April 29th

We anticipated this day since our last visit to the doctor. One, because it was Marc's 35th Birthday and we were having all of our friends over to celebrate, Two it was the start of a very fun filled weekend at Stagecoach (a country music festival, that just down the street and all weekend long). Three, we had our very first ultrasound and we'd hope to find out the sex of our little baby! We made a promise to keep our ultrasound a secret from our friends. We really wanted to surprise them at the party.

I got off at 12noon and our appointment was at 1:00pm...I had to go in the room by myself at first, which seemed like a life time of her moving the doppler back and forth on my belly...but I talked her ear off, so it made up for the anticipation she was putting me through. As she was moving the doppler back and forth, she finally let me take a look at what was going on. My sweet little baby was just moving all over the place!! It was an incredible sight...it's mouth was totally opening and closing, like it was talking or it may have been hungry?!? I couldn't wait for Marc to join and see how amazing it was. Finally, she called in Marc and our mothers to join in on the action. Right before she left, she said she was having difficulty seeing what it was...and by the time she got back the baby was butt up and we got a perfect view - of what I wasn't sure, so I yelled out, "Are those balls or a vagina!!??" hahahaha and then she announced that is was GIRL!!!! Tears came a rollin', Marc got a huge smile on his face, and our mom's rejoiced! It was a fun moment for sure...we got a ton of pictures, here are a few...for some reason when I upload they turn sideways...gah!

I think the second best part of this day was letting our friends know...we actually surprised them (and I am really bad a keeping a surprise secret)...so we told everyone that we were going to play a little Family Feud on the PS3, and we were going to draw numbers to find out who was on each team....the rule to picking a number was they couldn't peek at the number until everyone got a number. Little did they know all their little pieces of paper said, "IT'S A GIRL!!"...they were completely surprised and excited! Our friend Jennifer opened it and said, "It's a girl??' as in, what the hell kinda number is that??!! Then I said with a big smile, "Yes, it's a girl' pointing to my stomach and then all I remember is jumping up and down while hugging Jessica...it was so much fun and I was so excited our little secret was out, I really don't know how much longer I could have kept it in!! So, there you have it folks, we're having a little baby girl. I CAN'T wait to start decorating her nursery and buying cute little girl things...she will for sure, be the most stylish little girl, thanks to her Daddy!! ;) 

Today, I'm 19 weeks, but in my ultrasound I measured 17 weeks, 1 day...and our due date as of today is October 6th. I have a feeling our baby will always measure a little smaller...let's face it, we aren't the tallest people! ;) I'll post a "lovely lady bump" picture soon! 

My Lovely Lady Bump.

We found out 1.29.11 that I was pregnant. Which happens to be my grandfather's birthday. Which is so awesome to me, especially because it makes me think he is still with us in everything we do. The day we found out he passed, my cousin Kari found out she was pregnant - a true definition of the circle of life. And then we found out we were expecting on his birthday. Gives me chills and big smile on my face (and a tear in my eye). I know he would be so happy for Marc and I.

That day was a very emotional day - good emotions, scared emotions, OMG emotions! Both of our families were very supportive and excited. I ended taking a test with my girlfriend Jennifer, while Marc and Tyler were at a golf tournament for the day. Let's just say that was a very long day because, I refused to text or call Marc to let him know. Instead Jenn and I made him a little onesie that said "Baby Brown"...If you want to know the rest, ask me in person and I'll tell you the whole story. ;) That one I will never forget.

At that point I was about 5 weeks along...and our baby would be due early October. I've been making a few notes in my phone about things that have happened since then...here they are:

• I've always wanted to be like that mom in the movie "JACK" where she plays with him with all the makeshift Armour....that movie was on the day after we found out and I hadn't seen it in a while. 
• Marc's dad joked that we were having twins (since there is a set of twins in his family) - and on my way to work on Monday there was a van that pulled in front of me and the sticker on the back said, "Got Twins?"  hahah - umm I hope not!!
• On my first visit to the doctor - our wedding song was playing as I waited. 
• 3.17.11 - we heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time!! It was nothing like we thought it would be...we heard it for about 2 seconds and then she tried once more and we heard it for another 1 second. Either way it was awesome knowing our little bun was in there. It was extra special as well because both our mom's joined us! 

So, here I am starting my 15 week - which means I've made it through the first trimester and I am a 1/3 of the way done!! I haven't experienced much morning sickness...but my energy level comes and goes. I am turning into a morning person, instead of a night owl. Did I really just say that??!!! Oh and I pee like it's going out of style. ;P Our little baby is as big as an apple, and has made mommy jump up two pant sizes in a little over 3 months...I will be living in dresses these next 6 months, more specifically maxi dresses. I am so thankful for friends who were just pregnant and their hand me down maternity clothes!! 

Here is what I looked like at 7 weeks...and then at 14 weeks. That lovely lady bump is a comin'...

Fishy Business

This past Sunday I had a hair up my butt to just "DO WORK"...and one of things I ventured into was cooking my very first fish dish! It was my mother-in-law's last night in the U.S. (she goes to Sweden for a couple weeks every year). So, I made delicious Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi. The whole fam was very impressed with my cooking skills and left nothing on their plate. Tackling being a cook is no easy task, however I enjoy pushing and proving to myself I can actually be successful!

To see how I made it and the recipe click here.

The Brown's do NorCal

Warning: This is one long post!

Marc and I both work jobs in which the season is very important. Because, honestly, who really wants to play golf in 113 degree temps, and who would want to bring their meeting/convention to this heat as well?! Since, Marc and I decided to have our wedding smack dab in the middle of our busiest work season we only were able to take a small 2 day trip to one of our favorite locations, Newport Beach. Plus we really do want to get into a house one of these days, and saving our money and putting it towards our house fund was more important. However, we did decide that we would take little extended trips this summer to make up for not going on that dream honeymoon. Our first extended trip was Sonoma, CA!

We can't take all the credit about this trip, as it was prompted by Marc's cousin, Cory and his Big Day! We were quite excited about this trip for a couple reasons...an extended vacation, time spent with Marc's family, oh and time spent together! Since Marc's Dad is an only child, Marc has second cousins and great aunt's...who I only got to meet briefly the day of our wedding, so I was really looking forward to getting to know his family on this trip. We decided that we would make this trip a ROAD TRIP. Marc found a great deal on a rental car and the morning of June 11th our trip began. We left at 5:30am - yes AM, I did pretty good at getting up and wasn't too grouchy (for those of you that don't know, I am sooooo NOT a morning person). Our rental car ended up being a new Mazda 3, which went fast and was very comfortable. We had our Sirius Radio hooked up, and our plug-in the for Pod, coffee in hand and the road to Nor Cal ahead!

We made great time and arrived at our final destination at about 1:30pm...we were greeted in the parking lot by Marc's family, who had also just arrived and planning to go across the street for lunch. I met his very sweet cousin Tammy, her husband and two kids, and his other cousin's Kathy, Louie (who happened to be a crack-up), Debbie and Kiley and her little baby, Isabella. I actually did know his cousin Matt, who also joined us. Let me tell you his family is AWESOME! They were all down for a good time, super laid back and just full of laughs. We all got to know each other over some beers, overall a great start to our vacation. We regretted not continuing the night with them at the dinner rehearsal, we were told we missed a good time. After we checked into our room, we took a nap and woke up too late to join the group and the festivities...we did however, have a 'blast from the past' dinner outing! Marc's parents used to own a couple Straw Hat Pizza restaurants in Palm Springs and it just so happened our hotel was right across the street from a Straw Hat Pizza! We couldn't leave without having a bite to eat to see if the product has changed since his parents owned them. Marc said the pizza still tasted the same and the decor was just more up to date. Of course, I had to make sure to get a picture of Marc by the Straw Hat sign.

Saturday, was a fun filled day! We started with a VIP Beermasters Tour of the Budweiser Brewery. With the tour being at 10am, we were the only two people on the tour, which made it more VIP and informational. We actually went behind the scenes and witnessed the process of the "King of Beers". It was a lot of information, but very, very interesting. One fact that surprised us, is that Budweiser Factories recycle 99% of the waste they create. It was quite impressive all the different ways/things they recycle, and most of their waste gets donated to local farms and parks. Here are some pictures of our tour.



The mixture from the mash tanks is strained, separating a clear, sweet amber liquid called wort from the spent grain husks. The tanks were very hot, and HUGE!



After the mixture from the mash tanks is strained, the wort is transferred into brew kettles and brought to a boil. Natural hops are added and the boil continues. We witnessed this process in action and it was like waterfall of beer spewing out into the tank, I really wanted to jump in!

Fermentation Process: Yeast is added to the cooled wort in the primary fermentation tanks. It can take up to 6 days for the yeast to convert the fermentable sugars to carbon dioxide and alcohol. During this stage of the brewing process, the wort becomes beer. We actually went into the control room (I couldn't take a pic) and there were a plethora of screens with calculations and recipes to make sure every tank had the correct recipe. I called it the "Beer Traffic Control Tower".



Lagering Process: Once it's declared beer a layer of beechwood chips is spread on the bottom of the lager tanks, the beer is transferred into the tanks. A portion of freshly yeasted wort called Kraeusen is added. Lagering is part of secondary fermentation in which the yeast settles on the beechwood chips and works until the beer is completely fermented. As secondary fermentation occurs, the beer is naturally carbonated and its final flavor develops - resulting in a smooth-tasting beer and we were made aware that this process is unique to Anheuser-Busch. Our tour guide actually said that if the guys had a night shift they would most likely get assigned to cleaning out the tanks...it was a pretty nasty end result, take a look. I'm pretty sure this job was featured on Dirty Jobs!



After the Lagering process, the beer is chilled, stabilized, and filtered. Following the chill proofing, the beer is stored in settling tanks at 32° for 2 days to complete settling. At each step in the process, the beer is tasted by a Brewmaster to ensure consistency and drinkability. After the final filtration, the beer is held in a filtered beer tank for a final quality control check and Brewmaster tasting. That's where we came in and became official Brewmasters! We were in the 32° room with the tanks and tasted a freshly, brewed ice cold beer. It was so light tasting we thought it was a Bud Light, but to our surprise it was actually a Budwieser! We also scored these custom tasting glasses that have a lasered Amheuser-Bush emblem on the bottom, which created continuous bubbles that filtered the beer for a fresh taste every time. Let's just say it was Beer Heaven!

Do we look like Brewmasters!? haha

We ended the tour with more Beer Tasting of course, and even got nifty certificates, certifying us as Offical Brewmasters!

What was next you ask?? Cory and Stefanie's wedding! It took place at the BEAUTIFUL Cline Cellars, the ceremony was in front of this gorgeous tree and the sun peaked through to make it oh-so fairy-tale like.



We celebrated with the Mr. & Mrs. in the Cline Barrel Room - which was just absolutely stunning! It was a darn good time, so much so that the Groom was the DJ and got on the mic and sang "Ice, Ice Baby". Haha! We wish Cory and Stef lots of love and a happy marriage. :) Here are some fun family photos and moments of the lovely day.

The handsome groom, patiently waiting...

LOVE this shot!

To conclude our trip, Marc decided to take me to see Monterey and Carmel, two places I have never been too! Once we got to Monterey we took the 17-Mile drive to Pebble Beach. The 17-Mile drive has about 20 view points to stop at and take in the beauty that surrounds you. Every stop had a little history story to it. The drive takes you through Pebble Beach, and it just so happened to be the opening weekend for the U.S. Golf Open. Marc was on cloud nine! We actually had to stop and let some Pros cross the street. We stopped in Carmel and had lunch at the Hog's Breath Inn, yummy food! We actually have a Hog's Breath Inn, in La Quinta but we wanted to see what the original restaurant looked like.

Marc in front of one of the courses, we had to trek to get this shot!

Hog's Breath Inn - doesn't it look like something from Disneyland?

We took the coast all the way home, which was full of amazing views! It of course looks much better in person, but here is a taste of what we saw.

These photos were actually all taken with my IPhone.

We def. want to go camping in Big Sur and stop and take a tour of Hearst Castle next time. It was a very long trip back home, but it was worth every minute.

Blogging is the new Facebook

So, I have decided that life goes by so fast that I need to start documenting it! Hence the reason I am starting this blog. It's a documentation of our journey together as husband and wife. We hope that we can look back at these postings and have them remind us of how much we've grown together and individually, that life isn't always hard as we think it is, and make us aware that the happy memories are what keep our relationship strong and worth the fight. We also want to let our loved ones have a peak at what we are doing and the memories we're making.

This month marks a couple things for Marc and I, so I thought this would be the perfect month to start our blog! First, on June 20Th we will be married for 3 months - which is proof that life moves along at a speedy pace! Secondly, on June 29Th we will be celebrating our 4 year anniversary. I know since we're married you kinda switch to that being the main anniversary you celebrate, but I'll find any excuse to celebrate! So, cheers to 4 years together, and 3 months as newlyweds!! I asked Marc the other day, "Honey can you believe we've been together for 4 years??" he responded, "Seems like 40!" haha. I love that man.

I'll leave you with some pictures of Marc and I throughout our 4 years together...

These are the first couple of pictures we ever took together.