My Unexpected Emotions On Ending Our Breastfeeding Journey.

When I started breast feeding Carson, 13 months ago, my goal was always to make it through his first year. If possible, I wanted to avoid formula & exclusively breastfeed to provide his nourisment & antibodies. I was blessed & did not have issues with milk supply like so many momma's do. My heart aches for all of you who are unable to make it to your goal - whatever that goal may be.

I never really thought about the end of this amazing relationship until we started to approach his Carson's birthday. As we approached his birthday in April, I began speaking with Adam about extending our breastfeeding journey to 18 months & potentially, even, 2 years. The benefits of the added antibodies is what made me most interested in extending breastfeeding. I want a healthy kid, as do all parents, but knowing that this boosts those immunities really made me want to continue. Plus, honestly, I didn't feel that either of us were ready to give it up.

However, things change. The week of his first birthday my supply dropped & I began to notice that he wasn't really nursing for long during our nursing sessions & was spending more time pacifying than taking in milk. On Easter, the day after his first birthday, many cousins, aunts & uncles, even my mom, started asking me when I would stop breastfeeding. Everyone had their opinion. They all indicated that he was now a year old & we should stop. I'm ashamed to say that this did encourage my decision to start the process of weaning. There are other circumstances that come into play as well but not anything that I am ready to share on the blog. We started weaning & within a week he was only nursing at night. His night feeds continued to get shorter each feed & fewer per night. As of this last week we were down to one nursing session per night. Meaning in a 24 hour period he would only nurse once.

Emotionally, I was fine with this. We still had some time to snuggle, I cuddle with him while he drinks his 3 cups of milk a day, and we're nursing once in the night as well. I felt we were both getting what we needed. Until, last night, when he didn't wake up to nurse. He slept all night. I started to think about how much time had passed since his last nursing session - currently 43 hours & 11 minutes. Suddenly, I'm overwhelmed with sadness. I didn't expect the end of this journey to be so soon after we started. Nor did I expect it to be so emotional.

I'm proud of the fact that we made it through his first year. I'm so proud of Carson for working so hard & for transitioning so well from breast milk to whole milk. I never saw that transition being so smooth or so easy. In three short weeks we went from exclusively breastfeeding to weaning 100% to solids & whole milk.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to bond with my baby through breastfeeding & that I was able to stay home with him through his first year as well. I know that made a huge difference in our breastfeeding journey.

Now, I'll go take a bath, cry over the fact that we're officially "done" breast feeding & take a moment to reflect on the gratitude that I feel over the last 396 days with our beautiful baby boy.

Carson's Birth Story - Part 3

You can read pt 1 here & pt 2 here!

Ok, so my OB wished us luck & was on her way home for the weekend. Shortly after my OB left my mom arrived to keep us company. She fielded multiple calls from my dad & my sister. They're not patient people! Not long after my mom got there the nurse came in to tell us that my OB had ordered the Epidural & that it shouldn't be much longer before I was give then epi. I was thankful & tried to rest while I waited for the anesthesiologist. Well, I waited, & waited, & waited some more when the nurse returned to tell us that it was going to be a while. The anesthesiologist was in the OR with an emergency c-section so she would be at least an hour but it would likely be closer to two hours before she was free. It was now about 630. I knew there was pretty much no hope in me getting the drugs soon but I was thankful it wasn't me who was in need of the emergency c-section & understood. I tried to rest while I waited & I tolerated the pain pretty well but still was sure I didn't want to feel anything more if I didn't have to.

Note: It has taken me 3 months to post the final part of Carson's birth story because I could not rememeber for the life of me what happened after the nurse came in. Did Adam go home now? Or was it later? I finally asked Adam & we debated about it for a while but finally came to the conclusion that is as follows :) 

I remember cursing through contractions & my mom saying that they were really close together. She mentioned to Adam that they were only about 2 minutes apart at best but most were about 1 min 30 seconds apart. Even still I wasn't in an insane amount of pain. I'd say the worst I felt during all of this was only about a 4. The nurse checked on us a few more times & let us know to call her if we needed anything. 

Adam went down to get me some ice chips & I went through those babies like they were going out of style. I was extremely parched. Finally at about 845 the nurse came back in & told me the anesthesiologist would be in shortly & I needed to decide who I wanted in the room during the placement of the epidural. We decided Adam should stay & my mom went on the hunt for some snacks for her & Adam. 

The anesthesiologist arrived & started to prep me for the epidural. I was so nervous. I would say easily, the placement of the epidural was the worst part of my labor & delivery & it wasn't that bad. She told me to lean forward & the nurse held my shoulders & talked to me while she was placing it. Adam sat at the foot of the bed opposite of the anesthesiologist - they have to be on the other side of the bed for sterile reasons - she told me to expect a quick stink like a bee sting & to try to sit still. I did feel the sting & she commented on how well I was doing. She said most women jump & I was still as a statute. Then she explained that she was running the catheter up the spine & it might feel like I am being shocked on my spine - it did & this was by far the WORST part of the entire process. It wasn't painful but it was unsettling to feel a shock along your spine. Then she told me I was done & asked what I could feel. I suddenly felt really warm & tingly when I mentioned this to the anesthesiologist she explained that was totally normal & would fade shortly - it did! Moments later I was feeling NO pain & awesome. 

Not long after my epidural was placed my mom came back with a candy bar & two pops. I remember us all laughing because Adam had asked for a Mt. Dew - well after wild goose chase & multiple vending machines (the cafeteria was closed since it was after 8) she could only find a Diet Mt. Dew! LOL! 

We decided now would be a good time for Adam to run home, feed our dog, Roy, and get dinner while my mom stayed with me. Adam called 930 and asked my mom what she wanted - the decided on Subway.. Well, about 10 my phone rang & I instantly said to my mom "I bet Subway just closed" sure enough, that's exactly what happened. So he had to run to Taco Bell instead. Adam showed up with dinner about 1030-1045. I remember telling my mom that I hadn't noticed any contractions on the monitor for a while & I certainly wasn't feeling anything (I had actually taken a nap :)) & said that I was worried the epidural had slowed things down. Well, about 1055 I felt an insane amount of pressure. I told my mom that I suddenly felt a lot of pressure & she went to get the nurse. The nurse came in and checked me and I was fully dilated! So 2 hours after receiving the epidural I was ready to push! 

At 11 the nurse came in & started helping me push! I pushed for about 45 minutes & the nurse then called the doctor to come in.. Well, the doctor made it in & had one glove on when Carson SHOT out! :) The nurse prepping for Carson had just stepped out to get a few things thinking I would be pushing a lot longer & she missed it. 

At 12:04 AM on April 19, 2013 the most beautiful 6lb 14oz 19 & 3/4 long baby boy joined our family. 

Going home as a family of 3! :) 

What No One Tells You About Parenting

As I sit down for the first time today to take a moment to myself & watch the Bachelorette - 35 minutes after it has stopped airing - I begin to reflect back on my day today with Carson.. Realizing that I had about 7 minutes to heat up & eat dinner. I probably could have had a lot longer if I had not sat next to him on the floor for an hour watching him play, smile, squeal & giggle at his toys this afternoon.. Doing so prevented me from getting in the shower sooner & then it was downhill from there. Then I think about the fact that I wouldn't have it any other way. I certainly wouldn't have rather had a longer shower, I wouldn't have wanted a more peaceful or less rushed dinner to miss out on that time admiring him. I can't even begin to tell you how quickly these last 8 weeks have passed. Carson will be 2 months old by the time this blog post is published. It's true when people tell you how quickly the time passes you by before you have children doesn't compare to how quickly time passes by after you've become  a parent yourself.

When you first announce that you are pregnant suddenly everyone wants to give you their opinion, their unsolicited advice, the dos & don'ts, without having any inkling to ask you what you & your husbands (or partners) beliefs are on the subject matter that they are trying to push said unsolicited advice or opinions.

I can not even tell you how many people emailed me, called me, text me, to tell me that I needed to get my son on a sleep schedule by the time he was X days/weeks old. How many women I ran into at the grocery store who proceeded to tell me why it was horrible to vaccinate - women I didn't even know. The number of people who insisted that I never feed Carson on demand and only feed him when I said it was time to eat.

My point is that everyone has an opinion on all the things you don't really need, or want, to hear their opinions, or advice on. Everyone tells you that you can never imagine the love you will feel for your child until you have them. This is true, but what they fail to mention is that most days you'll spend the entire day holding that baby, loving on that baby, talking to that baby, and your household chores will fall the the wayside & you won't care! Even the most OCD Momma will love and cherish these moments with their babies while the house is torn to shreds.

Everyone tells you to enjoy these moments because it passes by quickly. What no one tells you is that while you're eager for your baby to reach a new milestone & anxious for them to explore & learn everyday, when they reach those milestones you'll cry... Not necessarily happy tears either. You'll cry because when people said it would go by fast they never said it would go by THIS fast. I bawled like a baby the day that Carson outgrew his newborn diapers, newborn clothes & the swaddle - yes this all happened in the SAME day. While I was so happy that he was growing & I was providing him with what he needed, I was so sad that he'd gone through this phase so quickly.

No one ever tells you that some days you will spend the entire day in bed with your baby feeding.. All. Day. Long. These days will be some of your favorite days. I know some women have said that these growth spurts made them feel like a cow because their baby was feeding nonstop.. I was ok with this & cherished this time with Carson.

No one ever tells you that when you finally get that baby on a schedule that works for HIM (I let Carson set his schedule & have never let him "cry it out" as I believe he is only crying if he NEEDS me at this point. He's only 8 weeks old & he doesn't fuss unless he is hungry - not even when he's wet), that your sweet baby will go through a growth spurt & suddenly you'll go from sleeping 6-7 hour stretches at night to being up every 1.5 to 2 hours. This will last a week or so & then he'll slowly start to get back into his routine. Even though his schedule was off & I was sleep deprived, I enjoyed it.

Everyone tells you that being a Mother is the most challenging & rewarding thing a woman can do. While I agree with this whole heartedly, I find that the challenging portion, so far, hasn't really hit. I'm totally in heaven with this boy. So even the "hard" times have been so much fun for me. I know there will be a point when I look at Adam & just want to cry, in fact, I probably will cry, because it's been a particularly hard day but my point is, that I wouldn't give even a second of the hardest day with Carson for the world.

What no one tells you is that being a parent is all the wonderful things you imagine it will be only it's a thousand times better than you could imagine.

Carson's Birth Story - Pt 2

So we left off here.

Adam & I walked around the hospital for the next hour. I did 3 sets of stairs, walked up hills, walked down hills, walked, walked, walked. The contractions did grow stronger but I was still able to walk & talk through them. Still, I was sure we were making progress. At 9am we agreed to meet our nurse back in the triage room to be checked again.. 

9am came, the nurse walked in and asked how I was doing. I told her that I felt the contractions were stronger but not any closer together. She said that was great, she was sure I was in the early stages of labor & had me lay down to check me again. Before she checked me she asked me if they were to send me home if I would cry on her.. I told her that while I would be disappointed, I would not cry. So she proceeded to check me and said that there was no change. I was still only 3.5cm. She then asked if we wanted to stop the progress or bring it on. Without hesitation Adam & both said "BRING. IT. ON."!! We were very ready to meet our baby boy! She said that we could either continue to walk for the next several hours & they would check me every hour, or we could go home & wait it out. We decided that going home was the better option for us. The nurse gave us some "homework" and said she was pretty positive she would see us back within the next 6 hours. 

We left the hospital slightly discouraged but also knowing that this was likely it. I really wanted no bake cookies & knew we did not have all of the ingredients at home so we swung by the grocery store to grab the ingredients I needed to make my cookies & we went home. 

Once we were home I made my cookies & promptly started to clean the entire house top to bottom. The contractions completely stopped. I figured it was all just more false labor & this time that he'd tricked me into actually going in to get checked. I decided to go ahead & take a nap since I obviously wasn't helping things along by all the activity I had been doing that morning. I figured at this point that this wasn't the real deal & I wasn't having him anytime soon. 

About an hour after I laid down I felt a strong contraction come on. Again, I thought it was just false labor & tried to sleep through them but they were so strong & consistent that I was unable to sleep. Adam had gone outside to do some yard work while I was resting so I text him & told him the contractions were back & stronger. I told him I was going to go get in the bathtub & see if that helped me relax. Adam came in about an hour later & I was still in the tub & the pain was worse! At this point, I was in a lot of pain. I was unable to talk through them & certainly couldn't walk through them. Adam & I agreed we should probably head back in to the hospital since I had been having them about 5 min apart for 2 hours & they were definitely strong. 

We loaded up into the car & Adam wanted a cheese burger so we ran through Carls Jr for him. I remember having a pretty intense contraction while we were in the drive thru & Adam making a joke that if I had him in the car in the drive through we could name him Carl. I really remember not finding that amusing at all & telling him that he needed to get me to the hospital because I wanted drugs! He ran one red light & hit about 3 others on the way. I told him that if he missed anymore green lights because he was too busy eating his cheese burger that I was going to throw it out the window. He found this funny - I did not. Haha!

We arrived at the hospital & the nurse who was there that morning smiled & said she knew she'd see us back. She asked if we had done our homework & then said she would check me. I told her that if she sent me home this time I would cry. She laughed & said she didn't think I would be going home. She checked me & then said the words I was dreading hearing... "No Change". I instantly said "Are you kidding me?!" with tears welling up in my eyes. I was so tired, so ready for pain meds & so DONE being pregnant. She instantly said "YES, I'm kidding! You're 5cm! You're staying!" I remember thanking God for allowing me to get this far & telling Adam to call our parents. 

They moved us to the room we would be in for the remainder of our stay. My hospital does not move you at all throughout your labor & delivery to postpartum. You get to stay in the same place the entire time which I love. At this point it was about 430pm. 

My OB, who was on call until 5pm, came in to check on me at about 530pm. She came in to let me know that she would be leaving but that I was in good hands with the OB coming in. She then asked if I wanted her to break my water now or if I would rather wait until after I had my epidural. I opted to wait for the epidural. She said that was smart, wished me luck & that she would come check on me the following night. 

This is getting really long - Part 3 (the finale!) on Monday! :) 

Carson's Birth Story - Pt 1

I have wanted to make sure that I document Carson's birth story before I forget any of the details, unfortunately, I am sure by now I have already forgotten some of the small details. However, his birth seemed to pass so quickly that I am sure I wouldn't have gotten it all down anyway. 

Carson started preparing me for his birth much earlier than most babies do. I had preterm contractions starting at 26 weeks. Thankfully for us the preterm contractions were not causing dilation so I did not have to be admitted in the hospital or going on full time bed rest. I did take 5 days off & spend those 5 days in bed to see if that would slow down the preterm contractions or make them stop entirely. That did not happen but it all worked out anyway. 

My last day of work was supposed to be on April 12th. The last week at work for me was really rough. I was so sore by the end of the day & was hardly able to concentrate due to the contractions I was having & the intense pelvic pain. So after working from home Monday & Tuesday, I called in on Wednesday, April 10th & said I would not be in anymore. I spent the next few days in bed, relaxing, watching TV, napping, and running a few errands here & there. Overall, we had a pretty uneventful weekend. My sister in law, Allison's baby shower was that Saturday so I got up and went to her shower. I was pretty sure I would have him any day at her shower as he was really low & I was already 3cm dilated. 

I had an appointment on Wednesday, April 18th & I knew at this appointment my OB had planned to sweep my membranes if I had not delivered before then. Monday & Tuesday came & went so I knew that the membrane sweep would be happening at my appointment. I had heard that this was a painful procedure so I was mentally preparing myself for the pain. I knew it would be nothing in comparison to labor so I was ok with it if there was a chance it would get things moving & we'd be meeting our baby sooner rather than later. When I arrived at my appointment my OB confirmed that I was still 3cm dilated & that she was going to sweep my membranes. She did the sweep, which I am happy to report was not at all painful. In fact, I didn't feel a thing! I was surprised when she said that she was done. My OB finished my exam, told me she was on call the following day & that hopefully she would see me then. She also stated that if your body is ready most women go into active labor with in 48 hours of having their membranes swept. YAY!

Adam & I decided to go out to eat at Gustav's to enjoy one last meal (possibly) without children. We had a great dinner & went home to get to bed. I was preparing myself for my last good night of sleep (Ha! Says a pregnant women who gets up to pee 32 times every night! :)) & a long day the following day. Wishful thinking! I woke up at about 3am to go to the bathroom.. When I laid back down I couldn't help but notice that I was having cramping. I started timing them & they were about 10-12 minutes apart. I continued to count them for the next 2 hours when Adam's alarm went off. When his alarm went off they were about 8 minutes apart. I told Adam he probably should stay home but he decided to go ahead and go to work since he only works 10 minutes away & I had a lot of false labor over the last few weeks. My contractions would get as close as 3 min apart & then totally stop. I agreed that this wasn't a bad plan & I would call him if they got any closer for him to come home so we could go in to the hospital. 

6am the contractions were now about 5 minutes apart & these contractions were more intense than the false labor contractions I had been having. I called Adam & he decided to come home. We then decided to go ahead & go in since they were close together consistently for over an hour. I walked into the hospital at about 730am. My OB was at the counter, she smiled and said "Hi Karli! What are you doing here?" I responded that "Hopefully your little sweep worked!" - the nurse took me to the triage room where she checked me.. I was 3.5cm dilated! I was so disappointed. I had though for sure I had progressed more than .5 cm overnight. Oh well. The nurse told me to go ahead and walk for an hour & if I progressed anymore then they would keep me.. 

A walking we went... 

Part 2 on Thursday! 

I'm Baaack!

Wow, so much for adding our blog address to our Christmas cards holding me accountable to keep up the blog... Oops! It has been almost a year and a half since I last updated this blog & chronicled what was going on our lives and a lot has changed in the last 18 months. 

I will have many updates in the coming days/weeks regarding those changes. 

The most biggest change being the addition to our family! :) 

Our sweet baby boy, Carson joined the world on April 19, 2013. 

I will be working on Carson's birth story over the next few days & will have that up next. 

The time I put our blog address on our Christmas Cards...

For those of you who have followed this blog, more like lack there of, through out our engagement & wedding planning you know that I've had my fair share of disappearing acts... I decided this year to come out of the closet and put our blog address on our Christmas cards in hope for a few things.

The first being that hopefully this will hold me accountable to blog. I love to blog, I really do. I enjoy having a little space on the internet where I can jot down what we've been up to. I love that years from now, I'll be able to look back on our first year of marriage through this blog. However, in order to look back on our first year of marriage through the blog, I'd have to actually blog - right?

The second hope is that our families will be able to follow along and know what we're up to as well. Adam and I, both have aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents living 3000+ miles away. Sadly, we're unable to see those family members as often as we'd like. In fact, if I had it my way time travel would not be fictional and would also be cheap so I could go see my cousins in Georgia & NY every weekend.

So, here's to hoping that this blog becomes a more consistent element of our lives. Today, Adam is fishing with my dad & I'm listening to Christmas music, stalking pinterest & cleaning the house. Perfect Saturday.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I am playing along with Jaime today for What I'm Loving Wednesday! 

Go on over & tell us all what you're loving on this beautiful Wednesday, too!

I am loving that we BOOKED our HONEYMOON! We will be gearing up for Kauai in just 2 short months! I think our 5 month wait will be worth it! :) 

**I will need guest bloggers for that so if you all are interested, please let me know!**

I am loving that life has finally slowed down enough that I have time for myself again. I have started reading again & I intend to start blogging more frequently again!

I am loving that I ordered my Life Planner

I loved using my life planner this past year & can't wait for this years edition. Without any revisions I would have been happy with Erin's Life Planner but I can already tell that this edition is so much better!

I am loving even more that I got it for 50% off from my Plum District Code & Erin's discount code as well :)

I am loving that Adam & I have started containerizing! Having our house in order & ensuring that every item has a "home" is such a great feeling.

I am loving the idea of Menu Planning. Almost daily Adam & I will stare at each other for 15 minutes trying to figure out what we want for dinner.. Half the time only to find that we don't have the proper ingredients.. Menu Planning would end this. Any menu planners in the building? Tips, please! :)

I am LOVING that in 4 short weeks I will no longer "work" full time. I will still be working 5 days a week but 2.5 of those days will be working from home building my business while the other 2.5 will be working my current job. I am so anxious to see where this step takes us!

Most of all I am loving the following 2 things...

I am loving my title of "Aunt" to these 3 beautiful children!

I am loving that I am lucky enough to call this guy my Husband!

 

Happy Hump Day, friends!

**Images by Rebecca Dryer Photography**

**All content on this blog are property of veryvidourek.com - Please do not copy images or content!**

What I'm loving Wednesday

I am linking up with Jamie today for What I'm Loving Wednesday! 

I am loving my new iPhone!

Seriously, how did I live without this device until now? iLove my iPhone. Pun intended.

I am loving the Pinterest App!

Speaking of Pinterest..

I am loving these pins this week: 

I am loving that I get to have dinner with my Sisters-in-law tonight! 

I am, as always, loving my amazing Husband.

Happy Wednesday! :)

Pinning

My name is Karli & I am a Pinterest Addict.

I easily spend 5 hours of my day pinning inspiration. That was before I discovered the Pinterest App - Yes, Apple is telling the truth when they say "There's an app for that". 

My pinterest obsession has become a bit out of control. 

If you haven't discovered pinterest yet, you're welcome. 

Tell your husband/boyfriend/fiance that I'm sorry in advance.

Happy Pinning!

Darcey May

I have some very big & very exciting news! :)

I have started my own business. 

Darcey May Wedding & Events 

Adam & I are so excited about this new venture & we're so excited to see where this business takes us. 

Please feel free to check out & "Like" our Facebook Page

Thank you all in advance for your support! More information to come soon.

Floral - Vendor Spotlight

When we first started looking at floral for the wedding, I knew two things, I wanted garden roses & texture. If I had those two things I would be happy. 

When we began looking at florists in the Portland area, I quickly became discouraged. Every florist I met with didn't seem to grasp what I wanted. I left every consult more frustrated than the last. I started to think that maybe I wasn't verbalizing what I wanted clearly. Maybe we really didn't have a large enough budget like one of the florist had said.  Or maybe all florist made adjustments to your wishes based on their own wants.. Just as I was ready to give up and settle on a florist who didn't get what I wanted & wasn't going to produce what I envision I received some awesome advice. My mom said to me "Honey, don't settle for something that you don't love. You have always been one to dig until you find what it is that you want, keep digging. There is someone out there who will not only provide what you want but will do so within your budget!" 

I listened. I decided to look once more on The Knot and that is when I found Stephanie of Petalos. My prayers had been answered. Stephanie instantly got what I was looking for & she exceeded my expectations the day of.  Our floral was beautiful. 

My bouquet was one of the details of the wedding that I was anticipating seeing the most. At one point I told Stephanie I was more excited to see my bouquet then I was to see Adam for the first time in his suit. Of course in the end that didn't hold to be true by my bouquet came in at a close second. 

My bouquet consisted of: David Austen Darcey & Juliet, Walzertraum, Romantic Antique & Yves Piaget Garden Roses, Peach Avalanche & Prima Donna Roses, Hydrenga, Calla Lilies, Ranunculus, Lilacs, Sweet Peas, Dusty Miller (Lambs ear) & Misty Lace. 

I love that with every angle my bouquet looked different & showed the different textures.

The Bridesmaid's bouquet's didn't contain as much texture nor did they contain any ivory or creamy shades. I really wanted them to strictly be color. 

Their Bouquet's consisted of: Lilac's, Calla Lilies, Sweet Peas, & David Austen Darcey & Juliet.

Flower Girls & Ring Bearer:

Both the girls carried Bi-color carnation pomedere's with coral ribbon & my nephew's pillow was a bi-color carnation pillow with fuschia ribbon. 

I honestly can't say enough positive things about Stephanie & Petalos. Her stunning arrangements speak for themselves. I can't wait to get the rest of the images back & to be able to share more stunning shots of our floral. 

Sneak Peek - Photo's

Floral - Stephanie Major of PETALOS Floral Design
Photos - Rebecca Dryer Photography

Wedding Sneak Peek

Happy Sunday! :)

I am sorry that I haven't had time to post pictures or tell you any details of the wedding yet. The truth is I have only seen on picture from the wedding & I don't know how to save pictures from email or FB to my Mac...? Anyone have tips on that?

I do have something even more special to share with you all today... 

I promise this link is safe - check it out :)

Our Wedding Video Trailer :) YAY

I know it isn't much at this point but it's amazing & I'm so happy with it! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have :)

Just Married!

I'm baaaaaaaack! :) 

I have missed you all. I have 1000+ blog posts to catch up on. I also have a lot to catch you all up on! 

We're married. The wedding was perfect. It was beautiful & absolutely everything we could have hoped for. I will post pictures as soon as I get some time.

I'll be back with regular scheduled blogging tomorrow! :)

God Bless The U.S.A.

And I'm proud to be an American,

where at least I know I'm free.

And I wont forget the men who died,

who gave that right to me.

And I gladly stand up,

next to you and defend her still today.

‘Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land,

God bless the USA

"No matter how long it takes, justice will be served"

- George W. Bush

It doesn't matter what your political views are nor does it matter mine - Yesterday was a day that will go down in American History books as a victory. 

May the families victimized by 9/11 feel some peace in their hearts today knowing the man responsible for those horrific events is no longer alive. 

May we always remember. 

The Voice

Have you all seen the new show called "The Voice"? 

I watched it last night on Hulu because I missed it on Tuesday night.

Adam refused to watch it with me. His exact words were something like "I don't want to watch it. It's stupid. They already have an American Idol & X Factor!"

Well, my dear, sweet, soon to be husband, this is NO American Idol.

This is so much better than American Idol.

Yes, I said that.

I was totally sucked in. 

The show is hosted by Carson Daily - Hello TRL flash backs from middle school.

The Judges:

Adam Levine - Holy Hotness.

Cee Lo Green - Forget you, enough said.

Christina - What a girl wants!!

Blake Shelton - I die. 

Seriously. Amazing. The 4 judges are hilarious together. The talent is there & the best part, they're judged solely on their voices. 

So far I am rooting for Team Blake, Team Cee Lo & Team Adam. I just wasn't feeling Team Christina. 

So have you seen The Voice? What were your thoughts? Whose team are you rooting for?

So What Wednesday

It's Wednesday, again, & I'm back for So What Wednesday with Shannon!

Go on over & link up if you want to play along!

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(Shannon - I can't get your button to work? Sorry!!)

So what if I sat outside my office this morning pressing the "unlock" button on my car key faub pissed that the office door wasn't unlocking. It's been a long week, alright?

So what if I haven't blogged this week. I have a lot on my mind but it's not anything I want out in the public. I'll blog about it sooner or later. When I have more answers.

So what if I called Adam this morning & made him come home because I "saw someone in our wood shed" & he got home to find no one there & nothing missing... I'm stressed & apparently seeing things?

So what if I called Adam instead of the police when I thought I saw someone in our wood shed.. Apparently, my first thought was that he would protect me. Isn't that a good sign?

So what if I am pissed that the iPhone 5 might not come out now until September. I've been waiting for years for this damn phone to come to Verizon & I want the newest edition. 

So what if I give up & go buy the iPhone 4 in June. I have been due for an upgrade since March & I want an iPhone dang it! 

So what if I haven't thought much about the details in the past week. Yes, I realize that there are 10 days until my wedding & most brides are stressing about all the little details. Lately, I have more important things on my mind. 

So what if I miss my cousin, Amber, today. She's been heavy on my heart lately. 

So what if I didn't tell Adam the entire truth as to why my dress alterations went from $140 to $435. He would have thought I was crazy & told me to deal with the ugly bustle. 

So what if I changed something MAJOR to my dress because I didn't want it to take away from my floral.. It's all about the details, ladies!

So what if I can't stand a certain florist in PDX & every time I get an email from her I want to scream. I unsubscribed lady!! I UNSUBSCRIBED! No one cares that you're going to be on SMP (which by the way you weren't even published when you said you were going to be), no one cares that you were on the Today show & then did CRAPPY arrangements for it. Yes, you're talented but you're not God's gift to brides like you seem to think you are. News flash - If your head gets any bigger it's going to pop! If you have talent but lack customer service you're not going to continue to grow. Take notes, lady! 

Well, that is the end of my So What Rant today.

I am going to ask a favor of you all. 

Please pray for my Uncle Ronny.  

He's suffered from a stroke last week & has a long road of recovery ahead of him. Also pray for his wife, Leck & my cousins April & Brooke. Please, just pray for my family during this difficult time. We could all use extra love & support right now.

Insanity!

Happy Thursday!

Seriously, it's Thursday already??

It has been insane at our house for the past week. I haven't been home before 10 at all since Wednesday last week! We've had vendor meetings, ceremony planning sessions, ceremony music planning sessions, hair & makeup trial run, ect.

I literally crawled into bed last night at 11pm (I usually go to bed at 9) & had just about fallen asleep when I said to Adam "I thought you were making me chili??" He replied "I thought you were getting home before 11!" How sad is that? I didn't even realize that I hadn't had dinner until I was almost asleep.. I didn't end up getting up to eat. I was too tired!

I guess this goes with out saying that I'm exhausted! I'm trying not to neglect you all. 

I promise to be back soon & have something worthy of sharing :)

Friday's Confessional

Happy Friday!

I am linking up with Mamarazzi today for Friday's Confessional!

Link up :)

I confess that I'm annoyed to be working a full day today. I usually only work about 4 hours on Friday's. I know I should just be thankful to have a job & to usually have a very flexible schedule on Friday's but I'm so not feeling a full day today.

I confess that I'm the worlds worst friend & sister in law right now. Our friend & my sil recently went on GF diets & asked me to email them some recipes.. I still haven't done so! I feel terrible because I know how hard it is to go GF. 

I confess that when my sister got me Katy Perry's newest CD for Christmas I had planned to take it back. I just wasn't a big fan of her first CD & I wasn't in love with any of her songs that were out at the time. That CD has been sitting on our dinning room bar waiting for me to get my butt in gear for 5 months. Yesterday I thought that maybe, just maybe, it might have ET on it - it dose & I got overly excited! Adam may have looked at me like I'd lost my marbles. 

I confess that I'm a hypocrite. After this post last week I peeked at my registry. Actually, that's a lie, I stalked my registry. I did wait until after my shower though and it really wasn't my fault. My mother pretty much taunted me with it. She was looking at it for gift idea's (yes, I was sitting right next to her) and she kept saying "Holy crap, that's fulfilled, fulfilled, fulfilled, fulfilled.. Wow, Oh my gosh. Wow, you guys have a lot of people who love you. Wow! Fulfilled.." I mean really, how could a girl NOT peek at that point??

I confess that I'm helping Adam write his vows. He's been sending me texts as he thinks of things he'd like included & I'm putting it all together for him. Yes, I'll know his vows long before we read them to each other at the ceremony. 

I confess that while receiving the texts to help him verb his vows I've cried at least three times. I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Seriously. I can not wait to be able to call him my husband.

I confess that I don't want our wedding to be over. We've had so many people tell us that we'll be glad when it's over but I don't feel that way. I love our florist & our stationary designer.. I don't want it to be over simply because I don't want to not have a reason to email, call, or text them a few times a week. I am ready for it to be here though. 

I confess that I'm feeling overwhelmed and overly emotional. Is that normal with three weeks to your wedding?

I confess that I am so glad it's Friday. 

Have a fabulous weekend!