He's Mine

Hubby and I are such a TEAM with the parenting thing.  We totally don't take on the 1950s roles, which I give major props to those of you who do, but it's not something I'd want to do.  Brian and I of course have things we do better than the other, but for the most part we see Harper as OUR daughter, OUR responsibility, and OUR life.  It's nice to have your other half feel that way.

Before Harper, Brian was an avid golf player.  Like, played every Friday night until it would snow outside with his buddies.  Would spend a majority of Saturdays playing golf, and usually 1-2 nights a week go watch games with his friends.  As we got married, some of that slowed down, but it wasn't until Harper came that Brian began truly putting his family time first.  Now, don't get me wrong.  Not everyone needs to be this way - it's whatever works for your family! But what I see in this is the joy that Brian has as a father.  I know he'd rather spend his days with his sweet girl {and hopefully me too!} doing new things with her.

That puts a huge smile on my face.  Not ever having to 'ask' Brian to stay home or play with us.  Not having to 'ask' Brian to help feed Harper or help give her a bath.  Just those little things that I see as a total parenting team thing, but what some men may not want to do.  Our parenting is pretty 50/50 and when one of us has had a tiring day, the other one swoops in and helps out a little more.  It's so very nice.  And yes, I completely realize how lucky I am! :)  We may not be the richest of people nor have the best life, but I am sure thankful for every day blessings I am given.

So I am thankful for being given a husband who sees me as his equal and treats me with the respect that I treat him with...

Marriage is Hard{er} With A Kid

There. I said it. I've had this post swarming around in my head but I haven't wanted to post it. For fear of disapproving nods or my thoughts being perceived as something they are not, or for negative comments.
{Warning: Honest Post :) therefore won't be posting to FB}

So if you're in a judging mood, please do not continue to read.

First off, my husband is amazing. He is truly a gift to me. I have never claimed to be an 'easy' girl. I'm half crazy most of the time. He does a lot and puts up with a lot, and I love him. A lot.

But, relationships are work. If someone tells you they aren't, they are lying and probably don't have too good of a relationship/marriage. There. I said it. :)

Obviously, we haven't been married for very many years, but during our first part of marriage it has been pretty easy. We transitioned wonderfully into living together after our wedding. We didn't have any arguments on money, time spent, chores, etc. We pretty much knew where we each stood on hot topics before going into marriage, so things had been pretty smooth!

And then we had Harper. :)  We were lucky enough to have a very positive 'trying to conceive' amount of time.  Of course the old saying that 'a baby fixes everything' is silly. Duh. Who thinks that? But I had no idea. Yes, yes, yes, a baby brings you and your husband very close. Throughout my pregnancy there were many things and instances that only he and I know about - and that's something that we hold dear. The entire birth process {albeit not the greatest experience for me!!} it was just me and him in the room.  There are times we both shake our heads when looking, thinking, or talking about Harper that we just cannot believe we are given the opportunity to have her as our child.

But then that isn't part of my point in this post.

Harper was a colic baby. So she didn't fit the mold of what the books say. We had to do a lot of figuring out on our own so to speak and that was very hard and very terrifying for first time parents.  We were up all through the nights and days because Harper never did {and still doesn't} require as much sleep as one would think a baby or newborn would. Still, at 5 months old, Harper doesn't sleep through the night. So, she gets up on a good night 2-3 times.  We both work. We both hold day jobs that require our full attention and doesn't leave much room for mistakes {me with kids depending on me, him with people relying on money moves}.  So we are exhausted. All the time.

So, sometimes, I let my exhaustion get the best of me. For instance, the chores of the house used to be left all up to me. I didn't mind and I said that was my wifely duty. But I just can't now. I don't have the same time or the same energy as before Harper. I need help. But, you know, boys don't see clean or doing things in a certain time frame as a big deal. 
Sometimes on Brian's turn to get up during the night, Harper will have a good night and only get up once. Man, that makes me so mad! But I turn that into being mad at him. So silly, right? But I do. I think to myself, he only had to get up once...i had to get up 3 times last night... That isn't fair to him.  When dishes are out or wrappers left around the house, I get upset when I find myself picking it up.

I also feel like I put a lot of my energy into Harper. Which I should, of course, but sometimes Brian gets left to the side. We've talked about this and how we both are to blame. We are just so exhausted from working all day and then not sleeping well for so long, we are ready for bed when we put Harper down and usually, we really do go to bed at 8:30! I know, so sad.  And then there's that fear that I have about leaving her still. I don't really want to do things without her. Well, let me rephrase. I do want to, but not enough to actually do it.  We were SO good at weekly date nights when I was on maternity leave. I loved that time I had with Brian and a little bit of a break from my Mommy role. But since I've been back to work, it's hard for me to justify being away from Harper for 40+ hours a week and then choosing to be away from her even more. I know, I'm crazy. Refer to the statement at the beginning of this blog... I know {or at least people say} that it will get easier to leave. Maybe it will. Maybe it won't.

And yes, yes, yes I KNOW that the key to giving Harper a wonderful and happy life depends greatly on Brian and I having a good, healthy, and strong marriage. But, once you are in the midst, it is much harder to do than to say.

.... So then I read this blog post. It came from The Better Mom. It's the only email I get sent to my work account. I get it sent there because I just feel like each day with each post is something that hits home and that I need to take the time to read it. I read it and instantly emailed Brian. I told him I was sorry for doing the chores and home duties in spite instead of joy. {i think he thought i was a tad crazy. normal.} Now, please do not think that my husband never helps. He does a ton. But you know, when you are tired and you see a million things that need to be done, but see one person sitting on the couch - that's when I get upset. But I know he doesn't think of doing those things. And I need to stop.  Sometimes, I think I need to be more like Mary and less like Martha. I've always thought of that Bible story and wondered what all the fuss was about. I mean, who wouldn't want their house to be nice and a nice home-cooked meal made for JESUS for goodness sakes. But, I guess, I'm finally realizing the point. I need to put my energy into people that matter, not things.

So, the point is, I'm going to try harder at working towards finding the joy in daily activities, realizing that I cannot place blame or get upset over such silly things. Of course, it is silly when you truly think about it; but when you are in the moment and you are exhausted with a little precious, adorably happy baby {if you've been there, you might know} its a major struggle, at least for me.

I'll be working hard at making a conscience effort.

our first summer together...

My husband means more to me than I think he knows. When we do have our alone time {date nights} together, it is SUCH a refresher for us. We really need that. Weekly or bi-weekly, we need to get back to that. It's so amazing how one little hour date can truly help us feel closer.


What are ways you Momma's keep the love alive?




{Also, this is a pretty neat site - Marriage Missions. I like this article for new parents. :)}

Date Nights!

So, I've mentioned before in my posts about Date Nights.  Early on in baby Harper's life when it was super crazy {week 2 and 3 to be exact :)} my Mom suggested Brian and I try to get out to dinner together since we were taking shifts on staying up with her while her belly issues were causing all-night-long crying bouts.

So now, even though we put her to bed around 9:30 and we get to go to bed together, we are still keeping up with our bi-weekly date nights! I appreciate Brian wanting to do this because once I go back to work, I think it will be hard for me to give up any time with Harper...but as we all know, the best thing we can do for our child is to stay in love and connected with each other.  So, we go to dinner for about an hour and a half while Mom & Dad get some one on one time with the baby!

Each time we've gone out, we end up running into to other couples we know who have kids.  They all say, "oh, isn't the first 6 weeks he**?" HAHA And we thought it was just us! No, kidding. But yes, the first couple of weeks are so much harder than we ever imagined, but now I feel like we are getting the hang of it and it is pure joy every day!

Although our date nights usually include discussing the baby a LOT, it's still so nice to be together.  However, we just aren't there yet to actually leave her for more than a few hours! When were you ready?

Anyways, thanks Mom and Dad for offering to do this for us!!! We love it!! :)

ps- the third band was my surprise push present...never wrote about it because I still haven't written H's birth story :)

....and I just realized I have no recent pictures of the two of us...only with or of the baby! haha

My Pregnancy Reflection

This might be boring to a lot of my readers {sorry!} but, since this is my on-line journal, I want to remember my pregnancy as a whole.  A lot of my friends tell about how it's hard to remember parts of their pregnancy ~ which is why I'm glad I've chosen to write about it on my blog and keep a pregnancy journal at home to show Harper one day. So, these are my opinions kind of written to myself!

1. Being Pregnant is Different.
It's different because there are so many stages to a pregnancy.  In the beginning, I just remember being so incredibly sick and not being able to do anything about it.  Zofran didn't work for me, and I had to go to work while getting sick all day long {running out of my classroom} because I knew if I took off then, I wouldn't have as many days with Harper after she comes.  I also remember the dreaded fridge stage! I couldn't open it for weeks. Once I finally started feeling better (around 18/19 weeks) it was wonderful.  Then the last stage came and I just felt very run-down again and the pains of my swollen limbs were sometimes unbearable.  I loved the feeling of empowerment I have knowing it was up to me on how the baby grows so that I would eat and drink healthier.

*My favorite time of being pregnant was weeks 20-34. I felt great and I had a lot of energy. Plus, I loved my little baby bump that was getting bigger and bigger!!

2. Relationships Change.
As much as you want your husband, your friends, and your mom to understand what it's like...they don't and they can't.  Every pregnancy is different and every person handles it differently.  I felt like I did the best that I could with my friends in still trying to attend everything throughout my whole time - and that was truly hard. We have always been on the go people and we are blessed to have lots of friends and lots of things to do. Now looking back, I wish I learned the word, "no", and was able to say it sometimes.  I would come home and cry because I was so tired or emotional but didn't want my friends to think differently of me just because I was pregnant. However, your Mom is about the closest you can get to know what you feel like. Not that I had the same pregnancy as my Mom, but because I think they just come with a certain instinct to try and understand their child.

2A Relationships Change with your Husband.
I spent so much time in the beginning being so upset and anxious about my role at home as a wife.  I was exhausted or couldn't smell or see certain foods that Brian has to step up and begin trying to cook for us, clean for us, or go get food. He really had to do a lot and I cannot tell you how much I appreciated him.  It's also hard because you want things to stay the same, but they just can't.  But on the other hand, your relationship grows so much.  There were so many moments that only Brian and I shared.  The first movements and flutters of our baby girl. The secret we kept just between the two of us for a while. The hopes and fears we shared. The dreaming. The shopping. The life changes we talked about.  That part has been amazing.  Although we always felt like we were a family of 2, knowing we had just made an actual person because of our love is just something that I cannot express in words the feeling.  It will no longer be what Megan & Brian want, but more what is best for our little family and what is best for Harper.  I cannot wait to see how our marriage is with actually getting to meet our little one.

3. Faith Grows.
I feel like while trying for a baby, you have to be somewhat faithful.  It boggles my mind that there are people who do not love Christ - especially those with children.  Although we are 'making' her, God created her.  I just feel like both of our faiths grew so much and leaned on God so much during the 9 months and I anticipate that it will be the same throughout the rest of her life.

4. The Bump.
I wished for that bump to show.  I think I even sometimes wore clothes to accentuate the bump a little too early.  I was so proud of my bump because it meant my baby was growing and becoming healthy.  I'm so glad it's OK in the fashion world now to wear fitted clothes to show off the bump - because it is a beautiful thing. I thought I would be so embarrassed for when my belly button started to show, but actually I don't even care! It doesn't stick out too much, but at some point you just sort of stop caring about such little and kind of vain things. :)

5. Baby Showers.
Baby showers are so fun.  It was a lot more fun for me than wedding showers because you were opening presents for someone else! You know what I mean? It was neat to see how people are truly excited for you. People also love to recount their own pregnancies and labor stories and it's neat to hear from other people.

6. You are an Open Book.
For some reason, once you reveal you are pregnant, you are a walking open book.  (at least for me) People will say anything to you - good or bad.  People will ask you anything and expect an answer, and people will feel no shame to tell you what they think is the right way or the way you need to do things. That's something I just had to get over.  People truly mean well I think, but again, no one is the same and no pregnancy or baby is the same, so you just have to learn to take things with a grain of salt.

7. Listen to your Doctor, not the Internet.
Opening the internet to search pregnancy questions was the worst thing I did! Then my doctor told me to quit doing it and just listen to him. So I did. And it helped. There's too many crazy things on the internet that are and aren't true...so I just called the OB or asked when I went.  Surprisingly, I was not as crazy as I thought I would be and only called to ask one funny question. :)

8. My favorite Memories.
Seeing the first ultrasound.
Giving my friends and family their treats to reveal we were expecting.
Seeing the first 3D ultrasound with her movements.
Feeling her for the first time.
Brian feeling her kick for the first time.
Finding out the gender and getting to celebrate with all our friends at our Gender Reveal Party {which who knew those parties are now the 'new thing'?!}.
Getting her room ready.
Watching my belly move and move and move!
Looking through weekly photos to see how big the bump got.

9. My favorite 'things'.
Preggie Pops
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Stretch Cream {i swear by this stuff to not get one mark!}
Bella Band
Saltine crackers
ultrasound pictures
enlarged boobs {hey, it only happens once i guess!}
plump lips
What to Expect app

10. Thankful for my sister.
I am very glad I had my sister to ask a million questions to or just call her and talk to her about how I was feeling.  She had 2 pregnancies and they were both different, so she had lots of things to tell me about or help me. She helped Brian and I a lot about knowing what we needed, tricks to help me feel better, or just someone to discuss with. I just love her boys so very much and I just love being their aunt. I know she's going to love being an aunt just as much as me {at least I hope so!}.

11. Try and Realize You aren't the First.
Seriously. I know my hormones are intense, but, some people really just got to me more than usual while I was pregnant. :) I just hope I wasn't one of those I couldn't stand. Please know that when you are pregnant, it is awesome, but you are not the first person to ever be pregnant nor the last.  So although my blog has been wrapped up in my own pregnancy, I certainly hope that in my real life I was not one of those people who talked about it non-stop.  Also, again, your husband does not need to become your 'servant' {seriously, I know some true-life stories of others} just because you are pregnant. It's not his fault nor is it his duty to feel and know everything you do. Remember, it's hard on him, too.

12. Being pregnant is on your mind constantly. 
There's never really a moment once you know you're pregnant that you don't think about it. Not in a vain way for me, but in a scared-am I doing something wrong-way.  You are always second guessing your every move on what you eat or drink.  You are always making sure you aren't walking or running or lifting too much.  You are either freaked out because you haven't counted the 10 kicks yet or worried about feeling too much movement meaning your baby isn't sleeping enough.  You wonder if your stress at work is affecting your baby. You wonder if your sleeping or accidentally rolling over on your back will hurt your baby.  You wonder if you can manage the pain of child birth. You wonder if you can breastfeed. It's a lot, so, the only thing you can really do, is do the best you can and pray!

God is So Good!

I'm finally able to reveal a HUGE blessing in our lives!!

Brian started his new job this past Monday! I say it's a huge blessing, because it's a really, really good promotion and it will provide us better financially in a way that can only help our growing family of 2 to 3.

About this time last year, Brian was offered an interview-to-hire position....in Knoxville. We went back and forth weighing the pros and cons, but in the end, we just knew it was not the right time for us to move states nor did we feel like we wanted to be away from friends and family.  So after that, Brian was quote/un-quote looked over for other promotions with his job.  Not that they were really upset, but because there just wasn't anything opening up in our town.

Fast forward to December {or more like Jan.} when we found out we were pregnant, we both thought immediately how this was definitely the right choice to stay.  We had been faithful to God, and knew He'd be faithful to us with the thought of a new addition on the way.

In July, Brian applied online for a promotional job in his area at a different place in our town.  We thought it would be a long shot since there was no number or person to make a follow-up call, but it wasn't! After 3 interviews within 2 weeks and driving out of town for one interview, we found out BRIAN GOT THE JOB! He was ecstatic.  In shock, really. Because he was so excited and because we just felt like this was such a blessing and such a God thing.  He will be doing the job he had been doing...but he won't be the assistant anymore ~ it's all on him!

To say he was emotional about leaving his small group of friends at his office would be an understatement.  He had worked with them for 7 years.  They've all been through a lot together professionally and personally.  I have truly loved getting to know his former boss and his co-workers.  They have been beyond wonderful to us; giving us showers for our wedding and baby, and just being good people.  I just pray Brian finds co-workers at his new place that he can form these kinds of friendships with. 

So, we are excited for his new venture and give all the blessing back to Him.
{now, let's hope the stock market doesn't blunder again anytime soon! haha}

What A Weekend!

What a weekend for sure! We had so much to celebrate starting on Friday!  So WARNING! This is going to be a long post! ;)

Friday:On March 25th of last year {2010} Brian and I got re-baptised by our minister.  This was SO special to me...almost more special than the wedding, almost:).  I was baptised when I was in 2nd grade and Brian in high school.  Although we've remained pretty close in our own individual relationships with Jesus, we wanted to make a commitment to make sure we remain close with Jesus together and in our marriage, and in our future family... Well here's the cute little kicker... We said a lot of things about how we pledged to bring up our future family in the Lord and... this year on this day we are 3 MONTHS pregnant!! {Apparently this is a big deal in preggo world I've found...}.  Oh how God is laughing above at His master plan!

So, I found this sweet card series from "Baby on the Way" at Hallmark and gave the card to Brian with a cute little book on Championship Fathering by this really cool NFL and FCA guy.  I wanted to look up the card line online to share with you all, but I couldn't find it! It is written SO cute! It's written as if the baby is speaking.  This particular card was telling the parents not to worry about baby getting lonely because God was holding his/her hand and letting the baby know what was going on. The card was so sweet ~ it brought tears to B's eyes!

card from baby "H" :)

Then we enjoyed a big W from the CATS!

Saturday:
Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed a fun weekend get-away in Nashville! We seriously love getting away together and taking trips no matter how small.  There is just something about getting away from your daily life and just having time with the 2 of you that we just need and crave.  Since we have both been to Nashville plenty of times, we decided to steer clear of the regular 'downtown' atmosphere not hitting up popular places like The Stage, Cadillac Ranch, etc.  We decided to stay on the West End and try to find more local places{we love doing that!}.  AND it just so happens we ran into a sorority sister and her husband whom we went to college with while eating lunch! They gave us some great places to try.  Thanks Emily!  We ate lunch at this cool place called Which Wich? that we totally need in Lexington! It was super yummy!  Then we walked around and drove around town for a while. 

is my belly sticking out a little bit here?!

how cute is this?! great way to walk into the hotel room!

Before dinner we went back to the room to enjoy some very romantic Sparkling Grape Juice {don't hate!} and chocolate-covered strawberries {thanks Jordan and Nick!} and opened our gifts to one another, then got ready for our anniversary dinner at Stoney River.

ok, ok, Brian poured beer in his glass...

UMM, best steak ever! It was cooked in coffee beans with maple syrup, cinnamon, cumin, and a few other spices. OMG delish!  Next, I actually surprised my hubby and made it past 9:00 and went to a few live music joints! Woo Hoo, go me! :)  We went to SamBuca and tried The Standard but it was a one-in-one-out situation... boo! {thanks baby burton for giving me 2 great days!}

Sunday:After we finally got ourselves going on Sunday, we enjoyed brunch at this cute place called Athens Family Restaurant that we found out later was featured on Diners and Dives! It was yummy!  We ended up pulling into Lexington right at 5:00 - the start of our BIG game about #1 Ohio State! Hello W once again and Hello Final Four!!!!  Afterwards we went home and watched our entire wedding DVD...and after a few tears and laughing, we enjoyed our wedding cake topper. YUMMO! It was delicious!  Did you save yours?

It was a wonderful year and a great weekend to celebrate! So thankful for all the blessings we have!

*And if you've made it through this LONG post, YAY to you! ha! I will be doing a Give-Away soon for Spring...stay tuned! :)

Our First Year...

I have no idea where to begin.  This year has been ridiculously amazing.  I have more 'special moments' than I ever thought I would have.  It's also been one of the most relaxing years of my life.  Brian and I match so well.  We didn't really have any huge fights or disagreements, no burnt dinners, just a lot of laughing and hugging.  My face just can't stop smiling when I think about this past year.  Between trips, living together, and just being 'us', it's just been plain amazing.

I am fairly certain we all think we have the best husbands {or we wouldn't have married them!}, and I am certainly one of those people, too.  I was complete before Brian but Brian made me overflowing with extra joy.  He is such a good, honest, and caring man.  He is sensitive and puts forth more effort than I ever knew was possible.  I know he's worked at certain topics we had discussed during our pre-marriage classes, and I can tell - because we don't have a lot of issues because we both work hard on the things we already know could cause one.  And while I know that yes, this year was a blissful one and not all the years to come will be this 'easy', I know that with the strong love, bond, and Christ-centered marriage we have we can get through anything together. 

A few of my favorite simple moments from this year:
*the night we got re-baptised together (March 25th) to re-dedicate our marriage and future family to Christ
*the moment walking off the stage as a married couple
*the night we came home from our honeymoon and stayed in the same bed in our first home for the first time
*our monthly special things we did for one another to celebrate another wonderful month
*all the trips and weekend adventures we went on
*just going to bed with one another each night
*decorating our first Christmas tree
*finding out our little miracle

I'm getting too excited for this weekend! We have some fun things planned - hurry up work week!! :)

Happy Heart Day

Alright, so you either love or hate this day. I'm blah to this day.
I think that's it is a silly Hallmark holiday that forces single women to have to hear about guys being ooey-gooey over other girls.

You'd think with this feeling over this day I'd have this great love-hate story, but actually I don't!

I've always had pretty good V-days with friends or guys...and of course the oh-so-fun Valentine's Day parties in the 4th grade realm. I've even had some funny ones with a few blind dates...yikes! :)

My hubby kind of feels the same way, so we don't go overboard. I mean, yes, I get the beautiful flowers delivered to my classroom (haha) but let's just say I'm not trying to open a heart-shaped CZ necklace.  Our first V-day we went skiing with our friends Mandy, Brian, Jess, and Justin.  That was pretty fun!  Last year we did the regular dinner and such. 

This year we are planning on going out to eat and B got me a new surprise...a little outfit from a store I've never been to before...;)  {no, it's nothing dirty, get your minds out of the gutter}

**************************
And on the topic of love...my bible study got started back up again last night. We started a new book called Simple Secrets of a Great Marriage.  I think it will be good - and I read the first chapter which seems promising.  I feel like B and I are still in the 'honeymoon' stage of our marriage.  We prepared A LOT before we got married, so the whole marriage transition was a pretty smooth one.  But, there's always room for improvement or just being conscious of continuously working on our marriage - I think that's what I'm hoping to get out of it. So, either way, it will be nice to see the girls more often and it being just us without the boys. :)


Hope you have a good Vday with whatever you do, and remember; GOD IS LOVE.

I love surprises!

Ok, maybe not all the time, but when it comes with a gift, I really like it! :)
My sweet hubby came home yesterday with a present for me! I've been eyeing the New Balance Tonifiant {butt toners} but thought it was ridonkulous to pay that much for shoes that probably won't tone up my butt and thighs without me having to do anything extra. ha!

Well, he came home with some cute pink ones for me! I'm so excited! Just in time for the 2-week state testing coming up where I will be walking around aimlessly for hours a day in April! :)

But before you start your judging on oh-no-he-didn't-call-her-butt-big thought, I've had my eye on them for a while and think I'll be seeing some tennis-shoe wearing ahead in my future! I'm starting to re-think my high heels everyday at work thing anyway. :)

We Are Family!

So last night B and I started our new study at church, After The Alter.  I'm pretty excited about it because it's for all stages of married couples - newlyweds, parents, empty nesters.  We went with some of our friends and then saw 2 other couples we've been wanting to start doing more with, too!

Yesterday was the usual 'intro' lesson where we basically get out all the outcomes and sorts.  For the next 5 weeks (I guess 4 now) we'll learn about a few major tops and get some biblical perspective on how to deal and have your marriage survive through it. 

Last night was on pain and we had some good discussions; but I actually took something different away from last night. At the end of each lesson there will be a parenting application. Although we don't need that just yet, it never hurts to store up good information!
****************************************************
Genesis 1 - There are no children in the Garden of Eden. The woman completes the man and the man completes the woman.
The way that Jen (the wife leader) described this was so refreshing... "We are complete when we get married. Children do not 'complete' our family. They expand it. Your marriage is the most important human relationship you have on earth. Remind yourself of this daily as it is easy to forget when you are raising kids [or wanting kids].
I know lots of people waiting and praying for kids. I know lots of pregnant couples.  I know lots of couples with kids. And it's nice to hear that you are ok and you are still a family - with and without kids.
And on the other hand, I know lots of people who aren't married.  I don't think this verse was meaning you aren't complete single {as I would have been upset taking it a couple years ago}, but the emphasis is on the word family and when you become a family with your spouse you are complete. {just my take:)}

Back at It!

Well...2011 is seemingly similar to 2010! Ha! Went back to work, went to the gym, and made dinner for us!

Actually, I made 2 new recipes tonight...chicken enchiladas and sweet potato fries! YUM! :) Have you ever tried http://www.allrecipes.com/? It's pretty easy to search for recipes and it has a calculator where you can plug in your serving size. Too bad I always have to enter in '4' instead of '2' for us because we're hungry bears.

Here's a few bunch of pics from our NYE on Friday night! Yummy Asuka!

Happy Moan-day!

Our Christmas

Our first married Christmas together was so much fun!

Christmas Morning ~ excuse the roughness

B's new running shoes!

Silver Monogrammed necklace from B - how perfect for me!

My hubby tries to make me stylish :)

I ended up making scrambles eggs with cheese, biscuits, and bacon for breakfast {remember this post}. I wanted to do something fancy, but when I asked B he said he'd rather have a 'normal' breakfast that I usually cook. 

Now today {Sunday} we packed up all our Christmas right after we spent time with B's dad and his wife.
It's been a really great season of spending extra time with family, friends, and each other!

SNOW! {and other ramblings}

I remember last year as I was just starting up this little blog {We're almost a year old!} that I blogged a lot about snow! I know it's not everyones favorite precipitation, but I love it. Maybe not in February or March, but how does it not make you smile when you see it in December?

Snow for me seems so calm, pretty, and light. There's something about the first few snow falls that gets me all giddy inside. I love the thought of being inside and looking out the window at these amazing snowflakes where each one is created just a little differently than the last. In fact, I'm typing now as my husband is still snoozing away in bed upstairs. I've brewed a k-cup {LOVE!} and have only my Christmas tree lights and garlands on my stairs lit.

It could also be because I work with kids everyday, and snow for them is exciting, too. On Thursday while it snowed, I let each kid have a turn to look out the window to see the snow fall. Then I asked them to open their Writer's Notebooks and jot down adjectives about the snow. The. Best. Writing. Ever. See, there's just something about it. Now, I won't lie. I do love a surprise snow day here and there, but I don't just love snow for that reason! I'm pretty much over snow after Christmas. I just love watching it falling whether it sticks or not.
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I've been busy decorating our first home well for Christmas. I've wanted it to look perfect from every angle. I thankfully have a good husband who understands this want and appreciates my time and effort I spend on it. I certainly don't have the best decorations or the most expensive, but it has been so fun spending time together and getting to know one another in different aspects of life ~ even down to the little things like how we each like to decorate. Isn't that funny? I'm sure a year ago I would have never imagined I would learn something like that about him.

Although B and I have really only been together two and a half years, it's amazing how much closer and how much you truly learn about someone once you are married to them and living with them. I've learned things about B since we've been married I didn't even know there was to learn! I've learned great things about him and maybe not-so-great things; but I can promise you those are far fewer than he's learned about me! ha! What I've really learned about B that I am thankful for every day is how overly caring he is with me.

Chic-Fil-A to my Heart

Happy 7 Months to US! :)
Today my sweet hubby surprised me at work with some yummy Chic-Fil-A and a very sweet card hidden in the bag. I love that he remembers every month without any reminders. It makes me feel so special to him.

My husband gets an award of some type for the past 8 days. We decided we wanted to go ahead with our kitchen project last Sunday. He started on the project Wednesday, and just finished tonight at 8:30. WOW. All because I wanted it complete before my Book Club tomorrow. He's been working during the day and on the house at night, been sick, and still he completed it on time.

Now that's true love ;).

Can't wait to share pictures of the kitchen! But for now, I've got to keep up with being a bad blogger this week and work more on that Book Club I'm having tomorrow. I should get an award for having it on a work day! haha Hopefully the girls won't judge me too harshly!

Hope your week has been good. I've had lots of praises this week to Him!

Apparently it's not like that

I'm wrong about a lot of things ~ especially when it comes to marriage, knowing how to be a wife, and so on.

But here's something I was TOTALLY wrong about!

Let's just say... I always used to say I never knew why people said women would gain weight after they married. To me, I thought that would be the last thing to happen since of course you'd be running around in your, a-hem, birthday suit.

Well, there are 2 lies to that statement.
#1~there's no running around in a birthday suit
#2~nobody does that...what was I thinking?!?!

SO that is to say this:
I cook my husband lots of yummy high-starched meals.
I'd rather sit with him at night than be next to a large sweaty man on a treadmill.
I know he's going to love me whether I gain a pound or two; but of course I'm not gonna get too crazy.

And lastly....
I ran today. I am so proud of myself. :)

The Weekend {in lists}

{first} Thanks for all the sweet FB comments and messages about the post below. I just needed to get it off my chest, and well frankly I feel better about it now. :)

{second} I've decided that in my next life (career-wise) I want it to still be with kids, but all I really want to do is help show them how special, amazing, and unique each one of them is. I would like to teach, but I would like to teach not centered around a major assessment. Will you pray for an answer for me?

{third} My Backpack Buddy started today (Sunday). I am sooooooo excited about it! It's just up my alley, especially if you read #2. I write to a kid at a school in a surrounding county who receives extra food over the weekend from my church. In the letters I am to write about why he's so special to God, and begin to build a relationship with this child without ever meeting him. Did I already tell you how excited I am about this?! You only have to write once a month, but as a teacher, I know how much kids crave consistency, so I'm making it a goal to write him weekly.

{fourth} FALL BREAK is just around the corner! I get 3 days off school AND my hubby and I are taking a trip for our 6 month anniversary. YAY!

{fifth} This weekend we finally tried out the Spotlight Lexington stuff downtown. It was actually really fun! We hung out with my friends Allison and Whitney. Whitney is becoming an Aussie in about 3 weeks, so I was happy I got to spend time with her before she leaves. Because Allison works with DeRae Catering, we got tons of perks! (thanks, girl!) Yummy drinks and fun times in the extended cab golf cart ~ or KY Limo we were calling it! ha! We rode around all the parts of the Spotlight in comfort! Here are a few pics from the night:
{me and hubby}
{Me, Allison, Whitney in Centre Point}
{Me, Whit, B in the Golf Cart}

{sixth} Usually, our night would end there...especially on a Friday night. However, the husband got a wild hair and REALLY wanted to see this bluegrass band play. Of course it wasn't the 3 free concerts that were going on, ha! So we made our way to Cosmic Charlie's to watch Trampled by Turtles. They were actually really good and it was fun. Allison and Whitney even made it with us! We were definitely seen as 'old' in there, but it was fun. (I will admit, I was happy when it was finally time for me to go home and go to bed. Whatever happened to "fun Megan"? Oh well...)

{seventh} I tried to plan a belated Housewarming Party on Saturday to watch the UK game. Too bad that was a bust. I was pretty disappointed, but it just seems like everyone is really busy these days. So we ended up cancelling and going up to our neighborhood bar to watch the game. I bet if we had our party we would have won. HAHA!

{eighth} Saturday night we had intentions to make it back downtown, but after a long night before, and a long afternoon watching the game (and eating non-stop buffet through the game) somebody got a little tired. I'll give you a hint, it wasn't me! :) So we ended up at one of our favorite pizza places in our neighborhood. OHH the conversations we always end up having at Puccinni's. Nothing I'm ready to tell just yet, but that place just gets us sometimes and we end up in these deep convo's! But my belly was full afterwards so it was all good!

{ninth} Our 6 MONTH Anniversary was on Monday. B tried to surprise me at school with flowers but we were out on release day and I forgot to tell him {whoops!}. However, I still received a beautiful bouquet and a very sweet card, and B received Cookie-Brownies and a card as well! We'll be celebrating this coming weekend with our trip that I mentioned in #4. Can you tell I'm excited?! My sweet little Momma saved a layer of our wedding cake and had it for us today after Sunday Lunch. I was pumped considering I never got to even taste it on our Wedding Day! It was actually very tasty, so I have high hopes about the cake topper in March!

{tenth} I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, too! :)

Surprise Date Night!

Weekend Post #1

I had one of the best weekends in a while! Brian and I had no real plans so we basically got to do whatever we wanted ~ and it was soo nice!

Friday started off great because I got to pick up my jockey silk bar stools! I can't wait to share with you a picture of them. They make my kitchen look so unique and cute! Be waiting for that post! :)

Brian also told me he had had such a good time on his surprise date night last weekend he wanted to do the same for me! YAY!

Our date was super fun. We went to Talon Winery and listened to live music, ate sandwiches, and drank yummy wine. My sweet husband even indulged me in some self-timer photos in the grapes!







Then we went to Saul Good for dessert and more vino! YUM! I love that place. We shared the Bananas Foster Waffles, thinking we'd have room to order another dessert to share but we were stuffed!
Thanks for a super fun date night!:)

{His original plan was to try out a new place, WineStyles, but they were hosting a 100+ people party so we were afraid the experience wouldn't be as good! Have you been there yet?}