memorial day cookout...

After we got back from the Outer Banks, we went to my parents house for a few days! On Saturday, I got to meet my newest cousin Madeline. She's a month old! I also went swimming with my little cousin[Madeline's brother] Alan. We had a great time! 

 After swimming, we went to see Mr. Billy and Mr. AP. I always love seeing them:) Mr. Billy loves for me to make pumpkin bread. I haven't made any since Christmas...instead I've been making chocolate chip cookies when I visit. On Saturday, Mr. Billy said, "I'm ready for you to bring me some more of that pumpkin bread!" I guess I'll make that next time:)

 Sunday morning, Kaz and I went for a 1.5 hour walk in Hartsville. I love running/walking when I'm in Hartsville. Kaz really wanted to run BUT I begged him to walk with me. He kept saying he wouldn't get as good of a workout but eventually gave in:) Half way through, I said "How are you doing". He said, "Walking is harder than I thought". :) We had a great time! I always enjoy showing him new parts of the city! After our walk, the whole family came over to my parents for a cookout/swim! I of course, didn't want to do anything but hold the babies! My other new cousin is Sophie! I met her for the first time on Sunday!

The day didn't go down without some sort of trouble...Growing up around a pool someone was bound to get thrown in. I decided since I got in the pool on Saturday, that I wasn't going to get in on Sunday. My cousin William kept telling me that if I stepped foot in the gate, I was going to get thrown in SO I decided to stay far away from it:) My little cousins Ethan and Alan decided to start a water gun fight with my dad. He of course soaked me and then went out to the pool to wet other people. My dad was right next to the pool with his back to me...I of course couldn't resist the urge so I ran out to push him in. I REALLY WASN'T going to push him in, I just wanted him to think I was. After trying, I KNEW I HAD TO TURN AROUND AND RUN FAST because if he got me, I was going in. I took off running and couldn't stop! The picture below can help you understand a little better....I ran right threw the gate, into the table and pushed it just as far as it could go until hitting a rocking chair. I COULD NOT STOP! Thankfully, I didn't get hurt at all. BUT BOY did I hit the floor! I still laugh thinking about it! The funny part was, my dad didn't even chase me! He just turned around! HaHa! I think I'm usually "the trouble maker":) It was such a great weekend!

 Madeline and Sophie

 My uncle JE and Vester

 My dad, aunt Helen, uncle JE, and great aunt Edna Mae

 Ethan and Alan playing their games! I love this picture:)

 Me and dad

 Cousin William

 Ethan and new sister Sophie

 Me, Ethan and Alan

 Me and Mom

road trip....

What a great past few days we have had! We left on Wednesday for our road trip to the Outer Banks! We arrived in Kitty Hawk Thursday morning and had some time by the beach/pool before all the wedding festive’s started! The weather was so nice, the wedding was beautiful, and I ate SO MUCH yummy food:) We had a great time catching up with our friends Anne and Chris! I honestly didn’t take any pictures:( I guess I was “photo tired:)” BUT we did snag these at the rehearsal dinner!

It’s always fun hanging out with friends, even if you don’t talk about anything of importance! AND we did that a lot! I think it’s safe to say that we all have a plan of action  IF our car ever falls off a bridge into water, IF a gator, black or grizzly bear ever attacks, OR IF we ever encounter a crocodile in the waves of the ocean[YES, THEY DO EXIST!]. HaHa! We had a great time! 

whew....what a week!

What a week this has been so far! BUSY BUSY BUSY! We are taking off tomorrow for a road trip with our friends Anne and Chris! We have a wedding in the Outer Banks on Friday! I'll be back next week:)

photo credit

it's the small things...

It's the small things in life that make me happy! I am 100% sold on Apple...I have the MacBook Pro, iMac, and iPhone. Besides my camera, those 3 are the key to my business! They hold all of my information, calendar dates, etc...Lately, I have become very frustrated with my iPhone...It's just started running slower than normal and the updates won't solve the problem. I knew I wasn't elligable for an upgrade, BUT Kaz was so I talked him into getting the upgrade and giving it to me:) He has a blackberry with work so he doesn't use his phone enough to notice;) OR AT LEAST, that was my argument:) Being the sweet, loving husband he is, he agreed with no fight! Whatever makes me happy he said!

So last night, I got the iPhone 4...BUT MY FAVORITE PART...the face time! I can now see my friend Liz anytime I want! It made my night:) 

It's the little things in life right? Silly example, but 100 true!

photo credit

getting back in the swing of things...

I feel like I’m dragging lately...With being so sick last week, having a full weekend with weddings, and right in the middle of my 2 busiest weeks, I can’t help but feel very overwhelmed and not wanting to do one thing!

I still have a lot of cold...My ears are both still completely clogged up and I’m just plain tired! I have been editing SO MUCH this week and still have a ton more to do before Friday! Saturday is a new wedding, so I’m trying to get as much done as possible before then!

I haven’t exercised since last Monday:( My appetite has come and gone! The only thing I wanted to eat last week was chicken noodle soup from Panera Bread. After that came up, my taste changed to cinnamon rolls and orange juice! So for 2 days straight all I ate was cinnamon rolls for breakfast/dinner and orange juice! Healthy huh?

I’ve been eating more this week but I’m just not hungry. Today, I was so hungry by lunch time..I had a lean cuisine meal and 2 100 calorie packs and my stomach was still growling! I’m slowly, but surely getting back to normal!

Kaz and I did celebrate his birthday on Monday night a little more. We walked around the Citadel[his college] and then ate at Kicken Chicken and 32 toppings for dessert! It was a fun little night!

AND it wouldn’t be a birthday without having a silly picture of Miley...SO this was Kaz’s birthday card:) HaHa! I think I have officially lost it:)

the BIG 30!!!!

Kaz is officially out of his 20s! He is 30 today! I had planned a "surprise dinner" for him on Friday night when he got back to Charleston. Kaz and I can NEVER keep secrets! I kept 2:) I was VERY VERY sick on Friday. I practically had no voice, a very stopped up ear, and I was just plain tired BUT I was determined to still celebrate. I told Kaz I made reservations at a restaurant in the Charleston area for 8pm. I said that was the only time available BUT it was really that late because our friends Liz and Todd were coming down to surprise him. 

We were both in the kitchen. I told Kaz I was going to fill my camelback up with water/Gatorade to carry with me for the car ride. Just as I was doing that, the door bell rang and I asked him to get it. He was SO SURPRISED! 

We went to dinner at Fleet's Landing downtown Charleston. We sat outside right on the water! It was such a fun night! The food was fantastic! AND the best part, Kaz was COMPLETELY SURPRISED!

Happy Birthday Kaz! I love you:)

he's home, he's home!

My handsome husband is home from Colorado! Just in time...It has been a rough couple days in our house! I have been sick all week! Last night, me and Miley were both sick throwing up[I have no idea why she was]! I went to the doctor this morning to find out I have strep throat and a really REALLY bad ear infection! I was told not to be surprised if my ear drum didn't burst it was that bad! AND I have 2 weddings this weekend WITH NO VOICE! So Kaz came home just in time! He is so sweet and has offered to help me at both weddings....He will be my voice:) He's the best! Me and Miley are SO GLAD he's home!

a very hard day...

Kaz and I had a very fun weekend together...While it was fun, it was still very hard because of mother's day. Not just for me, but for Kaz also because it was his first mother's day without his mom. We both knew the weekend would be hard, yet we didn't really talk about it all week. When Friday got here, it was like all these emotions hit at once. I went from being really happy to really sad. I never thought I wouldn't be celebrating this mother's day. AND at the same time, I felt bad that I was hurting while Kaz was also in a different way. 

So many of you wrote me emails of encouragement over the weekend, and I am so thankful for all of them. On Friday, I received a card from a friend that said this:

Amy,

I have no words that will make a little perfect baby come soon. I pray for you and Kaz as you wait. I know for sure that you will be a mother. The wait is not easy, I know. As I come to celebrate this mother's day, I look back at all the other ones that were so hard and I barely remember the pain. You too will look back at all these days and they will be filled with love and life of a little prikazsky. You and Kaz are very special to us and we love you both. Praying for you especially on mother's day. 

While this mother's day was hard, it was also very different than any other. One, so many people reached out to me and I tried to do the same with women I know struggling through infertility and adoption. Second, I was reminded over and over that even though we don't yet have a baby, I have a mother's heart. Anyone going through infertility/adoption feels and goes through things that no one else can understand unless you have been through them. We are kind of in those "pregnancy" stages in our adoption, the baby is just not growing inside of me. I fully believe that. We are waiting for the arrival and we pray more than we have prayed about anything in our lives for this baby/birth mom. So while it was extremely hard, I was/am hopeful. My sweet husband even gave me a mother's day gift. It blew me away that he would think of this, and it was the perfect gift! A new pair of NIKE RUNNING SHORTS! Ha-Ha!

The lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all

 he does." Psalm 145:17

loosing weight...

As many of you know, I have lost a good amount of weight. A lot of people ask me how I’ve done it, so I thought I would show you a few pictures and tell you a few things that have worked for me.

In 2009, I gained a good amount of weight. I was on infertility drugs, had knee surgery, and just honestly didn’t care what I ate. I was going through a very rough time with not being able to get pregnant and food was my outlet. When Kaz and I got married, I weighed 155. I’ve always weighed a good bit more than I look, I guess because of muscle. I’ve had friends who were the exact same size clothes wise and they weighed 20 pounds less than me. I’ve just come to realize that’s the way my body works. 

January 2010, I weighed 193! SO a total weight gain of 38 pounds! Looking back, I honestly can’t believe HOW much weight I gained. It’s easy to see something completely different in the mirror, AND I just wasn’t seeing how I really looked. 

My eating/exercise habits have changed over time. All of 2010, the only form of exercise I did was run. Eating wise, I usually ate smart ones and 100 calorie packs. I WASN’T super strict.

2011 has been completely different. I’ve been determined to get back to 155. In January, I ran a half marathon and soon after became VERY burned out on running. So as of lately, I run 2-3 days a week and do cardio/toning class 2 days a week at the gym. My eating habits have changed quiet a bit as well...

A typical day looks like this:

Breakfast: Yogurt + blueberries + granola

Snack: Pineapple or 100 calorie pack

Lunch: Smart One

Dinner: Salad + Grilled Chicken[sometimes I will do a mexican salad and add black beans/sweet corn...Other nights it’s just spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons, and Italian fat free dressing]

I’ve really been working a lot harder lately...Even though my weight hasn’t gone below 159 I have continued to loose inches. I went from a pants size of 12 to 8 and a shirt size XL or L to M. My jeans can now all be dried and they are a size 8! I’m wearing jeans that I used to wear when we first got married!  My clothes fit a lot looser and I honestly feel the best in shape I’ve been in a while. 

Kaz says I’m the smallest I’ve ever been, BUT he just doesn’t remember how I looked when we got married:) I still have a ways to go BUT have been very happy with my results! 

Total weight loss: 36 pounds

Below is my story in pictures....

MARCH 2009

AUGUST 2009

 

SEPTEMBER 2009

OCTOBER 2009

MARCH 2010

MAY 2010 

JUNE 2010 

DECEMBER 2010

APRIL 2011 

MAY 2011