thoughts on a few classic musicals

For a person who grew up singing in choirs, sometimes I feel a bit behind when it comes to musical theatre.  There are a lot of classic ones from which I know a few that I've never actually seen.  Thanks to my love affair with the public library, some of this is being remedied.

Last night, I finally saw Annie Get Your Gun for the first time.  I couldn't believe how many songs from it I already knew, considering that I had no idea which musical they were actually from.  I actually sang "There's No Business Like Show Business" in a musical revue in high school with the whole choir.

Anyway, I liked the musical, for the most part.  UNTIL THE END.  I apologize for the spoiler alert (stop reading now if you really care), but talk about the wrong message to send to women!  In case you don't remember, Annie purposely loses a shooting contest against her love interest because he's the jealous kind and can't handle her being better than him.  Then they live happily ever after.  Excuse me?  Talk about a step backwards for feminism!  Okay okay, this musical was written and performed on both stage and in movie a few decades before the huge second-wave feminism push.  But still.

I've also felt this way about the musical Grease.  This was actually my favorite musical growing up and was the first show I ever saw on Broadway.  But before I grew up a little, it was all just fun catchy songs and throwback fashion to me.  (Seriously, I didn't even catch the part about Rizzo's pregnancy scare until I was at least 16.)  Then I saw the movie again in college or so, and geez.  Hey, let me change everything about myself to conform to this idiot man's standards because he apparently doesn't like who I actually am.  Gag.

Hey, girls of 2011, if he doesn't like you for who you are, move on.  Fifteen years later, I'm still kicking myself for intentionally throwing a spelling bee in 8th grade when I was in the final five (the word was "ruminate").  That was definitely fueled by hormones, and I know I would have won.  That's the only time I ever stooped that low, and I'm glad it was only once.  But never would have been better.  I'm pretty sure I intimidated guys in high school and college, but they obviously weren't up to muster anyway.  I promise there are plenty of guys that will actually like you, achievements and all.  So don't compromise.

Alright, that is my inspirational message for the day.

does this outfit make me look pregnant?

I'm definitely at the point where I kinda look pregnant.  But it all depends on what I wear!

These pictures were taken last Thursday, at 17 weeks and 3 days along:

No, this is not a maternity dress

Yeah, cute but I definitely looked like a momma.

Dress: Faded Glory via Wal-Mart

T-shirt: Hanes

Necklace: Body Central

The very next day, at 17 weeks and 4 days along I took these photos:

The shirt is a size up from my usual (a hand-me-down), but it fits well now!

Probably the last time I'll be able to button those jeans all the way for a while

 Shirt: Talbots

Jeans: Old Navy

Necklace: 1saleaday.com

Yeah, so it's all in the clothes, people.  I say this in a reassuring way for all of you who need to "hide" body issues.  I'm a huge fan of "What Not to Wear," and they're totally correct about wearing structured clothes (with well-placed seaming) to give you the lines you want.  If it wasn't so darn hot, and if I had one in the right size, I would have added a jacket to this outfit.  Those things can work wonders.

Linking up with No Model Lady.

our mini-vacation

"So, are you a lake person?"

This was the first thing my father-in-law asked me when he picked us up at the Indianapolis airport.

"I . . . I don't know.  I've never really been given the chance."  It was mostly true.  I recalled one fall break in college where I was invited to someone's lake house.  There were only five of us, good Catholic kids all of us, no illegal drinking, and only one or two trips out on the boat.  I think it was a speed boat, but I honestly don't remember.  The one big memory I have of those few days is watching Georgia lose to Florida again, even though the Dawgs were having a stellar year.  It's always depressing.  As for being a "lake person," I don't think this experience qualified me.

B's dad drove us up toward Fort Wayne, where I finally met his maternal grandfather (long story involving family drama that has nothing to do with me), and then to their lake house on the Indiana/Michigan border.  Coldwater Lake, for those of you who want bearings.

Omigosh, I LOVED southern Michigan in the summer!  I had only ever been to visit when it was cold out (the closest to warm being in late March, and my southern blood did not think that was warm!).  B's dad once stated that he could feel it getting kinda humid, and I had to laugh!  The day we left Pensacola was the most miserable day.  The kind where you walk outside and your shirt is immediately drenched in sweat.  Now that's humidity, my friends!  This pansy-arse 'humidity' in Michigan was lovely.  It rained here and there but never enough to impede on our fun.  I could definitely get behind this "reverse snowbird" idea.

Coldwater Lake: the water really wasn't very cold

I went out on the water every time I could.  The first night, most of us went out and watched a gorgeous sunset from the boat.  The next day, I hopped in the speed boat and got to watch each family member waterski, and then kneeboard, and then B and one brother go tubing behind the boat.  Every time I turned around, there was some other thing that floated.  They had a speed boat, pontoon boat, fishing dinghy(?), and a kayak.  You may notice that "waterski" is actually #1 on my 101 list (random order as I thought of them), but I have to wait until next summer since it's a huge pregnancy no-no.

I tried to cross off another item, though.  We went fishing out on the pontoon boat one morning, but nobody caught anything.  It was only my second time fishing in my entire life.  (And yes, I caught something the first time, so I definitely can't check off my #62 now.)  This time, I actually ended up losing a bobber, breaking the line (twice), and somehow getting all my worms eaten without even getting a fish out of the water.  Oh well, it was still a great morning.

All in all, we had an awesome but way-too-brief trip.  (Blame B's job for the brevity.  Ugh.)  I took a ton of pictures of everyone, but I don't really have any of myself.  So here's a video of B and his brother "tubing."  I use that term loosely because tubing down South does not involve a boat--just a river, a tube, and usually a cooler full of alcoholic beverages.  I took B on my version of tubing back in June, and he had no idea what he was getting into.  The good thing was that I could do it while preggers (minus the alcohol, of course).  But here's the high-brow Midwestern version of tubing:




And, yeah, I think I'm a lake person after all.

pregnancy vs. airplanes

Or maybe I should call it Cat and B vs. Delta Airlines?  Our flight out on Wednesday night was delayed for over FOUR hours.  And this being Pensacola (a small regional airport), that means we had a connection that we of course missed.  Delta put us up in a hotel in Atlanta for the night once we got there and re-booked us on the earliest flight to Indy.  Unfortunately, the hotel was not right next to the airport; it was in Jonesboro (for those who know Atlanta), and the midnight shuttle ride there felt like an eternity.  It was packed with people from our flight and also some from Tampa who went through the same ordeal.  My frustration was mostly due to one very drunk middle-aged lady who kept hootin' and hollerin' about being on the "party bus."  I guess she had spent most of her delay at the airport bar.  She immediately went to the hotel's bar once we got there, so at least I didn't have to deal with her any more.

We got a whopping 3 hours of sleep in order to go through the freakin' security at the Atlanta airport and make it to our flight on time.  I also went through the newfangled TSA scanner machine for the first time and mostly by accident (hey, the line was shorter!).  B said I probably shouldn't have done that and used pregnancy as an excuse, but I looked it up later and I'm pretty sure it's fine.  At least we also got vouchers for food, so I ordered the biggest thing on the Burger King breakfast menu . . . then spilled a good deal of it on the floor (next to some guy's foot) when B decided we should move away from the annoying speakers that were constantly blasting CNN.

I will say that our flights this time were much better than when we flew to Texas a few weeks ago.  Something about the tiny planes we were on (Continental for that trip), the stomach issues I was having then, and the short duration of the entire round trip (left on Friday, came back Sunday) did not bode well for me.  My stomach was a miserable wreck for the whole thing, and it was not pleasant.  But this time I did pretty well with the actual plane rides.

As for now, at 16 weeks, I've definitely come out of the first-trimester funk.  I woke up Monday morning and actually felt really good.  As in, good enough to get on the elliptical!  It has definitely taken some outside motivation up until now.  The weather here hasn't helped.  Honestly, if it had actually been decent enough outside, I would have kept up with my running.  But I do like the elliptical--if anything, it's a way for me to see the few shows that I miss on cable.  (This morning I actually planned my workout so I could see "Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta."  Hey, if that's what it takes . . .)

Now, as for what we did on our mini-vacation to Indiana (and southern Michigan), that's fodder for another day.  But here's a clue:

pregnancy vs. Habitat for Humanity

Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to do weekly updates on the pregnancy, but I sorta like the idea of doing a pregnancy vs. whatever obstacle presents itself series.  (Probably not weekly, but whenever.)  Maybe I'll even keep a running tab of what's winning (pregnancy or . . . me--I didn't think it was going to be a duel, but we'll roll with it).  Hope you like it!

This past Saturday, I did a Habitat build.  I used to work for Habitat for Humanity, during my AmeriCorps days.  Here's a picture of me looking like a tough-girl construction worker:

Yes, that's a level in my left hand.  So tough!

(Okay, if you really knew me, you'd know that 80% of my year I was holding a paintbrush instead of a hammer.)  I also must add that I did my AmeriCorps year in north Florida.  So yeah, I guess I know a thing or two about doing this in the heat.

We were invited to join the Catholic Young Adult group here in Pensacola for a Habitat build.  I guess the only day available was the 30th of July?  I originally didn't think I would be up for it, but I decided this past week that I could probably do it if I just took a lot of breaks and left if need be.

B came with me, and we framed a house!  Good grief, it was HOT.  And humid.  Probably 97° with 85% humidity.  My body is definitely not as conditioned as it was four years ago.  Sometimes my strategy was just to drive in three nails, then take a break.  But I wasn't the only one doing so.  Even the crew leaders said the heat on Saturday was the most miserable they had felt this year.  I probably drank at least a gallon of water while out there.  Then I had to use the porta-potty.  Yuck.

Overall, I felt pretty good about my day at Habitat!  Then I woke up the next morning to discover that my thighs were sore and I had a breakout covering my entire upper back.  (Yeah, eww.)  But those things have happened to me before when I did stuff like this sporadically.  I'm going to call this a win.

I also took some belly pics!  Sort of a base line, but I've definitely gained a gut and a few pounds.  I already miss my body.  Hate me all you want, but I had a pretty awesome hourglass figure.

This was taken last August, but I looked the same back in May of this year

I'll be doing all my belly pics in the same tank top.  I got this during the Old Navy $2 tank sale around week 7 or so.  I purposely bought a size up from my usual with hopes that the extra length could help me out later on.

Barefoot and preggers at 14 weeks, 6 days.

I now see why most women don't take belly pics until they actually "pop."  This totally looks like the beer gut/Freshman 15 that I never gained in college.

B and I will be heading out on another airplane ride this week, so that we can actually enjoy Indiana in the summertime.  I've only ever been when it's cold!  Hopefully, now that I'm in my second trimester, this plane ride won't be as awful as the last one.  That will be fodder for next week, of course.