These are the final days of pregnancy. Thankfully!

Our Christmas

We had our 39 week appointment this morning. Felt a little weird scheduling yet another one for next week. I can only hope that baby comes before then.

Now, I know that I have pretty much the most amazing husband the world has ever seen. But today I noticed it like a slap in the face. The kind of slap that would say 'Be more thankful for him!'
I've been scheduling my appointments early in the day so that he can go with me. Thankfully he was there last week. I had worn my skinny jeans and with me not being able to tough my toes, I relieved that he was there to help. But today, I didn't have my skinnies on and can usually shimmy out of them pretty fast. But there he was, helping put my pants and shoes back on. So, to all you pregnant ladies out there, don't even think twice about bringing your hubbies with you to the doctor. Bring him along!

ANYWAYS!
Christmas! How was yours?
Our Christmas was a nice, quiet day. Unlike the many years as kids, we weren't up at the crack of dawn, urging parents out of bed to open presents. Well, I was up. At 6:30 to be exact. For some reason I was wide awake. My mom thinks it's prep for when the baby comes. But all I could think of was "Am I going into labor?" Sadly I wasn't though.
Everyone was awake around 10:30, when we started to open gifts and chat with loved ones on the phone.
Marcos and I got some great gifts! The only thing I wish I could've gotten was baby, born.
We had a good dinner and took a drive to look at houses for sale.

Now, the year of the end approaches. It's hard to believe.

Preparing for Baby

Well everyone, I have been pregnant for 38 weeks now. Can you believe it? I can and can't at the same time. It's seems like I've been pregnant for a LONG time but it's stunning to think that this little baby who has been baking inside will be in my arms within a matter of days!
Incredible.
When I think about it, this baby could be born before my next doctor's appointment. Holy smokes!

Marcos is enjoying his new job and working A LOT! He was even given some of the product from the line to sample here at home. [He loved them by the way.]

The week has been good even though I didn't do a whole lot. I made Christmas cookies with my mom, which are nearly gone after she gifted them all. So I have a feeling that we'll be making more. I also will be making some meals to store in the freezer for when baby comes so that I don't have to be heading to the grocery store.
Sadly, most of the magazines and pregnancy websites suggest prepping for meals by buying frozen meals and such. But, ew. I have never been one to buy or let alone eat canned, boxed or frozen food/meals. [I hope this doesn't make me sound spoiled.] The only thing I can remember eating frozen as a child were perogies, thanks to Dad.
I hope to be making some chicken meatballs, sauces, maybe curry, zucchini bread... not sure what else yet. I know I want to have some pasta in the pantry along with a few other things. Do any of you have ideas?

I just want to be ready. Today we went to Target to buy any last minute baby things we thought we needed. The other day, we bought our crib mattress on sale [which was awesome]. Today we bought the changing pad and a few first aid items that we were lacking. We are also set with diapers and wipes.

Hopefully I will be able to write more this week.
Please comment with any meal ideas that we can freeze, or baby items we'll need that I haven't thought of.
Thanks for reading!

My Two Cents on Schooling

I have this sudden urge to buy a house up north. Somewhere like Oregon. Or Washington. Maybe Illinois.
Ok, I guess it's not "sudden," since I've been wanting to move for a while now. But I do have the urge to plan and plant a garden and build a chicken coop. My husband and dad are planning out the chicken coop for where we live now, so maybe I'll take some notes and pictures for the future.
I want to raise our baby so that it learns by means of "hands on." And what better way to do that than to have a garden and some chickens?
When I was in elementary school, my mom was involved in a co-op with other home school families. Oh yeah! I was a home schooler, for those of you who didn't know. So in this co-op of families, we would study a topic [along with our regular studies], and I mean really study. One time in particular I remember studying the American Indian tribes. In my grandparent's huge back yard we had a awesome tepee and each family made a traditional dish and so on. Everything we did focused on the Indians and their way of life. The four of us in my little family even attempted to sleep in the tepee. I will never forget those times.
So with all that said, I want to raise our little one to learn by going and doing, not by just reading out of some textbook.
I want to live within a few hours of museums and aquariums and zoos. I want to be able to go on tours of the Jelly Belly factory and even a brewery. [Yes, I did that as a kid.] I want to be able to travel with my kids to teach them things that they would never learn by sitting at a desk.
 Many people, and I'm sure hundreds have over the years, ask why on earth us girls were home schooled. Even our own family members probably thought we weren't as educated as other children or teens our age. I will even admit that in high school, I wasn't too pleased with my family's decision to keep me home schooled. But now that I'm older and about to have a little one of my own, I haven't [and won't] put too much thought into whether or not we'll be home school parents.
With all the issues there are these days with education and what can and cannot be taught in schools, I am much more confident that I can teach my kids what they'll need to know and more.
Not only are there issues with the schools but the homes as well. I have met so many girls, even ones my age, that don't know how to cook or do laundry. Can you believe that some girls in their twenties don't even know what green onions looks like to buy it in a grocery store? I for one have been cooking with my mom since I was two or three years old and love it now as an adult thanks to her. I've also been doing laundry and cleaning since I was seven. Now, I'm not saying that you should turn your kids into the servants of the house. I'm saying that for me, I learned that cleaning was fun and not just a chore. So now I do it with much more ease than a lot of other ladies I know.
So with that said, we are super excited. My hubby has even asked if he can buy some of the books [that we'll use to teach] now. And I will admit that I've wanted to say yes!

Killer Hockey, Or Not

We had a wonderful weekend.
Marcos and I had dinner with a group of my parent's friends and then tagged along to see Marcos' first hockey game. The Killer Bees. Who would've thought that one of the hottest places in the US would have hockey?
Now, I love hockey. I've seen a fair share of good games which of course means good fights. This was by far the worst game I've ever seen. Not much action. Slow. And yep, you guessed it. No fights. Not one.
The last period was the "fastest" of the three and Marcos was getting into it. Most of you don't know, but my husband isn't the biggest sports fan. He's one of the only Mexicans I know that hates soccer. He's just recently seen his first football games. So this was a shock! He loved hockey.
So, we need to get around to seeing a better game. Blackhawks? Mm.. Yes!
Well, now I'm off to attempt a Christmas letter. Wish me luck!

Cold Weather? Not.

Growing up just outside Chicago, it was normal to see people wearing coats in November. By December most people sport mittens, hats and scarves. But all of what people wore made sense because of how cold it was outside. If it were above 60 degrees you might not have even spotted people in jackets, let alone sweaters or coats.

When my parents relocated our family south of the border, we couldn't believe that stores still sold winter wear. Who in their right mind would buy winter coats and boots this far south? Especially in Texas.
As the "seasons" changed, we understood why people in Mexico would buy thicker shirts and maybe even thin boots. With the climate dropping into the 30s (sometimes even lower), it would seem like 10 or 12 degrees. Having a house made of concrete, with no heat, it gets pretty chilly. The worse part was when it would get cold and rain. Now, I love rain, so don't think I'm shunning the rain or something. I'm just saying that when you have a freezing cement house that gets even colder with rain, it's not fun.

After being down here for four years, I think my blood has thinned out. It hits 55 degrees and I need to layer up and snuggle under blankets in order to get warm. I wince when I have to use the bathroom only because I don't want to touch the freezing toilet seat. Yeah. I think this is a sign that I need to move back up north. Needing a warm cup of tea when its barely 60 can't be good.

Maybe my situation calls for prayer. Just maybe.

Our Week

Our week so far has been pretty swell.

We started out by taking a tour of the birthing center/maternity wing at the hospital, which by the way was awesome! The "normal" labor and delivery rooms were super cute and inviting. They also have VIP postpartum suits which were also nice. I knew about them before the tour and wasn't even going to ask how much more they cost, because well, let's just face it, we don't have the extra money. But I soon found out that I am already a VIP because of the OBGYN that I have. How awesome is that? So I'll have to think about it, whether I'll want to be moved or not. Something tells me that I'll be just fine staying in the labor and delivery room.

Pretty nice though, eh?

Marcos got a job! He had an interview yesterday and they told him that they'd contact before the week was over so someone could go over the safety whatnots with him. So yay God!

Also, my belly has moved down! Which means I can finally breathe! The only down fall to it, ok well I guess there are two, are the fact that my bladder is being even more squished than before and that my belly pokes out of most of the shirts I have to make it look like I have a beer belly or something. I am NOT from the hamburger generation! So don't even think that.
It also means that I'm even closer to having baby OUT!

On our way home the other afternoon, we stopped at Ulta so I could buy a peel-off face mask. I somehow convinced Marcos to do it with me when we got home. It was super fun! He loved peeling it off in one huge piece. If the masks weren't clear, I most definitely would have taken pictures!

We have things planned for the weekend and I have yet another doctor's appointment tomorrow. So I'll try to keep you up to date on what's happening! I hope you readers from up north are staying warm! If you can, send some cool weather this way!
Thanks for your prayers!

DL

So, I don't know about the state you're from but here in Texas they make you take an adult driver's ed class if you're between the ages of 18 and 25. Since when was this a law?
I'm not that old but when back in the day when I was getting my driver's license, you only needed to take driver's ed if you were younger than 18. Once you turned 18 you could just head to the DMV and take the test.
I guess things are different now, or at least down here.
Anywho... My husband had to take the 6 hour class, which wasn't cheap. This past week, he finally went and took the test. And of course, he passed!!
Now we really are all set for when the big day comes! I won't have to worry about if he can legally drive me.

Last Trip

How was every one's Thanksgiving weekends? Did y'all eat enough?

We had a nice night in, just the five of us. I will admit that I was happy that we kept things small and simple this year. It was the first time in my life that we didn't have guests over.
The following morning we headed to San Antonio for a night so that Marcos could see something other than the valley. The first thing we did was head to IKEA. We were looking to buy a crib mattress from them but by the time I had it in my hands I didn't buy it. I was just to nervous that IKEA makes it's crib mattresses too thin and that the sheets would end up being too loose. So we ended up treating ourselves to a new set of sheets and a new duvet comforter cover.
With it being Marcos' first time in IKEA (which is my FAVORITE store of all time) we spent more time than we probably needed to. This caused us to miss the very moment that the Riverwalk was lit, which we had planned on being there for. Oooppps!
There were SO many people there and just there. I mean, in the middle of the streets. Just there. Everyone was there just to see this lighting event. Oh, and I guess it was Black Friday still.
With there being butt loads of people, we ended up having to walk a ways to the mall. Yes, the mall. We were heading to Tony Roma's for dinner.
After finally finding Tony's and eating, my sister wanted to duck into a store to see what kind of sales they still had. And that's when it happened! Baby moved into a position where I thought I was going to pee my pants.
I must have looked surprised or something cause my mom started to get a little jumpy, asking if I was going into labor. Ha. No. I just had to pee. BAD.
We asked a girl who was working there where the nearest bathroom was and can you believe, she had no clue. I wanted to scream! Not in an angry way, just in disbelief that someone who worked there didn't even know where to go. So I ran across to some techie store where Marcos was and we "ran" around (for me it ended up being semi-fast careful steps in order to not pee my pants) looking for the bathroom. We finally found it. Not too far but I mean... come on! The terrible part is that baby stayed in the position for the next day or so. I was constantly in the bathroom, worrying that I might not make it next time.
At first I was worried. But after getting my "updates" and reading about the changes for the up coming week, I realized that this was the new thing. Baby's head was pushing so hard on my bladder that I would soon be spending most of my time in that beloved room of the house.
Now it's slightly better, thankfully!
We had a nice time in San Antonio but couldn't really enjoy it too much with my constant need for a bathroom. (And a clean one at that!)
Sadly that was our last trip for a while. I can no longer fly or take long drives. In a way it's weird to think but I'm also super happy. It just means that I'm that much closer to having this little one OUT and in my arms!
I am all prepped now. The diaper bag and hospital bag is all ready to go. Just in case!
But I will have to write later today; I have to run. Doctor's office is waiting for me!

Happy Turkey Day

Feliz Dia del "Turkey" everyone!!!

Can you believe it? It's Thanksgiving and we're coming up on the last month of the year already! Wow.
Ok, I can believe it. Unlike other years, this one seems to have crept by, slowly.
This is Marcos and I's third holiday season together, which does not seem possible. So I guess in the sense, it has gone by fast. Just not this past year.
We finally decided to have turkey for dinner. Big surprise, right? My mom was aiming to buy a chicken instead along with a ham so that my sister could be content. But when the time came to shop, she found that because she was buying a ham, she would, in turn, receive the turkey free. So sadly, we will be filling ourselves with the usual bird this year.

I hope you all have a great day with your families and all the food, no matter what kind of bird you decide to eat!

Thanksgiving Week

Thanksgiving week is upon us!
The loads of food. The football. Family. The overeating.
Some get to decorating the house for Christmas as soon as the Turkey Day is over. Some hit the stores uber early when they should be hitting the gym instead.
Well, our thanksgiving doesn't look like that. Or, it won't. At least not this year.
We are having an off year this year. We're not sticking to any traditions. Except maybe pie.
My parents are having dinner; just keeping it small. Whether it's turkey, we still haven't decided. My husband mentioned enchiladas today and I think that caught my mom's attention. So we shall see what happens.
Friday we are planning on taking the weekend and going to San Antonio. From what I know, they light up the Riverwalk. So we'll be heading there. AND!!! IKEA!!! Marcos will have his first IKEA experience. Hehehe! I'm excited.
IKEA is pretty much my favorite store. Ever.

Name Stealer

I have been at it all day long. I have been searching for other boy baby names.
At the beginning of my pregnancy I bought a baby name book. My husband and I took turns going through each and every section of the book, highlighting the names we liked. We originally had two boy names picked out because we couldn't agree on any others. One of the terrible part of all this, the book has 100,001 names.
So like I said, we had two. Yep. Had. Now we only have one.
My brother-in-law and his wife had their first baby this past Tuesday. Of all the names in the world, what do you think the chances are that they picked one of the two names we had? They did. I don't know the "technical" facts of how likely that was. I just know that it happened.
It's all good though. I just am blown away that they would pick one of our names.
Now I'm just glad that my cousin isn't due before me. So she can't steal any of the remaining names! :o)

Congratulations to Miguel and his wife on the birth of their little one!
You're in our thoughts and prayers!

Baby Registries and Milk

When it came time to register for our wedding, I did it alone. I had hoped that Mr. H could have been there with me to find the things we wanted and need for our future home. [And to have fun with the awesome scanner that they let you use!] Thinking towards the future though, I just brushed it off thinking that he'd be here when the time came to register for the baby. But yet again, it didn't happen. The baby shower planning urged me to go at it without him.
I registered at Target and later at BabiesRUs. Let me just tell you. When you girls register, don't register exclusively at Target. I, myself, LOVE Target and only wish there was a Super Target nearby. BUT! When it comes to registering for baby, there are other great places to shop.
Now, have you seen the State Farm commercial where the guy drives across the street to save a few cents on gas? Well that's me. I do that. And why wouldn't I? I need to save all the money I can. Those few cents add up fast. So, being little poor me, I have tried hunting down the sales of the week and cheaper clothing stores for baby. So here are some of my findings, which aren't many, and a few ideas at locating good deals...

• BabiesRUs has a rewards membership that is offered to you for free when you register with them. Once you sign up, they send you coupons that you can only use with your special mommy membership! [We saved more than $10 on our diaper bag!]
• Check out the 'Target Weekly Ad' on Target.com or sign up for email updates and reminders. They often have sales on major baby items. [About two months ago, you could buy a crib and get the changing table for free. Sadly, we were in Juarez during that sale and missed out.]
• I have come to find out that most stores, like JcPenny, Kohls and Macy's, all sell clothes from Carter's. They have a Carter's outlet store about twenty minutes from here and boy was I happy to find it. This may seem silly but when the clothes at popular stores are priced even a few dollars more than if you were to buy them directly from the originator, you save big bucks. So look for stores like Carter's, especially if you live near an outlet mall. [It made for a pretty fun date! So even if it's far just turn the trip into a date.]
• Shop online! Some stores now allow you to find things online and have them shipped to the store nearest you with no shipping fees. So many things, especially baby related, aren't sold in stores.
• IKEA! My favorite store ever! They have baby bedding, baby toys, furniture for baby and much more. If you shop at IKEA, you know that their prices beat any other's by a long shot. So for me to find cute affordable baby stuff at my favorite store, I am happily waiting for our next trip there.
• Ok this is just a little tip for those who, like me, didn't know where to begin with their registry. REGISTER FOR EVERYTHING! Anything from outlet covers to diapers to toys & books. Have fun with that clicker and scan it all! [Register for loads of diapers & wipes] Stores like Target and BabiesRUs give you a discount on things remaining on your registry after the baby is born. So if you have diapers on there, you can get them with that discount!

Pardon me if this is old news for some of you readers. I just know that I have searched for "new mommy blogs" for advice and info like this and haven't found it. So I've decided to try and help those of you readers who need just as much help as I have.

Now, I have a statement. And a question.
I am getting kind of anxious. I have this sudden urge to clean my car from top to bottom. And then I want to install the car seat. Is it to soon?

Do any of you have food allergies? I think I might have brought this up before but I can't help myself. I am lactose intolerant. Or at least, I used to be. For the past 3 months or so, I have been drinking milk. At the beginning I was surprised that if I had yogurt or even a small glass of milk with my cookie, I wouldn't feel sick. So I started to add it little by little into my week. Every few days I would drink a glass of milk. Now, I don't drink whole milk or even 1% for that matter; I drink skim. I'm not sure what would happen if I drank thicker, creamier milk. I don't think I'll try it though. Now that it's been cooling off at night and into the morning [it's been in the 50s and even the 40s at night] I've been treating myself to some hot chocolate and even some caffeine free spiced chai! The best part? Not getting sick. The worst part? Running out of milk. This has never happened to me before! Praise God [and baby!] that I can enjoy some dairy products. I only hope that this lasts beyond my pregnancy.

Fun Size

Just a quick thought.
"Fun size" candy bars.
Who came up with that phrase?
It's not fun when you have to eat about one hundred of them just to feel satisfied.
Maybe it's just the pregnancy talking.

Favorites of Mine

I, like most of you women (and some men) love magazines. I never understood why people bought People or Us Weekly. I just don't care about celebrities and their lives; it's irrelevant to me. For some reason though, ever since I was little I've bought home and cooking magazines. After years of buying them with my allowance money I realized that the vast majority of the recipes in my most beloved reads were disgusting! So I have resorted to cooking blogs.
Lately, I've discovered a new obsession, pregnancy mags!! Oh, and their websites.
So if you're pregnant, like I know some of you are, or just liking the idea, here are some of the things I adore as a preggo...

• Fit Pregnancy magazine and site have great topics that I wouldn't even have thought about, so it's got a lot of information. It's also a good source of easy exercises and healthy food ideas.
• I get updates on baby's growth and changes in my body from The Bump via email. The hubby loves reading this too!
• I found the best maternity jeans ever at Forever 21. They only have elastic in the front, which I love 'cause they don't look like fat lady jeans and they're super comfortable. The best part, I only paid thirteen bucks! Awesome!
• I also bought a "belly band" from Forever21. It allows my to wear my old jeans [unbuttoned] with longer shirts. It's super comfy and it helps keep the belly from moving too much while on the go. I wore this on the bus we took to the visa appointment. I was SO glad I bought this. So, if you plan to travel I highly recommend buying one!
• Being super concerned like most women about stretch marks, I was told to use lotions to prevent them ahead of time. So I bought Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Balm. I personally love the smell and it keeps my body moisturized for a long time. If you buy it, put it on everything that's going to stretch. Boobs, butt, belly - the works!
• Lastly, Parents.com has information (similar to The Bump) about each trimester, labor & delivery and much more. One of my favorites though, are the sweepstakes. Every day they have giveaways ranging from baby gear and clothes to things for us moms-to-be.

I hope this info helps! I have more things I'm planning to try out, so hopefully I'll have some good feedback.

Last Name

Yesterday my husband and sister were talking about super random topics. One of those topics was this...
Marcos bluntly told my sister E that he hates his last name. So being the inquisitive sister that she is, she asked him that if he could have last name in the world, which one would he pick?
Without even thinking, he blurted out "Johnson." Super serious.
Then he smiled and said "Just kidding!"
Funny.

Nothing New

Some time has passed and I can't seem to put together anything interesting to write about.
We haven't done anything special that deserves being blogged about.
We signed up for birthing classes and enjoyed some Red Mango.
My husband has been working and I've just been, well, here.
Hm. That's it.
Sorry for not having a super fun update.
Maybe next time.

Farmer Flan

This is our "rancho" picture.

Anyone who has seen old school Mexican pictures would know that they don't smile in their pictures. When I think about it, old pictures from pretty much any country are like this. And many Mexicans still take pictures like this.

So this is us being funny.

Oh, and Marcos loved the pumpkin flan.

Fun Lunch

While writing the last two blogs I've been eating lunch. My mom was blessed with free lunch and I had to take pictures because it's so unique and cute!


My Super Good Milkshake with a Doughnut!



Mexican Fortune Cookie



Second Baby Shower

My mom teaches an ESL class with another lady every Sunday.
They, like many of you, have been praying for my hubby's safe arrival and lately have been praying for our soon to come baby. This to me is incredible since I have only met the students and other teacher once. Even though, they wanted to throw Marcos and I a baby shower.
So if you were there, THANK YOU SO MUCH! We had fun!!

Our Second FIRST Weekend

The weekend was filled with many firsts for us but especially for Marcos.

On Friday we finally went to our apartment so Marcos could see where I had been living! We went grocery shopping for our first time [in the states] and later had a good time looking at ALL the gifts we received at the baby shower.

I think one of Marcos' favorite gifts to play with was the stroller/car seat that my grandma gave us. He spent most of the time we were at the apartment, reading the manual and playing with it.

If he's having that much fun with just the stroller, I can't imagine what he's going to do once the baby is born. From the feeding to the awesome baby toys to bath time. I have a feeling that he will want to take baths with all the bath toys before the baby ever does. The bath toys are even more exciting to him because he's never even taken a bath before! As a baby he took baths in a bucket; not to much room for toys in there. So all of this is exciting for him at whole other level!

Because we wanted to attend church on Sunday, we cut the stay at the apartment short and left on Saturday. So on our way back to my parent's, we stopped at an outlet mall. We were so glad to spend time with each other that we barely noticed the packed parking lot! Like most outlet malls, every store had a "sale." We found a few things the Marcos needed and found a bunch of stores that sell baby things. I guess we've just never had our baby radars turned on. Carter's had a huge sale that we wished we could have taken part in. We just couldn't find any neutral clothes! So we sadly walked out with nothing but soon were enjoying Marcos' first Auntie Anne's pretzel!

Yesterday as you know, was Sunday. It was Marcos' first time in an all English service. He was thankful that the words to the songs were on a screen at the front and understood the sermon enough to talk with me about it afterward. After service we were invited out to lunch to welcome my hubby to the states. It was our first time eating at Logan's Steakhouse and the hubby's first time eating a steak!

Experiencing "firsts" with my husband has been a lot of fun and I have a few more planned for this week so stay tuned!

I'm Not Dreaming

Yesterday was Marcos' one week "anniversary" of being here in the big USA. It for sure doesn't seem like a week should have been able to fly by that fast. So it's been a week and we still haven't gone "home." Sad isn't it?
We're still at my parents. But oddly enough, I do enjoy it. Marcos is here with me so why would I complain? The pull-out couch has been good to us, our backs, and my belly. Marcos is enjoying working with his suegro. And me well, like I said, I'm just happy to finally be with the hubby!
Thankfully Marcos' day off is Wednesday, so we got to go "explore" a little. We went to a bunch of little stores and then to Babies R Us. Even though he didn't come out and say it, I'm pretty sure that was a shock; seeing a store bigger than any back home but only this time it's all for babies! We had a lot of fun looking at clothes and toys but I think the best part of all the "window" shopping was just being able to be together. We could show things to each other in person that we liked or didn't like instead of just taking pictures with our phones to show the other one later. AND! We got to hold hands again!
I am so happy this is for real. I will admit that it doesn't feel real. Just over a week has gone by and I still haven't grasped the idea that he's not going back. He's here to stay and I don't have to say good-bye anymore!

First Days

Today is Marcos' fifth day in the states which has also ended up being his fifth day working in the states.

Our first day as "reunited couple" we headed out after breakfast, planning on spending the next two days alone at our apartment. I had great meals planned and was stoked to show Marcos where we live and all the stuff we've been blessed with from the baby shower!!
Not even half way to our apartment, POW! Flat tire.
But no worries, Marcos was there to put on the spare. [Yes, I know how to change a tire. But me and my pregnant self cannot lift anything heavy, let alone yank lug nuts off the tire.] So we put on the spare and SPHH! Spare tire goes flat.
It would have been fine if we weren't in the middle of no where!
Because of this unfortunate event on his first day here we've just ended up staying at my parent's on their surprisingly comfortable couch.

Day two was Friday. Marcos went to work with my dad, doing electrical and cement work.

On the third day, our whole family worked on moving a family out of one house and into another. We got up early and didn't go to bed until late which is fine except for the fact that my legs and butt are still sore today!

Yesterday we slept in after Saturday's super long day. In the afternoon the men of the family went back to move a few heavy things at the house.

The best part of this whole time together was last night. Marcos and I made some super awesome white chili and corn bread. [If you want me to post the recipe, let me know.] And we enjoyed it while watching the Bears game. For it being Marcos' first football game ever, we were very disappointed with the way the game went but we still had fun!

Home

I don't want to write right now because....

HE'S HOME!!!!

Today's the Day

Well everyone, today's the day!
The day my husband comes home.
I never thought this day would come. But it has. And I can't seem to believe it.

The hubby left this morning before the sun came up and was on his second bus still before the sun came up. The ride home is long but not nearly as long as when we traveled home on the other side of the border. Either way, we are both super-de-duper excited that the wait is finally over. We will finally be together!

More news and pictures to come! Stay tuned! :o)

Venting, Forgive Me

Have you ever you been in a situation where you go through a lot? Either physically, emotionally, or in some other way. You suffer and most of the time no one even sees it. You suck it up.
Then once people around you become aware of a problem in your life, they try to give you advice. They tell you how bad they've had it and how they know how you feel. Some even dare to tell you that others or even they themselves have it worse than you. So don't fret. Get over it.
Yes, I believe that there are worse things going on in the world, to people, and that what I've gone through doesn't even come close. But don't tell me you know how it is. Please don't try to empathize with me because the more you try, you just end up digging yourself a hole.

I'm sorry. A few comments made in the past few days have just sent me over the edge and I needed to post this so I don't end up going off on someone who doesn't deserve it. So please forgive me for this! I just needed to vent.

Name Change

Well it's almost time for me to legally change my name, finally! Most of you probably don't know this but I haven't changed my name since getting married. So as soon as Mr. H gets here, we'll be heading all over town. It will be kind of a pain in the butt to have to go through the long list of places in order to take on my married name but in a way it will be good; the hubby will get to see the whole town.

So speaking of names changing, do you think the name of this blog sucks? A few have made comments that we should change the name of the blog.  I kind of want to now that I'm not only a semi-new bride, but also a soon to be mom. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be a mom soon. Wow. So let me know what you think. If I do end up changing it, I will probably keep the same URL. So no worries, you won't have to change your subscription or anything. It will just be a change on the heading of the blog.

Fast Pray-ers

Thanks you guys for praying!
Not 10 minutes after I posted my last blog, did my husband call.
He is doing great! They told him that it usually takes two days after they stamp his visa, but the guy told him that everything is all printed out and Marcos could very well receive the paperwork today or tomorrow. [These papers and his newly stamped passport are sent to the DHL down the street from the consulate.] So YAY God! I could pick him up tomorrow or Sunday. Of course I'd rather it be tomorrow but I'm happy for any day this weekend!
He's finally coming y'all!
Yehaw!

Dead Battery?

Pray for the hubby.
He's in Juarez to pick up his visa.
He was supposed to call me this morning when he finished at the consulate. I haven't heard from him, yet. I tried to call him but it goes right to voicemail. I have a feeling that his battery is dead.
Just pray that he's fine and everything is going perfectly smooth!

! ! !

This has been an awesome day!
I woke up to a phone call from the consulate, telling me that husband needs to get there to pick up his visa.
What better way to wake up is there?
I haven't been able to calm down since. I want to wake up and have it be the day that I get to pick him up from the bus. I want to hug him!!
I can't wait to finally be us again.
Thank you God!
And thanks to all of you who have been praying like crazy for us.
The wait is finally over!

Almost Done Waiting

I made banana bread today while being totally bored out of my mind.
Trying to just sit back and trust God that Marcos will be here.
I hope this waiting is almost over.
I have faith that it is.

In the mean time
The banana bread tastes good

Back

After not writing for a month, being in Mexico for two of those weeks, I am finally back. I no longer have to travel to find an internet connection which should make it easier to update all you lovely faces out there.
As my belly has been growing this past month I've been pretty busy. While I was back in Illinois for the baby shower I was praying a lot about how this little person would end up changing my life, forever.
After long hours of crying and begging God for answers I got an email. The email I've been waiting a year for. Your husband's visa is completed. His interview is on September....blah blah blah. Me and my pregnant self were just bouncing off the walls. The rest isn't even important.
Since then, my husband has had his interview and now we are just waiting for approval from the consulate to cross. We were told this could take a few weeks but could check every Monday for the green light.
Thankfully tomorrow is Monday again and we will be able to check for the "go ahead."
The baby and I are both ready for daddy to be here to experience the rest of the pregnancy and to finally be home.
Thank you all for praying this past year and especially these past two weeks.
Our trip (yes, I went with) went perfectly smooth and even enjoyed being in Juarez. It was a great time for my husband and I to have some alone time. The people there were extremely nice and it was almost even pretty compared to where we're from in Mexico. The only bad thing I can think of is that the food was expensive.
Now I'm back in the states. Waiting again. Hopefully this time it will only be for a few days!

Interview

The day has finally come. My husband is in his interview as we speak. He actually had it this morning at 10:15. Now it's about 12:30 and he still hasn't come back to the hotel. Oh how I hope that all is going well. It's nearly impossible for me to know how long it's going to take; they don't tell you anything beforehand. Thankfully we packed light and I didn't have to haul too much down to the lobby alone.
For now, I'm just sitting here in the lobby waiting for him to walk through the doors with great news.
Thankfully out trip here went smoothly and God blessed us with amazing friends of friends who allowed us to stay with them until the hotel let us check in. Not only that but they picked us up at 3 o'clock in the morning from the bus.
I have to say, I feel foolish sitting here. I keep looking over to the door hoping to see his face. I truly had no idea it would take so long.
[Please God, let everything be going fine great and let him walk through that front door now.] Oh, I'm worried. [PLEASE]

Greetings!

Well everyone. I typed a great new blog while chilling at the hotel a few days ago and as I went to post it kicked me offline, erasing the entire blog. Nice.
It was quite a lovely blog telling you haw I'm about 20 weeks/5 months pregnant. I stressed how crazy it seems because the time, to me, has been crawling by. This is only so because I've been living for these many pregnant months without my husband, which makes my heart cry as well as my eyes.
I also went on about how I tend to forget that I'm pregnant until the newest sensation, kicking, starts up. They were especially noticeable while driving through the Ozarks.
Yes you read correctly, I was driving through the Ozarks. I actually am now in my hometown for a baby shower that some family has so amazingly put together! And to top things off, one of bestest friends is driving in tomorrow night so we can talk and pray and cry together (before the baby shower the next day).
Have any of you seen the movie Julie & Julia? Well if you have, then you know the relationship between Julia Child and her beloved friend Mavis. Let's just say that my friend is something like that, only I've met her before. And we talk about life and praying for each other rather than cooking. I just haven't seen her in person in two years. So I am even all the more ecstatic to see her!!!
So here I am, in 40 degree cooler weather. My butt is finally starting to get it's feeling back after being in numb from driving across country. And well, it's past my bedtime. I've had my herbal tea and brushed my teeth. Goodnight readers. I hope I haven't kept you  waiting for too long. And I hope you are still wanting to read what I have to share. It should only get better from here on out.
Oh do I have things to share...

We're Growing!

Over and over I end up having to ask for forgiveness for not keeping my promise to update. And for that, too, I am sorry.
The baby is growing as am I though most people would never notice. I swear that this belly wasn't there before and someone other than myself must realize this.
Most of my pants don't fit any more. Same goes for the shirts. They either scoot their way up my belly so that it peeks out or the top half of the shirt has become unbearably tight.
At the very beginning of this pregnancy I thought that I would be just coming up on 16 weeks. I guess I'm wrong.
At each monthly checkup I have had an ultrasound just to make sure the baby is growing like it should. So with each appointment Marcos and I(yes, my hubby's name is Marcos) receive a print out which includes three pictures of our growing baby, measurements of his or her heartbeat and a note stating how big Baby is. With each note about growing Baby comes an estimated delivery date based on how big baby is. Well at my first ultrasound I was due January 12th and each time since then the date has moved closer and closer. We are now due January 3rd! Yay for a growing healthy baby!! And YAY to being way into my second trimester!! No more sleepiness or peeing every hour! :)
Oh, and I, Mommy, have gained 3 pounds! I tell you this with pride as it has always been nearly impossible for me to gain weight.
I will write more when I have another chance to.

Going Backwards

Just a quick note.
I have been posting past blogs so if you are like me and just jump on and off blogs to see if there's a new post... There are new ones here, you will just have to go back. There aren't tons of them, but I am trying to update you all on my baby belly. A new, current post is on it's way!

Thanks for reading!

Late Blog

Oh me, oh my.
I must apologize for not writing. I can't say that I forgot to write. I just was putting it off.
Big, big things have been happening in our lives and I needed to get a handle on my feelings before I typed it for you all to get excited about.
As two of my best friends would say, it could only be one of two things. And well let me just tell you now that my hubby is still waiting on his papers. This news only makes that fact more and more difficult.
So here it goes...
I'm pregnant!

Yep. You read correctly.         PREGNANT!

I found out about three weeks ago and waited until after my first doctor's appointment before telling anyone. I will admit to telling a handful of people via phone before letting y'all know. So please forgive me if I didn't tell you in person. A few of you I wanted to tell but didn't have numbers. Sorry.

I have written blogs about being pregnant and all the great experiences I've had since I found out, I just haven't submitted any of them. So don't think that I've given up on blogging or that I've forgotten about you guys.

So the blog is taking on yet another new aspect. Me, us and our first pregnancy.
Keep reading!

Funny Hubby Moment

After I returned from my hundredth trip to the bathroom yesterday I found Marcos pretending to knit with two of his super long-nosed screw drivers. He said he should make something for the baby. Silly!

I'm Back

I went to change the laundry and decided to cook up one of those marshmallows. It was good but not like a s'more. It was a little different too because the ones she bought me are pink and yellow. I think their flavored too. Not sure what flavor though. Maybe I should go eat a raw one to decipher the flavor. :)

Nearly Two Months Along

I'm here in Mexico, doing my laundry and writing to you. I am now 7 weeks along. Still early but almost to 2 months. My cravings haven't gotten real weird yet. Two days ago I got some nopal tacos. I don't usually get those. They are usually too slimy for my taste but that day they were pretty tasty. I made potato soup last night that turned out awesome!! I think I'll be having that for lunch as well. My brother-in-law came home for my husband's birthday, which was Monday. He made dinner for anyone who wanted it (pollo and carne asada) after I had already made dinner for Marcos and I. But sitting there in front of the fire pit made me crave s'mores! I didn't have the stuff to make them though. Bummer.


I ended up feeling really bad though. My mother-in-law heard that I wanted some and brought me a bag of marshmallows. It was too late to eat them by then and I had already brushed my teeth. So I think I'll roast a few over the stove today!

My First Appointment (cont.)

Sorry for not finishing the blog, I got distracted. Anyways...

Unlike the states you can't do your lab work at the doctor's office. So the next morning, I had to do the blood and urine tests at a lab. I was told to fast that morning before the blood tests so I did.

I never used to like having my blood taken but I've pretty much gotten used to it. In the states they prick your finger but here they take about 3 vials. Nice, huh? So they took my blood like normal but then I started to feel a little dizzy. Things started to go black, and after a few seconds I couldn't hear anything. After I woke up a little I found Marcos in a panic, holding alcohol under my nose to wake me up while telling me to breathe. When I could finally see and hear again, I made my way to the car with Marcos' help. He left me in the car to buy me a bottle of water and back with a chocolate covered doughnut in addition to my water.

Because I don't remember a thing, he went on to tell me that I fainted and was out for about 4 minutes. He said he was freaking out because I stopped breathing. He also went on to tell me that the doctor who took my blood said that this happens every time a pregnant lady has to go through this. I guess because of the fasting before hand and the sudden loss of that much blood...hmm. Weird.

All I know is that I feel great now!

Oh and we got the results back, I'm super healthy! :)

My First Appointment

I had my first OB appointment yesterday. My original plan had been to go to a doctor in the states, well that changed. I made an appointment at a clinic at the earliest they could get me in, which ended up being at 4. I found out that she doesn't even get to the office until then. What? I mean, what does she do all day?


So, trying not to be bothered I waited all day and went back at 4. 4:05, 4:10, 4:15, 4:20... nothing. So I asked the guy at the desk, who by the way looked like he'd been trying out too many meds in his spare time, and he had no idea where she was. So I left my number and headed out. I went with my husband to a new hospital they're building because they had the same doctor's name on their list. She wasn't there but thankfully they gave us directions to her personal office. So after waiting all day I finally saw her at around 6:30...pm!

She was so incredibly nice, and thankfully not creepy!

I knew that at my first OB appointment I'd have urine and blood tests but I didn't think I'd have an ultrasound! Yeah! I had my first ultrasound!!! I was excited but nothing like my husband. Marcos couldn't believe that he could actually see it and it's heart beating.

I admit that I was excited but I think I was just relieved that there was only one heart beat! I don't know what I would have done if there was more than one.

Watching Belly Movies

Last night we decided to watch some of many baby movies to come. We watched Back Up Plan last night. It was a little awkward for me, watching the movie with my brother-in-law there but oh well. My husband did admit though that it helped him to watch the movie. He does hope that I don't make noises like the lady in the movie though.

So we're going to rent movies like Baby Mama, Juno, and to be honest I'm not sure what else. Are there more baby/pregnancy movies I could rent?

No More Finals!

Last night I had my last final of the semester (thank you Jesus!). With things being the way they are back home, I didn't want to drive by myself all that way. So I decided to stay state side and go visit my parents, even though they live even farther away then my in-laws. I stayed overnight after a late night run for expensive Chinese that didn't end up being all that great. The next morning I went to Target with my mom and sister before I headed back home. I headed straight for the baby section and took pictures with my phone (sh!) of a few cribs and car seats to show my husband. After filling my mind with all things baby, I headed to the book section where I ended up bumping into my mom. I picked out a book on baby names while she wanted to buy me the famous “What to Expect When You're Expecting.” I also ended up buying a novel and my sister lent me a book she had been reading. So off I went with all my books, and only if you could have seen my husband's eyes when I arrived with a library in the backseat. Priceless.

The NVC Should Provide Remotes

I am not to sure what I want to write about today. There isn't a whole lot going on. Just the same old thing. Waiting.
There are some days that I think about what patience I must have to be waiting for so long. But then I realize that because it's not in my power to make things go faster and by not living in the movie Click, that I might not even posses the great patience I once thought. Maybe if I had the opportunity to make things go by at the speed of light, I would. At least for this point in my life, I wish I had a remote so I could fast forward to the day in which he would be with me.
Maybe someone could invent it and provide them to the people waiting for their significant other or even the parents waiting for children to cross. I know I sound nuts. I am. That is what this has turned me into. A crazy lady.

Oh great.

Good-Bye Week

Well my week is almost over.
I have class in the morning and I'm heading back home.
The hubby and I are going to try and find something fun to do for our belated anniversary. I bought him a small-ish gift that I hope he likes. I'm still learning what styles he likes and things he would love. So, we shall see!

My family is here. Safe, sound, and making a mess! Their things are everywhere and it's even worse with me having a dinker apartment. They had been in Guatemala for a few months and got back Tuesday night. So they are here with me, camping out in my living room and living out of their suitcases. We're not positive on how long they'll be here but probably until the weekend is over.

Pray for me. Marcos and I are looking into moving. If we feel led to move for sure, I'll be transferring to a school where ever that may be. So we're not sure if it will be Austin, San Antonio, Houston, or maybe even some other state. For know I'd really like to stay in Texas because of school costs. If you have any info on places to look at or cities... I'd rather live in a city, not too small of a town.

So yeah. Pray for me. I have lots on things on the brain and not sure how to sort through them.
Have a good night!

My Wedding's Birthday

Whoa! I've been a wife for a year!
Holy smokes!

*Happy Anniversary honey!!*

Maybe next year we'll actually be together for our anniversary...

My First Time In a Mexican Hospital

What an interesting past couple of days. I spent longer in Mexico than I had originally planned. Usually I leave Sunday afternoon to beat the possible line at the border Monday morning. Well I got home today. This morning.
Sunday night I decided that I would stay until the next morning. So we were happy, spending more time together (the hubby and I). Monday morning came and I hadn't gotten much sleep because of being sick that morning. By morning I mean, 1 am maybe even 12. All I know is that I was sick enough to have my husband take me to the doctor first thing. Well at 7:30 I was in the hospital with food poisoning. By 8 I had an IV. And I stayed there the rest of the day. After noon the nurses changed shifts. In the morning I had small, unpleasant nurse who didn't really seem to care. when injecting the IV with some of my meds she seemed nice enough to advise me to tell her if it hurt. Well it did. It burned! So I told her and she didn't do anything about it. Even my husband said something when she had left. Thankfully the new nurse was nice. She asked about where I was from and about my husband while he was out buying some lunch. Nice.
Maybe it's because I haven't had an IV in long time and maybe because I have tiny arms with tiny veins, but man! My arm is still a little sore. I mean not a lot, just randomly.
Even though I was sick and wasn't too happy to be at a hospital all day, let me tell you. I feel so great. Usually after being sick like that, I would want to sleep and not eat and blah. But yesterday I felt great and I still do.
So even though I was hospitalized, I ended up having a great weekend with my husband.

And now I'll be heading out in about an hour or so in search for the bus station. Not only have I never driven there alone, I've been there once which was in the dark but it's in a city I don't know. I mean I know where the city is, but I don't know my way around. My mom and my sister are coming here for a few days and I guess my dad will meet us here tomorrow; thus the reason for needing to find the bus station.
Mapquest, don't fail me now...

What a Day...

Oh my dear readers! Forgive me for not writing on Monday as promised.

I came home Sunday evening instead of early Monday like I had planned because I didn't want to run into a long line before class.
Monday was a normal day until I got home.

As most of you don't know, I received a letter advising me to pay for the processing of the hubby's visa. Good news, yes?! So I payed right away online and waited another 3 days for further instructions. With Sunday, day three, being Easter I had to wait until Monday for the next instructions. When I got home that day I checked the email, trying not to be too excited. The instructions were there and ready. [Yes!] Because I filed for the visa here in the states instead of in Mexico, I needed to send in all the paperwork to process the visa. This meant more copies of forms, translated copies of birth & marriage certificates, photos of the husband for his visa and so on. Wow! Lots of stuff!
I didn't want to wait until the weekend to get all this done so I pack a bag and left for Mexico. Crazy, right?Thankfully things there haven't been bad and God has been protecting me while I drive.
I arrived at my husband's work and his dad [who is also his boss] let him go an hour early as well as the following day in order to get these papers finished and sent. It was my goal to get all the papers ready by 2:30 the following day in order for them to be sent by 4. Phew...! It was a crazy day! We got up and ate breakfast on the go. We also got our work-out in, by walking/running all over town instead of driving. Way to multi-task, eh? We made multiple trips to a lawyer, notary republic, mayor's office, copy center, photographer and even got stopped by some friends. It was a great day being together and thankfully got everything finished by 2 in order to have a little bit of time together without the running.
So at 2:45 (yes, I was late) I was on the road back to states in order to get to the nearest Post Office by 4. [Yeah, the old man who works there is lazy and closes super early]. Unfortunately the line at the bridge was long and couldn't cross right away. Anyone want to guess what time I got to the Post Office? 4:01   ! ! ! ! !
CLOSED! Nope, I didn't make it.
So I ran to the only other Post Office I knew how to get to and gave the package to the mailman right as he was about to leave! PRAISE GOD!!! I sent it priority again so they should receive the package tomorrow.
Now I'm just waiting for the date. They told me that's all I need now. Good!

Keep praying everyone! This is the last step!

Happy Early Easter

Happy Easter weekend everyone!

I will be away for the weekend and will share the happenings with you then!
(YES, things have happened that you will want to know. So, check back Monday.)

Spring Cleaning

Do any of you really get into Spring cleaning?
I do. More like season cleaning for me though. I hate clutter. So when I see those papers stacking up or when I'm sick of the bed being where it is... I go at it! If my husband were home to see this, he would probably freak. I move everything and clean underneath (like we're supposed to). Things end up flying in all directions, including me. And I won't stop until I'm done. So if you attempt calling me and I don't answer, I'm probably attempting to move the bed, alone!

So with that said and it being Spring for about 10 days now, I have started The Clean. I have my little list to go through and have my lingerie drawer checked off, thanks to the inspiring e-mail from The Nest. Yep! I went through, almost with eyes closed, and threw out anything ratty, faded beyond reason, holey... yeah you can just imagine. I sucked it up and threw away those awesome striped socks that I still had from high school and that shot out white lace bra. It had to be done. To reward myself though (!) I went to Forever 21 and bought some new [greatly needed] stuff that I'm pretty sure Mr H will like too!

With that excitement over, I have the kitchen and the closet left. Doesn't sound like much right? If you were to open up the closet, you would want to close it back up again. It's full of boxes from the move that still have stuff in them. I have pictures without frames, curtains still to be hung, and much much more.
Any tips on where to find cute, cheap, medium sized frames?

Well I have an e-date with the hubby any minute now, so I'm shoving off! Peace!

Topes in Life

Sitting here reading about 19th century art, I can't stop thinking about the upcoming interview.
Something about it kills me. Not knowing the day, the time, whether I'll have to tell my professors or not... I hate not knowing. I will admit that there are a few handfuls of moments which are special enough to be surprise worthy but this is not one of them.
I wish I could wake up knowing that in x amount of days, hours, and minutes, my husband will have his interview and [hoping for the best] will be here with me. Here. I know you're probably sick and tired of reading how I miss my husband and most of you have  probably stopped reading by now. Sorry world. This just makes my stomach hurt. I can't seem to turn my mind off or even distract it from this one event.

Oh and to the author of the book I'm reading, you're book is boring. No one cares who now owns the statue of Napoleon as Mars. Just saying...

Should I?

Should I go home this weekend?
I have class Friday and Monday, sadly enough. I thought we might at least have Friday off. Nope. I don't really mind, I just don't want to sit at the bridge for long on the way back. And I just want all the time I can get with my man!
Hopefully I get some good news by Wednesday and will have to see him!

Other than that, no news.
Just waiting for confirmation so I can print my next steps.
Oh yeah, did I tell y'all that? Now I don't have to wait for more letters! (YES!) As soon as they OK my payment, I can print out my next letter instead of waiting for it in the mail. Praise God, yes?

IT CAME!

I GOT IT! I FINALLY GOT IT!!!
Yep. I finally received the letter. Not how I expected but, here it is.
Being gone all weekend with the husband, I didn't check my e-mail. This goes to say that I didn't know that they had e-mailed me the letter. Good idea. I mean, why couldn't they have thought of that a month and a half ago? Anyways, I opened it, read it over twice and it's already paid. Yes, it was part letter and part bill. Nice. In the letter though, I read that in three days in will print out any other forms they need, which could include interview instructions.
!   !   !   !
HELLO! Yes please!

Thank you ALL for your prayers, the hubby will be here soon. So please keep going, just a little while longer!

Where Did the Day Go?

Would someone like to explain to me how it's already after 5? Goodness gracious! I didn't even do that much today.
Class this morning, where I presented a PowerPoint on polygamy. I know I'm supposed to keep an open mind, but ew. Glad that's over with. I finished all my homework for half of my classes. All of the homework for this week though.
I cleaned the the apartment. Floors, dishes, bathroom, the whole shabang!
So I suppose I did a lot but I had no idea that it was after 5.
The goals for the rest of the day....
Hm. Other than packing, I'm not quite sure.
Yes, packing. I am going to see my hubby for the weekend. A whole day and a half. Not having to fall asleep hugging my pillow, waking up to his face, being able to talk face to face... It's totally worth it!

So you know how I had e-mailed the NVC and hadn't heard back. And remember how I called last night? Well, they e-mailed me this morning. Ha. They are sending me another copy of my letter/bill and that one will supposedly arrive with 5-10 business days. Well, we'll see. I'll probably get them both on the same day.

No make-over news. Just a heat rash. Yes. It's hot.
I hate having fragile skin.

Do any of you have house plants? How do you keep those awful little gnats from breeding in them???? I can't get rid of these things!!! Any ideas would be swell!

20 Minutes Later

Well, I did it. I finally called.
All went fine. I waited for an actual person to come to the line for twenty long minutes. They have my correct address and so if that blasted letter still hasn't shown up by Monday, I get to call again. I sure hope that the next letter, the super duper important one, comes fast.

....The soup is good, by the way!

Losing My Patience

Ok I changed my mind. I'm making Tortilla Soup. I know I said I would make Potato Soup but I noticed that I didn't have bacon. Some other day perhaps.
My house smells sooooo good right now. It is making me so hungry, which makes sitting here even harder. Twenty-five minutes until I'll be off filling up my bowl! Let the countdown begin!

So no news on the make-over. I wore some casual lounge clothes to school and happened to pull it off without looking like a total bum, so that's a plus.

I talked with the hubby tonight at our usual 6:30 e-date. There wasn't much to say on my end but he always finds things to talk about. I just miss being able to talk, any time while being able to look at each other. And by that, I mean in person, not via web cam! I don't know how army wives do it. My cousin's wife, who is probably in labor as we speak, is all alone. I can't imagine being alone like that, especially if I were pregnant. No thanks.

As you can probably guess, the letter didn't come today. I even had the husband check the post office who delivered his letter to see if mine had gone to my parent's old house for some odd reason. Nope. Nothing. Nada.
I am going to call. Tonight. Right after I write this. I just can't wait until Tuesday to find out that they sent it but it was lost in the mail or that they sent it to the wrong address. Goodness. Help me Jesus.

Well, I guess I'll be off then. I should probably call before I eat. The food will help me calm down if something goes wrong.
Pray for me, fellas!

Slowpoke Week

Tuesday. Hm. Week is going kinda slow, isn't it. It should be at least Wednesday by now...

No news on the papers. Now that I think about it, I haven't gotten any mail for a while. What's going on? No Spring magazines, no bills (but that's fine!), no nothing...

I have homework... not really looking forward to it.

Make-over news. My hair looks good today. Not sure why though. I kinda curled the ends in so it's alright. It doesn't really matter though because of the hurricane-like winds outside. My face looks really pale. I think I need to sit out in the sun more. Yeah, as soon as these winds die down. Maybe I can this weekend.
I'm working on whitening my teeth and curing scars. Yep! I found this scar-be-gone stuff and it's working.
I was thinking about buying some sunless tanner for my legs. I can't just go out with glow-in-the-dark legs! I might blind someone and then I'd feel bad. So does any one have suggestions on what to and what not to buy?? I heard Sally Hansen was good. Thoughts please!

I am planning on making some killer potato soup so stay tuned! I made this last week and my hubby & brother-in-law loved it. My father-in-law wouldn't touch it cause he hates the thought of eating potatoes for some reason... Hm. That's weird. Tacos made of sesos, tripas, ojos - yes. But potatoes - no.
I don't get it.
Anyways, I'm making some for me, myself, and I so keep checking back!

A boring day in the life of...

After pouring myself a glass of juice, I found myself steering toward the bedroom, juice container in hand. Flabbergasted, I quickly scolded myself and returned the juice to his cool habitat.
Yep. I am super sleepy. I don't know why... I slept ok. I got up and was fine all morning. Hm.

Well day one, more like attempt one, of the make-over.
I thought all was going well. Tried to take a picture of it. For some reason, my camera make my freckles look reddish and almost like zits. Oh ew.
I tried parting my hair on the other side... blah. Makes my forehead look massive. Make up is ok. We're still working on this though.
Contemplating a haircut. Ideas?

Still no letter. What is weird though, is that I hardly get any mail, if at all. My mail comes here and my parent's is supposed to be forwarded here while they're out of town but I haven't received anything! This is bad. I tomorrow if I don't get anything for my parents, I'll have to go to the post office.
Sorry for being boring guys. Not too much is happening.

Shock Therapy

Have you ever peered into a nearby mirror, or looked up at yourself while washing your hands? Have you ever wondered who on earth the creature was looking back at you? And as you scurry as far from the mirror as possible, you think 'do I really look that bad?'
Well the time has come my friends that the blog and I must revive ourselves. Not only for the sake of those who see us but... oh goodness I sound ridiculous! Come on, I just don't want to jump back every time I see my reflection!
So with that said.
It's make-over time!

Ideas will be welcomed with arms wide open, so feel free to suggest products, styles, haircuts, pictures.... whatever it takes! Bring it on!

Thanks, You Prayer Warriors

Wow you guys! You must really be praying hard for me! And I thank you!
As soon as I posted earlier, I got an email from the hubby saying he got his letter!
This is great news and we did what it said right away. [Which was responding to the letter with more blessed paperwork.] Now we just wait more for the next letter, hopefully the last. Interestingly enough though, I didn't get my copy of the letter... .
Oh wow. I never thought I'd be waiting on the mail. This is for sure interesting.

I just hope that he can be here for our 1st anniversary! It's coming up in just less than a month! I know it's high hopes, but I need to keep them high!
Keep praying with me guys! God can make this happen!

Back to the Apt

Here I am. Back to the apartment. Not home mind you, like most folks say. I just left home and now have to sit here for home to come to me.
The letter from the NVC has yet to arrive. This is what I find very odd. A letter traveling from New Hampshire to Texas shouldn't take more than a month. Maybe a week, if that.
God willing, it will arrive today. No tomorrow. Not Monday. TODAY!

Well now I'm off to buy some groceries while praying my heart out.

Upcoming Spring Break News

Spring Break is upon us.
Ok, well for all you up north never mind 'cause you had yours early. Us down south waited for the warm weather and will have a great hot, sun filled week!
Oh yes! I can't wait!
I don't have big travel plans or anything, but seeing my husband and not having homework/class will be AWESOME!

Do any of you commute for work or school? I do. I drive 30 minutes one way to school. I had a lovely surprise with which I was glad at first and then suddenly pissed off. I got an email last night telling me that the teacher was going to be leaving town and that there would be a sub. Fine. Get there, waiting... waiting.... he never showed. We weren't sure what to do. Technically you're aloud to leave if the teacher doesn't show 15-20 minutes after class is supposed to start. So we did. The dude never came. Yay, no class! But then I realized that I drove an hour for nothing.... wasted my gas....
Sorry. Not at all important but I just had to vent for a sec.

Anyways,....

OH! I have news about our papers! [Well, my husband's papers].
I got so impatient that I called the NVC and found out that you can enter your case number and find out what's going on. Apparently they sent our stuff (the next letter and instructions on where to go for the interview and visa) three weeks ago. Now, I was so excited the first time, that I called again after I calmed down so I could write everything down. But then I got to thinking... They said they sent me a copy of the letter and then another one. Why would it take three weeks for mail to get from New Hampshire to Texas? Well.... that's where my great news gets put on hold. I still haven't gotten the letter. Hopefully tomorrow it'll be sitting in my mailbox. Oh, that would be a great way to end a day of mid-terms and start welcoming in Spring Break!

So, keep praying people! God is good and my wait [for my hubby] is almost over!!!
Thank you so so so so much for your prayers!

Waiting

Well readers, here I am.
My house guests are gone and my husband still isn't here. So I'm back to being lonely. Weird, right?

My parents moved out of their house this week which was a big stress on my dad's mind. Well, they're out.
According to my husband, Max spent his first night outside. He's camping out at my mother-in-laws along with my husband. This is something big. Max is the biggest baby and hates to be alone. So for him to sleep alone, outside. Wow. Good job Max!

My week hasn't been too eventful so far. Class, class, and more classes.
Everyday I pray more. I have never prayed so hard about something. I have never not cried. So each day, when I get home... I pray even harder all the way to the mailbox. But each day so far,... nothing. Empty. Junk mail. Or bills. Boo.
I got my notice of approval... come on! This is horrible! IT MAKES MY HEART HURT! I don't want to be without him anymore!

Problems

Hello readers.
Some of you have heard and some of you haven't.
I haven't written this week due to problems at home. To those that don't already know, I'm sorry, but I just cannot write about why. Just know that your prayers are needed concerning the safety of my husband, his/our family and a few of our friends.

I will be writing on here... I just need to clear my thoughts. All I can think about is how I wish my husband's papers were already here, then I wouldn't have to worry about him so much!

Friday! Oh, it's Friday!

"Friday! Oh, it's Friday!"  YES!
I have very little homework to do this weekend, so that means more time with me and my man!
I have decided that I don't surprise him enough so I have something in mind. But I will have to tell you later in case he reads this before it happens. And that way I can tell you about the results as well.
Well this morning I brought a cookbook to school with my to read in between classes and I'm pretty sure I cause double-takes as people walked by. Normally I'm sitting reading my homework or writing out an assignment for the next week. But today I had this food-filled, colorful book of deliciousness. I'd say that's a little different than my books on interpersonal communication or environmental science.
So I'm ready, waiting for my ride. I'm packed and ready to go!
Wish me luck!

The Call

This is my favorite part of the day.
I am sitting here at the desk.
Headphones on.
Microphone intact.
Ready.
Waiting.

The call.

HE is going to call.

Any minute now.

Killer Tea

Have any of you ever attempted drinking tea or coffee before bed?
I have and realized what a HUGE mistake I'd made.
It does weird stuff to my brain. Even if I'm half asleep my brain goes into this discombobulated freak out. I can't, for whatever reason, slow my mind down. I think of everything all at once, the problems I'm having and how I can fix them, what I need to do in the morning, what needs to be cleaned... ! So the night pretty much ends up being a battle of me and my brain. I get no rest and I feel more tired when it's time for me to wake up than when I went to sleep in the first place.

Last night was highly comparable to my past experiences. I was just sitting, doing homework while drinking some tea. I poured the tea around 8 and after a few warm ups finished the cup around 11. Ok maybe it was 11:30. I was happy, the tea was nice and warm, I was cozy doing homework. It all seemed quite nice.
After finishing, the homework and the tea, I got things ready for class [today] and hopped into bed. I couldn't, for the life of me, fall asleep. Everything I tried, failed. News flash! Counting sheep does not work when your brain is hopped up on caffeine! Even if I tried to make my mind go blank, I would think about blank. "Why is it called blank," and so on. But the difference between the past times and last night, is the fact that I was wide awake. I wasn't fighting with myself. I was just incredibly alert. I could have cleaned the entire apartment from top to bottom and finished all my homework, and still not be the least bit tired.

With that said, I was up until around 4 this morning. That's when it hit. The caffeine drop. It's almost as if someone where to have come in and sucked all your energy out with a hose. Now I'm up for the day. I've been emailing people back, eating doughnuts from HEB that I bought yesterday and enjoying the day to get everything done that's been on my list. But you want to know something funny? I want some tea.

Stupid Decisions

Lately I’ve been really down in the dumps. I find myself so unhappy with decisions I’ve made and the fact that I can’t do anything about it. As hard as I try to think of a way out, I can’t.

No. I am NOT talking about my marriage. It’s actually the opposite. I’m talking about the move I made back to the states. I’m not sure if I really do just down right hate it here or if it’s just me being lonely for my husband. Everything I do I picture the two of us doing whatever it is together. Whether it be something simple like making dinner for the two of us [instead of just for me], going grocery shopping together, sleeping in the same bed at night, or it could be something that he wouldn’t do with me even if he were here. Things like sitting in class with me, being able to walk the halls with his hand in mine instead of just watching everyone else holding hands.

You know, before I even met my husband (back when I was single) I would get so jealous of people who showed off their interlocking hands in public. I wanted that. I wanted to be able to show people that I had my someone. Now that I have him, it’s a totally different scenario. His hands are in Mexico and mine are here. Both sets of hands have matches, but they can only reunite on weekends.

Anyways, back to what I was saying…


It might very well be that the place I chose to live wasn’t the best choice. Not just the city but the surrounding towns as well. Even the apartment complex isn’t what I had in mind. Everything lately seems wrong.

Even people I’ve met at school or prospective jobs ask why I would move from living in Guatemala or Chicago to here. Simple. My husband. I would love to move some where that has exciting things to do and cool things to see. I just don’t want to be far from my husband. Even though I moved back to the states, I can’t imagine if I would have made an even BIGGER mistake by moving some where farther from him.

Now that I realize that I was getting depressed, I have to think positive. So to those I’ve been a witch to, I’m sorry. I know I’ve been hard to be around. It’s just really hard to bear sometimes and I’m sorry if I had a breakdown near or with you. Especially my mom and sister, I know they’ve been present. I’m sorry!

With all that said, I have one thing to ask. Pray for me. Pray for my husband. Pray for the NVC. Pray that we have a visa in hand very, very soon.

Plant Babies

Many people over the years have said that you need to be able to take care of a plant before you even think about having a baby. It's a funny, maybe even twisted, way of prepping us to care for a living thing. There's probably a few steps you could take... Like a How-To Get Ready for a Baby prep list. Start with an already grown plant and then progress to a bulb and then to little seeds. And then once you finish with plants maybe you could adopt a pet.
Well, I bought plants. I bought an already grown plant and 5 bulbs. I bought white daffodils and white hyacinth. The daffodils have grown and bloomed!!! The plant that was already grown looks great! I think it's greener than when I bought it. And well.... the hyacinth bloomed a little and is now dying.

So what does it mean when 4 of the 6 plants are ok? Does that mean I need to keep trying? More plants? Can I graduate on to tiny seeds now?

Thank you to my ill professor.

Long weekend, oh how I love thee!
I am so excited that my professors canceled classes! I'm not rejoicing in the fact that one is bed ridden for the week because of surgery but I am glad that he canceled class for the week! The other went to some art conference in Chicago. So thanks to both of you for the long weekend to be with my husband.
To top things off, my husband had no clue that I didn't have class. So this afternoon I stopped by the site to surprise him. He was super happy! Ecstatic!
Awesome.
Sunday is Valentine's Day. I have never been a hater or a lover of the day. Even having a boyfriend/husband doesn't seem to make a difference. It's cool that it's on a Sunday this year though, so I can be with my husband for more than just dinner. We're not doing gifts, as far as I know. Just a good breakfast and maybe ice cream later before I have to head back to the states.
Keep praying for papers.
I know I said that I have news. We did receive a letter from the USCIS stating that his papers have been approved and that the NVC will contact us letting us know what to do next. So here we are, waiting again. Please! This has been 5 months waiting. Ok, 5 months on Sunday. So a great Valentine's Day gift to both of us would be the next letter, ok?
Pray for us, please! I miss my husband sooooo much!

Happy Valentines Day!

Dear John, Your movie sucked.

Girls Night last night was interesting.
The movie we planned on seeing didn't happen. Once the third or forth preview started the movie melted. In better words, it burned! Smoke, bubbling film... the works. HA!
So because it was the only reel of film they had of that movie, we went to Dear John.
Now I have always enjoyed Nick Sparks books/movies. (Notebook, Walk to Remember, etc.) But this was a different story. I didn't personally read the book before hand but my sister did. I was about to but because of the unfortunate matter with the first movie attempt, I didn't have the chance. Anyways, I hated it. I would not recommend seeing it. It doesn't follow the book. Now, I know most movies don't follow the book to the tee but I mean come on!! This was ridiculous!
Hopefully The Last Song will be better. Apart from not following the book, it was a terrible story line. If they would have followed the book, maybe. But they didn't and it was bad. I felt so awful for the poor John guy and they portrayed Tim as a creepy ex-husband with a kid. I know they tried to make it cute but it didn't work out to their benefit.
So, sorry to those who liked the film. Go read the book. My sister said it was good, unlike the movie.

Feliz Cumple Dad!

Today is February 5th.
It is my dad's 50th birthday today.

Hopefully he won't read this.
Because...
My husband, my mom, sister, and I are traveling to where he is facilitating a team as a surprise. We currently have his favorite cake in the oven and a few small gifts to take with.
I hope he's surprised! (Happily surprised, that is)

At Walmart today I noticed that like hot dogs and their buns, candles come in oddly numbered amounts. I would have had to buy three packages of candles in order to have the fifty candles needed this year. Not bad. Except I would more than enough candles left over to celebrate my birthday next year. Blah. Why do companies do this? Six buns and eight dogs. Oh whatever.

Anyways. I must head out to get my husband. I have good news to tell him but I need to tell him before I tell the rest of the world. So wish me luck!
Adios!