Angela & Keith

Unemployed: Week one

2012-05-27T18:25:00.000-05:00

This past week was my first week after I quit Hobby Lobby. It's been amazing. I haven't been this stress free in a long time! I'm glad I get this time before baby comes.

Sunday was good, but I didn't know what to do with myself. I sat a lot to make up for all the standing I had done the week before, and it made my back hurt so bad. So for the rest of the week I needed to plan things for myself so I could be on my feet more.

Monday I decided that I would start a big project: I'm going to attempt to redo this chair.

My grandmother got it for me when I was about 2 years old. It was always in my bedroom until I was a teenager. So it's been worn down quite a lot. When I took it apart it was so nasty. The foam pad for the seat was crumbling and the pillow cushion for the top was very dusty. I sanded the wood down a bit, and have primed it, but I'm still deciding on the fabric, so the actual paint color of the wood will be decided once I figure that out. It's either going to be bright white like it already is, or an off-white.

On Tuesday I kept myself busy by going swimming, first. It was awesome. I'll be doing a lot of swimming this summer because it makes me feel so light and airy! haha I also washed all of the baby's clothes. She had a lot!

Wednesday I went shopping with my sister-in-laws. It was very tiring, but very successful. I bought Keith a manly diaper backpack (because my diaper bag looks like a purse), and some things for the baby.

Thursday I had a doctors appointment. I thought it would be more than a regular check-up, but it wasn't. So I was in and out of there very quickly. Baby is doing well, though! :) Afterwards I was planning on shopping for supplies for the chair, but when I was on my way to Hobby Lobby I realized I didn't have my drivers licence so I went home. As I was leaving the house again, Keith pulled up. He had gotten off of work early. He wanted to go to San Marcos to the outlet mall so he can get some new work shoes. So that's what we did instead.

After we got done shopping, we went to Keith's parents house. Keith's dad surprised me with home made DOLE WHIP! I was shocked. I almost started crying. I had been craving them a couple weeks ago, and the only place to get a Dole Whip is either in Hawaii at the Dole plantation, or at either of the Disney parks in the U.S. So he had ordered the ingredients from Hawaii and made them in his ice cream maker! It was perfect. It's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me, too.

On Friday I finally did my shopping for the chair. I couldn't decide on any fabric, like I said. So I need to go to another fabric store in town and do some more shopping. It's a big commitment, because I hope it will last as long as it did for me. So I want to be sure I make a good choice.

Yesterday was my relaxation day. I took a shower, put on a maxi dress and just lounged all day. My mom and I got bored, so we did go to Target to buy some big baby items, but it was fun! What a good week.

34 weeks. Quit my job. YAY

2012-05-20T11:36:00.000-05:00

How far along? 34 Weeks

Maternity clothes? Yes, and the pants are getting tight on my belly.

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep: Ugh. When I do sleep, it's awesome. Last night I woke up 3 times because my tummy was upset.

Best moment this week: Having a surprise shower at work. And then having my last day of work yesterday!

Miss Anything? Being able to sit for more than a half hour without my back hurting.

Movement: There's always a party going on at about 9pm.

Food cravings: Sweet tarts.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Whatever I ate yesterday.

Have you started to show yet: Yes, but I don't think I've changed much in the past 2 weeks.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: Nope.

Belly Button in or out? Still in!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Maybe getting some maternity photos taken this week. :)

Baby Shower

2012-05-12T23:30:00.001-05:00

I don't know whether I'm just super happy or super hormonal, but the love I've felt today has brought me to tears several times. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many people who love Evangeline so much already. She's not even here yet!

Today was my baby shower. My awesome sister in law Megan and Aunt Beverly threw it together for me. I loved it. They worked so hard to make it a success and it was!

The thing that amazed me the most were the people who went above and beyond with the gifts. I don't ask for much, and a lot of the things we received were just so nice and unexpected (and so thoughtful!). I had to hold back the tears A LOT. After everyone left, I read all of the cards that came with the gifts all the way through and just about lost it.

Thank you so much to everyone who came, and who didn't come but still put in effort to show your love. I feel so loved. :)

8 weeks to go!

2012-05-06T16:45:00.000-05:00

How far along? 32 Weeks

Maternity clothes? I be wearing them full time.

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep: I'm not sleeping as well as I'd like still. It's hard to roll over swiftly, so I have to wake up and think about it and maneuver myself to the other side. Then I have to go back to sleep. I do this about 15 times a night. Poor Keith.

Best moment this week: Putting in my 2-week notice at work! Yay!

Miss Anything? Just a good-night's sleep.

Movement: She kicked my rib for the first time the other day.

Food cravings: Chocolate.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Work.

Have you started to show yet: Yeah, and everyone who just makes a prediction of the baby's sex before finding out I'm having a girl thinks I'm having a boy! It's because I'm sticking out and not around. It's got me worried... But I'm certain that I'm having a girl.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: Some Braxton Hicks contractions started, but only 2 this week.

Belly Button in or out? Still in!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Baby shower this Saturday!

30 weeks

2012-04-22T14:27:00.001-05:00

How far along? 30 Weeks

Maternity clothes? Some of the shirts are getting snug!

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep: Interrupted by dreams that wake me up crying. Thank you, pregnancy.

Best moment this week: Keith felt my belly when the baby had the hiccups. He thought it was the cutest thing ever!

Miss Anything? My brain. I walked into work a couple days ago and midway to the time clock, I realized that I was wearing flip flops. I had to go to Target to buy new shoes.

Movement: Yep. And it's starting to be uncomfortable.

Food cravings: Peanut butter.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Yesterday I was feeling a little sick, but I think it was just hunger.

Have you started to show yet: Everyone wants to comment.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: No, thank you.

Belly Button in or out? Still in!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Baby shower in a couple of weeks!

I painted a picture!!

2012-04-15T15:01:00.001-05:00

I wanted some artwork for the nursery, but I'm very picky when it comes to paintings. I often feel like I can do something myself for much cheaper than what the stores have. I also want things that are original. So that's why I decided to try this myself. I haven't painted anything since my sophomore year in high school, so I was a little nervous.

I started off by designing it on my computer. I found the perfect lotus flower picture on google images, and then added the text on Photoshop. It took me a long time to decide what to put as text. I first had "Ma Belle, Evangeline" on there, but thought that she might think that's cheesy later in life or something. lol So I went with "J'adore, J'taime" which is "I adore you, I love you" in french.

It's an homage to the scene in Princess and the Frog when Ray is singing "Ma Belle Evangeline" and the frogs are dancing on the lily pads. I loves it!

Anyway, so when I had it all designed out, I printed it out really small, and then used my handy dandy projector to project it onto a canvas. I traced the outline so it wouldn't come out all wonky if I did it free-hand. Then yesterday when Keith left for work I got right to it. I set up an easel using a piano bench and I went at it for 7 hours, trying to get the blending and colors just right. I did some laundry and ate lunch and dinner for breaks, but I was determined to finish. And I did! I'm proud of myself for actually finishing it.

It's going to go right above the crib. :)

28 Weeks

2012-04-12T22:30:00.001-05:00

I know you're probably tired of baby updates, but it's more exciting than talking about work or my cat, so here goes week 28! :)

How far along? 28 Weeks

Maternity clothes? Finally filling them out!

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep: Hormones apparently make it harder to stay asleep. For a couple days last week I wasn't getting much, but now I am and it's nice. We'll see how long that lasts.

Best moment this week: Our ultrasound. Baby was very stubborn (like her daddy) and didn't want to move the entire time. Everything is healthy and where it should be, but she had her face in my spine and wouldn't budge for pictures. Also like her daddy. lol

Miss Anything? Agility. I have to weave my body between customers and objects at work, and sometimes I ram my belly into things because I don't know my own girth.

Movement: Yess... and I love it.

Food cravings: Peanut butter.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Vitamins. I dry-heave after taking them every time. :(

Have you started to show yet: Yes. But even now it takes some people a while to realize I'm pregnant. I have only gained weight in the belly.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: No, thank you.

Belly Button in or out? Still in!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. Unless I am hungry. Then I am grumpy.

Looking forward to: Seeing what this little girl looks like! I know she'll be super cute. :)

work life

2012-03-25T23:41:00.001-05:00

Keith's new job is awesome. And he absolutely LOVES it. It makes me so happy to see him like this. He always has a good story to tell me when he comes home. The people at the Marriott love him too. He's so good at what he does, that they all think he's a mole or a transfer from another Marriott. He tells them he's just a new-hire and they are amazed. That's another reason why I think he loves it so much - he gets so much appreciation from his supervisors. He hasn't gotten that since he was at Disney.

He gets to take food home from restaurants at the hotel. Sometimes the concierge desk is treated with random food gifts that he also brings home. Last week he brought home a delicious chocolate cake from Kirby's Steakhouse. With that, he also got a $100 gift certificate to Kirby's. We used it last weekend and it paid for both of our entree's and then we just paid for our dessert and tips. It was a really fancy restaurant...

My job at the HOB LOB is getting to me. It's getting harder to stay on my feet all day, and to walk quickly to help customers. I feel so helpless sometimes... I am looking forward to my maternity leave already. I'll be leaving probably in mid-May. That's the plan for now, anyway...

26 weeks

2012-03-25T22:19:00.001-05:00

How far along? 26 Weeks

Maternity clothes? Love them, but I can apparently still fit into some pre-pregnancy shirts (above).

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep: It's harder to wake up these days. I don't think I'm getting enough sleep.

Best moment this week: Cuddling with Keith and talking about the baby the other day. He listens to my concerns about the future and then gets me so excited to be a mommy. I love him.

Miss Anything? Being able to just hop up from a sitting or laying position. I sometimes forget how pregnant I am.

Movement: Yes, it's awesome. Though the other night she was so active that it was almost annoying. lol

Food cravings: Peanut butter.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Work.

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: No, thank you.

Belly Button in or out? Still in!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Maternity leave. Working on my feet all day is hard.

24.

2012-03-11T19:05:00.001-05:00

How far along? 24 Weeks

Maternity clothes? Yeah I wear them, and I need to stop buying them.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: On my back, but the sides are getting more comfortable.

Best moment this week: Spending my day off going on adventures with Keith.

Miss Anything? Shopping for normal clothes. I went to Ross the other night and saw all kinds of cute dresses that I can't wear.

Movement: Every day! I loves it.

Food cravings: Jello.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: No, thank you.

Belly Button in or out? In, but starting to get shallower!

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Decorating the nursery.

Funny story of the week: We registered at the hospital we will have the baby at this week. I went in just to get my blood drawn, but the whole process took 2 hours. ANYWAY, the funny thing is that the lady who registered us was asking Keith and I questions like our phone numbers, our work information, birth dates, etc. When Keith said his birthday was January 8th, the lady gasped. Keith said "Elvis Presley." and then that's all the lady wanted to talk about from then on out (Elvis' birthday is the same day as Keith's). She would ask us a question pertaining to the registration, and then talk about Elvis. This went on for a half hour. When she left the room, I busted up laughing because it reminded me SO much of the FRIENDS episode where Phoebe was having the triplets and her doctor was a huge Fonzie fan. It was just like that. She was OBSESSED.

22 Weeks

2012-02-26T19:46:00.001-06:00

How far along? 22 Weeks

Maternity clothes? Almost full time now. I have one pair of pants that still fit.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Still on my back most of the time, but sleeping is starting to get uncomfortable.

Best moment this week: Going to Ikea for baby room stuff! We got a crib.

Miss Anything? My normal clothes. I miss wearing some things.

Movement: More and more each week. I'm pretty sure she did a back flip in me the other day. Weirdest/coolest feeling ever.

Food cravings: Chocolate. Nothing new there.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: No, thank you.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Shopping for baby girl things!

Good News!

2012-02-26T19:30:00.001-06:00

Keith got a new job! It's something he's been wanting for a long time. He applied back in November, and never got an interview. He applied again a couple weeks ago, and had an interview. He was really nervous, but they liked him and asked to see him again in a second interview. In that one, he said that they sat him down and asked him the first question and then just talked the whole time about everything under the sun - for an hour! At the end the interviewer was running late for a meeting and had to rush out, but told him to go to HR to fill out the new-hire paper work! I'm so proud of him. Here's where he'll be working:

The San Antonio JW Marriott. He'll be a full-time concierge. :)

He's so perfect for the job and he's so excited for it. I don't think he's been this excited about a job since he worked at Disney. See that golf course? It's a PGA golf course. That's one of the reasons he's so excited. lol
We don't know when he'll start. Right now we're waiting on his background check and drug test to pass.

He quit at Hobby Lobby to go to school full time. Also, he did not like it there. Our plan for that was that he would finish school really fast so that we can move to Florida faster. If he was still doing school when the baby was born, he would stay at home and take care of her while I went back to work. Well, after a while I started to think about it, and I remembered our puppy Nero that we had in Florida. Read our blog posts on how that went here. Basically, I couldn't STAND going to work leaving Nero at home, and he was just a puppy! I can't imagine how I'll act with my own child. Just to be safe, we decided that Keith should get a full time job after all. I'll be on maternity leave for 12 weeks, and it's unpaid. That's too long to go without making money, and just in case I decide I don't want to go back to work full time, we have backup, which takes a LOT of pressure off of me. I'm a happy lady now.

Baby Girl

2012-02-14T21:09:00.001-06:00

It's a girl! The old wives tales were right! Chinese calendar: wrong!

The ultrasound was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I'm glad I got to share that moment with Keith, and our mothers. It was really special.

The name we've decided on is Evangeline Rose. Rose is my middle name, and Evangeline is inspiration from this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgt52HvlLRE from the Disney movie Princess and the Frog. I think it's such a pretty name, and it can be shortened into so many nicknames. Keith already plans on calling her Jelly. lol :D

Halfway done!!

2012-02-12T17:32:00.001-06:00

It's crazy to think that I'm already 20 weeks along. I went to the doctor (finally) on Thursday. He gave me a due date of "late june." haha... So we'll say June 30th. I didn't get an ultrasound, but we scheduled one for tomorrow afternoon! So we will probably find out the sex of the baby then. We did hear a healthy heartbeat, so that was awesome! I can't wait til tomorrow.

Like I've said before, I feel like the baby is a boy. The only reason I'm so sure is because the chinese gender chart said it would be, and the fact that there are so many boys in our family helps that hypothesis. I've been looking at the silly old wives tales you hear about that figure out the sex of the baby. I've observed them all and most of them point to GIRL. Here they are.

Old wives tale #1:
Heart Rate under 140: boy
Over 140: Girl
Mine was 152 = Girl

Old Wives Tale #2:
Tie your wedding ring to a string and hold it over your pregnant belly.
If the ring swings back and forth: Girl
If the ring spins in a circle: Boy
My ring swung back and forth: Girl

Old Wives Tale #3
Chinese Gender Chart
According to the chart: Boy

Old Wives Tale #4
Dad gaining weight too: Boy
Dad not gaining weight: Girl
Keith is the same. GIRL

Old Wives Tale #6
Growing more hair like your leg hair: Boy
Growing same amount of hair: Girl
Mine has actually slowed down... so Girl.

Old Wives Tale #7
Craving Sweet: Girl
Craving Sour: Boy
I have enjoyed the sweets. Girl

Old Wives Tale #8
Morning sickness in the morning or not at all: Boy
Morning sickness all day or at night: Girl
Nauseated all day, but mostly the morning. I only threw up once, so I don't know if that counts. We'll say BOY for this one.

Old Wives Tale #9:
Acne
If you don't have very much acne or none at all: Boy
If your acne has gotten much worse: Girl
It got worse than EVER. Girl

Old Wives Tale #10
Sleep more on your left side: Boy
Sleep more on your right side: Girl
I usually sleep on my right side. Girl

Old Wives Tale #11
Carrrying high: Girl
Carrying low: Boy
I think I'm in the middle. Undecided.

We shall find out soon!

Now for the bi-weekly update.

How far along? 20 Weeks

Maternity clothes? I got a bunch from a lady in my ward who is about the same size as me, and I've also spent some money at Ross and Old Navy. It's very exciting. I've started to wear the pants. I don't think I'll go back to regular pants. They're sooo comfortable!!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: It's still most comfortable to sleep on my back, but I know I shouldn't so I try to catch myself.

Best moment this week: Hearing baby's heartbeat for the first time.

Miss Anything? My breath. I get winded so much easier these days.

Movement: Yes, baby loves to kick when I sit or lay down after a day's work.

Food cravings: None recently, really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.

Have you started to show yet: So much so that customers at HL ask me about it.

Gender: Still thinking it's a boy. We'll find out tomorrow, hopefully!

Labor Signs: No, thank you.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. A stranger has said that I'm "glowing" this week. haha

Looking forward to: First ultrasound tomorrow!!!!

Another funny thing from last week: I was ringing up a customer at work, and she asked me "How far bred are you?"

I said "...I don't know what that means..." she pointed to my belly. I asked "You can tell?" and she said "Yes, and it's going to be a boy!"

She was the first stranger to ask me how far along I was, and she used a term for livestock. Thanks, lady! lol

Bigger.

2012-02-02T19:09:00.001-06:00

How far along? 18 Weeks? (Unofficially)

Maternity clothes? My mom bought me some shirts last week. They're still a little big for now. I need to wear my normal clothes while I still can, anyway!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: I've read that I shouldn't sleep on my back, but I still do. It's still more comfortable than on my sides...

Best moment this week: I got a haircut today to help me feel less frumpy. And I got a discount! YES.

Miss Anything? My clear skin. These hormones have me breaking out like crazy. But I got a new face wash that seems to be helping a lot.

Movement: Yes! A lot now. Still not sure if it's the baby or my imagination, though. :)

Food cravings: None recently, really.

Anything making you queasy or sick: My vitamins, still.

Have you started to show yet: It's becoming more and more obvious.

Gender: Still thinking it's a boy. We call it "He" when talking about it..

Labor Signs: No, thank you.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! But kinda sad in the past few days (work stuff).

Looking forward to: My first appointment next Thursday!

So today I came up with a name for a boy: Douglas. Here's why: First of all, it's a family name on Keith's side. It's his grandpas name. Second, we can call him Doug for short and then say things like "Thanks for the invite. Can we bring our Doug?" and "Our Doug has learned a new trick! He can roll over now." IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE "DOG."

Keith and I were in the car talking about this and I was cracking up. He doesn't like the name for our child, though. :(

Pregnancy So Far

2012-01-30T19:31:00.002-06:00

Here's the story so far.

November 6th, 2011 - I was concerned because of my late-ness, so I had my mom go to Walgreens to get me a pregnancy test. I had her go because I didn't want to stress Keith out. He was aware that I was late, but wasn't concerned and I didn't show my concern in order to keep him calm. I took the test so that if it was positive, I could just know, and if it was negative, I could stop stressing. Well, within 20 seconds of taking the test, the word "pregnant" showed up. My first response was shock. After all, we were not planning or preparing for it. I then started crying and kinda taking it all in making sure I wasn't dreaming. I was SO scared (still am, by the way!). I told my mom first, and after a couple minutes and wiping away the tears, got the guts to go tell Keith. I took him to our bedroom to tell him, and when I did, he was SO sweet about it. I was expecting him to be a little shocked, but he was happy and excited and that took a lot of the edge off of me. I felt so much better knowing he was so happy. His excitement turned my fear into excitement. I have such an awesome husband. :)

The next couple of days were hard to keep a secret from friends at work and from our family. We wanted to go to his parents house that night to tell them all, but we waited until the next day. I then told my side of the family on our facebook group, and then leaked it to some friends as the weeks went by. I told my bosses when I was about 12 weeks pregnant.

I set up a doctors appointment for December 26th even though I still didn't have insurance. I wanted to make sure everything was fine and dandy, and maybe hear a heartbeat! Keith and I both got the time off of work to go, and we were really excited. When we got to the doctor's office, the nurse behind the counter looked at us funny and asked why we were there. "...I have an appointment" I said. She came back later and told us that the doctor was on vacation. She said "We tried to call you, but we didn't have your phone number..." Yeeeeahhhh right. We left that place very disappointed. We tried calling to make an appointment for the same day somewhere else, but all the doctors were on vacation. So we waited until we got back from vacation to schedule another (Feb 9th).

So far I haven't had much morning sickness. I've had nausea in the mornings but only threw up once. In December with all the celebrations it was hard because all the food that was presented to me just didn't appeal to me. I think I lost a few pounds. Other than the nausea, it's been a pretty easy pregnancy so far. I was afraid I would at least be an emotional mess, but I've been quite pleasant! Keith has been great to me, also. Even though I'm still perfectly capable to do things, he wants to do them for me. He makes me feel beautiful when I'm feeling fat and ugly. I love him!

I'm fascinated by pregnancy. I've always wanted to know what it feels like. So I've been giving the girls at work a play by play description of how everything feels, and what I'm thinking about. They think it's funny. I think it's great that my coworkers are so excited for me, too. They buy me baby toys and one of my managers bought me a "what to expect when you're expecting" book. This baby is already loved by so many people! That makes me happy.

I've been feeling the baby move a lot lately, which is really neat. Since I haven't been to the doctor, I was always worrying about whether the baby was still in there or not. I took pregnancy tests to make sure I was still pregnant, and that was really the only validation I ever got. Now I just feel the baby move and it reassures me. This is a recent thing. I felt the first movement a couple weeks ago, but now I feel it everyday.

Keith and I are really excited to have an ultrasound soon to see what the baby looks like. I just wanna make sure it looks human and that it's healthy and all that. We'll also be able to see whether it's a boy or a girl so that I can return some baby clothes that I've bought (I bought for both sexes. haha).

Anyway, that's my baby story so far. :)

16 weeks?

2012-01-20T22:27:00.002-06:00

How far along? 16 Weeks? (Unofficially)

Maternity clothes? Nope, but very tempted to buy some. They look comfy.

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: I didn't sleep well on vacation, but now I'm good. I go to bed WAY early now though. I get sleepy at 8:00 these days.

Best moment this week: Finally scheduling a doctors appointment!

Miss Anything? My flexibility. I can't really sit up quickly anymore.

Movement: I thought I felt a little something 2 days ago. It felt like something adjusting. I couldn't tell what it was.

Food cravings: Hot dogs tonight.

Anything making you queasy or sick: My vitamins.

Have you started to show yet: Yes. Either that or I am bloated like crazy.

Gender: I'm 80% sure it's a boy.

Labor Signs: No, thank you.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On (and still a bit loose thanks to the cold.)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Finding out the sex in a couple weeks hopefully!

Babymoon to Disney World

2012-01-18T20:03:00.000-06:00

It was so much fun! We have missed that place.
We stayed on property the whole time which was new for us. We loved the free transportation that came with it! It was a stress-free trip.

We started out the first day there at Hollywood Studios to see the Festival of Dancing Lights. We got there on the last day they were doing it. It was cool to see all the Christmas decorations still up everywhere. They took them down as the week passed.
At HS we met up with our good friend, Josh. It was a nice reunion! After we played at the park, Josh was nice enough to take us to Wallgreens to get some things we forgot at home. haha

The next day was Keith's birthday! We went to Epcot for lunch at the Nine Dragons restaurant in China. We then met up with Josh and walked to the Boardwalk. The Disney ID I had was going to expire in a couple days so I needed to get it done asap and my managers would help me. While I was there I saw my favorite manager, Alliette. She was happy to see me. The new manager there said that since I was there he would like me to take some training courses on the computer. I ended up doing one course but it was only because they were yanking my chain about it. After that, I left to hang out with Keith who was patiently waiting for me outside. It was weird that they had me do that after I told them I was on VACATION. haha anyway, whatever it takes to get them off my case I guess.
We went to Epcot again and ran into a bunch of Keith's old managers. It was fun to see Keith so excited to be home.
After Epcot we went to the Magic Kingdom to watch the castle show and fireworks.

On Monday I woke up really early in order to get to Access Control (the place that issues ID cards). I went without Keith so he could sleep in. I had to take the bus to the Magic Kingdom and when I got there the plan was to somehow enter the underground tunnels to get to another bus that would take me to access control. When I got to the MK gates, my ID was not allowing me into the park. I told the ticket taker lady my situation and her manager let me in "to be nice". The park had not yet been officially opened so I had to wait outside and watch the opening ceremony. I was not expecting that. I had never seen it and always wanted to see it. It was so magical! Then the rope dropped and everybody ran into the park! I saw what Mainstreet USA looks like with no one on it during the day, and they had the horse-drawn trolleys out! Again, I had never seen those in real life. I had to stop and take that all in. I shed a happy tear, and went on my way.
I went to guest relations to see if someone there could help me into the tunnels. I told the cast member behind the counter what the situation was, and he said "I'll do you one better." He had another cast member DRIVE me to Access Control. AMAZING. I would have had to have walked a long way, and I don't know my way around the tunnels. I was so appreciative of that. That's when I said on Facebook that Disney is awesome because they take great care of their CMs. My mom thinks it's because I'm a cute little lady that they did that for me, though. lol
I got my ID just fine, and everything went smoothly. Phew! I was having nightmares about it months before I left.
The rest of the week we spent hanging out at whatever park we felt like, watching shows and riding kiddie rides. It was so much fun though. I'm so grateful for Keith. He didn't even ask to ride a crazy ride while we were there. He just wouldn't think of it. I was the one saying "Can we ride that?" and he would say "Absolutely not." And he never showed any sadness for that. We did ride Big Thunder Mountain, because I insisted I would be fine. Keith was a nervous nelly the whole time though. He's such a sweet guy.
On Friday Keith's friend Wes came to visit, and they rode all the crazy rides that day. I mostly walked around gift shops and took pictures of things. It was a sad day, but I kept cool because, hey, I was at Disney World. There was no need to be depressed. :)

I'm very glad for this trip. We got to experience all kinds of things we had never done, and we got to do it one last time as a couple. The next time we go, we'll have a stroller and all kinds of bulkiness to carry around. Fun!

My first belly picture...

2011-12-31T20:39:00.000-06:00

How far along? 14 Weeks? (Unofficially)

Maternity clothes? Nope

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: It's awesome when I get it.

Best moment this week: Second Trimester!

Miss Anything? Roller Coasters.

Movement: Not yet

Food cravings: Fruit

Anything making you queasy or sick: Chicken, and dirty laundry.

Have you started to show yet: A little... I think? I'm in denial. It just seems like fat or a lot of food in my belly.

Gender: I think it's a boy.

Labor Signs: No, thank you.

Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On (and a bit loose thanks to the cold.)
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Taking our baby to Disney World next week!

We've been keeping a secret...

2011-12-28T11:13:00.001-06:00

I think it's safe to tell now though.

(preggers)

That's right! We're going to have a wee baby! I'm about 3 months along now. (Due late June or Early July)

We still haven't been to the doctor yet. I don't have insurance until February, so for now, we're just reading the signs. I've been super tired and nauseated for the past 2 months, but it's starting to go away now. I was supposed to go the doctor on Monday, but they cancelled on me when I got there! To get validation that the baby was in there still, I took this pregnancy test and took a picture this time.

We're incredibly scared and excited all at the same time.

Christmas Festivities

2011-12-26T20:42:00.002-06:00

Christmas this year was nice. We had both our families close by so we spent time with both. On Christmas Eve I worked, but after work Keith and I went to visit my brother and sister in law - Mike and Megan. We ate lasagna, opened presents and enjoyed each others' company.

On Christmas morning Keith and I went to church. I was kinda unhappy about waking up so early, but it was totally worth it. We listened to some great talks, and sang Christmas Hymns. After church Keith and I caught up with some friends visiting the ward, including Eric and Kim Dudley (who are expecting a baby now!). It was a nice Christmas morning.

After church Keith and I got ready to go to his parents house. Everyone was all dressed up and we all looked so classy! We took some family pictures opened presents like that, and then we changed into our pajamas and played games. We also got to watch some of their old home videos and that was a riot! The ones we watched were from when Keith was a teenager, so we didn't see much of him, but it was fun to watch the kids when they were little. lol

When I was looking at the second picture tonight, I realized that we had a similar picture taken a long time ago.

April 2006

Look how young we are! Crazy.

Another year older.

2011-12-21T22:35:00.000-06:00

My birthday was the 13th. I did most of my celebrating on the weekend before though. On Friday, Keith's family had dinner celebration for all the people who have birthdays on the last half of the year. Keith's grandmother (Nana) took us all to the Olive Garden. On Sunday we had a birthday party for Nana and I at Keith's family's house. Nana's birthday is the 12th, so we shared the celebration.

On the 12th Keith took me to the Hard Rock Cafe downtown (just like old times) and we had an enormous amount of food. It was kinda sad though, because they are remodeling the Hard Rock so we weren't able to sit in our normal spot (or even recognize it!). I had been working all day, so I was pretty tired and just wanted to go home and relax.

I had to work on my birthday, which was a huge bummer, but it wasn't a terrible day. I got to sleep in, and when I woke up, I woke up to this bad boy:

So far, I love it. It's super fast and it's got a webcam built in! I have an external webcam for my old one, so this is exciting to me. My old laptop is falling apart. It's 6 years old. The screen is falling off and it started leaking! No bueno. So Keith let me get a new computer. It's beautiful. I'm using it right now!

Keith's New Jobby

2011-12-07T00:35:00.001-06:00

Keith has a job now! He works with me at Hobby Lobby! hahaha we're back to where we started.
Last week my boss was talking to me before I left to go home and asked me what Keith was up to these days (Keith had introduced himself a couple of months earlier and mentioned he might need a job if things don't work out with the job he was with). I said "nothing" and he asked if Keith wanted to work in the home accents department. I laughed and said "no, I don't think he would like that".
You see, that's the department I was working in before I quit the first time, so he knows what it's like to work with the lady who works there. I told this to my boss, but said I would ask him anyway.
As I was leaving the building, Keith was there to greet me. So I had him talk to my boss and Keith left him with an "I'll think about it".
The next morning he was working there. It was super quick! We had talked about it the night before, and decided that if anything, it was a great temporary job. My boss was so desperate for him to work there that he told him he could stay until something else came along. Also, he's full time. It's kind of a big deal.
So far it's been weird seeing him around work, but it's kinda like how it was when we first got married and worked together. It's fun.

We're pretty excited about something else...

We're going to Disney World next month! Yayayayayaa!!

After the Christmas season I'll definitely need a break from work, and Disney World makes me sooooooo happy! It pretty much gets me through hard days already. Just knowing that in a month we'll be there. Ahh...

We were going to go on a Disney Cruise, but I was too late in deciding and getting time cleared, that I missed that opportunity. So now we're just going to hang out at Disney World for a week and just take it easy. Maybe next year we'll go on a cruise.

We're still planning on moving back to Florida. It will probably be by the end of next year. At least that's the plan for now. We'll see if things change...

A whole month?

2011-11-16T22:52:00.001-06:00

I am SLACKIN'.

I wish I had exciting things to talk about. Keith and I work work work. My new position is working out fine. I'm really liking the responsibilities and influence I have. I'm getting a lot of praise from the boss, so I'm feeling pretty good. Next week is the official start to the Christmas shopping section, so I'm preparing emotionally for that.

Keith has been applying for jobs around town, but no luck yet. He's hoping to work at a hotel somewhere close so he can get experience in the tourism field. Hopefully he'll find something soon.

We're planning on going to Disney World in January, so that has us excited. This time I won't be going there to work. It's going to be strictly FUN ONLY. That won't be hard. We miss that place.

I put our Christmas decorations up! I got myself a little tree from Garden Ridge and decorated it with tiny little ornaments. It's super cute. Maybe I'll take a picture and post it later.

Promoted

2011-10-16T22:06:00.001-05:00

For the past couple of months at Hobby Lobby I've been trying to get a full time position. I finally got it! I'm the new Customer Service Manager. Hooray!

The CSM before me, Jessica, was a really sweet girl, and to be honest, seeing her stress out about her job had me stressed out. When she told me she was moving, I knew I would be asked to replace her. Sure enough, I was. I was really excited at first. My boss asked me if I wanted the position and I was like HECK yes. But then I started watching Jessica to see how things went for her, and it scared me. She hated her job. The week she left I was feeling the pressure to make a decision. On Monday night I was sick to my stomach thinking about it, and I had a hard time falling asleep. When I finally went to sleep, I was dreaming about how stressed out I was. I was seriously considering turning the job down.

The next morning I went to work 20 minutes early to talk to my boss about it. First of all, my boss is incredibly intimidating. He is scary to a lot of us who work at HL. I get along with him well, but it was still a little scary to talk to him about it. I am so afraid of letting people down. Anyway, I built up the courage to go talk to him and I told him about how stressed I was and I started CRYING to him about it. I'm sure he thought I was crazy. He was completely understanding though. He told me not to worry about it, and that I didn't HAVE to take the job now, or ever. He talked me down, and I decided to give it more thought.

I was off and on about the whole thing for days, but finally I decided that I would take it. It's a $4 pay raise with benefits. Plus, I'm not the same person as Jess, and even though she hated her job, doesn't mean I would too. So I'm giving it a shot.

I'm pretty excited. I even went out and bought some more professional styled clothes. lol

So far I've been CSM for 3 days, and so far so good. I'm kinda liking it! I'm sure I'll enjoy the paycheck I get next week, as well. lol. We'll see how things go in the next couple of weeks. I may not have the same attitude around Christmas time. :)