#25: Phillip's Birthday!

It's a bit funny to me that this is number 25 of my pictures, and it is Phil's 25th birthday. How ironic.

Anyway...yes today is my dear ol hubby's birthday. Unfortunately for us, we both had to work. I worked from 9am-4pm and then he worked from 1pm-10pm. Our schedules are like this most of the time, and it stinks!

However, I did go up to the hospital, where Phil works, and we ate dinner together in the Cafeteria. Of course, he only had 15 minutes, so we had to cut it short. But still, at least we got to eat together on his birthday!

Happy Birthday Love!

#24: Home-made Eggnog

No longer is Eggnog a holiday delicacy. Oh  no! 

Today I was craving eggnog, and I decided that enough was enough! It's not okay to have to wait until Thanksgiving and Christmas to consume one of my favorite beverages. It's only March, for crying out loud! How do they expect us to wait all year? Well no longer! I made my own eggnog and it was fabulous. 

Fabulous at first, anyway. It was not quite thick enough, and after a few drinks the eggs seemed to be a bit overwhelming. It needs some tweaking, but this was my first attempt. Practice makes perfect!

#23: Real Life Missionary Friend

 Jenna! She is my real life missionary friend (according to Mike Nichols). I love getting to hang out with her, it is such a glorious time. Jenna and I had a strange friendship early on. When we both first started college we were in the same group (both Undecided Majors) and we hung out a little bit. But soon we stopped hanging out altogether. We're still not sure why.

But every time we saw each other we would say we needed to hang out. We had a deep connection, even though we really didn't know one another all that well. In a series of random events, including Jenna moving in with Jessica, me quitting my job and going to Canada with Jenna, and then Jenna living with me for a month, we were able to really get our friendship going.

No more saying that we need to hang out and then never actually following through. Jenna and I are heart friends. And we see each other all the time now!

I love my real life missionary friend, my heart friend, my Jenna! She is real, she is funny, she is open and honest. I am so happy she is one of my best friends!

#22: Sweet Letter

I got a letter in the mail from Phil's grandma! It was sweet and I was thankful to receive it when I did. Getting mail is always fun for me (except those darn bills, of course), and it just makes it all the better when it something sweet and kind- something from Grandma.

Thanks Grandma Kemp, for making my day! I really appreciate you!

Broken

Today this song made me cry. Of course, I had already been crying. But hearing these words just brought more tears to my eyes.
Sometimes I feel silly and ridiculous for still being sad about the miscarriage. I feel that sting of pain when I remember the loss, and I feel silly that I'm not completely over it. Last night I felt so lonely and so overwhelmed with grief and sadness. I desperately long for what I have lost. And I pray that God will take away this pain in my heart.
For a while I was okay. Or so I thought I was. I guess I just wasn't letting myself think about it. But all of a sudden, the sadness and grief came welling up from seemingly out of nowhere.

I'm falling apart

I'm barely breathing

With a broken heart

That's still beating

I'm trying to wrap my mind around this, like I'm sure all women who experience this are. I know I'm certainly not the only one going through this. But today it seems like I'm alone. I feel empty. I feel sad.

God where are you right now? I can't see your hand in this. I can't understand why you would allow this. What good can possibly come from this heartache and this loss? Please answer me! Please heal me!

In the pain

There is healing

In your name

I find meaning

#21: Phil's Birthday Gift to Me

I finally got a kindle!

Well, I guess technically it is Phil's. After all, I did get it for him for his birthday. What a crazy man I am married to! All he kept saying he wanted for his birthday was a kindle. I knew he didn't really want one. I'M the one that wants a kindle. But no, he just kept saying that's all he wanted.
I knew what he was up to from the very beginning. He wanted me to buy something for myself.
Here's something I have learned about Phil: He's not really into the birthday thing. It's kinda ironic, because I like to go overboard on birthdays. I think that birthdays are special and very important. It's the one day when you get to celebrate one specific person and cherish them and love on them and show them how much they mean to you. I love birthdays! And I love getting to do awesome things for people on their birthdays.
My dear old hubby likes to make things difficult for me though. So, this year I gave in. I bought myself something for his birthday. And boy was I excited!!

I did buy some stuff for him too. But they were practical things. Guys and their practical things! He wanted those comfy things for his shoes (whatever the heck they are called) and new hair clippers.
Of course, his birthday isn't until Monday the 14th. I just got too excited about the kindle to wait any longer and I made him open them a few days early.

So maybe I'll plan something special. We are both off on Tuesday and I plan on having a great date planned for me and birthday boy!

#20: Weird Craving

After work today I had the weirdest craving. Well, weird for me. All I wanted was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! This is weird because I do NOT like peanut butter.
But for whatever reason, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is what I wanted. So a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is what I got. And it was delicious!

Maybe my taste buds are changing...

#19: Late Night Indulgence

After work last night I kinda gave up on eating healthy. But just for the night. I hadn't been to Wendy's in a very long time. And for some reason I was craving a spicy chicken sandwich.
So, after Phil and I dropped the in-laws (my in laws, not his) off at their hotel, we headed to Wendy's for my late night indulgence.
And let me tell you...it was delicious. Well, aside from the fact that they forget my tomato...which I was really looking forward to for some reason.

But nevertheless, it was delicious and I was satisfied!

#18: Ruth study

My friends and I are doing this study on Ruth. It's actually really good and I'm glad that we decided to do it.
Of course, we haven't all been able to get together in a couple of weeks, so some of us our doing it on our own.
But it will be nice when we all do get together and talk about it. Also, there are some recipes in the book too, so it'll be fun to make those and discuss what we're learning.

I just absolutely love the devotion time I have with these 3 girls. It's amazing to have such awesome friendships in people!

#17: My Joy in Life

Two of my favorite things combined into one delicious and amazing beverage: Coffee and Almond Joy.
Actually, I'm not a huge fan of almonds. I think it's the chocolate and coconut that I love so much. So if they made a coffee creamer that was Mounds....well then that would be heavenly.
Of course, it's not like I have to eat almonds when I drink this creamer.

Anyway. Mounds are one of my favorite candies! And coffee is one of my favorite drinks. So it was such a joy when I found this coffee creamer and indulged!

#16: Family Time

 My mom and Dennis and little Nolan came up for a visit today. It was great to get to see them! And it was really nice to be able to play hostess. I can't wait until I get a real house with more bedrooms, so that I can truly play hostess to my friends and family.

But anyway, it was a nice little visit. We got to chat in the morning over coffee (one of my all time favorite things!), and go out to dinner with the grandparents. Dinner was an added bonus because it was one of my favorite restaurants- Darcy's Pint. I get the same thing every time-the buffalo chicken pony shoe- because I convince myself that it might be the last time I ever get to eat there, and the buffalo chicken is AWESOME!

Anyway...I probably shouldn't have eaten it, considering my stomach situation. Which, by the way, has not gotten much better (in case you were wondering...which I know you were). But, I thought that the family pictures would be much better than the toilet picture I posted yesterday.

Wow, this has turned out to be a long post.

If you didn't know it already, I am the baby whisperer. I have this strange ability to get Nolan to go to sleep. And usually when I babysit him, he sleeps through the night! It's totally awesome.

Isn't he just adorable! I love that little guy!

 Me and mom at Darcy's. This picture...I debated whether or not to even put it up. 

It is not very flattering of me at all!

 Mom and Jake at Darcy's. He's my 'little guy', which is ironic since he's the tallest one in the family. But I've alway called Jake 'little guy'. There was a time....long long ago, when I was actually taller than Jake. Imagine!

 Mom and Dennis at Darcy's. How adorable!

The grandparents with mom and Dennis and baby Nolan. I think Nolan is distracted by the plate on the table...or maybe by Tim, who was acting...well, like Tim!

#15: The Porcelain Throne

I realize that this is completely disgusting, and probably a bit inappropriate too. Who talks about their private activities in a blog? Well, this is a picture blog about what I do/see each day. And so, in my crazy warped mind, I feel that it's okay to announce what it is I have done all day.

I have been sick to my stomach! I have had terrible stomach cramps all day today. This type of sickness is no fun when you're at work.

Awkward story time: I had to be at work at 9 this morning to open. I was meeting my manager (i'm still in training) at the store. Strangely I got there before she did, and I was just waiting outside the gate (it's in the mall, fyi). Suddenly I realized that something terrible was happening in my stomach/bowel region. It wasn't good. And for whatever reason, my manager was late. I thought for sure I would be mopping up my own mess (awkward, yes).
Finally I wrote a note on a scrap piece of paper I had in my purse and I put it under the gate. I made a mad dash for the bathroom (on the other side of the mall), which was no easy task considering I had to squeeze my butt cheeks together the entire time (again, awkward. My apologies).
I made it! And luckily the music was turned up extra loud in the bathroom!

#14: Airing my Dirty Laundry

Today was laundry day. I had the day off, and the laundry has piled up way too much. Basically, we were out of clothes.
I do not enjoy laundry day. I guess that's why I let it pile up so much before I actually do it. We are lucky enough to have family close by where we can take our laundry and do it for free. But it is not without hassle.
Loading and unloading three huge baskets in and out of the car is a pain. Even more so when I have to do it by myself.
Typically we go to my dad's house for laundry day. It's nice because he usually has food and we get to watch cable! We don't have cable so it's a rare commodity!

I sure can't wait to until we have a place with our own laundry! It's in reaching distance. We are just hoping and praying to be able to move!

#13: A Walk through the Park

Today was a relatively nice day out. And since both Kristin and I were off, we decided it would do us a world of good to go for a walk in the park. Honestly, walking through the park is probably one of my most favorite things to do. I should do it more often. Maybe I will once the weather gets warmer. I hate to be cold.

I have decided that when I start having babies, I will put them in the stroller and stroll through the park. It will be so much fun! Even more fun if my friends and I have kids at the same time and we can go together. That is my dream!

 This is where Kristin wants to get married. Of course, it's not finished yet. But that's okay, because she's not quite yet ready to get married. But I'm certain that they will both be ready at the same time!

 It's almost as if the branch was in a state of depression and began growing down. And then all of a sudden, it jumped out of its depressive state and starting growing up again. I guess even trees go through seasonal depression!

I had never seen this before. It's a very very tiny shoe repair shop. I didn't even know these were still around. Apparently so. And just around the corner from where I live! Craziness, I tell you!

#12: "Borrowing" the car

So here's the deal with the car (my friend Jenna always gets a kick out of this):

Once upon a time ago, this was my car. And then I ran into some financial difficulties and couldn't really afford it anymore. I talked my dad into taking it off my hands for me, but (and here's the kicker) I kept driving it! Basically, I asked my dad to take over the car payments while I kept the car.
That worked for a time. Eventually I got married and moved to Quincy with the hubs, and my dad got the car. For real.
Anyway, I frequently borrow the car. By borrow, I mean I use it for several weeks and then give it back to my dad. I told him once that my friends always make fun of me because I gave my dad my car, but really just gave him the car payments. He said "Oh, so your friends are making fun of ME?". Well...if you put it that way.
So...here's the car...in my driveway. I'm "borrowing" it again. I've had it for almost 2 weeks now. It has been really nice to have two cars lately, especially since Phil and I work opposite schedules.
So thanks dad, for letting me borrow the car....again!

#11: A Friend and some Caffeine

After work today, I snagged up my good ol buddy Heather from her nap. It was a nice afternoon of returning horrible shoes to Target, browsing through the bookstore and chatting over some coffee drinks.
I love when we both have a bit of free time to just hang out and catch up on what's going on in our lives.
Even if we can't hang out for hours anymore, it sure is nice to get those few moments here and there.

On a side note: This year Heather and I will be best friends for 16 years!

On a different side note: It took me like 10 minutes to figure that out. For some reason I couldn't figure out when I was in 4th grade (which is when we met). Me and math don't mix....

#10: New Shoes Again...this is becoming a habit

Those shoes I got from Target were HORRIBLE! I'm pretty sure the cut on the back of my heel will take a while to heal. Needless to say, those monsters went right back to the store.
So, I headed to Payless to see if I would have any better luck. I got these little things. I'm not sure how I feel about them just yet. I think the damage was done from the other shoes. My feet just hurt!
So maybe I'll give these ones a few days to see if they will fair any better.
I sure hope so, otherwise my poor husband will have his share of sore feet in his hands every night (isn't that why we get married anyway...so our husbands will rub our feet and pamper us?)

#9: Date night with Hubby

The Hubs and I went out on a little date! It was two-fold. We were really hungry, and we were celebrating! For one thing, we both have jobs now. Not that I particularly want to have a job. It's great being a housewife. But we celebrate what we can when we can. We were also celebrating the fact that we were both off on the same day and could hang out. Oh, and I guess we were celebrating that we have money in our account now to do stuff like this. Overall, it was a night of celebration.

And I must mention the bacon on that burger! It was probably the BEST bacon I have ever had in my life. I am not lying. It was thick, it was juicy and succulent, and the taste was incredible! Oh my gosh, give me a plate of that bacon and I am a happy camper.
It's food like bacon that keeps me from being a vegetarian!

We also headed to the store so I could finally get some comfortable shoes. I tried wearing tennis shoes last time. Apparently those are not allowed. I really don't understand. We are allowed to wear practically anything (even sandals, I think), but we cannot wear comfortable shoes like tennis shoes. Weird.

Anyway, I found these at Target for only $16. They are very comfortable and look cute too. So, win win!

#8: Attempting to be Healthy

This was my dinner. Yum! I've got some scrumptious grapes, and some awesome veggie straws. Also, some kind of roasted turkey meat with cheese on a pita bread sandwich. Delicious! My friend Kristin introduced it to me. She claims she's going to make a healthy eater out of me. Well, today she did it!
Also, I made a banana smoothie. That probably wasn't very healthy. It has 2 bananas, 2 cups of milk, some vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon and some hot chocolate mix. Mmm Mmm Good!

#7: First day of work

 Today was my first day at my new job. I am an assistant manager at Christopher and Banks (in the mall). It's a pretty sweet gig, if you ask me. It's only part time, so not too many hours a week. Something I can handle, considering my desire to do the 'housewife' thing. Plus it's an assistant manager position, so I get paid more! Can't beat that.
Today, however, I learned a very hard lesson. Shoes matter! I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking this morning when I left the house. I've had jobs where I've been on my feet all day. Working in a hospital is proof enough that shoes matter. But for some reason, I thought it would be okay to wear heels to work.
For one thing, anyone that knows me understands that me and heels do not go together. I'm uncoordinated a lot of the time. I lose my balance a lot in heels. It's quite comical.
Anyway, lesson learned. My feet hurt so bad! But I sure looked cute and professional today!

The Cookie Factory is where I ate my lunch today. It was okay. Mostly I was excited to sit down for awhile. Turns out, you can bring your own cup and they will fill it for 50 cents. How fun!