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!

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!

And then I cried at the vet's office.

Gigi did not have her surgery last Friday. When I took her to the vet hospital to drop her off there was a different Resident Vet than the first that evaluated her. When I met with him, he said she had in fact torn the ACL in both of her knees (on top of having a luxating patella) and would need two surgeries. The information this man was giving me was not computing in my head. I was there to drop her off for $1800 procedure and being told she was going to need a $6000 procedure. Being 24 weeks pregnant and never knowing how I will emotionally respond, I was a little surprised that I started crying. And not like little tears, we are talking full blown sobbing in the exam room. You would have thought he just told me that Gigi was dying. This man had no idea how to react and left me alone in the exam room to wait for them to bring me my baby Gigi.

Using the bump as a pillow.

The surgery was canceled for Friday and we were told to reschedule. I was charged another $100 (on top of the $200 we had paid for the first consultation) and I immediately called Kyle. He called our regular vet who encouraged us to seek a second opinion and we are now taking her for a THIRD CONSULTATION in SOUTH CAROLINA! I knew when we got a bulldog there were potentially going to be medical issues we would have to confront, but I really didn't think it would be this early, she is only 16 months old! And this timing is just horrible. I am three and a half months away from giving birth and trying to avoid credit card debt not start to drown in it. I worry if this surgery keeps getting postpone, Gigi's recovery will run into the birth of the baby and I don't want Gigi to feel neglected. I am having a real hard time wrapping my thoughts around all of this, and we won't know more until next week. I am praying that this next consultation goes well and they are able to give us more options.

This is her "I hate you in the morning" face.

Gigi the Bulldog

Our lively crazy vivacious sweet precious Gigi is going to have surgery this Friday. She has a luxating patella, which just means her knee cap doesn't stay in place and causes bone to rub together. OUCH! This apparently is a very common dog problem, not specific to bulldogs.

Gigi four weeks old, love that little face!

We drop her off on Friday and don't get to pick her up until Monday. Besides our trip to Colorado, we have never been apart that long. The recovery takes eight weeks, so we figured it might be better to do it before the human baby gets here so that we can continue giving Gigi 100% of our attention while she recovers.

Gigi and the "baby," maybe they love each other already?!

 

On that note, we are trying to think of ways to prepare her for the baby. I know that you are supposed to bring a blanket from the hospital and let the dog smell it, and then when they meet the first time try and do it outside. But any other advice?? I have also heard of people buying baby dolls and once the nursery is set up, use the baby doll to help train the dog about proper behavior and reward constantly for that proper behavior. I don't know if that is crazy or if I should give it a shot! Gigi is VERY important to us, I mean honestly, she sleeps in our bed, under the covers and tries to share our pillows. I want her and her human brother to get along and that they live together in harmony.

She is such a snuggle bug!

Sunday Supper

Have I ever mentioned how great it is to have a husband that loves to cook?! Kyle decided he wanted to make shrimp and grits on Sunday. And it was DELICIOUS!

 



This is the recipe he used. It is the same one mom my used when we were in DC over Labor Day.

 

The little kitchen helper:

 

Glory, glory to tailgating season!

College football officially kicked off last weekend, but this Saturday is the first Georgia home game!! Now that we live off campus tailgating has become a little more complicated, BUT that won't stop us! We are gearing up for our game against South Carolina and making some yummy dishes to share with our best tailgating friends.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

 

Ham and cheese sliders

 

Does anyone have any fun non-alcoholic tailgating drink ideas??? I am getting desperate.

 

And since it is still SUPER HOT outside, I will be wearing one of my favorite dresses. I will admit there are some great new gameday patterns at Tracy Negoshian.

 

I'm just sad I won't have my favorite tailgating buddy with me.

 

We decided to board Gigi overnight at her vet's office. We are also going to do that for the home game against LSU. It just seems better for her because we will be gone all day.

 

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!



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.

 

 

Why is the weekend only two days?

It has been unseasonably colder the last couple of days, and I have LOVED it. However, it rained the WHOLE weekend which wasn't as enjoyable. Saturday morning I woke up to this face:

 

 

She loves to sleep under the covers, snuggled right up next to me. She is so adorable in the morning.

 

Kyle really wanted to go to the Classic City BBQ Festival on Saturday. This was the first time the event was held. They sold out of tickets for the tasting competition, which was kind of a bummer, but there was plenty of other vendor options for BBQ tasting!

 

 

And adorable old men in bluegrass bands.

 

 

I will admit the rest of Saturday/ much of Sunday was spent on the couch watching season five of the Gilmore Girls. A fun and relaxing time was had by all.

 

Sunday I volunteered at church and that evening was the return of Executive Council meetings for ZTA. The women finished up recruitment last week, Monday was bid day. They had an excellent recruitment (as always). So proud!

 

 

 

 

 

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!!!

Friday February First

Happy Friday! Happy February! Do the Friday Dance!

January seemed like it FLEW by. Thank goodness. I hate the cold months, I am so ready for spring! One of my goals for 2013 was to save more money. Kyle and I talked a lot about this one. We both need to be on the same page in order to get this particular goal to work, so we have an Excel spreadsheet that helps us track and plan our spending. We are also going to try something new for February. We are going to do a 'no buy' month, with an exception for Valentine's day. So this means: no Starbucks, no make up, no clothes, no accessories, no online shopping, no eating out. We are only allowing trips to the grocery store (even those are limited to Sundays) and gas for the car. I think this is going to be an interesting experiment and really help me reflect on things I WANT verse things I NEED. Have you ever tried a 'no buy' month?


Other end of month reflections:

• I finished the month having run 38 miles.
• I am working most of the weekend. February is a busy recruitment time for my department, yay!
• I had my first small group meeting last night, so awesome. 
• Kyle has a wrestling match here in Athens this Saturday, I can't wait to see him in coaching action!
• We decided to put Gigi in doggie daycare twice a week. She needs to learn some manners and how to play nice. Hopefully it will help a little.

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!

28th Birthday!

So this post is late, but I was too busy recovering from the weekend to finish it up. My birthday was last Friday. And my parents came in to celebrate. Aren't they too cute?!

Friday night we went to dinner at Porterhouse Grill and then hung out downtown. Had to show them Pauley's!

Saturday was Homecoming, the Ole Miss game and tailgating! The wonderful friends we tailgate with got me a birthday cake WITH CANDLES! I can't remember the last time I blew out candles. Very special!

Gigi was out in full force.

And loves my dad!

There was lots of corn hole.

Me and my mom.

Family picture before heading to the game!

My dad and I sat in some friends seats which are six rows back. We passed where the past Uga's are buried.

And since it was homecoming all the alumni come back and participate, here are some alumni cheerleaders. Precious.

After the game we headed back to the apartment to watch the LSU v. Bama game. 

Gigi looks HUGE in my mom's arms.

I fell asleep watching the game. Thanks for taking the picture mom.

It was a great birthday weekend with my family. 28 is going to be great, I can feel it.