Travel Often

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” — Rosalia de Castro

Love Deeply, but Laugh Along the Way

"Happiness is only real when shared." - Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

View Marriage as an Adventure

"Love is a flower which turns into fruit at marriage." ~Finnish Proverb

Fuel your body with GOOD (It's the only one you get)

He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything. - Arabian Proverb

Open your Soul to Motherhood

A Grand Adventure is About to Begin - Winnie the Pooh

A New Kind of Love is Born

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Doctor Visit at 37 Weeks - 9 Months

37 Weeks

Your baby is now considered full term, even though your due date is still three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. He weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. (www.babycenter.com)

37 weeks and counting!


Karl and I returned from our 37th week check up today. Happy to report, all is well. Blood pressure remains around 96/54 to about 106/56. I tested negative for Strep B. Yay. Very minimal swelling in my legs and hands. Weight gain is still up. I'm getting close to Jessica Simpson's weight gain. Yikes. Thank God I'm tall. Oh, and our baby's head has dropped since last week. I had everything checked and the doctor noticed a change in the baby's placement (as in dropping lower), but our baby is still snuggled in me pretty tight. My belly is measuring about 35 centimeters at 37 weeks, which the doctor said is great.

In our baby pool I said I'd be going into labor on April 6, which would be next week. That just seems nuts to me right now. No way. Me, becoming a mom in a week?? Say what? I've decided I want to change that. Our doctor is going on vacation next week. My brother Mike is going on a mission trip to Peru through Easter. My sister-in-law Kelly is going to Colorado. And my parents will be finally getting back to Illinois from Arizona. Soooo...the timing wouldn't be the most ideal if baby decides to show up next week. But when baby is ready, baby will be ready. Again, trying to keep that open mind!

Changes in the past couple of weeks... Lots of pain going on in my bladder area since last Saturday. I went on a walk and soaked up the wonderful sun and fresh air, but when I got back, I felt like I pulled every muscle in my groin and the pain kept getting worse, moving on to other areas. And it hasn't quite gone away since. Just feeling lots of stretching going on.

Lots and lots and lots of trips to the bathroom. Like, every hour on the hour. The past three nights I haven't had the best sleep, but I still have a ton of energy. I'm plowing through tons of projects at work just to make sure I have everything in order and done before I have to leave at a moment's notice. And the house is pretty clean.  Except for all these gnats all of a sudden. How does one get rid of them?

Those nasty leg and foot cramps are back. It never fails. I work out at the gym hardcore and that very night the leg cramps come on with a vengeance. I did get an amazing deep tissue massage at a new place in Shakopee last week and the massage lady told me to drink 4-6 ounces of milk right before bed. I did, and the cramps actually went away. I think she might be on to something!

Also, during the day I have been feeling a lot more tightening going on, almost like it's that time of month, but nothing too painful. Enough to notice though. Body must be getting ready.

We scheduled our next three doctor appointments. That's it - just three more until the big day...if that. I can't believe this!!!! I have a ton of emotions flooding me on a daily basis. Sometimes I feel like I'm in denial. Not sure what that's about. And I keep having dreams of a baby boy...


Enlightened Egg Salad Pita

Delicious Egg Salad Sandwich

Enlightened Egg Salad Pita
serves 4
recipe found in Shape, January 2012
Really easy to make and so tasty!


6 large eggs
2 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1⁄4 teaspoon curry powder
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
4 whole-wheat pitas
4 lightly packed cups baby greens
1⁄2 large English cucumber, thinly sliced

1. Place eggs in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch, and bring to a boil over high. Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit for 11 minutes. transfer eggs to a large bowl of ice water and let cool for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, curry powder, and salt in a medium bowl; season with pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, and chives.

3. Peel the eggs; discard 2 of the yolks. Coarsely chop whites and remaining yolks and combine with yogurt mixture in the bowl. (Mixture can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated.)

4. Slice the top third off the pitas and discard (or save for snacking). Stuff each pita with a quarter of the greens and the cucumber slices. Spoon a quarter of the egg salad into each and serve immediately.

Karl's reaction: "Kind of cucumbery, yet fresh."

My take: Wasn't sure if Karl would notice the curry (since he hates curry) but he didn't! Score! I added some yellow mustard for more flavor.

Tuna and Olive Pasta Salad

Quickest dinner ever!

Tuna and Olive Pasta Salad
serves 4
recipe found in Health, April 2012
A delicious tuna dinner




  • 8 ounces (1/2 box) whole-wheat penne pasta
  • 1/4 cup store-bought pesto
  • 1 (6-ounce) can oil-packed tuna, drained
  • 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
  • I added grape tomatoes


  • 1. Cook pasta according to package directions in salted water; reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Drain pasta, run under cold water, and return to pot.

    2. In a bowl, whisk together pesto and 2 tablespoons reserved pasta water; toss with pasta, tuna, olives, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in pot. Chill, if desired; serve.


    Karl's reaction: "I like this a lot!"

    My take: I liked how fast this was to make. Tasty too!

    Sunday, March 25, 2012

    Nursery is Complete - Month 9

    week 37

    The Nursery is Done!

    Karl and I are so excited to have the nursery done. We totally love it. Sure, things got moved around some from what we had first thought to fit the crib, but the room is still really cool to us. I walked upstairs the other day and saw Karl sitting in the new glider looking around the nursery. He just smiled at me. I didn't really need to ask what he was thinking because I could tell by the look on his face.
    Baby Koester's nursery is complete...just need him/her in it:)


    Life is about to change majorly for us, but in a really good way. And before we know it, there's going to be an actual body filling the room. I can't quite wrap my mind around it all yet. Sometimes I wake up forgetting I'm pregnant and then soon realize I'm just a few short weeks away from having a baby. The house now is so quiet and soon it's going to be filled with shrieks and crying spells.
    I'll be changing our little baby over here... a lot...


    And sometimes I'll go for a walk and see all the little kids running around in the neighborhood and get really excited to play with our baby soon. How fun to go on walks and just enjoy being a little family. Or I think about family get-togethers and how fun they'll be. Our baby is going to be so loved by so many people.
    So excited to read all these books to our little bundle of joy


    Yes, a huge part of me is still scared because I don't know what to expect and I know change is coming. Change is always scary. But I can't say there was a change that happened I didn't grow from or look back on and think, that totally ruined my life. It just takes time to adjust and I need to remember to give time....time. Because this baby is going to such a great addition - I know it!

    Chicken and Lemon-Broccoli Alfredo

    Quick chicken recipe with flavor

    Chicken and Lemon-Broccoli Alfredo
    serves 4
    recipe found in Better Homes and Garden
    Tasty chicken!


    4 small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

    Salt and pepper
    8 ounces mushrooms, halved
    1 tablespoon olive or cooking oil
    1 lemon
    3 cups fresh broccoli florets
    1 10 ounce container refrigerated light Alfredo pasta sauce
    I also added in zucchini

    1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In large skillet brown chicken and mushrooms 4 minutes in hot oil, turning chicken halfway through.

    2. Meanwhile, shred 2 teaspoons lemon peel; set aside. Slice lemon. Add broccoli and lemon slices to skillet. Cover; cook 8 minutes or until chicken is done (170 degrees).

    3. Place chicken and vegetables on plates. Add Alfredo sauce to skillet; heat through. Serve with chicken. Add lemon peel and pepper. Makes 4 servings.

    Karl's reaction: "Ohhh, this is good. What's in this? I like the alfredo sauce a lot."

    My take: Too easy not to make again! Very good! 

    Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

    Perfect recipe for St. Patty's Day (or a Sunday dinner)

    Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
    serves 8
    recipe found on All Recipes.com
    Awesome dinner!


    4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
    10 baby red potatoes, quartered
    1 onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
    4 cups water (I used 2 cups of water and 2 cups of beef broth)
    1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet
    6 ounces beer
    chopped up garlic
    1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped (I put this in for only 20 minutes at the end!

    1. Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker, pour in the water, and place the brisket on top of the vegetables. Pour the beer over the brisket. Sprinkle on the spices from the packet, cover, and set the cooker on High. (I did 6 hours on high and that was good enough!)

    2. Cook the brisket for about 8 hours. An hour before serving, stir in the cabbage and cook for 1 more hour.               
    Cooking it up in the crock pot

    Karl's reaction: "Could have used more carrots but the corn beef IS AWESOME. Okay...and maybe add some mushrooms."

    My take: Holy tasty. A little on the salty side for me, but really good. The meat was incredibly tender.

    Friday, March 23, 2012

    My Husband, The Super Star - Karl Koester

    My husband, Karl Koester in Shakopee Valley News

    I've always admired my husband's career choice of becoming a prosthetic practitioner. I thought it was pretty cool. I first met him when he was an analytical chemist and could tell he was in the wrong profession. He needed to be around people - making them laugh - and using his hands more building things, versus being buried in a back room, staring at a bunch of bunsen burners and test tubes to see if certain soil samples were OK for businesses to build on.
    My sweetheart, Karl, makes front page news!! What a stud!


    We started dating while working together (trying hard to keep it under wraps as much as we could but I don't think our faces could hide it) and soon Karl was off to California for six whole months making his dreams come true. He first finished four years of undergrad at the University of Minnesota with a Biology degree and then went on to Century College to get the technical side of building artificial legs and arms under his belt for a year and a half. He then decided he wanted to be a full-on practitioner and needed to head out to a bigger, more specific college for that.

    Being apart was hard, but any weekend and every chance I could get, I was off flying to see him. Really I just couldn't wait to eat at Soup Plantation (just kidding)!!! California wasn't a bad place to visit in the winter and we sure had a blast during the weekends.

    I knew Karl would become successful in this profession - I had no doubts. I knew he'd draw people in with his contagious laugh and lovable personality. And I knew he was smart enough to draw the attention of someone in the Twin Cities in the prosthetic field because of his background and his desire to make this dream become a reality.

    I get home last night and what do I see? My adorable husband on the front page of the Shakopee Valley News!!! That's twice he's made front page news in the past year. And I married him! Wow. I'm one lucky girl and just had to brag! After all, I'm his biggest fan:) Gooo Karl!

    Here's the full article in the Shakopee Valley News! http://www.shakopeenews.com/news/cool-jobs-the-perfect-fit/article_d80696a3-aa4d-5a2e-aa02-5ed443d91f03.html