Month: October 2011

Categories
Photography

Project 365 Week 43

First, I’m so so humbled by the response to my “I’m pregnant” post {& really still getting used to typing “pregnant”}! Thank you!

I told some friends this week I’d considered giving up on project 365 & heard a resounding NO WAY! So here I am, back with week forty three. Can you believe that the days are into the 300s this week?!

Day 295: Saturday was my brother’s wedding. Here’s a photo I didn’t put in that wedding post. I love the onlookers, the helpers & the photographers as well as the gorgeous bride!

Bride
Tieing Beth into her Dress

Day 296: Sunday Jason was so hungover we didn’t leave my parent’s house until late afternoon. Moekitty was thrilled to see him when we made in back home.

Moe Kitty
Happy family reunion

Day 297: After a blur of a day that began with a positive beta & ended in Charlotte with family dinner before my great-aunt’s funeral the next morning, I shared our news with my Papa & aunts over dinner which included this slice of strawberry cake.

Strawberry Cake
That's lime & marshmellow drizzled on the plate. You're drooling right?

Day 298: Between traveling, fondly remembering Virg, traveling back home & napping, I didn’t take any photos Tuesday.

Day 299: Thank goodness Jason took out the recycling Tuesday &  I think this photo of all his diet cokes over a couple day span prompted him to clean up Wednesday night. 🙂

Diet Coke
Diet Coke obession much? {no longer mine!}

Day 300: Thursday night meant girls night at Lynnwood! So happy that Poe shared one of these stuffed mushrooms with me. Also who knew how cheap eating out was when you don’t drink?! {not me til now!}

Fried Stuffed Mushrooms
Cheesy Fried Mushrooms

Day 301: My friend Rhiannon is getting married in December, about 15 of her friends celebrated with a night out downtown Friday. I got home & into bed after 1:30a, but I had a great time with the girls & people watching!

Raleigh Bachelorette Night
The Bride-to-Be & Shots!

Hope your week was as exciting as mine! Don’t forget to enter to win my Lovable Labels giveaway!

Categories
Pregnancy

Stick Around

I’ve been going back & forth about how, when, what to say. But as per usual, I can’t hold back. I won’t.

First, I want to say thank you. Thank you for the months, years of support. There have been so many times that comments left on my TTC & infertility posts, tweets, emails & words said have kept me going through the roughest of our infertility roller coasters.

Husband & I decided last Saturday morning {like 730a before my brother’s wedding} that I should poas since AF hadn’t arrived & that way I’d know whether or not I should drink that night. I didn’t drink. A big blue plus sign popped up almost immediately on that e.p.t. test {which I didn’t photo or keep}! I ran & woke up Jason. In happy shock, we laid in bed for a minute just smiling. We decided we needed to share & soon, before the rest of the house woke up. Together, we walked into my parents’ bedroom & woke them up with our positive pee-stick news! Mom freaked, Dad was cautiously excited. We walked out of the room & my Nana immediately guessed, so we let them in on our secret too.

Monday morning, I went into my RE & had my blood drawn. Even though I thought I knew what the call would say, I sat at work on pins & needles. Even being crazy enough to take my cell with me in the bathroom & down to the lunch room, I still missed the 1p call saying that my progesterone level was off the chart & my beta at 15dpiui was 1017. I was shaking. I was leaving work early anyways to head to Charlotte/Gastonia for my great-aunt’s Tuesday morning funeral, so the last two hours I was there were a blur. I called Jason. He called his parents & sister. I called the RE over & over for clarification but kept getting voice mails. I told my friend Brooke at work. At 3, as I was sharing the news with my good buddy & awesome IF cheerleader Alethea, my RE office called me back. They felt my beta was high enough to not do a repeat beta. She said not to stress about possible multiples for now. I’m to continue my progesterone supps as well as my morning synthroid pill. Our first ultrasound is Nov 8th.

This is happening. My symptoms weren’t fake. I’m officially pregnant y’all!

I know it’s early {yesterday I was 5 weeks}. Things could go wrong. We still have so far to go until we’re holding that future baby of our dreams. But I’m thrilled ~ my body actually finally did what I’ve been wanting for so long. So even if there’s heartbreak, I’m focusing now on this overwhelming joy. Know that just as I’ve over-shared our 23 cycles of TTC, I’ll probably be over-sharing this pregnancy {but not yet on FB}. Y’all have been with me through TTC & I can’t thank you enough or put into words what your excitement over this announcement means to me.

I’m so sorry if this news hurts any of the brave women in my life still TTC. I’m still cheering for you & am there if you need anything. I hate that my news might pain your heart.

Categories
Family/Travel Photography

My Brother’s Wedding

To keep up, I posted about Thursday’s pre-wedding celebration & then about Friday’s wedding events yesterday. Today’s the day {well a week ago today was}~my brother got married! So thrilled to welcome Beth as my sister-in-law!

I cut the photos from this day down to 56 favorites! Here’s the day in eight photo collages beginning in the bridal suite with hair, makeup, & lunch.

Getting Prettier!

Mom & I got dressed in the bridal suite, I helped Beth get her dress all tied up before heading over the the room my parents had rented for the guys to chill in. Ten men crammed in one spot & all lookin’ good in their tuxes.

Pretty Bride & Handsome Groomsmen

I can’t wait to see the photographers shots of the ceremony. It was short & sweet complete with laughter & a few tears.

On to the party! The cocktail hour was in the hall ways beside the ballrooms. I was too busy chatting, eating & drinking to take any photos then. Welcome to the reception ~ gorgeous flowers, pretty cake, great lighting, fun table groups of friends & new friends.

The
new Mr & Mrs, family table, toasts, cake, cousins, my plate

During dinner {I had chicken topped with crab meat}, Beth’s Dad, Lauren & my Dad gave heart-felt toasts.

First Dances

Soon after Beth & Steven opened up the dance floor with a so-appropriate-to-them Jerry Garcia song. Beth & her Dad danced next followed by my Mom & brother to a Beatles song. How cute did Beth’s niece & nephew look?!

Cake! and family dances

The cake wasn’t just pretty ~ it was tasty too! I tried a bit of my Dad’s banana chip slice & while randomly sitting just us, my brother & I shared a Neapolitan {strawberry, chocolate & white cake} slice.

Once the dancing got started it didn’t end until after 11p. I had the chance to dance with my Papa, brother & {once he got drunk enough} my husband!

Bouquet & Garter Tosses & Nana even made it onto the dance floor

So fun that they did both the bouquet & garter tosses. Our family friend Katie caught the flowers & Steven’s friend Ian had the garter fall into his hands.

TN Clogging & all smiles on the dance floor

Our good family friends originally from TN broke it down to Rocky Top! With waters all around, we ended the night with hugs & happy honeymoon to the new married couple!

Categories
Family/Travel

Pre-Wedding Festivities {part 2}

Last Friday {the day before my brother’s wedding} was a wild & crazy day. Mom, Nana, my mom’s cousin Becky, my aunt Mimi & I were at Costco soon after it opened. I purchased snacks for Saturday in the bridal suite while Mom bought flowers to decorate the rehearsal dinner. Stocked up, we headed over to Old City Bar where after helping them unpack loads of flowers, borrowed vases, fall decor, & bows, I rushed off to join the other bridesmaids & Beth at Fusion nail salon. I chose OPI’s Suzi says Da for my nail & toe color & loved it so much that I bought a bottle of the polish. It’s this great dark color with hints of brown & burgundy ~ perfect for a fall wedding & this winter. Beth went with the traditional French manicure which I loved for the bride-to-be.

Gettin' our Nails Did

Her friends, other sister-in-law & I went for lunch across the street at New York Deli. My turkey/apple sandwich was amazing as was the conversation & laughter!

I love the funkiness of Carytown

I learned during the end of lunch that my Mom & the ladies helping her decorate had been rear ended. Everyone & everything {included all the Costco food!} was fine but the guy was going fast enough to push them into another car & that car into another one. I told you this was a wild day!

A quick change {I wore the other blue Boden dress}, piling into cars, & heading back downtown later, Mom, Dad, Jason, my cousin Preston & his wife Krissie & I were on our way to the rehearsal. Debra & Debbie at the Marriott definitely kept our large group in line as she told us where to stand, when to walk & where to look. The precious flower girl & ring barer {Beth’s niece & nephew} did a great job learning their parts too.

Rehearsing for the Big Day

From the hotel, we continued the celebration at the Old City Bar. Mom & her helpers had done an outstanding job with the decorations that perfectly fit into Beth’s fall wedding theme.

Old City Bar all decorated

Mom, Dad, Steven & Beth choose delicious appetizers {cheese, veggies & mango salsa’d shrimp}, salads, entrees {veggie pasta, apple glazed pork, & crispy fish} & banana pudding for dessert. Plus all the wine you & beer you could drink!

Cousins, the crowd, Emily, my grandparents, Papa & his brother, my brother's friends, Beth's "bridezilla moment" {not really}, & the boyfriends

Beth’s sweet high school friends stepped up & gave some of the best toasts I’d ever heard. Steven’s friends surprised us too with touching, heart-felt comments. I chickened out & just drank wine & was too busy tearing up to take photos of any of the toasts. Beth & Steven gave their bridal party great gifts~ a personalized cooler chair & pint glass for Jason & I got a red Suzanne tote full of Bath & Body Works goodies, flip flops, & a reusable coffee mug among other things.

Matt & Katie, Beth's cousin & her bf, the last single kiss, Lauren & Emily up to no good in the corner?!

As you’ve already seen in this week’s project 365 post, the party was a blast catching up with family, friends & meeting new friends. I loved that I caught their “last non-married kiss”! {I made them re-do it three times before I got the perfect shot~they didn’t mind!}

Tomorrow~ the wedding post!

Categories
Family/Travel

Pre-Wedding Festivities {part 1}

Jason & I drove up to VA to begin the wedding weekend Thursday morning. After I quick lunch with Mom, Dad & the husband, Mom & I rushed off to Carytown’s Bombshell salon for a spray tan. Fifteen or so minutes later I was feeling sticky with the promise of tan within 4-8 hours. I could definitely see a difference that afternoon & definitely that night.

More family arrived & five of us {Papa, Nana, Mom, Jason & I} piled into my brother’s two-door Civic & made our way downtown to the Marriott. As part of their wedding package, my brother & sister-in-law had the presidental suite Thurs-Sat. It was fabulous & the location for Thursday night’s cocktail party hosted by Beth’s aunt, uncle & cousins. For those who remember by outfit dilemma post, I decided to wear the blues dizzy Boden dress that night. It was so fun to meet more of Beth’s family & a few more of the other bridesmaids as well as seeing other family & friends to get the celebration on!

And the wedding partying begins!

We stayed for just a little over an hour although we learned the next day that the party was still going around 11p. We traded the Civic for my parents usual SUV {that Beth had used to pick up her dress} & we’re back home in time for a late dinner with the other family members who’d arrived. After catching up at dinner, Papa got a phone call letting him know that my great-aunt Virg {my Ma’s sister} who’d had a serious stroke last Saturday had passed away. We were expecting it but it was still sad. Mom & Papa called family while Becky & Nana helped me make Beth’s ribbon bouquet. So bittersweet.

I was going to post about Friday here too but I split it up so it’s not the-longest-post-ever.