Thankful Thursday!

Hello world! I am sorry for the skipping of the TT last week but truth be told it wasn't a good week.  Not that I didn't have things to be thankful for but I just didn't want to pester you with my misery.  This week has been a bit better, minus the 24 hour headache that has finally stopped. Nevertheless, life goes on and so must

 the gratitude.

This week's winners are...

Food From Home - I can tell you that I do not have an appetite for anything over here but the second I think of DeeJay's pizza or soup from Fratelli's my mouth starts to water.  I hope that my appetite is out of this world when I go home and that the thought of food in my mouth no longer turns my stomach.  And stuffing! OMG, stuffing!

My Sense of Humor -  If you can't laugh at yourself then you are in pretty rough shape for really tough times.   This isn't even a really tough time in the grand scheme of things, I know.  But right now, it is really difficult and complex.  As soon as one thing stops to hurt another thing starts. (STOPS TO HURT?  WHAT??!)   As soon as one thing stops hurting another thing starts.   I mean I laugh at myself all of the time but when my sciatic nerve began to bother me on both sides, I just lost it.  Of course this kid of mine would aggravate the biggest nerve in the body. By the way, Pip is only the size of a quarter! How could something so small cause so much chaos?! I think he/she will be the first baby grounded from the get go :)

Daily Deals from the Scranton Times - Or other companies like that.   A few weeks ago Fratelli's was on offer.  So it's like you pay $10 for a $20 gift certificate to Fratelli's.  My brother got me some and I cannot wait to gobble that up.

Gingerbread Men -  So it is true, ginger does help an upset belly.  Mint has failed me and a whole bunch of other things as given no relief but Dann found cute little bite-sized gingerbread men that hit the spot.  Yep, I keep them on the side of my bed and much on them during the night. The funny part is that I hate ginger.  I think it burns my tongue.  Well, now ginger and I are best friends.     Ha. I had a dog named Ginger.  She was my best friend!

Apple Care -  So Dann and I have this habit of kicking each other's laptops off of the bed. I've learned to not leave mine on the bed and until last week Dann liked to put his laptop wherever my feet were.  Late last Wednesday night it just went sailing off of the bed.  Since it happens all of the time we didn't really think anything of it.  He picked up his laptop about 45 minutes after the incident and the screen wouldn't turn on.  It was terrible.  As if either one of us have the money replace anything on a mac. I cried my little eyes out. He did buy the three year warranty but when I asked him when he got it he wasn't sure and it made me cry harder. There wasn't an appointment at the Genius Bar for a week so I had to wait a whole week in hopes that they would be able to fix it.     And they were able to fix it for free!!  Oh thank goodness!  It would have cost us 450 POUNDS to fix that.  If you convert that to dollars, I could buy a whole new laptop and a half.  I'm a good shopper. :)


What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday ( Insomnia Edition)

Be thankful for all that you have, because you never know what will happen next. - Unknown (and I cannot Google it right now)

So here we are at the end (beginning) of another week. I'd like to tell you that it has been a fantastic week but it has not been and I cannot lie. Nevertheless, we must be grateful for this IS life.

(Ugh! I just realized no boldface this week because I'm blogging from my phone!)

This week I am thankful for...

My Friend Not Having Cancer - Almost two weeks ago my friend sent me a message saying that she had some problems with her lady parts and her doctor was concerned that it might be cancer. I'm very grateful that cancer it is not and her problems will be wrapped up momentarily!

Subway Restaurant - There are some days that I have no appetite at all and then I think of theeeeee delectable ranch dressing that subway offers me and I want to eat! You'd swear their food is made of gold if you could see how fast I devour it! I suppose gold isn't the best thing say because I have no interest in gold.


Donna - I've known Donna since middle school and I'm her son's godmother. This week was her bday and she was kind enough to run to Target for me to pick up an über sale of "Hotel Transylvania" for me. I'm very happy about this because I hate missing sales and I hate paying a trillion dollars for movies!

Jacob Still Wanted Me To Be His Valentine - I couldn't be happier about this. Although he is not too thrilled on Pip's arrival he did tell me that he will protect Pip (if Pip is a girl, if Pip is a boy then Jake's going to wrestle with Pip when Pip's five). He agreed that he would be my big helper over the summer, as long as he can still get DS games. So it appears that he and I both need time to get used to Pip's arrival. However... when I asked him, anxiously, who his valentine was he smiled and said it was me (and his mom but whateves)! Goodness, at least I didn't lose that spot!

My Valentine, Daniel - So he's a big help these days. I mean he usually always is but the last three weeks it's been Dann that has been doing everything from cooking and cleaning to rubbing my feet. I mean in all reality he should be doing something while I'm growing a human that is half him but I must say that I am pretty lucky to have this guy. Even when I'm a grumpy bear and being unacceptably mean (it happens, folks), he is patient and doesn't hold it against me at the end of the day when I am putting on the charm asking him to tickle my back. I'm sure there are many ladies out there who have a much harder time than I do and do not have someone like Dann. He was so stinkin' cute on VDay, and sneaky as well, which was much appreciated because it was nice to not think, "OH MY GOD! THERE'S A HUMAN GROWING INSIDE OF ME!" While I handle other obstacles with grace and humor, Pip is getting the best of me. I'm happy to know that Dann is here to catch me if I fall, joke around when I'm sad and make me food at four in the morning because my body goes through energy like Taylor Swift goes through boyfriends. So looking on the bright side, I find myself grateful that I'm not having a baby with some bloke who'd rather be at the bar meeting new ladies instead of doing all he can to help. Or just staying clear of this lady who reminds him every second that everything is his fault because he's the reason she's pregnant in the first place. Yeah, I'd be at the bar if I was him or you know trying to throw myself in prison. :)

So, dear friends, what are you thankful for?


Sorry about the lack of formatting. I am blogging from my phone in my bed wishing that I could just sleeeeeep.

We Now Return to Your Regular Scheduled Programming... Thankful Thursday!

It's that time again!  I hope that some of you think of things to be grateful for while waiting for my post to pop  up on your News Feed or emails or however you are notified.  So it's been a crazy week, huh? Let's let the gratitude continue...

Stefanie, Krissy and Jenn -  These three have been running all over the creation in order to pick up medicines and other things to send out to me that just aren't in England.  I appreciate their kindness more than they'll ever know.

Jasmine and Danny -  Jasmine is one of my best friends here and Danny is her other half.  Quite a comical team in normal circumstances but as of late their generosity, thoughtfulness and time are so very abundant I cannot express enough gratitude for them.

Froot Loops - Yeah, I know, I'm not supposed to have them. However, when that is the only thing that I can keep down while also giving me strength for three hours, my doctor didn't argue. I am glad that they exist and I am sad to have run out of them.  Today was a bad day and I blame it on my lack of Froot Loops.

My Mom - Yes, I also know I have been grateful for her more times than I can count but it is true.  And another thing I've learned is that when you have unexpected surprises given to you in life and they turn your life upside down, it will be your mother that picks your behind off of the floor, dusts you off, and remind you that things will be okay even if it is from 3,500 miles away.  She is the one that I can be so honest with and she won't come back with a response that will scare me to smithereens. She tells me what I can and cannot eat when I am unsure (I don't know, I think that everything is bad for me right now). She also reminds me, constantly, that there are more than enough hands to help me out once Pip arrives, which is the most comforting thing for me to hear.  Pip and I will be okay and we cannot wait to see Mimi on March 16 when she graces Liverpool with her presences, even if it is just to bring her knocked up daughter back to the States! ;)

That I Am Not a Teenager -  Not to knock any previous or current teen moms out there but I remind myself constantly that this unexpected situation could be worse, I could be 14 and unemployed with a baby on the way.  (Did you see the 9 yr old that just gave birth in Mexico?) Instead, I am 28 and only sort of  unemployed with two masters degrees and a wealth of life experiences that will aide in raising this human that is on its way. In most women's lives this is a wonderful time to have a baby!  I just have to remind myself of that when the fear knocks me off my tukus.


What are you thankful for?

We Interrupt Your Regular Programming For This Very Important Announcement

“It doesn't take much to surprise others, but to surprise oneself- now that is a great feat.” ― Kristen Hartley


So in last week's TT I shared that Dann and I might move the wedding up six weeks from October to August 2014 because we don't love the idea of paying $95 per heater. This made many people believe I was pregnant. I don't know why because there would be no point in moving a wedding up six weeks if I was pregnant now.  But we are just considering moving the wedding up to cut a few hundred off of the cost of the wedding.  But...

I am pregnant. 

Yes.  It's a shock and a surprise.  I was late and I thought my body was just dealing with the stress and exhaustion from traveling and  being home for the holidays - Honey Bee's arrival and my best friend's mom dying took it's toll on me and I think everyone could see that when they looked at me.   So when I told Dann to get a test when he was getting dinner on a Monday night, it was just to calm my nerves because there was no way I could be knocked up since I was on the pill.  I had a pain in my stomach all day so I thought it was my appendix more than I ever imagined it being a baby.  By the time Dann got home I already had it in my head that I was going to tell him it was positive.  I'm cruel and I love jokes and Dann's shocked face is probably the best thing I've ever seen.  So, you know, I went into the bathroom with a smirk because this was going to be the funniest thing I've done all week. 

Sometimes, folks, the joke ends up being on yourself. As I was waiting for the result to pop up "Not Pregnant,"  I was reading all of the idiotic questions that came in the instructions.  I was talking to myself making fun of it as I looked down and saw "PREGNANT 3+!"   WHAT THE HECK?! 

I shouted or gasped or something so dramatic that I would annoy myself I saw it on playback. Life does not come with that function.  I went out to Dann.  I couldn't even speak and he said, "You're pregnant?"  and I sobbed.  I sobbed for the next five days because this was not a part of my plan.  I immediately called my sister.  I went to the hospital to get this appendix pain checked out.  They confirmed I was pregnant.  As if the two at home tests didn't confirm it enough.  

My world was up in the air and I was 3,500 miles away from my home, my doctors, and my mom. Yes, I wanted my mom and that is okay. 

So I called my doctor.  Could I even carry a baby? Did I even want to?  Would it be too risky? A simple Monday night, joke gone wrong, turned my whole life upside down.  And I had no control over it.  I love control. I loathe chaos.  We had plans.  We wanted to start our careers, travel, be free for a little while.  But the nurse at the Women's Hospital told me that some things are meant to be.  Really, lady?  Do you really think I want to hear about your philosophy on why unexpected fiascoes arise?  Sorry, friends, sarcasm and humor is how I deal with stress. 

I was terrified.  I still am terrified.  It's a human being.  I am hardly responsible enough to take care of myself, not to mention I'm lazy, impatient, stubborn, and the freest spirit you'll ever know.  I am the one who is "living the dream."  So I think it's okay to be terrified.  I am going to have a constant sidekick along with my part-time sidekick, Jacob.  Wowza!

I confided in friends while waiting to put the words right to the doctor.  Maybe not right but to say it in a manner that wasn't hysterical.  Hysterics is what I was in.  Slowly but surely, I am calming down and beginning to get happy about this. Just think, I have someone totally new to annoy for the rest of its life! On top of that, I have something to hold over Dann's head for the rest of my life.   

So the doctor believes that this baby, Pip, and I will be okay to continue with this pregnancy. 

We will go to Hopkins for a C-Section and I imagine a few hundred times before the baby gets here. 

It won't be easy (surprise, surprise) but I trust that the Universe wouldn't steer me too wrong too many times.  Who knows maybe this Pip of mine will change the world?  It certainly has already changed mine.  I've never known someone to stop me in my tracks until this kid.    

...Of course, I wouldn't rest with saying I'm stopping in my tracks.  I'd be comfortable with yielding though. 

I hope that I am half as good as a mother as my mom is and maybe half as good of an aunt as I am!  My mother is amazing and, let's face it, I am a kickass aunt.  :) 

By this point, I'll have to announce it on Facebook.  I am the only one who hasn't and I'm the mama.  So I hope that all of my family has heard the news from another source than the anti-social networking site.  If you didn't I apologize. I tried my very hardest to let everyone know before it was on Facebook.  News travels fast in a small world.  

Oh... please, if you will, send good juju and positive vibes our way.