I love having those kinda friends that you can have over even when you have nasty wet hair. You know the kind that you don't send away when there is clean laundry on your couches that needs to be folded, the kitchen isn't immaculate, the floors haven't been vacuumed in a week, etc.
We love you Tammy, Ray and Sofia! Thanks for taking us just as we are ;)
On another note, JoDee Woodcock is a ROCK STAR in and out of the pool. We did about a 1700 swim today and then as I left to go home for company, she continued on over to Pecan Park to run three miles with Callie Berry. She's my hero right now. Hopefully I will be joining her next week with the dual workout but I'm pretty sure she will kick my butt!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Working Out
So when I found out I was pregnant I continued to workout the first few weeks like nothing was different. My goal was to be that big fat and pregnant lady running down the street for all to see;) However the morning/all day long sickness started to kick me on my butt. I was doing good to run two days a week and a mile or two at a time. It was very frustrating because I had been able to just go run five mile and not even think twice about it just weeks before.
I had to wait a week before I could start running again after my D&C. Dr. Vineyard had told me it would be about two months before we would be able to start trying again, so in the mean time I wanted to do some type of training. I decided on a half marathon June 10th. Seemed like a great idea and the perfect amount of time. The training started with running two miles and increased mileage quickly. While my breathing was horrible that first week everything else was fine. The second week the breathing was better and then the third week the breathing was great, but not the knee. It was a Monday run and we were supposed to be going five miles. My knee had starting hurting a little, but nothing too bad. I'd been icing and hoping that would help. Well a little short of four miles while my breathing was awesome and I think I could have gone three more miles if I had to, my knee thought otherwise. It had hurt with every step of the run thus far, but then it almost completely gave out. And so with that run my plan of running a half on June 10th went down the drain :(
New plan...a sprint tri. So if I can't run that long of a distance then lets do a sprint tri where I only have to run a 5K. My friends Callie and JoDee had been running with me for the half so they decided to switch with me as well. So while we aren't on an actual training plan just yet, we are getting our feet wet, literally. JoDee and I started swimming two weeks ago, the biking will have to wait about another month till I get my SIL's to borrow. Now I swam on swim team as a child and was fairly good at it, but that was a LONG time ago. JoDee swam in college. So I was a little intimidated for that first swim. Would I be able to make it, would I drown? So while I can't keep up with her on everything, especially the long distances I am learning that my sprinting is still there for the most part. Best part about swimming, no hurting knee the next day!
So before we start a specific tri training I'm going to have to actually get my knee checked out :( I had surgery on it about four and a half years ago. It doesn't hurt in the same place, but it's gotten out of control. I've tried icing it and even rest, but nothing seems to give. I'm crossing my fingers no surgery is needed, but my friend Charlotte who is a PTA says she's thinking it's my meniscus and I probably will need a scope. She also says I'm going to have to realize that long distance running might not be able to continue to be my thing. That makes me really sad.
I started running in January of 2011, after telling Stephen I was going to run a 5K. He kinda laughed as to say I'll believe it when I see it. (He did see it, about two months later and then four months later he saw a 10K.) I had not run since high school and quite frankly it's my least favorite thing to do and I had never run more than a mile without stopping. That runner's high, I think it's all made up! And while I still don't LOVE it, I love the way it makes me feel afterwards and I love that it gives me goals that I can work towards and achieve. It's the thing I can control in my life, the thing that has helped me to deal with my infertility. That is why the idea of not being able to run makes me sad. So I know it's crazy, but would you please pray that my knee is fixable and I will be able to eventually do a half. I don't like setting a goal and then not reaching it.
In the mean time, the tri training shall continue and I am enjoying the swimming. Who knows maybe Master's Swimming might be in my future ;)
I had to wait a week before I could start running again after my D&C. Dr. Vineyard had told me it would be about two months before we would be able to start trying again, so in the mean time I wanted to do some type of training. I decided on a half marathon June 10th. Seemed like a great idea and the perfect amount of time. The training started with running two miles and increased mileage quickly. While my breathing was horrible that first week everything else was fine. The second week the breathing was better and then the third week the breathing was great, but not the knee. It was a Monday run and we were supposed to be going five miles. My knee had starting hurting a little, but nothing too bad. I'd been icing and hoping that would help. Well a little short of four miles while my breathing was awesome and I think I could have gone three more miles if I had to, my knee thought otherwise. It had hurt with every step of the run thus far, but then it almost completely gave out. And so with that run my plan of running a half on June 10th went down the drain :(
New plan...a sprint tri. So if I can't run that long of a distance then lets do a sprint tri where I only have to run a 5K. My friends Callie and JoDee had been running with me for the half so they decided to switch with me as well. So while we aren't on an actual training plan just yet, we are getting our feet wet, literally. JoDee and I started swimming two weeks ago, the biking will have to wait about another month till I get my SIL's to borrow. Now I swam on swim team as a child and was fairly good at it, but that was a LONG time ago. JoDee swam in college. So I was a little intimidated for that first swim. Would I be able to make it, would I drown? So while I can't keep up with her on everything, especially the long distances I am learning that my sprinting is still there for the most part. Best part about swimming, no hurting knee the next day!
So before we start a specific tri training I'm going to have to actually get my knee checked out :( I had surgery on it about four and a half years ago. It doesn't hurt in the same place, but it's gotten out of control. I've tried icing it and even rest, but nothing seems to give. I'm crossing my fingers no surgery is needed, but my friend Charlotte who is a PTA says she's thinking it's my meniscus and I probably will need a scope. She also says I'm going to have to realize that long distance running might not be able to continue to be my thing. That makes me really sad.
I started running in January of 2011, after telling Stephen I was going to run a 5K. He kinda laughed as to say I'll believe it when I see it. (He did see it, about two months later and then four months later he saw a 10K.) I had not run since high school and quite frankly it's my least favorite thing to do and I had never run more than a mile without stopping. That runner's high, I think it's all made up! And while I still don't LOVE it, I love the way it makes me feel afterwards and I love that it gives me goals that I can work towards and achieve. It's the thing I can control in my life, the thing that has helped me to deal with my infertility. That is why the idea of not being able to run makes me sad. So I know it's crazy, but would you please pray that my knee is fixable and I will be able to eventually do a half. I don't like setting a goal and then not reaching it.
In the mean time, the tri training shall continue and I am enjoying the swimming. Who knows maybe Master's Swimming might be in my future ;)
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Laughing when God Speaks
Ok so sometimes you just have to laugh when God speaks to you so clearly, laugh because it is so obvious and laugh at your little faith.
Stephen and I have this devotional routine where he reads the scripture and I read the devotional. Usually there is something one of us has never thought about or even a disagreement with the devotional writers ideas that we talk about. Well Monday and Tuesday nights were a little different. Both nights right before our devotional I read my blog post I had just posted to Stephen. Monday's two posts were about about the anger portion of the grief cycle and how I was hit by it this past Saturday unexpectedly and the second was about believing God's promises when the unexpected happens. Minutes after posting we started our devotion and I kid you not directly from my devotional that night I read,
"Do your thoughts dwell heavily today on your present circumstances? Do you feel weighed down by discouragement, weariness, and even impatience in your present situation? Fix your eyes firmly on our beloved Savior and eternal future and you will find the weight of your present circumstances will fade as they did for Jacob."
Stephen asked if I needed to go update my blog after the two posts I'd just written and laughingly said, "I think someone's trying to tell you something."
Then Tuesday night I posted about the call we received from the fertility clinic telling us we will have to wait six months after my Beta's reach zero to be able to begin trying again. I have this issue with worst case scenario planning and doing the math and realizing how LONG it will be before I can hypothetically have a baby in my arms. Well what do you know that nights devotional was entitled Come and See and the first lines of the devotion said,
"SOMETIMES FAITH HAS TO WAIT. Your heart's greatest desire is to be a mother. Every month you wait. The rhythm is torturous and always soul sinking....Israel had been waiting for a very long time. The prophets had said the Lord's anointed was coming. No one had ever waited like they had waited....After a long period of waiting, we are all cautious when our heart's desire finally arrives. When you receive the good news, you wonder, Can it really be?"
The scripture for this devotional was John 1:43-51. It is where Philip declares to Nathanael they had found Jesus. Nathanael asks could it really be and he is told to come and see. While the devotional passage focused on the Messiah I just had to laugh when I read those opening lines. Sometime faith has to wait...I mean I had just written two days earlier that the story of Abraham and Issac had taught me that, "I must believe [God's] promises because he's God and he doesn't lie." That there is more to it than just obeying and believe is the same thing as having faith.
After reading the devotional again I began to laugh out loud literally as Stephen again says, "I think someone's trying to tell you something."
So how cool is it that Sunday night I read and learn about Abraham and Issac and God reveals something new to me about the difference between obeying God and believing God, then Monday night after reflecting on my feelings of grief and despair, God speaks to me through that nights devotional and reminds me to fix my sights on the Savior and our eternal future and the weight of my present circumstances will fade away, and then finally Tuesday night after posting about the "bad news" from the fertility clinic He hits me with the sometimes faith has to wait comment and helps me to see the full circle connection to faith and believing His promises.
So while I have to laugh about my little faith and the irony of the devotionals which really isn't irony at all, I am hearing Him loud and somewhat clear.
Here's hoping tonight's devotional lets me off the hook a little and speaks to Stephen more so than to me;)
Stephen and I have this devotional routine where he reads the scripture and I read the devotional. Usually there is something one of us has never thought about or even a disagreement with the devotional writers ideas that we talk about. Well Monday and Tuesday nights were a little different. Both nights right before our devotional I read my blog post I had just posted to Stephen. Monday's two posts were about about the anger portion of the grief cycle and how I was hit by it this past Saturday unexpectedly and the second was about believing God's promises when the unexpected happens. Minutes after posting we started our devotion and I kid you not directly from my devotional that night I read,
"Do your thoughts dwell heavily today on your present circumstances? Do you feel weighed down by discouragement, weariness, and even impatience in your present situation? Fix your eyes firmly on our beloved Savior and eternal future and you will find the weight of your present circumstances will fade as they did for Jacob."
Stephen asked if I needed to go update my blog after the two posts I'd just written and laughingly said, "I think someone's trying to tell you something."
Then Tuesday night I posted about the call we received from the fertility clinic telling us we will have to wait six months after my Beta's reach zero to be able to begin trying again. I have this issue with worst case scenario planning and doing the math and realizing how LONG it will be before I can hypothetically have a baby in my arms. Well what do you know that nights devotional was entitled Come and See and the first lines of the devotion said,
"SOMETIMES FAITH HAS TO WAIT. Your heart's greatest desire is to be a mother. Every month you wait. The rhythm is torturous and always soul sinking....Israel had been waiting for a very long time. The prophets had said the Lord's anointed was coming. No one had ever waited like they had waited....After a long period of waiting, we are all cautious when our heart's desire finally arrives. When you receive the good news, you wonder, Can it really be?"
The scripture for this devotional was John 1:43-51. It is where Philip declares to Nathanael they had found Jesus. Nathanael asks could it really be and he is told to come and see. While the devotional passage focused on the Messiah I just had to laugh when I read those opening lines. Sometime faith has to wait...I mean I had just written two days earlier that the story of Abraham and Issac had taught me that, "I must believe [God's] promises because he's God and he doesn't lie." That there is more to it than just obeying and believe is the same thing as having faith.
After reading the devotional again I began to laugh out loud literally as Stephen again says, "I think someone's trying to tell you something."
So how cool is it that Sunday night I read and learn about Abraham and Issac and God reveals something new to me about the difference between obeying God and believing God, then Monday night after reflecting on my feelings of grief and despair, God speaks to me through that nights devotional and reminds me to fix my sights on the Savior and our eternal future and the weight of my present circumstances will fade away, and then finally Tuesday night after posting about the "bad news" from the fertility clinic He hits me with the sometimes faith has to wait comment and helps me to see the full circle connection to faith and believing His promises.
So while I have to laugh about my little faith and the irony of the devotionals which really isn't irony at all, I am hearing Him loud and somewhat clear.
Here's hoping tonight's devotional lets me off the hook a little and speaks to Stephen more so than to me;)
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Six Months From Zero
The pathology report from my D&C suggested my pregancy was a partial molar pregnancy. It's kinda confusing to explain, but basically it has to do with abnormal growth of the placenta. This website gives a better explination. I lost the baby at almost 11 weeks which seems a little late for a partial molar, but who knows and that is all just based off my internet research which I know you can't always trust. Dr. Vineyard felt like the pathologist was erring on the side of caution, but because the report said molar he has to follow protocol which means I have to have my Beta tested every two weeks until it goes to zero. In rare cases the placenta cells could start to act like cancer cells and begin to reproduce. In that case they would have to do surgery again. Fingers crossed that rare case is not mine!
Dr. Vineyard had said we would be able to start trying again after my levels went to zero and I had one natural cycle. I just needed to call the Fertility Clinic and let them know what had happened so I could get back in the IUI rotation. Well...after receiving the pathology report the Fertility Clinic called yesterday and we were told we have to continue to follow my Betas to zero and then six months from then we can start trying again. This was NOT what I was expecting. I was half heartily hoping he wouldn't agree with the path report and would say we could start again with our next cycle. Obviously there is not an M.D. behind my name and for good reason, so I will have to trust my doctors. I realize the Fertility Clinic sees hundreds of patients a year and I chose my doctor because of his record and knowledge, but I keep finding myself questioning, wishing for another anwer or another way. Alas, we will just have to wait.
At the rate my Beta's have been falling...first check was 1200 and second check two weeks later was 900, who know's when I will hit zero. I guess in some ways this does give some freedom. We pretty much know for sure we will not be having a baby in 2012, and most likely not even in 2013. I'm a planner and maybe that's one thing that God is trying to teach me, rather than planning to start trusting. I can't help but keep doing the math...say I get to zero in another month (which would be a miracle)...June + 6 months = December + 9 months (on the off chance the first IUI works) = September 2013, but in reality going off of last year we did an IUI in December, had to take January off because of a cycst, and then did two IUI's in February and got our miracle. The "realist" in me says the odds of a baby in 2013, are slim to none, but then there's always that little voice that wonders what if...what if my Beta goes to zero next week. What if we get pregnant on the first IUI...so in the mean time of waiting I will be praying that 2013, despite all odds WILL be the year and I will also be looking for ways God can use Stephen and me as a childless couple that he wouldn't othersiwe be able to if we had one!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Warning...Greif Cycle Alert!
It's been a month since my D&C. I thought I had been doing really well moving through the grief cycle and had actually skipped the anger and moved to acceptance, that is until the pregnant lady got out of her car in front of Kennedy's Saturday afternoon. There I sat with Lerin and Catherine working the sidewalk sale minding my own business when all of a sudden anger reared it's ugly head at the sight of this woman. Everything inside of me looked at her with disgust. Who did she think she was with her cute pregnant belly to be walking down the street and stop at our store. Wow, those were not the thoughts and feelings I had expected to have that day. I thought I had moved pasted those feelings months ago.
About a year ago I would have expected those emotions because that's pretty much how I felt about all pregnant women at the time, but this time I was not ready for it. I have not felt that way in months and had come to a place were I was truly joyous for the people I knew and saw that were expecting.
So I ask you to please pray for me. I don't want to be angry and I worked really hard to get past the months of anger I had stored up over the first year and a half of our struggle. It's not anything personal towards those who are expecting and it's not them I am angry at, it's the circumstances and quite honestly at the end of the day it's God. I know God's a big boy and he can handle my anger and for that I am grateful, but I don't want to be angry. Like I wrote in my last post, I am trying to not just obey, but believe in God's promises and he promises to work all things for my good, which means all this will be used for my good. Pray that I can move that heart knowledge to my head!
So, this is a public service announcement....All women with cute pregnant bellies, keep a safe distance of 100 yards from the crazy fertility challenged women!
About a year ago I would have expected those emotions because that's pretty much how I felt about all pregnant women at the time, but this time I was not ready for it. I have not felt that way in months and had come to a place were I was truly joyous for the people I knew and saw that were expecting.
So I ask you to please pray for me. I don't want to be angry and I worked really hard to get past the months of anger I had stored up over the first year and a half of our struggle. It's not anything personal towards those who are expecting and it's not them I am angry at, it's the circumstances and quite honestly at the end of the day it's God. I know God's a big boy and he can handle my anger and for that I am grateful, but I don't want to be angry. Like I wrote in my last post, I am trying to not just obey, but believe in God's promises and he promises to work all things for my good, which means all this will be used for my good. Pray that I can move that heart knowledge to my head!
So, this is a public service announcement....All women with cute pregnant bellies, keep a safe distance of 100 yards from the crazy fertility challenged women!
Believeing God's Promises When the Unexpected Happens
Wow, what a title. Stephen and I had stopped doing our daily devotionals together that we had started at the beginning of the year. Partially because I had been so sick for about a month and a half when I was pregnant and I was on a completely different sleep pattern than he was (we do them right before we go to bed) and partially because after my miscarriage I just didn't feel like studying the word with him or myself. Every day I would see the devotional siting on the night stand and think, "I don't want to do that, I don't really care what it has to say," and then slowly I began to think, "I want us to start our devotionals together." So we started back this past week and what do ya know, the first devotional's title was, "Believing God's Promises When the Unexpected Happens."
The Devotional covered Genesis 22, the story of Abraham and Issac. I've read this story hundreds of time as a child and as an adult. I've always thought of it as a great lesson of how we should obey God, but after reading this writers take I realized there is a difference between obeying and believing God. Yes Abraham was obeying God's when he took his son up on the hill to be sacrificed, but more importantly he was believing God. The book of Hebrews 11:17-19, says Abraham believed God's promises so strongly that he reasoned God would even bring Isaac back from the dead if necessary because God had promised him that through Issac there would come a great nation. Huh, I'd never thought of it that way. This story is more of a story of belief than obedience.
So I guess it helped me to realize that while I can try and obey God all day long there is more to it. I must believe his promises because he's God and he doesn't lie. It's one of those "duh" concepts that I know, but needed to be reminded of again. And while God has not promised Stephen and I a child, he has promised that he will make all things work for the good of those who love him and so I will continue to work towards believe that! And I use the word work because while I know this to be true in my heart, sometimes there is a disconnect between there and my head.
The Devotional covered Genesis 22, the story of Abraham and Issac. I've read this story hundreds of time as a child and as an adult. I've always thought of it as a great lesson of how we should obey God, but after reading this writers take I realized there is a difference between obeying and believing God. Yes Abraham was obeying God's when he took his son up on the hill to be sacrificed, but more importantly he was believing God. The book of Hebrews 11:17-19, says Abraham believed God's promises so strongly that he reasoned God would even bring Isaac back from the dead if necessary because God had promised him that through Issac there would come a great nation. Huh, I'd never thought of it that way. This story is more of a story of belief than obedience.
So I guess it helped me to realize that while I can try and obey God all day long there is more to it. I must believe his promises because he's God and he doesn't lie. It's one of those "duh" concepts that I know, but needed to be reminded of again. And while God has not promised Stephen and I a child, he has promised that he will make all things work for the good of those who love him and so I will continue to work towards believe that! And I use the word work because while I know this to be true in my heart, sometimes there is a disconnect between there and my head.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Chronicals of a Five Year Anniversary Trip
Five years. I know it's not, but it seems like a really long time.
I decided after my miscarriage that we could afford to do a little something financially irresponsible since there wasn't a baby to be preparing for anymore. Sometimes every once in a while you have remind Dave Ramsey who's really boss at your house! So I booked a trip to Galveston, the perfect location since we took our first trip to Galveston together the weekend before we got married in 2007. Jamaica where we honeymooned was out of the question this time, but maybe for our ten year?!
We headed out of Lufkin as soon as I got out of school Friday around 11:30. Tammi graciously let us leave our car at her house. While we originally intended to leave the Escalade those plans changed Thursday. The odometer was about to roll over to 95,000 miles and we realized we had to make a decision very soon: were we going to commit to the 2006 and keep it till it no longer could be salvaged or get something new. So after looking over the options of what was out there Thursday at school, I told Stephen that evening if we were to get something I would like to get a Nissan Murano and I had found a dealership on the way to Galveston. So we made the jump and stopped on by the dealership on our way down there. We arrived around 2:30 and left around 6:00 with a new car in hand! Let me tell you, it has all the bells and whistles, I'm pretty sure it can drive itself. I know this sounds silly, but in some ways I'm glad to have gotten rid of the Escalade. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but we originally bought it because we had just started trying to have a baby and we knew my two door Pontiac G6, now that's a car I was sad to let go of, wasn't going to work with a car seat. In some ways the car reminded me of where we have been and almost taunted me at times just saying, look at me...I can hold five car seats and you don't even have one. So as we drove off the lot on Friday I really wasn't upset to leave it behind at all like I had been when I left my G6. New car, new prospective, new place in life:)
When we arrived in Galveston I was having a little trouble understanding what my new GPS was telling me and I turned a little too soon, but on our way to get back on the right path we noticed that my brother was running for Sheriff ;)
That night we were really tired and while I had intended for us to get all dressed up and go eat at Gaido's we were just too tuckered out so we went as we were. The food was excellent. We came back to the room got settled in. We are not much for keeping secrets and waiting to give gifts, so since I had already gotten my car earlier that day I felt like I didn't have to wait till our actually anniversary to give Stephen his gift. I'd been sitting on it for over three weeks and that was too long for me to keep a secret; I just couldn't wait another day!
After opening our gifts we fell asleep promptly. I'm pretty sure that makes us a couple of old people!
That next morning we woke up around 9:30 in time to get decent for our room service breakfast.
There is no way anyone could say they don't give you enough syrup for your french toast and waffles. It was a yummy breakfast in bed that I didn't have to prepare or clean up.
At 11:00 we headed down to the spa for our couples massages. One thing I was a little disappointed in was their definition of "couple." We thought it would be like on our honeymoon and we would be in the same room together, but when they came to the relaxation room to get us we were taken to separate rooms. Kinda defeated the point of couples, but the massage itself was amazing so I guess I'll have to let it slide!
After the massages we got cleaned up and ready for the day. Our plan was to head to Kemah and spend the afternoon there and eat dinner there as well. I have to say we were less than pleased with our experience. We had been under the impression that the boardwalk was a bunch of stores and a few amusement rides. What we found is it was a bunch of amusement rides and a few shops. So we only ended up walking around for a couples of hours. I did buy two dresses and while walking around Stephen spotted this hot mess and made the comment that no one could make fun of his crocs with socks and shorts if they saw this guys. (Might I also note Stephen has progressed to the leather crocs without socks.) So obviously we had to take a picture which itself was probably worth the $7.00 parking!
We headed back early and strolled down the Strand in Galveston. This is were we hit the Christmas shopping jackpot! While I can't really share much of what we found because my family reads this, I can share the most awesome gift we found for my dad!
After walking the Strand we went back to get dressed for the evening. While strolling down the hallway to our room I found these little gems on someones discarded room service. Is it considered stealing if it was intended to be thrown away?
While I was getting ready, Stephen called to see about eating at the Steakhouse in the Hotel. It is supposedly one of the best in the state and so he quickly found they had no reservation for the evening and were not taking any walk ins. After calling several other places which all had about and hour and a half wait, we decided Gaido's was worth that long of a wait and we didn't want to be disappointed by a place we'd never tried. So off we went for our second round. Ironically we were seated at the exact same table.
The wait was supposed to be an hour and a half, but ended up being closer to an hour and forty five. That was okay though because another older couple from Bryan asked if they could sit at the waiting table we were at and we were able to converse and fill the time.
It was late when when we got back from dinner so we headed to bed and slept in as long as possible. Sunday morning after checking out we headed back to the Strand to hit up the shops we missed the day before and to eat lunch. On the way home we made a little detour at Central Market and racked up a $189.00 bill which included random items such as mushrooms, lobster base, fresh squeezed pineapple orange juice, and stargazer lilies to name a few. It's a good thing we don't live in Houston because I know there is no way I could live off my $60 a week food budget!
All in all it was a great weekend and I am so glad we got to get away. While we aren't beach people and actually didn't even set foot on the beach or in the pool, we really enjoyed just being with each other with no other distractions. I am so grateful God chose Stephen for me and I cannot wait to see what else he has in store for our future!
I decided after my miscarriage that we could afford to do a little something financially irresponsible since there wasn't a baby to be preparing for anymore. Sometimes every once in a while you have remind Dave Ramsey who's really boss at your house! So I booked a trip to Galveston, the perfect location since we took our first trip to Galveston together the weekend before we got married in 2007. Jamaica where we honeymooned was out of the question this time, but maybe for our ten year?!
We headed out of Lufkin as soon as I got out of school Friday around 11:30. Tammi graciously let us leave our car at her house. While we originally intended to leave the Escalade those plans changed Thursday. The odometer was about to roll over to 95,000 miles and we realized we had to make a decision very soon: were we going to commit to the 2006 and keep it till it no longer could be salvaged or get something new. So after looking over the options of what was out there Thursday at school, I told Stephen that evening if we were to get something I would like to get a Nissan Murano and I had found a dealership on the way to Galveston. So we made the jump and stopped on by the dealership on our way down there. We arrived around 2:30 and left around 6:00 with a new car in hand! Let me tell you, it has all the bells and whistles, I'm pretty sure it can drive itself. I know this sounds silly, but in some ways I'm glad to have gotten rid of the Escalade. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but we originally bought it because we had just started trying to have a baby and we knew my two door Pontiac G6, now that's a car I was sad to let go of, wasn't going to work with a car seat. In some ways the car reminded me of where we have been and almost taunted me at times just saying, look at me...I can hold five car seats and you don't even have one. So as we drove off the lot on Friday I really wasn't upset to leave it behind at all like I had been when I left my G6. New car, new prospective, new place in life:)
When we arrived in Galveston I was having a little trouble understanding what my new GPS was telling me and I turned a little too soon, but on our way to get back on the right path we noticed that my brother was running for Sheriff ;)
That night we were really tired and while I had intended for us to get all dressed up and go eat at Gaido's we were just too tuckered out so we went as we were. The food was excellent. We came back to the room got settled in. We are not much for keeping secrets and waiting to give gifts, so since I had already gotten my car earlier that day I felt like I didn't have to wait till our actually anniversary to give Stephen his gift. I'd been sitting on it for over three weeks and that was too long for me to keep a secret; I just couldn't wait another day!
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| Thank you Nancy Winston for making my iPad buying experience a little less expensive! See there was a little Dave Ramsey in our anniversary with this New to You gift :) |
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| Stephen got me this Willow Tree Anniversary piece. Notice the man has a receding hairline, a sign it was actually fashioned after us ;) |
After opening our gifts we fell asleep promptly. I'm pretty sure that makes us a couple of old people!
That next morning we woke up around 9:30 in time to get decent for our room service breakfast.
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| If you know about my love affair with ketchup, you'll know how happy it made me to see this on our tray. |
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| Stephen was ready to dig in! |
There is no way anyone could say they don't give you enough syrup for your french toast and waffles. It was a yummy breakfast in bed that I didn't have to prepare or clean up.
At 11:00 we headed down to the spa for our couples massages. One thing I was a little disappointed in was their definition of "couple." We thought it would be like on our honeymoon and we would be in the same room together, but when they came to the relaxation room to get us we were taken to separate rooms. Kinda defeated the point of couples, but the massage itself was amazing so I guess I'll have to let it slide!
After the massages we got cleaned up and ready for the day. Our plan was to head to Kemah and spend the afternoon there and eat dinner there as well. I have to say we were less than pleased with our experience. We had been under the impression that the boardwalk was a bunch of stores and a few amusement rides. What we found is it was a bunch of amusement rides and a few shops. So we only ended up walking around for a couples of hours. I did buy two dresses and while walking around Stephen spotted this hot mess and made the comment that no one could make fun of his crocs with socks and shorts if they saw this guys. (Might I also note Stephen has progressed to the leather crocs without socks.) So obviously we had to take a picture which itself was probably worth the $7.00 parking!
We headed back early and strolled down the Strand in Galveston. This is were we hit the Christmas shopping jackpot! While I can't really share much of what we found because my family reads this, I can share the most awesome gift we found for my dad!
After walking the Strand we went back to get dressed for the evening. While strolling down the hallway to our room I found these little gems on someones discarded room service. Is it considered stealing if it was intended to be thrown away?
While I was getting ready, Stephen called to see about eating at the Steakhouse in the Hotel. It is supposedly one of the best in the state and so he quickly found they had no reservation for the evening and were not taking any walk ins. After calling several other places which all had about and hour and a half wait, we decided Gaido's was worth that long of a wait and we didn't want to be disappointed by a place we'd never tried. So off we went for our second round. Ironically we were seated at the exact same table.
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| I must say he is one HOT date! |
It was late when when we got back from dinner so we headed to bed and slept in as long as possible. Sunday morning after checking out we headed back to the Strand to hit up the shops we missed the day before and to eat lunch. On the way home we made a little detour at Central Market and racked up a $189.00 bill which included random items such as mushrooms, lobster base, fresh squeezed pineapple orange juice, and stargazer lilies to name a few. It's a good thing we don't live in Houston because I know there is no way I could live off my $60 a week food budget!
All in all it was a great weekend and I am so glad we got to get away. While we aren't beach people and actually didn't even set foot on the beach or in the pool, we really enjoyed just being with each other with no other distractions. I am so grateful God chose Stephen for me and I cannot wait to see what else he has in store for our future!
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