Megan & Forrest

Maternity Photo Shoot

2012-02-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, our good friends Ashley and Danny made a special trip to the ranch to take some maternity pictures for Forrest and I. Danny and Forrest have been friends since childhood and were roommates in college. As a couple, they have been good friends of ours since college, meeting each other around the same time Forrest and I met.

Over 5 years ago, they took our engagement photos which was when Ashley was barely getting into photography. Ashley just has a knack for taking great pictures and Danny has great ideas for getting great shots. She started a blog called Dash Photography in which she takes pictures and blogs for a hobby and even has begun to do some sessions on the side, while working full time as an accountant! She is a talented woman and one of the sweetest people I have ever known.

Anyways, they came out to take some pictures for us and hanging out with them was like old times. We thought the weather was going to slow us down but it ended up being perfect. Ashley even captured a beautiful rainbow in the back of some of our pictures. Overall it was a fun day and great photo shoot. Thank you Danny and Ashley for doing this for us and for being a part of such a special time in mine and Forrest's lives. These pictures will be cherished for forever and I cannot wait to hang a big one in our house! :) We love you guys.

Houston Marathon

2012-01-31T16:35:00.001-08:00

Since the Ironman, Forrest has committed his work outs to strictly running in preparation for the Houston Marathon that took place January 15th. This technically was his first marathon although he completed a 26.2 mile run during the Ironman. His goal was to finish in less than 4 hours which he did. His finish time was 3:53:08.

He worked hard for this race as he does with all of the events he signs up for. I am so proud of how much of himself he gives towards training and like I have said in regards to other things he has completed, I enjoy so much this aspect of his life and just being a part of it. I wouldn’t miss any of his races for anything.

He hasn’t signed up for any events in the near future although I know he will continue to do some half marathons and triathlons here and there. He told me he knows his priorities are about to change once the baby is born, which makes me proud. I think after a few months of being a new parent, we will be able to better time manage and he will work in some type of training schedule for something. I will always support his decision to devote time to these types of things as I know it makes him happy to accomplish goals he has made.

Here are some pictures from the weekend of the race! We stayed at the Inn at the Ballpark. I was in the best spot possible to get a good finish line view and still pictures were hard to get. After the race we went to Papasitos where Forrest enjoyed a nice big margarita...while I sat and salivated over it.

28 Week

2012-01-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

Today I am 28 weeks. Which means I am officially entering the third and final trimester! I can't believe how quickly things have gone...seems like it was just the other day I was blogging about us finding out we were pregnant.

I had a follow up appointment with my doctor yesterday. I am measuring 28 weeks and have gained a total of 16 lbs so far. Her heartbeat sounded good on the doppler. My glucose tolerance test results were normal. I have no signs or symptoms of pre-eclampsia (blood pressure normal, no protein in urine, etc.). So overall, looks like we are continuing to have a happy and healthy pregnancy.

I feel her move all the time and now we can actually see her move. It is kind of crazy to see little bumps in my belly, but I like it. In an email I read from the baby center website, it says she is able to blink now and has eye lashes too. The website says she is about 2 and 1/4 lbs. I just love the thought of her growing and developing and hope I have done all that I can to give her the best home.

We are making progress in accumulating baby gear. We have purchased a white, wooden high chair that I found on Craigslist. We ordered the glider for the nursery and after seeing the fabric swatch, I think it is going to match her room perfectly. I have bought a couple clothes for her here and there (of course), mostly 0-6 month things because that is what she needs most. I ordered her a vintage baby blanket/quilt off Etsy that hasn't come in yet. My Sister has a bassinet and rocker that we can use. We will pick up furniture this month depending on when the armoire will come in which should hopefully be at the end of Jan. I am excited about the baby shower this month (Jan. 22nd) and also about maternity pictures which my friend Ashley is going to do for us the first weekend in Feb. :)

Anyways, that is an update on us. Counting down, we have any where form 9-12 weeks to go!

Christmas Events Starting with Nena's

2011-12-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

Every year we do Christmas at Nena's the weekend before Christmas. I love how every year we can expect the same traditions but yet things are always changing. This year a big change, a sad one, was that we did not have the Halls there since they are all in London. We missed them and especially their little ones running around with smiles on their faces. But we did have a new little addition, Trenton (Forrest's cousin) and Whitney's little baby girl who was just 10 days old. Zoey Elise. She was precious and everyone couldn't keep their hands off her. Trenton was not there as he is in the Marines and did not make it home until a few days later. We missed those not there but enjoyed adding to the family and seeing a couple new faces.

One thing that stays the same is that we eat good food. Everyone brings their usual, their signature dishes. Dede's is usually my favorite side dish - sweet potato casserole. And this year, my favorite dessert was actually a new item on the menu - Nenas peanut butter cheesecake. It was absolutely delicious. As we enjoyed Christmas dinner, we joked about how the kiddie and adult tables change. Usually Forrest is the one to bring it up since he always gets stuck at the kiddie table. Although we are joking, I can see how over the years, kids get older and move their way up in the kitchen/dining area. And I have only been around the last 7, so I cannot imagine how it seems to them. Forrest says he somehow always gets stuck at the kiddie table. I told him maybe after we have a baby, we will get promoted. Or maybe that means since we have a baby, we are back to the kiddie. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens next year. If I remember correctly, the high chair stays put next to the adult table. :)

After the kids open gifts, the adults always play white elephant as our gift exchange. However this year we had two new members join the adults' game, Ricky and Lane, since they are out of high school. The game was fun as always and it is especially entertaining to watch the boys steal and try to manipulate the game. They get a little more aggressive than the girls. Half the time the girls end up with what they brought which is what happened to me this year. No complaints though on that... I always would like to have what I brought and I think everyone else kind of feels the same. Hot items this year included Cheri's leopard lounge chair for the girls' team and the safe for the boys team.

Then the night ends with a few games of pool in the garage, or one too many, and some game playing inside. We played a new card game this year - Canasta, which was a first for me. It was fun especially considering me and my partner, Kim, were the champions. It was not even a close call. :)

The next morning we had breakfast -Nenas yummy breakfast casserole and bisquits. Then we stuck around until lunch to enjoy some left overs before going home. It was yet another fun and memorable weekend for us, like it is every year. Thank you Nena and Gramps for opening up your warm home for us to celebrate the holidays in.

Wish I had pictures of everyone. I have been bad about not getting my camera out lately. Next year, I am going to make it a point to get one big family picture.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T07:19:00.000-08:00

25 Weeks

2011-12-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

24 Weeks

2011-12-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

In the hospital, 24 weeks is a milestone because it is the age at which we consider the baby to be viable. So I was so happy to reach this point. I do not have much of an update really. Things have been going smoothly. I had an appointment with my doctor this week and after measuring me she said I am right on track. I have gained a total of 10lbs which she said was good. Forrest felt her kick for the first time. I feel her move all the time and love it so much. Sometimes I wish she just moved all day, although I know she needs her sleep. I like to look down and talk to her... just baby talk really. I even feel myself gritting my teeth as I talk to her, thinking about how cute she must look in there. I haven't bought anything else for the nursery yet but we are on the look out for an armoire. I found a cute monogram to hang in her room that I cannot wait to order once we finalize her name. I am actually having visions of how this nursery is going to come together and am so excited, I just want to rush out and get it all now. We have decided on a date for a baby shower. Forrest's Aunt Dede, sister Amberly, and Mom will be hosting it for me at Forrest's parents house. It will be at the end of January while Amberly is in town from London.

Anyways, that is the scoop with us. December is full of fun events. We had our L&D Christmas party last weekend which was a blast. Here is a picture of us before we left for the party.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-08T06:53:00.001-08:00

Forrest's parents hosted Thanksgiving again this year and they always do a wonderful job of putting together the spread. We had tons of food and as always, every bit of it was so good. We celebrated Forrest's dad's birthday as well that day. What a great holiday to have your birthday fall on! And a great holiday to be pregnant if I may add.

Forrest, his dad, and I went to the Aggie game the evening of Thanksgiving which was cold but fun... up until the very end when we had a shot at winning and didn't. To say it was disappointing is an understatement. It might have been most devastating loss we have ever had! We were glad we went though, just to experience the ending of a long tradition between A&M and Texas.

Black Friday, Cheri and I went shopping in College Station. We thought that would be the least crowded city to go and we were right. I think the longest line we saw was at Starbucks! As for the rest of the weekend, we ate Thanksgiving leftovers and were lazy and merry like you are supposed to be over the holidays. It was fun and relaxing.

I am so thankful to have such great family and people in my life. For so many happy memories made and in the making. I could not imagine my life being any better than it is. God has blessed Forrest and me so much.

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21+ Weeks

2011-11-19T14:44:00.000-08:00

It has only been about a week since my last post but already a lot has happened since then. Some are minor , some major, but all seeming significant being that everything is new to us. Here are a few things that I am finding so much joy in right now.

1. Setting up a Baby Registry

Which includes talking with other Moms (aka joining the Mommy club) and researching reviews online. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations, I would gladly love to hear them.

2. Planning and shopping for Her nursery

So far I have purchased Her crib bedding, curtains, and a lamp. I have found some things online but am just trying to buy a little at a time. We will be using Reagan's furniture from when she was a baby so fortunately and thanks to the Sniders we will not be needing to buy hardly any furniture.

3. Organizing

I wouldn't say I am necessarily "nesting" (who knows maybe I already am), but I am just really worried about space. I know we have a lot of new things to bring in so I just want to make sure I have a place for everything to go.

4. Looking in Her closet at the first few outfits I have bought for Her

I have a feeling this empty closet will fill up fast. I am on the look out for a cute, small armoire that can help with closet space. My favorite outfit so far is a little Hanna Anderson onesie I purchased last week. It is so soft... I can't wait to see Her in it.

5. Doing some belly growing

People at work always ask me to lift my shirt so they can see my belly in the nude. I guess it makes sense that L&D nurses love to see a pregnant belly. I experienced my first stranger asking me "when are you due?" last week or so. Up until then, I think people were just too unsure to ask. Since then, I get comments and questions all the time. Many of my patients say "Aww, you're pregnant too!?"

6. Feeling Her move (Quite possibly my favorite to talk about)

Up until about week 20, I had occasionally felt something but was not completely confident that that was what it was. It was around 20 weeks and a few days that I was sitting on the couch after dinner and felt a kick and some fluttering. I knew immediately what it was and was so excited. Since then, I feel Her move all the time and honestly, look forward to it. I absolutely love the feeling.

7. Having baby conversations with Forrest

I never want to forget the simple conversation Forrest and I text on the phone recently when I called Her by the name we had talked about and he said "Ah Bird, I guess we have selected the name :) " and I said "well only if you love too" and he said "I do :) " I am so glad we so easily fell in love with the same name. It was an easy decision for us.

Anyways, that is the scoop with me/us. A little sappy, sorry, but these are things I will love to look back and read one day. Hope everyone has a great weekend and Happy Thanksgiving!

20 Week Update

2011-11-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

We have hit the halfway mark! This week I am 20 weeks. An update on things:

I have finished a big bottle of prenatal vitamins and have been on my second bottle for about a week.
I am over the nausea for the most part and notice myself eating more these days.
With that said, I think I have hit a growth spurt - my belly looks like it has doubled in size! I have gained about 7-8lbs as of now.
I can still wear normal clothes, just have to rig the pants a little. Some shirts are a no. Maternity clothes I could probably start wearing if I wanted.
I sometimes have mild discomforts- most likely round ligament pain I assume.
I toss and turn more while I sleep usually pulling all the covers off Forrest. I have crowded our queen sized bed by sleeping with three pillows.
Monogramming is in the near future - Forrest and I are talking names and I think we have decided on the one.
The shopping has begun - I bought a couple of things on sale while shopping for a baby shower. How could I resist? The shower was for a baby girl. I bought two sets of pjs and a shirt. I love pjs.
My next appt is Dec. 1st. Seems like these weeks are flying by! I am sure it will continue that way over the holidays, then those last few weeks will probably drag.

Here is a picture of me from Sunday before heading out to a baby shower with Cheri.

Surprise Fiesta for Forrest's 30th and Gender Reveal Party

2011-11-10T11:04:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago, I asked some of our good friends Stacie and Kevin if they could help me host a party for Forrest's 30th birthday. They are amazing party throwers and thoroughly enjoy hosting things at their house so I knew they would be the perfect people to ask. They were thrilled when I brought the idea to them, said yes, and from there the party planning began.

I looked into some ideas for themes and came across a "Buenas Noches" party on the blog, Hostess with the Mostess, and decided that a Mexican theme/Fiesta would be fun and hopefully easy. On that same blog I believe, I came across a gender reveal party with a mustache and bow theme that got me thinking about how perfect the timing would be if we incorporated that into the party. Through talking with Stacie and girlfriends of mine, things all started to come together.

Trying to keep this a secret from Forrest was probably the most challenging task. Between family, friends, and co-workers, I sent out invitations to about 50-60 and just crossed my fingers that nobody would accidently spill the beans. Of course trying to buy things for the party, Forrest had lots of questions about purchases on our bank account. I just told him not to ask and for the most part, he didn't.

So as you saw on the last blog entry, we found out the gender the week of the party and in order to get him to keep this a secret from everyone, I had to devise a plan. I told him that Friday (day of the party), we were going to take his parents to a nice dinner in College Station to tell them the gender first, therefore not to tell anyone before then. Not sure if he knew something was up, but he quickly agreed to the plan.

Friday rolls around and I had a full day planned starting from early that morning- go to HEB, pick up cakes and cookies from Suzie, pick up rice and beans from OTB, pick up tequila for the margarita machine, and then to Stacie's house to set everything up and decorate. I knew it was going to be a long day. So get this. Forrest calls me around 9-10am while I am out and about and says "Bird, do you think you could pick me up from doctor today and drive me home? I have to have a procedure done where they are going to put me under anesthesia." I am like WHAT?! Remember we live 30-40 min away from CS. So not only do I not have time, I am imagining us showing up to the party, me wheeling Forrest through the front door in a wheelchair like here he is, the birthday boy barely out from anesthesia, as everyone says "SURPRISE!" Long story short to this procedure is that Forrest while in the DR choked on a piece of meat and for several days after, felt like it was still in his throat. He called the doctor and the doctor had his nurse schedule him an endoscopy.

So now like a terrible wife, I have to tell him "No I cannot do that today, I have too much on my plate. Can you schedule this another day? I mean how bad is this possible meat in your throat situation?" Knowing me and knowing I would never say this, he was extremely suspicious of what was going on especially after I tried so hard to convince him to move it to another day. Anyways, after calling the doctor back and discussing the urgency of doing this endoscopy, he decides to hold off on doing it. I thought, phew, bullet dodged....but now he knows I have something more planned for him then just dinner tonight with his parents!

So that night he comes home from work, we get ready and head out the door with his parents. We get to CS and I tell him that I want to drive from there and hand him a blind fold. From there, it was just a matter of him guessing where I was taking him and after crossing over a cattle guard before getting to Stacie and Kevin's house, he had an idea of where we were going. We don't know too many people that live on the country side of Bryan.

We show up and help Forrest through the front door, he takes off his mask, and everyone yells SURPRISE! He is shocked. And speechless. All he can do is look around and everyone and say to himself "all these people are here for ME?" Ha! He said he could not believe all the faces he was seeing including some from way out of town. It was such a fun moment to watch him in amazement and from there the party was a total hit. The food was great, everyone was enjoying their Mexican beers and margaritas, and having fun. It was cold outside so we were prepared with warm alcoholic drinks as a back up plan but everyone was content with their margs and beers.

For the gender reveal, we brought out a table with desserts and a basket with mustaches and pom pom hair clips in which you chose one based on your guess. I think most people were just excited to wear the mustache so it appears in the pictures that more people were guessing boy. We had a pinata to reveal the gender filled with candy and lottery tickets and one scratch off ticket that revealed GIRL on it (my good friend Elisha's idea). Of all the people, MY SISTER got the ticket. She was so excited, jumping up and down screaming when she realized she had scooped it up. When she announced, I looked around and people were smiling ear to ear and cheering. Some were even tearing up out of excitement. It was just so neat that it happened the way it did.

Anyways, I could go on and on about the night. I am so grateful for the wonderful family members and friends that took the time to come out and celebrate two special events in our life. I am so thankful to Stacie and Kevin for opening their house up for this party and putting so much into it for me. I did a lot of planning, but if it wasn't for all of them, it would not have been the party it was. We made great memories and will forever remember that night. Forrest said later that it would be his only chance for him and baby to celebrate their birthdays together, if that makes sense. But I knew what he meant and thought it was sweet.

O and of course I will quickly mention since this blog is getting really long, we are thrilled to know the gender now and to know we are having a girl. We have discussed some names and pretty much have it narrowed down. From here, it will just be a matter of praying for her to be healthy, thinking nursery set up, and of course coming across fun girl things that I cannot pass up. :)

The Big Sonogram Reveal

2011-11-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

As soon as we came back from our trip, we had the big sonogram to look forward to. We were not sure how we wanted to do it as far as finding out the gender but we knew we wanted it to be just us two. I thought maybe the tech could write it down and we could open it later that night at dinner or something, but we thought what the heck let's just find out now! We were wrapped in the moment and the lady was really nice. We couldn't help ourselves. She let us guess first, I guessed girl and Forrest guessed boy. Then she looked at me and said "You're right."

Since I found out I was pregnant, people have given me the most assured look and said "You are so having a girl!" And I never received any kind of response like that, that it was a boy. I didn't really have a "feeling" the whole time but since people were constantly telling me girl, I started to believe them. We were excited. Forrest admitted it made him more nervous.

More importantly, all looks good with the baby according to the doctor. Overall the sonogram results were great she said. Everything is developing how it should.

We kept the gender a secret for the rest of the week. I told Forrest I had plans to take his parents to dinner Friday night so we could tell them first and not to tell anyone before then. Little did he know I had something up my sleeve. :)

Trip to the Dominican Republic!

2011-11-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

My Sister and Darrin planned a fun weekend getaway to Punta Cana for Darrin's 30th birthday and had an extra room in their villa so they invited us. We thought it would be one of our last chances to travel/take a vacation before the baby comes so we took them up on their offer and we are so glad we did. We flew into Santa Domingo so we could see their house and how they live, which was important to me. It was so neat seeing the "Dominican way of life" that my sister and her family are accustomed to.

We went to dinner the first night we were there and afterwards the guys shared a few Presidentes (popular beer in Dominican) while the girls did a little shopping around the mall. I was impressed from day one with both Erin and Darrin's ability to speak and understand Spanish. At the restaurant Darrin so easily communicated our order completely in Spanish, saying even specific details of the order like that two people were going to share this item or bring Reagan's out first, etc. So neat! Then when my sister and I were shopping, she had no problem asking the lady in Spanish for a certain size or for a dressing room. I should have known my sister would master that first - all the shopping terms! Anyways, it was very cool. For the remainder of the trip, if I needed a translator, I just turned to them and they pulled it off with ease.

Anyways, on to Punta Cana. We drove there - yikes what a drive. It was probably the least enjoyable thing of our whole trip but once we got there, boy was it worth it! The first night we went to a nice dinner at a really neat restaurant called Jellyfish where we celebrated Darrin's birthday. It was not in town and kind of tucked away on the beach so we would not have known about it had it not been for someone recommending it to us. The atmosphere and location were beautiful and the food was definitely not a let down. It was just overall such a great dining experience.

The Hard Rock hotel and resort was where we spent most of our time. The beach was beautiful and the resort was like a dream. We did a lot of lounging by and playing in the pool. The guys appreciated and took full advantage of the swim up bar. Us girls treated ourselves to pedicures at the spa one day. On the last day the guys did a zip line excursion and the rest of us went to the beach out in front of the villa. Grayson being so young didn't get to spend much time outside so we wanted to give him a chance to play in the sand.

Grayson has gotten so big and is like a big sack of potatoes when you hold him. His face just lights up when you look at him. He is so drawn to everyone around him and loves to be played with. Forrest called him Fred (flinstone) the whole time because his feet are so big. My favorite thing is this toy he sits in where he can roam all about the house. It was just so cute to see him run from one end to the other and turn around to see him when you didn't expect it. Reagan is at such a fun age. She is so shy but once she opens up, she is such a talker. She does the cutest things and you can tell she wants to be just like the girls. If me and Sister had on a hat, she wanted to wear hers. If we had our shades on, she made sure to put hers on too. She would randomly just say "Mae Mae, can I have some lip gloss?" She also asked me "Mae Mae, why aren't your nails painted?" My sister said she has even started to ask her, "Reagan is this outfit cute?" and Reagan already gives her an honest answer, "No that's not cute Mommy." Her and Grayson's personalities are definitely different, and almost opposite. Grayson is so laid back just like his Daddy and Reagan well, you know she is like Erin. :)

Overall it was a great trip! Lots of memories were made. I am so grateful for the time Forrest and I had together before the baby comes and am so thankful to get to spend time with my sister in the country that they will be living in for the next couple of years. As you can see, we got tons of pictures!

16 Weeks

2011-10-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

16 weeks and headed to the Scarecrow Festival! That is if the rain slows down which I hate to wish for when we need it so bad. All day yesterday I was dreaming about the caramel apple and lemonade I was going to get and about purchasing a new Scentsy jar for the house. I had a lot of time to think about these things while waiting for Forrest to finish the Tough Mudder competition he did yesterday with some guys from his work. It was a definitely a day filled with dirt and mud, hints the name I guess. Even I just being a spectator was covered in dust! I definitely earned my festival treats today.

Tough Mudder

14 Weeks

2011-09-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

I do not have much of an update from my last blog, but I thought I would at least mention we are officially over the first trimester. Whoop! Unfortunately, I welcomed the new trimester with a morning full of vomiting at work. It was quite miserable, but my fault. I think it was the big doughnut I ate at the beginning of the shift... sweets just sound so good but they do me wrong in the end.

I sported Aggie maroon all weekend starting with this tight shirt that I originally thought I might wear to the game and immediately thought heck no once I put it on. I did however think it was a good belly showing - one picture for blog, shirt. Speaking of the Aggies, I am not going to talk about that awfully disappointing game on Saturday, but I will mention I am excited they have announced they will be officially joining the SEC.

A couple other things I am excited about:
1.) Our fall calendar of events starting with our trip to Punta Cana with the Snider's at the end of October, finding out the sex of our baby November 1st, celebrating Forrest's 30th on the 5th, my Sis coming home in mid- November, and not to mention all the goodness that comes with every fall season for us like more Aggie football, the annual Scarecrow Festival, baking and spiced lattes, shopping, pumpkin patches and harvest decorating.
2.) This weather... hopefully it just continues to get better and better. I could be outside all day long even now and it is still in the 90's.
3.) Coming across cute baby things such as these two items I saw in PB catalog. I have loved this chair for awhile... I think it is one of their best sellers. I am just such a sucker for neutrals. Even once we know the gender, I think I will still want neutrals.

Anyways, that is the latest. I have appointment on Tuesday with my doctor. Thoughts and prayers appreciated that things continue to look great.

Today I am 12 weeks

2011-09-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

Which means in two weeks I will be over the first trimester! I really have no complaints at all about how I have felt over the last several weeks and would say I have had a fairly easy pregnancy thus far. I do still take zofran but usually only need half the dose about once a day. It is very effective and I have not felt sick at all really since taking it. I feel tired sometimes but considering I work nights, fatigue really isn't an issue. I do not realize when I am being emotional or feisty but Forrest, in a very sensitive way of course, has told me he has noticed.

Food is a strange thing. I guess you could say I have some food cravings and aversions...something either sounds good or it doesn't sound good at all. Usually things that sounds good are fruits, sweets, breads, and cereals. But then again these were all some of my favorite things before being pregnant. Two things I used to love and eat/drink almost on a daily basis were dark chocolate covered raisins and Starbucks coffees. Proof that pregnancy changes your appetite are that I have not been in the mood for either of these things one bit. I used to buy two bags of the raisins that would last me/us one week and as stingy as I was with them every night after dinner, Forrest cannot believe that my addiction has just suddenly disappeared. Coffee used to be one of my favorite things and again, I just have not been up for it. Nope, not even a Starbucks unfortunately. I am hoping my love for them will come back, considering all the fun holiday drinks are coming out.

As you can see in the picture, I do have a little belly. Pants are a little snug and tight fitting shirts are not really an option. This picture is only descent because you know I am pregnant; however walking around in public I just look like I have a gut. With that said, until I can pull off the pregnant look, looks like it will be baggy clothes only for now!

Anyways, that is an update on me. I will blog soon about my next appointment which is set for Sept. 27th. I will be at 14 weeks by then....definitely something to celebrate. :)

Second Sonogram: 10 weeks

2011-08-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

We had our second sonogram at about 10 weeks. Everything continues to look great according to the doctor. She had a hard time getting a good angle for the picture but when she finally did, it turned out cute. This time you could actually tell there was a little baby in there. We were proud so once again, we took a family pic.

First Sonogram

2011-08-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Luckily, just as soon as I started to feel sick in the mornings, I was only days away from having my first appointment with Dr. Bertsch, my OBGYN. I waited it out and thankfully during that time I had had a long stretch of days off work. Although I have no complaints now, it was pretty awful at the time. I am sure fellow mommy's understand the misery of waking up around 4am to hover your head over the toilet and vomit uncontrollably the nothing that is left in your stomach. For those few days, 4 to be exact, I would just go sleep in the other room to avoid going back and forth to our bedroom waking up Forrest at the worst time in the morning, right before he has to really get up for work. He was so sweet about it, always asking if I was okay, and coming into the other bedroom to lay with me anyways.

The morning of my appointment, I am not sure if I was more excited about getting our first sonogram or getting a prescription for zofran. It was truly a close call. Forrest met me at the doctor's office and of course was with me the whole time. We started the appointment with a discussion on how I have been feeling followed by the moment I had been dreaming for... seeing the doctor pull out her prescription pad. One step closer to getting that darn zofran. Next we just discussed different things, medical history, family history, first trimester, what to expect, diet, do's and don'ts, etc. Then she had me get on the table, undress from waist down, for the dreadful transvaginal ultrasound. Boy do I look forward to the days we don't have to do those anymore. Uncomfortable, but well worth it. The first sonogram experience was truly a milestone. It was a moment where I realized I could really call myself pregnant as silly as that sounds given all the other clues. I guess peeing on a stick is just not that exciting and validating to me and regardless, there is nothing as reassuring as hearing a tiny, miraculous little heart beat.... at barely 7 weeks.

Overall, my appointment went well. Working in labor and delivery, I am already familiar with the OBGYN's in this area including Dr. Bertsch, so it was nice getting to sit down with a familiar face and with someone who I have seen her work and already trust. Overall the ultrasound went well. The doctor said everything looked perfect. I can't wait until the next ultrasound to see how much he/she has grown and to just make sure all is still okay. We are already proud of the little dot on the sonogram picture, knowing it doesn't look like much now, but that it is the start of something very big for us.

Telling Forrest then Telling Family

2011-07-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

Forrest and I went to dinner the night I found out I was pregnant. I tried to think of maybe a creative way to tell him, or special place I could take him. Instead, I kept it a secret and just thought maybe the right time would just come. We go eat at our favorite hole in the wall restaurant in Hempstead, really the only place to eat. On our way there I was silent, a change for me so of course Forrest noticed. He asked me if everything was okay and I said yes but could not look him in the eyes. We go inside, sit down, and immediately our waitress brings us chips and salsa. We start eating and I realize that I am so anxious, I physically cannot swallow a chip. My heart was racing. I was without a doubt having at least a mild panic attack. I could not find any words to say much less those important ones I needed to.

After devouring several chips, Forrest eventually looked up from the table and realized I was just not myself (mainly because I was not devouring chips too). From there I don't know what happened, really, somehow it came out of my mouth as he asked what's wrong. Although I can't remember exactly what I said, I am a little glad I did not have a camera to document it all. The greater memories came later after coming home and talking about it. The shock was just so much and at a restaurant and out of no where! Wish I could say it was one of those moments where we were both overjoyed with tears or jumping up from the table with excitement, but no that is not the case.

Having said that, things took a turn later that night and even more so as the days went by. We came to a point where we were both over the initial shock and more focused on being excited. Forrest even came home a couple days later with a Babies R Us catalog, then plopped down on the couch to go through it.

So... to sum up Forrest's reaction with two pictures: The first represents his initial reaction...

Then later that night, he became more like this:

The next day I called my Sister and my parents to tell them. It was my Sister's birthday and they were enjoying a day out on the beach. She was so thrilled and so proud. She said it was the best birthday present she could ask for. My Mom cried, then she balled. My dad was excited but I think not too happy with me because they were in Iowa visiting his family and I told him not to tell anyone. He is not the greatest secret keeper, but he did me proud on this one.

Then that night, we told Forrest's parents. We were going to take them out to dinner to celebrate but they had started some projects on the ranch. I knew I was going to see Cheri all day on Monday (we had a girls' outing planned) and there was no way I was going to be able to keep it from her. So we interrupted their evening anyways to tell them. They were both super excited. Something so neat about this moment was that Forrest's dad said he was on his tractor earlier that day, and he had this feeling that something was about to change in their lives. He thought to himself, "I know what it is... Bubba and Moof are going to have a baby." Then, can you believe it, we broke the news to them that very night.

Taking a Moment

2011-07-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

So as soon as I say this, it is going to be obvious what this blog is about. Especially since it is something that we have been asked about for the last four years, understandably. Anyways, here goes.
So today marks the day that I am one week late. After being several days late, I told myself I would wait until one full week before taking a pregnancy test but I couldn’t help myself. I took one 3 days ago and the test was negative.

I had mixed thoughts about the idea of being pregnant after taking that test. I was relieved. Then I felt guilty for feeling relieved . I couldn’t help but think about all of the couples who try for years and finally do, or in some cases never do. Then I started to feel scared, like what if we are one of those couples or what if there is something wrong with me, and I cannot have children. What if it is my fault. Hopefully all these thoughts are normal, I really do not want to allow myself to get anxious about things in life.

There was a side of me that was disappointed, honestly. I guess I am more ready than I realize. The thought of moving on to the next chapter, taking that next step is really exciting. We know what a big decision it is to have a child and are really more ready now than we have ever been in our marriage. I have thought for a long time that the idea would be to have the timing all planned out but as time goes by, I realize that trying to plan is stressful. We could always have more money, a bigger house, cars and things paid off, we will always have a wedding coming up or trip we wanted to go on. There will always be something. And the thought of it just happening felt kind of nice. Like a weight lifted off our shoulders and a reminder that God is in control.

So that was a few days ago. Yesterday, I still had not started so I took the second test that came in the package. Waited and waited, seeing just this tiny faint line next to a big bold red line. It even seemed to flicker at first. I wasn’t sure of what to think and I knew I needed to get ready for work. I set it under the bathroom counter, hiding it. I went on to work, a little in denial that that was a positive result. Tried not to think about it at work, but remember where I work? Labor and delivery. My patient that day was a 22 yo 17 week gestation, IUFD which means intrauterine fetal demise. I really bonded with her, sympathizing so much more with her and realizing how sad she must be. I deliver living babies so much more than ones that didn’t make it and after a while, you start to forget what a little miracle it is for everything to go right.

After work, I stopped by HEB on the way home to get another box of tests. I did not take it right away, believe it or not I was that tired that I just wanted to go straight to sleep! I woke up about an hour ago, went straight to the bathroom to take a test. Result was positive.

I have an annual OBGYN appt this week (how perfect on the timing, right?) so I guess I will know more of an answer then. I cannot wait until then to tell Forrest, I have no idea how to tell him. He is my husband and best friend, and never ever have I been so anxious about telling him something. This trumps all those times I spent too much money on something and had to tell him or else he would see it on our statement. Ha ha. Anyways, he is working outside with his dad on the fence. I thought I better take a moment now to gather my thoughts and figure out what I am going to say before he comes inside…

IRONMAN TEXAS

2011-05-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

“Forrest Couch….Hempstead, TX…. YOU ARE AN IRONMAN, SON!”
The words said from the announcer as Forrest was just feet away from crossing the finish line of the IRONMAN, a triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mi swim, 112 mi bike, and 26.2 mi run.
I have been looking forward to writing this blog but at the same time, honestly, I have been procrastinating. I feel like this is one of the most worthy blogs I will ever write, and I hope that my words here will somehow capture at least a fraction of the pride and excitement felt on that day.
I am excited to tell the story because it gives me a chance to re-live the day, a day filled with immense, individual accomplishment, a day given to us by God to remind us the blessing of love and support from family (a day given to us by God period) and truly a day that will be remembered for the rest of our lives.
The date was May 23, 2011. This was the first ever IRONMAN in Texas. It took place in the Woodlands which besides the heat, wind, and humidity (kind of important factors in a triathlon) it ultimately was a nice place to have it. The weekend before was perfect weather but we cannot complain as the weekend after was worse. Forrest was prepared, he anticipated the heat, had trained under our Texas blazing sun and against the record breaking fierce wind, and knew no matter what, this was going to be the most physically challenging event he has ever participated in. Ever.
Friday morning, the day before the race, we checked into our hotel. Forrest got his bike ready then racked and we check out the swim start as it was all set up by now.
Trying to prepare, what do you do the night before? Stock up on carbs of course, which the family appreciated. We carried on the triathlon tradition by dining at Buca di Beppo.

After an early dinner, we came back to the hotel and the “cheer squad” had a quick practice before the big game.

We go to bed early after setting our alarms for 430am, but in the morning we realize there was no need for an alarm clock. We hear a knock on our door at 4 in the morning, only to find that Cheri is dressed and ready to go with her ironman tattoo on and everything. We watch as Forrest’s nerves are in high gear as he gets the last of his things together before we head out the doors of the hotel. Might be one of the biggest “did we get everything?” moments ever. We get to the event site, Forrest’s dad parks the truck while Cheri and I walk with Forrest to the transition area. After setting up, it is time to walk to the swim start, about a mile away, where we will meet the rest of the crew.

View of swim start

A little humor…

Before a sweet, heart felt prayer led by Dede

A hug and kiss before the big moment.

National Anthem

Just minutes from starting

Unfortunately, we did not have a good place to watch him start the swim, and besides that, it was hard to tell which one was him in the midst of the swim cap chaos! It is tradition in IRONMAN events that all participants start together instead of in waves like in other triathlons, so it was like playing where’s waldo when looking for him.

On our way to the swim finish, we took a picture on the bridge which was a great view of a portion of the swim course. Notice I said “portion” which gives you an idea of how long 2.4 mi is in water.

We all split up to increase our chances of seeing him after the swim. Cheri and I stuck together and found a small window of a place to stand where we could barely see around a 6’ 5’’ tall man, not exaggerating. We waited and waited hoping he would see his loved one and leave, getting yelled at in the meantime by 2 event volunteer ladies that were trying to clear where we were standing. I really think between me and Cheri’s raging emotions that day, we would have started a commotion had that monster of a man not left when he did. So lucky for those ladies, we got our spot, were “out of the way” now, and it was just a matter of time until we saw him.

Then we did, finally, saw that bald head that caused us to mistaken about 20 people before him. Our hearts were racing, cameras were in hand and ready, and prayers were being said immediately thanking God that things appeared to be going okay. Phew! We thought, and one down only two to go…

SWIM TIME: 1:46:58

Check out his Dad in this picture, he had seen Forrest get out of the water, called Cheri to tell us to be ready, then ran along beside Forrest until this point. He is still on phone with Cheri, and cannot get over to where we are at because it would cross the race course.

Now he is off to the transition where he will get on his bike gear, and head out towards to bike transition. And that means we are off too, off to fighting for another good spot. My pictures are blurry here because I was trying to video and snap at the same time.

Now that Forrest is off on his bike at this point, we all know we will have several hours of time to kill before we will get to see him again since the bike ride is one giant 112 mi loop. We all go find places to eat, Amberly and their family go back to the hotel. After eating, Cheri, Big Forrest, and I check out the finish line.

Earlier, we had set up an area where we could all sit and relax during the bike portion. We headed back to that spot to watch the athletes and wait for Forrest although we had several hours to go. Throughout the race there are specific check points where you can go online and track them to see if they have passed a certain point. On the bike there is one at the half way mark so we kept refreshing the tracker page to see if he had crossed it.

YAY my Sister and Mom showed up!!! Here they are making their way through the crowds.

When it came close to the time that we anticipated seeing Forrest, Amberly decided to head about a street over to wait for him, that way she could call us and let us know when he passed her. Then my Sister went to take pictures across from where we were standing (genius) so that we would all be in the background of the pictures. The plan worked perfectly and as you can see we fired him up, as he gave us a little fist pump!

BIKE TIME: 7:11:30

Next up is the run. We did not get to see him run out because instead we wanted to get a view from the bridge which was still within the first mile of his run. He looked up and waved with a big smile on his face as his legs were still adjusting to running.

We again, the queens of finding good spots, planted ourselves at mile 5 so we could see him again. And this time, we would finally be close enough to reach out and touch him.

I am still in love with this moment.

So back to the camp site we go. We will see him again at mile 9.

And here he comes, after 9 miles! Looking good and happy to see everyone. Everyone gets a high five.

Then again at mile 18.

Look at that stud, and only 8 more miles to go!

So we pack up our things and head towards the finish line area. There were stands right next to the finish line but they were packed. Cheri, Amberly, and I decide to scope everything out and try to find a good place to wait. Amberly finds a spot back by the tents where the finishers run after they cross. I found a tiny spot on the front row of the closest stands and squeezed my way through. I waved to Cheri to meet me and text my Sister and Mom where I was. Eventually some people left and we were able to have about a half a row to ourselves.

I did the video while my Sister took the pictures. Everyone else was crying too much to work their cameras. As Forrest was running in to the finish, he heard my mom amongst all the loudness (my mom is VERY loud, you will hear in video so turn your volume down if it is all the way up). Anyways, he turned around just feet away from the finish line to come see us and I was thinking WHAT IS HE DOING!? My eyes went big and I didn’t know what to think! I guess I was a little star struck or something, I don’t know (it made Forrest feel so good when I told him that later. Ha ha). He finds me and waves me down to give him a kiss then says “I love you Bird” in my ear. Then he turned around and headed back to the finish line, crossing just seconds later. The feeling was indescribable for the both of us.

I think my Mom was a little star struck too…

RUN TIME: 5:28:46

Total Time: 14:47:58

Forrest and I enjoy reflecting back on the day of the IRONMAN. I will never forget what he said to me one day in the car as we were talking about it. He said that during the run as he was getting close to finishing, he has never felt so alive. Then I happen to come across this quote shortly after that conversation.
“Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, & go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive...”

Ready for IRONMAN Race

2011-05-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

I have been so excited to blog these next couple blogs because they are about the Ironman triathlon that Forrest did back in May. The week before the event was intense. All of the hours dedicated to training were coming to an end. Every word that came out of our mouths for a week straight had to do with the triathlon. I mean, not only did Forrest eat, sleep, and breathe Ironman, I did too! I just know more than anyone besides himself what he has put into this and could not be more proud for this week to be here. Even to just make it to this point, having put in all that work, is already something to be so proud of.
He spent a few last work outs the week of, tapering down and taking it a little easy. By “easy,” I think his swims were at least 1 1/2 hours, bike rides were about 5 1/2 hours, and runs were about 2 1/2 hours. Can you imagine what a “hard” week entails?

We headed to the Woodlands (where race took place) on that Thursday before. Forrest had to get his race packet and other items and wanted to check out some things on the course like the transition areas. Things were starting to get set up around there which I think really made things sink in for Forrest. I could tell he was really nervous but glad it was finally here, knowing that all his hard work was soon going to pay off.

Next blog, the big day. Wow what an amazing journey and day full of excitement that none of us will ever forget.

Family Over for Cheri’s Birthday

2011-05-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Story of Brutus’s First Day at the Ranch

2011-04-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

Brutus is a dog we heard about from Forrest’s friend Todd. Todd told Forrest that Brutus needed a home so we decided that we would take him in. On the day that Forrest brought him home, Brutus was overwhelmed by all of the fun things he could play with.
He first just ran. He ran and ran so much that he would not even stop to let me pet him. He was just so excited. He soon learned his first valuable lesson: You can run all day long as much as you want, just don’t walk over the cattle guard. You have to go around if you want to go past it. He then came up on Lilly and Daisy where he soon learned his second lesson for the day: Daisy is fine as long as you don’t take attention/pets away from her. And Lilly likes to play, only when she wants to play. You will know when she is not in the mood.

After meeting the girls, he decided to check out this thing they call a pool. Just look at the pictures if you want to know his third lesson. Don’t panic if you fall in the pool, just swim to the stairs.
After taking a swim, Brutus decided to sneak under the fence where the longhorns live and play in their hay. It was only a matter of time that Raider and Bevo would realize him in their hay and Brutus would get to meet them. He barked and barked until Raider eventually came charging at Brutus. Brutus barked back but quickly realized these were no animals to mess with. He took off so fast, dust came from all four paws as he scrambled to get out, making a new hole under the fence. Brutus learned his fourth lesson: Longhorns are not dogs. They are called “long horns” for a reason.

After this, Brutus had had enough. He was tired and ready to go inside to spend more time with his new family. Brutus learned his last lesson of the day: No dogs inside.

The Tradition Lives On: Easter “Beach and Brunch”

2011-04-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Since Amberly and Aaron have had the beach house, it has been somewhat a tradition to go to Galveston for Easter every year to “beach and brunch” I guess you could call it. Well the Hall’s sold their beach house this year right before Easter, boo, leaving us with the realization of how spoiled we were for the past few years. However, that did not stop us. Amberly and Aaron so nicely planned a weekend for all of us to stay at the San Luis hotel in Galveston where we would enjoy fun dining, poolside cabanas, and playing on the beach. Then Sunday, Big Forrest took all of us to a fabulous Easter brunch.

The first of a few Late Entries: “Spring Break”

2011-03-21T07:05:00.000-07:00

I need to get on a better schedule of blogging because I get so far behind then I dread blogging versus enjoying it. My Sister has bugged me about my boring blog for months now, and is making me feel like a terrible wife for not blogging about the Ironman yet. So here we go, I am getting caught up starting now. :)
I thought my “spring break” days were over until I realized how nice a nursing schedule can be. You only work 3 days a week which allows you, if you want, to have up to 8 days off without taking any days “off” if that makes sense. So since at this point I will still in training, I was following my preceptor’s schedule. She arranged her schedule this way (8 days off) which in turn gave me a “spring break” too. How nice! I decided to go home to see my parents and Sister, and of course Reagan and Grayson. Highlights from this trip were: Porch playing and pizza making at home, and then taking Reagan, Maverick, and Dylan to the Dallas Arboretum.

Abigail & Ashty’s Birthday Party

2011-03-12T09:23:00.000-08:00

Amberly and Aaron threw a combined birthday party for Abigail and Ashton at their house. Ashton just turned 4 and Abigail, 1. We enjoyed getting to be a part of the festivities!

Grayson

2011-02-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

Our family has been blessed with the birth of my sweet little nephew Grayson, born on February 10th, 2011. I was so grateful to have been there on the big day and to have been a part of such special memories surrounding the event. Thank you Sister for letting me share that precious time with you and Darrin. I am so proud of you and enjoy so much being a part of your sweet family.

Cold Winter Days…

2011-02-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

We had our first “snow day” this year which was more like an ice day. The roads were so slick, schools were canceled and people were told to stay home from work. Luckily, I was off because hospitals don’t ever close! I would have had quite the drive. Big Forrest had to work so he stayed in a hotel to avoid the roads. Meanwhile, Cheri, Forrest, and I enjoyed the day!
Discovered a snake in the pond and thought it was frozen, found out he was still alive, barely! We put him out of his misery…and out of ours. Hwy 6 was iced over! Could barely walk across, much less drive but we still saw cars on the road. Found LG under the heater! She had been there the whole time…we were wondering where she was! Guess she thought it wasn’t worth it! Came in and warmed up with some hot chocolate.

Houston Half-Marathon

2011-01-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

Forrest and I along with Amberly, Aaron, and Tony did the big Houston half-marathon on Sunday, January 30th. Several months ago we registered for this race and boy did I not know what I was getting into! At first I was excited because we were chosen through a lottery selection process. That sounds fun right? Lottery selection, getting chosen and all….. I know I sure felt special. But then I realized, wait…now I have to really do this and I can barely run 4 miles at this point! A little panic began to set in, but luckily I had Amberly right there by my side feeling the same way. A little misery loves company I guess you could say!
So months went by and I attempted a training schedule. I am not going to lie…it was really hard once I got into the end of nursing school with graduation and all, oh and not to mention the holidays, my gosh what a terrible time to be thinking about RUNNING. So, I fell a little behind. Forrest, Mr. Dedicated, and worried about my commitment, got onto me a few times. He eventually caused me enough guilt to make me run a few times in the blistering cold. I was able to work up to a 9 mile run. It wasn’t too bad I guess. I felt good afterwards, and it gave me enough confidence that I would not die in a couple weeks.
The weekend of the race was all about having fun. We checked into our hotel on Saturday, the day before. We stayed at the Four Seasons in dowtown Houston right outside the race start, and finish line. The minute we checked in, my little “vacation mode” went off and although we would be cautious as to how we spent out time that night, I knew we were going to be making the most of our night away from home. Forrest treated me to a very fancy Italian buffet at the restaurant, Quatro, which was loaded with carbs. I thought it was wonderful but Forrest is never really impressed with noodles. We had a good time though.
The next morning, we woke up early and Amberly and Aaron called to say they were going to meet us at our hotel room before the race. The weather was yucky, chilly and rainy, so we didn’t rush to the start line. Luckily once we got down there, it was not bad at all. We got caught under a few rain clouds during the race but overall it was tolerable…although my hair would not agree.
I ran the entire thing with Amberly. I don’t know about everyone else but we absolutely had the times of our lives! We high fived at every mile marker and just kept positive throughout the whole course. We initially planned to run the first 10 miles and allowed ourselves the privilege of walking the rest, but soon after we started (and before we started hurting), we decided we were going to run every mile to the finish line. And we did, we never walked once. And boy, did it feel good to cross the finish line.
Forrest did amazing. He flew through that race. He did it in 1 hour and 50 minutes, placing him in the top 8% of all the finishers. WOW. I am still blown away at how great he did. I am so proud of him!

Christmas Day

2011-01-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas day started with a gift exchange between Forrest and I. I have been wanting a nice camera for awhile now especially with his Ironman race coming up in May. I wanted to have a fancy enough camera that I could take continuous shots of him. He went above and beyond what I hoped for and got me a really nice Canon camera. He wanted from me something small, something to display pictures of his race back in October. I found a frame to put a picture of each event in it (swim, bike, run) and last, one of him crossing the finish line. Then the silver plate at the bottom of the frame has his name and the event details engraved.

Later Christmas day, we went over to Forrest’s parents house to enjoy some chili and tamales, a little gift opening, and a game of pinata, thanks to Nataly. I guess you could say we had a Mexican Christmas this year!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve 2010 was perfect. Forrest and I drove to Mesquite to spend the day with my family. We enjoyed a good church service, came home to indulge in a fabulous Italian dinner prepared by the Momma Bird herself. Following dinner, we had a fun gift opening session. Hottest gifts of the night go to: Michele watches, and triathlon canvas pictures.

Overall a fun filled day and lots of good memories made. More to come as we spend Christmas day at the Ranch.

The End of the Nursing School Journey

2011-01-12T09:46:00.001-08:00

I am a little late on posting about December events, but almost a month ago was a big day for me. After 18 months, I graduated from the A&M nursing program with a BSN (Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing).

Looking back, the time went by pretty quickly although there were many moments throughout that it felt never ending. I am very grateful and reminded of what wonderful people I have in my life that have been there to support me. Forrest in particular has been so encouraging and positive from the start, and I truly would not have ever applied had it not been for him.

I remember the day we talked about it… I was terrified at the thought of making the transition (quitting my full- time job, taking classes, applying, getting a new part-time job, waiting for the letter). Worried about affording nursing school, worried about not getting into the program and being like “now what?” Forrest gave me all the assurance I needed that we would be fine and I could do it, and I did. It feels great to be done. I feel very blessed and fortunate to be where I am at now.

Thank you family and dear friends who reminded me over and over that I could do it. Thank you for putting up with me when I was stressed and being understanding (Sister & Mom, sorry for being a little out of it during some of our phone conversations!) Thank you Matt, for making me laugh everyday and for the best friendship I could ask for. Thank you Stacie for being a little angel in this whole process and providing so much guidance. Thank you to everyone who came to my graduation – Mom & Dad, Sister & Reagan, Amberly, Abigail, Ashton, Aiden, Cheri, Big Forrest, Nena, Gramps, Dede, Rob, and Forrest. I was so proud to have you all there.

I also got very lucky in getting a job. It might come as a surprise, but graduating nurses across Texas have not been so lucky. The main hospital here locally was basically on a hiring freeze which made me quite nervous, but I did have a little bit of help and somewhat of an “in” I guess you could say.

Forrest has been the project manager on all of the construction going on with the hospital for the past 3+ years. So he knows a lot of the “big fish” around there, one being the director of maternal nursing. He was a little bird in her ear for probably the entire 18 months I was in school, reminding her of how she needed to hire me when I was out. He set up an interview with her for me back in October. During the very casual interview, she told me that my dear friend and L&D nurse, Stacie (mentioned above), told her great things about me. The director then went on to tell me that she wanted to hire me, that she hasn’t hired a new nurse in she can’t remember how long, and that it was just a matter of getting the position approved. Then during my preceptorship, she informed me that the position had been approved by the V.P. and that I got the job.

Telling this story, I feel like I got some kind of job working for the President. And here I am talking about nursing! Ha ha…but although it may not sound like much to some, it is the dream job to me. I could not be more excited. I feel like I won the golden ticket and that God just continues to make things happen for me. I hope to always remember this during my career, how I got started, how I got so lucky. I feel like I only owe the best of me every day in that hospital. I pray regularly that God will make me the best nurse I can be.

A New Bed

2011-01-11T07:02:00.001-08:00

After over 3 years of marriage, Forrest and I finally got a bed for our bedroom. We have been looking for a long time, mostly because of me being so picky. Please disregard the bedding, that is my next project!

And nightstand…

Turkey Trot, then Turkey Eat

2010-12-28T09:57:00.001-08:00

The morning of Thanksgiving, Forrest and I drove to Houston to join Amberly, Aaron and the boys in the Turkey Trot. We did the 10k which so far has been my longest race. Afterwards we spent the rest of the day at the ranch where we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and spent the rest of the day outside. We were outside when the weather changed instantly. Within a matter of one gust of wind, the weather felt like it dropped 20 degrees. It was unbelievable how fast it changed. It definitely made for good autumn weather for the holiday.

I played with Amberly’s new camera – hints all the pictures. I have been wanting a fancy camera like all the moms out there have but figured I would wait until we had kids. Playing with her camera made me realize I could get some good use out of one now and maybe a little practice! So I asked for one for Christmas, which I will blog about later. ;)

What a Season!

2010-12-28T08:11:00.001-08:00

Aggies had a great football season this year and I feel like what kind of Aggie would I be if I didn’t blog about their success? We enjoyed tailgating and going to the games to support them. Forrest just found out a few days ago that he gets to go to the Cotton Bowl, lucky dog! His dad came across some tickets. Here are some pics of all of us tailgating before the Nebraska game. We won which made it our 8th win of the season. After beating Texas the following weekend (whoop!), our season stood at 9-3.

IRONMAN 70.3 Austin, TX

2010-12-10T14:09:00.001-08:00

I am so terribly sorry to my dear blog for neglecting you. It is very hard to get motivated when you are so behind, but we just got a little busy. No excuses though and I will try not to let it happen again!

Back in October, shortly after my triathlon, Forrest completed the Ironman 70.3 in Austin and did absolutely AMAZING. Aaron, Jeremy (friend), and Will (Aaron’s friend) joined him in the race. They all did so great- all of us girls were so proud.

I wish I could share the book I made Forrest– it has all of his thoughts, all pictures, it is so great at telling the story. In fact, if it is not too long I will maybe try and add some of that into here. Anyways, I am so proud of him. He worked so hard to get to this point. I cannot wait to cheer for him in the IRONMAN Texas in May 2011.

A note from the athlete himself:

“First and foremost.... I want to thank all of my family who made the trip to Austin to support Aaron and myself in the Longhorn 70.3 Ironman this past weekend. I was completely taken back at numerous moments of how much support we had. It would be ZERO exaggeration to say that Aaron and I had the best and loudest fans of anyone in the race. So a BIG THANK YOU to Aunt Dede, Rob, supa dupa paratrooper (Dyron), Kim, Madison, Rocky, Rod &Donna, Amberly, Natalie, Aiden, Ashton, My Parents and a big thank you to Megan as if it were not for her I would have never signed up for the event. Also, thanks Pop for picking up my slack around the ranch while I was training for the event. I am often reminded how lucky I am to have such a wonderful loving family that cares so much about each other and what is going on in each of our lives. Family is what makes everything in life all worth it.” -Forrest

Race Day!

2010-10-19T15:59:00.001-07:00

“Head to the starting line with the knowledge that the woman who starts the race is not the same as the woman who will finish it.” – Sally Edwards

Race day was eventful and filled with moments I could never explain. I can’t imagine going through the experience without all of my wonderful family being there by my side. Between Forrest, his parents, my parents, Amberly’s family, it seemed like someone was there every corner I made with a camera and a big smile. It made me feel so good and reminded me of how thankful I am for them.

So starting with the morning of:

I was extremely grateful that Forrest had set up accommodations for all of us at a lodge on site because that made such a difference in how we were all able to spend our morning. We didn’t have to deal with traveling, parking, waking up extra early, etc. It was absolutely perfect!

The day started at 5:30am which was the time that the transition area opened. Amberly and I rolled out of bed after waking up every couple of hours through the night thinking it was game time. The transition area was just opening up and we wanted to be some of the first ones down there to rack our bikes, which we were. The temperature outside was in the lower 60’s so it felt a little chilly. Feeling a little anxious at this point especially thinking about getting in that water!

Next we came back to the room to get ready, ate a little breakfast, and gathered all of our things. Then around 7am, we headed back down to the transition area to set our things up next to our bikes. We then went through the body marking area to get all of our numbers put on us and eventually made our way down to the swim start, setting our shoes up along the way. Soon it was time to put our lovely swim caps on and line up according to our wave.

The swim went well. I started in the back and fortunately did not experience any leg kicks to the face or anything like. I only choked on water once and had to stop to catch my breath. Other than that, I finished feeling good and ready to start the bike.

Amberly and I met up in transition after the swim which was nice because for the remainder of the event we were able to stay together. The bike course was difficult because of all the hills but we made it through.

We still had energy for the run but decided to take it easy. The course was a little rocky and the last mile was completely uphill. We finished strong and held each others hands as we crossed the finish line.

Afterwards we celebrated and had fun rooting the rest of the women on as they crossed the finish line!

Thank you to all my family for being so great to me and for all of the support this weekend. It means so much to me. and I will always cherish the memories we made!

Moment of Reflection before 10/03/10

2010-10-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Which is the day of the Trek Women’s Triathlon in Austin, TX. EEEEK!!

Thinking back about when I first considered doing one….I actually didn’t even consider for a second doing the whole thing because I was deathly afraid of getting on a BIKE especially one of those ones with skinny tires which I soon found out was called a road bike. Whoever came up with the metaphor, “it’s like riding a bike” in reference to one of those skills you never loose, is not someone I can relate to.

Anyways, I started out on Cheri’s cruiser and rode with her up and down the driveway (about 0.2 mi) at the ranch. She taught me how to turn and literally at one point held my shirt (think it was meant to be funny). I really was that rusty though. I did get the hang of it eventually, only falling once in the beginning (during a turn of course). Fortunately the fall wasn’t traumatic enough for me to sell my bike back.

As for the SWIM, I just had to get my body back into shape. Luckily since I used to swim when I was younger, I already had the form down which is a big obstacle for many beginner triathletes without swim backgrounds. I was able to build up pretty quickly, surprising myself how much I remember from 12 years ago. Gotta thank my mom for that – dragging me to swim practice all those mornings….thanks Mom!!

And as for the RUN, I have been jogging on and off for the past couple years. I mainly focused on just maintaining until I signed up for a half marathon in January 2011. Then I had to step it up a notch and start running longer distances.

Anyways, I mostly followed a TRAINING program set up by the triathlon organizers. The couple of weeks when it got more intense, picking up in frequency and all, I wasn’t able to stick to – just with school and all, I had to prioritize.

So after 10 weeks of preparation, the big day is here. It is hard to not have any doubts. Just have to think positive – or as Sally Edwards would say, think to yourself “I AM STRONG!” the whole way through.

My inspirational husband has been so supportive all along, telling me how great I am doing, giving me so much confidence. Amberly, I am so grateful for – she committed to doing it with me which made this whole process much more fun. And Cheri, my little bike riding partner. I am so blessed to have had her there for me/with me since day one.

Here are a few pics of all of us in Austin the night before the race.

Next up, the big day: RACE DAY