Quilt #2

I have finished Quilt #2!

On to quilt number 3!

Letter to My Neighbor

Not to be rude... but when I am taking a walk with my husband in the evening, after I haven't seen him all day, I want to enjoy my time walking with him. I want to hold his hand and talk to him about my day... I want to hear about his day. I want to talk about our future, our past, and daydream together. We solve the world's problems on our walks. It's our shoes hitting the pavement, one step at a time in sync, trying to stay healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's a beautiful thing.... UNTIL my neighbor, that shall remain nameless just in case someone would be reading this that knows her, who I believe stalks us. Somehow her dog, a small fru-fru type of dog, always has to poop when we are walking by her house. She then wants to walk next to us, behind us, or infront of us and wants to chat. She is a very nice lady and I try to entertain her conversation but for the most part I don't care. I don't care what you had for lunch. I don't care about your husband's bowel movements. I don't care that you cross bred your plants. I don't care.

Conversation with a student

a student standing alone outside as I walk by
me: "Matthew, you have a sneaky grin... what are you doing?"
Matthew: "I'm fartin' in the wind."
Me "uhhh.... What?"
Matthew "See those kids down there? The wind blows my farts at them, and I like to watch their faces when they smell it."
haha I love kids!

Organic dog

Ali, my sweet and beautiful yellow lab, has terrible allergies.

She itches, bites her tail, her feet, gets diarrhea, it's terrible! We finally found a brand of food and flavor that she likes and isn't allergic to. This also has been a problem in finding treats for Ali, she can't have any treats that are flavored or bones or rawhide; and we definitely don't feed her any kind of human food.

I bet she would just like to be a normal dog! lol

Well since Daniel and I have recently taken on some organic food, I thought maybe Ali would benefit from organic treats. She has! She loves them!

Here they are, Bare Bones all natural in a sweet potato flavor. She has reacted really well to them!

Ali will do anything for one because she loves them!

HSG

Today I had a hystosonogram. This procedure is very typical for PCOS infertility treatment. I was really nervous about this before I went. The hystosonogram is basically the doctor takes a speculum into the cervix. Then a catheter is placed into the uterus and a saline solution is then pushed through. The doctor then takes a trans vaginal ultrasound to look at the uterus. The main thing they are looking for are polyps, fibroid, or tumors. It also looks for blocked tubes and scar tissue.
The procedure was painful and uncomfortable, but not as bad as I expected. (I also took 600 mg of ibuprofen to help too lol) It was actually very quick too... and the best news of all was that everything turned out ok. He said that my uterus looked very normal and clear of anything abnormal. Great news!
This cycle is the first cycle that I will be taking a trigger shot and an iui. Trying to stay positive and hoping this will be it! I want the journey of trying to conceive to be over. I want to move on to the journey of pregnancy.
month11
cycle 5 on clomid 100mg
HSG-clear!
overdril shot
iui

First Day of Fall!

Welcome to fall! I absolutely love season of the year. About the time it is for a new one, I'm ready. Now it's fall and I'm ready! Leaves falling and changing colors - Wearing scarves and sweaters- new season of my favorite tv shows- halloween- pumpkin spice chi tea lattes- tailgating for football games- no more running the air conditioner- so many things I love!

Falling in Love

Falling in love, to me, is something so fluid. But daily I fall in love with Daniel over and over again. He represents everything that is stable, supportive, and loving in my life. He is truly my very best friend in the world. I can talk to him about some crazy parent at work, my fears, my dreams, my beliefs that all people should be equal, my struggles with other beliefs, or how I think it's silly that sports stars are paid so much. He takes on my whims like going organic. He doesn't complain when I take up my newest hobby, like quilting, scrapbooking, or working out. (I would like to point out that I continue to do all three of these!) He completes me.
This picture is of Daniel... I love it. In the comfort of his pj's in OUR home, relaxing. This is life. The life I love. It feels like home to me.

Ali is in love!

Ali is my beautiful and energetic year and half old Lab. Ali has found a new boyfriend! She was tired and depressed when he left. She is hoping that he will return at Halloween to stay the night with her :) Ali <3>

Reproducing

Another topic that takes up a lot of space in my brain and thinking time is getting pregnant, which if I was blogging true to my thoughts would be daily. The month before I got married my OBGYN and I had little talk. She knew that marriage was in my direct future and she asked me if we were talking about having children. I said yes, but it was still a year or so off before we were trying... she suggested that I discontinue birth control, since I had been on it since I was 15 for irregular cycles, to help. Once I stopped birth control she said it could be 3 months for it to get out of my system and another 3 months to become regular in my cycles, then I could use protection until we were ready to start trying and I would be able to time everything more precisely and it would be easier to get pregnant. So I listened to this advice, June 2008 I took my last birth control pill. Then I didn't have a period...months came and went... Since I had just graduated with my Masters my OB was a campus doctor, now that I was a grown up, married, and with a real job, I needed to find a new OB.
Finally in November of 2008 I felt like something was wrong, it had been nearly 6 months! I started calling local OBGYNs. (One doctor's wait list time for new patients couldn't get me in until MARCH!) I finally found one and she was able to take me in 3 weeks. At the end of November I had my first appointment. After a battery of tests, she quickly diagnosed me with PCOS, Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome. This diagnosis was not a shock to me, my sister has also been diagnosed; and if this wasn't such a new diagnosis I believe that my mother and grandmother would have also been diagnosed. I was started on medication and finally started my next cycle. The doctor and I talked, she said that getting pregnant would be hard and possibly a long process. She couldn't guarantee that wouldn't be pregnant within a month of starting the medication, but she also couldn't guarantee that I would ever be pregnant. My original thought of waiting a year or so to get pregnant, turned into immediately trying. Another emotionally draining experience.
Fast forward to September 2009 and here I sit, I'm no further along than I was a year ago. I do see a specialist in Roanoke now and I have had two cycles on my own in the last year and 3 months. Which means I have technically only had two opportunities to get pregnant in the last year and 3 months. One of those cycles was this past one. Tomorrow morning, yes a Saturday, the doctor has called me in to run some tests at 7:30. I live over an hour from Roanoke... so my Saturday is starting early. From what I gather from his nurse, I will now be coming in to the doctor's office 3x a cycle, for shots, ultrasounds, tests, etc...
I am nervous, frustrated, heartbroken, and confused.
My whole life I was told, and believed, that if you work hard enough you can have anything, be anything, and do anything. Does this mean I'm not working hard enough at this?

Work isn't always Work

If you would ask me what my dream job is, I would say exactly what I am doing, a school counselor. (Don't ask me come December during SOL testing) I love my job. I have a great principal, vice principal, and close colleagues. The responsibilities that I take on with my job is what I have always wanted to do and what I enjoy. I have found that many schools expect different things from their school counselors, I have been lucky to be able to make my job what I want it to be. My principal is highly supportive of my crazy, outlandish, and time consuming ideas that I have for our students and school. I got a new secretary this year that has accepted doing all paperwork, which has taken a load off of me!

I have such enthusiasm and excitement for students, academics, people's stories, programs, and life in general; which translates into my job as a school counselor. I get to be each child's own cheerleader, and I love it! I get to encourage them to do their best, be their best, and support them along the way... it's a beautiful thing. I'm passionate about it, which makes each day go by fast and enjoyable.

I will probably talk a lot about my job because it consumes a lot of my time, energy, and thoughts. I'm constantly trying to think of new and fun things for my students. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, I'd love to hear them :)

These are the two tshirts that I got to sell to our students and staff. They are academic encouraging shirts, but I think they still look cool for kids. The top one says, Peace Love and Academics. The bottom one says, A of F its your choice.

These are just some of the items that I have had donated to my clothing closet, called Carroll Apparel. We serve the whole county in giving free clothing and hygiene items to students and families in need.

One of my new programs is an Attendance Lottery. All students and staff that have perfect attendance each month get their name in a drawing. At the end of the month one student and staff member's name is drawn out and they win 50 dollars! Our attendance is already increasing!This picture is of me and two students doing the morning announcements on the tv's in the classrooms drawing out the winners.

This year is the first year my school has had a student council. I went to each homeroom and had them nominate a student to be their homeroom representative. The homeroom representatives meet with me once a month to discuss school functions, projects, and to help nominate the Staff Member of the Month. These are some of my homeroom representatives acting goofy in their school spirited academic shirts.

One of my friends and fellow teacher, Brandon, placing a ticket in for the Cavalier Pride GAME. The Cavalier Pride G.A.M.E is a program I created that supports and encourages Academics. GAME stands for Grades, Attendance, student of the Month, and Excelling in the classroom. Teachers and staff are given tickets to write to their students for things such as raising a grade, making the highest grade in the classroom, turning in all of their homework for the week, etc. I have also encouraged staff to write tickets to students that are good "citizens", such as being a good friend or person because I feel like being a good person is just as important, if not more important than good grades. These tickets are kept in my office in a big bin until the end of the year. At the end of the year award assembly these tickets will be pulled out for big prizes like a flat screen tv, an ipod, or money. So the more tickets the kids get, the more chances they have for a big prizes! Kids are really excited about this!

Here are three of my 9th grade girls on the morning announcements modeling our new tshirts. Adorable girls!

Flea Market

Yesterday after too much work at my school, mom and I headed the Nationally known Hillsville fleamarket. It is miles upon miles of a fleamarket. There are knock off purses, glass ware, metal pieces, jewelery, guns, so much.... I actually was looking some mismatched chairs to "touch up" and paint a deep, bright red for my front porch. I didn't find any chairs, that I were within my price range, but I found much more! Mom and I both found all kinds of deals!!

These are all of my goodies! This is possibly a gift for a coworker... I might keep it hehehe
I love the primitive looking stuff :) I saw this flag and had to have it! I love it :) This is probably my favorite find. I looked at turquoise jewlerly all day and finally found a bracelet! Every stand I went to the turquoise jewelery was like 400-600 dollars! I talked the guy down to 10 dollars! I love it!

Mom found a stunning bracelet too. I wish I would have taken a picture of it.

Such a fun day! I'm tired today and paying for it though lol

Story from work

Today I would like to share with you a story from work. I work in a rural area school, one of my favorite custodians stopped by my office for a chat. I like to call him John Wayne, because he reminds me of him a little bit. Somehow we got on the topic of the dentist. He told me that he doesn't go to the dentist but once every couple of years. He told me it wasn't as neccessary as people say it is. The last time he went the dentist, he told him he needed to have a root canal that would cost upwards of a couple hundred dollars. John Wayne said, "A couple hund-red dollars?! How much is it to pluck it outta 'air?" The dentist told him 45 dollars. So John Wayne said, "Pluck it out." The dentist told him it was a permanent tooth and it wouldn't come back. John Wayne said, "Pluck it out." So the dentist pulled his permanent tooth.
I found it so amusing. I love his verbage and enthusaism in telling me this story. I believe I will start using the word "pluck" for pull.

The Good Towel

I'm confused why boys/men don't get the concept of the good towel? Why is it that as a woman, we are the only ones given the gift of knowing what to do with our house supplies? I would like to say that I am not an organized freak, nor do I have the "guest only" towels. But when I have new towels I would like for them to not be used to bathe the dog or clean out a moldy cooler. Why isn't this common sense to men?

My Adventure to the Boy's Bathroom

Why do we follow so many culture norms?
If I haven't mentioned yet, I am a school counselor. I absolutely love my job. I have a longer contract than the teachers, so I work during the summer. Today there we're doing reinvations in our main office and had much of it blocked off, not my office of course so I got to come in and work. The main office also houses our private "teacher only" bathrooms, these were blocked off as well. After lunch and 3 diet pepsies later, I had to pee. (Speaking of, what's the pural of pepsi?) This made my adventure to the dun dun dunnnnnn student's bathroom! Yes I know this has been cleaned by the janitors since the students left and most of the germs should be cleaned, but the thought of using something that our unbathed, germy teenagers use makes my stomach cringe. But, when you gotta go, you gotta go.
My walk down the hall was a long one and much to my surprise when I reached the students' bathrooms the girls was closed, locked even! This left my only option to go to the boys. There were no more than 4 people in the whole building so being caught shouldn't have been such a concern, but it was. This is not how we are raised. I felt almost naughty. Could I be arrested for using a boys bathroom when I am a girl? The boy's bathroom looked much like the girls, but somehow I felt like it was dirtier. When I left and was returning to my office I wondered... why do we follow such culture norms? Do they have bathrooms for girls and boys in other countries? Why do women wait in line while the boys stroll through. Why can't we share?
ps if can be arrested for this, let me know.

This is a journey, hop on

Where to begin, where to begin? I have given much thought as to what would be a fun and entertaining blog. Since some of my friends and new friends have created such interesting topics of healthy living, advice, opinions, or activities like running; I wondered what my topic would be. After pondering this, I decided to stay true to my personality it would have to be something fun, real, and mostly happy. I love to laugh and most of my life is an open book. So who knows where this blog will go, I'm sort of excited to find out myself. Everyday is different in my life. I have said for years that crazy stuff happens to me and I think a reality show about my life would be quite entertaining. There would be no need to create things like they do on Jon and Kate plus 8, ie the motorcycle men, trips to amusement parks, the cake decoratoring, etc. I have enough funny people and things in my life.
While I think this blog will somewhat chronicle my life, it will also just have random thoughts, pictures, lists, possibly a challenge to you, and from time to time I'm sure I'll have some rants and raves. So take this journey with me, I think it will be fun :)