Dennis Family Files

You've GOT to be kidding me

2010-02-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

They are calling for even more snow this Friday through Saturday. Right now, between 12-20+ inches are being predicted depending on the weather site you look at but look at this storm that is on it's way...

...it is the size of Texas!

And, we are all boxed up so I think we are going to be bored. It might be a good time to take some pictures!

So Much SNOW!

2010-02-03T07:29:00.000-08:00

We have been getting a LOT of snow in our area this winter. Usually, we get a lot of ice and minimal snow. I don't know what is going on with the weather....but I LOVE it!

Last night it snowed about 5 or 6 inches. It was a really wet snow cause it wasn't really that cold out.

Which led to really pretty snow on the trees! This picture is of outside my office window at work. It doesn't do it justice at all because it's on my crappy camera but you get somewhat of an idea as to how pretty the trees look. It almost makes the McDonald's across the street look pretty.

New Years Eve 2009

2010-01-01T06:38:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve 2009 we planned on going to one of Steve (and my) friend's New Years Party that he was hosting. He had the party at a room that he rented out in a building where they hold a lot of wedding receptions, parties, etc...so it was really pretty.

We paid a flat rate and it included open bar, beer pong, music, the VA Tech game and a HUGE buffet dinner.

Honestly, looking at the Evite ahead of time, I knew I wouldn't know many people that were going but we had a good time anyway.

Below are some pictures from the night. Since we didn't know many people, there aren't too many pictures and a lot of them are of Steve and I so bear with me...

***Sidenote: These were taken with my digital point and shoot since I wouldn't EVER bring my big black beauty, the DSLR, out on a night like this. something was wrong with my camera (and still is) so the pictures are very poor quality.***

Steve and I soon after we arrived

Jamie and Kiser, AKA two of the few people that we knew there

Dave, Drew and Steve

Khalid and Steve

The host of the party, me and Melodi

The beer pong table....GREAT idea!

The Tech game projected on the wall near the dancefloor

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas 2009 in Raleigh, NC

2009-12-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, Steve and I go to Raleigh, NC for Christmas. We usually spend a few days there and come back for work the next week depending on what day Christmas falls. This year, Christmas was on a Friday (score!) so I could take only 2 days off of work, be down in Raleigh for Chris' birthday (the 23rd) and come home on Saturday and still have a day of "recovery" before going back to work on Monday.

We got down to Raleigh at about 12ish and met for our new traditional happy hour at McCormick and Schmick's before we headed over to my mom's new house to check it out and then over to Kim's to get ready for Chris' friend's party.

Christmas Eve is the night that we open all of the "adults" presents and then Carliegh and Olivia open their's on Christmas morning after Santa comes. It was a good time, I'll let the pictures explain the rest...WARNING: It's kind of picture over load.

Poor Taylor is getting so old. She apparently didn't want her picture taken and stuck her tongue out at me.

Calreigh and Olivia being goofy

I demanded Carliegh let me take a good one...or, I just caught her when she wasn't paying attention.

Kim doing dishes. Carleigh took this one actually. She became obsessed with my camera. She has good taste.

Taylor and I chilling before we left for the party.

I love this picture. We don't get a lot of sibling pictures taken and I think this is a good one...even though my roots are screaming out for attention. I'm getting that taken care of soon. Just not soon enough.

A view of part of the spread at the party. They had Chick-Fil-A chicken tenders. Sooooo yum!

A good one of Steve and Kim.

Chris and all the guys

And, Chris and the girls

Chris' birthday cake. My favorite part of this picture is that they used a tea light for the candle. Minor details..

The next day Chris and I cooked Christmas dinner.

There was a crazy elf that made an appearance after a few glasses of wine.

So, we finally sat down to a nice big family Christmas Dinner...only a certain 5 year old had Rice Krispies.

And, to prove Doug was there...

After dinner, some people cleaned and those who wanted to get out of cleaning....danced!

And, danced...

After cleaning, the kids were put to bed, we grabbed the wine and headed to the sitting room area to open presents

Steve got these AWESOME glasses.

They say "Dennis" and have the Redskins logo engraved. Very cool.

We got my mom a gift card tree with all kinds of gift cards so she can use them to buy stuff for her new house.

What are the odds of two people getting someone a toaster oven? And, how high are the odds taht it would be the EXACT same toaster oven? Pretty high apparently.

The next morning, Santa had come and gone.

We spent the night before until the wee hours putting this salon together. At least Olivia could have clean and blow dried hair finally.

We made Carleigh play us a tune on the violin. It's the smallest violin I've ever seen.

We baked cookies in their Easy Bake Oven

And, finally, we brought my mom her tv to her house. This actually happened on Christmas Eve Day but it's being posted last. We loaded it up in the Tahoe and headed over.

She was quite surprised I think.

No where to put it quite yet but I think she was happy with it.

Meanwhile. I taught the little munchkins how to do googly eyes. One of them kind of got it...

The other, not so much. Haha!

And, I was a jungle gym almost the whole weekend. And, loved it.

It was a great weekend and I figured it was about time I posted about it. More to come on New Years soon! Merry Christmas 2009!

Putting Lights Up

2009-12-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

So, the day I got my camera Steve put up lights around our deck. He did a fantastic job and I got to test out night pictures with my new camera! I am new at this camera so these pictures aren't quite up to par with what the camera is capable of but I will hopefully get better with time.

Decorating the Charlie Brown Tree & My PRESENT!

2009-12-03T07:12:00.000-08:00

When I was in Fredericksburg this weekend, Kim and I went to Costco and I came across these non-breakable ornaments. They are AWESOME! And, so pretty in person.

So, in order for me to open my present from Steve, I told him that we needed to at least put up the shabby looking Christmas tree that we have used for the past three or four years. This tree came from when Steve was a "bachelor" and I have not wanted to buy a nicer tree until we are in a more permanent place.

You put it together in sections and through the years, more and more "needles" have fallen off and it looks shabbier and shabbier by the year...

It's our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree...

Lights are always a challenge but I don't mind doing them. I can't wrap my head around why we ran out of white lights but we had THOUSANDS of colored lights??? I don't even like colored lights!

Our finished product! Not too bad! (Notice my presents under the tree!!)

Onyx had to pose with the tree also. We make her EVERY year.

Shaking it!

So excited!!! Finally!

I LOVE IT!!!

Now, stay tuned for some better quality pictures.

Our Thanksgiving Feast!

2009-12-03T06:36:00.001-08:00

**All pictures in this post were taken with my completely out-dated point and shoot camera. Had they been taken with my new Canon Rebel T1i, they would be of MUCH better quality!**

Thanksgiving morning marked the first time that I was "hosting" the Thanksgiving feast at our house. I like to call it a "semi-homemade" feast. We ordered an already cooked turkey from Giant and some sides for pretty cheap. I have to say that I wouldn't do it that way again because I made a lot of extra sides that were much better and the only thing that I thought turned out really well that came from Giant was the turkey. The stuffing looked so gross that we didn't even cook it and just threw it in the trash and I made Stove Top instead which is always a hit.

We started preparing the night before. Steve added the leaves to the dining room table to make it longer and we brought down a table to do it buffet style. I thought it would be best doing it that way with all the people.

And, as I mentioned previously...we got to use our new CHINA! And, I realized that I'm really glad that I registered for it and that I picked the pattern that I did. It looks really nice.

This was the buffet section that we set up the night before also. I couldn't believe that I had that many serving dishes!

And, this is what the whole area looked like...

Each place setting looked like this. I even had chargers! What??! Am I 50?? I don't care, I still thought it looked great...

I have to give myself props for cooking/reheating the whole feast in a teeny tiny kitchen too. It was NOT easy. Steve's one chore the whole day was to take the bird out of the oven...

And, even though it was pre-cooked, we still had to heat it up in the oven for two hours. AND, I put a rub that I made up in my head on the turkey and it turned out pretty good!

Here's some of the food, keeping warm, almost ready to go on the buffet...

Oh, and did I mention that we had QUITE the appetizer spread for our guests before dinner was served?? I loved that part too. Who doesn't love appetizers??

Onyx kept watch over the appetizers to make sure none fell...
(Note: It's hard to see in the picture but you'll notice the maroon skirt on the table that matches our place mats, table runner and curtain? Yes...that's a bed skirt that I used since we didn't have enough table cloths! No one ever even guessed and it looked fantastic!)

The final spread all ready for people to dig in...

The ONLY picture I got of the whole table WITH people. I was too busy sweating and getting everything on the table.

The one part of the day that sucked? Cleaning. I can't tell you how much longer it took than I thought it would. Tiffany was a GREAT help though. I don't think I could have done it without her.

So, it was a great day and I'd love to do it again. I feel like I learned a lot about some things to change for next time! Like, needing a much bigger kitchen!

Gift to Myself

2009-12-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist and on my way home from work last night and bought myself another present. To give my seld SOME credit, it saves $198 on a class I wanted to enroll in so I only spent $29 on the book.

Christmas Came Early!

2009-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

(Please excuse the quality of the pictures in this post. They were taken from my cell phone.)

I haven't posted in awhile. I haven't really had anything interesting going on. Thanksgiving was fun and I do have some pictures from our digital camera that I will post soon. I made dinner at our townhouse for me and Steve, Tiffany and Steve's sisters family. Part of it was a pre-made dinneer from Giant. But, we made other sides in addition to that meal so we had a lot of food. AND, we got to use our NEW china!! That was the best part. I think our spread looked great. I'll post those pictures soon.

However, I forgot to bring my camera to my mom's house for the weekend that we spent there. So, I didn't have pictures of the babies and my family and the yard sale that we helped my mom with.

But! When we got home on Sunday night, Steve couldn't contain his excitement and made me open my Christmas present early. He's such a sucker when it comes to keeping secrets. He absolutely can't stand to wait until Christmas to see how I react to whatever he got me. And, I love it!

So, I made us first put up our sad looking fake tree so it would at least feel like Christmas...

And, I made us hang our stockings. And, since we don't have a mantle in our stupid townhouse, they were hung on our TV stand knobs....ghetto. And, please excuse the mess. We hadn't. cleaned up yet...

So, once we had partially decorated, Steve let me open my gifts! He got me the Canon Rebel XTi. At first, I thought he had gotten me the wrong model cause I hadn't heard of that one but he told me that he did his research and this one was the next step up from the one I asked for. Go Steve!! So, needless to say, I was very happy and I should have some much better quality pictures coming soon!

Go Away Ida!

2009-11-13T09:32:00.001-08:00

Hurricane Ida has made her way up the east coast. It has been non-stop DREARY here for the past at least 3 whole days (I've lost count though so maybe it's been more). It hasn't been hurricane weather for us...just a lot of rain.

This is a view from outside my office window of how it has looked all week. I feel like I live in Seattle and I've realized that I wouldn't survive there. I get too depressed if I didn't see a lot of sun.

Oh, and having a dog in the rain = not fun

Wine Night with Tiff!

2009-11-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

Tiffany called me up yesterday about coming over for wine last night. And, then when she mentioned making dinner I was sold. I think I was supposed to be helping but she's a pro and just took it on by herself for me and Steve.

She ended up making up this recipe and it was really good. She made baked chicken stuffed with jalepeno cheese and bacon and rolled in cheddar cheese soaked with buffalo sauce and then rolled in crushed up buffalo pretzels. We had broccoli and fench onion potatoes as the sides. So good.

Slaving away...

Onyx is ALWAYS right under our feet whenever anyone is in the kitchen. But, she's such a love that it doesn't bother me most of the time!

Chicken in the oven almost finished!

Table almost ready...

The FINISHED product! Deelish!!

Halloween Weekend in Atlanta

2009-11-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Halloween was about 2 weeks ago so I feel like before I forget about our fun weekend in Atlanta, I should post about it.

Steve, Sam and I left work early and met at our townhouse to leave for the airport. We found out before we left the house that our flight was delayed an hour. Awesome. So, we hung around for an hour and arrived at Dulles , checked our bags and headed to the nearest bar to our gate for food and drinks. We got on the plane finally and found out that the fog was pretty bad in Atlanta so we sat on the RUNWAY for another HOUR. Travelling is just not as fun as it used to be.

Quick Letter to the Airline:

Dear Airline,

I appreciate you looking our for our safety on our way to Atlanta where there was expreme fog. However, your airline check-in lady was very rude and made jokes about the delay to people who were not in the mood to joke. If you are delaying flights (granted it was for safety) at least pass the drink cart around so I can start my vacation. Or, offer us free WiFi while we wait so I can post nasty Status messages about the delay and your check in lady on my Facebook account. Is that too much to ask??

Sincerely,

Your Impatient Flyer

So, we finally took off and had an uneventful flight. Adam and Danielle picked us up from the Atlanta Airport and we went to their neighborhood bar called Crabapple Tavern. Steve and I had been there before. It's like our Brion's Grille to them. They are regulars and know all the staff so it's convenient and fun.

We ended up going back to their house and having a danceparty in their basement before we all headed to bed.

Matt and Danielle dancing...

Their basement bar (post flood where they had to rip up the floors...and Matt still dancing his "Fancy Dance"...

Sam, Adam and Steve...

Matt and Danielle again...

The next day we we woke up and ran some errands, saw Adam's sister (Sarah), her husband (Phil), new nephew (Ian), his mom and his other sister (Rachel).

Then, we went to Adam and Matt's new office that they leased. It was very cool. I was surprised at how well decorated it was for two boys to have designed it...

Matt, Sam and Adam in the foyer of the office. (Check out the artwork too, sorry it's blurry)

Sam admiring the artwork

Adam and Danielle (yes, they have a nice tv in the foyer and couch and XBox)

Steve and Matt's dog Lola (and the cool clock display)...

Lola's Halloween costume in the car on our way home from seeing the office and dinner at the restaurant below their office...

After checking out the office and eating, we headed back home to finish setting up for their annual Halloween Party. Everyone's costumes were hilarious and the party was a lot of fun. The weather was not as much fun but we lived and didn't let it bring us down. It was rainy and COLD!

Steve and I were Double Dare contestants...

Batgirl and Mario...

Sam was d*ck in a pumpkin...(And, there was a lifelike...ehem...in the pumpkin! Sick!)

The BEST costume of the night...(it was Rachel)

David Letterman (who bartended once he arrived)

Steve and Khalid (Kahild surprised us and showed up at the party...all the way from NYC!!)

And, he even had a costume change!

Awww...

Steve helping Matt play bartender towards the beginning of the night...

Some of the people just hanging around the bar area...

On Sunday, we all decided to just recover and watch football. Everyone looks a little sluggish don't they?

Matt and Rachel actually looking good!

So, overall it was a really fun weekend. I can't wait to go back. Maybe if we move to Charlotte we can see them more often seeing that it's only 4 or 5 hours drive away!

Hiatus

2009-11-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

So, I took a short hiatus from the blog. There are pictures to come from this past Halloween weekend. I just don't have my camera cord at the moment.

Anyway, for today...there is a blog I sometimes read and the woman who writes it (who has an adorable baby) does a Wedded Wednesday post every Wednesday that I like a lot. It makes me think about all things marriage and she usually asks a question at the end that makes me think about things.

This week she asked:

"What are the redeeming qualities of your man that you sometimes forget about?"

My answer....

Because of Steve:
*I never have to vaccuum
*I never do laundry (and there is always a LOT of it)
*I always get help with the dishes after I cook without even expecting it or asking
*I never feel mad, sad, anxious or nervous for too long because he knows how to calm my nerves
*I always get the closer parking space in front of our house
*I never have to stop at the mailbox on my way into our neighborhood because he always gets it
*I get to actually have hope that my dreams will become a reality (i.e. moving to Charlotte, being a stay at home mom one day, etc...)
*I get company even if I'm going to a store like Michael's or Giant cause he always wants to tag-a-long
*I never have to feel like a dork if I take up some ridiculous hobby like knitting, or scarpbooking, or cooking, etc...because he always supports it.
*I never have to be apprehensive to ask him to do something extreme (like help my mom run a three day yard sale on Thanksgiving weekend) because I know he'll do it for me.
*I know what it's like for a person to REALLY put everyone else first and do it because they actually want to.

Thanks Steve.

Halloween Weekend

2009-10-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in awhile. There's nothing really exciting to post about actually and my camera is HORRIBLE so I haven't been motivated to take any new pictures.

We're going to Atlanta today. I'm so excited. Our friend, Adam and his wife Danielle live down there and they are having their annual Halloween party.

I'm not trying to toot my own horn here but I think we have a good shot at winning the costume award. I'm not going to say what it is yet (cause there will be lots of pictures assuming my camera is functional) but here is a sneak peak...

Sweet Sassy Mollassy!

2009-10-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

This little girl (my niece) turned 5 on Tuesday! WHAT?!?!

She is full of sass for a 5 year old and ALL girl...

But, she is the cutest thing ever. I cannot believe she is 5 already.

Her party is this weekend and I'm sad to be missing it. I'm sure she really won't know the difference anyway and she'll have fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLEIGH!

Last One!

2009-10-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

I got a call back from my doctor's office about this week's blood draw and this is the latest:

My latest numbers:
D&C date - 8/14/09
Week #1 - 8/31/09 - 159.6
Week #2 - 9/08/09 - 44
Week #3 - 9/15/09 - 18.3
Week #4 - 9/22/09 - 9.8
Week #5 - 9/29/2009 - 6
Week #6 - 10/06/09 - 3.5
Week #7 - 10/14/09 - 2.1
Week #8 - 10/14/09 - 1.6!!

AND, she said that I just need to follow up in a month. HALLELUJAH!

No Words

2009-10-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

My latest numbers:

D&C date - 8/14/09
Week #1 - 8/31/09 - 159.6
Week #2 - 9/08/09 - 44
Week #3 - 9/15/09 - 18.3
Week #4 - 9/22/09 - 9.8
Week #5 - 9/29/2009 - 6
Week #6 - 10/06/09 - 3.5
Week #7 - 10/14/09 - 2.1!!

I have no words to express my frustration.

Steve's Favorite Food

2009-10-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

I made Weight Watcher General Tso's Chicken last night. This has been Steve's favorite meal since the first time I made it for him. Seriously. He told me last night that if he had to live on one meal a day it would be this recipe. And, the best part is that it isn't that bad for you cause it's not the typical fried General Tso's that everyone knows. So, I'll share it with everyone with pictures so I can show off my lovely kitchen in the house that we are renting that I absolutely despise (I was working with very little counter space)...

Also as a side note: This recipe is a little spicy and we love spicy so if you don't like spicy than it probably isn't the recipe for you.

WW General Tso's Chicken

So, you start out with quite a few ingredients BUT I will say that if you don't have them already and you have to buy them for this recipe, most of the ingredients will last you awhile and all you'll have to buy if you want to make it again is the chicken, scallions, and chicken broth

Ingredients:

3/4 cup canned reduced-sodium chicken broth (I use normal chicken broth, not reduced sodium) 2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons oil (I use vegetable oil but I'm sure it's fine with any type)
2 medium scallions, chopped (I think they are also called green onions)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced (I use two FULL teaspoons of the already minced jarred garlic)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lb uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups cooked white rice, kept hot (I use brown rice to be healthier and Success makes an instant brown rice that you just throw 1 packet in boiling water for ten minutes and you are done.)

Okay, so once you have all your ingredients out, I start out by taking a small or medium sized bowl and adding to it the: chicken broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, white whine vinegar, and ginger. I whisk it together for a second to mix in the cornstarch and set aside.

Next, I take a little bowl (mine is used probably for dipping sauces or au jus) and add to it the crushed red pepper and garlic. I think cut up the scallions with scissors and add that to the bowl too and set aside for a minute.

After this, I cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces. This is really all based on preference but I like smaller pieces of chicken rather than larger.

At this point, I put a pot of water on High for the instant brown rice. I let that get to a boil and then add the bag cause this will need to cook for 8-10 minutes and that's about how long the recipe takes to make.

Then, you will take a pan and heat over medium-high heat the oil.

Once the oil is hot, you'll add the red pepper flakes, garlic and scallions and saute that mixture for about 2 minutes. It will look like this...

Once that has cooked for about 2-3 minutes, add the chicken (that you have already cut up)

Let the chicken cook for about 5-6 minutes or until it is browned all over.

This was at the point where I had about 2 minutes left. The chicken doesn't need to cook all the way through but you should see any pink on the outside.

After about 5 or 6 minutes, the chicken should be cooked on the outside completely. Now, it's time to add the sauce that we whisked together at the beginning. I would give it one more whisk cause by now the cornstarch may have settled at the bottom again.

Now, add it to the pan with the chicken and keep stirring for about 3 or 4 minutes. The sauce will be very watery at first...

...but will thicken up due tot he cornstarch until it gets to the consistency of a thick gravy.

After about 3 or 4 minutes of stirring the mixture the chicken should have had the chance to cook through and it should be done. Your rice should also be done by now.

Spoon about a cup of rice into a bowl for you and your dinner date. I spoon way more in for my date but only about a 1/2 cup to 1 cup for me so I stick to the serving size.

And, to finish, top with about a cup of the chicken mixture over the rice and make sure you get some of the sauce too! It's the best part!

Go light candles on the table and put on some music and it all comes together to make for one happy husband!

And, he may even end up doing the dishes for you!

Jamie and Kiser's Wedding Post

2009-10-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Jamie and Matt Kiser's rehearsal dinner and wedding. It was a good time. I was really apprehensive about the entire weekend cause things like that can turn into a debacle and because that's just the way I am to get nervous before situations that I'm used to. But, it ended up being a fun and tiring weekend. The rehearsal dinner was at the Hilton Garden Inn in Fairfax and the wedding was at the International Country Club. It was beautiful (but of course I thought Steve and my wedding topped it. :-)) Steve was in the wedding though so that was fun to see. My camera battery was dying and I've really come to the conclusion that my camera is just not cutting it anymore so the pictures aren't that great but I tried at least.

Here are some highlights from both nights...REMEMBER: You can click on the picture to enlarge.

Here, I tried to get the whole wedding party, but it was a lot of people and the lighting was horrible...

The boys in the distance at the rehearsal...

Me and the bride, Jamie...

The cake at the rehearsal dinner. Clearly, I did not touch it since it had fruit on it. ;-)

The newlyweds...

Steve, Jere and the brother of the bride...

Mother of the groom and brother of the groom...

Bride and Father of the Bride...

The Mother of the Groom and her FOUR sons...

Jamie and Matt handing out the wedding party gifts. The boys got Redskins jerseys with their last names on the back. Pretty cool! Too bad I spilled red wine on Steve's. Oops!

At our table...

On to the wedding.

This was right when we arrived (and we were there early for the boys to take pictures beforehand...

Steve and I before he took pictures...

Steve walking the grandma down the aisle. Awww...

Steve about to enter the reception escorting one of the bridesmaids...

Steve, Bride and Groom. Duh...

I actually really liked my dress. I got it the day before at TJ Maxx for $39! Score!

And, I have a few from the after party back at the hotel but my camera was being ridiculous so it's not even worth posting them but here are two.

Steve, his friend Ryan, the father of the groom and brother of the groom...

And, the final picture of the night before we got in our cab. Hair looking scraggly, makeup looking non-existent. You get the idea...

It's Like Torture....Seriously

2009-10-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

My latest numbers:

D&C date - 8/14/09
Week #1 - 8/31/09 - 159.6
Week #2 - 9/08/09 - 44
Week #3 - 9/15/09 - 18.3
Week #4 - 9/22/09 - 9.8
Week #5 - 9/29/2009 - 6
Week #6 - 10/06/09 - 3.5!!

They tell me one more week of blood draws. I don't believe it. She told me it has to get all the way to zero. Ugh! I'm going back in on Wednesday for another one. And, the BIG blood draw lady is not gentle or friendly.

Football Sunday with Friends

2009-10-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, the Redskins played the Buccs. We decided to have over Kristen and Billy and grill and play cornhole and watch the games. It was a fun time and perfect weather! I'm so glad we did it! Monday morning was not too fun though. ;-)

We started in the basement watching the big t.v...

The beginnning of the food spread. I ended up putting out chips, fench onion dip, bffano chicken dip and pigs in a blanket. Yumz! We grilled burgers when it got dark and I made homemade macaroni and cheese...

There were THREE laptops set up so that everyone could check their fantasy football teams. Freaks!

We migrated outside after the Skins game and Billy posed for a picture with Onyx by our newly planted mums...

Kristen and Billy in the backyard

You can see our Redskins colored mums to the left of this picture.

Kristen's posed picture with Onyx.

Then we moved to outside our backyrd fence so we could spread the cornhole out and play real games. Onyx is patiently waiting at the gate. I made her stay there for the picture.

Mid-game...

We moved Onyx and tied her to a tree so she could watch us play.

It got a little redneck when we used a beer can to prop up the cornhole board to make it level...

Onyx was being so good...

It was a really fun day....and cheap!

Golfing with Tyler

2009-10-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we took Steve's nephew out to golf for the first time on a REAL course as a present for his 10th birthday which was a few months ago! (We only played 9 holes though and it was a Par 3 course but that's all minor details). Tyler did really well for his age and for his first time. I only got a couple pictures when we were practicing hitting balls at the driving range beforehand though. The course we went to is only about a mile from our house and it's cheap and a GREAT course to learn on so it was perfect and it was a beautiful day. It couldn't have been better.

We Danced!

2009-10-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

I got Steve to dance! This is a late post, but we went to a birthday dinner for our friend, Mike about a week ago. After dinner (which I have no pictures of), we went next door to Austin Grille where on Thursdays they have a GREAT little band that plays. So, a few of us went there afterwards and I got Steve to dance for a song. That is huge for Steve cause he is NOT a big dancer. So, here are a few pictures of our time at Austin Grille (too bad my big shiny purse is all in our dancing pictures).

Thankful Thursday

2009-10-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

Since I've been a big ball of negativity the past few days I will post about a few things I'm thankful for to be more positive.

1. I'm thankful for my wonderful husband Steve who puts up with all of my crap. And, I have a lot of it.

2. I'm thankful for my family who can be crazy at times but are supportive and fun.

3. I'm thankful that although my numbers are going down slowly, they are at least going down.

4. I'm thankful hat I've been sticking to my running plan and I really think I'll be able to follow through with my plan of doing the 5k on Thanksgiving.

5. I'm thankful that I have a job in this economy when a lot of people don't and because of that, we don't have to stress about money.

6. I'm thankful that Steve is getting on board with my desire to move to Charlotte and hopefully if we can find jobs there, we'll really be going!

7. I'm thankful that the woman who puked at Brion's Grille last night didn't puke on or near me. Sick!

8. I'm thankful that my favorite puzzle site has not gotten blocked at work yet so I don't die of boredom.

9. I'm thankful that I have great friends who even though I don't hang out with them as much as before (cause I haven't been going out as much) when we hang out, it's like no time went by.

10. I'm thankful that it's Thursday and there is only one more day left until the weekend.

That's enough for now. I already feel more positive.

Getting Lower...But not there yet!

2009-09-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

My latest numbers:

D&C date - 8/14/09
Week #1 - 8/31/09 - 159.6
Week #2 - 9/08/09 - 44
Week #3 - 9/15/09 - 18.3
Week #4 - 9/22/09 - 9.8
Week #5 - 929/2009 - 6!!

What the heck? It only dropped 3 numbers in a week. Boo...So over the numbers thing.

My 5K Training Plan

2009-09-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

I've been running three days a week for the past three weeks following the Couch to 5K Running Plan. I think I'm going to switch it up though and follow this new one. I feel like it's laid out a little more easy to understand. I ran this morning and HATED every second of it. And, I have not lost a pound in three weeks. I've gained. Ugh!

So, anyway, here's my plan and I'm starting on week 4 since that seems to coincide with what Week 3 is for the Couch to 5K plan:

Week 1: Walk 20 to 30 minutes.

Week 2: Alternate walking 3 minutes with running 30 to 60 seconds for a total of 20 to 25 minutes.

Week 3: Alternate walking 2 minutes with running 1 minute for 24 to 30 minutes total.

Week 4: Walk 1.5 minutes, run 1.5 minutes; walk 3 minutes, run 3 minutes. Repeat three times for 27 minutes total.

Week 5: Run 3 minutes, walk 1.5 minutes; run 5 minutes, walk 2.5 minutes; run 3 minutes, walk 1.5 minutes; run 5 minutes, walk 1.5 minutes; run 5 minutes, walk 2 minutes--for 30 minutes total.

Week 6: Two days this week, alternate running 5 minutes and walking 3 minutes for 30 minutes total. On day three, run 8 minutes and walk 5 minutes twice for 26 minutes total.

Week 7: On day one, run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 8 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 5 minutes--for 24 minutes total. On days two and three, run 10 minutes, walk 3, run 10 for 23 total.

Week 8: Run 25 minutes.

Week 9: Run 28 minutes.

Week 10: On day one, run 30 minutes. On day two, run 31. On day three, run 5K.

And, my end goal is this:

Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K & Fun Walk
Come Out to Run or Walk Before your Thanksgiving Day Feast!
Thanksgiving Day Thursday,
November 27, 2008
Centreville, VA8:00 AM

Week #4 Blood Draws

2009-09-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

My latest numbers:

D&C date - 8/14/09
Week #1 - 8/31/09 - 159.6
Week #2 - 9/08/09 - 44
Week #3 - 9/15/09 - 18.3
Week $4 - 9/22/09 - 9.8!!

She told me I have to keep going back until my number goes to ZERO! Ugh! I think I'm going to go next Thursday instead of Tuesday. Maybe it will have more of a chance of hitting zero by then. My arm feels like a pin cushion.

What's it's like to go on a walk with Onyx

2009-09-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

Since you are dying to know, we took Onyx for a walk last night.

This dog is like walking a horse that pulls you the whole way.

She goes where she wants to go, sniffs what she wants to sniff, and (sorry, TMI) poohs more than any other dog I've seen before.

She is a strange one.

But, it was nice to get out on a walk since it is so rare that we ever go, the three of us.

And, before it gets too dark and cold out by the time we get home from work.

And, this dog NEEDS the exersize (as well as Steve and I do too) seeing that she now weighs 88 pounds and should be about 80. I need to work on that.

This is how she starts out. I like the blur of the picture so you can see how fast and hard she pulls you out of the house to the sidewalk.

And, she PULLS...

Until, finally you will get creative with the leash and how you hold it so that it doesn't hurt so much...

And she sniffs...

And, sniffs more....

And, stops for a break about 3 times....

Until, she finally starts getting worn out and I make her pose for a fall picture before the sun is COMPLETELY gone.

When we got to the end of the neighborhood (which took a LONG time), we decided to continue walking to our old apartment where they have the dog park that we used to take Onyx to.

There weren't any dogs but Steve threw the ball to her and she still had fun.

And, she was WORN OUT!

And, then I took her jogging this morning for 2 miles and went through the same thing all over.

So, Onyx and I are on a diet.

Redskins/Rams Game

2009-09-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

Nisa and I went shopping at BJ's on Friday night with our friends Mike and Kara to load up on tailgating "stuff". I think we did well on our purchases. We bought a LOT of things for about 8-10 people tailgating but at least we had everything. I'd rather be over prepared then under.

Overall, it was a REALLY good time. Steve was the main man on the grill. He attempted to grill hotdogs, hamburgers and sausages but after doing a ton of hamburgers and hotdogs (and all but ONE hotdog rolling off the grill onto the ground, poor guy!) he gave up. Billy and his firend, Rick, road with us and they brought cornhole for us to play.

The game itself was okay. I had fun just being there but we ended up winning at only 9-7. That had to be the lowest scoring game I have seen in a long time, if not ever!

On to the pictures...

We had Nisa's moms car, our Tahoe (whoop, whoop!) and another friend's pickup truck all lined up so we had plenty of space to grill and play.

Part of our table set up...

Another angle with Nisa and her mom.

We made a U shape with our cars so we had out own little alcove.

All of us in jerseys of course!

Some of the boys playing cornhole...

I tried to step back far so I could get our whole setup. I couldn't get it all in the picture.

Rick in the pickup next to us

Probably my favorite picture of the day with FedEx field in the background

The girls

Part of the group

The Master Griller

The bee we caught in the bottle. We named him Bulger for the Rams player. Cause we TRAPPED him!

Another one of my favorite pictures. WITH THE SUPER SKIN! YESSSS!!

While Steve and I were walking up to FedEx. Tons of people!

Still walking up and stopping for a quick picture

Lining up on the field.

My first attempt at a picture in our seats. Not bad for me taking it.

And, then the kind man behind us offered to take one of us with our backs to the field.

We ran into my old co-worker at half-time

We went back to our car after the game that did a great job in helping us tailgate

We waited for the parking lot to empty out a little more so we could play more cornhole.

We met up with Billy's dad and his girlfriend in the parking lot and ended up driving them back to their car.

His dad's car was at the Pentagon. So, we took him there and Steve wanted to pretend...

In his pretending, he couldn't figure out how to open the door back up. So, his dad's girlfriend had to help him out.

It was such a fun day and I want to do it again!

Housewarming Party and Dad's 70th

2009-09-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon Steve and I went to my old co-worker, Shannon's, housewarming party. She just moved into a duplex with a friend and they got a keg and had games like cornhole and ladderball set up in the backyard.

And, ironically enough, Shannon made spiked Arnold Palmers (iced tea vodka and lemonade) and had chips, hot dogs, dips and various other food items set up on a table outside.

Steve and I had been drinking those the night before and last weekend in Raleigh and LOVED them.

It was really fun to see my old co-workers from my first company out of college, Envision.

These are the girls of the group...

We didn't stay too long though because we had to meet my dad for dinner a couple exits down.

Even though we were only there for a short time, we had awesome weather so it was nice to be outside.

Shannon has been my inspiration to start Weight Watchers again. She is a twig now!

So, we hung out at my dad's apartment in Arlington for a little while.

We walked to a restaurant downstairs from his apartment that was pretty good. And, then he walked us back down tot he garage so I could give him his gift.

From there, Steve and I had to go to WAlmart and pick up some last minute items for the big game the next day! The long awaited Redskins/Rams home opener that I bought for Steve for our wedding present.

So Proud

2009-09-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

I did it again.
I ran in the morning with Onyx.
I know and have accepted that I won't workout after work so I have to suck it up in the morning but at least it's over with for the day at that point.
I already am feeling better with myself. It's amazing what a workout can do.

Steve and I went to a driving range with my bosses boss, Cathy last night after work.
So, that was another workout that I'm sure I'll be sore from tomorrow.
I just need to be more active.
I was noticing that I would be tired even when I hadn't done anything. That is sad.

So, even though my 20 minute run/walks are not much.
It's something.

Week #3 Blood Draws

2009-09-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

I got the call from the Nurse Practitioner this morning on my blood test results.
I asked her about my diagnosis to clarify what I have since I read about two diagnoses that sounded similar, Partial Molar and Triploidy. She clarified that I have Triploidy.
So, all this time I've been scared of cancer and everything else and it's something different. From my understanding, Triploidy can be Partial Molar but not always but Partial Molar is 99% of the time Triploidy.

So here are my latest numbers:
D&C date - 8/14/09
Week #1 - 8/31/09 - 159.6
Week #2 - 9/08/09 - 44
Week #3 - 9/15/09 - 18.3!!

It still went down over half but I feel like the drop is going to slow down a lot now. The lower the number drops, the slower it drops.
The Nurse Practitioner said that I have to go back in next week for another blood draw but she thinks this will be the last one.
I wish that were true but I don't believe her.

Back in the Saddle

2009-09-16T07:22:00.001-07:00

I ran this morning! I said in the MORNING!
That must be a first for me.
I woke up at 6:30am grabbed Onyx and hit the pavement.

This was all due to the fact that I have not done a lick of exersize since I think about May.
And, I don't fit into any of my pants anymore.
It's depressing.

It was HARD!
I only went 1.5 miles and I thought I was dying.
That's how out of shape I got myself.
But, I did it and I'm proud of myself for finally doing SOMETHING.

So, now I will try my best to roll out of bed tomorrow morning and do it again.
I'm also going to a driving range tonight if it doesn't rain for a little more exercise with my boss and another co-worker.

The Trip to Raleigh

2009-09-14T08:15:00.000-07:00

{I'm not sure why the layout is all messed up. I'll try to work on it. Click on the pictures to enlarge. There are a lot of them}

This little girl turned 3 on Saturday!!

Our trip to Raleigh was awesome.

I think Olivia LOVED her party. Kim worked hard to pull it all together.

For a party for 3 year olds that normally wouldn't have organization, there actually was.

We got down there on Friday night at about 11:30pm. It was a long ride but I got to play DJ with the ipod and entertained Steve with my singing....to country music....the WHOLE way. I'm positive that he loved it. :-)

We drank some wine when we finally arrived.

The kids were already in bed so I didn't see them until the next morning.

Saturday morning, we woke up to Olivia and Carleigh jumpin' on the air mattress.
As amused as Carleigh looks in this picture, she had fun too. I have to catch her off-guard cause she won't pose for pictures for me.
And, why does this 4 year old look so old??? WHAT?

We spent Saturday morning helping decorate the basement for her SCOOBY DOO party.
Kim went all out.

She bought tons of decorations, rented a "jumpin bean" as Olivia calls it, and even had the Scooby Doo theme song playing.

We took a break at one point to visit a spider outside who made a home on their bush.

That spider was NASTY looking. North Carolina has some BIG bugs!

Back to the party...I was told that I needed to be on "tattoo duty" for the little kids when they walked in. I practiced on Carleigh and Olivia beforehand. Tattoos are serious business.

I had a station set up and everything. Stickers, snacks and tattoos. What more does a kid need?

So, when the party started, they planned a cake mystery to go along with the Scooby Doo theme and the cake went MISSING!

The kids had solve the clues to find the cake.

Each clue led to a different game.

The kids started out in the theatre room (yes, they have a movie theatre) and watched a little Scooby Doo while all the other kids arrived.

The birthday girl was asleep while this was all going on, poor thing.

Most of the adults were just mingling.

When everyone arrived, we herded the kids like cattle to where the cake was originally and now it was missing.

But...there was a clue! Check out how animated Kim is when she reads the first clue.

The clue told them to all go back to the theatre room. They had to get their goody bag...

...and play the first game there...

They had to toss a ring on Scooby's ear and they would get a prize.

After they all got a prize, Kim read the next clue for the next game.

(Again, the animation in her face...unbelievable)...

They had to pin the bone on Scooby's mouth.

They all cheated except for one little girl.

But, it was cute.

And, Steve was happy too with his friend Jack.

And, the third game was a Scooby pinata.

I didn't realize that kids don't "beat" the pinata with a bat anymore. I guess too many kids got whacked in the face.

Now, they pull strings until someone pulls the right one.

And, they went crazy!

Grabbing all of the candy until there was not one piece left.

And, from there they got their final clue which led them to the cake. It had been stolen by this scary man...

We ended the missing cake game and lit the candles for Olivia to blow out.

The cake was served in dog food bowls with their names on them.

They sat on a picnic blanket on the floor...like a dog.

And, the birthday girl was happy. Doesn't she look it?

For the final surprise of the day, they had rented a princess "jumpin' bean". This thing was insane.

It had an obstacle course complete with basketball hoop...

And, slide!

There were a few injuries.

But, overall, everyone had a great time.

And, then my camera battery died. :-(

Doug, Steve and I went to a par 3 golf course that had lights after the party was over and came back and Kim made us iced tea vodka and lemonades. We LOVED them!

(And, just for the record so I remember, I beat Steve by 7 strokes at golf!)

Olivia Turns 3!

2009-09-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

**She is drinking sparkling cider in this picture...haha!**

Steve and I decided to take a last minute trip down to Raleigh this weekend. The only problem that we had with going was of course that I don't have any leave at work to take a half day even so we could get down there early.

We're going to just suck it up and leave right after work tomorrow to make it down hopefully by midnight and celebrate Olivia's 3rd birthday. Kim is planning a Scooby Doo themed party. I'm sure Steve will have his fill of 3 year olds but I'm sure he'll love it deep down.

Steve's only stipulation was to make it back in time for the Redskins game on sunday at 4:30pm. We'll see...

Week #2 Blood Draw Results

2009-09-09T12:17:00.001-07:00

I got a call from the nurse practitioner this afternoon and my blood draw #2 results came in. Here are my stats:

D&C date - 8/14/09
Week #1 - 159.6
Week #2 - 44!!

That's great news for this week. Now, we just need to keep that downward trend. The nurse said that it was a good drop but still not in the back to normal range so I have to go back again in a week for another blood draw.

I think I'll need a glass of wine to celebrate tonight.

Abnormal

2009-09-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

My Life = Abnormal

So, last Monday I had to go into the doctor for my 2 week checkup from the d&c. My doctor is taking every measure to make sure I heal and everything is looked after cause she thinks I'm "abnormal" (direct quote from her).

She did a sonogram on me which she says she rarely EVER does after a d&c but I'm "abnormal".

She also did a blood test on me which she says she rarely does after a d&c but I'm "abnormal". She wanted to make sure that the infection I got after the d&c had completely gone away. She told me that I was the one person she did NOT want to get an infection and I did. Just my luck.

So, she said that the sonogram looked good and they'd call me if the blood test results came back "abnormal".

What I had is called a Partial Molar Pregnancy. There is also a Complete Molar Pregnancy but that was not what I had thank God cause the risks to me are higher.

Taken from wedMD - A partial molar pregnancy is where "the placenta grows abnormally into molar tissue. Any fetal tissue that develops is likely to have severe defects."

So, in true form, I joined a message board on these molar pregnancies. I read all about other women's experiences and found out probably a lot more than I really wanted to know. Apparently, these "molar" cells can regenerate after your d&c and when that happens they turn into something called trophoblastic disease which. About 20% of Complete Molar pregnancies require chemo. And, 5% of Partial Molar pregnancies require chemo.

That's right....chemo. Like, as in you have cancer, chemo.

The doctor's standard procedure after a molar pregnancy should be to take weekly blood draws from me and monitor my HCH levels. HCG levels are just your hormone levels and they should continue to go down every week and if they don't....it's not good and you need chemo to get rid of the abnormal cells.

I read this and immediately freaked out. My doctor hadn't mentioned one word of this but every website about this type of pregnancy had. I immediately picked up my phone to call the doctor to ask if they had even checked my HCG levels in my blood draw. Right when I picked up the phone they were calling me. The nurse practitioner on the phone told me that my hormone levels were still higher than they'd like and I needed to come in for another blood draw.

So, that brings me to yesterday when I went in for my second blood draw. I should be hearing back this afternoon to see what my results were. Last week, my "number" was 159.6. I would love to hear that my number is at least half of that. So, I'm hoping it will be 80 or below to make me feel somewhat at ease.

What I've learned on the boards is that it doesn't really matter what your number is, but that it needs to keep going down. When my number stays the same or goes back up, that's not good.

**I am not a doctor, this is just based off of what I've read on my own. The basics are fact but I may be mixing up some words or processes.

So, I'll leave you with this. It's my happiness right now. My almost eaten chocolate chip muffin and LARGE coffee...

It Cannot Be Over Already

2009-09-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

As long as this weekend was, it went by way too fast. And, I did not reach my one goal of taking more pictures. Horrible.

Nothing that was that fun really happened. I probably could've made more of the whole weekend but it was nice to catch up on sleep and just have an extra day off work. We went to happy hour with Steve's friends on Friday. I went in a perfectly good mood and left in a bad mood. I am not a fan of Steve's friends anymore. I tried, I have always been nice to them and finally on Friday it all came to a head and I'm done trying.

Saturday I went to the airport to pick up our friend Lisa. And didn't take one picture. Tiffany made her signs welcoming her back. I don't know what this new problem is with me wanting to take pictures but hopefully it's just a phase.

Sunday, Steve played golf with his stupid friend and I went to the mall with my friend Billy and met up with Lisa and then I met Lisa again a little later at Brion's Grille. When Steve finished golfing we went to Billy's moms Labor Day party. It was fun until the end when everyone was drunk and tired and ready to go home. Steve's new favorite game is cornhole. He wants to build our own cornhole game and bring it to the Redskins game in the parking lot for us to play by ourselves. I'm going to feel like such a dork. But, I'll do it.

And, Monday we played golf. Tiffany and Billy lasted only the first 9 holes. Steve and I played the back 9 by ourselves and I played soooo much better. I even brought my camera to take pictures and forgot it in the car. Awesome. So, I took this little gem from my cell phone. she is showing off her skort.

Our plan for this weekend is to go to Raleigh for my neice's 3rd birthday. I will definitely do better with pictures. I'm so mad at myself.

Steve's Wedding Gift Arrrived!

2009-09-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

I got these in the mail about two weeks ago! For Steve's wedding present way back in May I gave him two tickets to the home opener for the Redskins against the Rams. They are pretty good seats and he knows that he has to take me. :-) All we need now is a parking pass. And, we're going to take the new Tahoe and tailgate and cook food and it's going to be awesome. I just hope it doesn't rain!

Labor Day Weekend!

2009-09-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to get home and start this weekend. We have nothing major planned but it will be nice to have a 3 day weekend anyway.

Tonight we aren't doing much because Steve has to go to his grandma's house again early tomorrow. Hopefully, they will start wrapping things up. This has been a LONG process to say the least! I'd go but I just feel like I'm in the way when I do go so I feel like there is no point. Sunday, Steve is going golfing with his friend, Matt as a gift to him instead of spending a million dollars at his bachelor party in NYC. At night we'll probably go to my friend Billy's moms party down the street from us. It's usually a lot of fun and she almost always has a band and people swim in the pool and hang out. And, Monday, Billy, me, Steve and Tiffany are going to play golf at a course I haven't played at before.

My goal: To finally take some new pictures. I still think it would help if I had the Canon Rebel to take some good quality ones.

In a Funk

2009-08-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

I've been in a funk recently....not taking pictures...not doing anything worth posting about and when I do, it's just not fun to post it right now. I'll try to be better but for now, I'm taking the time to try to not worry so much about things and just live my life and have fun. I worry so much all the time because I constantly feel like I'm running out of time and life is so short...I need to not do that.

Anyway, one of the things I've been focusing on this week is getting back to my diet and back to cooking for Steve. We have had WAY too much of this...

And this....

And, not enough veggies or "homecooked" meals.

I tried last night and the meal I cooked wasn't as healthy as I woud've liked but it was different and it tasted good. I made a pesto chicken that I baked in the oven, a side of boxed noodles (I know, not healthy but we needed some starch) and zucchini fritters. The zucchini fritters were SOOOOO good. I want to make them every night. And, they were probably the healthiest part of the meal.

I'm trying to cook some new things. I want most, if not all of them, to be healthier.

Right now, I have a pot roast in the crockpot at home and I'll probably make some more fritters too. I can't wait to go home and see how it turns out!

Stand Back Up

2009-08-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

I'm the type of person where when I go through something that really sucks, I'm always looking online to find something to make it easier.

Whether it's information I need to know, something I want to hear, quotes, etc...it helps me relate and understand the "whys" better.

Anyway, that brings me to this song I heard and I read the lyrics and it made me smile. I think it's pretty encouraging. Even though I know things might not go my way again and again in the future, I like it. I may not ever be able to have kids, I just don't know and it's out of my control and I'm trying to accept that. But, I think the lyrics of this song keep me optimistic.

My favorite lyrics are below...

Stand Back Up
- Sugarland

I've weathered all these storms,
But I just turn them into wind, so I can fly,
What don't kill you makes you stronger,
When I take my last breath,
That's when I'll just give up,

So, go ahead and take your best shot,
Let 'er rip, give it all you've got,
You might win this round but you can't keep me down,
'Cause I'll stand back up,

And you'll know just the moment when I've had enough,
Sometimes I'm afraid and I don't feel that tough,
But I'll stand back up.

The Start of a Better Day

2009-08-20T07:02:00.001-07:00

I slept an entire night for the first time in over 3 months. It was amazing. I woke up in a fog and not knowing what in the world was going on but once I realized that I didn't wake up once in pain or having to pee, I immediately became happy. I felt like a new woman. Almost. I'm still sad that all of this has happened and don't understand a lot of it but I'm better. And, it's a better day. The reason I slept all night long was because I decided NOT to take the prescribed pain killer and went with an Advil PM instead. That stuff is like heaven.

So, I'm at work again today but feeling more refreshed and with a better outlook on the future. Not a great outlook but an improvement from the past week.

I have been reading a lot online about miscarriages and causes. I am the type of person that needs a reason or explanation for bad things that happen. This all just doesn't seem to make sense to me most of the time and I feel the need to know for any future pregnancy. I would be devastated to have this happen again and again. I don't know if I could actually handle it. Anyway, I read this online and it seems pretty verbatim to what my doctor explained to me about why she thought that this happened. She's not positive and we may never find the real reason but since this is the most common reason and nothing else has come up that is abnormal with me, this is the answer I'm believing now...

Chromosomal abnormality is the most common reason for early miscarriages. In fact, up to 70% of first trimester miscarriages are the result of chromosomal defects. Chromosomes are special strands that carry your baby’s DNA. Every baby should have 23 pairs of chromosomes, which help to determine their physical characteristics and allow them to carry out physical functions. After fertilization, sometimes the egg begins to split improperly, creating the wrong number of chromosomes. Molar pregnancies, in which the fetus develops abnormally, or in which the placenta or amniotic membranes don’t form, are a common type of chromosomal abnormality.

We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.
- Kenji Miyazawa

Great Song

2009-08-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

Puts things in perspective for me (and doesn't hurt that I love the singers too)

http://www.imeem.com/artists/kenny_chesney/music/oFezB2jl/kenny-chesney-with-dave-matthews-im-alive/

I'm Alive
Kenny Chesney featuring Dave Matthews

So damn easy to say that life's so hard
Everybody's got their share of battle scars
As for me I'd like to thank my lucky stars that
I'm alive and well

It'd be easy to add up all the pain
And all the dreams you set and watch go up in flames
Dwell on the wreckage as it smolders in the rain
But not me
I'm alive

And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathing in and out's a blessing can't you see
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
And I'm alive and well
I'm alive, and well

Stars are dancin' on the water here tonight
It's good for the soul, and there's not a sole in sight
But this motors caught its wind and brought me back to life
Now I'm alive and well

And today you know that's good enough for me
Breathing in and out is a blessing can't you see
Today's the first day of the rest of my life
Now I'm alive and well
Yeah I'm alive and well

Sad Day Last Week

2009-08-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

I had a hard time deciding if I was going to post about this or if I should delete all of my pregnancy blogs and pretend it never happened. I decided that it's important for me to remember the details because no one else is going to remember for me in case I need to down the line. I feel like I can actually type it out now and not cry the "ugly cry". Only as early as yesterday, I was not at this point.

Thursday, I had a routine doctor appointment. I was sooo excited but definitely a little nervous cause I hadn't been in a month. Steve came with me to the appointment and when we got back to the exam room, the nurse practitioner that I had seen in the past informed me that this was going to be my "long" appointment. Man, was it ever. And not in a good way. She told me that we were going to go through all of Steve and my family history, do the standard pap smear (fun!) and then move on to the Doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat. We went through everything and then she performed the pap smear. I asked her about my blood tests and the cheek swab (to check for spine ebifida) because no one had contacted me to tell me anything and she said that the doctor would inform me about those results but typically if I don't hear anything, "no news is good news and it says 'normal'". So, she grabbed the ancient looking Doppler machine and informed me that sometimes it is difficult to find the heartbeat with me still being pretty early on in the pregnancy so not to worry unless she told me to. I had read about this as well so I was not worried.

So, she proceeded to move around the wand all over my stomach area and couldn't locate the heartbeat. She said, "Don't worry yet, if I can't find it with this then we'll grab the sonogram machine". After trying to locate the heartbeat for about 5 full minutes, she gave up and went for the sonogram machine. She tried to locate the baby externally and then internally and told me that if she STILL couldn't find it, not to worry and that she'd grab a doctor. So, she still couldn't find the baby with the external wand or the internal one and left the room to get an actual doctor. By this point, I was kind of worried but still hopeful. I told Steve that I had a horrible dream about something being wrong at this appointment just the night before which was so ironic considering how everything panned out.

The doctor came into the room and immediately asked if I had any cramping or bleeding recently. I hadn't and told her just that. The fact that she asked me this really set me off and I started to really panic. I was especially nervous since she couldn't even find the actual baby and not just the heartbeat. I was supposed to be almost 12 weeks at this point and I figured finding a baby at that gestational age should not be difficult. I don't think that by this point Steve had any clue what was going on. I did. So, the doctor went straight for the internal sonogram wand and looked around for a second. She found the baby and said, "Well there it is but now I'm worried." I halfway sat up so I could see the screen that was not facing me and asked Why. I don't know why I asked, I knew the answer. She pointed to the screen and showed me where the baby was. Once I saw where it was my fears were confirmed. The baby was no where near the size of a 12 week old baby. I knew this and didn't want to believe it but she confirmed it for me. She continued to look for the heartbeat and asked me if the other doctor I had seen at 7 weeks had a hard time locating it. I told her that he found it pretty quickly and said it may have taken him a minute. I don't know why I said that. It didn't take him long at all. I just was still hoping that this wasn't true. So, she pointed to where we should be seeing the flash of the heartbeat that I had seen at 7 weeks and there was nothing and she said the dreaded words, "I'm sorry". It was so sad. I felt horrible for myself, for them having to tell me, for Steve not knowing what to do, for the baby that I couldn't support it in my body for some reason, for everything.

It was probably the absolute worst moment in my life.

I absolutely lost it. They handed my kleenex. I think I had an actual million thoughts going through my mind. I just had surgery last year to fix scarring in my uterus, does this mean I have to have a d&c and it will mess up the scarring? How did I not know? Why didn't I have any symptoms...AT ALL?? How am I going to even think about un-telling everyone we have told? How am I going to go back to work and keep it together? Why me when I did everything right and everything by the book? How could I have been so stupid to tell people before the standard 12 weeks when you are considered in the "safe" zone?

The doctor informed me that this was something that happened that had nothing to do with anything I did. How does she know that? What makes her so sure? Is this going to happen again? Will I ever be able to retain a full pregnancy and have a healthy baby? Is this cause I have had mean thoughts in my head randomly about other people that I don't like and God is getting me back?

It was hard for me to fathom that my baby just dies and nothing I did caused it. I still don't know if I fully believe that or if they just tell you that to make you feel better.

Anyway, I think the next words out of my mouth were, "What do I do next?" and the doctor explained. She said that she would suggest that I have a d&c since my uterus wasn't showing any signs of getting rid of the fetus yet at that point and it was only measuring at 8 weeks 5 days so it had stopped growing at least 2 weeks earlier, maybe more. She was scared if I waited too long for it to happen naturally, I was risking infection which puts me at a risk for scarring and even though a d&c puts you at risk for scarring, the risk isn't as great as it is with an infection. Everything else that happened in that room was a big blur to me. I couldn't and didn't stop crying until way later in the day. I felt like I was in a dream, like I was a zombie or going through some twilight period where things didn't seem real. It's amazing how life really gets put in perspective when something like this happens and I truly honestly didn't care about certain things. For once, it wasn't a question of whether I actually go into work. Usually, I panic about calling in sick or what my boss is going to think. I couldn't have cared less if I was fired (which obviously I knew I wasn't but if for some chance I was, it wouldn't have mattered an ounce to me). I didn't care about anyone else's trivial problems. Mine were bigger....to me at least. But, I did put my problem in perspective with other things. I actually did consider myself lucky in some ways. The doctor told me that this could have meant that something was wrong with the baby and it was nature's way of "taking care of i naturally". I was thankful that if that were the case then I was lucky. I was also thankful that I didn't go to full term and then something horrible happen like it does to so many other people, like a stillborn. I don't know if I could handle that. I was thankful for Steve. So, many other men would not have cared an ounce as much as he did for me throughout this process and I can't thank him enough. I think I have the best husband in the world hands down and I am not just saying that.

The doctor told me that I could have the d&c the next day (Friday) and it would be at a hospital and she would be the one performing it. I was happy about that since she knew my history of scarring, she seemed to be a competent doctor and I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. I would've done it that day if I could. Why people would want a dead fetus to sit in them for any longer than they had to is beyond me. I needed this whole process over so I could HEAL mentally and physically.

So, I went home and cried, and cried, and answered the phone for family and cried more and finally went to bed. Friday came and I was like a different person. I could force a smile. I wasn't crying nearly as much. And, I was ready. I was in and out and given my prescriptions and sent home. My mom came up and met us at the hospital too which was nice. I had two friendly faces instead of just one.

I went home from the hospital and talked to more people like my boss and her boss and told them too tell whoever they wanted to cause I certainly didn't want to face actual people at work. Thankfully, my boss had just gone through this in February so she of anyone could relate. She had signs though. I didn't. I still don't understand why I didn't have symptoms or anything. Not even a feeling of possibly something was wrong.

Saturday, I was even better. I could actually have a drink with my friends and talk about it without crying. I stayed up late and felt like an inkling of my old self before I was pregnant. It had been awhile. Sunday, I didn't feel great from the drinks and Steve and I laid low. We ended up seeing a movie, The Hangover, that night and I felt some slight cramps before we went in to the movie so I took a pain killer to be safe. Sunday night was like a nightmare. I woke up in the middle of the night with chills, and aches and pains and a fever of almost 103. I also started bleeding which had stopped almost immediately after the surgery. I woke up on Monday, called in to work and called the doctor. I talked to a nurse who said that they would switch my antibiotic and to call them the next day if the fever hadn't gone down. I was MISERABLE all day. And, I started having huge clots of blood coming out of me. I mean HUGE! It was disgusting and I was concerned. Steve was also worried and was trying to give me advice on what to do and take care of me in any way he could. Nothing could help the pain that I was having though. Not even the Vicodin I was prescribed. Monday night was similar but better because my fever stayed down and I didn't have the chills and all that. I still had clots though.

I woke up feeling better so I went to work on Tuesday. Tuesday was a good day as far as pain and clots which had seemed to taper off. Tuesday was not a good mental day and I barely made it through the day with people coming in my office and asking how I was. I am the type of person where if something bad happens to me, DO NOT ask me how I am unless you want me to start crying. I cried all morning whenever I had to talk to someone. It was embarrassing but I knew it was something I had to do to get over the initial shock of being back at work after this disaster. I woke up Tuesday night at 4:30am with horrible cramping and thought I was dying again.

That brings us to today. I woke up today and came to work again and have felt okay so far...mentally and physically. I am going to try Advil PM instead of Vicodin to see if that will help me at least sleep through the night. If it does, then it is a miracle. If not, then I don't know what I'm going to do to get some actual sleep. And, Steve too since he is waking up every time I am up and wincing and crying and rolling around in pain. Poor Steve. And, poor me. This is something I would only wish on my worst enemy.

I guess it was about time that something bad happen to me. I haven't really ever had anything too emotionally painful for me to go through. Steve's mother died and grandmother died and it was hard but I have to say that this takes the cake on that for me. As mean as that may sound, it does. I don't know how people go through multiple miscarriages only to find out that they can never become pregnant. Hopefully, that will not be my case. I can only hope and pray though. And, time is only going to tell.

So, that is my story and I think it's important for me not to forget it. It is now unfortunately part of my history and hopefully one day it won't be nearly as painful to re-hash as it is today.

Gender Predictions

2009-08-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

When I found out that I was pregnant and started telling people I think the most common "type" of questions and comments had (and still have) to do with either the gender or names.

As far as names go...we just aren't telling anyone what we decide on since everyone has opinions and I really don't want to hear them. I mean, seriously, how rude is it that people get when someone is pregnant that all socially acceptable things go right out the window. Granted, I'm hormonal right now (extremely!) but I would NEVER tell someone that their baby name that they picked out and obviously love is a bad choice. I already tried to start talking about names over 4th of July (because I was asked what we were deciding on) when we told my side of the family that I am pregnant and the first name that came out of my mouth got, "Nooooooo, that's so and so's name" Ummmm, who cares??? I don't know so and so. So, from that point on I decided that I am not even talking about names with people. Anyone can give me their thoughts and suggestions and I may or may not think about them further but I most likely won't tell you what I think of them at the time. I feel like I'm being selfish with the whole name thing but I really don't care. I'm carrying this child for 9 or 10 months and I'll decide what the name is going to be and everyone else can find out when he/she is born if they care to know. And, if you don't like it at that point and you actually have the nerve to tell me, then I'll probably tell you to go get some manners and take a hike. And, for anyone that cares, we pretty much do have a girl and a boy name picked out, just not middle names yet. We may still change them but I love them right now.

So, having vented on that topic, I move on to the gender question. Almost everyone asks me, "Are you going to find out the sex?" The answer to that is Yes. I am the type of person who has to know everything. We'll tell people the gender once we find out cause I don't think there is too much harm people can do with knowing that. A lot of people (mostly family but some friends) make their own predictions on what they think the sex is going to be. My mom is convinced that it will be a boy. (Side note: It will be so nice to not call it an "it" anymore.) I think my brother thinks it will be a girl. Tiffany thinks it will be a boy. I think Kim thinks it will be a boy but I'm not positive on that one. And, Steve and I think it will be a boy. I don't really have any real reason why I think that but I just do. I guess we won't find out for another 2 months or so but I will be so excited when we finally do.

Online there are a bunch of different prediction type tricks you can do to see what gender it comes up with.

For example, there is the old Chinese Gender Prediction Chart (below). According to this, I am having a girl...(click to enlarge picture)...

There are a lot of other myths out there for prediction gender. I don't really actually believe any of them but I think it's fun to just see what they say and then see later if they were correct or not. Some of them I wouldn't be able to tell now anyway. For example, the myth that says if you are carrying low it's a boy and high it's a girl. I'm not carrying at all right now so I wouldn't even be able to guess. And, I think by the time you are actually carrying a certain way, you'd be having your anatomy sonogram anyway.

But, here are some others:

If the heartbeat registers 130 or faster, it's a girl, lower than 130 it's a boy.
My answer: Haven't heard a heartbeat at all yet but we hopefully will on Thursday.

Sweet versus Sour: A woman who craves sweets is having a boy, if she craves sour, she's having a girl
My answer: I kind of crave BOTH. But, probably more so crave sweet than sour. I cannot get enough chocolate recently. I think I just liked sour cause it helped with morning sickness.

Spicy cravings: A mom who craves spicy foods is having a boy.
My answer: I'm not CRAVING spicy foods but I like spicy foods and always have so that's nothing new.

Nosebleeds: A mom who suffers nosebleeds is carrying a girl
My answer: I haven't actually had a nosebleed but my nose is sooooo dry and stuffy in the mornings that I wouldn't be surprised at all if I got one.

Hairy legs: A woman who has to shave her legs more frequently is said to be awaiting the delivery of a girl.
My answer: I DEFINITELY have hair growing way faster on my legs than before.

Dangling a wedding ring: The mom-to-be's wedding ring is tied to a piece of string or a strand of hair and suspended over her stomach. If the ring rotates counterclockwise, it's a boy. If clockwise, it's a girl.
My answer: I just tried this in my office out of curiosity and since I didn't want to actually LAY down on the ground since it would look strange, I leaned as far back as possible and the ring was definitely going in a counter clockwise direction so that would be predicting a BOY.

So, those are some different tests that you can do to see what you are going to have. Obviously, none of them are scientifically proven but they can be fun to do. And, most of my predictions turned out to be leaning towards a BOY! So, we'll see in the next few months what the answer actually is.

Saturday at Aunt Suzie's

2009-08-10T08:59:00.001-07:00

Saturday we went to Aunt Suzie's house to hang out by her pool and relax with Steve's family. Aunt Suzie, John, his brother and son Justin, Ray, Donna, Garth, Tyler and Camryn were all there along with all the 17 or so cats, and 4 dogs. They cooked burgers and it was a really fun day.

The dogs LOVED the pool, only now Onyx's coat is all dry and her skin is flaky but that's I guess the price she has to pay for such a fun day. Steve, LOVED the bar. I LOVED the food. And, we're planning on doing it again over Labor Day weekend. Now, on to the pictures.

The dogs LOVED this plastic frisbee...

Trying to get a 50 pound dog into a raft...

Trying to get an 80 pound dog into a raft...

She wasn't quite sure what to do...netiher was I...

Aunt Suzie made shooters for the "drinkers" there...

The bar setup (Steve and Garth)...

The kids and the dogs in the pool...

Where the food was eventually setup...

Onyx was BEAT when we got home...

Awww, Daddy and Onyx...

I love the dog "play stance" with their butt up in the air...

Pretty girl...

Tater or Sassy (I coudln't tell them apart) would literally climb up on the lounge chairs and sit on people...

Reese would go to the wrong edge of the pool and try to get out. It was HILARIOUS cause her front two legs would be spread all wide and struggling to lift her out and she wouldn't be able to until someone lifted her butt out of the water...

And, finally, Steve's cannon ball....

11 Weeks

2009-08-10T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here's the most updated picture. Not, TOO late this time at least. We have an appointment on Thursday at our OBGYN and will hopefully at least hear the heartbeat and then another appointment on Tuesday where we'll get a detailed sonogram to see if there is a risk for it having Down's Syndrome or a few other disorders. Fingers crossed.

P.S. I am NOt a fan of this picture but it's for historical purposes and I was in a HUGE rush this morning. I don't feel like it actually shows what I look like right now.

I Think I'm Addicted

2009-08-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

This stuff is so good. I think I drink at least two a day. And, not the "diet" kind either. The full calorie, stuck in the back of the fridgerator, crisp, bubbly, Gingerale. When I haven't been able to think of something that I am in the mood for, this totally does it for me. Who needs alcohol anyway when you can have this???

Lunch with Tiffany and Kristen

2009-08-05T07:32:00.001-07:00

After Pea in the Pod on Saturday, Tiffany and I decided to grab lunch at Coastal Flats since it was next door. My other friend Kristen met us there and it was a good time. The bartender was pretty cool and made me virgin shots when they would have real shots so I felt included. From there I went home and laid in bed. A few hours of being out will wear me out!

I'm finally showing!!

2009-08-05T07:26:00.001-07:00

SIKE!! My friend, Tiffany and I went to Old Navy to get some new clothes for me since I don't like anything touching my stomach these days. I found a lot of cute clothes that aren't even maternity that will fit me for MONTHS to come. Then, we went to Pea in the Pod which I was not aware before of how EXPENSIVE that store it. I tried on some jeans there and they had a strap on pillow that you could try on with shirts to see how things really would fit you later on.

The shirt in the picture below is actually not even a maternity shirt. It's from Kohl's and I just thought it would work as maternity in the future. And, it's very soft and comfortable. the jeans I fell in LOVE with but they were $120. I would spend that on a normal pair of jeans but for maternity? When I'm only really wearing them for like 4 months?? I couldn't do that and be able to explain it to Steve. So, I told him it would be a good early Christmas present for me if he decided to do that. I just really loved the color of them.

10 Weeks

2009-08-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

I found my camera cord so, again, here is the (late) 10 week picture...

My stats:

*I feel like this week I have a little more energy than normal
*I'm still breaking out like a 13 year old
*I'm still hungry all the time
*I haven't really been nauseous in a few days but if I'm really tired that's when it flares up
*My fat pooch on my stomach has become fattier, not firmer
*I'm moody and impatient with mostly anyone

That's about it. Stay tuned for the 11 week picture. I'm sure not much will change.

Grrrrrrr...

2009-08-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

I lost the computer cord for our digital camera. It was in my purse with the camera and battery charger so that I could upoad pictures last week and I remember this weekend my purse being way too full so I thought I took it out and put it on our dining room table. Now, it is no where to be found and I can't upload my pictures. So frustrating. I'll have to look again tonight and find it or else this blog is going to be super boring without new pictures.

The good news is that nothing is really new right now. I'm still feeling fat, breaking out and tired. I only have two and a half more weeks in this god forsaken trimester and then hopefully things will start to get better for a little while.

This may give you some indication...

2009-07-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

...of how I'm feeling today...

I couldn't stand the feeling of the waist band cutting into my stomach this morning at work so I used a rubber band to help ease the pain. I emailed Steve to tell him that this is getting ridiculous and that I need to go shopping soon and he had the nicest email back (to me at least). He said, "Aww, but there's a little peanut in there :). We'll go after work today." That is a direct quote. I copied and pasted. He's the best.

So, I will take a 10 week picture today or tomorrow and post it on Monday. Not much is changing except for the amount of flab on my gut. It looks nothing like the cute baby bumps that everyone talks about. I don't have a problem with the overall weight gain because I know I'll lose it. It's just hard day in and day out to just feel FAT. In a few weeks maybe it will be easier when I'm not too fat for my regular clothes but too small for maternity clothes. There has to be a happy medium without just buying bigger sized clothes that I'll never wear again. I'll have to invest in the Belly Band or whatever it's called to see how that helps.

At least it's the weekend in 4 more hours.

You may remember...

2009-07-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

...this post.

Well, it has been about two months since Steve and I planted all of those vegetables (or CRAMMED them) into the tiny area in our backyard. They are out of control now! Seriously, I can't even tell which plant is which and when I planted them I made those cute little vegetable signs so I could know.

As a side note, I have to give credit where it's due with Steve. He has watered these vegetable plants ENDLESSLY every morning when he lets Onyx out and sometimes even in the afternoon if it's really hot out. He's the best.

Yesterday, Steve texted me on my way home from work saying "I think you grew a zuchini!" I did not believe him because I had JUST checked the day before and saw nothing.

How in the WORLD could I have missed this???? It was just hanging out through the wire fence we put up. I probably could have tripped over it and broken my neck it's so big. Anyway, I'm going to cook it up tonight!

P.S. In case you are wondering, this is the only vegetable that has grown so far other than cilantro.

My 9 Week Picture (a little late...)

2009-07-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

So here's my 9 week picture. It was taken last Friday but as I said before I just couldn't post it. See what I mean? Bloat. It just makes you feel fat. Not pregnant. I guarantee I won't be in another swim suit for the remainder of the summer. It's just not going to happen. I'll take my 10 week picture tomorrow or Saturday and hopefully I'll have it posted in a much more timely manner.

Nothing Exciting Recently

2009-07-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

This week has been dull.

I took one new picture of me for my 9 week picture and the battery in our camera was dead so I didn't upload it. Today, I brought the camera and charger to work but forgot the camera cord. Awesome. That's prego brain for you.

Nothing new has been happening. I went to dinner with my friend, Lauren at Carabba's on Monday night and we had a good time. I hadn't seen her in forever so it was good to catch up. Damnit, I should've taken a picture that night!

I am pretty positive that absolutely nothing happened on Tuesday since I can't even remember it now. Wednesday, night I started working on my NEW project that I'll post about sometime later when I'm finished with it.

I don't want to jinx things but I think my 1st trimester symptoms might be starting to subside. I haven't felt too nauseous recently and I even think I have slightly more energy than before. Not that I want to go for a jog, run errang, or even walk around the block yet but I have stayed up until 10pm on at least two occasions this week.

I just looked at our calendar for August and the only exciting events for me so far are two doctor's appointments. And, since I'm getting my hopes so high up for them, they probably won't even be that exciting.

I'll try to think of more exciting things to talk about and do in the next few days.

Backtracking

2009-07-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

Before I get too wrapped up in "baby" stuff I should probably backtrack a little to post some pictures that I don't want to forget or lose.

Before Steve and I got married, my office threw me a shower and I received the pictures from one of my co-workers on a thumb drive that I thought I'd post.

It was really sweet of them to throw the shower for me. There were a lot more people there than I thought would come since I work with like 4 people. It was fun and I thought it deserved a post before I forgot. There aren't a lot of pictures but I'm glad there are at least a few so I don't forget it!

This is when I was walking into the conference room and they surprised me. They told me that I was meeting with my boss and co-worker about some stuff before I went on my leave for the wedding and honeymoon...

They put me in my seat and put the veil on me...

From left to right we have Ted (a Recruiter), Lucy (my co-worker), Norma (my "big" boss the HR Director), Karen (in Contracts), Phill (another Recruiter), and Carol (who is an Administrator and also the mom of a girl I graduated from high school with)

My ice bucket from Norma

The two on the left are Mary (also in contracts I think) and Jane (another HR Rep I help support)

My beer mugs from Cathy

The two on the left here are Cathy(my boss' boss...love her!), and Ingrid (works downstairs and is my bosses really good friend)

So we had those people and Elly who was taking all the pictures and not in a single one! And, also my boss, Facia is not in any of the pictures but I'm not sure why cause she was there. It was a fun shower and a great end to the day right before I went on vacation for almost 2 weeks! They did a great job planning it and I got tons of cool stuff and they had a lot of desserts for everyone and none with fruit cause they all know I don't like fruit! It seems SOOOOO long ago and it was really only two and a half months ago. Crazy!

Steve's Pride and Joy!

2009-07-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

So, here are the long awaited pictures that I promised I'd post. Steve dragged me off the couch well after my bedtime of 7pm last night to get me to take pictures of him. I would be pretty concerned about the enormous payments that we are making on this monster but I can tell taht Steve really, really, loves the car and it's not an impulse buy. It's something that he's wanted for years literally. So, that's worth it to me.

(REMINDER: You can click on the pictures to make them bigger)

So here's our newest addition...

Front view...

One of the proud owners...

One of my personal favorite parts is how when the doors are closed, everything is all tucked in a clean looking (I love in this picutre how Steve is still sitting in the driver's seat all proud waiting for me to take more pictures of him. It cracks me up!)...

But, then when you open the door, the side running boards pop out so you can get in the car easily...

Still so proud...

So there you have it. It was a pretty penny and it better last us a long, LONG time.

My new favorite thing

2009-07-20T12:38:00.001-07:00

It's Jolly Ranchers.

They are SOOOOOOOO good for nausea. I don't have a lot but I am kind of sea sick-like for a big chunk of the day.

Good thing I have a second bag on standby.

I read online that sour candy helps with nasuea. So, I made my wonderful husband go with me to buy Preggie Pop Drops at Babies R Us to see if they helped.

They helped a little but it seemed just like nothing any other hard sour candy couldn't handle. So I bought Jolly Ranchers and Sour Patch Kids just for good measure. And, I am really liking them.

My mouth is kind of raw from all the sugar but whatever it takes, ya know??

Okay, I'm caving...

2009-07-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

However, I may not keep this up depending on how enormous I feel.

My 8 week picture that could've been

2009-07-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

I was going to post it and record my progress (I even took a picture this morning) but I think it's better not on a website and just on my computer in case I want to look back. I feel ENORMOUS after just looking at the picture. My clothes don't fit the same, i'm bloated and my boobs are enormous. I didn't think I looked very different until I just looked at that picture and now I want to just stop eating.

Nausea has kicked in a little and it's not making me feel great. I guess the best way to describe it is feeling a little bit sea sick. I am not going to barf or anything but I just don't feel RIGHT. So, Steve said we could go to Babies R Us tonight and buy some Preggy Pops. They are supposed to help with the nausea but I'll be the judge of that. I also heard sour candy works well. I'll try that too. I'll try anything.

I'm really glad that it's Friday and getting close to quittin' time! I'm over being here today.

Such an exciting day!

2009-07-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Steve and I went to my first doctor's appointment this morning. Apparently, I'm measuring between 7 weeks 1 day and 7 weeks 5 days. The doctor said it's hard to tell at this early in the game and he said that the baby was kind of hiding so it was difficult to get a good picture at first. He also said that the sonogram has a 5 day margin of error so who knows where in the 7th week that I am in. He went over the basics with us and told us about the different tests I'll have to do to make sure that the baby isn't at risks for things like spina bifida which is the most common disorder in caucasions. He told me I'd need to get a 12week ultrasound (yay!) to test for some disorders and then another ultrasound at 20 weeks I think (which is the big one).

We also go to see the heartbeat. It was so unreal. It just looked like a little flutter of a light that you could barely see but it made it all a little more real to me. He said that once you see the heartbeat, the chance of miscarriage goes down about 90% or something like that so that was really good to hear. Anyway, here's the big picture....

Practicing our golf lessons at Top Golf

2009-07-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Tiffany, Steve and I decided to go to Top Golf.

We received a loaner car from Chevrolet of our exact Tahoe that we bought but just not in our color. I'll start this post by saying that this is the first time in months that I woke up LATER than Steve. He was SO excited to drive that thing! Seriously. He was like a kid at Christmas. It was unbelievable...but cute.

So we spent a few hours at Top Golf and it was so fun. I love that we are taking these golf lessons because I really feel like I've improved a million times over.

Top Golf has to be one of the coolest driving ranges in the world. The downside, is that there are THREE in the United States. Seriously. It is different from a normal driving range.

First, it's a little more expensive than your run of the mill driving range. Second, they have servers that serve you food and beer and an full menu! There mozzarella sticks tasted incredible to this pregnant lady.

They also have these microchips that are in the golf balls so that when you get your bucket of balls, YOUR balls are programmed with YOUR name and information. Genius! So, when you are up at the tee, you drop your golf ball from your bucket down the hole in the plastic bin next to the tee and voila! Your score is being recorded.

In this picture below, you'll see Tiffany up at the tee ready to swing. You may be wondering what the little crop circle-looking colored things are in the field. They are targets for us to hit at.

So, when your ball hits any of the targets, it records your information, like how far the ball went and depending on where in the target it hit, you get a score. To keep track of all your scores, each bay (the thing you sit in by your tee) has a computer screen that does the math for you. How cool is that??

So, each game is 20 balls and you can win games by hitting a certain target on your 11th ball or different things like that. this place is so cool I can't believe that there aren't a million more all over the country. Apparently, they only have one in Alexandria, one in Chicago and one in Dallas. Someone needs to work on getting them in more locations. Oh well, I guess I can't complain since I can at least drive 30 minutes to one.

So, anyway, we had a fin day at Top Golf, and then Tiffany and I went to play a 9 hole course by our houses where we were stalked by a fox on hole #1. No lie. It was kinda scary.

I don't have pictures of that since I had left my camera in the car but I'll leave you with a few more from Top Golf. We'll be sure to be back again soon.

This was Steve and I sitting in our bay. It's cool cause you can chill and watch your other player hit their balls and eat or drink and then you are up. It's kind of like the bowling version of golf.

Steve can seriously hit the ball soooo far. His balls just always curve to the right.

He looks like a professional to me!

I, on the other hand, can hit straight but not far at all. I don't know which problem I'd rather have.

And, lastly, I have a video of Tiffany swinging a horrible shot but I have to figure out how to post a video. I'll try to figure that out now.

Goodbye Ole' Bessie!

2009-07-13T11:18:00.002-07:00

Friday we got a new car.

Steve has been DYING for a new Tahoe for at least the past 2 years.

But first, I need to pay respects to the OLD car.

He wasn't happy about trading in "Bessie" who had been oh so reliable to him since he bought her in 2002. Bessie was Steve's first car that he had ever bought himself. I remember when he made his last car payment for that car and he was so proud of himself for paying her off.

He asked me to take a final picture of them together. Doesn't he look so proud??

I do have to say that this car is in VERY good condition for being a 2002. Steve took such good care of it.

Coming soon: Pictures of the NEW car! We don't have our actual car yet but should be getting it today...since we already bought it on Friday. But, that's a whole nother story.

Nothing New

2009-07-09T06:55:00.001-07:00

Oh, I am so excited for this week to end. This weekend we are probably going to go buy a Tahoe for Steve. It will be nice to have a big SUV so we can haul stuff if we need it. Both of our cars are so small and only have trunk space and not much of it.

I'm hoping that maybe at the end of this year, I can trade in my car for a smaller SUV. I need ROOM! And, if I'm going to be putting diaper bags and strollers and car seat and all that crap in my car then it needs to be bigger. I think Steve is okay with this plan.

However, my first priority is moving out of Northern Virginia finally. We can't afford to be here and me stay at home. So, instead of paying (thousands of dollars) for someone else to watch my child, I feel like I need to stay at home for awhile. Oh darn!

Filled almost all fo the important people in...

2009-07-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

So, Steve and I went to my mom's house for the 4th of July. My brother, sister and her family, my mom, and some friends were all there. The first night, when everyone was there and we were making dinner, I told my mom and Chris to come into the house and acted like I was making toast with a glass of wine (non-alcoholic but they didn't know). So, then I said that we had an announcement to make and Kim blurted out "YOU'RE PREGNANT!!!" And, I nodded yes. I think everyone seemed really excited. Chris said taht Kim was doing an old lady dance.

I did have my first emotional rollercoaster moment come to life Friday night. I could not stop crying. I was the ONLY sober person in the house and it wore on me big time. I just wanted Steve to be my one sober person (or at least half sober) that I could talk to and he was too drunk. It was horrible. I learned that I need to try not to put myself into a drunk party situation for the next 9 months where I have no one to talk to. I'm glad it's over now though and I hope I can get a better grasp on my emotions also.

So, after we told everyone there about being pregnant, my dad had called Chris' phone and they put me on and I told him as well. He had a typical Wayne reaction which I expected but seemed excited.

Now, the only people that we need to fill in are Steve's family. And, then it's all out in the open. So, weird.

Overall, it was a pretty good weekend. Not as fun as years in the past when I could drink too but it ended up okay.

I need

2009-07-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

...an update picture. I keep forgetting to have Steve take one of me or to just do it myself. Not that anything has really changed but it would be nice to get in the habit of taking pictures so I don't forget all the time.

I'm feeling the same still.

No morning sickness yet...yay!
I do have back pain (mostly lower).
I'm always freezing cold (I don't think that has anything to do with pregnancy but it's been since I found out)
I am getting a pudgy belly so my pants aren't fitting as comfortably as before. It's nothing noticable to the outside world though.
Boobs are still sore adn HUGE!

We're going down to the lake this weekend to tell my family. I'm excited for it to be out in the open to everyone now instead of having this secret. I'm also glad I waited to tell them in person.

2009-07-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

So, as promised, below are some pictures from Ocean City. I definitely didn't take as many as I wish I had but at least we have some...

Welcome to Ocean City!!!

I think I mentioned this in the previous post but our hotel room was awesome (in my opinion) because it was at the end of the boardwalk so it wasn't crazy with people since we were so far down, it was still right on the boardwalk and it was right ON the ocean. The view was awesome! This is the view from our balcony...

And this is the view when you looked to the right off of our balcony down the boardwalk.

Another picture down the boardwalk. I LOVED IT!

I feel like we spent quite some time out on the balcony.

It's always hard when you are on a romantic getaway as a couple and you just can't get many "together" shots. It can be kind of frustrating sometimes.

Luckily our neighbors on the balcony next to us were out and we asked them for a little help.

We walked all the way down the boardwalk and back on the first night. It was cool to see the rides all lit up. There were a lot of people at the beginning of the boardwalk. A lot of STRANGE people too. It made for GREAT people -watching!

This was at the beginning of the boardwalk where they have models of sharks that people have caught that were record breaking.

Again....with the non-together pictures. Frustrating.

We had a pretty big fridge in our room that we STOCKED with waters for when we went out on the beach. It came in handy moer than I ever thought it would!

When we got back from the beach on Saturday, I was welcomed with THESE for my 30th birthday! I love Tiffany...

Very pretty...

Steve caught a picture of me getting ready to go to the all you can eat seafood buffet. It was soooo good...

And, after dinner we hit up the putt putt. Steve did pretty good.

Me...not so much.

It was a GREAT weekend and I wish we were there now!

Our Trip to OC

2009-06-30T07:14:00.001-07:00

Steve and my weekend in Ocean City for my birthday was so much fun. Actually, to be more accuarte it was more relaxing than fun but it was awesome either way. We arrived at about 5:30pm and checked in. Our room was awesome because we had a balcony that overlooked the boadwalk and the beach so we could do lots of people watching.

The first night we decided to walk from our hotel (which is at the end of the boardwalk) to the beginning of the boardwalk and back. We stopped on our way down the boardwalk for pizza and then on the way back for Dippin' Dots (yum!) and by the time we ended up getting back to the hotel we realized that the journey was 4 and a half miles total! I was surprised. I mean, it did seem like we were walking FOREVER but I didn't realize it was THAT far. Good exercise. So, when we got back I think we sat on the balcony for a little bit and then watched some tv and went to sleep.

Saturday, I as usual recently, woke up at 6am and sat on the balcony, ate a Nutri Grain bar and woke Steve up to go to the beach at about 9am. We stopped at a little mom and pop joint for breakfast that was really cute and I wish I had taken a picture. The food was good and it was fast service and inexpensive. From there we headed to the beach and just layed out until about 2pm. Steve listened to his iPod and I read the whole time. We got in the water twice but it was FREEZING! I got used to it after a little bit but never went ALL the way under.

Then, I was hungry so we decided to go down the boardwalk to this place, Hammerheads, for lunch. We ate there, and then went next door to the Dippin' Dodts place AGAIN. Then, we walked back, hung out at the hotel room for a little bit where I found a beautiful display of flowers taht Tiffany had sent there for my birthday and took showers and got ready for dinner. We went to a great all you can eat seafood restaurant where I ate a ton of crab legs. From there we went next door to the almost adjoining miniature golf place. Steve beat me even though he was drunk and I cheated. Then, we went back to the hotel, sat on the balcony for a little and went to bed.

Sunday, we woke up, packed up and headed out. We stopped at Candy Kitchen so I could get salt water taffy and The Fractured Prune for breakfast. It's this unique place where you can get donuts made to order and other stuff. I got my usual sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich but instead of it being on a bagel, it came on a donut! It was interesting...but not bad!

Then, we headed home, and went to Outback Steakhouse for my actual birthday dinner.

It was a great weekend. Steve is pretty good to me.

(Pictures coming soon...I didn't take many but I'll post what I have)

Feeling the same

2009-06-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

I'm 5 weeks 3 days and I feel similar to all of my other recent days. I am seriously waking up at 6am like CLOCKWORK every day and cannot go back to sleep. It's so weird.

No morning sickness...yet
Boobs...sore and BIG
Tired by 8 or 9pm

One new symptom I've noticed about myself recently is that I get easily irritated by stupid people. Or really anybody in general. Other drivers on the road that do stupid things. People that come in my office and say stupid things. Etc...

We are going to the lake this weekend for the 4th of July and we'll be telling my family! I'm kind of excited about that.

Can't forget...

2009-06-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

When Steve and I were at the beach sitting on the balcony of our hotel room people watching, Steve said that as much as he jokes about having a baby and how our lives are over, he is actually excited and it's the next thing for us. He also said that while we are at it, we might as well have another one two years later about. I definitely agree. Granted, we had this conversation when he was a little drunk but I still want to remember it.

I could continue on this path and be happy...

2009-06-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

Steve and I went to the beach this weekend for my...gulp....30th birthday. It was a great time. It was also a rare occasion for me to be at the beach with great weather and not drink. What in the world?? I have been waking up at about 7am EVERY SINGLE day! I don't know what is wrong with my sleep patterns now but I can't sleep continously and not wake up during the night and I always wake up super early and am WIDE AWAKE. But, at night, I am just dead tired by about 8pm. It's so weird.

I wore a skirt to work today.
I'm scared to wear pants cause I'm scared my bloat will make them not button and I'll just be uncomfortable today.

It's been 1 full week of not a single cigarette (or drink but I knew I could do that)! Whoop, whoop! I woke up one morning at the beach and took my vitamins and ate a Nutri-Grain bar and some saltines and then laid back in bed reading and felt a little nauseous but somehow managed to fall asleep while reading and woke up feeling fine.

Nausea is supposed to hit in about a week and I'm hoping I'm one of the lucky ones who skips that part!

YAY for the BEACH!!

2009-06-26T07:03:00.001-07:00

The day is HERE! I can't even wait for two more hours when I get to leave work and head out to the BEACH! I think we are even going to get to eat at the seafood buffet tonight. Whoop, whoop! The weather is looking kind of iffy today but tomorrow is supposed to be awesome so I can deal with today being not great as long as tomorrow holds up!

So, switching gears for a second, Michael Jackson died yesterday at the age of 50. There is a lot of controversy surrounding him with child molestation and all that but any way you look at him, his music was legendary and always will be. I am loving the radio stations playing his music non-stop now! Ironically, Farrah Fawcett also died yesterday. I am not apart of her generation to really appreciate her stuff but I know older people did appreciate her a lot more and I find it ironic that they both died on the same day.

We downloaded some MJ music to listen to on the car ride to OC! Let the weekend begin!

Feeling Good

2009-06-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe how good I am feeling. Last night and today.
I managed to keep my eyes open until I think 11pm last night which has been SO rare for me recently. I ended up falling asleep reading the chapter of Bell Laughs by Jenny McCarthy about pooping on the delivery table. Yikes!

I woke up at 6am certain that I would not be able to fall asleep again so I cracked open my other new book "Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" and started reading that one in the little crack of light that I had through the window so I didn't wake up Hubs.

Only scary thing was yesterday when I got home from work I went to the pee and there was a light shade of pink on the toilet paper. I don't care who you are or how much you read not to freak out about that unless it is bright red, that is not comforting. Apparently, it could be implantation bleeding and a lot of women get it but it kind of freaked me out.

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed and saying my prayers.

Sleep is a precious thing

2009-06-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

EVERY single night since we found out about Baby D on Sunday, I have woken up at about 3am and have been wide awake until 5 or 6am. It is pretty frustrating since there is nothing to do but stare at the ceiling and try to find a comfortable position for my boobs. Have I mentioned that they are HUGE?? I'm hoping that I'll be able to sleep through the night on our trip to the beach this weekend.

Other than that, same old stuff. Last night we had our second golf lesson and it was really fun. We learned about chipping, then we went to our photogrpahers house to pick up our proof book and prints and then to PeiWei for dinner. It was the first time I really felt pretty nauseous. I mean, I felt really yucky. But, by the time we got home and ate and I got in bed, I felt great. I think I just needed food and sleep. My only two priorities these days.

Gettin' Excited!

2009-06-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

We are FINALLY leaving for the beach tomorrow! I am so happy to get away!!! We are going to Ember's Seafood Buffet one night. I LOVE seafood buffets! I think I ate 5 pounds of crab legs in Williamsburg on Steve and my first weekend trip together. It was one of the highlights of my life!

We will be going to the beach, and the boardwalk, and Seacrets, and Mackey's. It will be a lot of sun, walking, shopping and eating and I couldn't be more excited! We are dropping off Onyx at Ray's tomorrow after work and then heading out. Pictures to come!

Boobs

2009-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

All I want to say is HOLY BOOBS! Not only are they enormous, but they hurt pretty bad too. Other than that, I'm good. Nauseousness hasn't set in yet (and hopefully never will) and that's about it.

These knockers are DEFINITELY going to be getting in my way at our golf lesson tonight and in the coming weeks.

Week 4 Day 4

2009-06-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

This is my first picture to keep track of my bodily changes. Steve wasn't thrilled about taking the picture but I made him anyway but I had to pose FAST! I just think it's really interesting to see other people's weekly progress. I obviously know that between weeks 4 and like 12 there isn't going to be much changing but I am doing it anyway. AND, I know I look enormous in these pictures but whatever...maybe I'll replace them with better pictures and start with Week 5!

Yuck...

2009-06-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

Felt a wave of yuck about an hour ago. I hope this is not the beginning of anything gross. I am VERY Puke-phobic.

Also, I did have cramps (very mild ones) this morning but I feel much better now. It may have just been having to go #2! Sorry,TMI...

The Cat is Definitely Getthing out of the Bag Faster than we thought...

2009-06-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

I'll start by saying that I'm a horrible liar. HORRIBLE.
That is probably an understatement right there.
I laugh, smile, squirm, avoid eye contact, fidget with my hair and do EVERYTHING wrong when I am trying to lie.
I guess it is not a GOOD thing to be able o lie well.

Well, last night was Tiffany's 27th birthday party and Jessica's new job party at Brion's. I tried to just order a Gingerale and say that I didn't feel well and that's why I didn't want a drink but that alone set the bartender off who whispered, "Are you pregnant?" And, I smiled and twirled my hair and said, "No!"

Then, Tiffany knew right away.
Why else would I be drinking Gingerale (trying to make it look like a Jack N Ginger) and not smoking cigarettes at a bar??

I should have planned that better than I did so I could prepare for my nosey friends!

Okay, so they pretty much figured me out and there's nothing I can do about taht but hope for the best. Now, on to how I'm feeling...

1. Boobs - SORE!
2. Crampy - feels like mild cramps like I'm about to start my period
3. Stomach - not bad (although I hear the morning sickness doesn't start for 2 more weeks)
4. Peeing a lot more than I normally do
5. Taking Women's One a Day Prenatal and they don't make em feel nauseous. I have been making sure to eat a small buffet before taking them though so maybe that has something to do with it.

That's about all I have for now. I'm 4 weeks 3 days along. Please stay little baby!

The Beach!

2009-06-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

With my 30th birthday right around the corner, my thoughtful husband decided that he is going to take me to Ocean City, Maryland this weekend. I'll have new pictures (finally!) for next week for sure! It's supposed to be isolated thunderstorns everyday but I'm sure it won't be thunderstorming non-stop the entire weekend. I just want to be on the beach one day and see the sun rise one day and be able to walk down the boardwalk one day. Other than that, I can fill my time with stuffing my face. I've been doing a lot of that lately. We have an Ocean Front Room apparently so even if it is raining at least we should be able to sit on our balcony and watch the rain.....and eat.

This is a view of the hotel from the beach. Not as bad as most hotels in Ocean City are. I have stayed in a DUMP before.

Surprise, surprise!

2009-06-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

My period never came. I bought two pregnancy tests on Sunday when I was two days late and they both came back positive. I really didn't think we were going to get a positive this month. It would have been nice to have this happen a couple months from now since this baby will be due the day before our lease ends but what can you do. The way I see it is that we will never be fully ready. Something will always come up to delay things. And, I'm almost 30 and should be able to handle this by now.

So, no one knows yet except for Steve and I don't knopw how long we are going to keep this secret yet. We have a few "drinking"events coming up where I obviously won't be drinking so people will start to wonder.

So far, I feel tired...really tired. And, a few times I have felt queasy but it's nothing bad at all. Just not comfortable. Since we found out yesterday, Steve and I did not get much sleep. I was definitely awake from about 3am until 6am. It does not make for a fun Monday morning. And, the biggest challenge right now is going to be taking the horse pill pre-natal vitamins and quitting smoking. Yesterday morning was my last cigarette. Now, I need to work on Steve.

Golf Lesson #1

2009-06-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

I WISH I had gotten a picture of our first golf lesson yesterday but I didn't even think about it! MAN! I need to get better about taking pictures. I think it would help if I had a Canon Rebel though. So, I'll place the blame on my husband until he gets us one.

Anyway, we had our first of six Beginner golf lessons last night and it was COLD! You would've thought it was late fall or something! Our teacher seemed pretty informative and he had a LOT of energy. The class was only 55 minutes and it went by extremely fast. We basically learned the rules of golf, etiquette, how to read a score card, how to hold the putter, where to stand, how to swing for just a putt and a little about aiming. Then he let us loose on the putting green so we all oculd practice our putts. One of the ladies went to go sit in her car cause she was too cold. Please. It was cold but not unbearable and I was in shorts and a t-shirt and she had a windbreaker and jeans on. Come on lady! I think next week we learn about Chipping. Something I am horrible at.

I'll try to take a picture or two next week. I'll also try to not look like an idiot taking a picture of my husband at our golf lesson.

My New Project

2009-06-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in a previous post, I started a new project and FINALLY took pictures of it this morning before I rushed out the door to work. I WISH I had taken pictures before they all started growing and then followed up with weekly shots but maybe I would've been more inclined to do that if my husband bought me this, http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-XSI-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B0012Y6HC8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245159406&sr=8-2.

So, anyway, I'm pretty proud of it. Steve did the gross wormy work and I planted. We crammed way too much into a small space but this is our experimental garden so we know what we like with our next one. I'm sure they won't all grow but I'm okay with that.

Remember, you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

This is the overall view of how much we crammed in the tiny area...

The left side: Garden Beans (back left), Spinach (middle left), Cilantro (front left)...

The middle of the garden, Corn (middle back), Cucumber (middle), Hot Pepper mix and California Wonder Peppers AKA, red and green peppers (front midddle)...

I actually didn't get a good picture of the Watermelon sprouts but they are in the back right area, then Eggplant (back ffar right), Summer Squash (middle right area), Zucchini (middle far right), Spaghetti Squash (along the right side (we planted it just two days ago so it hasn't sprouted yet), Spring Onion (front right), and Carrots (front far right)...

And, there you have it.

FYI...My herb garden did not turn out. Apparently, I should have started it inside and since I didn't, it flooded in the torrential rain we had for awhile so I gave up. This was our Plan B project.

C25K Progress

2009-06-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

As mentioned before, I have been doing the Couch to 5K Plan, or C25K. I have to say that I LOVE it now! I tried to do it before but oculdn't get into it and not only have I been running the scheduled 3 runs/walk for week 1 but I've done it EVERY day and even got a jump start on the Week 2 plan yesterday (it was hard cause I'm so out of shape!) I actually am going to dinner tonight with my old co-workers and won't have time to run and I'm kind of sad about it. That is weird for me to say. And, although I haven't technically dropped any weight (or not much at least), I am feeling better overall about my self and that makes me happy.

On a sad note...my mom's dog, Sugar, had to be put down at a young 9 years old from Lymphoma. Sugar could be annoying and yappy but she was a part of the family and she will be missed by everyone I think (even if they might not admit it).

Steve and I also got our NEW King size mattress on Saturday! It is soooo soft and I love it. The pillows are huge and a little too firm for me but the mattress and new sheets are to die for. We should be getting our bedroom furniture in the next two weeks or so and I can't even wait!

Couch to 5 K Plan

2009-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

So, one of my besties, Tiffany, and I started a new workout regime. She has a 40 minute video that focuses on each of the following sections for 8 minutes each: abs, thighs, butt, arms and then a stretch. We do that everyday but Monday. We are also trying to work in the Weight Watchers eating plan and also do the Couch to 5K running plan. This plan basically trains you for a 5K in two months gradually. It's created for people that CANNOT run (like Tiffany and me) and we did our first day yesterday. It wasn't bad. If all goes as planned we should be finishing our last run on August 8th and if we can do it, we agreed to sign up for a 5K. That's all that is new that is happening this week. I also started a new project that I'll try to post about tomorrow with pictures. Fun!

Busy Saturday

2009-06-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

We spent our Saturday starting out by going through Steve's grandma's attic. She was raised in the Depression times so she learned to keep and hold on to EVERYTHING. I didn't get many pictures except for during one of out "breaks" outside of her house. I probably breathed in enough fiberglass from the insulation to do some damage to my lungs but at least we made a dent and got everything DOWN from the attic. Now, it's a matter of really going through everything and figuring out what should be kept, sold or thrown out.

A tired group of people...

I think at this point we were starving and waiting for the pizza to get there...

After yard work, we went home, took naps and then got ready to go to the Fairfax Fair. It was a good time. We just hung around for the bands and then walked around to see the rides. We didn't go on any because I have a fear of fair rides that they are going to fall apart. It was a really good time though and you can't beat old school hip hop tunes from Naughty by Nature, Tone Loc and The Sugarhill Gang! We were jammin'!

Could this have been during "Jump on it!"

Kristen came with us and we "pre-gamed" at her place before walking over. She made a feast for us...

Naughty by Nature...

Again...

We forced Steve to be "into it"...

Good times...

Bad dog! (pics coming soon!)

2009-06-05T06:57:00.001-07:00

Steve and I got home from work yesterday to quite the site. I got home second but I was warned via text message that she had torn up (literally!) the foyer floor. And, she got disaplined. I took pictures too. What is intersting, though, is that where she tore up the floor, underneath is black mold. Hmmm, was she trying to protect us or just being dumb? Probably the latter. So, I'll be busy this weekend looking for replacement flooring. We're trying to match up the flooring with the pattern that they already have because it is in the kitchen, master bath and foyer so they'll know if we change it. So, if we can't find it then we'll have to tell them that our precious dog tore it all up. That's a conversation I'll leave to Steve! And, here is the disaster...

The picture of what we walked in to...

Proof of the black mold...

Our pouting dog realizing that she'l be spending her days in a cage for awhile...

Tyler's 10th Birthday Party

2009-06-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Tyler's 10th birthday party. Saturday was his actualy birthday and we grilled out at Ray's but his party was on Sunday at Shadowland which is a laser tag facility. It was fun watching the little kids but as I made mention to Steve, it set me back a couple years for ever wanting to have a kid at the risk of having a boy. They were crazy! And, for those who know me, they know that i'm petrified of throw up. Well, when we were sitting in on all the kids "debriefing" before they went in to play, the kid next to me hit the kid next to him and said, "Hey, raise your hand and ask what happens if someone throws up!" GROSS!!! I was traumatized by that comment. So, Steve and I walked around the game room section while the kids were playing laser tag and checked all the machines for loose tokens and atually found a ton! The only problem was that the games were pretty sucky. So, we just stuck tot he basketball throwing game the whole time. They had a private room for when the kids were eating pizza and cake and opening presents. It was cute to see all the kids excited and fun to watch Tyler open his gifts (however, he opens them VERY slow). After that, we went over to Garth and Donna's house so Steve could set up their wireless network and I played the Wii game "Boom Blocks" with Camryn. That game was fun! So, much fun that I went out this week and bought it.

Dishing out the cake...

The other table of kids...

Aw, Donna and Tyler...

Ray and Tyler...

It's blurry but it was going to be a cute picture of Camryn...

Uncle Steve getting more cake :-)

The presents! (And Ray)

A group shot of the kids that were there...

Great Falls Trip & Doggie Swimming

2009-06-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

Since Steve and I hadn't been to Great Falls park ever together and even before we met we both hadn't gone in years, we decided to take a trip with Onyx last weekend. It was so much fun! We got there about 10am (which is early for us) because we wanted to beat the crowds, find a place to have a picnic and we were supposed to be at Ray's house by 12:30pm to go through papers to shred at their mom's house. So, we got there and walked around for awhile with Onyx, took a few pictures and then found the perfect place to set up shop and eat. Then, we got back on the road and went to Ray's to go through papers, let Onyx swim in the baby pool and grill out for Tyler's birthday.

The view was awesome. I missed this park. We should go more often.

Onyx loved it too...

She looks like she is dying in this picture...

so, we found a spot to eat after awhile of walking and gave her water...

Our spot was perfect. And, shaded from the HOT sun but not too far from the water either...

We had to tie Onyx to a tree or else she would've certainly jumped in...

Perfect view...

Onyx could still manage to beg for food from her distance...

And, when she gave up begging she settled on a tuft of grass she found...

So cute...

The newleyweds...

After Great Falls, we were off to Ray's for Onyx to swim in the baby pool...

But she got bored quickly of us...

Until Reese showed up...

And, they ran and played and took over the baby pool...

But, Camryn decided to kick them out...

So, Tyler and her took the pool back over...

But, the four of them learned to play together and all was well in the end.

A few of my favorite things...

2009-06-01T12:54:00.001-07:00

There are a few things that I can't live without and I thought it would be fun to keep record of them and see down the line if they change much. So, in the tune of The Sound of Music, "These are a few of my favorite things..."

First and foremost...these two babies have to be mentioned!

And, in a close second....FRIDAYS!!!

This is random, but let's face it, I wish I had remembered these at my reception after a LONG day in the sun and a HOT reception. Thank God for pisture editing once I get my pictures back from our photographer. These things are awesome for the easily oiled....

Cooking (but only in a nice, big kitchen....not the one we currently have. :-(

And, for my new recent obsession...sewing! (I'm starting to sound very domestic but I've always liked crafty things...)

And, when I'm tired of being crafty, I'll admit what my favorite tv shows are. Some embarrassing and some I'm straight obsessed with (48 Hours Investigates OR 48 Hours Mystery)...

Note: These are pretty much the only shows that interst me at all. And, Steve will only watch AI, So You Think You Can Dance and 48 Hours with me.

THIS wine...

Filet! I could eat it every night...

Another new recent obsession thanks to Steve...

I could eat this every night too! Fortunately, I don't. Unfortunately, I just bought some last night..Oops...

I'm sure there is a ton more that I can't think of now but they will have to wait for another day to be mentioned.

Wedding (Part 4 of 4) - The Honeymoon

2009-06-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

For our honeymoon we went to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It was BEAUTIFUL and everything I had hoped for. We did have a few minor glitches in the trip mostly due to leaving at 3am the night of our reception. As much as I heard from people NOT to leave for your honeymoon the day after or the night of, I'm REALLY glad we did go then because after dealing with all the stress leading up to a wedding and being around so many people, I just wanted to go away from everyone (no offense) and relax by ourselves and not have to do ANYTHING. It was great. We had almost perfect weather with the exception of about 3 of the nights where it rained but that didn't dampen our spirits since the sun was already gone and we were eating dinner anyway. During the day it was HOT, sunny and very pretty. The beach was georgous. We stayed at a newer hotel which we heard after arriving that we had made probably the best choice that we could have. We ended up spending each day pretty much the same as the day before and we called it "our loop". We'd wake up somewhere between 9 and 10am and most of the time, grab food somewhere at one of the about 5 different restaurants that they had. If we weren't hungry then we'd just go straight to the pool bar and grab a Rum Punch or Rum Runner for Steve and a Majestic (kind of like a frozen Creamsicle) for me and then scope out chairs by the pool. They had people that came around with a different animal everyday that we could get our picture with (like a monkey, parrot, iguana, etc...). We'd swim, drink, read, etc... Then, around 2 or 3pm we'd be hungry and go eat at the Sea & Sea Restaurant which was a buffet style lunch at a restaurant right next to the beach. We's eat there and then head to the beach for awhile. After we hd enough of the beach we'd go back to either the regular pool or the VIP pool until the sun was almost done. Then, we'd go back to the room, take showers and get ready for dinner. At night at 8pm they'd have a band play on the plaza and we'd listen to them and then go eat dinner at a restaurant and then at 10pm if we were still awake and wanted to, they had ngihtly entertainment in the theater. It was perfect and all I could have wanted in a honeymoon. I can't wait until our next trip. Oh, and the only "glitches" I should clarify about were that I forgot my makeup, including my brush and our digital camera battery charger (we had the camera and the battery was about dead when we left). Our shower flooded our foyer in our room but we told out butler and they fixed the problem right away. And, I think that was about it, so it was really nothing major but you'll see what a lack of makeup can do in the pictures.

As mentioned before and I'll start out by saying this again, I forgot my makeup and a brush and they don't sell either of those things at the resort so I had a minor panick attack the first day. Keep that in mind when viewing these pictures...

This is the only makeup I had for the week. A Spanish powder compact that I found in the mini mart there and lip gloss that was already in my purse...(I actually love the Spanish powder though and still use it)

Upon our arrival we were really impressed by the enormous and beautiful open-air lobby...

Just the staircase was a site in itself...

They put a banner on our hotel room door that said "Honeymooners". I thought it was cute. They did it for people's anniversaries too.

This was the view from our room. B-E-A-U-tiful!

And, this...

The pool (and this is only a small portion of it)

Our days usually started at this bar. It was the pool bar where I'd get a "Majestic" and Steve got a Rum Runner...

Then, we'd do this...

And, this...

And, when it got hot, we'd jump in...

Sometimes we'd change things up and pick a new area of the pool to lay by...

And, at some point we'd usually make sure that the drinks were okay in the pool too at the Wet Bar...

When we had our fill of the pool and it was REALLY hot, we'd go, with drinks in hand, down the path to get food at the Sea & Sea Restaurant by the beach where it was always nice and breezy...

Seriously?? Eating right on the beach? It was the best!

This picture was us after eating right outside the restaurant...

And, a few steps away would be out place to lay by the beach for a few hours...

The sand was so soft. My favorite part of the beach was people watching. People are weird. And, we did see a few topless women who probably SHOULDN'T have been.

I only dipped my feet in a few times cause I'm paranoid about ocean life. And, someone was stung by a jellyfish while we were there. I'm not a fan of jellyfish...

And, I could not think of a better place to be...

One of the afternoons, Steve even decided to play volleyball with some people. I played for a little while but it was HOT!!

For the most part I just laid out and read...

And, I didn't get any pictures of us there but after the beach, we'd continue our daily loop to the VIP pool seen below. No kids were allowed there and it was very QUIET...

And, every once in awhile after the VIP pool, we'd head back to the pool bar for one more frozen drink before going to our room to get ready for dinner...

Of course, we didn't NEED to since we had a limited supply of alcool in our room. They gave us these bottles, a bottle of champagne, and a fridge of sodas and beer...

Our room also had a jacuzzi!

And, we were loving a king size bed (so much that we just bought one when we got home)...

After we took showers, relaxed and got ready, it would usually be about 6pm. We'd usually head to the piano bar in the lobby for a drink where a guy (when he felt like it) played piano from 4:30-6:30 I think. This also happens to be one of the three bars where they had Jack Daniels for Steve! He was slightly excited...

In honor of our honeymoon, I decided to have a few myself...

This must have been one of the times the piano player felt like playing...

After the piano bar, we'd be hungry. Sooo, we would go to one of the different restaurants that they had. They had a Japanese Steakhouse (our favorite!), a french restaurant that we never tried cause we heard it was bad, a bufffet with just about every type of food, a steakhouse, and an Italian restaurant. I have to say that the food was only average. That was probably a good thing or I would have come back 20 pounds heavier but that was the only drawback that I saw... that and that they didn't sell a freaking brush! This was at the Japanese Steakhouse...

Usually, we'd be done eating around 7:30 or 8pm and it just so happened that they'd have a jazz band or some other Carribbean-type band playing every night at that time in the plaza outside (which also had a bar). This is with the area where the bands would play in the background...

This is by the plaza bar looking back at the hotel lobby. It was so pretty...

And, this was another night actually at the plaza bar...

After the band was done, or even during, we'd sometimes go inside to the lobby bar and get a drink or two. They had Jack here as well...

And, if we were feeling really crazy, you might even catch us doing a shot of mamjuana (there special shot)...

After the band was finished playing, it would be 10pm and that's when some sort of nightly entertainment started in the theater. Usually it was pretty funny. One night they even did a Michael Jackson show which was AWESOME. Another night they did a "Newleywed" show...

And, after the show we'd sometimes go out on our balcony for a nightcap. Usually, I was too tired by this point, but I think once or twice we did...

So, that's about it. Other than that, sometimes they would do special events for the VIP guests like the Make Your Own Margarita Party...

Or, we'd just find some other activity to keep us entertained like a game of pool...

And, that was our honeymoon. I wouldn't have changed a thing. I thought it was pretty much perfect and couldn't have picked a better person to go with...