2010!!

The year...THE year, as it comes to a close.  What a great year.  Don't we all say it at some point?  And then repeat it again another year?  The curveballs life throws at us each year, and one moment can define an entire year.

But for me...2010...a great year.  THE year.

In January, I took my first trip to Ohio and met the people who have loved Matt from afar for the past couple of years.  And I planned an "announced elopement" in 3 weeks.  It wasn't too difficult...that is the point of eloping, yes??  My brother-in-law married us, my sister, baby Reid, and Rebecca and Brady were our witnesses.  Our parents loved us from their homes and our photographer's daughter video-taped the ceremony for our loved ones.

Ohhhh...it was so cold!!!!

March marked the celebration of Matt's and my wedding.  With our close friends and family, put on by my wonderful parents, we talked, ate, smiled, and toasted the night away.

Late Spring brought on another whirlwind summer and with the summer came the challenge of the 101 in 1001 project.  The originating point of this blog.  

May brought forth house-hopping.  We sold my house in April, closed April 25 and moved in with my parents.  Matt, me, the dog, and the cat.  It was....cramped.  After about a week, we moved in with Christina and Richard, the lovely couple who set us up.  4 dogs, 1 cat, 4 adults...but there was more room there.  After just shy of 2 weeks, we closed on our new-to-us house in Tomball.  

How...how...how, how how do I not have a picture of the front of my house???  Really?? I feel like I have a picture somewhere, I just cannot seem to find it.  More searching.....Yes!!! Success!! 

September marked the end of a fast moving summer season with an old-school river trip with the Upper Management of A-Beautiful Pools and a fabulous trip back to the Florida Coast, to Watersound, FL.  Matt and I met up with Rebecca and Brady at a gorgeous beach house just south of Destin.  We scored on cheap flights through Southwest's deals, and had a R-E-L-A-X-I-N-G time.  Gorgeous sunsets, wonderfully cooked meals (that I just smelled while the others ate, fish mostly, lol), lounged at the beach, and browsed the Destin outlets.

Floating the Comal River

Dinner at the Gristmill

Right outside the beach house, maybe 200 steps.

Brady, Rebecca, Matt, Myself and the gorgeous sunset of Watersound Beach.

October...oh another joyous trip back to the Florida Coast!!  How lucky are we??  2010 was definitely the year of the trips.  We took the trip straight back to the place we married in January.  We stayed in the same condo complex a block from the coast, hit the cold waters, ate at the great places we didn't have time to eat when we were there for the wedding, and did a little sight-seeing.
Here I am wondering why I don't have a blog post about this trip, but I didn't want to post the pictures that would later show up on our Christmas card of 2010.  So here they are!!

Mexico Beach, FL

We were married here, where the tide is covering the sand

November...oh November.  We found out we are pregnant on November 8.  It was a tear-filled night after most of the year of trying.  Oh, 2010, the year of the positive pregnancy test.  It will forever be, THE year.
I think that's saying enough...


And December.  Christmas...the end of the year.  Almost 2011.  Christmas was good to me.  It was a good time with family.  And it will be the last Christmas spent as a family of two.

To say that I am excited for 2011 is a gross understatement.  Seven months into the year there will be a little one.  We will definitely be celebrating Christmas in July.  What a special gift 2011 will bring us.

So, as I said, 2010, it was a great year.  THE year.  Will 2011 top it?  I sure hope so.
Happy New Year to you and yours.  I hope only good things for you in the year to come.

The Best Laid Plans

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

For years it's been in my mind that I would have a baby in October.  It would be perfect.  I'd get pregnant in January.  I would have months upon months with my sweet baby by my side in the down season.  I wouldn't have to worry right off the bat about childcare.  January...alright, perfect.  Matt's and my wedding was in January.  While we were engaged, we talked about how stressful it would be to get pregnant right away.  My sister did it...she had a surprise, and she survived.  I was told about the difficult moments, the added stress of sleepless nights (and days) to an already stressful situation of learning the process of a new normal, someone around all the time, someone seeing you at your absolute worst, seeing the highs and lows of your life that were able to be sheltered before.  So, Matt and I discussed it and we decided we would just see what happened.  January came and went.  February came and went.  March came and went....and so on.  I won't get into the nitty-gritty here on this blog but emotions ran high, questions were asked, doctors were visited, and the months, well they just kept passing us by.

But, come October, my body obviously decided to cooperate.  And we are overjoyed.  We are cautious, but way more than happy.

We told our parents on Thanksgiving.  It went *close* to plan but not exactly as it was planned out to be.  At one point in the evening, we started taking pictures.  We took pictures of the Fraser family and then of Matt and I with his parents and soon added in my parents.  My sister was behind the camera saying "Ok, say cheese!"  And everyone followed direections, "Cheeeeeeeeese!!!"  Then she said "Ok, ready?  AUBREY'S PREGNANT!!!!!" when she should have said "Ok, on 3, everyone say Aubrey's pregnant.  1...2..3..." and catch the surprises on camera.  Well...she was too excited.  And that's ok.  Because Michele, Matt's mom, still responded with wide-eyed shock.  

And my mom who stood and repeated "No she's not, she would have told me."  Hence the look on my face...it's too bad there wasn't video because she was so shocked she just kept saying it over and over.  

So that's that.  We are due on July 24...my estimated date of confinement according to my doctor.  On November 29 we saw the sweetest little heartbeat at 6 weeks, 1 day.  Matt almost teared up.  Love that man.  

And because there was a minor struggle for us, I leave you with an article about infertility in general.  It covers etiquette for those there to support a couple dealing with infertility.  There are always things untold...

What a Merry Christmas this will be...and again when we celebrate Christmas in July.