Day 15: People Who Love You

Well, I'm going to make this list... and if I say you love me and you really don't, let me know, haha!

1. Jesus Christ :)
2. My mom & dad
3. Ethan, my husband.
4. Tayler Serenity. This would be my daughter :) She hasn't made her grand appearance yet, but I can feel her love with every kick :)
5. Corey and Marie. My brother and his girlfriend.
6. Jennifer. My sister. She better love me, haha!
7. Brad. My brother. And he better love me too!
8. Lil' Ethan. Other little brother. He wouldn't admit he loves me, but he does, haha!
9. Grandma and Grandpa (on both sides) :)
10. All of my aunts and uncles
11. All of my cousins. Yea, we fight and argue, but I'd like to think they love me, haha!
12. My mother-in-law.
13. Jon & Arena. Jon probably wouldn't admit that, haha, but I know Arena does!
14. Susan and MY NEPHEWS. Yes, I said that. haha! I officially have nephews since I married Ethan.
15. Ethan's family. I hope? haha!
16. My PLURKIES :)
17. All of my friends. You all know who you are. It'd take me forever to write this out, haha!
18. Oreo. Our beloved cat at my parent's house :)

That's it, haha! If I missed someone, let me know! :P

Project 365: Day 431- February 4th

I went to Steak and Shake with my mom and Makala for lunch :) Sadly, my camera is still broken, so my pictures are few and far between anymore, haha! But we discussed baby shower things.. and we had such a good time :) I love having out with those two! When I got home, MY SCENTSY HAD BEEN DELIVERED! I cannot tell you how excited I was! I came inside and opened it immediately! :) Now, we have 4 scentsy plug-ins/pots in 4 of our rooms-- living room/kitchen, Tayler's bedroom, the bathroom, and our bedroom. I refuse to put one in Ethan's "office".. it smells like feet in there. And we're leaving it that way til he cleans it up LOL But here are the 4 scenty plug-ins/pots we have right now:



(the one in the kitchen)

(the adorable pot in Tayler's room!)

(the plug-in in our bathroom)

(and the ADORABLE one to match our bedroom! I love it!)

And I got 6 new scents with the package too! :) We already had Sugar Cookies and Perfectly Pomegranate thanks to my momma (she also bought the first 2 scentsy plug-ins/pots.) So, what are the new scents I got?

(This is Mochadoodle-- smells like a friggin coffee shop haha, and Bubblegum :) We have the Mocha one in our kitchen right now and of course, Tayler has Bubblegum in her room!)

(This is Vanilla Oak-- which is currently in our bathroom... and Poinsetta Pine. We aren't using this one yet, but my mom has it in her living room, so I HAD to buy it :))

(And these are Cozy Fireplace-- currently in our bedroom ;) and Twilight-- Ethan picked this one, haha! It's one of the romantic scents. He's such a softie, haha)

Then, we seriously had a lazy night. We ordered food in, watched Tv, and I went to bed early!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 14: The High Points for Your Autobiography

1. I was born March 6th, 1987 at 1AM to Brian and Gidget :)
2. I have 4 siblings. Corey & Jennifer were God's gifts to our family by blood (August 17th, 1989 and March 21st, 1987) Little Ethan & Brad were God's gifts to our family through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Regardless of how we "met"... we are true siblings for life.
3. I lived in the same city from the time I was born until I was 23 years old.
4. My parents were married May 19th, 1987 and have been married for almost 24 years.
5. I started kindergarten in August 1992. Sadly, where I went to school is no longer a school anymore. It's now a fire station! Crazy how things change, huh?
6. I bible quizzed from the time I was 9 years old until I was 18 years old. If you know me at all, you know this was a HUGE part of my life. It was my very heartbeat.
7. I started high school in August, 2001. The school I attended from my freshman year to sophomore year is no longer the same school. It houses a new school now. We moved into our new school my sophomore year (2003)
8. I played softball in high school for a youth league and absolutely loved it. I even played in a skirt. How about that one? haha!
9. I graduated from high school in June 2005. I love that I graduated in '05 because it makes our reunion dates so easy to remember, haha!
10. I attended Muskingum College from 2005-December 2006. My major was originally education, then it switched to Business. But, due to some overwhelming circumstances, I dropped out in 2006.
11. I transferred to Ashford University in February 2007. My major then became Organizational Management.
12. I LOVED Ashford University... and graduated with my Bachelors Degree in September 2009.
13. I struggled with a anxiety and depression from the time I was 18 years old (April 2005) to the time I was about 22 years old. Fortunately, through prayer, meditation, and writing-- I found peace! It took me sooo long to get to that place (and I'm still working on it) but He gave me what my heart's desire was.
14. In October 2009, I started the graduate program at Ashford University. I enrolled in the MAED program (Distance Learning Education major)... and FELL in love with online education! I had a dream.. a dream of working with students that struggled in traditional schools (just how I did in 2006.) I wanted to help.. and that passion encouraged me to strive in this program.
15. In December 2009, I met Ethan. We met over a random phone call.... met a few days later.. and well, the rest is history. I'll get to that next.
16. In April 2010, I moved in with Ethan. Sure, we move quick. But believe me, driving back and forth between houses (that were 40 minutes apart) was wearing on the body and the mind. Moving in was our choice... and we never looked back!
17. In July 2010, we conceived our precious baby! It was quite a surprise... I remember I took about 8 pregnancy tests, haha! (I thought I was doing them wrong LOL) On August 13, 2010.. it was confirmed by the doctor's office. I was 6 weeks pregnant!
18. On October 11, 2010, Ethan and I moved from our one bedroom apartment to a 3-bedroom, 1 bathroom trailer! It was a BLESSING! We couldn't have been more excited! It is exactly what we envisioned and we were so excited to be able to raise our sweetheart in a home!
19. On October 16, 2010-- we found out the baby's sex. A LITTLE GIRL. And this changed our whole world
20. On Decembr 21, 2010, my first book was published. I'd been working on this book for about 2 years... and I finally got up the guts to send it in to someone. And bless God, they LOVED it!
21. On December 28, 2010, I got married to the love of my life, Ethan. We didn't tell anyone... we just did it on our own at the courthouse, but it was exactly what we wanted!


Those are the high points of my life since birth :) I might be missing a few, of course, haha, but this is what I could remember and would want people to know about me. There's more to come in this crazy, blessed life I live... Thank God for everything He's done and will do :)

Project 365: Day 430- February 3rd

Today marks being 31 weeks pregnant! :) We are officially in the single digits (no not days silly!)... 9 weeks or less until our sweet baby girl will be here! If you do the math correctly, that's 62 or less days! EEK :) I am getting so anxious and so excited to one day see her! After March 17th of course! We want her to be as healthy as possible :) Well, do y'all wanna see some belly shots at 31 weeks pregnant? Of course!



And an upclose belly shot:

And look mom, NO FEET!! haha!

And a bare belly shot :)

Yes, my baby girl is a'growin hehe! She's packing on the weight now! haha! :)

And how did I spend 31 weeks pregnant? haha! Watching "Desperate Housewives" of course! It was Season 3 this time.. yes, I'm a'movin on in the seasons! Wahoo :)

And I got our maternity pictures today! We got a disc from "Jessica Barber Photography" (look her up on Facebook, hehe, she's awesome!) so we can pick what we'd like... and she gave us an 8X10 of one of my favorite pictures! We are totally using it at my baby shower :)

Isn't that just adorable?? :) Gah, I LOVE it!

And after all of that, it was time to make some dinner! What was on the menu for this evening? Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and bread and butter. It was YUMMY :)

Then we curled up and watched "American Idol." Oh, how I LOVE this show haha!

Cheers to Project 365! :)

Day 13: Reasons Why I Love my Husband

1. He thinks I'm beautiful... every single day. Whether it's when I've just woken up or when I'm at my "finest."
2. He makes me laugh. Laughing is definitely one of the keys to my heart... and boy, he is great at getting a good giggle out of me :)
3. He takes care of Tayler and me. He works so hard for us to have the life we have. I am so grateful for that.
4. He watches my TV shows with me ;) hahahha! Yes, that includes "Pretty Little Liars" AND "American Idol" (and "Desperate Housewives" and "Ghost Whisperer"-- but don't tell him I told you, haha!)
5. He believes in me. He encouraged me when he found out that I was writing my book to submit it.
6. I feel so safe and calm around him. I can have the worst day ever, but knowing I get to come home to his arms... it's a blessing!
7. He likes cuddle nights! I'm a huge cuddling fan. HUGE. haha! And I love that he enjoys cuddling too! ;)
8. He feeds my cravings, haha! Living with a pregnant woman can't be easy on men. I'll be the first to say it LOL But whenever I get hungry for something or thirsty for something.... he goes out and gets it for me :) He's so sweet!
9. He holds my hand or puts his arm through mine when we're walking... anywhere :) With the winter.. it's usually super slippery outside and this is so comforting :) I love that he takes care of me!
10. He's very protective. He'll do anything for us.
11. He makes me breakfast!
12. He likes playing board games with me! :) Of course, he kicks my butt at "Monopoly" but I easily take him down in "CandyLand" hahaha!
13. He loves me. I think that's simple enough to explain.
14. He is already such an amazing daddy with Tayler. I can't get enough of his late night kisses on my tummy.... his laughing at her kicking... his over-excitement when we read her a book.

Those are just a few of the reasons I am so in LOVE with my husband. Of course, this list could continue forever... hehe :) But I think you get the point ;) I WUV MY HUBBY!

Project 365: Day 429- February 2nd

As my day usually goes... I worked on homework today. I needed to complete a Needs Assessment for an old assignment, so that's what I did today. I'm still not done with it, but oh my heavens, it took me forever to get what I got done.. done, haha!



And while working on this assignment, I finished up Season 2 of Ghost Whisperer. Oh, how excited I am for Season 3. Like I've said before-- I've seen pretty much every episode of "Ghost Whisperer" BUT I have yet to see them in order, haha! So, that's what I'm doing right now :)

Then Ethan finally came home and we relaxed for a few then we headed into town to get our taxes done. First year we have filed together.. first year we have filed MARRIED :)

And then we got a phone call from my wonderful parents asking if we'd like to meet them at Tla Que PaQue for dinner! :) Of course, we said yes!!! The tax place took us a little longer than normal, haha... okay, there probably isn't a normal LOL but anyways, we went to Tla Que PaQue and we had such a great time! I had chicken nachos (mmm) and a Sprite and we had some great discussions, hehe! Mom even got to feel Tayler kick a few times. She's kicking harder and harder.. it's awesome, haha!

And then when we left, the snow was REALLY coming down! So much for 30% chance of snow, huh? haha! :) It was beautiful. Here's a shot of that:

And then we finally came home and went to bed. We were so worn out from the day!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 12: Things you Want Your Children to Know About you

1. I prayed for you before you were conceived. You are a miracle and a blessing to me!
2. I'm going to be proud of you REGARDLESS of what you choose to do with your life. Go after your dreams.
3. I struggled with things in my past-- so please know that I am not perfect and I want to talk to you about ANYTHING you need to talk about. I'm here to listen. I've made mistakes. I've taken wrong paths. I will never judge you or think less of you.
4. You will know how to play a Super Nintendo-- yes, the kind of game system your mommy used to play when she was little! haha!
5. Your mommy LOVES music. I'm sure even in the womb, you got a great taste of that habit! :)
6. I will support you in whatever hobby you choose!
7. I'll probably annoy you. I talk too much. I'm nosey. I'm curious. I worry. But I'm your mommy.. it's my job!
8. Our family will know about the power of prayer and about how Jesus is our peace! You know in the womb, I've talked to you about Him :) He's my best friend and He'll be yours too! :)
9. I'm an author! Maybe one day you'll want to read my book.... or maybe not, haha! The choice is definitely up to you!
10. I love board games. And yes, I'll probably be that mother that wants family-game-nights. I promise you, it won't make you uncool, haha!

Those are 10 of the things I want you to know about me :) The rest-- you'll learn with time, haha!

Project 365: Day 428- February 1st

Well, I woke up this morning and got started cleaning this house, haha! Want to know why? Cause my awesome parents were suppose to come over for dinner tonight! :) I scrubbed everything, organized things.. I wanted it to look perfect, hehe!



And after cleaning the house, I organized the kitchen table and prepared it for our lovely dinner :)

And I put up the other curtains above the stove so our whole kitchen would be complete, hehe! :)

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE it hehe! :) But guess what? They were predicting an awful ice storm and of course, it was hitting right when my parents were coming for dinner. So, we cancelled. And it's a good thing we did! The storm hit and it was SO slick outside! It was best for everyone that they stay safe :)

So, Ethan and I cuddled up the rest of the night, watched movies, and went to bed!!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 11: Acts of Kindness You've Committed

1. We dropped off groceries at a friend's house one day anonymously. That really blessed my heart and made me want to just keep doing those kind of acts for people!

2. We take our families out to eat every once in awhile.. we love spending time with them and we love being able to spend a bit of money on them :)

3. I have been sending one card a week to people in my life that I feel could use a bit of encouragement that week. I LOVE doing this :)

4. We have a prayer jar here at the house. Any time we get in the cupboard above the microwave, we pull a name out of the jar and we pray!

5. We gave friends of ours the money to do something they had been desiring to do. I'll leave it at that. God knows what it was :)

6. I helped Ethan out with something last month that he needed. He is my best friend and I would do anything for him!

Those are just a few of the random acts of kindness God has given me the privilege of doing over the years :)

Project 365: Day 427- January 31st

My day started off... good. I woke up and started working on some homework assignments and... of course... I watched Season 2 of "Desperate Housewives." I'm almost done with it :) (Oh, don't sit there and act surprised! haha!)



Then.. things just kind of went downhill, haha! Long story short, we were being charged double at Sprint than we should have. Our phones were shut off. We had to pay the bill in order for us to be able to use them to contact Sprint and discuss our bill. Once we discussed our bill and it got readjusted to the RIGHT amount... we became aware of the fact that they don't give refunds.. just credit. LOVELY, haha! Sooooooo, we have no money for the week, BUT just be assured our cell phone bill is paid for 2 months *smacks head* hahaha! So, that was stressful, but now we can get a good laugh about it. Oh, and want to see what our life has come down to? Yes, that is our kitchen table. Yes, that is all of our change counted out on the table... that is our money to survive this week. Or should I say.. Ethan's survival money haha! That is going to pay for his gas for the week. Thank God we went grocery shopping Sunday night *wipes head* or momma and baby Tayler would have been starving.

Ah, yes.. and see the chair on the floor? OF COURSE, it would break when Ethan put his coat on it. We have noooo idea how that happened, but we got a kick out of it. That's all we could do was laugh the entire time we were counting out change LOL! We just laughed.. and then when the chair broke completely off it's bottom, we laughed a little more! At least we have each other :) We might be struggling this week, but it sure doesn't feel like it in our hearts, haha! I've never felt more close to him then I did last night. Turns out when you have nothing.... you see how much you TRULY have :)

And we finally just cuddled up in bed and watched "Pretty Little Liars." That show just keeps getting more and more confusing.. and I keep getting more and more addicted LOL!!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 10: The Songs for the Soundtrack of Your Life

1. Free to Be Me- Francesca Battistelli

"Cause I got a couple dents in my Fender, got a couple rips in my jeans, try to fit the pieces together, but perfection is my enemy. And on my own, I'm so clumsy, but on Your shoulders I can see, I'm free to be me."

2. In My Daughter's Eyes- Martina McBride

"In my daughter's eyes I am a hero, I am strong and wise and I know no fear, but the truth is plain to see, she was sent to rescue me, I see who I wanna be, in my daughter's eyes."

3. Live Like You Were Dying- Tim McGraw

"An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance, 'To live like you were dyin'. Like tomorrow was a gift, and you got eternity, to think about what you’d do with it. An' what did you do with it? An' what can I do with it? An' what would I do with it?"

4. Graduation- Vitamin C

"And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives, where we're gonna be when we turn 25. I keep thinking times will never change, keep on thinking things will always be the same, but when we leave this year we won't be coming back, no more hanging out cause we're on a different track."

5. Send it On- Friends for Change

"Send it on, on and on, just one hand can heal another. Be a part, reach a heart, just one spark starts a fire, with one little action, the chain reaction will never stop, make it strong, shine a light and send it on, send it on."

6. The Dance- Garth Brooks

"And now I'm glad I didn't know, the way it all would end the way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain, but I'd of had to miss the dance..."

7. This is Me- Demi Lovato

"This is real, this is me, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, gonna let the light, shine on me. Now I've found, who I am, there's no way to hold it in, no more hiding who I want to be, this is me."

8. Shout to the Lord- Hillsong United

"My Jesus, my Saviour, Lord there is none like You. All of my days I want to praise, the wonders of Your mighty love. My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength..."

Project 365: Day 426- January 30th

I woke up this morning, grabbed some breakfast, and started working on the group presentation that was due for class today! First off, let me be the first to say how much I do not like group presentations LOL never really have... It just puts more stress on you. I know, I know.. some of you are probably thinking, "A group presentation? You get to SHARE work!" but that's not the case. I mean, yes, we share work, but getting together (especially online) is tough. And relying on others is even more difficult. But, we have group work for this class and I volunteered to do the PowerPoint presentation. Here's what the title page looked like:



And while working on this project (and while Ethan was away working out..) I watched "Desperate Housewives" season 2. Oh, now did you expect anything else, haha!

After I got done with the project, I washed and hung up all of Tayler's new clothes that my dad's cousin's wife gave us. There were some adorable outfits in there and the clothing ranges from 0-3 months to 2T. Crazy huh? Of course, I hung them all up yesterday, but I'll have to make room if she gets anymore at the baby shower, haha! :)

And well, since I was on this Susie-Homemaker kick, I thought... might as well clean the house! So, I did 2 more loads of laundry, washed the dishes, cleaned the rooms, straightened up, changed out the sugar cookie scentsy I had in our scentsy warmers to Perfectly Pomegranate :)

And I hung up the curtains my parents got us for Christmas in our kitchen. Ethan kept saying how home-y our house looked, haha! :) I love it!

The rest of the night, we cuddled up and watched the Pro-Bowl :)

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 9: The Best Days of Your Life

I have seen (in about 40 days) 24 years on this earth... It's hard to describe the best days of your life when every day is a miracle, isn't it? So many people die every single day and we get the privilege of living. But, I'll try and list a few days that I can think of that I would describe as the best days of my life.

May 19th, 1987-- Of course, I don't remember this day considering I was about 2 months old, haha, but this day changed my world and it was the day my parents got married. And if we do the math correctly, you'll see my parents have been married for almost 24 years. They gave me an amazing example of true love and how to make a relationship work. I have been blessed with a loving household. I don't ever remember my parents having a fight (sure, they had arguments, but it was never full blown..) I don't ever remember my parents talking down to one another or my siblings. My parents are amazing people and I became SO blessed that day!

December 29th, 1995-- I TRULY fell in love with Jesus Christ this day. I started a true relationship with Him. One filled with prayer, one filled with striving to be the best I can be. And ever since this day, I have tried to live my life for Him. I've tried to be the best person I could be. Sure, I've faltered and I've made a few mistakes over the years, but He's always been my rock. He has always been my peace. I couldn't imagine my life without Him in it.

June 4th, 2005-- I graduated from High School. What an honor and truly one of the best days of my life. I was sad, of course, that this chapter of my life was ending. I was sad that I wasn't going to see these people every single day... that we were going to travel down different paths and that one day, we might never speak again. It was tough to fathom that, but it still felt amazing to know that the rest of my life was waiting for me. That day-- I had my whole life in front of me. I could travel down any path, I could choose any career. It was all in front of me... what a day that was!

August 2009-- I graduated from college with my Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Management. What a blessing (and relief) that was, haha! :) I loved college and everything that went with it, but I was so glad to finally have a degree... to finally feel like I worked hard for something. The day that diploma arrived in the mail was one of theeeee happiest days of my life!

December 26th, 2009-- I met Ethan. I met the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with. And you know what? (Okay, I'm sure EVERYONE says this, haha, but hear me out.....) I knew, at that moment that I first saw him, I was going to be with him... forever. We just clicked. I can't even explain it. I fell in love with him instantaneously. From that moment on, we were almost inseperable. I think we only spent probably 15 nights a part the entire time we dated. That's just how we were. We were best friends from the start. We stayed up late watching movies and TV shows. We had cuddle sessions. We were in love and it was obvious :)

July 29th, 2010-- I found out I was pregnant. Sure, I was scared out of my mind and I felt like a 16 year old telling my parents, haha, but that truly was one of the BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE. To know that I was carrying a human life within me... it changed me. It changed my whole world. Everything about it. I went from staying up late, drinking, and eating pizza for breakfast to drinking orange juice and 64 ounces of water a day, going to bed at 8:30PM, and trying to force down pretzels at 6AM to avoid throwing up. I fell in love with someone I couldn't even feel... that I hadn't even seen.

October 23rd, 2010-- We found out we were expecting a baby GIRL. Once again, our worlds were rocked. We learned that that little sweetheart fluttering in my tummy was a sweet, precious baby girl. We started buying everything pink. We bought dresses and hats and socks and onesies. We started thinking about room decorations... and the color scheme. Where our money was once spent on whatever we wanted at that moment in time, we started saving and what we didn't save, we spent on a crib and changing table and anything else we could find that would make her happy. We were in love with her. And kept falling further in love every day...

December 28th, 2010-- Ethan and I got married. Another day that goes down as the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. :) I don't regret that decision. Ever. He was my soulmate from the start... my best friend... and I'm so thankful that he is my forever. I love going to sleep at night knowing that tomorrow, he will be with me... and the day after.. and the day after. I love knowing that together we will build a family....... a life.

January 7th, 2011-- We found out our baby girl was HEALTHY. It's a rather long story, but from the time I was 18 weeks pregnant, they had been seeing cysts on Tayler's brain. We worried.. we prayed... we sought the face of God for the health of our sweetheart. And on this day, we went to the OSU medical clinic and they told us that there were no cysts there!! THANK YOU GOD! That was one day that I felt the most blessed. God is SO good to us!

Those are just a few of the BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE :) I feel so amazingly blessed!!



Project 365: Day 425- January 29th

I woke up this morning and was ABSOLUTELY craving FRENCH TOAST STICKS! :) So, guess what I did? I made them, haha! I didn't have any but I took some bread, covered it in egg yolk, sprinkled cinnamon and sugar, and put 'em on the skillet! They turned out rather well if I do say so myself, haha! :) I had a little bowl of syrup that I dipped them in. Tayler and I enjoyed them rather well...Daddy slept in too late to enjoy them, haha!

After breakfast, we relaxed around the house for awhile and we got ADDICTED to the show-- "Beyond Scared Straight." It was on A&E and it was about teenagers that are going down the wrong path... and they go to a correctional institution for one day to see how prison life is. I seriously bawled through the entire end. To see these inmates trying to help these teenagers and to see these teenagers months later changing their path.. yes, my hormones took over HAHA! :)



And I woke up this morning feeling HUGE, hahaha! So, I decided to take a picture of my belly and show you! 30 weeks, 2 days :)

Getting bigger, huh? 9 weeks and 5 days til her due date. Yes, we're into the single digits folks!

And then we got cleaned up and headed to my parent's house. My mom had TONS of clothes for Tayler that my dad's cousin gave my aunts to give us. When I say TONS of clothes... I do mean TONS of clothes, haha! My mom and I went through all of them and just oogled and awed over them, hehe! There were little tennis shoes and sandals... and outfits from 0-3 months to 2T. Crazy! Her closet is getting more packed by the day, I swear, haha!

We had such a good time at my parents :) We had popcorn, watched "Dumbest Employees" on TruTv and chit-chatted hehe! Once we left, we went to Pizza Hut and picked up 2 salads. I got a salad with onions, bacon, egg, cheese, croutons, and ranch dressing. Mmm! Pizza Hut has the best salads... and for soooo cheap-- $4.00 for 2! YUMMY :)

Cheers to Project 365!