two year anniversary

I'm sneaking in a post while Carter is napping. I mean, he had a big morning of eating, napping, and diaper changes. I'd be tired too. (Wait, I am).

October 7 marks 2 years of marriage for Nick and me. As cliche as it always sounds, what a year it has been. Since last October we have had quite a few months of living in different states, moved across the country away from ANYTHING familiar, found out we were pregnant again, have been blessed by finding a church quickly that we LOVE… and of course brought our first born into this world. (That was probably my favorite day of the whole 2nd year ;) ). 

This time last year, I was in Mississippi waiting for Nick to make it there that following since he was in training. We had 1 year anniversary pictures done and had a wonderful date night in Memphis. I researched some anniversary questions that I am so glad we did! Here is the post with the anniversary questions from last year. It was such a fun thing to do. This year we will do the same routine. We will go to separate rooms and answer the questions to ourselves and then talk through them together over dinner. Last year, we actually brought our questions to Flight with us.

I loved getting to have this refresher conversation that shows us our weaknesses and strengths in this marriage. And we keep our answers to look back on over the years. We get to answer the "children" question this year! :)

Nick is absolutely the best man I have ever known. I've never felt an ounce of insecurity with him because he is so faithful in his actions. He gets funnier the longer I know him. (How have we only known each other 3 and a half years??). We have an easy relationship. It's predictable in the best way possible, meaning I never wonder how he feels about me. I've fallen in love with him in a different way since Carter was born.

I am so happy with where our life is going and I know there will be plenty of exciting adventures in the next year. There really isn't anyone else I'd want to be on this ride with.

Our First Year Anniversary Picture

And the product of 2 years

Just keeps getting better and better.

Carter's Birth Story

August 22 came and like most 39 weeks and 5 day pregnant mamas, I felt just about done. I kept telling myself that I was still NOT at my due date and to be patient. I really hadn't been patient though. Starting at 39 weeks, I drank my pregnancy tea, aired up my exercise ball which became my chair for the next week, rubbed, bathed, and even took a veggie cap filled with Clary Sage essential oil, and went to spin class twice that week. My spin instructor did give me a little hope and told me she thought it would be the next couple of days because I looked different than even the day before. Well she was right.

That morning, I went on my 2 mile walk on the beach by our house. It was early (like 6am) and so there wasn't very many people out yet. I was telling God my frustrations and how ill I felt, but at the end I just let Him remind me that He knew exactly when Carter would be here and it would be perfect. I told Him that it was His will, not mine and that I was in complete peace with that. 

I didn't do much that day but I had a craving for Benihannas (we went the Friday before), and when Nick got home I told him and we decided to go again since it might be our last nice dinner out for a while. He had gotten home pretty early that day so he spent the rest of the day watching TV and relaxing. It was so hot in San Diego and we have a window unit in our room, so that's where I spent the rest of the day. I think I even took the exercise ball to our room so I could watch TV and bounce. I finally laid down before it was time to get ready for dinner and I felt like I had weird gas. I had been cramping a little for about 2 weeks so I wasn't worried about it. I wasn't hurting and there was nothing to time.  I went to the front to see what Nick was doing (he was on the phone with his grandfather), and  all of the sudden I had this weird feeling. I ran to the bathroom and there went my water. It was the most exciting feeling in the world. I yelled," Nick…I think my water just broke! Dont tell your grandfather!!!!" ( I didn't want anyone to know until we were sure just so they wouldn't be sitting around waiting by the phone). Nick ran back and there it went again. This time I was FOR SURE. My experience with my water breaking was pretty much what you see in the movies. I didn't expect that. Plus I wasn't having contractions that I could feel.

I changed clothes and told Nick that I wanted to do a quick clean up around the house so it wouldn't be too cluttered when we came back. I looked over my Hospital List and got all the small last minute things packed. We loaded up the car, took my last bump picture and decided to grab Carl's Jr on the way. I knew this wasn't the best food decision but I was hungry and knew I wouldn't be eating anything after I got to the hospital. 

Can you tell that I dropped?

We headed up to Labor and Delivery, and again, there went my water. We walked in those double doors to about 12 nurses at the front desk. It was obviously a slower night so I felt like the only person in there. Kinda intimidating. I told them my water broke about an hour ago, and also in that hallway I just came from. They all said Hooray! and I was led to the office where they made sure my info was correct. We headed to Triage and they told me my water had in fact broken and I won myself a room for the night! They checked me and I was 4 cm. I was also told my midwife that I had all through pregnancy was working tonight so she would be catching my baby! What a blessing that was! I started off with the day nurse but she was about 30 minutes from getting off work so she got my bloodwork started and they got some fluid going since I was a little dehydrated when I got there. My night nurse arrived and I totally felt a connection with her. I will never forget Olivia. She was an angel and Im so thankful she was there for my delivery. I was her last baby to help deliver because she was heading to Japan in two weeks to be stationed. It was a very special night!

My goal was to wear my wedding ring to delivery! It happened and I took it off right after this picture! haha!

Nick loved Ninja Turtles when he was a boy. I made him this onsie for his surprise box at the hospital!

I wasn't feeling anything for a long time. My one request was that we keep away from pitocin for as long as possible. Of course, if they told me they needed to start it, I would have been fine, but I wanted my body to do its thing. We made lots of calls and posted a picture to Facebook to let everyone know it was go time. I was feeling way too good and that made me nervous that I wasn't moving along. I walked, bounced on my exercise ball, rubbed Clary Sage on my belly and did some squats. They checked me a few hours later and I was still at 4. They brought up pitocin but that they would give me a little longer. They turned me on my side to try to get things moving. 

Well, they started moving. It really is true what everyone says. During contractions, you are in so much pain. Pain that I haven't felt before. But between contractions, you feel so so good. Probably because during the contraction, you felt so so bad. They came and checked me again and I was only at 6. They again said the next time they checked me they would probably start the pitocin. I told them go ahead and get me the epidural before they started it because that was all the pain I could handle and I knew what the pictocin would do. It was going to be about 30 minutes before they could get to me and I was hurting BAD by this point. She gave me some medicine through my IV to take the edge off while I waited. It helped a lot but I could still feel the pain pretty good. It was just like laughing gas at she dentist. So there I was gripping the side rails of the bed through contractions while poor Nick could only look on. I know he hated seeing me in pain like that. He was ready for that epidural more than me I think. 

My epidural finally arrived and I "bent like a shrimp" as the guy told me to and felt the rush of cold down my back. We had to wait through contractions so I wouldn't move while he did it. After he was done, I laid down and let the epidural do its thing.

It did its thing on my right side, but as time passed by, I could feel every ounce of pain in my left hip. It was more pain in my hip than all the contractions before…put together. I don't think I ever cried from the pain though. We called my nurse and she got the anesthesiologist again. He came in, did a little test with a cold pack to see where I was hurting and just gave me another rush of medicine. About 10 minutes later, I felt nothing. No pressure like everyone said I would feel. I unfortunately never really slept. I really hate the feeling of being numb, but it was worth it to be able to enjoy special moments in delivery. 

So about 4 hours later, my midwife came in to check me. I was convinced that since I had gotten the epidural and couldn't move around that my labor had slowed and I would be at maybe a 7. So Im watching her face as she checks me and I can't read it at all. She finally says, "Well, my dear, you're at 10 cm.. Time to push.". That's when I broke down. I love big moments in life where you know the next move will change your life forever. 

Olivia got me to do a practice push. I really felt nothing. I don't know how my mind connected with the action of pushing. I did the push and she said, "Um, this isn't going to take long at all." This was my favorite part of it all. It was just the nurse, Nick and me. I always thought I would want pictures of labor and delivery but in that moment everything changed. It was too intimate to share with anyone. The only people I wanted in that room was Nick and my nurse, Olivia. We got to the point where they called Denise, my midwife. She was delivering another baby. The doctor on call came in to catch Carter and about a minute later I see Denise rush in and say it was her baby :). I was so happy to see her. Nick was my rock through it all and was so encouraging. I could feel our relationship change right there in that delivery room. And it was good.

Carter was on my chest after 30 minutes of pushing. He came out screaming with that beautiful voice.  It was by far the best moment of my life. He looked like me, which I was not expecting. I saw that brown hair and just cried. He is the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen. He was so alert and ready to eat the moment he landed on me. Nick and I just kept looking from him to each other in awe. We talked about his fingers and his toes. His hairy back. His blue eyes. He stayed on my for a long time before they got him all cleaned up and swaddled.

My nurse, Olivia

 First time Daddy held his boy

Nick snapped this next one which is one of my favorite pictures! What a talented hubby.

He was 7 lbs 5 ounces of perfection. He was 20 inches long and was born at 5:54 Saturday morning, August 23. It was the best experience of my life. I wanted to go back and do it again. I thought I would miss his kicks, but having him here is way better. 

The doctors and nurses at Balboa Hospital were top notch. I couldn't have experienced a better delivery. Everything went pretty much as planned. What a blessing that was! Nick was so cute holding Carter for the first time. It made such a bond between the two of us. I can't even explain it. He has helped me so much and been so nurturing to both Carter and me. His 10 days off were the best. We got to spend our days laying on the couch and going to doctors appointments. He made recovery so much easier. 

Now we have a 3 week old and are adjusting to this new season of life. Its tiring and wonderful. Even when Carter wants to eat every single hour. And already hates to be put down. Thank goodness for the Moby Wrap!

What a blessing to bring this sweet boy into the world. We have lots to look forward to.. I'm just enjoying this little bitty bundle for now though.

Day 2- Katy, Tx- Tucson, AZ

Day 2 – Katy, TX- Tucson, AZ

Day 2 was our long haul day. We started around 9 am after breakfast at the hotel. We made it to San Antonio, TX, in fairly good time and it was right around lunch so we took a long break there. Let me say, I want to go back there! What a neat little town. We visited the Alamo and snapped a few pictures that you might have scene on Instagram or Facebook.  I really enjoyed that part of town. So much history and I learned a thing or two having Nick by my side.

We hopped over to the Riverwalk and we were pleasantly surprised. That is the neatest spot to walk around and eat lunch or dinner! A littler river runs through the middle of all kinds of different restaurants. We felt the need for Mexican that day and decided on Rita’s on the River. We shared some delicious nachos since driving doesn’t make us all that hungry. After we were seated we looked down to find some little beggars…you would have thought the ducks were doggies. They just waddled around and snagged a bite from tables around us. So funny!

We walked a little ways more and Nick decided to grab a shake from Hagen- Das. I probably drank half of it because it was definitely addicting. We decided we needed to head back on the road since we had 13 more hours of driving ahead of us.

We drove and drove and drove and drove through Texas. When a friend asked how the progress was going, I told her I guess we were going to live in Texas because it never ends. Seriously. It’s big. When Mom and I make our way to CA in a few weeks, we are taking a different route. Saying all that, we really saw some of God’s neat creations. Lots of mountains, mesas, and moonlit sand dunes. Stars are different around this part of the country. And the moon. Oh, the moon.

We drove through the night and FINALLY made it to Tucson at 12:30 (we were feeling the 2 am Central time). My mom and grandfather JUST HAPPENED to be staying there for a Navy Reunion that my granddaddy attends every year. It was such a little blessing from God because there I was feeling far away from home again. Having Mom there helped so much and I felt mentally and physically ready for Day 3.  We stayed the night and Mom, Grandaddy and his brother Robert left early that morning to go back to MS. 

It was a fun day and we made lots and lots of memories! Day 3 was my favorite, not just because we made it to San Diego! I can't wait to share our pictures! 

Victoria

Day 1 of our Cross Country Trip- Almanac vs. Atlas

Day 1- MS-SD Almanac VS Atlas

What an adventure this military life has taken us on. Never did I imagine that I would be driving across the country with my husband to find our new home 2,000 miles away.

Yesterday was the beginning of our cross-country drive. Nick’s mom and Mammie drove me to Gulfport Thursday so Nick and I could start our trip on Friday. Nick has been training in Gulfport for the past month and finished yesterday around 11. We ate a yummy lunch at McAlister’s and said our sweet goodbyes to them. I was overflowing with excitement.

We drink lots of water on road trips so that means we normally have a pit stop every hour. It helps us stay sane as well. We decided on one of the first stops that we needed a paper map just in case our reliable (yeah right) GPS happened to steer us wrong. We ran into a Wal-Mart somewhere in Louisiana to grab a map and some fingernail polish remover. “You don’t know Jacque” had enough of my nails and was fading quickly.  We found the book section and as confident as I have ever been, picked up the Farmers Almanac and showed Nick that I had found the map we needed. I think that was the moment Nick realized what he was in for on this trip.

We passed the marshy bayous of Louisiana and of course had discussion of Duck Dynasty. We crossed the Mississippi River and headed toward Lake Charles. This was something I was really excited about for some reason. The scenery along the way has reminded us of how big God is. It’s amazing to see such small details in the way God created this earth.

We didn’t need a sign to tell us we had crossed over into Texas. Everything has “Texas” on it. It’s just so big. Everything is so spread out. Even the “small” towns. My favorite thing has been the swaying weed on the side of the road. It’s so corny, but it really is beautiful!

It was finally time to stop for dinner so I started looking up top restaurants around Beaumont, TX. We decided on The Black Eyed Pea. (We want to save our TexMex for deeper into Texas!). CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHY A PHONE GPS IS SO TERRIBLE? It told us to U Turn ¼ of a mile before we got there.  We FINALLY found The Black Eyed Pea. Let’s just say we needed out of that truck by that point. Nick had yummy pot roast and I decided on a BLT salad. We had a good meal and went just a little further to Katy, TX to stay the night.

I’ll be honest. Just when we were pulling into the hotel, I started crying. All I could think of was how far away from home I was. And I wasn’t even a third of the way to our end point. Waves of anxiety, doubt, fear, and sadness washed over me. It was gone faster than it came though. I always remind myself that God is specifically placing me in this lifestyle for His will. He will equip me with what I need to do this. It’s hard. And sometimes, it just plain stinks. But the good always outweighs the bad. I’m still in the U.S. I’m still a plane ride away. Yes, I miss out on special moments and sometimes I just need my mama. I can’t get around that. But this is completely what you make it. We are on an adventure most people will never get to experience. It won’t be a lifetime. It’s going to be a long season, but not a lifetime.

So that was our first official travel day. We had a lot of fun, and only a few tears. Please pray that we find somewhere to live very soon! That would be SUCH an awesome answered prayer. 

Victoria

1st Year of Marriage- Video

Now that we have mentally started moving on to our next phase, I put together a video of our life in Florida this past year. Next month I will have been married a year! Exciting things to come for sure! 

The video is obviously just a GLIMPSE of our life, but it shows a lot of love and a lot of laughs. Each song has a special meaning to us. The last song (Home- Phillip Phillips) is what we exited our wedding ceremony to that sweet October day. 

Hope you enjoy! I'll definitely need to start doing 2 a year to fit all of our videos in!

Here is the YouTube link just in case!

First year of Marriage- Florida

Victoria

the weekend getaway

My favorite thing about living in Destin is the areas that are around us. Hwy 30A holds a special place in my heart. It's where we took engagements during the whirlwind of planning a wedding. That hot July weekend made me fall in love with the Seaside area. It's magical around there. Twinkling lights, babies with red cheeks from the heat, music from the amphitheater. I love it.

This past weekend, we took advantage of the Bed and Breakfast stay that we had gotten as a wedding gift from Nick's uncle who also lives in this area. It was the perfect end to our time in Destin. We got to experience the vacation feel of this area. Our stay was at Hibiscus Coffee and Guesthouse in Grayton Beach! We did lots of walking and lots of eating. I would recommend every restaurant that we went to...there wasn't a bad one! We spent the days on the beach and the nights on the town. We got to have deep conversations about marriage that don't always come up in every day conversation. I love talking about strengths and weaknesses because it only makes us a better team. 

Friday, we hopped in the car right after Nick got home from work. We checked into the Turner room at Hibiscus. Cozy, cozy! It was small and sweet! I had been researching restaurants a few days before, and after a little confusion on our phones map, we landed at La Cocina. It was soo good and the staff was on top of it! Best chips and salsa that I have had in the 10 months of living here. After that, we hopped over the the Rosemary downtown and stopped by La Crema for dessert. It was a very romantic spot and had a very yummy menu.

 

 

 Saturday, we stopped by Another Broken Egg Cafe in Grayton beach for breakfast. The French Toast was so good and there was soo much of it! We made our way to the beach after that. I got the sun I desparately needed for Nick's graduation and he rented a paddle board for the day.

 

That night we walked next door to Pandora's. We both had steak and it was soo good! Plus we went before 6 so it was buy one meal, get one free. Score for the newly married folks! Since we saved so much money (just kidding!), we headed to Seaside to eat ice cream and people watch. We laughed and just had a good time together. I'm not even sure which ice cream place we went to, but it sure was good!

 Sunday, we had breakfast downstairs at the cafe and then headed to the beach for a few hours before we decided to hit the road. We had coffee outside and watched the families trickle in and out of the cute cafe. After the beach, we headed home to pick up our Rosie girl! 30 minutes later, we had her! I love vacations that don't include 8 hour drives :)

It was a sweet weekend of deep conversation, quiet time with the Lord, book finishing, and date nights. Perfection!

Oh and we got to come home to this sweet thing...

Thanks for reading! Go check out Seaside, FL! You won't be disappointed!