"Mom Of The Group"

In case you don't personally know me or perhaps haven't been around long...
this video is pretty much my life:

I swear, it's like they modeled it off my life all the way down to the fact that I refuse to do my taxes. Although, I pay someone to do them, because I ain't playin' when it comes to the IRS. {Hey Gretchen, Thanks for that big tax return this year!}

Here's another video for ya...this was the time I got thrown on the news to promote the Hollyday Bazaar, and the time I was attacked by a leaf that someone should have warned me about. It wasn't live, so uh...we would have done a retake.

It's funny, I was actually pregnant for that event, so it's no wonder I was sooooo tired after all that. At least they keep recognizing us for all the hard work, and here is my belly front and center at the last volunteer luncheon. Don't think you can miss it. But seriously, it was an honor to be up there with so many amazing people. Our president had over 1,000 volunteer hours, which blows my mind, and they said we worked the equivalent of seventeen full time employees. That is pretty badass when you think about it.

In completely unrelated news, it's Farmer's Market season! Our market is in a gorgeous new facility downtown, and although it may be small, it has everything you could hope for. Salsa, zucchini relish {no clue what that is, but I love zucchini}, baked breads, veggies galore, and fresh eggs! I really miss the amazing market that was within walking distance of my house in Colorado, but at least we have some options for local produce and goods.

And as if this post weren't all over the place already, remember that any day can be special. Tuesday I picked up some books about fatherhood for Will, picked up a new beer sampler he might like {super awkward buying booze while visibly pregnant}, and cooked him a steak dinner just 'cause. Sure, it all started because a loaded baked potato sounded reeeeaaaaally good, but either way I'm making good on my promise to focus on Will as much as I can pre-baby. He's kickin' butt in flight school, but the hard parts aren't over yet. There's still a ton of studying, route planning, and hectic schedules going on, so I do what I can.

The Best Concert We Never Went To

You know, this weekend turned out nothing like I expected, and yet it's leaving me quite satisfied. The problems started when we almost had to cancel our dinner plans due to Will's flight schedule, but miraculously, he got off early. That meant that not only did we go to dinner, we also got to visit the kickoff Fourth Friday event downtown that we enjoyed on our anniversary last year. The weather was perfect, the food at our favorite restaurant was divine, and the company was the best in the world. Both my dates ;)

Saturday, was the big day for the Toadlick Music Festival, so we packed everyone up and took the gang to one of the biggest parties in Southern Alabama. We knew the weather might be a problem, but we were mentally prepared for gettin' muddy. We didn't expect the music to stop as soon as we got there, but that just meant we had an excuse to tailgate. Tailgating was NOT allowed, but there wasn't much they could do about it while the concert was on hold. 

When the actual storm got close things did get a little hectic. We were ushered into a pavilion, and minutes after all hell broke loose with one of the worst storms we have seen since living here. We were cozy inside and had coolers full of goodies, but it definitely got intense for a bit. So intense that there was ZERO power in the surrounding counties when we came out. You'd think we'd all be pissed because we had yet to see a single artist and hadn't even made it into the festival through the mud, but we were enjoying each other's company. Eventually, a few of the artists played acoustically and we got an AMAZING sunset, so all in all...I call it a win.

The gang was a little boisterous this weekend, which I had no patience for, but I just focused on spending time with Will and it made for the perfect anniversary weekend. I love it...almost everything went wrong, but we were together and had the BEST time. 

That's what it's all about, folks.

Five Years Of Marriage

I was never the little girl that dreamt of a wedding growing up. Sure, I played house when my friends wanted to, but that was the extent of my outlook for the future. For some reason, I never saw myself growing up or becoming an adult, so marriage was the last thing on my mind. Maybe if Pinterest had been around back then I would have a wedding board with a million pins, but as it were, up until I met Will...I could NEVER wrap my head around marrying someone for a lifetime that I couldn't even see myself in.

Seven years later and five dedicated to a marriage with the man better than my dreams, it's impossible to imagine life without him. Even though we were both young and all over the place when we met, some outside force took two kids on completely separate paths and turned our lives upside down. Using the word 'love' doesn't seem good enough, and 'true love' is uber cheesy, but unless you know the effect that love has on two people firsthand,  it's impossible to comprehend the connection it creates between two strangers. From strangers, to our own family unit and now our love and our family are still growing...

Dear Will, 

I could never tell you enough how proud I am of you, and I hope you know that no one in the entire world compares to you in my eyes. With each passing year you continue to amaze me, but most importantly, you still manage to love me and we continue to grow together. We make the world's greatest team {IMO}, and surpassing each milestone, each set of goals, and tackling every new adventure with you makes marriage, and life in general, more fun than I ever thought it could be. We are embarking on what I think might be our greatest {and scariest} adventure with CQB, but I know that we have an immeasurable amount of love and dedication to each other and her that will get us through. There will be times when she takes over our hearts, but I hope, no I PROMISE, to remember that I'm a wife first. Always and forever. Happy five years, lover, and cheers to 50+ more!

Top Secret Dates

I can't tell you where we were, I can't tell you what we were doing, but I can tell you that Friday was one of the coolest date nights of all time. I guess you could say it was a bring your wife to work type thing that we were allowed to do, but we aren't always allowed to post pictures when it involves sensitive training equipment and we'd rather be safe than sorry. I promised Will I wouldn't share the other pictures, but I had to share this one because he looks so dreamy.

Not that the rest of the weekend could top it, but it did shape up to be fun-filled. I went to my first Maternity and Baby Expo where we got tons of free stuff, asked a lot of questions, and even booked our Maternity/Newborn photographer. I had no idea that events like this go on, but boy am I glad they do. Although, let's not get into Group B Strep.

After that, I tried to rest for a bit because we were hitting the town for Loni's Birthday, and by town I mean that we drove all the way to Dothan. Loni and I have been friends since we moved to Fort Rucker and we started out as the only two girls in the group. We will forever be Mama Loni and Mama Janna, so I was super stoked to plan birthday festivities for her. Who doesn't want to get all dressed up, eat fine dining Italian {let me tell ya...Bella's was worth every penny}, and play with baby Quincy the newest member of our clan.

I don't know if I've mentioned this, but I basically go through my closet and wear whatever I can manage to fit in to get one more wear out of it before it gets packed away. I was a little apprehensive to wear the little blue number, but I must say...it was pretty fun to wear. Will seemed to approve and when we got to the brewery it was funny to notice the comments as I walked by. Normally I would feel super uncomfortable about people being so vocal, but hey...when you've got a baby bump you flaunt it, and at least they were all along the lines of "I wish I looked like that pregnant." Music to a pregnant girl's ears.

Of course, everyone was hungover on Sunday {not I}, so we whipped up family breakfast and watched Disney movies all day. I may or may not have eaten four pieces of Red Velvet cake between Saturday and Sunday, but in my defense I cut small pieces and those just didn't cut it, which meant two more small pieces. Yep. I'm gonna round down to two pieces.

Now I need to save all my energy for this coming weekend. We've got an anniversary to celebrate and Will surprised me with tickets to Toadlick! I already know I'm going to need a break after two weeks of nonstop activities, but I guess I wanted to do as much as we could pre-baby and I got what I asked for. I think "Be careful what you wish for" applies here.

A Little Of This And That

+ I tried Chick-fil-A's new Frosted Lemonade, and it was BANGIN'. It reminded me of Snow-To-Go, which I have been lusting over since we moved away from Virginia five years ago. {Brownie points if you've ever had Sno2Go} Don't worry, I didn't give sweet Scarlet any. I picked this uber adorable pup up from the vet for a friend, and I made sure she made it home safely.

+ I realized that I have 1.5 months until all of my commitments are finito! I'm so ready to be done with everything and just focus on CQB and Will. Hallelujah!

+ We had our first baby class, and the three hours flew by with more information than I could possibly process. Thank goodness we got to take home the book and there are two more classes. I think I was more disturbed than he was by the video of childbirth {hairy bush and all}, but it is my whooha that will be impacted by a basketball coming out of it. I'm scurred, y'all.

+ I'm finally starting to 'feel' this pregnancy. I'm now at 12 lbs. and starting to embrace the idea of her coming out. Up until this point I wanted her to stay in forever, but now...it doesn't seem so bad to kick her out. I think Mother Nature knows that pregnancy has to get uncomfortable to mentally prepare us for the separation.

+ I've been putting off and putting off starting the crib set because I have been intimidated and I am no pro when it comes to sewing, but now that I've started I never want to stop! The crib skirt is now getting it's final touches and I feel so much more confident about taking on this project. Whoop Whoop, 1/3rd of the way through.

+ Last, but not least, here are the Maui Nachos I posted on Instagram! I stumbled upon them by accident because I had extra Pina Colada sauce from making Coconut shrimp, but boy was I ecstatic when I found the recipe. I adore anything coconut and Will adores all things nacho, so this was a match made in coconut heaven.

Nachos

1 pork butt (2 lbs)

1 cup Coconut Water

Coconut Oil

Salt and Crushed Red Pepper

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 lb colby jack cheese

3 Bell peppers (tri-color)

1/2 red onion, diced

Cilantro || Green Onions || Red Onion

Tortilla chips

Pina Colada Sauce

1 small can crushed pineapple

2/3 cup cream of coconut (found by the margarita mixes and alcohol, usually in a can)

1/3 cup sour cream

- Rub a boneless pork with Coconut Oil, Kosher Salt, crushed red pepper, and cook in a slow cooker for 8 hours on low, shredding the meat at the end.

- In a small bowl, mix together the cream of coconut, pineapple, and sour cream. set aside.

- Heat a large skillet to medium heat with a swirl of coconut oil, and add the peppers, onions and saute 3 minutes, then add the pinto beans to heat through.

- Line the chips up on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet.

- Place a little of the cooked pork in each chip, topped by beans, pina colada sauce, cheese and peppers. place in a preheated oven (400) for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is gooey. Drizzle with the decadent Pina Colada sauce and try not to eat the whole pan at once ;)

We used big ol' pork chops because we were on sale that day and we only had 4 hours to cook, but Will threw them in the crockpot with some Coconut water and they turned out really well, too. Feel free to play with the recipe and make it your own.

Real Southern Charm

Warning: If you don't like the South, history, mansions, architecture, or beautiful decor...then this post isn't for you ;) It's not long, but it's full of Southern charm.

Our April luncheon was the BEST luncheon of the whole year! The Mayor of Ozark and his wife invited us to the historic Holman Mansion to get a real taste of Southern hospitality and history, and I still can't believe how awesome it was. I absolutely love learning about anything historical or architectural, so I was  complete dork soaking it all in all day.

Long story short, that big ol' house was built for $75,000 for entrepreneur J.D. Holman back in 1912 and it has become a part of Alabama's history and is now being restored by the city of Ozark. I wish they had restored the A.C. before our luncheon on a 90 degree day, but even then it was still worth it. We had a wonderful lunch, heard the history from J.D. Holman's granddaughter, and had free range of the house and grounds. I dare say we were transported to a different, much simpler time and I will never forget it.

Even better, we were able to tour the Dowling-Steagall House across the street as well, and you wouldn't believe every detail of that place. It was actually used as a hospital before Ozark built a hospital in 1951, and it was owned by Congressman Henry Steagall who is known for working to establish the FDIC. Not only that, but he acquired the land where originally titled Camp Rucker is today. Camp Rucker grew into Fort Rucker, so I guess you could say I wouldn't have the chance to enjoy wonderful Alabama without the Congressman.

Now if only I could figure out how to throw a pool party here...The thought of floating in water in my condition has never seemed so pleasing. We are hoping to go to the river this weekend, but I know the water hasn't warmed up enough to go for a real swim. C'mon summer!

Seeing Our Baby For The First Time

I realized that in the hullabaloo of the beginning of {our knowledge} of this pregnancy, I never actually went in to detail about how things went down. The juiciest part is how I revealed it to Will, but I still haven't gotten the video of that edited, so today is all about our first doctors appointment. The one that seriously blew our minds...

At this point we had only known we were pregnant for a week, so we had no clue how far along we were, what we were having, and we still weren't even close to coming to terms with this situation. There had been much debate as to how far along I was, and although my best friend {the nurse that demanded I get labs done when I had back pain}was positive I was 12-14, the general consensus was that I had to be six weeks or so. Boy were they wrong.

I don't know how these appointments usually go, but we were immediately ushered into the ultrasound room. With a quickness, the nurse gelled me up, started wiggling her magic stick, and Will and I both looked at each other in complete shock when we saw a fully formed baby on the screen. Like we're talking a full profile, limbs, and you could even see the spine! We didn't know what that meant, but we were pretty sure that's not what we should have been seeing. Ignorant of our surprise, the nurse started spouting out facts like 10 oz, a due date that neither of us processed, and that little tidbit about us being 19 weeks along. Exqueeze ME??

Oh that heartbeat...still gives me chills, but then Will makes me laugh with his 'demon spawn' comment and helped me snap out of my state of shock with even more shenanigans in the screening room. I don't know what I'd do without him.

So next came talking with our new doctor, where his first question was whether we were switching doctors. I felt like a kid in the principle's office telling him, "No, we just didn't know we were pregnant." Although, he did take it better than I expected. He said size wise he wasn't surprised and went so far as to ask Will if he had noticed any signs, but Will insisted he hadn't {good answer, dear hubby}. To this, the doctor said and I quote, "Girl, you just blessed." At the time I didn't feel blessed, but it was reassuring that he didn't seem to be phased about it all.

Up until this point, one of us has always been in control and able to support the other. However, when you find out you are halfway through a pregnancy that you didn't plan in the first place, it wasn't surprising that we were both thrown for a loop. I can't even remember all the details of the conversations at that appointment, but there were a lot of Oh shit's, many exchanged looks of shock, and a few Damn's when we found out it was a girl. {Okay, okay, so maybe I'm the only one who said damn, but we had only come up with boys names thus far, and we all know I hate pink.} We may not have had it all together, but we walked out of that office with a folder full of information, pictures of our baby girl, and clinging to each other because no matter what...we were in this together.

I know we aren't the only couple to be taken by surprise when it comes to pregnancy, but that's not as reassuring as one may think. At least we've come a long way in the last 2.5 months, and now...it's going to be our greatest adventure.

Oh You Know...Just Seven Months

How Far Along 28 Weeks {as of last Monday}

New Experiences Watching my belly dance as she has a party in my tummy. It is the ca-raziest thing I've ever seen or felt. Like just now...she made my laptop bounce while I typed this. I have an 'anterior placenta', so it is on the front of my belly and homegirl kicks right through it.

Total Weight Gain 10 pounds. No complaints here!

Sleep Pretty great as long as I have my body pillow. It's funny, I have always been a back or stomach sleeper, and yet my body just seems to know that I need to sleep on my side. However, one just does not sleep on their side without a body pillow while pregnant if they want a quality night sleep consistently. I cannot imagine pregnancy without it.

Miss Anything NOPE. I was missing deli meats, but was then told that it's okay as long as I heat it up first. Hallelujah, I just want a sammich every now and then.

Cravings Still nada. It's harder to find things I want to eat in general, but at least I found out that my lack of appetite is probably due to my organs being smooshed together. Less room in my stomach coupled with a slower digestion period {to pull more nutrients from food} means I feel full most of the time.

Symptoms I feel great, but I can tell when I overdo it these days. My belly aches from the extra weight and I feel every ounce I've gained draining me when I exert myself too much. They say a pregnant woman burns more calories sitting on the couch cooking a baby than a man lifting weights, so no wonder a long day of being on your feet is killer.

Body Changes Belly button is staying in, but my abs STILL haven't separated. I am wearing some maternity clothes because I want to, but I still have a closet full of clothes that fit. Although, that dress up there? Wouldn't zip the next day.

Mood I have a bit of a short fuse these days, but I manage it pretty well. I have probably gotten a little more upset over small things, but I make an effort to not just spout off at the mouth. I want to voice my feelings without 'being mean'. Many things make me cry, but I've always been that way {behind closed doors}, so there is no telling if there's a difference there.

Best Moment This Week She stuck her tongue out at us on the last ultrasound! Poor thing has her face smooshed up against the placenta, and when they tried to get her to move she stuck her tongue out. We even got to see an instant replay of it, because I couldn't believe my own eyes. Boy do I love the details in the ultrasound at the specialist.

Looking Forward to Getting her crib set finished. First, I just have to start it.

Exercise I'm finding slightly less motivation to work out, so I'm just sticking with my two days on, one day off routine and switching up the exercise routine to accommodate how I feel that day. I have no excuse and need to keep my energy and stamina up for her!

On My Mind Pregnancy is scary. I feel like I have no control, and that scares the ish out of me. I do my best to eat what I'm supposed to, listen to my body, and avoid many situations, but I get overwhelmed thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Like what if I had bought Sabra Classic Hummus and got sick off the Lysteria? I'm not letting the fear stop me from enjoying the pregnancy, but it is something that's on my mind more often than it should be.

Questions
What crib mattress do you recommend? The only one that I can find a consensus of approval is the Naturpedic, but I don't know if I want to spend $350 dollars. I'd love your opinions.
Are there any protein powders good for pregnancy? My doctor told me to avoid them since their isn't enough data about the effects during pregnancy/breastfeeding, but I'm curious if there have been some approved. I need more protein, and I would love to find something to use until she weens.

Now please keep L.D. from Dispositve Motion in your thoughts as she has her baby. I can't wait to see her pictures and here all the details. You go, girl!

Sometimes...

So super funny, I started this list of things I secretly 'sometimes' want to do, and numero uno might be a little telling. How tricky our subconscious can be.

...I wanna pin pregnancy/baby stuff on Pinterest, but then everyone will think I'm pregnant.

...I want to eat pizza and french fries all day.

...I want to hide my computer and live technology free.

...I wish I could read for a living.

...I wish I could drink to excess without getting a hangover.
...I think about breaking up with my iPhone.
...I turn on Frozen when there's nothing else I want to watch.
...I half ass my workout just so that I keep myself on a schedule.
...I wish I never had to leave my house and could just paint and DIY all day er'day.
...I feel guilty parking in the 'Expectant Mothers' parking because I can still run four miles, but then I realize I only get to enjoy this for another few months. I just make sure there are several, so that if someone super pregnant needs a spot I'm not wasting it.

And all the time, I love dinners that can be repurposed for lack of a better term. Lately, Will has been on a vegetarian kick, and I'm not mad about it. It is much easier to maintain a healthy diet for CQB with him begging for more veggies, and it's making me branch out and find new recipes. Our newest favorite is a veggie bean bowl that I also used as filling for Poblano peppers the next night. Killing two birds with one stone is the best!

Can Black Beans || Can Kidney Beans || Can Pinto Beans
2 Fresh Tomato diced or a can of Fire Roasted
4 Servings Quinoa or Brown Rice, cooked
Frozen Spinach
2 Bell Peppers (mix up the colors)
1 Red Onion
Minced Garlic || EVOO
Taco Seasoning and/or Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Garlic to taste
Shredded cheese and Cilantro for topping
Optional: Lime, sour cream, refried beans, hot sauce, more veggies, lettuce to make it a salad.
Throw the veggies in with some EVOO and minced garlic to cook down for 3 minutes, then throw in the rest of ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve topped with Cilantro, shredded cheese and any of your favorite toppings.

Day two, preheat oven to 375, slice lengthwise,and de-seed two Poblano Peppers. Then fill with leftover bean filling, and bake for 25 minutes. Add cheese, bake for another 10 minutes, add your favorite toppings and voila...easy peasy dinner.

Anyone have favorite vegetarian recipes? I need all the help I can get!

From Helicopter Crash To Family Day

A while back, I mentioned our friend Joel was in a helicopter crash. It had been his second day of training and really made us all question flight school. Well six months later, he made it through physical therapy, got his head right, and finished Primary. He had his Family Day on Friday, and I am extremely happy that I got to be there to support him.

He spent most of his time flying around to showcase his new skills doing things like 'Autorotational Descents' where they legit fall out of the sky {giving everyone watching a heart attack} and then come in for a landing, while we toured the airfield, played in the tower, and I got to sit in my FIRST helicopter!! Hard to believe, I know.

It was a heck of an afternoon, but I'm sooo happy the rest of the weekend was solely dedicated to hanging out with Will and enjoying some much needed relaxation. We did venture out to try a new Mexican restaurant, but my Chimichanga was meh, so I don't wanna go back. If you can't fry shredded chicken and tortillas correctly, then you can't call yourself Mexican. Such a waste of calories, and then I had to have a bowl of froyo when I got home to make myself feel better about that major letdown. I know this logic happens to be illogical, and yet I don't care.

I hope you all have a great week!