tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65604301012678435592024-03-22T02:13:02.662-05:00Pura VidaA collection of thoughts from a mommy, wife, teacher, and friend who loves reading, traveling, and drinking coffee.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.comBlogger345125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-40063251882975456602019-02-15T04:26:00.004-06:002019-02-15T04:26:49.822-06:00I Will Miss This<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am on the verge of going into labor with baby number two. Like, probably within a couple of days, definitely in less than a week. It's exciting right?! But for some reason, it is sooooo bittersweet for me. I feel a sense of mourning as our time as a family of three comes to an end. I have cried occasionally when I've been struck by the fact that Claire will no longer be my one-and-only, which we had actually planned for at one point. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited, but this change is huge - and I'm not 100% prepared!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So in the middle of the night tonight, I had to sneak into Claire's room and climb into bed with her. She knew I came in and with the sweetest and softest voice said, "Hi momma," with a smile on her face. She didn't even open her eyes all the way, but she shifted her position in bed so that I could lay next to her. It's like she knew what I needed. I laid down next to her and just held my "baby" for awhile. I needed that.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWryPPwIvNIrK-pbnn19pE6oGdhxORDRs2lulJeLJgQANHYYr0fd3h2LLei6ZylJ7qiJCza8vFcC65uf6zyXRijfGD48iouWJ-FIwclMwZBMKuMI-soiZYUMnsMQXfidNiUrtJl-VDu0/s1600/as+long+as+i%2527m+living%252C+my+baby+you%2527ll+be..png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWryPPwIvNIrK-pbnn19pE6oGdhxORDRs2lulJeLJgQANHYYr0fd3h2LLei6ZylJ7qiJCza8vFcC65uf6zyXRijfGD48iouWJ-FIwclMwZBMKuMI-soiZYUMnsMQXfidNiUrtJl-VDu0/s400/as+long+as+i%2527m+living%252C+my+baby+you%2527ll+be..png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is impossible for me to grasp how I'll be able to love another as much as I love her. I mean, I've had a little training when my newest nephew was born last month. Jackson, my first nephew, had been the apple of my eye right behind Claire. But along came Caleb, and my love just grew! So I can at least understand what people say about your heart growing, not your love dividing. But as I lay there holding Claire in the middle of the night, I still could not believe that my heart can grow THAT MUCH. Sometimes, it's like she has everything that I have to give... and if I give anymore, I might disappear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am ready to meet baby girl number two, my body feels ready and mentally, I'm pretty much there. But for every hour and day she's not here yet, I am going to cherish my time with Claire, and Ryan, as a perfect little family of three. The family that feels so complete, but God must know something we don't. It will be amazing to have it all fall into place once baby girl makes her arrival, but for now, I am soaking this all in.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-84848235019170442662019-02-02T07:13:00.004-06:002019-02-02T07:13:54.442-06:00It's February!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You're probably thinking, yeah - it's February...the longest short month of the year. What's so special about this dreary month?! Normally, I might feel similarly in that February is usually a month that feels so long with icky weather and never ending battle with illness. But this year, I'm looking forward to what's to come - A LOT!</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">January 2019 was the WORST month ever as far as weather and school cancellations were concerned. I'm holding out hope that there is no way February can be as bad.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will be attending my first book club in a long time! We read <i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland</i> and <i>Through the Looking Glass</i> (a review to come at a later time).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Galentine's Day!! A coworker of mine is hosting a Galentine's Day Brunch and I'm so excited to participate! Brunch is the best!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My birthday is the 18th (and there is no school!). I also have so many friends that celebrate birthdays this month and I feel like they another year of all of our lives is worth celebrating!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I only have 12 more work days (at most) before my maternity leave begins! Because....</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our second daughter will make her appearance this month! Wow, it still feels so surreal that we will soon be a family of four. And that Claire will no longer be our only child, which was something we had envisioned for her for so long (more on that in another post to come as well).</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Are you looking forward to anything this month?!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-79741541499959067742019-01-16T16:41:00.000-06:002019-01-16T16:41:12.622-06:00Working Mom Guilt<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wow, this has not hit me harder than it has this year. Knowing I'm also going to be gone for maternity leave this school year has had me feeling ALL THE GUILT when I need to take time off for my appointments or when Claire is sick. In fact, I'm off with Claire today, who has been around a daycare full of kids with RSV and now has the symptoms herself. She is miserable, and she needs her momma, but I feel so dang guilty that I had to miss the first day of third quarter. Why?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For one, I think I tend to take the comments other people make a little too personally. Comments like, "Oh, you're not here...again?!" or "Wow, she's sick all the time." Luckily, I have an equally awesome balance of coworkers who have kids of their own and <i style="font-weight: bold;">totally</i> get it! Regardless, the guilt lingers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Any suggestions on what I can do to overcome it? It is so real and it makes me feel <i>sooo</i> awful. Awful that I'm not the most reliable employee/teacher I can be, but also awful that I even feel guilty about putting my family's needs first.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwfLxLbSEdzyBM6RTpGIsxGKx_EFhK6Lo7YBzgWM3l8BDjEAx2BBZf5bb9iQJnvkA35YzB3g1m1cJ11ZZenY0eGJH1q4uwuBllcr5UkNopqFRtzx4ZFXZQ0ndCe_5sUvo6Q9YS1Xhqh4/s1600/guilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwfLxLbSEdzyBM6RTpGIsxGKx_EFhK6Lo7YBzgWM3l8BDjEAx2BBZf5bb9iQJnvkA35YzB3g1m1cJ11ZZenY0eGJH1q4uwuBllcr5UkNopqFRtzx4ZFXZQ0ndCe_5sUvo6Q9YS1Xhqh4/s400/guilt.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wish I was writing a blog post about how to <i>overcome </i>or even <i>ignore</i> the guilt, but at the moment, I've got nothing...</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-91161602415719236042019-01-13T09:59:00.000-06:002019-01-13T10:01:27.085-06:00Social Media Break<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My heart has been telling me to do this for quite some time, but I have to admit - the addiction is real. But as I pondered my "resolutions" for 2019, I decided that, at the end of the day, I just want to be more content with how I am living my life. And I know where my flaws are, and I know what to work on, but a huge factor in helping me accomplish my goals is to dive into them, fully, and leave unnecessary distractions behind.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This lead to me choosing a phrase to follow rather than making a list of resolutions. I am choosing "Be Present." It encompasses a lot of the other goals I plan to work towards and some of the other words I considered like: Simplify, Unplug, Blessed... If I am truly present in my life, those other things will fall into place.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj14i4pGefa45CNTSV2v7BFuGLFD_RLkX-yXufrytiIHs8CYjbNDWxk62zyPJFyUz5fiB__gMBVBw51kgUACVNYl5TvLaWQZ21prlfYc6T6ImHNlCulUgbRX2agp_nLIRM8vjYdVPKwNk/s1600/Be-Present-Free-Printable-791x1024.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="791" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj14i4pGefa45CNTSV2v7BFuGLFD_RLkX-yXufrytiIHs8CYjbNDWxk62zyPJFyUz5fiB__gMBVBw51kgUACVNYl5TvLaWQZ21prlfYc6T6ImHNlCulUgbRX2agp_nLIRM8vjYdVPKwNk/s400/Be-Present-Free-Printable-791x1024.png" width="308" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">SOOOO - part of being present is giving myself time to be more meaningful in the ways I reflect on and share parts of my life with others, and helps me remember that there are some things better left private. I don't want my daughters' pictures flooding my social media. I don't want my political beliefs to unintentionally hurt my relationship with others. And I certainly don't need to share articles that helped me, believing that they will help someone else - as if it has all of the answers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You see, I am guilty of all of the above, but I recognize these flaws and plan to tame them this year. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Admittedly, I am scared to <b>delete</b> the beloved Facebook, because not only is it full of memories, but it has been such a great way to stay connected with people. I think there is great value in the ease of "keeping up" with my friends and family, especially those who do not live near. But there are times when Facebook turns evil and it suddenly takes an hour of my time away from me when I could have been playing with my daughter, reading a book, or actually spending time with a friend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So my solution, for now, is to take a break. I don't know how long it will be, and I don't know what my return will look like. I know there are people waiting to see my new baby girl when she is born, and there are people who have enjoyed seeing updates of Claire. But I would rather document my life on a smaller scale with a smaller audience and spend more time actually <i>being present</i> in my life instead of posting the "picture perfect" lie Facebook often tells.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I hope you'll find find value in following this blog! I hope I can stick with it. If I start to slip, remind me! I could use accountability! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Happy Sunday all!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-74549568858078570592018-08-12T10:26:00.000-05:002018-08-12T11:04:05.198-05:00Unexpectedly Expecting<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After two years of infertility, five rounds of Clomid, two failed IUIs, an HSG, too many ultrasounds to count, being referred to the U of I, and a round of IVF to get little <a href="http://puravida218.blogspot.com/2015/05/bless-broken-road.html">Miss Claire</a>, I feel like I am now living in the world of make believe. As much as I didn't want it to, infertility became a part of who I am and totally shaped the future Ryan and I planned for ourselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When Claire came, we felt complete. After the journey to get her in my arms came to a close, I knew I never wanted to take that trip again. It was too hard - hard on my body, hard on our marriage, hard on my anxiety/depression. We resolved to being a family of three. Knowing that infertility in the past does not guarantee infertility in the future, I took measures to prevent pregnancy for my own mental health. I didn't want the temptation of secretly hoping it would happen, even though we had decided we were happy with one child. My decision to remove the IUD had to do with it's side effects, and we were in the process of deciding what to try next.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Ryan will thank me for not going into too many details of how very confident he was that we could not pregnant without assistance, but let's just say that he was very wrong! 😉</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSEeHJiSQfb0PEyq4zZKBxsaoZo9AfYmGQz7TD0uWcH6s277Vku7xROXQK2yU9to9MNN2eZa9CwDzkrGnsr8ltRTsXLkqoJnIYUOVn9Z1vcu6Xizxej8E3vZezfgZ44NGYzi4mbapJww/s1600/Hackbarth+baby+announcement+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoSEeHJiSQfb0PEyq4zZKBxsaoZo9AfYmGQz7TD0uWcH6s277Vku7xROXQK2yU9to9MNN2eZa9CwDzkrGnsr8ltRTsXLkqoJnIYUOVn9Z1vcu6Xizxej8E3vZezfgZ44NGYzi4mbapJww/s640/Hackbarth+baby+announcement+2019.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finding out I was pregnant caught me COMPLETELY off guard. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You guys - it is the weirdest feeling having been through two extremes of the pregnancy journey. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But when I saw that little peanut on the ultrasound, I wanted to take it back any negative emotions I felt (to be detailed in a later post). Ryan and I didn't think we wanted two kids, but God knew we needed two. The realization that Claire is going to be a sister almost made my heart stop - she is going to be amazing! And what a gift to give her, a sibling. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am still grappling with conflicting feelings about whether or not I am ready for this or if this timing is right, but I am recognizing the blessing that we have been given and do not want to take this for granted. **(This is a hard announcement to make, when I know what infertility does to a person. I recognize that my friends who want to be pregnant are going to have a hard time being happy for me. But all I ask is that you don't shut me out completely - my feelings of being infertile are still raw and I will still support you in every way I can. Just know that I see you, I'm here for you, and I understand how hard this is for you.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My feelings of guilt are subsiding and making way for joy, anticipation, and gratefulness. Baby #2 is due on February 24th, so I have plenty of time to focus on the positives and mentally prepare for this change. I am so blessed to have two little miracles in my life - Claire, and baby #2!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This new adventure is about to begin - bring it on!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-4882838172728711982018-07-25T18:06:00.002-05:002018-07-25T18:06:26.615-05:00Currently Reading July 2018<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just an update on the current books lying around my house, in my purse, in my car, and next to Claire's bed! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Unwind</i> by Neil Shusterman</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Listen, Love, Repeat</i> by Karen Ehman</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** </i>by Mark Manson</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBV-YXYoEhQ-GoMJo6gsUNt7W2Xe5XatVoedYux2bhJh4CUd3Uu-7PIebe6E1vCzY5ErnUFnmBDeZn-f-o4JyeBpDSA_9Axwt8mpk6RGnFxA3S_K5ZM7GP4aMUGLcavyn7LEUTADIV6g/s1600/subtleart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBV-YXYoEhQ-GoMJo6gsUNt7W2Xe5XatVoedYux2bhJh4CUd3Uu-7PIebe6E1vCzY5ErnUFnmBDeZn-f-o4JyeBpDSA_9Axwt8mpk6RGnFxA3S_K5ZM7GP4aMUGLcavyn7LEUTADIV6g/s320/subtleart.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>I Am Truly </i>by Kelly Greenawalt</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhetUZaBS8c3nIFudPB3szHBPhBOV86AKWKXmBkRPSIgf1C1ToKP6uBRHQBFPoNoUmQjyoxoyOioQRt-mekxlRybevwoHFyFd3d53Lb-vbZDV5JWHXX7L4qYq6yAISQAe_iLz66q1uU1j0/s1600/truly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhetUZaBS8c3nIFudPB3szHBPhBOV86AKWKXmBkRPSIgf1C1ToKP6uBRHQBFPoNoUmQjyoxoyOioQRt-mekxlRybevwoHFyFd3d53Lb-vbZDV5JWHXX7L4qYq6yAISQAe_iLz66q1uU1j0/s320/truly.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you read any of these books before? What did you think? What are you currently reading?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-28829061016355838442018-04-18T12:52:00.000-05:002018-04-18T12:52:08.401-05:00Currently Reading April 2018<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can never just read one book at a time. I always have some combination of nonfiction, fiction, and self-help/faith driven books, as well as a blog, and my favorite kid's book I'm reading with Claire. So why not share what I'm currently reading? Maybe we can discuss together!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Hate U Give</i> by Angie Thomas</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Gifts of Imperfection</i> by Brene Brown</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Dreams from My Father</i> by Barack Obama</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Cult of Pedagogy</i> Blog</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Big Words for Little People</i> by Jamie Lee Curtis</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are you currently reading?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-19084801995154952292018-01-30T14:26:00.000-06:002018-01-30T14:26:39.012-06:00Some Things Have Happened (Part Two)<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2017</b></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had the chance to participate at the CEW at St. Ann's in a meaningful way. It was awesome!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I went to the Behavior Conference in Kansas City and had a chance to connect with my aunts while I was down there.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had a fun Easter, Claire loved the Easter Egg hunt!</span></li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I joined Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping and got in shape, lost some weight, and started taking better care of myself!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After many ear infections, Claire visited an ENT and she got tubes in her ears.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ryan and I took our first vacation away from Claire and enjoyed four nights in Boston while Claire enjoyed time with her grandparents and aunt and uncle.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had an awesome summer than concluded with a trip to the Ozarks and Claire being the flower girl in my aunts' wedding!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My nephew, and Godson, was born at the beginning of September and all of hearts grew three sizes!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fall brought us Halloween, and weekend getaway in Nashville, and Claire's second birthday, which we celebrated at the Iowa Children's Museum in Iowa City.</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We concluded 2017 with some family pictures taken by my amazing mother (if you want contact info, let me know!) and a super fun Christmas with family!</span></li>
</ul>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-76287126822841568132018-01-24T21:42:00.000-06:002018-01-24T21:42:09.170-06:00Some Things Have Happened (Part One)<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hi there! So...it's January...of 2018...TWO. THOUSAND. EIGHTEEN. I've been thinking about making a blog post pretty ever since my last blog post, in August of 2015. But then, I had a baby. You'd think that would be the perfect time to want to keep up the blog, but holy crap; that little girl took over my life. Add that to my first few years of teaching and taking grad classes, and yeah, the blog sat on the back burner for awhile. And ultimately, the blog was forgotten about. Whoops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But here I am, wishing I was better about documenting my life, Claire's life, our family adventures, my teaching experiences, etc., without putting it all over Facebook and Instagram. So I'm going to give this another go. And I'm going to TRY to keep it up, with a little more focus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Here's the quick and dirty update (since my last update in August of 2015)-</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2015</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzCq9FAk2ej6u_ChEVEK6PF8FrCwhu29n9tjxU733Un2qVIl65IxMS-nFj_kbB3qSE7jYfBCY6_EY7UNJTauSEG_Hq-4NRQ1k2amuIwAha8eZ4N67wbubolT6-5M1xnT0AbU6EtULrek/s1600/12291250_10102927311955340_8443343545352822109_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1209" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYzCq9FAk2ej6u_ChEVEK6PF8FrCwhu29n9tjxU733Un2qVIl65IxMS-nFj_kbB3qSE7jYfBCY6_EY7UNJTauSEG_Hq-4NRQ1k2amuIwAha8eZ4N67wbubolT6-5M1xnT0AbU6EtULrek/s320/12291250_10102927311955340_8443343545352822109_o.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Started my first year of teaching at Bettendorf High School.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Thoroughly, honestly, enjoyed the last few months of my pregnancy (until the last two weeks).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Had Claire Lindsey in November. She was 9 pounds 2 ounces, 21 inches long, with a head full of gorgeous hair!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">My grandma passed away in November. I miss her every single day.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>2016</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQip6EkLAbTtFNxkLYQ3RS_xBNFfcQgu5w2RIgEtmwqs0HFHbYl4a2tzimmjwS0QUPtlKOlOGEk-HbTXFVtJB0LRGO6eezfDqQYPtQrejedyVDtgq-FAqHYMXSPxnY_AxJe5uVvcF_c5c/s1600/13268113_10103274794652230_3657505693081114034_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQip6EkLAbTtFNxkLYQ3RS_xBNFfcQgu5w2RIgEtmwqs0HFHbYl4a2tzimmjwS0QUPtlKOlOGEk-HbTXFVtJB0LRGO6eezfDqQYPtQrejedyVDtgq-FAqHYMXSPxnY_AxJe5uVvcF_c5c/s320/13268113_10103274794652230_3657505693081114034_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">This year revolved around Claire - what a whirlwind it was to watch her fly through all of the milestones and become the cutest, smartest, sweetest, and most perfect little girl in the world.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">Claire had her first flight as we took our first big family vacation to Las Vegas and San Diego.</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAwrwkkn7LIzAEiWSODK28UWhu8XDvo-3pGzArjDRoSNmMtnzIm_avGMeaaZ0s3SjLvSJjcbvS5zxINdvfdrlASxGrxugR5pKiwgetBnW1xvvL2MTY94y7Yt69GaZLHjo0ZVZOr97b7A/s1600/13957996_10103461247574080_841230578678358022_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAwrwkkn7LIzAEiWSODK28UWhu8XDvo-3pGzArjDRoSNmMtnzIm_avGMeaaZ0s3SjLvSJjcbvS5zxINdvfdrlASxGrxugR5pKiwgetBnW1xvvL2MTY94y7Yt69GaZLHjo0ZVZOr97b7A/s320/13957996_10103461247574080_841230578678358022_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">We celebrated Claire's first birthday with a dinosaur princess themed party and close family members. The year went insanely fast, but was wonderful.</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3E6Ud32iVd3n5XEV6u0IsWM7MVGN0PpdcC9DtPh_2o6hp7VIphlEvXmI44oUCfAgYWPwxVoSh27Xgekvix8iHmVLnb9ML5QeAZpeb849zkk1ihLs5CgY6jm39azsM33lpfKDHhQn5Ezc/s1600/15042247_10103729243882330_5897948460580545122_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3E6Ud32iVd3n5XEV6u0IsWM7MVGN0PpdcC9DtPh_2o6hp7VIphlEvXmI44oUCfAgYWPwxVoSh27Xgekvix8iHmVLnb9ML5QeAZpeb849zkk1ihLs5CgY6jm39azsM33lpfKDHhQn5Ezc/s320/15042247_10103729243882330_5897948460580545122_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-29030079209525599692015-09-05T11:47:00.000-05:002015-09-05T11:48:21.316-05:00August 2015 Recap: Part 2<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...Let's continue the recap of my August adventures. There is so much awesome to remember!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Maternity Photo Fun!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mom wanted to practice taking some portraits, so we used the good weather and my current pregnant status to take some fun pics! It was a good time, though I'll have to have a round two so Ryan can get in a couple!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kGL5U7SXiIoaDsq3xVe_g8cCWPMBaiQHCLabD_hVPfWZq51jNqG_fmqRya7HL17sIrrbGBMheY8efXp2rCKMqDVoDO9tKuc4XL_1QwmQGKMTah0ENiRCofxaqjOMpF6oVgWm3w06QzY/s1600/P1120129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-kGL5U7SXiIoaDsq3xVe_g8cCWPMBaiQHCLabD_hVPfWZq51jNqG_fmqRya7HL17sIrrbGBMheY8efXp2rCKMqDVoDO9tKuc4XL_1QwmQGKMTah0ENiRCofxaqjOMpF6oVgWm3w06QzY/s640/P1120129.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKllW6R9d88pe8d4gYfbHSM2vZoF-9Y02ch55l9l8bcQCM2YkMwr87RXMGH39XNxc_o2l9IJwOLBnVJJOZCqFAaDNi3eOpBkM2JLOGCxxuRBEhSIzGD7RNE8BLr29hVQwgehuHqnUIw4M/s1600/P1120046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKllW6R9d88pe8d4gYfbHSM2vZoF-9Y02ch55l9l8bcQCM2YkMwr87RXMGH39XNxc_o2l9IJwOLBnVJJOZCqFAaDNi3eOpBkM2JLOGCxxuRBEhSIzGD7RNE8BLr29hVQwgehuHqnUIw4M/s640/P1120046.JPG" width="456" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTapHlS0TReIMxQDyTXSVSfUZu-fP4TL2c0mNWPdZrxiIGtuUnJbyosDB7AO9EnICCpPh0hD1f9NUyPyw-f719_8rCyBFkmnHwmBG8QBkmp91idL4dmiEsBeRRc7nzmFa8OxubWnIQqe8/s1600/P1120008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTapHlS0TReIMxQDyTXSVSfUZu-fP4TL2c0mNWPdZrxiIGtuUnJbyosDB7AO9EnICCpPh0hD1f9NUyPyw-f719_8rCyBFkmnHwmBG8QBkmp91idL4dmiEsBeRRc7nzmFa8OxubWnIQqe8/s640/P1120008.JPG" width="458" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Awesome Adventure #3: Indianapolis Road Trip</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having a small break between summer school and the beginning of the school year led to an opportunity to visit my bestie in Indiana! I drove out to visit Brooke on a Tuesday and came home on a Thursday. It was too short a visit, but it was also just what I needed before the school year began.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We enjoyed our time with Jack, lots of catching up, a fun trip downtown, and a nice girls only dinner on my last night. It was the perfect end to my summer!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KG0h0fvoUxlnEnjuIBx2pVjU0Z3P_Kow7ENaPdVHoj_SipPLXCsSTLlNGB9hSdfzoEbgO7_pqgUYd1sOjdBMnR05-AkR2agjsSzoUeJrRddT6ubGaUmJIjPtYf7z2nUyBp14XIQbA4g/s1600/20150811_160305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7KG0h0fvoUxlnEnjuIBx2pVjU0Z3P_Kow7ENaPdVHoj_SipPLXCsSTLlNGB9hSdfzoEbgO7_pqgUYd1sOjdBMnR05-AkR2agjsSzoUeJrRddT6ubGaUmJIjPtYf7z2nUyBp14XIQbA4g/s640/20150811_160305.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurEo5_NHc1SbyNUt4fh11hSOOMLCbr2dlgjDP_HfSmFaJgoQNt7zebI6_G8iSkccyv7LEwg-slIMsbyPyw1AQGwkVQ3Hn0-VlXJ-RVHQXlWryPK6IpiHMAzrUOhQniTXG_hoDT2w0Hkg/s1600/Snapchat-2643228096778453137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiurEo5_NHc1SbyNUt4fh11hSOOMLCbr2dlgjDP_HfSmFaJgoQNt7zebI6_G8iSkccyv7LEwg-slIMsbyPyw1AQGwkVQ3Hn0-VlXJ-RVHQXlWryPK6IpiHMAzrUOhQniTXG_hoDT2w0Hkg/s640/Snapchat-2643228096778453137.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzaUE2RzWIW06MZ-Lpo-FlRB9c6vCowARvAHvxa50xlyNR2GZ5a9vfGeA_5wuIa0DN15QgdXF6Xyhjys4fZliJB4HO_yENGNFB8N0wtFuNnOvkM5_-oM_QBYrrGByl7yJu39NkMGuBPI/s1600/20150812_110005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzaUE2RzWIW06MZ-Lpo-FlRB9c6vCowARvAHvxa50xlyNR2GZ5a9vfGeA_5wuIa0DN15QgdXF6Xyhjys4fZliJB4HO_yENGNFB8N0wtFuNnOvkM5_-oM_QBYrrGByl7yJu39NkMGuBPI/s640/20150812_110005.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42fO4rcQh5aLc9hSSP0NlYCRJWBMwnvit8XySNCLsvqZk_b7Mow_TxBfS1O9QaacWSJyFwmvv8N7PA0lQ9o0FAV23-cz9mrSnWOUbbDAm6GAk2UVLYqwXmd2vICcawxXCcONfpWf1oN8/s1600/20150812_130022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42fO4rcQh5aLc9hSSP0NlYCRJWBMwnvit8XySNCLsvqZk_b7Mow_TxBfS1O9QaacWSJyFwmvv8N7PA0lQ9o0FAV23-cz9mrSnWOUbbDAm6GAk2UVLYqwXmd2vICcawxXCcONfpWf1oN8/s640/20150812_130022.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Awesome Adventure #4: Inservice/First Week of School</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, so this doesn't really seem like an "awesome" adventure...but for me, it sure was! This August marked my very first beginning of the school year as a real full-time teacher! I excitedly went to inservice each day, anxiously anticipating the first day of school with the students.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this time, I don't really have any pictures from this fun time in my life, but hopefully I snap some with my amazing co-workers soon! This time in my life has been so exciting, but also stressful. It's all been worth it though, because I am finally following through with the dream of being teacher, a dream I've had since junior high and that I too easily set aside for several years. But in retrospect, this is the perfect time in my life to begin this career, as I think I've finally reached a point that while it's stressful, I can truly enjoy it and handle the workload a first-year teacher has. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, it's inconvenient to have to take maternity leave during the first semester of my first year of teaching...but I already know that it will be so much easier to return to a job that I love after my baby girl is born.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>More August Extras:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes, I really slack at taking pictures. August wrapped up with a dinner out at Alli's parent's house...a mini reunion of high school best friends. So lovely to see my long-time girl friends, as always. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also spent an evening baking and watching movies with Hannah! We enjoyed a day up in La Porte City visiting family and attending yet another family reunion. I went to my first high school football game at Bettendorf, wearing the black and gold of the Bulldogs. It was a fun time, though I felt like a traitor the whole time, lol!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">September has already started out with excitement, so this month's recap will be a great one too, hopefully with more pictures! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also need to try to take more bump pictures...I've totally been slacking! That, and I plan to post another pregnancy update soon. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope you all have an amazing Labor Day weekend!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-5838538562467648482015-08-30T07:47:00.002-05:002015-08-30T07:47:51.286-05:00August 2015 Recap: Part 1<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">August has been a full month and now that it's almost over, it's time to recap the awesomeness that occurred this month before I forget it all! Warning: This is a long one! In fact, I'm going to split it into two parts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Awesome Adventure #1: Des Moines/Cascade</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were originally headed up to Des Moines to go to the Hinterland Music Festival, but the location moved to outside of the city and we were offered a refund if we didn't want to go. We really wanted to have time to see Nick and Emily too, so we decided to skip the concert and just hang out in the city. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We spent some time catching up with the Reeds and then Ryan and I had a date at <a href="http://exilebrewing.com/">Exile Brewery</a>, which was really delicious food! We also checked out <a href="http://confluencebrewing.com/">Confluence Brewery</a> which had a really fun atmosphere. We sat and played cribbage while Ryan sampled a few beers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we got back to Nick and Emily's, we got in our cozy clothes and settled in for some <a href="http://jackboxgames.com/project/fibbage/">Fibbage</a> before bed. In the morning, we headed over to Laura and Jason's new place in Ankeny for some delicious brunch. Unfortunately, the only picture that I got for the whole Des Moines experience is this cute one of me and Laura, showing off our bumps!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After brunch, we drove to Cascade for a family camping day with my mom's side of the family. This day was full of great food, awesome weather, lots of family time, paper lantern fun, and bags!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Awesome Adventure #2: Flaters Visit/Stolt's Wedding</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Friday, August 7th, Andy and Ashley got here just in time for us to head straight out to Le Claire for some fun. We first went to the <a href="http://www.mrdistilling.com/">distillery</a> to pick up some more of their awesome bourbon barrel-aged <a href="http://www.boetjesmustard.com/">Boetje's</a> mustard. We stuck around for some samples as well...obviously, I only enjoyed the food samples, not the yummy drinks. Then we went and put our name in for dinner and had a 45-minute wait, so we checked out the brewery in town: <a href="http://greentreebrewery.com/">Green Tree Brewery</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We continued our fun, double-date night at <a href="http://the-blueiguana.com/">Blue Iguana</a> for some Mexican food and then headed to the village in Davenport to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brewinthevillage">Brew</a> for a final drink before heading home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the morning, we headed up to Chicago. We met up with Nick and Emily for lunch in Libertyville before checking in to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a little rest, it was time for the big party. We got all prettied up and headed out to beautiful location for the wedding and reception!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7vloJINNh9PxbZ_SMpIFEVMRhbHPTiqm7nEq3oSAk_3zOhduVi6iQZ1AAJswEYWwhRV_sVRgvY75SGUJkhMFLh9FRW3UzLqx0s-nZFulSRVHfVFCmr0FrVumAJqKDHePkrR99__GE-w/s1600/1439072992518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy7vloJINNh9PxbZ_SMpIFEVMRhbHPTiqm7nEq3oSAk_3zOhduVi6iQZ1AAJswEYWwhRV_sVRgvY75SGUJkhMFLh9FRW3UzLqx0s-nZFulSRVHfVFCmr0FrVumAJqKDHePkrR99__GE-w/s640/1439072992518.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This wedding was so much fun, I'm certain a recap can't possible describe it. Let's just say we were spoiled with the most amazing appetizers, drink choices, dinner, and dessert spread. We were overly satisfied and I'm not complaining! At the end of the night, a hot dog cart even rolled out! We had such a good time catching up with friends and dancing the night away. Ryan and I left a pinch before everyone else, because this pregnant lady was tired at 12:30...but it was an awesome night!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Sunday, Ryan and I stopped at IKEA to get the last thing we needed for the nursery and then made the boring drive home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>August Extras</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The beginning of the month was also when I had my new teacher orientation for Bettendorf Schools. It was so exciting to get started down my new career path. I also spent a night babysitting little Kamelia, and loved every minute of it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To be continued...</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-38889138268049683002015-07-24T07:07:00.002-05:002015-07-24T09:50:43.356-05:005 Months Pregnant: Is This Real Life?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some days, I feel like any average pregnant woman, with the normal aches and annoyances of a typical pregnancy; all worth it, of course, because of the bundle of joy waiting at the end of 9 months. And some days, I am washed over with disbelief in that I am actually pregnant, after all of the struggles and questioning what our path would actually be. It just hits me: holy crap, there is a miracle baby growing in my belly! A baby I often doubted would ever exist and that I sometimes take for granted when complaints of achy feet and sleepless nights overwhelm me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This little girl is a very real baby, one that I am nurturing and caring for as I write this. She reminds me of her reality by punching me in the bladder regularly. But I am so grateful for her proof of living inside me. At 23 weeks, I wonder how her active ways will increase as she grows. This leads me to wondering a lot of things about my precious little daughter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In less than 4 months, I will meet the child that will forever change our lives. What will she be like? Will she take on my flair for the dramatic? Will she be practical and responsible like her daddy? Will she be blonde or brunette? Will she inherit Grandpa's sense of humor? Perhaps she'll be faithful and love the Lord like Grandma? Chances are, she will be completely unpredictable and full of surprises. And she will be loved. Our hearts already grow day by day as the reality of her existence grows stronger with each kick, each doctor's appointment, and each day that ticks away on the countdown.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are truly blessed with our little miracle girl. We can't wait to meet our princess, and while we wait, we will continue to be grateful for the journey that brought us this far. We will cherish our final months as a family of two, awaiting our future as a family of three. I will be grateful for the back pain, the swollen fingers, and the urgent need to pee every hour. Nothing is quite as rewarding and exciting as the period of waiting for your biggest wish to come true.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">23-Week Bumpie</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-81361179577527619272015-07-11T08:54:00.000-05:002015-07-11T08:54:07.429-05:00Pregnancy Update: It's A Girl!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, a lot has happened since my last post. Pregnancy is crazy...a lot of changes happen; it feels like it's dragging one day and then it's going SO fast the next. Over the last few weeks, I had my 18-week check-up and heard baby's heart beat again! The doctor found the heartbeat pretty much immediately, so no panic like last time. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started taking bumpies to document my growing belly. I'm always taking them myself, so my face isn't in most of them...I should probably have Ryan take a few going forward. Here are just a couple.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1uBBncA7-k1-Xdy6awVEAbhUiygty07dT4GOM8DiDNg_8gQg8_aVVZfiC8xpYwuwf4pHmkjNkEEr6qQoSpG6tt9QCVn6OrNDkX2jql2zpvqbQMad7gIJGMyZQzkXRescvPflQrUiNO0/s1600/20150626_181800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1uBBncA7-k1-Xdy6awVEAbhUiygty07dT4GOM8DiDNg_8gQg8_aVVZfiC8xpYwuwf4pHmkjNkEEr6qQoSpG6tt9QCVn6OrNDkX2jql2zpvqbQMad7gIJGMyZQzkXRescvPflQrUiNO0/s640/20150626_181800.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">19 Weeks</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gsA48-ZbG_BC1v4Os4dIIgqLJIxvGKDmwDE3N9VEE948yWwsdDLMqXXpvBWq18epXGKIbhcYaZ2f3tFAUYMIflhN4RX7e54TjxtiPxTDDdCE9OLgQziaxN2d0_nJGhVTihmLC2tR1IU/s1600/20150710_163613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gsA48-ZbG_BC1v4Os4dIIgqLJIxvGKDmwDE3N9VEE948yWwsdDLMqXXpvBWq18epXGKIbhcYaZ2f3tFAUYMIflhN4RX7e54TjxtiPxTDDdCE9OLgQziaxN2d0_nJGhVTihmLC2tR1IU/s640/20150710_163613.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">21 Weeks</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am wondering how I am going to double (or more) in size as this belly seems pretty ridiculous already!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My most favorite physical development over the last couple weeks is feeling baby move. It's still very subtle, but getting stronger every day. Yesterday, for the first time ever, I actually felt a kick from the outside! Insane!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My favorite pregnancy moment BY FAR has been our anatomy scan. We went in on Monday, July 6th. I was 20 weeks and some change. We did want to know the gender, but we didn't want the focus of our attention to be on finding out. Plus, we wanted to share that special moment just the two of us. So we told our tech right away that we DO want to know, but we want her to write it down and seal it so we could open it later. The ultrasound itself was so amazing! It was so detailed and the tech scanned and measured baby from head to toe. We could see the kidneys, the umbilical cord, the four chambers of the heart, the little toes and fingers...ah, so awesome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Later that night, Ryan and I were home together and opened our envelope so we could stop calling baby "it" and start calling baby a "he" or "she."</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK5tELRlTLUueE__9Z3lU2yXybZIxbGCLZXtPYTYBH3oQYiSgxBPa9QDlvZg05PC6OwhaxA9jVr2kvBKWkv5NfC6uD8O6GoX2edbjlhDJdPJUzgDGqyIsqqGUntx7iGwmfZnsRHLGYxA/s1600/20150706_163615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK5tELRlTLUueE__9Z3lU2yXybZIxbGCLZXtPYTYBH3oQYiSgxBPa9QDlvZg05PC6OwhaxA9jVr2kvBKWkv5NfC6uD8O6GoX2edbjlhDJdPJUzgDGqyIsqqGUntx7iGwmfZnsRHLGYxA/s640/20150706_163615.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A girl! What was great about opening it later was that, no matter what our "preference" would have been, we just got to spend 30 minutes looking at a healthy baby during our ultrasound and regardless of the gender, we were so SO thrilled everything looked good and now we're just so excited to meet her!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We kept the secret to ourselves for 48 hours and then had our families, plus Brooke and Jack, over on Wednesday night for the big reveal. It was a ton of fun and everyone seemed so excited to be welcoming a girl into the world in November. It was super fun, the pictures say it all! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We're really just sooooo excited. We can't wait to meet our little princess in November. According to the ultrasound, little girl weighs 15 ounces, almost one pound already! She was measuring a little ahead of schedule, so she'll probably be tall like her mommy and daddy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I should probably wrap up this crazy long post, baby girl is kicking me in the bladder anyway! ;-)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-85960072210345170532015-07-07T06:59:00.000-05:002015-07-07T07:01:56.356-05:00June 2015 Recap<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">June was a fun month and it flew by soooo quickly! We went to Omaha, I started teaching Summer School, I interviewed for a job and accepted it, we had family visiting and I took my sister to an OB appointment on her birthday to hear little babe's heartbeat!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Omaha</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Breakfast after accepting a teaching job!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Lots of Work on the Nursery!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Fathers Day Fun</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Family Time</b></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-53425790846984080052015-05-30T09:11:00.000-05:002015-05-30T09:11:25.840-05:00May 2015 Recap<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">May has been an exciting month for us! The most exciting thing has been sharing the secret we had been keeping since March with our family and friends! It was a joy to share the news in person at my parent's Mother's Day party since both my mom and dad's families were there. We were also able to tell Ryan's grandma that morning at brunch. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next weekend, we went to Chicago for Shae's wedding. We enjoyed ourselves that evening at the beautiful Beverly Arts Center. It was fun catching up with friends. On the way home, we stopped at IKEA and picked out and purchased some nursery items. Saturday night, we headed up to Dubuque for a dinner reception Ryan's grandma was being honored at. Another great weekend in the books! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The week of May 18th was when I finally had my post-first trimester OB appointment and as mentioned in a previous post, it was scary one at first! But all is good. I also have my first interview for a teaching job in the fall! It was not my best interview, but it was also not the best school, so I was glad to get the dreaded first interview out of the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That weekend, Ryan left for a bachelor party, so Emily, Alex, and I headed to Des Moines for a sibling weekend! We left around noon, so when we got to Des Moines, we checked into our hotel and wandered around the neighborhood. Then we got some swimming in at the hotel before grabbing dinner at Legend's and catching the Iowa Cubs game! We ended the night with some more swimming, Alex's request. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next morning, more swimming after breakfast (this time I passed), then we went to Trader Joe's and did some other shopping that morning. We totally stopped at Buy Buy Baby and I found some great little Cyclone clothes for Baby H! We took Alex to SkyZone so he could enjoy some trampoline fun and then we waited FOREVER for lunch/dinner at Zombie Burger. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Memorial Day, we spent the day swimming at Mom and Dad's. This past week, I had another interview and have another scheduled for next week! This weekend, we're doing more nursery painting (the doors and trim this time), I'm spending the afternoon with Hannah today, and I'm grabbing coffee with Steph tomorrow! May was fun, looking forward to more fun in June!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-15186043031979474882015-05-23T10:07:00.002-05:002015-05-23T10:07:46.489-05:00100 Days of Pregnancy<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today marks the 100th day of my pregnancy. I don't know why, but this feels like some sort of milestone for me, so I want to celebrate it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week (the 14th week of pregnancy), baby is 3.5 inches long and weighs 1.5 ounces. Baby might be sucking its thumb already...this blows my mind! Baby can squint, frown, grimace, and pee. Weird!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My pregnancy has been fairly easy. No puking, just a little nausea and loss of appetite from time-to-time. I do pee all the time, like 2 times in the middle of the night! I am still pretty tired, though not falling asleep in the middle of the day tired anymore. I just go to bed crazy early, like 8:30. I'm not really showing yet, but I have large hips with lots of room for baby to grow before he/she starts pushing my belly out. No aches or pains to note, except occasional headaches. Honestly, I don't feel pregnant yet, and I suppose I am lucky for that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had my 14-week check-up on Thursday and my mom joined me (she wanted to hear the heartbeat). Basically, I experienced one of the scariest moments of my life when the midwife couldn't find the heartbeat. She used the doppler all over my belly for about 2 minutes and all there was was the sound no mom-to-be ever wants to hear...white-noise. It was awful. She seemed like she wasn't worried though, maybe just confused, and said she would go get the little portable ultrasound so she could track down baby. Praise the Lord, we were able to locate the little stinker. Basically, it was moving like crazy so it never stayed still long enough for her to find the heartbeat. On the little ultrasound, I could make out baby's face and arms and belly and saw it moving around like crazy. So on a second try, she was able to use the doppler to find the heart beat and I recorded it on my phone. What an amazing sound. My heart melted...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm simply just feeling so grateful for this little, albeit stubborn, human being that I have been blessed to carry. I feel much more confident about my pregnancy going forward, knowing that I'm officially out of the first trimester. I can't wait to feel baby move, though that could still be 4-6 weeks away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My next appointment is June 18th, my 18-week check-up. Still won't find out the gender at that time, so I'm not sure if I'll be in for a 20-week ultrasound or if they'll make me wait for my 22-week check-up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On another note, we started painting the nursery last night!! I'm so excited to get started on that project...we're basically overhauling the entire room, so it's nice to make a dent in the super long to-do list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy Saturday friends! Have a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend. I'm heading off to Des Moines to enjoy a weekend with my siblings! :)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-18015812944003506642015-05-22T10:57:00.003-05:002015-05-22T11:01:20.468-05:00Wedding Weekened Recap 5/15/15<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The day went far too quickly! Ryan and I drove to Chicago last Friday for my dear friend Shae's wedding...and the time just flew by! I was greeted by some great friends from high school offering up their congratulations to us. The setting for the wedding was glamorous and I definitely shed a tear or two...or seventeen. It went too fast, as I'm sure Shae can attest to! Here's a little recap in pictures (the best part).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wedding Selfie</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unity Wine!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My beautiful, MARRIED friend! :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So Thoughtful...warm fuzzies were had. :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grateful for these girls in my life. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just wish we could do it all over again and again and again!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-62942211108420444442015-05-10T18:00:00.000-05:002015-07-30T11:06:00.950-05:00Bless The Broken Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamF8K_0z_Elf9BAHHjWJNYPZHOxLz6kquBLlL74p8QbfWae00e6T7amcw-AXJvjq23wEokspcbbtegYAZPM1y2LP5LnkmLJJHyWVL5rOEohTSBE_boTR9nFdUbN9O5eAu7NbOmdIfmY8/s1600/20150321_174539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamF8K_0z_Elf9BAHHjWJNYPZHOxLz6kquBLlL74p8QbfWae00e6T7amcw-AXJvjq23wEokspcbbtegYAZPM1y2LP5LnkmLJJHyWVL5rOEohTSBE_boTR9nFdUbN9O5eAu7NbOmdIfmY8/s1600/20150321_174539.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was honestly beginning to feel like this day would never come. After two years of trying, and many more of dreaming, for a baby...it's hard to believe that our dream is coming true (we hope!). This journey has not been easy, and our story is not short. We've been through too many months of high hopes and crushed spirits. I've cried behind closed doors and ached to ease the pain somehow. I've doubted my faith, my friendships, my ability to be a good wife, my worth as a woman, and my love for myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let me start at the beginning. As a teenager, I dreamed of becoming a mother someday. I had this aspiration to have 8 children (crazy, I know!), four of my own and then adopt four children later. As I got older, met the love of my life, and got married, my dream grew more realistic...all I knew was that I was excited to start a family with Ryan, when we were both ready.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In February of 2013, I stopped birth control and we were ready to start trying in March. In our hearts, we knew it could take a few months...though when you make the decision to have kids, you basically wanted them yesterday! My hopes were elevated when my monthly visitor didn't come on time...but my pregnancy test was negative. I waited a few days, tested again...negative. I waited, and waited, and nothing happened. For 90 days, I was in limbo, mentally exploring all possibilities. Could I be one of the rare cases where I AM pregnant, but the tests don't detect it? I spent those months analyzing my symptoms and it quickly became an unexpected obsession. I finally saw a doctor, who didn't question it much other than to say it can take up to 6 months for cycles to return to normal after birth control.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok...give it more time. I took progesterone to induce a new cycle and we finally got a fresh start to give it another go. Another 70 days before my next cycle, and another 75 days after that, and I finally had a doctor pay attention to me. Turns out I have <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pcos/basics/definition/con-20028841">polycystic ovarian syndrome</a>, aka PCOS. Without going in to too much detail, this basically led to our discovery that we would likely need some form of assistance with my fertility. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2014 was filled with many more prayers, 5 rounds of Clomid (a medication that makes you ovulate), 2 <a href="http://americanpregnancy.org/infertility/intrauterine-insemination/">IUI</a>s, lots of blood work, changing diets, starting Metformin to regulate my cycles, trying any "tricks" I've read about, and a lot of emotions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had friends start trying, announce their pregnancies, and have their babies all in the time AFTER we had started trying. I started to feel so alone in this journey. Why was it so easy for everyone else? What did I do wrong in my past? What is the lesson I'm supposed to take from this? Side Note: It is NOT easy for everyone else, their journeys are just different then mine. I know people who tried much longer than we did. I know people who adopted (what a glorious miracle that can be!). And I sadly had friends lose babies, too...an experience I would never wish upon anyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got on Facebook and saw complaints of morning sickness and swollen ankles; I saw comments like, "I can't wait for this pregnancy to be over," and "Well, surprise, we're starting a family before we planned to!" Each negative comment about pregnancy was like a knife in my heart. How I longed to be the one "suffering" from the symptoms of creating a miracle baby.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In December of 2014, our conception journey went into high gear when I was referred to a reproductive endocrinologist (finally) to get some serious intervention for my fertility! I was scheduled for an <a href="http://www.webmd.com/infertility-and-reproduction/guide/hysterosalpingogram-21590">HSG</a> in January, which was slightly painful, but a pretty quick and easy procedure. The test came back with clear tubes and I was officially diagnosed with "unexplained infertility." On one hand, we were glad nothing serious was discovered, but on the other hand, there were still no answers for our struggle. There was no explanation as to why this hasn't happened for us yet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we approached our two-year anniversary of trying, we were ready to jump straight to <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007279.htm">In Vitro Fertilization</a>. God's timing allowed us to use my cycle that started right at the end of January. We ordered our medications and tried not to get overwhelmed!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncnOnCcLAbZeIuSQ8YDs2ZcIs8TZeX3kSTwK_HRss97rGYnPNa1IO5YK-ao4A01fNrzY2ujKNtOxfsW3vHApSdVBrSDERvibuOosCyQc3RNb8sWqu4b96dP2l2d2EcDR5FYpAuAqOy_s/s1600/20150207_095923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncnOnCcLAbZeIuSQ8YDs2ZcIs8TZeX3kSTwK_HRss97rGYnPNa1IO5YK-ao4A01fNrzY2ujKNtOxfsW3vHApSdVBrSDERvibuOosCyQc3RNb8sWqu4b96dP2l2d2EcDR5FYpAuAqOy_s/s1600/20150207_095923.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Friday, February 13th, I began giving myself injections. It started with one each night, a few days later it was two injections each night, and eventually, it was three injections a day.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7u7PUr5oMYXqli-FJD_DFkvTOBnp_vNB9cRq0YwViSKw6aNYcMnpzjrxY2ctzIohi2ZBGmn8ou0hjBvb1GE0OgwoRCsdViTLMdA-X9Bt8EYngOfq8T8Mv9ouc7n9dAXBCHmS1AM4a4xg/s1600/20150219_210352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7u7PUr5oMYXqli-FJD_DFkvTOBnp_vNB9cRq0YwViSKw6aNYcMnpzjrxY2ctzIohi2ZBGmn8ou0hjBvb1GE0OgwoRCsdViTLMdA-X9Bt8EYngOfq8T8Mv9ouc7n9dAXBCHmS1AM4a4xg/s1600/20150219_210352.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Thursday, February 26th, I had my egg retrieval. We drove up to Iowa City during a snow storm. I was under anesthesia for the procedure and when I woke up, I was in an unreal amount of pain. The codeine wasn't touching it, and the heating packs barely helped. The doctor came in and explained that he nicked a blood vessel during the retrieval and I lost a bit of blood, and he had to stitch my ovary up. I eventually got some morphine and had to spend several hours resting before we could finally leave.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the plus side, he was still able to retrieve 9 eggs. We found out the next day that 7 fertilized! My recovery from the retrieval was pretty rough, I had a fever and lots of pain. On top of this, Ryan had to start giving me progesterone injections every single day (the needle was long and the location was not a spot where I could inject myself).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On March 3rd, we were back in Iowa City for the embryo transfer. We found out that we had a great quality embryo to transfer back in, plus four more that would be frozen for future tries. The transfer was a much smoother process than the retrieval, quick and painless!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvZEOYJbVYxytlQAsIkjHiATvFw4H3yNPoVF7sCesRxBAnDAdEcBwoOtNLBpvMntv7cFSjxC7BqeiBZymjIkbg3S8QJABuOA9I74E4hTFTE8c1qnboAlohPOX3ece22nzJf9fO8QRRuM/s1600/20150303_113320-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBvZEOYJbVYxytlQAsIkjHiATvFw4H3yNPoVF7sCesRxBAnDAdEcBwoOtNLBpvMntv7cFSjxC7BqeiBZymjIkbg3S8QJABuOA9I74E4hTFTE8c1qnboAlohPOX3ece22nzJf9fO8QRRuM/s1600/20150303_113320-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Baby Hackbarth's First Picture</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had a long "two week wait" until our blood test, which was to be done on Friday, March 13th (Friday the 13th has always been a favorite day of mine)! I did cave and test a couple days early. I was certain it didn't work. I didn't feel any symptoms...and let's be honest, it hadn't worked for us yet, so why would it would now? I took a test...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqUGIA9cY9HBADorIgE6ydzDngJVS9RmbNCxKIWQtTB61N9tKMG8fstY5S0TkbJ5bOjMNB5_7S0KLcTlBFXwh4dQND5GAv5Cw9XwMcwSA70lNNTTomsMKfh5EAZNXYXAb9o_4fH1FWrQ/s1600/1426107464809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuqUGIA9cY9HBADorIgE6ydzDngJVS9RmbNCxKIWQtTB61N9tKMG8fstY5S0TkbJ5bOjMNB5_7S0KLcTlBFXwh4dQND5GAv5Cw9XwMcwSA70lNNTTomsMKfh5EAZNXYXAb9o_4fH1FWrQ/s1600/1426107464809.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was pretty much in disbelief. I went crazy. I took test after test after test. I even took more after my blood tests confirmed HCG was rising like it was supposed to.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FrWEN_CFfV4RNtSCCgs4NfxTY2CYtaIBzGkrdJYvm_AaJanhMuXsXndSIcyq2n_-v48R4zB9hjvR3HcFi5Nbflq13RtS86po3E31RYQJpqeAy5Uld9hhCXlx3kKH-qq7MBNbmqAVr14/s1600/20150312_073007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FrWEN_CFfV4RNtSCCgs4NfxTY2CYtaIBzGkrdJYvm_AaJanhMuXsXndSIcyq2n_-v48R4zB9hjvR3HcFi5Nbflq13RtS86po3E31RYQJpqeAy5Uld9hhCXlx3kKH-qq7MBNbmqAVr14/s1600/20150312_073007.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This isn't even all of them...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's happening, it's real. Baby H is due on November 19! But there's this whole back story that led to the creation of this miracle. And just because my dream is finally coming true, the pain of the past does not just disappear. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Do I wish my journey was different? No way. This is the baby we've been blessed with and I love him/her so much already...I can't imagine a different story. But can I just forget everything I've been through? Can I let go of the pain, the regrets, the feeling unworthy, the jealousy I felt towards others, the strain on my marriage, the questioning of my faith, the moments when I doubted my future as a mother? I don't think so. I think it will be another long journey to consider myself an infertility success story. But what I can say is that the promise of this baby gives me this whole other dimension of love and hope and joy. I doubt I will skate through the rest of my pregnancy without fearing what could go wrong, but I will try every day to choose joy. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ayoWOR_Tam0/VU73LL8Cf9I/AAAAAAAAUVs/xsg0AdwM9TU/s1600/P1090477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ayoWOR_Tam0/VU73LL8Cf9I/AAAAAAAAUVs/xsg0AdwM9TU/s640/P1090477.JPG" width="456" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have been given the gift of motherhood and I can't imagine a better gift, other than that of my amazing husband who has supported me in ways I never thought I'd need him to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recently read this blog post that was a letter to infertile women...and it broke my heart. I could identify with almost every single struggle she mentioned. If you have time, please read this post from <a href="http://courageinme.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/open-letter-to-women-of-infertility.html">The Courage In Me</a>. It's a long one, and if you don't have time after reading the novel I just wrote, I think the most important take away for me was the very last paragraph: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.79px;"><i>You are not broken. You are not less-than. You are worthy of love. You are whole. Forgive yourself because you’ve done nothing wrong. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are deserving of acceptance and belonging. Be kind to yourself and love yourself. Know that you are enough. You matter greatly. You are loved. You are not alone.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you or anyone you know is struggling with infertility, going through fertility treatments, or just needs someone to talk to...please email me or call me. I felt very alone in my journey for a very long time, I wish I had known someone I could talk to. If I can be that person for you, I would love to!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-49831954971257046942015-04-21T13:33:00.000-05:002015-04-21T13:33:39.929-05:00April 2015 Update<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My goodness I've been slacking...here's a brief update on my life. Mostly in pictures, which is the most interesting anyway. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">February Highlights:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-Took our annual winter trip to Omaha!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-Celebrated another year in my life!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-Met the precious Kamelia, who shares my birthday. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">March Highlights:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-A crazy girls night in with Steph!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-A hockey game with Hannah</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-More Kamelia time. <3 font=""></3></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">April Highlights:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-VACATION: Asheville, Augusta, Savannah, and Charleston</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-Finishing this semester of grad school (On Friday!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">-Starting my long-term sub job in special ed classroom at an awesome school!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I cannot wait to see what the rest of this spring has in store for me! :)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-45764910000432847512015-02-01T16:48:00.002-06:002015-02-01T16:51:01.060-06:00Life Update - 2015 Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The new year started with a visit from the Morfords and the chance to finally meet little Jack. What a doll!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ryan and I also picked back up on finishing off the basement. We settled on a color scheme, picked out flooring and ceiling tiles, got some cabinets, and got a fridge!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not only have I started using a paper planner today, and love it, but the highlight of this picture is that Grad School started on the 19th. It's only been 2 weeks, but holy cow is it overwhelming! But also wonderful, I love working towards my goals!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ryan and I had a one-night getaway in Wisconsin right before school started. It was lovely to get out in the middle of winter! I got to catch up with one of my high school best friends, hang out with Charlie, and have a date night with my husband. Not to mention come back with a boatload of New Glarus beer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Seahawks won the playoff game and are headed to the Super Bowl. They are only my fourth favorite team, but more importantly about this picture is that my sister is FINALLY an NFL fan! She picked a team at Christmas time, after years of trying to watch football with her. Her team is now the Seahawks, because of their awesome colors! So it was exciting to watch that game and cheer with her. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love hanging out with my fur-niece and fur-nephew, just had to throw this pic in there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">While my parents enjoy a lovely weekend in Arizona, my brother has been staying with us since Wednesday. We've had a lot of fun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Snowpacolypse 2015 has begun and we are hunkered down watching golf, and then of course the Super Bowl. It's freaking nuts out there, but it is pretty. I'm just glad I don't work on weekends!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-68920491564117530892015-01-29T06:17:00.001-06:002015-01-29T06:19:40.903-06:00Cute Baby!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I plan to try catching up again soon, but I can't make any promises. Grad school has started, I still work every day, I tutor 3 nights a week...but I WILL try! In the meantime though, I wanted to share some pictures of the beautiful Charlie. She was a joy to spend time with a couple of weeks ago when we visited Alli and Paul in Madison. We even got to babysit for a few hours and we had so much fun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can't wait to see this little peanut, and her family again soon!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-41068610805600700982014-12-14T08:46:00.000-06:002014-12-14T08:46:01.147-06:00It's The Holiday Season...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">...and many festivities are underway! I have put together a little mix of pictures of some of the activities I've been up to celebrate lately! :)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCi1B0oDpbi7H_tofz5bSA_GiG8EGHV9vsdIgArVv7sKlsWf5Ed1x9wlv2J4aJBKWOEnirVdUvaTLcn_T9vUSqaszcSGQSeAmrP-PUFmpvSrcHJ6S8zKb8X3A3dIcFfN7ZnbQ1gt2OU34/s1600/20141121_200550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCi1B0oDpbi7H_tofz5bSA_GiG8EGHV9vsdIgArVv7sKlsWf5Ed1x9wlv2J4aJBKWOEnirVdUvaTLcn_T9vUSqaszcSGQSeAmrP-PUFmpvSrcHJ6S8zKb8X3A3dIcFfN7ZnbQ1gt2OU34/s1600/20141121_200550.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holiday Pops concert with Hannah</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYYhMGLqDxmwR8gUZ3aZNd_5cCd6UpxkpeWwEcdNM_Kwp7hX1gViwAF4YMP20mWxSW7kaPJcD8tYxX2UXPS8Xs8CwTBzclGx_zeiyKQAOmZ6dRTkZXOCv7Kmn4Hroo7COsP-XXaPjYDw/s1600/IMG_20141128_063601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYYhMGLqDxmwR8gUZ3aZNd_5cCd6UpxkpeWwEcdNM_Kwp7hX1gViwAF4YMP20mWxSW7kaPJcD8tYxX2UXPS8Xs8CwTBzclGx_zeiyKQAOmZ6dRTkZXOCv7Kmn4Hroo7COsP-XXaPjYDw/s1600/IMG_20141128_063601.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful pies at Thanksgiving</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikBDVApTcBCVhDCCKrYwOAfv-Iqn36yJQA_8BWeWm83c_WXV0Im7f0VRdHfMc5D6I4QGVsa4UM9ppwtyZpYr9W8HAv-Q-89reEnxR3TZt-5Kqmd2x771UG_7RZZzkyceDAfM4BCXsG4k/s1600/20141128_185343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikBDVApTcBCVhDCCKrYwOAfv-Iqn36yJQA_8BWeWm83c_WXV0Im7f0VRdHfMc5D6I4QGVsa4UM9ppwtyZpYr9W8HAv-Q-89reEnxR3TZt-5Kqmd2x771UG_7RZZzkyceDAfM4BCXsG4k/s1600/20141128_185343.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spent a whole wonderful day with the Jones', it was perfect.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUU3zBy0U6DdaOie0xH5L1ZeggUKqWKOD522243xRUFOdbfi3qiavXQ9FMuBVQjGBMOk8ny0UxUkkXukD1RXxFQdS9jTfkRoc29ujdS7FlZGNXhrTEkpE6V6rI0-2c2eOD0ofEdPEmaNQ/s1600/Snapchat-1055742487373568548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUU3zBy0U6DdaOie0xH5L1ZeggUKqWKOD522243xRUFOdbfi3qiavXQ9FMuBVQjGBMOk8ny0UxUkkXukD1RXxFQdS9jTfkRoc29ujdS7FlZGNXhrTEkpE6V6rI0-2c2eOD0ofEdPEmaNQ/s1600/Snapchat-1055742487373568548.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryan finished MY craft project, actually, he did the whole thing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx4xniihO0g7NPOFI0iUH8dO_UoR6fLDp4xEDKY4pk01anar8BaNUnuetAaUQRhLIzW7r5njCYXf6PlmA3p20hPhSJ74iRSvMqXHXriCknCL6hzvL_QU1rOv_elojjywzFUgjxkYxwL0/s1600/20141204_212022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnx4xniihO0g7NPOFI0iUH8dO_UoR6fLDp4xEDKY4pk01anar8BaNUnuetAaUQRhLIzW7r5njCYXf6PlmA3p20hPhSJ74iRSvMqXHXriCknCL6hzvL_QU1rOv_elojjywzFUgjxkYxwL0/s1600/20141204_212022.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our neighbors across the street have put up their obnoxious Christmas decorations</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnAdeqMh4gvYY9veHWa2Z0_OlECmBkWhty6ungBDlXIFkd05oy97hGQaxGiPuTnT6AtJxPTM8yWO0oTD-gRXoPaEnc0iM4nLxjI42OTp2NsZVK3O6k_MBcDpYxu5uPRJjZ6ocfNL_BwU/s1600/20141206_192606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnAdeqMh4gvYY9veHWa2Z0_OlECmBkWhty6ungBDlXIFkd05oy97hGQaxGiPuTnT6AtJxPTM8yWO0oTD-gRXoPaEnc0iM4nLxjI42OTp2NsZVK3O6k_MBcDpYxu5uPRJjZ6ocfNL_BwU/s1600/20141206_192606.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annual Siefkas Christmas party, such a great night!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUnBWKv0m49L570ymWcgRSEPd37FuGqmuUSou7VrG6h_mOMUz0fDcoE-tf1rGAYZU7QAg_ZAv8KttKnTZDk4Z21ciJjhEfL8shEUcdfXzIuPLszQi464HucxeIE2VcIpDy51uZdm_tYI/s1600/IMG_20141206_170301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUnBWKv0m49L570ymWcgRSEPd37FuGqmuUSou7VrG6h_mOMUz0fDcoE-tf1rGAYZU7QAg_ZAv8KttKnTZDk4Z21ciJjhEfL8shEUcdfXzIuPLszQi464HucxeIE2VcIpDy51uZdm_tYI/s1600/IMG_20141206_170301.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily R and I got fancy with a cheese plate :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3t4eFj1xZDkPbW-I6xYXFFAetNzMG2DmczY0yCs2dOEyI_g_RjkvR8uHoo5zXVQOWxRq_DtSVHT45x9a7i3pagiFBi-7NB9RZbbzfI4kUognHPlbbZFVL5oEd2wfbCihvNC4UPhA9GI/s1600/20141208_164539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3t4eFj1xZDkPbW-I6xYXFFAetNzMG2DmczY0yCs2dOEyI_g_RjkvR8uHoo5zXVQOWxRq_DtSVHT45x9a7i3pagiFBi-7NB9RZbbzfI4kUognHPlbbZFVL5oEd2wfbCihvNC4UPhA9GI/s1600/20141208_164539.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put up our Christmas Tree!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLE4GQ1D_yA6FpbBkJJ17XeWzv8IUWNYEcwgpOqa9bP_BsT8TEtRgmxp9POvzOWhoebuxLYS8SYa57b7kxWnnX2Z_24n8Ww3ajsl1EeCicpKNykdj590x35QJ0mKixdDvfD0X8I21Dm4/s1600/IMG_20141211_131406_403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLE4GQ1D_yA6FpbBkJJ17XeWzv8IUWNYEcwgpOqa9bP_BsT8TEtRgmxp9POvzOWhoebuxLYS8SYa57b7kxWnnX2Z_24n8Ww3ajsl1EeCicpKNykdj590x35QJ0mKixdDvfD0X8I21Dm4/s1600/IMG_20141211_131406_403.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brooke's little peanut, Jack, donned a Santa hat and smiled!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSWNBvPTsIK-l7aA4EAHgz3fxZBC7LeqIao0JOYDx1eL4S6ZuG9cGtAQzFrbl5x9uCdTG4gU_w8zqNeTaQRI3X3oPVw5T7AONjpR9diAyLq85gICTF0SbCdkylcqzfdNqyT8Yyod8AN8/s1600/20141213_222631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSWNBvPTsIK-l7aA4EAHgz3fxZBC7LeqIao0JOYDx1eL4S6ZuG9cGtAQzFrbl5x9uCdTG4gU_w8zqNeTaQRI3X3oPVw5T7AONjpR9diAyLq85gICTF0SbCdkylcqzfdNqyT8Yyod8AN8/s1600/20141213_222631.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The holiday season is the perfect time to catch up with friends.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have one more week of work before I have two weeks off! I cannot wait for the insanely busy week of Christmas. It's always so full of love and joy and family and friends. It's exhausting, but it's glorious exhaustion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are you most looking forward to this holiday season?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-79258100870015905002014-11-19T06:30:00.000-06:002014-11-19T06:30:13.671-06:00Cut The Cord<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For at least 99 days, I will be Facebook-free! I just need a break. I need to nourish my relationships in a real way...via email, phone, and in-person. In two-days without Facebook, I have already communicated with two friends via email (one overseas), had a nice chat on the phone with a good friend in Wisconsin, and had dinner with a local friend. It's amazing how much of a habit it was for me to look at Facebook at any "boring" moment in my day. But instead, those moments are opportunities to do something for myself, read a book, email a friend, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm certain I will miss some announcements and event invites, but I'm hoping that my close friends will make sure to remember me when these things come up! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you ever just needed a break from something and the best way to take that break was to completely cut the cord? I'm hoping this decision will help my mental health and improve my quality of life. And though it's only been two days without FB, it's amazing to how important getting notifications and messages and tags was to me. And that's sad. It's so superficial, as if "liking" each other's statuses equates to real friendship. And it has gotten super braggy, and I know I'm guilty of that as well. I know that it's my own weakness that my interactions on FB can lead to changing my emotions, so my best decision is to just step away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some people expressed that they were upset I was leaving, but to those people, I'm only an email or phone call away. I'll try to update my blog more so you can see pictures. And let's talk! Let's bring our friendship into reality and live a little "off the grid."</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-3267409682245222042014-10-31T06:33:00.002-05:002014-10-31T06:33:57.686-05:00Flashback Friday - Halloween<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here's a look back at Halloween over the years! Happy Halloween ya'll! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6560430101267843559.post-71654462622320202402014-10-28T21:20:00.001-05:002014-10-28T21:20:27.237-05:00Weekend Recap: October 24-26<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Despite a gloomy drive on Friday, we ended up with some pretty rockin' weather for our annual fall weekend away! Our weekend extended to two nights this year with my family renting a cabin "up north" the night before we were planning to go up with Ryan's family. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We drove up to Marquette, Iowa on Friday afternoon with Emily and arrived at our amazing cabin with some daylight to spare! Mom took some great pics while we still had light, then we moved inside for games and a steak dinner. We ended the night with a fire and great conversation...it was wonderful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Saturday morning, Dad made a great breakfast and then Ryan and I headed out the door to meet his family for our annual outing! Ryan spent the day fishing and I spent the day shopping with my mother-in-law and Ryan's godmother, Colleen. We got to spend a little more time with my mom and sister too! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saturday night, Ryan and I grabbed some dinner at Eddie's Irish Pub...even though the food ended up being great, we waited about an hour for it, so we didn't do much else Saturday night besides just relax.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday morning, we ate some breakfast, stopped at Stark's to stock up on liquor (seriously, the best prices), and then grabbed a Bloody Mary with Ryan's momma before heading home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As always, our weekend was wonderful and I am so grateful for my family and the beautiful country that we live in. Life is good, we have it good, and I have so many things to be thankful for. I am one lucky gal.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06398245020377199490noreply@blogger.com0