The Adventures of Derick and Laura

Because it's time...

2011-02-07T17:00:00.002-05:00

After much contemplation, it's time to say goodbye to the blog for now. We may have new posts here and there, but they will be very sporadic, as we will be so busy soon as our little girls come home from the NICU.

Thanks to everyone who has been along for the ride with us over the past few years. Don't worry though...we'll continue our adventures with three little ladies in tow!

Again, we can't thank everyone enough for your prayers and encouragement, especially during our journey to make our family a reality. Best wishes to you all!

The Journey ~ 9 January, 2011: Introducing our Three Little Ladies

2011-02-04T17:00:00.001-05:00

After a day and a half of going nameless, we’re proud to introduce the world to our three little ladies.

Baby A – Riley Grace -- She is named after Derick’s grandma Billie Riley.

Baby B – Josie Rae -- She is named after my grandpa Ray Horn.

Baby C – Ella Madeline -- Ella’s name includes names that we both liked. However, my great aunt’s name was Madeline.

All three are in the NICU and will be for several weeks. However, they are already meeting several milestones and are doing really well. In the first week or so of being in the NICU, they were off of their IV’s, out from the bilirubin lights, wearing little clothes and having their isolette temperatures turned down so the girls can start taking over maintaining their body temperature a little at a time on their own.

It has been so amazing to see their little personalities emerge already. Riley is our chilled out girl who loves sleeping and having her arms up over her head. Josie is our kicker, but also seems to be a bit timid like she’s not so sure of this big new world yet. Ella is bright eyed, very awake and loves having more room to stretch her legs out now.

It’s also neat to see Derick interact with them. His girls, as he calls them have captured his heart already. We both have so much love for them and can’t wait for them to come home so the real fun and craziness can begin.

I give thanks every day for the three little miracles God has entrusted us with. It was a long journey to get them here, but worth every prayer, tear, doctor visit, blood draw and long conversations contemplating next steps. I also feel that this journey has brought Derick and I so much closer as we were so united in our efforts to make our family a reality.

Thanks so much to everyone who has been praying for us and the safe arrival of our little ones. God definitely heard us and has blessed us beyond measure!

The Journey ~ 8 January, 2011: The Moment We’d Been Praying About for So Long

2011-02-03T17:00:00.002-05:00

Finally it was time. It had been a long road, but we were finally nearly to our destination of making our family a reality. I have to admit that I was still feeling really bad and was a little nervous/scared going into the delivery room. I really didn’t have much of an idea of what to expect. The nurses and doctors took great care of us though and did put me at ease as much as they could. The epidural wasn’t too bad and soon we were ready to roll.

Derick was brought into the room, camcorder and camera in hand ready to capture the action. Who would be coming into the world today? We were so ready to find out, but I honestly didn’t have any gut feelings as to what genders we’d usher in.

In what seemed like just a few short minutes, the doctor started delivering babies. Baby A was a girl. I was so happy, as I really thought we may end up with no girls. I was laying there with little tears streaming down, but trying my hardest to focus on not passing out. I was feeling lightheaded. Baby B was next. Another girl! Derick was roaming around the delivery room capturing their first moments. I was amazed at how calm everyone was. There didn’t seem to be great concerns for the babies’ health, as the doctors and nurses didn’t appear to be in a major hurry to get the babies to the NICU. Baby C was up next. A third girl! I was in total shock, but so very happy to hear all three of their little cries. It was truly a miracle.

Derick was even able to bring Baby C over to me to get a closer look at before all three girls were taken to the NICU. I was so proud, overwhelmed, still blurry eyed and kind of nervous all at one time. It was a very surreal experience.

I’m so glad Derick was able to capture things on video so we can look back on how our three little princesses came into the world. We are so blessed!

After the delivery, I was taken back to the room where I guess I thought I’d start feeling better, then would be able to go to the NICU to see the girls. Not so fast though. I was still on the magnesium sulfate to help counteract seizures. I guess you have to be on this for a certain time after delivery as well. The side effects were still bad and I was still feeling awful.

We managed to bring our parents into the room through to share the news of the arrival of three little ladies with them. They are all thrilled.

Later that night, I remember Derick showing me photos of the girls on the computer, as he had already gone to see them in the NICU. I recall feeling so tired as if I couldn’t even open my eyes or function properly. Later yet, I remember our nurse checking my temperature multiple times, thinking that something was off. My temp was 92 degrees. Soon, our specialist was back at my bedside and I was being stuck every two hours for blood draws. They also brought in this weird plastic blanket thing that they pumped full of hot air for hours to try to raise my body temp. Apparently my labwork showed decreased sodium levels and overly high levels of the magnesium sulfate still in my system and it was not being processed correctly. Overall, the entire evening into the next morning was a complete blur. I felt like a total zombie.

I still hadn’t gotten to go see the girls. To top it off, we still didn’t have our final name picks ready for them. Derick and I had both decided that we wanted to see the babies first before finalizing their names.

Thankfully though, my labs were starting to come back into place by Sunday morning (although my blood pressure was still high). It was another whirlwind day, as visitors started arriving fairly early, completely unaware of the issues we’d been through post delivery and well into the wee hours of the morning.

Derick proudly took people into the NICU to see our still nameless baby girls. I still was laid up in the room unable to go to see them until the magnesium sulfate treatment ended.

This wasn’t the best scenario by far, but I was thankful honestly to be alive after I started to piece together information from the doctor and our nurses. I’m definitely glad to have that behind me now.

Later in the afternoon on Sunday, January 9^th, I was wheeled into the NICU to see our girls. It was a wonderful experience. It’s so amazing to have an immediate love for someone you’ve just met in person. Amazing, wonderful and indescribable. They were all perfect.

We were blessed that none of the girls required any breathing support. They were in isolettes to keep them warm, had IV’s to provide extra nourishment and had to be under bilirubin lights. Overall, we were very, very lucky that they were so healthy from the start.

The Journey ~ 6 January, 2011: Change of Plans

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Our Monday, January 3^rd appointment went well and we were on our way to our January 7^th goal of 32 weeks. As I had been experiencing contractions, I was prescribed terbutaline tablets to take every 4 hours as needed to stop the contractions. By Wednesday, January 5^th though, the tablets didn’t seem to be keeping the contractions away fully. Also, it was about at this time that I noticed my legs seemed heavier and bloated. As water retention is a side effect of terbutaline, I didn’t think a ton of it. However, by Thursday, January 6^th, my legs were even larger and I found it hard to stand up straight because of it. So, I phoned the doctor and was asked to come in that afternoon to be placed on the contraction monitor. Before leaving the house, I decided to weigh myself. I had gained about 8 pounds since Monday’s appointment. I knew that probably was not a good sign.

Soon after arriving at the doctor’s office, I was weighed (confirming the super fast weight gain) and they discovered that my usually low blood pressure was now high. I was also having contractions. At this point, my doctor called our specialist. The hospital would be sending an ambulance to come and get me as soon as possible. I was experiencing preeclampsia.

I phoned Derick and then was prepped for transport. Derick followed the ambulance to the hospital. Thank goodness we both had our bags packed and ready to roll. We really had no idea that things would progress so quickly, especially since things were basically fine and still on track just a few days earlier.

En route, I was given the first of two steroid shots to help the babies’ lung development. Due to the preeclampsia, we would be delivering them early at 32 weeks, 1 day on Saturday, January 8^th. I learned that the cause of preeclampsia isn’t exactly known, but pregnancy with multiples increases one’s risk for the condition. The only way to stop the various symptoms of preeclampsia is to deliver the babies

As you can imagine, this whole event was a whirlwind. By the end of Thursday, I was starting to feel horrible. But, we had a day or so to wait it out, as I still needed another steroid shot on Friday (and it had to have 24 hours to have it’s maximum effect for the babies sake). By Friday, I couldn’t even raise my legs up at all. It was as if I was paralyzed. I was completely bedridden and had to rely on the nurses and Derick to help with nearly everything I needed. I don’t think I had felt so helpless in my entire life. It was somewhere during this time that I was started on an IV of magnesium sulfate to ward off potential seizures that can happen as a result of preeclampsia. I was also put on a high blood pressure medication.

The magnesium sulfate made me feel sort of out of it. By Saturday, I was counting down the hours until our delivery around 2 p.m. I honestly don’t think I could have lasted much beyond that point. I felt practically lifeless and was having blurred vision, but insisted that Derick help me put on some makeup so I didn’t look like a total mess. The nurse joked that we’d end up with three girls since Derick was helping me with my makeup.

I wasn’t allowed any food/water for awhile before the C-Section. I was hungry and extremely thirsty. Again, this was not a fun time. I’m not sure what I was thinking, but I guess I had it in my mind that after the babies were born, I’d feel better right away. Oh, was I wrong…

The Journey ~ A New Chapter

2011-01-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

Change is inevitable. Sometimes it happens because you recognize the need for change and devise a game plan to make it happen. Other times you feel and know that something has to give, but you can’t bring yourself to make it happen.

Maybe it’s being too comfortable and not wanting to take a risk. Sometimes that comfy old sweatshirt is better than breaking in a new one. Maybe it’s being too wrapped up in other aspects of life to focus time and energy on changing things in another arena. Sometimes, you just need someone to step in and make the change happen that you aren’t strong enough to bring about on your own.

Some of you know exactly where this post is going and others are wondering if I’ve fallen off the deep end and am getting all philosophical on you. I’ll admit that it’s probably a little of both.

I’m a big believer that things happen for a reason even though that may be hard to understand…we may sometimes never understand. But, God has a plan for each of us. He sometimes just has to nudge us along the right path. Recently God opened a window that I subconsciously probably wanted to open, but was too afraid to open on my own.

God’s timing to bring some fresh air into my life was perfect. This open window will allow me to focus on my family and be a stay at home mom full time. This also gives me the chance to move my career forward when the timing is right, which is truly a welcome opportunity for me.

I’ll admit that having a nearly 10-year long chapter of my life closed was very bittersweet. But again, God has a plan and knew that this needed to happen at this time for me to move forward both personally and professionally. I honestly have to say that I’m happy to have both opportunities and can’t wait to see what the next chapters hold.

The Journey ~ 4 January, 2011: Enter Sandman

2011-01-09T11:30:00.007-05:00

I’ve been having insomnia for the past few weeks and it’s driving me crazy. I’ve tried mixing up my nap times, not taking naps, going to bed early, going to bed late, you name it. I was advised to try some Tylenol PM to hopefully help with this. Sometimes my mind is on overdrive, which I’m sure contributes to the insomnia. Other times though, I’m legitimately exhausted. Many of the recent photos show that plain as day. This is so very frustrating at times.

Week 31: December 31, 2010

At yesterday’s check up, things went well, but since we’re moving ever closer to our goal, they checked out a few more things. I was put on a monitor to assess contraction activity. I know I’ve been having contractions, but it’s sometimes hard to know how serious they are. Since it seems like this is one of the big things we need to monitor to assess pre term labor, it has been a little tricky for me.

I guess I expected to feel this huge rush of pain when a contraction hits, but it’s really not like that. In fact, some are very subtle and not really what I’d call painful…just a tightening feeling. The monitor was pretty interesting to me. I was to push a little button each time I felt what I thought was a contraction. I kind of felt like I was on a game show ready for the host to ask me a question so I could buzz in first. The monitor also does a little printout of what’s actually happening for a comparison of sorts. Overall, I did pretty well with identifying the stronger contractions.

Of course though, this test led to another dreaded cervical check. With all of the technology we have in this world, can someone not figure out another way to do this procedure? Derick says that I need to come up with a million dollar idea. I think this is it, but of course I have no clue of how to solve it.

Luckily things had stayed the same as our appointment last week. The cervical length is another thing they are monitoring to assess pre term labor. But, as a result, I was prescribed terbutaline. I’m gathering that this really hasn’t been shown to stop pre term labor, but it’s more of a comfort thing. I’ve only taken one pill and thought I handled it ok…or so I thought…the jury is still out on that.

I’m supposed to take this every four hours as needed, but was warned that I’d probably be shaky and this could cause insomnia. YEAH! Surprisingly, after taking the pill, I felt really tired and slept for a few hours. After that though, I tossed and turned for a bit, so I decided to try the Tylenol PM to hopefully get some more rest.

Not sure this was the best idea. I ended up feeling like I was on speed for about 3 hours in the middle of the night and it kind of freaked me out. So, I need to contemplate what tonight’s plan of action will be. However, I finally did fall asleep and am thankful that I’m a little more well rested and can work on more of my to-do list today.

The Journey ~ 4 January, 2011: 99 Bottles of Vitamins on the Wall

2011-01-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

Realizing that we probably needed to get in gear on some things, Derick and I packed our hospital bags this weekend so we’re ready to roll quickly if needed. I say that I packed my bag, but really Derick was the gopher for things and I tried my best to cram them all into the bag.

Although I want the babies to cook a little longer, I can’t express how excited I’ll be to wear normal clothes at some point in the future. My closet of old clothes will seem like a whole new wardrobe, as I’m unable to wear 99% of the things in it now. Granted, I’m not out and about much now. However, on most days I am lucky to pull something together that halfway matches. I’ve started raiding Derick’s closet now and am thankful for t shirts and comfy boxer shorts. It’s quite a sight, if I say so myself. Comfort is the key though.

While contemplating things to pack in the hospital bag, it hit me that I’m amassing quite a collection of vitamins and pills to take daily. These will take up probably half of my second bag (filled with stuff to occupy my time in the hospital). Here’s the rundown:

Prenatal Vitamin

Extra Folic Acid

Fish Oil

Extra Calcium

Protonix for acid reflux – which thankfully is working very well

Tums – to supplement Protonix if needed

Extra Iron x 3/day

Colace x 2/day as needed

Extra Strength Tylenol

And, our newest additions to the pharmacy…

Terbutaline for contractions (more on this later)

Tylenol PM for the continuing insomnia issues

My OCD hasn’t prompted me to make a spreadsheet or checklist for all of these just yet. But, I have a little system in place to make sure I don’t forget anything along the way. I haven’t historically been a big vitamin taker, but started the prenatal and fish oil quite awhile back in preparations for a pregnancy.

Since things have gone fairly smoothly so far, I can’t help but wonder if being on those vitamins, coupled with eating better and exercising regularly for many months before we got pregnant has contributed to that.

I will be excited (if I can find time) to get back into a workout routine after the babies arrive. I’m sure just caring for the babies will be a workout in itself. The more healthy eating habits we had in place pre-pregnancy have kind of gone out the window during the past several months. So, that will be more of a transition because I love sweets and all those things that you really need to eat in moderation. We’ll get there though in time.

The Journey ~ 27 December: A Little Less Action

2011-01-05T11:30:00.002-05:00

30 weeks, 3 days and counting as of today. We have another appointment this afternoon, so hopefully that will go well. Things are still getting progressively more difficult as I suspected, so I’m staying off of my feet as much as possible. I’m basically homebound and am staying in bed except for our trips to the doctor’s office and maybe an hour or so total a day going from point A to point B around the house. Honestly though, this hasn’t been too bad. I had started a little list of things I wanted to work on and have been crossing things off in fairly short order.

I’ve been journaling and blogging, updating our Shutterfly photo albums, contemplating baby names, catching up on reading magazines, wrapping Christmas presents (which is a little tricky in bed), working on compiling info for our taxes, selling things on ebay and packing them up to ship out, networking, paying bills, napping, you name it.

My sleep patterns have been pretty messed up lately. Sleeping is sometimes not easy to start with due to muscle pains, etc. But, for several days in a row, I would fall asleep, then wake up a few hours later totally wide awake. Finally, I started just going to the living room w/the laptop or a magazine and working on things for a few hours until exhaustion set in. After that, I was able to get some rest. But, this whole game set me up for afternoons of long naps, thus the cycle continued. At first, I thought the insomnia was due to a new medication I’m taking for acid reflux. I’ve started taking this in the mornings now in hopes that if this is the culprit, it would remedy itself. Overall though, I don’t think the medication had a ton to do with it (as insomnia is nowhere in the list of potential side effects). Luckily last night went better, so hopefully we’re turning a corner.

Week 30 ~ December 24, 2010

Changes in life often bring changes in traditions with holidays, etc. Although I’m not sure where these changes will lead eventually, we made the decision this year not to go out and about to visit family for Christmas, as I really needed to keep activity as low key as possible. Thankfully Mom and Dad were more than willing to come to us (with massive amounts of food in tow) for Christmas day. We had a good day with them and they were nice enough to say that I looked great, although I know I looked like complete crap and was about to fall asleep for part of the afternoon (see Exhibit A above).

Derick’s Mom, Step Dad, Sister and Brother in Law came over yesterday so we could celebrate with them. After having a good nap on Christmas afternoon and a full night’s sleep for the first time in a few days, I was more alert for their visit. Derick cooked for everyone and it was delicious. We were happy to see everyone despite not being able to make our normal holiday rounds.

The Journey ~ 19 December 2010: Who Are You?

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With three little munchkins now along for the ride, I can’t help but wonder who’s really in there? I’m excited to know who we’ll be adding to the world soon and what their little personalities will be like. For now, here’s what I can say:

Baby A ~ You like to move in little jolt-like motions and sometimes your movements have a bubbly feeling. You’re head is down and you’re in the low, low mid belly region. Your weight has been the highest so far, but your wombmates are gaining on you fast.

Baby B ~ You’re our little soccer player who loves to kick and have your head poking out of my belly, even more than your partners in crime. You also like to creep your little head up under my left lower ribcage, which isn’t always the best feeling. Sometimes I have to be careful, exhaling slowly to try to get you to move down a little bit.

Baby C ~ You’re our little contortionist. In ultrasounds, you’ve been folded in half and have had someone else’s foot in your face at times. You don’t always kick as much, but sometimes like to use my right lower ribcage like a jungle gym. You’re always the most difficult for me to discern exactly where you’re at in there.

Although I think some people suspect we may know your genders and already have names picked out for you, I assure you, we are nearly clueless on the gender thing and are anxiously awaiting your arrivals. We are making progress on having options of names for you, as we know you won’t want to be Babies A, B and C for long after you make your entrances. Hopefully we’ll make good choices for you that will fit your personalities as you grow. That being said, we’d love it if you’d hold off for a few more weeks before busting into the world. The longer you can “cook”, the sooner you’ll be able to come home and enjoy being three little monkeys in your jungle-themed nursery.

Week 29 ~Dec. 17, 2010

The Journey ~ 15 December: Ugh…not that again?

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Week 28 ~ Dec. 10, 2010 -- Tired Eyes

We’re having weekly appointments now as we near closer to our 32 week goal. Everything checked out great with the babies and they weighed in at 2 lbs 9 oz, 2 lbs 7 oz and 2 lbs 6 oz (on 12/13) It’s a little hard to believe that combined, they all add up to one average size baby and we still have some weeks to go. I was pleased though that they are all growing well and there’s not a big discrepancy in their weights in relation to each other.

I always enjoy seeing the babies on the ultrasounds and getting such awesome photos of their little faces. It’s truly amazing to see that much detail. One not so amazing thing is another little check the doctor has to do to make sure my cervix isn’t open. Not fun. In fact, this is horrible and I am dreading having it done again, although I’m sure it’s on the horizon a few more times at least.

I know it’s all for a good cause though. I can’t help but think that this whole year has been like a marathon. In real life, I’ll probably never run a marathon. But, I can relate to the constant struggle to keep focusing on small goals and keep moving forward despite the pain, discomfort and feeling that you can’t take much more.

That all being said, I’m journaling about this a few days later and feel better about things now. It’s like I’ve received some jolt of reassurance, like I’ve just passed an Aid Station of sorts and that I can keep going. Again, I’m trying to focus on the next few days versus the next few weeks.

So, keep the prayers coming! 28 weeks, 4 days and counting!!

The Journey ~ 14 December 2010: Riding the Wave

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Maybe I spoke too soon about everything going fairly smoothly. We spent the weekend trying to keep things low key, but we did venture out to Derick’s work Christmas party. I felt ok at the party, but not great. Having three little monkeys in tow makes mobility a bit more challenging. It was a late night, so I spent Sunday relaxing. We had another appointment on Monday afternoon (12/6). I was a little concerned that the munchkins hadn’t been their lively selves for the past day or so. At our appointment, I was a bit on edge, as they didn’t move around as much on the ultrasound either. Their heart rates and fluid levels were good, but there wasn’t as much activity. The doctor had me drink some apple juice, then continued to monitor things for a bit. The babies perked up a little, but all of them didn’t exhibit the practice breathing motions that I guess they start to look for around week 28.

I have to say that this really worried me. Every report up to this point had always been great. Although not overly concerned, they asked me to come back on Tuesday for another check (and to make sure I ate right before coming in). So, a Tuesday morning with some tears, poking around on my belly asking the babies to please start moving, a Noble Romans pan pizza with the works and an order of breadsticks later…the re-check went fine. Babies were all active and doing their breathing thing. I was so relieved.

The next day, I went in for my glucose test to see if I was developing gestational diabetes. Immediately after drinking the sugary orange drink, the babies went bananas and were movin’ and groovin’. I found out on Friday that my sugar was actually on the low side (even after drinking the drink). So, no worries for now on the diabetes side. But, maybe that would explain the lack of activity a few days prior. Not sure, but now I’m focusing on trying to eat more carbs and eat more overall. So far, so good. The babies are their active little selves again and all is well.

Despite the good reports, I’ve been having quite a bit of muscle pain lately, so I’ve been trying to stay off of my feet as much as I can.

Commercials We're Loving this Holiday Season

2010-12-23T08:49:00.000-05:00

Derick and I love tv, but lately we've been staying around the house a lot more than usual and watching more than ever. Here are a few of our favorite commercials to brighten your day. It's always amazing to me how music really makes the difference in so many ads...click on these and you'll see what I mean. And, one can't help but recognize that we have kiddos in the brain, as these all include little munchkins in one way or another.

HP ePrint "Happy Baby" ~ I have to admit that yes, we actually love this one so much that we DVR'd it and have played it once a day or more since then. It makes me smile (until the end when the baby's pic is being taken right by what appears to be a cliff and then I kind of have a mini freak out, since this is one of my big fears). You can download the song from the You Tube link.

Target Christmas 2010: "Is it Time Yet? Is it Time, I Can't Wait." ~ I can just imagine this being the scene at our house someday and I can't wait! Love the song? You can download it for FREE on Target's website (along with some other holiday songs). Enjoy!

Nissan Quest "Triplets" ~ First off, I'm loving the sweet little sports car at the beginning of the spot. No way I'm getting anything like that anytime soon though. And, I would love to have seen the look on our faces when we got the triplet news. I would imagine it was pretty similar.

So, here's wishing you and your families a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Again, we have much to be thankful for and can't wait for Christmas next year. I'm sure it will be wild and crazy!

The Journey ~ Giving Thanks

2010-12-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

I was so glad that I wasn’t sidelined prior to Thanksgiving. I always enjoy the holidays and was really looking forward to seeing everyone and, chowing down on the great food too! We spent the day with Derick’s family and saw Mom and Dad later in the weekend.

I have to say that I was a little bummed that I couldn’t get up at 2 a.m. and do the whole Black Friday thing. I already have plans for next year though!

But, back to the original point of my post…I have so much to be Thankful for. Mostly, I’m thankful that God has a perfect plan in place, even when it’s not what we anticipated. He always works things out for the best in the end. I’m trying to learn to be more accepting of this and put my faith and trust in Him.

Derick – What more can I say? He is an amazing person. So loving, caring, kind, supportive, nurturing, funny and more than I could ever ask for. I am truly blessed and can’t imagine life without him. I know he’ll be a great Dad too. I know I can always count on him no matter what. We’ve had lots of wonderful times and made many memories since the day we met. But, above all of the fun times we’ve had, it’s often the tough times that show you who a person really is. From everyday stresses to big tough times, he is there. He has been my partner in crime during The Journey, sharing my disappointments, fears and joys during this entire crazy ride. We have more than ever to be thankful for this year.

Mom and Dad – Again, what more can I say? They’re always there for me, listening to my incessant rantings about mostly menial things and giving love and support. They’re so excited for the arrival of these three little munchkins.

Family and Friends – I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. We are especially appreciative of your prayers during this past year. Keep them coming!

Week 27 ~ Dec. 3

The Journey ~ Current Stats

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As of November 23^rd, the babies weighed in at 2 lbs, 1 lb 11 oz and 1 lb 13 oz. They are moving quite a lot now, which is really neat to experience. The doctor is happy with their growth and our progress so far. I always feel better (at least so far) after our appointments.

Even though I don’t feel great personally, if I get news that things are good medically, it gives me the push to suck it up and keep on going. That being said, it’s still rough…really rough at times. I’ve started wearing an elastic support band thing called a Mini Cradle to help with the pressure. I don’t have anything to compare my experience to, but wonder how a triplet pregnancy feels in comparison to a singleton one. I’m sure neither is easy, especially toward the end.

So far I’ve gained around 35 pounds. Not sure if I’ll make it to the 50-60 pound goal from the nutritionist, but no one seems concerned anymore on that front. Luckily, the weight all seems to be in my tummy area.

Week 26 ~ Nov. 26

Cardigan circa early 90's.

No joke...I think I wore it in my 8th grade school photo.

Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I like it and it still fits, thankfully.

Birthday Boy!

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Happy Birthday to my IronMan!

Sending hugs, kisses and wishes your way for an awesome year ahead

and a wild ride with three little munchkins!

I love you mucho grande!

The Journey ~ Week 24, 25 Pics

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Above: Week 24 ~ Nov. 12 -- trying my best not to look exhausted

Below: Week 25 ~ Nov. 19 -- the babies are already rooting for the Cowboys : )

The Journey ~ My Right Hand Man

2010-12-09T17:00:00.001-05:00

As we move closer to our goal of 32 – 35 weeks, things are getting tougher. I’m not very mobile now and have been relying very heavily the past few weeks on Derick’s help with things. I honestly have no clue what I’d do without him. He is willing to do anything I ask of him and gets annoyed when I try to do things on my own. From going to Wal-Mart, cooking, folding laundry and cleaning, to helping me put lotion on the bottoms of my legs (since I can’t really reach them easily), he’s there. I can’t express how thankful I am to have him as my partner in life and on this wonderful journey.

Week 23 - Nov. 5

The Journey ~ Vacancy for Three

2010-12-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

Nursery – Although I’m sure there’s no way we could ever be ready for three newborns to enter our world, I think we’re about as prepared as we can be right now. Nearly everything is washed up and put away. I have a short list of things that we still will want to purchase before the little ones come home. Thankfully, that list is really short, as our family and friends have been so generous. Here are some “in progress” shots of the nursery.

The Journey ~ So Much to Say

2010-12-05T19:52:00.000-05:00

5 December 2010: So Much to Say

Sorry for the long absence. I’ve been a little preoccupied this past month. So, I’m bound and determined to schedule a few posts for the next week or so. I’ll also include weekly belly pics for everyone’s enjoyment.

Time Trials – Over the past month or so, I think God is somehow trying to prepare Derick and I for the strange sleep habits/patterns we’re sure to develop when the babies arrive. We’ve had several sleepless nights and random awakenings in the middle of the night. Although I usually just lay there and ponder my to do list and other miscellaneous things, Derick sometimes gives in and gets out of bed. He’s been to the gym a few times at around 3 or so in the morning over the past few months. Strange how this all works, but I really do think it’s preparation in some way.

Week 22 - Oct 29

Thank you Blog for Giving Me a Way to Waste Some Time

2010-10-30T16:17:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to get motivated to do some things around the house this afternoon. Thankfully the Blog popped into my mind and is saving me from action for a few more minutes. Warning: This post will likely be totally random. Just roll with it. My mind is everywhere these days.

Today has already flown by too quickly. The weather here is beautiful. I love Fall, but it often doesn't stick around long enough.

We slept in this morning, which was very much needed. Our weird sleep schedules are a whole other story for another post.

We're still checking things off of our to-do list. Derick hung some pictures in my office this morning. He's out working in the yard now (while I'm supposed to be working on nursery stuff, etc.). Next up on the agenda is hanging hooks for stuff that has been in the way forever and/or fallen over way too many times...bikes, ironing board and the stroller.

Christmas shopping is nearly finished.

We still need to talk more about baby names...haven't done that a ton yet, but surprisingly half way agree on a few top pics at this point.

I wish I had some ice cream.

Tomorrow I'm planning to finish up a Shutterfly photo album I've been working on with pics from the past year or so. Gotta get that one wrapped up before the trio arrives.

Wait...we have ice cream in the freezer. Am I motivated enough to fix myself a bowl? Not yet.

By the way...health care reform...don't think it's going to be so hot for Derick and I. Not that we really expected that it would be. I just received info on next year's benefit options/costs. Good thing this is Halloween weekend because it's a little scary. I'm sure it will be fine. It has to be, right? Not much we can do about it all right now. Hopefully everyone will get out and vote on Tuesday. I'll try to refrain from being too political on the Blog, but have some strong thoughts on whether the car should be in D or R.

The babies are starting to move around more now. It's not like I have a whole band of Animals (from Muppet Babies) playing the drums in my tummy. But, it's definitely noticeable in a weird, wonderful kind of way.

Here's wishing everyone a great Halloween weekend. The babies are ready for some ice cream now and I'm not one to argue with them on that. I will put my foot down though and insist it be topped with chocolate syrup and caramel.

The Journey ~ They're Finally Here...Pregnancy Pics

2010-10-28T18:00:00.000-04:00


Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18

Week 19

Week 20


Week 21

Here are a few pics of our progress. See, I told you they existed, but I was just too lazy to upload them. Luckily, Blogger has a new way to load pics that makes the task much quicker than in the past.

I only have the Week 14 pics forward. Derick has the earlier pics on his camera. But, let's be honest, everyone asking for the pics really wanted to see these and not the earlier less pudgy ones : )

The Journey ~ October 17: Baby Shower Pics

2010-10-26T17:00:00.002-04:00

18 October 2010: Surprises, Sickness, Meltdowns and Blessings

2010-10-25T20:48:00.001-04:00

This weekend was packed full of excitement…some great and some not-so-great. I’ll start at the beginning.

Surprises

Derick’s office threw a surprise baby shower for him on Friday morning. I’m sure it would have been neat to see the look on his face when he walked into the room. Thanks to everyone involved. We really appreciate it.

Sickness

Apparently Derick had a little too much excitement and ended up really, REALLY sick on Friday night. I felt bad for him because it didn’t seem like there was much we could really do about it other than waiting it out. This is probably the sickest I’ve seen him in awhile, but he was a trooper through it all and started feeling better later in the weekend. I’m still not so sure he didn’t have the flu, but hopefully he’s seen the worst of it now.

Meltdowns

Meanwhile, I had tons of things on my to-do list for the weekend. Although I know I need to slow down, I keep on pushing to get things ready for the munchkins and am trying to keep the house in order. Derick really needed to rest, but I had to get a move on. So, I was cramming all of our recyclables into my truck (since our bins were overflowing and it was driving me nuts). No, this isn’t a pregnancy thing…I’m just weird like that. I have to get everything accomplished now. Derick came outside to try to help me and I ended up going pretty crazy. I think he thought my head was going to spin around like something out of the Exorcist. I really did go pretty ballistic. He had no idea why I was freaking out. I had no idea why he didn’t know why I was freaking out. So, after me screaming, throwing my keys down and having a fit trying to get him just to let me do my thing, we both headed to drop off the recycling. I felt pretty bad about going psycho on him, but really just wanted him to rest and let me take care of things. He knows that I need to let him help with things, but I’m too stubborn and still try to do what I can (or think I can) on my own.

Needless to say, we ended up running errands around town after that. Derick now knows where to find maternity pants and bras for me should I have to go on bed rest later and need someone to be my personal shopper. I’m sure he was super excited about this. I also took him to my favorite store in town (Just Whimsy). He wasn’t too enthralled by it, but definitely now understands why I like to go there and check things out.

Blessings

THANKS SO MUCH to Mom, Vicki and Maria for hosting our three peas in a pod themed baby shower on Sunday afternoon. Derick and I are so blessed and loved being able to see and talk to so many of our family and friends. The afternoon was really a whirlwind and I feel like I needed more time to catch up with everyone. We had an open house couples shower to be able to just hang with everyone, but it still felt kind of like our wedding reception in that by the time we were finished, I was thinking about everyone that I didn’t get to talk to that much since the time flew by. We truly appreciate everyone’s generosity and prayers for our growing family. It was great to see so many people so excited for our little miracles.

We can’t wait for their arrival…20 weeks and counting. And again, we got a good report during our last check up (Thursday). We see the doctor again on the 26^th.

Oct 12 2010: What a Difference a Week Makes

2010-10-12T19:53:00.002-04:00

I can officially say I feel like Humpty Dumpty now. In the past week it has become very apparent that all of our early preparations were worth it. Although there are still things to do, I’m realizing very quickly that I have to slow down. I can’t really get around like I used to and have been putting fewer things on my to do list each day. I’m also learning to accept help, even though I like to try to be superwoman and do everything on my own. At this point, it’s really not possible. Derick is being a huge help with things even though he’s super busy too. I think both of us wish we could stop time over the weekends.

Last weekend we went to Derick’s class reunion events. As a testament to my having to slow down, I didn’t dance to one song (insert frowny face here). I’m usually one of the first to break out my dancin’ shoes, but no deal now that I’m packing a little extra cargo. Luckily Derick’s not really a dancer unless I pester him to, so we just hung out and he got to catch up with friends.

Although I’d really love to hope that bedrest isn’t on the horizon, at this point, I wouldn’t be shocked if that happens somewhere along the line. I have another appointment on Thursday, so hopefully we’ll continue to have good news. Despite being monitored every two weeks, the rapid changes sometimes make me wish we were being checked out more often. Then again, I’m also wondering if my discomfort lately could be another phase as I’m “growing” as Derick calls it. I had some discomfort a month or so ago and was told that it was due to things expanding, etc. After about a week, it got better. So, here’s hoping that’s the case, but knowing that it’s probably not this time.

I’m about 19.5 weeks along now toward our doctor’s 32-week goal. I’m really hoping by some miracle we can make it to the maximum point of 35 weeks (this is as far as our doctor said she’d let me go). I think I’ve felt a few kicks here and there, but suspect that action will be more obvious in the coming weeks. Oh, and the whole weight thing…I don’t think I have too much to worry about. I’m not sure that I’ll pack on the 50-60 total pounds, but am on my way to the 24 pounds by 24 weeks mark. I still kind of laugh when I think about gaining that much, but know it’s all for a good cause. I’m sure I’ll have a heck of a built in work out plan when the munchkins arrive, so hopefully no real worries about losing it. I will say that if just two distinct areas stay a little bigger after this is all said and done, I wouldn’t be crushed.

For those of you wanting pics…I know…I’m not doing well with that. We have the belly pics and I honestly don’t mind sharing. I’m frankly just too lazy to figure out how to convert them to a lower resolution that will work better on the blog. Maybe Derick can help me with that in all of his free time. We will post pics at some point, I promise! Trust me though, I do actually look pregnant now.

The Journey ~ October 4: Nursery Updates and MANY THANKS!!

2010-10-08T17:19:00.001-04:00

Nursery Preparations

We had a whirlwind Saturday this past weekend making lots of progress on the nursery. Although it was a really long day, I’m glad that we were able to check a few more things off of our list. Our day started off with looking at a triple stroller. Although this is a no nonsense model compared to others we’ve seen, we got a fabulous deal on it and know we can use it for a bit after the babies outgrow the Triple Decker stroller. We’re still on the search for a good, used Triple Decker. This is a stroller frame that our infant carriers will just snap into. Nearly every triplet mom I’ve talked to has recommended this stroller when the babies are little enough for infant carriers…22 pounds and under.

Next we headed to a kid’s consignment sale and scored more bargains. By now, you all know I love the quest for a great deal. I’ll definitely keep these sales top of mind. Moms were carrying around stacks of gently used clothes, Halloween costumes, etc. Once the babies are here, we can really stock up these things and save big by planning ahead a little. I also made a mental note that Derick was one of the few men I saw there. He has been such a help with everything, along for the ride wherever I drag him.

We met up with my friend Jessica and her kiddos for lunch, then went back to her beautiful new house to take a look at the cutest little baby clothes. We ended up with a few large bags of clothes and an exersaucer. I’m sure our kids will get lots of use out of these items. Thanks so much to Jessica and her husband Tony!

On Sunday, we were surprised yet again. This time by two former high school teachers of mine that I was very close to and have kept in touch with since then. They brought over a glider rocker/ottoman and activity center for the babies. It was great to see them and give them a tour of our home.

Derick and I are amazed and so thankful for the generosity we’ve been shown and are so appreciative for family and friends that are being supportive of us and the little munchkins. Thanks again to everyone for their support, love and prayers.

The Journey ~ October 6: More September Updates

2010-10-06T17:15:00.001-04:00

Dressing the part

I broke out the maternity pants this past week. I’m still wearing my normal shirts, but definitely am being choosy, as many things in my normal wardrobe don’t fit. With the change of seasons coming on, I should have several options with sweaters, etc. I’m a little apprehensive to buy a ton of maternity things and pay full price (I’ve scored big on yard sale maternity pants), since I don’t know how big I’ll get and how fast. So, I’m playing that all by ear now.

Cribs and Carseats

We picked up our cribs this weekend and are excited to get them put together. Our carseats arrived last week and thankfully fit into both of our vehicles. I have to say that I’m overjoyed by this. Not that I’m opposed to the mini van. However, I really, really love my truck and am not ready to part with it just yet. I know we will at some point in the future. For now though, that’s another obligation and change we don’t need. So, the Ford Escape rides on!

NICU Tour

We also took a tour of the St. Mary’s NICU and got the low down on how things will flow during our delivery and our stay at the hospital. This made me feel more at ease, but admittedly, I’m concerned about the length of time the babies could be in the hospital. Although I’ll have time off for maternity leave and to recover from the C-Section, I have to say that my largest stressor right now is not the fact that we’re having three babies. My largest source of stress is not knowing how long they’ll be in the hospital and the fear that I won’t have much time at home with them during my leave before I have to return to work. I try to sort through how this can work out well and still haven’t totally figured that out yet, but think I have made some progress on that front. We’ll just have to wing some of it and not have a firm plan for now.

The Journey ~ October 4: Time Flies

2010-10-04T19:15:00.000-04:00

I’m finally taking time to focus on chronicling what’s been up with us lately. I think it now probably goes without saying that every day seems packed with things to do and the weekends are never long enough. So, I’ll try to refrain from reiterating that sentiment in every post. That being said, it’s an ever-present thought in my mind.

Current Status

In the past month, we’ve had a few more appointments (we’re basically being monitored every two weeks at this point) and all is going well. As of September 28^th, the babies were at 7, 6, and 6 ounces. We are holding out on learning what the babies’ genders are, but I’m pretty sure they were able to discern this at last week’s appointment. I’ve been feeling good, but seeing times when I need to slow down and rest more.

Bon Appetite?

I was a little frustrated earlier in September after being referred to a dietitian. Our specialist said she wanted a plan for how I was going to gain all of the weight I need to gain during the pregnancy…funny how many of us spend our lives trying to prevent things (aka pregnancy and weight gain). For these things to sometimes take a concerted effort seems a little ironic.

After about 15 weeks and no real sickness to speak of, I had only gained about 6 pounds. I just assumed that since I wasn’t being picky about what I was eating, the weight would increase naturally over time…no worries. Little did I know that the suggested weight gain for pregnancy with triplets is 50-60 pounds! It has taken many years of my life to achieve that kind of weight gain, so you can imagine my shock after being told this is a goal for me to meet in a matter of months. I essentially learned that I should be in training with Joey Chestnut (he’s the major league eater guy that has won the hot dog eating contest the past few years).

The dietitian was very nice and gave me lots of tips on how to increase my calories. She basically told me that I have to take in more calories, regardless of where those calories come from at this point. She even pointed out that Blizzards have like 600 calories and count as dairy, so eat up and don’t feel bad about it. One might think that being told you can eat whatever you like with a free pass, so to speak, would be easy. Trust me. It’s not quite as easy as you’d think.

The dietitian gave me a chart showing how many servings per day would be a good rule of thumb.

Grains -- 1 slice of bread = 1 serving. It’s suggested that I eat 12 servings per day! That’s like ½ a loaf of bread. Not to mention 10 ounces of meat, 10 servings of dairy and a bunch of fruits and veggies.

At first, I went into Laura mode and made an Excel spreadsheet to try to track my servings. After about 2 –3 days of trying to change my habits and stuffing my face literally at times to the point that I was crying feeling so bloated and sick, I chucked the spreadsheet.

Thankfully my appetite has increased overall in the past few weeks. I am now gaining a bit of weight and definitely look pregnant and not just a little fat. It really has been somewhat of a life change, since we have historically tried to eat somewhat healthy, choosing low sugar items, etc. The dietitian said not to eat anything low sugar or low fat for now. I’m discovering that although it has been years since I’ve drank a glass of milk (yes, I’m bad, I know), I am really enjoying Carnation Instant Breakfasts and chocolate milk treats throughout the day. So, despite not following a strict diet and spreadsheet to track things, I am making progress.

Just one of the many things that drive me nuts

2010-09-23T12:00:00.003-04:00

I really don't have time to blog, but today instead of working while eating lunch I thought I would share a random observation that happened to me today, a couple of weeks ago (at 2 different Subway Restaurant locations) and several times before.

What is up with people who just hand you your food at a drive thru window and don't say anything? They just give you your food and a stupid look. Is this some kind of Subway policy? I always say thanks or thank you when I get the food. Shouldn't they say something like have a nice day, come back again, or kiss my ass?

Does this happen everywhere or just around here?

It makes me want to do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgRs3Bca9tI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGoljjPSyBQ&feature=fvsr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcDGMl4Lie0

The Journey ~ 3 September 2010: Picking up the Pace

2010-09-20T21:37:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who has been hanging with us on the blog. I know I haven’t been very good lately about updating things, but am honestly just trying to keep my head above water at times.

August was extremely busy for us. We were fresh off the news of triplets. I have to say that I’m happy about things, but still really coming to reality that we’re going to have three little ones around the house in a matter of months. I’m back on the yard sale trail and have made several bargain purchases. So much so that our living room was starting to get overrun with baby equiptment. I’m back in planner mode and we’ve figured a few things out again…budget, child care, nursery layout, cribs, carseats, stroller, etc. I’ve also gotten connected with the Mothers of Multiples group, which has been very helpful, as some items (namely strollers) for triplets are specialty items that you really can’t shop for in a store. We met a couple with triplets and gained some great insight from them on how they manage three little ones in various situations.

We’ve had a few more doctor appointments and everyone says that things are looking great so far. We need to organize the ultrasound pics, as I’m sure we could probably fill a small album with them already. They’re monitoring me very closely. This will likely get more intense as things continue on. Right now we’re having appointments about every two weeks.

I’m feeling ok. Still no vomiting, but nausea has continued a bit. I’m tired and have some headaches, but mostly feel crampy by mid afternoon and throughout the night. I was really worried about this earlier on, but the doctors all say that this feeling is due to the expansion of everything that’s happening more rapidly with triplets than a normal pregnancy. So, in their book, it’s to be expected. It is pretty uncomfortable at times though.

We visited a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist who will be leading the direction of my care from here on out. She comes highly recommended, but definitely pointed out all of the complications that can happen with multiples. Most of this we were already aware of, but it’s sometimes kind of a downer to hear about this in a laundry list all at one time. We just have to keep faith though that things are good now and that they’ll continue to be good throughout. This specialist’s goal is that we make it to 32 weeks, and she probably wouldn’t let us go past 35 weeks. This means that the babies should hopefully arrive in January 2011.

Work has been so extremely busy for both of us. Thankfully I’m training a back up person and so far, so good with the training. I’m not always good about letting go of tasks and asking for help, but am realizing that this is needed to get her where she’ll need to be to ultimately take the reigns for a bit while I’m out. She’s a quick learner and very detail oriented. I am feeling confident that things will be ok while I’m out for awhile focusing on the babies. I’m sure I won’t have the time and energy to worry about work when I’m on maternity leave even if I wanted to. But, that being said, I don’t want things going all to crap while I’m out either. Training continues and having a dedicated back up person will be a great blessing.

All of the above going on and not to mention that Derick was finishing his final month of training prior to his first Iron Man distance race in Louisville. The weather was so hot during parts of August, but Derick pressed on, sticking to his game plan for training. Hopefully he’ll blog in more detail about the race a little later. He’s been pretty overwhelmed too.

I was tired just following Derick around on race day. I have no idea how he does it, but he definitely has perseverance. He has worked so hard for this race for a long, long time. There was no way I wasn’t going to do all I could to be there throughout to cheer him on. Luckily, Derick’s sister, her husband and Derick’s mom met up with us in Louisville. I was so proud to see Derick cross the finish line. He stuck to his plan and the race went really well as far as I can tell. Again, hopefully he’ll fill in the details of the race action, but I couldn’t be more proud. I can’t imagine the sense of accomplishment he felt when he crossed that finish line.

The Journey ~ July 31 2010: Where On Earth Do I Even Begin?

2010-09-09T17:00:00.002-04:00

31 July 2010: Where On Earth Do I Even Begin?

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. The past few weeks have been eventful to say the least. After our pregnancy test, I actually started feeling pretty good for about a week. A few weeks ago (week 6 of my pregnancy) we went in for an ultrasound and the “head count.” This is when we’d learn if we were having one baby or two. Both Derick and I thought we were having twins based on how the procedures had gone, my high lab values and some of Dr. G’s comments on the quality of the embryos, etc. So, we were actually hoping that would be the case. We’d been through all of this for a baby, why not get twins out of the deal and call it a day.

To our delight, the ultrasound revealed our prediction…TWINS!! We were ecstatic. Again, I went into planner mode and was trying to figure out how this would change the scenario from only having one baby. I had been thinking along the twin lines anyway, so in fairly short order we had things figured out.

We toured a few day care centers and finally made a choice that we felt was right for our situation. The budget was worked out. Things were good. Full steam ahead.

But, sometimes life throws you a bit of a curve ball. We had what we thought was a fairly routine follow up ultrasound (week 8) earlier this week. This day can go down as the most shocking day of my entire life…seriously…read on. The nurse we really like did the ultrasound. Note, that the other person (who happened to do our first ultrasound) isn’t there anymore interestingly.

So, this nurse (who hadn’t done our first ultrasound) asked, “How many kids were you having again?” Since I hadn’t been feeling so hot the week or so prior to this exam, I was thinking that maybe one of the babies was gone. I told her twins and asked if one wasn’t there anymore. She replied, “Uh, girl…there’s three in there.”

If I wouldn’t have been laying on the table, I probably would have fallen over. Derick popped up from the chair and looked at the monitor. I think it’s safe to say that we were both in massive shock. I said, “You’ve got to be kidding me?” I have no clue what Derick said.

This was definitely no joke. In what we’re told is a rare situation (like 1% in my doctor’s office), one of the embryos split, creating a set of identical twins and one that will be a fraternal twin to those two.

How long the embryos can continue to divide? I immediately thought of a Gremlin that you can’t get water on or they keep multiplying like wildfire (or something like that…you get my drift though). We were told that this would have happened immediately very early on. The three babies are all around the same size and are doing great for the stage they’re at. We were assured that this didn’t just happen overnight. We have no idea how the third baby was missed in the ultrasound two weeks ago, but somehow it was.

The nurse also reassured us many, many times that there are only three babies. Only three. I’m supposed to go back for a follow up in two weeks and, have to say that I’m a little nervous to go since each time I do, they find another baby.

Don’t get me wrong, we are excited and feel very, very blessed. But, I won’t lie that the first thought I had was panic and how could this be happening. Twins…we were ready for that. But triplets…that creates a whole set of other challenges. Will three car seats fit in my truck? I can’t physically carry (outside of the womb) three babies at one time. Will I be on bed rest for months? Will they be healthy?

Panic, fear, excitement…these are some of the emotions I felt. Derick, although shocked was very calm about things (maybe he was just stunned). He commented that, “It’s only one more.” And, “three more and we can have a TV show.” Very funny, but I don’t think so.

So, obviously we now need your prayers more than ever. I’m getting past the shock and, “how in the world do we do this” feeling. I’m working on my game plan for how the babies’ rooms will be set up and we think we’ve decided (again) on the appropriate child care situation. There are definitely some kinks to work out, but I have no doubt those things will fall into place.

My parents and friends have been greatly supportive and have offered to help any way they can. Although I’d love to think that we can do things on our own, with triplets I do think we’ll need some help at least at first.

Overall, my prayer is that I can stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible, as this in turn will lead to hopefully three healthy little munchkins several (we hope) months from now.

The Journey ~ July 2-5: Food, Fun, Family and Freedom, Etc.

2010-09-07T17:00:00.001-04:00

2 - 5 July 2010: Food, Fun, Family and Freedom

Today (July 3) we went to New Harmony for Derick’s cousin’s wedding. I love all of the little shops and the quaint atmosphere, so I suggested we get there early to kick around a bit before the wedding. I was on my new stretch of feeling good for the first time in about 10 days, so the plan was to walk around town and check things out.

We had a yummy lunch at Red Geranium and then made our way to the main drag for some shopping. I found a cute necklace and we sampled some wonderful chocolate.

Next up was the wedding at the Roofless Church. Although hot, it was a beautiful day and the ceremony was nice. I’ve only been to a few outdoor weddings and really enjoyed it. We got to visit with family and enjoy more good food at the reception.

We even made it home in time to watch the massive fireworks display put on by the neighborhood across the street. Overall, it was an awesome day and a great weekend.

7 July 2010: Make My Day

Today I gave my friend Shelley a call to share the good news. She reads the blog, so I know she’ll be excited to see this. Her enthusiasm is contagious and never disappoints. Thanks, Shelley for being so excited. Your squeals of joy made my day!

The Journey ~ June 30: The Call

2010-09-05T16:13:00.000-04:00

2 July 2010: Over the Hump?

Thankfully I learned a few days after our positive pregnancy test that my progesterone levels were high enough that I can stop my shots. Now, I’m down to one pill each morning and patches. It’s a piece of cake compared to the pharmacy we were dealing with earlier in the process. Since stopping the shots, I’m happy to report that the pain is nearly gone and I’ve been off of my pain pills and Tylenol for several days. Maybe I’m over the hump for now where the “ripping your intestines out” pain is concerned.

The Journey ~ 27 June 2010: Rough

2010-07-31T11:34:00.000-04:00

As I've journaled quite a bit about this, The Journey will be broken into several posts. If you're trying to locate previous entries, they'll be on the sidebar under Labels "The Journey". You can also click Come Along for the Ride on the sidebar to subscribe to posts.

The Journey ~ 27 June 2010: Rough

That’s the only way I can describe this entire week. Work has had it’s share of usual craziness, but nothing too unusual. However, I have felt downright horrible at times every day this past week. This is why I had a hiatus on blog posts.

Pain similar to a bad stomachache typically started around 3 or 4 every afternoon. For a day or so, I could kick it with Tylenol. But, after that, no deal. I’ve been thankful for my pain pills, as they have been needed in a serious way. I’m not taking them 24/7 or anything like that, but I have had to take multiple pills each day to stay out of as much horrible pain as possible. After getting the pain to subside in the evenings, it has tended to kick back in anywhere between midnight and 5 a.m. each day. Luckily it goes away in the fairly early mornings and for most of the day so I can work in relative peace. And, funny thing about work…I work for a clinical research company and through all of this process I’ve been amazed at the miracles medicine has to offer. Kind of neat to be a part of that process on the development side. Especially when things benefit you or someone you love.

Ok, back to the pain. Yesterday we went to a pool party and cookout. Although I was sidelined from swimming, I was looking forward to seeing people from our small group at church. I’ll have to admit though that I was a little nervous about being gone for the afternoon at someone else’s home, not knowing when and if the pain would return. It seems like it hits hard and fast, so sometimes I’m balled up on the couch just waiting for the meds to kick in.

Thankfully, I wasn’t too bad yesterday and we had a good time. By last night though, my entire stomach felt as hard as a rock…completely and painfully bloated out. After a little Internet Doctoring, I decided to page the nurse to get her take on it. My philosophy was that if this is “normal”, I’ll deal with it. But, it is pretty painful, so I wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything else going on. She asked a few questions, then said things were fine and to stay on my pain pills. Apparently this is something to be expected.

Today (Sunday) hasn’t been overly bad. I’ve been on a few pills here and there, but they seem to be combating the pain. Derick headed off to Patoka Lake for a swim, so I’m at home relaxing. He’s taking very good care of me and giving me time to rest.

Our pregnancy test is coming up soon to see if the procedure worked. Although I’m typically very impatient, I’ve been more calm with this part of the process. I think the feeling horrible part is some of it, since I have to think that something is going on for me to feel this bad. Also, Dr. G and his nurse have made positive comments about what they feel our outcome will be. I’m hoping their feelings ring true.

Century Ride

2010-07-23T19:52:00.005-04:00

A bike ride of 100 miles or more is commonly called the almighty century ride among serious cyclists. I rode my first century ride yesterday in not so ideal conditions in my training for the Ironman upcoming next month. It was 95 degrees at the midpoint of the ride (about 92 at the start and finish - heat index 100+ no doubt) and it took 5 hours and 48 minutes.

I have been tracking my sweat rate for the past couple of rides to make sure that I am hydrating properly. I estimate my sweat rate by weighing before and after a bike ride and adding the weight loss to the weight of fluids consumed. For this ride I lost 6.8 lbs, drank 225 oz or 1.75 gallons or 14.7 lb or 39 oz/hr, which is about 21.5 lbs of sweat or 3.7 lb/hr or 57 oz/hr!!! My total weight loss was about 3.8%, which is higher than ideal. According to hammer nutrition performance starts to decline when weight loss is above 1% and performance is cut by 20-30% when weight loss reaches 4%. Anything above 7-10% weight loss and your ride or run is done. Also, you are limited to how many fluids you can ingest, therefore, the only way to keep your sweat rate down to control fluid/wight loss is to cool down and/or lower your effort. Additionally, according to hammer nutrition you can only absorb about one liter (about 34 fluid ounces) of water per hour, but only under the most extreme heat and humidity.

Only 2 more century rides left this year - one next weekend and 112 miles in the Ironman!

The Journey: Above the Curve

2010-07-07T18:00:00.002-04:00

As I've journaled quite a bit about this, The Journey will be broken into several posts. If you're trying to locate previous entries, they'll be on the sidebar under Labels "The Journey". You can also click Come Along for the Ride on the sidebar to subscribe to posts.

18 June 2010: Above the Curve

We received the news on our remaining viable embryo count…seven. Nine (seven, plus the two we transferred) of 15 is quite a bit better than the 40-50% the embryologist said to expect. So, overall we’re very pleased.

The Journey: Almost There

2010-07-01T18:00:00.002-04:00

As I've journaled quite a bit about this, The Journey will be broken into several posts. If you're trying to locate previous entries, they'll be on the sidebar under Labels "The Journey". You can also click Come Along for the Ride on the sidebar to subscribe to posts.

15 June 2010: Nightmare on My Street

This morning, I felt like Freddy Krueger had broken into our house and was stabbing me in the uterus. Not that I’ve had many serious situations/injuries in the past, but this was probably the worst pain I’ve felt in my entire life. I could barely get out of bed and stand up straight. Thank goodness Derick was there to take care of me. Within about 5 seconds I was almost in tears, then felt like I was burning up and going to puke. I took a pain pill and Phenergan and curled up sideways in bed with a cold washcloth on the back of my neck. Luckily, the pain meds kicked in and I was able to get another hour of rest before my workday started. It’s so weird that I don’t feel horrible during the day, but by mid/late afternoon, evening and the next morning, I’m in pain again.

After yet another message this morning, I finally learned that our embryo transfer is tomorrow at noon. Although I know my posts are not “current” yet, I know many of you are praying for us and we really appreciate it. It’s so crazy to think that tomorrow is the day things may finally come together after nearly two years of trying to make our little miracle a reality. I know we’ll be devastated if this round of IVF doesn’t work. I’m trying to be realistic, but positive. I am hopeful and will really try to continue to be until I have a reason to think otherwise.

Two people who are very, very special to Derick and I are also on a similar journey and I pray that we’ll all have good news to share together very soon. Although I wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone else, it’s comforting to have someone to share experiences with who truly understands what we’re going though firsthand. I’m sure that when this is all said and done, we’ll be stronger, better parents and couples as a result.

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16 June 2010: Show Time

Today Derick and I headed to Dr. G’s office for our embryo transfer procedure. We were still curious though about how many of our fertilized eggs made it to the “viable embryo” stage. Thankfully, we received very positive results. Three of our embryos were graded at the highest level possible. We also learned that several more would possibly be viable within the next day. This was very important, as we hoped to have embryos available for future use should this procedure not be successful. Also, the embryos can be frozen for an extended time, which could allow us to add to our family later. We wouldn’t have final results on the outcomes for a few days, but all systems were go for today.

Overall, Dr. G, his nurse and embryologist were very positive about the quality of our embryos and our potential for a successful procedure. Dr. G made sure we still wanted to transfer two embryos as we had discussed previously and we gave the thumbs up.

I was somewhat bracing myself for a bit of discomfort similar to the IUI procedures we had done. To my surprise, the embryo transfer was a piece of cake. I really didn’t feel anything. It was pretty neat to watch the monitor as Dr. G placed the embryos in what we hope will be their new homes for the next many months. They even gave us a little printout of the screen shot…the embryos looked like a little Chicklet. After maybe an hour of resting and more instructions, we were free to leave.

Next, Derick and I headed to Taco Tierra for a post transfer snack. You have to start your kids off right, don’t you? Hopefully our little embryos will stick like glue, grow and thrive. Time will tell. And, you all know by now how much I absolutely hate waiting.

The Journey: So Big & A Little Venting

2010-06-29T18:00:00.001-04:00

As I've journaled quite a bit about this, The Journey will be broken into several posts. If you're trying to locate previous entries, they'll be on the sidebar under Labels "The Journey". You can also click Come Along for the Ride on the sidebar to subscribe to posts.

12 June, 2010: So Big

This is hopefully what we’ll be hearing about our eggs in a few days. The embryologist called this morning to tell me that of the 19 eggs retrieved, 18 were mature. He performed IVF on all 18. Of those, 15 fertilized, which he said was a great result. Now, the little guys have to grow to the blastocyst stage, which is what will be transferred back in a few days. This will be the key. The embryologist said that you can expect 40-50% of the fertilized eggs to make it to that stage. So, fingers crossed that they all grow and we have plenty of embryos to transfer (we’re planning to transfer two) and to freeze for future use. Keep in mind that although we have fertilized eggs, they still have to attach and grow before we’ll actually be pregnant. Even with everything we’ve done, this still isn’t a given by any stretch…maybe a 60% chance that will happen on the first try with fresh embryos. So, thanks to everyone who has been saying prayers for us that things will work out.

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14 June 2010: Don’t Mess With Texas

Warning: I’m really pissed off right now and my Lortab is wearing off. Keep reading only if you’re ready for a little ranting and raving and some choice words. First off, I spoke too soon about recovery from the retrieval. I felt fine on Saturday late morning until around the middle of church on Sunday. After that, it has been up and down…mostly down this afternoon and evening. I hadn’t taken any pain pills since Saturday morning, but broke down and took a Lortab after work today.

Last night I started feeling like someone was ripping my intestines out. This went in waves and I thought I’d just sleep it off. Things were ok until later in the afternoon when I felt like I couldn’t even stand up straight. I had to eat dinner slouched back on the couch with my plate resting on my chest. The other day I was thinking about how much I’m really missing my walks and going to spinning class. Today, I was thinking that there’s no way I could go on even a short walk. Hell, the walk to the bathroom was torture. The pain meds kicked in though and all is a little better now.

The icing on the cake is that I still have not found out when our embryo transfer will be. We were supposed to get this information on Saturday. When no call came by mid-afternoon, I paged someone. The person who shall remain nameless (the one who made me so mad and upset earlier) was on call. I was told that she hadn’t been to work and would have to call me Monday. Ok, fine. Then don’t give your patients information that says you’ll get a call the day after retrieval with the exception of Sundays.

So, what is today? Today is Monday. No call. I left a message late today requesting the status of our embryos and the time of our transfer. Still, no reply. So, I sent a text to someone else at the office (since she had texted me about medications last week) asking her what time and day our transfer was. She’s very nice and is more responsive, so, naturally she’s not who we have to deal with most of the time. I got a quick reply that someone else had left us a message and that I could call tomorrow for the transfer time. She did confirm that the transfer is Wednesday.

Problems with this: A) Derick and I did not get a call, so maybe someone out there is wondering what a transfer is and why they’re getting a message from some nurse. B) Although we’re not CEO’s or anything, we both have responsibilities at work and need to make arrangements when we’re away. C) We don’t live next door to the doctor’s office and this isn’t an “in and out and you’re back to work kind of thing”. I’m supposed to be resting for 24 hours after this procedure…whenever that may be. D) When you’re paying this much money for something, is a little information and common courtesy too much to ask?

Overall, I have to say that although I really like my doctor and have confidence in his abilities and those of his staff, for something so precise and time-sensitive, the communication is pretty piss poor at times. And I’ve already mentioned the lack of interest/lack of respect and courtesy in certain situations by one individual.

God, please just help me get through these next few weeks and hopefully have a successful procedure. And, help me to just blog about my frustrations instead of making an ass of myself by blowing up at the source of my annoyances.

The Journey: Drug Run & Retrieval Time

2010-06-28T18:00:00.001-04:00

The Journey: Injections Start & Trying to Stay Positive

2010-06-27T16:25:00.001-04:00

As I've journaled quite a bit about this, The Journey will be broken into several posts. If you're trying to locate previous entries, they'll be on the sidebar under Labels "The Journey". You can also click Come Along for the Ride on the sidebar to subscribe to posts.

1 June 2010: No Pain, No Gain and Good News, I think.

I’ve been taking injections since Friday…two each night in the stomach. Although the nurse said these wouldn’t hurt, newsflash…they hurt. I think these shots hurt more than the larger injections I did in the upper hip/backside for the IUI procedures. Derick has been awesome with all of this though. He’s jumped in taking charge of everything related to the injections. For whatever reason, I just get overwhelmed with mixing the shots and getting the doses correct. Before my injections on Friday night, I started crying, but Derick calmed me down. There’s no way I could do this without him. I tried a few nights ago to give myself one of the shots, but couldn’t do it. I know I could give the shots to someone else, but just can’t seem to get it together to do them on myself. So, I’m leaving that to my resident pro. This is just another reason I’m so thankful for Derick.

On the bright side, yesterday I had my first lab work after taking the injections in preparation for our IVF procedure. Based on my labs, things are looking really good so far and they’re cutting one of my doses in half. I still have to take the shots each night, but it’s good news that I’m responding well to the medications. They keep a close eye on you because being overstimulated can create problems. So far, so good. More labs and ultrasounds this week to keep monitoring things and another acupuncture session on Friday.

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6 June 2010: Glass Half Full

Things are still progressing well. I’ve had a few more labs and ultrasounds, which are all indicating that things are moving in the right direction. We started a third injection a few nights ago. The medications are designed to make my system produce lots of eggs for the retrieval and that’s becoming apparent to me. I went to the gym a few days ago and didn’t feel like getting after it too much there, so I took it pretty easy. There’s just a heavy feeling in my lower ab area and it’s weird that you can sort of feel your ovaries getting larger and almost bouncing around a little when you walk. Needless to say, I was told yesterday that the workouts basically need to stop for awhile. I can go on easy walks, but that’s about it. Honestly, although I have grown to enjoy working out, I really haven’t felt like it a ton the past few days. Even standing for a bit to sing during church isn’t as comfortable as sitting. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I feel horrible or anything like that. I just feel a little pressure and a heaviness that seem like signs to start taking it easy.

In the past week, I’ve taken on more responsibility at work. I’m now handing the advertising for all of our US clinics…five total. This is good, but is also a little stressful since I’ll have to be off for a few days for our procedures. I’ve been working some today to get things up to speed for the week ahead. I’m trying to stay low stress, so if it takes some weekend work to achieve that, I’m ok with it.

I’m feeling pretty positive about things this week, unlike last weekend when I was in meltdown mode and was pretty much a witchypoo.

The Journey: Sorry for the Hiatus...

2010-06-25T22:15:00.000-04:00

Countdown to Ironman Louisville

2010-06-19T17:42:00.003-04:00

Cutting Edge Half Classic
Find more Bike Rides in Effingham, Illinois

I have been training like a mad man for my first Ironman race. This week was one of my longest training weeks so far with about 5 miles of swimming, 135 miles on the bike, & about 20 miles running. The heat has made running absolutely miserable as well...

The Journey ~ 18 May 2010: Sometimes It’s Not What You Say…

2010-06-19T16:38:00.001-04:00

Today I was in tears twice…yes, twice. I guess I’m hypersensitive. Not sure if it’s the hormones from being back on the pill, or just underlying anxiety. Strange, yes, but they put you on the pill before IVF so the doctor/nurse can control your cycle.

So, here I am trying to accomplish things at work when my phone rings. It’s the doctor’s office calling back. I had inquired about acupuncture and whether they recommend it for their patients. I’ve heard that other women pursuing IVF go for sessions throughout their treatment. I’ve never had this done before, but figure that if there’s some potential benefit, I’m up for it.

Well, needless to say, the person who called me back basically thought it was worthless and that “…You could try it if it makes you feel better, but don’t expect that to do anything. Whether it works has nothing to do with that. There’s no scientific information that shows it does anything.” I also asked about what kind of activity restrictions I’d be on once we do the egg retrieval and embryo transfer. In short (very short) order, I was directed to my packet of information. Yes, that huge packet that completely overwhelmed me when we went through it the first time.

I’m venting, yes. It really wasn’t what was said. It was how it was said…like there was no time to bother with me. Just thinking about the conversation brought me to tears twice this afternoon. I told Derick that I felt sort of belittled. What’s worse is that this person is supposed to be somewhat integral in all of our procedures. Lovely.

I know people have bad days. I’m sure I’m uptight about things anyway. I’m sure they’re sick of every patient calling (which I’m 99.9% sure happens) with various questions about seemingly random things, as well as asking about things that are obviously part of “the packet”.

But, you know what? I don’t care. This is your job, person who shall remain nameless. And, for what this is all going to involve on multiple levels (emotional, physical and financial), I feel like I’m entitled to ask as many questions as I want, as many times as I’d like. To you, this may be just a job, or maybe each patient is like an individual challenge with a prescribed formula for exactly what has to happen, like some kind of lab project in high school. But, for Derick and I, this is our whole future in a sense. We’ve entrusted this task to your team. Don’t make me feel like the biggest inconvenience for trying to make sure I do everything I can think of to make our chances for success as high as they can be.

Glad I got that off of my chest. I’m stepping off of my soapbox for now.

May 2010 ~ The Journey: 22 Months

2010-06-15T18:33:00.000-04:00

Since everything with IVF is dependent upon your cycle, we weren’t able to begin everything in early May as we had initially planned. So, things will start at the end of May into June. I’m starting to get a little nervous, but nothing too major yet. It sounds like a ton of overly physical activity will be limited during this whole process. At least the weather is starting to get nicer though (ok, maybe not as nice as I’d like), so I’ll be able to walk outside. I guess I better go to every spinning class that I can between now and then because I know I’ll miss them when I’m restricted.

I also realized a few weeks ago that if I want to take my Big Brothers Big Sisters Little Sister Laci to Holiday World, I’m going to have to figure something out. I definitely don’t want her to miss the chance to go, but with so much at stake, I can’t take her after our medications and procedures begin. So, this year’s trip will have to be an early summer one.

The Journey: Getting the Ball Rolling

2010-06-13T16:36:00.000-04:00

The Journey: A Calming Force, A Getaway and An Education

2010-06-09T21:46:00.000-04:00

As I've journaled quite a bit about this, The Journey will be broken into several posts. If you're trying to locate previous entries, they'll be on the sidebar under Labels "The Journey". You can also click Come Along for the Ride on the sidebar to subscribe to posts.

Having made it his life’s work to help couples in our situation, Dr. G did not disappoint. It seemed that he knew exactly what I needed to hear. At this point though, I guess you don’t mess with someone who has tried ad nauseam to become pregnant and not give her answers. He made me feel very at ease. He told me not to worry. Everything would be ok.

We also learned that with our particular situation, the cost of IVF wouldn’t be nearly what we had braced ourselves for. With more knowledge in hand, we were ready. I really felt that this was what we were supposed to do. Although IVF would be intense, I was ready for it and would do whatever it took to make our little miracle(s) a reality. I add the “s”, as with IVF in our case, there’s a 30% chance of twins. I have to admit that the possibility of twins was both exciting and scary. Either way, we would be happy knowing that things would turn out as God planned.

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March 2010 ~ The Journey: 20 Months

Derick and I were counting down the weeks until our much anticipated vacation. We were headed back to Puerto Vallarta. We hadn’t been on a big vacation like this one since Fall 2008. It seems like forever ago, but I could still remember the little tiki bar, tropical music, sun, lazy days and calming sound of waves crashing on the hot sand. This trip would be a welcome event, especially for Derick who has been very busy at work lately. My parents were also going along, so between the four of us, I think we were more than ready to go.

Before our tropical adventure, I had a few more hurdles to jump through to make sure that everything was still on track for the IVF procedure. Lab work was first up. I didn’t get too antsy about the blood draw, which revealed that everything was fine. However, I was a little nervous about another upcoming procedure to check the shape of my uterus. It wasn’t anything major. Just a simple in office check. I didn’t realize that I was nervous about it, but started having a fluttery feeling in my heart. This had happened before, but started up more regularly in March. Although I knew it was probably nothing, I was still a little freaked out. During this time I was also training for a 7k run. The flutter made me feel a little nervous about the run and my training. Was I going to have a heart attack? I didn’t really think so, but you hear of stranger things with seemingly healthy people, so I had to question it (and of course, periodically freak out about it). Derick thought it was just stress, but thought that I should mention it to Dr. G.

Luckily, Dr. G quickly said that it was nothing to worry about. Again, in his arena, I’m sure he’s no stranger to these odd physical manifestations of stress. I truly didn’t think that I was stressed about that final procedure, but in hindsight, I was. After the procedure (which was probably the most uncomfortable one I’d had up to this point…I’m sure that was due to my nervousness) the flutters stopped completely. All systems go for IVF. Next up was the consultation to get the real low down on what the procedures would involve and how the various events would be scheduled. With our upcoming trip to paradise, we planned to start the IVF procedures when we returned. We’d have one last hurrah before we were (hopefully) pregnant.

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April 2010 ~ The Journey: 21 Months

For those of you who are unfamiliar with IVF, here’s how it works in a nutshell.

1. Medications are given to the female to pump up egg production.

2. The eggs are harvested from the ovaries and placed in a dish with sperm.

3. Fertilization hopefully occurs and the embryos hopefully grow well.

4. The embryos are then transferred back to the female in a procedure similar to IUI.

5. More medications and waiting.

It seems pretty simple. It’s actually quite a bit more involved than it sounds..this is the Cliff’s Notes version. The procedure is truly a miracle of modern science.

The Journey: What Now?

2010-06-06T17:36:00.000-04:00

Flowers in Spring 2010

January 2010 ~ The Journey: 18 Months

We knew that success on the first IUI cycle was a long shot. Many people have to try four to six times before they have success. Even with that, only around 40% of couples have success within 6 cycles. Derick and I decided upfront that we would try IUI six times before seeking other options. January marked cycle two.

IUI is really like a revolving door. Once one cycle fails, you start everything right up again (medications, lab work, etc.) within just a few days. It’s a non-stop process if you do the cycles back to back. With my lack of patience and feeling like I was headed for the looney bin, there was no way I was waiting between cycles. We would press on. Cycle two was unsuccessful.

At the Overlook - sometime last summer?

February 2010 ~ The Journey: 19 Months

Here we go again. I was getting very comfortable with Dr. B and his awesome nurse Cathy. They were very supportive, while keeping it real in terms of chances for success. Cathy was there to give me a pep talk each month and I’d feel better at least for a bit.

IUI was hard. Not necessarily physically, as that part wasn’t too bad. Emotionally though, IUI was really, really hard. All of this charting, taking medications, taking an injection, having the procedure, waiting, amateurly assessing each and every cramp, ache and pain. Then, the let down.

We discussed the situation with Dr. B and Cathy at this point and decided that it was time to schedule a consult with Dr. G, a reproductive endocrinologist. If we had success this time (IUI #3), we’d just cancel the appointment. That’s probably what would happen…third time’s the charm, right? This time we would try back- to-back IUI procedures two days in a row. And, we would fail.

At the Overlook - sometime last summer?

Soon after this, we met with Dr. T in Indy again and learned that lab values were now not where they needed to be. At this point, IUI was no longer a viable option in our situation. This was honestly probably the worst news I could imagine. What were our options at this point? What next?

It’s amazing how one bit of information can turn things upside down. On the drive to Indy, we’d discussed how we may be able to afford in vitro fertilization (IVF) should the six IUI cycles not work.

After the appointment though, nearly the entire way home, we discussed adoption and how that may fit into our lives. We both had concerns, but were becoming open to the idea that maybe this was the direction God was leading us in. As a Big Sister in Big Brothers Big Sisters, I knew that there were children out there who needed someone. We could be that family they needed. But, was this the right choice for us?

Could we try IVF? From all accounts (some word of mouth and my internet doctoring as Derick called it), IVF was very expensive. We are both blessed to have good jobs, but was this really the most prudent thing to do? With the news we had just received, would we even be good candidates for the procedure? Good thing our appointment with Dr. G (reproductive endocrinologist aka IVF guy) was only a week away. I was determined. Come hell or high water, we would get our questions answered during that appointment…all of them…especially since we weren’t sure if our insurance would cover any of this.

2009 Races

2010-06-03T20:51:00.009-04:00

Well, I am obviously a terrible blogger since I could not bring myself to blog about any of my races last year. Some went well and some did not. Lets start with the first and end with the last ok? Alrighty.

Illinois Half Marathon – 4/11/09

This was my first true half marathon. I had run this distance many times before during previous half ironman races, training, and the full marathon that I did in the fall of 2008. My goal was to run a sub 2 hour race. It was pretty cool that morning as I remember in the mid 30’s. This was the perfect temperature as far as I can tell. My race plan was to run a negative split (run the second half faster than the first). My plan did not work very well this time. I started off running the first half of the race around 9:20 pace and planned on increasing my pace to around 9:00 to end up with a 9:09 pace which would leave me with a time just under 2 hours. However, instead of speeding up the second half I had to slow down or I could tell that I would certainly blow-up (meaning that lactic acid would build up in my muscles to the point that I would have to slow WAY down or walk). I finished in 2:06:47 at the 50 yard line of the University of Illinois football stadium. For the post race drama see Laura’s post here.

Carmel Sprint Triathlon – 4/19/09

This race was the week after the half marathon. I was still feeling the race from last week and had not fully recovered, but I was mostly just doing this race because a few friends were doing their first triathlon, so I thought it would be cool to go along. It was raining the morning of the race (before it started), which was a first. I set up my transition area with it pissing and pouring (note – always bring a trash bag or two to a race to cover your shoes up to keep them dry). The swim portion of the race was in a pool indoors, which was also a first for me. The swim did not go well at all for me. As soon as I took off my goggles took on water and were basically full by the end of the first lap. I could not see crap and this threw me off the rest of the swim. I finished the 400 meter swim in 7:46, which was not a good time for me. The first transition went well I believe. The rain had slowed down but I can’t remember when it finally quit. I finished the 10 mile bike in 28:18, which was 21.2 mph average. I felt drained on the run from the race the week before and I did not feel like pushing the pace too much. I finished the 5k (3.1 mile) run in 26:44 or an 8:37 pace for a total time of 1:06:03.

Jasper Leathernecks 5k – 5/16/09

I don’t recall my specific goal, but I believe I wanted to run a personal best for this distance, which is 25:18 (8:10 pace). I did my usual start the race too fast at a 7:45 pace for the first mile. I ran the second mile in 8:45, which was really off my goal pace. The last 1.1 was also at a slower pace around 8:45 ish. My total time was 26:14 or an 8:28 pace.

Terre Haute Triathlon – 5/30/09

The water temperature allowed a wetsuit race, which has always been the case for previous TH Triathlons that I have been in. I felt like I had a good swim but was disappointed with my 14:25 “800 meter” swim, which is a 1:48/100 meter pace. I did the swim in just over 12 minutes last year. After talking with several people and looking at the race results of the “front of the packers” the distance of the swim was definitely longer this year than last year. I had a great transition thanks to my new method of leaving my bike shoes clipped into the pedals like the pros do. You have to run without shoes and slip your feet into them on the fly. The bike ride was interesting to say the least. I was about a third of the way into the race I believe and I was looking down at something and when I looked up I was heading off the edge of the road into a ditch! Holy s**t!!! Somehow I stayed on the bike, kept my shoes clipped in as I rode through grass/weeds that were at least 4 feet high. I just stood up and pedaled like hell to get out and back on the road. I ended up with a decent 49k (24.9 mile) bike time of 67:53, which is a 21.9 mph average. I started the 5 mile run at a faster pace than I should have with a 7:59 first mile (sound familiar?). I settled into a pace around 8:40 ish for the next 3 miles. I took an energy gel somewhere between mile 3.5 and 4 and there was no water at the last mile aid station. I had serious gut cramps for the last mile of the run and I slowed down to a 9:09 pace for the last mile. I finished the run in 42.58, which was an overall pace of 8:39 pace. My overall time was 2:06:56, which was over 2 minutes faster than last year.

Effingham Half Ironman – 6/21/09

This was my 3^rd Half Ironman race and the first time that I did this particular race. The 1.2-mile swim was a 2-loop course. I swam the first half in 19:46 and the second half in 20:23, for a total time of 40:13, which was slower than what I had hoped to do by a couple of minutes. The 56-mile bike course was pretty hilly and I found out quick that it was going to be HOT that day. I rode the course in 2:49:36, which was not quite as fast as I wanted, but I struggled to finish that fast with the hills and the heat. I knew that the run would be miserable because of how hot it was on the bike. The 13.1-mile run was an out and back course that you had to run twice. I tried to run a decent pace but I didn’t even get a mile in and I had to slow way down because I felt like I was going to melt. I ran/jogged/walked the first half in 1:18:40, which was only 12:01 per mile pace. The second half took 1:30:39, which was a laughable 13:50 pace. The one thing that kept me from passing out during the run was a home along the route had a sprinkler running by the edge of the road. I got the full soak down at this oasis 4 times during the double out and back. I literally laid down in the roadside ditch full of water the last couple of times, which seemed to give the people out in the yard something to cheer about (glad I was able to entertain them). My overall time was 6:22:27, which was nearly an hour longer than my goal time. This was by far the hottest that I have ever been during a race. The temperature reached the mid 90’s that day and the humidity was beyond belief. Approximately 25% of the field dropped out of the race.

Jasper Wetlauff 5k – 8/1/09

My plan for this race was to run an even 8:00 pace, which was pretty optimistic considering the hills on the course. I kept an even 8:00 pace thru mile 1.5 to 2, then my wheels fell off when it was time to run uphill on 15^th Street. My total time was 27:42 or an 8:56 pace.

Tri Indy Olympic Distance – 8/16/09

This was the second year for this race and the first time for me doing this particular race. This race takes place near downtown Indianapolis by the zoo and and the swim is in the canal. The water temperature was low enough for wetsuits this year (quite uncommon for August). The swim started 1500 meters up the canal and the swim exit was at the transition area, so you had to walk up to the start area along the canal. I started the swim on the left side of the canal where I could see the concrete bottom where the side slope met the flat bottom, so I did not have to look up as much to make sure I was swimming straight. Laura walked along the canal next to me for the entire swim, which was quite different than any race I have done before. The swim took 29:16 to compete, which was a little slower than expected. The 40k or 25 mile bike leg was a two loop course. There were quite a few turns and some areas were pretty rough riding, but it was pretty flat. I completed the bike leg in 1:10:39, which was an average speed of 21.1 mph. This was pretty close to what I expected the bike time to be. By the time the run came around it was already getting pretty hot. I struggled with the heat on the run and had an awful run time of 1:04:17 (10:21 min/mile snail pace) for the 10k or 6.2 mile two loop course. My overall time was 2:47:41, which was not that great thanks to the terrible run, but it was a nice event.

November 2009 ~ The Journey: 16 months

2010-06-02T17:00:00.001-04:00

As I've journaled quite a bit about this, The Journey will be broken into several posts. If you're trying to locate previous entries, they'll be on the sidebar under Labels "The Journey". You can also click Come Along for the Ride on the sidebar to subscribe to posts.

Solutions take time. And, time takes its toll when you want something to happen so badly. All the while we were still trying, hoping that every month would bring a different result. Each month we faced a range of emotions and I usually shed some tears. Derick was supportive all the way, but I could tell that it was taking its toll on him too. I kind of felt like I was going crazy.

After working with Dr. T for nearly a year and having a level of success with his prescribed treatments, we decided to take the next step and try a minimally invasive procedure with my local OBGYN called Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). This process required a few other exploratory procedures, which went well. I’ll spare you the details, but you can Google IUI if you want the full lowdown. Overall it wasn’t a big deal in terms of discomfort. I was actually kind of proud of myself that I didn’t really have any major problems or side effects. It was however a big deal in terms of serving to get our emotions (especially mine) on overdrive, with hopes higher than ever that this would work. Round one of the procedure took place shortly before Derick and I hosted our very first Thanksgiving at our house as a couple. I remember thinking back when I volunteered to host it (Derick’s family plans pretty far in advance) that we’d probably have a little munchkin for everyone to ooh and aah over when our time came around. No such luck, but maybe we’d have news to share over Christmas.

****************************

Days passed and so did our hopes that round one of the IUI would work. This Christmas wouldn’t be our time to make the big reveal. I love roller coasters, but have to say that I wanted off of this one. From moment to moment I’d be crying, angry, annoyed, mad, sad, hopeful, questioning. I knew that God had a plan for us, but what was it? Could He not hurry up already and lead us down the right path? We knew we needed to learn, grow, be patient, etc…OK, enough already!

Again, Derick was right there the entire time. Our relationship seemed to go in waves. We still had our eyes on the prize, but were weary from The Journey. We discussed the situation a lot. A LOT. Were we meant to adopt? What about in vitro fertilization? Every discussion seemed to open a can of worms that wouldn’t be sorted through in short order. We still tried to move forward, but somehow felt that someone had pressed pause on the video of our lives. What was next? We were ready for that step. Sometimes we’d just sit on the couch with a “what do we do now” attitude. Not that we had done all we could as a family of two, but we were ready to get on with the show.

We were both taking various medications to assist with our infertility struggles, which provided some comic relief. Derick was a quick study in giving me my injection before each IUI procedure. I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically when we was trying to concentrate on the proper placement and technique. The first time this happened, he thought I was crying in pain. It really didn’t hurt, but I’m sure would have been a much smoother process had I been able to keep from cracking up.

January 2009 ~ The Journey: 6 months - Discovery

2010-05-28T11:03:00.000-04:00

During a routine doctor’s appointment, I shared some of our frustrations. Although I didn’t have any basis for it, I wondered if something was going on to prevent us from becoming pregnant. I asked if we could do some low level tests just to see if anything emerged. I’m thankful that my doctor didn’t make us wait the traditional year of trying before delving into anything further. By this time, I had already heard the advice of others. You don’t have any patience. Just relax. Go on vacation. You’re just stressed out. You’re young. You have time. It’ll happen. You name it, we heard it, I’m sure. To anyone who has struggled with becoming pregnant, these comments (although I know most were meant in good faith) were irritating. And, depending on who they came from, they made me just want to scream and/or wring someone’s neck.

Our test results came back and a pretty clear picture emerged. It wasn’t stress. It wasn’t lack of patience. There was a medical issue. Part of me was relieved that we found something so that we’d at least know we weren’t going crazy. The other part of me was concerned about the implications of our results, next steps and how the entire situation would impact both of us.

I can’t say enough about my doctor. He immediately referred us to a specialist and gave us some insight into potential solutions. After trying to work with a local specialist and having a less than positive experience, we were referred to an expert in our situation, Dr. T in Indianapolis. Derick and I both felt that Dr. T knew what he was talking about and was sincere in wanting to explain our options and find a solution. We started making trips here and there to Indy, which was a small price to pay for the expertise we were able to tap into.

Throughout the summer and into the fall, we waited for the medications he prescribed to make an impact. As Tom Petty sang, “the waiting is the hardest part.”

Spring and Summer came and went. We worked around the house on projects and went to Current River and Chicago a few times. No major trips were in the works this year, as we’d already been on the go quite a lot in 2008 in anticipation that I’d be pregnant in 2009. As time went by, the worry started to get pretty bad on my part. I was fearful that the ultimate answers would be things we didn’t want to hear. Always looking toward that next step, I was unsure of my footing and the rocky road I felt was ahead.

The Journey: Gone Too Soon ~ December 2008

2010-05-24T21:08:00.000-04:00

Those few weeks were trying to say the least. I tried to spend as much time in the hospital as possible visiting him, but it soon became clear that it was a matter of time. Complications had set in, leaving no options. Reality was setting in too. It was a very, very difficult time. I’d had some disappointments and “bad” things happen in my life, but this truly paled in comparison. Other than Derick and my parents, my grandpa was probably the person I was closest to in the whole world. He was always interested in my life’s happenings and was ever-present with words of encouragement (and awesome homemade fudge). I think everyone who met him liked him. He was just that kind of guy. On December 30, 2008, grandpa took the next leg of his journey. A path we couldn’t go on right now, but will travel someday. I hang on to that thought and the notion that although he’s not here, he is watching over, seeing all that those who are behind are making of their lives.

I also tried to rationalize with myself that this loss was in God’s plan. With it being so difficult, that had to be the reason Derick and I hadn’t become pregnant yet. I just knew that in a month or two, things would click and we’d have joyous news to share. Maybe this news would be a bright spot, helping our family have something to celebrate moving past grandpa’s loss.

Full Weekend

2010-05-23T18:54:00.001-04:00

Hope everyone else is enjoying this great weather as much as we are this weekend. Derick had his first race on Saturday in Terre Haute, then went on a three hour bike ride later in the afternoon. He's a maniac, but I love him. He's super motivated and dedicated.

Laci and I went to Holiday World on Saturday and had a good time. We hit up the water park briefly, but thankfully Laci realized pretty quick that even though it was nice and sunny, the water was still a little chilly. My favorite part of the day was riding The Legend. I think Laci's favorite was the Roundhouse. It was a perfect day to go...not terribly hot and not a huge crowd.

Today Derick and I slept in really late...one of my favorite things to do. Isn't it funny how when you're little, you want to be able to stay up late and then get up really early on weekends to play and watch cartoons? Then, when you're older, you (at least I) long for nap time and time to sleep in.

After church we finished several yard projects today and relaxed on the porch. Now, we're getting ready to make homemade pizza.

And, I almost forgot...who will hear, "You're hired" from Trump tonight? Hopefully my boy Bret.

Happy Sunday!

The Journey: World Travelers on a Mission

2010-05-23T13:39:00.000-04:00

Victoria, B.C. ~ 2008

At first, I was excited to share all of our excursions, random happenings and miscellaneous thoughts. But, what I really wanted to share was news of a BOB (Baby on Board) and all the joys and milestones that announcement would bring.

Victoria, B.C. / Seatte, WA trip ~ 2008

For the first several months, we were on a mission. We were living (and other things) by the calendar. This created quite a bit of stress for both of us and really started to take the joy out of things. Not just the main event, but out of nearly every aspect of our lives.

Current River ~ 2008

Soon, I was getting pretty good at peeing on ovulation strips…you get really good at it after doing it for months on end. I was tracking all sorts of things in efforts to make sure that each month would be The Month. During this time it seemed like everyone around us was becoming pregnant. Although I was happy for them ultimately, it was a big downer that it wasn’t our time yet. Especially when we were seemingly doing everything right. I found myself very moody one minute and sad the next.

Puerto Vallarta ~ 2008

We were ready for this. We wanted this. In a time where that’s not always the case when babies are brought into the world, it raised a lot of questions in my mind. Were we really ready for this life event? Maybe our struggles (albeit far shorter up to this point than others) were some sort of a sign from God that we weren’t ready yet. I knew there was some reason for all of this, but didn’t know what that reason was. Being impatient and pretty persistent though, I kept pressing on. We did LOTS of traveling that year (Seattle, Victoria B.C., Chicago, Current River, Dallas, Puerto Vallarta), knowing that 2009 would bring vast changes that would put our carefree get up and go ways on a little hiatus.

Cowboys Game ~ 2008

The Journey: A Journal Started March 8, 2010

2010-05-20T20:38:00.000-04:00

As a little girl, I always remember loving to play with dolls. Not Barbie dolls, but dolls that looked as though they could be real. One of my favorites was Kid Sister. She was My Buddy’s non-Chuckyish female counterpart. I’d create my own little makebelieve worlds and loved being the Mom. Many hours were spent dressing up the dolls, fixing their hair and toting them all around the yard in a burgundy baby stroller.

November 2007

Fast forward many years…I’d finally found the most wonderful partner in this adventure of life, Derick. From nearly day one of our relationship, we discussed children. I think that both of us wanted to be sure that the other was on the same page with our life’s goals. I still remember Derick telling me about his little niece on our very first date. There was no doubt in my mind that he would be a great Dad.

Realizing we had both met our match, our relationship and love for one another quickly grew and plans were in place for a wonderful wedding celebration held on July 28, 2007. We met with our pastor Darrel beforehand and I recall him offering some words of wisdom (including some thoughts on kids). He suggested that we wait for at least a year before trying to start a family. We would need this time to really grow in our marriage and become ready for that next step. Although eager to become parents, Derick and I both readily agreed that this was the plan. Let the one year countdown begin! We’d enjoy our lives together as two until then, but as the eternal planner, I thought I had it all figured out. Right on schedule, we’d welcome that little bundle of joy…or so I thought.

July 2008

During that first year of marriage we shared many awesome times together, keeping kiddos in the back of our minds. When that one year anniversary arrived, we both held up our ends of the bargain and were ready to start trying. As usual, I put the cart before the horse and already had visions of names, nurseries and nurturing moments in my head. I was so pumped up…almost like I was on a mission. With summer in full swing, I scoured the paper multiple times each week to find the best yard sales for my “baby stuff” fix. Baby or no baby, you can’t let a good bargain get away. And it’s all stuff we’d need anyway, right? I was practical at least, going gender neutral on things. You see, Derick and I had already discussed that when we did get the big news, we would let our new little muchkin’s gender be a surprise.

Slowly over several months, I amassed quite a treasure trove of items for our future little one. So much so that the bed in our guest bedroom was hidden by blankets, onesies, activity mats…you name it. Every week I’d get such a kick out of sharing my bargain finds with Derick.

It was around this time that I remember seeing a friend from high school’s website and blog. I thought it was such a great way to share her happenings and new baby daughter with friends and family. Working in marketing and advertising, I had the “I can do that” moment. Thus, the Adventures of Derick and Laura were born.

Fake Bake

2010-05-19T12:01:00.000-04:00

Last night we had Katie Lee's Faux-Fried Chicken. It was really easy and tasted great. This will probably become a regular around our house. I found the recipe in Women's Health magazine, but plan to check out her website and books too for more ideas.

What you'll need:

1 lb chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

3 tbsp Dijon mustard (I used a little more than that)

2 1/2 cups cornflakes (I used Bran Flakes)

2 tsp minced sage

1 tsp minced thyme

How to do it:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil (spray w/cooking spray).

2. Brush the chicken with Dijon mustard.

3. In a blender, combine the corn flakes, sage and thyme. Pulse to a coarse meal. Place in a shallow dish.

4. Coat each chicken piece with the mixture and place on baking sheet.

5. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Nutrition Info per serving (recipe makes 4 servings):
170 cal; .5g fat; 15g carbs; 1g fiber; 360mg sodium; 27g protein

Good Times

2010-05-17T20:30:00.000-04:00

Weekends are never long enough, are they? Although we had a three day weekend, it was still too short.

Friday morning we headed up to Naperville to spend the weekend with Erin & George. We always have a good time and trips there leave me wishing we had at least another day or two away.

We met their new puppy Luke, who is a real sweetie. Derick and George wore him out during a long run. Erin and I did a little shopping and we all had some great food...including George's yummy crab benedict.

We saw Nightmare on Elm Street, which was actually pretty good (and got busted for smuggling candy into the theatre).

Derick even got an ambush wardrobe makeover! It was a full weekend, but lots of fun too.

Thanks, Erin and George for having us! See you again soon.

The A(TV) Team

2010-05-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

Our dusty PV ATV ride took us up through a jungleish area, through some creeks and finally to a little restaurant with outdoor seating right by this creek. We even discovered a "rest stop" along the way with the strongest margaritas known to man AND we got to sample flavored tequilas. I'm happy to report that a bottle of chocolate made it home safely with us.

The view along the way

Dad taking a break

Say cheese!

Riding through the streets of Puerto Vallarta.

Say Hello to Our Little Friends

2010-05-10T11:28:00.000-04:00

Although I’m afraid it’s a matter of time before these three amigos spread their little awkward wings and fly away.

Since discovering their nest on our garage door wreath, Derick and I have taken several peaks at them as their Momma Birdie protected them as eggs and has nurtured their growth.

Safe travels little guys!

Today...

2010-05-07T12:12:00.001-04:00

Today is my Mom's birthday. Mom, I hope you have a super birthday. We'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for saying you'll go yardsaling with me, even though I know that's not your favorite thing in the world to do. Love you!

Today my Dad is having shoulder surgery. Hopefully everything will go well and he'll have a speedy recovery. He's not one to be idle for very long, so I'm sure he'll be back in action soon.

Today is my 9th anniversary at work. I started this job less than 24 hours after graduation from college (no kidding). It has been a great ride so far and I'm very blessed. I've been given many opportunities for growth and have worked with some great managers, colleagues and vendors over the past nine years. Man, time flies!

We've Gone Crazy, Shopping Trip, Lazy Days and More

2010-05-02T21:21:00.000-04:00

Friday ~ Our neighbors probably thought we we're crazy. In efforts to beat the storm, we were outside until after 10 p.m. trying to finish sowing grass seed and putting down straw on a few old garden areas in our yard. Although we have a dusk to dawn light, it wasn't enough. Derick has this odd, but quite handy headlight thing. I sported that contraption while Derick wore a bike light on his head. I'm sure it was quite a sight, but we got the job done. Now, hopefully all of the rain we had this weekend didn't wash all of the seed away. We'll see.

Saturday ~ From sowing seed to shopping...I took my Little Sis out shopping for her birthday. She had a good time picking out things to try on and putting on a little fashion show at each store. Laci ended up with a shirt, shorts, shoes, earrings and a bathing suit. I had so much fun with her. There are so many cute things for little girls. I'm not sure how often she gets the chance to go shopping without her siblings, so hopefully it was a treat. She also really liked the bathing suit cover up / bright colored dress that Derick and I brought back from Mexico for her. Overall it was a good day.

Sunday ~ We've been lounging some today and I've been trying to cross a few little things off of my to do list...posted the futon on Craigslist and updated our Shutterfly photo album. Semi-lazy days at home are the best...especially when they end with a trip to Dairy Queen : )

Reboot

2010-04-30T16:39:00.000-04:00

"Gonna take a little time...a little time to think things over"

Sorry if you now have a Foreigner song in your head.

I know I'm not the only one out there who feels at times like I just need to pop a cork out of one ear, lean to the side and let the various junk in my brain flow out. Sometimes I need to reboot. Vacation seems to always be a good time to do that.

Maybe it's the spare time, but during vacation I tend to think about things I want to do differently when I return home. Maybe it's some sense of trying to capture the goodness of vacation and a little vow to take some of that back to my everyday life.

Some thoughts are small. Exhibit A: Don't always buy the cheap hairspray. Exhibit B: Change my makeup colors. Exhibit C: Get rid of old clothes and/or ones I don't like anymore without feeling guilty. I know, crazy, but true. These are the things I think about on vacation. Guess it's from reading too many magazines w/photos of seemingly perfect people in them.

Some thoughts are bigger. Work out more consistently. Pay more attention to what I eat and try healthier options. Keep a better schedule of getting enough sleep and not watching so much tv. Read more. Be more laid back.

These are just a few of the things that passed through my mind like waves of the ocean while sitting on the beach. Am I sticking to these now that I'm home...not all of them, but I'm trying. It's the thought that counts though, right?

Notable Quotes

2010-04-26T19:02:00.000-04:00

My top three from the vacay...

Derick (while standing on our balcony looking down at a wedding party): Come here and look at her hat. Oh...it's an umbrella.

Some random couple in the elevator with us: Are you really in the penthouse, or are you just messin' with us?

Derick (after a long trip to the swim up bar): I saw a woman and thought she was you. She was like 70 though.
Me: nearly speechless in total shock mode
Derick: She looked good for 70.

Apparently I need to ditch the Vera Bradley flowery sun hat.

Derick never ceases to completely crack me up though. That's just one of the reasons I love him so much. I'd be very rich if I had a dollar for every time we're laughing about something.

In fact, just last night we laughed and I could hardly speak through the laughter.

Please, if you're a beautician, don't give someone the "skunk treatment" aka big white stripe on dark hair.

Beach Reads

2010-04-25T16:27:00.000-04:00

I was so glad to spend lots of time last week just relaxing on the beach with no plans, no to-do list...just hanging out listening to the waves. Here were my beach reads.

Tori Spelling's sTORI Telling and Mommywood

Both are quick reads that recount Tori's life in the spotlight, the challenges, myths/truths, funny stories, parenting situations, etc. If you're a fan of Tori's Oxygen show Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, you'll enjoy these.

Since Derick and I are big Factor fans, I also read Bill O'Reilly's A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity. In the book, O'Reilly reflects on his childhood and life experiences and explains how those shaped his philosophies on a variety of subjects. Overall, another good read.

Vacation always reminds me of how much I love to read, so hopefully I can make more time for that. Having some time away also helps put things into perspective. More on that in a future post though.

Next up on my list of books to read is Lis Wiehl's Hand of Fate, a murder mystery. I read another of Wiehl's books last summer (Face of Betrayal) and really enjoyed it.

Any other readers out there? What are you reading right now?

Change of Venue

2010-04-24T19:30:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the hiatus, but we've been a little preoccupied this past week. We just rolled back into town around 4 a.m. today from a vacation to a little piece of heaven on Earth. Here we are on our balcony at Dreams Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. If you've never been to PV, we highly suggest it.

The people are super friendly. The landscape is beautiful. The weather is near perfection.

We had a great time relaxing, reading, eating, drinking, adventuring, shopping and more. It was also nice that Mom & Dad were along for the ride this time. They've been on several cruises, but never to an all-inclusive resort. I think it's safe to say that they had a great time too.

How we ended up at Dreams again on this trip is quite a little story (Derick and I stayed there in Fall 2008). I received a call about two hours before we were set to leave for the airport saying that there had been issues with lots of people getting sick at the resort we had booked originally for the trip. Our options were to keep the reservations as they were, cancel the trip, or go to Dreams. Derick and I couldn't say enough about Dreams last time, so we definitely thought that was our best bet...there's no way I was going to risk being sick during the entire trip. And, the only reason we chose another resort to begin with was that Derick could go scuba diving right from there (instead of having to take a bus or taxi to depart for a dive).

When we arrived at Dreams, I could have passed out.

For anyone who has seen the movie The Hangover, think about Stu's reaction when they first step into the Villa....

"Holy S***!"

Yes...those were my thoughts precisely. I probably even said that, but it's kind of all a blur.

Here's where we got to stay last week...keep in mind that we only booked two regular ocean view (not ocean front) rooms at the other resort (Barcelo La Jolla de Mismaloya). Also, keep in mind that none of us are rock stars, although I'm not sure I could have told the difference by the way we were treated to such an awesome space as our home away from home.

Living room on the main floor of our two story PENTHOUSE SUITE!!!

Our ocean front balcony with private pool.

A beautiful spiral staircase led upstairs to the ginormous bedroom and bathroom.

I loved the wooden beams on the ceiling and the wooden doors.

This shower...note to self that we need a bathroom like this someday.

And if we can get a tub with a view of the ocean someday, that would be awesome too.

To top it all off, Mom and Dad had a very similar suite just down the hall from ours. We seriously could not believe this. In fact, Mom and I were sort of paranoid for a few days that we were going to be asked to pay extra at the end of the trip for the upgrade. Good news is that I guess the big man upstairs was smiling down on us and we truly lucked into this whole deal.

Overall, it was amazing. I kept telling Derick that when we retire, I'd love to have a place like this on the beach somewhere...I'll even settle for a place like this on a nice lake.

When I asked everyone what their favorite part of the trip was, here were the results:

Dad - ATV ride - More on that later...
Mom - Shopping
Derick - The room
Me - The room

One thing that sticks out about the trip is that when a staff person did something for you (took your plate, refilled a drink, etc.) and you thanked them...here was the response, "It's a pleasure." And, the nice part is that they really seemed to genuinely mean that. Since taking a Marketing of Services class in college, I kind of pay more attention to how service oriented companies make an impact on their guests. I'm not sure that there are many places I've been to in the States where I can say that the staff operates with such a focus on service.

And, unlike on a cruise where you kind of feel like the crew is busting their butts to make things happen (and that sort of makes me feel a little guilty knowing they're working so hard with really long hours and little pay), the staff at Dreams seem to truly enjoy their jobs and don't appear to be breaking their necks to get their jobs done. They almost seem to be along for the ride too to help everyone enjoy their stay. Dad talked to one worker who expressed to him that Dreams was a great place to work.

This makes me feel good about going there (even though we ended up there by pure luck this time). I definitely plan to go back and would suggest that if you're looking for a vacation spot, put a Dreams resort at the top of your list. Rock star penthouse or not, this place is awesome.

As you can tell, it was a lovely week. Thank you Dreams Puerto Vallarta! We could not have asked for better hospitality, food, drinks, the view, etc.

Choice Words and Setting Sale

2010-04-10T21:03:00.000-04:00

This Week = A work situation that had me so mad I unleashed a string of choice words to describe it when Derick asked what was wrong. Here's somewhere along the lines of how the conversation went...

Derick: What's wrong?

Me: Do you really want to know? Because I'm mad. Really, really mad. So, if you really don't want to hear the whole situation, just say so now. Or else, I'll get even more mad because you asked what was wrong and aren't paying attention.

Derick: I want to know. Tell me.

Me: insert many choice words here along w/description of the problem...and yes, Derick really did listen and was empathetic, which was what I needed at the time

Luckily, throughout the course of the week, my stress level was brought down immensely and things are going to be ok...I think. One of my favorite teachers always said that things have a way of working out. They do, but sometimes getting to that point isn't always enjoyable.

Fast forward to today....a day for SALE-ING...yard sale-ing that is. I'm not sure if yard saleing is a word, but I'm proclaiming it as one here and now.

I absolutely LOVE going to yard sales. Today a friend and I (hi Holli if you're reading) hit up many, many sales. We spent nearly four hours of junk (aka treasure) hunting bliss. I was sad that we had to stop, but we both had other things to do this afternoon. We found some great bargains and had a good time. The weather was beautiful. And the bonus was that we walked so much throughout the neighborhoods that I counted that as my workout.

This was a good thing since later this afternoon, Derick and I stuffed our faces at Olive Garden. Overall an A+ of a day.

Tomorrow is another busy one, as Derick will be running a half marathon. Good luck, Babe. I know you'll do great.

Hope everyone else is having a fun-filled weekend and taking time to enjoy the sunshine!

Things I Learned Today...

2010-04-05T20:13:00.000-04:00

1. Pepper Jack cheese, Wheat Thins, celery and peanut butter qualify as a pretty decent lunch.

2. You have to run over a snake with a Ford Escape more than once to kill it.

Is it Just Me?

2010-04-05T18:10:00.000-04:00

Or, is this a pretty cool commercial?

Let the Sun Shine and My Stream of Consciousness

2010-03-30T21:45:00.000-04:00

I'm so glad that this week's weather is calling for sun and warmer temperatures. Bring on the summertime!

In other thoughts...

Sometimes people need to cut to the chase and solve the problem.
I'm ready for a run outside tomorrow.
What happened to Siobhan on AI this week?
Anyone else watching Tori & Dean?
The DQ Mint Oreo Blizzards = happiness.
Why doesn't KMart have my size in any of their cute/cheap sandals?
How do I go shopping for sandals and end up with gray suede pumps?
Anyone in Southern Indiana tried the marinated turkey breast from Odon Meat Locker? Derick said he had a treat for me the other day. I have to admit that I was hoping for Reese Eggs. I was pleasantly surprised though. I can't say that I'm a turkey fan, but this was awesome.
How many Reese eggs could I eat in one sitting? Three? I think maybe four.
Glad someone volunteered to teach Sunday school for me so I can cheer Derick on at his race.
Watching Derick being a bobblehead because it's time to go to bed.
Bobblehead = Derick watching tv, then eyes slowly close, head falls down and jolts him back to reality
Good night : )

Lucky Charm

2010-03-22T21:45:00.000-04:00

Awhile back I chronicled my 5k training and have since run four of them. It has been a challenge each time for me, but also a confidence booster. I'm finding that I really do love working out...not always the getting up early part, but the feeling after the workout is great.

After having a few good training runs lately, I thought I could take on the next challenge and try something a little more than a 5k. So, the 7k (4.34 miles) was the next step I could find. On March 13th my lucky charm and I ran the Run of Luck 7k in Evansville. Derick is way beyond the 7k level, but ran with me to help be my pacesetter. It was fun to do the race together and I appreciated him being there to support me in reaching my goal. He's always encouraging and doesn't mind to let me have my little moment of glory even though he could have run it quite a bit faster.

We ran around a 10:20/mile pace, with 11 minutes being my original goal (Derick said we could do 10:30). The weather was a little chilly, but once we got going it was great. There were over 900 people in the race that went through downtown Evansville and along the riverfront. The race shirts were nice too. Silly, I know, but I figure that if I'm going to pay to do something I can do in the neighborhood for free, it would be nice to at least get a good shirt out of it.

I have to admit that during the race, I was thinking about my post race treat...a cinnamon crunch bagel from Panera. It did not disappoint : )

A Tale of Three Kitties

2010-03-22T21:20:00.000-04:00

During my nearly month-long blog hiatus, Derick and I have made a few new friends. Remember this little lady? Well, she's a gentleman. It's ok. We've given him a name. Let me introduce you to Kitty Chesney. Cheesy, yes. It makes me smile though.

We (aka I) started putting out food to lure him in and hopefully somewhat tame him. You can tell he's still pretty wild though, but we have nearly been able to pet him. If you can call him acting like he wanted me to pet him, followed by him trying to claw me as progress. I have quick reflexes though and eluded the paws.

Kitty Chesney is kind of a sneaky little guy. He randomly shows up on our back porch, sometimes eating and leaving before we even know he's been there. Sometimes he's gone for days, then poof...he's back. Derick and I have spotted him several times though and I think he's coming around slowly but surely. I'm sure we're not his only dinner stop in the neighborhood.

Kitty Chesney has friends too. I don't think he really likes them though. It doesn't seem like they're from the same crowd. The other two kitties that have come around are more tame and friendly than old Kitty. At least they let us pet them a bit.

A medium sized light beige short hair is now known as Whitey to us. I guess Beigey didn't sound right, so we made him a little lighter. Who says blondes have more fun anyway?

Whitey has a beautiful buddy. She's only been at our back porch diner once. We know she's a she because she's a gorgeous long haired calico with white paws (and apparently most calicos are females). I thought I'd faint when I saw her. She's not a kitten, but a smaller cat. I thought she looked like Zorro with her black mask of hair over one eye. She let me pick her up and I'm sure we could have easily had a new house guest. I think she probably belongs to someone in the neighborhood. I don't really know any of our neighbors, so for now the three kitties are a little mystery.

Call me crazy, but I often wonder what they do all day. Where do they go? How did they realize there was food at our back door? Did Kitty Chesney send out some kind of code? Am I going to end up with a jillion cats at our house? Who knows...the saga continues.

Love, Skating and a Little Less Willie Nelson

2010-02-23T08:33:00.000-05:00

Love
Derick and I kicked off Valentine's Day weekend with dinner and a movie. We had our first date at an Olive Garden restaurant and hadn't been there for awhile. So, we loaded up on breadsticks, salad and pasta. It was delicious. I have to say that even though it's not the real deal, Olive Garden is pretty darn good. Speaking from the perspective of someone who has been to Italy twice, I still like Olive Garden...call me crazy.

After dinner we went to see Avatar. If you haven't seen this movie, you must, MUST see it. I could have done without the 3D (since I felt like I couldn't focus on anything for about the first hour or so of the movie). That being said, it was well worth the ticket price and three hours being planted in a chair. I'm not normally a sci-fi type person, but this was unlike any movie I'd ever seen before. Two thumbs up from both of us on this one.

Later in the weekend we exchanged small gifts with eachother. I was really surprised to see a beautiful rose on the bathroom counter to greet me on Sunday morning. Derick also picked out some really cute yoga pants for me and Marine Groove perfume. It's smells like grapefruit. I think about our upcoming beach vacation every time I put it on.

Skating
I haven't blogged about Little Sister in awhile, but I am still meeting with her through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. We haven't been able to get together quite as much lately, but we did go to church, had lunch and went roller skating last weekend. When I say "we", I really mean that she skated while I watched, waved and cheered her on. I'm not a skater and had visions of a broken arm in my head if I tried. Little was fine with that and still had a good time. I'm amazed at how she'll try pretty much anything and never really complains. She's very resilient, which I'm sure is an asset with the many changes/challenges she's already faced in her mere 10 years of life. I also discovered that Skate Palace is a pretty good place for fairly cheap entertainment. You only pay if you skate. The few (maybe 2-4) other adults there were mostly hanging out in the concession area relaxing. Seems like a good way to keep kiddos occupied and still have some time to chill out yourself...I'm filing this in my memory for reference way down the road.

A Little Less Willie Nelson
Derick and I have joked that we're "being Willie Nelson again" when we're "on the road again" to work, meetings, etc. Between the two of us, we spend a lot of time on the road...Derick more than me. Although I was going to the office twice a week, I am overjoyed to say that I am going to be working from my home office full time starting next week.

Hope everyone else is having a great week so far!

Rockin' and Runnin'

2010-02-10T17:58:00.001-05:00

Ok, so over the last year or so I trained for a 5k and ended up running four of them. I even got a trophy for my skills (or for the fact that hardly no one showed up in my age group)....details, details. At some point, I just stopped the training and went back to my normal routine of spinning class and the elliptical at the gym. I guess I didn't have another race in mind, so I kind of felt finished with the task at hand.

More recently though I've been trying to get back into the running groove again. Keep in mind that I wouldn't really call myself a runner, so a good run for me is probably small fries to a real runner. Ok...now that we have that cleared up...I had what I considered a really great run last week. This run has been followed up in a short timeframe by a few more good runs, including around a 3 mile run last night. I have been pretty pumped up about this. I have to credit a little purchase I made over the weekend for some of the motivation (more on that to come).

So, I guess I need another challenge. There are always tons of 5k races around here, but I'm wondering if I could do something a little longer than that....hmmm. There's something in mid March called the Run of Luck 7k. I'm not saying that I'm signing up for it, but we'll see how things go over the next few weeks. If I don't do that one, I'm sure I'll try to do another 5k in the spring...or at least bump up my running times a bit.

I have to admire people like Derick who train consistently and really put in the time it takes to achieve their goals. Although he doesn't blog a lot, you'll notice that when he does, Derick's posts are generally race related. It always amazes me that he can remember such minute details about them. I think I'm usually spaced out when I run and things are kind of a blur. I will say that I can understand the feeling of accomplishment that reaching your goals (even if they're small goals) brings.

Now, for my motivational purchase...not a big one, but just enough to put a little spring in my step. I love, love, LOVE music. So, when I run, I have to make sure I'm rockin' out. I think it helps me stay motivated. Here's what I downloaded this weekend to keep me going...

Smooth Criminal ~ MJ
Black Cat & Rhythm Nation ~ Janet Jackson ~ I think I probably wore out my cassette of this back in the day...probably 1st or 2nd grade...oldies, but goodies
Supermassive Black Hole ~ Muse (from the Twilight soundtrack)
I Gotta Feelin' ~ Black Eyed Peas
Stayin' Alive ~ NTrance version...I like this one although Derick thinks the original one is better
Womanizer ~ Britney Spears
Eye of the Tiger ~ ok, so this was Derick's request, but another one to rock out to
Poker Face ~ Lady Gaga
Bad Romance ~ Lady Gaga (also my current favorite song for anyone who cares)
I'm Alive ~ Kenny Chesney featuring Dave Matthews -- not a rock em out song, but has great lyrics and kind of makes you think about how blessed you truly are
You & Me ~ Dave Matthews
Gett Off ~ Prince - Yes, my buddy Aaron and I once nearly froze to death camping out all night at Robert's Stadium for Prince tickets. It wasn't a great show and the floor seats weren't worth it. Still, I like Prince's music and am glad he's no longer a symbol.
Say Hey (I Love You) ~ Michael Franti & Spearhead
Right Round ~ Flo Rida -- when I selected this one, Derick asked who "flow Rita" was...I had to laugh and tell him that it's "flow rye duh" because I'm down wit dat...not really, but I like the song. By the way, it's featured in the movie The Ugly Truth starring Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl. It's a cute movie with eye candy for everyone. Word to the wise for anyone looking to rent something for Valentine's Day weekend...it's a good "chick flick", but guys would appreciate it too.

So, do we have any runners out there? If so, what (music or otherwise) gives you motivation?

Chicken Pot Pie

2010-02-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

Last night we had the best chicken pot pie I think I've ever eaten. And, I'm not just saying that because I made it. I have to give the praise to Derick's mom, since this is her recipe. Here's how to make it...and, the best part (other than that it's delicious)...LEFTOVERS!!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray
Place 4-6 (I used 6) chicken breasts in the pan and cover with foil
Bake for about 45 minutes

While the chicken is baking, combine the following in a large bowl: 2 cans mixed vegetables (drained), 2 cans cream of mushroom soup and 1 can cream of celery soup.

Fast forward 45 minutes...chicken is finished baking.

Remove chicken from the pan and cut it up. It will be so tender at this point.
Clean the 9x13 pan

Combine the chicken, veggies and soups in a large bowl.
Dump this all into the 9x13 pan

Bake for 30-40 minutes uncovered. Cook until the mixture starts bubbling.

Remove the pan from the oven and place refrigerator biscuits on top of the whole thing. I just used the cheap Wal Mart Great Value kind and they worked just fine. In fact, I think everything in this recipe was the Great Value brand.

Bake again (still at 400 degrees) for about 10 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown.

ENJOY!!!!

Although you have to have some time available to make this, it's really easy...and yummy...did I mention that already??

You'll have to let me know if you give it a whirl. This beats the heck out of the 59 cent Banquet chicken pot pies.

Give Me Five ~ Grocery List

2010-02-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

Here are five things that made their way into my grocery cart recently...

1. Mini powdered donuts -- These weren't on the list, but I had a craving for them. I could literally eat the entire package.
2. New hairbrush --- I'd hate to estimate how old my current one is. I'm sure it would also make a nice science experiment for someone.
3. 2 cans of mixed vegatables for a chicken pot pie I'm going to try my hand at...don't think I've eaten canned mixed veggies since grade school
4. Trail mix snack bars
5. Nectarines ~ or as Derick calls them, "baldies"

Hello Kitty

2010-01-27T20:29:00.001-05:00

I spotted this little lady (or gentleman, as Derick pointed out) lounging on our swing today.

I think she (or he) may be responsible for the tiny paw prints on our porch after our last snowfall.

Maybe she needs a little bed so she can stick around for awhile?

Back in Black

2010-01-21T14:46:00.000-05:00

Jennifer Aniston at the 2010 Golden Globes

It's everyone's favorite girl next door looking awesome as usual.

I love a little black dress and when I saw this, I had to share/confess how much I'd love to wear it (and the super cute strappy shoes) if I had somewhere uber fancy to go. Not that I could afford this (or that I have anywhere to go anytime soon where showing this much leg would be semi-ok), but if I could, I'd be on the prowl for it.

Right Before Our Very Eyes on a Friday Night

2010-01-19T16:44:00.000-05:00

Dinner was served thanks to the wonderful staff at Zuki's in Evansville. It was delicious and as you can see, you get tons of food. If you've never been to a Japanese restaurant where they cook things up hibachi style, you definitely need to go.

Even this little guy enjoyed it!

Travis, Chasity and Baby Ozzie.

This big guy enjoyed it too!

After dinner we went to see the Harlem Globetrotters. I'd never seen them before, but thought it was pretty cool.

Say Cheese!

2010-01-13T11:06:00.000-05:00

Well friends, I finally bit the bullet. I've ditched Derick's hand-me-down dinosaur of a digital camera for my very own. Although Derick has a nice digital camera (an upgrade from the dinosaur), I felt that I needed a camera of my own that I could use without cursing and being annoyed. So, I used some of my Christmas and birthday money to buy a Panasonic Lumix.

I can't take all of the credit though because Derick helped me find this little guy. I wanted something that had a large display, high megapixels and zoom, was easy to use, and HD movie capabilities. For the price, this one seemed like a great fit.

I've always loved taking photos, but hadn't made the jump to the digital camera world...I know...that jump happened awhile ago. I'm typing this as I sit here wearing my Hypercolor sweatshirt...seriously. It's purple...changes to pink. On a side note...can something from the early nineties be classified as vintage? Oh well, I digress...

So, stick around and hopefully I'll be able to share more of our adventures in photos!

Out With the Old

2010-01-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

And in with the New Year! Here are some pics from our recent trip to Chicago to visit Erin & George. We always have a great time there. We went downtown for New Year's Eve, but then vegged out, pigged out and watched movies at the house during the rest of the weekend. It's fun to just relax sometimes and we always seem to do that when we visit Erin & George. Thanks so much for having us!

Dinner at Geno's East ~ Downtown Chicago

Great pizza and the best ranch dressing I think I've ever had in my life.

Signing on...

Erin & George

Derick, Laura & Nick

At the Chicago Wolves Hockey Game

Derick and I with Erin, George and Bob at the game.

And although we had to wait until the end...

we still got to see a fight. What is it they say about hockey again?

I guess it's two events for the price of one. This was my first hockey game and

I have to say that it was pretty fun.

The Wolves win in a shootout.

Happy New Year!!

As Alanis Said...

2010-01-07T07:25:00.001-05:00

Isn't it ironic?

I've been missing my Grandpa a lot lately and can't believe it has been over a year since he's been gone.

A few nights ago when trying to fulfill one of my resolutions, I randomly chose a book of the New Testament to read. I chose 1 Thessalonians...party because it's a little book and partly because there's 2 Thessalonians (also a small book) so I could feel a sense of accomplishment if I got really ambitious and read two books in one night.

It's pretty neat how something strikes a chord nearly every time I make time to really focus on what God has to say. Although I still miss Grandpa, I can have hope through faith.

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14

Give Me Five ~ New Years Resolutions

2010-01-05T07:50:00.000-05:00

Tis the season to rethink the past year and look ahead to what you'd like to accomplish during the next 365 days.

Here are my five resolutions. Yes, some of them are back for an encore. I'm trying to think in generalities, as I don't want to get too hung up on having a firm target, then getting off the hook easily throughout the year because I've already failed at something. Drumroll please...

1. Work out at least 5 times per week. I stuck to this one pretty well last year, so it's worth being a goal again.

2. Read my Bible. I'm really bad about this one. I used to listen to the Bible on CD when I was on the road a lot, but found myself spacing out and not really paying attention much of the time.

3. Try new recipes. If you've been around the blog very long, you know that I love making sweet treats. This year, I'd like to try more "real food" recipes...maybe a few each month.

4. Have a date night once per month. Derick and I have a bad habit of just vegging out on the couch for hours on end watching stuff from our DVR when we don't have anything planned. We both agree that we need to make things more of an event and get out a little more.

5. Get to bed by 10 p.m. on weeknights. Another one back for an encore...here's hoping I do better this year.

What are your 2010 resolutions?

Christmas Cheer ~ A Recap in Photos

2010-01-03T20:56:00.002-05:00

This Christmas season started off with Derick's office party at French Lick Resort & Casino.

We saw the Grinch and lots of Christmas lights at Christmas Lake Village.

And we went through the Land of Lights at Lake Rudolph.

I baked up some sweet treats and made gift baskets for our families.

We smiled for the camera.

Opened gifts and spread holiday cheer.

Merry Christmas to All...

2009-12-23T20:41:00.000-05:00

and to all a blessed 2010!

The presents are nearly rounded up and ready to hit the road. The sweet treats are all made. I think we're almost ready for Christmas!

No snow here, but we'll still have cheer!

Derick and I would like to wish our family, friends and those of you in blog land a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for joining us online for our adventures big and small throughout the year.

2009 has flown by in some respects and has gone by slowly in other ways. I'm sure as you reflect on this year, you can probably say the same for your lives.

We'll be back in 2010 with more randomness to share...see you on the flip side :)

GM5 ~ Easy Dinner Edition

2009-12-21T11:14:00.002-05:00

Here's what's cookin' today at our house...

1. Beans
2. Ham chunks
3. Chopped Onions

All in this...

4. Crockpot

And served with this...

5. Cornbread

Give Me Five ~ Christmas Entertainment Edition

2009-12-20T13:43:00.003-05:00

These are five of my favorite Christmas movies or songs.

1. Christmas Vacation ~ such a classic. I'm sure that nearly every family has that person who reminds you of Cousin Eddie or Aunt Bethany. I don't think I could ever get tired of that movie...Cousin Eddie wearing the dickie outside his sweater. Cousin Eddie gobbling up Aunt Bethany's jello mold laced with cat food. The Griswold family Christmas tree search/drive home. Cousin Eddie kidnapping Clark's boss. Too many highlights to hit here.

2. A Christmas Story ~ Ah, Little Ralphie rubbing down the lamp aka "fragile". Don't forget to drink your Ovaltine!

3. O Holy Night ~ This is my absolute favorite Christmas song. I especially love this sung by a children's choir.

4. Carol of the Bells ~ I used to go to a church that had a children's bell choir. Although I wasn't part of the group, I loved hearing them play.

5. Home Alone ~ My favorite scene is the one where Kevin fakes out the bandits by blasting Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and making it look like the house is hopping with guests.

I'm positive I've left off many other favorites, but these are ones that spring to my mind first. Do you have a favorite Christmas movie or song?

Colts Women's Day

2009-12-19T14:31:00.005-05:00

Again, better late than never with some pics of the Colts Women's 101 Day ~ a fun filled time from Oct. 2009.

Above: Me with Pierre Garcon.

Our whole gang from the Evansville area.

Colts training facility pics.

Christmas at our house

2009-12-19T14:03:00.004-05:00

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Give Me Five ~ Favorite Ornament Edition

2009-12-19T13:52:00.008-05:00

These are five of my favorite Christmas ornaments...

This one came from St. Martin. It's made of dough.

This one came from my friend and former boss Angela as part of our wedding gift.

It plays music.

This came from a craft fair, but I like it because it has that homespun old timey look.

I found this ornament from a Christmas festival in Metamora, Indiana. It has a little Dutch flair.

Another one from a local craft fair. Again, the homesmade ones are so neat.

What are some of your favorite ornaments?

Since you asked...

2009-12-19T13:49:00.002-05:00

Here are the $5 mega heels...pretty cute for a few bucks if I must say so myself.

Give Me Five ~ Things I Can Do Without Edition

2009-12-18T10:50:00.005-05:00

I came up with the Give Me Five idea a few nights ago (as I was thinking angry thoughts about the number 1 thing on my list) and thought it would be a fun way to share randomness on the blog.

Today's edition includes things I can do without. Here it goes...

1. Our Tempurpedic mattress. I'm sure you've heard many reviews and all of the commericals, etc. on these lovelies. I'd be the person who would return it after the 30-day trial. I wake up nearly every night (ok, over 50% of the time) feeling like I'm in a sauna, soaked with sweat. The mattress is so firm/dense and not breathable (if that makes any sense). This does not make me a happy camper. I'd gladly trade it for my old cheapo couple of hundred dollars mattress I used to have. Derick purchased this "pre-Laura" though and for some unknown reason he really likes it. So, for now it's here to stay. I guess I'm getting a glimpse of what hot flashes may be like when I go through menopause.

2. My $5 mega high heels. Word to the wise...don't purchase 3" high heels at a flea market when you're in the middle of a parking lot and can't really walk around to see how they feel. Although I think they're super cute, I wore them for one day and felt like I was dying. I'm all for a deal, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to wear these again. I'm sure I'll give it a go though since I'm crazy like that.

3. The office staff at my eye doctor's office. I won't mention the location, but I really like my eye doctor. It's his staff that has made me decide to go elsewhere next time. You get out of your exam, then feel super pressured to buy new glasses and they kind of give you attitude when you don't. I also think they're trying to rip me off by billing things strangely through my insurance (where they end up not paying for the entire exam like they used to).

4. Stresses that I allow others to put on me. I've been doing better lately, but slip up from time to time.

5. Being cc'd on emails that have no relevance to me. Those of you that work in an office know exactly what I mean.

Takin' My Time

2009-12-11T15:26:00.004-05:00

Sometimes you just need a little "me" time. I've been able to find some of that lately, although it happened in a little bit of a strange way. We were told around early October that we had to use the rest of our vacation time this year versus rolling it over to 2010. I have to admit that I was a little ticked about this initially since I didn't really have any plans. With many days to use, I kind of felt like I'd just end up wasting them. I was wrong. I've found something to do (usually semi-productive in one way or another) with each day.

During the past month or so, I've painted our landry room, cleaned out my old toys/dolls at Mom & Dad's, cleaned, ran around all creation to get things ready for Thanksgiving at our house and wrapped up many other chores/loose ends. Today though, I'm happy to say that I really haven't done much of anything. It has been wonderful.

Derick had a client party last night, so I was going to be solo. I was bummed, but then turned that frown upside down. I made a quick call and miraculously got a same day hair appointment for last night. I think it's been nearly 6 months since my last haircut and it was waaaay past due. My new stylist took lots of time and although I didn't do anything drastic, I am very pleased and will most likely go back to her again. After that, I went to the gym, then vegged out with HGTV until about 1 a.m.

Today, I got a hot stone massage. This is truly heaven on earth. For anyone who has not had a massage (and I know you're out there), take it from me...yes, they are sometimes pricey, but you will thank yourself. Like Loreal's commercials say, You're Worth It! Plus, I found a good holiday special in Jasper...$35 for a full hour hot stone massage. Definitely a deal...usually they're $60 or $70 around here. So, while I was at it, I took advantage of another holiday deal and got a gift certificate for three more one hour massages for $99. This is a little present to myself.

Ok, so this post has been all about me so far. But, when I got home, Derick was lounged out on the couch. He had today off of work also : ) We've been snuggling and napping this afternoon. It has been a great day.

So, I hope everyone has a great Christmas and rest of the holiday season. With all of the hustle and bustle, don't forget to take some time for yourself. Even if it's just an hour for a massage, long bubble bath, pedicure, or a nap. You know you're worth it!!

Giving Thanks

2009-12-08T11:50:00.013-05:00

Of the many things I'm grateful for, I'm most thankful for my wonderful family. As an only child with a pretty small family on "my side," I'm especially thankful for Derick's large family. To me, it just doesn't seem like the holidays without traditions and lots of people around.

My family had traditions when I was younger, but as time has gone by and everyone has gone their separate directions, those have somewhat gone by the wayside. Kind of makes me sad, but I'm choosing instead to focus on new traditions and activities around the holidays.

This year, Derick and I got to host everyone for Thanksgiving at our house. I love planning and organizing things, so this was a real treat for me. We had about 25 people over for lunch and it was great. Derick was so helpful and made a delicious turkey.

Surprisingly, I was very mellow for the entire morning and didn't stress about anything really. Those of you who know me well know that this is an anomaly. However, lately I've had a new outlook on things and have really been trying to soak in all that life has to offer versus stressing out so much. I have my moments, but am getting better. Ok...so, more on turkey day...

We both got up super early. Derick started the turkey while I went to spinning class at the gym in hopes of avoiding any turkey day pig out guilt. Then, I went home, got the ham in the oven and got ready for the day while Derick made a trek to KMart. After he got home, we traded places. You know...because I had to go shopping too....despite not really needing anything and having stuff to do before 25 people arrived! It was just a quick trip to KMart for me too, then back home for final preparations for lunch.

Mom and Dad were first to arrive, which I was also thankful for. They offered a hand right before everyone else arrived so we could finish things up. Lunch was delicious and no one went hungry...mission accomplished!

Overall, it was a great day.

My Grandma wasn't able to come to our house for Thanksgiving, as she has trouble walking and the day would have been pretty tiring for her. So, Mom, Dad, Derick and I all had a second Thanksgiving on Saturday with Grandma at Stoll's Amish Restaurant. I love those types of places...especially the bread and peanut butter spread. They had a great pork chop too that day. Yummy!

Gone, but not forgotten

2009-11-11T12:52:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been on a little blog hiatus. We've been busy here and there, but mostly we've been living life and I haven't taken the time to chronicle all of the goings on. So, I'll be posting some reflections on things that have happened during the past few weeks. Warning...this is a long one...here we go!

Chicago~
In mid October we took a little road trip to Chicago to visit Erin & George. We always have a great time there just hanging out. This trip was no different. We enjoyed some great food, a little shopping, a movie and went to a comedy club. We saw Law Abiding Citizen...highly suggest it. The lovely Gerard Butler (and his lovely accent) star in this flick, along with Jamie Foxx.

We had lots of laughs at a comedy club, which was a fun experience. I hadn't ever been to a comedy club (other than the shows you see on cruises and at resorts we've been to). Overall, good times and a much needed few days away from the norm. Thanks, Erin & George for your hospitality!!

Colts Women's 101 Clinic in Indy~
On October 20th, I headed to Indy for the Colts Women's 101 Clinic. I was invited to go on the trip with a group of 20 other women. Let me tell you, it was fun! We boarded a party bus around 8 a.m. in Evansville (complete with stripper pole and neon lights...no, we didn't strip, but laughed about it a lot). After a few bathroom breaks, lots of getting to know eachother chatting and an abundance of junk food, we made it to PF Chang's for lunch. I have always heard that PF Chang's is a great place to eat, but had never been there. It did not disappoint...yummy! Then, we had a little time for some shopping at Circle Center Mall.

After that, next stop was the Colts Training Facility. We got goodie bags with cute Colts shirts and other trinkets. Then, it was off for a buffet dinner (even though we weren't hungry because we had been eating what seemed like non-stop all day). Next, we went to three sessions to learn about football. The first session was taught by two former Colts players. They explained the positions of the players and some common terms you hear on tv. Very interesting that they compared football to a game of chess. You can see that the players aren't just tough guys who are good athletes...there's a lot of thought and study involved to be really good. I honestly have no idea how they can anticipate what the other team's plans are.

Then, we met with current player, Rookie Kyle DeVay. Kyle shared what it's like to be part of the team, how he got on the team, their routines, what happens before/after games, etc. He was a super nice, down to earth guy, who took time to sign all of our 101 workbooks and take pics. You could tell that he was sort of "livin' the dream" by being a part of the Colts team...he was very humble and seemed truly excited to be there, even to talk to a group of gals, some of which (not me) asked crazy questions...he just rolled with it and kept smiling.

Last stop was a session with current player Pierre Garcon. He was also very nice, seemed down to earth and willing to answer all of our questions. Like Kyle, he spoke about how he made it to Indy, but elaborated on the Combine...the process that goes into being asked to play pro football...basically the "try out" process.

After that, we hopped back on the party bus and made the long trek back to Evansville. I didn't get home until nearly 2:30 a.m., but it was a great time. We had lots of laughs along the way and I met some new people. It was a really fun experience.

Little Time~
At the end of October, my BBBS Little Sis and I met up for some dinner and a movie. After diverting her attention from the rated R movies, she chose Where the Wild Things Are. I'm usually really into movies, but this was one of the oddest shows I've ever seen. I don't think I was alone in this because at the end of the movie, everyone just sat there. Then, you saw people kind of shake their heads and laugh and little...sort of like, "Wow. We sat through the entire movie and this is the end? " It was really bizarre. Little liked it though, which was good. I thought it was so strange that I nearly fell asleep and half way wondered if one of Little's earlier choices would have been better.

Trick or Treat~
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the scary movies, ghost stories, candy (not the crap candy, the good stuff), dressing up, etc. It's just a fun time to be someone else for awhile. So, Derick and I had a small gathering at our house where costumes were required. I'll have to post some pics later, but we all had a nice time. My parents (Elvira and a Pirate), Derick's mom and step dad (a Witch and Zorro) and my friend Rick (a King/Caesar) were all part of the Halloween crew. Derick and I used our costumes from last year (since we were in sunny Puerto Vallarta then), but I added a crazy new wig to my ensemble. If you missed it, click here...let's just say we went as Trick and Treat.

Laundry Room Redo~
Learning that I have to burn all of my vacation by the end of the year instead of being able to roll it all over as I have in the past, I've been looking for projects to complete. One of the first on my list was painting our laundry room. It was white, actually with no paint, just textured drywall finish. Being in a laundry/bathroom, it was starting to get a little gross. The textured walls are not something you can clean easily. Thus, the desire to redo was born!

Derick found a few leftover gallons of paint from our living room/hallway project, so I went that route with a great neutral color Walnut Wash. I had this color in my home in Princeton and really liked it, so it made the journey to Jasper. I spent all day last Friday painting and cleaning the room. After all of the work, I have to say that it looks much better to me. It's not a huge change, but it just feels cleaner and complete now. We also hung up some new satin nickel finish towel bars (from WalMart) that all match eachother (instead of the random plastic ones we had before). And, I found some nice window toppers at KMart to tie together our neutral beige Walnut Wash with some blue rugs we were already using. Overall, mission accomplished for around $70!!

If you're still reading, you probably understand why I haven't blogged much lately. With the holidays right around the corner, I'll probably fall behind again, so sorry in advance!

Odds and Ends

2009-10-15T18:12:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it's been a week since my last post. Funny how I'm always thinking of things to blog about, but somehow only a fraction of those thoughts make it online. Sometimes I think I need to use my microcassette recorder to capture random thoughts...

Speaking of that, here are a few...

If you're not watching The Forgotten and Fringe, you're missing out. I like these shows because they make you think and really pay attention. Although I still love reality shows, sometimes it's good to give those brain cells a workout.

The Forgotten stars Christian Slater and is about a group of volunteers who help solve John/Jane Doe missing person cases. I love a good mystery and seeing the pieces come together to form the solution.

Fringe is a little out there. It reminds me of The X Files. I loved that show and wanted to be Agent Scully. Seriously, I wanted to be a pathologist or FBI Agent and be paired with a a hunk like David Duchovny. Instead I'm a media buyer paired with my laptop...minor tradeoff. I have Derick and that's pretty great, so I'll give up the FBI dream for now. Fringe highlights mysterious happenings that you never really understand and aren't sure they're from this reality (if that makes any sense). Of course, much like The X Files, there's the looming backstory that you never can quite put your finger on (and you know will take forever to unravel). I have my theories, but I guess I'll just have to keep watching.

And, on the reality show front...will the new season of The Girls Next Door be the same with all new girls? I had hope, but now I think not. After seeing only one of the new episodes, I'm nearly ready to remove it from my DVR.

Another item that may be removed from my DVR (I admit, not willingly) is Jon & Kate Plus 8. I still love that show, but all I can say is this...what a deal. We all know that life doesn't always turn out as you planned. I really hope that Kate gets her own show and the kiddos can have some privacy. Despite many of the Kate haters out there, I still like her and appreciate the way she tries to make an event out of little things, etc. Jon...I can't judge him because I'm sure he's in a rough situation.

Lastly (on a non tv note)....
Remember my post on how nice everyone was in Nashville? Well, after a trip last night to Eastland Mall, my thoughts were confirmed time and time again. The place was completely dead....really to the point of being depressing to be there. I went in many stores and was greeted by a salesperson maybe (and this is being generous) 10% of the time. Just a different mentality, I guess. Needless to say, I didn't buy anything (other than dinner). I'm not looking forward to going back. Am I really saying that?? Sadly, yes.