Day 29: The Greatest Lessons You Have Learned

1. Prayer changes things. Number one lesson in my life. My parents were praying individuals that sought God through every decision. I've always known I could come to them and ask for prayer and through this example, it has taught me to do the same thing in my own life and family. Ethan and I have been fortunate enough to have learned to pray before we make decisions. It gives you peace when you see confirmation. When we were told about Tayler possibly having cysts, the first thing my mom said was, "We're just going to have to pray about this!" And that's what we did. And God answered!

2. You find out who your TRUE friends are. All along the journey of life, you come across people. Some stay for a minute, some stay for a little longer, and some stay for life. Trust me. You will learn which ones are the truthworthy, enduring ones! Watch which ones stick around when things get rough. Watch which friends are still your friends when you choose to walk another direction. Watch which friends are still your friends when you make lifestyle changes. You find out, trust me! And once you do find out, hold on to the REAL ones.

3. Your mom is your best friend. I know, I know what a lot of you young ladies are thinking. "My mom drives me crazy.. she's always in my business.." but believe me when I say, be thankful for that! And guess what? When you move out, move about 40 minutes away, and you begin going through life-changing things... your mom is your BEST FRIEND. My mom and I have always had a good relationship, but I still went through that phase in my teenage years where it was just completely uncool to do things with her. I didn't talk to her about things. But now, at almost 24, I talk to my mom about everything! I miss not spending evenings with her! She is my best friend. I have learned that lesson :)

4. What comes around, goes around. This is true. I've learned that if you give good things, you get good things back. It might not be as soon or as quick as you like it, but trust me. It happens! Now, the same works if you give bad things... Just be mindful of that!

5. If someone gossips to you, they'll gossip about you. This was a tough lesson to learn. I always thought if a friend was sharing "secret information" about someone else with me... it just meant I was SUPER special. Who know that really meant if they're sharing "secret information" about someone else with you... they're probably sharing "secret information" about you with others. Remember that!

Project 365: Day 445- February 18th

I didn't do much today. I'm just going to be honest, haha. I declared today "Alyssa Do Nothing Day" because I've done a lot all week long, haha! :) And let me tell you-- it was NICE and RELAXING. Mmmm! :) But I did make dinner for Ethan and me! Ethan requested Tator Tot Casserole, so guess what we had? Tator Tot Casserole :)



It was SUPER yummy :) I might add some onion next time, just for a little more flavor, but other than that it was tasty! Want the recipe? SURE!

I hope you all enjoy as much as we did :)

And guess what my sweet husband did yesterday? Well-- see, I've never flown a kite before. Just not something that I did, haha... and unbeknownest to me, he went to Walmart on his way home from work and bought a Barbie one so we could fly it on this gorgeous, windy day! He said he wanted to help me get that knocked off my bucket list, hehe! What a sweetheart, I know! Here he is getting it up and starting to fly it:

And here's our Barbie kite, hehe!

And here I am-- first time flying a kite!!

We had so much fun! :)

The rest of the night was just spent relaxing!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 28: The Most Beautiful Things You’ve Ever Seen

1. My daughter's ultrasound picture for the first time. Hands down. The most BEAUTIFUL thing I have ever seen. I remember crying... and I remember bringing those pictures home... and crying some more. It was so overwhelming! I am SO in love with this little girl, it's insane!

2. Old people holding hands. I don't know about any of you, but that just tugs at my heart strings. One of the most beautiful, precious things I have ever seen!

3. A father holding their baby. Gets me every time!

4. Our new house decorated. As selfish as that sounds, this has always been my dream. To have a family of my own, with a beautiful house.... and we have been so blessed to have it. As I sat in my living room last night and looked around, I became overwhelmed with thankfulness! It is just beautiful in here!

5. A clean bill of health for Tayler. I'll never forget-- January 7th, 2011. We had an ultrasound at the OSU Medical Clinic for Tayler. They were worried about some cysts they saw on her brain. As I laid in that chair, as the ultrasound technician was looking at her entire body, fear just gripped me. What were they going to say?... and then she showed us Tayler's brain... and showed us that THERE WERE NO CYSTS. For any mommy-- that's the most beautiful thing you can see!!!

Project 365: Day 444- February 17th

Today marks being 33 weeks pregnant :) How exciting is that? 28-49 days-ish left until we get to meet our sweetheart! And here are those belly pictures you all love and know haha! :)

Here's mommy looking down at her baby girl:



And LOOK AT THAT BELLY! haha! I swearrrrrr it just keeps growing. I struggle with my self-esteem at times, as selfish as that sounds. I started crying the other night as I was looking at pictures from when Ethan and I started dating and I was so tan and skinny... and then I saw these pictures and just had a hormonal breakdown. I kept telling Ethan he could leave me if he wanted... but when I really sit and look at these pictures and see how my body can hold a person within it... and both persons can function... it's SO breathtaking. I might feel hefty at times, but it is so worth it!

And a bare belly shot:

(To me, it seems like she's dropping a little bit... we'll see, huh? :))

And a full body shot of course!

After seeing this growing belly, haha, guess what we got for our angel? A couple of necessities! :)

Her baby bath-- I LOVE it and it had great reviews!

And we got her a holder for our bathtub too that will hold toys, shampoo, conditioner, etc. :) How cute is that?

And we got our diaper genie finally!

I LOVE IT!!

Annnnnnnnnd, we also got curtains and some decorations for our house! This is our bedroom. I have to iron the curtains, of course, haha, but they are energy savers and I am sooo excited! :) They match our covers hehe!

And our living room--- I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!! :)

And our rug, couch, and throw pillows. I LOVE it, I really do... and I feel soooo blessed!

Make this little heart smile!

And what was for dinner last night you might be wondering? We had some yummy breakfast casserole!

How did I make it? Here's the recipe folks:

I put down a layer of hashbrowns, then I added sliced up/cooked bacon. On top of that, I added sausage gravy. Then it was scrambled eggs and sausage. And to top it all off, it was a layer of cheese. I baked it all for one hour at 350 degrees and it was SOOOOOOO yummy if I do say so myself :)

And then we headed over to Kyra's house to get some preggo pictures taken hehe! We hadn't had some done in 10 weeks, so it was definitely time! :)

We're almost there!

We love our sweethearts :)

And the rest of the night was spent cuddled up, watching American Idol!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 27: The Ways You Have Grown Since Your Early 20s

Well, I still consider myself to be in my early 20s. In about 2 weeks, I might be headed towards mid-20s, haha (I'll be 24) but for right now, I'd like to think I'm in my early 20s, hehe! Either way, I'll try and describe some of the ways I think I have grown since I was 19/20 years old.

1. I graduated with my Bachelors Degree and am almost finished with my Masters Degree.
2. I am married! :) December 28th, 2010, I married my best friend!! At 19/20 years old, I was still struggling to hold down a steady relationship, period. haha!
3. I am expecting our first child :) It was a HUGE surprise, but the best surprise I could have ever asked for! I feel like it has made me grow up SO much! And I am finding out what true love really is... I obviously have true love for my husband, but I'm learning about the kind of love you have for someone that you've never "seen" before. It's breathtaking!
4. I moved out. Crazy, huh? I honestly never thought I'd see that day, but I made that jump in April 2010 and haven't looked back since. I love feeling independent and having my "own family." :)
5. We have a mobile home instead of a 1-bedroom apartment. Now, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with a 1-bedroom apartment. We lived in one for 8 months together, but there's something about having a 3-bedroom home that changes you! I love decorating our house, having a bedroom for Tayler.. it's wonderful and I feel so blessed!
6. I wrote a book! I feel like that helped me grow in so many ways. Not because it was ME writing the book, but because of the journey I traveled down to write each chapter. It changed me!

Project 365: Day 443- February 16th

The house was a mess from the weekend and what not, so I took some time to clean the house today and got most of my "thank-you" cards finished to send out to everyone that came to my baby shower! :) You wouldn't believe how long that takes, haha!! My hand was cramping. I had a headache. I know. You'd think I actually went to the gym or something, haha!

And although I was here alone today, haha, I made a huge crockpot full of BBQ Meatballs (I even made my own sauce!) Mmmm! Of course, we have tons of leftovers haha, but they're going to make some tasty snacks the rest of the week!!

After relaxing for a few, I started making things for our baked spaghetti we were having for dinner, but I realized we were going to have A LOT of leftovers... and we already have tons of leftovers in the fridge from this week, haha!! I really wanted to invite my parents over for dinner, but we were getting gravel poured in our driveway.... but guess what? I invited them anyways and they walked over for dinner!! :) I pulled out the kitchen table and cleaned it up so we all had a place to sit :)

And you know what? I didn't take one single photo last night! Completely forgot haha!! But I made baked spaghetti and we also had salads, butter/bread, and cottage cheese with it! :) Here's the recipe I used:

I think it turned out really well! It was my first time making it sooo I could "edit" a few things, but other than that, I enjoyed the dinner! This is what it looked like AFTER we all wiped it out haha!

And then we spent some time together, but my parents had to head home. It was getting late and PLUS American Idol was on and we all didn't want to miss too much of that LOL!! Hollywood Week. I'm glad our favorites are still there and I am SOOO glad that Tiffany girl is gone! How annoying was she? haha!!

Cheers to Project 365!!

Day 26: The Best Projects or Organizations You’ve Ever Been Involved With

1. Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Amazing organization that I recommend EVERYONE being a part of! We became "bigs" to our little brother, Brad, when he was 14 years old and he has grown to be a huge part of our family. He's my brother. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Once Brad turned 18, we received a new "little" named Ethan. He's 9 and he changes our lives every time we are with him! I hope to be his "big" until he is 18 years old as well! :)

2. Bible Quizzing. This is something I recommend every church grabbing a hold of. Bible Quizzing changed my life. It instilled in me so many scriptures that bring peace when I'm having storms in my life! I remember learning Psalms and how it changed my life-- my sleep, my activities, my feelings, my thoughts, etc. Grab ahold of this organization/ministry and let it change your world too! :)

3. Relay for Life. Another organization I have been privileged to be a part of. I haven't done it every year, but I have been a part of it before and I do plan on doing things for this organization again!

4. I don't know if this counts as an organization/project, but in my eyes, it does-- Tutoring. During high school and my first few years of college, I tutored a lot and I LOVED it. To see that light click in a student's eyes that they understand what is being discussed or what the question is asking is just amazing! I think tutoring is what made me want to be a teacher! I LOVED being able to share knowledge and watch students finally grasp hold of information. It was life changing just for me.

Project 365: Day 442- February 15th

I just thought I'd take a random snapshot today of this belly :) I feel like it's getting more and more torpedo like, haha!! I'm so happy and so excited. Today marks at the minimum 30 days until we get to meet our sweetheart. An estimated 30-51 days. AHHHHH! :)



So what did I do in light of realizing this news? I cleaned up our living room and kitchen. It still had all of the stuff from the baby shower in it... and I hate messes, haha! So, I figured I'd take today to put everything in her room. It might not be the most organized, but it's in there. :) Here's a shot of the laundry basket her great Grandma got her and her bed :)

And here is Tayler's bed with her stuffed animals AND her beautiful personalized Bible :)

And we've got her pacis, paci holders, mittens, and books on the shelf :)



And I picked her coming home outfit too! YAY :) Now we can pack that up! I LOVE it. I picked an adorale little jean dress that I bought at JC Penney for like $4.00 (yes, we love bargains haha!), a cute little light pink onesie, a beautiful jacket with lime green and pink polka dots on it (you never know what this weather will be like in March/April, let me tell ya, haha!), white socks, and I picked a few different things to go on her head just in case... we have a headband with a flower, another headband, a few hats... and of course, her mittens and socks! :)

Here's the outfit:

And all of the other goodies with the outfit:

Yes, she's going to look just adorable, hehe! :)

And this is what our kitchen/living room looks like now! We've almost got everything put away :)

After all of that work, I was WORN OUT, haha! I relaxed for a few then realized that my husband was on his way home from work, so I chopped a few onions and a few green peppers... got the chicken together.. threw it in a skillet, added some pepper/salt/garlic.. and voila :) We were having stir fry for dinner! Plus, I made a pot of brown rice. YUMMY!!!!!!!!

We enjoyed 2 helpings a piece of that, haha! :) We were starving :)

And after that, we loaded up the truck and went to pick up a new mattress! OH yes, you could say this preggo momma was excited!!! My back hurts so bad and it was just time for us to have a nicer, comfier mattress. And that's what we did. Oh and please don't mind my husband acting like he was sleeping haha! He was in love as soon as he laid down on it :)

And then we literally went to bed. We were too excited about the mattress to NOT go to sleep LOL!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 25: The Best Ideas You've Ever Had

1. Bible Quizzing :) When I decided to Bible Quiz, it was the best idea/decision I've ever had because it instilled in me SO many peaceful scriptures to always remember!

2. Marrying Ethan. He's my very best friend and I am so thankful that we get to spend the rest of our lives together. December 28th, 2010 was one of the best days of my life :) (I don't know if this is "an idea" per se, but it was one of the best decisions I've ever made, hehe!)

3. Pink, Black, and White polka dots for Tayler's bedroom! :) When we first found out we were expecting, I was struggling with how to decorate a girl's room and I came across a picture of a baby girl's room with hot pink, black, and white... and I knew right then this is what I wanted to do! :) I LOVE the polka dots in her bedroom and I think it was one of the best ideas I (or we) have ever had! :)

4. Taking pictures every week of this pregnancy. I feel so blessed to have been able to do this and I think it was a great idea! :) I am so glad that I have something to remember this pregnancy with and I'm also very grateful that Tayler will be able to see how much she grew in Mommy's tummy!

5. Going to college for my Master's Degree. I have learned so much during the past 2 years that I believe will help me in the future. I have learned so many skills and met some great people along the way. I am very thankful for it and I'm glad I had that idea/made that decision.

6. Writing a book. I am SO glad that I did this! I am so glad that I got a few things off of my chest and I am so thankful that God gave me a tool in which to reach other people :)

Project 365: Day 441- February 14th

IT'S VALENTINE'S DAY! :) How exciting, huh? hehe!

I spent the first part of my Valentine's Day organizing things in Tayler's bedroom. I'm not getting it ALL done yet because my momma is gonna come over to help soon, but I wanted to move everything out of the kitchen and into her room and at least have it sitting there for the time being. Our house looks SO messy right now LOL This needed to be done, haha! Here's what I got done thus far:

Not much, but we're making a bit of a dent in it, hehe! :)

After that, it was time for our 32/33 week doctor's appointment! We have one more every 2-week appointment left, then it's every other week. Good news? We have the MINIMUM of 3 appointments left! HALLELUJAH, haha! :) I want our sweetheart to be healthy, but I am getting SO ready to just have her!! :) Our next appointment is scheduled for February 28th. Wahoo.



Once I got home, I cleaned up the house a bit, and waited for Ethan to get home. HE was cooking dinner for tonight. Amazing, huh? :) hehe! I was SO excited! While he cooked dinner, we turned on the movie "The Town," I know, so romantic, right? haha! And it turned out to be a pretty good movie. I'm a sucker for endings though and I wasn't exactly thrilled with it, haha, but it was still a good movie nonetheless! :)



And what did Ethan cook for dinner? Italian Chicken, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, and Spinach Salad with Ranch! :) How yummy does that sound?? Oh yes, I'm craving it right now!! haha!!

The rest of the night was spent cuddled up.... watching "Pretty Little Liars" hehe! I know, I know.. we're super romantic people LOL!!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 24: Ways you Calm Yourself Down When You’re Angry

1. I breathe... deeply. This is my relaxation technique whenever I'm stressed, upset, angry, nervous, etc. A good, nice, slow deep breath seriously calms me down so much!

2. I laugh. I know. It makes the other party mad, but it gives me a "peace" about the situation. If I can find a way to laugh about why I am angry (even if it's just because I can't get a program to work, etc.)... I am more relaxed.

3. I talk things out. This doesn't always work if I am in an argument with someone right there in front of me, but if something else has upset me, I usually talk it out with someone I can trust (which is typically Ethan, my dad, my brother, my mom, etc...) I always like to get someone else's perspective and hear what someone else would do.

4. I cry. Not the best answer, but crying relieves my stress. That's probably why I cry about everything, haha! :) If I'm angry, I cry. If I'm frustrated, I cry. If I'm hurt, I cry. If I'm nervous, I cry. It's a good reliever.

5. I walk away. If I'm in an argument with someone... or talking to someone who is upsetting me, I walk away. When I'm mad, I have a tendency to say things I don't mean, so walking away helps me out A LOT. It saves a lot of heartache and having to back track!

Project 365: Day 440- February 13th

Well, I didn't sleep very good the night before.... and I was back up at 4:30AM today, haha! Good times, good times! So, I got up and decided to upload pics of the baby shower and take pics of all of the presents we were so blessed to receive! :) Once that was finished, Ethan and I grabbed some Subway and I came home to RELAX. I was so exhausted.. and it just kept dragging me down. I cried for hours about nothing... felt sick... hot... I was just miserable, so while Ethan was gone playing basketball and shooting, I went back to our bedroom, laid down, turned the fan on, opened the windows, and just laid there. I hadn't felt this sick in a long time! While waiting, I watched numerous episodes of the "Newlywed Game." :) There was a marathon on today because of it being Valentines Day weekend hehe!



While I was relaxing, Carrie and Matt came over and brought us our shower gift for Tayler! :) Carrie made her a tie blanket that's zebra print and hot pink! How cute is this thing?

And they also bought Tayler an adorable outfit, 2 bibs, and some teethers! :)

Thank you SO much, Matt & Carrie! We appreciate it! :)

And yes-- this is what my house still looks like after the baby shower!! LOL I am such a horrible housewife. Our house didn't get touched by a broom, sweeper... anything this weekend!!! LOL

Yes, I will eventually get around to cleaning everything and organizing it! One day, haha!

And the rest of the evening was spent cuddled up in bed. I had a discussion with some of my classmates and we worked on our group project....

Then Ethan and I cuddled and I LEGIT went to bed about 8:30PM, haha!

Cheers to Project 365!

Day 23: Things You're Procrastinating!

First of all, "procrastinate" should be my middle name, haha! I'm the queen :) So, let me list what I'm currently procrastinating:

1. My schoolwork. Yes, I need to have it all done by March 1st.. and I was doing really good the first week... now, I'm procrasting! I have to get it done before Tayler is here though. I HAVE to!

2. I have a group project due tonight that I haven't even started. *sigh*

3. Decorating our living room. I know the curtains and rug I want.. just haven't went and bought them or hung them up.

4. Do the dishes sitting in the sink count? Yes, I need to do that sometime today. But honestly, I'd rather clean a thousand toilets then do dishes. Is that sad? haha!

5. Packing my hospital bag. According to the website, I should be working on that this week. Unfortunately, I'm lacking the motivation. Every time I start it, I get anxious... then I freak out.. then I stop, hahaha!! :)

Project 365: Day 439- February 12th

I woke up this morning full of excitement and hope. Oh yes, it was the morning of our baby shower!! :) How exciting, right? We grabbed some breakfast, then decided to run a few errands prior to having to leave for the shower. I needed to go to McDonalds to pick up a gift card... so, Ethan and I went inside, got the gift card, walked outside, and guess what? Ethan's keys were LOCKED inside of the truck! Gosh darnit, haha! Totally our luck LOL So, here's a shot of Ethan & TJ trying to get the door unlocked:



And when they couldn't get it, they drove around town and asked a police officer to come and help...

And finally, after 1.5 hours (10:30AM-about noon).... we had FINALLY retrieved the keys and were on our way home, haha! What a way to waste a morning, right? LOL! But we finally got home, Ethan headed out to lift weights, and I got ready for the baby shower! :) It was at 4:00.. and I was SO excited!! Alright-- soooo here are a few pictures from the shower! Hope you all enjoy :)

[This is the AFTER picture :) This is when the room was finally finished, hehe! Isn't it just adorable? Everyone did such a good job! I LOVED it!]

[These are the decorations that were on the table along with black rocks and bouquets of flowers! :)]

[The gift table]

[The cupcake table- how cute are those?]

[And here is Tayler and me opening presents, hehe!]

We had SUCH a good time!! Thank you to everyone that came! I hope you all enjoyed the celebration of Tayler's birth! :) My mom did such an amazing job organizing things and getting things together! We had some amazing food: ham/chicken salad sandwiches, chips, pasta salad, cabbage crunch salad, macaroni salad, and some yummy punch made by Marie! We played some super fun games, haha! The "poem game," "the purse game," and "What Did Daddy Say?" :) I LOVED everything and appreciate all of the gifts!! :)

After the shower, we helped tear down, and Ethan packed the car up :) On the way home, Ethan said "Baby, I know you've had a rough day today [between the locking the keys in the car for 1.5hrs to another episode I failed to mention, haha]... so when I was at the mall, I stopped by JCPenney and saw this and decided to buy it for you..." and he pulls out a tiny box and in it was a diamond heart necklace!! Yes, I have the sweetest husband EVER!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! :)

Once we got home, Ethan then unloaded the car, bless his heart and piled everything into our living room so I could show it all to him. It was packed, haha!

We are SO SO blessed!!!! :)

After showing Ethan everything and piling it all on the kitchen table so I can sort through and organize it later, haha, TJ and Laken came over and we watched "Paranormal Activity 2." Oh yes, it was creepy, haha! TJ was killing me LOL "Oh gosh, I can't handle this...oh my!" hahaha!

All in all, it ended up being an amazing day! I'm working on getting pictures of all of the gifts! I will post those in due time! :)

Cheers to Project 365!!