Blood Mountain

Babymoon, Day 4: On Tuesday we had more great hiking weather, although I sure wish it had lasted! Before we left the whole week said it would be in the high 60's and low 70's, but after it rained, the temperature kept getting lower. One day in the 40's and one day in the 50's. However this day was lovely. We parked in front of the Byron Reese Trail, which is an approach trail to get to the Appalachian Trail, which we followed up to Blood Mountain. We hiked from 10:30-2pm, but we laughed at our disappointment of the route only being about 2 1/2 miles since it felt like a lot further, at least on the way up.

 This was where we came in, on the left by the sign and went North up the trail "behind the picture". The trail shown here would be heading South towards Neel Gap.

I laughed when I saw this picture and told Michael it looks like I have a beer belly! I kept wondering if people thought I was pregnant. I thought it was more obvious since my shirt was tight and my bump is getting pretty big now. One man who passed us on one of my breaks did make the observation, "Hiking for two?" Which I happily answered, "Yes!"

  Me being excited that Emma and I made it all the way to the top! We soon discovered, as we saw people coming from the North looking as if they were coming down another part of the mountain, that this was only the "first top". There were three tops, the third finally being where the shelter was.

   About ten minutes later we made it to the shelter. I saw two guys who looked like they were on the roof! But after walking around the corner there was just another huge cliff to the right of the shelter that they were standing on. Michael helped me up that too and there were about ten people sitting there. One guy said he was going to hike the whole thing and started on April 1st when most people start. That gives them seven months to hike the 2,190 miles before Mount Katahdin closes for the winter in Maine on October 1st. From the videos Michael has seen and things he has read, about 6 months is the average amount of time it takes. I whispered to Michael that if anyone asked, we should say we are hiking the whole thing too, but we're really roughing it and living off the land and all we brought was my fanny pack and one water bottle! Nobody asked. We sat in the sun for about five minutes until Michael said he was feeling crispy. He was very burnt by the time we got back. 

 ^^ LOVE carved into the window sill. A couple views from the hike back (below).
 Some of the "rock stairs" that we used to get up and down, and Michael standing next to the Byron Reese Trail sign, reminding us that it was 7/10 of a mile to get back to the car.

   On the way back I made the comment of, "I'm going to soak my piggies when I get back, are you?" Michael answered, "No, but I'm going to soak my face in some chicken pot pie!" He seemed to like that I laughed really loud at that comment and he gave me a big hug. This day he often said that he was proud of me for making it the whole way, and kept helping me climb on the big rocks, and around all the muddy areas (since it had rained the day before).  I told him that since we had a goal, which was to reach the top, I knew we would keep going until we got there. However, we kept finding out that there were higher tops than the first top we reached, so we kept going until we reached the Blood Mountain shelter since Michael really wanted to see that.
    At home we ate lunch and took a nap together with Sasha at 3pm. We went to Ingles again for a few more groceries and sunscreen, then ate dinner out on the patio. Michael tried to make a gate out of the green chairs for Sasha so she could be "naked" outside (without her collar or leash), but she still found a way to sneak through. However she was still really good as usual about coming back to "the safe zone" each time we called for her or said "Nooo" if she went too far. 

   We both talked to Michael's mom on the land line phone, then I watched the second half of "the Martian" while Michael kept sewing the knee pads into the Star Wars pants. Our total steps for the day reached 13,895 at 5.1 miles. It also said we had climbed 65 floors! Michael thinks we had climbed way higher than 650 feet, and according to his AT 2015 guidebook Blood Mountain's elevation is 4,458. But we don't know what the elevation was when we started. Maybe close to Neel Gap and the plaque there says 3,108 feet. So I say we hiked at least 135 floors?
    Another small success achieved by Michael this night was that he found the paddle fan switch in the master bedroom. The first few nights we just turned the air down, but he eventually found it in a random spot- behind my bedside table!! I also made a note to blog about how Emma was moving a lot this night. Today I read on my 27 week app that I will start to feel her moving more because since she is getting bigger, my uterus now has less amniotic fluid in it. I don't mind and I can often be found with my hand on my stomach to soak up all the kicks and rolls. When she kicks twice in a row I take that as her saying, "Love you!"

Dahlonega & Helen

  Babymoon, Day 3:  On Monday we left at 11am for Dahlonega. It was really rainy this day until 3pm. I had texted my cousin Jessica (who is due with her fourth baby in about 6 weeks!), asking about the town since she had lived there for a year or two when she went to the college there. She recommended we eat at Crimson Moon for lunch because she remembered it being really good, however, we didn't know until that day that it is closed on Mondays. We walked around under the awning, trying not to get soaked from the rain between going into the shops. We got 1/2 pounds of fudge, trying four different flavors. Tigerbutter is my favorite! Then at the General store we got rock candy, tea tree oil soap, and Michael bought bacon cheddar crickets for Brian.. yes, you read that right.. Gross! For lunch we ate at a little place called Picnic Cafe. I got the Georgia peach chicken salad on their cracked wheat bread (I wish they sold the loaves!) w/ tomato bisque, and we bought a slice of pina colada cheesecake to go.

   Back at the cabin we hung up and I started a puzzle that was on the shelf while Michael worked on the pants for his Star Wars costume. When I got tired of the puzzle, I went back to reading and rested while Michael took a shower before asking me to take pictures of him. We drove to the Helton Creek waterfall at the end of our neighborhood and took pictures there with Sasha, but that will gets its own post since we took those pictures on the Canon. After dinner I sat in the bed with Michael while he worked on the pants some more and I watched half of "the Martian". 
   As a pregnancy note, I told Michael that I was feeling crampy on the way back from Dahloega along with a few other times that day, but since crampy is linked to thinking something could be wrong with the baby, I described it more accurate by saying my intestines felt like they were being smashed since Emma keeps growing. I walked around inside and laid with my legs straight out, attempting to "uncramp" my organs. (Also we both agreed that its a good idea to keep asking the sonogram techs to check that our baby is still a girl. We don't really want to be surprised in that way in July.) Another note is that when I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night (usually twice), once I lay down again, I can feel her moving a bunch. It makes me wonder if she just woke up or if she's moving all night but the feeling of her kicking or rolling isn't painful, so I don't notice it while I'm sleeping. 

   Babymoon, Day 5: (I skipped day 4 for the moment because that post has a lot of pictures) On Wednesday morning we stopped by Neel Gap outfitters again so Michael could get a shirt. His says "When I'm in the mountains, I'm home" (or something like that, but he never wore it during the trip and I forgot to remind him).  We stopped by the store called "Amish stuff" and Michael kindly took a picture of me next to the World's Largest Amish Chair. I bought a jar of strawberry rhubarb jam and when I pointed out an old fashioned high chair, he noticed that the one next to it was demonstrating how if you turned it so it was on the ground, it became a rocking horse! Those Amish people are so creative!

   We drove to Helen where it continued to rain until 5pm. We stopped at the Dollar General there so I could buy crackers for my jam and Michael picked up an umbrella since we had brought my car for the trip and I say umbrellas are for wimps. But it was helpful since we were walking around in the rain for a bit, rather than just running into one building. We ate at a place called Cafe International for lunch and shared the cheesy bratwurst with sauerkraut and Ruben sandwich. There wasn't much else for us to do there since most of the places were closed and we didn't want to visit the cabbage patch "doll hospital" called BabyLand (since my mom asked if we were going to go there).

 ^^ I had to take that one for you, best friend! ;)

  We didn't want to pay for parking, so we stayed close to the Wendy's that we parked at. We bought boiled peanuts from an old man in a wooden building, as well as candy from another tiny shop, and soap from other small places that were open. I was craving ice cream, but that place was closed too! So we went to Hofers instead and I got a glazed donut twist.

  On the way home we stopped by Dukes Creek Falls since it had mostly stopped raining. However, it started coming down on the hike back to the car. Michael continued to be so very chivalrous with the umbrella, trying to hold me close so we both fit under it. I made sure to tell him that I appreciated how nice he was being, but that I am anti-umbrella and much preferred just using my jacket hood to "shield" myself. Sometimes he says he feels like he can't do anything right (if I tend to be in a cranky mood). He didn't say it during this week, but I felt like that was a type of situation where he might feel that way, so I made sure to tell him that he was doing everything exactly right. I told him that I enjoying how nice he was trying to be, even though I preferred to not be under the umbrella. That it was more comfortable for me that way and I held his hand for part of the way instead.

   Back at home I took a short nap, then got on my phone while Michael kept napping. Although the Wifi wasn't working, I was able to edit all the pictures I wanted on Instagram. Even though they all "failed" to post, that was fine because I just wanted the edits saved, not for the app to post my favorite 38 pictures. When Michael woke up he suggested we drive to Wal-Mart in Blairsville to buy Star Wars: Rogue One (even though he's watched it at least 20 times in the past few weeks), and I agreed because I still wanted ice cream. I commented that we were "Wifi addicts" because once we had service in town we just sat in the car in the parking lot on our phones for ten minutes before going inside, updating ourselves on the world. We watched the thunderstorms on the way home with my favorite lightning- the kind that lights up the whole sky for a second. We sat and chatted for a bit while I ate my second ice cream cone, then Michael gave me a seven minute lotion massage since he promised that for me after I drove to Reynold's to pick up make up supplies for him last week.

Babymoon, Part II

   Day 2: On Sunday, April 2nd we went to Vogel State Park which was just about a mile down the road from where we were staying. When I saw the sign and it sounded familiar, I texted my dad (when we had reception) if that was where we had gone about 18 years ago with Bear Hair Trail. He said yes, so I suggested to Michael that we go there first. All I remember about that story was hiking with my parents and Zach and I kept asking "Are we almost there?" and our dad would keep responding, "Just around this turn." The sign said it was only a 3 mile loop after the approach trail, but Michael and I probably only went 1 mile- to wherever the wooden bridge is.

  We walked a total of 3.5 miles at Vogel State Park, between part of Bear Hair Trail, and the easier trail that went around the lake. Michael was a super gentleman/ such a sweet and kind husband/ future dad on the whole vacation, even more than he normally is. He always waited for me or slowed down if he saw I wasn't walking as fast due to wanting to take it slow while being pregnant. He kept asking how I was doing, or ask if I wanted to turn around. He'd help me down or pull me up over a steep area, checking that I was drinking enough water, and would sit on a big rock with me whenever I needed a break. On the way back Michael yelped as he pointed at a snake. It's always a tiny brown patterned one and I didn't even see it at first, but he has told me that baby snakes are often more dangerous because they have more venom in their teeth. I'm sure he hates every time I say, "Aw, he's so cute!"But they are so cute. I guess that one was an Amish snake, because once I pulled my phone out to take a picture he quickly slithered away. We went into the gift shop between the two trails and Michael bought a cool mug that had a water color painting of a fox on it. 

   After Vogel State Park we drove to Neel Gap outfitters which was also close by, but in the other direction. Michael had shown me a lot of pictures from there before. It's one of the first "stores" along the Appalachian Trail where people can restock on clothes and shoes. The main picture shown from Neels Gap is a bunch of boots tied together and thrown over the branches of the trees. This is because they usually don't get good enough shoes and after the first few days of hiking from Amicalola Falls or Springer Mountain, the shoes are already worn out and they need new ones. While we were there I bought a pretty blue shirt that says "Appalachian Soul". I told Michael to let me know which day he wanted to hike part of the AT so I could wear my shirt that day.

  Michael also said that sometimes people use Neel Gap as an ending point (especially if they are coming all the way from Mount Katahdin in Maine!), so they sign and date the shoes, then fling them into the tree. We went back home after that, had lunch, and took a nap. Then we drove to Dollar General to buy cleaning products since Sasha had gotten sick in the bed that morning. While the sheets were being washed, we walked towards the waterfall in neighborhood again since it was only supposed to be another 1.5 miles from our road, but after that distance we still weren't there so we turned around since it was starting to get dark and I felt winded. Michael gave me an "energy kiss" which turned me all giggly as I walked back up the rest of the hill behind him and Sasha.  I kept track of how far we walked each day (according to the Health app) and adding in Vogel State Park, we reached 6.2 miles that day which was 16,640 steps for me. A great goal!

Babymoon, Part I

   Shortly after we booked this trip at the beginning of February, Michael asked me how many weeks pregnant I would be at the beginning of April and if I was going to be bed ridden (?!). "27 weeks, and oh my goodness, no!" But just to be sure I'd be able to hike a normal amount, that's when I started making more of an effort to go for walks on some of my days off. Still, walking on a flat surface for 4 miles is a lot easier than walking up a mountain for half of a mile!! By Monday of this week, Michael was already talking about how the backs of his knees were hurting and was describing shinsplints, but I felt perfectly fine, so maybe some of that walking in Orlando did help me out. Our "neighborhood" was called Vogel Springs and has about 30 cabins. Not all of them are for rent though and only a few were pet friendly. According to the pictures on the website, the place looked huge (saying it could hold 8 people!) so it seemed a little crazy that we were renting such a huge space, but it was actually perfect since two of the bigger beds were in the loft that I was scared to go up to because the stairs were not as stable as I would have liked. We slept in the master bedroom that had a kingsize bed. When I took off the sheets the second night (because Sasha got sick- again, too much baby practice from a dog, ha!) I saw that it was actually 2 double beds pushed together. But that was nice because then when Michael moved around at night I didn't feel it and wake up. Here are the pictures I got of the cabin:

  The roads were very windy, and Sasha kept putting her paw on one of our shoulders depending on which way she needed to brace herself. I later counted and there are 53 sharp curves. I wondered if we bring Emma back in 5 years if she would get car-sick. Hopefully not!!

  The main "office" where Michael picked up the key and dropped off our trash before we left.

  The dining room table right when you walk in. I really enjoyed eating together, compared to eating in front of the TV like we normally do at home. This picture was taken a few days later when Michael was working on his Star Wars costumes (sewing the knee pads onto the pants for him and Brian). Usually when he was doing this, I would read Naya Rivera's book "Sorry Not Sorry". I finished it on the last night of the trip.

 Our phones didn't have service and although the owners left the Wifi password on the fridge with other notes, it barely worked. I never even logged into it, trying to maintain a semi-Amish vacation, but I checked the weather on Michael's phone when it was working. We made a few land line phone calls to our parents, but of course they didn't pick up at first since it was from an unknown number.

  Our little kitchen that never felt too small.

 The bedroom that we used, which also had an attached bathroom (not pictured). ^^

 Second downstairs bedroom with a pretty poppy theme, and the loft (shown below) which I bravely got almost to the top of the metal stairs to get the picture. Sasha was watching me nervously. There was also a basement, where Michael washed the sheets, but it was too creepy for me and I never went down there. I was meaning to during the day, but then kept forgetting/ didn't care enough.

  Our vacation began last Saturday, April 1st, six years after graduating from Full Sail! We left the McDonald's parking lot at 6:45am and arrived at the cabin "office" right at 4pm. The ride didn't seem too long, which was great! Michael checked in where the cabin he originally wanted was located, but none of those are pet friendly and we wanted to bring Sasha, so he found this house to rent for the week two miles North of the office. The house smelled pretty musty each time we came in from being outside (only for the first few days), reminding me of when Grandma Belva used to live in the mountains. After we looked around and brought all of our bags in, we drove to Blairsville to get groceries at Ingles, then walked one mile in the "neighborhood" towards the waterfall. We didn't make it all the way because I wanted to get back before it got dark. We saw a baby bat that kept flying above us on the way "home".

We are Rich

   I haven't been stressed about money since we did our taxes, but with it being that only $23 extra is being taken out out of his paychecks now (nowhere near the $200 I was dramatically estimating last month!), everything will be perfectly fine. I think a lot about how "rich" we are -it helps me be thankful- by being able to do things like getting a massage, going out to eat or stopping to get fast food, living in a beautiful four bedroom house. Obviously there are very many times that we do not have to stress or be worried about money. Michael and I are a lot alike when it comes to money. Last week he was stressed about spending on products (pants, boots, leather) for the Star Wars costume, but a couple days later asked if I wanted to go out to dinner. I think I have been in charge of our budget since summer 2013 when we needed the rest of our savings to last more efficiently during our remaining months living in California. (It's still pretty cool to say we lived "in" LA!) It makes me feel good when he says I'm good about budgeting, but he still has access to the credit card so I have to tell him when to pay that or tell me how much is on it. There is a Christian song quote by Francesca Battestelli that I really like, but don't think about it enough~ "In the middle of my little mess I forget how big I'm blessed." I need to paint that on a canvas. 

   Reasons to be GRATEFUL every second of every day~ we dont have cancer, full use of functional limbs, two working cars, a fancy new house, great full time jobs, can afford (a lot of) unnecessary stuff, go out to eat a lot, sponsor three poor kids/ families, we have our sight and hearing, two savings accounts..

   On Monday I sent Michael a text letting him know that Sasha is giving us too much baby practice. (First being how I have had to get up most nights since November to take her out.) After she had been outside for a little bit, I cupped my hands around her neck so she would give me a kiss. When she walked away I saw I had something on my hands- it was poop! Groooooss! I used at least six dog wipes and got it off of her neck and around her ears, then washed my hands a bunch and later gave her a bath after I found what was in the grass. Michael thinks it was probably from a possum? 

   Later that day while driving to pick up the enrollment package for daycare, I got emotional, mainly because the song "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman came on the radio. That's the song that I danced to with my dad at my wedding, and although Michael doesn't want us having to pay for Emma's wedding, he'll get to dance with her. Maybe it was a "growing up too fast" thing, or hormones, but I usually tear up every time I hear that song, and that's why I picked it as "our song" a year before the wedding. I ran a couple more errands because Sasha needed more flea medicine and then Michael needed me to pick up some FX products at Reynold's. When I got home I made a mini scrapbook to put Polaroid pictures in that we will take during the baby shower in a few weeks. Exciting times with a bunch of fun plans in April! 

   When we got home we had two big packages waiting for us that were sent off the registry from Michael's parents: Emma's stroller with car seat and high chair. We also bought the filtering baby tub at Buy Buy Baby on Wednesday. Michael put those items together while I "fed the baby" (AKA ate dinner). A few great things he has said lately is how lucky he is to have "his three girls" and how it was such a great a idea for "him" to decide that we should have a baby. He also watched our wedding rehearsal video at work- the one with baby pictures of us growing up with videos together while at Full Sail. He said one of the students had asked to see some of our wedding pictures but he only had the video on his laptop. 

   After a bunch of us at work got a free ten minute chair massage on our breaks by a therapist from a hospital last month, I booked a prenatal massage at Aveda and got that service done yesterday. It was soooo wonderful! (90 minutes for $45.) The student therapist, Shelby, told me she had not given a prenatal massage before, but had learned how to do one and I think she did a phenomenal job! Sadly at the end she told me that she graduates in two weeks. I stayed very comfortable with the two soft pillows they gave me as I laid on my left side most of the time in the "flamingo" position; how I have been sleeping the past month when I'm not on my back. She did a great job massaging my neck and shoulders while I was on my side and my favorite was probably the scalp massage (oh my goodness) while I was mostly on my back with a pillow to prop up my side and a roller bolster under my knees. A couple times Shelby's instructor peeked in and I heard her whispering things at the beginning about not touching my ankles because it could be a trigger point for early onset labor, and then something about my ovaries. Another time when I opened my eyes a second girl was sitting along the wall, shadowing so she could watch a prenatal massage and how I was supposed to be adjusted. It was a great experience and one I had put on my "pregnancy bucket list" since I worked at Massage Envy in 2014, but next time I get a regular massage I'd prefer the full force on my back and not have her worry about pressure points.

Side notes

As a bit of a continuation from the previous post ~ I would like to mention how my dress from Cotton On that I wore to the zoo (which I got at Plato's Closet for $10 because the mall stores are too expensive) is super comfortable. I am so glad I bought it even though I wasn't really in a shopping mood when I tried it on, but needed some "maternity" dresses since T-shirts and shorts are looking a little bummy on me right now with the bump. **Emma is 26 weeks +1 day today, the size of a butternut squash at an estimated 9.2 inches and weighing about 2 pounds now.

I have to admit that one more thing I look forward to about going places with Michael and Emma, is that we will take turns using the Canon so we both get to be in pictures (and a few family photos using the timer), rather than me rarely having pictures of myself at each event aside from a couple taken on phones. But I do really like these few pictures that my parents got:

Baby Turtle Face! (aka Helena Rey)

  What I've been eating lately: Chocolate carnation breakfast with vanilla wafers, or peanut butter on a raisin English muffin on my way to work. Less cereal than before, but I keep the pantry stocked with options, always having plain Cheerios on hand. I was eating a lot of bagels (plain, everything, oat) a few weeks ago, but am tired of those now.

   My stomach is getting bigger as our baby is continuing to grow. She is around two pounds now (making me 122) and maybe a smidge over 9 inches long. In this picture (below) "we" look huge, but that was after I ate spaghetti, garlic bread, and Oreo ice cream on Thursday. The picture under that shows how my stomach looked (tighter, full of just baby) the next morning. After that night I learned that in order for my stomach to not be uncomfortable and feel really stretched out all over, I have to eat less than I normally would and to stop once I get any hint of a full feeling. Also it's a good reminder to keep walking to keep myself healthy and so the weight I gain is all for Emma and not in my face or arms. On Friday morning I walked 2.5 miles with Jackie and then 3 miles with Alana in the afternoon. I didn't even need a nap in between! I squeaked by with 1.8 miles yesterday, but felt good doing so. While walking with Alana I said something that made me bust out laughing. She said, "Wow, that was a really big laugh. Did you just pee in your pants a little bit?" A fair question, but no. Luckily that hasn't happened (yet).

I was very excited to learn this morning that the girl at work in the "baby line" before me (Whitney) had her baby girl early Friday morning, four days before the due date. The baby was born at 3:54AM and she was at work the whole shift feeling fine on Thursday! One of the supervisors told us that Whitney had to have an emergency C-section, but she and baby Avery are both fine as of 3:54AM Friday so that's good. So I'm the next one to have my baby! 14 weeks/ 97-ish days to go. Unless the girl who is due one or two weeks after me (Valeska) happens to have her boy first. The "baby line" has been numbered since November when I announced that I was pregnant. Yesenia had her baby girl right before Christmas (and just returned to work two weeks ago). Priscilla had her baby boy about two weeks ago. Also Kaitlin (who switched from 911 to Records) and Andrea (a call taker who moved to New Jersey with her husband a couple months ago) are both due in August. 

   Some questions I thought of today that I would want to ask Whitney, but will save to ask myself in a few months: 

-- When will it get to the point that the kicks hurt? When will sleeping become less comfortable? Will I have back or leg pain? Will I get Braxton Hicks?

-- How sweaty will I be in May and June being even more pregnant? Am I sweaty all the time or only when I'm outside? Will my hands and feet swell up even when I'm not exercising? Will we have to turn the AC down inside?

-- After she is born how will the first week be? How tired will I be? Will I be crying a bunch because my hormones are out of control or will it be as easy as Jacquie makes it seem? And how much harder will the second week be after my mom leaves and I'm doing everything by myself until Michael gets home from work each day?

-- How easy will it be to motivate myself to exercise? Because I always hate how gross I feel when I lounge around the house and don't get outside or run errands. Don't forget: taking a shower & brushing my teeth works wonders! 

Snuggling while I filtered through all the zoo pictures on Saturday night.

   One question I can answer now that I had wondered before: What does it physically feel like to be pregnant? It didn't really feel like anything until I started feeling kicks at 19 weeks and 4 days. I sometimes said in the early months (especially since I barely ever even felt a twinge of sickness - sorry Lindsey) that I sometimes forgot I was pregnant and that made me sad. But I knew that I was and had the sonograms to prove it! It was a weird thing seeing the sonograms each time, like "Is that baby really inside of me? Is this still a dream? Is it our turn to be that lucky?" I think for me and Michael, once we could start feeling and seeing the little kicks, it was like, "Yeah we really are having a baby and it is alive and moving!". That's when I noticed he started getting more excited, talking about doing the registries and was fine looking at day cares after that point. It was no longer a "well let's just wait and make sure everything stays good". The kicks became the point of being officially good and safer with less worry, especially by the halfway mark. But right now with her getting bigger and my stomach stretching and really probably needing to wear my anti-stretch mark oil every day now, being pregnant feels like how it does after you eat at Olive Garden. (Not all the time, mostly now just after I eat too much. Definitely felt like this in the window reflection. But I imagine it will feel like this in most of June when I'm the "biggest"? Maybe even in May, or will it happen slowly enough that it's not uncomfortable too often? Another question I will have to follow up on.**) You save up your appetite so you can fill up on those warm bread sticks, salad, and soup. Maybe even an appetizer if we're splurging, and then keep the entree for lunch the next day. But that point where you tell yourself, "I should probably stop now or I might get sick." But then you still also feel sick and have to sleep it off because you feel more full 15 minutes after you're done eating and your brain finally realizes that you're done. Not counting the sick feeling, but the "wow I am really stretching my stomach out for this and should probably only eat celery tomorrow".. You know, in the best, most exciting and joyous way possible! =)