#6: Anniversary Trip-Idyllwild

I can't believe we have been married for six years! It's been an amazing six years though. I couldn't ask for a better husband. He puts everything and everyone before himself. He has always made sure we live in a nice place, drive a good car and never ever go without. He is one of the hardest working men I know. I'm so lucky.

He planned our 6th anniversary trip all by himself. I tend to be a control freak and like to take charge of vacations. However, with this trip, I had no clue he was even planning it. He did a great job!! I usually go for trips that either include a beach or some tropical setting. He usually likes outdoors/woods/cabin like trips. I didn't realize just how much I would enjoy it. 

He booked us a cabin for the weekend in Idyllwild, California. Yep. I had never even heard of this small, quaint, adorable little town. It was gorgeous. It was high in the mountains. They had an unofficial mayor named Max who happens to be a Golden Retriever. Seriously?! That made me love this place even more than I already did.  

It was a trip that we were able to bring the dogs on which makes it even more exciting for me! They LOVED having a woodsy "yard" to explore all weekend. It was quite the change from downtown living for them. They spent the entire day outside exploring while we enjoyed relaxing in the hot tub or swinging on the porch. We grilled each night and sat by the fire until it trickled down to nothing. We played cards and had limited cell phone use the whole weekend! I loved every single second of it. We walked around the small town and window shopped. On our last day, we decided to not be completely lazy and went for a hike with Penelope. Unfortunately, Abby and Maggie are so old and their joints can't make it too far anymore. We took in a beautiful scenic hike before heading back home. 

I never knew just how relaxing a vacation could be until Idyllwild. I didn't realize just how busy and hectic our daily lives tend to get until we had nothing to worry about at all. I took naps...LOTS of naps! Daniel had planned absolutely nothing and it was perfect! 

Our weekend in pictures....

The view on the ride into Idyllwild

Our adorable little cabin

The views from the deck

LOVED listening to the sound of nothing but birds chirping and squirrels playing.

I could NOT resist having a little fun with this adorable horse swing!

(see below)

Maggie insisted that her daddy was playing fetch with her. She didn't understand why he was throwing horseshoes and telling her NO!

See...I couldn't resist! 

We went back to our country roots for the weekend! He is so darn cute. 

He wore it the whole way home too! 

Penelope took lots of naps too!

Miss Maggie

Waiting on their hot dog!

Someone else enjoyed the fire at night too! 

The property

Our scenic hike

Penelope, Abby and Maggie loved their weekend getaway too!

Bye Bye, Idyllwild. Until next time. 

Our Struggle with Infertility

I am putting our story out there because I hope to help others who battle with infertility. I can't even tell you how many blogs I have read that have helped inspire me and guide me through this difficult journey. 

We started down the road of infertility roughly three years ago. We didn't know it at the time. We didn't know just how emotionally, physically and mentally draining this road would be for us. Of course, we had heard stories from friends and family that struggled with the most painful experience we would soon be facing. But, even with those stories, no one could prepare us for the greatest battle our marriage would face thus far. 

We married in April 2008 and knew right away that having children was something very dear to both of our hearts. We weren't quite ready but knew some day, we would try. Sea duty was coming to an end and the conversations of beginning our family were in the full bloom. We would soon transfer and Daniel would finally be on shore duty. THREE full years of my husband home with me. We knew now was the time to begin the next chapter in our lives. So, we stopped trying to NOT get pregnant. It was exciting. I was hopeful. I was anxious. I was ready to be a Mama. 

When we moved to San Diego in June 2012, we had been casually trying to pregnant. No luck. But, I wasn't upset at the time. I wasn't thinking about what if we can't get pregnant? I just thought to myself, maybe it's not the time. Maybe we are meant to get settled in San Diego before we are blessed with a baby. So, we bought a house. We started to get settled in. And, we kept trying. 

In November 2012, I woke up early in the morning and pulled out a First Response Test and I waited. Daniel was downstairs, drinking his coffee I believe. Three minutes went by and I came running down the stairs. I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. I was thrilled. I was on cloud nine. Daniel was smiling. I think he was immediately nervous. We were going to have a baby!! We found out a week or so before we were heading to see family for Thanksgiving. So, we decided to keep it a secret until we saw our family. I had no plans of NOT telling them. I know some say you should wait until at least 8 weeks or even the first trimester. But, there was no way I could keep this secret. We called Daniel's parents before we left and they were so happy!! We landed in Indiana for Thanksgiving. I had made a shirt that said "Little One On Board." Daniel was recording the whole thing. The video quality is pretty bad but I'm so thankful it was captured. I saw my Mom and brother waiting down the stairs. I walked casually and she immediately read my shirt and started crying. She was so happy. My brother congratulated us. It was an unforgettable moment in my life. We ended up telling the family as they arrived for dinner. We posted it on FaceBook and the sweet comments and likes kept coming in. 

                                          

We got home after a great trip visiting family. We both went back to work. I was already buying baby stuff. I just couldn't help myself. It was a Friday night, I was about to leave work and I had to use the restroom. So, I did. As I was in the restroom, I saw a spot of blood. I thought, that's odd but knew that it could sometimes happen. I walked out and one of my co-workers who has children was standing there. I quietly told her what I saw and she said it could be nothing but you should go to your doctor, now. I got in my car. I called Daniel. I immediately started sobbing. I just knew that something wasn't right. Daniel met me at the hospital. When we got there, he grabbed me and started sobbing. I had never seen this man cry like this before. I was trying so hard to be strong that I was insensitive to his feelings. He finally told me as we sat in the hospital room waiting for the doctor, no one has to be strong in this situation. No one. It was when he said that, that I knew it was okay to be sad. It was okay to let my guard down and cry. The bleeding was getting worse and I knew what was happening. The doctors confirmed that the pregnancy stopped very early on. The last two weeks of excitement were for nothing. At least, that's how I felt at the time. We went home. I had no idea the pain that was to come not only emotionally but physically. I stayed in bed for days. It was real life nightmare.

I'm so grateful for friends and family that were so kind during this terrible time. I received so many messages, phone calls, text messages, cards and two gorgeous flower arrangements.

After the miscarriage, I was scared to try to get pregnant again. We took a few months off from trying. When we decided to start trying again, we were not having any luck. At this point, it had been several years of trying with only one unsuccessful pregnancy. We decided to make an appointment with the Infertility Clinic. We had various tests ran on both of us. One of which was extremely painful for me! OUCH! Everything came back great for me. It was wonderful. For so long, I thought what if something isn't right? What if I can't get pregnant? Becoming a Mom was something that I ALWAYS knew I wanted. There was nothing in the world that I wanted more than to be a Mom. Absolutely nothing. 

For some reason, they called me with Daniel's test results. I thought it was odd but didn't think it was a big deal. I was sure everything was fine. But, it wasn't fine. When I got home from work, Daniel was sitting on the couch watching TV. I sat down next to him and told him how much I loved him. I told him that no matter what, I would stand by his side. He looked a little confused. I told him that the doctors called me with your results. He just looked at me. But, it's almost as if he was looking right through me. I proceeded to tell him that the results came back that he has a low sperm count. Daniel stood up and walked to the refrigerator. He opened the door and took a drink. He turned around and grabbed me. He held me in his arms while he poured his heart out to me. I thought the tears of the miscarriage were heart breaking, but having your husband who just found out that he is the "problem" in our troubles of having a baby...there are no words. He felt like less of a man. He felt like I was going to leave him. He felt embarrassed. He felt guilty. I know there are many other things he felt that I have no idea. I told him we would get through this. 

It was long road to where we are today and the road is not ending, that's for sure. We have come around some pretty intense curves but we are hopeful. It has been a struggle. It has been the hardest point in our marriage. We have argued and cried. We have had many conversations of how we can not let this hurdle ruin our love. And, we have done a darn good job. So, let me go ahead and pat ourselves on the back! :) 

On March 30th, we officially started fertility treatment. On April 8th, we went in for an ultrasound to find out if I will ovulate and how many eggs will be released. It was EXCITING. The idea of being blessed with a baby after struggling for so long is indescribable. Unfortunately, the first treatment did not work. We are waiting for our second treatment. 

We hope and pray that these treatments and the help of the amazing team at the Infertility Clinic will give us the blessing that we have been hoping, praying and dreaming about for so long.

The words of this image are so true. 

(Image from aroyaldaughter.com)

Time Flies....

I can't believe that it's been 10 months since I last posted on here. My personal goal is to keep up with my blog so we can look back later in life and have the chance to go down memory lane. So, I suppose it's time to do a re-cap on where our adventures have taken us lately...

August 2013

My Mom FINALLY came to San Diego to visit us! We had an unforgettable time. Of course, the dogs had to welcome their Gammie! 

We went to Santa Monica and met up with one of our cousins for lunch. It was great getting together, especially with all of us living in different cities. 

My Mom and I tried yoga for the first time together. It was a great work-out and we both felt so peaceful afterwards. It was definitely something to remember! 

AFTER our intense yoga session!

We went to our favorite winery in Ramona, California. Salerno Winery is an incredible little gem. Their wine is great, the pizza is AMAZING and the ambiance is what keeps us coming back! We had brunch in La Jolla with a beautiful view of the ocean. My most favorite part of the trip was my Mom cooking us a home cooked meal-southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fried okra, green beans and SWEET TEA! 

Here are a few pictures....

September 2013

We decided to sell our town house and move downtown for our last year in San Diego. We had no idea our place would sell so fast though. We had an open house and the same weekend-we had two offers!! 

We decided to have family beach day during the Open House. 

October 2013

We officially sold our town house and moved to Downtown, San Diego! 

Our new apartment! We first moved to the 21st floor but a few months later moved to the 36th floor! Why not, right? 

This was our first time being able to walk to a bar and enjoy a drink! 

October was a busy month for us. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a place that would rent to us with four dogs so Peanut had to go stay with his grandparents until we move again. It was football season and FSU had an AMAZING season!! Oh, Penelope entered a costume contest for Halloween and placed 4th. 

Seriously, how did this precious girl not get FIRST place? Haha! 

November 2013

We celebrated Maggie's 11th birthday, exactly one year after the specialist told us she only had three months left to live due to liver failure. This girl is a fighter and I'm so glad!! 

We took a road trip to Texas for Thanksgiving. We stopped in Austin on the way to Daniel's parents house. We had a great couple days exploring a great city! We waited in line for 4 hours for delicious BBQ at Franklin's BBQ. Have you seen the Chase commercial where it's featured? Yep, same place...it's delicious and worth a trip to Austin all in it self! We stayed in an adorable guesthouse called Casa Kenwood Guesthouses. It made our experience in Austin that much better! We loved it. 

After Austin, we headed to Daniel's parents for the week. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and even got our family picture for our Christmas card! 

It was nice spending time with family that we don't get to see even close to enough! 

It was a great trip. It was a horribly long drive though and I don't ever want to drive across the country again unless I'm driving HOME to Florida. 

December 2013

We had Daniel's Christmas Party this month! I always love the Navy Christmas Parties because it's usually the time of year that we get dressed up. I usually splurge and get my hair and make up done...why not? 

We were heading to visit more family for Christmas and New Years. We spent time in Ohio and Indiana. It was a cold Christmas compared to San Diego! We had a blast playing our 1st but definitely not last Christmas Vacation Drinking Game. It's my Dad's favorite movie so it's turned into a family favorite! I found a drinking game from a blog that I adore. 

Here is the link to the instructions: Christmas Vacation Drinking Game

We went all out and had shirts made for this EPIC event!! 

We spent New Years Eve with My Mom and Kirk. We had a delicious dinner at a Japanese restaurant and watched the ball drop from home. We had an early flight home the next morning! 

January 2014

What is a great way to start the new year? Florida State Seminoles at the National Championship Game in Pasadena, California!! It was the first (and last) game of the season that we were able to go to since moving to San Diego. I was BEYOND excited when I found out we got tickets to the game! My Dad flew out to San Diego for a visit and the game! We met up with my grandparents and cousin the day of the game. It was a memory that I will never forget! 

FSU won and it was a lifetime opportunity to be able to share that with family! 

We ended the month of January with another once a lifetime event...the KING of country music, George Strait with opening act, Miranda Lambert! AMAZING!!!

February 2014

One of my favorite months...between Valentine's Day and my Birthday...it's usually a good one! This year, it was the best ever! It was a month full of surprises. I'm so blessed. For Valentine's Day, Daniel really out did himself. He researched and found the most romantic date ever. He makes me proud and I'm so lucky to have an incredible man in my life. He rented a Gondola for us. It was peaceful, romantic and beautiful. I will never forget this date! 

I woke up one morning to this amaziness on our balcony! How in the world did I get so lucky?!

This handsome sailor surprised me at work for Valentines Day. 

Our Gondola Ride 

Just me, enjoying life and excited to be turning 28!!

I applied for a make over by these two beautiful ladies. You know? Emily and Nicole from Pretty Wicked Moms. They emailed back and wanted me in LA for the taping of a Trunk Show. At the show, they would be selecting ladies for a make-over. Once in LA, I wasn't selected for a make-over but I did receive the BIGGEST compliment from them. I was told that I was even more beautiful in person and I didn't need a make-over. What?!? Seriously? How sweet are they? Of course, I disagree but who is going to argue with that sort of thing. It made my day. They have a new show coming out and will be showing footage from the day I was there...maybe I'll be seen on TV soon! ;) All in all, it was a fun day. I enjoyed the craziness of producers, casting directors, and more running around. Another great memory! 

 We ended the month with a trip to Mammoth, California for our first skiing adventure! It was beautiful. Skiing on the other hand, a lot harder than we thought. It was FUN but note to self and anyone else who hasn't ever went skiing before...a lesson is NECESSARY! If not, you will end up with ski patrol coming up the mountain to get you after you take a "gnarly fall." Those words came straight from a ski instructor. Yep, when she called in my injury to ski patrol...she said I have a lady here that just took a gnarly fall. The pictures below were BEFORE my fall. Sigh. 

This was our second day on the slopes after a lesson. It was much more fun once we knew how to slow down, stop and turn! Hahaha. Oh and we forgot sunscreen. What an amazing weekend! We stayed at the Mammoth Mountain Inn. I loved it. On a side note...their pancakes...a must. I had them every single day. 

Snow cat...these were so neat to see way up the mountain at night getting the slopes 

ready for the next day.

Bunny slopes chair! Yes, please! 

That slope straight ahead and a little to the left is where I took my epic fall. And, the building on the left (first floor) was ski patrol where they nursed me back to my feet! 

It was an incredible birthday trip!

March 2014

We had a lazy month. We needed one. The most exciting thing for us this month was Penelope learning how to shake! We I have been trying to teach her for TWO YEARS. Well, persistence pays off. 

                                         

April 2014 (so far)

We finally did a hike that we have been wanting to do since we moved here! The Potato Chip (or Mt. Woodson) in Poway, California. It was the hardest hike we have done so far. We were not prepared mentally or physically. We did not have enough water or any snacks. Luckily, there were very friendly and generous hikers along the way that helped us out. It was a 7 mile hike (round trip). It was all uphill. My goodness!!! 

Penelope got hurt on the way down. We think she landed wrong coming down off one of the rocks. Anyway, Daniel had to carry her about 3 miles. She seems quite happy and content in this picture. She is one spoiled pup! 

Now that I'm up to date...it's my promise to myself that I will keep up with my blog. It's almost like therapy. =) 

Have a great week, ya'll.