Tuesday, July 21, 2009

ICLW - Welcome!

ICLW - Welcome to my blog! I chose a few pictures to tell you a little about myself.
This is a picture on our wedding day: September 4, 2004


This is one of my greatest accomplishments yet. I ran the Paris Marathon with my Mom in April of 2008. It was her 10th marathon and my first!

This is our fur-baby Guinness. She is the cutest pug I have ever seen! We keep her trim and she is spoiled beyond belief. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that she is little and she is the current stand-in for a "real" baby!


You may call us insane, crazy, out of our minds, etc. but we bought a new house that needs a lot of updating and it is all happening during our first IVF cycle! As J. always says "We tend to just do everything at once!" So far it has all gone well. We are staying at my Mom's house while we are doing the renovations at the new house so I'm not on bedrest while walls are literally coming down around me.


During the first, almost 5 years, of our marriage we made a vow that we were going to travel like crazy so that once we have kids we won't regret anything. We have had so much fun traveling in these 5 years. Many of the trips centered around either running or baseball games. It is fun to have an extra purpose for going on vacation. We live in MN so this is a picture from Spring Training down in Florida this last April.




Don't get me wrong, we love to go on trip that all we do it sit on our butts and get a tan. This is a picture from my "birthday vacation" this February in Jamaica. We stayed at a Sandals resort for the first time and it was wonderful! They really spoil you there!




Yes, I turned 30 this year. I had way harder of a time turning 29. We were over a year into TTC and it was hard to think that I could possibly be over 30 before I even conceived my first child. 30 was a lot easier - I think I used up all my freaking out in my 29th year of life. So I took full advantage of this milestone birthday and had J. take me on a long weekend to Jamaica.



One of my most favorite hobbies is scrapbooking. I have about 6 books filled with memories of our wedding, parties and vacations. I have the most perfect scrapbook and coordinating paper all picked out for our future first child's baby book.



I am a teacher so that is another reason for "doing everything at once". I have the time to do it during June, July and August. I could not even imagine being able to get to the insane amount of appointments I had to this summer for the IVF cycle. Plus I think my students would not have liked me the best on all the hormones (at least the pregnancy ones will have a visible reason for them). I taught 3rd grade at the best elementary school last year. Because of budget reasons I am getting moved to a different elementary school (in the same district) and will be teaching a different grade - 4th. I am much more a primary teacher so I'm scared for the 4th graders. I'm already having nightmares about them. It will be fine, I'm sure.


A group of couples that we hang out with on a regular basis decided to from a wine club. We rotate houses for hosting and get together to taste different wines. It is a lot of fun and we have had tried some really good wines and some horrible ones that went straight down the kitchen sink. We took a trip to Napa and Sonoma Counties a couple summers ago. This has become J. and my favorite wine - Sequoia Grove - it is a boutique winery in Napa County. We belong to their wine club and look forward to their shipments of wine right to our front door every few months.



So that is a bit (or a lot) about me. I am currently in my last few ours of bedrest from the embryo transfer on Sunday. I will go in for my first b/w next Tuesday the 28th. It is going to be a long week. Thankfully I have ICLW to keep me busy! Thank you for visiting!










24 comments:

  1. Wow we have a lot in common! I grew up in "a big city in MN"- I'm guessing you are a Twins fan too? We went to Jamaica in March, and Napa a few years ago. I feel the same way about turning 30 this fall. Up until now, being 29 has been more difficult! Oh, and the teacher thing too... What are you going to do about the wine club once you are PG from this IVF??? I bet it will be hard to keep it from them for very long!

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  2. I love how you did this. Showing and telling about yourself. It is nice to meet you and I am wishing you all kinds of luck and baby dust on this cycle!

    ICLW

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  3. What a great post! We have a lot in common - my birthday is in February, we love to travel (went to a Sandals in Jamaica for our honeymoon and you are right, they spoil you!!) and I love scrapbooking, too!

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  4. Great pics! And I'm looking for input... my dh and I are considering getting a pug. We are looking for an affectionate dog, that isn't too yappy, and that will be fun and playful. What's your opinion?

    Fabulous intro, by the way!
    ~ICLW

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  5. thats so neat that you are a teacher...looks like you are a kindred soul...i used to be a preschool teacher.

    ♥ ac

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  6. Great intro, it was really creative :)
    GL this cycle.

    ICLW

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  7. A couples' wine club sounds lots of fun!!!

    I'm a teacher too (middle school) and did my first IVF cycle in May/June. (Didn't get out of school until the third week of June.) It was crazy, especially after we got bad news (failure to fertilize) in the middle of second period. Ugh. I was very worried they were going to make us take a break, which would take us to Sept and "waste" my whole summer of time off in terms of IVF.

    But they didn't! So I'm appreciating the flexibility I have in going to appts, though bw and u/s is always in the morning and interrupts my sleeping it. :)

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  8. Here from ICLW/LFCA...

    Paris is a brilliant location for your first marathon!

    Just wanted to wish you the best with the cycle. I hope that all of the distractions help you get through the 2WW with your sanity intact. :)

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  9. What an original way to introduce yourself! Loved it!!

    Running a maraton with your mother - how nice :-)

    Wishing you all the luck with this cycle!

    ICLW

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  10. Wow, what a great intro post! I love that you went to Spring Training, that must have been really fun!

    Good luck this summer with your cycle!

    ICLW

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  11. Nice introduction to yourself! Will be stopping by more frequently to catch up on your story. I wish you success with this cycle and the house renovating of course!

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  12. Howdy! Thought I'd stop over and say hi. How are you doing post-ET??? Love the pics of the little embies and sending prayers your way.

    ICLW

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  13. Hi K.T.!

    Just stoppin' by to show you some love during ICLW.

    Thanks for sharing so much about yourself in this post! Your pug is A-dorable. =)

    I have my fingers crossed for you, hoping for a nice, strong beta on Tuesday!

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  14. Hope you are doing well and that furbaby is making those embabies comfortable!!!

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  15. Great ICLW intro! I loved it!

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  16. Good luck with this cycle! I hope you get great news with your beta this week!

    ICLW

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  17. I love the intro to your blog! I hope you get great news on Tuesday!!! Good luck!
    ~ICLW~

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  18. Dear K.T., Even though you touched upon my blog very early, I have taken a few centuries to finally cruise into yours.

    28th could be a very remarkable day for both of us! Wishing you the very best! And Good Luck!

    I loved the way you have done your intro and I especially loved your scrapbooking/wedding pic!


    ICLW

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  19. P.S. Wishing a huge good luck to BOTH of US!

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  20. I love this intro, very unique! Good luck with everything this cycle! :)
    ~Michelle
    ICLW
    www.mmproper.blogspot.com

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  21. Wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing so much about yourself. Hope and pray this cycle is fruitful and your house is finished in time to bring home the baby(ies).

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  22. We went to Jamaica on a cruise, love it! Nice to meet you!

    Kellie
    ICLW

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  23. Hello from someone who grew up in a Big City in Minnesota too! And I still live in the big city in Minnesota.

    Lucky you for to attend Twins spring training. That is always occurring during the end of my speedskating season so I can never visit. One year though.

    4th graders are my favorite. You will be fine. Now that I think of it... we have a LOT in common. I work for one of the big districts central service option, so I am out of the classroom for the time being.

    Adding you to my reader.

    Stopping by for an ICLW visit...
    No. 95: The Unfair Struggle (male-factor infertility, good friends, neighborhood rumblings)

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  24. Happy ICLW!

    Great intro! Very original, I love it!

    Fourth grade is a lot of fun! I was in my daughter's class all year long volunteering when she was in 4th grade and the kids were SO much fun! A lot better then 5th!

    Sending you SO much love and luck for your transfer! Gooo embies!
    *HUGS*

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