2015

I'm kind of terrible at blogging regularly, so I thought I would at least give y'all a year in review.

As we bid farewell to 2015 I wanted to take a moment and reflect.  This year was full events, both good and bad.

January: I started my new position at work.  I crafted like a crazy person, prepping for the wedding.  I saw my completed dress wedding dress for the first time.

February: My long time best friend Zaida and daughter Haley came to visit. We played around Dallas with them visiting all of my favorite places.

March: Cody and I attended a "Lights" concert, at the Grenada Theatre. Where we stumbled upon new musicians, XAmbassdors, that we love. We got some snow and I made a snowman.

April: It rained A LOT. Leah came to visit over Easter. Dinosaurs invaded the Dallas Zoo. 1 month until the big day!

May: Final preparations for the wedding.  Cody tried to drive through the night in a thunderstorm on our way to Utah.  We slept in the car at a rest stop somewhere in New Mexico.  We arrived in Utah unharmed.  We spent time preparing for everything wedding related. Cody and I saw our venue for the first time. Leah and Aline threw me an amazing bridal tea party. The rain finally stopped!! The Myers' threw us an amazing rehearsal dinner at our favorite pizzeria, with my favorite cupcakes. I walked down the  "aisle" with my dad.  Rod married Cody and I in front of our closest family and friends.

June: We made our trip back to Texas.  It finally stopped raining here. Unpacked and enjoyed the bliss that comes from being newlyweds. I spent every weekend by the pool.

July: We celebrated Independence day poolside and then later at the horse races.  I was treated to a massage, a mani, pedi and a Rangers game on my birthday. Legally changed my last name and got a Texas drivers license.

August: We found out we're pregnant then shortly after we find out it's ectopic.  I endure emergency surgery and an over night stay in the hospital. I also start the recovery process that comes with all of that.

September: The road to recovery continues. Leah comes to entertain me. We watch the O.C. and she teaches me how to cross stitch. We both get ridiculously hooked on watching Total Divas.  We celebrated Cody's birthday. I go back to work with restrictions from the doctor.

October:  All restrictions are lifted from surgery. Cory visits Texas for the very first time, oh and he brings Leah too.  We celebrate by going to six flags 2 days in a row.  Which included riding fantastically scary roller coasters.  Cody rode the Titan which is the 7th tallest rollercoaster in the world.

November: Cory and Leah return for round 2 of Texas.  Cory experiences real "Tex Mex" for the first time. We spend the day at the Dallas zoo and end it eating some of the best BBQ in the state.  The next day we introduce them to the holy grail of Texas food which we call "Babe's Chicken".  We bid them farewell for now.  We celebrate Thanksgiving with a full house at Cody's parents.

December: Cody and I see Star Wars the Force Awakens multiple times.We go to the George W. Bush Museum with the family.  We attend Christmas Eve service, head back to the house for good food and family fun. A "life-size" Jenga piece propels from BJ's hands into the 55" television.  (Too soon Dad Myers?)  The night is saved by Dana and a walk around the block, looking at Christmas lights.  Cody and I opened our presents to each other. We wake up, and spend Christmas with the Myers. I was also able to Skype with my family back home in Utah.

All in all, the good definitely outweighed the bad.  I don't want to ever endure 2015 again, but I'm grateful for all of the experiences.  I grew so much this year and conquered trials I didn't know I was capable of conquering.  I have so much more gratitude for modern medicine and all that entails.  I'm especially thankful for my husband.  You truly discover the type of person someone is when they have to go through something traumatic and completely out of their control. Cody never left my side and made sure I was taken care of every single day.

2015 this one's to you.

Cheers to 2016!!

The Pre-Christmas Outing

This is our third "Texas Christmas", and it seems every year we try doing an outing with the whole family somewhere before Christmas.  Sometimes we don't see each other for months at a time, so it's fun to get together and do something before the formalities of Christmas actually set it.  This year our outing was "The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum".  (A flipping long name I know)  Essentially it's all the events that happened during George W. Bush's presidency and it's Christmas time so it had a special Christmas exhibit as well.

I loved seeing the behind the scenes of the presidency that isn't always revealed.  My absolute favorite exhibit was the 9/11 exhibit.  We were in the room next to it and could hear the video,  I instantly got chills.  We turned the corner and in the center of the room is a melted steel beam.  You get to watch the news reports one by one.  On the wall is all the names of the victims.  Seeing that and watching the videos brought on a whole new meaning.  If you're in the Dallas area I highly recommend you stopping by. (Even if you didn't love President Bush)
My second favorite exhibit is an exact replica of the oval office. The worker told us that mere inches separate it from the real thing.  I loved walking around imagining all the important decisions that had taken place there. (the real thing obviously)  You could sit behind the presidents desk and take a photo.  We took a family photo with Rod in the presidential chair and us surrounding him.

Afterwards we went to Bubbas for dinner. A true Texas restaurant, chicken fried steak, potatoes, baked beans, and rolls.  We ate to our heart's content.  We drove around looking for Christmas lights and ended up at Sprinkles Cupcakes.

All in all it was the perfect pre-Christmas outing.

Our Story: The Whole Story

I wrote this a few days after everything happened. I've been on the fence about publishing it. Mostly because it's such a personal thing that happened to Cody and I.  Up until this point we've only told a handful of people. It's because I want people to hear it from us, not from another source.  I want them to know it's our story, and I want it to be shared on my terms.  I realize now that it's on the internet it's anyone's story, but for a while it was just ours.  I want to share with all of you our experience.

All the odd symptoms finally added up and we discovered I had an Ectopic Pregnancy on August 25, I was 6 weeks pregnant.

I was just sitting at my desk when I felt a super sharp pain on my right side. At first I thought it was just gas, so I laid down under my desk. My work mom Lori saw me and told that was not going to happen. We went into an empty office and she arranged chairs so I could lay down. I laid there for a few minutes, but no relief. I went to the bathroom thinking maybe I was just constipated (TMI I know), but nope. I went back to my office to find Lori and my other work mom Michelle was there. She told me to call up to L&D to see if I should check into the ER. They immediately said yes. So Michelle walked me to the ER where I was convinced it was just a kidney stone. (My last one was senior year in high school) I even called Cody and told him not to leave work that it was just a kidney stone. (The pain was in the exact same spot and felt similar.) I got checked in and I felt like I was being so dramatic, but they took me back to a bed super quick.

I saw the Dr., he said what he was going to draw some blood and run some tests. I made sure he knew I was pregnant. Right off the bat they started an IV, drew labs and gave me morphine. Shortly after that they took me back for my ultrasound. I know everyone that is taking care of me, so I knew I was in good hands. I go into the ultrasound super nervous (shaking uncontrollably from adrenal and morphine). I know the tech can't tell me anything, but I also know she wouldn't lie to my face. We come up with a code phrase, "call your husband"(because Cody is still at work) if something is wrong. She does an ultrasound of my kidneys, everything looks good. Then my uterus. I knew immediately that it was empty. She tried to reassure me that I may have just not been as far along as I thought I was. (but I had my HCG levels checked and had read that once you hit 1,000 you can see something on an ultrasound.) At this point she informs me we have to do a trans-vaginal ultrasound. I empty my bladder and prepare for the exam. Everything is fine until she hits a very sensitive part. She immediately tells me to call my husband. I ask through sobs if there's a baby she says yes, but doesn't tell me anything else. I guess on my own and start full on crying. Cody is there immediately and we head back to the ER. I cry a lot. The ER doctor breaks the news and tells me that it's an ectopic pregnancy and that he's going to call my OBGYN.

Well, mine is in Scotland, so it's his practice partner that comes to talk to me. I already knew what it meant, surgery STAT. Originally, I was hoping we would be able to save the tube. The Dr. explained that even if we did save the tube, this would just keep happening. She was super worried that it may be in the process of rupturing. I was taken to the OR two hours later. At this point in the room with me are Cody, my two work moms', Rod, and Dana. It felt good to have all of them by my side. I was terrified going into surgery, but I came out and everything went as planned.

 I was rolled up to a hospital room where I stayed the night.  I slept roughly from midnight until 4 am rounds.  My doctor came and visited me around 10 a.m.. She told me that she thought the tube may have been defective all along, but the other tube looked "beautiful", and my ovaries were also in great shape.  I was visited by a few of my close friends that I work with and my department sent me flowers with an amazing card. I was discharged around 4 p.m..  My biggest fear and my "Mount Everest", was getting up the three flights of stairs to our apartment.  Cody was by my side the entire time and made sure we went at my pace.  I defeated the stairs and spent the next 2ish weeks in bed.

The silver lining among all the choas was my support system. Cody was by my side every minute, of everyday. He couldn't physically be with me, but texted me while he was at work and came home for lunch. He made sure all of my needs were met. He made sure I showered to feel human again, that I had food in my belly, that I was never in more pain than I needed to be in, and that I knew I was loved. My parents, sisters, and in laws check up on me daily. Leah flew in for a couple of days to just sit with me and binge watch reality shows. This was the hardest thing I've ever endured, but I'm so blessed with the love of family and friends.

Our Story: Prologue

This is just the PROLOGUE. Please see the post after this one here for The Whole Story.

On Sunday, August 9th, I had some really weird spotting. I was scheduled to start my period on Wednesday so I didn't think too much into it. I thought I was just early. I starting Googling bleeding before period. (In hindsight I don't recommend doing that) My initial thought went to miscarriage, but how do you miscarry before you even know you're pregnant? I told Cody and decided I wouldn't freak out until I missed my period. Well the spotting continued a little each day, but no period. That Wednesday I decided to take a pregnancy test. It seemed silly and surely I wasn't pregnant. Well I got two lines (PREGNANT) after only a minute of waiting. I freaked out, cried, and told Riddler he was going to be a big brother. Cody was still at work so I was trying to think of a clever way to tell him. Well I didn't come up with anything, so I told him while he was unloading the dishwasher. How romantic, right? He of course wanted proof so I did another one and again pregnant.  He was definitely very, very (very) cautiously optimistic.

Thursday I woke up at 5 am feeling like crap. I didn't have any energy and I was so freaking nauseous. I got up went into work, but ended up leaving due to almost throwing up every 5 minutes. I took it easy. Friday, I felt tons better. (I did sleep a full 12 hours the night before.) At the end of the day I ran into one of the OBGYNS (who just happens to be my favorite OBGYN) that delivers at the hospital. I told him the good news and my concern that I was still spotting. He told me to call his office first thing Monday morning and that they would take my blood to track my hormones. He also said to take it super easy all weekend. We'll know more on Monday I guess, but for now I'm holding out hope for a baby.

I had my blood drawn on Monday and I'm definitely pregnant. My HCG was at 232!!  I go back in on Wednesday and fingers crossed my numbers double.

As I sit here waiting to go back for my second blood test mine and Cody's song comes on. It takes everything in me not to break down in tears. I'm taking this as a good sign. At least a little piece of comfort in this scary time of my life. I didn't know how I thought pregnancy was going to go. My mom had 3 easy pregnancies and the 4th didn't get unusual until the third trimester when my sister wouldn't turn. It's so scary not knowing anything and just trusting everything will work out. Today I'm pregnant and I'm going to live in the moment and love this little alien as long as I get to. I hope it's for a very long time, but I don't get to make those decisions. So cheers to living in the moment and loving the things that are in my control.

We got the results from yesterday's test numbers went up from 232 to 495. That is great news!! I'm still spotting. I go in again tomorrow and fingers and toes crossed that numbers are up again!!

I went in for my third blood test today. We won't get the results until Monday, so it will be another chill weekend for me. I wonder how many books I can finish this weekend. Anyways still cautiously optimistic. My hormones must be raging because I've cried numerous times. Happy ugly tears while watching a feel good video, and little things like not knowing which salad to get at lunch. Not to mention nausea and dry heaving more than I can count. And my little boonies hurt more than I thought was possible.

We got the results from Friday....1077!!!! Wooo!! I'm scheduled for a sonogram on September 4th.  I'm still spotting and I'm going to take it easy, but this is great news!!

Before you congratulate us PLEASE read the post after this one!!  I felt this needed to be shared because it's raw.  I wrote this every day these events happened. These were my true feelings in that moment and I feel like that's rare and beautiful.

How to Stay Cool

I know for most, summer is winding down and y'all are getting excited for falls. Well here, fall may not make an appearance until Thanksgiving. Monday it was 104 outside not accounting for humidity. (Yes, it is as hot as it sounds.) Today our "cold front" calls for 100. So how do I manage to stay cool with temperatures staying at or greater than 100?  The simple answer in two little letters, A/C.  Luckily everywhere out here has A/C, but if I'm feeling adventurous there are some other ways to stay cool.  Here are a few of my personal favorites.

• Poolside, In the pool sipping water or lemonade.  I don't recommend alcohol as my worst ever sunburn happened while drinking.  I highly recommend the strongest sunscreen you can find and applying it per directions.

• Ice cream, smoothies, slushies, milk shakes, or pretty much anything that involves freezing or a freezer.  Sonic happy hour is the perfect excuse for one of these babies.  And trust me Texans love their Sonic.

• Shorts and a tank top, or really any single layer clothing. If it requires an undershirt, it's not happening until fall.

• Sandals. I exclusively only wear sandals in the summer.  I may have a slight sandal obsession. To the point where doctors and nurses have to tell me that my feet are going to freeze, if I don't wear different shoes.  Also gross fact my feet and excessive amount, so regular shoes are just not going to happen until they have to.

• Short hair or a bun.  Up until this summer my hair was obnoxiously long.  During the summer it was ALWAYS up.  The sock bun was my BFF.  Now my hair is short and a lot less work not to mention cooler.  Yes, you can live with long hair her, you will just sweat a lot if you dare to wear it down.

• Water.  I mean A LOT of water.  Take what you normally drink (outside of Texas or even the summer) and at least double that.  Keep it with you at all times.  Ice water of course is a definite plus.

Speaking of ice.

• Ice, in everything.  Even with A/C things warm up quickly.  I used to think people who put ice in their milk were weirdos, but now I don't drink it any other way.  I mean how am I supposed to enjoy cookies and milk if my milk goes warm half way through? 

• The crockpot/slow cooker.  If it's hot outside warming up the oven means warming up the house and having to use more A/C which means more $$.  There are thousands of crockpot recipes out there.  My favorite is Root-beer Pulled Pork.  Recipe coming soon.

What are your secrets for staying cool in the summer?

I'm Serious

My idea of a perfect Sunday is laying by the pool reading or listening to a new novel. Recently I made some friends at our complex's pool. It seemed great they drank their alcoholic beverages, I sipped my water, we had great conversations.  Well as the saying goes, "It's all fun and games until someone gets drunk and starts degrading other people." Seriously?

It is NEVER okay to catcall another human being. It's not okay to degrade another person in any form. Male, female, black, white, young, or old. I do not care. Woman, (especially for this instance) are not pieces of meat. We don't go out to the pool to be degraded,(Yes, I know woman degrade men too, but I can't personally say I've experienced that) we go out there to relax and have a good time. If you think we put on a bikini so you can have your ego stroked you are so far mistaken.

This has to stop. Women are not objects!! They do not dress to please you and if you don't have enough self control to keep your dirty thoughts from coming out of your disgusting mouth, please do the public a favor and never leave your house. It's not okay to comment inappropriately on a woman's body, EVER. Let's just make it a rule to not comment on anyone's body inappropriately, period. I'm just so bewildered and upset. No one should have to think about what kind of image they're portraying when they get dressed in the morning. If I want to go relax by the pool I should be able to in peace. I'm not the type of girl who flaunts her body. I don't need your comments or catcalls. I don't have daddy issues and I have a wonderful husband who wants more than anything to punch you in the face right now. 

Some would say, "Well why wasn't your husband down at the pool with you?" Because I'm a grown woman and should be able to enjoy the pool I pay for, without needing back up. Is this really what the world has come to? I can't even enjoy a Sunday by the pool without getting verbally harassed!!

Lastly, let's get something straight. If I talk to you and I'm nice, it's because I'm a genuinely nice
person. I'm happily married and have no reason to flirt with you. I assure you I'm just being nice. So do me a favor and leave me alone.

(Drops mic, steps off soap box...for now)

Hey Ya'll

I know I've been MIA lately, but I've felt uninspired and I was just not feeling my blog layout anymore.  For a brief moment I thought about buying a layout, but let's be honest, I'm WAY too cheap for that.  I'm still tweeking things here and there, but I think I'm heading in the right direction.

 I'm going to be more committed to my blog and write even if I think no one cares.  I have a voice and I want it to be heard.  Just a disclosure, everything I write here is my opinion.  It should in no way reflect my employer or anyone else for that matter.  If you also have an opinion, PLEASE leave me a comment.  If you agree leave me a comment. If you disagree leave me a comment. (Just keep it to the point.)

I plan on writing a ton of different stuff. New foods we try, apartment hunting, things I'm passionate about, Cody, Riddler, Texans (that's a given), my feelings, married life, and who the heck knows what else.


So buckle up and I'm excited you're here for the ride.

Captain

I've been wanting to write something, but words escape me. I work for the most amazing hospital. I've never felt such a closeness to all of my coworkers like I do here. Working in the medical field we see a lot of sadness. Patients pass away, are given bad news and all kinds of devasting things. I knew that working at a hospital would be hard. What I didn't know is how rewarding it would be. I work with the most amazing people. Drs, nurses, phlebotomists, directors, radiology techs, registrars, insurance verifiers, even our chiefs are the best.
That's what makes writing this post so hard. I used to be the hospital receptionist. It was a hard job, but full of such reward. I not only got to know patients on a personal level, but all the employees. One of my absolute favorite colleagues, passed away today.
Kirk was my biggest advocate and had an open door policy. We said good morning every single day. Even when he would tell me it wasn't a "good" morning. He took pride in his work and patients were his first priority. He somehow always knew when I needed chocolate and was always in good supply. His laugh was contagious and you could hear it from across the lobby. He was full of knowledge and had the biggest heart. He was a family man and loved to talk about his girls. They were his pride and joy. I'm so honored I got to know him. I'm truly going to miss seeing him everyday. Till we meet again Captain!!

My Wedding Dress

The day I said yes to my dress.

I wrote a blog post last winter about the story of my dress.  It's a long one, but a good one.  You can read the entire story here.  The short story goes a little like this.  I stalked pictures of dresses long before I got engaged (who doesn't) so I had a style in mind and lace was a MUST.  Cody proposed, and I found a dress at Davids Bridal that I really liked.  I was in love with the neckline and all the bling.  I went wedding dress shopping for the first time on my birthday with my family back home, in Utah.  I had a ball and honestly thought I had found the one.  After much pondering and consideration I decided the quality of the lace was lacking on my favorite dress A TON, so I went home empty handed.



The top really is a dream.

 I restarted my search about a month later with my now mother and sister in law here in Texas. We ended up at a completely different shop where I tried on several different dresses and fell in love with one.  Well long story short it was $2,500!(!!!!)  I was devastated. There was no way I could justify spending that much on a dress. There were many tears for many months. (I'm a little bit of a drama queen) To the point where I was convinced I would NEVER find my dream gown. 



The dress that almost broke my heart.

Well November rolled around and I was more than ready to start my search again. It was tricky trying to find a time that worked for my mother and sister in law, but we found it the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  I made an appointment at Lasting Bridal Couture in Addison.  I made sure my consultant knew what I wanted and my budget which was under $1,000. We went through the store and we swam through the sample gowns.  We had a good variety of dresses all well within my budget.  I tried on 4 that were alright and 1 that was a contender.  The moment I saw this dress my thought was "it's not white, but it's really pretty."  My consultant put me in it and it fit like a glove.  I went out and my entourage agreed.  Before any of us got too excited we asked the price.  A whopping $250!!!! I was sold right then and there. It was a sample gown that was a true size 2. Essentially no one could ever fit in it, so it was removed from the show floor, and had just been sitting in the sample room for months. The longer it sat the lower the price got, which was just what I needed.
 My dress was an absolute dream come true and a steal at just $250(!!!!!).  Originally the dress didn't have the pearl buttons on the back so I had those added.  I also added a gorgeous floral belt to tie everything together. I have no doubt in my mind that, my dress was waiting for me all that time and it was meant to be mine.




The buttons!!

 

My gorgeous belt.



My dress the day of my wedding hanging in the trees.

The view from the back.

The dress in action. With my adorable niece.

If you get one thing out of this post I hope that it's this, you don't have to spend thousands of dollars on the dress of your dreams.  I can't guarantee you'll get a steal like I did, but if you look hard enough you'll find the perfect dress for your perfect wedding.

1 Month

Dear Cody,
Today is our one month anniversary. I'm filled with so much joy knowing you are mine forever. I love calling you my husband and I love getting called your wife. I don't care what anyone else thinks, I loved your vows. They were so perfect and I wouldn't change a single thing. No one knows you like I know you and no one ever will. I love you with my whole heart all at once. I can't wait to see where this wonderful step takes us. Happy one month anniversary loves!!

Love,
Mrs Myers

 

Life Lessons: Wedding Planning

Things that I learned planning my wedding.

Every single person you come in contact has an opinion
I've learned to just smile and in one ear out the other.

You can't make everyone happy
There are going to be people who don't like your dress, your color scheme and maybe your  entire wedding and that's ok.

If you can't "buy" your vision make it yourself
I couldn't find invitations I loved anywhere!  I found one piece of an invitation I liked and overhauled the rest of the invitation.  Also I couldn't find the perfect shoes so I dyed my own.  Let's be honest most of my wedding is based off of this idea.

Most of the pictures you see on blogs and Instagram are Editorials/Styled Shoots
Essentially meaning, professionals got together with unlimited amounts of cash and designed that one piece of the wedding and photographed it.  In other words it wasn't a whole affair. Use them for inspiration, but don't design your entire wedding to look identical to it.

Once you find something you love, stop looking
I fell in love with my bouquet and cake very early in the planning process.  I learned quickly not to second guess myself and go with my original love. If you keep looking you'll just confuse yourself.  Go with your gut.

Things will go wrong
Two months before my wedding I got a call from the city saying the park I had reserved months ago was no longer available.  Luckily my MOH jumped in and went park searching the very next day.  Three days before the wedding we found out google had updated their maps and no longer took you to our venue.

Ask for Help
I suck at this one, but really you should. The only person I felt comfortable (outside of day of) asking was my MOH who is a saint. (Because I ask her all the time)  So if you want to help reach out.

Remember What it's All About
This is your wedding day.  Don't do anything you and your fiancé don't want to do. I promise you will not regret it.

Wedding planning is stressful, but take it in stride.  When it's all over, you just might find yourself missing it.

 

Congratulations, and happy planning!!

Videography

Photo property of Wally Films

There were a few things that I was passionate about when Cody and I got engaged.  I actually wrote a blog post, you can read it here.  One of my very top things was videography. You see, I watch random strangers wedding videos almost daily. (creeper status I know) I wanted our day to be captured in motion. I wanted to be able to hear our vows 20 years from now.  To see Cody’s face as I walked down the aisle.  The big problem?  Money. How could we ever afford a videographer? I knew that one would be worth every penny, but was it absolutely necessary?

I’m here to tell you that yes; a videographer is worth every single penny you spend.  (Within reason of course)  Pictures are great and should not be replaced with a videographer, or vice versa.  Just because you have a photographer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also have a videographer.

We found our videographer by chance.  Just like everything in my wedding it was meant to be.  It was late November, Cody and I had decided that there was no way we would be able to afford a videographer.  Cody wasn’t working full time yet and it was something that could in all reality, be cut.  I was scrolling through Facebook when one of my friends shared a post about a “Black Friday Videography Sale”.  Those things don’t exist right? Wrong!  I quickly got on the videographers page and looked into it more.  I immediately messaged her and we were signed up with her within the hour.  I could tell just from her messages back and forth that she was just as excited to have us be her clients, as we were to have her be our videographer.  As the months went by I of course stalked admired her work and we added each other as friends on Facebook.  As the date got closer we both were crazy busy, but kept in touch via email.  I made sure she knew exactly what I wanted and she was always honest if she thought she could achieve it.  A few weeks before the wedding we met over Skype.  We discussed what was important to me, what kind of music we wanted, it was all feeling so real.  The one thing that stood out to both Cody and it was Alix’s passion.  Every time we would suggest something her eyes would light up and she would get so excited.  You could tell that not only did she do this to make a living, but she was so very passionate about it.  I knew that our video was in good hands because she took pride in her work.  She admitted that she learns new things all the time and I loved that she admitted that. 

Our video turned out better than I could have ever imagined.  She was able to capture Cody’s expression as he saw me for the first time.  She was also able to make our vows completely audible.  She recorded the cake “smash”, daddy daughter dance and our first dance.  She captured many precious moments between us and our guests.  These are all things that I can now watch anytime I want. These are things you cannot put a price on.

If you’re on the fence about a videographer, I promise that you will not regret having one.  There is nothing like it in the world.  Your wedding day is a crazy day and you run off of adrenaline most of it.  Trust me you want to be able to see everything in motion again for the rest of your life. 

If you live in Utah I would HIGHLY recommend WallyFilms.  Alix is as passionate as she is talented.  I absolutely love the film she did for us and would choose her again in a heartbeat.  You can watch my video here.

30 Days

I'M GETTING MARRIED IN 30 DAYS!!!  Seriously people, I get to marry Cody is 30 days.  I'm so emotional I could cry at the drop of a pen and then laugh at myself because it's so ridiculous.  No, I'm not pregnant just emotional. I've been planning this wedding for over a year.

 I cried when I sent out our invitations because I spent many hours designing them myself, making them perfect. The fact that real people were going to be getting them. Scared me and made me really happy. I also cried when people started sending me pictures of them at their own homes. I'm pretty sure those were happy tears. (It's hard to say these days) This wedding is literally my baby. I've thought out every detail and most of it, I've done myself.  I've loved every minute and seriously can't wait to marry the man of my dreams.  I've bitten off more than I can chew at times, but Cody is always there to calm me down and bring me back to earth.  I'm so lucky I have someone who can get in to my crazy head, pull me back to reality.  Seriously y'all should thank him because I'm only mostly sane because of him especially these last 12 months. 

I can't wait to call Cody my husband!! He's seriously the best! Stay tuned and I'll give you a glimpse of my wedding vision.

Thunderstorms

 

Thunder and lightning used to scare me so bad as a kid. I remember hiding in the linen closet and holding my hands over my ears. I would hear the crash of the lightning and start counting to see how close it was. If i got to more than '10 Mississippi', I knew I was safe. Something about the uncertainty  and the noise was always unsettling. My dad on the other hand absolutely LOVES thunderstorms, so as I got older I decided they were ok. They still scared me, but as long as my dad was by my side I knew I was safe. We used to go to the pedestrian overpasses and watch the storms. We would put our rain jackets on and run through the rain. The storms were pretty and seeing my dad's  face light up was my favorite. He would talk about how close it was. And how beautiful the lightning was. When it was all over we'd walk home in the rain talking about how awesome it was.
I'm well over my fear of thunderstorms and eagerly await a good one. Luckily here the lightning  is brighter and the thunder louder. (Everything's bigger in Texas) I love sitting on my balcony with Riddler,  just watching the storm for hours. Listening to the rain go from a light putter to a roaring river. I enjoy watching the storm roll in and the faint strikes of lightning, turn into big crashes of light, awaking the entire night sky. Listening to the lightning crack and the instant roar of thunder, that gets me every time. And every time I watch a storm here I think of my dad.  How one day in the near future he's  going to visit and we're going to watch an amazing storm together. So dad be prepared!

 

Just a note I love thunderstorms, but the idea of a tornado TERRIFIES me.

 

Any thoughts on thunderstorms? Love them? Hate them?

2 Years

Two years ago today I left for a vacation that changed my life.  Cody and I took a two week vacation to Dallas, TX.  I wanted to desperately meet his dad's side of the family and of course just get away.  I had been planning this trip for months.  Completely unsure of how it would all pan out.  I was so scared that his parents would hate me and I would have to stay in a hotel room.  As you all know, that did not happen.  I instead met some of the most caring and amazing people I've ever come in contact with. I was instantly put at ease when Cody's dad, Rod gave me a huge hug at baggage claims, the moment he saw us.  It literally changed my life.  The two weeks that followed were jam packed, and filled with fun.  Rod and Dana took us everywhere worth seeing in DFW. We laughed countless times and I had so much fun getting to know them.  I learned what great people they are and just how kind and loving two people can be. Towards each other and everyone they come in contact with.

In all honesty the entire family can be categorized as that.  I remember the second day we were there, Cody's grandma flat out asked "When are you two going to get married?"  I laughed and then turned to Cody.  All eyes were on him as he tried (stumbled) to explain why he hadn't asked me.  His grandma offered us a ring right then and there.  Obviously we didn't get engaged that day, but it felt so good to know that a woman I had just met already approved of me marrying her grandson. As the week went on there were numerous times where Rod or Dana  would ask us what it would take to get us to move there.  We of course laughed it off, but Cody and I discussed it when it was just the two of us.
 I cried when Rod dropped us off at the airport. One because I didn't know when we'd see any of them again. And two, because I really wanted to stay. The idea of leaving made me really, really sad.  It left me with a hole that was hard to explain.

Well Cody and I got on the airplane and landed safely back in Utah.  We went back to our jobs and seeing each other only on the weekends.  We went back to barely making ends meet and both wanting more.  That's when we seriously started discussing the idea of moving to Texas.

I know a lot of people say that they wished they could live where they vacationed.  I was just lucky enough to move to mine.

Have you ever gone somewhere that changed your future?  I would love to hear about it.

Best Friend Weekend

This past weekend, a little piece of home came to visit me.  It was exactly what I needed. In other words this past weekend, my best friend in the whole wide world, Leah came to visit me.  I hadn't seen her live in person in 8 months!!!  8 very long, miserable months! Our time was short, but we sure made the best of it.  We went to the zoo/Jurassic Park. Where we wrestled T-Rex, hung out with koalas, over fed a giraffe and laughed almost nonstop.  We also took more selfies than I can count.  Thanks for being so photogenic, Dallas Zoo animals.  We drove through downtown Dalla and of course stopped at Sprinkles, where they were able to accommodate Leah's gluten allergy with two different cupcakes. We then went to a mall and hung out basically in the candy shop from the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where we got enough samples that actually buying candy felt unnecessary. We of course hit up the Disney store, where we got friendship Olaf hula dancers, for our cars. Leah enlightened me on her dreams of wanting to have table side guacamole, so I of course made all of her dreams come true and took her to my favorite Mexican restaurant. After that, we headed back to the apartment where we ditched Cody and watched my favorite movie About Time.  (Seriously if you haven't seen it yet, rent it!!)

If this doesn't make you say "aww", you have no soul

Sunday we lounged around for a while. I made banana pudding for the first time.  After that we went to a different mall where we spent a ton of time just browsing each of the stores.  We yet again hit up the Disney Store, where they just so happened to be having a fantastic sale!!  After the mall, Leah joined the Myers clan for Easter dinner, where she got to meet Cody's family for the first time.  We ate and chatted a lot, then it was time to go.  We headed back to the apartment where Leah finished packing and we talked. Mostly about how she should stay forever and ever. Then the time came to give her back to Utah. I hope all you Utahns enjoy her...or else!!

I had such a fantastic time and it was much too short.  I'm so glad I got a whole 24 hours with my best friend. Thank you for coming Leah!!!

March Restaurant

I know it's April 2nd!!! Where has the year gone?  We did keep our promise and technically went to two new restaurants in March, but I'm only going to write about one.

Two weeks ago we went on a short road trip to Waco, TX, to see Cody's little brother face off against Baylor.  He's a pitcher at West Virginia University and this is the first and likely the last time we'll see him pitch this season. We rode with Cody's step brother and sister and met up with his parents and B down there. We had brunch at a cute cafe' that had pancakes as big as your head. This wasn't our restaurant of the month although it was very delicious.  After brunch we hung out and us girls went on a little shopping trip, while Cody napped in the hotel.

We headed to the game and got to see BJ pitch a couple of great innings!!

 We ended up losing, but that all happened long before he was put in the game, so we don't really count it.

 Which afterwards brought us to our March restaurant "Crickets Draft House + Grill". 

 They had a variety of burgers to try. And although technically Cody would eat a burger any given day, this one was a bit different. The burger of his choice was "The Peanut Butter Burger." Yes, you read that correctly. This burger consisted of your standard beef patty, plus peanut butter, bacon, a fried egg, tomato and lettuce. It's kind of hard to tell in the picture, but it was all on there, I promise. BJ had the kitchen sink burger, which included french fries and queso on the burger.  I had the "spicy guacamole burger", not even spicy but it was good.

Cody's Peanut Butter Burger

Cody described his burger as, "a lot of peanut butter, actually that's all you could taste". Obviously that's not a bad thing and it lived up to its name. Would he order it again? Yes, maybe just light on the peanut butter?

What's the craziest hamburger you've ever eaten?

And the Winner Is

A huge thank you goes out to all the people who voted for our picture!!  I really do appreciate ya'll taking the time to vote.  So without further a due...

I present to you the winning picture.

Did your picture win?  Thanks again for voting.

 

Wedding Picture: Top 3

Thank you for everyone who voted in round 1!! Ya'll are the best!!  It was harder than you thought, huh?  Well the votes have been tallied and people we have our top three.  It was close, matter of fact 2 and 4 tied for first with 5 coming in third.  Now for the super hard part.

Please pick your 1 and only favorite. I know, I know, it's not fair, but do your best.  And good luck!! Remember to leave your vote in the comments.

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Vote away!!!  And thank you so much for participating I hope you've had fun!

Vote for Our Wedding Invitation Picture

OK so the truth is Cody and I can't decide on which of our engagements to use for our invitations. We had them done at the most gorgeous location in Utah with 2 talented photographers. You can check out their Facebook page here. We've managed to narrow it down to our 6 favorites, but we need your help.   Please vote for your favorite...or top 3 if you can't decide. We'll tally votes and pick the top 3 then have another vote.

Pretty please help us decide!!  

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 So which is your favorite?  Leave me your vote in the comments. Can't decide on just one?  Give me your top 3.

Thank you and stay tuned for the top 3.