Cody's Graduation

May 19, 2012

Class of 2012

Smyrna High School Bulldogs

My precious brother-in-law, Cody, graduated high school last month. I can't believe it. I've known this little boy since he was in the 3rd grade. As that little 3rd grader, I remember him bringing me roses to school on Valentine's Day. Seriously, he can be so sweet...even when he was so young. 

My sweet Cody, I wish you nothing but the best in the future. I know you will do wonderfully playing baseball in college. You've prepared since you were 4 to be a starter in college. You have this. 

I love you!

Update to the Chaos

This entire situation has been a whirlwind of events. It seems like everything has happened so fast. I will try to remember the order of events. I really need to start documenting these events in my life in a much, much better way. I have got to get better at keeping up with this blog. 

My last update was Friday, May 18th. On that day, I was feeling better so I thought things were turning around. 

Over the weekend we were at the boat, as usual. I had noticed that I was passing some large tissue clots. On Sunday, knowing my doctor was on vacation, I called the on-call doctor just to calm my worries. I should have known it wasn't normal. She wanted to see me first thing Monday morning. 

I went in Monday morning for additional blood work, another ultrasound, and an exam. Upon examination and ultrasound, it was determined that there was still tissue that needed to be removed immediately so that we wouldn't change spreading or additional regrowth. Of course I instantly became a brat and started crying. First, I was way out of my comfort zone. I was not meeting with my doctor. It would not be my doctor that I was so used to and had known for many years performing the surgery. In fact, I would be trusting a person I had known less than an hour. Scary thought for me.  Second, I was taken back by how fast this needed to happen. It needed to happen the very next morning. I remember asking the doctor if I will be well before Thursday night. You see, the brat and selfish part in me was more worried about Memorial Day weekend on the lake. Would I be able to go swimming? Would I be completely miserable like I was after the first surgery? I asked if the surgery could wait until the following week so I could have my doctor and wait out Memorial Day weekend. No dice though. She just wasn't having it. So, I was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday. 

I was amazed at how differently I felt Tuesday after waking up from the 2nd surgery. Not even 6 hours after the surgery, I was eating real food, unlike the week before and I was up moving around. I really felt like a new person. Something I hadn't felt in almost 2 months. I had some friends visit and bring me flowers Tuesday night. 

Thank you Rachael, Haley & sweet little Elijah for my flowers.

By Wednesday, aside from not being able to lift the TV and large float I had just bought from Sam's, I would have never guessed I had surgery the day before. Yes, I was still weak but I wasn't in any pain and I was in such a good mood.

The good feelings continued throughout the rest of the week.

On Thursday and Friday, I received the prettiest edible arrangement and flowers from some of my very good friends. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I've met some of the absolute best ladies on-line. Without them I know there is no way I would have made it through all of this mess. They have kept me somewhat sane and they have made me feel loved. More importantly, they have made me feel like I didn't go through this alone. I am beyond grateful for them.

I went for my follow-up the following week, (Thursday,  the 31st). I met with my doctor, had another exam and another beta done. My uterus is no longer enlarged so that's a good sign. My beta came back at 354 so we are rapidly decreasing which is an even better sign. The Monday before my first surgery (14th), my beta was almost 100,000. The Monday before my second surgery (the 21st) my beta was in the mid 3,000s. My doctor is very happy with how things are progressing this go around.

Since I can absolutely not get pregnant in the near future (at least 6 months), it was decided that I would begin birth control again. I've been on it for 2 weeks and I can officially say it's the devil. I hate it. I don't feel like "myself". I'm constantly tired, worn down, and have no energy. I get aggravated extremely easy and I feel like I'm constantly bloated. Let's not forget the awesome "breakthrough bleeding" that I've been experience for almost a week now. It's going to be a long 6 months on this crap.

This week I also started my weekly blood draws (I forgot to go last week..oops). I have to be monitored weekly until my betas return to 0 and then afterwards until my doctor feels it's safe to stop them.

I sincerely thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement. I cannot tell you enough that they meant the world to me and still do. I will cherish everything that was said and sent to me. I love you all!

Smile!

Happy Thursday!

I've got 4...yes, 4, posts in the making. I've started them all and saved them as drafts just so I won't forget what I need to tell you about. 

Get ready for Jenn Blog Overload. It's gonna be awesome! 

:)

The Last 2 Weeks

I've sat down numerous times to write this post. I've written it out in my head but I just can't seem to find the right words to describe how the last 2 weeks have gone down. Here are the last 2 weeks... day-by-day.

Friday, May 4, 2012: First Ultrasound

Today was supposed to be the first time I saw my sweet baby on the ultrasound. Instead we saw nothing but a gestational sac. I was crushed. We should have seen something. Anything really but there was no yolk sac and no embryo. At this point, the doctor was pretty negative saying we will have another ultrasound but being over 6 weeks pregnant at the time, we both know we should have seen something. Follow-up scheduled for Wednesday, May 9th. I spent the rest of today on the couch numb and lifeless. I cried and cried. I screamed and begged God to let there be a change on the next ultrasound. I was in such disbelief. 2.5 years we waited for our miracle. This has to be it. It just has to be.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Went on with life as usual. Trying to be hopeful. Had some minor nausea while at the boat. We had a wonderful Cinco de Mayo party at the dock. It really kept my mind off things. 

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Today, I did a lot of research. Found that it isn't uncommon for women to not see anything on the ultrasound until later in the pregnancy. A lot of my research found that many women didn't see anything until the 8th week. ::breath easier::

Monday, May 7, 2012

Let the nausea and vomiting begin. IN FULL SWING, may I add. The toilet here at the office became my best friend. Unfortunately, this bit of nausea gave me hope that I tried desperately not to have. 

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Ummm... Jennifer, you thought the throwing up was bad on Monday? Ha! Ha ha ha. Well, you haven't seen Tuesday yet. Good Lord, I thought I was never going to stop throwing up today. ::insert more hope here:: I mean, I'm hugging the toilet every 30 minutes, there's gotta be something on the ultrasound by now. 

Wednesday, May 9, 2012: Follow-Up Ultrasound

Nothing. Absolutely Nothing. No changes. Begin the list of symptoms to my doctor. Nausea. Vomiting. Exhaustion. Headaches. Bloating.  It's like pregnancy kicked in full gear this week and hit me like a freight train. There's no way in hell I could make all these symptoms up. None. Dr. Brown and I discussed everything possible. The ultrasound tech ruled out an ectopic pregnancy already so that wasn't on the table. He kept saying my situation was unusual. He used the word "complex" several times. So...the ending result, I take my happy ass down to the 2nd floor for another round of betas. 

Thursday, May 10, 2012

No call from the doctor with the lab results. Commence freak-out and mentally cussing every nurse in his office. They should know that I have to have those results today. The waiting was absolutely uncalled for. 

Friday, May 11, 2012: Freak-Out Day

The nurse called me around 8:30 with my results. My beta had risen to 80,275. Apparently, this wasn't normal and the doctor didn't like this number at all. Says it was too high. The nurse told me that Dr. Brown suspects that I have something called a molar pregnancy. (Wikipedia's Definition) The nurse also used the word tumor. She told me Dr. Brown would call me later this afternoon to discuss this further. I then proceeded to do about 7 hours of research on molar pregnancy. As gut wrenching as the news was, I held my composure. I didn't cry. In fact, I was rather ok with the diagnosis. I have an answer as to why I didn't see my sweet baby on the ultrasound. That's what I needed. I needed an answer. One way or another. As I was driving on the way to the boat later that night, I received a call from Dr. Brown. He was very concerned though because I didn't have the standard "grapes" on the ultrasound that represent a molar pregnancy. He believed that although we couldn't see the tumor on the ultrasound, he was under the impression that it was "small but powerful". I was to be back at his office at 8:00 on the 14th for another beta. 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Hair and shopping day with my mom. It was such a nice day to not really have to think about anything other than getting pampered...and shopping. We all know I adore some retail therapy. And retail therapy is exactly what I did. I bought a couple of precious dresses. One you will see in another post about my brother-in-laws high school graduation (as long as I can fit into it.. I'll get to that in a minute). 

Sunday, May 13, 2012: Mother's Day

Fucking Mother's Day. How lovely? I wasn't prepared for how tough this day would be. My mother had already told all the people at their church about the pregnancy. So, you can only imagine all the hugs and "congratulations" that greeted me as soon as I stepped foot in the door. I really didn't have the heart or desire to explain to every single old woman that came up to hug me what happened so I sucked it up, held back the tears and accepted all the congratulatory hugs. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to ruin anyone else's day with the sob story that little ol' me has a tumor instead of a baby. Happy Mother's Day to me. Not! On Saturday when I was doing some retail therapy, I ran across this precious ring at Zale's and couldn't pass it up. It's a blue topaz which is the December birthstone. The month that my baby was supposed to be born. I fell in love with this ring and decided I would buy myself a gift..so I bought this!

After Mother's Day dinner with Josh's family (keep in mind, I'm still throwing up...it's hasn't let up at all at this point), I finally gave in. I just couldn't be strong anymore. I cried, and cried...and cried some more. Josh probably thought I was going to have a full on meltdown. I felt bad for him, really. He's not a very emotional person so he really didn't know exactly what to do with me. I remember I kept saying that I just wanted this to be over. I want to move on. How could this happen to us? We tried for 2.5 years only to be crushed. I can't help but feel like this is somehow my fault. What did we do to deserve this? Why the hell am I throwing up? If there's no baby then why do I have to go through this shit of feeling like there is a baby in me? It's so unfuckingfair. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep crying. 

Monday, May 14, 2012

I woke up, threw up twice, and headed to have my 5th beta done. Dr. Brown greeted me at the receptionist desk so we could talk a little more. We discussed his concerns of dehydration because, at this point, I was literally throwing up everything I put in my mouth. He said that if I didn't get fluids in me, he would have to put me in the hospital. He prescribed me 2 medicines to start taking immediately to try to help me stay hydrated and fight the nausea. I guess it worked because I wasn't hospitalized. I would also like to point out that I have had absolutely no bleeding at all during this entire process. Weird, right? Anyway, he put a rush on my beta results today. It's nice to know that I've waited over 48 hours for some beta results but yet he had these back in 3 hours. Almost 100,000. Not good. Not good at all. Another ultrasound and D&C were scheduled for the following day (Tuesday). I took today off work to soak everything in and try to get hydrated. I still drank less than 20 ounces of apple juice (drinking water made me more nauseous and guaranteed throw up). I'm pretty sure I slept most of the day though. I know I fell asleep crying because, honestly, the thought of being put to sleep scared the shit out of me. 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012: Surgery

I arrived at the hospital, went through pre-op, had more blood taken (ya know because the 5 tubes of blood taken the day before just didn't suffice), had the ultrasound done (no changes) and was sent to wait for an hour before they took me back to start the IV process and get me ready for surgery. I was shaking. I was tired. I was ready for all this to be over with. I was scared. I had my mom & dad and Josh with me. I knew everything was going to be ok but I was still scared. I had to go back without my parents and without Josh at first. Of course, I started crying. I didn't want them to leave my side. They were keeping me strong. (and now I'm crying writing this. Fuck.) The nurses were all super nice and very comforting. They started my IV and asked me some questions then my family was allowed to come wait with me while Dr. Brown and the anesthesiologist spoke with us. Dr. Brown had decided that while I was already sedated, he would go ahead and do a hysteroscopy as well. Fine with me. The more answers; the better. My family said the waited around 3 hours before they were able to come back to the recovery room. I remember waking up freezing. They had me wrapped in so many blankets that I couldn't move. They put a heater on me because I was so cold that I couldn't keep my mouth shut. They thought I was going to break my teeth. I think I was awake about an hour before they let me leave. I slept most of the day. I was able to eat dinner though. That's a plus. The chicken noodle soup was fab. I also enjoyed the entire stack of Club crackers that I ate in one setting. Yep. I'm a fatass. 

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Funny story? Ha. My dumbass believed it was a great idea to get up and go to work today. Ha. ha. ha. ha. ha. My insides felt they like were going to come out of my mouth every time I sat down. My abdomen was so swollen that I couldn't even button my pants. For real. What was I thinking? I did stay most of the day but I just couldn't handle it anymore. I was in so much pain. I went home (after getting bitched at via telephone from my mother for even considering work) and slept. I really am enjoying all this sleep I'm getting. Maybe I can keep that tradition up?

Thursday, May 17, 2012

I decided that working today wasn't such a good idea. I was running a fever and woke up with severe abdominal pain. I called the doctor and he prescribed an antibiotic to fight infection and lortab. I stayed on the couch most of the day. I was miserable laying in bed and the couch was able to give me some kind of weird support that didn't make my stomach hurt as much. It's hard to explain but my couch has been there for me in some pretty rough times this month. Anyway, I started the antibiotics and started feeling better as the day progressed. The doctor did call with the pathology results from the biopsy. It was, indeed, a molar pregnancy. It was a tumor. Thankfully, it wasn't cancerous though. Benign was the word he used.

Friday, May 18, 2012: Today

Today, I feel much better. I am still in some pain but nothing that tylenol can't handle. I'm taking my temperature every couple of hours to make sure I don't have a fever. So far, so good.  My abdomen is still swollen but not as much as Wednesday (I just hope the graduation dress that I bought fits tomorrow). I'm back at work and taking it very easy. My spirits are a little higher. I talked to my doctor more about what will happen from here. I have a follow-up appointment next Thursday the 24th. We will start weekly bloodwork then. That will happen for 3 months. My hcg levels have to return to 0. He is very concerned with regrowth and it is a very real possibility that I will have to have another D&C. We will go into more details next week but at this point I know, in the near future, I will have a ct scan, a chest x-ray and some liver tests to make sure that there are no growths in those areas.

At this point, the main focus is to make sure there is no regrowth. If the hcg levels do not go down that means more testing and more waiting. I should have a better idea on Thursday what exactly we're looking at test and schedule wise. I guess for the next several months, we play the waiting game. We can't try to get pregnant again for at least 6 months after my hcg returns to 0 so we are looking at least 9 months before anything can happen. I can absolutely not get pregnant which means back to birth control. That thing we vowed I would never take again. Ever. Although, if it will get me a normal, healthy pregnancy one day then I will do what I have to even though I'll be kicking and screaming the entire time.

I'm sure this entry is all over the place. I honestly don't even know what I was writing but I know that I needed to get it out there. I know we've had so many people praying and sending us good thoughts and, honestly, if it hadn't been for some very strong friends and family in my life, I wouldn't have made it through the last 2 weeks as well as I did. I sincerely thank everyone from the absolute bottom of my heart for the kind calls, emails, texts and messages on FB. I may not have responded to all of them but please know that I have gotten them and they mean the world to me. 

Some days are more overwhelming than others and that's ok. As long as I have Josh by my side, I know we'll get through this. I know it's going to be a long road but there's got to be some light at the end of the tunnel, right? For now, we'll take it test-by-test, step-by-step, and day-by-day.

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow, Tomorrow... It's only a day awayyyy (singing in my absolute best Annie voice). 

Tomorrow morning, ya'll. 8am. Tomorrow. Come rain, shine, snow, or whatever else, I will be seeing my sweet baby for the first time. I don't care what I have to do to get to the doctor. I will be there. Anxious. Nervous. Scared. Excited. Smiling. Shaking. Crying. All of these will probably be my emotions tomorrow.

Less than 24 hours. This is the longest 24 hours of my life. Maybe I will go to sleep at 8 like I did last night and then time will fly by. Maybe. Yeah, let's hope for that.

Tomorrow- Get here ASAP.

Beta #3

After some significant frustration with the nurses at my OB's office, I finally received my 3rd beta results this morning from the bloodwork that was taken on the 25th (originally scheduled for the 27th). 

My betas look like this:

4/16/2012- 61 Progesterone 10.1

4/18/2012- 157 Progesterone 11.6

4/25/2012- 3531 

I am thrilled with these results! I wish progesterone had been taken but, again, the nurses in my doctor's office aren't exactly the best nurses. I have several things to discuss with my doctor at my first appointment and on top of the list... the serious lack of professionalism and compassion his nursing staff has showed me over the last 2 weeks. 

Anyway, these are the numbers. I still can't believe I'm actually pregnant. Amazing.

8* week Bumpdate

 *There's an asterisk by 8 because until my ultrasound on 5/4/12, I am technically 8 weeks pregnant today. I, however, know that I'm around 6 weeks.

How far along? 8* see above

Weight gain/loss:   Remember how I mentioned last week that my scale was broken? I really think it is. This morning it says I weighed 143.8 which is a 3 pound loss since last week. That's not possible. If anything, I feel like I've gained weight.

Feeling: Still feeling pretty normal for the most part. I've had 2 very bad dizzy spells...to the point that I don't remember the rest of the night. I've still got some bloat going on but it doesn't feel as bad as it was last week. I haven't had any nausea yet so I guess that's a good thing? I'd like a couple of small reminders every now and then that I am, in fact, growing a human so some nausea would likely be appreciated every now and then. 

Maternity clothes? None yet. I think mom is going to take me shopping when we have our girls weekend the 12th and 13th. Definitely looking forward to looking at maternity clothes and getting idea of pricing and sizing.

Sleep: I'm sleeping very well at night. I'm not feeling any exhaustion yet but I have noticed a lot more yawning and an overall laziness feeling.

Food cravings: No real cravings yet.

Movement? None.

What I miss? CAFFEINE!!! Although I am doing very well with the lack of caffeine, I still miss it so much!

Best moment this week: Finally spending some time in the sun. Got my first sunburn of the year and a little raccoon eye going on. We spent some great time with family and friends this weekend (when we weren't working). I am so excited that boating season started 2 whole months early thanks to the warm weather we've been having. We have been out on the lake since late March but this was the first weekend that I felt the conditions were right for a swimsuit.

What I'm looking forward to:  Our first appointment is Friday. I'm counting down the hours until I see this baby on that monitor! And...Cody (my 18 year old brother-in-law) is playing his final regular games of the season for baseball this week. Tonight was the final regular season game he started pitching (he's the teams main pitcher) and tomorrow is senior night at the final game of the regular season. He will go on to pitch in college as he's already been offered some scholarships to various schools but I can't believe this is it for high school. Of course, they've made it to the tournaments so I still have some more games to watch but this is it for regular ball. :(

Next Appointment: May 4th.

Milestones: Week 8*- baby is the size of a raspberry...the little arms and legs are moving like crazy. OR Week 6- baby is the size of a sweet pea...blood is starting to circulate

7* week bumpdate

 *There's an asterisk by 7 because until my ultrasound on 5/4/12, I am technically 7 weeks pregnant today. I, however, know that I'm around 5 weeks.

How far along? 7* see above

Weight gain/loss:    Apparently my scale is lying to me at home because it says I'm up 1.8 pounds from last Monday. Today I weigh 146.8 as opposed to 145 last Monday. I think I need a new scale... especially since just 2 years ago it said 118.

Feeling: I've had some mild cramping/twinges a few times a day but no nausea or anything of the sort. I've also had some killer bloat and minor backaches. Overall I feel pretty normal though.

Maternity clothes? None yet but I have a feeling I'll need a BellaBand soon as I was already outgrowing my pants from gaining some weight before I found out I was pregnant. My pants are definitely much tighter in the evening and into the night.

Sleep: Not really any difference yet. I've been waking up about 30 minutes earlier than usual though. I've also been really uncomfortable sleeping on the boat. This started last Saturday night (before I found out) so I know it's not in my head.

Food cravings: I really wanted some Krispy Kreme earlier in the week but once we got it, I wanted nothing to do with it.

Movement? None.

What I miss? Mountain Dew. I went from drinking 6-8 cans a day down to 1 in the afternoon. I might die, ya'll! This is probably going to be the hardest thing for me. I am a serious caffeine addict. I've had some terrible headaches this week due to the lack of caffeine.

Best moment this week: By far, telling our parents. I think they were more excited then we were. My mom and dad have already started shopping. This baby is going to be spoiled for sure!

What I'm looking forward to: Since I'm on progesterone oral supplements, I will have another round of betas and progesterone check on Friday the 27th. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how things are progressing and then, of course, my first appointment and ultrasound on Friday 5/4.

Next Appointment: May 4th.

Milestones: Week 7*- baby is the size of a blueberry...brain is growing fast. OR Week 5- baby is the size of an appleseed...major organs and systems are now forming.

Against my better judgment this early on, we made our first baby purchase Sunday, the 22nd. We saw the Baby Bjorn Travel Crib at an Essex Outlet here in Nashville about a month ago and fell in love with it; thought it would be perfect for the boat. The same travel crib is $220-$260 on Amazon. The Outlet had it advertised for $145. We went today just to see if they still had it and sure enough, they still had the display model. I asked if we could get a discount since it was the display and when the lady said $69, I pretty much yelled "We'll take it". I think it was one heck of a deal and there was just no way I could pass it up.

Well, friends....

After 2.5 years, the words "I'M PREGNANT" have finally come out of my mouth on a few occasions. 

Check these BEAUTIFUL lines out...

On Sunday, April 15, 2012 Josh and I finally found out that I'm pregnant. 

Beta #1 (4/16/12): 61 Progesterone 10.1

Beta #2 (4/18/12): 157 Progesterone 11.6

I am taking Prometrium to help increase the progesterone levels but my doctor believes we have nothing to worry about at this point. I will have another beta on 4/27/12 just to make sure the Prometrium is doing its' job and my first appointment and ultrasound is scheduled for 2 weeks from today on Friday, May 4th.

Going by my last period, today would be 6w4d. I, however, do not believe I am that far along and I believe my betas support that belief as well. I don't think I'm any further than 5 weeks or so. I know you're asking, "well, Jenn, didn't you chart this cycle"? No. No, no I didn't and I am constantly kicking myself in the ass for it. As much as I hate to say this... we did NOTHING this cycle but have sex. No clomid, no charting, no OPKs, no timed sex... absolutely nothing.

We went ahead and took my first bump pic Monday the 16th which, as of right now, is considered 6 weeks and the day I've had the most bloat yet (and this was before dinner).

Other than bloat and some mild cramping, I've had no symptoms yet. I'd be happy with a little nausea every now and then though. Ya know... because I'm a freak like that. 

We've already told immediate family and some random best friends. We told our parents on Monday by framing them the picture below. When I handed each mom the frame, I told them that we wanted them to know there are 3 people in the picture. My mom jumped off the couch immediately while dad was a little confused. Josh's stepmom was really confused. Really, really confused. He finally said.. Tina, she's pregnant! I know his dad got it because while Tina was trying to figure it out, John was grinning from ear to ear which, by the way, is damn near impossible to make that man do.

For now, I'm going to enjoy every minute of this and try not to stress about the "what if's" even though they cross my mind frequently. Today, I am pregnant and I am already in love with this child.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for new friendships. When everyone was telling me a few years ago that all those friends I had in high school and shortly thereafter wouldn't be around for the long haul, I didn't believe it. I mean, HELLO!!! Don't they know we were all totally BFF's???? Ha! I wish I had listened. I've had my heart broken more times by "friends" who I thought would be around for a lifetime then I have ex-boyfriends. So, today, I am thankful for the new adult friendships I have formed over the last year or so. The friendships that aren't just about going out and partying instead the friendships that are about double dates and playdates (not that I have experienced those yet) and laughing together because we fell asleep before 9:00 on a Friday night. I'm thankful for the wonderful friendships I've formed via the internet. Believe it or not, I truly believe that the friendships I've gained through an internet message board are some of the best friendships I've had. We've laughed, cried, grieved, and bitched to each other. 

I seriously believe I have some awesome girls in my life both that I've met in person and online.

366 Challenge Days 9-16

January 9, 2012

 I am of the opinion that one needs an entire new wardrobe when they go on vacation so while I out specifically shopping for Josh only because I had been shopping for myself for the last 2 months. Anyway, I found this! I've been dying for a little dress to wear with cowboy boots and I found it so I had to have it!

January 10, 2012

 I witnessed an absolutely terrible wreck today. One minivan ran a redlight and hit another minivan directly in the driver side door. The minivan that was hit went up onto its' side and for a minute all you could see was the bottom of the van. I immediately thought that since it was a van, there were kids in the van. Luckily, the lady had just dropped them off at the school a block behind us. It wouldn't have been appropriate for me to take a picture of the wreck so today's picture is one of me and Josh cuddled up on the couch catching up on the Bachelor and Biggest Loser.

 January 11, 2012

This is the engine to my truck. My truck that decided the cool thing to do would be to not run for over 24 hours. Josh and his dad replaced the starter, fuses, cables and tightened some nuts and bolts but it still wouldn't start. They finally towed it (illegally, may I add) to the professionals down the street where they replaced the one cable Josh and his dad didn't think to replace because "there's no way it could be that wire".

 January 12, 2012

You are looking at my first ever pot of chili! I was so nervous making this but, honestly, it was probably one of the easiest things I've ever made. In the words of Josh and my brother, it was "excellent". I had some pretty big shoes to fill and both my mom and mother-in-law make awesome chili but I think I can hang with them pretty darn well. :)

 

January 13, 2012

I had the pleasure of pushing Josh and this scaffolding around over 82,000 square feet of vacant warehouse. 

 

January 14, 2012

Today was the annual boat show at the convention center. Of course we wouldn't have missed it. We put off finishing the warehouse job above just so we could attend the boat show. This picture was taken on top of a Sea Ray cruiser that cost $379,000!

January 15, 2012

 In preparation for our Vegas trip this week, I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure after working and the boat show all weekend. I did get the spa pedicure and can I just say that I almost fall asleep every time! The place I go gives you a calf and foot massage for 10 minutes before placing steaming hot towels around your calves. Heaven!!!

January 16, 2012

I started packing last night which included getting all of the shoes I am taking out. I snapped this picture before I left for work this morning. There are 14 pairs of my shoes pictured here and 2 of Josh's. I am adding 2 more pairs for me tonight. In all, I'm taking 16 pairs of shoes (for a 6 day trip) and Josh is only taking 4. I might have an addiction....

366 Challenge days 5-8

January 5, 2012

 This was my lunch. Oh so bland it was. I've said it before and I'll say it again,  Mountain Dew is, by far, the best part of any meal. I drink at least 6 of these a day.

January 6, 2012

We spent the evening with Josh's cousin, Amanda, her husband, Robert and their precious baby girl, Callie. Ya'll.... this little girl is the absolute sweetest baby ever! I just love her. If she ever comes up missing, they will definitely know where to look. :)

 January 7, 2012

A little over a week ago, we decided that we wanted an RV. Nothing too special but we do know we want something new or newer and we've decided that a pull behind would be best suited for us. We took pictures on the iPad today when we went shopping but they turned out terrible so the picture of the brochure for our front runner will have to do.

January 8, 2012

Today, Josh and I went to the grocery store to get some hamburgers to grill out. Of course, we decided that we needed cake and ice cream. I only eat white on white cake and Josh only eats white or strawberry cake with either white or strawberry icing. So, I was going to make a funfetti white cake with half vanilla and sprinkles icing and half strawberry icing. As soon as we got home and unloaded groceries, my mom calls. Mothers intuition must have known we were wanting some cake because she made Josh (not me) a strawberry cake with strawberry icing and brought it to us. Looks like my cake will have to wait...

Thankful Thursday

Bringing it back? I think so! 

Due to his job, my older brother, Brad, is staying with Josh and I for a couple of weeks. I am so thankful that I get to spend this time with him. We haven't really spent a lot of time together over the last couple of years so this is a nice change. When I first started my blog, I wrote this post about my brothers. One day when I get all of my pictures scanned, I'm going to post the picture of the dress he bought. To this day, it's my favorite dress!

And...because I'm a picture whore, here is the latest pic of us at Christmas. 

What are you thankful for today?

Go ahead and laugh...

I give you permission to laugh at my following statement. I, Jennifer P., have made it my New Year's resolution to blog at least once a week. To help me accomplish this, I am going to participate in the 366 (since it's a leap year) day photo challenge. I love taking pictures and I take them frequently but I never do anything with them. I occasionally put some on Facebook but not nearly as much as I used to. So, I'm really hoping that this photo challenge will put my ass in gear and get in here and write more than once every few months. Believe it or not, I love my blog and I love all of my followers. I feel like I've just abandoned my blog and well, that's just not the cool thing to do! 

Since we were out of town for a couple of days then celebrated our anniversary, I'm already behind but I'm playing catch up tonight. 

January 1, 2012

This was taken just after midnight. We brought in the New Year at a friend's house in Atlanta. 

 January 2, 2012

 I truly cannot believe that Josh and I have been married for 2 years already.  I am so blessed to call him my husband. This picture was taken after our anniversary dinner.

January 3, 2012

Hair Day!!! Need I say more? 

January 4, 2012

 This is my new jewelry armoire. My in-laws got this for me for Christmas. I'm hoping to do another post about my favorite jewelry for ya'll. I have a slight obsession and this thing is already full! What's even better is that both sides open up for necklace storage. I seriously love this thing!

So, there. :) My first 4 days of the photo challenge. So far I think I'm doing very well. I have never had a New Years resolution before so this should be interesting. Maybe if I can stick to this, I will make bigger resolutions next year. We'll see....

Happy New Year beautiful readers.