the race

So I decided about 2 months ago that I was doing the Tour de Tuscon, a 109 mile bike road bike race. A big group of dentists here in the east valley are doing it and it's going to be awesome!! The doctor I work for is going to be doing it too. It's the Saturday before Thanksgivingand I'm super excited. Here's a little video! Wish me luck. I'm also a little nervous I won't be able to runthe Turkey Trot 10K 4 days later on Thanksgiving. Hope my legs stay strong!

Thankful for a Give-a-way!!!

visit this website to see some amazing jewelry!!
I'm thankful for my amazing family!

I am married to the BEST man around! Sorry ladies! He has been working so hard on our lawn and it shows! I'm so happy the bubs loves keeping our house looking nice!

Before:
After:

Here's my pumpkin that looks much better in the dark! Thanks Martha Stewart for the idea!

no words

I know no one likes to watch YouTube videos on Blogs....but watch this and feel inspired. I don't cry that often, but I shed many tears during this video.

aaron's favorite boy

stuff

We've busy doing fun things for our house, but when we're not working, I am running or riding this! I tuned it up last night all by myself! And yesterday morning I went on a 65 mile ride with Lezlie Greene..my friend from my old job. I love road biking! I will be doing a 109 mile bike race in the end of November. The Tour de Tuscon.

I've also been decorating for Halloween!

I also got new bedding from pottery Barn! All I need is a headboard or a big picture.

Any suggestions? Here's the front of our house. We love it.

Here's Aaron putting in our winter grass! It's such a good feeling to have a front yard full of green grass! OLD PICTURES

We went to Wicked a while back...loved it.
Aaron is in an indoor soccer league and loves it! Sorry to brag..but he scores alot!!

my new favorite show!!

"Community"

House

We were so happy to move into our house on Saturday after 2 long weeks of painting, repairs, new carpet....and LOTS of other fun stuff. Although there is MUCH more that needs to be done and MUCH more that I REALLY want to do. We are pretty much set for now. Here are some before and after pics.

Family Room Before

Family Room After
Front Room/Kitchen Entrance Before

Kitchen/Front Room After
Before Guest BedroomAfter Guest Bedroom
Before Master Bedroom
After Master Bedroom (without any decorations)
Before Kitchen (ugly cabinets)
After Kitchen (still ugly cabinets)

So like I said...for a first house we LOVE IT!!! There is so much potential and we will be making it home one step at a time! I'm so excited for Christmas and to put our Christmas decorations up! Who wants to come over??

Update

I know no one cares about "these kinda updates"...but I updated "The Run Down", and I need some help with a very important question. Click on the link of the sidebar and answer the question!! Thank you.

cheesy.....but I like it!!!!

Best motivation quote I've heard yet!

"There is a reason in every race to finish it or quit early. It's a matter of what you choose. I believe the choice you take out there is the choice you are going to take in every aspect of life."~Perry Edinger, 9th place finisher in the Badwater Ultramarathon.

Bam!

My Kinda Guy

I usually can't stand car sales men, but this guy is right on!! He never missed a beat. He believes what he is doing is right and you can tell.

The Run Down

Some of you might remember my blog from when I ran the Ultra Marathon,

"The Run Down".

Well, it's back in business. The link is on the sidebar.

Go to it to see what's next on the list to Conquer!

mmmmm

anyone how knows me, knows my favorite thing in the whole world is ice cream!! So when I saw this...I definitely could relate!


In honor of the 44th President of the United States, Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has introduced a new flavor: "Barocky Road."


Barocky Road is a blend of half vanilla, half chocolate, and surrounded by nuts and flakes. The vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient. The nuts and flakes are all very bitter and hard to swallow.

The cost is $100.00 per scoop.

When purchased it will be presented to you in a large beautiful cone, but then the ice cream is taken away and given to the person in line behind you.

You are left with an empty wallet and no change, holding an empty cone with no hope of getting any ice cream.


Are you stimulated?

CLASSIC!

a bit late...

Happy Anniversary Bubbs!!

I can honestly say the last 3 years

have been the best of my life. Thanks

LOTS of words.....

I know this post will be highly inappropriate for THIS blog, but I REALLY wanted to post it. It is also over dramatic on my part. In my heart it doesn't feel inappropriate OR dramatic, but in my logical head....all I hear is "Don't post it". So, too bad head...you lose. 

I found this article and it is EXACTLY what I think and feel on a daily basis, and it was overwhelmingly comforting to hear it in someone else's words. 

If you read this, please, PLEASE don't think I'm complaining about my situation. And when the article says "infertile" just know that we are not. 

And last but the most importantly, I am fully aware that there are people VERY close to Aaron and I who have been going at this WAY longer than we have, so I know "it could be worse". *read further to learn about that little phrase. 

Infertility Etiquette

By Vita Alligood

Chances are, you know someone who is struggling with infertility. More than five million people of childbearing age in the United States experience infertility. Yet, as a society, we are woefully uninformed about how to best provide emotional support for our loved ones during this painful time.

Infertility is, indeed, a very painful struggle. The pain is similar to the grief over losing a loved one, but it is unique because it is a recurring grief. When a loved one dies, he isn't coming back. There is no hope that he will come back from the dead. You must work through the stages of grief, accept that you will never see this person again, and move on with your life.

The grief of infertility is not so cut and dry. Infertile people grieve the loss of the baby that they may never know. They grieve the loss of that baby who would have had mommy's nose and daddy's eyes. But, each month, there is the hope that maybe that baby will be conceived after all. No matter how hard they try to prepare themselves for bad news, they still hope that this month will be different. Then, the bad news comes again, and the grief washes over the infertile couple anew. This process happens month after month, year after year. It is like having a deep cut that keeps getting opened right when it starts to heal.

As the couple moves into infertility treatments, the pain increases while the bank account depletes. Most infertility treatments involve using hormones, which alter the user's moods. (That statement is like calling a lion a cat-my husband would tell you that the side effect is insanity!) The tests are invasive and embarrassing to both parties, and you feel like the doctor has taken over your bedroom. And for all of this discomfort, you pay a lot of money. Infertility treatments are expensive, and most insurance companies do not cover the costs. So, in addition to the pain of not conceiving a baby each month, the couple pays out anywhere from $300 to five figures, depending upon the treatment used.

Reaching a resolution can take years, so your infertile loved ones need your emotional support during this journey. Most people don't know what to say, so they wind up saying the wrong thing, which only makes the journey so much harder for their loved ones. Knowing what not to say is half of the battle to providing support.

Don't Tell Them to Relax

Everyone knows someone who had trouble conceiving but then finally became pregnant once she "relaxed." Couples who are able to conceive after a few months of "relaxing" are not infertile. By definition, a couple is not diagnosed as "infertile" until they have tried unsuccessfully to become pregnant for a full year. In fact, most infertility specialists will not treat a couple for infertility until they have tried to become pregnant for a year. This year weeds out the people who aren't infertile but just need to "relax." Those that remain are truly infertile.

Comments such as "just relax" or "try going on a cruise" create even more stress for the infertile couple, particularly the woman. The woman feels like she is doing something wrong when, in fact, there is a good chance that there is a physical problem preventing her from becoming pregnant.

These comments can also reach the point of absurdity. As a couple, my husband and I underwent two surgeries, numerous inseminations, hormone treatments, and four years of poking and prodding by doctors. Yet, people still continued to say things like, "If you just relaxed on a cruise . . ." Infertility is a diagnosable medical problem that must be treated by a doctor, and even with treatment, many couples will NEVER successfully conceive a child. Relaxation itself does not cure medical infertility.

Don't Minimize the Problem

Failure to conceive a baby is a very painful journey. Infertile couples are surrounded by families with children. These couples watch their friends give birth to two or three children, and they watch those children grow while the couple goes home to the silence of an empty house. These couples see all of the joy that a child brings into someone's life, and they feel the emptiness of not being able to experience the same joy.

Comments like, "Just enjoy being able to sleep late . . . .travel . . etc.," do not offer comfort. Instead, these comments make infertile people feel like you are minimizing their pain. You wouldn't tell somebody whose parent just died to be thankful that he no longer has to buy Father's Day or Mother's Day cards. Losing that one obligation doesn't even begin to compensate for the incredible loss of losing a parent. In the same vein, being able to sleep late or travel does not provide comfort to somebody who desperately wants a child.

Don't Say There Are Worse Things That Could Happen

Along the same lines, don't tell your friend that there are worse things that she could be going through. Who is the final authority on what is the "worst" thing that could happen to someone? Is it going through a divorce? Watching a loved one die? Getting raped? Losing a job?

Different people react to different life experiences in different ways. To someone who has trained his whole life for the Olympics, the "worst" thing might be experiencing an injury the week before the event. To someone who has walked away from her career to become a stay-at-home wife for 40 years, watching her husband leave her for a younger woman might be the "worst" thing. And, to a woman whose sole goal in life has been to love and nurture a child, infertility may indeed be the "worst" thing that could happen.

People wouldn't dream of telling someone whose parent just died, "It could be worse: both of your parents could be dead." Such a comment would be considered cruel rather than comforting. In the same vein, don't tell your friend that she could be going through worse things than infertility.

Don't Play Doctor

Infertility is a complicated problem to diagnose, and reading an article or book on infertility will not make you an "expert" on the subject. Let your friends work with their doctor to diagnose and treat the problem. Your friends probably already know more about the causes and solutions of infertility than you will ever know.

You may feel like you are being helpful by reading up on infertility, and there is nothing wrong with learning more about the subject. The problem comes when you try to "play doctor" with your friends. They already have a doctor with years of experience in diagnosing and treating the problem. They need to work with and trust their doctor to treat the problem. You only complicate the issue when you throw out other ideas that you have read about. The doctor knows more about the causes and solutions; let your friends work with their doctor to solve the problem.

Don't Complain About Your Pregnancy

This message is for pregnant women-Just being around you is painful for your infertile friends. Seeing your belly grow is a constant reminder of what your infertile friend cannot have. Unless an infertile women plans to spend her life in a cave, she has to find a way to interact with pregnant women. However, there are things you can do as her friend to make it easier.

The number one rule is DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT YOUR PREGNANCY. I understand from my friends that, when you are pregnant, your hormones are going crazy and you experience a lot of discomfort, such as queasiness, stretch marks, and fatigue. You have every right to vent about the discomforts to any one else in your life, but don't put your infertile friend in the position of comforting you.

Your infertile friend would give anything to experience the discomforts you are enduring because those discomforts come from a baby growing inside of you. When I heard a pregnant woman complain about morning sickness, I would think, "I'd gladly throw up for nine straight months if it meant I could have a baby." When a pregnant woman would complain about her weight gain, I would think, "I would cut off my arm if I could be in your shoes."

I managed to go to baby showers and hospitals to welcome my friends' new babies, but it was hard. Without exception, it was hard. Stay sensitive to your infertile friend's emotions, and give her the leeway that she needs to be happy for you while she cries for herself. If she can't bring herself to hold your new baby, give her time. She isn't rejecting you or your new baby; she is just trying to work her way through her pain to show sincere joy for you. The fact that she is willing to endure such pain in order to celebrate your new baby with you speaks volumes about how much your friendship means to her.

Don't Treat Them Like They Are Ignorant

For some reason, some people seem to think that infertility causes a person to become unrealistic about the responsibilities of parenthood. I don't follow the logic, but several people told me that I wouldn't ache for a baby so much if I appreciated how much responsibility was involved in parenting.

Let's face it-no one can fully appreciate the responsibilities involved in parenting until they are, themselves, parents. That is true whether you successfully conceived after one month or after 10 years. The length of time you spend waiting for that baby does not factor in to your appreciation of responsibility. If anything, people who have been trying to become pregnant longer have had more time to think about those responsibilities. They have also probably been around lots of babies as their friends started their families.

Perhaps part of what fuels this perception is that infertile couples have a longer time to "dream" about what being a parent will be like. Like every other couple, we have our fantasies-my child will sleep through the night, would never have a tantrum in public, and will always eat his vegetables. Let us have our fantasies. Those fantasies are some of the few parent-to-be perks that we have-let us have them. You can give us your knowing looks when we discover the truth later.

Let Them Know That You Care

The best thing you can do is let your infertile friends know that you care. Send them cards. Let them cry on your shoulder. If they are religious, let them know you are praying for them. Offer the same support you would offer a friend who has lost a loved one. Just knowing they can count on you to be there for them lightens the load and lets them know that they aren't going through this alone.

Thank you Rachel for a certain conversation a while ago that helped me more than you know.