Snow. Snow. Snow.

Guess what?!?!? We have snow! Not just a little bit of snow...7 inches actually! I love it soooo much. It reminds me of home in Spokane. Here are some pictures I took right after I got home from work this evening...

This is taken from the end of our driveway. Jake already shoveled the

driveway once already today, not that you can tell.

Also at the end of the driveway but with the flash so you can see how

much it is snowing. When I turned onto our street, 2 blocks from our house, I couldn't

even see our house it is snowing so hard.

Before I left work I completely wiped all the snow off my car.

All this snow is from my drive home...the all of 5 miles.

Crazy I tell you!

I know its hard to tell in this picture but this is looking out our

back door at the deck. The snow is getting pretty high.

And again its hard to see in this picture but that is over 7 INCHES of snow!

In Burlington Washington. Where it hardly ever snows more then an

inch or two before it melts away within 10min.

I love this weather. I really hope it keeps snowing ans sticks around for a while.

Fingers crossed!

In the mail

This evening I wrote the checks for our invitro.

All ten thousand six hundred fifty dollars and zero cents of our bill.

It is entirely possible we will be completely broke for the next, oh I don't know, 18 years at least. But It will be worth it. 100% worth it. Now I haven't put it in the envelope yet. Being sentimental as I am I was thinking that it only seems appropriate for Jake and I both to kiss the checks for luck. As soon as he gets home that is exactly what we will be doing...kissing two checks.

There is no turning back now. Here we go!

Food for thought

This weekend Jake's mother, sister and our niece and nephews visited us. Just like putting 7 people into a 1300sq ft house it got a little crazy, the floor got really dirty and we had a fun filled weekend.

On Saturday Trena and I went to Starbucks to get Chiere some coffee. We got ourselves coffee too :O) But during the car ride we talked a lot about the up coming invetro process. It is very overwhelming to say the least. It was great to have someone to talk to about it all. One thing she did ask, that to be honest I was not expecting, made me think a little.

She asked if we were preparing for this process not to work. Emotionally. I wasn't really sure how to answer that question. I was stumped, and still am. I am not thinking that this will not work. It will. We have had so much disappointment over the last 3 years that this just feels like it will work. It feels like this is what we were meant to do. Everything has just fallen into place. Why would it not work, right?

Unfortunately there is a chance that it wont. We have great odds for this working. Chiere, my mother-in-law was telling me about a young couple she knows that used IVF to get pregnant. And while it didn't work at first, it did work after a few tries. This lady was a little older then me and they were only given about a 30% chance...and it still worked. We have more then double the chance of it working and that makes me very hopeful.

I am not sure if this is something I will be able to handle not working. Not by myself at least. I know there is that possibility. I do know that. Jake knows that too. But while there is a possibility of it not working there is an even larger possibility that it will work. And we do have tons and tons of support from our friends and family.

I even had a great friend of mine ask if she could come up and cook with me before the big day to fill our freezer so that I wont even have to think about cooking for those two weeks. She even asked if she could come clean! Not that I would ever let you clean my house Esther, but it warms my heart that you would ask. Thank you so much for being such a big support for me. I would love some of the recipes that are great for freezing that you were talking about. What an amazing friend I found after years of not talking :O)

I have my first of several ultra sounds on Tuesday March 8th at 8:30 am. So until then I will just be getting myself ready for this process. Both mentally and physically...they say by time the fertilized embryos are implanted I will probably gain 5 pounds. Not excited about that, for the record. But it will sooo be worth it in the end.

This will work. But still food for thought.

"Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can."

~Unknown Author.

So blessed.

I just got off the phone with my best friend Ami. I am so blessed to have her in my life. She is such an amazing person. She has always been there for me when ever I need her, no matter what is going on in her life. We might not talk everyday, or even every week but when we do talk it seems like it was yesterday.

Thank you for being such an amazing friend! I love you and miss you so much! I can't wait to see you again soon.

P.S. Thanks for making my day. I will always be there for Alex. And you too :O)

What a week

Wow, what a week. And that might just be an understatement. Between basketball and our doctor appointment it has been a crazy week.

.. ... .. ... ..

Burlington played their biggest rivals Mount Vernon in the Battle for the Bridge on Monday. Such a great game. The Tigers played their hearts out. Unfortunately, they lost. Down by 20 at one point during the first half, they fought their way back up to loosing within a few points.

And then Friday the Tigers played South Whidbey in the first round of Districts. It was a ruff game but Burlington won 81-63. They played great, hung in there even when the Refs' were not the best, and won the game. Now the next step in getting to Regionals and State is to play Ceadercrest on Monday. I'm sure it will be another great game.

.. ... .. ... ..

So that brings us to our doctor appointment: We have been on an emotional roller coaster of emotions the last few years trying to get pregnant with no luck. Tons of doctor appointments and thousands of dollars later we are still trying. A few weeks ago we decided that our only option right now is to do invetro in order to pregnant. Wednesday was our appointment to schedule the actual day. They day we picked...March 31st, a Thursday.

I am scared. Nervous. Anxious. Excited. So many emotions running through me at once. I know this is a controversial subject for lots of reasons. But we have done our research and have an amazing doctor. We know this is what we need to do in order to start our family. I have seen it in peoples face, and heard it in friends and families voices when I tell them that this is what we are doing. All we ask is that everyone be there to support our decision and us along the way. It is not going to be an easy road. Even if the road is only 8 weeks long.

Between the different medications and appointments I know I am going to a very emotional girl. I have already told the girls at work that once we start taking the medication, if I get emotional they can't hold it against me. Work hasn't been that stressful this past week and I hope it stays that way. Stress is not something I need right now or even after we have our pregnancy test on the 12th of April.

On the 28th of March, I have a doctor appointment to have the eggs retrieved and Jake has to drop of the swimmers. I am not really looking forward to the retrieval...being that I will be asleep and they put a needle in a place you really don't want one. Apparently your ovaries are extremely close to the wall of your whooo-ha so they go in through there to get the eggs. The doctor compares it to getting your blood drawn. Yep, told ya, not some place you want a needle. I will have to take the rest of the day off to get some rest.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be normal days and then Thursday March 31st will be the day. The day our little family will start! Thursday to Sunday I need to do a lot of nothing, not even shopping. Feet up, probably watching movies. Basically bed rest. And then "light duty" for the next two weeks until our test. Again, no stress is very important. Nina, our specialist at Dr. B's office, even said I shouldn't do any cleaning during this time :O) Woohoo!

.. ... .. ... ..

So anyway, that has been our week. Busy, exciting, and stressful at times. But we were even able to get in a dinner for Valentine's Day together last night and a movie from Blockbuster. Just what we needed. I'm sure the next several weeks will be full of updates and goings on of our adventure. Remember, as controversial as this process is it is what we feel we need to do to start a family. Everything has fallen in to place and it feels like it was meant to be.

Thank you all for supporting us in the very long, very emotional journey. We love you all.

2010-2011 Tiger Basketball Seniors

I can't believe this is almost the end of the 2010-2011 Basketball season. It really seems like just yesterday when Jake and I were talking about how the season was going to start soon. That was 5 months ago! Tomorrow is their last regular season game against one of their biggest rivals Mount Vernon Bulldogs. The Tiger boys will do great, win or loose they will play their best.

Friday the 4th of February was Senior Night and the last Regular Season Home Game. These boys have been coached by Jake for the past 4 years and are some very amazing kids. Both on and off the court. All around great kids. Jake thinks the world of these boys and I know he will truly miss them next year. What a great team Burlington Tigers have this year!

Over the past few years I have become friends with one of the players parents. Katina was (4years ago and still today) the only parent that would sit next to me, a Coach's wife. We have become great friends and I will truly miss her at the games next year. Makes me a little sad actually.

Katina and her son Jordan above before the Senior night game started.Time out.Will, a Senior at the free-through line with a score of 76-75 with 1:06 to go in overtime. The guys playing their hearts out to win the game! It was a intense game that was won in overtime.

Thanks Katina for being my game buddy even if I am the wife of a Coach!

Good luck Tigers on the rest of the Regular Season! On to State!!

Taco Soup

One of the girls I work with, Stephanie, told me about her Taco Soup this past Friday. It sounded so go I grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote down her recipe. I hope it turns out, as of right now it smells soooo good.

Ingredients:

Ground beef or turkey (I used ground turkey despite Jake's wishes)

2 cans of tomatos (any kind works)

2 cans of corn (again, it doesn't matter what type of corn)

2 cans of kidney beans (I used one can dark and one light)

Packet of taco seasoning (Stephanie does her own seasoning but said this was much easier)

1 large onion chopped

1 green pepper

*and anything else that sounds like it would go good with tacos

Brown meet with chopped onions.

Add all ingredients to pot. This can be cooked in a crok pot or on the stove.

Let cook on high for 2-3 hours on the stove, or 4-5 hours in the crok pot.

1/2 hour before eating: add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup sugar.

Stir and turn to low for 30 min.

Can be served with any toppings you would put on normal tacos.

Right now, the taco soup is cooking while Jake is at the gym and I am doing laundry. It smells sooooo good and I can't wait to eat it during the Supper Bowl while watching the commercials. One suggestion Stephanie had was to get scoop chips and use it as dip. Next time we make this I think I will try that. Or adding avocados to the soup.

I'll let you know how it was :O)