32 Week photo dump!

At 32 weeks, not much has changed. At this point, things are just getting harder and I am getting more and more ready to meet these boys! So I am going to do a photo dump and share some pictures from the last few months!

20 weeks- My last week in California!

At my Birmingham Baby Shower- 23 Weeks

Georgia baby shower- 24 weeks!

Ryan's Work Christmas Party- 25 weeks!

Colorado Family Christmas!

The Nolands in Colorado for Christmas!

Colt checking out his new dog door!

The bump keeps growing! 30 weeks!!!

The stroller is ready to go.... woah!

32 weeks... how much bigger can I get???

Nursery Preview... Love my new chair! 

Where did time go?

Sooooo I completely failed at this "blog through the pregnancy" thing. But life got very, very hectic after my last post. We spent the end of October and most of November getting our new house ready to move in, moving out of our house in California, and then getting unpacked in Colorado. I don't think I could have accomplished this without my mom taking almost a month out of her life to come help me. 

A week after moving to Colorado, we got in the car and drove to Alabama/ Georgia for Thanksgiving. This was a hectic trip, but it was so good to be home. I had two awesome baby showers- one in Alabama and one in Georgia. It was wonderful to see so many of my friends from home. We got to spend time with both of our families, I got a visit from two of the wonderful Duncan women, and we got to watch the Iron Bowl in Atlanta surrounded by Auburn fans, which was pretty fantastic. 

After our (long) drive back to Colorado, I had 3 weeks to get ready for Christmas!!! We put up the tree while we still had boxes everywhere (priorities!). My parents and sister all flew in for Christmas, which was awesome. I also finally got to meet all of my Colorado doctors, who are all awesome. We had a wonderful Christmas here in Colorado- and we got a lot of projects done on the house. My mom stayed for an extra few days to help me get the nursery set up and organized. There is still some decorating to be done, but I feel very relieved knowing that we have a place to bring home babies! Once we get it decorated I will post some pictures.

Since my mom left I have been doing my best to keep getting things ready for babies, although It's getting harder and harder. Sleeping has gotten increasingly difficult, which makes functioning during the day more difficult. I am starting to get pretty uncomfortable, but I am hanging in here. I am seeing my OB and my Specialist every two weeks right now. I start seeing my OB twice a week in 2 weeks for monitoring, but so far there have been no signs of preterm labor, which is one of the biggest concerns with twins. As of about 2 weeks ago, they estimated that the boys were about 3 lbs 3 oz each- measuring almost exactly the same. They also are showing no signs of Twin to Twin Transfusion, which can be very dangerous for identical twins, so we are especially thankful for that! 

When I see my OB again in a couple of weeks we will discuss a plan for delivering these babies! Because of some concerns about how well the placenta can hold up, we will definitely deliver no later than 37 weeks- this means that I have 6 weeks MAX left. holy cowwwww. If labor starts after 34 weeks they probably won't try to stop it. I am 30 weeks 4 days right now. That blows my mind. 

I will try to do some updates during these last few weeks. I am spending a lot of time on the couch, so I really have no excuse. Maybe I will do a photo update soon with some pictures from the last couple of months. As always, thanks for your prayers as we power through these last few of weeks. We love you guys!

How far along: 30 weeks

Babies are the size of a: Large heads of cabbage? Based on the appt 2 weeks ago, they are probably about 3.5 lbs each. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I am not going to go into numbers here, but I am right where I should be :-) 

Maternity clothes:  On days that I have to get dressed, yes. maternity clothes. In fact, some of the shirts are starting to get a little bit small or short. Right now, I will admit I spend a lot of time in large tshirts and sweats. 

Stretch marks: ugh. yes. I mean, I grew so much so quickly that its not a surprise, but they are not pretty. 

Sleep: I talked about this above, but it is not going well. My hips hurt constantly and I wake up a lot. I pretty much have to have a nap to make it through the day. 

Best moment last week: Making the nursery actually look like a nursery! Now, if we can just get the decorations done!

Movement: So. much. Sometimes it looks like they are trying to punch their way out. It's very cool, but I will admit I wish they would calm down a bit when I am trying to sleep. 

Food cravings: I have not had a lot of crazy cravings, but lately I have been eating a ton of apples with peanut butter. I have never even really liked apples that much, but I eat them multiple times a day lately. 

Gender: Two Baby Boys!!!

Labor signs: Nope! I had some cramping last week, but all looks good. Fingers crossed they hang in there for a  few more weeks. 

Belly button - in or out? Out. And not in a cute way. 

What I miss: Sleep. Normal Clothes. Being able to walk for more than 5 minutes. 

What I am looking forward to: Meeting our boys! I am finally starting to feel ready- being uncomfortable will do that I guess. 

Milestones: We got a lot of things done in the last week- Hospital tour, we met with a pediatrician, and I pre-registered at the hospital. Also, I passed my 3 hour diabetes test which was a huge relief. Let's do this! 

Colorado Bound...

After reviving this blog for the main purpose of keeping up with the baby news, I finally have a little bit of non- baby news! After 4 1/2 years in California, Ryan and I will be moving to Denver, Colorado next month! He is being stationed at Buckley AFB.

We went out there a few weeks ago and bought a house in South East Aurora, and I can't wait to move in. 

Our New House!

We found out when we were moving about the same time we were having twins, so our lives have been pretty crazy lately.  I am sad to leave California though- we have absolutely loved living here. The Central Coast is such an interesting area- about 3 hours from LA it's a mix of agriculture, beach towns, and an interesting mix of culture. We have spent the last 4 years finding amazing local restaurants along  the coast, wine tasting at some of the HUNDREDS of wineries nearby, and exploring all the small towns that are within an hour or so from us. I sincerely hope that we will get to move back here some day and show our kids all of the things we loved about living here. 

I also have to take a second to brag on the amazing kids on my Speech and Debate team. I have coached the team at Arroyo Grande HS for the last 2 years and it has been amazing. The kids on this team constantly blow me away with their intelligence, creativity, and wit. These guys are going to do amazing things, and my time with them has been life changing. Leaving them is definitely the hardest part about leaving California. Please, guys. Keep me updated on your lives. I love y'all! 

My mom and I are driving to Colorado this weekend where we will get the house ready for us to move in. Then it's back to California for just a bit before heading to Colorado for good. We would appreciate your prayers as we make this transition and say goodbye to a place we love. Its a difficult balance to get everything done and not overwork myself- My body definitely has started to tell me to slow down sometimes. Again, thanks for the constant prayers and support!

Katie

17 (and a half) Weeks!!!

 Two more weeks have flown by (almost 3!) since my last post. I have to say, right now this pregnancy has been flying by. The first 3 weeks I knew I was pregnant felt like months... but the last 2 months or so have gone by so fast. I think it helps that I have a ton of doctors appointments, and I get ultrasounds at every one. I love that I get to check in on the babies at least every 2 weeks. Everything has looked great at all of my appointments. I will see doctors pretty frequently over the next couple of months to keep an eye out for signs of pre-term labor. Also, since my boys are monochorionic/diamniotic (a kind of identical twin), they have to keep an eye out for something called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. It occurs in about 20% of mo/di twins and can be pretty dangerous. 18-24 weeks is the most critical time that it can develop, so prayers that everything continues to look good are appreciated. I am trying not to stress about it to much (and trying to stay off Dr. Google!) 

We have started making plans for the nursery- I am going with a vintage cowboy theme. (That's no surprise to anyone who has met my mother, I am sure.) We also have cribs ordered and we got fabric for crib skirts. It's very exciting to finally start doing things to get ready for these boys! While my due date is March 22, identical twins are usually born at about 37 weeks, so that puts me sometime in February. With the holidays in the middle of all of that, February doesn't seem very far away at all!

Here is my most recent picture. I am getting bigger every week!!!

How far along: 17 weeks

Babies are the size of a: Large Onions. Or turnips.  (I don't know how big a turnip is though...)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: About 6 lbs. They say I will be gaining about a pound a week at this stage, so I am right on track I guess! My doctors haven't really been concerned with weight too much, which I appreciate.

Maternity clothes: Yup. I have found that even bigger regular clothes tend to look funny. Like my knit dresses are much shorter in the front. I don't know how people wear regular clothes their entire pregnancies... 

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: I am sleeping good but it's also been harder to get comfortable. I am thinking about trying one of those giant pregnancy pillows because right now it takes a choreographed effort involving about 6 pillows to get comfortable each night. 

Best moment last week: We got an awesome picture of Baby A... My doc switched the machine to 3-d mode and it actually looked like a real little person in there! It was crazy!

Movement: A little bit! I felt some flutters and then this week I felt some very distinct pokes. They aren't frequent but every once in awhile I feel something- its crazy and very strange!

Food cravings: Nothing too much, I still have a few aversions left over from First Tri. Like I dont want meat that isn't already cut up. It makes no sense at all... but a chicken breast is really gross to me right now, but already cut up or pulled chicken is fine. 

Gender: Two Baby Boys!!!

Labor signs: Nope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way but I have noticed it's getting very shallow...

What I miss: My back hurts very badly at the end of the day. I miss being able to sit up after 8 p.m. 

What I am looking forward to: The Anatomy Scan on Nov. 5. Ryan hasn't been able to come with me to the last few appointments, so I am excited for him to get to see lots of good pictures of our boys!

Milestones: Movement! I have already talked about it, but seriously. It's so cool. 

Oh boy...

Big news!!! I had my first appointment with the Parinatal doctor yesterday. Everything looks great, the babies are measuring about 1 day apart, and a couple of days ahead. However, the biggest news is that they were able to tell us that we are having 

Twin Boys!!!!

Ryan couldn't come with me to this appointment, so when the tech ask me if I wanted to know the sex, I ask her to write it down and put it in an envelope. After my appointment, I raced home and we opened it together on his lunch break.  I hadn't had a strong feeling one way or the other during my pregnancy, but yesterday morning  I felt pretty confident they were boys- they even looked like boys on the ultrasound! Turns out I was right! 

It took me some time to process the news-  anyone that I knows me will agree that I never saw myself as the mother of twin boys! But we are very excited and it has definitely made it feel more real. My mom and I have big plans for the nursery, and I started really working on my registry last night. Holy cow there is a lot of stuff! Crib mattresses alone were overwhelming. How nice of a mattress does an infant really need??? 

Those of you who already have children will laugh at this, but yesterday I read that newborns go through 10-12 diapers a day. I knew it was a lot, but I had never really thought about an actual number. And then multiplied it by two. Y'all... Pray for us. Please. 

Lastly, I want to say thanks for all the congrats we have gotten over the past few weeks. I know our boys will be loved and it feels good to know that we have the support of so many people from all over the  county.  We have a lot of life changes ahead of us, but we are looking forward to it all. For my Birmingham friends, we are planning on making a trip to Alabama & Georgia for Thanksgiving. This will probably be my only pre- baby trip, so I want to make sure to see all of you! 

If you have any words of wisdom (or extra diapers), please feel free to send them my way. I'm going to need them!

Katie

15 weeks!

Where have the last 3 weeks gone? We took a 10 day trip to Denver and I have been very busy getting my speech and debate team ready for an upcoming tournament.

The biggest change is my belly has grown exponentially over the past few weeks- it still catches me by surprise when I look in the mirror!

 

 



I have my first appointment with my high risk doctor this week & I started working on my registry yesterday- It's so overwhelming! I will have lots of doctors appointments in the next few weeks, so I am hoping to find out the sex of the babies at one of those. I am very anxious to find out!!!

How far along: 15 weeks

Babies are the size of a: an orange

Total Weight Gain/Loss: not really sure, I'm guessing about 3 lbs. I'll find out tomorrow at the doctor. 

Maternity clothes: yes, with the exception of a few of my regular shirts. I really need more though. 

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: I've started to get less comfortable at night, so that's annoying. I've also been waking up and not being able to go back to sleep.  

Best moment last week: Not in the week, but it was so fun to finally tell everyone our news. Yay for no more secrets!!!

Movement: Not really. I may have felt some weird popping feeling last week, but I may be crazy/imagining it. We will see...

Food cravings: I'm very happy to be eating normal, full-sized meals again! 

Gender: don't know yet, but I have several appointments in the next couple of weeks, so I am hoping someone will be able to tell.  Otherwise, we will find our Oct. 22!

Labor signs: not for awhile I hope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way but I have noticed it's getting very shallow...

What I miss: my sense of smell has gotten out of control. I can't open the trash can without throwing up. It's very annoying...

What I am looking forward to: Announcing it to everyone tomorrow! Eeeek!

Milestones: 12 weeks is a milestone! And seeing 2 healthy, squirmy babies! Also, I feel like I actually have a little bit of a belly now- it came out of nowhere! 

12 weeks

We are making the big announcement tomorrow!!! We had an ultrasound Monday and everything looked great. For the first time, they actually looked like little people, not just blobs. We saw hands and feet... One flipped completely around during the ultrasound. They were moving so much. I don't know when I will get over the surprise of seeing two of them in there!

How far along: 12 weeks

Babies are the size of a: lime!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I was up 2 lbs from my 8 week appointment. 

Maternity clothes: my pants are all either maternity or elastic waisted.. The maternity ones are a little big but since my regular jeans are out I figure I can make it work for awhile. I have some maternity shirts, but almost anything stretchy works for now. 

Stretch marks: Nope... I definitely started to get a belly this week though! 

Sleep: so tired. Still.  

Best moment last week: Defintley our ultrasound on Monday. It was awesome.  

Movement: Not that I can feel, but they were moving around so much in there it's hard to believe that much activity is happening inside of me! 

Food cravings: not much this week. I got a little sick last week and kind of lost my appetite. Better than corn dogs, I guess... 

Gender: Don't know, but the anatomy scan is scheduled for Oct. 22- but I am seeing a high risk doctor in 4 weeks and they said they might be able to tell us then.  I can't wait!!!

Labor signs: not for awhile I hope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way, for awhile anyway!

What I miss: my regular jeans...

What I am looking forward to: Announcing it to everyone tomorrow! Eeeek!

Milestones: 12 weeks is a milestone! And seeing 2 healthy, squirmy babies! Also, I feel like I actually have a little bit of a belly now- it came out of nowhere! 

11 weeks!

The last two weeks have been very busy- my mom came in town last Sunday and my sister and dad joined us for the weekend. It was so fun getting to spend some time with my family. Mom and I planned out two nurseries and she helped me buy my first maternity clothes. We shopped all day on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday... I have never felt so exhausted in my life by the end of it. It's amazing how much energy it takes to grow two babies. 

I missed week 10, but here is my 11 week update. I will start taking belly pictures very soon!!!

How far along: 11 weeks

Babies are the size of a: Brussel sprouts

Total Weight Gain/Loss: haven't checked lately, but I don't know that I am still in the negatives...

Maternity clothes: not exclusively but I bought a couple of pairs of jeans and leggings last week and they are sooooo comfortable. Regular jeans are definitely out though... Stretch everything!

Stretch marks: Nope... fingers crossed!

Sleep: all the time. If I am not sleeping I am wishing I could be. I went to sleep at 9:30 on my birthday...

Best moment last week: getting to see my family! 

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: corn dogs. Seriously.  I cannot explain it. Last week at the mall, the only thing that sounded good was hot dog on a stick. 

Gender: Don't know, but the anatomy scan is scheduled for Oct. 22! 

Labor signs: not for awhile I hope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way, for awhile anyway!

What I miss: going more than 2 hours without needing a nap. 

What I am looking forward to: Our Facebook announcement- next week! 

Milestones: Buying maternity clothes!

9 weeks!

Tomorrow I am officially 9 weeks! We had an appointment on Thursday where we got to meet the Doctor and do another ultrasound. It was quick, but we saw two little heartbeats!

I don't know when I am ever going to get over the shock of the doctor showing two heartbeats during an ultrasound. While of course I expected to see them both, I was still somehow genuinely surprised when they were both there, just beating away! My next appointment is Sept. 9, and he said we will do a  quick ultrasound at each appointment because twins can be very difficult to hear on a doppler. I am also going to go to a specialist for high-risk pregnancies starting around week 16. So between the two we should get lots of pictures!!!

Kind of hard to see, but the two little blurs are the babies at 8 weeks 4 days. 

I figure I should go ahead and start doing the pregnancy survey that everyone does on their blog... But it will be fun to look back and see how quickly things change. I haven't started belly pics yet, although I guess I should pretty soon. With two of them in there it probably won't be long before there's a bump!

How far along: 9 weeks

Baby is the size of a: Raspberry! or Grape. Depending on who you ask. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I have lost 2 lbs in the last couple of weeks. That's what happens with you survive on saltines and peanut butter toast!

Maternity clothes: No, but it won't be long. I am unashamed to admit that this weekend I bought a couple of pairs of jeggings from Kohls and they are amazing. I am hoping to put of real maternity pants as long as I can. 

Stretch marks: Nope... fingers crossed!

Sleep: Eh. Sometimes I sleep well, other nights not great. Naps are my BFF though- I never knew I could be SO. TIRED.

Best moment last week: Seeing two little heartbeats- again!

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: Ugh. I have a love/hate relationship with food right now. I get SO HUNGRY, but then nothing sounds good at all. Yesterday I really wanted baked potato casserole (random), and I can go through an entire jar of pickles or a whole cantaloupe in a day.

Gender: Won't know for a couple of months- Ryan says boys, I say girls. We will see!

Labor signs: not for awhile I hope!

Belly button - in or out? In, and I hope it stays that way, for awhile anyway!

What I miss: Being able to eat normal meals.

What I am looking forward to: Being able to announce it to everyone! It's such a big secret to have to keep for so long! Ahhhhh!

Milestones: Putting away my skinny jeans... I may still wear some of the stretchier ones a bit longer, but they have gotten sooo uncomfortable. Jeggings it is! #Style

I am going to try to blog throughout this pregnancy, as much as I can. School starts back next week and my family is also coming in town, so I will get busier. Please keep praying for Ryan and I and our two little Raspberries- We have quite the adventure ahead!

The shock of our lives

There are a lot of things that have happened in my life that I never saw coming. I never thought I would go to Auburn, marry a man in the military, or move to California. However, I can honestly say that God threw me the biggest curveball of my life his week.

My first doctor visit was scheduled for August 15 (about 9 weeks.) However, this week I was having a couple of issues so they told me to go ahead and come in on Wednesday to check it out. My doctor was out of town, so I saw a Nurse Practitioner. After getting some blood drawn she did an ultrasound. Right of the bat, she was confused by what she saw. She couldn't locate my uterus at first (???) and then she saw a gestational sac but thought it might be outside the uterus (very bad). Also, she could see no fetal pole or embryo inside the gestational sac. According to her wheel of dates I was 7-8 weeks (even though I told her that wasn't right). She consulted with a doctor that I never saw and said I needed to go get an ultrasound done at a digital imaging center with better technology, but that it was likely that I had miscarried and could have a possible ectopic as well. 

Of course this was very upsetting. I hardly slept that night and was prepared for the worst when we went to the imaging center the next morning.

When she started the ultrasound she told me immediately that they sac was in the uterus- very good news. Within a minute or so she was able to see that there was an embryo- and that it had a heartbeat! This was the best news, I immediately started crying I was so relieved. She continued the ultrasound, taking measurements of everything. She started to smile and looked over at Ryan and said "Do you see what I see there?" He started smiling and she said "I do have a bit of news for you... You have two heartbeats" 

IDENTICAL TWINS. 

Babies A & B at about 6 weeks 4 days!

I cannot explain to you the shock of the moment when someone tells you that you are having identical twins. She showed me each embryo and their little heartbeats (126 & 119). Baby A was measuring 6w5d and baby B was measuring 6w3d. 

I kept waiting for the April Fools- I am not the kind of person that has twins. People like Becca Piedra Kelley have twins- not me! 

The rest of the appointment was kind of a blur as I tried to process this information. TWO BABIES AT ONCE? 

That afternoon we FaceTime'd  both of our families and told them the news- I think they thought it was a joke at first. We also decided since we had seen heartbeats we would tell a couple of close friends, so I called my BFFs in Texas and spent the rest of the afternoon googling how to have twins.

While I am still in shock about this, I am also starting to get excited about the journey ahead of us. The best things in my life haven't been in my plans, and I know these sweet babies will be a miracle and a blessing. I will try to keep this updated during my pregnancy- especially once we announce it officially. 

Big news!

 It's been almost 2 years since I have updated this blog- I am here now because I want to use it as a forum to record all of the exciting things that have been happening in our lives recently. A quick timeline of the last month or so:

Week of July 7

JThis is going to sound cryptic, but I could tell something just wasn't right. I was a little emotional I started getting random nausea in the afternoon- I even canceled an all you can eat Korean BBQ Dinner. (Like I said, something wasn't right.) On Tuesday, I bought some pregnancy tests and took one- Negative. By my calculations it should have definitely been positive if I was preg, so I tried to put it out of my mind. 

Thursay morning, I was feeling even more weird, so I took another test- Negative. OK. I decided I was done testing for awhile and would wait until Monday. But, I impatience got the the best of me and Thursday night I gave it one more shot. Within about a minute there was a faint but definitely there line--  I AM PREGNANT! 

After taking a few minutes to collect myself I went into the closet and pulled out this Auburn onesie I bought on clearance years ago. I put it in a gift bag with the test and gave it to Ryan. It was exciting and emotional- but mostly just really hard to believe!

Aunt Alyce after she heard the news!

In the next few days we FaceTime'd both of our families and told them the news. By my calculations I was about 4 weeks with a due date around March 21. I also got to meet up with my sister and tell her in person. I gave her a wine glass that said "Aunt Alyce." She mayyyy have caused a small scene in an Applebees in Camarillo...

During the last 3 weeks i have been pendulating between excitement and panic as we prepare for this exciting addition!!! 

Random Friday Thoughts

Where we spent most of the week... folding all 700 programs!!!

Wow! Where did the last few weeks go? I feel like I say that every blog, but really. My trip to Texas was awesome. It's really amazing how you can get back together with certain people even after a few years, and laugh harder than you ever have in your life. We worked hard, tied a lot of bows, and didn't sleep much, but it was SO worth it! The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast. I was so honored to be a part of Amy and Scott's wedding, but I am sad it went by so fast! After the wedding, Scott whisked Amy off to a (surprise!) honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, and I took about a week to catch up on the sleep lost!

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The other exciting news is that I am officially finished with classes for my teaching credential! I will begin student teaching in the next couple of weeks! I am nervous, but very excited to get started!

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So, when I was in college I worked at a store called Plato's Closet. It's a consignment shop geared toward teens & college-age kids. I bought so. many. clothes. A lot of them have been in storage for a little bit, but I pulled them all out this week to have a garage sale! It's funny how memories are attached to clothes. I have the skirt I wore on my 1st day of classes at Auburn, and another skirt that I was wearing on the day I met Ryan. Certain tops remind me sorority socials or fun nights out. I have been in a little bit of nostalgic funk lately... I mean, I left Auburn 2 years ago!? How did this happen? Anyway, now all these fun (and stylish) memories are going to contribute to the "Katie's 25th Birthday Trip Fund," so come shop! 

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I am going to try to keep up with the blogging as much as possible, I have completed a couple of crafty projects (inspired by Pinterest, duh) that I will probably blog about in the next few weeks... Have a wonderful weekend!
-Katie

Texas On My Mind

Holy Cow, how did it get to be the end of July??? I am seriously baffled at where the last few months went.
In March, I flew to Texas for my friend Amy's engagement. I met Amy and her sister Jenifer when I was just a few months old when my family moved to Granbury, Texas. Although my family moved to Alabama when I was just 3, our families (who, while we lived there expanded to include another Duncan sister, Melanie, and my sister, Alyce) remained close, usually making an effort to see each other once a year or so, taking occasional vacations together and such. When I went to Baylor my freshman year of college, Amy was my roommate. Amy and I are about as different as two people can be. She is a morning person, organized and clean. I am.. none of those things. But somehow, we made it work, and ever since then she solidified her spot as my lifelong best friend.

The Noland/ Duncan girls in about 1993 in the traditional lineup.

Again in 2009... the height lineup has changed a little bit over the years...

When I got a tip that her boyfriend, Scott, was planning on proposing to Amy last March and that he was hoping her best friends could be there to surprise her, I jumped at the chance. It had been almost 2 years since I had seem the Duncan family. The trip was short, but surprising Amy and being there with her for this special time is one of my best memories. I will spare you the details of the proposal, but it was epic. (You can read about it HERE... it's a great story.) Anyway, here we are, just 4 months later, and I am days away from flying back to Georgetown... for the wedding! I can't believe it got her so fast, but I couldn't be more excited. Not only do I get to spend a week with Amy and her amazing family, but my entire family will be there as well! When the Nolands and Duncans get together, it's always filled with laughing fits, Sonic runs and Mexican food... I. CAN. NOT. WAIT. I probably will be too excited to sleep Monday night. Eeek!!!

On another note, I am officially obsessed with Pinterest. I got invited to it awhile back, but I was avoiding it because I just don't need another "thing" right now. Well, it's awesome. I used to use a website called I <3 It, which essentially did the same thing, but Pinterest does it so much better. I now want to ignore all of my responsibilities and DIY anything I can get my hands on. I mean, really, I don't know how I have lived without lanterns made from doilies and wallpaper glue! If you are on there, find me! If you want an invite, let me know and I can send you one!

Finally, I am in my final class before student teaching, and we have to design a 4-week unit. My unit is on To Kill a Mockingbird. I hadn't read the book since high school, so I decided to tackle it this weekend. I knew the story, and I remembered enjoying it back then, but I had no appreciation for what a good book it is. I really hope I get to teach it to actual students someday... I would love to give some California students a lesson on Alabama :-D.

So sorry this post got a little long and rambling, but I guess it's my blog so I can write what I want, right? I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and a great weekend!
-Katie

Blessings & a Prayer

In front of the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle!

So, I haven't quite kept up with my twice-a-week blogging, so this week I am going to try and make up for it! The rest of our visit with Ryan's family was nice! I ate more than I possibly ever have in my life, including Hitching Post, Jocko's, and Flatbread. On Wednesday we went to Hearst Castle, which is just about 2 hours north of here. We had all been before, so we took a tour of the upstairs rooms of the castle. Then, we were able to wander around the gardens, which were amazing! I wish I could get these people to landscape my yard! We then drove over to Paso Robles and stopped at Jocko's on the way home... YUM!
This week I am busy trying to get a ton of stuff done before going to Texas for the wedding of the year! I am working on my English teaching credential, and I have a lot to do before I can register for student teaching this fall, most of which needs to be finished before August 1. However, it's difficult to focus when I have all kinds of much more fun things I could be doing.

Finally, I wanted to mention something that has been weighing on my heart this week. Keith Martin, a family friend, lost his battle with cancer last week. "Brother Keith," as I knew him, was the music minister at my church while I was growing up. His son, Joshua, and I were very good friends growing up, and daughter Bethany was Alyce's roommate in college. The Martin family is an incredible family, and it breaks my heart that they have to go through this. Keith was one of the most Godly, joyful people I have ever known. There were thousands of people across the country praying for him, and sometimes it's hard to understand why things work out this way. However, please join me in praying for the Martin family in the coming weeks. It is my prayer that they experience an outpouring of love from those who were touched by Keith's life.

- Katie

Fun with family!

 I promised pictures, so here they are! Unfortunately, we haven't taken many, and most of what we have taken has been on the iPhone... but Ryan's parents have been in town this week and we have had a great time wine tasting, seeing the area, and eating ourselves to death!

On Thursday, we went to the Farmer's Market in San Luis Obispo. It is by far the coolest Farmer's Market you will ever visit, and the roasted corn they sell is amazing!

Tonight we ate at what is probably Ryan's and my favorite restaurant here, Full of Life Flatbread in Los Alamos. They are only open on the weekends, and during the week they are a production facility that makes their flatbread pizzas. They are sold frozen at Whole Foods all over the country. The frozen ones aren't as good as in the restaurant, but it's probably the best frozen pizza you will ever eat. Click here to find them near you, they are amazing!

I have never been a big dessert eater, but Flatbread is the one place I ALWAYS get dessert. They have this s'more that is incredible. They make their own marshmallow, and toast it in between these two chocolate cookies... it's incredible. I meant to get a picture before we ate it, but I was a little distracted... so here is the after picture. Just trust me. It's good.

Now, Ryan is watching last year's Alabama/ Auburn game for about the 15th time. It still stresses me out, not to mention the mandatory yelling at Verne Lundquist... it's just more than I can handle these days. I love football season as much as anyone (and more than most), but after last season, my heart needs a rest.

It's hard to believe it's almost mid-July... I will be in Austin for the wedding of the year in just 3 weeks and 3 days.. so expect about that for the next few months, I can't wait! So, have a wonderful weekend.. and let me know if you read this. I am stalking google anayltics and I am trying to figure out who in the world is reading from some random cities... It will make my stalking much easier if you just reveal yourself :-)

-Katie

Happy Fourth!

So, when I started this blog I promised myself I would try to blog twice a week so I don't forget about it. Before now, the closest thing I have had to a blog is my Livejournal from high school. (Speaking of livejournal, I should definitely find and delete that asap...).
So, first things first, I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July! We had a great time in Paso Robles with friends, had a wonderful seafood dinner in Pismo Beach, and then got to watch fireworks! A successful day!
On Tuesday, Ryan's parents came in town! We have already hit up the Hitching Post and the San Luis Obsipo Farmer's Market. Ryan is able to take leave for almost the entire time they are here, and I know he is loving spending time with his parents.
I will post some pictures soon, but have a wonderful weekend!
-Katie

New bikes and a clean garage!!!

Me on my new bike! I love it!

So, as I mentioned in the previous post, Ryan got promoted to 1st Lieutenant last month. That promotion comes with a little pay raise, and to celebrate we decided to buy mountain bikes. There are a lot of really awesome trails all over base, and we have had an awesome time riding and exploring (even though my legs are still a little mad at me...). We went with Specialized bikes, for anyone that is interested.

So, bringing these bikes into our house made me realize that our garage was really messy. Ever since we moved into our house last September, we never really organized the garage, and things have just been piling up. So today worked my booty off and tackled the garage! I worked on it all day, but I won't lie I am pretty proud of the result!

The befores.....

 And AFTER!!!!

Yay for an organized garage!!!

This week I also cleaned and decorated our back patio a little bit. I will post some pics once I make/buy some pillows... trying to decide if I can make them for cheaper than I can buy them. Tomorrow, I will tackle a day's worth of laundry... ugh. But looking forward to the long weekend!

-Katie

New Blog!

So, I have been thinking for awhile that I should start a blog, and in an attempt to put off cleaning the garage, I decided today was the day! I am sure I will be playing with the design and stuff over the next few days. Until then, I will leave you with a little photo recap of our summer so far!

Tara and Chord came, we went to Disneyland & California Adventure

Worn out at the end of the day!

 

David came to California and we went to San Fran!

Ryan got promoted to 1st Lt!!!!

 Coming up, Ryan's family will be here for two weeks starting next week, and then in August I am headed to Texas for my bestie's wedding! I can't wait!

-Katie