Cangrats Barbi

I knew for the last several months that it might be a possibility. Both my friends Brit and Barb have been trying for their second. I have tried to mentally prepare myself for this to happen. And yet, still nothing prepares you for that phone call...
Aside from her parents my best friend has not told anyone as she is 9 weeks along and wants to have her first ultrasound before telling siblings & friends. But she wanted to tell me. I could hear in her voice she was worried about telling me. I asked her when her due date was, if they are stepping up house hunting questions, joked asking about how they found out. I tried to be as upbeat as I could be, and I think I pulled it off pretty well. That is of course until I hung up the phone. I'm sure its because I'm on cd2 and fairly emotional. I'm sure it's also because since this is finally our IUI cycle I have higher expectations. I'm sure it's also because she knows all about out IF struggles and know this is the cycle I've been waiting for and asked where we were with that. Because I can't be that person that can't be happy for her best friend. I can't be. Jeff held me while I cried for about ten minutes. And now that it's an hour later I'm OK but still have a tear welling in my eye as I write this. I asked him, why is it so simple for everyone else? He reminded me of my friend Lauren who is also struggling with IF and the bump girls. He said "It's not everyone else. And it will be our turn soon." I can only hope.

Things I've done...

Every week while I am away from my computer I think of things to blog about. And then when I am home they disappear from my brain. I am such a horrible blogger! I know I wanted to write one about how I appreciate my parents more now a days... Because as times have been a little tough financially these past two years and my parents hear me talk about cheap dinner ideas or asking for dinners out as gift ideas and they'll say "that reminds me...when you were a kid - we did *blank* to save money". I NEVER noticed we were short on money when I was a kid. Before last year, I would have said we were always comfortably middle class. Thanks Mom & Dad for keeping my childhood worry free and yet opening my eyes as an adult on how a family can go thru some lean years and be happy in the process!

And now for something a little fun to let you blog readers know more about me. Anything in bold I have done. I might add a little to explain the event. *whoever wrote this, some are pretty boring but most hold a story. You can copy & paste to your blog if you want to show how many of these 99 things you've done in your life:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band *marching band counts right? right?!
4. Visited Hawaii *I was 14, would love to go back as an adult
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (Disney World) *I was five, I only remember what I've seen in pics
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch *is trombone an art? LOL, but also drawing
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill *Just last Friday :)
24. Built a snow fort *growing up in Chicago - this is a must!
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping *And was watched by friends ex-military neighbor with his night vision goggles. He told us later that week. CREEPY!!
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors *Barham, England...very small town but very cool to see the remains of my family castle.
35. Seen an Amish community *When I worked for CBS in Iowa- I tried to sell the television commercials! LOL had to explain how funny that was!
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied *2004, ah it was a great year!
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke *used to do this all the time when I was single. Try to get the gals to go out doing it once a year now that we're all old & married :P
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance *twice, yuck!
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater *saw ET at a drive in when I was five
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check *sophomore year of college. Thanks Dad for saving me! Most embarrassing thing ever!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper *for swimming in HS
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life *Lifeguarding, I saved a seven year old that jumped off the high dive but didn't know how to swim.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous *at NATPE, I met Will & Grace,Luey Anderson, Hal Spark, Alex Tribeck, and mini me. Maybe a few others but that's off the top of my head.
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo *gecko on my hip
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee *I'm allergic, that is one of my ambulance rides.

Boy Scout motto "Always be prepared!"

In the spirit of preparation, I thought before I go on Clomid (Late March) I should make a list now of things that don't bother me but when I am medically hormonal might cause me to go a little nutty. This way, next month I can look back and remind myself to not throw a fit.

1. When my husband has to work late, it's not his fault. He doesn't want to be there and will be home as soon as he can. And remember, he's the bread winner so we need him to keep the boss happy.

2. My family is NOT trying to drive me crazy. They love me and are only concerned for my well being. They do not say things to try and hurt me. Don't blow anything they say out of control.

3. NO, while it may seem like it....the whole world is not getting pregnant around you.

4. You've always let Jeff watch that much sports on TV. You enjoy reading and playing on the internet while this is happening so don't let this week of meds make you think you have a right to play couch commando.

**OK ladies, that's all I can think of for now. Do you have anything that made you go crazy while on the drug that I should be prepared for? TIA!

Stylish Blog Award

Thank You Magnolia for picking me for the Stylish Blog Award. As I commented on her page, clearly the blogosphere is a shallow pool if we're thinking me stylish LOL. You are too sweet! And since I hate to break with the tradition of the award I will follow the rules of blogging seven things about me:

1. Quitting my career in television advertising has made me happier then I could imagine. I worked for years (being a type A personality) trying to be the best sales person, climbing the ladder, and getting so stressed it effected my health. I quit to be with the love of my life and I think it's saved my sanity.

2. HOWEVER, I miss having a job that takes more than an IQ of 70. While I can be mentally challenged through reading & conversations I find that not having a career has given me less to talk about, and I fear I'm becoming dull LOL.

3. I have a bit of OCD but for *odd* things. For example, I only set my alarm clock to times ending in 1's, 3's, 7's & 9's. Like for some reason if it's set to even times or something ending in five it won't go off.

4. I take between five to eight bathes a week. To me there is nothing more fantastic then surrounding myself in the warm water while reading a great book.

5. You can tell when I'm really upset or mad because when my blood pressure goes up both my ears turn red, as well as a spot on my left cheek.

6. Because of my useless movie trivia knowledge - my husband LOVES to challenge me with the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game. I have gotten to Mr. Bacon in six or less steps on literally at least a hundred actors.

7. I didn't date a whole lot after college so when I was 25 I said if I didn't find someone by the time I was 32, I would look into IVF with a donor in order to be a mom. I started dating my husband when I was 29 and married him when I was 31. The irony is now we may need to go to IVF anyway. I guess it's a little easier for me to wrap my head around it since I had thought about it years ago.

I am supposed to pass the award onto others, but I may have to edit this...I believe all the wonderful Bump gals I follow have already gotten it and I don't think "stylish" is the right way to describe my cousin's personal blog on his Crohn's disease.

Out with the old? Goodbye & Good Riddance 2010!

As a whole, 2010 has been nothing to write home about. I am at a job that takes no brains or talent and does not challenge me on any level (except maybe it challenges my gag reflex!). Nothing major happened to me personally or anyone close to me. I spent much of the year in pain, either from my thyroid surgery or my tennis elbow. And almost every.single.day. I thought about ovulation, sperm, peeing on sticks, babies, fertility drugs etc.
So to 2010 I say "Good bye, and Good Riddance!"
Now, what to hear the ironic part? This was the happiest year of my life. Really. Since I blog so infrequently I'm sure you can't tell from the 'year in posts'. But I can't put into words well how much I love that I married a man that is truly my other half. I had always considered myself a fairly independent woman and hated people that made it sound like life was so much better because they were married. But now I get that they were not gloating. That true love is not something easily put into words. But it does fill a part of you, a part you didn't even know was empty. And that has made me happier than I've ever been. And so I look forward to this year knowing it will be more of this wonderful feeling. Happy New Year!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

So as expected, the last month has flown by almost as fast as a blink of the eye. The Christmas letter was written (much to Jeff's dismay), the gifts were bought and exchanged, the families were visited. It was a great time! I get to see my family so little that I try to soak up every minute - but at the same time; vacations are so good for napping! The nephews are all getting so big that they no longer want to "play" with aunt Kate. Most times they are off reading books. :( I miss when they would play horse by climbing on my back.

But now we are back home and the tree will be coming down this week. Looking forward to 2011 and all the fun things to come. Thanks to Christmas gifts we are going to a Blackhawks hockey game, and will get to have two night dinner date nights out. I will also be getting a much needed massage! I will feel so decadent this coming month!

Thanks & Giving

So once again it's been over a month and I have not blogged. I don't know that my life is interesting enough to be cut out for this but since this is currently just for myself - I guess it doesn't really matter. It's thanksgiving week and I'm trying to be thankful for all the blessings in life. Starting with my wonderful husband. I am so thankful that we've grown up in a time and culture where the man can cook, help with cleaning, etc. and not be considered less than a man for doing it. With me working weekends, he really steps up and helps out. He's a keeper! :)
I am also thankful that even in this bad economy and even though I hate it (and that it's retail, and that it's minimum wage, ad nauseum) that I have a job and we are making it thru these "lean years". I know that since our love can survive without much material stuff, nice dinners out to eat, and whatnot that our love can survive with just the two of us. I am also thankful that said job will let me off for several days before & after Christmas day so that we can go visit my family for the holidays. This week we will be helping Carol cook the Turkey day feast since she's broken her foot and is supposed to stay off it. - - This should be interesting! I'm happy to cook for the family (with Jeff's help) it's just that it's not my recipes so if it doesn't taste right; I won't even really know it! But I have great in-laws and I'm betting Jeff and Jori will do most of the work. Maybe I can be of more help with cutting & prep work.
And once Friday comes - here comes Christmas season. I "respect the turkey" and wait until after Thanksgiving to start decorating. But I am very happy that this year I have gift ideas for almost everyone in the family...and some gifts already bought! I'm sure the next month will fly by and the holidays will be here before I know it. I will continue in the weeks to come try to slow down and be thankful for the little things and little moments that make life worth living.