10 days! That is all that is left until Josh and I are officially the proud new owners of a 30 year mortgage, lol. I'm so excited to get moved into the new house and its been so much fun picking out new furniture, paint, and house decorations. Josh is thrilled to actually be able to put money into landscaping our OWN yard, instead of one that we're just renting. Honestly, the entire house buying process has been very smooth for us. I've yet to feel the "house hunting stress" many people talk about. The biggest issue that we've come up against was securing house insurance, and even that only took a day thankfully. At first we were only finding high quotes or companies that no longer insure Florida homes. Then we came across a company suggested to us by our realtor that gave us the coverage we were looking for at a great price. I was surprised at the discounts available as well. We received a discount because there is a fire station located 2 miles from the house, the fact that we will have a security system in the home, and because of who built our home. Apparently, the insurance company said that they don't receive many claims from homes built by the building company of our new neighborhood. So that was really nice to hear, as well as having a security system. We knew that we wanted one, but I thought it would cost us more money, but instead it saved us quite a bit of money. So I'm thrilled about that.
Another nice thing about the house, is that the current owners did not paint most of the house. So with the exception of one room that they painted yellow with a monkey border for their baby's nursery, the rest of the walls in the house are white. So we're starting out with a blank canvas :-) I've changed my mind a bunch of times, but I'm pretty sure that we've finally settled on the living room colors anyway, lol. Josh is going to put up a white wainscotting (not sure how to spell that) paneling with a chair rail and the top part of the wall will be red. And then I've decided on chocolate brown couches. I've looked through enough pictures and room ideas and I keep coming back to these colors. So for the living room, I think we're all set. The dining room will share the same coloring since its sort of included with the living room. I've found a table that I really want, I just have to measure the it will fit alright. Its seats 6 people, and then with the leaf 8. I've wanted a larger table for awhile because it'll make entertaining much easier. Now I'll be able to let loose the "martha stewart" in me a bit more formally when we have a dinner party. :-) This years Christmas party is going to be awesome :-)
It other news, we've added a new member to the Grace family :-) Our new Blue Tick Hound, Little Lucy. She is absolutely adorable and Tele is amazed by her. He has been lonely since Penny went to live with Jay and Betty and so he has adjusted to Lucy wonderfully. I was pretty set on getting another Boxer puppy, but when I found Lucy, she stole my heart :-) We researched the breed and found that the personality of the breed was just what we were looking for. She has been a challenge, because we brought her home entirely too early but she is super sweet. She was 5 1/2 weeks old when we got her, so her mental capacity is not up to par yet. So correction hasn't been apart of training her yet, mostly we're just redirecting her focus onto something she is allowed to do. Tele is just about the perfect dog but when he starts to get out of hand, all we have to do is put the squirt bottle on the coffee table and its enough for him to start listening again. We don't have to correct him much anymore because he is pretty good about staying within the rules set for him now. But we've spent a year and a half training him, so Lucy has plenty of time to catch up to him. Lucy has been enthusitically accepted into the family as the newest Granddog, although I've promised the next addition to the Grace family will be a real child. lol. I just want to spend a few months decorating my new house and then we'll see what happens :-)
For the past month, on Saturday mornings, we've been taking Tele to the dog park. He LOVES doing this. The car ride alone is the highlight of his week, but then he gets to run in a field off the leash as much as he wants and there are TONS of other dogs for him to play with. I'm pretty sure its his version of Heaven. lol. Last weekend, Josh took him (I stayed home with Lucy, cause she has to get her shots before she gets to go) and there were 5 boxers at the park along with a couple labs, and even a saint bernard! Tele had a lot of fun and after about an hour of running, jumping, and playing with the other dogs, he was all tuckered out. The summer heat us starting to creep into early mornings, so we don't let him stay at the park much longer than an hour. But after that, my bouncing boxer sleeps most of the day away.
Work is going well for both myself and Josh, later I will have to write a blog about what exactly my job entails. Its very interesting and everyday is something new, I'm really learning a lot. Both Josh and I are incredibly thankful for the jobs that we have and the opportunities that they are providing us. And although I dread the summer heat for the next several months, I'm super excited to enter into yet another new season with my handsome husband and cuddly puppies. :-)
Grace Family
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Anniversaries and house approvals
Two months ago, Josh and I found this home that we both thought was perfect for us while we're living in Lakeland. So we told our realtor that we were pretty interested in it, and wanted to view it once more before putting an offer down on it. After viewing it for the 2nd time, it was just more confirmed in us that this house was too good of a deal to pass up on. So we told our realtor we were ready to make an offer on the house. However, much to our disappointment, our realtor told us that another couple had entered into a contract just the day before. NO! That was supposed to be OUR home. But we chalked it up as there must be a different house that fit us even better. So we continued house shopping. Though we didn't have much time for it between being out of town and my starting the new job. So several weeks passed and we looked at maybe 2-3 houses, and not being even slightly impressed with any of them. Then one day last week, our realtor called us and told us that the house we originally wanted was back on the market since the previous buyers financing fell through. And so she wanted to know if we were still interested in the home. YES! we told her that we definately still were interested and wanted to make an offer right away. Two days ago we found out that our offer for the house was offically accepted and we have a closing date of June 27th. Its almost unbelieveable to us still. I'm nervous to be too excited in case something falls through, but I can't help but be enthusiastic about this house potentially being our home for the remaining time that we are in Lakeland. Its a beautiful 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home. Its pretty new as well since it was built in 2006. The current owners had upgraded several things in the home while they had it that I'm completely thrilled about. The kitchen has floor to ceiling dark cherry wood kitchen cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and granite counter tops. Then in the master bath, there is a huge whirpool bath tub with a seperate shower. Josh is happy about there being two sinks at the vainity since he usually has to work around me in the mornings when we are getting ready for work. With having four bedrooms, its going to allow for us to have an office and two guestrooms (at least until we've got a baby eventually :-) And the floor plan is so open, that its going to so much eaiser entertaining as well. But the BEST thing about having a much bigger house, is that we will have enough space for us to get our 2nd Boxer puppy :-) I'm pretty excited to have a little friend for Tele. :-)
Also, this past month marked Josh and I's 1 year wedding Anniversary. Wow. I've been married and entire year. I've been this thing called a wife for 365 days. Its such a feeling of awe when I think about that. It seems like I started saying "someday my future husband and I..." or "Eventually when I'm a wife..." since I was about 5 years old. lol. I always knew I wanted to find my prince charming and get married. And now here I am, reflecting over my 1st whole year married. Crazy how fast time goes. When I reflect over the past year, I'm consumed with such feelings of thankfullness and a happiness that is almost indescrible. I see so many events in the past year that were God-timed and placed and even better than I had ever dreamed it would be. Though this past year also held disappointments and stresses, now being on the other side of them, I really wouldn't change anything even if I had the chance. Both the good and the bad, made Josh and I grow together and really learn to depend on each other as a couple. It feels like I've been Ashley Grace always and yet its been such a short time. I can't wait to see what year 25 and 50 feel like. :-) I'm excited for the collection of memories we'll have to reflect by then. :-)
Since we just got back from vacation and are trying to be a bit conservative with money until the closing date of the house, we decided not to take a trip for our anniversary. Instead we drove out to Orlando and went to the Orlando Art Museum. Then went and saw the new Jane Erye movie (its my favorite book) and had dinner at Olive Garden where we spent time talking about favorite moments over the past year. Its was a really wonderful and relaxing day. :-) We also defrosted the top layer of our wedding cake. We were both a bit hesitant to eat year old cake, but surprising enough, the cake was pretty good. The cake part was still really moist and tasted much like it did at our wedding. The icing however, was ok. It tasted a little odd and was more flaky after it defrosted than anything. It was a great weekend to celebrate the 1st of many more years to come. :-)
Also, this past month marked Josh and I's 1 year wedding Anniversary. Wow. I've been married and entire year. I've been this thing called a wife for 365 days. Its such a feeling of awe when I think about that. It seems like I started saying "someday my future husband and I..." or "Eventually when I'm a wife..." since I was about 5 years old. lol. I always knew I wanted to find my prince charming and get married. And now here I am, reflecting over my 1st whole year married. Crazy how fast time goes. When I reflect over the past year, I'm consumed with such feelings of thankfullness and a happiness that is almost indescrible. I see so many events in the past year that were God-timed and placed and even better than I had ever dreamed it would be. Though this past year also held disappointments and stresses, now being on the other side of them, I really wouldn't change anything even if I had the chance. Both the good and the bad, made Josh and I grow together and really learn to depend on each other as a couple. It feels like I've been Ashley Grace always and yet its been such a short time. I can't wait to see what year 25 and 50 feel like. :-) I'm excited for the collection of memories we'll have to reflect by then. :-)
Since we just got back from vacation and are trying to be a bit conservative with money until the closing date of the house, we decided not to take a trip for our anniversary. Instead we drove out to Orlando and went to the Orlando Art Museum. Then went and saw the new Jane Erye movie (its my favorite book) and had dinner at Olive Garden where we spent time talking about favorite moments over the past year. Its was a really wonderful and relaxing day. :-) We also defrosted the top layer of our wedding cake. We were both a bit hesitant to eat year old cake, but surprising enough, the cake was pretty good. The cake part was still really moist and tasted much like it did at our wedding. The icing however, was ok. It tasted a little odd and was more flaky after it defrosted than anything. It was a great weekend to celebrate the 1st of many more years to come. :-)
Saturday, April 23, 2011
vacations and break-ins...
Well, our vacation to New York City was absolutely amazing! Our hotel was beautiful. We stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel on Madison Ave. It was so pretty and in just the perfect location for us to easily get where we were going. Once we flew into the city, we both pretty bad migraines (usually flying does that to me, but we didn't know Josh would be bothered as well) so we grabbed some dinner at a cafe across from the hotel, got meds and lots of water and took a nap on our amazing feather down quilted bed with down pillows...it was SO comfortable! We took our time just relaxing around the hotel (the previous week had been crazy busy for both of us). But the next morning we refreshed and ready to go. It was much colder than it was in Florida...we left 87 degree weather and walked into 42 degree weather, lol. But it was wonderful. We decided to walk to Central Park even though it was miles away, because it would be the easiest way to see a lot of the city. It was so much fun getting to be someplace completely different from home. Once we got to Central park, I was pretty thilled through, so Josh got me hot chocolate and we entered into Central Park. It was so odd to be surrounded by massive buildings and then to all of a sudden be in the middle of a beautiful park full of trees ad grass. We walked through it all, snapping pictures right and left, until we found the entrance to the zoo. Josh knows how much I like animals, so he got us tickets to go into it. :-) after the zoo, we found a place to get pizza for lunch, Josh just had to have new york pizza. It was pretty yummy but after that, there was no way I was wanting to walk all the way back to the hotel. So we got a cab and went back to the hotel for a nap and to freshen up for our dinner reservations and Broadway show that evening. Josh was thrilled to get reservations at the Four Seasons. Once we arrived, I was as well. The restaurant was so pretty, live trees surrounded the four corners of the room, and a huge fountain was in the center of the tables. The staff waiting on us were there satisfying any needs we had, almost before we had them, lol. I had decided to try something different since I figured anything I ordered was going to be good. So I ordered and ate rabbit for the 1st time. it came very elaborately arranged on my plate, almost too pretty to eat...almost.lol. And was very yummy. The best way I can describe it, it it tasted like a very mild chicken. But I would definitely get it again. Josh ordered lamb and was just as pleased with his dinner...my husband is a food enthusiast, he almost examines every bite, taste, and smell. He explains that he is on a mission: to find the perfect meal. lol.
After dinner we had tickets to see Mary Poppins on Broadway, the show was unbelieveble. I've never seen a set so well put together and the music was so much fun to listen too. We both really enjoyed the opportunity to see it. The next day we went to Ellis Island and the statue of Liberty. It was a bit of an ordeal getting there, lol. Since we planned out trip to New York in 1 week, all the tickets to the statue of Liberty from NYC battery park were sold out. So I bought ones departing from New Jersey. Our hotel was only 8 miles away, so I figured it would be no problem. Josh wanted to take the subway and light rail to new jersey, but I wanted to take a taxi...I told him that I was just fine paying extra for convienance, lol. However, apparently it wasn't as simple as that because the taxi driver couldn't figure out the fair since he couldn't input Liberty park into his meter system. So after attempting to get a taxi, we ended up going on the light rail to NJ. We then had to walk about 2 miles to get to the park, but we finally arrived. It was a pretty amazing experience to walk through Ellis Island, realizing how many people's lives were changed by that place. And getting to go inside the statue of liberty was pretty neat as well, since it symbolizes so much to our country. I had done several of these things before on a previous trip to visit a friend, but it was so different getting to experience these things with my husband :-) Sometimes, it still surprises me that we're married. its so crazy for me to think about, but very comforting at the same time. I still smile just thinking about Josh. Guess its that newlywed glow. :-)
The night before we left NY, Josh had set up reservations for us to eat at BLT Prime steakhouse. OH.MY.GOODNESS....I had NEVER had such amazing food. The resturant was dimmly lit and super romantic, the staff were amazing, and the food was unbelieveble. It was the perfect thing to close out our trip. The trip was such a needed break and some great quality time together. It was the perfect mix of fun and restful. We came home so refreshed. However, this was not so for Tele...we had boarded him at our vet's office and I really had thought it was going to be fine. He LOVES going to our vet. It sounds crazy, but its really his favorite place. He reaches new levels of excitement everytime he gets to go. Plus our vet does all ton of extra things for the dogs, its like a spa, lol. it cost us $40 a day, and he got walked 4x, dog ice cream floats, a color tv in his little room to keep him company, and 15 mins of playtime with a staff member everyday. We even had the option of getting a webcam, lol. but weren't going to pay extra for that, lol. But when we got home, I found that the food I had packed him only had 1 serving missing. So I called the vet (my sister had picked tele up for us since we were on the plane) and asked if they had fed him something else. The staff explained to me that they tried to get him to eat, but that he was sulky and depressed the whole time and wouldn't eat. He would perk up a little when they walked him, but that he wouldn't even play during playtime. They said it was probably because he had never been boarded before and wasn't used to being away from us. So needless to say...Tele didn't leave our side for the first few hours we were home. He insisted on being in our laps...all 80lbs of him. lol. But I didn't mind. I had missed my little puppy a lot :-)
More recently, about 3 days ago, we realized that someone had tried to break-in to our house. We have a door on the side of the house that leads into my laundry room. We don't ever use it, so we keep it bolted. We someone took a hammer to the door knob and its dented in and hanging off.But they weren't able to get in the house because the dead bolt was still in place. Not exactly comforting. We made the police report and we're put on a list for police to do drive by's in out neighborhood for a few weeks. Josh checked all the locks and windows to make sure they were secure still and they were set. So I'm glad they didn't get in and steal or break our things, but it is just one more reason why I can't wait to move. It was perfect for us when we were first married because (we are renting from a friend) we were trying to move up to North Florida and were able to get only a 4 month lease instead of a year long one. But then I got my job in Lakeland and Josh got a promotion, so it seemed more reasonable to stay. But I am more than ready to move. Plus once we move, we a to get a little buddy for Tele. :-) I can't wait to get a 2nd dog. :-)
Life is still keeping us busy, but things and going fairly just a little fast. lol. I can't believe that this time last year, I was working 40 hours a week, finishing up wedding planning, and graduating college. In less than a month, it will be 1 year since our wedding. goodness, time flies. But I'm thrilled with where it is. :-)
After dinner we had tickets to see Mary Poppins on Broadway, the show was unbelieveble. I've never seen a set so well put together and the music was so much fun to listen too. We both really enjoyed the opportunity to see it. The next day we went to Ellis Island and the statue of Liberty. It was a bit of an ordeal getting there, lol. Since we planned out trip to New York in 1 week, all the tickets to the statue of Liberty from NYC battery park were sold out. So I bought ones departing from New Jersey. Our hotel was only 8 miles away, so I figured it would be no problem. Josh wanted to take the subway and light rail to new jersey, but I wanted to take a taxi...I told him that I was just fine paying extra for convienance, lol. However, apparently it wasn't as simple as that because the taxi driver couldn't figure out the fair since he couldn't input Liberty park into his meter system. So after attempting to get a taxi, we ended up going on the light rail to NJ. We then had to walk about 2 miles to get to the park, but we finally arrived. It was a pretty amazing experience to walk through Ellis Island, realizing how many people's lives were changed by that place. And getting to go inside the statue of liberty was pretty neat as well, since it symbolizes so much to our country. I had done several of these things before on a previous trip to visit a friend, but it was so different getting to experience these things with my husband :-) Sometimes, it still surprises me that we're married. its so crazy for me to think about, but very comforting at the same time. I still smile just thinking about Josh. Guess its that newlywed glow. :-)
The night before we left NY, Josh had set up reservations for us to eat at BLT Prime steakhouse. OH.MY.GOODNESS....I had NEVER had such amazing food. The resturant was dimmly lit and super romantic, the staff were amazing, and the food was unbelieveble. It was the perfect thing to close out our trip. The trip was such a needed break and some great quality time together. It was the perfect mix of fun and restful. We came home so refreshed. However, this was not so for Tele...we had boarded him at our vet's office and I really had thought it was going to be fine. He LOVES going to our vet. It sounds crazy, but its really his favorite place. He reaches new levels of excitement everytime he gets to go. Plus our vet does all ton of extra things for the dogs, its like a spa, lol. it cost us $40 a day, and he got walked 4x, dog ice cream floats, a color tv in his little room to keep him company, and 15 mins of playtime with a staff member everyday. We even had the option of getting a webcam, lol. but weren't going to pay extra for that, lol. But when we got home, I found that the food I had packed him only had 1 serving missing. So I called the vet (my sister had picked tele up for us since we were on the plane) and asked if they had fed him something else. The staff explained to me that they tried to get him to eat, but that he was sulky and depressed the whole time and wouldn't eat. He would perk up a little when they walked him, but that he wouldn't even play during playtime. They said it was probably because he had never been boarded before and wasn't used to being away from us. So needless to say...Tele didn't leave our side for the first few hours we were home. He insisted on being in our laps...all 80lbs of him. lol. But I didn't mind. I had missed my little puppy a lot :-)
More recently, about 3 days ago, we realized that someone had tried to break-in to our house. We have a door on the side of the house that leads into my laundry room. We don't ever use it, so we keep it bolted. We someone took a hammer to the door knob and its dented in and hanging off.But they weren't able to get in the house because the dead bolt was still in place. Not exactly comforting. We made the police report and we're put on a list for police to do drive by's in out neighborhood for a few weeks. Josh checked all the locks and windows to make sure they were secure still and they were set. So I'm glad they didn't get in and steal or break our things, but it is just one more reason why I can't wait to move. It was perfect for us when we were first married because (we are renting from a friend) we were trying to move up to North Florida and were able to get only a 4 month lease instead of a year long one. But then I got my job in Lakeland and Josh got a promotion, so it seemed more reasonable to stay. But I am more than ready to move. Plus once we move, we a to get a little buddy for Tele. :-) I can't wait to get a 2nd dog. :-)
Life is still keeping us busy, but things and going fairly just a little fast. lol. I can't believe that this time last year, I was working 40 hours a week, finishing up wedding planning, and graduating college. In less than a month, it will be 1 year since our wedding. goodness, time flies. But I'm thrilled with where it is. :-)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
changes, trips, and houses...
The past few weeks have been some of the busiest ones that we had since being married. But all the craziness has brought about incredible changes that are definitely God planned and timed. Since October of last year, I had been contemplating a job change. I liked my job as a counselor, I felt good helping people, but in the space of 1 month, my director, supervisor, and co-worker all left for different positions elsewhere…making my job responsibilities and stress levels considerably higher. I decided that it was time for a change…however…a change to what? Josh and I considered several different options and I began going on interviews. Along the way I found a couple jobs that I was pretty interested in, but when they didn’t happen for me, I began to get discouraged. But I decided that despite my circumstances, I was going to try my best to maintain a good attitude. However, it wasn’t easy to do always, lol. Once we saw the physical effects my stress levels were creating (higher blood pressure and migraines) Josh encouraged me to just quit my job. He reasoned to me that we could afford it and that while things were nice financially with me working, it wasn’t worth the toll it was taking. So, after making it to the 2nd round of the application process of a job I had applied for, I went ahead and gave my notice to my office. Relief and peace were almost instantaneous. I wasn’t sure how everything was going to work out, but I definitely knew I had made the right choice. After all, I told Josh that if I couldn’t find another job, I would be a great housewife J
Well, then this past week happened. J I actually was offered a new position as a Case Manager for Gulf Coast Jewish Family Community Care Services. This means, that I get involved when DCF has determined that a home is no longer safe for a child. I then become responsible for the well being of that child and accompany them to court to verify the improvements or lack thereof that their parents make in order to get them back. When a child then goes back into the home, I make treatment plans for the families and home visits with them for 6 months to make sure things are going well for the family. It’s going to be a pretty big change for me, but a very welcome one. Its better hours (more independently set) and a pretty significant pay increase. The company has a pretty neat history as well. It was originally established to help Jewish refugees and then turned into a child and family services organization. So after 4 months of wondering how things would go or which direction to take, God has finally made things clear and they are better than I thought.
Another pretty big change is that Josh and I are trying to purchase our first home. Since we’re going to be in Lakeland a little longer with Josh pursuing his Master Degree through Southeastern University, we decided to go ahead and take advantage of the low interest rates of the housing market right now. It’s actually cheaper to buy than it is to rent at the moment. So it’s been a lot of fun. We recently changed our realtor and she is a great resource. We’re actually seeing several homes tonight after work, so we’ll see if we like any of them.
Besides my new job change this past week, the next most exciting thing is that Josh and I are finally able to go on vacation. We couldn’t before due to my not being able to get time off work, and since I will have a week in between my current job and new one, we decided to take advantage of it. So we booked tickets to fly to New York for a few days. We wanted to take a really big vacation to sort of make up for not being able to have a honeymoon when we got married. (My grandfather had passed away a few days before our wedding, making us not able to go away) So this trip has been greatly anticipated by both of us for awhile now. We’ll be gone for 4 days, and those four days are going to be packed full of things to do. I’m planning our day to day, while Josh is concentrating on our dinner reservations. He’s definitely a food enthusiast, lol. So far he’s come up with the Russian Tea Room, The Four Seasons, and The BLT steakhouse. He mentioned something about Kobe beef being there, but I was lost looking at the pictures of the restaurants. They are really beautiful. Since Josh has never been to New York, we’ll be doing all the tourist things: statue of liberty, Rockefeller center, central park, Ellis Island, etc…But the thing I’m most excited for is I was able to get us tickets to see the show Mary Poppins on Broadway! J
So this week has been a bit of a blur and I’m sure week will as well, but one thing has been consistently clear, God has opened up doors I never knew were there. And I’m incredibly thankful for his timing and provision.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Valentines gives way to Spring time allergies....
This past Valentines Day was Josh and mine's 2nd Valentines Day together, and our 1st one married. The weeks before Valentines were both pretty stressful work-wise for both of us. We both needed a break. So we decided to take a trip to Sarasota. Its an hour and a half away from us, so its far enough away that its different from home, but close enough that we aren't too tired to make the drive after crazy work weeks. So we got a sitter for our puppy Tele and we headed over to Sarasota for a weekend trip. Josh had even made reservations for us at the Ritz Carlton for dinner. :-) And since we're newlyweds, we had chocolate covered strawberries sent up to our room, compliments of the hotel. :-) The weekend was just what we needed and was wonderful. :-)
A few years ago when I started college, I started getting really sick with chronic migraines. I would have one for 6 days at times, making me unable to read and even sick to my stomach several times a week. It was pretty miserable. After 5 months of misery and TONS of tests, meds, and visits to the doctor (including CAT scans to make sure I didn't have some sort of brain tumor)...I found out that one of the several reasons I was getting so sick, was because I had developed some pretty bad allergies to pretty much the entire world, lol. Even walking from my dorm to my college classes, I would end up breaking out in hives (there were oak trees covering my entire campus). So I started allergy shots and after two years, the shots cut the list in half of what I was allergic too. They were amazing. So between my allergist and chiropractor visits, my migraines finally stopped and even now have gone down from 3-4 times a week to now maybe 4 times a month. The change was wonderful. All this to say...I'm a HUGE fan of allergy shots. I think that they are super beneficial. So, when I met Josh, I noticed that he got a lot of colds and sinus infections. So I mentioned to him while he was popping Zicam right and left, that maybe he had allergy problems too. Josh didn't think too much of it at the time. Now fast forward to last month...Josh was going to the doctor again for yet another sinus infection. To which his doctor said that if you get more than 2-3 sinus infections a year, you may want to see an allergist....Josh averaged about 5-6 a year. So a visit to the allergist was set up. While there, the allergist discovered that Josh actually did have allergy issues...in fact...he had never seen someone react so quickly or swell up so severeley. lol. They test 120 items on your back and up to 40 on your arm afterwards....Josh was so allergic to ALL the trees that he was tested that the welts blended all together and it looked like one large welt. The doctor asked Josh how he was even functioning, lol. So now Josh will be starting allergy shots and I am getting back on them in order to finish out the treatment. In like 6 months, I'm sure we will both have much more energy and feel all around much better. So its pretty exciting. However, throughout this discovery...I realized that because we both have pretty signifcant allergies....our kids someday are going to be the sick one, lol. That child everyone sees that constantly has a cough or a cold, lol. And I will be the mother with the purrell in my pocket, purse, and car, lol. Josh says that its nonsense, that our kids will not be the sick ones...that they will be the resilient ones, lol. We'll see someday :-)
A few years ago when I started college, I started getting really sick with chronic migraines. I would have one for 6 days at times, making me unable to read and even sick to my stomach several times a week. It was pretty miserable. After 5 months of misery and TONS of tests, meds, and visits to the doctor (including CAT scans to make sure I didn't have some sort of brain tumor)...I found out that one of the several reasons I was getting so sick, was because I had developed some pretty bad allergies to pretty much the entire world, lol. Even walking from my dorm to my college classes, I would end up breaking out in hives (there were oak trees covering my entire campus). So I started allergy shots and after two years, the shots cut the list in half of what I was allergic too. They were amazing. So between my allergist and chiropractor visits, my migraines finally stopped and even now have gone down from 3-4 times a week to now maybe 4 times a month. The change was wonderful. All this to say...I'm a HUGE fan of allergy shots. I think that they are super beneficial. So, when I met Josh, I noticed that he got a lot of colds and sinus infections. So I mentioned to him while he was popping Zicam right and left, that maybe he had allergy problems too. Josh didn't think too much of it at the time. Now fast forward to last month...Josh was going to the doctor again for yet another sinus infection. To which his doctor said that if you get more than 2-3 sinus infections a year, you may want to see an allergist....Josh averaged about 5-6 a year. So a visit to the allergist was set up. While there, the allergist discovered that Josh actually did have allergy issues...in fact...he had never seen someone react so quickly or swell up so severeley. lol. They test 120 items on your back and up to 40 on your arm afterwards....Josh was so allergic to ALL the trees that he was tested that the welts blended all together and it looked like one large welt. The doctor asked Josh how he was even functioning, lol. So now Josh will be starting allergy shots and I am getting back on them in order to finish out the treatment. In like 6 months, I'm sure we will both have much more energy and feel all around much better. So its pretty exciting. However, throughout this discovery...I realized that because we both have pretty signifcant allergies....our kids someday are going to be the sick one, lol. That child everyone sees that constantly has a cough or a cold, lol. And I will be the mother with the purrell in my pocket, purse, and car, lol. Josh says that its nonsense, that our kids will not be the sick ones...that they will be the resilient ones, lol. We'll see someday :-)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Surprises...
Its been awhile since my last post. The past two months have gone by in an instant, yet at the same time, have felt decades long.
Our first Christmas married was absolutely wonderful. Josh and I had decked out the entire house with Christmas decor...down to the soap dishes in the bathrooms, place mats on the table, and hand towels in the kitchen. Everywhere you looked there was something screaming "Its Christmas time!" Our tree was 9ft tall, and we strung lighted garland around all 4 walls in our living room...we really out did oursevles, lol. But 4 trips to the store, 3,000 lights, 115 ornaments, 5 rolls of ribbon, 2 dozen cinnamon candles, and countless dropping of little pine needles later...my house was filled with the smell of fresh pine and cinnamon, aglow with christmas lights and candles, lavished with beautiful ribbon, and ready for our first Christmas together. It really was so much fun. :-)
Due to my being on call for work, (thankfully I didn't get any hospital calls on Christmas day) we had to stay in Lakeland for the week of Christmas. So on Christmas morning, Josh and I woke up and decided to give Tele (our puppy) the toys that we had wrapped for him. It was so cute. My dog LOVES new toys. He had never got so many new toys at one time before, it overwhelmed him. He ran back and forth to each toy, bringing each thing to Josh or I to play fetch. It was really fun to see him get so excited. Then Josh and I gave each other our gifts. My darling husband had bought me a diamond necklace (the pendant is a circle) that I had wanted for a long time. I was thrilled, and have worn it everyday since. I then gave Josh the leather messenger bag/briefcase that I had found for him. He had been looking for one for a long time and I was so excited when I had found this one. It looks great and smells wonderful. He was super excited about it.
After presents, we made a big breakfast of homemade french toast with the thickest cut of maplewood smoked bacon I've ever seen, lol. It was almost like cooking up little steaks for breakfast. Since this was the first Christmas either of us had ever spent apart from family, we wanted to really make the day special. After breakfast we brought out blankets and pillows and settled on the living room floor to watch "A Christmas story" That movie has been a christmas tradition in both our families for years and one we definately want to keep :-) The rest of the day was spent watching movies, skyping with family, and taking a wonderful and rare, middle of the day nap and stayed in pajamas all day. Until we made turkey cutlets, green beans, and potato's for dinner. It was a such a relaxing and fun day. The next day we went and saw the Moscow Russian Nutcracker Ballet!! It was absolutely beautiful.
Though we both missed having family with us on Christmas day, having our first Christmas as newlyweds with just us ended up being very special. I'm glad it all worked out the way it did. :-)
For New Years, we drove up to Marianna to have Christmas with Josh's family. We stayed a week and got the chance to relax and enjoy family and dear friends. We also got to give Betty her birthday present that we had been keeping secret from her for two whole months, lol. Jay, Josh, and myself, had come up witht he idea to get Betty a little Yorkie puppy for her birthday. :-) She had been talking about wanting a puppy for a little while, so we found a breeder in Lakeland and we kept the puppy at our house the first two months to get it its puppy shots, and begin the training process. Tele LOVED having the puppy as a new playmate. She was only 2 pounds, and he was 60lbs, so she was about the size of his head! But much to our relief, he very quickly learned how to play gentle with her and they became fast friends.
So once we went up for New Years, we were able to surprise Betty with Penny :-) it was a lot of fun to give her to her. And Jay had princess heart shaped food and water bowls waiting for the new Princess Penny :-) along with little outfits, toys, and a new dog bed. Needless to say, Penny is being lavished with love and attention. :-)
Another surprise that occured was one for me regarding my job. In the space of a month in a half, my director, supervisor, and co-worker each left our department. All for seperate reasons, and were positive send offs, however, work has been CRAZY because of the sudden changes. My work load has nearly tripled, making for increcibly stressful weeks and very tired days, both mentally, emotionally, and physically. However, the new staff that have come abroad, are all super friendly and eager to learn their new responsibilites. I just hope I can survive until they all get the swing of things. Its been a rough couple of months. I'm pretty drained. But at there's job security right? :-)
Despite stressful work circumstances, life has still been stable and full of contentment. Each day thats been a struggle for me, there is Josh standing beside me telling me that someway, everything is going to work out. Telling me that he believes in me, telling me that I'm beautiful even when my hair is thrown in a pony tail and make up hastily applied because I'm running late. He's right there, starting and ending my day with a hug. I'm so thankful for the person he is and for how God is providing for us during this beginning season of our life.
2010 was an inspiring year for me, I can't wait to see what comes with 2011. :-)
Our first Christmas married was absolutely wonderful. Josh and I had decked out the entire house with Christmas decor...down to the soap dishes in the bathrooms, place mats on the table, and hand towels in the kitchen. Everywhere you looked there was something screaming "Its Christmas time!" Our tree was 9ft tall, and we strung lighted garland around all 4 walls in our living room...we really out did oursevles, lol. But 4 trips to the store, 3,000 lights, 115 ornaments, 5 rolls of ribbon, 2 dozen cinnamon candles, and countless dropping of little pine needles later...my house was filled with the smell of fresh pine and cinnamon, aglow with christmas lights and candles, lavished with beautiful ribbon, and ready for our first Christmas together. It really was so much fun. :-)
Due to my being on call for work, (thankfully I didn't get any hospital calls on Christmas day) we had to stay in Lakeland for the week of Christmas. So on Christmas morning, Josh and I woke up and decided to give Tele (our puppy) the toys that we had wrapped for him. It was so cute. My dog LOVES new toys. He had never got so many new toys at one time before, it overwhelmed him. He ran back and forth to each toy, bringing each thing to Josh or I to play fetch. It was really fun to see him get so excited. Then Josh and I gave each other our gifts. My darling husband had bought me a diamond necklace (the pendant is a circle) that I had wanted for a long time. I was thrilled, and have worn it everyday since. I then gave Josh the leather messenger bag/briefcase that I had found for him. He had been looking for one for a long time and I was so excited when I had found this one. It looks great and smells wonderful. He was super excited about it.
After presents, we made a big breakfast of homemade french toast with the thickest cut of maplewood smoked bacon I've ever seen, lol. It was almost like cooking up little steaks for breakfast. Since this was the first Christmas either of us had ever spent apart from family, we wanted to really make the day special. After breakfast we brought out blankets and pillows and settled on the living room floor to watch "A Christmas story" That movie has been a christmas tradition in both our families for years and one we definately want to keep :-) The rest of the day was spent watching movies, skyping with family, and taking a wonderful and rare, middle of the day nap and stayed in pajamas all day. Until we made turkey cutlets, green beans, and potato's for dinner. It was a such a relaxing and fun day. The next day we went and saw the Moscow Russian Nutcracker Ballet!! It was absolutely beautiful.
Though we both missed having family with us on Christmas day, having our first Christmas as newlyweds with just us ended up being very special. I'm glad it all worked out the way it did. :-)
For New Years, we drove up to Marianna to have Christmas with Josh's family. We stayed a week and got the chance to relax and enjoy family and dear friends. We also got to give Betty her birthday present that we had been keeping secret from her for two whole months, lol. Jay, Josh, and myself, had come up witht he idea to get Betty a little Yorkie puppy for her birthday. :-) She had been talking about wanting a puppy for a little while, so we found a breeder in Lakeland and we kept the puppy at our house the first two months to get it its puppy shots, and begin the training process. Tele LOVED having the puppy as a new playmate. She was only 2 pounds, and he was 60lbs, so she was about the size of his head! But much to our relief, he very quickly learned how to play gentle with her and they became fast friends.
So once we went up for New Years, we were able to surprise Betty with Penny :-) it was a lot of fun to give her to her. And Jay had princess heart shaped food and water bowls waiting for the new Princess Penny :-) along with little outfits, toys, and a new dog bed. Needless to say, Penny is being lavished with love and attention. :-)
Another surprise that occured was one for me regarding my job. In the space of a month in a half, my director, supervisor, and co-worker each left our department. All for seperate reasons, and were positive send offs, however, work has been CRAZY because of the sudden changes. My work load has nearly tripled, making for increcibly stressful weeks and very tired days, both mentally, emotionally, and physically. However, the new staff that have come abroad, are all super friendly and eager to learn their new responsibilites. I just hope I can survive until they all get the swing of things. Its been a rough couple of months. I'm pretty drained. But at there's job security right? :-)
Despite stressful work circumstances, life has still been stable and full of contentment. Each day thats been a struggle for me, there is Josh standing beside me telling me that someway, everything is going to work out. Telling me that he believes in me, telling me that I'm beautiful even when my hair is thrown in a pony tail and make up hastily applied because I'm running late. He's right there, starting and ending my day with a hug. I'm so thankful for the person he is and for how God is providing for us during this beginning season of our life.
2010 was an inspiring year for me, I can't wait to see what comes with 2011. :-)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
puppy cones, elephant fish, and christmas trees?
Since my last post, Tele has had his surgery and almost fully recovered. Thank God that part of life for him is over now. Goodness, it ended up being much worse than we intially thought it would be. Apparently my little (big) puppy does not handle pain very well. After the surgery they had to give him an extra shot of morphine just to calm him down. And we were sent home with 2 different sets of pain pills. The vet gave us strict insturctions to keep the cone on his head for at least 4 days and to not let him run or jump for 10 days...if you're familar with Boxer dogs, you'll know that its almost impossible to keep them from playing...so I knew I was going to have my hands full.
Once we got home, Tele was woozy from all the pain meds he was on. And he had decided that he wanted to be in either my lap or Josh's. he cried if one of us wasn't sitting with him. We ended up having to take turns sleeping on the floor with him. Silly I know, but I felt that since my puppy had just had a pretty painful surgery...I wasn't going to let him cry all night on top of it. The next day, he wasn't much better. But we tried to feed him and he couldn't figure out how to eat with the cone on his head. He kept scaring himself by hitting it on the wall or furniture. So I told Josh that we would keep the cone on like the vet said, but take it off when Tele ate...BIG MISTAKE...as soon as we got the cone off, it was like World War 3 trying to get it back on. Tele had tasted freedom and wasn't going back to captivity without a fight. lol. After about 15 mins, we finally got it back on and decided that Tele would simply have to learn how to eat with the cone on. It took him about a day and then he figured it out.
We ended up keeping the cone on 6 days...2 days longer than the vet said, because it made Tele's behavior more calm. He is a really good dog, but he LOVES to play and he wasn't allowed to until cleared by vet...so he was a cone head until the day before the vet appointment. At his check up the vet said it was looking good and that it should be completely healed in about two weeks. So last night, Tele got to play in the backyard with Josh. He runs super fast in circles around Josh and leaps up into the air, almost reaching Josh's shoulder tops, it really funny to see it. But he loves wrestle time with his "dad." So glad my puppy is almost all better :-)
I realized today that I forgot to mention the newest addition to our family. About a month ago, we bought a 40 gallon fish tank and we bought some beautiful angel fish. But the neatest thing is our Elephant fish. that's right, I have a fish that has an Elephant nose. I had never seen such a thing before, but its pretty cool. Tele is tall enough to look into the tank and he tries to lick the glass when the fish come up to him. They keep him company while we are at work :-)
Now, I know that I have been talking about Christmas forever, and am even decorating fairly early (November 20th) but my goodness...Publix put up christmas decorations 3 days BEFORE halloween and now even Walmart has a christmas tree decorated in the store entrance...as happy as I am to see it...that seems a bit early to me. I mean, they skipped two holidays, lol. But regardless, as silly as I think it is...I am delighted that the holiday season is almost here! I am so excited about Josh and I's first Christmas married. We've got tons of plans to make it as special as we can. Josh even bought me ticktets to the Nutcraker Ballet :-) Can't wait for that! Chirstmas foods, movies, songs, and lights will fill our house. Along with my bouncing boxer wearing his reindeer antler head band I plan on buying him...:-)
Once we got home, Tele was woozy from all the pain meds he was on. And he had decided that he wanted to be in either my lap or Josh's. he cried if one of us wasn't sitting with him. We ended up having to take turns sleeping on the floor with him. Silly I know, but I felt that since my puppy had just had a pretty painful surgery...I wasn't going to let him cry all night on top of it. The next day, he wasn't much better. But we tried to feed him and he couldn't figure out how to eat with the cone on his head. He kept scaring himself by hitting it on the wall or furniture. So I told Josh that we would keep the cone on like the vet said, but take it off when Tele ate...BIG MISTAKE...as soon as we got the cone off, it was like World War 3 trying to get it back on. Tele had tasted freedom and wasn't going back to captivity without a fight. lol. After about 15 mins, we finally got it back on and decided that Tele would simply have to learn how to eat with the cone on. It took him about a day and then he figured it out.
We ended up keeping the cone on 6 days...2 days longer than the vet said, because it made Tele's behavior more calm. He is a really good dog, but he LOVES to play and he wasn't allowed to until cleared by vet...so he was a cone head until the day before the vet appointment. At his check up the vet said it was looking good and that it should be completely healed in about two weeks. So last night, Tele got to play in the backyard with Josh. He runs super fast in circles around Josh and leaps up into the air, almost reaching Josh's shoulder tops, it really funny to see it. But he loves wrestle time with his "dad." So glad my puppy is almost all better :-)
I realized today that I forgot to mention the newest addition to our family. About a month ago, we bought a 40 gallon fish tank and we bought some beautiful angel fish. But the neatest thing is our Elephant fish. that's right, I have a fish that has an Elephant nose. I had never seen such a thing before, but its pretty cool. Tele is tall enough to look into the tank and he tries to lick the glass when the fish come up to him. They keep him company while we are at work :-)
Now, I know that I have been talking about Christmas forever, and am even decorating fairly early (November 20th) but my goodness...Publix put up christmas decorations 3 days BEFORE halloween and now even Walmart has a christmas tree decorated in the store entrance...as happy as I am to see it...that seems a bit early to me. I mean, they skipped two holidays, lol. But regardless, as silly as I think it is...I am delighted that the holiday season is almost here! I am so excited about Josh and I's first Christmas married. We've got tons of plans to make it as special as we can. Josh even bought me ticktets to the Nutcraker Ballet :-) Can't wait for that! Chirstmas foods, movies, songs, and lights will fill our house. Along with my bouncing boxer wearing his reindeer antler head band I plan on buying him...:-)
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