2014

As I have been enjoying my weekend and reading many posts on Facebook I've noticed a lot of people saying they can't wait for 2014.  Some of the people are excited about the next year and others are complaining about how horrible of a year 2013 has been for them.  So it got me thinking about what has 2013 brought us this past year.  I really can't complain about anything at all.

2013 has brought me:

-A job that I desperately needed to help with our finances.  Not only did I get a job but within less than a year I moved up twice to a better position at the gym.  I am now a full time employee with benefits and a pay raise.

-Lasik surgery for Preston and now he can see so much better and he even gets to wear sunglasses like everyone else.  He owns more sunglasses than I would like to  know about!

-Preston moved up a rank in the Navy.  He has also accomplished so much this year with the different tasks that have been thrown at him.  I can't even begin to list all the things he has done at work mainly because I forget all the names of them! I know I am bad wife for not knowing them but I am so proud of him.

-Seeing all the beauty this state has to offer for us.  From the Sequoia trees to the beautiful blue Pacific ocean.  We visited some pretty amazing places this year and I know we have a lot of other really amazing places to visit yet next year!

-My brother proposing to Julia and the their upcoming wedding in April.  I cannot wait for Julia to be part of our family.  She has fit in with us since day 1 of meeting her!  Preston has yet to meet her but I am sure they will hit it off right away.

-Being able to fly home and surprise my mother after she retired from teaching.  I was such and emotional wreck that weekend because I knew my visit was very short and I wanted to be with my family longer.  I am so grateful for my father for thinking of me and paying for me to fly home for this important moment in my mother's life.

-Meeting new people.  I have met so many wonderful people this year!  I am grateful for a job that allows me to interact with people on this base.  I am so social by nature that I love meeting and talking to different people.

-A visit from Preston's parents and sister! We discovered that we need to not spend an entire week in a car! Next year we have decided to go to one location and spend a few days there instead of cramming in all of California must sees in one week!  My mother in law finally beat me in dominos for the 1st time in sometime (It doesn't really help that we only get to play it once a yr if we are lucky!).

-I had two surgeries that have helped me to discover why we haven't be able to become pregnant.  We also have met the most wonderful Dr. and have fallen in love with him.

-We have paid off two bills that we have been working hard on!

-Preston has discovered he can do a lot of our car maintenance himself and has saved us a lot of money by him doing so.

-Many of my friends and family have had babies or are waiting of their arrival of their soon to be children.  I am very excited for their arrivals and to one day meet them!

I could keep going but I know I would be sitting here all day listing things off.  The fact of the matter is even though Preston and I don't have a child and aren't pregnant doesn't mean that it was a horrible no good very bad year for us.  I know that most of my posts are depressing and sad but I mostly just focus on our trying to become parents.  Life isn't really that bad at all.  Most day I am happy with everything.  I just thought it would be nice for people to know that we are okay and thankful for everything that has happened to us this year.  I know next year will be just as amazing if not better.  I know that no matter what we will have horrible heartbreaking days but those days will be out shined by the happier days we will have.

So with that I hope you all have Happy Holidays and an amazing new year because we will be doing just that!

-Kate

Pressure

I don't have time to blog in great detail about this month because I am leaving for work in a few minutes.

This month I started using the wondfo ovulation test strips and it wasn't really hard to use at all.  I highly recommend this product to anyone who is in the process of trying to become pregnant.  I started getting worried if I was going to be able to properly read the strips once it came close to my ovulation time this month.  According to my app on my phone I was supposed to ovulate on a Tuesday but I actually ovulated on a Wednesday and my strip let me know by giving me a big fat two bright pink lines.  I was really excited that day because it was the first time after my surgery that I have gotten a correct ovulation test and I wasn't freaking out why I was getting a smiley face everyday or wasting my money.

Even though I ovulated this month and knew exactly what day it was there was nothing I could do with it.  Preston was on the boat during my ovulation time for a week.  We knew that becoming pregnant this month would be slim to none.  We followed protocol for the week of ovulation as best as we could.  But when your partner is not around on the days close to ovulation you know nothing will happen.  I know that sperm can survive up to 3 days but lets be honest with my track record the odds were against us.  I did have the tiniest hope that things would actually workout for us.

I was actually two days late this month and was starting to get my hopes up but reality brought me back down from my high.  I am not pregnant.  I am not as devastated as I was last month but it doesn't get any easier.  I know I have a lot of people who are really interested and are in our corner and want the best for us but I am going to have to discuss something with you all.  I love that we have such great support from our family and friends but I am going to have to ask you in the kindest way I can to please stop with asking for blog updates, if I have started my period, or if we have thought about starting the adoption process.  It is hard enough for me to get through the day some days because I just want to quit because all I want is to start my family.  What I don't need is the feeling of pressure on me.  I know that is not the intention of anyone but the fact of the matter is that is what is happening to me.  I will update you when I am ready to blog about how things are going.  I WILL NOT announce my pregnancy the day it happens on this blog or facebook.  I believe that is something very personal and our family will be the first to know.  Please do not take this personally its just getting harder and harder on me.  Also please don't feel that you can't ask how things are going.  I don't mind answering questions at all!!

-Kate