Hiking

I love being outside. Well, let me rephrase that. I love being outside when the weather is lovely and there is a nice breeze and not so many bugs. This weekend the weather was lovely, though I could have done without some of those pesky gnats. So taking full advantage of the weekend, the hubs and I decided to go hiking. I absolutely love a good hike, and this was going to be the first pregnant hike. So we found where we wanted to take our little adventure to and set off. 

 It was such a beautiful day.

Ready to tackle those 2 miles! I was good until I had to go uphill, then it took me a little while. But I was ready for more when it was over! 

The original plan was to hike around the lake, unfortunately we couldn't find that trail. The one we hiked though was nice and shaded for us. The best part, no one else was there! 

We traveled to a little park a little way from the trail head. This canal was beautiful.

A great day hiking with the hubs. 

I can't wait until the next weekend we can go hiking again! Hopefully though we'll find a more rigorous hike, or at least a longer one. Those two miles just weren't long enough for me. Instead they left me itching for more! Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't an easy hike by all means. Going uphill left me out of breath and I had to take my time, but it was a lot of fun and it felt good to get out and moving.

Seasonal Changes

This is my favorite time of the year, when summer turns into fall. The weather cools down, the humidity goes away, and the breeze picks up. I love sitting by the window with it open and have the cool breeze blowing through. The air is officially off in this house. We are solely cooling this house with fresh air. I love it! The fresh air smells amazing. Before we know it, it'll be cold enough to have a fire in the fireplace. I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but it'll be here sooner than later! 

Favorite things about fall:

The apple festival.

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

Berry College in the fall and the changing leaves.

Boots and scarves with skinny jeans and comfy sweaters.

My pregnant body is also saying thanks for the cooler weather. Last week my metabolism kicked up and my body is a 24/7 heat source. Thank you cool breeze for cooling me down!! A couple more days of that Georgia humidity would have killed me!

Never Forget

I was in 8th grade and it was time for band. I had left my flute in my lit class and was on my way to grab it. My teacher's television was on and I caught the first sight of damage done by the planes. Immediately I asked what had happened. The image on the screen was from the Pentagon and I had family that lived near there, so I was worried. She ignored my question and instead berated me for being in her classroom, though I wasn't breaking any rules. Instead of answering and telling me what happened, I had to go through the day worried and confused about what was going on. My mom came to pick my brother and I up early from school and the first thing I asked was to call my family. They were safe. Mom then had to explain to me what had happened. Part of me is still mad at my 8th grade lit teacher for treating me the way she did and not explaining it. The even could have been handled so much better. 

I'll never forget that day. Nor will I forget the men and women who sacrificed so much for our country.

It's Wednesday

I started to title this post "Tuesday Tidbits" but then I got to thinking, it's not Tuesday, it's Wednesday! YAY! One day closer to the weekend! My week has completely been thrown off. Monday felt like I was still on summer vacation. I was running all over the place and didn't have enough time to sit down and really contemplate that it's Monday during the school year. Summer is over. At least, in the no school sense. It seems like summer is ending weather-wise too. I have to put on a sweater when I go outside in the morning! It's August! In Georgia! It's supposed to be sweltering out there and instead it's quite comfortable. Not that I'm complaining at all. In fact, I'm celebrating. Fall means we're closer to baby coming! And fall means apple festivals, leaves changing, cool weather, boots, and scarves. I love fall. No doubt about that. And this fall I'm going to be dressing a little differently. This bump gets bigger and bigger. So I'm imagining lots of leggings with boots. 

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I'm dreaming. I love all of these. Now I just the weather to officially cool off and stay cooled off. Just a few more weeks!! {{and a week until we find out what we're having!! I don't think next Wednesday night I'll be able to sleep a week!}}

3 years

This past Wednesday was our 3 year anniversary. However, being the life that we lead we couldn't make any time on the actual day to do something. So we planned to wait until the weekend to do something special. The original idea was to go for a hike and have a picnic, but weather was a little iffy. So then it was trying to decide where to go out to eat. Now, we're on a really tight budget, so our options were extremely limited. We still hadn't made up our minds when we got a surprise gift card to the Cheesecake Factory (thanks Mom and Dad!). So it was decided. Our first dress up date night since our anniversary last year. Let me tell you, it was special and wonderful and it was such a great time. The weather was perfect, so we sat outside on the patio, and the food was even better!

It was a wonderful evening to spend with a wonderful man. 

He got the Jambalaya pasta dish, and said it was amazing.  

I got the steak Diane. Sooooo good! 

Tiramisu Cheesecake 

I wanted the classic topped with strawberries. It was the perfect way to end the evening. 

Does that cheesecake not look divine?! 

Happy to be spending the day with the man I love.

I Do

3 years ago today, my husband and I were up with the sunrise just to say those 2 special words..."I do." 

My life changed for the better that day. I married the love of my life and from that day on I knew I would get to spend the rest of my life with this man. 

Since then we have bought our house, moved cities, and now we're starting our family. 

I couldn't found a better partner to share life with. He is a wonderful husband and is going to be a great father. I am seriously the luckiest girl on the planet to have him by my side for this journey that we're on. He is truly God's perfect match for me. Together we have faced hardships, and I know many more will come our way. But no matter what, we'll face those hardships together. With God as our anchor we can weather any storm that comes our way. I am so blessed to be married to the man of my dreams, a man so who so willingly loves me, spoils me, and cherishes me. 

I love you honey. Here's to many more anniversaries to share together. You are truly the man of my dreams and my perfect mate. I love you hubs, more than you will ever know!

Velociraptor

So this entire time I have been planning on finding out next week what we're having. Last time we scheduled an ultrasound it was for a week after the doctor's visit, so that's what I assumed we'd do this time. I'd be at 18 and a half weeks so there should be no problem in determining the gender or anything, right? Well, I guess I was wrong. Now we have to wait another 3 weeks to find out if we're having a boy or girl. 3 weeks! To say that I'm a little upset is an understatement. I was so excited about next week and getting to not only find out, but see the baby again! Nope. 3. More. Weeks. I'm heartbroken. Completely heartbroken. I guess I should be thankful that we even have the opportunity to do something like this and see the baby, but it's hard when your hopes are dashed. I tried talking them into letting us move up the date, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. 

So 3 more weeks it is. Until then, I guess I'll spend my time planning that gender reveal party. It does give me more time to get things ready and invite people. So maybe it's a good thing in the end. I'm trying to look on the bright side. But it's kinda hard when all my emotions are warring with each other and all I feel like doing is crying. 

Life goes on and I am grateful that we are pregnant. Everything checked out fine today at the doctor. The baby's heartbeat was perfect and everything looked like we were moving along in the right direction. There is nothing truly for me to be upset about. I'm just anxious and impatient and ready to start registering and shopping and getting more specific things. From now on though, when people ask me what we're having I'm going to say a velociraptor. Just because I can.

"I want to see mountains again, Gandalf, mountains, and then find somewhere where I can rest. In peace and quiet, without a lot of relatives prying around, and a string of confounded visitors hanging on the bell. I might find somewhere where I can finish my book. I have thought of a nice ending for it: and he lived happily ever after to the end of his days." - Bilbo Baggins

Clearly I'm a little homesick for Colorado. I miss the mountains and the air and the sky and everything about it. 

Road trip anybody?

The back to work blues

Excuse me while I lay here and sleep until the next millennia. I'm so exhausted. Getting up at 5 was not my idea of something I really want to do. But I must. Getting up at 5 also means that a nap is a must. Or going to be bed early is a must. So here's to getting sleep. My bed is calling me.

One of those days...

Ever had one of those days where you're just emotional for no reason? Well, today is one of those days for me. I'm just a bottle full of emotions at the moment. In reality, I can chalk all these swirling emotions and feelings up to being pregnant and dealing with all the hormones running through my body. Also, I haven't been sleeping well the past few days. I mean, it's noon here and I could already use a nap, which I don't think anyone would fault me for taking. If they do fault me for taking, I might let loose those pregnancy hormones on them {just kidding}.

Thank you Ron Burgundy for accurately depicting my feelings right now.

Sunrise, Sunset

Today is the day that starts the change for our family. The hubs officially changes schedules today. It's fine for today and the rest of the week (I'm still at home), but once I go back to work we're going to keep missing each other. I'll see him in bed, for a few hours hopefully, then it'll be up and off to work again. Thankfully we'll still have the weekend. Right? 

I can't wait until this baby comes and I can have mornings with him again! This morning was so special. I woke up and made him an omelet and then we just sat together and had devotion. It was so nice. I can't wait to add our little one into that picture! 

So here's to the mornings that we'll get to spend together and to the weekends that we'll get to spend together. 

No, we won't get to see many sunrises like this one, but they are beautiful to look at. And I can dream.

16 Weeks!

How far along: 16 weeks (AHH!)

Trimester: Second

Baby size: Avocado

Toes: I can still see them!

Gender: Find out in a couple of weeks!

Movement: I'm beginning to feel little flutters every once in a while! I can't wait to feel more! It's such an amazing feeling!

Cravings: Milk and cheese, lots of cheese

Aversions: They're slowly fading away, thank goodness!

Nausea/Morning sickness: It's going away! Thank goodness.  It'll hit at night once in a blue moon, but I'm thankful for the break!

Maternity clothes: Been wearing them for weeks and not ashamed, they are so comfortable!

Best moment of the week: Feeling those little flutters!

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing up that crib and doctor's visit next week! I can't wait to set up our ultrasound and to see the little guy/gal again!

I'm at 16 weeks! I can't believe it at all! It keeps hitting me about how far along I am and how each day brings us one step closer to meeting our baby. Every time I look down I smile. My belly keeps getting bigger and bigger and I love it! I'm getting more and more excited each and every day! All I know is God is good and I can't wait to meet the little one He has blessed us with!!

Olympic time!

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It's my last week of summer vacation before work starts up on Monday. So what am I going to be spending my time this week doing? Cleaning and getting the house ready for me to go back to work and watching the Olympics of course! Thank you NBC Olympics for showing the events live online for people like me who doesn't have cable to watch. Now I don't have to miss the US Women's Soccer Team play a single game, nor do I have to miss a gymnastics routine, nor Lochte and Phelps battle it out in the pool. I'm pretty excited about it all. 

Currently I've got on South Africa and Japan battling it out on the soccer field. 

The hubs and I joke about the Olympics. It was four years ago around this same time that he asked my dad if he could marry me. How do we remember this time so well? Well...mom and I went out to get our nails done leaving my then boyfriend and dad to talk. Dad is suspicious and does what any good dad would do when the Olympics are on...He turns on beach volleyball and promptly falls asleep. On purpose. He did everything in his power to avoid "that talk." So Mom calls and wakes him up and tells him to be on his best behavior. We all laugh at it now, but I know the hubs still shivers inwardly when thinking about it. But that's my dad. He has a very dry sense of humor that many people don't appreciate. I personally find him quite funny. But I guess that's because I grew up around it.

Anyway, here's to an AWESOME Olympics and GO TEAM USA!!!!


Also: HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY POTTER!!

Friday's Letters

Here is my first time joining in on Friday's Letters! 

The hubs's lemon chiffon cake with lemon frosting that I made from scratch and gluten free. You can follow me on Instagram awood009

Dear hubs, Happy birthday week! You've been incredible this week, working overtime and taking care of me during my random bouts of nausea and a very long, and not at all welcome, migraine. You're incredible! Dear baby, Less than 6 months to go! I can't wait to meet you! And 3 more weeks until I get to hear your little heartbeat again. Maybe your daddy can go this time too :) Oh! And a month before we find out if you're a boy or girl! Dear Baby Registry, there are so many confusing items out there! Do we go with a travel system stroller? A jogging stroller? Or just a stroller? I'm so confused! Help! Dear Friday, Thank you for finally getting here! The week of crazy is almost over! Next week we go back to our normal schedule, for just a couple of weeks that is. Then it's back to work for me. Dear Summer, you're going by way too fast! I haven't even had a chance to get to the beach! Dear hubs, I hope you enjoyed your birthday and cake! I worked hard on that cake for you and you better like it ;) Haha

Birthdays

Tomorrow is the hubs's birthday. He will turn a quarter of a century old (the old fart). Growing up, my family always made birthdays a special day, a day where we got to make all the decisions. So once the hubs and I started dating, I took that mindset into the relationship. 

The first birthday we celebrated together was his 21st birthday. As I wasn't quite 21 at the time, we decided to go a different route than club hopping (and we're not quite club hopping people). Instead, his best friends and I decided to throw him a kind of surprise party. We rented a boat and took it out on the lake and spent the day boating on the lake. It was his special day and I was going to do my best to make it extra special for him. 

The next year, we spent his birthday traveling. It was the same day as my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary party, so we were busy hanging out with them and celebrating them. We did make an effort to go eat at a place of his choosing. 

Over the next years, I continued to try to make each day special. His 23rd birthday, he spent his birthday starting a new job. It was a wonderful day. He had been out of work for a month, and the fact that his job started on his birthday was the best birthday present he could have asked for. Last year was low key. We had just bought our house, so there wasn't much we wanted to do and he was okay with that. He picked a place to go out to eat and we enjoyed a nice birthday dinner.

This year, it's another crazy year. He just started a new job, and is subbing, cleaning an extra location on top of his already two locations, and he has something else going on tomorrow night. It's just a crazy week and I'm starting to think he might actually just want to chill this weekend and recover from such a crazy week. But I still want to make it a special day for him. Every year I try to make him a dessert, and every year  he asks for something fruity. This year it's a lemon chiffon. So here's to making him his special dessert...

The point is, I try to make every year special for him. We argue about it. He never really had his special day growing up. His family never really made a big deal out of birthdays. They were just another day to get stuff done. As we prepare to have our own family, birthdays are going to be a big deal. Maybe not so much with presents, but it'll be a day about them. Their special day. A day with cake and balloons and their choice of food. It's just the way I was raised and the way I hope to raise our kids. 

Welcome Second Trimester and Crib Debacle

So far my first few days into the second trimester and here comes:

* back pain worthy of a whole bottle of Tylenol (of course I haven't had any)

* heartburn - thank you for not letting me sleep last night

* more energy

* and the feeling of getting bigger every second

Overall I'm feeling fine, as long as I have my back brace on and I've been able to cook a little more here and there. Until recently, I haven't really been able to spend much time in the kitchen which has put a lot of strain on the hubs. But he has taken it on like a champ. I have to say, I miss being in the kitchen cooking and doing dishes and creating. Hopefully as time continues I'll find myself back in there cooking. Oh nausea. What a wonderful thing...

So the hubs and recently have been having this debate on cribs. I've been scouring Craigslist for months in search for the perfect crib. Unfortunately ones that I found that I liked, the hubs didn't like. He's a picky one, that husband of mine. So then, we toyed with the idea of using the same crib my parents used for my brother and me. My brother got it out from under their stairs and the hubs and I brought it home. It's an old crib and we were worried that it didn't have all it's parts. We started playing and lo-and-behold, if we wanted to use it then we would have to rebuild the thing. The parts were missing. That sent me back to Craigslist, where I found a little gem. I knew the hubs wouldn't like it, so I had to form a plan of action. 

I love the Jenny Lind style crib. The hubs, however thinks it's either a)too fancy or b)too girly. I disagree.

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This is the crib I found on Craigslist. Not a full Jenny Lind, but I thought maybe it would be a good compromise between the hubs and me. He saw it, and kinda approved. His only deal was that the white was still too girly for his liking. I told him we don't yet know if we'll have a girl or a boy, but if it turns out we are having a boy we can paint it. No big deal.

So that's our new crib and we're going to pick it up this weekend. I'm super excited about it! Now for the ideas of paint. Here's what I think we'll do:

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I love the red paint! But then I'm also thinking:

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I like the idea of the blue. We have a really pretty blue that I could use. 

I don't know. I guess we'll see once we find out the sex of the baby. Just 5 more weeks!

How I blabbed the news...

Well, the whole plan was originally to wait until after our Disney vacation. That plan was thrown out the window and I actually found out I was pregnant just 2 days before we were to leave for vacation. This posed a problem. I wanted to tell the hubs in a special and kinda cute way, but we had 2 days before vacation and the hubs was already at his stress limit. I was at a loss for ideas. Do I tell him before we leave? While we were on vacation? After vacation? I realized that the whole after vacation thing wouldn't work because there would now be some rides that I couldn't ride and he would get suspicious. So after was out of the question.

After talking with the best friend (yes, she knew before the hubs did...I couldn't keep the secret from everyone) I decided just to go simple and tell him before we leave. So Monday I wracked my brain for ideas to tell him Tuesday, before we left Wednesday. Simple. I knew I had to keep it simple. I ran to the grocery store for another pregnancy test, one that was easier to read, took it, and then wrapped it up in a little gift. 

Tuesday night is typically his small group night and so I kept bugging him to see if the guys were going to come over. He had no clue. Luckily for me, the guys all had other plans so no small group for the night. So when he got home I told him that I had a surprise for him, I couldn't wait any longer. Still clueless. I handed him the little present and he opened it. And stared at it. And stared at it. And stared at it. He stood there for a good five minutes before he did or said anything. Then he looked at me. "We're pregnant!" I said. I was kinda nervous by this point. His face paled completely and he looked like he was going to pass out. I just laughed. His reaction was priceless! I led him to the couch for him to sit down before he dropped down on the floor, and just sat there with him while he processed it all. 

In the end he was able to breathe a little bit. The whole stress of our pending vacation and now a pregnancy was just taking it's toll on my poor husband. When it actually sank in he couldn't be happier! He's so excited about every little thing that comes with having a baby. It's been a wonderful process so far and we thrilled for the journey God has sent us on!

I was still in shock that it came out positive! 

His little gift. Nothing too special, but he still had no idea what it was about!

I'm not fat, I'm pregnant.

DUE DATE: January 14, 2013

CURRENTLY at week 12.5

I joke around saying that I need a shirt stating that "I'm not fat, I'm pregnant." I definitely have a little pooch going on, but whether or not it actually looks like a baby bump can be determined by people's imaginations.  

The hubs and I are super excited about our growing family and I've been dying to talk about it! I'll start doing weekly updates and progress reports next week. As of now, I've had good days and bad days. Nausea seems to strike at any point in time, it's not really set on schedule. I do find myself getting sicker in the evening than anytime during the day. But I'm not complaining one bit! I am loving being pregnant! I have wanted this for quite some time and now that I actually am, I love it! Even when I'm sick. I like to think that being sick is okay, it means the baby is healthy (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). 

Oh. And don't worry, that's decaf tea in the cup. It helps my headaches :)

Well...The news is out...

In case you can't tell...Baby W is coming in January!

More on this little news later...

Happy 4th of July everyone! May your day be filled with American goodness!

Colorado

Between freshman and sophomore years in college, I made the trek to Colorado to work at a family Christian dude ranch for the summer. This was the best summer. I made friends and memories that will last forever. I miss the ranch every day, even more during the summer time. I can't wait to bring my family out there to experience the amazingness that is the ranch.

Colorado is even more on my heart right now with the fires that plague the land. Just last week there was a fire on the outskirts of Estes Park, where the ranch is. Thankfully they were able to contain the fire and put it out so that it didn't spread too far and do too much damage. That however, isn't the story for the rest of the state. Fires are running rampage and it breaks my heart to witness. People have lost their homes, their things, their memories. People are displaced and don't know when they'll be able to get back to their homes, or even if there will be a home to go back to. It breaks my heart.

I wish there was more I could do to help the people. All I've been doing is praying. Praying for strength and courage for the firefighters and praying that rain comes and relieves the dryness of the state.

If there is anything anyone knows that we can do to help the people of Colorado please let me know! My heart goes out to everyone and I hope they know we're praying for them.

Me at the ranch in 2007. Part of my heart will always be here.