A Braces Update

I've had braces for a little over 100 days now.  It really is going quickly.  Most days I forget that I have them, but then there is the occasional day when they bother me all day.  Days when I just feel like I have a mouth full of metal and there is absolutely no room left.  

Dr. Lay has been very pleased with my progress.  I have fast moving teeth.  Praise the Lord for that!! Not going to lie, it makes me hopeful that I might not have to wear them for a full two years.  I feel like there are constantly new gaps forming as my teeth move.  Flossing gets easier and easier.  My gaps from the extractions are closing up which means less food gets stuck there.

Speaking of food, eating with braces is an experience in and of itself.  When out in public I try to eat my entire meal without speaking.  You just never know when you are going to have a huge piece of something stuck behind your wire.  It's disgusting.  The sounds Andrew and I make while trying to clean our teeth mid meal are so nasty.  I'm glad we are doing it together.  Certain foods are worse that others.  Bread and melted cheese are the worst.  And of course they are in or on all my favorite foods.  Andrew has pretty much stopped eating bread. He eats taco salad instead of tacos or hamburger patties instead of hamburgers.  I'm not willing to do that so if we sit down to a meal together and I don't speak,  I'm not being rude.  I'm just trying not to ruin your appetite.

This is our favorite teeth cleaning tool.

While my teeth are moving quickly and I'm making great process, Andrew's teeth are moving nice and slow.  I've been telling him that I would be out of braces before him.  He just has big strong teeth that are perfectly content where they are.  His last appointment was Monday and Dr. Lay strapped all his teeth together with power chain.  Doesn't look fun at all.

He also received his bottom retainer and slept in for the first time.  I asked how it was and he just said fine.  Apparently it's not a big deal.

All in all life with braces is going pretty well.

Five on Friday

one.  My sweetheart is coming home today.  I could not be happier.  He has be gone for 10 days.  10 very long days.  I am ready to go pick him up at the airport later this evening.

two. My latest swimsuit from Lime Ricki arrived today.  I am in love with it.

I normally only purchase from their clearance section so when I first saw this swimsuit I knew I would order it as soon as it the clearance section.  Then they sold out of it.  I was so upset.  When it came back a few weeks ago during a 25% off sale I splurged and ordered it.  I cannot wait to wear it.  I love Lime Ricki.  Cute & modest swimsuits.  I don't own any other swim suits anymore.  And they aren't giving me anything for saying this, I just love their swimsuits.  

three.  I had an orthodontist appointment Wednesday.  Pretty routine.  Teeth are moving like they are supposed to be and Dr. Lay was pleased with my progress.  I sweet talked his assistant Stacey into changing my bands so I could have a new color.  I was over the teal.  Now I have pink!  You can hear more about my appointment here.

four.  I've been wanting to do something different with my hair.  I'm thinking I might be ready to grow it out again.  I bought a curling wand earlier this week to try something different.  I found a video on youtube that inspired my purchase.  I haven't tried it yet because it's summer.  I'm not one to fix my hair to sit at home alone.  But I might try it out tonight before picking up the husband.  If not tonight then I will definitely try it out next week since I have workshops ever day and have to actually go out in public.  Do any of you use one?  I'd love to hear what brand/kind and any tips that you have.  

five. Andrew and I recently went through and cleaned out our closets in preparation for our upcoming yard sale.  I realized I have no khakis.  Mine were in rough shape.  I'm going to need new ones before school starts.  Khakis are an easy way to be comfortable on those days I don't feel like getting all dressed up.  Do you have khakis that you love?  Where are they from?  

Our First Date

Throwback Thursday is one of my favorite things.  It gives me an excuse to go back and look at old pictures.  I thought it would be fun to share a throwback story with you guys.  It's one of my favorite stories.  

Our First Date.

I had just turned 18 and A was 20.  We were both in college at the University of Arkansas.  WPS! We had met the summer before at church. One day in September while enjoying some much needed retail therapy I saw A in the mall.  He worked at a cell phone booth at the time.  We exchanged that look of hey - I think I might know you.

I remember walking over to talk to him which honestly was out of character for me.  I think I was just desperate for a friend.  I was the introvertest of all introverts and was missing home.  

I don't remember what we talked about but at the end of the conversation he wrote WEAVER on a piece of paper with his phone number and I gave him my phone number.  I remember looking at that piece of paper and trying to decipher his last night which clearly I didn't know.  HAHA!

He told me he would call me. 

 I was pretty much a nervous wreck from then until the time he called.  Sitting in my door room watching TV and the phone rang.  It had to be him.  I didn't have any friends who would be calling and at that point my roommate was living with her boyfriend so no one ever called for her.

The phone rang and rang.  I didn't answer it.

I was too scared.  I didn't know what to say.  I had never really dated before.

Some time passed and the phone rang again.  And rang and rang.  For the second time I didn't answer it out of fear.

That time though I told myself that he called back I would answer.

Little did I know that at the same time he was telling his roommate that he was only calling one more time.  If I didn't answer he was giving up and moving on.

Third time's a charm.

That time when the phone rang I answered and made up some story about not answering the first two times because I was doing laundry.

We made plans for him to pick me up on Sunday.

I wore khaki pants with my shirt tucked in and a belt.  This is funny to me now because it is so not me.  And it is so not a first date outfit.  I'm not sure what possessed me to wear it.

He surprised me when he knocked on my dorm room door.  Because of the dorm security I thought he would have to call up and ask to be let in, but he sweet talked someone into letting him in.

I don't really remember any of the conversation we had that night other than the getting to know each other stuff.  I remember telling him I wanted to be a teacher.  

He opened every single door for me that night.  Something no other date had ever done for me.  He was such a gentleman.  We went to Applebee's where we shared a plate of nachos.  We didn't even really eat there.  Maybe we were both nervous.  I don't know.  I remember donating money and signing our names to a flag that they hung up on the wall.   It was right after 9/11.

After  Applebee's we went back to his apartment and hung out.  We talked and watched TV and then he drove me back to my dorm.

No kiss on that first date.  I didn't think anything about it.  I wasn't disappointed or relieved.  

I was just excited to have spent the evening hanging out with another person instead of sitting alone in my dorm room.

I think after that first date we both told people it would never go anywhere and that we would just be friends.

Glad we were wrong about that.

I only wish we had pictures from our first date.  But sadly we don't so here is a picture of us two years after our first date.  We were newly engaged and in Destin with his family.  I have no idea why I'm not smiling in this picture, but I love it.  We were so young.

While the Husband is Away...

Andrew has been gone since last Wednesday.  Needless to say I am more than ready for my man to come home.  It gets lonely being here all day and all night alone.  I know he is ready to be home too.  He works hard!

While he has been away I've driven his new work truck. Okay so I just moved it out of the driveway to mow the yard, but it was still an adventure.

I mailed our three care packages to soldiers overseas.  I was a little upset/frustrated when I went to mail them because I had just realized that I lost one of the diamond earrings Andrew got me for Christmas several years ago.  When I arrived at the post office they informed that I had to count and list every single thing in all three boxes.  This wouldn't have been a big deal but there were some things that were bought in bulk at Sam's that I had opened.  The boxes they came in took up a lot of room so I put them in ziplock bags so they would easily fit in the care packages.  It took me a bit to count everything which honestly only added to my frustration.  

Then another customer in line asked if I was mailing them to soldiers.  When I said yes he asked to pay for shipping.  That sweet man stood there with me for well over five minutes waiting on the paperwork to be finished and then paid to ship all three boxes.  

It was the sweetest thing.

While we were waiting I was able to tell him about our porch party and how our family put these boxes together.  He told me about his two nephews that had served overseas and were now back home.

I've spent a few hours on the river with my Daddy.

I've worked on projects for my classroom.

I've given the LBs a much needed bath.  That's a workout!

I've gone through old pictures and reminisced and laughed.

So I guess it hasn't been all bad, but I'm still ready for the husband to be home.

Admitting Infertility

I always imagined that when Andrew and I decided it was time to have a baby it would be this very sweet and personal decision.  No one would know we were trying and then BAM we would surprise the world - well maybe not the world but our family and friends -  with the most exciting news of our lives.

Three years later and things have gotten a little less sweet and little less personal.

I am constantly going back and forth with how much of this journey I am comfortable with sharing on my blog.  My blog is my scrapbook.  It's our memories and there is a part of me that wants to record every little detail because of that.  I want to remember everything including what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling about this whole process.

But there's also a part of me that wants to keep this journey as private and personal as possible.  

Maybe I can find that fine line of sharing this journey for memories sake but also keeping it personal for us.

If you follow me on instagram you've probably noticed that I've had a few doctor's appointments lately.   Andrew and I had our first appointment at Arkansas Fertility the last week of May.  It was such a strange feeling walking into that building.  I was incredibly nervous and excited and so many other emotions all at the same time.  I had no idea what to expect and was slightly fearful that it was going to be a painful experience.  Plus I was walking into a doctor's office to talk about something very personal with a complete stranger.  Nothing like telling a complete stranger all about your period and your sex life.  

Then I walked into the waiting room and saw all these other couples sitting there waiting.  I can't explain what I felt.  Just looking at those couples and knowing they were there for the same reason we were.  My heart broke for them and even though I didn't know them I wanted to walk up to each one of them and hug them and tell them I was praying for them.  It was also encouraging to me because it was like "Okay, we are not alone.  Other people are walking on this journey too."  I also thought about our sweet niece, Amelia, and how she was in our lives with the help of the staff in that building.  

I felt encouraged.

That first appointment was very anti-climatic.  I'm not sure what I expected...maybe walking out with a positive pregnancy test?  Ha!  Just kidding.  I just had it built up in my head to be this huge deal.  We were finally admitting infertility and seeking help and in my mind that was huge.  Turns out that just means more waiting.  

We were there two hours for probably 30 minutes worth of conversation and testing.

This guy though...he kept me entertained the entire time.  There is no one else I would rather wait with.  

Since that first appointment Andrew has gone in for his test and I've had two more appointments - one of which was just blood work.

All test have yielded "normal" results.  Nothing is jumping out as a problem.  

That is such a blessing and I am so thankful that everything looks normal.

We're normal.  We've been tested.

Ha!

But at the same time it feels like we aren't getting any answers.  They haven't said this is why you haven't gotten pregnant and this is how we are going to fix it.

I've said from the beginning that I thought it would be hard for me to not put too much faith in the doctors and human ability.  Everything being normal sort of eliminates that issue.  I'm left with no choice but to continue to trust in God for this sweet baby of ours.

That in itself is an answer to prayer.

Our next step is to schedule a follow up with our doctor.  I'm not really sure where we go from here.  I have no idea what he will suggest and I'm not even really sure what we are prepared to do. 

Neither one of us feel ready to do anything major like IVF not to mention that it isn't an option financially right now.  

I just keep praying and hoping that we won't need the follow up appointment.  At my HSG test this week the X-ray tech told me that her daughter-in-law found out she was pregnant with twins the month after her HSG.  I've heard multiple stories like that.

I would gladly take that outcome.

But if we have twins - which I would LOVE - we are going to need someone to move in with us.  

Five On Friday

one.

Tuesday night was date night.  Dinner and Bruno Mars.  It was such a fun show.  Very entertaining.



two.

With all our traveling this past week, the LBs have spent a lot of time outside.  I think they were happy to spend the day inside with me today.  I was working on my computer this morning and Lincoln cried until I put it away and made room for the two of them.  Can you say spoiled?


three.

Have you seen this show?  It has become one of my favorites.  I watch it all the time.


four.

This just made me giggle.  Sometimes you need a little humor in the midst of infertility.


five. 

 Those 1/2 price shakes....

Our Mini Vacation

Saturday morning Andrew and I packed up and hit the road for a mini vacation in Branson.

I was especially excited for this weekend together because A is getting ready for a lengthy business trip.  I already miss him.  

As soon as we arrived in Branson we hit the outlet mall.  I was on a mission to find something to wear for family pictures in Destin later this summer.  I found a few good deals but nothing for pictures.

No worries though, I found something that was perfect that evening at Branson Landing.

We haven't been to Branson since 2004 so Branson Landing was new to us.  It is such a fun place for some evening shopping and dinner.  The weather was perfect.  

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early.  It was the whole reason for the trip.  We went to watch The Legends of Golf tournament.  For those of you who are not golf enthusiasts, that translates to old men playing golf.  HA!

I can't even tell you how excited my husband was to go this event.  

The course is absolutely beautiful.  Andrew actually played this course ten years ago on our last vacation to Branson.  They have added quite a bit of new things since then like this driving range.

They also added a chapel that was exquisite. 

 .  It pretty much made me want to get married all over again.  Maybe we can renew our vows here someday.

They held a worship service in the chapel Sunday morning but sadly we didn't make it there on time.  Parking and getting to the course took longer than we had anticipated.

The first thing A did when we got there was buy a flag for the players to autograph.  By the time we left that afternoon he had collected quite a few autographs and was a very happy man.

I know he's had a good day when he asks me to take his picture for facebook.  HA!

He was like a kid at Christmas all day.

Gary Player was a hoot.  At first he told A he wasn't signing for him because he had already signed for him.  They joked about A having a twin at the tournament.

I tried to get a picture of Jack Nicklaus signing A's flag but he attracts a bit of a crowd.

If you look closely you can see that A is holding his flag.  At this point Mr. Nicklaus has signed his flag and A is waiting for his sharpie back.  A got the first autograph of the day from Mr. Nicklaus and never got his sharpie back. 

Getting Bernhard Langer's autograph.

Sometimes you had to jog to keep up with the golfers while they signed your flag.

Watching all these grown chase after men for autographs was comical to say the least.  I would just follow along laughing.  One man would say there's so and so  and then a whole flock of them would take off after the autograph.

At one point A assigned me the job of keeping an eye on Nick Faldo so that we didn't miss the opportunity to ask for his autograph.  

I'm pleased to say that I successfully completed my mission and A got his autograph.

I know I know...wife of the year.  LOL!

I've never seen A be so timid as when he was asking for autographs.  

It was cute. :)

I even received a golf ball from Doug Tewell's caddy.

Confession.  I don't know who Dough Tewell is.

I didn't know who half those guys were.

But I knew my husband was having the time of his life.

So I enjoyed every minute of it....right up until it started raining late in the afternoon. 

Thankfully we had great weather for the better part of the day.

Late afternoon I was wet and cold and spent.  We grabbed some dinner and headed back to the hotel to crash for the night.

We came back home to our sweet LBs this morning.  Thank you Sinclair for taking care of them while we were gone. 

1945

One morning a few months ago while I was getting ready I set my phone to shuffle "Christian" music.  I made up my mind to just listen to whatever played that morning.  I needed something new and fresh.  I wanted to worship with an intensity that had honestly been missing.

1945 by Jaime Grace came on.  I'll admit I almost changed it.  It wasn't the worship song I was looking for.  But I continued to listen to it anyway.

-------------------------------------------

Looking at the radio caught up in a dream

'Bout the days gone by when no one had a TV

Hopin' that the weather man would say good things

Like no rain on Friday for the drive in movie

Little kids didn't have a care

There was love growin' up everywhere

But when I open my eyes and the dream stops playin

You can still find me somewhere saying

I shoulda been born in '45

In '54 I woulda been 9

Lovin' my record player by my side

That woulda been nice yeah, that woulda been nice

I should have been born in '45

My first pair of high heels in '59

White shirt, poodle skirt, silk hair tie

Dancing in the moonlight 

That woulda been nice

Ooo Ooh

Oh that woulda been nice

Ooo Ooh

Boombox on my shoulder with my favorite tape

I'm reppin my 8 tracks and my buckle up skates

How do I know about that you say

You say

You wear bell bottom jeans get a double take

From all the guys and the girls who look your way

Back then people didn't always agree

But the love goin round was revolutionary and

Even though the world was crazy

I'd still go if my dreams could take me oh

I should been born in '65

In '74 I would been 9

Tryna' get home after playin outside

Racin' street lights, racin street lights

I should been born in '65

I would been a teenager round'79

Teasing my hair so it looks just right

On a Saturday night, yeah

That woulda been nice

Growin' up I never really had a care

There was love all the time and everywhere

And even though sometimes my world may get a little crazy

I find myself bein proud when I say

I coulda been born in '45

But the truth is I got here right on time

And I thank God for every day of life

It suits me just right, it suits me just right

And lovely 1991

That's the year that I come from

And I wouldn't wanna trade it for another time

I love this life yeah

I love this life

Ooo Ooh

I love this life

Ooo Ooh

I love this life

-----------------------------------------------

By the end of the song I was bawling and lifting my hands in praise.  There have been countless times when I thought I knew exactly when Andrew and I should become parents.  Times when I thought it would be perfect if I was pregnant in that month because then we could announce it this way and the baby would be born in that month and on and on.

God used this song to remind of a BIG truth.  His timing is perfect.  It might have been nice to have my baby come at this time or that but the truth is God will give us our baby right on time and it will be perfect.