Live in the Sunshine: The beginning!!!

I never thought that I could have enough time in a day to start blogging, but after keeping up with all of my friends through their blogs, I've decided to join the club. This is probably not an assignment I can attend to daily, but I will try my best to update everyone as often as I can.

Where to begin????

J and I both met in college at East Carolina University. I was in a sorority, he was in a fraternity, and we both worked at the Greenville County Club. I guess you can say I kind of instigated our relationship. We were both at a party one night and a group of us were hanging out. All of us were having such a great time, and somehow at the end of the night Jon had asked for all of our phone numbers so we could all hang out again soon. Well, I got him to call my phone so I could get his phone number...you know...caller id!!! We didn't really hang out after that night until about a month later.

Meanwhile, while living at 705 with a few of my sorority sisters, we found ourselves bored every once in a while and would get the urge to do some hilarious prank calling. Those were probably the best laughs I ever had. We would all sit outside on the porch with a phone book and have the talented Amanda Pratt call people, restaurants, friends etc. using one of her many voices. Well most people would just hang up. But I....yes I...had this guys phone number in my cell phone that would be perfect for pranking. He would never even know that I was apart of what was soon to be a frequent prank calling session. Jon was the only one who would talk to Amanda and the rest of us would laugh uncontrollably until our stomachs ached.

Shortly after that, I ended up getting hired at the Greenville Country Club, and you would never guess who ended up working there?!?! Oh...it totally was Jon. I really didn't know what to say, or even how to look at him without reliving all the nights of having Pratt call him for a good laugh. If I remember correctly, I kind of told him my first or second day after working there. The confession was a huge shock to him. He had no idea who it was, but thought it was funny and that is why he had followed along with it for so many nights. It was from that point on our friendship began.

Fast forwarding a bit, J and I eventually eloped and were married on October 29, 2004. Our families were shocked, but I think everyone knew how much we loved each other, so the shock wore off much faster than we ever imagined. We moved to Goldsboro, NC around that time. Since J was in the Air Force we lived on Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in base housing. That had many perks, but I think what we couldn't stand the most was our neighbors (who let their dogs bark throughout the night) and the extreme upkeep we had to do in our yard to pass weekly inspections. Other than those two things, we really enjoyed living there.

I started working at School Street Elementary in January of 2005 as a 4th grade teacher. I had taken over a class from a veteran teacher and quickly fell into place there. SSE will always have a place in my heart. I made some great friends there and continue to keep in touch with them today. It was a blessing working for such a supportive and understanding principal like Mr. McPhail. I taught at SSE for two and a half years and found that teaching 3rd grade students was a bit more enjoyable for me then those quickly maturing 4th graders. Looking back, Jon and I were able to spend a lot of time together. You would most likely find us at the beach or camping almost every weekend.

In June of 2007, J and I moved back to Greenville. We were excited to be back to support our ECU Pirates. J started working for State Employees Credit Union and I began working at Belvoir Elementary School. J loved working for SECU, but after a few months it was found that he couldn't continue working there since 2 of his family members were already working there (at different branches). We were sad about the news, but also thrilled about our next adventure.

At Belvoir, I learned that not all principals are fair or kind. Our principal demanded unreasonable amounts of lesson planning and interventions, she was the first I ever met who had a "closed door policy" and she was quick to put down others. I saw partiality to certain teachers and distance towards others. I had one friend who was ganged up on and put down on a daily basis. I felt so bad for her. We would talk often and I would try my best to raise her spirits. But in doing so, I realized I didn't belong there either. I made some awesome friends (which helped me get through each day). We hung out during and after school all the time and it was a huge stress relief having them around. We were all feeling the same way. That principal had pushed me to my final limits in January of 2008. That is when I put in my 30 days notice.

Meanwhile, during this time, J had started working for a Bank in Raleigh. We were living apart, me in Greenville, him in Raleigh, and I had just found out that I was pregnant.

I remember being at school and one of the teacher assistants saw me and said, "Do you need to tell us something???"

"Ummm...no...why?" I responded.

"You have a certain GLOW about you....are you sure?" she said.

"Pretty sure," meanwhile thinking "Geez....have I gained weight again."

That night I went home and took a pregnancy test. I was shocked, nervous, scared, and happy all at the same time. How did she know?? I'm still trying to figure that one out. I quickly got my resumes out to schools in Raleigh. I was pregnant, counting down the days until I was out of Belvoir, and missing my husband. I needed to be with J through this time in our lives. Plus, I couldn't change the cat litter anymore :) Fortunately, I received the phone call I was waiting for. A Principal needed a math intervention teacher for the rest of the school year. That position was perfect for me. I love teaching math, I wouldn't have an entire classroom to set up in the middle of the year, and maybe I would have my foot in the door for the next year (I was calculated to have the baby around the beginning of the next school year). I had an interview that went really well and shortly afterwards, I started working at Smith Elementary School where I continue to work today.

I completed the year as the 3-5 Math Intervention teacher. What a fabulous job that was for someone like me. I had so much fun working with students and getting to know them. I built relationships with them and got some of them to see their full potential. I was then offered a 4th grade position for the next year. Mr. Lassiter (who reminded me a lot of Mr. McPhail) was extremely helpful and was willing to work with me during my maternity leave. Everyone at Smith seemed happier and it was nice seeing smiling faces everyday.

We bought our first house in May of 2008 in Knightdale, NC. We chose it because we liked the neighborhood and it was great starter home for our family (with one on the way). J and his Dad painted many hours to get the house done in time for moving in. We couldn't believe we were finally homeowners! Woooo-hoooo!

Finally summer came and I knew that I could deliver at anytime.

I had the baby's bag packed and her room was almost complete. I was babysitting Zoe while school was out. We did so much together; went on nature trail walks, played at the pool, board games, crafts, playing at the park, even some good ol' step aerobics!

One week, I had to watched little Aubry too. We all did the usual activities, but I was so much more tired than usual. I had terrible back pains and couldn't really do much. On Friday, J and I went to drop off the girls with Carmen. Once we arrived home, my water broke. I called the doctor since I was 5 weeks early and didn't really know what was going on. The doctor told me to go immediately to the hospital. J was pretty calm and very supportive. He knew how to handle everything (thank you birthing classes!!!). Once we arrived at the hospital we were told I would be delivering that day. Many thoughts raced through my mind both positive and negative. Would this little baby be OK? Will she have complications? Who will she look like? Was I ready? You know, the typical worries.

J contacted all of our relatives and friends. Some didn't even believe him since I was so early. My grandma, aunt, and cousins drove up and J's mom and dad came that night. Once I felt a real contraction, I was ready for an epidural. Wow...what an amazing feeling! From pain to relief in just a few minutes. I slept through all the contractions (since it was now the middle of the night). Little K was delivered on July 12, 2008 at 4:35 am weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces and measuring 19 inches long. She scored highly on her Apgar score and was absolutely the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. A sense of relief consoled me once I held her. I knew there were now two things in this world I would never stop loving: my husband and now K.

We ended up having to stay a week at Rex Hospital since K had jaundice. J and I loved to watch her. She always slept in a certain way: hands up and legs crossed. She was already so funny. Many relatives and friends came to visit and we couldn't believe all the help and support we were given.

Upon arriving home, we realized our lives were changed forever. K had a huge case of colic and acid reflux. Between her crying and spitting up, I didn't know if I could handle her. I had never been so exhausted in my entire life. Here is a funny video of K and I driving to the store. This was how a typical day went (this type of crying was an ALL DAY occurence).

K quickly turned our lives upside down. J and I had to take turns with her just to get a little peace and quiet every now-and-then. It literally took her 3 months to get over everything. We tried every type of formula on the market, went to the doctor's at least every other week, and read every little article about colic and reflux. Nothing really worked, we just had to be patient. It was a very rough time for all of us.

Here are K's pictures as she's grown:

1 day old (4 lb. 13 oz.)