It’s Friday! And I have checked out for awhile now. I had an extremely busy day that had some good and not so good parts to it. I won’t say bad times, but not the best. I’m going to get this post up quickly so I can vent and then just veg the rest of the night. I need at least some chill time every day.

I started the day with some light cardio at the gym while putting a big dent in the book I am currently reading. I finished Harlan Coben’s Caught a few days ago (GREAT suspense novel!) and now I am reading James Patterson’s new book The 9th Judgment, which is another good suspense. I’ll try to get some reviews of these up eventually…but in case I don’t, I’ll go ahead and say check them out because they will be worth your time.

After my workout, I rushed home and took 30 minutes to shower, get myself ready, get M some food packed up, give her a snack, and get some directions for later in the day. It was a mad dash because I had a doctor’s appointment to confirm the pregnancy at 10:45. Unfortunately, I had my first moment of forgetfulness and didn’t grab a snack in the mad dash. Did not help me out later in the day.

Back to the doctor visit. I did the pee in a cup thing for them to try to confirm the pregnancy. Um, nope! It wasn’t showing up on their tests. I had to have blood drawn so they can test that way and I will get the results on Monday. Then, I went back to a room to be observed by the midwife. She told me not to be nervous because it’s still early and just to keep taking my prenatals and taking care of my health. Then she checked me out, told me my uterus is enlarged already (I TOLD you there would be TMI at times ;)) and that things look good. Then they scheduled me for a visit about 2 weeks from now to redo blood work, get an internal ultrasound, and a general workup.

I would be lying if I said the test not showing up positive right away didn’t freak me a little bit. Increasing levels of the HCG hormone during early pregnancy is important and I did have thoughts of “What if mine isn’t increasing? Is this a bad sign? I KNEW I should have kept it to myself!” I laughed at myself on the last one. My mouth wouldn’t have stayed shut if I glued it. Besides, I wouldn’t have the ability to share here if not for sharing early, but that’s besides the point.

For the most part I know the logistics and have faith everything is just fine. I was shocked they wanted to see me this early (about 4 weeks along) and I know that doctor’s test strips often times aren’t as sensitive as some at home pregnancy tests (since most women in an office visit are further along and don’t need the lower sensitivity), which explains mine not showing up yet. I also know there is no such thing as a false positive and the few at home tests I have taken are distinctly positive.

I know that I am experiencing changes I only experience in pregnancy – easily tired, super sore tatas, BLOATING beyond your wildest imagination, and of course the lack of period. Most importantly though, I also know to trust God. I mean, I just have to think about the past week and all He has done to know that. And I know this isn’t uncommon and was told by the midwife herself not to be concerned. BUT that doesn’t completely get rid of the tiny niggling, fretful feeling that is lurking inside. All I can do is pray and trust, so that is what I’m going to do. Oh, and take another test tomorrow to be sure my tests aren’t changing on me. 😉

Enough about all that. After my doctor appointment I headed out to meet Lindsey for a lunch before she flew out to see her friends in Ohio for a wedding.We were planning to meet at a restaurant close to the airport, but neither of us could find it. We were on the phone with each other both flustered and lost, so we just ended up going to the airport and eating at a restaurant there. We actually had our first meet-up here at Houlihans and it’s sad to think this will be one of our last since she moves back to Ohio soon. This was the most enjoyable part of my day to sit and relax with her. We spent the time talking and eating up the delicious food. Sadly, I had another forgetful moment here and when I went to take pictures of my gorgeous fish tacos I realized I left my memory card at home. 🙁 I guess this Google Image search photo will just have to do.

Although mine had broccoli and it tasted as delicious as it looks. I ate it all. Remember my missed snack? I was h-u-n-g-r-y. Yum! Nothing much has happened since then. I headed home, got stuck in traffic, got M down for a nap, and crashed on the couch, which is where I am now. I guess I need to get into gear to make dinner, get M to bed, and enjoy a movie night with Peter. Thank goodness this weekend isn’t busy!

• What are your weekend plans?
• What’s something you have forgotten or fretted about recently? Let’s help each other forget the fretful and not fret over the forgetful. Oh, I’m so wise with my words. 😉 HA!

Happy Friday! Did this week pass by in a blur for the rest of you? It sure has gone by fast for me. Today will be quick too, because as you are reading this I am likely at the gym, at the doctor for a confirmation of pregnancy visit, or at lunch with Lindsey of Cardio Pizza. I’ll be back later with an update on all of those. Right now though, it is time for a flashback and something I saw that bothered me earlier in the week. We’ll get the irksome out of the way first.

In recent celebrity “news” articles, like this one, there has been discussion of Gwyneth Paltrow working out with her beloved Tracy Anderson in order to get in shape for her role in the Iron Man 2 movie. There are claims that Tracy Anderson’s special method helped Gwyneth put on 10 lbs of muscle…with “aerobic dance moves” and a leg workout similar to the following:

I’m sorry to be such a cynic…but a bunch of leg lifts, kicks, and funky body twists accompanied with “aerobic dance moves” will NOT make you gain 10 lbs of muscle. Especially while also leaning down. You would have to eat a great surplus of calories and do more concentrated weight lifting to gain muscle like that. I’m not saying that Tracy’s workouts won’t leave you with a good “burn”, because contorting your body in weird ways or kicking your leg out a 100 times will likely hurt, but it is not in my mind a quality workout that will extraordinarily change your body composition. Completely fake in my mind.

What isn’t fake is the gelato, gondolas, churches, and art in Italy. For this Flashback Friday I will share some of my visit to Venice & Florence during my Europe vacation.

Venice and Florence came at the perfect time of our trip. There wasn’t as much to do in these cities, so we really got to just enjoy the scenery, the culture, and the towns. In Venice, we sat in awe of the little water town and eyed the gondolas in the Grand Canal since they cost an arm and a leg we weren’t willing to lose with 1/2 of our trip remaining.

We shopped farmer’s markets for food and tourist markets for Ciao Bella shirts in the piazzas.

We traveled by water taxi when we otherwise would get lost in the confusing road setups that end in canals.

We viewed beautiful churches such as St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and the Duomo in Florence.

We climbed the Camponile Bell Tower in Florence to take in the views of the town and even a little hint of Tuscany-esque views off in the distance.

We visited museums where we got to see all sorts of amazing Italian sculptures. I feel like I should have some tiny black rectangles strategically placed below.

But the best part? Getting real Italian gelato! It makes Italy that much sweeter to visit.

• What do you think of Tracy Anderson’s workout for Gwyneth Paltrow? Do you think she is credible?
• If you could go to Italy what would you be most excited to experience? If you have been, what was your favorite part?
• Do you enjoy the flashbacks? Would you like me to switch it up and do trips some weeks and other things in between? Or do you like the trip flashbacks in the order I experienced them? Or none of it and flashbacks bore you?