trying to get use to that. I also went to a Budget for Baby Class on base (the Marines are great about offering activities/classes for all family members). I basically learned that we'll never be able to afford babies. ;-) I did, however, walk away with a bag of baby swag - full of outfits, crib sheets, a blanket made by a volunteer, etc.

And if you're not bored out of your mind yet - this brings me to Mother's day weekend!! My very first. I know Dax isn't here yet, but technically I'm still a mommy and took full advantage of the day/weekend. On Saturday we went to the Marine Corp Museum. We had not been there since Zach's graduation. It was nice being able to enjoy it without the mobs of graduates and crying moms and wives.

Then, I drug Zach to Babies R Us. We were able to register for baby Dax. It was exciting/overwhelming to register, but we conquered it together! Saturday night we went out with 4 other couples for Mexican food (Dax loves Mexican food). It's been so nice meeting other wives that understand what I'm going through. We all know we're only here temporarily, but we're making the best of it! On Sunday Zach showered me with funny mommy gifts! Here I am with all of them!

It includes flowers, a mommy hat, a mom cookie cake, a snuggie (everyone should own one - seriously), a stuffed dog, and sugar covered worms (this is my favorite candy)!!!

We then spent the rest of the day at the park on the banks of the Rappahannock River. It's the closest thing we have to a beach around here! We took Diesel with us and we played Bocce Ball and Frisbee. It was a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Diesel is such a beach snob! Okay - maybe we're beach snobs.....we can't help it!

This is Virginia (our new home)!

Finally, Zach was able to feel Dax kick last night for the first time!!! I've been able to feel him moving around in there for awhile, so it was wonderful to be able to finally share it with Zach. We have a soccer player or the next karate kid on our hands.

Dear Jelly Bean:

2010-04-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here you are at 14 weeks:

All I can say is: "Lord, please let that head not get too much bigger!" ;-)

I love you more and more everyday. Your daddy wants you to be here today, but I still need a little more time. I already talk and sing to you everyday. I also dance with you - I'm pretty sure you're going to have some pretty sweet dance moves that you've learned from your mommy. I rub you and pat you all day long - people make fun of me all the time because my hands are always on my belly. I can't help it! I'm just constantly aware that you're with me. It has been so wonderful to have you keep me company while your dad was away for OCS.

I can't wait to kiss your sweet face.

Love,
Mommy

2nd Lieutenant Herbert

2010-04-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some highlights from Zach's graduation from OCS. I haven't had a lot of time to sort out our video and pictures (more on that later), but why would you even care about my work when I have professional photos to share! Zach and I are lucky enough to be good friends with a professional photographer and his wife. I hope he knows that we're not using him for his talent (we were friends long before we ever knew he would become a professional photographer).

Please check out Carl Zoch at http://www.carlzochphotography.com/! He does amazing work (and is willing to travel). You know someone is a great friend when they are willing to travel cross country only to sit in the pouring rain to watch you graduate. Not to mention, the airline lost their luggage and they didn't even have an umbrella - such troopers! Enjoy!

Zach & Carl

Taking the oath

Trying to pin him despite not being able to see the tops of his shoulders!

I am so proud of him!

First salute!

So handsome

love

So proud of my Marine!

Introducing the Baby Bump!

2010-03-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

First, I'm back from Zach's graduation. It was an amazing experience! I have a ton of video and pictures to sort through, and I promise to do so - just not today.

Until then........here is the 15 week baby bump.

Five Wonderful Years

2010-03-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

Today is our 5 year anniversary!! Not exactly how I had pictured it when we first got married. I thought we would be someplace like Bora Bora to celebrate together. Hmmmm......not so much. I'm pretty proud of myself, because I have only cried once at work today (pretty good considering my hormones are insane right now)! The good news is that I will see Zach a week from tomorrow!

We have accomplished so much as a couple since meeting each other at the age of 18!! We graduated from college together, we moved to California for a 3 year commitment to law school, Zach passed the Texas Bar exam and officially became and attorney, we have almost made it through 10 weeks of military training, and we're expecting our first child! It has been an exciting journey so far. I'm so excited about what the future holds for us as a family.

Here are a few pictures from our life!

He asked me to marry him! Yes, this was caught in the back pond just moments after Zach asked me to marry him. How country can ya get?! =)

We got married under our tree on the Herbert Ranch. 3/12/05

We've been goofballs ever since!

Seriously! We're insane - and loving every second of it!!!

I'm off to see Zach in just 12 days!

2010-03-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow!!! We are almost there!!!

I was able to talk to Zach this weekend. We talked for hours! It honestly feels like we are dating right now. It's weird! He is doing really well. I think he is finally at that point where he can see that the end is near. The good news: I leave to see Zach in just 12 days (Oh my goodness - only 12 days)!! Woohoo! I'll be able to spend the weekend with him, have 3 days to find an apartment and really explore the area (I should know more than that there is an On The Border - ha), family day, graduation day, and then another glorious weekend together before I head back to California to get all packed up for the big move to Virginia. Zach may or may not be able to come back to help me. We are hoping he can for no other reason than that he really needs to say goodbye to the ocean - *sniff*.

I couldn't be more proud of Zach and all he has accomplished. Here is a picture of my Marine! I can't wait until I get to see him in those dress blues!

UGH!!!

2010-03-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

Today is not at all what I expected. I expected today to be filled with excitement and anticipation. Instead, I have met today with puffy, tear stained eyes and the feeling of trying to just put one foot in front of the other. I had my bags packed and the house was clean so I would be ready to go see Zach. I was going to get on a plane tonight so that I could be with him this weekend. Those plans came to a screeching halt last night when I opened the mailbox to find a letter from Zach. I knew something was up the second I saw that little white envelope with the familiar handwriting of my loved one scrawled across the front of it. Normally I would be thrilled to receive a letter, but with my visit literally just 24 hours around the corner I knew it probably wasn't good news. It was a very short letter that basically said his entire platoon had their liberty taken away and I would need to cancel my plans to come and see him.

UGH!!! Completely crushed!

At this point I don't even know if I will be able to talk to him this weekend. I called my mom first to cry, because everyone needs to cry to their mommy when they feel their world spinning out of control. Next, I went to my neighbor. You know you have a great friend when they can cry for you even when it's hard for them to understand what you're going through. My neighbor has a beautiful, 7 week old daughter (I've been practicing my mommy skills when I can). There is nothing more comforting than holding a fresh baby that looks at you and smiles and snuggles deep into your neck. I cannot wait until I can hold my own child. Then, I just cuddled with Diesel (my dog child) the rest of the night.

This morning my packed bag was mocking me. I went to get in the shower to try and wash away the sadness, but when I stepped into the bathroom the neatly packed travel toiletries were sitting on the counter mocking me even more.

I know we can do this. We're both very strong (read: stubborn) people. We have 20 days left. That still sounds like a long time, but not when you consider we started with 70 days! I think my hormones are starting to get the best of me.

3 1/2 weeks left!!!

2010-03-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

I talked to Zach this weekend! He's reached that point where he is just ready for it to be over. The good news is that it is almost over. We decided that I should bump my visit up so I'm going again this weekend! Just 5 days until I get to see my Marine! ;-) They posted new pictures on the OCS website today. Zach is in one - it's not very flattering, but I'm going to share it with the world anyway, because that's what a good wife would do, right? Here it is!

He's the one with his legs wide open on the left! ha!

Okay - I just get tired looking at this.

P.S. I wouldn't have lasted one day doing stuff like this! I'll be inside watching American Idol if you need me! ;-)

Dear Jelly Bean

2010-02-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hey little Jelly Bean (JB)!

I was able to see you today at the doctors office. You've already grown so much! Last time I saw you you were just a, well, a little Jelly Bean. Now you actually look like a baby.

I'm considering changing your name to Gummy Bear. Your dad and I having been calling you JB now for awhile (so I think it might stick).

You're only 11 weeks old, but your dad and I already love you more than you can imagine. We cannot wait to meet you. Until then, I promise to take very good care of you.

Love,
Mommy

Where's Waldo?

2010-02-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

Answer: Third from the right.

Zach told me that this was his favorite day of the entire training process so far. He said the instructors were evening getting into it and letting loose a little!

Here are the pics!

2010-02-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

Here is my Marine at Starbucks! I actually don't mind the haircut too much. What do y'all think?

Someone was nice enough to take our picture!

I love him so much. It's been so hard being away from my best friend. It's more than that though! He really is everything to me. He's the person I wake up next to every morning, the person I share all of my secrets with, the father of my little jelly bean, and so much more! 17 days until my next visit.

Best weekend ever!

2010-02-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

Hello family, friends, and blog stalkers! ;-)

Drum roll please.........the trip update!

Friday night I took a red eye flight to D.C. In the LAX airport I had my first political "celebrity" sighting. Living in L.A. we have seen tons of celebs and a lot of them have been at the LAX airport. Anywoo, John Kerry was getting frisked at security as I breezed through! I smiled at him as I got through security in a matter of minutes and refrained from taunting, "nanner nanner nanner"!! The best part about a red eye flight was that it wasn't full and I was able to have the entire row to myself! I was able to lay down and actually get a couple of hours of sleep. I got into D.C. at 6:45am (really 3:45am to me), so I was pretty much in a complete haze. Got out of the airport, picked up the rental car, and made it to the hotel with no problems. I must have looked awful, because the guest service agent at the hotel took complete pity on me and got me checked-in to a room at 8am when check-in time is at 3pm. I was able to get a couple hours of sleep - although it was difficult because I was so pumped about seeing Zach!

I get to the base a little before 12:30 (the time I'm supposed to pick Zach up). I was worried that I was going to be late, because I got lost on base. I stopped and asked for directions and everyone was so nice and helpful (I think I'm going to like military life). I got to the parking lot I was told to wait in for Zach (yes - a parking lot, no - not a building)! I know I am in the right place because there are other wives there (some with children). And we being our wait! 1pm, 2pm, 3pm (the kids are really starting to get fussy and I feel like crying with them), 4pm (other guys are coming out one by one, but no Zach) 5pm, 6pm (by this time I start to get a little weepy, these Marines are messing with my hormones)! Zach was finally released at 7pm. I had a feeling I knew what happened after talking to one of the moms that was also waiting in the parking lot. The mom proceeded to tell me that at 2pm they called a Captain to find out what was taking so long (big no no)! The guys got reamed for having someones mommy call! It is very explicit on the OCS website that you try and contact your marine only in a time of emergency (and even then you're supposed to have the Red Cross notify them).

Zach and I had a wonderful (but very short time) together. All of the things I get to enjoy every day Zach was able to do this weekend (take time eating a meal, sleep for more than 4 hours at night, take a long shower, take a nap). Plus, it was just wonderful to be in his arms again. He looks great and has lost I would say at least 15 lbs! He's so lean and muscular (and his abs are really starting to show). The funniest part is that he eats like a pig. He says he's on the Michael Phelps diet. I was even okay with the haircut. Of course ever time I saw a Marine passing by while I was waiting to pick up Zach and I had to stare intently to see if it was him, because they all look the same! I only took 2 pictures the entire trip and they were in the last hour of my visit. I'll have to post them later (they're still sitting on my camera).

It was heart wrenching to have to leave him. I was sad when he left (duh), but this was way more hard! I know what it feels like now to have him so far away and to have limited contact with him.

In 4 1/2 weeks he graduates! We decided it is just too long to wait and see each other again, so I am planning another trip. We are thinking the weekend of the 13th would be perfect. To make it even more perfect our 5 year anniversary is on March 12th. It kind of a big deal! ;-)

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

2010-02-18T15:50:00.000-08:00

They just posted new pics of OCS on the website! Zach isn't in any of them, but I know a lot of people were wondering what he's been up to.

I get chills looking at this picture. Of course it has been in the low 80s here for the past week! I'm spoiled!

Okay....so Zach told me about this. He didn't fall in that icy water, but he did see a guy that did. They sent him back to change clothes so he could do it again. Guess what? He fell in AGAIN!! Poor guy!

In other news: I will be in Zach's arms in less than 48 hours!! I cannot wait for this visit. We already have a trip to On The Border planned (our favorite restaurant)! I have been CRAVING tex mex like mad crazy, and Zach has been eating cafeteria food for 5 weeks! It's a win-win!

I am now convinced that our little jelly bean is a boy - I'm not sure why! I just decided this week that I feel very strongly that it's a boy. Time will tell!

I'll check-in after my visit to Quantico!

Frustrated!

2010-02-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

After my conversation with Zach last week he had asked me to send him some supplies. I did my best to locate all of the supplies, but ended up having to ship them separately. On Monday I sent two different packages overnight. Fast forward to Thursday. No packages have arrived. The online tracking for my USPS package says they left notice, and the package has been sent to the local post office. If someone doesn't pick it up in 5 days then it will be returned to sender. Well crap! First, I made sure to sign the waiver saying it was okay to leave the package without the signature (so it should just be dropped off with all the other letters and whatnot). Second, Zach isn't going to just get in a car, drive to the post office, and pick up his package. It doesn't work like that. After spending (what seemed like) all day on the phone with USPS someone finally gets the lady at the Quantico post office on the phone with me. She was the BEST!!! Not exaggerating. She said, "Oh Honey! Don't you worry. I have all the mail here staged and ready to be delivered to the base. They've been shut down since last Friday. As soon as they open back up we'll be sure to get your package to him." I hope I get to meet this lady someday because she was seriously amazing!

The worst part about this whole thing is that Zach has gone without mail for an entire week. Plus, Lord knows what they are making him do in this terrible snow storm. I know they aren't curling up next to the fire with a good book!

Side Effects...

2010-02-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

Of not having a husband....

I may not have known that the Super Bowl was happening this past weekend until going to the grocery store just days before and seeing the mountainous displays of chips and beer! In case you're wondering: I did watch the big game (in my own special way). I watched it the way I've always wanted to watch it. I made our favorite layer dip, recorded the game, and pressed fast forward through all of the game part and only watched the commercials & half time show.
I may have watched 5 seasons of the show Lost in just 3 weeks time. But, before you judge me - you must know that Lost is incredibly addictive. In addition, this first trimester has been hitting me a little hard and all I can manage to do after a day at work and walking Diesel is to on the couch and watch t.v!

I realized I really haven't given a lot of baby news! I've been so focused on keeping everyone updated on Zach. I was able to see our little jelly bean's heartbeat several weeks ago. It was amazing!! I really wish Zach could have been there. I did send him a picture of our little bean though and he said he just swelled with pride when he saw that little blob! ;-) I have had morning sickness, but I can't complain. From what I hear from some of my girlfriends is that my morning sickness could be a lot worse. More than anything I have been completely exhausted. If it was up to me I would be sleeping 12 hours a night, but having a job doesn't make that very easy.

In Zach news: Virginia has been bombarded with snow! His liberty last weekend was restricted (they had to stay on campus, but he was still able to call me on Saturday and Sunday). They are expected to get another 10-20 inches of snow starting tomorrow! They posted on the OCS website today that their liberty was going to be canceled again this coming weekend. Zach really needs a break and mother nature isn't being very cooperative! Needless to say he could really use some encouragement. Keep the letters coming - he LOVES getting mail! Hopefully the weather starts to clear up, because I have a flight out to see him leaving on the 19th and returning on the 22nd. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing gets in the way of our visit. We both need it!!

Best Weekend Ever!

2010-02-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

I was finally able to hear my husbands voice!!! It was so good to talk to him. For the past three weeks it has seemed like he's going to be gone forever - now that I've been able to talk to him it feels like he's on a short business trip. We are planning a trip for me to come for a 24 hour visit in two weeks. So exciting! He's doing well (minus a cold that EVERYONE has). He really appreciates all of the letters and encouragement he has received - keep it coming! Here is a picture of my marine:

The more exciting news I have to share with the internet world is that we are expecting our first child in September! We are very excited to meet our little jelly bean (that's what we've named him/her for the time being). Zach's convinced that it's a boy and my father is convinced it's a girl - we'll see!

Martial Arts

2010-02-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of Zach that was just posted on the website!

He is on the far right.

I received a letter from Zach a couple of days ago. He is really starting to get discouraged. One of his good friends is being sent home and Zach is also sick! He really needs a break. From what I gathered in his last letter his group will be visiting a Marine museum today and he gets his first liberty on Saturday! Hopefully two calm days will be just what he needs to get back in the game.

First liberty = first phone call with me! Yay!!

I'll report back after I hear from him. Oh! I read that Virginia is expected to receive 24 - 28 INCHES of snow in the next 2 days. Not fun weather for training.

Dear John

2010-02-01T09:07:00.000-08:00

I had a great time at Mary Poppins. Our seats weren't great, but for just $5 I got some binoculars and it was like I was sitting on the front row! I am really hoping that this week flies by, because Zach gets his first liberty this weekend (which means our first phone call). We will have gone 22 days without talking to each other. Complete torture! You know what else has been torturous? Valentines Day has been thrown in my face for the past month -reminding me that he won't be here. But, the thing that gets me more is that I can't go a day without somehow seeing this preview for the "Dear John" movie. Seriously?!

They just posted new pics on the OCS website. I couldn't find Zach in any of them, but here are a few for your enjoyment. As far as I can tell this is what Zach's day looks like:

He plays in the mud.

He runs with his gun.

And, he does drill in the snow.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

2010-01-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

I received another letter from Zach yesterday. It was very short, because his time is very limited (17 hour days). But, he's still alive and doing well!

In other news: I get to go see my favorite musical tomorrow night. Mary Poppins!!! I will be sure to report back on how amazing it was. I have found that the time goes by faster if I keep to a schedule during the week and make plans for each day of the weekend (whether it be lunch with a friend, a haircut, a mani/pedi appt, or even a musical)! Tomorrow marks two weeks. Only 8 weeks left to go!!

News from Zach

2010-01-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

I received my first letter from Zach last night. I cried before I even opened it, because it has been an entire week since we last spoke. He is doing well, and has met some great guys that are helping him get through everything! He said his bunk mate has a very similar sense of humor as his and he is pretty sure they are going to get in a lot of trouble together.

A funny story he told me in his letter had to do with tattoos. For those of you who don't know (or haven't had the viewing pleasure): Zach has a tattoo on his buttock (that's what we have decided is the proper term). Anywho, during inspections drill instructor after drill instructor kept coming in and yelling, "I need to see all tattoos." And all of the guys in Zach's group had to stand there and try not to laugh as Zach exposed his buttock to each drill instructor. Drill instructors are supposed to be very serious - I have a feeling the first one checked for tattoos and tried to hold their laughter till they were alone outside with the other instructors and then each of them had to see for themselves! I'm sure Zach LOVED the attention!

They posted pictures on the OCS website today. I poured over all the photos and I'm pretty sure he is only in one. Here it is:

Can you see him? Far left line!

There were other pictures, but I was glad I was unable to find him (kind of). Mainly, because all the pictures after this all the boys all look the same - BALD! Anyone that has been subjected to any amount of alone time with Zach or I has surely heard the story of Zach getting the urge to shave his head right before we left to spend New Years in NYC - it ended with me bawling hysterically because he has done a lot of damage to his head over the years - not really a pretty sight. So, for all I know he could be in the picture, but they all look the same to me.

Then, I thought this picture was interesting even though Zach isn't in it (at least I don't think he is)! But, it shows the barracks or the bunks, or whatever you want to call them.

And for those of you that care: I'm doing pretty good so far. The toilet seat is never up so I'm able to just back up to it with no worries :-) , the amount of trash and laundry has decreased SIGNIFICANTLY, and the bed is all mine (expect for when Diesel wants to cuddle at night - and I always let him)!

Herbertisms re-post.

2010-01-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

It seemed appropriate to post this again. Zach made this when we returned from the Herbert Reunion!

http://zachandjenherbert.blogspot.com/2008/07/herbertisms.html

I have Zach's address!

2010-01-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

Just as an FYI: I'm the only one allowed to write him "love letters."

(Josh, please try and contain yourself)!

Please let me know if you would like to write Zach while he is at OCS.

I don't want to post it for the world to see, so leave me a comment

and a way to get in touch with you if I don't already have it!

Oh, and please try to be encouraging and funny! I am sure he would love a good laugh!

Most importantly, please don't mention his grandfathers death.

That's something I would like to tell him when I'm able to have a conversation with him.

Thanks for all of your support

Grandpa Herbert

2010-01-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

I received some incredibly sad news this morning from Zach's dad, David. He called to inform me that Zach's grandfather, Edward Herbert, has passed away. I know without a doubt that Grandpa Herbert was prepared to go. The part that upsets me more than anything is that I know for a fact that Zach wanted to be with the family in event of his grandfathers passing. Unfortunately, the nature of the program Zach's in does not allow him to take leave. In fact, I won't be able to tell Zach for a couple of weeks. Please keep the Herbert family in your thoughts.

Grandpa and Grandma Herbert with their grandchildren!

he made it safe

2010-01-15T16:20:00.000-08:00

zach has made it to OCS safe!

please keep us in your thoughts and prayers

the next 10 weeks

i will post his address as soon as i get it

xoxo

jen

in honor of Zach's new journey

2010-01-13T15:36:00.000-08:00

you may have noticed that the blog has taken on a new look

we will have a Marine themed blog at least until zach gets back from OCS

i am so incredibly proud of zach's decision to serve his country

and his wonderful achievments in the past year

i will do my best to keep everyone updated on his progress as i hear from him

xoxo

jen

10 more days

2010-01-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas was great, New Year's was awesome, but it's great to be back in California, 70 and sunny right now. Jealous?

Jen and I decided to do the whirlwind family Christmas tour this year, which means flying to KC, then DFW, then back to LA, all in a week. We thought it wasn't going to happen, as a blizzard was closing MCI the day before our flight, but we made it! (14 hours of travel time). The toughest part of the holidays for me was sticking to my diet. You see, to go to officer training in the Marines, you have to arrive physically fit. The height/weight chart says that guys of the perfect height (5'10") must be 192 lbs or less. Two months ago I was 206. I am now happy to report that I've shed the necessary weight, but it wasn't easy!

Now that the east coast is reporting record freezing temperatures, I'm sure I'll miss that extra 10 pounds of fat!

So I'll be leaving on the 15th (10 days!). I'll fly from LAX to Washington, DC. Then I'll take a bus an hour south to Quantico, VA. No email, internet, phone, or caffeine for 10 weeks! I'll graduate and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant on March 26 (feel free to come!). If you're interested, there is a great article and video on OCS here. I'm not doing the two 6 week summers, that's for college students. I'm doing it all in 10 weeks, but it's pretty much the same thing.

Finally, feel free to write me while I'm up there. I'll be assigned a company and platoon when I arrive, which I'll send to Jen. You can contact her for the address.

The Marines

2009-12-07T19:12:00.000-08:00

More on choosing the hardest path: I just received my orders to report to Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Quantico, Virginia! I will go under a Law Contract, which means I'll eventually become a Judge Advocate in the Marine Corps.

I'll be leaving January 15 for 10 weeks of boot camp-style training. A candidate must make it through the 10 weeks before they will be offered a commission as an officer in the Marine Corps.

Don't worry, I'll be back in time for the Crawfish Boil.

Passed!

2009-11-06T09:27:00.001-08:00

Story of my life: choosing the most difficult path and completing it.

I knew Law School was going to be difficult, but the 6 months of studying and waiting AFTER graduation was the toughest. Actually, the waiting was the toughest.

The Texas Board of Bar Examiners set the grade release date for today, November 6th. They told us this before we even took the exam. They also told us that they would email us BEFORE they listed the names of everyone that passed on the website. You can find my name here.

Yesterday, I was waiting for an email, because historically the results come out a day before. (I know this because of obsessive google searches). Jennifer and I go to lunch at Subway in Malibu. She says she doesn't want to leave me alone. This is probably because I look like this. While sitting in Subway, nervously tapping my feet and staring into space, I get a text from a dude I met at the Bar review course. All it says is:

"Congrats buddy!"

If it were a movie, then the camera would do that cool zoom in effect where the background gets bigger behind me. Hands shaking, I look at Jen and say "I think that means I passed!" But I have to check the website to see my name to know for sure. I think at one point I start dry heaving. I get to the website, scroll down, then tell Jen to read it to see if my name is there. It is. I passed. We scream and jump up and down and hug and cry. I leave to go and call people. While Jen is throwing away our trash, the guy at the table behind us winks and nods at her. A parade starts on PCH and I get on a float that looks like T-Rex and wave at the crowd as I go by. Not really. Really.

So I'm a lawyer. Zachary D. Herbert, Esq.

Just a sneak peek into our lives

2009-10-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Actual conversation between Jennifer and I:

J: "where did your toothpick go?"

Me: "I dunno."

J: "tell me or I'll stick my toothpick up your nose"

Me: "I threw it on the ground in the parking lot"

(pause)

Me: "you know why I told you so fast?"

J: "No."

Me: "because I believed that you really would shove your toothpick up my nose."

Surf and Sun

2009-09-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

So right now, we are livin' it up in California. We moved to Texas and back just to move across the street! I finally got the loft all ready for guests (except for Josh Reese), and organized my tools in a new toolbox (manly, I know).

Jen and I have been to the beach every weekend since we moved back. I bought a used surfboard. Hilarious, since I lived here for three years, but never got one. Also hilarious, because it came from Oklahoma. I went into the surf shack in Malibu, asked if they had any used board over 9 feet, and he said, "actually, we just got one in from Oklahoma!" Apparently they moved to OK, brought their surfboard, then realized there is no use for one there! Just like an OKIE.

So it is big and yellow, and I'm thinking of nicknames. I'm also thinking of getting a rack for my Harley.

I'm also thinking of getting a job. (more on that later).
Surfboard on the Jetta.
Future surfboard rack.

Man that was hard (she said)

2009-07-31T16:34:00.000-07:00

Done with the Texas Bar. The Practice Bar if you will. That's because I'll probably be taking the California bar as well in February. Can't. Wait.

The experience of taking a 3 day exam was not as awesome as you would think. I checked into the HoJo Monday night and spent three nights there. After the first night I began talking to myself. After the second night I began making sound effects. Josh Reese called every night and left drunken messages.

When I got out of the last day, I let out a 5 hour sigh. I then kidnapped the director of the bar exam and held her for ransom. Not really. Really.

Time to find a job and be an adult. It will be real weird to never go to school again ever ever ever. Not really. It will be awesome.

And I'll need to shave my manly manly beard.

Umm...yeah....we moved back to California.

2009-07-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

May: Zach graduated from Law School. We moved to Texas. Zach started studying for the BAR exam.

June: Zach continues to study. I get a job at Malibu Floors after working in Malibu, CA for the last three years. That's what I call serendipitous. Man - Texas is a scorcher during the summer. We eat tons of TexMex!! Yummmmy!

July: Zach continues to study. Takes a break for the 4th of July. We ride the Harley out to the ranch for a good time with family and friends. We continued to eat more TexMex. We start to wonder if we made the right decision to move to Texas. Job opportunity, friends, connections, three years of a life are waiting for us in California - oh yeah....and fabulous weather and the ocean view. I got a call from Pepperdine offering me a promotion, working in my same department. We do what we do best - live life in the fast lane. Within a week we had plans to move back to Calabasas/Malibu, I had a job and we had a place to live.

So, I am currently back in California working at Pepperdine and can't wait for Zach to get here next week.

I'm not an Esquire, not yet a J.D.

2009-05-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Done. Done done done. I would like to not go to school for a while, say, the rest of my life. I finished on Thursday, did the victory walk outside, and checked out the ocean. I then called Josh Reese to tell him I'm done and remind him how long he has before he gets his M.D.

Jennifer and I left for Palm Springs the next day, and hardly took any pictures. We just sat by the pool and relaxed. It was awesome. Now we are packing, because I have to start my Bar Review classes on Monday (in Texas).

I am now 25 and getting ready to be an adult. It's weird. I have a list I'm formulating in my head of things to do before I die. I told Josh one of them is to get into a western-style bar fight. He told me that he is pretty sure people pay to do those things through an escort service. I told him that's from an episode of C.S.I. Silly M.D., reality is for Lawyers!

I'll leave you with the best picture of our trip. As far as I can tell, it is for "moving" and not "mobing". And the sign author did not learn his lesson that the word "demolition" does not fit on one sign.

The END is near...

2009-05-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well...I am done with my job! Yay! My days have been filled with packing & organizing. It's amazing how much junk we accumulated over the last 3 years. A couple of weeks ago we came to the decision that we were going to move as light as possible. We had to love it, want it, and need it. If the item didn't fit all three categories then it was to be sold or donated. Don't ask me how, but Zach's cowboy hat some how qualifies for all three categories - I guess it makes sense, b/c we are moving to TEXAS!!!

Ummmm...and BTW....how did 3 years come and go so fast? I feel like we just moved to California. We have had so much fun in the past 3 years (probably more fun than a couple should have when one is enrolled in law school). BUT, that's the way the Herberts roll.

Zach is finishing up his last final tomorrow! Whoop!!! Then we are off to Palm Springs for some much deserved R&R.

I am currently applying for jobs in the Dallas area. If you want to give me a job I would gladly accept. I guess my sugar momma status is still intact.

We are sad to be leaving sunny, beautiful California - and our ocean view. But, we are super excited about being closer to all friends and family (except Josh Reese).

Love,
Jen

Country in the Desert equals awesome

2009-04-27T10:16:00.001-07:00

At the last minute, Jennifer and I decided that we had to go to Stagecoach before we left California. Stagecoach is a country music festival that happens every year around this time (finals time) and is located in the desert. I was very responsible and studied very hard on Saturday so we could go for the Sunday show. It was hot during the day and cold at night (much like a desert). The crowd was pretty diverse, some preppy boys from San Francisco sat next to us, but we moved after one of their inebriated compatriots argued with me about how it's okay to lean on me because she was taking a picture.

Here is the crowd and the stage.

Lady in front of us, didn't get a video, but suffice it to say she was a dancer.

Couple self pic.
Awesome self pic of me. I should be a Texas State Trooper.
This dude was playing the piano, singing, and somehow steering it (it was on wheels).

When the sun goes down!!
At the end of the night. We were tired. We got home around 2:30 AM.

Here are some copyright - infringing videos:

Kid Rock (yes Kid Rock and yes he sang his old stuff and yes it was awesome)

Kenny Chesney No Shoes No Shirt No Problem

Kenny Chesney She thinks my Tractor's Sexy

Too much fun

2009-04-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

After the long awaited Crawfish Boil and all of its splendor dissipated, Jen and I went down to San Diego so I could interview for a Yob. We stayed in a hotel in the Gas Lamp District, and took zero pictures. After the interview, Jen was like, where do you want to go, the Zoo or Sea World? I said, emphatically, like a high-pitched tween, "SEA WORLD"!!!!! I've always wanted to go, ever since I saw "Free Willy."

It was more than amazing. We saw the Budweiser Horses.

We saw Shamu. Note that the stadium looks a lot like a mega church. It was pretty much "believe" this and "spiritual connection" that. After they gave a little boy a pendant necklace and let him feed and pet shamu, I ran down, punched the kid in the face, and stole the necklace. Not really. Really.

Then we saw Sharks.

Turtles.

Sea lions.

Walrusi?

and Dolphins.

It was awesome.

Backpacking

2009-04-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

**Jen's point of view**

So I got stir crazy. I go to school and sit in a windowless classroom. I go to work and sit in a windowless cubicle. I drive to these places while sitting in a windowless car...wait. *I do all the same things and my idea of relaxing is not to subject myself to absolute torture. My mind goes straight to the spa*

I sold some stuff on ebay and decided to check out backpacks on craigslist. People in LA are awesome when it comes to craigslist. I've decided that if I can buy everything I own on craigslist, then I'll somehow reach a sort of Zen. **If by Zen you mean Jen's backpack smells like an ashtray** But that is for another post. I found high-end backpacks that people had used once and then forgot about. I found them for CHEAP. I told Jennifer: we are going into the wilderness! Jennifer was like, "yay." **And by yay I think he means not yay!**

So i packed the bags with things I found around the house and Wal-Mart (by the way, Wal-Mart is the bomb for camping stuff for cheap. Forget REI. And forget women's rights.) I made sure Jen's was lighter than mine. **lighter yes, but were carrying the same percentage compared to our body weight** Because I wuv her. **And by wuv he must mean hate, b/c I have the blisters, sunburn, and back pain to prove it**

So after stopping for sunglasses for Jen, we get to the trailhead. **Zach refused to let me go into our gas station that we always go to: where I know I can get my perfect sunglasses, and also my favorite candy (b/c Zach only remembered his candy), so we ended up stopping at like 3 different gas stations not finding the things we needed all b/c Z couldn't be bothered to make a quick stop at our gas station. The funny part is that he already had to stop at our gas station to drop off some mail that had to go out that day, BUT he couldn't be bothered to allow me just 5 min to find good sunglasses and pick up some Sour Punch Straws - SELFISH?? I'll let you decide.** We are hiking the Sespe River Trail in the Los Padres National Forest. Just an hour and a half away.

Look at that! Out in the middle of NATURE **Nowhere**! It was awesome. **Also, Zach forgot to mention to me that there were several river crossings - which means you have to cross the river on slippery rocks and just hope that you don't go down with your bag and all the contents** We started out sandwiched between two groups so we stopped for a dip after a couple of hours. And by dip I mean I swam and Jen took pictures of me.

I'm flexing.

We saw some awesome views, vistas, sights, scenery, outlooks, lookouts and such. **I'll give Zach that much.....it was BEAUTIFUL**
**I like wild flowers. AND, Zach does "wuv" me, because he did make me this walking stick so that I could cross the river a million times. Oh....and please note that I am wearing shorts. Zach assured me it was a wide open trail and that shorts would be fine. I have the scrapes and bruises to prove that shorts were not acceptable attire.**

After a while (7 1/2 miles) we get tired, so we decide to make camp, as they say. We found a great place next to the river with nobody around.

When we get all set up, a group of 15 crashes through the river and plops down right next to us. We have loud large lady, pimply-faced-high-pitched-voiced-preteen boys, and lots of know-it-all dads. Jennifer and I are watching them (and by watching I mean glaring) to see if they are going to set up camp next to us. We are in 1.75 million acres of national forest, BTDub. Jennifer is like, "go ask them." I'm like, "I'm so annoyed right now, that no matter how hard I try, I'll come across real abrasive (meaning: someone'll get punched in the sternum)." So Jen goes over and says, "are you guys camping here?" To which the dumbfounded dad says, "no, we don't camp next to the water, it's too dangerous." Jen says, "okay." Turns around and goes back to our tent, set up right next to the water.

We get through the freezing night, water-danger and all. Note to self: one summer sleeping bag and two fleece blankets = not enough for two people and 30 degree nights. **But, a dose of Benedryal will make it a little better** We mutually decide that we'll trek back and get some McDonald's (our once-a-year treat that we feel we have deserved). We got back in 3 and a half hours. When we got out of the truck in the McD's parking lot, we were both walking like 90 year-olds. Ready to do it again this weekend Jen? **Umm...NO! I'll be relaxing at the beach if you need me! :-) **

4 month recap

2009-03-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

December:

Took finals, then drove straight to Texas, then to Missouri, then to Vegas, then to LA.

January:

Started last semester of Law School, All "On the Border" restaurants in LA shutdown. Decide to definitely move back to Texas. Pay ridiculous sums of money for Bar Exam.

February:

V-day in Hollywood, Zochs come to visit, Carl throws up, Zach throws up.

March:

Spring Break in Dallas. Really decide to move back to Texas.

Next: Interviews and the Crawfish Boil!

Thanksgiving Video

2008-12-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Cutest. Puppy. Ever

2008-10-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Eat your heart out, Adelaide.

Coolest. Couple. Ever.

2008-10-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

Seriously, look at Jennifer's face in this picture. That's the "don't mess with Texas" face. We went to the Los Angeles County Fair, and just HAD to take one of those cheesy western pictures (it doesn't get any more west than California!). Don't worry mom/grandma, the Jack bottle isn't ours, it's just a prop. The shotgun, however, IS ours. We bring it to every fair, just in case we see someone that reminds us of Josh Reese.

Randy Travis

2008-10-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

This past week my boss gave me tickets to go see Randy Travis in concert. Zach sang along to pretty much every song. I think he said something to the effect that "Daddy raised me on these songs." Very country! :)Did I mention we were able to go to the VIP area afterward to meet him? We're very important people in case you didn't know it. Here is the proof:

At least I beat Jennifer Lopez

2008-09-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

So boy gets fat, boy moves to California, boy signs up for a half marathon (fear is a great motivator), boy loses weight.

After the half (that's runner talk for Half Marathon), I decided to go big or go home (that's what they say here) and do a triathlon. I am getting into the habit of signing up for races when I'm not physically able to complete them. After paying the entry fees, I go, "crap. Now I have to workout so I don't embarrass myself." So I signed up for the Malibu Triathlon in March, and then went, "crap. Now I have to find a bike, train to ride it for 18 miles, and train to swim 1/2 a mile (I already owned a speedo)."

Fast forward to September 14th, and I'm setting up my transition area at 4:30 in the morning. I saunter over to the bathroom for my morning meditation, and pass by Matthew McConaughey. I inform Jennifer, who moves faster than she ever has at 0 dark 30 to see him (she's sort of a fan). I squeeze into my wetsuit, and Jennifer and I move towards the main stage. As we're walking, we suddenly get surrounded by 20 paparazzi. I'm like, "I'm famous!" But then I turn to my left, and there he is. Matthew McConaughey himself. I'm walking right next to him! So what do I do? What any normal person would do, I start posing behind him, giving the thumbs up sign, goofy smiles, the works. I've been picking up every tabloid I see this week, but so far I can't find myself in the background of any Matthew McConaughey shot. J. Lo seems to be dominating.

The swim? Well, lets just say I made it. I also ran into Jon Cryer. Seriously. Ran into him. What did I say? I said, "hey! I was gonna ride that wave in!" He laughed and said sorry and I go, "no problem. See you later, Jon." Like we're best buds.

The bike? I dominated. I was Lance Armstrong. I passed everyone. I passed all the amputees that beat me out of the water. (Jennifer was quite worried when legless men were emerging before her incredibly athletic hubby).

The run? Average. I saw Jon Cryer again and said hi. He didn't remember me. Jerk. Matthew McConaughey finished like 15 minutes before me. But I beat J. Lo.

Pics!

Meet Jack. Jack Daniels for short.

2008-09-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

So, Josh Reese decided to get a ~~child-substitute~~ puppy. And as everyone knows, poor Josh has an uphill battle ahead of him in his constant pursuit to be like Zach Herbert. Anytime you hear Josh say "I hate you Zach," what he's really saying is "I wish I could be more like you, Zach, and I hate that I never will."

Josh went to Med School, Zach went to Law School. Tie.
Josh lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Zach Lives in California. 1 for Zach.
Josh will graduate in 2 years. Zach graduates in less than 1. 1 for Zach
Josh will have to intern for 4-7 years for a teacher's salary. Zach practices after the bar like a real attorney. 1 for Zach
Josh owns a house. Zach rents. 1 for Josh.
Josh will save lives. Zach will litigate lives. 1 for Josh.
Josh owns a pair of chacos. -1 point for Josh.
Josh has a puppy. Zach has two. 1 for Zach.

Zach wins.

Meet Jack. He's a Shih-poo (coolest sounding breed cross name except for bull-dog/shih tzu).

Great California Adventure

2008-08-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

So we took 6 days off before school started and went on an epic road trip in the Big White Truck (BWT). From LA, we went to Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, 'Frisco, Monterey, Carmel, and back down. We encountered angry parking lot drivers, a bear trying to get into our campsite neighbor's truck, a duck hunter, the Capitol, an old Irish bartender, smoking brakes, beautiful vistas, and the place Jen and I want to retire.

The following slideshow is long, and best viewed full screen (click here and click the slideshow button). I put captions on the pics so it's like I just got back from Eckerds with freshly developed pictures and am sitting next to you while we flip through them.

The Clampetts come to Calabasas

2008-08-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

So we need some updates. The summer is winding down, I'm finishing up my last day at work, and school starts on Monday (last year of Law School. Yay. Josh, how many more years do you have?) We've been busy squeezing all the fun out of the summer, and we haven't had time to post. We're not sorry.

Mom and Dad Herbert (Grandma and Grandpa to Diesel) came and visited us a couple of weeks ago. I made a slideshow complete with captions for your viewing pleasure. There are many stories, but the best one is about me:

Place: Santa Monica, 3rd street promenade, men's restroom at Yankee Doodle's.

Dad and I have to make a pit stop. The bathroom is a two-holer, and I opt for the stall. As we are doing our thing, I hear someone else come in, and try the door to the stall that I'm occupying. When the mystery man realizes that the door is locked, he decides it would be a good idea to knock.

"ocupado" I say. (Spanish is the preferred language in LA bathrooms)

Then, in the mystery man's infinite wisdom, he tries the door again, this time more vehemently. When the door doesn't open AGAIN, he knocks AGAIN.

"I'm in here!" I say.

Third time's a charm, so when he repeats the pulling on the door and knocking procedure, I've had enough (I don't have a temper).

"If you knock on that door one more time, I'm gonna punch you in the face when I get outta here." I say, ever so politely.

"he'll do it, too" Says my dad, ever the helpful bathroom cohabitant.

"I'm gonna knock your head off" says the low, gravelly voice from the other side of the door.

My dad laughs, and LEAVES ME IN THERE WITH THE GUY!!!! Mind you, I've just threatened to punch a stranger and I have no idea what he looks like. The Hulk could be behind that stall door. So I finish, curse my dad for leaving me, bow up my chest as far as it will go, put a menacing look on my face, and swing open the door, ready for a fight.

When I open the door, ready to look the guy in the eye, I actually have to look down. There, standing before me, is a FOUR FOOT TALL, BALD, 60-year-old LITTLE PERSON (MIDGET).

He says nothing, I say nothing, a couple of seconds go by, and I just walked out of the bathroom. As I get outside, I see my dad, doubled over in laughter.

"you could have told me he was four feet tall!!"

"No," Dad said, "I figured you could handle yourself!"

Enjoy the pictures. And if you threaten people without seeing what they look like, make sure they are at least taller than Josh Reese.

How 'bout Them Cowboys?

2008-08-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Boy grows up in Dallas, boy moves to LA, Cowboys come to boy. I realized just last week that the Cowboys decided to have their training camp in Oxnard, just 30 minutes from where I live. I couldn't pass that up, what with the fact that I actually know some players' names and all. Jennifer went out of town this weekend, so I took a break from watching action movies and Harold and Kumar movies to see what it was like
Yeah, I went straight from work, hence the camo pants. Oh and I'm by myself, so I had somebody take this for me (looooser).

Right when I got there, T.O. was coming out of the locker room. Everybody's yelling, and when he doesn't stop for autographs, the guy next to me says, "T.O., you're my hero!" T.O. just kept going. I turned to the guy and said, "I'm surprised that didn't work." The guy just looked at me blankly. Sigh, if I had a quarter...

T.O.'s all, 'sup guys, like my tights?
Passing drills. Marion Barber. I didn't even know who he was until T.O. got injured and they started giving him the ball every play. Do you think we could spread the love more this year Coach Phillips?

Number 9, Tony Romo. It wasn't his fault.

Pictures of the new stadium, opens next year. I took this pic because I got a kick out of the descriptors used. "Expansive" "Monumental" "Largest". I love Texas.

Superbowl trophies. Next year we'll add another.

Tom Landry. A god in Texas.

HA! The cheerleaders weren't there, but I recognized like ten from this picture. (CMT reality show about them--deserves an award of some sort)

The best part, I bought Jennifer an overpriced PINK Tony Romo T-Shirt. I'm making her wear it for every game this year.

Shaking things up a bit!

2008-07-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

I am from Kansas. Zach is from Texas. Went to school in Oklahoma. all of these places.....DON'T HAVE EARTHQUAKES!!!! Apparently, California does. We haven't really experienced it until today.

Well....that's a small lie. We felt one like 6 months ago. It was in the middle of the night and very small. I woke up in a hazy state to yell at Zach for shaking the bed. He rolled over and groaned to me that he wasn't shaking the bed and told me to stop! We both fell back to sleep immediately and didn't realize until the next morning that we had experienced an earthquake.

So, today I am at work in Malibu. I work on the 4th floor of my building and apparently you feel the shakes a little more than when you are in a tiny apartment. Combine that with the fact that it was a 5.8.

I normally like to think of myself as calm and collected in stressful situations (Zach don't you dare refute this if you know what's good for you!). But, I seriously went into panic mode. It took me a good couple of seconds to figure out what was happening to me. Then, my sweet friend that works as the receptionist for our floor comes running back to my office saying, "I'm from Texas.....I don't know what to do." She came to the wrong person b/c I don't have a clue what to do and I was just a startled. Anyway....everything is fine now: my blood pressure has almost returned its normal state. If you are at all interested.....it felt like the building turned to jello and tornado like winds whipped up (winds like that are familiar to me).

Finding it hard to be motivated....

2008-07-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

I only have a week and half left of my semester and I am having major difficulties studying. I didn't do a darn thing for school this weekend and it was AWESOME!

First, Zach and I went to see Wallie on Friday. It was cute, but not the best Pixar movie. Then, on Saturday we did the usual grocery shopping and lounge day. Sunday was the BEST!!! We went to the beach. Zach and I live just 8 miles from the ocean - yet we rarely go! It's really an ordeal to get packed up, find parking, walk out to the beach, deal with the masses, etc. But, once we got set-up it was great! I sat there and read all day.......and my reading had nothing to do with Quantitative Analysis or Information Process Systems (Nerdy - I know!).

I was actually reading a book called "Bitter is the New Black" by Jen Lancaster.

I actually read her blog and have been meaning to read her books for awhile now! It is fantastic!!!

Solving the World's Problems

2008-07-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

Brilliant idea #1 (i am sure there will be more to come)

Outsource to the British (or perhaps the Irish....they have a cute accent too!)

I get calls all the time at work from people who barely speak broken English wanting me to buy this, update that, or survey me. First, don't call me if you don't speak the language of the country you are calling. Second, don't argue with me.....it just ticks me off.

Example: Some chic calls me today wanting me to update our information for something.....I can't understand what. I ask her to clarify why she is calling. She's either being vague b/c it's a scam or b/c she is stupid.....I'm not sure which. After a couple of minutes I think I finally understand why she is calling me, but we are not interested in her services. To which she replies, "Ok. I call back later." My blood starts to boil.

Me: "No. you NO call back later. Me NOT interested."

Her: "ok"

I still don't think she understands that me no interested. she call back later and tick me off.

Why oh why dear American companies.....if we must outsource why can we not screen people's language skills. Is this too much to ask???

Think about it.....if they got people that had cute British or Irish accents wouldn't you just be dying to call your credit card company to ask about the latest programs they have that will take advantage of you? Seriously, the world would be a better place.

Just another day at work

2008-07-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

Bet you I had more fun at work than Josh Reese did holding human intestines in.

Here's what happened. I go to work on Friday to job #2 of 3. This job I like. It's working as a law clerk for this one guy who practices Real Estate. It's just he and his secretary, but I get my own office. So I walk into the building in sandals (not flip-flops or chacos) and shorts and a t-shirt. You already know it's a good job. The attorney is in his 40s and looks exactly like Robert Barone from "Everybody loves Raymond." He's got the low voice and is ridiculously tall. Anyway, I'm researching something for him around 12 o'clock, and he says, "Hey Zach, you want to go to a boat show?"
I say, "Heck yeah, I want to go to a boat show!"
He looks surprised. "Really?"
"Yeah!"
"Then let's go!"

So I get into his Jaguar, and we drive to Oxnard, CA (15 minutes away, it's on the coast, north of Malibu). We get to the marina, and he says, "I have to spray off my boat first." This guy has a huge sailboat, with 3 separate bedrooms, a kitchen, and all that jazz. So I go with him to spray off the boat. This guy loves his boat. He gave me a tour, and the whole time he was like, "It's such a pretty day, I'd love to take it out" and I'm all "Sure! Do it!" After spraying it off, we walk back to the car to go to the boat show, and he's real torn. "Oh man," he says, "It's such a great day, I would love to take the boat out."
I say, being the eternal devil-on-your-shoulder, "You're the boss, you can do what you want, let's go!"

So we go sailing. He lets me drive. It was awesome. We get out to the ocean, away from everything, and you can totally tell that this boat is my boss's Zen, you know? His face says it all, just peaceful and without any care in the world. I'm so tickled that I'm on a sailboat in the middle of the work day, I look at him and say, "you've got to take a picture of me." All I had was my cell phone, so this is the picture that I sent Jennifer without any explanation at noon on Friday:

Needless to say, I had a good day at work.

Herbertisms

2008-07-03T20:33:00.001-07:00

So my family is...wellllllllllllll...let's put it this way: Jennifer and I were dating, and she came to the ranch for a weekend. It was the first time she had spent time with the 'rents and the crazy sisters. After a memorable weekend, with a couple very loud family dinners, gun shooting, and my dad, she gazes deep into my eyes, and with a touch of pity, says, "now I understand."

So this past weekend she got to see the rest of the story, if you will. She got to experience where my dad came from.

My dad grew up in a small town outside Toronto. Not unlike the small town I come from. His upbringing is a story for him to tell someday, perhaps on Oprah, but if you know my dad, you'll be able to fill in the blanks. His siblings and parents are, as far as I can tell, ALL extroverts, type-A, opinionated, stubborn, etc. (Pretty much just like me, my sisters, and my dad). Everyone is this way except for his dad, Grandpa Herbert. G Herb is sweet, caring, nurturing, patient, and quiet. (Pretty much the opposite of everyone around him). Jennifer immediately liked him, and was at his elbow constantly.

So I brought the video camera at my fazha's request, and proceeded to film the entire weekend. I very quickly figured out that everyone in my family (all chiefs and no braves) wished to be the emcee for the weekend. I compiled this little clip for your viewing pleasure:

Now all I have to do is edit out all the scenes where we are eating, and all that will be left will be shots of the kids playing with this.

Herbert Family Reunion

2008-07-01T14:18:00.001-07:00

You're not cool unless you wear matching t-shirts with your family.

Currently Reading....

2008-07-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

I totally recommend this book. I read it while on the Herbert Family Reunion vacation. I actually haven't finished it yet....a couple of more chapters to go, but I have already decided I am ready to quit my job and travel the world.

Don't touch me

2008-07-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

We just purchased a new couch.

Our last one was bought from IKEA. Don't get me wrong.....I love the place, but you get what you pay for. So, we got a piece of crap for our last couch. It was small, uncomfortable, white (I will NEVER purchase a white couch again), and really not built to last. Our last one was a small three seater so it was always a fight over who was going to get two couch seats or one. Guess what? For the last 2 years I have only been allowed to take up one seat on our three seat couch.......until now!

We decided to rent a movie to break in the new couch. Zach got up in the middle of the movie to take this picture.
I guess I am a creature of habit! The running joke is that we sit on completely opposite ends of the couch telling each other "don't touch me!"

a quick update

2008-06-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Life in the Herbert house is busy, busy, busy. Zach is always working (Boot Camp instructor and as a law clerk). It's great having two incomes, but we're so busy we don't really have time to enjoy the big bucks. I have been super, crazy busy with work and school. I work 8 - 5 everyday, then go to classes two nights a week from 6 - 10pm. It is getting to that point in my semester when I am working on school stuff every single day. Despite our busy schedules, we did get to go out on a double date the other night - which was great!

The main reason I wanted to update y'all is to let you know that I have not given up on my efforts to obtain a pink hand gun. The other day we actually went to look at guns and inquire about a gun safety course. A couple of highlights from that trip.

1. I felt like I had stepped into another world (mind you - this is a gun shop in L.A.). When we walked through the door I felt like we were transported back to Texas.

2. The man behind the counter that helps with the purchase and handling of guns was......wait for it......CROSS EYED!!! Now, I am not normally judgmental...wait that's a total lie, but seriously - don't you think a requirement of the job would be to have perfect and STRAIGHT vision?! And this wasn't a slight cross. This was serious - the man's left eye looks directly at the right wall and the right looks at the left wall.

3. The man that they recommend to use for the gun safety course was.....wait for it again.....in the hospital with a mysterious injury of some sort. Z asked the cross-eyed man if it was from a gun shot wound. The cross-eyed man laughed nervously and then assured us that it wasn't. Bottom line, we have to wait a couple of weeks to call him so that he has time to regroup from his "injury."

Overall, I am sure this is a fine establishment. They had "Family Oriented" on their sign outside so they have to be legit, right?

My goals for the gun range:
1. Infiltrate the Good Ol' boys club at the gun range.
2. Take shooting lessons.
3. Watch my back when Crazy Eyes has a gun in his hand.

In other news, Z and I leave for Canada on Friday for the HIGHLY anticipated Herbert family reunion. Should be fun!

Makin' Pa Proud......

2008-06-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

On Friday nights Zach and I usually have our date night. I get off work an hour early so that we can beat the traffic on the 101 an head for On the Border (our favorite Tex Mex place). We just can't resist the 1/2 price queso. As far as I can tell - On the Border is the only place in LA that sells queso, so we drive a good 30-40min just to have it once a week. And, at $4.76 a gallon for gas I still think it's worth it! :) Anyway, as I was driving home to meet Zach I called to tell him that I had something very serious to tell him over queso that night. I let him know that this was a big lifestyle change for me. We get there and sit down, and I turn to Zach, take his hand in mine, take a deep breath, look him straight in the eye.......

"Honey, I want to become a gun owner."

He stares at me blankly for a couple of seconds and bursts into laughter.

I have to tell him the whole back story. As you might have read in Z's previous post he has become a boot camp instructor. So, that morning Zach had left the house at 4am while I continued to get my beauty rest. I woke up in a panic b/c i had a dream that a crazy family was unlocking our front door with a key, I screamed at them to get out, they wanted to come in and look at the apartment b/c it had been theirs at one point in time, I told them to jump off a bridge b/c it's an apartment and it looks like all of the other ones, Zach invited them in and was being oddly polite. Long story short they were just casing the place and came back later with a gun and robbed us. I had been thinking about getting a gun for protection for awhile now, and this just helped me make my decision.

So, I still believe that there should be strict gun laws (I mean seriously - they kill people and we pretty much give them away to idiots who have no idea how to use them) so I am going to take a gun safety course.

Skip ahead a couple of days. I tell Zach that I want a pink handgun.

Z: He laughs at me again. And says, "No way are you getting a pink handgun"

J: "I find it odd that you think this is up for discussion."

Z: "I never in a million years thought you would get a gun, let alone a pink one."

J: "Good....so it's been decided."

End of discussion. I guess I still have a little bit of that country blood in me after all !

New Job

2008-06-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

I am now an Extreme Boot Camp Drill Instructor.
Allow me to explain...Let's Tarantino the story back to one week ago. I am looking for something to do part time around the area because gas is $4.70 and everyone from Texas has to drive a pick-up. Legal jobs--plenty in LA, but that is too far and not worth the gas for the pay. So, craigslist it is. Sunday I find a listing for a fitness boot camp instructor. I say to myself, "self, you are awesome, and you should do this." So I interview, and they say, "we'll hire you, but you have to make it through training week." I think, no biggie, . Half the dudes that started the week with me gave up (no girls gave up). Today I received my certificate and now I can yell at people to do more push-ups 5 days a week.

Oh, and this week I got a call from a law firm that is going to hire me full time and pay me for the summer. So now I gots two jobs! That's two more than Josh Reese

Get off my back, Kris! :)

2008-06-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

(Fierce!)

This is for my friend Kris. She's been buggin me to post pics of our day at Disneyland. My friends Kris and Sasa are in my MBA classes with me. We have a class called Quantitative Analysis together and had to complete a group project on Queuing......I will spare you the nerdy details....but, basically, we had to observe a line. And what better place to observe a line than the "most magical place on earth." Oh yeah....and I drug Zach along and put him to work! :)

A few highlights from the day:

Zach and I became proud season pass holders....Finally! Come and visit us so we can go to Disney!
School can be fun!

You know you're getting old when.....

2008-06-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

First, you purchase a humming bird feeder.
Second, you take pictures of the hummingbirds (I'm only going to post one pic, but I have taken a million).ENOUGH SAID........but, sadly there is more.

When other folks in their mid-20s don't know what to do on a Saturday night....they just go out to a bar to get drunk. In our house: it's pj night and American Idol with Wii (basically it is glorified karaoke). Sadly....in these pictures we were in our pjs, but thought if there was going to be photographic evidence of our nerdiness we should at least put on some normal clothes

Long over due

2008-06-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

A couple of updates that were promised.....

Ellen: Going to Ellen was A-MAZ-ING!!! Will Smith was the guest and he was just as cute as can be. During the commercial breaks he was interacting with the audience.....sharin' the love. He would go through the audience giving everyone hugs and all while he was singing to his old songs. It was a long day, but totally worth it just to see Zach act like a little girl when Ellen and Will came out. Seriously, I wish cameras would have been allowed b/c it was the funniest thing ever. Keep in mind they really build up the hype. They know you have been waiting outside all day long, so they do a pretty amazing job to get everyone in good spirits by the time Ellen is announced. Before she comes out they are blasting music & having dance competitions. When Ellen was announced, I turned to look at my "manly" husband. If you can picture this: he was jumping up and down, mouth wide open with a high pitched scream escaping from his mouth, hands clapping (clapping like a little child does - you know, with all of the fingers spread apart)! NOT EXAGGERATING!!! It was a great day for us!

Jeremy's Graduation from SNU: My brother just graduated from SNU. We had a great time with family and friends. It was sooo eerie being at my old school. But, a good time was had by all! The proof:

Be jealous....be very very jealous!

2008-05-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

I was able to go to the American Idol Final 3 dress rehearsal yesterday afternoon. Shout out to my super awesome friend, Kris, for getting tickets and choosing to take the most awesome person she knows!

Anyway....here is the behind the scenes info you've all been waiting for. First, the stage is sooo much smaller than you actually think it is going to be. Ryan Seacrest was incredibly laid back. I thought he was kind of funny. He acted like a little kid most of the time - showing off for the crowd. But, he must be good at what he does, because he seemed so put together for the live show. I was a little bummed b/c I figured out that some of the lines the judges use are scripted. For instance...Randy's line about David Archuleta (from now on will be refered to as Little D) being able to sing his way through a phone book....TOTALLY SCRIPTED. Also, Simon's comment about the winner of round one being Cook & Cowell.....ALSO SCRIPTED. So, for the rehearsal they have judge look alikes sit in and do judging. I think it helps with the timing and such. Those very lines were used by the rehearsal judges.

So, now for the run-down on the Idols.....

Little D was good. He has an amazing tone to his voice. But, his beady eyes freak me out. Also, his clothes were terrible last night. My overall opinion - I don't want the kid to win. I think he's too young. It's bad enough that if he wins he will be under the thumb of a recording label, but if he makes it big he will also have his dad breathing down his neck. And we know how crazy that guy is!! He was also weird and timid even in the rehearsal. He didn't really interact with the crowd that much. Well...cute kid. I hope he gets the boot, but he probably will be in the finals.

This is my girl! I love, love, love Syesha! In my opinion - she carries herself well. She's beautiful....AND she was awesome in person. She was fun and interacted with the audience and others on the set. I think she got a bad wrap last night. Paula was mean to her last night, but covered it up nicely by commenting on how beautiful Syesha is. Lame! I believe that she should win American Idol, and I know all you Cook fans our there are going crazy, but I'll explain myself a little better when I get to Cook. I have a feeling she might be the one to go tonight, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Okay...now to address all you David Cook(Big D) fans out there. You have every right to think he is amazing. And he is! He deserves to win the whole thing. BUT, I think he will have a better career if he doesn't win it. Look how successful Chris Daughtry is. I have to admit he has amazing vocals, but the guy just seems like a tool to me. Big D's second song was sooo much better in rehearsal. However, in rehearsal they were having a lot of problems with feed back coming from the guitar - so, perhaps nerves played a part in the whole thing. Regardless, I am sure he is fine and "will breeze through to the next round."

Santa Barbara

2008-05-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

Zach and I spent the weekend in Santa Barbara to celebrate the end of Zach's 2nd year of law school. HALLE-FREAKIN'-LUJAH!!!!! I'm not sure why we don't go to Santa Barbara more often, b/c it's only an hour away from home and it's fantastic.

The weekend started out awesome despite the fact that the weather wasn't the best. When you live in Sunny California you expect it to be that way all the time. Anyhoo......the first thing we did when we arrived was do a whale watching tour. Neither of us had never seen a whale before and I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is.
This is us on the boat ride. It was ridiculously cold, and we could have enjoyed the ride from an enclosed section of the boat, but I refused.....

This was me pre-motion sickness. You will not see pictures me looking green after riding on the boat for 2 1/2 hours. Mind you.....I insisted that we ride on the front of the boat with the 8 yr olds, b/c it looked like soooo much fun.

We saw dolphins. I wish we had a better picture, but our camera is a little out-dated. They were soooo cute, b/c they were playing with the boat and swimming and jumping in front of it.

Here is our whale sighting. We actually saw two of them. Again....the pictures can't describe it b/c our camera is crap. I am dead set on buying a new camera now.

Right after we saw the whales I retreated to the cabin with an incredibly obese pre-adolescent that was also sick. He looked like he was going to explode. The whole ride back to land I was praying that this kid didn't blow chunks everywhere, b/c I knew I would loose it if he did. He must not have been too sick b/c I watched him devour an entire package of crackers. I was worried I would be seeing those crackers come back up, but he managed to hold it in - as did I.

After our boating adventure we were off to set-up camp. Here are a few pics from camp.

We set up this tent together! We are such a power couple! :) My back hurts today from sleeping on the ground. Thanks a lot you stupid tent.

We then rode our bikes all day the next day, b/c that's the whole reason we went!

On a more serious note: Zach, I am soooo proud of you for completing your second year of law school! BRAVO!!!!

Garden Tote!

2008-05-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

Nerd Alert!!! Be warned, the following is incredibly nerdy. Just skip to the pictures if you can't handle the nerdiness!!!!

When you are a law student, you have to research law sometimes. You can either use a book, or you can use an online program like Westlaw or Lexis. The people at Westlaw and Lexis try to push their research products on law students early on, giving us all sorts of perks for using their product. They give us access for free while we are students, hoping that when we are lawyers, we'll be so used to using it that we'll pay for it. Anyway, they give you points for accessing their pages and doing research projects, and you trade in your points for prizes. It's like Chuck E. Cheese for law students. Oh man, I'm ashamed at how nerdy that is. I really didn't need to go into that to show you the new Garden Tote I got for Jennifer, but I just love sharing.

Jennifer demonstrating how she will use the new implements

Jennifer actually tilling the earth

Also, I had to get a couple pictures in of the dog. This is Diesel. He is ferocious.

Nightmares

2008-05-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

I woke up in a cold sweat last night. I was dreaming about corporate takeovers and insider trading. That's not something you hear every day. Well, hopefully. If it is, then you need new friends. Back to my nightmare, this is the second night in a row that I haven't been able to sleep. You see, two days ago, I took my corporations final, which was three hours and three essay questions long. So even though the most difficult final is over, I still can't stop my brain from thinking about it.

Speaking of nightmares, I keep dreaming that my teeth are falling out. I'll be talking to someone, it's a normal day, and then there's a little wiggle and *plop* out falls a tooth. And an important tooth at that, like a front one, not one of those stupid back ones nobody sees. Then all I can think of is, crap, I'm gonna look like some country bumpkin with no teeth. It's surprising how I never worry about the fact that teeth falling out of the face with no pain is probably a symptom of some deathly illness. I don't know what illness, but I'm sure Josh Reese could tell me.

Give me the naked dreams any day. Or night. They don't bother me at all. My favorite is when I've forgotten to wear pants, and nobody notices. Sounds a lot like college.

Things I Hate

2008-04-29T19:11:00.000-07:00

It's finals studying time. It's the time when I retreat to the stacks in a dark corner of the library, take over an entire zip code's worth of table space, and glare at people that dare to venture my way. It's the time when I have to cram an entire 15 weeks worth of class lectures into my head, then spit it all back out on a 3 hour exam. The grade I get on this exam is the only grade I get for the class. And it's curved.

I'm an easy going guy (some would say... pleasant), but not during finals time. Which brings me to the things I hate.

1. Flip-Flops.
I get it. You want to be cool. You live near the beach. You don't like tying shoes. That's great. The problem is, those overprice shards of foam attached to your feet make a *thwack* sound with every step. Every step. I can hear you start my way from the other end of the building, slowly getting closer and louder. With every step, a small penny nail is being pounded into the base of my skull. When you finally get to me, what do you know! No places to sit. That's because you slept in until 11 am, and didn't want to wait until 11:01 to get out the door, so you decided to attach noisemakers to your feet to rush to the library. Good for you.

2. Incessant Sniffing.
I had a guy sit at the table next to mine (I can't claim both, I've tried) and strategically place his nose exactly 6 feet away from my ear. He then showed me how he can keep perfect time through the act of sniffing. Every 5 seconds, SNIIIIIIIIIIFFF. Even after I made a huge display of putting in my earplugs, it was clear that this human metronome was unstoppable. I actually turned and made direct, prolonged eye-contact with the guy. That successfully slowed the sniffing frequency to once every 30 seconds. Believe it or not, that was worse. Just when I had relaxed my death grip on my notes and lowered my shoulders from the top of my ears... SNIIIIIIIIIIIIFFF. I was about to politely ask the guy if I could shove a couple of flip-flops up each nostril, but he got up and left. I stopped him and asked him if he wanted to sneeze on my face before he left, but only in my head.

We created a blog

2008-04-28T21:16:00.001-07:00

So much cooler than all those other couples that have separate blogs.