4 Months Later...

**I don't blog often.  I realize it's been 4 months since my last post.  I just so happended to visit my blog and read my last post.  I've been so blessed in the past four months.  Let's reflect...

I want:

• to be pregnant  - - I am.  Praise God, I am!  11 weeks today.
• to wear cute maternity clothes - - There isn't a need yet.  I can still fit into my regular clothes.  I will consider this a blessing for now.
• to go to bed each night with that slightly excited/slightly anxious "am I going to be good enough" feeling - - Oh boy.  What a feeling this is.  Just the other night I woke up in a panic about driving with the baby in the car.  Excited and anxious doesn't begin to describe it.
• to be a mommy - - I will be...by Christmas.  *tears*
• to look at my husband and tell him that he is going to be a daddy - - That was a good day.  We were cautious after the first test...and the second...but once I went to the doctor, we knew.  *love*
• cherries...as I've wanted them all day today - - no desire for cherries  right now.  Watermelon and oranges do the trick.
• to have a new hair do' (I will tomorrow, after 3pm) - - I've had my hair done a couple times since I posted.  I need to touch up my pink.  Maybe I'll  do that tomorrow.
• a big juicy burger with avocado - - Yep, still sounds delicious.  Better add avocado to my grocery list.
• a pedicure that I don't have to drive 45 minutes to get - - I just had a mani/pedi on Thursday.  It  was 45 minutes away from home, but only 5 minutes from  work.  My toes look pretty!
• to go back to that place where (almost one year ago) my life changed when I said "yes" - - Aww! I love that place.  I love my husband so much.  We went back to our place in February and loved every minute of it.  He is such a huge blessing to me.
• to lose these last 18lbs - - Um...well...that didn't happen.  They say I'm just going to gain weight now.  Eek.  That will be a struggle as I haven't seen the scales go up in over a year.  I've put on 2-3 lbs already.  I know that it is for a good reason...a great reason.
• to be warm - - Warm I am!  It was 80* this week.  Granted, it's only 50* and rainy today, but my bed is warm and that is where I'm snuggled up at the moment.  Sleeping is my new favorite thing.
• to hug my little niece and nephew - - I just spent 10 days with these precious two.  My heart was so full.  I miss them and love them so much.
• to high five an old friend - - I never did high five that old friend, but I have hugged and laughed and cried with some greater old friends.
• my step-daughter to celebrate "20" tomorrow and know just how loved she really is - - I surely hope that this is the case.
• my sister to have a peaceful heart and as much excitement as I did when I had a few months to go - - My beautiful sister  said  "I do" 15 days ago.  *love*
• my momma and daddy to have peaceful hearts knowing that their daughters are full of love and they done good - - I hope they never forget this.  Ever.
• my husband to feel like the man that he is - amazing - - I will always want this.  I will always want him to know how much I love him, cherish him, and appreciate him.
• to be hugged by Jesus  - - One day.   One day.

I've been so busy...

...Being IN LOVE!  I'm married now, y'all!  I documented my Engagement weekend quite a few posts down and then I went scarce between then and now.  In those busy months of picking out flowers and deciphering the true difference in shades of pink, I tried to capture it all here on my "countdown to the big day" blog.  Since we've been home, I've been in holiday mode - full speed.  With a gift making business, this is understandably such a busy time for me.  Between the pottery studio and Little Painted Polka Dots, I will be going non-stop until January. 

Even in the midst of the busiest days...when my feet hurt, my eyes are strained, my fingertips are cut and/or covered in paint, I know that I'm blessed beyond belief.  I serve the most amazing God and I realize it more and more everyday.  I am so in love with my husband and surrounded by big, BIG love from family and friends.  I'm thankful for each new day and I encourage you to find the good...even on the gloomy days.

Friday, sweet Friday!

I can't begin to explain how this past week has been.  I've had emotions I've never felt.  I've viewed certain things in a completely different light.  I've laughed in places I shouldn't have.  I smile more. 

I sat at my desk at work and listened to this song over and over...staring at my engagement ring with a smile. 

Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful
To touch me, I know that I'm in reach
'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful
Oh, something beautiful
And the water is risin' quick
And for years I was scared of it
We can't be sure when it will subside
So I won't leave your side, no I can't leave your side

I felt the warmth of the sun through the glass door.  I couldn't help but lean against it.  It felt so good that I pressed my face, my hands, and then my entire body against it.  I wanted to be bathed in that warmth...just like my old Amy cat.  She would lay in the sunny spots on the carpet and seem so peaceful.  I had a bit of that peace and warmth today too.  If there would have been  more time before I had to unlock that door I would have grabbed the pink body pillow and curled up on the window ledge in the front party room.  Ahh, goals for another day.

I hesitated before changing my Facebook status today.  I like that it announced our engagement, even if all of those Facebook friends of mine already know.  I liked seeing it and reliving that moment that I.SAID.YES!!  At this point, I don't care if this lovey dovey crap is annoying ya'll.  It is mine.  It is J's.  It is OURS and I plan on enjoying it for as long as possible.  If you know us in the slightest, you know that we are not lovey dovey.  There is nothing "ooey gooey" about our love.  We are not usually this sticky sweet couple.  So, please, be patient.  Let me enjoy it for now.


Today I am looking forward to just a peaceful, normal Friday. I was reading another blog today and came across this quote. It spoke to me. I loved it, and now I'll share it with you.

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day, I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return."
I'm so looking forward to this normal day!

Our Engagement Weekend - an Ooey Gooey Lovefest!

December 2004
J and I have been friends for about 7 months now.  We act like a couple, but I am not ready for another relationship. 

January 2005
I fit nicely in his arms.  He makes me happy.  We have a lot of fun together.  Okay, he can be my boyfriend now...but I'm not asking.

February 13, 2005
We take a little trip to Frankenmuth.  We plan to stay the weekend.  On this day he asks me to be his girlfriend.  I say yes.  I like him.

We carry on about our life together...as boyfriend and girlfriend.  A year passes.  Then two, three, four and five.  Wow.  Five years.  We act like a married couple, but he's not ready for a wife, I guess.

February 13, 2010
We take a little trip to Frankenmuth.  We plan to stay the weekend.  It's our 5 year anniversary and J surprises me and takes me back to where we first started dating.  He asks me to be his wife.  I say yes.  I LOVE HIM. 

Here is how it all went down....

We are just leaving our hotel to walk around Frankenmuth.  Aren't we cute?  I take a lot of photo's of us this way.

We walked and talked.  I mentioned the horses.  J mentioned the horses.  What girl doesn't want to go on a horse-drawn carriage ride?  We kept walking and talking. He brings up the horses again and I say that I want to go for a ride.  I wanted a white horse.  Oh please can we have a white horse?!  They have to go in order and to my delight, a white horse was next in line.  J is oftly chatty, asking one of the attendants about pictures and stuff.  I figured he was just being sweet, since this is our five-year anniversary and all.  We get in and the girl offers to take a couple pictures.

We're riding along, up a river-lined road.  I've never been on this quaint little road in all the times I've been to Frankenmuth.  I bet I'll visit it quite a few times in the future.  I'm happy and J seems happy.  I snap another photo of us.  It looks very similar to the first one in this post except our eyes are a bit glossier and our noses are red.  I lean in and tell J that I feel like a princess.

Our driver introduces himself (and also the horse, Ernie) and tells us to ask any questions along the way.  J  asked if we could stop along the way for a photo.  Our driver happily obliged.  As J exited the carriage I heard him whisper to the driver.  I was oblivious but hopeful...do you know what I mean?  He stopped me from exiting the carriage and he knelt down on the step.  He put his hands on me and I froze.  (I have tears typing this out.)  He looked me in the eyes and said....

"First of all, I love you...very much." .... insert tears...he pulls a little black box from somewhere..."Will you marry me?"

I can't even tell you what I felt.  It was such an amazing feeling.  I want to relive it a thousand times over.  I think every little girl dreams of this moment.  No matter how old we are, we all have a bit of that "little girl" inside.  I really did feel like a princess.

As you know, I said YES!  To be exact, I said "Of course! Are you kidding me? Oh my gosh, YES!!"  Then I said "let me out of here!"  I was still inside the carriage and he was outside.  This moment was followed by a lot of laughter and tears.  We hugged and cried and kissed and laughed.  Ernie (the horse) peed.  HILARIOUS.  That is our life.  I debated whether or not to include this, but yeah, it's our life.  We roll with it.  Our driver congratulated us and we carried on for the remainder of our ride.  I wanted to take it all in and enjoy the moment.  We snuggled.  We laughed.  We shouted out to this family walking by and waving to us -  "We just got engaged!!" 

At the time it felt like the longest horse-drawn carriage ride ever.  I wanted to enjoy it, but I also wanted to call my momma and my sister.  J knew that so he encouraged me to call.  I did.  "Momma, I'm ENGAGED!"  *sob* *sob* *sob*  She knew.  J had talked to both her and my dad prior so they knew that phone call was coming.  We enjoyed the last few minutes of our ride.  When we got back one of the attendants greeted us right away.  She knew too.  J told her before we left.  She was ready to snap some pics for us.

Our first pic as an engaged couple!

And our second!

 

Talk about giddy.  I could not stop smiling.  This was the case for the majority of...well... it continues.  Still smiling!  Before I even crossed the street I was dialing my sister.  I needed to tell my Beckey.  I stopped in the middle of the street and told her.  When something so great happens in life, you want to share it with the people who mean the most to you.  I was doing that.  I even talked to my niece and nephew. You know...the people that mean the most! My sweet 10 year old niece said "so..did you say yes?" Yes, Lovey Girl, I did! "Well, that's exciting!" Awe. Love her so! Here is the conversation between my 6 year old nephew and I.

Me: Hi buddy! Guess what?
Him: What?
Me: Uncle J asked me to marry him today!
Him: Okay
Me: You don't really care, do you?
Him: Nope..not at all. So, how many days can we spend at your house over summer vacation? 17?? 100??

Man, I love that kid!

We shared the news with some more friends and family. We squee'd and jumped up and down together, over the phone.  We called, we texted, we facebooked.  Okay, well, I did all that.  J shared it with a few and plans to tell people in person.  Um, I.could.not.wait.  We went back to the hotel and we continued to share the news.  We relaxed a bit before going back to town.    He pulled out the ring bag.  I thought it was silly, odd, cute that he had it all with him, until I realized the reason, and then I cried again.  He knows how I feel about diamonds.  Due to the conflicts in Africa and blood diamonds, I am not a fan.  I would have been happy with Moissanite or even Cubic Zirconia.  Instead, he sought out a conflict-free diamond.  He read me the certified guarantee and gave me a copy for safe-keeping.  That is love, my friends.  That is love!

The ring!

Here are some pictures of our night. At one point I felt like everything was worthy of a photo.  Believe it or not, I've spared you a few.

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Love was all around us, popping up everywhere to say hello!  J said it was because it was Valentine's weekend.  Um...it was because it was our ENGAGEMENT weekend...obviously!

So freakin' sweet.  Seriously. 

Day Two...

The Cheese Haus and the mouse statue are a special thing between us.  The two ladies that were taking our pics were so in love with our love.  It was such a joyful moment.  That's why I kept the second pic...even though my eyes are closed.

Even the taffy kisses!

What's a trip to Frankenmuth without a stop for fudge.  We sweeten up the entire family with fudgey goodness.

Are you sick of us yet? 

In one of the shops they had a shop kitty.  Her name was Diamond.  Fitting, huh?!  She loved J.  J loves animals and they love him.  However, when I tried to pet her, she scurried away.  Nice.

We ended our visit with a visit to the St. Julian Winery.  We tasted lots of samples, took a little tour, and had a special bottle made up just for us.  It was the perfect ending  to our weekend.

To Be Continued...