Happy Thanksgiving!!!

happy thanksgiving everybody!! i can't wait to get home today and watch the macy's thanksgiving day parade. it is one of the highlights of the holiday. well since today is a day of thanks i thought i would share a few things that i am thankful for...

1. my husband...God has truly blessed me with an amazing man. he has such a sweet spirit and he brings so much laughter to my life. i could not ask for a better man.

2. my family (this includes the in-laws)...what can i say, i have a wonderful family. they have been a great support system for clay and i over the last two+ years. we have learned so much from them. i really look forward to this time of year and the chance to get together with all of them. it's a great time of fellowship and laughter.

3. my grandmother's dressing and pecan pie...my grandmother makes the BEST dressing and pecan pie. i literally indulge myself when it comes to her cooking. it is another highlight of thanksgiving for me. and i hate that i am going to miss out on it this year.

4. my friends...there are no words to express what a great group of friends i have. they have been my shoulder to cry on for the last year. i could not ask for a better group of girls. each one has blessed my life and i don't know how i could ever repay them. they have been there thru it all and i thank God everyday for their friendship!!

5. my job...during this stressful time with the economy, i am blessed to have a wonderful job. i can't tell you the number of blessings that i have received since being here. i complain ALOT about the hours that i work, but to watch God work so many miracles in these children's lives is worth it all.


i hope everyone has a wonderful and safe thanksgiving!! can't wait to put up the Christmas decorations in a few days:)

Say The Name...

have you ever been at a point in your life when you just had no idea what words to pray? well that's how i have been feeling lately. for the last two years i have prayed so much about my infertility and the desire to be a mother. and the other day i broke down and cried because i just could not find the words to pray anymore. i'm just so emotionally exhausted!! maybe it's due to all the infertility drugs, but who knows...anyway last night on my way to work i remembered the words to this song we've sung at church and it just sums up how i feel at this time in my prayer life. it made me realize that saying the name of Jesus can be just as powerful as any prayer i could pray...

Say the name of Jesus
Say the name of Jesus
Say the name of Jesus
No other name I Know
That can calm your fears, and dry your tears and wipe away your pain
When you don't know what else to pray
When you can't find the words to say
Say the Name

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
He's gonna make a way when you say the name Jesus...

When you don't know what else to pray
When you can't find the words to say
When you can't make it through another day

Say the Name

He's Baaaaaaaack!!!

at my house we are HUGE Jack Bauer fans!!!

24 is probably one of mine and clays favorite all time shows. the entire family is completely hooked. last night at dinner with the in-laws my father-in-law made the comment that if he ever went missing we were to call Jack Bauer to find him!! i guess you could say we are borderline insane when it comes to this show. LOL!!! it's defiantly a must see. and trust me if you start watching it you'll be hooked for life!! tonight's episode is 2 hours and previews what is to come in season 7 that premiers in january 2009.


well i've gotta go...need to fix supper before clay gets home and i have less than 30minutes plus i need to make sure all the phones are turned off for the next 2 hours!!!

Our Journey - Part Two

little did i know that on october 22, 2007 our lives would become a complete roller coaster ride. never in a million years would i have thought that we would be dealing with infertility. i was nervous, scared, and afraid of the unknown to say the least. that day clay and i met with the infertility nurses and we determined that i would begin my first round of treatments that next month. on november 20 the tuesday before thanksgiving and right before i was to start my treatments i had a miscarriage. i can remember every detail of that day and the many tears that were shed. i remember on thanksgiving right before we made the trip to see our families, clay and i in our bedroom praying for God's comfort, strength, and that even though we did not understand His ways we would continue to bless His name. i praise God and thank Him for putting His arms around clay and i during that time.
for the first seven months (taking a break in february) i was on the dreaded clomid and hcg. i will never forget as long as i live how the clomid made me feel like i was literally going thru menopause. i can remember countless times when i would complain to the girls at work about how hot it was. those seven months were filled with heartaches, tears, and many other difficult emotions that i wondered if i would be able to handle anymore of the treatments. it seemed like everywhere i turned someone was announcing they were pregnant. not to mention the infertility waiting room was right next to the ultrasound office, so i could see every pregnant woman that came in and out. during the summer i became angry with God, asking Him so many questions, and not being able to understand the path that He had laid before us. for a while i stopped attending church and sunday school regularly. it was just too hard to be around so many pregnant women, listening to them complain about morning sickness, swollen ankles, and all the rest, desperately wanting to be in their place. please do not misunderstand me...i was truly happy for each one of these women, many of them my friends, but i just didn't understand why i wasn't one of them. on june 4, 2008 after my laparoscopic procedure to get rid of the endometriosis the doctor informed me and clay that we had until december to try and get pregnant, otherwise we would have to look into other options. by september after more negative pregnancy tests we opted to see a local infertility specialist that would be a little more aggressive with the treatments. we met with him and mapped out a plan for the next 3 months that would include high doses of follistim injections and an IUI (intra-uterine insemination) each month. he told us that if we were not pregnant after the 3 tries our next option would be IVF. clay and i just looked at one another and knew that these next 3 months would be critical. so on november 13 i started my injections and this last thursday i had my first iui. clay and i are trying very hard to stay grounded thru all of this and continuing to pray that God's will be done. i promise to keep you posted on any news and want to thank you for allowing me to share this part of our life.


***consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3***

Kindle Chip-In Giveaway!!

it's that time again...and my blogger friend lianna is having an AWESOME chip-in/giveaway this month. the prize is called a kindle and it would be a great Christmas gift for that person in your family that loves to read. if you are not familiar with the kindle be sure to check out lianna's post for the full details. also there are a few stipulations with this giveaway so make sure to read the entire post. ***remember that by donating you are helping lianna and her husband reach their goal for their 3rd ivf...and please continue to pray for this wonderful couple and their journey to becoming parents.***

My Best Run Ever

this week publix had it going on!! they had some awesome savings and BOGO. here's what i came away with...

3pkgs Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2pkgs Tennessee Pride Sausages
2boxes Frozen Broccoli
4pkgs Kraft Shredded Cheese
2boxes Ritz Crackers BOGO
2boxes Cheez-It BOGO
3 Tombstone Pizzas
2boxes Betty Crocker Brownie Mix BOGO
2boxes Stove Top Stuffing
2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts
2pkgs Sour Cream BOGO
2 Betty Crocker Frostings BOGO
1can Lemon Juice
2cans Eagle Brand Milk
1pkg Velveeta Cheese
4pieces Bourbon Salmon (my most expensive items)
2 McCormick Vanilla Extract BOGO
1 Keebler Pie Crust
2 Ziploc Containers
1 Hefty EZ Pan w/Cover
Milk

used $12.80 in MFC & $48.94 in advertised specials w/total savings of $61.74. my OOP cost: $98.91. this was by far my best run ever. i desperately need a publix closer to my house!!!

Our Journey - Part One

***i must admit that this post has taken me several days to write out and i will probably break it up into parts. i apologize in advance for the length so bare with me.***

i have contemplated many times whether or not to talk about this part of my life with the rest of the world. not to say that i am at all ashamed or embarrassed, but that this part of my life is very personal and sometimes difficult to talk about. so with that said i guess i will start from the beginning. my husband (clay) and i were married in june 2006. for those of you that do not know our story, clay and i have known each other since we were 5 years old. we went to the same school, lived less than a mile from one another, but we never dated (just friends). certain circumstances brought us together during my junior year of college. looking back it's funny to realize that someone you saw everyday during your elementary and high school days turned out to be the person God had in store for you and you never even knew it at the time. anyway, back to the story... in october of 2006 clay and i decided that we wanted to start a family. at the time he was 25 and i was 24. i went and had a check up with my ob/gyn. she told me everything looked great and to let her know "when i got a bun in the oven!"...those were her exact words!! when summer came around i started getting a little worried. by this time i was beginning to think something might be wrong. i remembered during my last doctors appointment that my doctor said she likes to give couples our age at least one year to try on our own and then we would look at other options. i will say looking back now i understand why we did not get pregnant during that time. clay had decided to sell his business and go back to school and that was something we had prayed very hard about and really sought out God's will. not to mention it would have been hard to care for a child on just one income. but i won't lie and say that during that time i did not question God or wonder why this was happening to us. we were beginning to see many couples our age getting pregnant, getting the questions at all the family gatherings asking "when are ya'll going to start trying"..."aren't ya'll ready for kids"..."it's your turn now." and it just seemed like we were the only ones not pregnant. so when october of 2007 came along we were back at the doctor listening to all of our options and after much prayer and consideration clay and i decided to start infertility treatments.

Just Melts My Heart!!!

i've been wanting to purchase a bed for our cat friskers and the other day while i was out looking around i came across this cute pet bed from target. i called my husband and asked him what he thought as i described it to him. of course the first question he asked was "how much does it cost?" to which i said "it's on sale!!" i really couldn't pass it up, it's just so darn cute. so on friday night we put it in her usual spot where she sleeps and sat her down in it, but much to my dismay she thought the rubber treadmill would be better for her to sleep on and i must admit i was really disappointed and i might have even called her a bad name. so last night i had not thought much more about it, but as i was turning out the lights i noticed this furry little creature all curled up in her bed.



is that not just the cutest thing you've ever seen? it just melts my heart!!!

Vera Bradley Bonanza Giveaway

please check out Be Thou a Knight for an awesome giveaway! you don't want to miss this!! and your helping Lianna in raising money for IVF.

the giveaway includes all the following items in capri blue:

clip zip id, coin purse, large cosmetic, brush and pencil, eyeglass case, jewelry case, cool keeper, cell phone case, and the villager. might i add that this giveaway is worth over $200!!

struggling with infertility myself i know first hand how expensive, exhausting, and emotional it all can be. it is a very draining process especially when doctors don't have the answers and your just in this percentage of couples that are unexplained. so if you can please donate a few bucks and remember to pray for Lianna and her husband.

I HATE The Flu

can i just say that i HATE the flu!! it has to be the worst feeling in the world. and what's crazy is that it just happened all of a sudden. when i woke up yesterday from my afternoon nap (yes i take naps) i was sweating and achy all over. i was up all night tossing and turning, hurting from head to toe. i mean i literally hurt all over my neck, back, arms, legs. it's RIDICULOUS!! i guess i deserve it though since i did not take up the offer at work and get the shot. so today i had already scheduled and appointment with my girly doctor and she was nice enough to prescribe me some tamiflu. MAN that stuffs expensive!!! anyway, sorry to bother you with my sickness. i just hate it when it's my week off and i'm lying on the couch or in the bed not able to do anything bored to death (since i'm all caught up on my tivo). plus i was really excited about going to Christmas Village tomorrow. oh well, maybe by some miracle i can get better by friday or then again there's always next year.