Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Come on Now!
So a little update on my Aunt Flo situation. Still nothing... took my second pregnancy test this morning and it is still negative. At this point I'm guessing I'm just gonna be a little late, but I wish I would just start already so I can have a better idea when I will be ovulating. With how crazy March is going to be with moving, it would be nice if things would have just stayed normal. But I'm trying to keep positive and know that when it is the perfect time for Kevin and I, we will get the chance to enjoy pregnancy and have our own addition to our family!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
It Just Makes Me Smile!
I've always been a sucker for snow... I don't know what it is about those small white flakes that just puts a huge smile on my face! The only time I can remember hating the snow was when we lived in Baltimore and I had to drive 20 miles to pick up Kevin from work before the snow plows had come through and I nearly died! (It didn't help that I drove the entire time with the emergency brake on, but that's a different story...)
So today when my sister came home from school we bundled up and went outside to play! The entire time Kevin and I lived in Baltimore we never once made a snowman or snow angels, so I took advantage of this rare Texas snow. Although this may not look like a lot of snow to those of you who live up north, it was still the perfect amount!
Here is our little "organic" snowman, made from all natural things found in the backyard!
Winston checking out the snow...he kept trying to catch the snowflakes
Charlie was not thrilled to be out in the snow to begin with, hence I got "the look" from him
Mine and Lauren's snow angels :)
Me and my mom with our little snowman!
So today when my sister came home from school we bundled up and went outside to play! The entire time Kevin and I lived in Baltimore we never once made a snowman or snow angels, so I took advantage of this rare Texas snow. Although this may not look like a lot of snow to those of you who live up north, it was still the perfect amount!
Here is our little "organic" snowman, made from all natural things found in the backyard!
Winston checking out the snow...he kept trying to catch the snowflakes
Charlie was not thrilled to be out in the snow to begin with, hence I got "the look" from him
Mine and Lauren's snow angels :)
Me and my mom with our little snowman!I think my favorite part of the whole day was when Lauren and I made a ton of snowballs and waited for my mom to come home from work. We bombarded her car and she nearly ran us over. Then the little neighbor boy came over and started pelting us with snowballs, so it turned into a full blown war! (I must say the 3 of us girls were defeated by a 10 year old boy...he was just too fast!!)
Hope everyone who got snow today was able to enjoy it as much as we did!!
Change
So I decided to change the title of my blog today. For no specific reason, other than I have been trying to think of something a little more catchy than "The O'Connor Family".
I think it all started a few days ago. While I was visiting Kevin in California there were a few days I had to find things to do to entertain myself while Kevin was in class. One of these days I drove to Santa Rosa, and found a Barnes and Noble. I was determined to find a book on moving to Alaska, which I never did. But it made me think back to about 2 years ago when Kevin first signed with the Coast Guard. He signed his contract, and agreed to 6 years of his life (and mine), starting a month after our wedding. As soon as we got back from signing his contract I went to Barnes and Noble determined to find a book for Coast Guard wives. Although there was nothing directly targeted to CG wives, I did find a book called "The Military Wife Handbook". It was somewhat informational, but it really did not offer much information on the CG. You see, although the CG is a branch of the military, we are very fortunate. I do not have to worry about Kevin getting deployed to Iraq for 12 months. It was in this small difference that made me realize there is a world of differences between each branch of the military.
Although I have been fortunate enough to find a web forum targeted to CG wives (which has been my saving grace through this move), I feel that there needs to be some way to reach out and help other CG wives who are new to this whole process as well. There is a big difference between an enlisted E-3 seaman(bottom of the totem pole) and an officer's way of life, and wife. It is with this thought, and knowledge that I have started to think about possibly writing my own book. Granted it is just a thought, I wouldn't even feel right starting it until further down the road. I have always thought my life was interesting and fun enough to make into a reality T.V. show on MTV, but I guess writing it into a book is a little more classy. So the rusty old wheels in my brain have been turning up a storm the past couple of days. The first thought being, what on earth would I even write about?! And then it hit me... my life (duh!) I must say there have been very few dull moments in my life since my senior year in high school. But I decided if I were to write a book that's main purpose is to help CG wives, then it would need to begin when my CG wife career began (and since I only have about 2 years of "experience" this is why I feel the need to hold off a little longer). Not saying this will be a book that is going to map out what every acronym is, how to get health care, what military housing is like, etc. but rather, a book that will open up and show what my life was like going through the same things they are about to endure, or have already started enduring.
So that is how I came up with the new title for my blog. If I were to ever write a book, that is what I would title it. I'm still thinking about how I would "describe" it to catch the reader's eye, but I have a feeling it will say something along the lines of "A book about life, love, the Coast Guard, TTC, and every other twist and turn along the way" Okay okay, so I just pulled that out of thin air right this second and it needs a little work, but Hey...a girl can dream!
And worse case scenario... I can just have my blog printed into a book! HA!
I think it all started a few days ago. While I was visiting Kevin in California there were a few days I had to find things to do to entertain myself while Kevin was in class. One of these days I drove to Santa Rosa, and found a Barnes and Noble. I was determined to find a book on moving to Alaska, which I never did. But it made me think back to about 2 years ago when Kevin first signed with the Coast Guard. He signed his contract, and agreed to 6 years of his life (and mine), starting a month after our wedding. As soon as we got back from signing his contract I went to Barnes and Noble determined to find a book for Coast Guard wives. Although there was nothing directly targeted to CG wives, I did find a book called "The Military Wife Handbook". It was somewhat informational, but it really did not offer much information on the CG. You see, although the CG is a branch of the military, we are very fortunate. I do not have to worry about Kevin getting deployed to Iraq for 12 months. It was in this small difference that made me realize there is a world of differences between each branch of the military.
Although I have been fortunate enough to find a web forum targeted to CG wives (which has been my saving grace through this move), I feel that there needs to be some way to reach out and help other CG wives who are new to this whole process as well. There is a big difference between an enlisted E-3 seaman(bottom of the totem pole) and an officer's way of life, and wife. It is with this thought, and knowledge that I have started to think about possibly writing my own book. Granted it is just a thought, I wouldn't even feel right starting it until further down the road. I have always thought my life was interesting and fun enough to make into a reality T.V. show on MTV, but I guess writing it into a book is a little more classy. So the rusty old wheels in my brain have been turning up a storm the past couple of days. The first thought being, what on earth would I even write about?! And then it hit me... my life (duh!) I must say there have been very few dull moments in my life since my senior year in high school. But I decided if I were to write a book that's main purpose is to help CG wives, then it would need to begin when my CG wife career began (and since I only have about 2 years of "experience" this is why I feel the need to hold off a little longer). Not saying this will be a book that is going to map out what every acronym is, how to get health care, what military housing is like, etc. but rather, a book that will open up and show what my life was like going through the same things they are about to endure, or have already started enduring.
So that is how I came up with the new title for my blog. If I were to ever write a book, that is what I would title it. I'm still thinking about how I would "describe" it to catch the reader's eye, but I have a feeling it will say something along the lines of "A book about life, love, the Coast Guard, TTC, and every other twist and turn along the way" Okay okay, so I just pulled that out of thin air right this second and it needs a little work, but Hey...a girl can dream!
And worse case scenario... I can just have my blog printed into a book! HA!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Bummer
So my dear Aunt Flo is due to arrive sometime today. Although I had received several signs that she would be coming, I still felt the need to take a pregnancy test this morning. It felt very bizarre doing it. 1) Because the last time I took a pregnancy test, it was the best day of my life, and 2) it was a cheap dollar store pregnancy test I had bought as a joke for Kevin, and with this one you had to pee in a cup, then use this little tool to suck up the pee and pour 4 drops onto this little spot on the test. Either way, it came out negative. I can't say I wasn't expecting it, but a girl can hope can't she?! Oh well... now the waiting process continues. Now I have to wait for Aunt Flo to arrive, wait to figure out when I will be ovulating again, and then wait some more to see if we have some better luck next month.
In the mean time I plan on keeping myself preoccupied with my last week of work, packing, and spending time with the best friends a girl could ask for! I love you guys dearly! (oh, and my family rocks too...)
In the mean time I plan on keeping myself preoccupied with my last week of work, packing, and spending time with the best friends a girl could ask for! I love you guys dearly! (oh, and my family rocks too...)
Friday, February 19, 2010
Overload
So I guess I was a little blog deprived while visiting Kevin in California because I just keep feeling the need to post. Maybe it is the fact that my life is a total whirlwind of excitement, worry, fear, joy, anxiety, anxiousness...well you get the picture!
And sorry for the delay on my post about my trip, but I'm STILL waiting on Kevin to send me the pictures! (men can be so unreliable...geez!)
But in other, non-moving news, I am trying to enjoy all the time I have left in Texas. This weekend I will be going to visit my Nana and Popdaddy! My grandmother fell getting out of her car a few weeks ago, and had the bone in her ankle go through her skin! She is in a boot and can't put pressure on it so she has to use a walker to get around. She is pretty young (late 60's) so its weird to think about her having such a hard time getting around. She will be having a skin graph put on it sometime soon as well. These are my grandparents who own a baby boutique in Georgetown. They have the most absolutely beautiful stuff you will ever see! The website to their store is http://www.justkiddsandmore.com/ and it really doesn't do the store justice! I can remember when they started out selling at Canton, and then decided to step it up a notch and open their own store. It is right in the middle of the square in Georgetown, and the whole area is so cute and quaint. They even do monogramming, and I can't wait for them to personalize all of my stuff when I have a baby!
On the topic of babies... I am at that waiting point right now. Not sure if I was ovulating at all when I saw Kevin, although there was a small possibility I was when I flew in on Thursday. So this is probably WAY to much TMI, but Hey...it's my blog so I'm just gonna say it. After trying for nearly 6 months, it felt like we had tried every old wives tale possible (do a hand stand afterwards, make Kevin drink caffeine an hour before, don't get up to pee for 30 minutes, etc.) It was one day at work in Baltimore that my boss was telling me about how she was not supposed to be able to have kids, but she knew exactly when she got pregnant. They had company in town, so they did the baby dance on the floor with pillows underneath her, and she swore that having a pillow under her hips was what helped get her pregnant. So naturally, we tried this out next go around, and BAM! It worked! Well, on Thursday when I flew into California we did our baby dance, but did not follow any of our past baby dancing "rules". Now I know that sounds awful, but when you start trying to have a baby you will totally understand where I'm coming from... you will try anything in hopes that it will work. My Aunt Flow isn't due to arrive until Monday or Tuesday, and I hate this feeling! The past few months I haven't really had to worry or stress about this since we haven't been able to actually try, and I forgot what an awful pit it leaves in your stomach. I do have my doubts though... when I did get pregnant it seemed like I knew almost immediately. My boobs started to hurt so extremely bad that I took a pregnancy test the earliest I could (5 days before my period was due) and it came out positive. This time around, I have 3-4 days until my period and no pain in my chest at all. I've heard people say that their symptoms were completely different with each pregnancy, so I haven't given up complete hope, but I'm not getting my hopes up either.
So while I keep up my waiting game, prayers and baby dust are greatly appreciated! :)
And sorry for the delay on my post about my trip, but I'm STILL waiting on Kevin to send me the pictures! (men can be so unreliable...geez!)
But in other, non-moving news, I am trying to enjoy all the time I have left in Texas. This weekend I will be going to visit my Nana and Popdaddy! My grandmother fell getting out of her car a few weeks ago, and had the bone in her ankle go through her skin! She is in a boot and can't put pressure on it so she has to use a walker to get around. She is pretty young (late 60's) so its weird to think about her having such a hard time getting around. She will be having a skin graph put on it sometime soon as well. These are my grandparents who own a baby boutique in Georgetown. They have the most absolutely beautiful stuff you will ever see! The website to their store is http://www.justkiddsandmore.com/ and it really doesn't do the store justice! I can remember when they started out selling at Canton, and then decided to step it up a notch and open their own store. It is right in the middle of the square in Georgetown, and the whole area is so cute and quaint. They even do monogramming, and I can't wait for them to personalize all of my stuff when I have a baby!
On the topic of babies... I am at that waiting point right now. Not sure if I was ovulating at all when I saw Kevin, although there was a small possibility I was when I flew in on Thursday. So this is probably WAY to much TMI, but Hey...it's my blog so I'm just gonna say it. After trying for nearly 6 months, it felt like we had tried every old wives tale possible (do a hand stand afterwards, make Kevin drink caffeine an hour before, don't get up to pee for 30 minutes, etc.) It was one day at work in Baltimore that my boss was telling me about how she was not supposed to be able to have kids, but she knew exactly when she got pregnant. They had company in town, so they did the baby dance on the floor with pillows underneath her, and she swore that having a pillow under her hips was what helped get her pregnant. So naturally, we tried this out next go around, and BAM! It worked! Well, on Thursday when I flew into California we did our baby dance, but did not follow any of our past baby dancing "rules". Now I know that sounds awful, but when you start trying to have a baby you will totally understand where I'm coming from... you will try anything in hopes that it will work. My Aunt Flow isn't due to arrive until Monday or Tuesday, and I hate this feeling! The past few months I haven't really had to worry or stress about this since we haven't been able to actually try, and I forgot what an awful pit it leaves in your stomach. I do have my doubts though... when I did get pregnant it seemed like I knew almost immediately. My boobs started to hurt so extremely bad that I took a pregnancy test the earliest I could (5 days before my period was due) and it came out positive. This time around, I have 3-4 days until my period and no pain in my chest at all. I've heard people say that their symptoms were completely different with each pregnancy, so I haven't given up complete hope, but I'm not getting my hopes up either.
So while I keep up my waiting game, prayers and baby dust are greatly appreciated! :)
Thursday, February 18, 2010
I Feel Like a Charity Case...
So we have had tons of people ask us what they can do/give us for our move. Since I know most of my family and close friends read this I decided I would post something on here, and send out the same in an email to those who don't read my blog religiously (shame on you...) By no means are we asking anyone to give us anything, but if you feel the desire to help are some ideas. This will also help me clear out my boggled mind and figure out what we still need before we leave.
- Thermals (Unisex size Large)
- Gloves, scarves, beanies
- Wool Socks (Mens size 12, Womens size 8)
- Bogs Boots (Mens 12 1/2, Womens 8 1/2)
- Flannel sheets (Queen- preferably white, beige, or dark brown)
- Blackout curtain liners
Yea, I know...nothing very exciting but here is something else that I need everyone's help with. I really want to put together a "cook book" before we leave. I need any, and all recipes that you are "famous" for, or are just your favorite to cook/bake. Anything from appetizers, main dishes, casseroles, side dishes, desserts, soups, etc. For example...I really need my mother-in-laws recipe for meatloaf. If you have a few you wouldn't mind sharing would you please either email me (lindseyoconnor08@gmail.com), send me a message through facebook, or hand deliver them to me. I would like to have all the recipes together by Monday, Feb. 22 so I can put it all together before I have to pack everything up! I figure this is a great way for me to start cooking more, and to help keep us close to all of you that we will miss so very much!
Thanks for all your help and support!
We've Got a Date!
Although I have tons to talk about on my current trip to California, I am patiently waiting for my dear husband to upload pictures before I start that blog. So in the mean time, I have a few more details about the move that I am excited to share!
We finally got our ferry booked!! THANK GOD!!! The reality of booking the ferry is knowing that this is really going to happen. We will be leaving out of Bellingham, Washington on March 19th and will arrive in Haines, Alaska on March 22nd. From there we will have ten days to drive 1000 miles to Homer, Alaska**. On April 1st we will board the ferry that will actually be taking us to Kodiak, and will arrive April 2nd sometime in the morning! I can't believe it... I know for a fact that Kevin and I will be in Kodiak on April 2, 2010 and will be residing there for the next three years. Kinda crazy....and a little hard to wrap my mind around! We still don't know anything on housing or the movers, but as long as we know when we will get there I am OK.
The rest of our "moving" plans aren't set in stone yet, but here is our general game plan.
**On our 1000 mile drive we will go through Canada and Alaska, and more than likely spend a few days in Tok, Anchorage, and Homer (hopefully lots of sightseeing, relaxing, and adjusting)
On a side note, I heard back from the Teen Center Supervisor job and to my dismay found out that they chose to offer the position to someone else. I was crushed, but the job hunt must go on.
I still can't believe Kevin's graduation is exactly 2 weeks from today... Which means that in 2 weeks I get to have my sweet little husband back!! No more separation for weeks/months at a time! I could not be more thrilled!
We finally got our ferry booked!! THANK GOD!!! The reality of booking the ferry is knowing that this is really going to happen. We will be leaving out of Bellingham, Washington on March 19th and will arrive in Haines, Alaska on March 22nd. From there we will have ten days to drive 1000 miles to Homer, Alaska**. On April 1st we will board the ferry that will actually be taking us to Kodiak, and will arrive April 2nd sometime in the morning! I can't believe it... I know for a fact that Kevin and I will be in Kodiak on April 2, 2010 and will be residing there for the next three years. Kinda crazy....and a little hard to wrap my mind around! We still don't know anything on housing or the movers, but as long as we know when we will get there I am OK.
The rest of our "moving" plans aren't set in stone yet, but here is our general game plan.
- I fly to California on March 2nd
- Kevin's graduation is March 4th and we will fly out to Baltimore that night (we will fly overnight and arrive at 6:30 am)
- We will be in Baltimore the 5th-9th dealing with Kevin's old station and the movers
- Fly back to Houston March 9th
- We will be free March 9th- 14th and will be trying to spend as much time with family and friends before we hit the road. Not to mention my b-day is the 14th!
- March 15th we say our goodbyes and hit the road!
- March 19th we board the ferry and are on our way to Alaska!
**On our 1000 mile drive we will go through Canada and Alaska, and more than likely spend a few days in Tok, Anchorage, and Homer (hopefully lots of sightseeing, relaxing, and adjusting)
On a side note, I heard back from the Teen Center Supervisor job and to my dismay found out that they chose to offer the position to someone else. I was crushed, but the job hunt must go on.
I still can't believe Kevin's graduation is exactly 2 weeks from today... Which means that in 2 weeks I get to have my sweet little husband back!! No more separation for weeks/months at a time! I could not be more thrilled!
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