The Beat Is On!

It's my 28th birthday and the 10th week birthday for the little kumquat inside! Today Nate and I went to the doctor to hear our baby's heart beat. They say that you have a pretty good chance of hearing it between 10 and 12 weeks. I'll be 10 weeks pregnant tomorrow. When I explained to the nurse that I've been feeling pretty darn good so far, I think she got nervous that things might not be good. But within a couple of seconds of pushing a little probe around on my belly, we heard it - the whoosh whoosh whoosh of a tiny heart! As it beat along I felt a couple of tears roll down my cheeks. Exciting! Nate was pretty pumped too. He took out his mp3 player and captured the "whoosh" so we could share it with you.



We're thrilled to be parents, but also very aware that our lives are going to change drastically. To help prepare, we're making a list of all the restaurants in Madison that we've been wanting to try. We'll do our best to enjoy good food and virgin cocktails until it becomes a little bit harder to do so. Once the list actually materializes, maybe we'll share it with you so you can hold us accountable. :) Tonight we're off to Graze - a new "gastro pub."

We Survived ACT 8!

 

300+ miles later, we're back in Madison with tired legs and new friends! The ride was great - up to Baraboo, across to Spring Green, down to Albany and finally back to Madison for a big celebration in front of the capital. There were a few challenging hills, but for the most part we felt ready for each and every mile that we peddled through.

Thank you to everyone who supported us with good wishes and/or dollar bills! People living with HIV/AIDS in and around Madison will be better taken care of because of you.

Please join us at a benefit house-concert this Saturday, June 26.

If you can't come but would like to donate, you may do so online here.

Devil's Lake!

The weather continues to amaze me. A group of us went camping at Devil's Lake last weekend and Andrew and I rode our bikes from Madison. Two hours before leaving, we weren't sure if we were actually going to ride since there was rain in the forecast. The chances of heavy rain dwindled, so we took a chance. The ride was challenging, but awesome. Nate and Anne drove the camping gear and had pie iron pizza assembly all set up when we arrive just after sunset. Apparently Nate had the camera all ready....
We enjoyed a relatively fancy breakfast on Saturday morning before leaving the campsite for 2 beautiful hikes - Parfrey's Glen and the bluffs around the lake. Its been a while since I've posted a picture of my miracle dog Ries, so here goes :) (She's a miracle dog because she got hit by a car 2 weeks ago and is still alive!)

300 Miles July 29 - August 1

The farthest I ever rode a bike in one day was 40 miles. That was a few weeks after getting my bike...a gift from lovely husband-to-be, at the time. Now I have 2 bikes. After riding my heavy commuter bike around town, I realized how much I LOVE my eBay bike that Nate gave me - its black, light, and as far as bikes go, I think it's hot.

That's part of the reason I just signed up to ride 300 miles in 3 1/2 days. The other reason is that I like my job - working as a dietitian and treatment support services coordinator at AIDS Network. One of the ways that AIDS Network raises money is by hosting a 300 mile bike ride every summer. Each rider is required to raise $1200. Lots of people raise more than that, but for our first ride, Nate and I are shooting for the minimum. Who knows - maybe we'll raise more.

If you would like to donate, visit our donation page:
www.actride.kintera.org/aliciab

We'll get some biking pictures up soon!

Spring in Madison

I don't really remember last spring being particularly late here in Madison, but I still seemed to have this attitude this year that in Wisconsin, warm weather doesn't arrive until June. Its April 28th and we've already had many warm days. The grass is green, there are interesting flowers everywhere, and I've enjoyed many outdoor runs, bike rides and ultimate games.

When I got home from work today, the sun was shining on the front of the house and lighting up the crab apple tree in our front yard. By the time I got the camera, the light was less ideal, but I still like this picture. I like our house. I love our neighborhood. Spring is here.

The British Virgin Islands

We went on a fabulous vacation January 1-9. Nate and I spent New Year's Eve in Chicago before boarding a plane to San Juan, PR at 8 am on January 1. We enjoyed the humidity in the San Juan airport before catching a small plane to Tortolla where we met up with the rest of my family - everyone was there!

After 2 nights on land and a few competitive volleyball games, we packed our catamaran sailboat and departed for 5 nights on the water. We had a wonderful time - lots of photography, reading, gaming (Bonanza! & Citadels), chatting and (of course) good food and drinks.

When we returned to the cold on January 9, we felt refreshed and ready to get back to real life.

Click here to see a set of our favorite pictures from the trip.

Looking for a Ugandan Husband?

Last December, before Nate and I left Uganda, I promised two friends - Michael and Gordan - that I would try to help them find American wives. It's ridiculous that I have not posted their pictures yet, but here they are - 2 great guys in their mid-twenties. Email them if you want to learn more about them! Michael can be reached at michaelkater2000@gmail.com and he can also give you Gordan's email address.

Gordan

Michael

2009: a pretty sweet year...

Nate and I were eating Japanese food on Christmas Eve, reflecting on everything that happened in 2009. Here are the highlights...
(click on the links to see pictures!)

January: We witnessed our first presidential inauguration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. After experiencing the love for Obama in Uganda, this was an awesome event to be a part of.

February: We moved back to Madison on January 26th, signed a rental agreement on an apartment January 27th and moved in January 28th. Nate also signed an acceptance letter from nPoint for a mechanical engineering job.

March: Our offer to purchase was accepted on a house that I fell in love with the first time I saw it. When Nate went back to work in February, I had employed myself with a house search. Our goal was to close on a house by summer, so what a exciting surprise when we closed on March 30th.

April: We adopted Ries, my favorite little dog ever! She has been such a joy to have around and it's hard to imagine life without a dog. We also traveled to DC for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler and to see my family. I accepted a consultant job at AIDS Network in April too!

May: After enduring a windy, rainy ultimate frisbee spring league, Nate stepped up to the big leagues and began tryouts for Madison Club - the top men's club team in Wisconsin.

June: A beautiful summer was underway. We got lots of exercise: Nate made the team mentioned above, we played together on a coed summer league team - The Poundnoughts, and I started training for a marathon.

Nate at a Tournament in Chicago

July: We spent the 4th in Washington DC. I also was offered a part-time position at AIDS Network, so I started working 20 hours per week instead of 2. Frisbee raged on and we missed 2 games to travel to San Francisco and Yosemite to tour, camp, hike and visit Georgia.

August: On our 2 year wedding anniversary, we hiked and picnicked at Devil's Lake near Baraboo WI. Nate's team stared traveling more for frisbee and I kept running.

On our Hike at Devil's Lake

September: Anne and Andrew exchanged rings in Madison. Labor day weekend was an exciting, festive time with beautiful weather for an outdoor reception. I also started a 2nd job at UW Health in the pediatric fitness clinic.

Anne and Andrew Ooms

October: Finally, marathon day arrived! Matthew and I ran together and were pretty happy with our time of 3:43. The next weekend, Nate traveled to Florida for Club Ultimate Nationals, finishing 10th out of 16 teams.

November: We enjoyed a lovely weekend in Sonoma, CA, tasting wine with my parents and celebrating the marriage of our friends Tyler and Erin. And as far as Novembers in Wisconsin, the weather was lovely.

December: We've been listening to Christmas music all month long, preparing for the glorious birth of Jesus! We also survived the first storm of the winter - about 18 inches! We'll travel to Oconomowoc to be with family later today. It's been a fantastic year.

Merry Christmas! Thanks for your love.

-Nate and Alicia

Seventeen Inches!

It is official...we are Wisconsinites again. We survived the first storm of the season. This picture says it all - it was a day of shoveling - not driving. It's nice to stay home. We'll bundle up for the next few days (weeks? months?) because now the temps are really starting to fall: -25 degrees with the windchill tomorrow. It's nice to be home.