2. Downton Abbey (Season 2)

3. Avocados and lime-y guacamole

4. Anticipation of weddings and family time this spring

5. Words with Friends

6. A kicking baby girl in utero

7. Sleep

8. Haagan-Daaz “Five” + Trader Joe’s No-Guilt Brownies

9. Hitting a rhythm after 6 months on a new job

10. The Colbert Report (see this hilarious interview with Maurice Sendak, of Where the Wild Things Are)

Here goes…

Finn and I set out last Wednesday on our daily morning job. Read: very slow, extra short jog. Up until that day, I had been pretty excited about my ability to keep up a running routine into my second trimester. After about 5 minutes, with leash and plastic bag of waste in hand, I was easing my way down the sidewalk to hit the riverside park (and the trashcan), per our routine. Unfortunately, my foot hit a crack in the sidewalk, and I was laid out flat on the pavement. Landed face first, with only a few fingers to soften the blow. I was stunned and immediately worried about hitting my growing stomach on the ground as I fell. And thus how I wound up on the sonogram chair that morning.

Before I start sounding too light and cheery about this…I was absolutely terrified. Just ask my mother, sister, and hubby, who all heard me weeping on the phone as I made the drive to Arlington. Thankfully, our baby girl is safe and sound. And I convinced the sono tech that my husband wouldn’t care if she went ahead and revealed the gender in his absence.

It’s a girl, and I am thrilled beyond measure.

PS: I have since accepted my clumsiness/lack of balance and stopped attempting to run in the mornings. Power-walking it is.

I recently changed jobs and am loving my new gig. But it has been quite busy easing in. I’m really looking forward to heading home on Thursday evening for a long weekend of seeing friends and family in Birmingham.

Here is a recipe that I’ve made a couple of times – once over Thanksgiving and once for a small dinner party at home.  Enjoy!

Salad Ingredients:

2 heads of butter lettuce

a handful of pumpkin seeds

2 pears, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon of cinnamon and sugar

1 dab of butter

1 head of fennel

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 c olive oil

1 tablespoon of agave nectar

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

Cut lettuce and fennel and mix in a bowl. Simmer the pumpkin seeds on low heat with a smidge of butter, cinnamon and sugar for about 10 minutes. Let the seeds cool, then mix into the salad with the pears, fennel and lettuce. Whisk all the wet ingredients for the dressing together, toss it in and serve!

Adapted recipe and photo from The Glitter Guide.

Image via chick-fil-abowl.com

• a long and relaxing Thanksgiving with the fam
• Poser by Claire Dederer (review to come)
• Christmas music on Pandora
• Chipotle chicken burritos (sad, but true)
• reruns of Gossip Girl on Instant Netflix
• Parks and Recreation (of course–the latest developments have tugged at my heartstrings)
• my brother’s old sweatpants from high school baseball days (perfect for a growing belly)
• these Frye boots (wear them almost every day)
• SNL coverage of the Republican debates

We spent Thanksgiving in Dallas this year with Paul’s mom, brother and new sister-in-law. It was a full yet relaxing few dyas. Above: Visiting the Fort Worth Modern/ picking kale and swiss chard in Paul’s grandparents’ garden/Murphy, Sambo and Gus peacefully co-existing/making souffles.

From the Clare Vivier Spring Collection…La Tropezienne in White. From http://seevivier.blogspot.com/.

The past month has been a busy one. Paul and I have made one trip to the west coast and one trip to the east coast. Our feet have ached from dancing the night away with mom, dad and friends. Carrot soup, lentil fritters and peonies have graced our kitchen table. We have put the down comforter on the bed in hopes our anticipation will usher in cooler temperatures.

The phrase from our wedding vows, “in plenty and in want,” strikes me. I feel like I am in a stage of plenty–not so much in a material sense, but in the way that life feels wonderfully full. This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for relationships with family and friends that make my days truly rich.

A great weekend activity, yes?