Time to let this cat out of the bag.
We're expecting baby Schweitz number three (on earth // we have one sweet babe in eternity)!
John Paul will be almost 4 and Jude will be just over 2 when new baby arrives. From infertile for 2 years to 3 kiddos in less than 4 years. My heads spins when I try to think about it! I look back in awe of where this journey has taken us. I couldn't have written it better myself, so thanks for that, Man Upstairs!
---
When Jude turned 1, we started to talk and dream about baby 3. I was still a little hesitant, since we were just finally starting to get some good sleep (side note: Jude was not the best sleeper for the first year of his life), and my postpartum anxiety was finally feeling good and managed. But from there, it only took a few more months to really feel ready, and so we decided to give it a whirl.
Wouldn't you know, that first cycle of trying, the emotions of infertility came flooding back. Will it work? Will I need to seek NaPro help? Does that twinge in my ovary mean something? Is my endometriosis back?! Will I need surgery again? Do I feel pregnant? Is that a symptom of pregnancy or PMS? Do I hope or do I despair?!
And that first cycle did not work. I tested early, and I tested several days, and each day just one single line stared back at me on the pregnancy tests. So naturally, I was devastated. I went right back to the dark places of infertility. I tried and tried to not let it take over, but it's crazy how once you've been through it, you can never really trust that your body is healed and knows how to make babies again.
But I pulled myself together and we tried again, and well . . . here we are now, 6.5 months pregnant with the newest little Schweitz babe.
I say all this not to complain. But just to say my heart is still with all my friends who are struggling. I see you. I know your pain and I hate it for you. And I know it can't be easy to hear about the girl who gets pregnant so quickly now, but I promise I have not forgotten you. Please never hesitate to unfollow if all this is just too much. Praying for you, my friends.
---
So how did we find out?
Well, I was nearing the end of the cycle and holding out testing as long as possible, but at this point, it was time. I told John I was ready, but that I didn't want him to be with me during the test, because I didn't to let him down if it was negative. I marched upstairs to our master bathroom with Jude in my arms (he was cranky/clingy, so there was no leaving him), and as soon as I got into the room, I ripped open the test. Within seconds of dipping it, it turned positive, and my heart skipped a beat! I know I've been through this positive test thing 4 times now, but it never ceases to amaze me that my body can actually do this correctly!
With great excitement, I yelled down the stairs, "Guess what, John!" And of course he knew. He came running up the stairs and checked out the test with me, and we both giggled and hugged and floated on a cloud.
The only NaPro-y thing we did was supplement with progesterone during post-peak, but other than that, my body did this one on its own. Well, I mean, with the help of the husband, of course. :P
I've been checking my progesterone regularly since, and the numbers have been so good that I haven't needed any supplementation since the positive test! It's certainly been nerve-wracking, especially since I was on progesterone during both John Paul and Jude's pregnancies. But this little babe hasn't needed it and thankfully, all is well!
---
At this point, we're pretty far into the pregnancy and I'm feeling exactly as I'd expect to feel at 6.5 months pregnant. I've always wanted to answer these questions, as sort of a time capsule for my pregnancy years, so I hope you don't mind if I indulge.
How far along? 29 weeks
Clothing? Pretty much all maternity at this point. A few sweet friends have let me borrow some of their maternity clothes, so it's been fun switching up the maternity wardrobe a bit this time around.
Stretch marks? No new ones, but I bet I'll add to the old ones here soon. That's exactly what happened around 30-ish weeks last time. During my first pregnancy, stretch marks grew from my laparoscopy scars. During my second pregnancy, stretch marks grew from the old stretch marks. So if that pattern follows, I expect to see my current stretchies grow even longer by the end of this pregnancy. However, I have been better about applying lotion to my belly this pregnancy, so we'll see if that makes any difference whatsoever. I'll report back!
Sleep? Not too bad! Actually, my 3-year-old has become a bad sleeper. Thank you, night terrors. Eep! So sleep is interrupted by that. And I have to get up to pee at least once a night, many nights twice. Throw a random night of pregnancy insomnia into the mix here and there, and that's what my sleep looks like these days. All told, I probably eek out 6-7 solid hours each night. And if I'm really tired the next day, I'll nap when my boys nap. (Yes, they nap at the same time every day. It's glorious.) I will say, those body pillows never did it for me, so I just sleep on my left side most nights, and comfortably so!
Best moment of the week? My boys have been sick, so there have been lots of snuggles and Christmas movies (and Pixar movies) on the couch this week. Can't complain about extra toddler snuggles and fun movies!
Worst moment of the week? My boys have been sick, so they've been extra clingy and whiny. Isn't it funny how the best thing and worst thing from the week can come from the same place? Anyway, I snapped at my boys a time or two, just overwhelmed by the unending whining. Felt pretty bad about that after the fact. I wonder if pregnancy hormones are to blame for my shorter-than-usual fuse?
Miss anything? Mama wants sangria! And a big, meaty deli sandwich!
Movement? Yes! Especially in the evenings.
Symptoms? Reflux, the tiniest bit of morning nausea, exhaustion, pimples, night pee, pressure (but not scary pressure) down low, getting harder to bend over and pick things up . . .
Food cravings? Veggie sub from Subway; sweet, cold drinks; lots of water this week; tuna fish + pasta salad with Wishbone Italian dressing; veggies and dip
Gender? I really go back and forth with this, but am leaning girl this time. I was a lot sicker in the first trimester (throwing up nearly every day for weeks!), so either that means a gender I haven't experienced yet OR just one feisty boy. John Paul constantly says "she" when referring to the baby, but will occasionally tell us he's having another brother. The ultrasound profile looked girly, but also looked a lot like Jude, so who knows? Every day I let myself imagine having another boy or having our first girl, just to prepare for either outcome, and it's a lot of fun to imagine either scenario. A boy would so easily fall in line with our first two, while a girl would switch things up and be a fun new experience. Either way, we'd be thrilled!
Labor signs? None!
Belly button in or out? Barely still in.
Wedding rings on or off? On, but I usually don't have to take them off, even at the very end.
Mood? Normal.
Looking forward to? Meeting this baby and seeing my boys' reactions when he or she arrives! Also, we're getting to the point where my OB appointments are every 2 weeks, and that's just blowing my mind!
---
I think this has officially turned into a mommy blog. I don't hate it. :P
Hugs to all of you! Wishing you many blessings on your journey!
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2019
Monday, July 18, 2016
We're Pregnant Again!
We're thrilled to announce that WE'RE EXPECTING AGAIN! Baby Schweitz is due in late January and I'm currently 12 weeks along.
We couldn't be more thrilled!!!!!!
After losing our tiny Therese Hope at only 4 weeks along, we became pregnant the very next cycle. I can't help but think she's already met this little one and I bet she's now interceding for her sibling regularly. It melts my heart.
One of our first family photos with the new baby in tow . . .
And we didn't even know it yet!
We traveled back to Memphis for two back-to-back wedding weekends and stayed with several friends while we were there. The trip landed smack dab on top of the tail-end of a symptom-filled two-week wait. I soooo wanted to test early, but I didn't have an opportunity while staying with friends. It felt so awkward to do it that way. So we waited until the night we got home, exactly peak + 14. It drove me nuts not to test early, but thankfully I was distracted by reunions with good friends, outings to our favorite Memphis restaurants, and this gorgeous photo shoot we had done for our 1-year-old John Paul, which produced the family-of-four photo you see above. (Five if you count our little Therese, who's always with us in spirit. <3)
Our normally 8-hour trip home turned into a ridiculously long 12+ hour trip home due to several traffic jams. Woof. So by the time we arrived home, I raced the the bathroom to peel open an Amazon-special HCG pregnancy test. This was the first time EVER I was going to take a test that I thought had a very good chance of being positive with John by my side. And it was wonderful to have him there. Within a minute, the test was positive and we hugged and hugged and squealed in excitement and probably even jumped up and down a few times. Pregnant twice within two cycles?! Can this be real life?
As our little Therese has taught us, there is hope!!!
Our excitement was dashed very quickly when, the very next day, I started spotting, just as I had with Therese's pregnancy. I was devastated and so worried, but I clung to the prayer, "Jesus, I trust in You!" to get me through.
The day after that we were shaken even more to learn that at peak + 7, my progesterone was 9 and my estradiol was low too. Thank God I was taking prometrium throughout my two-week wait, because I'm not sure this little one would have made it if not for the supplementation.
Praise God, the pregnancy tests kept getting darker with each day, and the spotting quickly stopped and became a distant memory. I haven't spotted since.
Several weeks and blood draws later, my progesterone and estradiol are looking GREAT! The estradiol self-corrected and I've been getting butt-shots of progesterone every other night to keep my progesterone levels good and healthy. My last progesterone draw around 10 weeks was 40, so I have a feeling my doc is going to take me off the shots soon. I'm pretty ok with that. ;)
As for Baby Schweitz, he or she is looking OH SO ADORABLE!
Can you see baby's profile? That little button nose? And those tiny feet on the right? *Swoon*
At our 6-week ultrasound, in addition to healthy Baby Schweitz, our doctor saw a second sac on the screen. The second one was empty, leading him to think it was either a disappearing twin or a blood-filled sac. He said if it was the latter, it was probably the cause of the spotting I had at 4 weeks. But I can't help but think, what if it was the former? What if Baby Schweitz had a twin? I did have one HCG draw early on that tripled from the previous one 48 hours earlier. From what I've read, that can definitely happen with twins. It's weird not knowing whether or not we lost another baby, but I have faith that one day we will know, in Heaven. And what a reunion that may possibly be. <3
The above ultrasound is actually from our 11-week appointment. I wasn't supposed to get an ultrasound at that appointment, but our doctor couldn't find the heartbeat via doppler, so he did an ultrasound to check in. Of course I was a nervous wreck the entire time he searched my belly for a heartbeat. He said he only finds the heartbeat about 50% of the time when baby is still that little, but I was still scared as stink. EVEN THOUGH this little bug is giving me nutso all-day nausea and constipation and heartburn and I'm sleepy as all get out. So I was pretty sure baby was very healthy and just hiding on us. But still. No sign of a heartbeat for approximately 20 minutes while we waited for the ultrasound machine was just plain nerve wracking. Good thing you're cute, little one! Baby looked perfect once he or she was on the big screen.
Speaking of he or she, we're gonna go the surprise route again. We're not finding out gender. Can you handle it??
We told our parents and siblings about Baby Schweitz very early, just to get prayers on board, and now we're just starting to consider sharing the news in bigger circles. You're one of the first big circles to know. :)
When we told John's parents, who live in town with us, we had John Paulie walk into the room with a copy of our 6-week ultrasound and hand it to them. For physicians, they were actually pretty confused for a few minutes. Ha! But when they realized it was a current ultrasound with my name on it, it started to make more sense. And they were so thrilled for us.
My parents learned via FaceTime and they were also so thrilled. My dad even asked if he could share our good news with his mother who was a little upset with him over something silly, to get back in her good graces. :P I said go right ahead. Use this baby to spread some joy.
I still worry nearly every day that Baby Schweitz isn't going to make it, or that Baby Schweitz's heart has stopped beating. But in those moments, I just cling to the prayer, "Jesus, I trust in You!"
We will continue to have hope that we'll be snuggling and loving on another baby come January. God, you've got this!
Grow, baby, grow!
We couldn't be more thrilled!!!!!!
After losing our tiny Therese Hope at only 4 weeks along, we became pregnant the very next cycle. I can't help but think she's already met this little one and I bet she's now interceding for her sibling regularly. It melts my heart.
One of our first family photos with the new baby in tow . . .
And we didn't even know it yet!
We traveled back to Memphis for two back-to-back wedding weekends and stayed with several friends while we were there. The trip landed smack dab on top of the tail-end of a symptom-filled two-week wait. I soooo wanted to test early, but I didn't have an opportunity while staying with friends. It felt so awkward to do it that way. So we waited until the night we got home, exactly peak + 14. It drove me nuts not to test early, but thankfully I was distracted by reunions with good friends, outings to our favorite Memphis restaurants, and this gorgeous photo shoot we had done for our 1-year-old John Paul, which produced the family-of-four photo you see above. (Five if you count our little Therese, who's always with us in spirit. <3)
Our normally 8-hour trip home turned into a ridiculously long 12+ hour trip home due to several traffic jams. Woof. So by the time we arrived home, I raced the the bathroom to peel open an Amazon-special HCG pregnancy test. This was the first time EVER I was going to take a test that I thought had a very good chance of being positive with John by my side. And it was wonderful to have him there. Within a minute, the test was positive and we hugged and hugged and squealed in excitement and probably even jumped up and down a few times. Pregnant twice within two cycles?! Can this be real life?
As our little Therese has taught us, there is hope!!!
Our excitement was dashed very quickly when, the very next day, I started spotting, just as I had with Therese's pregnancy. I was devastated and so worried, but I clung to the prayer, "Jesus, I trust in You!" to get me through.
The day after that we were shaken even more to learn that at peak + 7, my progesterone was 9 and my estradiol was low too. Thank God I was taking prometrium throughout my two-week wait, because I'm not sure this little one would have made it if not for the supplementation.
Praise God, the pregnancy tests kept getting darker with each day, and the spotting quickly stopped and became a distant memory. I haven't spotted since.
Several weeks and blood draws later, my progesterone and estradiol are looking GREAT! The estradiol self-corrected and I've been getting butt-shots of progesterone every other night to keep my progesterone levels good and healthy. My last progesterone draw around 10 weeks was 40, so I have a feeling my doc is going to take me off the shots soon. I'm pretty ok with that. ;)
As for Baby Schweitz, he or she is looking OH SO ADORABLE!
Can you see baby's profile? That little button nose? And those tiny feet on the right? *Swoon*
At our 6-week ultrasound, in addition to healthy Baby Schweitz, our doctor saw a second sac on the screen. The second one was empty, leading him to think it was either a disappearing twin or a blood-filled sac. He said if it was the latter, it was probably the cause of the spotting I had at 4 weeks. But I can't help but think, what if it was the former? What if Baby Schweitz had a twin? I did have one HCG draw early on that tripled from the previous one 48 hours earlier. From what I've read, that can definitely happen with twins. It's weird not knowing whether or not we lost another baby, but I have faith that one day we will know, in Heaven. And what a reunion that may possibly be. <3
The above ultrasound is actually from our 11-week appointment. I wasn't supposed to get an ultrasound at that appointment, but our doctor couldn't find the heartbeat via doppler, so he did an ultrasound to check in. Of course I was a nervous wreck the entire time he searched my belly for a heartbeat. He said he only finds the heartbeat about 50% of the time when baby is still that little, but I was still scared as stink. EVEN THOUGH this little bug is giving me nutso all-day nausea and constipation and heartburn and I'm sleepy as all get out. So I was pretty sure baby was very healthy and just hiding on us. But still. No sign of a heartbeat for approximately 20 minutes while we waited for the ultrasound machine was just plain nerve wracking. Good thing you're cute, little one! Baby looked perfect once he or she was on the big screen.
Speaking of he or she, we're gonna go the surprise route again. We're not finding out gender. Can you handle it??
We told our parents and siblings about Baby Schweitz very early, just to get prayers on board, and now we're just starting to consider sharing the news in bigger circles. You're one of the first big circles to know. :)
When we told John's parents, who live in town with us, we had John Paulie walk into the room with a copy of our 6-week ultrasound and hand it to them. For physicians, they were actually pretty confused for a few minutes. Ha! But when they realized it was a current ultrasound with my name on it, it started to make more sense. And they were so thrilled for us.
My parents learned via FaceTime and they were also so thrilled. My dad even asked if he could share our good news with his mother who was a little upset with him over something silly, to get back in her good graces. :P I said go right ahead. Use this baby to spread some joy.
I still worry nearly every day that Baby Schweitz isn't going to make it, or that Baby Schweitz's heart has stopped beating. But in those moments, I just cling to the prayer, "Jesus, I trust in You!"
We will continue to have hope that we'll be snuggling and loving on another baby come January. God, you've got this!
Grow, baby, grow!
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Chopped Challenge: Husband vs. Wife Edition
Remember that time OVER A YEAR AGO when I said I'd post a video of our John vs. Stephanie Chopped challenge?!
Time sure flies when your husband takes his time editing the video. ;)
John and I competed against each other in a Chopped-style competition back in August last year. His sister and brother-in-law chose 5 secret ingredients that were revealed to us seconds before starting the competition timer. We had 30 minutes to make an appetizer dish that incorporated all 5 secret ingredients, which we then shared with the judges, John's family members. At the end of our food battle, the judges revealed the winning dish, much to our shock and surprise!
Who will win this marriage-testing cooking match-up? Watch to find out!
By the way, we call our version of this competition "Schopped", which is a play on the name of the actual show, Chopped, and our last name, which starts with Sch.
Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
Time sure flies when your husband takes his time editing the video. ;)
John and I competed against each other in a Chopped-style competition back in August last year. His sister and brother-in-law chose 5 secret ingredients that were revealed to us seconds before starting the competition timer. We had 30 minutes to make an appetizer dish that incorporated all 5 secret ingredients, which we then shared with the judges, John's family members. At the end of our food battle, the judges revealed the winning dish, much to our shock and surprise!
Who will win this marriage-testing cooking match-up? Watch to find out!
Friday, June 19, 2015
Newborn Photos
Well, hello!
We're all still alive over here. But also still adjusting, to parenthood AND to living in a new city. As if figuring out our newborn wasn't enough, we've thrown a major move into the mix. Whew!
We moved from Memphis to Johnson City one week ago today and we're still not fully unpacked into our new place. Nope, probably not even 50% unpacked yet.
As it turns out, our sweet little John Paul baby is a fussy one. We love him to pieces and can't get enough of his chubby cheeks and occasional coos and smiles, but if he's not being held or fed or entertained, he's gonna fuss. Bless him. So that leaves only one of us to do al the unpacking, And it's really more like unpacking AND purging. Store this, throw that away, donate that. After 3 years of living in our previous apartment, we seemed to have accumulated ALL THE THINGS. So in addition to being new parents and moving across Tennessee, we're also now in the middle of a giant spring cleaning of sorts. Oh, and John starts his new job in less than 2 weeks.
We
are
crazypants.
Anyway, all this to say, I've had my reasons for being away from the keys for a while. And I'll likely continue to be away a bit while we sort through this new chaotic (but lovely) adventure we're on. Sorry. Such is life!
HOWEVER! To make up for it, I give you these photos of our adorable baby boy. These were taken at 1 week and 3 days old. D'awwwwww!
We wavered back and forth a bit on whether we should hire a newborn photographer, but BOY am I glad we did! He's already grown so much since these were taken, so at this point I'm SO glad we decided to professionally capture his earlier itty bitty days.
Pretty cute, right? :)
Anyway, I'll be popping back in again... eventually. Once this apartment doesn't look a hot mess! And once our precious little fussy pants is a little less fussy (love him!). And basically once life settles down a bit. Especially because I still have so much to say. Expect one last birth post and a nursing post and other rando things to come your way. But like I said... eventually.
XOXO 'til then!
Monday, September 29, 2014
Little Happies -- My Cousin's Wedding
Howdy, y'all! And welcome back to Little Happies, the happiest little link-up on the planet, in which we share the happy little things going on in our lives currently.
This week's Little Happies are brought to you by a short trip to Rhode Island to attend my cousin Sarah's wedding.
--one--
Sarah asked me to do a reading for their ceremony, so of course I said yes! And come to find out, it was the same first reading we had at our wedding!! It's such a beautiful reading, I couldn't help but share here:
Hark! My lover! Here he comes,
springing across the mountains,
leaping across he hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
See! He is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks and says to me,
"Arise, my friend, my beautiful one, and come!
My dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see your face, let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely."
My lover belongs to me and I to him,
He says to me,
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
For Love is strong as Death,
longing is fierce as Sheol.
Its arrows are arrows of fire, flames of the divine.
Deep waters cannot quench love,
nor rivers weep it away.
Song of Songs 2:8-10, 14, 16a; 8:6-7a
My husband gets teary-eyed whenever he hears it. So sweet.
--two--
We got pedicures! My mom, my sister, my niece, and even the little nephew joined in on the fun. Although he was just hanging around. No painted toes for him.
Pedicures are always a fun treat, no?
My niece got bright pink toes with pink glitter hearts, obviously, and then tried to get the rest of us to add glitter to our toes. It was cute.
And I got this fun color that I totally spied on some random lady's toes as they were finishing her pedi. I had already picked out a color, but that went out the window when I spotted that purpley fun!
--three--
My husband is holding the flower girl's bouquet. Your argument is invalid.
--four--
It's fun getting all snazzified for a wedding. Totally rocked that Stitch Fix dress. And my husband always looks dapper in a suit. Dapper, I say!
That's all for now, folks! Peace and love and a happy week to you all!
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Home, Sweet Home
It's time for a vacation recap!
Just a few weeks ago, we had the most fantastic, adventure-filled vacation with our in-laws in Johnson City, TN. I wrote a little about it here, but wanted to make sure I cover all the glorious details in it's own special post.
The trip began late on a Friday night. We drove 3 hours into Nashville and stayed the night at a room we booked on airbnb.
We woke early the next morning and made our way into Johnson City just after lunch time. We relaxed a fair bit and then the in-laws took us to hear some music by the lake.
The next day, it was Mass, Indian food buffet, and mountain "climbing", in that order. I put "climbing" in quoties because we let the car do most of the work. Our little hike to the top only lasted about 5 minutes. And then we had this view.
After chilling on some rocks, chatting with my sis-in-law and bro-in-law for a while, we started the lonnnnng, arduous hike down to our car.
Kidding! It was easy peasy! And the views from the car while driving back down were gorgeous. Also, my sis- and bro-in-law's Prius got well over 100mpg on the way back down. Weeeee!
The following afternoon, which was Monday, we had the most delicious lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe. Seriously, if you're ever in Johnson City, Knoxville, Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Chattanooga, or Greensville (yes, I just looked up all their locations on their website), you MUST try it out! It's fancified southern food and it's fantastic. Mmmmm!
After resting our stomachs a bit, we met my sis- and bro-in-law for another outdoor adventure: paddle boarding! I'd never done it before, but they were excited about it and said it wasn't to hard, so we went for it. It looks exactly like this...
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source |
But that's not us. We didn't bring our phones out on the water with us, so no pics were taken. Still, it was a bunch of fun. You start off sitting, slowly work your way to standing, and paddle around the lake for an hour or so. Good stuff! And so peaceful!
The next morn, we woke fairly early and headed to Virginia for a day of country music. First stop: the newly opened Birthplace of Country Music Museum, where we learned about the famous Bristol Sessions and got to listen to lots of fun, old country music. There was even a recording booth where we got to try our hand (errr, voice?) at the tunes!
And following that, we headed to The Barter (a performing arts center) for Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash. The actors were so spot-on and the music was fantastic!
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Oops, blurry. |
And after the show, we ended our little day trip to Virginia with a stop at Heartwood, an "artisan gateway" according to their website. It was mostly just lots of artsy stuff for purchase. We enjoyed posing in front of their sign out front...
We spent Wednesday afternoon at a small water park just one town over from Johnson City, the Kingsport Aquatic Center. We floated the lazy river for hours and jumped on the two big slides. It was a blast! I felt like a kid again and it was lovely.
Later that evening, we went to trivia at Buffalo Wild Wings and WON! Holy moley! To be honest, I only knew the answer to one question. ONE! Oops. I am most definitely NOT the best at trivia. But my father-in-law, sis- and bro-in-law, and husband are all pros as it turns out. We won a $50 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings and it mostly covered all the snacks and beers we'd ordered. Wahoo!!!
The next day was a big one for my Johnny! He went in for an unofficial interview at the Children's Hospital there in JC!! While a lot of details are still up in the air, we're very excited at the possibility of moving closer to his family. More to come on that!
In the afternoon, we headed one town over to Jonesborough, TN to hear some live story telling at the International Storytelling Center. If you EVER get the chance to hear live, professional storytelling, please do go! It seems like it's a dying art form, but it most certainly should not be. So moving, so interesting, so entertaining! We heard stories from the very southern Michael Reno Harrell. Check out his site if you'd like to hear a sample of his very enjoyable storytelling.
That evening was also entertaining because... we did another Schopped competition!!! It was John vs. Me. Eeeek! The marriage being put to the test! The secret ingredients totally threw me for a loop: black eyed peas, mango, hot sauce, and cashews. Yikes! What would you have made with that??
Here's what we came up with...
John made black eyed pea sliders with a mango slaw.
And I made buffalo black eyed pea pinwheels.
Still can't tell you who won, though. You'll have to wait for the video to find out! John's still working on it, so it may be a while, but it'll be worth it, promise. :)
The next day we spent in Asheville, NC with my father-in-law. Oh my goodness, Asheville is a GREAT place for adventuring. There's SO so much to do and eat and see there.
We started at White Duck Taco Shop for lunch. BEST TACOS OF MY LIFE!!! Killer salsas and margaritas too!!
Then we wandered for a bit because there were so many shops to take in!! We went into a massive shoe store, a men's clothing store (my husband like clothes shopping way more than any girl I've ever met), and then discovered the most amazing tea shop!!
Dobrá Tea.
I ordered this delicious treat...
And then taught my father-in-law how to take a selfie.
He LOVED his tea that looked like a beer.
We relaxed there for quite a while, then headed into the River Arts District part of town, where there are studios upon studios all open to the public. We looked at tons of great art, some weird art too, and purchased a neat little game called Zip It (from the makers of Bananagrams).
Our last stop in Asheville was at Urban Orchard Cider Co., recommended to us by the man we purchased Zip It from! I'm really not much of a beer drinker, but cider I can get behind!
Pretty, pretty cider! And, though we hardly had room in our happy tummies, we couldn't pass up their cheese platter...
Cider + cheese platter + Zip It = a lovely way to wrap up a lovely outing.
We returned home to this little monster...
He honestly turned into my best bud by the end of the week. I definitely wasn't a dog person going into the trip. (Not because they're not cute, I just didn't grow up around them.) But by the time we left, I was sad to say bye to my furry friend. Go figure!
I was also sad to say goodbye to these beautiful views!
UGH, MEMPHIS! Why are you so FLAT?! Mountains are way prettier!
After our day in Asheville, we had one last day with the fam and spent most of our time hanging out. My mother- and sis-in-law hosted a bridal shower at the house while John, my father- and bro-in-law, and myself went out for Thai food (mmmmm!) and played Dominion.
We went to Mass later that evening as a family and then enjoyed the rest of our time together by relaxing the night away.
So yeah, it was a most wonderful vacation! Can't you tell? :) And we're so so so excited to possibly be moving there within the next year. Only time will tell! John still has to officially interview at the Children's Hospital there and be offered the job. But I'm thinking our chances are pretty good! Eeeeee! And that's why I titled this post "Home, Sweet Home." Because chances are, those pretty mountains will be our home someday, and soon!
Monday, September 1, 2014
Little Happies -- Happies in a Flash
Top o' the morning to ya. And welcome back to the happiest little link-up on the internet, in which we all share the teeny tiny happy things going on in our lives. Won't you join in on the fun? :)
This week's Happies are brought to you inaflash mostly because we spent about 8-hours on the road last night returning from a fantastic week and a half vacation with family in East Tennessee and this chica is too tired to elaborate. The trip was nothing short of a-maz-ing, so I'm prob going to write a more detailed trip re-cap post real soon, but for today's post, I'm going to keep all the trip Happies short and quick. Now hold on tight, 'cause away we gooooo!
My Happies are...
Playing the heck out of some board games with the in-laws, including Dominion (above) and King of Tokyo (below).
And now it's your turn! What little blessings have brought you happiness this past week?
My Happies are...
--one--
Singing "Happy Birthday" and watching the birthday boy blow out all his candles on the first try, followed by enjoying the extremely delicious, though ever-so-slightly more waxified cake.
--two--
Making homemade pizza dough (the birthday boy's party request) and watching it rise! Oh, and who can forget that wonderfully yeasty, doughy smell? Mmmm!
--three--
Standing on the peak of a mountain and taking in the beautiful 360 view.
(I take no credit for the climb. The car did most of the work.)
--four--
Extremely geometrical things, like this ceiling and chandelier combo.
--five--
Breaking my diet and EATING ALL THE THINGS, especially these bad boys. You didn't think Oreos could get any better, but then they did. They truly, madly, deeply, totally did.
--six--
Another Schopped Challenge!
I competed against my husband in a cooking competition based on the show Chopped and what you see above is my final dish. Stay tuned for more details on the secret ingredients, what we ended up cooking, and who won, all in the form of a video recap, coming soon to a Blessed to Be blog near you!
--seven--
Randomly discovering the coolest tea shop ever.
Yes, even that glass on the far right is tea. Beer-like in look, but definitely not in taste. My father-in-law ordered it because he wanted his tea to be "as manly as possible." His words, not mine. He's a funny one!
--eight--
Playing the heck out of some board games with the in-laws, including Dominion (above) and King of Tokyo (below).
--nine--
Hanging out with my furry friend, Cholmondeley (pronounced Chum-lee). He likes long walks, getting you to throw things so he can catch them but then not return them to you, ice cubes, slobbering, and mostly my father-in-law. It's his dog, after all.
--ten--
And still following along on your blogs amidst all the family fun. Sorry there hasn't been much commentage on my part, but I promise I read and enjoyed every last bit of your updates.
Oh, plus...
I'm thankful that this little Catholic community caught my blogging dodo mistake and gently called me out on it. If you read this quote in my Little Happies last week and believed me when I said C. S. Lewis was Catholic, I apologize. I was misinformed and am now saying a big OOPS for creating another internet lie. OOPS. As it turns out, he was about as close to Catholic as it gets, but never quite got there. There are some rumors floating around that claim he did become Catholic right before his death, but rumors they remain. Thanks for being gentle on me, friends!
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