Fun Little Saturday

Yesterday we headed out to Alexandria to have Kona groomed at PetSmart. We had time to kill so we headed to Target and TJ Maxx to buy some snow gear for our upcoming ski weekend. It started out as a serious shopping trip and progressively got more ridiculous.

First we hit up the boots section of Target. I have small feet and can usually fit into the largest kid's size, so I checked them out first since they are usually cheaper. I found a cute pair that fit really well. I didn't get an up close picture and they aren't on the Target website, but they are dark brown with light pink trim. I really liked them!

We then headed to the girls' section to check out snow pants. They didn't have any in the women's section! As soon as we saw these pants we knew I had to have them. If I am going to attempt to ski I might as well go all out, right? Plus they were only $17!


We then found the matching jacket. Awesome, no? I would have bought the jacket just to make the ensemble complete, but it was $35 and I don't NEED it. Sad.


I ended up not getting the boots because the pants have black in them and I don't want to mix black and brown. (But I will wear ridiculous plaid snow pants...crazy I know). I'm now on the lookout for cute black boots!

Next we headed to TJ Maxx where AJ found this amazing hat set. I almost died of laughter in the middle of the store. I think he would scare the children on the ski slope, so we opted to not buy the hat.

I'm not sure what got into us yesterday, but we were so silly and ridiculous. It sure was fun though!

It's Christmas Card Choosing Season!

I love sending Christmas cards, especially since we live away from our families. We were able to spend time with my extended family more than normal this year because we were in NY for the summer, but we still only saw most family members a couple of times. Most of AJ's family we haven't seen since 2008. We also have friends all over the country that we only get to see maybe once a year. For this reason, I really enjoy including a photo in our cards. I know our friends and family like receiving the pictures because I have seen them on their refrigerators and cork boards. And not just our picture....other people's Christmas photos are up there too (Don't worry I know I'm not that important!). This year I am combining the card with a photo and plan to use Shutterfly because they have so many pretty options! They even have some that are printed on premium card stock. Pretty and great quality? Yes, please!

I am currently trying to decide between these three cards:

Flourish Elegance Holiday Card

Royal Elegance Christmas Card

Elegant Cranberry Damask Christmas Card

I love all the damask options! Now I just need to decide if I want to go simple or choose a design that is a tad more ornate. Oh and take the perfect photo!

You can get 50 free Christmas cards too...just click here!

Disclaimer: I will be provided with 50 free holiday cards as a result of this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

Where do we go from here?

We are now in the stage of "where do we go from here?". I am not sure I can definitively answer that question, but we do have a few things planned that are helping us look to the future instead of dwell on the past. That doesn't mean we will ever forget what happened or the baby that we lost, just that we need to move forward and go on with our lives.

So what do we have to look forward to in the coming months?

Attending the Penn State vs. Indiana game at Fed Ex Field. We didn't attend Penn State, but I have a few friends that did and I went to a bunch of games back when I was in college. We are going with one of my friends that we haven't seen since our wedding! It will definitely be a fun time.

Hosting our parents for Thanksgiving in DC. This whole experience has really opened my eyes to the importance of family. I really miss my parents and can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks. We are lucky that our parents get along with each other pretty well despite their differences. We have spent two previous Thanksgivings together, and we always have a nice time.

Seeing Elf on Broadway at Christmas time. AJ surprised me with tickets the other night. I cried (tears of joy). Elf is my favorite Christmas movie of all time and I have wanted to see the show since the day I heard it was coming to Broadway. We are just going up for one night, but it will be a great holiday getaway.

Renting a house for a ski weekend with friends. My work friends and I just booked an awesome house in Western Maryland for a ski vacation over MLK weekend. And it is an amazing deal to boot! The house has a hot tub and a pool table and is only a few minutes away from the ski resort. It should be an epic weekend.

Vacationing in Grand Cayman with my parents. Instead of getting us a bunch of stuff we don't need for Christmas, my parents are paying for us to go with them to Grand Cayman over President's Day weekend. We haven't been on a "real" vacation since our honeymoon, so this will be a perfect escape before a stressful spring and summer (what with buying a house, moving, the bar, and all).

So where do we go from here? Apparently we go on a lot of trips and spend a lot of time with family and friends. But seriously though, being around those that love, support, and distract you really does help. And being in fun places doesn't hurt either. We will also be spending a lot of time enjoying our last few months in DC. After all of that maybe we will be ready to start trying for another baby. Until then, we are just a normal couple soaking up all the fun that we can!

Two Weeks Later

It has been two weeks and I am happy to report that I am feeling a little better.

This has been one of the most difficult emotional experiences I have ever had. I still have moments where I get sad. I sometimes cry. In general, though, I am doing okay. My doctor told me that it can take months, years, or even the birth of a healthy baby before I fully accept what happened to our baby. That is tough information to hear, but I am just trying to remember that it should get easier every day.

I am not going to go into great detail about the miscarriage, my reaction to the meds, my follow-up appointment, the emotional roller coaster, or any other graphic information, but if you would like to know about my experience, I am more than willing to email with you. I found great comfort (and hope!) in the stories other women have shared with me. Each woman's experience really helped me to feel less alone and also helped me to understand my own thoughts and feelings. I hope no one has to go through pregnancy loss, but realistically I know that some women will. If it does happen, know that I am here to listen or chat.