The Blog You've All Been Waiting For

I wish that I had a cool picture to post with this blog, but sadly I do not.

I'M PREGNANT!

FAQs:

When are you due (d.u.e. - sorry for the earlier mis-spell. Let's blame it on the pregnancy, shall we?)? March 11, so I am 13 weeks pregnant.

Were you trying? Why do people feel the need to know this? Yes, we were.

What are you having? We won't know until week 20 at the earliest.

Do you want to know what you are having? I don't, but Freddy does. Just yesterday I was talking to my best friend about this. She reminded me that Freddy isn't as involved in the whole process as I am, so if he really wants this I should probably give in. So, I am. Thanks for the good advice, Lesley.

What do you want? I always thought that I wanted a girl, but now I really don't care. Boy or girl - either one is a blessing.

Have you been sick? A little, but not as much as some women. The nausea has subsided (thank you Zofran) and I feel like I have more energy now, which is great! I'll spare you the list of symptoms but I will tell you that fatigue tops the charts.

Are you still running? Yes, but not as much as I used to. Now I only run 2 miles a day about twice a week. I think running 2 miles now is harder than running 6 miles was before I got pregnant. And pregnancy pilates is amazing!

So, there you have it - our exciting news! I will keep you all posted!

Oh, and mark one more off my Thirty by Thirty List! Start a family - Check!

The Daily Green

My sister sent me an email yesterday about the dangers of plastic grocery bags. It encouraged readers to use the canvas ones, which I do and I love!

I started looking at the website that this article was on and I instantly fell in love with it. The website (www.thedailygreen.com) is now listed on this blog as a website I frequent.

The information on the website is very handy AND will help me with one of the items on my Thirty by Thirty list - Live a Greener Life. The first "Green Tip" that I followed was to opt out of junk mail. It's a bit of a process because it let's you manage your mail rather than just eliminate it all, but it only took a few minutes. I will let you know in a month or so if it was worth it.

I am also inspired to plant a tree in my back yard. I'll let you know how that goes once I price them. I've heard rumors that they aren't cheap! Freddy and I have already replaced all of the light bulbs in our house with the energy saver light bulbs. They are more expensive than regular light bulbs, but they help lower your electric bill, they're better for the environment and they last years longer!

Anyway...Check out the website and let me know what you think. I promise to keep you posted on all the different ways that I go green.

3 Year Anniversary

Freddy and I celebrated our Three Year Wedding Anniversary yesterday. I can't believe it! I love him more today than I did then. He is an amazing husband and my best friend.

Okay, enough of the sappy stuff. When we opened gifts last night we discovered that we bought each other the exact same card! I shopped in Southlake and he shopped in Las Colinas, so it's not like it was the only card at the local Wal-Mart. I guess we know each other pretty well, huh?

Every year, we buy each other the traditional and modern gifts. This year that was leather and crystal. We went shopping over the weekend and bought me some running shoes and him a new pair of boots. Those were our big gifts, but here is what we unwrapped last night:

Freddy:

Leather - Dallas Cowboys Koozy

Crystal - bottle of Crystal Light iced tea

Cheryl:

Crystal - vase for roses delivered to work

Leather - an organizer because he remembered I wanted one after watching 27 dresses

Happy Anniversary to us!!

Dogs deserve clean teeth, too!

I like pretty teeth. That's why, after not wearing my retainer for...well, let's be vague and just say "years", I paid for my second set of braces in 2004. Adult braces. It was painful, but worth it.

So naturally it was upsetting to me to watch plaque build up on my dog's teeth for the past two and a half years. I tried brushing, but she just wanted to chew the tooth brush. We give her only dental treats, but still the plaque came.

I asked Freddy if we could have her teeth cleaned. He, having never had to have any dog's teeth cleaned, said no. It was too expensive. After a few months, I won the battle. Okay, I only won because I agreed to pay for it myself. So, check out the before and after pictures and let me know if you think it was worth it.

BEFORE

AFTER

Bowl For Kids' Sake

Bowl For Kids' Sake is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Every year, our staff participates and raises money. There are contests for best costume, best decorations, most spirit, etc.

This year, my team was called Maid to Bowl. We all wore bridesmaid dresses from the 80s and 90s and fixed our hair and make-up to match.

I bought my dress at GoodWill for $9. What a bargain!

We lost to the Nerd Herd on the spirit and costume awards and to We Love Elvis on the lane decorations. Clearly the judges overlooked our balloon arch at the end of the alley. We were robbed I tell you!

The Fav-Ra Sa-Ga (Favre Saga)

This looks like Steve Carell dressed up in a Packer's uniform, does it not?

I like the guy. I think he is a great family man, a good role model and TONS of fun to watch play, but I am over the "Will he? Won't He?" drama that has surrounded his so-called retirement ever since it was announced.

I hope that he gets to play again, but frankly I don't care where. Just make a decision already, Packers! And quit interrupting the Colts game to show an airport waiting for Brett's plane, then the plane landing, then the Favre's exiting the plane. It was the Hall of Fame Game! How about showing more clips from the induction ceremony? Just a thought.

SHELBY!

Raise your hand if you know my friend Shelby or have ever heard me talk about her? Wow, that’s a lot of you. I can’t say as though I am surprised because she is pretty awesome and hard to forget. She was the very first friend that I made at college. We met at freshman orientation 10 years ago and have been friends ever since. I also have the privilege of working with her every day (okay not every day because we get to work from home sometimes). I say privilege because I truly believe that working with her (and my other great co-workers) is what makes my job so great. How many people can say that?

Anyway…Some of you already know that Shelby has been in the hospital since last Thursday. It all started over a month ago with a headache and some pain behind her right eye. Both progressively worsened to the point that it was unbearable for her. So…6 (maybe 7) doctors, 2 MRIs, an MRA, a Cat Scan, an angiogram and many many prayers later she was diagnosed with an aneurysm last Thursday. She underwent a successful brain surgery on Friday morning and is now recovering in the hospital. If you want details on her condition, surgery, etc. visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/shelbyrhoten.

Shelby has a spirit that is indescribable. She lights up every room that she walks in and demands attention wherever she goes. Did I say demands? I meant commands. She commands attention wherever she goes. People are just naturally taken by her. Her sassy, conquer-anything attitude, combined with all the love and support she received, helped her to whip that silly aneurysm. Brain surgery was no match for our Shleby! Let me tell you about the love and support – WOW! It has been less than five days since her mom set up her caring bridge site and she has over 2600 visits. Not to mention all of the people that flooded the waiting room to support her on Friday. There were so many people that we were in 3 separate waiting rooms!

I could go on forever, but I won’t. I will end by saying that I have been thanking God a lot lately for putting her in my life and for lifting her up in her time of need. I pray that she has a quick and easy recovery. She is already well on her way and I am SO PROUD of her for keeping such a great “Shelby” attitude throughout this whole ordeal.

Well, that’s all. I have to go list her as one of my heroes on my myspace page now. =)