Currently

The Centennial of Independence, oil on canvas by Henri Rousseau, 1892, Getty Center

Loving 
1.) Rousseau. I've been looking at random art lately. It makes me miss Art History classes. And The Art Institute of Chicago.
2.) Our pool. We celebrated the summer solstice by taking Raine in the pool for the first time. He was totally weirded out by the flotation contraption we had to put him in, but he LOVED being in the water.

3.) Summer TV! Currently obsessed with: So You Think You Can Dance, Master Chef, and Around the World In 80 Plates. I am rooting for Alexa & Cyrus, Christine & Anna, and Nookie & Avery respectively. Wow. Look at me the reality TV junkie.

Thinking About 
Major blog overhaul. I want to change things up a bit to give ourselves a little bit more privacy/sense of anonymity on this blog and Raine's photo blog, which would definitely require the removal of our last name from the name of both blogs. I haven't changed them yet, though, because I am SUPER stumped on new names. I asked for advice from friends on Facebook and I got some great ideas but my favorites are already being used in the blog-o-sphere. The only nicknames I have ever had are "Bangs McGee" and "Loola," but I'm having a hard time coming up with some sort of spin-off of either of these. Christie reminded me of my blog "Loolababy" (chronicling cool baby stuff I came across while working in the industry) and that kind of made me want to resurrect it--but I should probably figure out what is going on with these blogs before starting another one. Raine's site could just be Blastonius.com, but now that he's approaching a year old, his in utero nickname of Blasty doesn't feel very relevant. His current nicknames are "Bean" (isn't that the universal baby nickname?) and "Sneaker Wave" or "Sneaker" for short. Because he IS a sneaker wave.

So anyway, much to think about for names and how much I am sharing, etc. My favorite bloggers use their own names and the real names of their partners/children, so it never occurred to me until recently to maybe use nicknames throughout the blog. If I do decide to do that, it would take quite a bit of time to go back and edit everything I have already done. Also with social media these days, over-revealing is tricky. I like sharing where we go and restaurants we try, but I'm not sure about all of the check-ins and such with Facebook and Instagram. I'm feeling it out...I'm curious what other bloggers think about all of this.

Anticipating
The 4th of July. I JUST. CAN'T. WAIT. to have an extra day off work. It has been absolutely bonkers lately and I have been really stressed. I'm looking forward to a random Wednesday away from the office with my family. We don't have plans but I'm sure whatever we do it will be lovely.

Listening To
Jared Grabb's new album Pulling Weight.  I was obsessed with Jared's 2010 album Where Do You Hide Your Love Songs while I was pregnant. And the more I listen to the new one, I'm getting a little obsessed with it! I have the cd in the car and we have the vinyl to enjoy at home. AND it is super cool that good friends of ours produced the vinyl (and one of them, Heather, sang on the album with Jared, too! ;)

Eating
Go Raw snacks. I got into them while on the Elimination Diet, and now they are a staple. I like the bars but lately I'm super into the snacky bites. The Spicy Flax Snax is my favorite.

Wishing: 
Dan, Raine, and I could spend a year or two in another country. It must be the shows I'm watching...Around the World in 80 Plates and House Hunters International. Also the fact that one of Dan's closest friends has spent the last 9 years with his wife in other countries. They have lived in Indonesia, Germany, and China, and had a baby in each country while at it! Ha! I see their photos on Facebook and it is amazing. They are able to work in those countries because they are teachers. I don't know how Dan and I would earn income if we were in another country. I also don't know how we would get Hobbes and Rocco there with us. Not that I'm really entertaining the idea. We are "stuck" in our lovely condo for a while. Just wishful thinking!

Sneaker Wave