The Thankful Project Day 10: A Memory

Welcome to day 4 of The Thankful Project. Today's prompt is: An Experience. To learn more about The Thankful Project, find the list of prompts and join in the fun, click {here}.

I'm linking up with Kenzie at Chasing Happy for this post. 

Maybe this is more of a place than a memory, but it's the memories that I have at this place that I am so thankful for.

The Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center in New York City. 

This had always been a place that held magic for me. Maybe it was the association with Christmas, but still. I dreamed of one day ice skating at this rink. Now, I'm no professional skater or anything like that, but I do love to ice skate. As I would day dream about someday getting married and going on a honeymoon, the ice rink would always be part of these dreams.

I wanted to go to New York City for my honeymoon someday.

I wanted to see the beautiful Christmas tree all lit up in Rockefeller Center and skate at the ice rink hand in hand with my love. I also wanted to get all dressed up and go to the New York City Ballet and see The Nutcracker. To some extent, I guess I figured the only way I would probably ever get to do something like this would be to go there for my honeymoon. So that was the plan. 

Then I met Jim.

Jim grew up in Upstate New York. He invited me home with him to meet his family the Thanksgiving after we started dating. And guess what!?! Since we would be fairly close to New York City he suggested we take a trip there during our visit to New York. I was beyond thrilled, especially when he said we would even be able to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center!!! I still remember standing in his kitchen {now our kitchen} making dinner as he googled things for us to do in New York City and found out that the ice rink would be open when we would be there!!

Little did I know, getting to visit the ice rink and go skating would be just the tip of the ice berg!

Jim and I had been talking about getting married. We knew that we were each "the one" and that God was leading us towards marriage. But I was fully under the impression that Jim was planning to propose at Christmas {2011}. So as we were ice skating and they asked the skaters to clear the ice, I was not even on to what was going on when they started to play our song.

That's right. Jim and I were skating all alone in the middle of the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink while they played "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes. When we finally made our way to the center of the ice rink {after several protests from me to leave the rink} it finally dawned on me what was happening...
Jim was proposing!!!!

It couldn't have been a more perfect proposal. 
The Ultimate Proposal. 

In fact it was actually filmed by The Ultimate Proposal and aired on Yahoo.  So {with a few edits} we have the whole proposal on video! And following the proposal we also had a {rainy} horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park.

Oh. And The Ultimate Proposal flew our family and one of my best friends in to share the day with us!

If you are curious and want to see the video {click here}.
For even more of the story {click here}

Fast forward about a year {Christmas 2012}. Jim and I had been married for 4 months and were expecting a baby in May!

This year we would be spending Christmas in New York. Sooo once again we decided to take a little trip {Baby Moon} to reminisce about our engagement the year before. After we boarded the plane to New York, Jim handed me a card with some clues in it. It was a surprise! We were going to be getting an ultrasound done at Goldenview Ultrasound in New York City!

At first I was cautious and concerned. Was this place reputable and safe? Duh! My husband is a pro researcher, so of course he had found us a great place and gotten us a super good deal! Our medical ultrasound wasn't supposed to be until January 2nd, but we had wanted to know the sex of our baby for Christmas and we were going to get to find out!

That night, we went to our appointment. Our baby was a little shy at first and kept his legs crossed so we couldn't see the goods right away. But after a little jumping and shaking him around, he uncrossed his legs and voila!

But we didn't find out right then and there. No, no, no. We had to do something more exciting than that. Instead, we had the ultrasound tech write the sex on the back of a Rockefeller Center post card that we had brought with us and also asked her to include a picture that showed us the sex (as well as our millions of other amazing pictures). We then took the postcard and pictures in an envelope to the Ice Rink.

And there we stood, facing the rink where our lives had started an amazing journey together just over a year ago. Slowly, we pulled out the post card...

It's a BOY!! 
We were having a baby boy! 

Such a magical moment and a beautiful memory.

To read the full recap of our Gender Reveal and Baby Moon {click here}

I'm so thankful for these memories and especially for my husband going the extra mile to make these special memories for us. I can't wait to some day go back and skate as a family with our little boy, Christian James, and tell him all about our story and how we found out he would be a boy!

What memory are you thankful for? 

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!!

Name a Brad Paisley song and I can almost always relate it to my relationship with my husband.

We danced to this song for the first time as a married couple and now, every time I hear it, I am taken back to that moment in time, wrapped in my new husband’s arms staring into each other’s eyes, so in love and so naïve...but not in a bad way :)

August 18, 2013 marked our 1 YEAR Anniversary!

WOW!

It’s not that I didn’t think we would make it to the 1 year mark. No, we WILL make it last a lifetime.

I’m just in awe that we have been MARRIED for 1 full year and how much has changed in the past year. How fully this song truly describes our relationship but not in the ways that I ever thought…its so much better.

In the past year we:

Got married.

Moved in together.

Got pregnant.

Fought.

Cried.

Laughed.

Really became best friends.

Had a baby.

Bonded as a family of 3.

Disagreed.

Challenged each other.

Laughed some more.

Slept A LOT.

Watched too much TV.

Gained weight…hey, we were pregnant after all :)

Prayed together.

Served together.

Dated each other. 

Enjoyed each other’s company.

Pushed each other out of bed…a queen just isn’t big enough I guess!

Experienced the “in sickness” part of our vows…from pregnancy nausea to cranky with colds.

Went back to Rockefeller Center where we got engaged.

We did life together and couldn’t have asked for a better year. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to be by my side through it all. Through the fun and the tears, Jim is the best supporter, friend, and husband and now I’m so lucky to call him the daddy to our baby boy.

Through all this past year has brought (and it has been a great year full of many wonderful memories), my view of “love” has changed. I can very distinctly remember giving advice to friends telling them “love is not just a feeling, it’s a choice.” I don’t think I fully understood what I was telling them until having lived this past year.

Through our story it is so obvious to me that God meant us for each other and his hand was ever present in bringing us together. Even though this was always so clear to me, with my raging hormones from pregnancy, those strong feelings of love weren’t always 100% present like I assumed they always would be.

“I thought I loved you then”… To me when we picked this song for our first dance, I thought it meant that my romantic feelings for my husband would just automatically grow stronger and stronger every day just by being so close together. HA HA!

I seriously laughed out loud as I read what I just wrote.

Love. Is. A. Choice.

We can even choose to feel those romantic feelings. I remember talking with a close friend who is wise beyond her years. I told her that I didn't always get “butterflies” anymore and that little things like holding hands just wasn’t as exciting... I just expected it! I loved my husband and wanted to be with him, but it was different. I loved him in a REAL way, not just a romantic way any more.

Even more, I realized that its okay that the romantic way doesn’t just happen any more. This same friend advised me that 'romantic' is how you define it. You can choose to feel romantic towards your husband when he holds your hand or gives you that little kiss as he walks by. He doesn’t have to do those things and is choosing to do them as well...and so should I!

When we were dating and even engaged, we were so wrapped up in the newness of our relationship, the way we felt with one another. A year into marriage, that newness has faded somewhat and that excitement doesn’t just happen. It has to be nurtured and kindled daily. That, and we also jumped out of the "honeymoon phase" and right into real life with a baby! And we are so glad we did! 

GREAT MARRIAGES DON’T JUST HAPPEN.

I have learned a lot in the past year:

How to get out millions of different stains from my husbands clothes...from left on stickers to mustard!

White carpets + Baby + Dog + Husband who drinks red wine + me who likes to keep my shoes on = Not the best combination

I’m not always right. Shocker, I know!! 

Just because it's not my way, doesn't mean it's the wrong way. 

Don’t bottle up your feelings. Communication is key.

Compromise.

Enjoy each other.

Fight….but don’t yell or be silent...Have "discussions" as my hubby calls them :)

Pray. Pray often.

Choose love. Choose romance. Prioritize your relationship….even if it means getting a babysitter!

“And I thought I loved you then”…but now its more than just romance…It’s romance coupled with that covenantal love that is so much deeper. It’s an “I need you and I choose to love you and can't imagine my life without you by my side” love. A love that is a choice is just so much deeper and real, one that is not fading. “And I thought I loved you then.”

Can’t wait to see how much deeper this love will grow through all that is to come in the next year!

So...with all that we got to experience in our first year, we definitely needed to celebrate! And celebrate we did! My hubby surprised me Saturday night (the day before our anniversary) and took us to dinner at Red Lobster as a family (Thanks Grandma Strickland!). Red Lobster seems to be our favorite restaurant and where a lot of big things happen for us...celebrating our 1 month marriage anniversary, deciding to take a pregnancy test, celebrating our 1 year marriage anniversary, New Year's, my birthday, the list goes on and on!

But before we went to dinner, my sweet, romantic hubby took us on a "tour" of important places in our relationship:

Grand Hall Studio where we had our wedding reception

Hosanna Church where we were married

My Apartment...and he had me get out of the car and walk down from the apartment doors and get in the car like I would when he would always pick me up for dates :) I was bawling at this point!

The park we would go walking at.

On Sunday we went to church as a family and then had some friends babysit while went to dinner at a rooftop restaurant in Uptown...the same restaurant we celebrated our 1 month anniversary at when we were dating :)


Family picture at church outside of the room we were married in...exactly 1 year ago

Enjoying this yummy sangria without having to worry about when I needed to feed Christian next

My yummy meal! The sun was blinding me so I kinda didn't get the best pic...

Hubby's yummy meatball sandwich

Then we were planning to go kayaking on Lake Calhoun, but due to wind they weren't allowing water rentals...bummer. So we chilled on the beach and walked around a bit and then hit up some mini golfing! Apparently that is becoming our thing! haha We didn't keep score this time, but we had lots of fun!

My hubby thinks he is a golf model :) 

Striking a pose...

And another...

And another... :) looking hot ;) 

Looks like he hit a hole in one...but he didn't....I DID though on hole 7 :) That's right. We didn't keep score because hubby was afraid of losing this time I think... 

Blue ball to match my pretty blue nails! 

Then we headed to pick up our sweet little boy who made us the cutest card ever!!




Christian talking to Nora while she showed him how to play with toys :) 

He was pretty tuckered out from playing with his friend Nora all afternoon, but was able to stay awake long enough to sit with us while we ate our wedding cake! Which to my surprise was still quite delicious! Sooo not good for my weight loss....oops.



Then we reminisced and looked through photo books and photos and all of our wedding and honeymoon stuff.

It was a very special day for us...then Monday came. The day that one year ago we were leaving on our honeymoon to the bahamas...bummer...

Maybe a 5 year anniversary and we can return!? :)

Can't wait to do another year with this amazing man! LOVE HIM! So blessed! 

Date Nights

One of the things Jim and I promised each other when we got married was that we would continue to date. We would date as a married couple and we would date as a married couple with kids. 

Dates are fun, right? Something we used to always look forward to! Well, I have to be honest, dating with a baby is a little harder than I imagined it would be. 

My mom came to visit in the middle of July and while she was here we decided it would be the perfect time to go on our first "date" since Christian was born. We planned it in advance and I anxiously showed my mom where everything was and gave her the 411 on taking care of Christian.

I wasn't nervous that my mom wouldn't take GREAT care of Christian. I just wanted her to know where everything was. 

We left the house and I was completely comfortable and excited to spend some quality time with my hubby! Although, it did feel weird not having Christian with us. Not long after we got to dinner, I started getting emotional. It may have been because we were reminiscing over the life events we have partook in at Red Lobster over the past 2 years, or it may have been because it was our first time out of the house without our little boy. And there is no reason he can't be with us for dinner of all things! 

Well, eating dinner without a baby IS much more relaxing and being able to focus on each other without caring for a baby IS a lot less distracting...but still. 

So there I sat...in tears...on our "first date". Not exactly my idea of "romantic" especially when all I really wanted was to be with our little boy. 

Luckily, my hubby had a few tricks up his sleeve...as usual :) Our date wasn't over after dinner like I had thought it was. We were going mini golfing! And not just your normal mini golfing, but NEON mini golfing! So fun! 

Jim dressed perfectly for the neon lights! 

I, on the other hand, was unprepared... 

Don't worry...we weren't really hitting our balls like it was real golf! 

It wasn't long after we started our round that my mind was off Christian and focused on having fun with my hubby and really enjoying time with him.

I think I must have been having too much fun, though, because I lost! I never lose to my hubby! Oh well :) My win was conquering date night! 

As we headed home, though, I realized that we were going to need to do this again. While I love spending time with my hubby, I really wanted to just have 'date nights' be 'family nights' from there on out. But I knew this wouldn't be good or healthy for our relationship. Dating is good for our relationship and will help us stay connected and continue to grow together and enjoy each other as more than just 'parents'. 

Our 1 year anniversary is approaching, and I'm hoping it goes better. Here are my newest thoughts on dating after baby and how I hope to do it from now on...

My Tips to Ease Back Into Dating Post Baby: 

1. Don't wait too long to start! I honestly don't know if this would have made a huge difference, but I can only think that the less time we would have waited, the easier it would have been. It would have been our new normal. 

2. Start small. Your first date doesn't need to be elaborate. Maybe its something as simple as leaving the house for 30 minutes - 1 hour and just going for a walk and engaging in undistracted conversation. As you get more comfortable leaving your new bundle of joy, stretch your dates longer. 

3. Do something fun! This not only makes for an enjoyable date, but it makes for a distracting date! In a good way! The second part of our date involved mini golfing...very fun and took my mind off the fact that our little guy wasn't with us and let me enjoy time with my hubby. It also wasn't really something we could have brought Christian to do, which made me feel less guilty. 

4. Do it often! I think the more you date and get a babysitter, the more comfortable you will become.

5. Find a babysitter you trust or do some 'practice babysitting'. If you are opting for a high school babysitter, you may be a little more nervous about leaving your new baby...at least I am! But something I'm hoping to do is have a babysitter come take care of Christian while I am home. For example, we have a small group with several couples with children and eventually we will need child care during small group. With a high school babysitter watching the kids upstairs, I'm hoping to get comfortable and confident in leaving Christian with someone else. 

What tips do you have? What has helped you? 

Christian's Birth Story - Chapter 6 ... Then Comes a Baby in a Baby Carriage - We're Pregnant!

About a week after getting home from their honeymoon, the young girl kept finding herself super tired. She was confused how such a relaxing trip could have left her so tired so she forced herself to stay up until her normal bed time every night and wouldn't allow an earlier bed time. 

As the due date for her period drew closer, the couple decided that they should take a pregnancy test, just for fun and to practice for when they really needed to take one! Of course, it came back negative. A few days later, though, they decided to test again...still negative. 

On September 15, 2012, the couple went out to dinner to celebrate exactly 4 weeks of marriage! They were chatting away and talking about all that the last 4 weeks had brought. All of a sudden, the young girl realized that her period was a day late, but she was sure it was probably still coming because she was never that regular. Then the young girl realized that she wasn't experiencing any of the normal PMS type symptoms that she normally would be at that point. The young man immediately said that the young girl needed to take another test. The young girl was hesitant, and didn't want to be disappointed yet again. But she decided to take another test as soon as they got home...

And it was POSITIVE!!! 

The young girl was in shock and the young man turned as white as a ghost! He was so excited and so shocked and scared all at the same time, as was the young girl! The young man immediately insisted that the couple go to the store and buy more tests, as this was their last test. They needed to be sure that this was an accurate reading. 

So to the store they went! The young girl was so embarrassed going in to buy just a pregnancy test and told her young husband to be sure to flash his ring to the cashier A LOT! The young girl was shaking she was so nervous!

Once they got the tests, the young girl immediately took 2 more as soon as they got home. They BOTH were positive again!!! 

Right away, they got on the phone and conference called both their moms! They knew right away what the couple had to share and were so excited!! 

Next it was time to call the dads...who also were VERY excited! 

And the best friend...a text message for her at first and this was her response :) 

Just to be sure, the couple decided the young girl should test again first thing in the morning...POSITIVE again! 

But still...JUST TO BE SURE...they went to urgent care Sunday afternoon and had a blood test done.

Apparently at home tests are quite accurate and it is highly unlikely that you will get a false positive. As soon as the couple told the doctor that they had gotten several positive test results at home, the doctor confidently said, "You're pregnant" before even giving the young girl the test. 

And sure enough...the blood test came back POSITIVE! They were having a baby! 

 Waiting in the doctor's office...SOOOO nervous! 

And the story continues....