Weekend Wrap Up

We haven't been to Easton to visit Kyle's family in almost a year. So last weekend we decided to make the drive north. We were also lucky that it was the same weekend as Kyle's cousin Alex's Acceptance Day parade at West Point. We got to see a lot of family and show off JSD to people that hadn't met him yet. 

Friday we went to see Kyle's sister and our four nieces. Then we went to this yummy burger place on the side of the road next to a gas station. The burgers were HUGE. Later we went to a farmers market, and I got some apricot lavender jam. YUM!

I would say that a highlight of the trip was our trip Saturday to West Point. I had never been before, and coming from a military family it was a cool place to visit. there was even a parachute demonstration by the Black Knights, the parachute team. JSD got to spend some time outside (which is his favorite thing to do). I plopped him down the the grass and he LOVED it.

Sunday I went on a walk around Kyle's parent's neighborhood. They live in a lovely old historic neighborhood and there are some BEAUTIFUL houses.  The weather was wonderful the whole time we were in PA. We spent time in the front porch Sunday morning just enjoying outside.

We left Sunday afternoon and stopped at my parents to pick up the dog. we ended up staying that night and drove back to Cville early Monday morning. I am so happy we live so much closer to family now! This trip was so easy compared to when we lived in GA.

Merry Chirstmas from the Daileys!

We are still in Florida enjoying time with our family. It was a great Christmas! And Baby Dailey (who isn't even here yet) got some great gifts. 

We spent the day laying aroun and relaxing, while my sister in law spent the whole day in the kitchen cooking the vest meal ever. She fulfilled one of Kyle's bucket list items by serving Turducken. 

Santa totally spoiled Gigi. She got plenty of presents but kept stealing cousin Shadow's toys. 

It's hard to believe that next year we will have a nine month old to celebrate the holidays with. Amazing! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Christmas To-Do List

This has been a very different holiday season then previous years. Being pregnant has definitely had its benefits and challenges when it comes to celebrating the holidays, but that hasn't stopped me from trying to keep things as "normal" as possible. So my Christmas to-do list is as follows:

 

Start the Advent calendar- I have always wanted a reusable/decorative Advent calendar. You know, one of the lovely ones that has little doors or pockets to put candy and Bible verses in. I have yet to invest in one, or make a beautiful Pinterest inspired one. Someday! But until then our Trader Joe's Advent Calendar will do!



Put up Christmas decorations- I feel a little pathetic. I haven't even had the strength to get out all of our stuff. Two weeks ago I was pouting on the couch and Kyle asked what was wrong, I told him I wished we could have put up the tree. To me it just didn't make sense to put it up since we would be in FL for Christmas. But my great husband went upstairs and brought down the fake tree and put a string of lights and one ornament on it. So Charlie Brown. I am thankful that Kyle cared enough to help, but I feel so pathetic when I look at it.



Drink hot cocoa- OMG, I have gone through one of those big canisters of hot coco already! I actually prefer marshmallows to whipped cream!



Bake cookies- I made Cookies and Cream Kiss cookies for the ZTA Alumnae , and then again for my departments party. These are by far my favorite cookies. I usually make a bunch of sweets this time of year, but if I am on my feet too long they get swollen and my back starts to hurt. Dang pregnancy symptoms.

 



Wrap presents- Probably won't be done until Christmas Eve! Such a procrastinator. But we did wrap and mail presents to PA for the Dailey side of the family. And no, they weren't as cute as the wrapped one below, I wish I could make such fun presents!



Read the story of the birth of Jesus One of my all time favorite traditions. I think it is the best story ever! Growing up, during Advent at church, every Sunday different families would stand before the congregation and light an Advent candle and read part of the story of the birth of Christ. I loved when my mom would volunteer us and I would get to light the candle.



Watch all my favorite Christmas movies. Hello, my name is Megan and I have a Christmas movie addiction. I can't help it I love them all and I watch them the whole month of December. Kyle makes me wait until after Thanksgiving to watch any of them and this year I was chomping at the bit to get started. I need to add The Santa Clause to my collection still!



Drive Kyle crazy listening to Christmas music. Yet another Christmas tradition Kyle makes me wait until after Thanksgiving to start (however I listen to my Pandora station at work starting on my birthday in November). Christmas music just makes me happy and my favorite song is "Joy to the World," I love Mariah's version! I can't wait for our five hour drive to Pensacola and the five wonderful hours of Christmas music! I am sure Kyle is excited too!

 



Take a Christmas light tour. One of my favorite traditions growing up was getting in the car and my dad driving around different neighborhoods to look at lights. I hope we can do this in Florida!

 



Watch "It's a Wonderful Life" on Christmas Eve with my family. The all time, must happen every year, cry every time tradition is watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with my family. I mean this is a MUST. The first year I spent Christmas with my in-laws I remember watching this on Christmas Eve and calling my mom to watch with her over the phone. Such a heartwarming story!



So much to be thankful for.

So my family came to visit for Thanksgiving and in the four days they were here I took one picture. ONE PICTURE! And it was of Kyle and Gigi. I was too busy enjoying every moment with my family that I barely touched my phone or camera. I even left my phone in the bed for a whole day. I just didn't care about social media, I cared about spending time with my amazing family. So I will catch you up on some highlights:
1. We deep fried our turkey! My dad has done it before and Kyle was so excited! It took 42 minutes and completely freed up the oven for all the other cooking.
2. Since we don't have cable I was a little bummed about missing the Thanksgiving day parade. But my amazing SIL found it streaming for free and we hooked up the computer to the TV and enjoyed!
3. My mom and SIL did all the cooking, thank god. Everything was so delicious.
4. On Friday my dad, brother and Kyle went and picked up all the baby furniture. My mom, SIL and I went to Target and picked out all the nursery decorations. This included curtains, lamp and lamp shade, crib sheets, art work for the walls. We then went to Lowes, got a beautiful paint and got to work. Nursery reveal to come. But it would not have been possible without the help of my family. I am so happy with how it turned out! Now I just need a baby to put in the room.
5. Saturday we went to Atlanta for a showing of 'A Christmas Carol' at Alliance Theater. So much fun! Beforehand we ate at Tap, a gastropub on Peachtree St, right by the theater. Highly recommend. Watching 'A Christmas Carol' was the perfect start to the holiday season!



So there are the highlights. Such a wonderful long weekend. And I have so much to be thankful for! can't wait to see them all again at Christmas in Pensacola!

Currently...

Currently I am.....

Reading about learning outcomes in student affairs. As stated in my last "Currently I am" post, I am serving on a committee that is examining our Division's structure for learning outcomes. I am personally learning A LOT and really enjoying the process.

Watching too much Hulu and Netflix. It's embarrassing. I watched season one and two of New Girl and I love it!

Listening to my Christmas Pandora station. It just makes me happy!

Shopping for NOTHING. This is on purpose. We are trying really hard to stick to our budget in order to get rid of debt (created by our recent move and Gig's knee surgery) before the baby is born. And I am really proud of how well we are doing.

Wearing my favorite maternity dress as often as I can! It is a long sleeve black maxi dress from Old Navy and it is the most comfortable thing in the whole world, I feel like I am wearing pajamas to work. Actually if I don't wear pajamas for Thanksgiving I will definitely be wearing this dress.

Learning how to take care of a dog recovering from knee surgery! Gigi had her TPLO surgery 3 weeks ago and we have been begun the long process of recovery. Originally we were told 6-8 weeks, well that has turned into 12 weeks. Good lord, I don't know how I am going to keep her under control that long. She loves to run and jump. Right now if she isn't crated, then she is on a short leash in the house.

Bothered by how large I am. I was in the grocery store the other day and my cashier was also pregnant. She is due in December and when I said I was due in February she looked astonished. My belly was definitely bigger then hers. I feel like such a heifer. But huge shout out to some of my volunteer friends from church that told me I was a cute pregnant lady, they totally made my day!

Eating everything in sight and I need to stop. But I passed my glucose test so I am using that as an excuse to indulge. I am so bad.

Drinking pink lemonade slushies from the ZTA house. We finished up the elections process last week and I had spent a lot of time at the house and couldn't resist the slushies!

Loving my sweet sorority women. They got the baby the cutest bib, diapers and a gift card to Target. Warmed my heart. I will be resigning from my role as General Advisor this December and transitioning to the fundraising advisor and judicial advisor instead. I needed a little less time commitment, but I am sure going to miss seeing them every week!

Working on planning a conference for my entire department (over 200 full time staff). This has been such an interesting learning process.

Looking forward to THANKSGIVING and FAMILY and starting/finishing the nursery!

The Classy Thirty

This past weekend I had an amazing trip to VA/DC/MD. It was my friend Megan's 30th birthday and there was a wonderful party planned at the Baltimore inner harbor Saturday, I really wanted to attend so my parents got me a flight home. I arrived in VA Friday and went out to eat with my parents. Then Saturday morning my dad made me his famous cinnamon rolls. Which was really a special treat because he usually only makes them for Christmas morning. My parents totally spoiled me while I was in their care. 

 

 



Saturday I drove up to Baltimore with my friend Denise. Megan had booked a suite at a hotel at the inner harbor. We all walked around the inner harbor and took some great pictures! It was so nice to be with friends I hadn't seen in so long. I love reconnecting, and we always pick up right where we left off. My friends got to feel the baby kick, which was also a super great experience.

 



That night we had reservations at Megan's favorite restaurant, Pazos. It was tapas and everything was DELICIOUS. The restaurant itself is GORGEOUS. I had been a little curious what the night was going to be like since I was the only pregnant person there, but it was totally fun! The restaurant even had special non-alcoholic drinks which was nice because I got to pretend to participate in the festivities!

 



Singing Happy Birthday!

 



We went to one more place after dinner and then were back at the hotel by 1:00am. I had such a great time with everyone, it was sad when the night was over. I am however, thankful that I got to be there and spend time with my friends!

Sunday I made my way back to VA. My mom had an apple pie waiting for me, again I am spoiled. We went shopping together. I got a pair of pj bottoms at Old Navy and a top and dress from Target. Thanks Mom! I then spent the rest of the time watching football before one last dinner with my parents. Sunday night is traditionally steak night at my parents house, and this past Sunday was no exception. I haven't wanted a lot of meat during my pregnancy, but I could not pass this up!

After dinner they dropped me off at the airport and I was back in Georgia by 10pm. Kyle picked me up from the airport and I was home and in bed by midnight. I must admit I am struggling a little bit at work today and the weekend has caught  up with me, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

Labor Day Recap

Kyle and I went north for Labor Day weekend. Since I will be entering my third trimester during the holidays, we decided to take this last opportunity for a long road trip to visit family. We left for Pennsylvania on Thursday and made the trip in about 12 hours, ugh. Friday morning we hung out with our nieces downtown.

Kyle and our youngest niece Mira.

 

Saturday was the BIG return of college football. We started the day by attending Kyle's old high school freshmen football game. Easton won! It was actually a really fun game to watch.

We then went to start our baby registry. My mother in law used to work in a baby furniture store and already has five grandkids, so she was an excellent resource to have along on the trip! Kyle and I had been in a Babies R Us store earlier in the month and I just got completely overwhelmed, while Kyle ran off to play with Nerf guns in Toys R Us. I really needed someones help and I was glad my mother in law could assist! It was really nice to be able to try things out, like the stroller and baby carriers to see how they worked and if we liked them. The hardest part about this registry is not knowing what the kid is actually going to like using or what Kyle and I will like using. There is just SO MUCH STUFF!

 

Creepy display "baby" in baby carrier section.

 

We spent the evening watching the Hokies and Dawgs lose. Gigi was less than thrilled.

 

Sunday was took our two older nieces out. We did some school supply shopping. Then went to this store called Five Below. I had never heard of it, but basically it is like an upscale Dollar Store. We bought a bunch of necessary things like.....

 

Googly eye glasses and....

 

DIY jelly bracelets.

 

And Kyle helped our niece Brooke finish a school project.

 

 

It was a great trip to see the in laws! On Monday we were supposed to return to Athens, but we decided to stop in VA and surprise my parents. It was great to see them. My mom freaked out when she opened the door and immediately started rubbing my belly. While in VA we got Thai food, mom and I got mani/pedis and we all looked at baby furniture.

Gigi made her self extra comfortable on the couch.

Tuesday we continued the trek back to Athens, making it in about 10 hours. Gigi did such a great job in the car! It was such a short trip for such a long drive, but totally worth it.

 

 

So.... the last four months.....

To be 100% honest I haven't opened blogger since I wrote my last post in April. A lot has happened in the last four months.

1. Kyle and I took a vacation to Colorado in May! We visited friends of ours that are stationed there. Kyle hates, hates, hates flying. So I was surprised when he said he wanted to go to the other side of the country for vacation. I'm glad we did. It was a great trip. 

 

 

2. I went to Rhode Island to see my brother graduate from Naval Officer Candidate School. And I am so proud of him. Newport is a super cute town, and time with the family was just what the doctor ordered. I hadn't seen my brother since Christmas. 

I could watch this video EVERYDAY!

 

3. I attended the National Housing Training Institute. This institute is actually hosted by my department for the Association of College and University Housing Officers- International. It is a great opportunity to work one on one with some awesome housing professionals and really focus on your goals. I am going to write a specific post about my experience, because there are things I want to reflect on, but the time I spent with my cluster and cluster leader was so valuable and transformative, this was definitely a highlight of my summer.

 

4. I got a new job! Funny story, the position I interviewed for in December actually opened up again, I applied again and interviewed again. This time I was offered and accepted the position. I started in July and have been busy ever since. My new responsibilities include coordinating the search process for professional staff and we have had some turnover the last couple of weeks that has had me busy, but I couldn't be happier.

5. We moved!! So, when I accepted my new position it meant that we needed to move off campus. Thus began the house hunt. we looked at apartments, townhouses and homes. On the east side, west side and in the center of town. It was exhausting. I have lived in Athens for four years, but never actually thought about living in the community. I was most worried about commuting to work, I know that sounds silly, but I have never actually had to do it before. We ended up finding a wonderful townhouse that is close to campus in a great part of town. I love it. And my wonderful sister-in-law came to Athens to help us move. I don't know what we would have done without her.

It wouldn't be a complete blog post without a picture of Gigi.

 

6. I found out I am pregnant!!! It was actually in the beginning of June, the night I got home from NHTI. I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. I took two tests. Kyle was so excited. We called our families immediately. My mom didn't believe me, she made me send a picture of the tests. It wasn't until we heard the baby's heartbeat at our first appointment that it really sunk in for me. And my second appointment the baby moved on the ultrasound, which was probably the coolest thing I have ever witnessed. I am so excited for this journey.

 

All in all this summer has really been a blur. And I haven't really thought about baby related things yet, which is fine because it is still early. But my attention has just been pulled in so many directions. Classes at the university started this week, so I am ready for things to get in a routine. I feel so blessed for all the wonderful things that have happened over the last couple of months and for having such a wonderful summer!

Friday Confessional

Linking up with Aubrey at High Heeled Love for Friday Confessional.

I confess... I have slacked on mileage this week. I only made it to the gym Tuesday. YIKES. 
I confess... I have been looking forward to my trip to Atlanta all week. Can't wait to see this girl!

I confess... no buy February got really hard this week when we stopped by the outlets. I am ready for some new spring dresses!
I confess... I am so proud of my brother  for being sworn into the Navy this week. He leaves for OCS next month. 

I confess... I love the nights after Gigi has been at daycare. She comes home and passes out on the couch all night.

I confess... I am obsessed with juicing. I love trying all different kinds of  fruits and veggies. 
Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

Welcome back!

I have not posted to my blog since November 30th. That is a long time. I had many many commitments and priorities much bigger than this blog during the month of December, including a two week vacay to see family.But I am going to share something, I am actually struggling over the blog. I feel in a blog rut. Lacking my own creativity and originality. And I was asking myself, why blog at all? I have also struggled with this blog content being all been about positive life things or shallow things. But I think the lack of posting happened because I don't want to lack authenticity. Sharing struggles is just as important as sharing celebrations. So I am going to recap the last month and a half in quick bullet points.

• End of November/ beginning of December I applied and interviewed for a new position at my current institution. The position was a promotion and a shift in responsibilities. I let myself get really excited about this new opportunity. And then, I didn't get the offer. I was upset and frustrated. The fall semester was really draining for me for some reason and I have no idea why. I just felt so tired from work and a little bored of some of the things I was doing. I thought the new opportunity would help pull me out of the funk, and then I didn't get it. I was feeling even more down in December after that.  

The part of my job I never stop loving... working with these wonderful ladies!

• But then my brother and sister in law got Kyle and I a joint birthday present: a nights stay plus meals at the Cheateau Elan resort in North Georgia. This break couldn't have come at a better time. We booked a couples message, enjoyed a wine tasting and great food. One of the best birthday present s ever.
• Kyle and I left mid- December to go stay with my family for a week and then his family for a week. I was really excited about being away from work and recharging my batteries. Highlights:
• Spending time with my parents, brother and sister in law
• Getting to spend some time with great friends
• Christmas traditions

Dad's homemade cinnamon buns, Christmas morning tradition.

New family photo!

• Gigi's wagon from my parents for Christmas

My dad pimpped Gigi's ride

• Gigi seeing snow for the first time
• Spending time with the in laws 
• Going to the Allentown Farmer's Market and eating a kiffel
• Quality time with our nieces

Peeps Festival

• After all the driving from our break (30+ hours) I returned to Athens still tired and not ready to go back to work. It was a short first week, but PACKED with a conference, training and then Saturday I was at state wide officer training for Zeta. I just felt like I wasn't ready to return. Then last Sunday I watched a Gilmore Girls marathon (I got the full box set as a Christmas gift for Kyle) and ate Chinese take out and magically it fixed everything. Well not everything, but returning to work Monday didn't feel as bad. I have established a routine this week and feel more like my self.

So excited to work with this amazing group of students!

• Finally, January will mark the one year mark of Kyle and I trying to start a family. Kate from The Small Things Blog posted yesterday her own struggle and when I read it I felt like she was speaking for me. I have had so much anger over this and I just need to let go. I know being angry or frustrated is definitely not helping the situation. And I need to stop thinking of it as "trying." My type A personality and control freak tendencies need to settle down. I don't know what the future holds, but letting go and not obsessing over this one aspect is freeing and that is how I want to move forward. 

So there is the recap. I know, it's a lot. But life has ups and downs and I feel like I should be able to share it all. So here is to REAL blogging in 2013!