we're having a BABY!!

well, its been quite some time since i last blogged. oh how i've missed it. and instead of writing (yet again) about how i hope to do better, blah blah blah, i'm just going to jump in. i have known for a while that i wanted to blog while pregnant and during baby's first years, so heres to hoping i can do just that. 

since i last wrote, we have moved to a rental home, are on the hunt for a permanent home, and are excitedly celebrating the arrival of a little one. whew! we are excited and nervous and maybe a little bit scared, but more than anything, we are learning to trust and lean on christ for wisdom, guidance, and his timing. 

i have always wanted a baby. i always knew that i wanted to be a mom. but, i always knew i wanted to wait a little while before that happened. i was very grateful that nathan was on the same page with me. we had decided back while we were engaged that we wanted to wait a few years at least to start a family, we had always said 3-5 years. after i started experiencing some "female issues," we knew that our timeline might get bumped up a little. i am so grateful we waited as long as we did. the last 3 1/2 years have been full of travel, fun, spontaneity, lots of the unknown, and heaps of flexibility. of course, we could and would have made adjustments for a child, but i have loved how this time alone and together has allowed us to blend together, understand one another, grow in our love, and have a blast (not saying those things can't happen with a child- in fact, i anticipate taking all those things to the next level with little one here!). with it being just the two of us, we could live in a tiny basement apartment, up and travel to california for a long weekend, decide at the last minute to go to a drive-in movie, splurge on new bedroom furniture, and all the other many things we have done with our time. but now, its time to make some adjustments. and we couldn't be more thrilled about that. 

when we first started talking about "when" we wanted to start a family, it seemed so strange. as if it really mattered or depended on us and our timing. because of conversations with doctors, we knew when our best chance were, and combined with prayer, we believed that God was allowing us a glimpse into his timing. some days, i worried that it wouldn't happen. what if....??? two months went by and it was hard not to fixate on it. but i kept telling myself that God was in control. his timing was best. and it was only 2 months so far. 

by the middle of august, i had a sneaking suspicion. i couldn't get it off my mind. i hadn't even mentioned it to nathan yet, but i couldn't stop wondering. i didnt have any tell-tell signs, just a gut instinct. so one day after work, i decided i was going to stop wondering and just take a test. if it was negative, i wasn't going to think about it again until the next month. i think i really thought it was going to be- but hoped for something different. so i got home from work, took the test, laid it on the counter to straighten up a bit, and came back a few minutes later, shocked and ecstatic to see the words i had craved "PREGNANT." whoa. hold up. like, for real!? i started shaking and laughing out loud (and yes, i was home alone, but thats ok). i couldn't believe it. could it be true?  i hadn't even missed my cycle yet- so for it to say it so loudly i was like, ok! i only had one test, so i immediately rushed out to target to buy a few more, all the books on pregnancy that they had, and a gift bag for nathan. (about a year ago, maybe even more, i had a brilliant idea of how i wanted to tell him we were having a baby, so i went ahead and ordered it and kept it in my desk drawer so that i would be prepared for that day. crazy, i know). 

i rushed home, took 2 more tests, cried, thanked jesus, put nathan's gift together, and waited. i couldn't wait for him to get home. but i couldn't call him because i knew my voice would give away that something was up. so i waited. and waited. and waited. he actually even got home early that night, but it felt like forever. 

when he got home, i gave him the bag and attempted to record his reaction. i was shaking so bad i missed all of it. but i'll never forget it. at first he was like, "is this for someone else?" and i just shook my head. and then the light bulb came on and he said, "wait- are you pregnant?!" i burst in tears and smiles and said yes! he sat down next to me and we both tried to process it together. so crazy. so sweet. 

and so, the journey to becoming a family of 3 begins. 

i'm baaaaaack!

whew! what else can be said about the last two months? fun, full, fantastic, fast - just all around great. since i've last posted (way back in november, yikes!), we've moved, i've made four homemade quilts, cooked quite a bit, we celebrated thanksgiving and christmas, and are eagerly awaiting little rhett's arrival (ashley and charlie's baby boy). i've run a half marathon, we mailed out christmas cards, hosted a christmas party, spent lots of time with both families, and i made some incredible chocolate peppermint cupcakes with white chocolate peppermint buttercream.

now you might notice that i slid in there that we have moved, and as you take a quick look at the blog, even the URL, you'll notice some things have changed. my sudden dip into silence on here was more of a byproduct of the busyness of life, but after moving and all, i wanted to wait til i had time to really dig into all that is going on, and i wanted to clarify my vision for this blog as we enter 2012.

in november, we were presented with an incredible opportunity to move into a home for much cheaper rent. we LOVED our days in the basement. our landlords were incredible, the space was so homey and perfect, the location was fun and exciting, and we celebrated so many sweet memories there. but this opportunity was just too good to pass up. so we packed up everything we owned in our little edge (it took a few trips) and moved to the southside of the city. not only was the rent incredible, but this move put us closer to our friends and church and family. sounds good, huh? also, it is allowing us to weigh out all the pros & cons of living either in the city or in 'burbs. we'll let you know how that goes.

so here we are. in a house. saving up. making things homemade. falling more in love. spending lots of time with friends and family. and ready for 2012.

to catch up and prepare for 2012, look forward to these (and more!) blog posts:

• ashley's baby shower and surprise baby quilts
• my 3rd half marathon with my uncle and cousin
• the moving process
• our christmas party with friends (including 3 yummy homemade cupcake recipes)
• our christmas cards (designed by MOI)
• christmas with our families
• quilts for our moms
• new years resolutions for 2012 (both for myself, and the blog)
• and hopefully real soon, a feature on my new friend rhett (if he would just hurry up and get here!)

want to hear about anything else? leave a message and i'll happily reply and post about your topic ideas!!

also, be looking for updates/continuations of:

• the cupcake crawl
• unreached tuesdays

and a new feature on my training for my next half marathon with two sweet friends.

enjoy! it's so good to be back :)

and hey, let me know your thoughts on the redesign!

epic fail!

so friends, i admit. epic fail on my part. the last two weeks have been, in one word- full! all good things, things that leave you busy and tired and thoughtful and excited and intrigued and surprised and the like. i have been across the country and back, we've visited with both of our families, and getting ready to do it all again. i love my life. i love the place that nathan and i are at- while we look forward to days of family and homes and babies and play dates and school, we are greatly enjoying life as just the two of us. two weeks ago, i got an offer to go to dreamforce, an incredible conference in san francisco to learn more about salesforce, my company's crm. it was awesome! i went with the company that recently acquired us and had a great time. so last monday (yes, 4 days later) i packed up and headed to the airport all by my lonesome. it was the first time in my life that i have traveled by myself (i've flown alone to meet the fam, but never gone somewhere totally by myself). while i plan to blog more about the conference and all i learned, let me just say it was awesome. and strange at the same time. it was also the longest nathan and i have ever been apart, which was quite odd. but being the geeky apple nerds that we are, we facetimed each other at night and feel asleep chatting, just like we do at home. i know, we're weird. but i love it. when i got home on friday, we packed up and headed down to visit with my fam and some friends for the weekend, then headed to rome to celebrate lydia's birthday and go for a follow up visit on my shots, and then this week has been full of playing catch up- 5 loads of laundry, grocery store (first trip in like, oh 3 weeks), work, emails, shower planning, and all that jazz. needless to say, i have been asleep before my head hits the pillow and night and not had a second in between to blog. next week is going to be full of busyness as well, but i hope to be a little more intentional about getting stuff out there. here's an idea of whats to come:

 - 3, thats right, 3! cupcake crawl reviews- including one cupcakery in san fran!
- an overview of the shower we are helping host this weekend, including our take on this super cute cupcakes from pinterest

Source: thecupcakeblog.com via Whitni on Pinterest

- dreamforce review= #awesomesauce
- update on my lupron
- a challenge by a faithful follower
- an update on 3 people groups that are desperately unreached
- my affection for our ipad
- a few more surprise
- still working on that post about my identity. maybe i'll post my musings and let it be a work in progress...

 so there you go! much to look forward to- keep checking in. and hey, if i haven't posted, get on me about it. facebook.text.tweet.call. whatev. and yes, i am on twitter now, although i dont really understand it too much and have only tweeted like 3 things. i'm going to keep looking into this.... what have your weeks been full of lately? i'd love to hear!

11 days

since my last diet coke...so far, so good. i have found when i'm craving that ice cold bubbly goodness, i grab a sparkling water with lime. not quite a diet coke, but seems to quench my thirst. i have noticed that i feel like better & i sweat more when i run, hopefully meaning my pores are opening up. tmi? sorry... but i'm hanging in there. i've actually had no diet drinks or soft drinks of any kind in 11 days. woo hoo!

an update on the chocolate buttermilk cake







i left you in suspense, huh? the cake turned out GREAT! it was a hit, and the recipe is now a keeper!



it cooked in 55 minutes (as opposed to 90 like the recipe called for)





my espresso glaze- it wasn't very sweet which was a perfect balance to all the chocolate



with the drizzle...yum!

my new apron! (and a buttermilk chocolate pound cake with a coffee glaze)

so after a few days, and a whole day of sewing, i finished my apron! i went over to jamie's after church and she helped me with a whole lot (we only had to rip out the seams twice!). after getting most of it done, we pinned it and i brought it home to finish up. while nathan was doing the dishes for us, i finished it up. and here's the result!

pretty cute, huh? i felt so successful- i'm going to add pockets later, but for now, i think it was pretty good!

here's a pic of it laid out.

of course, making an apron made me want to wear an apron. which meant, i needed something to bake! i had been invited to dinner tomorrow night, so i thought a dessert would be a nice addition. i didnt want to have to go to the grocery store, so i only could work with what i had in the fridge. one thing i was trying to get rid of was some leftover buttermilk from some scones i made this morning for breakfast. so i started researching on google for some ideas.  i came across this recipe and thought it would be great. now, the one thing i did different was in terms of the butter. i only had one stick (1/2 cup) and i needed 1 cup, so i used 1/2 cup oil as well. also, i added chocolate chips in (as well as the melted chocolate).   

my workstation :)

this was also a great opportunity to try out my new spatula, a gift from mom for my birthday. isnt it just the cutest thing ever? its sparkly & pink!

mixing it up

a new apron (especially one that i made!) makes everything better

yummy yummy yummy!

here's the recipe i used with my modifications:

Ingredients:

6 ounces (⅞ cup) semi sweet chocolate chips (plus the rest of the bag of chips)

½ cup boiling water

1 cup butter (I used 1stick butter, ½ cup oil)

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large Bundt pan.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second increments

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, oil, and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Then beat in vanilla and melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture alternately with buttermilk, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the rest of the chips when done.

Pour batter into tube pan and bake for up to 90 minutes, checking after 60 minutes with a knife or toothpick inserted in the center. Remove from the oven when tester comes out clean.

then, i added a coffee glaze:

i kind of made this up. i dissolved instant coffee into milk, and then mixed that into powdered sugar. i didnt measure.

i'll put up a picture of that tomorrow. 

thank jamie for all your help!

update on my five fingers!

so i ran in them...and it was great! now mind you, i do most (ok, really at this point ALL) training on a treadmill in my mom's room in front of the tv (while usually watching duggars or dc cupcakes, or, when it is in season, the biggest loser). so anyways, i run on a treadmill. but they were great! i actually ran my fastest mile ever in them....7:27! that was a big deal and i was quite proud. i took them off after the first mile because i am going to ease myself into them (per recommendation of vibram's website). i really enjoyed running in them- after i got over the initial first few awkward strides. i can't wait to run outside in them. the one thing they really made me notice was how much i slam my heels down when i run- need to work on correcting that. after changing out of them after the first mile, i went on to run my fasted 5k ever- 23:50! proud moment :)

so yeah, i recommend them for sure!