7 Years

July 2, 2005...

What do pizza, a chicken nugget kiss, Funfetti cake, and a really small budget all have in common? No, this isn't your typical joke. They were all present at our wedding 7 years ago...

...Of course that day was a pretty big blur, not just because it was my wedding day and most brides forget what happened on their wedding day, but because it was so long ago! 

What I do remember though was beautiful. It was a day that was stress and anxiety free for me, everything fell into place exactly as planned, the ceremony was breathtaking, and the reception was a blast! And most importantly, at the end of the day I married my best friend.

Oh, and I also remember...

-My lunch was a slice of pizza. 

-I was so hungry before I walked down the aisle that I had a couple of chicken nuggets--hence the chicken nugget kiss...Travis later told me I smelled like chicken nuggets when he went in for the kiss! How's that for a first kiss with your bride?!

Chicken Nugget Breath!

-Our centerpieces for each table consisted of a small Funfetti cake--our favorite flavor!

-Only spending $1500 on our entire wedding! How did we do that?, you ask. Everything was pretty much free, DIY, or gifts from family and friends. The church and reception were free! Our photographer and DJ were free (Travis' uncles)! My girls' and my flowers were artificial! We did our own decorating! We baked our Funfetti cakes! Oh, and my wedding dress was $150 :)

All in all, it was the best day of my life...cliche, I know ;)

Fast forward 7 years to July 2, 2012...

Our day looks a lot the same. While the activities may vary just a tad, we're spending most of our day away from each other, anxiously looking forward to this evening when we'll be together again. This bride is ready to see her groom! bow chicka bow bow! :)

Happy Anniversary to the Man of my Dreams!

The Home Stretch...aka The 3rd Trimester

I’ve been pretty much MIA the past week due to the extremely slooooow WiFi where we were.  It’s been difficult being away, especially when I have so much on my mind from spending time with my family to reminiscing on childhood vacations and visits to my Grandma’s house in Ft. Myers, Florida. What a week it has been! But that’ll have to be saved for another post. 

On a bigger note (no pun intended--you'll see why if you keep reading), we are in the 3rd trimester, folks! This morning we were given another ultrasound woo hoo!! because at my last appointment they told me they lost my first ultrasound...


Oh, that's too bad, I guess I'll see my baby again, *sigh*...  :) 


She has grown so much in the last 10 weeks, and she is absolutely beautiful and has totally stolen our hearts. We got to see her swallow fluid, stick out her tongue a few times, her eyes open, her arms flailing everywhere, lots of hair, and even at one point she looked right at us and I felt a connection only a mother and her child could have. It was UH-MAZING! 


Oh, and the ultrasound tech said she weighs 3.5 lbs and my due date is more like September 3rd! 


Excuse me!? 


We've got a big girl on our hands! When she told me this I started freaking out a bit... 


What about Lindsey's wedding in August in Indiana? We have 2 months until September 3rd, we're soooo not ready!! Ohmygoodness! I'm hyperventilating!! 


Ok, it wasn't that bad, ha! It was exciting though to think she'd come around the 3rd, especially since that's Travis' birthday! After we talked with the doctor, she reassured me that the due date is still set for September 19th considering I'm still measuring at 28 weeks and based on my last menstrual cycle. So whether she comes around Travis' birthday or mine (on the 21st), more than one Jonesie is going to have a very Happy Birthday! 

How far along? 28 Weeks and 1 Day

Total weight gain: 21 lbs

Maternity clothes? Most of the time

Stretch marks? Nope J

Sleep: Sleep is ok, crazy dreams every night, and a little sore in the mornings from sleeping in one position.

Best moment this week: Spending time with my family in Florida and having them get to finally feel and see her moving! And of course seeing her on another ultrasound and hearing that she's growing perfectly!

Miss Anything? I know this isn’t really pregnancy related but I really miss my sister, Stefanie—she is currently on her way to Uganda for the next 2 ½ months to serve with YWAM.

Movement: Several times throughout the day and night…she’s most active during the night and sometimes when I wake up to use the bathroom it's hard for me to fall back to sleep because of all the movement—we’ll need to change her schedule when she arrives lol

Food cravings: Sweet

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Gender: GIRL!!!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks—they’re a little better this week

Symptoms: Back and rib pain, Braxton Hicks, peeing, shortness of breath, forgetfulness

Belly Button in or out? Outie!

Wedding rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Finishing my last bag for a friend :)

Peek-a-Boo... 

 I see you!

Ruta-whata? and Father's Day Surprises

Have I mentioned that my sister, Emily, will be attending college at UNC-Charlotte come this fall, which is less than 20 minutes away from us?! This is such exciting news! Besides the fact that she'll be so close to us while the rest of my family lives 7 hours away, I now get to have another sister live by me while she attends college--Stefanie lived less than a mile from me while she attended Anderson University in Indiana. This makes my heart so happy! And having a very special aunt who will love her and spoil her makes Juice Drop very happy too :) I'm so excited that my family is here in Charlotte this week while Emily attends orientation! On Thursday we'll all head down to our old vacation spot in Ft. Myers, Florida for some much needed family time and sprucing up Grandma's house to rent out. Here's to hoping 11 hours in a car will all be worth it!

How far along? 27 weeks 

Total weight gain: last week's appointment was 19 lbs but I'm SURE I've gained a few more pounds since then

Maternity clothes? Most of the time

Stretch marks? No :)

Sleep: Good, not great 

Best moment this week: Celebrating Father's Day with my baby's Daddy :) even though it led to major Braxton Hicks--see below, and my family getting into town and being able to feel Juice Drop!

Miss Anything? Being able to hike 5 miles with ease

Movement: Yep! And she did this crazy move the other day where I felt like my stomach was having a seizure--read that it was hiccups :)

Food cravings: Junk, junk, and more junk!

Anything making you queasy or sick: No

Gender: GIRL!!!

Labor Signs: Crazy Braxton Hicks! see below

Symptoms: Rib pain after eating and when sitting too long, heartburn, back pain started up this week and it's not fun at all, have I mentioned Braxton Hicks? 

Belly Button in or out? Outie 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Very Happy! 

Looking forward to: Spending the week with my family in Florida! This will be the first time I've visited where I grew up going on vacation in 8 years and I'm so happy Travis gets to go and experience the Vinsel family traditions :)

Father's Day was very special this year. Even though our Juice Drop isn't here just yet, we still celebrated Travis being a first time Daddy. I planned out the whole day full of surprises complete with a french toast breakfast, a hike at Crowders Mountain State Park, and finally a fancy dinner at Basil Thai Cuisine--Travis' new love is pad thai :)

Eye spy with my little eye something camouflaged with the branch! Do you see it?

Let me just say, going on a 5 mile hike at 6 1/2 months pregnant is probably not the best idea. I thought I would be fine, you know, drink plenty of water, take my time, stop to pee if I had to--there was no chance of that with all the traffic along the trails, so I ended up having to hold my pee for 4 hours!

About half way through we took another trail back because we heard it was about a mile shorter--thank God!

Above: this is my face when I had to go to pee within the first mile of the hike
Below: this is my face when I thought about all the steps I was going to have to climb at our half way point--about 3 hours in

Can we just talk for a minute about Braxton Hicks and the fact that I thought I was going to go into pre-term labor right there in the middle of the forest? So after researching I learned that I pretty much did everything I could to bring on these wonderful false labor contractions. This is what I found from thebump.com:

How did I get Braxton Hicks contractions?

They’re just a normal part of pregnancy. The tightness you feel in your uterus during a Braxton Hicks contraction comes from the tensing of the muscles in your uterus. Being really active, a full bladder, sex and dehydration can all trigger Braxton Hicks contractions.

Ok, so check, check, check, and uh, yep, check...I wasn't too concerned until I was still having these quite frequently on Monday as well. I thought about calling my doctor but after I took a chill pill, put my feet up, and drank about a gallon of water the contractions started to mellow out. I would have to say I learned my lesson and will not be taking any strenuous hikes until after Juice Drop arrives! Phew!

We were almost too pooped after the hike to go to dinner. Travis later told me if it wouldn't have been a surprise he would've rather stayed home but after finding out where we were going and that this restaurant offered his new favorite delicacy he was all in. What a great ending to a perfect rousing day!  

Next week I venture into the 3rd Trimester!!!

P.S. What's a rutabega?! ;)

Just Him and Me

It was just him and me for 3 1/2 years.

We were the best of buds, just him and me.

I miss those little moments when it was just us, just him and me.

I miss those times in the car when we would jam to his music, just him and me.

Even though I could do without fishing, I miss being in the boat with two poles hanging over the side, just him and me.

I miss listening to him read me stories, but instead of reading, he'd sing the words, just him and me.

I miss tickle time, just him and me.

I miss hearing him tell me stories of his life growing up, just him and me.

I miss being goofy and making up funny voices together, just him and me.

I miss being with him, just him and me.

Although I've grown up and he's grown older and we're in two different parts of the country, I know that I can always call him up and he's ready to listen, encourage, and support me in everything I do, just him and me.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy, I love you!