So as many of you know, I met my wonderful husband on Eharmony. Now, I didn't really like the idea of online dating. Sadly though, in todays busy world it is hard to meet someone. I wanted to post a few safety tips for online dating. I recently encountered someone who did pretty much everything wrong on a first time online date. So, my rules go as follows:
1.) Pick a public place. Always pick a place to meet that has plenty of people. If the person you are meeting tries to do anything, there will be plenty of witnesses.
2.) Drive your own vehicle. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, get in a vehicle with someone you don't know. Especially if you are just meeting the person for the first time. My rule is to wait 5 dates before you get into a car with your date. Anyone can manipulate a vehicle so the doors lock and don't let you out, you have no control over where the person is driving, and you can easily be taken advantage of.
3.) Tell someone all the info. Before you go on your date make sure you tell someone where you will be, times, and give them the persons information and photo that you are seeing. This way if something does perchance happen to you, the Police know where to start looking. As hopeful as everyone is on their first date that nothing goes wrong, often times things can.
4.) Have a friend check in on you. Have a friend check in on you during your date. If the date isn't going as planned let your friend know with a secret code so that they can call the authorities if your date doesn't let you leave (hopefully you're still in a public place so that shouldn't be a problem).
If you follow these rules then you should have a safe and wonderful date. (Unless the person you are meeting a jerk, then good luck! ;-p)
Friday, November 1, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Pregnancy Bliss
So it has been some time since I last posted on my blog. I want to give you a quick update as to what I have been up to. So much has happened (although right now my brain is blah and I can't remember much). :-)
So far this year:
1. My husband celebrated his 29th birthday
2. We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary
3. Valentines day
4. Mourned the loss of a great young lady who lost her battle to cancer and is now resting peacefully with the Lord
5. I had several emotional breakdowns (trying to get pregnant is not easy)
6. I successfully completed a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist Certificate
7. Unemployment (because I was being an honest citizen and claimed my Medical Billing training) ended my Unemployment Benefits which has started an appeals battle with the government for that money back
8. And best of all....... Im Pregnant!!!!!
My husband and I are so excited and blessed to have a bun in the oven. We revealed our pregnancy to our families over Easter weekend. I made Easter baskets and placed items in them that were baby related. (ex: sugar babies, bite size candies, and items stating Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie and Uncle). Our families were so estatic. My mother cant help herself when it comes to shopping. She has already purchased several baby items and has a list of baby names about a mile long. I am 10 weeks pregnant today and due November 28th of this year. We are hoping to have the baby on the 9th of December because it is my Grandma Jeans birthday. She has been deceased for over 12 years now but was the glue to our family and the person I looked up to most next to my mother.
I have to say that there are so many joys that come with pregnancy. The excitement of planning for that little boy or girl to arrive, the maternity clothes I'll soon have to wear, the first time I will feel the baby move or kick, and the first time I will get to hold this child in my arms and kiss their little forehead. Yes there are many joys that come with pregnancy.... and some not so much happy experiences as well. No one could have prepared me for what I am going through now. I have to say that I have a new respect for mothers everywhere.
So far with this pregnancy (mind you this is my first pregnancy) I have experienced the following:
1. Morning sickness....which does not explain or describe what I feel at all. This nauseous and vomit inducing feeling can start very early in the morning and last all day. I bet a man named it morning sickness because he certainly doesn't know what it in-tells. Thank the Lord for Nausea medicine like Zofran. I would not be able to make it most days without it.
2. Mood swings..... Lets just say one minute I'm happy then the next I'm not. Then back again. Its a never ending cycle that my poor husband has had to endure and tiptoe around.
3. Prego brain....by Prego brain I mean forgetfulness, uncertainty, not able to make a decision to save my life and the ever wonderful blank mind. Yesterday I found a packet of Oreos in the fridge instead of the pantry and today a bottle of V8 Splash in the cupboards instead of the fridge. I can't think of what I want to eat (I just know I need to eat), I can't think half the time of what I need to do or even remember what I said two minutes ago. I won't even tell you some of the things that I say that are so mixed up. People look at me weird and wonder what is wrong with my brain.
4. Constipation... Thats right ladies! I said constipation! If you have never truly experienced this (I was in the same boat) then be prepared. It is bad. You drink grape juice, prune juice, prunes, and anything else that may help you have a bowel movement. I know this sounds gross but trust me it hurts worse than it sounds. Just trying to poop feels like your giving birth. I wish someone had told me about this before so I would have been better prepared for it.
5. Soreness and pains.... Your breasts (although getting bigger and looking great) are extremely sore! The husband wants to touch but its hands off until they feel better. And the stomach pains! I can literally feel my stomach trying to expand. Sometimes its a light pain and sometimes its cramping; which when getting pregnant I thought I was done with because of not having a period for 9 months. Wrong! You may also (with me this is the worst) have acid reflux and heart burn more often. Sadly every time you burp you feel a little of your stomach come up with it.
6. The Peeing... I have never peed so much in my life! I have to run to the bathroom 4 to 5 times throughout the night and about 8 times during the day. And when you have to go you have to go like now. There is no waiting around or thinking you can go in the next five minutes. No. You make a beeline to the bathroom and push everyone out of the way to get into a stall. Ok so maybe right now its not that extreme to be beating old ladies for the bathroom, but it will get there eventually.
7. Hormone attacks... the other night my husband and I were watching a movie and my husband noticed that I was suddenly very quiet. He asked me if I was ok and I said no I wanted the movie to be over and I needed water. He said "ok the movie is almost over and I'll get you water in a few". Once the movie finished (15 minutes later- which was too long), he got me some water and started rubbing my back. Now, I call these Hormone attacks because they come out of nowhere and surprise the dickens out of even me. I suddenly started balling like (as my husband puts it) an orgy of critically wounded geese. After he asked me whats wrong I started saying how my back hurt, my stomach hurt, my head hurt, I was nauseous and so sick of being sick. He tried to console me which made the crying worse and made me feel horrible because he was being so good through all of this. The crying didn't cease for 20 minutes. Im not proud of these emotional breakdowns but hormones are unpredictable and a pain to deal with.
8. Overly Sensitive Sniffer.... Yes you smell pretty much everything. My husband thought I was weird for being able to smell the rolled coins we keep in a drawer. I smell the trash more than ever, I can't go near dirty dishes or I'll hurl, the cat box is an instant gagger, and the smell of a sleeping husband makes me sleep less. If its an offensive smell to your newly hormonally pregnant body, than be prepared to gag, vomit or become instantly nauseous.
There are some perks however, to being pregnant.
1. My husband gives me more back and foot rubs
2. I don't have to clean the cat box for 9 months
3. I don't have to worry about cleaning my house while dealing with morning sickness (although a messy house really bothers me)
4. My husband pitches in more and does laundry, dishes, cat box, gets me whatever I am craving (if I can at all eat it) and has been an amazing support while dealing with my changing body
I have to say that pregnancy is not what I expected so far. Yes you hear stories from people, you read blogs or online articles, stories from pregnancy books and your doctor may tell you what to expect. Those are all great and may offer an insight into what you could expect. These stories however, have no bearing on you because every pregnancy is different and women tend to not discuss the embarrassing or scary matters of pregnancy. Embarrassing being you now pass gas more (even in those awkward situations where you have no one to blame the smell on), you burp when you least expect it more often (due to increased acid reflux) and most embarrassing you may pee your pants. Yes peeing of the pants is almost guaranteed unless wearing a depends diaper (which I will not do) or panty liner. With all these pains and changes of my newly pregnant body however, I relish in the joy that I am creating a beautiful little human being and I cannot wait to hold him or her in my arms. I know my husband is going to be an amazing father and I hope I'm as great a mother as my mom is to me. To all those pregnant or if your looking to become pregnant, my advice to you is....Expect the unexpected. There are so many firsts with pregnancy and each one is different. I live every day trying to just enjoy this time in my life (you know before the screaming baby arrives and you loose all the sleep you think you'll be getting). I know I have much more to experience and I look forward to it.
So far this year:
1. My husband celebrated his 29th birthday
2. We celebrated our one year wedding anniversary
3. Valentines day
4. Mourned the loss of a great young lady who lost her battle to cancer and is now resting peacefully with the Lord
5. I had several emotional breakdowns (trying to get pregnant is not easy)
6. I successfully completed a Medical Billing and Coding Specialist Certificate
7. Unemployment (because I was being an honest citizen and claimed my Medical Billing training) ended my Unemployment Benefits which has started an appeals battle with the government for that money back
8. And best of all....... Im Pregnant!!!!!
My husband and I are so excited and blessed to have a bun in the oven. We revealed our pregnancy to our families over Easter weekend. I made Easter baskets and placed items in them that were baby related. (ex: sugar babies, bite size candies, and items stating Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie and Uncle). Our families were so estatic. My mother cant help herself when it comes to shopping. She has already purchased several baby items and has a list of baby names about a mile long. I am 10 weeks pregnant today and due November 28th of this year. We are hoping to have the baby on the 9th of December because it is my Grandma Jeans birthday. She has been deceased for over 12 years now but was the glue to our family and the person I looked up to most next to my mother.
I have to say that there are so many joys that come with pregnancy. The excitement of planning for that little boy or girl to arrive, the maternity clothes I'll soon have to wear, the first time I will feel the baby move or kick, and the first time I will get to hold this child in my arms and kiss their little forehead. Yes there are many joys that come with pregnancy.... and some not so much happy experiences as well. No one could have prepared me for what I am going through now. I have to say that I have a new respect for mothers everywhere.
So far with this pregnancy (mind you this is my first pregnancy) I have experienced the following:
1. Morning sickness....which does not explain or describe what I feel at all. This nauseous and vomit inducing feeling can start very early in the morning and last all day. I bet a man named it morning sickness because he certainly doesn't know what it in-tells. Thank the Lord for Nausea medicine like Zofran. I would not be able to make it most days without it.
2. Mood swings..... Lets just say one minute I'm happy then the next I'm not. Then back again. Its a never ending cycle that my poor husband has had to endure and tiptoe around.
3. Prego brain....by Prego brain I mean forgetfulness, uncertainty, not able to make a decision to save my life and the ever wonderful blank mind. Yesterday I found a packet of Oreos in the fridge instead of the pantry and today a bottle of V8 Splash in the cupboards instead of the fridge. I can't think of what I want to eat (I just know I need to eat), I can't think half the time of what I need to do or even remember what I said two minutes ago. I won't even tell you some of the things that I say that are so mixed up. People look at me weird and wonder what is wrong with my brain.
4. Constipation... Thats right ladies! I said constipation! If you have never truly experienced this (I was in the same boat) then be prepared. It is bad. You drink grape juice, prune juice, prunes, and anything else that may help you have a bowel movement. I know this sounds gross but trust me it hurts worse than it sounds. Just trying to poop feels like your giving birth. I wish someone had told me about this before so I would have been better prepared for it.
5. Soreness and pains.... Your breasts (although getting bigger and looking great) are extremely sore! The husband wants to touch but its hands off until they feel better. And the stomach pains! I can literally feel my stomach trying to expand. Sometimes its a light pain and sometimes its cramping; which when getting pregnant I thought I was done with because of not having a period for 9 months. Wrong! You may also (with me this is the worst) have acid reflux and heart burn more often. Sadly every time you burp you feel a little of your stomach come up with it.
6. The Peeing... I have never peed so much in my life! I have to run to the bathroom 4 to 5 times throughout the night and about 8 times during the day. And when you have to go you have to go like now. There is no waiting around or thinking you can go in the next five minutes. No. You make a beeline to the bathroom and push everyone out of the way to get into a stall. Ok so maybe right now its not that extreme to be beating old ladies for the bathroom, but it will get there eventually.
7. Hormone attacks... the other night my husband and I were watching a movie and my husband noticed that I was suddenly very quiet. He asked me if I was ok and I said no I wanted the movie to be over and I needed water. He said "ok the movie is almost over and I'll get you water in a few". Once the movie finished (15 minutes later- which was too long), he got me some water and started rubbing my back. Now, I call these Hormone attacks because they come out of nowhere and surprise the dickens out of even me. I suddenly started balling like (as my husband puts it) an orgy of critically wounded geese. After he asked me whats wrong I started saying how my back hurt, my stomach hurt, my head hurt, I was nauseous and so sick of being sick. He tried to console me which made the crying worse and made me feel horrible because he was being so good through all of this. The crying didn't cease for 20 minutes. Im not proud of these emotional breakdowns but hormones are unpredictable and a pain to deal with.
8. Overly Sensitive Sniffer.... Yes you smell pretty much everything. My husband thought I was weird for being able to smell the rolled coins we keep in a drawer. I smell the trash more than ever, I can't go near dirty dishes or I'll hurl, the cat box is an instant gagger, and the smell of a sleeping husband makes me sleep less. If its an offensive smell to your newly hormonally pregnant body, than be prepared to gag, vomit or become instantly nauseous.
There are some perks however, to being pregnant.
1. My husband gives me more back and foot rubs
2. I don't have to clean the cat box for 9 months
3. I don't have to worry about cleaning my house while dealing with morning sickness (although a messy house really bothers me)
4. My husband pitches in more and does laundry, dishes, cat box, gets me whatever I am craving (if I can at all eat it) and has been an amazing support while dealing with my changing body
Monday, February 11, 2013
Celebrating One Year of Wedded Bliss
Just a few days ago my amazing husband and I celebrated our One Year Wedding Anniversary. I am so thankful to have such an amazing man as my husband. I know many wives would argue and say that their husband is the best but ladies, I'm sorry. My husband is the absolute best. I truly never thought I would end up marrying someone who treated me so much like a queen and was as sweet and generous as my husband. Sadly though we have to date a few losers to get our Prince Charming. Now, we have all dated some toads (or some women like to refer to them as frogs). We think that man we just started dating is amazing and exciting. In reality, what was exciting was the rush of a new relationship. You are so happy you are dating someone (or that someone actually wants to date you) that you overlook their downfalls and their negative quirks. You start to make excuses for them when that excitement haze starts to fade. Soon the haze has lifted and you know they aren't the one for you and shouldn't continue dating them. Sadly you become scared of being single again so you make those excuses and dismiss all the problems that keep slapping you in the face. You do this for long enough and one day that one quirk that wasn't such a problem becomes a major problem because its the tip of the ice berg, cherry on top, the icing on the cake... well, you get it. You explode and start realizing that you are better off without this person. You then break up and thus you're single again. My point is, we have all kissed a few toads in our time. Looking back on those relationships I would have to say that I don't regret them because I have learned from them, however, WHAT WAS I THINKING?! Sometimes I think I was going through a stupid phase. In reality, I was just stupid, and possibly (even though I hate to admit it) lonely. Mainly, we all have trouble finding that special someone.
You may be surprised to know that I found my special someone on eHarmony. We were matched on February 4th, 2011, and went on our first date March 6th, 2011. On our first date we went to Outback Steakhouse, Putt putt miniature golfing and mall walking (yes we ran out of things to do in the High Desert so we walked the mall for 20 minutes). We had an amazing time. I can honestly say it was the best date I had ever been on. That first date however was very funny due to the events that transpired earlier that day. I had dyed my hair red the night before. Well, the color on the box was a slight brown with a reddish hue. It was a lovely color. However, I think some little creep changed the bottles in several boxes because when I dyed my hair, it came out RAGGEDY ANNE RED!! I was mortified. I went to work the next day and was teased relentlessly by my coworkers. I was nicknamed from then on Raggedy Anne, Wendy (from the restaurant) and red headed step child. I was NOT going on my date later that night looking like this. My coworkers were pretty nice and took me to buy a new box of dye and helped to dye it brown. It came out really dark but was miles better . I missed my beautiful, chocolate brown hair. Later on during my date, Erich wondered if my eHarmony profile picture was an old one because of the change in hair color. I didn't tell him about the hair catastrophe until several months later. He got a big kick out of it. I also recently told him about the near embarrassing incident at the restaurant where I slipped and had to catch myself on the way back from the bathroom. He said he had seen it and didn't feel the need to draw attention to it. He is sweet and yet I am embarrassed that he saw!
So after just ten months of dating, we married. January 27th, 2012 I married my best friend. Many people say that the first year of marriage is difficult. You are just moving in and learning to live with each other. You get to learn their every day quirks and habits, and you have to learn how to speak to one another without getting into huge fights. I would have to say that we settled in pretty easily. Yes we have had our arguments and one major fight but nothing we couldn't overcome. It has been such an amazing year that I look forward to seeing how much more amazing and exciting our marriage will become.
I believe my marriage to Erich is going as well as it is for several reasons. We have put Christ as the center of our marriage. We also asked the important questions to get to know each other. Those questions can be found at http://dating.lovetoknow.com/dating-conversation-topics/100-questions-before-marriage. This is actually a great site for couples contemplating marriage. Some couples rush into marriage and end up divorced shortly after. I find this sad because to my husband and I marriage is sacred. We both agree that divorce is not an option for us. No matter what, we will work it out. We also took a marriage counseling class before getting married. This class gave us many ways to get to know each other better and learn how to communicate better. 
For our first wedding anniversary, we went on a dinner cruise. The Cruise was sooo.... cold. The weather was chilly and rainy. Luckily we were inside the ship and it was very toasty. The dinner was amazing and the atmosphere was very romantic. We were entertained by the group of young college girls who we called the Wooo girls. They pretty much crowded the dance floor and acted as our entertainment for the evening. They were absolutely hilarious. We had a wonderful time. For our first anniversary I got my husband a ball and chain (I thought it was fitting... don't you?!), and a picture frame with a letter I wrote him while we were dating, and the ticket stubs from our first and second date. He got me a man and wife figurine which I am collecting. I love my husband very much and am very much looking forward to the next 50 years.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
It's 2013!
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