How it's Been Going

Random thoughts from the past couple of weeks:

Day 1: I wish I could say this day has been exciting - we're finally starting IVF! Unfortunately, it's mostly been stressful.  You can read about that in this post. BUT, I am happy that in the end, everything seems to be working out and we are hopefully on our way to meeting our baby!

Day 2: The first round of shots last night was no fun.  I still feel pretty weird about putting all these fake hormones into my body.  I've refrained from reading the inserts on the medications (something I usually do) because we have already spent thousands of dollars on this process and I'm not about to back out now.  Reading about all the junk in these shots and the side effects I could have is only going to cause even more anxiety at this point. 

Still, I feel pretty gross about this part of IVF.  I wish there was another way.

Day 3: Last night wasn't any easier.  The second shot really burns as it goes in and both times I've felt like passing out halfway through the injection.  Tonight we're going to try icing the injection area with a frozen spoon and doing the shot while I'm laying down on the bed.  Maybe that will help.

I'm feeling a little self-conscious about how much these are hurting me.  I get my blood drawn ALL the time and handle that fine.  I've had shots before and have hardly flinched.  Is it just all in my head?

Doad said he thought I was thinking about it too much and working myself up.  He told me I should stop focusing on the shot while it's happening and try and think of something else that makes me happy.  I know he's trying to be helpful, but I'm feeling super sensitive about it.  I feel like he thinks I'm not doing a good job or that he could do it better.  I wish I were tougher.  I'm not trying to act like a baby, but I feel like that's what it looks like.

Day 4: This morning was appointment #2.  Blood work and ultrasound every day.  Mom came with me this time because Doad had a work meeting he couldn't miss.  We had a nice brunch date afterward which we don't get to do often.  Aha! So there are perks to IVF ;)

Getting my shots on the bed instead of standing up isn't any less painful, but I did feel less like passing out so I think its working better for us.  

I'm feeling quite large and sore in the midsection.  The nurse said that was normal - I have 50 follicles growing compared to the usual one each month.  I've also had headaches and fatigue each day.  I'm not too concerned as these are all "normal" side effects and apart from them slowing me down a little don't really mind them too much - it means things are working like they should.  :)

This afternoon I'm getting my hair done and tonight I have dinner with some girlfriends.  Hopefully, I'll be having my last glass of wine for a long time. ;) 

My first injections

You know you're going to get the inside scoop with me.  I'm vulnerable and transparent to the point of oversharing at times.  Today might be one of those days... ;)

Doad and I have been documenting our IVF journey for our someday baby so we can show him or her how wanted they were and how hard we fought to bring them into our family.  This video may or may not make it into the "documentary"... we don't want to scar the child after all.  But I thought it might be interesting for those who are following along to see the inside story of what IVF entails.

Here is day 1 & 2 of injections... I got a little better after this lol



So I think the moral of the story is that IVF is not fun, but it is totally worth it.

Day 22: Doad

When I'm thinking about things that I am thankful for Doad is always the first to pop into my mind. I waited 22 days to write about him though, because I thought it would be fun to post it on his birthday! :)

I was going to write out one thing I'm thankful for for each year he's celebrated, but I realize that not everyone is as in love with him as I am... So I settled on ten. :)

1. I am thankful for his sense of humor. I love that we can laugh at so much together and that we both know how to crack each other up.

2. I am thankful for his servants heart. Not only does he spend every day looking for ways to serve me, but he also spends much of his time serving others too. Whether he's asked or not he's always finding a way to help someone out when they're in need.

3. I am thankful for his green eyes and dimples. I think Doad is the handsomest man I know. I love everything about him but those green eyes and dimples get me every time. :)

4. I am thankful that he loves Jesus.  Doad's heart for God was one of the first things that attracted me to him and I still today find him the most attractive when he's worshipping God or serving Him with his gifts and talents. 

5. I am thankful that he is such a patient man. Doad is the most patient man I know. He never loses his temper with people which is amazing because I know I definitely have my moments where he'd be totally justified in snapping at me or being rude. He always speaks to me and everyone else with such kindness and patience (something I really hope rubs off on me eventually).

6. I am thankful that he never gave up on us.  Speaking of patience, Doad waited for me for two years before we actually started dating each other locally. I moved to Texas shortly after we met and even though we were crazy about each other, we weren't able to talk much for the whole first year I was in Texas. We started talking my second year and dated long distance for seven months while I traveled on tour with a production team. This often meant that he was up at ungodly hours of the night so that we could talk after a show. He was so faithful and patient and I have never doubted his level of commitment to our relationship because he went above and beyond to show that to me before we were even married. 

7. I'm thankful that he is a generous person. I have learned so much about giving both of my time and my stuff from Doad. He never hesitates to loan out his things or help someone out and I love that. I love that he enjoys being able to give and doesn't find it a sacrifice but a joy to be able to do that. 

8. I'm thankful that he is so encouraging. Doad is my biggest cheerleader and he knows how to pick me up and encourage me better than anyone else. I'm not always the best at believing the nice things he says about me, but thankfully that doesn't stop him and he's slowly helping me to believe in myself because of how much he believes in me. Nowadays, it's easy to just be too busy to notice if others are discouraged but Doad doesn't let a day go by without taking time to offer uplifting words to someone and often goes out of his way to affirm people when he sees them feeling low. 

9. I'm thankful for how hard working Doad is. Whether he likes the job or not, Doad always puts 100% into his work. He will get there early and stay late, he will work without complaining, and he will never toot his own horn. He is always looking for ways to make his company better and more efficient and he is always willing to pick up the slack at home when I have fallen behind (which is often). ;) He has received job offers and several promotions because of his hard work.  He is just always willing to go the extra mile and I'm so proud of him for his integrity and hardworking spirit. 

10.  I'm thankful that we are best friends. I don't know how to write this paragraph without being cliche or cheesy so excuse me. I just never knew that two people could love each other so much. Whether I'm happy or sad, he's the one I want to be with. He's the one I want to talk to about my day. His day is the one I want to hear about every night. He's the one I trust to share my greatest victories and my darkest moments with. I want to help him achieve and rejoice in his victories. And I want to fix and take away all the hard times he has to go thru. He really is my better half. We sharpen each other and make each other stronger and crack each other up all the while. He's my rock and my hero and a million blog posts would never be able to express how thankful I am for him and how much he means to me. 

Happy birthday, baby. I love you forever and ever. 

Big Changes Part II: That Time We Both Quit Our Jobs on the Same Day

I think we both knew from the beginning that we would be taking the job offers.  I just needed the few days to process that and let it sink in.  I also needed time to work up the guts to quit because, ew, that is kinda nerve-wracking.

Doad went first because I spent half the morning having a panic attack in the bathroom.  I'm kinda friends with my boss which made things feel even more awkward for me.  It was pretty uneventful though, and once I finally got it out and my heart started beating like normal again things were fine. My boss took it really well and once everyone else found out, they all responded like normal, sane human beings.

Doad, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.  First of all, his boss was out for the day.  Of course.  He couldn't wait though because he wanted to be able to give the full two weeks notice and he was going to be out of town Tuesday thru Thursday.  He decided that even though it wasn't ideal, he would have to call him and tell him over the phone.  But then he found out that the reason his boss was out was because he was at the hospital with his wife who was having surgery.  So awkward.

He finally got the chance to tell him, but didn't get to discuss it with him much (understandable) and that was that.  So we thought.  It turns out that Doad's company is a little smarter than I gave them credit for because they realized how valuable Doad was to them and that they were really in deep doo-doo without him.  They spent the rest of his two weeks trying to convince him to stay.  All except for his direct boss who took it super personally that Doad was leaving and basically shunned him.  Oh, but first he got all aggressive and made some really rude remarks.  Thanks for being understanding man, and appreciating all that my husband did for you for five years. Doad worked his butt of for this guy and yes, I'm pissed that this small man had no respect or character when all was said and done.  He doesn't even realize all that Doad did to try and make his life easier in the workplace.  What a disappointment.

If his boss bought him a goodbye cake, this is what it would have said.

Ok sorry, rant over.

So Friday was our last day at both of our jobs.  A coworker brought me Starbucks in the morning and the office took me out for lunch and gave me a sweet card.  Doad's work buddies took him out for lunch too and at the end of the day we packed up and headed home.  It was a quiet ending to a kind of hectic two weeks.

This Monday we start a whole new chapter in our lives and I'm super excited and also freaked out.  I hope it's a smooth transition and that we both ease our way into our new positions quickly.  Sometimes I'm happy that we're both experiencing this together and can relate to all the newness.  Other times, I worry that we will both feel unstable or stretched at the same time and struggle to be the rock for each other in a shaky place.  But I feel God's peace and know that He was the one guiding us to these decisions and new jobs this whole time.  I've been praying so hard for His clarity and direction and I know He will be with us as we step into these new roles.  I'm looking forward to what's in store and hope that soon I will have some new, cute stories to share about life as a nanny.  :)

Big Changes Part I: Making Decisions

If you know me and Doad in person, then it's no secret to you that we were not super fans of his job.  If you didn't know us in person well,

... we were not super fans of Doad's job.  

I've basically been praying for him to find a new job since he was hired five years ago.  That's not to say that he didn't have ANY good experiences there.  He did.  He learned so much.  He gained loads of experience.  And he  bulked up his resume a ton.  But I hoped and hoped that this would not be his job for years and years.  

So when an opportunity to interview for a new company plopped itself in his lap we were very excited.   Well, and nervous, and cautious, and slightly concerned because who plops job opportunities down like this?

So he interviewed, and we prayed, and we waited.  And prayed some more.

Meanwhile... although I wasn't necessarily unhappy with my job, I was very unhappy with the commute.  I have a special "gift" for attracting all the crazy drivers and when combined with my slight "road rage-y" tendencies... well, I'm just a treat to come home to at the end of the day.  

One day, after an especially rough commute, the kind where you throw the meal plan out the window and just go out for dinner because oh my gosh, please get this girl in public so she stops with the tantrums! Doad sweetly suggested that maybe I should look for a job in town (town is walking distance, literally 60 seconds away from our house, NO COMMUTE!)  ;)  

I entertained the idea half-heartedly, because we all like to fantasize about our dream jobs, but I didn't really think much would come of it.  But then I couldn't get the idea out of my head.  And then Back-to-School happened and traffic got even worse and I was done.  I downloaded the Indeed app to my phone, I googled for any job openings in the area, I even looked on Craigslist for 2 seconds before realizing that no job offer from there actually results in respectable work.  Oops!  

Sadly, there wasn't much to work with, but I did notice a lot of ads for nannies.  Hmmm... babies?!!  I like babies!  Then I stumbled across care.com and hello!  Lots of job openings!  I created a profile and had several messages from families within a few days.  Within a week I had found a great sounding job with a super sweet family.  

So I interviewed, and we prayed, and we waited.

Doad's job offer came on a Thursday.  He felt a little hesitant at first.  It's a scary thing to take a leap like that.  Even though his current job was not a good fit, it was familiar and "comfortable".  We talked about the pros and cons and couldn't come up with very many reasons not to take the job.  We decided to pray about it over the weekend and make a decision on Monday.

My job offer came that Friday.  I also felt hesitant at first.  It's a scary thing to take a leap like that.  Even though I hated my commute, my job was familiar and comfortable.  We talked aout the pros and cons and couldn't come up with very many reasons not to take the job.  We decided to pray about it over the weekend and make a decision on Monday.

...to be continued.

A Tale of Two Surgeries...

Oh hey!  Remember that time when I used to blog regularly?

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Yea... that's right, I never do that.  Not even for Star Crossed Recaps... which we watch and tape once a week.  Except that we skipped it for like 3 weeks because Life.

For example, a couple weeks ago Life happened to us in the Tale of Two Surgeries.  Dun dun dun DUHN!

Once upon a time, on a Tuesday to be precise, Doad came home from work with a really bad stomachache.  I knew it was bad cuz he was already in bed in pj's by the time I got home from work.  We thought it was gas, but gas doesn't make you throw up for 4 minutes straight... So then we thought it was some sort of stomach bug.  I asked him a couple of times if he wanted to go to the doctors, but all you ladies with stubborn tough, handsome husbands know what his answer was.

Here's the thing: when I get sick, I get like medium sick for 5 days.  Its that sucky in between sick where you're not quite sick enough to justify calling out of work, but you feel like absolute crap all day and just wanna be horrible to everyone you talk to.  Or cry.  Or both.  When hubs gets sick, he gets like extreme sick for one day.  One day, people.  And I love it and hate it because I spend the whole time wondering if he's dying on me, but it only lasts for one night and then it's over and he's his wonderful, happy self again.

I thought this was his almost dying sick and that when I woke up he'd be all better, so I went to sleep.  I had to get up and take this cute thing to get spayed in the morning.

Obviously, she was thrilled...

Hubs tossed and turned all night, I know cuz I woke up to it every hour. :p  He was still in bed when I got up, so I assumed that he had taken the day off to get some sleep and hopefully he was on the up and up.  There's often not much I can do when he's feeling sick, I've learned to just let him rest and let his body do his thing.  Looking back now, I feel like I was neglecting him and should have known sooner that something more serious was going on, but at this point I thought he still just needed rest.  I left to take the dog to the vet and got home about an hour later.

When I walked in the bedroom he was sitting on the side of the bed sort of hunched over.  He said the pain had sort of moved to his right side and asked me what the symptoms of appendicitis were.  As soon as he said that I knew.  He was like 10 for 10 out of the symptoms and that convinced him that it was doctor time.  

Hello ER... Hello CT Scan... Hello surgery in a couple of hours!

Doad did great through surgery and is the Happiest, Nicest, Jolliest person you've EVER met on drugs.  Even the transport guy who's only interaction with Doad was wheeling him from the recovery room to his private room said, "He's just the nicest guy!" on his way out the door lol.  My baby was feeling GOOD!  

"Happy drugs"

But then it was night time, and night time at hospitals is a special sort of torture.  And then there were fevers.  And another night of special torture.  And then we finally came home on Friday, tired as the dickens and so, so excited to sleep more than an hour without something beeping or someone sticking a thermometer in your face.  

So over having his vitals taken. :(

Our family and friends were awesome and provided us with meals and visits/entertainment to get through the weekend and allow Doad to rest without dying of boredom.  My mom was an absolute angel and picked up the dog from her surgery and nursed her back to health with the help of my siblings while I stayed with Doad in the hospital.  She was very glad to see us on Friday and oh, how we missed her too.  My poor little baby girl.

So I somehow got my dog spayed and my husband an appendectomy on the same day and survived.  It was really hard and I definitely wouldn't recommend it and definitely couldn't have done it without family and friends who pitched in and helped so much.  Our neighbor even mowed our lawn and Doad's work buddies bought us groceries. What? So nice!

I'm so thankful to say that both my husband and my little pooch are healing well and we are so blessed by the way people rallied around us to not only pray for us and visit us, but help meet physical needs that we had as well.  It's humbling to admit that I don't know how to mow my own lawn, but also pretty cool to see others step in as the hands and feet of Christ to serve and love us.  I'm looking forward to finding ways to pay it forward to others and to bless them the way that I was.  :)

Why 2014 Is Already Kicking My Butt...

It's been a tough year so far.  Yes, I'm talking about the only 2 1/2 weeks of 2014 that we've experienced.

We rang in the New Year with the both of us sick in bed.  Thank you, Little Stinker Elf, that gave us germs for Christmas... I got sick the day after Christmas and then gave it to Doad (sorry, hubby!) the following Sunday.  It was a doozy of a cold too.

LOL, look at that feverish glow.  

Lacey was very sweet and snuggly tho.  She could tell we were not feeling well and (for the most part) behaved very kindly to us.  

We still have a lingering cough (still!) but we were feeling well enough to get out of bed on the 1st, just in time to clean the house and get ready for work the next day.

So Thursday comes and we make it through work - we're tired, but we survived.  We even made it home safely in the snowy conditions, cuz of course, this story has to have inclement weather involved.

Lacey was having a blast in the snow.  We ran around with her watching her kick up the snow and attack random flakes - it was so cute!  This was kinda odd behavior for her cuz she HATES the cold normally.  She shivers the instant she steps outside and one of her favorite pastimes ever is just snoozing in front of the heater as close as she can get to it without knocking it over.

Right before bed, I decided to take a quick shower and Doad took Lacey out for one last potty before going to sleep.  When I came out of the bathroom, I experienced my least favorite moment of being a puppy mom ever.

While Lacey was outside, she started playing in the snow again.  When she got near the house, she took a jump from the grass to the concrete part of our back patio.  It's not a big leap, but her back feet gave out in the slippery snow and she landed on her elbow and broke it.

:( :( :( My poor baby.  Doad brought her inside by the heater and we tried to figure out how serious it was.  She yelped anytime we got near her arm so we knew pretty quickly that it wasn't good.  We bundled up and slipped and slid our way to the emergency vet in the snow. Most stressful night of my life!!!

We were hoping it was just a sprain or a small break - of course it was the worst case scenario and she needed to have surgery.  They couldn't do it there tho, so they put a splint on, gave her some pain meds, and sent her home for the night.  It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear her moan in pain all the way home and throughout the night as she tried to find a comfortable position to sleep in.  No one slept well.

We saw the specialist the next morning and they were able to squeeze her in for surgery at 5 that night. We stayed with her as long as we could and then headed home for a quiet night.  I called them several times to check on her, which they were great about, and spent most of my time counting down the minutes til we could pick her up.

So far, the recovery has seemed to go pretty well.  She doesn't seem to be in pain at all and has done pretty good at being on bed rest for a puppy with limitless energy.  Her days have mostly been spent cuddling with me and sleeping/reclining in every weird way possible.

We were very excited for bandage removal day, especially because she has seemed to be doing so well.  We took it off Monday night and had very mixed feelings about what we saw.  The incision seems to be healing perfectly.  The sutures definitely look ready to come out.  But the bone itself seems to have sprouted another elbow or something.  On the side of her arm right under her sutures (which should be flat) there is a rather large bump protruding.

The doctor said it could just be swelling, but it hasn't gone down at all even with the recommended heat packs.  We go in today for x-rays and hopefully some answers and good news, but I'm really struggling not to be nervous about it all.  We haven't gotten tons of good news so far this year.

On top of Lacey's accident, we've also gotten a cracked windshield and a broken refrigerator since we rang in the New Year.

So yea, this year has kicked my butt so far.  I'm hoping for some good news today and maybe a change in our fortunes haha.

How has your New Year been?  Hopefully better than ours!  

I'd love to hear from you. :)

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Tuesday night, Doad and I got a spontaneous invitation to go to the Orioles game with some friends from our old church.

Mostly I went because, you know... I'm a concession stand junkie.  I love me some ballpark hot dogs, and popcorn, french fries, and chicken baskets.

Great, now I'm hungry.

*drool*  Delicious.

The food was pretty good too.  ;)

I also just love the atmosphere.  Loud, spirited fans, the smell of beer and peanuts, and a nice cool breeze to balance out the warm summer sun.  I know summer's not for a month yet, but yesterday night I could tell that it is lurking around the corner just waiting to pounce.  I can't wait. :)

Sadly, we didn't win the game. :(  But it was still a good time and I'm glad we went even though it was last minute.  I think hubby had a good time hangin' with the guys and I'm happy he likes it when I tag along too.  :)


Do you plan on going to some baseball games this summer?  What's the name of your favorite team?

Weekend Ramblings + Shop Update

Oops!  Missed my Thursday post.  I ended up spending that evening in the ER with a family member who was having some severe pain.  Thankfully, it just turned out to be a muscle sprain/spasm and not something more serious, but we were there until 3AM so a post was just not going to happen.

Friday evening was Doad's work Christmas Cocktail party.  I'm not much of a partyer partier party-er? (see I can't even spell it) but I really enjoy going to this event.  It's fun to have an excuse to get really dressed up and I like getting to know the people that Doad is spending his day with.

I also really enjoy pretending I'm rich and go to fancy, expensive restaurants on the normal - valet parking included.  Doad's company chooses a new restaurant in Baltimore to host the party each year so we have gotten to experience several fun little places thanks to them.  This year was a place called Bond Street Social.  They have amazing lobster fritters.  I want more.  The end.

When we first walked in, I thought the place looked like a very upscale, formal dining type of place.  We were in a back room behind a cool sliding door/wall with our own live music and bar.  Ooh la la :)  The party lasted until about 11 and I thought surely the rest of the place would be empty, I mean who comes out to eat at 11?  ... I'm so not a city person... The rest of the venue had now been turned into a club and was absolutely packed.  As we elbowed our way out the front door, I realized how much of a fuddy duddy I really am.  I love this stuff for about one night once a year, but I could never imagine going out like this every weekend.  It's fun, but exhausting!

So here I am, Saturday evening, JUST getting to my post.  Oopsies!

I had planned to share the newest addition to my Etsy shop.  But better late than never right?  :)  Here it is, my brand new Chocolate Floral Tote.

I hope you like it!  And I hope you click on over and take a closer look :)

Have a great weekend, everyone :)

Buying Your Dream Car in 3 Easy Steps

About a month ago, Doad's car finally bit the dust and we suddenly switched gears from house-hunting to car-hunting.  We've both been driving rather old, cheap cars (thank you, Craigslist) but, for a couple of reasons, decided that this time around maybe we should invest in something a little newer and more reliable.  Mainly, we're tired of taking our cars to the mechanic.... #Craigslistfail

Baby fever has also been sniffing around these parts lately, so we thought maybe we would try and find one last "cool" car before we have to trade it in for a so-not-cool minivan.  Enter: Doad's dream car.

Hello, beautiful, white, Scion TC.  Come live with us please and make my husband so, so happy.  :)


The story of how we bought this car is a little bit ridiculous in my eyes, so of course it makes perfect blog post material.  I thought I'd share with you our valuable tips and tricks for getting your very own dream car at a price you can afford.  Love me?  I thought so ;)

Buying Your Dream Car in 3 Easy Steps

Step 1.  Google. 'Nough said.

Hints:
- Skip the fancy, credible dealerships you already know about.  Go for the dealerships you've never heard of with names like "Cars For Less" or "Good Credit? Get Lost".
- Ignore the ones near your house.  You want it to be at least 50 miles away, preferably in another state.
- Also, make sure you look for these after work hours so that no one is there when you call.  That way you can leave a nice voicemail and wait a couple days to hear back from them.

What We Did:
When the dealer finally called us back, we went to see the car.  It wasn't ready to be purchased for a couple days, but we loved it and told him to give us a call when it was ready and send us the Carfax and it would pretty much be a done deal.  After a week of phone tag and them refusing to send us the Carfax, we found out the car had a salvage title.  Womp, womp!  On to Step 2....

Source

Step 2.  Ok, now go to a "credible" dealership.

Hints:
- Make sure the guy you're emailing and calling is not the same guy you will see in person.  This helps to ensure that you will be able to tell the same thing to different people multiple times.
- Also, if this sort of stuff overwhelms you, don't bring your significant other with you to help calm you down and talk things out with you.  The dealers like it when you get flustered and confused.
- The best salesmen are the mean, rude ones who imply that you are ignorant and dumb.  They will also probably admit to you that they couldn't make their marriage work even though they have children and they will be dressed in wrinkly clothes with cat hair all over them.


What We Did:
I knew as soon as he walked in that I wasn't going to like this guy.  Just had that feeling, you know?  The cat hair everywhere didn't really help either.  After implying several times that we were dumb, he asked my husband outright if he even worked (are you kidding me?).  This car was about $4,000 over what we wanted to pay anyway.  It wasn't worth that much and we were willing to meet halfway, but he wasn't.  We left and told him to call us back if he decided he wanted to make a deal.  He was not a nice man.  And a horrible salesman.


Step 3. Head home from the "credible" dealership and get a text from your father-in-law about the perfect car at the perfect price.

Hints:
- When you marry, make sure he has a father who is both a car genius and has a gift for generating the perfect deals out of thin air.
- If you are really into discounts and deals it's important that this is the third step so that you are good and worn out from haggling and you don't really care about getting the "best" deal as long as its a fair deal.
- When you test drive this car and your gut tells you that this is your husband's new car... BUY IT.

What We Did:
At this point, we really knew what we were looking for in a test drive and everything.  It didn't take us long to know that this was a good car at a fair price.  We got the guy to knock off a couple hundred dollars, but really weren't trying to mess around too much.  Also, we went right before Sandy was scheduled to hit our state - I think that helped.  Car dealers and hurricanes don't mix and they were trying to get as many cars off their lot as possible.  Hubby drove the new car home that day and as I followed in our other car, I swear he was practically floating he was so happy.  He also floated a little when the "credible" dealership called him back a few days later to offer him another deal - he took great joy in telling them that he got the exact same car at an even lower price from another dealership.  Booyah!

And that, my friends, is the not-so-perfect way that we landed ourselves a pretty awesome car for an equally nice price.  Obviously, I was feeling quite snarky and sarcastic when I wrote this, and I do not really recommend all these steps when searching for a new car.  But hopefully our adventures will help someone find a car with a little more ease than we did.  And at the very least, I hope it entertained some of you.

We prayed a lot about this the whole time we were looking, and while I do feel like it could have been easier, I also really feel like the Lord led us to the perfect car and that he was with us the whole time.  Stuff never makes sense when you're in the middle of it, but we just kept trusting and God was so faithful.

This reminder came at a perfect time since I have been getting a little stressed about looking for a house.  Buying a house seems so huge and intimidating to me.  "What if we pick the wrong one?"  "What if we hate it, but have to live there forever?"  "What if we love the house, but the location is too far and we miss out on seeing friends and family?"  There are soooo many "what if's".  But after seeing how God provided a car for us, I feel so much more confident in Him and His faithfulness toward us.  I know that even if the process takes longer than we want, that He will eventually lead us to the perfect house.  I just need to keep praying and trusting.

So all in all, buying a car has been a very educational experience for me, both spiritually and street smart...ly.  Haha.  Who knew?

PS.  When I say that baby fever is sniffing around, I DO NOT mean that I have caught the fever yet.  Please do not expect any big announcements until after we find that awesome house that we are praying and trusting for.  :) 

That's all for now!  Later 'gators!

The One About My Birthday

Yay! Finally a day to myself to reminisce and share about my birthday!  :)  

The week started out wonderfully with my sweet husband leaving me little surprises to wake up to every morning.  :)  He is so thoughtful.  These flowers were my first surprise gift.

As horrible as I am with houseplants, I have actually managed to keep this one alive and healthy looking so far.  :)  Maybe it will make it to my 24th birthday!

Ok, so a little back-story before I get to the present.  I have been bugging Doad for months about wanting an iPad for my birthday.  We share one laptop and technically it's "his".  He bought a Macbook before we were married, but I am definitely more attached to electronics than he is so I had basically adopted it. He he.  

Sharing one computer has been working out fine, but since I started selling Avon and blogging this year, I think my computer usage has increased quite a bit.  Along with Facebook and personal email, I now also use it to place orders, to advertise and email customers, to blog, to read blogs, etc.  So I've been dropping shameless hints about how having an iPad would allow us to both be able to do what we want online at the same time.  

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Most of these hints carried an equal weight of seriousness and silliness.  I knew we were on a budget and that an iPad is a pretty pricey birthday gift for our family.  So I was kind of just enjoying giving him a hard time. :-p  As much as I hoped to join the "cool kid club" on my birthday and finally own an Apple product of my own, (I don't even have an iPod...sad, right?)  I wasn't expecting to get one at all.  In fact, I had been trying to save up cash from several haircuts and colors I had recently done so that I could put it towards one later this year.  

Well the night before my birthday, Doad hid a gift under the pillows on our bed.  And you guessed it... it was an iPad! :)  Isn't he the best ever?! :)  He knew I had work off the next day and wanted me to be able to play around with it on my actual birthday so he gave it to me a night early.  So thoughtful. :)  

I spent the next day at my family's house.  Mom made a delicious breakfast and we just spent time relaxing and catching up.  My siblings enjoyed the iPad and convinced me to download a couple of games for us all to play on it.  :)  Then I went home to get ready for evening celebrations with Doad.

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He took me to one of my favorite places, The Cheesecake Factory! :)  Yum!!!  Then we went to the movies and laughed it up with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.  So funny.  But SOOO awkward! lol.

I forgot to take pictures of our delicious food.  Or of ourselves at all... lame, I know. :(  But I did remember the cheesecake which really is all that's important, right?

DEE-licious!

We got back home and I think my favorite part of the whole day was just being able to fall asleep in Doad's arms.  I get to do this every night, but I will never stop being grateful for it.  I truly do feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be married to Doad.  He is my best friend and and the best person I know.  He loves me more than I ever thought a person could love someone and I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate with him.  It was a wonderful birthday spent with my husband and sweet family.  I am a lucky girl, indeed! :)

You Know You Have an Awesome Hubby When...

1. You send him to the grocery store for milk and Midol and he also brings back ice cream and chocolate.   
2. He offers to do the dishes so you can catch up on all the blog posts in your Reader.
3. He doesn't mind spending "date night" shopping for fabrics for your next sewing project.
4. He actually helps you pick out the matching fabrics for your next sewing project and is totally awesome at it.
5. He watches chick flicks with you when you're sick.... and when you're not sick. 
6. He isn't grossed out by the amazing amount of snot you produce when you cry.... or by how gassy you can be sometimes. :/
7. He kills every single bug you point out/squeal at without complaint. 
8. He doesn't roll his eyes when you blame it on PMS.... every week (jk!)
9. You start making dinner and he offers to do it for you instead.
10. He can tell when you're upset and actually knows how to get you to open up about it.
11. He doesn't laugh when you ugly cry.
12. He sings and dances like a crazy person just to get a smile out of you.
13. You don't know what to wear, so he picks out your outfit for you while you're in the shower - and it's a totally rockin' one too!
14. He ALWAYS cleans the bathroom and takes out the trash for you, since you have an overly sensitive nose and can't do it without gagging.
15. You come home from work to find a trail of rose petals leading you to a candlelit bubble bath (true story!)

And I'm sure there are a million more reasons out there too!  Basically, I'm one spoiled little wifey.  :)  Love you, baby!

Got any more reasons to add?  Leave me a comment about YOUR awesome man.  :)