Copied from my sister's blog. 30 days of blogging with assigned topics for each day.
Day 10-Something you’re afraid of
There is more than one something I'm afraid of....
drowning (some would say I'm afraid of water). I can handle it if I can see the shore line, because I can swim.
burning alive
heights
childbirth
losing the people that I love
losing my dogs
not being able to have my own children
spiders - I don't mind them, but I HATE the idea of them crawling on me. I won't kill them, but shoo them outside. They serve a purpose, but it does NOT include crawling on me.
scary movies (which then in turn makes me scared of the dark)
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 9
Copied from my sister's blog. 30 days of blogging with assigned topics for each day.
DAY 9...A picture of your friends
There is no way on Earth I could pick just one picture. So I spent a bit reminiscing through my pictures. We are blessed to have so many friends in our lives, most of who are like family. Here are some great pictures from the past several years with a bit about each friend.
This is not a complete list by any stretch :)
Becky - We went to high school together and she is married to Brad's best friend growing up, Jordan. They are wonderful people whom we do not get to see enough - and need to make more time to see. It was her blog that inspired me to create mine. She probably doesn't know this, but I have always been nervous about becoming a parent. Very nervous. I have a hard enough time trying to get things together when it's just the two of us and two dogs. But Becky's blog about her life and her family always gives me hope that it can be done. It won't be perfect and you won't always get sleep, but there will be joy in every day.
Christian & Michael - Both friends from my time at Target in Virginia. I still keep in touch with them and got to see them when I went back in November. Christian is always good for a great laugh and good food and I always enjoy my talks with Michael about life.
Tim, Shannen, and Courtney. We have known them almost the entire time we lived in Virginia. Tim & Shannen worked with Brad at Farm Fresh. They also introduced us to hockey. They are great friends that we have shared all of our good times and bad with. And you can always count on us having a great time and laughing until we almost pee our pants.
Mike, Doug and Greta - Mike and Greta we met when we moved to Virginia and still keep in touch with. Both great, loyal friends who will have your back when needed. Doug...where do I start. We knew each other from work in Iowa and when "the group" moved to Virginia, we all became great friends. Who knew we would get so many lifelong friends from "the group" that moved.
Fran and Susan - More Virginia friends. Fran would do anything for you in a second. She has such a big heart and has opened her house to all of us many many times and always joins us when we had a get together. She and Jim joined me for dinner in November. It's always great to catch up with them. Susan is like a soul sister to me. We have connected on a level that many people may never experience in their lives. She literally saved me last year - She'll never know how rich my life is with her in it.
Joel, Joel, Joel. We have known Joel since college - He and Brad used to work at Pizza Hut together. He has been one of our greatest friends and was in our wedding. We recently finally tracked him down and met up with him during the NCAA tournament last year.
Kelly - I've known her since we lived in IA the first time. She is my chiropractor but has become such a great friend. We kept in touch the whole time we lived in VA and now see each other usually once every week or so.
Ryan and Tana - Ryan's in the hat. Tana to his left. I worked with Ryan at Target in VA. They were two of our closest friends in VA and Tana saved me from going insane many, many times. The calm she can bring over a person is truly a super power.
Lisa -- Where do I start? Her husband Mike and I worked together at Target in VA. They have become two of our closest friends. I stayed with them in November when I was back in VA and it was like I'd never left. We have done so many wonderful things together and we have been through a lot together. They were there during some of the darkest times of our lives and I don't know what we'd do without them.
Charity, Bob, Dave, and Brian - Charity and Dave have been our best friends since I started my first real job at AFFINA in 1997. Their kids Bob, Toni, and Dani have been in our lives ever since they were little. It's been amazing to watch them grow up. I'm so proud of the lifestyle changes they have made and how healthy and vibrant they are. Oh, and watch out. They always have our backs. :) Brian I've also known since working at AFFINA. He was on my team and he's never been rid of me! Every time we came back to IA to visit, we'd always make sure to stop by and give Brian a hug. And how he has Mark in his life and we still get together from time to time.
Steph - I worked with her husband Jeff at Target in VA, too...seeing a trend here? She and I have a shared loved of the New Kids On The Block and when we barely knew each other, we road tripped to Washington DC to a concert. And then to Richmond. The rest is history. She is another one of my parenting heroes.
Mike, Lisa, Scott and Diane - So many shenanigans, so little time. Oh what will we do next?
DAY 9...A picture of your friends
There is no way on Earth I could pick just one picture. So I spent a bit reminiscing through my pictures. We are blessed to have so many friends in our lives, most of who are like family. Here are some great pictures from the past several years with a bit about each friend.
This is not a complete list by any stretch :)
Becky - We went to high school together and she is married to Brad's best friend growing up, Jordan. They are wonderful people whom we do not get to see enough - and need to make more time to see. It was her blog that inspired me to create mine. She probably doesn't know this, but I have always been nervous about becoming a parent. Very nervous. I have a hard enough time trying to get things together when it's just the two of us and two dogs. But Becky's blog about her life and her family always gives me hope that it can be done. It won't be perfect and you won't always get sleep, but there will be joy in every day.
Christian & Michael - Both friends from my time at Target in Virginia. I still keep in touch with them and got to see them when I went back in November. Christian is always good for a great laugh and good food and I always enjoy my talks with Michael about life. 
Tim, Shannen, and Courtney. We have known them almost the entire time we lived in Virginia. Tim & Shannen worked with Brad at Farm Fresh. They also introduced us to hockey. They are great friends that we have shared all of our good times and bad with. And you can always count on us having a great time and laughing until we almost pee our pants.
Mike, Doug and Greta - Mike and Greta we met when we moved to Virginia and still keep in touch with. Both great, loyal friends who will have your back when needed. Doug...where do I start. We knew each other from work in Iowa and when "the group" moved to Virginia, we all became great friends. Who knew we would get so many lifelong friends from "the group" that moved.
Fran and Susan - More Virginia friends. Fran would do anything for you in a second. She has such a big heart and has opened her house to all of us many many times and always joins us when we had a get together. She and Jim joined me for dinner in November. It's always great to catch up with them. Susan is like a soul sister to me. We have connected on a level that many people may never experience in their lives. She literally saved me last year - She'll never know how rich my life is with her in it.
Joel, Joel, Joel. We have known Joel since college - He and Brad used to work at Pizza Hut together. He has been one of our greatest friends and was in our wedding. We recently finally tracked him down and met up with him during the NCAA tournament last year.
Kelly - I've known her since we lived in IA the first time. She is my chiropractor but has become such a great friend. We kept in touch the whole time we lived in VA and now see each other usually once every week or so.
Ryan and Tana - Ryan's in the hat. Tana to his left. I worked with Ryan at Target in VA. They were two of our closest friends in VA and Tana saved me from going insane many, many times. The calm she can bring over a person is truly a super power.
Lisa -- Where do I start? Her husband Mike and I worked together at Target in VA. They have become two of our closest friends. I stayed with them in November when I was back in VA and it was like I'd never left. We have done so many wonderful things together and we have been through a lot together. They were there during some of the darkest times of our lives and I don't know what we'd do without them.
Charity, Bob, Dave, and Brian - Charity and Dave have been our best friends since I started my first real job at AFFINA in 1997. Their kids Bob, Toni, and Dani have been in our lives ever since they were little. It's been amazing to watch them grow up. I'm so proud of the lifestyle changes they have made and how healthy and vibrant they are. Oh, and watch out. They always have our backs. :) Brian I've also known since working at AFFINA. He was on my team and he's never been rid of me! Every time we came back to IA to visit, we'd always make sure to stop by and give Brian a hug. And how he has Mark in his life and we still get together from time to time.
Steph - I worked with her husband Jeff at Target in VA, too...seeing a trend here? She and I have a shared loved of the New Kids On The Block and when we barely knew each other, we road tripped to Washington DC to a concert. And then to Richmond. The rest is history. She is another one of my parenting heroes.
Mike, Lisa, Scott and Diane - So many shenanigans, so little time. Oh what will we do next?Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Confessions
**Warning - this definitely contains 'too much information'. So I started writing this post on Wednesday morning. But the end of Wednesday, the tone of this post changed. So I'll give you a taste of the morning and the evening.
8am:
The most frustrating part of this infertility process is that I haven't been able to get a positive test result for the LH hormone that says I'll be ovulating. Since starting Clomid, I have been using these home tests, following all of the directions and nothing. The crazy part, is that I go in for labs every month and they are so happy about how great my body is reacting to the Clomid and that I have ovulated. In October I went back to the doctor and they said I should start testing earlier. In September I also switched to digital tests that are hopefully a little easier. So here comes November, and negative...like 87 times. I was annoyed. I haven't really gotten very stressed out about this whole process because each month we have learned something new about this process. But I will admit, after all of these negatives in November, I was darn frustrated. I then found out a couple of my friends are pregnant. For the first time, I was truly pissed off. Really? People are accidentally getting pregnant and I can't find the freaking day I ovulate? On this morning, I tested again - Negative. Seriously? How is this possible? The labs are saying I'm ovulating but I'm somehow testing all day every day, according to the directions and nothing.
7pm
Tested again. Got distracted. Almost left the house. Remembered that I haven't checked the test. Run back into the house. It's been more than 10 minutes. Results are now void. Click the eject button on digital tester to angrily throw it in the trash. Smiley face appears! Now, on the digital test, the smiley face means the hormone is there and you are going to ovulate. BUT it's been like 15 minutes so the results could be incorrect. Brad and I mini-celebrate on the way to dinner with giant smiles on our faces. Have to wait until 11pm to test again for accuracy. How will I stay awake?
11pm
Didn't stay awake. Wake up on couch. Test again. SMILEY FACE! Whoot! A positive result. I still can't believe it. Two good things this month.
Yeehaw!
8am:
The most frustrating part of this infertility process is that I haven't been able to get a positive test result for the LH hormone that says I'll be ovulating. Since starting Clomid, I have been using these home tests, following all of the directions and nothing. The crazy part, is that I go in for labs every month and they are so happy about how great my body is reacting to the Clomid and that I have ovulated. In October I went back to the doctor and they said I should start testing earlier. In September I also switched to digital tests that are hopefully a little easier. So here comes November, and negative...like 87 times. I was annoyed. I haven't really gotten very stressed out about this whole process because each month we have learned something new about this process. But I will admit, after all of these negatives in November, I was darn frustrated. I then found out a couple of my friends are pregnant. For the first time, I was truly pissed off. Really? People are accidentally getting pregnant and I can't find the freaking day I ovulate? On this morning, I tested again - Negative. Seriously? How is this possible? The labs are saying I'm ovulating but I'm somehow testing all day every day, according to the directions and nothing.
7pm
Tested again. Got distracted. Almost left the house. Remembered that I haven't checked the test. Run back into the house. It's been more than 10 minutes. Results are now void. Click the eject button on digital tester to angrily throw it in the trash. Smiley face appears! Now, on the digital test, the smiley face means the hormone is there and you are going to ovulate. BUT it's been like 15 minutes so the results could be incorrect. Brad and I mini-celebrate on the way to dinner with giant smiles on our faces. Have to wait until 11pm to test again for accuracy. How will I stay awake?
11pm
Didn't stay awake. Wake up on couch. Test again. SMILEY FACE! Whoot! A positive result. I still can't believe it. Two good things this month.
Yeehaw!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Baby Making Update
So the test went really well - no blockages and everything normal! Yay! When I went for my check up last month, the doctor discovered I was testing for ovulation too late in the month (even though I was following all of the documentation for my cycle length). So they want me to start testing earlier and we know we have no 'tube issues'. This will be the first month we can do that.
They are going to give us a couple more months on the Clomid. We also can do the IUI next month, which we will do -- They don't like to do it the month of an HSG test because the dye could kill the little swimmers.
Now that my stress level has decreased 10 notches and I'm on a semi-normal schedule, I'm hopeful things will come together nicely. :)
They are going to give us a couple more months on the Clomid. We also can do the IUI next month, which we will do -- They don't like to do it the month of an HSG test because the dye could kill the little swimmers.
Now that my stress level has decreased 10 notches and I'm on a semi-normal schedule, I'm hopeful things will come together nicely. :)
30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 8
Copied from my sister's blog. 30 days of blogging with assigned topics for each day.
Day 8...A place you've traveled to
In August 2008 we went to Maine with Ryan and Tana for Ryan's family reunion. It was (and still is) the most peaceful vacation I have ever been on. We were 12 miles from cell phone service, we didn't watch TV, and got to do our shopping at a local general store. It is a beautiful area and I was able to disconnect from a hectic work schedule and truly relax. This is one of my favorite pictures from the vacation because it looks like a postcard and it always takes me back to the great memories of that week.
Day 8...A place you've traveled to
In August 2008 we went to Maine with Ryan and Tana for Ryan's family reunion. It was (and still is) the most peaceful vacation I have ever been on. We were 12 miles from cell phone service, we didn't watch TV, and got to do our shopping at a local general store. It is a beautiful area and I was able to disconnect from a hectic work schedule and truly relax. This is one of my favorite pictures from the vacation because it looks like a postcard and it always takes me back to the great memories of that week.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Baby Making Update
Today we are going in for an HSG test. They use dye to check and make sure the tubes have no blockages. They say that the doctor will be able to see what's going on right away and we will know immediately what the results are.
If there are any blockages or if we don't have success in the next couple of months, they may refer us to Iowa City. I'm actually more nervous for the procedure than the result. I'm not really anxious if we have to go to Iowa City because I've heard the Iowa City infertility team is really excellent.
Wish us luck!
If there are any blockages or if we don't have success in the next couple of months, they may refer us to Iowa City. I'm actually more nervous for the procedure than the result. I'm not really anxious if we have to go to Iowa City because I've heard the Iowa City infertility team is really excellent.
Wish us luck!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 7
Copied from my sister's blog. 30 days of blogging with assigned topics for each day.
Day 7...Favorite Movies
My favorite you may have guessed is Top Gun.
After that, there are several, depending on my mood. I love action and drama movies. I usually enjoy comedies and only the occasional chick flick.
Pretty Woman
Rat Race
Just Married
Catch Me If You Can
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Oceans 11, 12, 13
Back To The Future (the orginial)
Mission Impossible (all of them)
Flight of the Navigator
9 to 5
Airheads
The Dark Knight
Casino Royale
Dirty Dancing
Inner Space
La Bamba
The Karate Kid (the original)
Les Miserables
Rent
The Poseidon Adventure (the orginial)
P.S I Love You
Weekend At Bernie's
The Karate Kid (the original)
Les Miserables
Rent
The Poseidon Adventure (the orginial)
P.S I Love You
Weekend At Bernie's
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