It's Saturday night at 9:12 pm. We're leaving in the morning...early. It's been an incredibly long and exhausting week preparing for the move - there's always so much more to do than you think. I still need to pack and clean the house. But I felt like I had to post something. But I really have nothing to say...strange right?! I always imagined I would write a final, amazing blog with lots of pictures of good times and great memories. But for starters, I'm so tired I can't think straight. And second, I got nothin!
I've been saying that all week....I got nothin left in the tank. No tears, no words, no way to describe how I am feeling. I really don't know how I am feeling. Honestly, it just seems like I am packing for a trip to Cali to see my family and that I will be back here in Atlanta in a week. So as I am saying goodbye to all my friends this past week, I don't feel like its goodbye. So there were no tears flowing, no long, drawn out hugs, and I wonder if they somehow felt jipped! I'm supposed to be slobbering on their shoulders right? Nothin!
So here's my thought....maybe after a few days it Cali, when it all hits me and I realize I am really not coming back, I will write a retrospective. Then I can reflect on my last few weeks here, post cute pictures of Jack enjoying his final days in Atlanta and share how I really feel about leaving. I mean, I think in my blogs from the past few month I have shared a lot so all my friends really know how much I love them. And for the record, I have cried a lot, but mostly alone with Christian or in private. So please don't mistake my lack of emotion to mean that I won't miss this place. I just don't think I have had time to miss it yet. Give it a few weeks and I will be blubbering all over my keyboard.
Ok, so I guess I did have something to say after all! So, I'll just end things by saying Adios Atlanta! You've given me 9 amazing years...some of the best of my life. Its been a great ride. I'll definitely be back to visit but y'all know where to find me if you ever get lonely. I honestly thought this day would never get here, but Cali, here I come....
Hugs, Kisses and Lots of Love,
Jill
Family Pic
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
A Note to My Friends
"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive."
I love this quote. I think it sums up a lot about the importance of girlfriends in our lives. I often think about how different my life would have been if I had never moved from California to Georgia. But I realize that had I not made the move, I never would have met all the fabulous women I did here in Atlanta. Like the saying goes, each of these women, that I now call friends, opened up a whole new world of amazing experiences for me. And had I never left California, I never would have known the joy that they would bring to my life.
We met in common places - the office, the neighborhood, church, boot camp and through mutual friends. But the experiences we shared over these past nine years are unique and special to us. We've celebrated many birthdays, engagements and weddings...and celebrated just because we're girls! We've thrown countless wedding and baby showers and toasted many bachelorettes. We've watched each other become moms. We've volunteered together, walked for breast cancer and raised money for causes. We've grieved for babies we've lost and loved ones who passed. We fought cancer. We got together for lunch, started Supper Clubs and took road trips. We had BBQ's, playdates and game nights. We were each others family when family was too far away. We supported each other through good times and bad. We did what girfriends do and it was fabulous. I have had some of the best times of my life here.
Nine years ago God had a plan for my life. At the time I didn't know it and when I moved here all I ever wanted to do was move back home. But thankfully I stayed and his plan unfolded so beautifully to reveal each and every one of my precious friends and the special memories we have shared. There are a lot of things I will miss about Atlanta, but most are material things. What I will truly miss most of all are my dear friends. So I have spent the past few months trying to see them as much as I possibly can and to express to them just how much each of them mean to me.
So here's to all of my wonderful friends here in Atlanta. Simply saying thank you doesn't show my gratiude for all you have done for me. There really are no words. Just know that I love you all and that as cliche as this sounds...this is not good-bye, it's see ya later. I see many girls trips, weddings and family vacations in our future ladies. I am blessed to get to go home to my amazing girls back in Cali. But I will never forget my girls in the South. You are the reason I survived these past nine years and I can't imagine a life without all of you in it.
I love y'all!
I am so happy that I captured pictures of each one of my girlfriends at our various going away dinners and parties. These are in order of when the events occured...
My Urban Tribe....my OG girl possee and sisters for life. I have known all of them the longest....5, 7 and 9 years and we have been there for each other through it all. I love these girls like sisters...
The Boot Camp Girls...AKA, the Wild Ones! Had I not been pregnant this probably would have been a much crazier night. But besides being a good time, they are loving, loyal and fabulous friends...
The Neighbors...my hilarious, fun-loving, wine-drinking gal pals. All of our kids played together and we all had such a blast. I am really going to miss my neighborhood...
The Office...my three bosses and Kimber. I have been with CEG for almost 7 years and have had the most amazing time. What an extraordinary group of women I have had the good-fortune to work with...
The rest of the Urban Tribe and fellow mommies....what a special experience it has been to see them become awesome moms...
The co-worker turned bestie. One of the most loving and generous people I have ever met. I don't know how I am going to survive in Cali with out her...
~Anäis Nin
I love this quote. I think it sums up a lot about the importance of girlfriends in our lives. I often think about how different my life would have been if I had never moved from California to Georgia. But I realize that had I not made the move, I never would have met all the fabulous women I did here in Atlanta. Like the saying goes, each of these women, that I now call friends, opened up a whole new world of amazing experiences for me. And had I never left California, I never would have known the joy that they would bring to my life.
We met in common places - the office, the neighborhood, church, boot camp and through mutual friends. But the experiences we shared over these past nine years are unique and special to us. We've celebrated many birthdays, engagements and weddings...and celebrated just because we're girls! We've thrown countless wedding and baby showers and toasted many bachelorettes. We've watched each other become moms. We've volunteered together, walked for breast cancer and raised money for causes. We've grieved for babies we've lost and loved ones who passed. We fought cancer. We got together for lunch, started Supper Clubs and took road trips. We had BBQ's, playdates and game nights. We were each others family when family was too far away. We supported each other through good times and bad. We did what girfriends do and it was fabulous. I have had some of the best times of my life here.
Nine years ago God had a plan for my life. At the time I didn't know it and when I moved here all I ever wanted to do was move back home. But thankfully I stayed and his plan unfolded so beautifully to reveal each and every one of my precious friends and the special memories we have shared. There are a lot of things I will miss about Atlanta, but most are material things. What I will truly miss most of all are my dear friends. So I have spent the past few months trying to see them as much as I possibly can and to express to them just how much each of them mean to me.
So here's to all of my wonderful friends here in Atlanta. Simply saying thank you doesn't show my gratiude for all you have done for me. There really are no words. Just know that I love you all and that as cliche as this sounds...this is not good-bye, it's see ya later. I see many girls trips, weddings and family vacations in our future ladies. I am blessed to get to go home to my amazing girls back in Cali. But I will never forget my girls in the South. You are the reason I survived these past nine years and I can't imagine a life without all of you in it.
I love y'all!
I am so happy that I captured pictures of each one of my girlfriends at our various going away dinners and parties. These are in order of when the events occured...
My Urban Tribe....my OG girl possee and sisters for life. I have known all of them the longest....5, 7 and 9 years and we have been there for each other through it all. I love these girls like sisters...
The Boot Camp Girls...AKA, the Wild Ones! Had I not been pregnant this probably would have been a much crazier night. But besides being a good time, they are loving, loyal and fabulous friends...
The Neighbors...my hilarious, fun-loving, wine-drinking gal pals. All of our kids played together and we all had such a blast. I am really going to miss my neighborhood...
The Office...my three bosses and Kimber. I have been with CEG for almost 7 years and have had the most amazing time. What an extraordinary group of women I have had the good-fortune to work with...
The rest of the Urban Tribe and fellow mommies....what a special experience it has been to see them become awesome moms...
The co-worker turned bestie. One of the most loving and generous people I have ever met. I don't know how I am going to survive in Cali with out her...
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
33 Week Baby Update!
33 Weeks and looking very tired and swollen. I'm starting to dread having to take pictures for these updates!
Just wanted to post a quick update on Baby #2 because we have great news to share! I went to see both my OB and Perinatologist last week and both agree that I am probably NOT going to deliver the baby early. My cervix is staying strong and the contractions have decreased. So all the precautions and bed rest have worked! This baby is staying put for now...although I am predicting he arrives at about 38 weeks - Sept 23 is my guess. He's holding at about 5 pounds and continues to be very active, especially at night so I'm not sleeping much these days, but that's to be expected.
Although I'm technically not on bed rest anymore, I have been advised to take it easy, rest when I can and stay off my feet as much as possible. So I feel like I can resume somewhat normal activity, within reason, which is great given the fact that we are moving to Cali on Sunday. It still get really tired by the end of the day so the extra set of hands will come in handy at Mimi and Papa's. I see my new doc on Monday so I'll let you know how that goes.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Atlanta Bucket List
When we moved to Atlanta we agreed to take advantage of living in the South and to soak up as much of the unique culture, cities and cuisine as we could. And I'm happy to say that Christian and I have definitely made the most of our time here in Atlanta by visiting every state in the Southeast. So I feel like we leave here with no stones unturned. But there were a few things that I just never got around to doing and wanted to accomplish before we left. So here's my Atlanta Bucket List and the status of each...
5. Go to Chattanooga, TN - CHECK! I had always heard Chat-town was an awesome little city so we took Jack over Memorial Weekend and had a blast!
4. Take Jack to the beach in Florida - UNCHECK. I love the Florida beaches so this is something I really wanted to do with Jack. But unfortunately, due to the craziness of the move, Christian travelling with his new job and the recent bed rest, we never found the time to make this happen. I'm sad about it but at least we'll see a lot of the beach in Cali! But I definitely plan to get there with my family one day.
3. Go to Waffle House - SOON-TO-BE-CHECKED! Everyone is so shocked that I haven't eaten at a Waffle House in the 9 years we've been here, but I honestly don't see the allure. Hash browns covered in cheese, gravy and onions sounds disgusting. But it seems to be a Southern Institution so I must go! We've planned a day downtown for next Saturday that includes the Waffle House, GA Aquarium and Piedmont Park. I'll let ya know if I like it.
2. Spend as much time with my friends as humanly possible - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!! We originally thought we were moving at the end of July so we started having going away parties and dinners in June and the celebrations have continued into August. But it worked out well because Christian and I have been able to spend a lot of time with all of our favorite peeps here in Atlanta. In 9 years we have made some pretty strong bonds so it was important to us to celebrate them. I can't even think about how much I am going to miss everyone.
1. Get baptized at Buckhead Church - CHECK! It's no secret that we love our church! It's been a huge part of our lives for the past 4 years. Today was actually our last time there and I cried for the first 15 minutes of service just thinking about how much it has changed our lives. When we first started we were searching for something bigger than ourselves and now we both have intimate relationships with the Lord. We had both been thinking about baptism for a while and it just felt right to get baptized at Buckhead before we moved. So we did it on July 24 and it was such an amazing experience. We were blessed to be surrounded by our awesome friends and family and Lane Jones, our small group leader, baptized us which made it even more special. If you'd like to see it, check out the link below.
http://buckheadchurch.org/baptism/category/all-videos/#
5. Go to Chattanooga, TN - CHECK! I had always heard Chat-town was an awesome little city so we took Jack over Memorial Weekend and had a blast!
4. Take Jack to the beach in Florida - UNCHECK. I love the Florida beaches so this is something I really wanted to do with Jack. But unfortunately, due to the craziness of the move, Christian travelling with his new job and the recent bed rest, we never found the time to make this happen. I'm sad about it but at least we'll see a lot of the beach in Cali! But I definitely plan to get there with my family one day.
3. Go to Waffle House - SOON-TO-BE-CHECKED! Everyone is so shocked that I haven't eaten at a Waffle House in the 9 years we've been here, but I honestly don't see the allure. Hash browns covered in cheese, gravy and onions sounds disgusting. But it seems to be a Southern Institution so I must go! We've planned a day downtown for next Saturday that includes the Waffle House, GA Aquarium and Piedmont Park. I'll let ya know if I like it.
2. Spend as much time with my friends as humanly possible - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK!! We originally thought we were moving at the end of July so we started having going away parties and dinners in June and the celebrations have continued into August. But it worked out well because Christian and I have been able to spend a lot of time with all of our favorite peeps here in Atlanta. In 9 years we have made some pretty strong bonds so it was important to us to celebrate them. I can't even think about how much I am going to miss everyone.
1. Get baptized at Buckhead Church - CHECK! It's no secret that we love our church! It's been a huge part of our lives for the past 4 years. Today was actually our last time there and I cried for the first 15 minutes of service just thinking about how much it has changed our lives. When we first started we were searching for something bigger than ourselves and now we both have intimate relationships with the Lord. We had both been thinking about baptism for a while and it just felt right to get baptized at Buckhead before we moved. So we did it on July 24 and it was such an amazing experience. We were blessed to be surrounded by our awesome friends and family and Lane Jones, our small group leader, baptized us which made it even more special. If you'd like to see it, check out the link below.
http://buckheadchurch.org/baptism/category/all-videos/#
Friday, August 12, 2011
And so it begins...
Up until this week the move to Cali has seemed so far away. And because we haven't found a house in LA, it felt like the move was just something we've been talking about but never felt real...until now! This week three things happened that made it finally sink in that this is actually happening...
1. We booked our ONE-WAY tickets to Los Angeles for August 21! Since I can't fly after 34 weeks, we have to go now, despite not having a house to lease. So we'll be staying at Casa Martinez....AKA: mom's house. I think we've just accepted the situation as it is, but pressing the "purchase ticket" button still took me a minute. There's no turning back now.
2. We shipped my car! I know it's strange but I love my car! That tank has been with me for 6 years...it protected me through 3 car accidents, taken Christian and me all over the Southeast and safely brought home my baby boy. I know I'll see it in 9 days, but it was so sad to see it go on the truck.
3. We started packing! The moving company is actually going to do most of the packing, but we have to get everything ready and clean out all the closets and drawers. Just starting the process made me sad.
Now I can't believe it's all finally happening. The next 9 days are going to be crazy. (I can't believe I only have 9 days left!!) I have so many thoughts, feelings and emotions so I will probably be blogging a lot this next week. Tune in for all the latest move and baby news. Here we go...
1. We booked our ONE-WAY tickets to Los Angeles for August 21! Since I can't fly after 34 weeks, we have to go now, despite not having a house to lease. So we'll be staying at Casa Martinez....AKA: mom's house. I think we've just accepted the situation as it is, but pressing the "purchase ticket" button still took me a minute. There's no turning back now.
2. We shipped my car! I know it's strange but I love my car! That tank has been with me for 6 years...it protected me through 3 car accidents, taken Christian and me all over the Southeast and safely brought home my baby boy. I know I'll see it in 9 days, but it was so sad to see it go on the truck.
3. We started packing! The moving company is actually going to do most of the packing, but we have to get everything ready and clean out all the closets and drawers. Just starting the process made me sad.
Now I can't believe it's all finally happening. The next 9 days are going to be crazy. (I can't believe I only have 9 days left!!) I have so many thoughts, feelings and emotions so I will probably be blogging a lot this next week. Tune in for all the latest move and baby news. Here we go...
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
9 Years of Wedded Bliss!
Today Christian and I are celebrating our 9 year wedding anniversary! We actually moved to Atlanta a few weeks after our wedding so we are literally going full-circle with our journey from Cali to Georgia and back. Basically our entire marriage has been spent here in the Atlanta. We've had so many amazing life experiences throughout our years here - some good, some bad. But I wouldn't trade any of them because they all got us to this point. Georgia will always hold a special place in our hearts and I'm so glad I agreed to move here with Christian all those years ago. I can't imagine sharing a life and raising a family with anyone else and I would follow him anywhere in the world.
Now normally I would post tons of adorable pics of our wedding but unfortunately, all of our wedding photos and CD's are packed away. So in honor of our time here in the South, I'd like to share some photos of what our wedding would have looked like had we gotten married here in Georgia...
The happy couple...
The mistress...
Shotgun wedding...
Oops...baby's comin'...
PS: I plead pregnancy insanity as my excuse for dressing up like this at 6 months pregnant and then allowing photos to be taken. I enter the same plea (at 7 1/2 mos pregnant) as to why I would acutally post them on the blog today.
Now normally I would post tons of adorable pics of our wedding but unfortunately, all of our wedding photos and CD's are packed away. So in honor of our time here in the South, I'd like to share some photos of what our wedding would have looked like had we gotten married here in Georgia...
The happy couple...
The mistress...
The Groom's toast...
The Wedding Cake...
Our guests...
My bridal party...
Shotgun wedding...
Oops...baby's comin'...
PS: I plead pregnancy insanity as my excuse for dressing up like this at 6 months pregnant and then allowing photos to be taken. I enter the same plea (at 7 1/2 mos pregnant) as to why I would acutally post them on the blog today.
31 Week Baby Update
This is my attempt at being cute at 31 weeks pregnant! But I honestly think I passed "cute" a few weeks ago. Now I just feel large, swollen and tired. Good times!
I just realized I hadn't posted a baby update in 5 weeks. The last post I did was at 26 weeks along and I was concerned that they would put me on bed rest due to mild contractions I was having. Well friends, my fears were confirmed - at my 28 week appointment I was put on partial bed rest. It's nothing serious, my doctor just wanted to slow me down and help stop the contractions and slight dilation I was experiencing.
So for the last 3 weeks I have had to come home from work by about 3pm and plant my butt on the couch until I go to bed. To any busy, working mom, the rest may sound dreamy but can I just tell you that it totally sucks. I have to sit and watch my poor hubby work, cook, clean and take care of Jack EVERY day. He's been absolutely amazing but I know it must wear him out.
I was a stellar patient the first week but I have to admit that week two I totally over did it. So much so that at my 30 week check up my OB was concerned that I was having too many contractions and ordered up a battery of tests to figure out why. One test was to check for the FFN hormone that would indicate if the baby was planning on making an appearance within the next 2 weeks! Needless to say I was terrified that this would be true. Thankfully that test was negative and so were the rest. So all they could conclude was that I was, once again, overdoing it. So back to strict bed rest for me. I've been better but definitely not perfect.
I know I should be better because as my doc says, I'm the only one who can keep the baby safe, everyone else can do the rest. Unfortunately the "everyone else" part is referring only to Christian. And I'm not a sit-on-the-couch kind of gal. I feel like my body has failed me and it makes me sad that I am not as active as I normally am. I can't really play with Jack or get things done around the house. And being on bed rest makes the weeks go by SO slowly. The first 2 trimesters just flew but but these past 3 weeks have been excruciating....and I'm only 31 weeks!
But, the good news is that the baby is doing great - he's very active and growing like a weed so I know all of my efforts (or lack-there-of) are working. I figure if I can get to 38 weeks, he can come any time after that so in my estimation I have 7 weeks left! I'm not sure my little body can handle much more than that - this baby is literally kicking my butt! But as you can see from the 30 Week ultrasound below, he's a chubby, adorable little guy, already weighing close to 4 lbs. Quite the porker! So it will all be worth it in the end...
Ok, this is an odd shot - it might take a minute for it to become clear. But it's a head-on face shot. The top of the baby's head is to the right and his little hands are around his face up top. Isn't he adorable?!
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