Like Dreamers Do

I'm no stranger to Alzheimers and Dementia. My great-grandmother passed away years ago with Dementia and I remember slowly losing her each time I would visit. It seemed like she would get further and further away as she lost touch with who I was. I loved her dearly and though I didn't get to spend as much time with her as I would have liked I felt her love and care towards me and others in the family. Watching her decline was heartbreaking. Fast forward to a few years ago. Steven and I moved to Athens to help take care of my grandmother-  Granny Graeff. She was a stubborn lady and insisted she didn't need us there but ultimately it was the right thing. She needed help with weekly tasks like grocery shopping, going to and from appointments, and general house related things like laundry. Over time she needed more and more help. We realized she wasn't taking her medications properly when she was loopy all day and had taken the same medication too many times in 24 hours....

Nora is 4 months old today and I want to write this all down while it is still fresh in my memory. My pregnancy was relatively easy. Up until my third trimester anyways, then stress caused my blood pressure to skyrocket several times which resulted in three overnight hospital stays. The fourth and final hospital stay started out just like the others- I took my blood pressure and it was high so I decided to lie down and continue to check it. My mom came over since I was home alone (it was a Saturday evening and Steven was working) and helped monitor me and eventually made the decision that we should go in. It was already 8pm so I was resistant at first because I knew it would mean yet another overnight stay. And I was right. My husband was closing but came from work as soon as he got off and brought a few a things to me and then I sent him back home since he needed to wotk again the next morning. I was very much under the impression that I would be discharged sometime the next day and j...

I like to decorate, but I always feel like it needs to be done a specific way. I often won't do anything until I know exactly what I want. I guess I am a bit of a perfectionist. Either way, I am getting very tired of looking at all of my blank walls.  The HUGE blank wall in the dining room. Okay,...so it's not huge, but it is a lot of blank space!! I've contemplated making a big picture wall, adding mirrors, or even one of those murals (not a permanent one obviously).  The walls leading up our staircase. My dad has lots of family photos leading up his staircase. It almost tells a story or gives a timeline. I can't decide how to go about filling this space. So like any DIY gal, I consulted Pinterest! Luckily for me, a lot of others have contemplated this same problem. I found Emily A. Clark's blog and I am definitely subscribing to her now! Her "What Would You Do?" Decorating Tall Walls post was just what I needed to see! Emily...

Disclaimer: my hair is short right now, but these are the methods I use to grow my hair and strengthen it as it grows. I have constantly gotten questions on how I got my hair to grow so quickly for my wedding, so I will no longer keep it a secret. These are the products I used and they really worked well together.  My hair grew by quite a bit in just 3 short months. I have photos I will share once my blog lets me add them. For some reason they will not load, but I will upload them on Facebook when I post this. :)  Okay, so how did I do it? I used the below products all together. Some of these products were recommended by my friend Megan of Pretty in Pink Megan . So glad I took her recommendation! These have been amazing!  1.  Phytophanere Pills These are seriously wonder workers! I absolutely love love love them! Sometimes I use these alone, but I always use them within my combination routine including the products below. 2.  Nioxin Activa...

One of my all time favorites. Here are the lyrics to feast your eyes on.  We're Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band We hope you have enjoyed the show Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band We're sorry but it's time to go Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band We'd like to thank you once again Sergeant Pepper's one and only Lonely Hearts Club Band It's getting very near the end Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

I get to mark another thing off of my 30 before 30 list! My wonderful mother bought me three beautiful frames for diplomas. I only have two diplomas to frame, but I am considering framing my GWU Certificate in a nicer frame than it currently has, or potentially pursuing an additional Master's degree while I wait to start law school someday. And a few photos from commencement day in December:      So excited to have completed another milestone in my life! I can't wait to achieve another! 

I have been wanting to kayak for several years. The closest I got was testing the weight capacity of a friend's 'kiddie' kayak using my mom's pool. Needless to say, after not flipping and only paddling a few feet I really, really wanted to kayak. Anywhere.  Finally, in July 2014 I had my chance! Our staff retreat was kayaking in the Elk River. And I had a blast! Here are some photos we took with my waterproof camera: I would really love to own a kayak or a canoe some day. I also enjoy canoeing and I definitely think Steven and I would enjoy doing that together, too. But for now, simply renting a kayak would be fun! See what I have left of my 30 Before 30 list.