Life, Laughs, Love

Today marks a milestone I have both been waiting anxiously for & terrified of……..the 23 week mark! Any NICU nurse will tell you that the number 23 is a scary scary number. It is a relief to actually be at the point where our sweet monkey *might* survive outside if that time comes early, but knowing what I know about the course for 23 weekers it also scares the living hell out of me! It puts a weird perspective on things when I realize that I have actually held & cared for a baby the same gestation as mine. All I can say is “you better stay in there for a lot longer kiddo”!

So in an attempt to put those thoughts aside I have decided to “baby shop” today & want to show you all the extreme cuteness out there! First though it’s quiz time!

-How far along 23 weeks!
-How big is baby? 8.5 inches, 1.5 pound! The size of an ear of corn!
-Weight gain/loss? (-) 3lbs. I am on track to hitting my pre-pg weight by next week if I don’t get sick between now & then! (Most women have gained roughly 10lbs at this point. Still seems strange to me that gaining weight is my biggest issue!)

-Maternity clothes? I am still in my regular jeans but I am going to have to break down & buy some maternity shirts soon! Mine are too short after being stretched over the belly!
-Stretchies? not yet! I think I might be getting some small white ones on my hips soon….it is looking suspicious! As long as they aren’t the big red ones I am ok with that!
-Sleep? Getting rough! I officially can’t sleep on my back or tummy :(  Rolling over is also getting harder so I kinda flounce around in bed (much to Dans dismay!)

-Best moment this week? Enjoying all the one-on-one time with my husband! We’ve had 2 months together 24/7…which has actually been really nice! Getting all our couple time in before little one makes it’s arrival!
-Movement? Like crazy! Some of those kicks are strong enough to hurt!
-Food cravings? Still nothing noteable! I eat a million bananas because they are easy/yummy and baby seems to love them (starts going nuts after I eat them!)
-Gender? My thoughts change day to day! Not knowing is soooo much fun!
-Labor signs? Nope and it had better stay that way!

-Belly button in or out? Still an innie, but it is really wide! It’s at least 2X it’s normal size!
-What I miss? Being to go down to the local pub on cold nights & enjoying a Guinness with the hubby!
-What I am looking forward to? Warm weather & sun!! It was nice having a real winter…..but it is a few days till March…time for the warmth!

-Weekly wisdom? Hormones are nothing to joke about! I can cry at ANYTHING these days!
-Milestones? Hitting that crazy 23 week mark!

Now on to the adorable things I’ve been stalking! (Not knowing the gender is much kinder on the pocketbooks!! We are planning on buying some of these before the baby comes….but a lot will wait until after!);

Baby Beanies:

Baby Legs (for easier diaper changes & knee protection when they start scooting!):

Sock Monkey Costume:

Cloth Diapers:  with how cute these are how can you NOT cloth diaper?!

The things out there for little ones are too cute! I have become an etsy.com addict…..Dan is hiding the credit cards from me! ;)  He can’t complain too much though becaue I finally figured out how I want to do the nursery & he likes it! Even better is that most of the items are handmade (once again a shout-out to etsy!).

The Basics: 

The details:

It is official…I have completed 50% of this pregnancy!  I didn’t count 20 wks as being halfway since I expect I will go past my due date, but no matter what this baby will be evicted by 42 weeks!  :)

Quiz Time:

-How far along 21 weeks!
-How big is baby? 8 inches, 1 pound! The size of a squash!
-Weight gain/loss? (-) 5lbs, but that is better than last week! My current goal is to get to my pre-pregnancy weight by 24 weeks!
-Maternity clothes? I own a few pairs of maternity jeans but since I’ve lost so much weight they don’t fit! I can still fit into one pair of my regular jeans so I pretty much wear them nonstop (or my yoga pants!).
-Stretchies? not yet!
-Sleep? Insomnia has been my friend :( 

-Best moment this week? Our 20wk u/s last friday!
-Movement? yes! 
-Food cravings? Nothing really! The only thing I seem to like more than usual right now are oranges & orange juice!
-Gender? Team Green here! This week I’ve been feeling boy…but last week was sure it was a girl!
-Labor signs? Nope and pray to not have any for at least 17 more weeks!

-Belly button in or out? Still in although it is getting shallow! Officially removed the belly ring this week though! It looks weird!
-What I miss? sleeping comfortably (can’t really sleep on stomach as of this week!) :(
-What I am looking forward to? Finding out where/when we will be moving so I can actually buy baby things & start to plan!
-Weekly wisdom? Milk is cold & delicious…but some limit needs to be set or the tummy will revolt!
-Milestones? Being 50% complete!

It really blows my mind that I am already so far along! In some ways it feels like the weeks drag on (I mean 9 months is a loooong time!), but then I look at the big picture and think “holy crap it is coming quick”!

Last Friday (has it already been a week?!) Dan & I headed to our big ultrasound. The days leading up to it were pretty stressful since we found out that Dan had to be in St. Louis on Thursday & Friday for his interview with the AF Chief  Nurse Officer. I tried calling to reschedule the ultrasound but unfortunately they were booked until the end of March & it has to be done between 20 & 24 weeks. I cried a lot that day! :(  Luckily Dan’s recruiter was able to squeeze Dan’s interview in late of Thursday which allowed him to head home that night! He missed the last train to Chicago by 30 minutes but managed to make the final boarding call on the bus! Dan said it was a loooong 6 hr bus ride with some very very scary people (they stopped halfway at the prison & picked up a bunch of newly released inmates….comforting!). Thankfully he arrived back in the city safe & sound at 1am!

The ultrasound itself was absolutely amazing! Our technician was grumpy (aka: a bitch) & refused to record the u/s on DVD saying that they liked to keep the appt as “medical as possible”. WTF?! Made no sense! She also only gave us 3 pictures…..which all look the same! She wouldn’t give us the pictures she took of the hands or feet! :(  Disappointing but the most important thing was that everything looked perfect! We were able to see all 4 chambers of the heart and watch the valves open/close. She also pointed out the kidneys, bladder, brain, eyes…..everything! When she zoomed in on each hand/foot we could actually count the fingers & toes! Each had 5…perfect! Towards the end of the visit our tech lightened up a bit & let us watch the baby for a few minutes while it did it’s thing. It kept waving it’s little arms all around & you could watch it take a big gulp of fluid and swallow. I couldn’t help but laugh (and cry!) because everytime the baby would swallow it would start smacking it’s little lips! I guess it likes the bananas & apple yogurt I had for breakfast that morning! (side note – did you know that the amniotic fluid tasted like what the mom ate that day?! I didn’t! Learn something new everyday!). The smacking made my heart melt & I fell 100% head over heals at that moment. I looked at Dan & have never seen him so proud! I do believe his chest grew about 300% that day!

Here is a peek at our little one:

The first thing everyone asks when they hear that we had the ultrasound is: Is it a boy or a girl?! Well we resisted & looked away from the screen when she was playing in that region….we have no clue! The technician also didn’t write it down anywhere in our chart so my OB has no clue either! The only way we can find out now is to pay money for another ultrasound somewhere else (which we are not going to do!). It was sooo hard to look away during that time but we are both so happy that we did! We would have really regretted finding out ahead of time. The excitement/anticipation is so much higher! :0)

Other fun stuff that happened last week (it was a busy week!) was that we registered for all the baby stuff! Our registry is pretty small compared to most 1st time parents….but we just didn’t see the need for most of the stuff that the store tells you you HAVE to have! We also didn’t register for clothes because I figure if anyone buys us a baby outfit they will pick out what they like (thats what I always did!). Baby medicine/1st aide gear is another thing we stayed away from…..honestly that is something I plan on buying myself! Just seems weird to put a box of baby tylenol on the registry! We will head to CVS in a few weeks & stock up on everything medical we might need! Even with a small registry we still spent over 3hrs at the store! Decisions decisions decisions! We couldn’t leave without buying something so we decided to pick out our going home from the hospital outfits (one of each!). I still need to take pictures of the outfits but OMG they are sooooo cute! (the little boy outfit melts my heart everytime!).

We also went on Saturday to our first every “mommy/daddy” class! It was a class held at a local baby boutique here in the city over babywearing & the different types of carriers. Dan and I plan to babywear our LO (little one) pretty much all the time (we are talking about not getting a stroller for awhile!) so I wanted to try all the different carriers before buying & needed some instruction on how to wrap/tie some of them! The class was fantastic! We spent almost 3 hrs going over all types of carriers and practicing with life size babies (dang those dolls were heavy!). In the end we decided that we liked the wrap style the best (the ring sling was not my friend!) so we are going to get a Moby wrap to use during the newborn stage & upgrade to a German wovan wrap when LO hits about 15+ pounds! We also really liked the Ergo carrier for when the baby gets bigger so we will probably get one of those as well! Here is a picture of Dan wearing the Moby with our “baby” (he was the only dad in the room to get it right the first time! So proud!):

Last but not least Dan was finally able to feel the baby kick last week! It took awhile since kiddo seemed to stop kicking anytime Dan put his hand near my belly but he finally felt a few good kicks (along with some crazy rolling!). It is so much fun to see his face when he feels it….definately helping to make this pregnancy “real” to him! I have to admit though it still kinda creeps me out….very alienish! ;)  But I love knowing that things are going good in there!

I’m going to take another belly pic this week or next but in the meantime here is my 13-20wk pics! Definately starting to shape out!

Well I have learned my lesson about neglecting my blog….it has super powers! ;)

Just a few hours after I posted my last update EVERYTHING turned around! The speed that things changed has my head still spinning, but I am so happy with the direction!

First big change was baby related! I posted about how I was fusterated at not feeling any flutters or having any sort of baby bump and a few hours later I woke up to definate flutters & a small bump that has continued to grow over the past week!! :)  I was exactly 17wks when I felt the flutters – they are really amazing….and a little weird! I told Dan it kinda gave me the heebie-jeebies (even though I love it!). Over the past week the flutters are getting stronger, though I can’t really call them kicks yet….more just weird twitches! I’m looking forward to feeling a definate kick though! Dan is getting anxious to start feeling things too (though I told him it will be several more weeks for them to be that strong!). As for the belly it is really weird feeling! I ALWAYS feel like I just ate a huge 12 course meal, and I can’t even pretend to suck it in! haha! The past few days it has been noticible to others if I wear a decent fitting shirt! So much fun!

I took some belly shots at 13wks (first week I felt the hard nub of my uterus!) and last week at 17 wks! It kinda looks like I just hit the holiday buffet a little too hard….but I know it is all baby since I’m actually down 6-7lbs since the 13wk mark (weight has not been my friend this pregnancy!). Here is my comparision:

I will try to take a picture this week (18wks)! My belly button is starting to get very shallow….yikes!

Second big change is military related! Just a few hours after I woke up feeling flutters Dan got a call from the Air Force recruiter…..what a difference it was from the Navy recruiter!! The AF guy was direct & told us exactly what they could offer and how fast he could get us in (no “maybe” in his vocabulary!). The best part is they are offering a LOT more money up front! The Navy is not giving any more student loan reimbursement for the year & will only give a 20K sign-on bonus…..the AF is still reimbursing student loans & giving a 30K sign-on bonus! That is a $45K difference! 

The AF recruiter also made some calls and got a written extension for Dan’s paperwork meaning that Dan could have his packet before the Feb. board! This is HUGE! We met the AF recruiter in his office where he helped Dan fill out 90% of the paperwork needed and got him set up for his medical review (which was last Friday and went great!) as well as his interview with the Chief Nursing Officer (required with the AF). At this point all we are waiting on is for Dans letters of recs to be mailed to the recruiter and is packet is 100% done…..all in less than 2 weeks!! We have been working with the Navy since September & we still have no idea when his packet will be complete! How is that for efficiency! Since Dan’s packet will go before the review board in Feb. we should hear about his commission as early at April! At that time we will also get our orders for where we will be stationed (getting to that in a second!). The one twist in all of this is the dates he would have to leave for COTS (officer training camp for the AF). He would have to go to Alabama for training May 25th – June 25th….yep you heard that right….June 25th. Otherwise known as my due date!!! OMG! We are now saying lots of prayers that this little one stays snuggled up in there & comes after the due date!

We have a few options in front of us: 1.) I will wait in Chicago while he goes to training and hope the kiddo doesn’t come early or 2.) Go to Alabama & stay in a hotel (grandmother would stay with me!) so that if I do go into labor he could hopefully get out of class for awhile to be with me. The second option isn’t steller b/c we wouldn’t have a 100% garauntee that he would be allowed out, and it would mean travelling 750 miles a week post partum with a newborn…UGH! At this point we are holding off on any decisions until my next ultrasound on the 5th to see how the baby is measuring! I’m hoping the baby is measuring a week late so my due date gets pushed back!! If the baby is measuring ahead then I might just make the trip to Alabama…..

With all this running through my mind the craziest part is going to be finding out where we will be stationed for the next few years. The final push for us to go AF over Navy came when they told us they would have no problem sending Dan overseas for his first billet (military term for job)! What?! The Navy was refusing to allow him overseas for the first 2-3yrs despite his previous enlistment. The AF recruiter gave Dan a list of current billets available (something the Navy refused to do!) and there were at least 5 in Germany for both ICU and ER! With that I was sold…Air Force here we come!! :)  For our official “wishlist” we put down 2 bases in Germany, 1 in England, and 1 in Italy. I am praying with everything I have that we get sent to Lanstuhl, Germany! We will officially find out in April!

Moving overseas with a 1-2 month old will not be easy…but I don’t care! It will be so worth it once we get there! 2 years of exploring Europe for free with my handsome hubby & adorable baby – does life get any better?!

If for some reason we do get stationed state-side it will either be in San Antonio, TX (good for obvious reasons!) or Travis, CA (close to San Fran). April cannot get here quick enough!

All this happened within hours/days of writing my last blog…I think I’m going to keep it up! ;)

This seems to be the current status of my life…

There hasn’t been too much to update recently because we seem to be stuck in a sort of limbo. Boy is it annoying! Dan & I have officially accepted the status of “hurry up & wait” and are now figuring out ways to liven it up a little!

Here is where we stand: Dan has turned in almost all of his “packet” for the Navy. The only part he has left to complete is the Medical part called MEPS. Unfortunately the military is slower than anything you can imagine & we have been fortunate (cough cough) to be stuck with a recruiter who is almost impossible to reach! At this point we have absolutely no idea when he will recieve his medical paperwork & all emails/calls go unreturned or with vague non-helpful answers! Aaaagghh! Once he finishes MEPS we’ve been told that it takes 2-5 months for him to leave for ODS (Officer Development School). The problem with all of this is that the military fiscal year starts in October & there is a very limited number of slots for nurses each year…..meaning that if they process his paperwork too late there may not be any available slots until the next fiscal year (October 2010!)! There is also a limited amount of funds available for tuition repayment/sign-on bonuses so if you are late getting in you can get screwed out of any bonuses! BLAH!

With all of this going on Dan has decided to also start his packet for the US Air Force! Although he is a Navy man at heart the Air Force has a better track record for getting paperwork done & has a better reputation for how they treat their nurses (so we’ve heard from friends in all branches). Since he is just now starting the paperwork for this branch there is a pretty good chance that he won’t be able to commission until October 2010 as well, but this opens up our choices!

I have told Dan that it is 100% his decision when it comes to deciding Navy vs. Air Force, but I have started to research areas where we would be based for both branches! If he goes Navy there is a high chance we would be headed to San Diego…..which I would love! I like the idea of warm weather, beaches, balboa park, friends an hour away, etc. If he goes Air Force we would most likely be headed to San Antonio, TX……hmmmm! The great thing about San Antonio is that we would be back in TX (the greatest state in the nation – there is no denying it!), close to Tex-Mex & Whataburger (drool) AND we would be within an hour from almost all of our TX friends! I will admit that there is still a very small part of me that is sad about the idea of moving back to TX, but I can’t explain why! I think it’s just because I never really thought I would ever move back…..sort of feels like I’m giving up & moving home (which I know makes NO sense & is stupid!). I do love the idea of my children growing up in the South (where manners still exist!) & Lord knows our money would go MUCH farther than it would in California! Aaaagghhh! Decisions decisions! I seriously have the most amazing friends in both places so that doesn’t make this choice any easier! Thankfully at this point the decision is out of my hands, maybe I can just toss a coin if the time comes! :0)

Until then we have to figure out what to do in Chicago! The last few months with the agency have been rough! Census is down & hospitals are trying hard not to use agency (thanks crappy economy!) so jobs have been few & far between. Ouch on the pocketbooks! Dan has decided to go ahead & try to find full-time employment here so we can be assured some steady income after the baby comes! He has an interview on Tuesday with Northwestern Memorial & I really hope he gets it! Northwestern is absolutely amazing & I know it will look great on his resume! It is an EXTREMELY hard hospital to get into (they only except BSN or higher for all units, & you must have at least 2 years experience in your specialty…they do not allow new nurses) Yikes! They have a position available in the NICU that I’m so tempted to apply for (I’ve heard amazing things about it!), but since I’m due in just a few short months now is probably not a good time! Until then I think I will just stick with the agency & hope that it picks up in the spring (NICU usually does!).

On the baby front there isn’t really any new news! I’m 17 weeks along as of today and I can’t decide if it is flying by or crawling! The kiddo gave us a slight scare 2 weeks ago (bleeding issues..) but everything looks fine now! I told Dan that this might be the first kid that is born grounded! Hehe! We have another OB appt on Tuesday which is basically to listen to the heartbeat & check my weight (I’m under and having problems gaining….never thought that would be my problem!!!). Our big ultrasound is on Feb 5th, but we do not plan on finding out the baby’s sex! It isn’t going to be easy not asking but we love the idea of it being a suprise in the delivery room! I can’t wait to hear Dan say “It’s a boy/girl”! We honestly don’t care what we have (and haven’t had any strong “feelings” about it either) so we are just going to have fun with the anticipation! It is driving everyone else crazy but we love it!

I’m hoping in the next few weeks I will start to feel some kicks (I *might* have felt some flutters this past week….but it is impossible to tell from normal belly gurgles!) and hope to start getting a baby bump! I kinda started showing this past week, but it mostly just looks like I enjoyed the holidays a little too much! I can still fit into my normal jeans pretty easily & I’m ready to bring out the maternity jeans! I took a belly photo at 13 weeks (rocking the early pregnancy bloat!) and plan to take another this week! I’ll start posting them once it looks like something is happening! ;)

That is about it for now! Maybe if I updated this thing more often the entries wouldn’t be so long! hehe! My new goal is to make at least one posting a week….we will see how that goes!

I have completely neglected my blog lately! :(

The month of October was crazy with a pre-anniversary trip vaction to Michigan to enjoy the fall foliage, wineries, and apple orchards. We had a great time & I thought Michigan was a gorgeous state!! A few days after that trip we headed out on our big 2nd anniversary trip to Turkey! I attempted several times while we were there to write a blog post…..but we were going so fast & furious that any downtime we had was spent sleeping! It was an exhausting 2 weeks but we had a BLAST! Turkey is a gorgeous exotic country & it really opened our eyes to a completely different culture! I recommend that everyone step out of their comfort zone for travel at some point in their lives! Amazing!!

At the end of our trip we got to spend a few days in London which was tons of fun but a little bittersweet since our plans have changed about moving there :*(  Luckily though we have our NMC approval so if the chance ever comes again we will 100% be ready to take it! Dan & I will live overseas at some point in our lives……just not today!

On our very last day in London we got some great news that will forever make London a very special place for us:

Thats right! We are pregnant!!!!

Little Baby Thurow is expected June 25th, 2010 (Dan & his brothers 32nd birthday!). Its been fun shocking family/friends with the news since no one was expecting it! We did not tell anyone when we planned to start trying (honestly it isn’t anyones business & who wants to deal with the constant “are you” questions?!) so their reactions have been fun! Dan and I had a hard time believing it at first….but a few weeks ago we got to see our little “monkey” on the ultrasound with its adorable flickering heartbeat! What an amazing sight! It took our breath away! That added with the ever fun symptoms of pregnancy (morning sickness, bloating, food adversions…..) have finally helped it sink in that we are in fact having a baby! In another week and a half we go back to the doctor and will actually get to hear the heartbeat! Cannot wait! As of today I am 11 weeks and 3 days along! Only 2 weeks until I hit the second trimester! YAY!

I’m not showing yet (actually down 6lbs thanks to the wonderfulness of morning sickness) but I am looking forward to getting my baby bump in another 2 months! Pictures will follow!

In the meantime Dan has submitted his packet to the Navy & now we are in the waiting game to find out when he gets to head out to training! :)  We turned in our perferred base list & are really hoping that we get Balboa so we can move back to California! Chicago has been great……but I really miss my friends! I am so happy I gave Chicago a shot (will never have the “what if’s”) but I’m ready to get back to my girls!! With the baby coming it will be really nice to have some sort of support system close by! Prayers needed that we get stationed in Balboa!!!

I hate making big decisions…..hate it! I especially hate it when your head & your heart are going two different ways!

Dan & I have had to seriously talk about what we plan to do in the upcoming year since our little “curve ball” came about! Life’s timing can play some pretty cruel tricks. We both knew what was the smartest thing for our family, but it has been hard to take the “smart path”!

Dan and I have always been an impulsive, fly by the seat of our pants couple – “wanna move to somewhere crazy after graduation like southern CA?” “SURE!”, “wanna take a quick trip to Hawaii” “Why Not?!”, “wanna drive across the country & buy a house in Chicago? “Sounds Great!”…..most people don’t understand us, but we love the insane/flexible life we have. While we plan on never fully giving up our impulsive lifestyle we do know that we have to start putting more thought into our big plans now that we own a home & are planning on having kids in the future (but not right now, no matter what the grandparents want!!) ;)  This idea is largely what has influenced our decision.

So now that you are curious/confused about what is going on here is the story:   (I hope it makes sense…it is 3am & a confusing story!)

Dan & I have had all of our paperwork into the NMC office in London for close to 2 months now & have been getting annoyed with all the delays (London postal service strike set us back a few weeks, etc..). Each time the process is pushed back it pushes back the dates that we can start class & therefore the dates that we can begin work. We have been trying to plan the move to where we could spend adequate time overseas but still move back home by August/September so I could finish my last year of school without taking a break. The class/move overseas is pretty expensive so there is a point where the cost is not worth it for a short time!

While we have been waiting on a decision from the NMC we have been working agency jobs so that we will be able to leave whenever we want to. The agency jobs have been pretty good & we have been able to give several different hospitals a “trial run”, but we hate being on call all the time & you are never guarenteed a stable paycheck – can lead to a lot of sleepless nights! ;)

Then about 2 weeks ago we got a very random phone call. One of the top US Navy Nurse recruiters called Dan to talk about rejoining. We are not sure why they called us – we can only guess that his name popped up in their system somewhere! Anyone who knows Dan knows that he has always dreamed of being a Naval Officer. It is a dream that we  researched extensively last year, but ultimately decided against. The reasons we decided against it were:

1. They would not pay off his student loans & were only offering about 1/3 of the normal sign on bonus

2. They would not take his previous years of service into consideration with his rank

3. They would not allow him to remain ICU/ER at the hospital…he would have to do at least 2 years of Med-Surg before possibly moving up

4. (This is the big one) They told us he was almost 100% guaranteed to be deployed within 1 year of service due to his training & specialty.

My answer was “NO!”  :)  Dan wasn’t happy about giving up his dream, but he did agree that he was not willing to give up so much.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago – a much different story!! Dan politely told the Officer that he really wasn’t interested in rejoining anymore but agreed to hear what they were offering. They must be needing qualified nurses because:

1. Full payment of all student loans & a full sign-on bonus

2. Not only will they allow him to count his previous years of enlistment towards rank they will also start him out one rank higher than he technically should be! Instead of entering in as an O-1 (the smallest ranking Naval Officer), he would be entering as an O-2E with a promotion to O-3 within 18-24 months! I big deal in the military!

3. He will remain in the ICU for the next 18 months & will then be sent to Graduate School (while getting a full paycheck!) to receive his MSN in Disaster Relief/Management (another huge dream of Dan’s!). After graduation there are multiple jobs Dan could choose & if he plays his cards right he could end up at the Pentagon dealing with the military response to terrorism & disasters – a job that seems almost designed for my sweet husband!

4. Due to his high rank, previous enlistment, and the large waiting lists for deployment (did you know there are actual waiting lists?!?!) there is almost no chance he would be deployed unless he requested it! In the military there is never a 100% guarantee BUT after talking with friends that are Navy Nurses it really does look like he will be safe from deployment….my biggest concern!

All I had to do it take one look at my husbands eyes while he was explaining everything to me to know that there is almost no way I can say “No” this time. It is everything he has ever wanted. It is an amazing opportunity for us….but you can see how the timing stinks! Once he enlists we will have to move away to his duty station (more on that later….) and leave Chicago. To get this call only 3 weeks after closing on our place really really really sucks! Why couldn’t they have called us a few months ago?! Then we would not have moved or bought a place! Thank the Lord that we bought a place that will be extremely easy to rent!

After lots of late night discussions we have officially decided that Dan is going to rejoin the Navy! We are both extremely excited…and a little scared…but know that this is an opportunity we cannot miss out on! The great thing is that Dan can retire in 16yrs at the age of 47! Not too shabby! :)

Now for the next part of the decision….London. Dan has the choice of starting Officer training in either April or October. We were originally thinking that he would wait to start in October so that we could still keep our plans of doing a few assignments out in London. It actually looked like this would work when we recieved the news last Friday that we had officially been granted a “Yes” decision from the NMC! Woo-hoo! Everything was processed and we were granted our license approval! All that was left was to send off for our work visas & entry permits so that we could officially register for the October class. The visas take 2-3 weeks to be processed & the class started in 4 weeks so time was running short but we should have still been able to do it. Notice I said should. That is right….this is the week that our recruiter decided to go out on vacation. Since they are the ones that have to register for the visas that means that it didn’t get done….and probably won’t be done until the middle of next week. Aaaaggghhh!!!! We will not be able to register for the October class & the November class may already be full! This means that we would not get to start work until the end of January at the earliest (and it would most likely be the end of February), that would only give us roughly 5-6 months overseas which to be honest is not enough time for the amount of money it would cost us!

This is where the head vs. heart debate sets in. My head knows that it would be much much smarter for our little family if we decided to drop the London move & have Dan head off for OIS (officer training) in April…..but my heart is still wanting to live overseas!!! :*(   After lots of talks though we have decided to do the smart thing & put the London idea aside so we can follow this new direction.

Luckily though tonight my dear sweet husband tossed me a GREAT idea! :) One that makes my sad heart very very happy!! Once officer training is complete he will be asked to submit his 3 choices for where he wants to be stationed. We had chosen Balboa (in San Diego) & Bethesda (in DC) as 2 of his choices (I would love to go back to Southern CA & be close to friends again & we both love the idea of living in Washington!) but were unsure of what the last choice should be. Well we have decided to drop Betheda as a choice and instead add Naples, Italy & Okinawa, Japan to the list! This means we will have 2/3 chance of getting sent overseas for a duty station! I might get to live overseas yet! hahaha! What is even better is that I won’t be working if we go overseas so we won’t have to worry about synching up our schedules to allow us to travel on our days off (one thing we were worried about with the London assignment!). I will also be able to finish school without taking a break! Even better! :)  Add in the fact that the money is much better than the London assignment & Dan will still only work 3 shifts a week and it is looking even nicer!

All in all we feel pretty good that we are making the right decisions for ourselves & our future. The timing is horrible & it is hard to let something go when you have worked so hard for it….but we hope the future turns out even better than we were thinking!! Wish us luck in the upcoming months because we are going to need it!!

And one question: Given the situation what would you have chosen? I’m curious! :)

How much would you give up to accomplish your dream? Almost everything right?…….How much would you give up so that the person you love the most could accomplish their dream? About the same right?

Life is pretty funny (or at least you have to look at it that way in order to keep from going insane); things were coming together for us & eveything was working out just as we planned….but now we have been thrown a major curve ball.

I have been blessed to have an amazing husband who has always encouraged me to follow my dreams. He has often put his own wants/desires aside so that I could chase anything I wanted. He encouraged me to move out to CA after school because he knew that I had always wanted to try to make it outside of my comfort zone….even when he really just wanted to move back to Austin and start our life surrounded by friends. He let me stay in CA a lot longer than we originally planned because I loved it & had made an amazing group of friends…..even though he was homesick & not really crazy about living there. He moved to Chicago because it has always been the one place I really loved…..even though he absolutely HATES cold weather! There has never been a moment in our relationship that he has tried to keep me from something I wanted. He has always said “if that is your dream we will find a way to make it happen”. Not many find someone like that.

Now it is my turn to return the favor…and I am sooo happy to do it, but the timing really does break my heart a little. Dan has always had one big dream when it comes to his career (those close to me know what it is but I’m not ready to share it with everyone yet…) but has never gotten to fulfill it. 2 years ago I let him research more into it but we both decided that the benefits did not outweigh the risks and pretty much removed the option from the table. Even though he still thought about his dream often we never counted it into our “life plans”.

A few days ago however that changed.

Dan was contacted by someone & given an amazing opportunity. He would be able to achieve his dream, and this time the risks that kept us away previously are essentially gone. It would allow him to further his education and branch out into a crazy field that seems to be almost made for him. Financially it would more than double his current salary and allow him to completly provide for our family. This would allow me to stay home with children, or pursue another dream of mine – teaching in a BSN nursing program….without changing our lifestyle.

Sounds great huh? So why is it beaking my heart?

This career opportunity would mean that we would have to move. See what I mean about crappy timing? Why couldn’t this have come just a few months ago?!?! We would have to move from a city that I love & am just now really getting to know. We would have to move away after we just bought our first home (!!). We would be moving sometime in the next year if he chooses to accept the offer. In the meantime we would have to look into renting our place out (which luckily will be VERY easy to do). Just writing this down is breaking my heart….

There is a small possibility that we might be able to put off moving from Chicago for 3 years….but it is very small & not too likely :*(   If it does happen it would be amazing & everything would be fine! Prayers would be great right about now!!!

Luckily we have some time to think about it before moving ahead & we are really really hoping that this does not interfere with our London plans (another prayer please!!). So far it looks like the timing will be ok on that part, but nothing is guaranteed yet!

In the meantime we plan to do a lot of talking & soul searching to figure out what is best for us & our family. Prayers that we make the right decision & everything works out would be greatly appreciated!!!

Now that Dan and I are finally in our own place we are trying to get back on track with our healthy eating & excercising. Living out of suitcases & with no real kitchen to call our own for almost 2 months really took a toll on our health (and waistline!) :( 

For the most part it is pretty easy for me to eat healthy….I don’t enjoy red meat (perfer turkey & fish), and I loooove fruit! The one area I really struggle with is vegatables, I just don’t like them! I have really really tried over the years and have gotten where I don’t mind peas, green beans, corn, and asparagus but I just don’t enjoy the “really good for you” vegatables like carrots, spinach, broccoli. 

Here is where the green monster comes in! I had heard about the green monster shake from a friend & had googled it to read more…..but to be honest it sounded too disgusting to try! I kept hearing more & more people talk about it so I finally decided to give it a try. WOW! It is delicious! It is a great way to get my fruits & veggie servings in and I actually enjoy (crave!) it!

What is the green monster? It is basically a shake that includes raw spinach & some other ingredients. I promise you really can’t taste the spinach!!

Yummy!!

Here are a few recipes that I usually go between:

Peanut Butter & Banana:
2 cups raw spinach

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 frozen ripe banana

1 tbs peanut butter (I use Trader Joe’s Better than Peanut Butter)

* I sometimes throw in 1 serving of baby carrots (about 12) but have to increase the fruit amount since it does alter the taste a bit!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup:

1 cup skim milk

2 cups raw spinach

1 tbs peanut butter

1 frozen ripe banana

1 packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast (chocolate flavor)

Fruit Delight:

2 cups raw spinach

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1 frozen ripe banana

Yummy!! In just the two weeks I have been drinking them I have noticed a huge change in my energy, skin, hair & nails! They also help keep me full so I tend to not snack as much (my one weakness!). I have been able to get a full servings of fruits AND veggies each day for the past 2 weeks!

Now I just have to get the excercising figured out……..Dan loves to run but sadly my ankles just can’t tolerate it & I don’t want to join a gym since we will be leaving soon. I’m thinking of buying a monthly pass to the pilates/yoga place down the road but it is hard to commit when I dont’ have a stable work schedule yet! Oh well hopefully I get it figured out soon! :)

The weather is still warm & sunny but there is a definate change in the air showing that cooler weather is not far away. I love summertime & I’m sad that pretty soon the boats will be put away for winter & fun times at the dock will end…..but I LOVE LOVE LOVE fall!! Fall has always been my favorite time of year. I love the clothes (bring on the tights & cute jackets/scarves), pumpkin spice lattes, the leaves changing, empty museums (kids are finally in school!), and the excitement of upcoming holidays!

Another reason I love the fall is our anniversary! On October 13th we will have been married for 2 years (wow!). We agreed a long time ago that we didn’t want to do gifts but instead wanted to spend each anniversary on a trip to someplace new. Last year we enjoyed 2 amazing weeks in Ireland but we wanted to go somewhere this year where we would never take children (gotta get it out of our systems!). After lots & lots of researching & planning we finally settled on…….TURKEY! I am so excited I can’t stand it! Part of me is a little nervous because it is definately outside of our comfort zone, but we have been reading up on the local muslim law & plan to pack/behave accordingly!

We leave on October 8th for Istanbul where we will start the trip. We will be staying there for three nights taking in all the sites before heading to our next destination. There is sooooo much to see in Instanbul (you could spend a week & not see it all!), but we have made a list of definate “must-sees” & hope to hit all of them!

Blue Mosque

Hagia Sophia (our hotel's rooftop deck overlooks this!)

Grand Bazaar

Topkapi Palace & Harem

Turkish Seaside

Our next stop is the Cappadocia region. I am most excited about this part of the trip after reading all the guidebooks & seeing the pictures! We will spend several days driving around the region in our rental car taking in the sites & doing lots of hikes to underground cities! The hotel we are staying at is in a cave! We are also crossing off one of our “bucket list” items by taking a hot air balloon ride over the area on our actual anniversary! :) 

Homes in Cappadocia

Cannot wait for this!!!

Underground city of Kaymakli

The last area we plan to visit is Selcuk for more Greek/Roman ruins! The history of each place is incredible! We are hoping to have enough time to take the bus down to Troy during this part of the trip….but will just have to see what time allows! :)

Ephesus Library

Ephesus Theater

Temple of Apollo

Medusa

After Selcuk we will fly to Istanbul for one more night before heading to London. Once in London we will take our first of the three classes to receive our UK license (and hopefully sightsee for the 2 1/2 days we will be there!) before flying back to Chicago to work for the two weeks between classes!

::Sigh:: I really do love the fall!

I am thinking that my 27th year might be the biggest & craziest of my life! On August 12th I welcomed (kinda) in another year…..I still can’t believe I am already 27! I feel like it was just yesterday I was crying with Kimmy & blowing out candles on my “quarter-life crisis” cake! Time is moving waaaay to fast! My first major event of 27 was to sign away my life and gain a mortgage in return! Monday before last Dan and I finally managed to cross the T’s and dot the I’s to become homeowners!! Closing day was anything but relaxing & smooth (in our lives what is?!). We had finished signing all the paperwork and were just about to be handed the keys when the seller’s lawyer walked in and told her clients that “there is a problem”. Dan and I just looked at each other and said “of course there is…”. Turned out that the lawyer had dropped the ball & failed to make sure that everything was squared away with the homeowners association. The board had recently made some changes to their bylaws and the lawyer had not gotten them signed/notorized correctly which essentially nullifies the HOA. You can not get an FHA loan without an up-to-date HOA board & bylaws! The sellers spent the next few hours trying to get a hold of different people & things taken care of. At one point we were told that there was no way closing could happen that day (which would have been bad since our rate lock ended that day!). Thankfully after 5 hours (!!) of tense waiting they managed to get the bank everything they needed and closing was approved! Whew! Instead of having a kiss & celebrating getting the keys Dan and I just walked out of the building in a daze of mental exhaustion! :)  Luckily the excitement & fear came when our realtor dropped us off at our NEW HOME!  (Note: for anyone in the Chicago area thinking to buy we loved our realtor! Message me for his information!)

We celebrated our first place that night by dressing up and heading downtown for an amazing 8-course meal at “16″ the restaurant at Trump Tower overlooking the city with my Aunt. The views were incredible, food fabulous & cocktails yummy! We were even greeted with a gorgeous rainbow spanning the entire city! We took that as a good sign! :)

We have been in our place for just over a week now & are loving it! The wood work is amazing and our neighbors seem really nice. We don’t have much furniture in it yet (it is being stored in Wisconsin & we haven’t had a chance to get up there yet….) but it is kinda fun hanging out on camping chairs in the living room! Once we get our actual furniture in we will post pictures! Cheers to 30 years! ;)