NYEBoy's 30th Birthday Trip - Day 2, Part 1

We woke up bright and early last Tuesday for NYEBoy's actual birthday. The day was going to be spent at Epcot.

We rode Spaceship Earth as soon as we arrived. Before we did anything else, NYEBoy decided he had to have breakfast. We grabbed a quick service breakfast platter at the little place next to Soarin. The breakfast was pretty decent, no real complaints about that.

After breakfast, we grabbed Fast Passes for Soarin before heading over to Circle of Life. I lost it when they started playing the song Circle of Life. Tears streamed down my face before I could even stop it. The song just made me miss A that much more.

After Circle of Life, we headed down to Living with the Land. Since it wasn't quite time to redeem our Fast Passes, we headed over to the Nemo and friends building. We rode The Seas with Nemo and Friends, which was really cute. When we got off that, we went to Turtle Talk with Crush. Once Turtle Talk was over, it was time to redeem our Fast Passes for Soarin. Since it was our first "big" ride of the day, I was a bit nervous. I wasn't really sure what it was, but it was pretty fun. We were on row 3, and I am pretty sure I couldn't have done any further up than maybe Row 2! I was pretty nervous on Row 3! Lol

Once we rode Soarin, we headed over to the World Showcase to eat and walk around. The only things I knew we had to eat was a German pretzel! Once we found the pretzel ($4.50?), we each grabbed a drink and a pretzel to share and watched the water and ferry boat. It was pretty relaxing. Once we finished the pretzel we decided to ride the ferryboat from one end of the lake and back again.

While we were walking around we decided to look around the various shops. It was the Food and Wine Festival, so there were various specials native to each pavilion that you could try, and obviously I had to try their California Roll ($3.95). It was a three piece sample and was pretty good. My only complaint is that it doesn't come with a little cup to pour the soy sauce in, so it's a bit messy, but it worked out okay.

We walked around a bit more and I stopped by to pick up one of these bad boys. Although it was mostly good, I think next time we will just go with the melon and tangerine flavor (green/orange). Neither of us cared much for the red, which was strawberry and cherry combined. (WHY?)

After a bit more walking around, we took the monorail over to Magic Kingdom and back again to Epcot. We had dinner reservations at Yachtsman Steakhouse for his birthday dinner, so after the monorail trip we headed back to the hotel. We were exhausted.

After a little rest, we headed over to Yachtsman Steakhouse. When I made these reservations, I was going based upon lots of reviews online that were very favorable. We're not ones to usually listen to reviews and such, but I was very hopeful.

But, it wasn't meant to be. First of all, three people besides myself noted NYEBoy's birthday on the dinner reservations prior to us showing up. And you know what? The restaurant didn't do one thing. Other tables got cupcakes and candles for birthdays and anniversaries, but we didn't get anything. I was very disappointed about this. We spent $170 including tip and to not even have his birthday acknowledged really pissed me off.

On top of that, we used four of dinning credits for this meal only to find out that it didn't come with an appetizer  It did come with two desserts, but we would have preferred to have been able to do one appetizer and one dessert. Since it didn't come with an appetizer we decided to pay out of pocket $10 for the caesar salad to split between us. It was horrible. They literally sliced half a romaine lettuce head lengthwise, and drizzled some dressing on it. We barely at it. Totally a waste of money. We've paid $6-10 a piece for caesar salads before, so it's not like we are cheap. It just wasn't a good salad. Plus, they gave you a butter knife to use to cut up the salad. Pointless!

The entrees only came with a potato any way you wanted it: ashed, baked, fried, or scalloped. NYEBoy went with the Porterhouse and baked potato, while I went with the filet and  mashed potatoes. The steaks and potatoes were just okay. For the price, I would have expected Shula's quality and we just didn't get it.

For dessert we went with the Peanut Butter and Pretzel Gianduja Cake and the Creme Brulee. The desserts were outstanding. I should have taken another creme brulee back to the hotel room! Mmm.. so good.

Another big complaint I had about the meal and all of the meals at Disney is that you can't find sweet tea ANYWHERE! Unsweet? Yes. Sweet? No. They did offer a simple syrup at this restaurant, but you had to use a ton of it to even make it slightly sweet. NYEBoy did enjoy the Pomegranate Arnold Palmer (non-alcoholic), and he's not much of a fruity tea type person at all.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to open presents.

That's coming next!

NYEBoy's 30th Birthday Trip - Day 1

After weeks of preparation, I was just hours away from telling NYEBoy the secret I had been keeping from him about his birthday trip. It was a lot of planning and effort, but I had hoped it was going to be totally worth it.

NYEBoy originally thought we were going to the Georgia mountains to a cabin. If you know NYEBoy, you know the man is not the cabin-type. He kept asking if we could get a refund because he would rather stay home. Inside, I was laughing my ass off. He was such a brat the days leading up to the trip. Of course, I wasn't make it any better by hyping it up with horseback riding on the mountain trails and everything else. Ha ha...

I didn't tell NYEBoy we were Disney bound until about two hours into our trip when we had to turn North towards Georgia or South towards South Florida. I would have waited until much longer, but he was awake when I made the turn. I thought he noticed me turning, but as I was telling him the secret, I realized I could have waited a little bit longer. Darn! He was very shocked and very happy, though.

On the way down, I had a minivan get right up on my ass, then try to pass between me and an 18 wheeler, which caused me to almost be run off the road. I was inches away from a horrible car accident. I don't understand why the guy acted so crazy. I was going almost 80 in a 70 and was trying to get past the truck. I tried calling the Highway Patrol, without having to call 911, but after 20 minutes of being sent to various different people, I had lost the guy (he pulled off the road after I followed him) and I didn't know WHO to call about him driving recklessly. Oddly enough, I ended up running into this minivan at a gas station about an hour later. It took ALL of my energy NOT to go off on this guy. His whole family was giving ME the stink eye, too. REALLY?

After we got checked into the hotel we rested for a little bit before having to head for dinner. NYEBoy didn't know it, but I had plans on meeting his best friend from school and his girlfriend for dinner. The girlfriend just moved to 0rlando a year ago and his best friend just moved a few weeks ago, but he didn't know that. (I told them not to tell him so we could surprise him for dinner.)

We had a very lovely dinner. I miss having B and E in the same town as us. E kept saying she hopes we moved to 0rlando after graduation.

When we got back from dinner, we pretty much crashed. Neither of us got much sleep the night before and between that, the traveling, and the next day ahead of us, we knew we better get a few hours of sleep while we could.

Up next, our first full day at Disney and NYEBoy's 30th Birthday!

Hedgehogs

I was picking up some pumpkin beer and a fan tonight at World Market when I came across these little hedgehogs! I had to get them. Aren't they just adorable???

You can get them for $3.99 each in the store or online for $7.98 for the set of two.

[Credit: World Market]

The Countdown Is On

We're leaving in five days to NYEBoy's 30th birthday surprise. It is so hard having to be careful not to let things slip. I want to talk to him about what he wants to do so bad, but I can't.

As typical with a vacation, I'm in pre-trip mode. In other words, running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

I noticed our two front tires are a little bald, so I ran by the car place yesterday to make sure I was right. Our mechanic agreed, so I've got to bring it back towards the end of the week for two new tires, a rotation, and an alignment. I also need to get another oil change since we'll be due for one while we're away. I'm also taking the car in for a car wash and clean out. (Yay for Groupon!)

I have a few loads of laundry I need to finish so I can start packing. I can't believe I'll be needing my tennis shoes instead of sandals, but everyone has been warning me since it's a lot of walking.

I also have to clean the house. There is nothing worse than coming home from a vacation to a messy house!!

I've been obsessively checking the weather, to make sure it's not going to be raining. Right this moment, it looks like it's going to be a perfect week of weather. Fingers crossed.

I've got quite a few loose ends to tighten up over the next few days, but we're getting so close!

Five Fun Treats For Halloween

Whether your looking for Halloween treats for a party or for the trick or treaters, I have a couple of ideas for some fun treats.

Goldfish cracker boxes.....


With a little white duct tape and wiggly eyes, it can be a ghost... BOO!


Or, a little orange duct tape + black sharpie face and you have a pumpkin!

A juice box can turn into a mummy with a little crepe paper and wiggly eyes.
You can add faces to your peaches or mandarin oranges with a black sharpie marker.

If you wrap a blow pop sucker with tissue, tie it with ribbon, and add a face with wiggly eyes and/or a sharpie black marker, you'll have little ghosts!

With a little orange or white duct tape, some wiggly eyes, and a black sharpie marker, you can turn your water bottles into monsters, ghosts, or pumpkins! Well, that's just a couple of fun Halloween ideas I've done in the past. What about you? Do you have anything besides a couple of fun size bars that you've given to trick-or-treaters or had at a Halloween party? 

We Remember You, Baby M

Oh, Baby M.

We lost you thirteen months ago. I would give anything to have you in my arms right now. I can just imagine how much our lives would have changed with you here with us. You would have been at least five months old now.

I've been planning a birthday surprise for your daddy. He'll be 30 next week. I know if you were here, we wouldn't be escaping the realities of life for a week. We would have done something, but we definitely wouldn't be going where we are going.

Your father and I miss you a lot, but we aren't the only ones.

You see, I've been writing on this little blog for a few years now, and we have people who would have loved to meet you too. People who have been praying for us to be parents and were just as upset as we were to not get a chance to meet you.

You are loved Baby M. You are missed, too.

Not just by us, but by a lot of people.

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Today is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day. We'll be lightening a candle in memory of our baby who we never got to hold, but who we will never forget. Will you join us at 8 pm EST as we light a candle to pray for Baby M and for the other babies that have been lost?

Band Back Together is compiling a list, please feel free to go add your baby to the list.

-----

We will never forget Baby M and I know you won't either. This community has been an amazing support system.

To all of my friends who have lost their children as well, I love you and I am sorry. I will never forget your losses, either. xo

Weekend Randoms + Date Night

Yesterday morning I headed over to the church for a few hours to do some canning. We have a holiday sale every year and we try to make 1000 jars of various jams, jellies, and such to sell. We meet once or twice a month for a few months to do the canning. We made around 90 jars in just 3 hours yesterday. Since we're getting so close to the holiday sale, we will be meeting up again next weekend. Yay! :) I know this makes me sound like a little old lady, but I don't care. lol

My favorite part of canning is filling the jars, putting the lids and rings on the jars, and putting them through the water bath. I don't really know why, but I just seem to start out helping cutting or cooking, and then end up spending most of the time doing the other parts. I did burn my left hand in two or three places lifting the lid off the water bath pot, but it didn't blister up right away. I'm pretty sure in a few days once the blister reaches the top of the skin it'll hurt like hell. It did that last time I burnt my palm.

We grabbed lunch at burger joint before rushing back home to catch the FSU game. The first half was awesome. The boys played hard! I ended up falling asleep shortly before half time, so I missed the ending, but I woke up around 1 and found out we kicked some ass. Yay!

We ended up heading over to Applebees before they closed to grab a bite of hot food. It drives me nuts that we live in a college town, and yet there are no real late night food joints open.

Since I didn't really get much sleep last night, I am very emotional today for some reason. Well, I know the reasons, but yeah.

After church NYEBoy and I grabbed lunch at the mall and then rushed over to go catch Seven Psychopaths. We were really excited to go see this movie, but I have to say, I was completely disappointed!

The first half of the movie was hysterical. We laughed a lot. There were several jokes about Republicans that made me laugh out loud. But, the second half of the film just went down hill. I would NOT suggest you waste your money on going to see this movie in the theater. If you want to waste a buck or two to rent it, its worth it to catch the first half of the film for the laughs, but otherwise, totally a waste.

Colin Farrell still makes me weak in the knees, though.

Welcome To The World MB

My dear sweet friend EndoJourney had her baby boy MB yesterday afternoon at 24 weeks 5 days.

Please say a prayer for her, DH, and MB.

They've got a road ahead of them for sure, but Endo did absolutely everything she could to give their son a fighting chance.

If you have a few minutes, go give her some support. If you have been a NICU mom, she could really use any advice you may have.

Love you EJ, DH, and baby MB! The whole wide web is rooting for your family!

Date Night: Argo

NYEBoy and I are big history buffs. When we saw the trailer for Argo a few months ago, we knew we wanted to go see it. Plus, who DOESN'T love them a little Ben Affleck, am I right ladies?

To be completely honest, I didn't really know the whole story behind the 1979 hostage crisis in Iran. I knew bits and pieces, but not a lot.

We knew going into this movie that it was going to be a very serious story line, but we were both surprised at how much comedy was layered through out the film.

This movie is a MUST see. Seriously. We have NO complaints about it what so ever.

Music To My Ears

When I was a teenager, I listened to Karson and Kennedy on Q 107.5 all the time back home. They were my favorite radio DJs ever.

During this time, I also volunteered every year at the MDA Telethon. It was something my aunt got me into doing when I was around 14 or 15. I loved it. Every year, we have local celebrities come man the phone banks for a bit. You can imagine my shock and surprise when I found out Karson and Kennedy were going to come on one year. I was a serious fangirl.

I told one of my aunts good friends who was working with us that I was in love with Karson and Kennedy and so excited that I got to see them live in person! THEY DO EXIST! Ha.

I was so nervous getting to meet them, but they were absolutely down to Earth and so nice. I even got a t-shirt from them!

I don't remember if it was the next year or the year after, but the radio station hanchos basically fucked Karson and Kennedy over and the show was no more. And guess what? I stopped listening! I thought about them often, even after moving to Florida, but I never really knew what happened to them.

So, you can imagine my shock when this came across my timeline:

Which of course led me to tweet this:

And then suddenly I got this email:

And then this came across my timeline:

...and then I died of fangirl syndrome all over again.

We exchanged a few more messages, which ended up being pretty funny. Apparently after leaving Memphis, Karson ended up down here in Tally for a bit working for a local radio station before heading up to Boston where him and Kennedy were reunited.

I can not tell you how excited I am to be able to listen to Karson with a K and that sassy redhead, Kennedy again.

Speaking of music to my ears, I am really loving Passenger's Let Her Go:

And just in case you've missed my girl Maria Zouroudis' latest music video, check this out:

Day of Silence for Matt Turner

Today, Julee Turner will be laying her 32 year old husband to rest after he died in a car accident this weekend.

Please keep her, their daughter, family, and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Glass Baby Bottles

I know some people are superstitious about buying baby things before the baby gets here, and some people are even more freaked out about preconception baby buys, but I fall somewhere in the middle.

When I first started TTC, I bought a lot of things when I saw them on sale or clearance, but after a year or two when we got our infertility diagnosis, I stopped buying a lot of things. Of course I had a niece to buy baby things for, so that kind of helped, too.

I ended up selling a bunch of the baby things in a garage sale shortly after A was born. Well, the things we didn't save for her. But, I kept a bin of things for my future child(ren). Over the years, I've added a few things here and there.

I won't allow myself to buy anything big like a crib or car seat, but a blanket, doll, or outfit here and there isn't that big of a deal. I do a lot of research on things from time to time, and NYEBoy and I will talk about nursery themes, car seats, and strollers, but it's just been talk until we finally get a due date.

While I was at the grocery store last night, I noticed they had a bunch of the Born Free glass baby bottles on clearance. I kind of just looked at them and sighed, but then I noticed they were only $2 a piece. Since I plan to breastfeed, (I may not be able to due to open heart surgery scar.) I figured I should grab the few 5 oz bottles they had. I also picked up a few packages of replacement nipples.

For a little over $20 I got 5 glass bottles and 4 packages of nipples.. uh, I couldn't pass that up! In to the baby bin they will go!


Where do you stand on buying things for a baby before he/she gets here? What about preconception baby buys? Do you have a little bin or box yourself?

Why I'm Not Excited To Be An Aunt Again...

I know a lot of you haven't followed my blog from the beginning, so I guess I will do a quick recap for you as to why I am not so stoked about my sister giving birth again.

In 2004, my sister was dating a guy, Thugboy, who was fresh out of jail after serving time for carjacking two different people, in two different states, at gunpoint, on the same day. He's a winner, obviously.

K was staying with my aunt and grandma one week because she was expelled from school for fighting. At the end of the week, my sister stole a gun and thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from my aunt and Grandma before she left. Thugboy was involved with this, but never got charged. K was facing 12 years in jail. Luckily (or not) K ended up just being put on house arrest for six months at my dad's house. Thug boy, of course, got off completely scot free. 

A few months after getting off house arrest, she was pregnant and Thugboy was the baby daddy. The following year, the most amazing little girl was brought into this world, despite the circumstances. I never knew I could love a kid as much as I do her even though I didn't even give birth to her.

When A was two, I moved to Florida with NYEBoy for school. I went back every three months to get A for a month at a time, and we had a blast. A year after moving down here, NYEBoy were back home visiting friends and family, when we asked K to come back to Florida with us. And she did. 

Things went pretty good for the first five months, but the last seven or eight months were rocky. K began hanging out with the wrong crowd at work and school, and eventually we sought legal counsel after finding drugs in our house twice. 

The custody case was up and down, but at the final hearing, with a new judge on the bench (Florida law, they have to change every 2 years. This was the first and only time we ever saw this judge.) he ruled K could have A back. (But! If we had been married! I would have got custody! because in his words "There was no doubt who the better parent for A is.")

About six months after the custody hearing, K started dating a new guy. He's also has had his fair share of criminal problems, which began when he was a teenager. His last major charge has been 11 felony counts of prescription fraud. Again, K knows how to pick the winners.

About six months later, I found out K was pregnant again, by a guy she barely knows. A guy who has pictures of guns, money, and drugs posted on the internet. A guy asks strippers where they work at on the internet. A guy who really is up to NO good.

My sister doesn't know how to make healthy decisions for her, her daughter, and now her son and it kills me. She deserves better, but most of all, these innocent children deserve better.

 So, in a nutshell, these are a few reasons why I am not excited about being an aunt again. 

Weekend Ramblings

We saw Taken 2 on Friday. I was a little nervous about it at first, because I had seen a few critics online say that it was a bad movie, but I rarely ever listen to critics. Twitter is to blame for me even reading about it in the first place!

We were slightly taken aback to a line that had formed about 45 minutes before the movie began. I guess we weren't the only ones saying to hell with the critics! Overall, Taken 2 was a very good movie.   NYEBoy and I are both big fans of Liam Neeson. The story line of the movie was good, there was plenty of action, and the ending was great. The way they ended the movie, it gave both closure, but also a way for them to wrangle a third film in if they decide to.

If you saw Taken and liked it, go see Taken 2. It was a good movie.


Saturday we stayed home to watch the F$U football game. Man.. it still stings. We went from third to twelfth in the rankings. Gahhhh. There was plenty of blame to go around for the loss, but we seriously were fucked on two of the last calls which in the end, cost us the game. But, it is what it is... 
Today I did some cleaning around the house and we ran a few errands. My mom also called to tell me K was heading to the hospital. The last I heard was that when she arrived, they said she was severely dehydrated and they were going to give her some fluids, and then her water broke. I haven't heard from my mom since about 5:30. Hopefully she'll call or text me to let me know K is at least okay. Until then, I am just trying to stay busy and keep my mind away from being angry about the whole situation.
I've got a busy week ahead and I also need to call the doctor tomorrow. I am done with both antibiotics and steroids, but still having a lot of sinus pressure. Not as much as I had in the beginning, but more than I would think I should be seeing almost three weeks into being sick, especially after double dosing on antibiotics AND steroids (pills AND shots). I'm just so over the pressure, ear aches, and thick mucus. Sooooo. Over. It.
Oh, one more thing... EndoJourney made it to 24 weeks!! Go give her some love. Hang On MB!!!
Well, I hope you all had a good weekend. 

Fall Garland

When I was at the Dollar Tree I noticed they had packs of tissue paper leaves that I thought would be perfect for a fall garland.

Do you know how hard it was to find clear lights with white strands in September? Holy cow! Oy. I ended up finding them at Big Lots of all places, but you can get them on Amazon, too.



I lined the stair banister with the clear lights, then I went back and added the leaves. They were $1 for a pack of 10. I ended up using 5 or 6 packs. I just squeezed the flat leaves and un-rolled them so they looked more realistic.


I think it turned out really cute! It adds a pop of color for the fall decoration, but it also adds some light into our living room at night. 

False Alarm

My mom called me one day last week to tell me K may be heading to the doctor in labor. It ended up being a false alarm, but it quickly reminded me that the real phone call isn't too far behind. This leaves me full of anger.

I'm angry because she's getting to bring home a new baby she won't even take care of a year and a half after the custody case.

I'm angry because I have a friend who has been fighting on bed rest since she found out she was pregnant, after dealing with infertility, for her son who she desperately wants and deserves.

I'm angry because she gets to bring home a baby and mine got flushed down a toilet.

I'm so, so angry.

I'm brought back to the days, weeks, and months leading up to A's arrival. Things will be different this time. I won't be there, which is probably a good thing. Nothing has really changed in six years though, different baby and different baby daddy, but it's still the same no-good situation.

I hate this, I really do.

Bitter infertile aside, you're supposed to be happy and excited when a sibling has a baby. You're going to be an aunt! Everyone is going to be so happy!

But, we're not that family, it's not that dynamic.

Every time my phone rings and my mom's name shows up on the caller ID, my stomach drops. I'm not ready for the phone call.

Not yet.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.

Not ever.

How do you prepare for that?

Hang On MB

Last week, a dear friend EndoJourney was admitted into the hospital with preterm Labor.

Just a little bit ago, her water broke.

Will you join me today as we keep EndoJourney in our thoughts and prayers during this extremely crucial time?

Say a prayer.

Send a good vibe.

Light a candle.

Write her a message on Twitter or her blog.

...just let her know we're with her and her family during this heartbreaking time.

Pumpkin Spiced Rice Krispies

When I saw Jet Puffed Pumpkin Spiced marshmallows at the store, I knew I had to make one thing--Pumpkin Spiced Rice Krispie Treats!!


All you do is cook the rice krispies according to the package direction, but use pumpkin spiced marshmallows instead of the plain white ones.

I used a pumpkin cookie cutter to cut out the pumpkin krispie treats and I used green icing to decorate the pumpkin stems.

These would be great for your fall get-togethers or fun to decorate as a family.

Glass Vase + Fall Squash

Are you looking for a cheap way to decorate a table? Well, you'll love my Glass Vase + series.

What you'll need:

• glass vase ($1 at Dollar Tree)
• fall squash ($1 per bag at Dollar Tree)

All you do is stack the squash into the glass vase and you'll have a nice pop of color for your table for only $3!