Easter weekend at the beach

Happy Monday friends! I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Hubs and I started our weekend off with doctor's appointments Friday at our fertility clinic. We headed out of town early and got a yummy brunch before heading to the clinic. These were our last appointments before starting our IVF journey! We even had our "shot class" so hubs could learn how to properly draw up the medications and give me the shots every night. I went into these appointments with so much anticipation, knowing that it was the last step before we begin this journey. I was prepared with a long list of questions to ask our doctor. As always, we left feeling hopeful and thankful and prepared and made the 3 hour trek to the beach to meet my family for our annual Easter weekend tradition.

To be quite honest, the rest of the weekend I felt overwhelmed and stressed. A few hours after we left the doctor, I began feeling so anxious from all the information we had just gone over. I guess it just kind of sunk in that this is our reality and there's no turning back. I think up until this point there was always a tiny part of me that thought we wouldn't actually have to go through with IVF. That just maybe we would be surprised with two pink lines despite all the doctors opinions.

That's the thing about infertility… the grief strikes when you least expect it. I will go days and even weeks without feeling sad but then the sadness hits me like a ton of bricks and all I want to do is crawl in bed and sleep it off. Despite being around my whole family and my precious niece and nephew, all I wanted was to be alone. Then my thoughts went to Jesus and how he felt on Good Friday, nailed to a cross for my sins. Beaten, betrayed, suffered to death so that I could live. And in three days He rose from the dead! If it weren't for Him and the hope He provides, I would be stuck in such a dark and lonely place. Easter weekend signifies a new beginning… Jesus is alive and because of His perfect love we can have hope and happiness and we are not chained to our circumstances.

Sorry to be a total debbie downer but I vowed to make this blog real life. This is what infertility looks like… a constant roller coaster. One day filled with such hope for the future and the next filled with sadness and loneliness. Through it all I am so thankful for my husband and how he is walking this road with me. He is my consent source of support when I feel incredibly lonely and it is making our marriage stronger than we ever imagined! Whatever the outcome at the end of all of this may be, I know that God is good 100% of the time. And for that I am thankful!

Weekending: surprise party

This weekend we had a surprise 30th birthday party for my brother-in-law at my dad's house. My sister did a great job planning it and he was totally surprised! Right when we got in the car my sister put a blindfold on him and he said, "This better not be a surprise party. You know I hate being the center of attention." We were secretly dying!

The food spread was to die for. There was sushi from our favorite sushi restaurant, ham and cheese biscuits, edamame with wasabi sauce, fruit, antipasta skewers, a cheese tray, and crab dip. The drinks were flowing [including sake shots, ew] and a good time was had by all. We stayed out way past our bedtime and paid for it all day Sunday but it was a great weekend!

 Linking up with Biana and Meghan

FoF: all things UNC!

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It's March Madness time aka one of the best times of the year! My alma mater, UNC, is a #1 seed which makes the tournament SO much fun to keep up with. Super proud of my team for winning the ACC tournament last weekend and really hoping they can keep playing as good as they have been lately and go all the way to the championship! I make a bracket every year just for fun and also so I can brag if I beat my husband ;)

[T W O]
My favorite work outfit this week. These adorable polka dot pants from Banana Republic are sold out online. Did you know you get 50% off one item at Kendra Scott during your birthday month?! I took advantage of that amazing deal in November and snagged this hot pink necklace. I've worn it so much more than I thought I would!

[T H R E E]
Two of my favorite bloggers/instagrammers/fellow IVF'ers posted amazing thoughts recently that I had to share. Amanda @ Little Miss Fearless posted about body image and it struck a nerve in me. As women I think we all struggle with this to some extent and I've been really struggling lately. Eleni @ Convey the Moment posted about her thoughts on Instagram and how picture perfect everyone's lives seem on social media. She reminded me that comparison really is the thief of joy.

[F O U R]
This week UNC baseball came to Greenville to play ECU. It was so much fun seeing all of G's old coaches and one of his best friends is now an assistant coach. We loved wearing our light blue in the sea of purple, especially since UNC won 17-4 ;) It was so bittersweet to be sitting beside my husband for a UNC baseball game. I was so used to sitting in the stands cheering for him while he was out on the field, brought back so many sweet memories from college.

[F I V E]

My family got sushi Wednesday night and we got 26 rolls for 6 people and ate every.single.bite. So delicious!

Linking up with Amanda, April, and Karli

10 Things About Me

Today I'm linking up with Karli for 10 on Tuesday! Since I have some new readers, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to tell you guys 10 super random facts about myself. Enjoy!

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1 // I have lived in NC my entire life. Born in Chapel Hill while my dad was in orthodontic school, we moved to Greenville when I was 2 and I have lived here ever since.

2 // I have a small tattoo on my hip. It says "believe" and I got it on my 18th birthday. I was going through a rough time and wanted to constant reminder to always believe in Him and His promises! I always forget I have it until I pull my pants down to go to the bathroom :)

3 // I was captain of my volleyball team my senior year of high school and we won the 4A state championship. First ever female state championship at my high school!

4 // I was the first person in the state of NC to have the Swine Flu. It was hell. We had to report it to the Health Department and I felt like a freak of nature.

5 // I'm 5'8". I never really feel tall because my husband is 6'5" so he makes me feel short.

6 // I am the middle child between 2 sisters and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Everywhere we go people ask if me and my older sister are twins. Nope, she's 3 years older than me!

7 // I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill (go tarheels!) with an Exercise and Sport Science degree. Worked out perfectly since I'm now an orthopedic PA! 

8 // I drive a Tahoe and will never drive anything smaller. When I ride in small cars now I feel like my butt is literally on the street. Makes me so carsick!

9 // I am almost legally blind. I've had glasses/contacts since 4th grade and every 6 months my prescription gets worse. Without my glasses or contacts in I can't see the alarm clock, can't read my phone, would have no idea who my husband was even if he was sitting right beside me. I look like a crazy person holding my phone an inch from my face to read messages. And I hardly ever wear my glasses because I'm so blind that they give me a headache!

10 // I'm a huge introvert. Don't get me wrong, I adore my friends and love going out for a drink or a birthday party every now and then. But if I had to choose, my happy place is home. Small talk is exhausting! I re-fuel my energy tank by spending time alone.

Disney World!

Today I'm recapping our trip to Disney World! It was such a great trip… full of family time, sweet treats, rides, and Disney characters. I am exhausted. I need a vacation from my vacation. But seriously, we probably walked 50 miles while we were there. Beware: this post is picture heavy!

This trip was my niece and nephew's first time on an airplane and they were perfect angels! We bribed them both with food the entire flight and it worked! My niece had a ring pop, string cheese, yogurt, lunchable, and pack of cookie in a 2 hour flight. Whatever works right?!

We stayed at the Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort right on Disney property and it was so great. Since we had 8 people and wanted to be together, we knew we needed a condo and this was perfect. A short 1/2 mile walk to the Magic Kingdom and connected to the Contemporary Resort which has a restaurant.

We planned our trip around my niece who is 3.5 years old. I would have done things differently if it were just me and my husband going but obviously it was still a great time! We spent two full days at Magic Kingdom, one full day at Animal Kingdom, half a day at Hollywood Studios and half a day at Epcot. I wish we had spent a full day at Epcot, but there isn't a ton of stuff for children to do at that park. We loved traveling "around the world" at Epcot and we enjoyed multiple yummy drinks at the different countries!

We had the majority of our meals planned before we got there. I highly suggest getting reservations before you go, otherwise you will wait forever at the restaurants on Disney property. We had multiple meals with the Disney characters which was great because they come right to your table and you don't have to stand in forever long lines for a picture. My niece was in awe of the characters, especially the Disney princesses!

Funny story… when Ariel came to our table Ella James ran up to her and said, "Why you call it a dinglehopper? It's a fork!" Ariel was caught so off guard, she had no idea what to say. Her response: "I don't know what a fork is!" We all died! Kids say the most hilarious things.

There is SO much to do at Magic Kingdom, especially if you have kids. I'm pretty sure we rode every single ride and saw every single show at the entire park!

 

One of the best parts of the trip was a surprise blate with Kerri and Pamela! I was SO excited to meet these girls and grab a drink after a long day of walking and sweating (ew). They are both just as gorgeous and sweet in person! Definitely makes blogging worth it when you make real-life friends through it!

Sorry for the picture heavy post! Let me know if you have any questions about Disney!! Linking up with April, Amanda, Erika and Karli.