Thursday, October 25, 2012

Too much fun!

Last night Kristen and I met up with some friends for dinner and then went to see Brandi Carlile (for the third time in four months).  If you have never seen her, I would highly recommend catching one of her shows.  She is an amazing singer, performer, and a supporter of gay rights (and many other causes).  Last night we were able to get about 15 feet away from the stage which was great... but the best part was when she sang "What Can I Say" unplugged.  It was beautiful and the entire audience sang the chorus of the song.  Magical!  I really enjoyed our evening and this morning my body is sore because we danced through most of the show. 

Anyway, in case it isn't obvious, I am kind of in love with her.  Kristen is nice enough to indulge my obsession by taking me to concerts and making me CDs of Brandi Carlile.  Reason #9,421 why Kristen is the one for me. :) 

I posted a couple pictures for you guys to see.  Have a great day! 






Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Anyone???

As I said in our post yesterday, we are planning on doing an IUI at home this month.  We have all of our supplies, but I am wondering if anyone that has done it has step by step instructions, pointers, or even resources that we can access.  We have some friends that were taught to do the IUI by a midwife, but I would love as much info as possible. 

Thanks for your help!  Have a wonderful Tuesday!
-Ashley

Monday, October 22, 2012

Bit the bullet

After six months without baby making progress, I finally bit the bullet and bought a vial of sperm today.  Kristen and I have been talking about it for the past two months and we decided that we will try this month.  I should ovulate on either the 30th or the 31st so I am going to have the vial delivered on Friday.  We are going to do a "DIY IUI."  Sounds like fun, huh? 

Anyway, I am trying to remain calm and level headed, but as soon as I hit the "confirm" button on the cryobank website I could feel my body start to get stressed.  I am going to work very hard at meditation, yoga, and trying to stay zen.  We shall see...

I hope everyone is having a great October!  I am pretty stoked about the amazing fall I have had.  I am looking forward to a few more months of relaxation before I go back to school. :)
-Ashley

Monday, October 15, 2012

M.I.A.

Yes, I know that I have been M.I.A. for a while.  Not because I have been busy, rather because I have not been doing anything.  With a semester off from school, things have been incredibly quiet for me... lazy really.  For the first few weeks I was completely miserable.  I haven't had this little to do in at least five or six years.  Recently, I have gotten used to the quiet and have kind of started enjoying it.  I have only been working like 28 hours a week and I have nothing else going on.  At first I thought that I would have to take up a hobby or something, but being lazy has actually been a blessing!  I think I needed it.  I haven't been so relaxed in years! 

The downside to being lazy... I find that the less I have to do, the less gets done.  When I am extremely busy with work, school, etc. I always keep my house clean, stay super organized, and get lots of stuff done.  Now that I am not busy, my house is not getting cleaned as much, my organization sucks, and I have accomplished very little (aside from watching multiple seasons of no less than three shows on Netflix).  There are days that I feel guilty about taking some time off from being "out straight" but for the most part I am looking at this as some much needed rest and relaxation.  I know life will resume its hectic pace in January, so there is no need to waste what little time I have feeling guilty! 

Kristen started her internship this semester which has made her life super busy.  She has 4 classes, an independent study class, 20 hour internship, 16 hours of work, and homework.  She is working very hard and I hope that she feels like I am supporting her.  I try not to complain about not seeing her or cleaning not getting done because I know that she is working her butt off.  I thrive on being busy 12 or 14 hours a day, but Kristen is a little more laid back so I know that this is not ideal for her.  I know that she will do very well though. 

One thing that I have noticed popping up a lot more in my thoughts lately is TTC.  Although the timing may not be perfect and our money is a little bit tight right now, I can't help but think that it would be a great time to try.  Like I said, it has been at least five years since my life was this low stress so there is a very slim chance that I will find another period in the next five years with little to no stress.  Kristen and I have talked about possibly trying in November, but we have to wait and see what the next few weeks bring financially.  I think that if we do start trying again we will probably try every few months.  That way it won't become our main focus.  I have a really hard time putting all of my time and energy into something that doesn't work.  Spreading out the tries will give me a little more time in between to get my mind off from it. 

Kristen and I went out last night for our "anniversary do-over."  It was a wonderful evening and I couldn't have asked for a better day with her.  We relaxed, went for a walk in the woods with Banjo, and had a great dinner in Freeport.  We decided to have a anniversary do-over because we ended up having an argument over dinner on our actual anniversary.  It left us both feeling pretty sad and disappointed, so we tried again.  The second try was much more successful! 

Life is going well right now.  I can't really complain about anything (aside from the fact that I need to do dishes more often).  I am looking forward to the holidays and having the opportunity to start school in January.  For now though, I am going to enjoy the lazy life!