Besides a small handful of people, I don't actually think anyone reads this. So I feel safe to use my blog as a platform to release some very exciting news...we are having a BABY!! I know I should wait to announce this very exciting news until after the first trimester...or at least until after my first doctor's appt...but I just can't wait! I'm not going to make the formal announcement for a little while longer, but this is a safe place and I am eager to use my blog to track my pregnancy and what I am experiencing. If you are reading this, then I am excited to share in my happiness with you, and I just ask that you help to keep this information private, i.e. off my Facebook page, at least for a little while longer. :-)
Back to pure happiness...the BABY!!
Ryan and I have been trying for a baby for nearly a year. The whole reason we moved to Augusta was to position ourselves to be able to start a family. We have been here for almost a year (in March), so the timing of this pregnancy could not be more perfect. I admit that I was getting to the point where I was starting to get nervous about whether I am able to conceive or not, since it was taking so long. Every single month I convinced myself that I was experiencing pregnancy symptoms, but month after month I was wrong. Then on Friday, January 28, 2010, I woke up with cramps and the typical pre-menstrual feeling. I was due to start my period on Saturday, and for the first time in a long time, I knew without a doubt that I wasn't pregnant. However, I decided to take a pregnancy test anyway, because I knew we were going to our favorite Mexican restaurant to have some drinks that night, and I wanted to be 100% sure that I was safe to drink. I had 1 First Response pregnancy test on hand, and within a few seconds, I could see 2 very visible lines appearing on the stick. SHOCK! While I was trying to process what I just saw, I somehow convinced myself that it was a fluke and too good to be true. So I went to Walmart and bought 2 EPT tests. After using both of them, sure enough, I saw 2 very faint crosses appear on the tests. This was a little more convincing, but I still had my doubts. When Ryan came home from work that afternoon, I ran into the kitchen as soon as he walked into the door, and told him my news. Finally, I had someone to share my news with! Ok ok, I did tell my long time best friend, Katie, about the news, but to be fair, she guessed it as soon as I called her, before I even said anything. :)
That night, Ryan and I went to Poblanos and sat at the bar, per our Friday night ritual to talk to our friend Monica, who is the bartender there. I could not wait to tell her, as she asks me every Friday night if I am able to drink that night, and FINALLY I was able to tell her no and had a sprite instead. Of course the margaritas were smelling really good and I reeeaaaally wanted one, but I didn't! I was still not 100% convinced that I was pregnant, so that night on the way home I made Ryan stop so I could get 2 Clearblue tests. I figured these were fool proof, since the results clearly state "Pregnant" or "Not Pregnant." There's no way to mess that one up! I took one that night and another the next morning, and sure enough...I'm pregnant!
From what I have calculated, I am 6 weeks along and due around October 5th. My first doctor's appt & sonogram is Thursday, February 17th at 4pm. That day cannot get here soon enough, so I can hear the doctor's confirmation that YES, there is a baby growing in me and I'm not crazy!
So far I do not have any symptoms, except for the occassional upset stomach after I eat. Considering that I have dealt with that my whole life due to my lovely stomach issues, I am totally used to it. I cannot wait to actually "feel" pregnant...unless that feeling is morning sickness. That, I can live without!
Lots more baby talk later! xoxo
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Reflections of 2010
Looking back on 2010, it was undoubtedly an incredible rollercoaster ride, with extreme peaks and lows. While the last year was filled with never-ending obstacles and a whole lot of stress, I believe that as a result, I am now in a happier and more settled place in my life. It was a year of much needed emotional healing and self-evaluation. Our move to Augusta was scary, sad, and exciting all at the same time, but overwhelmingly it provided me with a platform to start fresh and regain myself. There is no need to go into why I needed to heal, as it is all in the past and I do not wish to re-visit that dark place; suffice it to say that I allowed negativity to consume me, which ultimately led me to self-destruct (not in the literal sense).
I feel very blessed to have a husband who loves me and works hard to provide for me. This last year has certainly been a testament to the strength of our marriage. We endured the stress of quiting our jobs, moving to a different state, starting new jobs and moving again, all in the span of six months! While of course there were rocky times during that period, just as there would be for any couple, we came out of that experience as a united front. I can only hope that as we continue to grow as individuals over the years, we also continue to grow as husband and wife.
We are so lucky to have family that supported our decision to move. While they were not happy at first (neither was I), both of our families helped us along the way and continue to offer emotional support and visit us whenever they can. I actually think that us moving 270 miles away has strengthened our relationships with our families. Now the time we spend together is more precious and we in turn appreciate each other more. If only I could get my sister to visit me! I don't care how many times I talk to her on the phone or drive to Jacksonville to see her, it is never enough. No matter how adjusted I get to living 4.5 hours from my family, I desperately miss being only a couple miles down the road from my little sister.
(My baby sister, and also my best friend)
We also expanded on our family in November, and adopted my new little love, Cooper. I frequently get called the crazy cat lady, but I can't help loving my little ones Lily and Cooper. It's kind of funny how the "cat lady" name followed me from Jacksonville to Augusta, so I guess it has to be true. Lily has been diagnosed as "strong personality" by the vet, as well as had her file red marked a couple times by 2 different vets for poor behavior; the poor thing as such a bad rep! I love her nonetheless, and thought she would enjoy a playmate...boy was I wrong! We feared that Lily would beat up Cooper, since she has earned the name Devil Cat on more than one occassion, so we were very careful with making their introductions. Instead, little (now 4 lbs) Cooper spends his days planning his attacks on big sis' Lily, frequently jumping on her back and hanging from her back haunches while she tries to get away from him. He is the sweetest, most adorable little guy, and I am fairly obsessed with him.
It is safe to say that Augusta is now home. I am officially a Georgia resident (it only took 9 months), and Ryan is close to becoming a resident as well. We have established our new "hangouts" and made new friends as well. Our favorite new tradition is Friday nights at Poblanos (yes, it's a Mexican restaurant...if you know me then you're not shocked by this). This is where I can find some of my favorite people in Augusta, and definitely the best food and margaritas as well. We were lucky to be able to bring in the New Year with great new friends and a fun night - at least what I can remember of it! ;-)
For 2011, I look forward to further establishing roots in Augusta, to building on relationships with new friends and old friends, and most of all, I pray everyday that Ryan and I are able to start a family of our own soon. Good things to come in 2011, I just know it!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
6 Months
It's hard to believe that nearly 6 months have gone by since we moved to Augusta. While I don't miss my family and loved ones any less, I am finding that over time I am letting go of what I was holding on to so tightly - Jacksonville. While my bond with the city of Jacksonville is fading, my appreciation, love and desire to be close to my family is stronger than ever; this is a conflict I struggle with on a daily basis.
I'm not going to lie. The first few months of residing in Augusta were tough. Miserable is probably a better word, and my husband can vouch for my state of mind during that time. Going from a highly developed city of a million people to a predominantly rural area (with glimpses of city life sprinkled in) is quite the adjustment, to say the least. I missed my friends and family, so I escaped to Jacksonville every chance I got. However, making a 5 hour drive (one-way) every other weekend got old really fast...especially when I wrecked my brand new 2010 Camry (that I had never even made a payment on!) during two separate trips, only weeks apart, during my treks to and from Jacksonville.
When we made the decision to move here, we weren't sure if our Jacksonville house would rent out in time, so we made the decision to rent a small one-bedroom apartment in Evans, GA to save on living expenses. It turns out we were able to find pretty wonderful renters within 15 minutes of posting an ad on Craigslist, but by that time we were already stuck in a 6 month lease at the apartment. When we bought our house, I never imagined having to go back to apartment living, so this was not a decision I was happy about, but I had to be practical. The apartment was small (700 sq. ft) and dark, but was actually really nice for what is was. It was in a good location in town, and in close proximity to all the good restaurants and basic shopping (Target, Kohls, Publix, etc.). The two of us living in such tight quarters, with Ryan working around the clock and me having ample down time since I only work 3 days a week, led to me very quickly resenting that stupid little cave apartment. Most of our furniture was too large for the space, so the majority of our belongings were put in a storage unit for the time being. That is when I started to experience Pottery Barn withdrawal, as Ryan called it. The worst part was the kitchen was small and awkward, so I didn't want to cook in it. Cooking is my one true passion, so Ryan knew it wasn't a good sign that I wanted nothing to do with it. On the other hand, this quickly led to our discovery of the amazing food that the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA - that's what everyone calls the area) has to offer. I'm talking mom and pop cooking; stuff you can taste the love and passion that went into it, and is just plain yummy and unique! No big generic chain restaurants here - only the good country stuff. Needless to say, the combination of my sulking on the couch and feeding my homesickness resulted in having to adjust pants sizes. Totally worth it. :)
Thankfully, we were able to get out of our lease a little early, and found an amazing deal on a rental house in Grovetown, GA. It's a little off the beaten path, and I now have a 15-20 minute drive just to get into town or to the nearest Publix. I was calling it country living for a long time, but my dad quickly made fun of me for that - I may have exaggerated it just a little - when he saw it, because what he pictured as living off dirt roads, is actually a beautifully developed (and fully paved) subdivision, filled with gorgeous and massive houses and estates. We live in the more modest section of the neighborhood, in a 3 bedroom/2 bath, 2000 sq. ft. brick house, on a 1/2 acre lot. While it does not have my saltwater pool or newly renovated kitchen with granite and stainless steel that my Jacksonville home so proudly boasts, I find that I love this home equally. It has a fireplace and hardwood floors, a formal dining room, PLUS a huge eat-in kitchen that has a desk space and an island with a bar in it. I am loving spending as much time as possible in the kitchen again. It feels like a home, and everyday I find myself happier to be there. My landlord let me pick out the interior paint colors, which I really had fun with. The gorgeous hardwoods, combined with the warm taupe (really more of a latte brown) wall color, my creamy sectional, and if I do say so myself, expertly picked out decor :) really makes for a sincerely welcoming and wrap-around-you warm home feel. I don't know who loves it more - me, or the cat. Lily, our not-so-friendly, but extremely comical feline child, spends her days planning her attacks and slipping and sliding along the floors, running throughout the house as fast as possible. The problem is that her fuzzy little paws have no traction, so she usually has to stop by slamming into the wall or a piece of furniture, landing upside down the majority of the time, and then literally shaking it off as she gets back to her feet. This whole ordeal could easily be avoided if she would just stop her evil attempts to kill us, but where's the fun in that?
It's amazing how much happier I find myself now that we are in a home again. I have come to enjoy the slower paced lifestyle of living in a semi-rural area. While it may not be "country living," to someone else's standards, it is for me when you compare it to my former life. There is something so serene about having bunnies in your yard, and deer in the neighborhood. I have replaced busy traffic and highways with windy, hilly and beautifully scenic country roads, people that are too busy to be polite, with sincerely friendly and kind southerners, and most importantly, I have replaced stress with a feeling of calmness and contemptment. I dare to say that I am on my way to being a refreshed and completely happy version of myself.
I'm not going to lie. The first few months of residing in Augusta were tough. Miserable is probably a better word, and my husband can vouch for my state of mind during that time. Going from a highly developed city of a million people to a predominantly rural area (with glimpses of city life sprinkled in) is quite the adjustment, to say the least. I missed my friends and family, so I escaped to Jacksonville every chance I got. However, making a 5 hour drive (one-way) every other weekend got old really fast...especially when I wrecked my brand new 2010 Camry (that I had never even made a payment on!) during two separate trips, only weeks apart, during my treks to and from Jacksonville.
When we made the decision to move here, we weren't sure if our Jacksonville house would rent out in time, so we made the decision to rent a small one-bedroom apartment in Evans, GA to save on living expenses. It turns out we were able to find pretty wonderful renters within 15 minutes of posting an ad on Craigslist, but by that time we were already stuck in a 6 month lease at the apartment. When we bought our house, I never imagined having to go back to apartment living, so this was not a decision I was happy about, but I had to be practical. The apartment was small (700 sq. ft) and dark, but was actually really nice for what is was. It was in a good location in town, and in close proximity to all the good restaurants and basic shopping (Target, Kohls, Publix, etc.). The two of us living in such tight quarters, with Ryan working around the clock and me having ample down time since I only work 3 days a week, led to me very quickly resenting that stupid little cave apartment. Most of our furniture was too large for the space, so the majority of our belongings were put in a storage unit for the time being. That is when I started to experience Pottery Barn withdrawal, as Ryan called it. The worst part was the kitchen was small and awkward, so I didn't want to cook in it. Cooking is my one true passion, so Ryan knew it wasn't a good sign that I wanted nothing to do with it. On the other hand, this quickly led to our discovery of the amazing food that the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA - that's what everyone calls the area) has to offer. I'm talking mom and pop cooking; stuff you can taste the love and passion that went into it, and is just plain yummy and unique! No big generic chain restaurants here - only the good country stuff. Needless to say, the combination of my sulking on the couch and feeding my homesickness resulted in having to adjust pants sizes. Totally worth it. :)
Thankfully, we were able to get out of our lease a little early, and found an amazing deal on a rental house in Grovetown, GA. It's a little off the beaten path, and I now have a 15-20 minute drive just to get into town or to the nearest Publix. I was calling it country living for a long time, but my dad quickly made fun of me for that - I may have exaggerated it just a little - when he saw it, because what he pictured as living off dirt roads, is actually a beautifully developed (and fully paved) subdivision, filled with gorgeous and massive houses and estates. We live in the more modest section of the neighborhood, in a 3 bedroom/2 bath, 2000 sq. ft. brick house, on a 1/2 acre lot. While it does not have my saltwater pool or newly renovated kitchen with granite and stainless steel that my Jacksonville home so proudly boasts, I find that I love this home equally. It has a fireplace and hardwood floors, a formal dining room, PLUS a huge eat-in kitchen that has a desk space and an island with a bar in it. I am loving spending as much time as possible in the kitchen again. It feels like a home, and everyday I find myself happier to be there. My landlord let me pick out the interior paint colors, which I really had fun with. The gorgeous hardwoods, combined with the warm taupe (really more of a latte brown) wall color, my creamy sectional, and if I do say so myself, expertly picked out decor :) really makes for a sincerely welcoming and wrap-around-you warm home feel. I don't know who loves it more - me, or the cat. Lily, our not-so-friendly, but extremely comical feline child, spends her days planning her attacks and slipping and sliding along the floors, running throughout the house as fast as possible. The problem is that her fuzzy little paws have no traction, so she usually has to stop by slamming into the wall or a piece of furniture, landing upside down the majority of the time, and then literally shaking it off as she gets back to her feet. This whole ordeal could easily be avoided if she would just stop her evil attempts to kill us, but where's the fun in that?
It's amazing how much happier I find myself now that we are in a home again. I have come to enjoy the slower paced lifestyle of living in a semi-rural area. While it may not be "country living," to someone else's standards, it is for me when you compare it to my former life. There is something so serene about having bunnies in your yard, and deer in the neighborhood. I have replaced busy traffic and highways with windy, hilly and beautifully scenic country roads, people that are too busy to be polite, with sincerely friendly and kind southerners, and most importantly, I have replaced stress with a feeling of calmness and contemptment. I dare to say that I am on my way to being a refreshed and completely happy version of myself.
Monday, July 12, 2010
From Jacksonville to Augusta...
On March 27, 2010, Ryan and I packed up everything we own into a U-Haul, a van, a Camry, and an Envoy, handed the keys of our first home to the renters that we found thanks to Craigslist, and hit the road. As we made the 4 1/2 hour journey down long, country roads of rural Georgia, I couldn't help but think about all that we left behind in Jacksonville, the place we have called home for 26 and 28 years. We weren't just leaving our newly purchased home and location of countless Sunday Fun-day pool parties and wonderful memories with friends. We left our friends, our parents, grandparents, step-parents and step-sisters, and our sisters, who we consider to be our best friends, and who it will hurt the most to leave behind. We quit our long standing jobs, left the only place we have known as home, and said goodbye to the people that we love the most in this world. Ahead of us lie not only an adventure, but a fresh start, based soley on a roll of the dice business opportunity. We moved to Augusta not knowing a soul, and with very little knowledge of the city itself. We put everything on the line for an opportunity to start a solid career for Ryan, with the goal that it will allow for me to be a stay at home mom, when the time is right. We don't know for sure if our sacrifices will pay off, but we do know that no matter what the outcome, this will be a life changing experience.
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