happy birthday.

On Tuesday October 26, 2010 I had a doctor's appointment at 10:15  A.M.  I had been contracting for over a week at this point, but Sunday Oct. 24 Avery had dropped noticeably and I was certain that she would be coming soon.  Chris was unable to get time off to go to my appointment with me, so luckily my mom was up here.  While waiting to be seen, I had a couple nurses ask if I was ok, and if I needed to just go straight to labor and delivery.  I assured them that I wanted to keep my appointment, and see my doctor before I went anywhere else.  After getting checked my heart sank when I found out I still hadn't dilated past one centimeter.  Bassett would only admit me if my water had broke or if I was dilated to a four.  My blood pressure had been increasingly getting higher at each visit, but the nurses hadn't seem too concerned.  This time Dr. Matthieu had seen me, and she felt I needed to be monitored longer.  I was determined that I would just get sent home again, so I fought my mom tooth and nail about going up there.  Eventually my mom was willing to persuade me to go.  So Dr. Matthieu sent me up to labor and delivery, where they hooked me up to morphine and phenogrine so that I would be able to sleep for awhile and they could see if my contractions would progress without stressing Avery and I, or to see if they would stop all together. 


After being hooked up for an hour or so, I started reacting to the phenogrine, my heart rate started to escalate, and blood pressure started getting dangerously high.  Around 4 or 5 P.M. I was admitted and moved into the room I planned to deliver her in.  After such a long, stressful week, I was RELIEVED to know that within 24 hours I'd be having my baby.  I was immediately given an epidural, and I was finally able to sleep.  After a few more hours I was given pitocin.  I was contracting beautifully and not feeling a thing, so I anticipated having her around the late afternoon, early evening on Oct. 27.  


Around seven o'clock the next morning I was woken up by doctors telling me to switch sides.  They had noticed a pattern that disturbed them.  After each contraction, Avery's heart rate would drop.  They took me off the pitocin for an hour to see if I could contract on my own and let her rest for awhile.  I was about to get hooked back up to the pitocin when Ave's heart rate dropped below 65.  They were worried she could be laying on her cord or that it could be around her neck, or in someway restricting her oxygen supply.  Within minutes I was being pumped full of drugs and signing my life away on the c section form. All I had dreaded my entire pregnancy was ending up having to have a c section.  But I was willing to do anything as long as it ensured Avery's safety.


At 9:51 A.M. on Oct. 27, Avery Jane Pettriess was born.  She weighed 8 lbs. and 1 oz. and was 19 inches long! Within fifteen minutes of being whisked away to surgery, Chris was back in the room holding our precious baby and showing her off to my mom.  [:  Dr. McWilliams was a great doctor and he delivered her so quickly and safely.  I am so thankful that my mom was with me at my appointment on Tuesday.  I was so upset about not being dilated she practically dragged me up the stairs to labor and delivery.  Without Chris being able to go with me at first, I know that I would have left the hospital right after my appointment and who knows what would have happened to Avery.  I love my mom and I'm so blessed and grateful that she was able to here for her first grandbaby's birth.  I love my amazing husband, as without him, I wouldn't have my beautiful little angel.  Chris has been so phenomenal since day one.  He changed every diaper at the hospital and really took care of her in every way (other than nursing [: ha) for the first two days of her life.  I was under the impression that I would be able to bounce right back after surgery, but it has been much harder than I thought.  I can't thank Chris, my mom, and my church family enough for all of their help, love, and prayers.  Above all I am so thankful that God has taken care of us, and given us a beautiful, healthy child.  I've never been so happy or felt so completely in my whole life.  God is good, and my family is wonderful.  [:

update [:

WOW.  It's been a while since I've updated everyone on our life.  To make a very long story short, I'll back track to September 8th.  That morning I was woken up by my apartment's maintenance man.  He was banging on the door, and when I answered it he told me I needed to get out of my house right away because my neighbors below were running a meth lab.  Chris was at work and wasn't able to get home, so I waited around for the Fairbanks PD and Fire Department to show up.  After going through the house, they said there was a cat that wasn't being properly taken care of so the ammonia smell was from them not taking care of it.  I spoke to a police officer, and she admitted that it was unsafe living conditions even to live above them, because the fumes were so strong.  That night, we packed up all of our things and moved in with our dear, WONDERFUL friends Kaylee and Jason.

The next day the Fairbanks Drug Task Force went through our neighbors home, and they determined they had been hoarding animals and that they house was unlivable.  Needless to say, we were unable to live in our home.  Eventually we bothered enough people to get moved on post, last Tuesday September 28th.  It has been extremely stressful for us lately, but there's no way we could have made it through the last three weeks without all the love, support, and help of the Cohen's.  I just love them so much and I'm so thankful for all of their help!  


Now, we are all moved in to our new home.  It is so much better than our old apartment. It's safe, clean, and a lot roomier.  Avery's room is all set up, and its adorable.  We're so much healthier and happier and are so grateful to everyone who helped us.  Members of our church stepped up beyond our wildest dreams, and helped us move all of our belongings to our new house and the Cerelli's helped us clean and move ALL day Tuesday.  It's so nice to feel loved even though we're so far from home and our friends and family.  


As for my pregnancy, Avery is doing great.  She's dropping and is in perfect position.  I'm feeling pretty ready to have this little lady, and being that she's full term this week it can happen any day now!  I've had a lot of braxton hicks contractions and they've escalated since Friday, but we'll see what happens.  Right now I'm just focusing on having this beautiful baby in my arms!  I cannot wait to meet her.  [:  She's so wonderful already.  


On a final note, I love my husband Christopher Pettriess.  He had to go to the field for deployment training, while I was staying at Jason and Kaylee's.  That just happened to be over our first Anniversary.  I was so sad that we couldn't spend our most important day of the year together.  But he was able to call me and just hearing his voice made my night.  Chris is so amazing and even though the last year has been absolutely crazy, and a lot harder than we ever expected, I'm so glad that I was able to go through all of it with him by my side.  [:

hooray.

For some reason my goal throughout my entire pregnancy thus far, has been to make it to thirty weeks.  I just kept telling myself, "If I can make it to week thirty I can make it all the way."  I remember being so excited to be over eight weeks, so I could say I was two months along, at the time I felt quite accomplished being able to count in months rather than just weeks.  haha.  Now that I am in the "final stretch" I'm feeling even more accomplished.  


My roller coaster of emotions is still in full swing.  My strongest emotion is excitement, but its followed closely by anxiety!  I am so ready to not be pregnant out of sheer selfishness.  My body has never been so stretched and disproportioned.  I'm ready to sleep on my belly and have regain some much needed energy.   [:  All in all, I have enjoyed being pregnant a lot more than I expected to, but I never anticipated how life changing it is, even before giving birth.  I'm ready for our family to be whole, and to meet this little monster who is so active I can hardly stand it.  I watch my stomach in amazement as she stretches from under my ribcage all the way to my hip.  Even though she has kicked and squirmed for over two months now, it still makes me laugh to watch her contort my stomach and cause it to ripple.  As excited as I am to hold and kiss her, I know I'll miss these little reminders of her growth and development in my belly.  Nothing is more wonderful than feeling her grow bigger and stronger.  I just love my baby.  [:  

third trimester.

My little Avery has done a lot of growing the last few weeks.  And these are a few of her latest accomplishments:  She weighs a little over two pounds, her retinas are developing and she can detect light (which is why she kicks at Chris when he shines a flashlight on my belly.)  She is also having hiccups more, because she's practicing breathing.  She's forming her own sleeping patterns right now, which are the opposite of mine.  She kicks when I lay down for bed, and wakes me up every morning around four or five by stomping on my bladder.  haha.  I love my little Avery Jane so much, and I can't wait to meet her. 


My body has changed so much from gaining WAY more weight than I ever intended, to horrible headaches and leg cramps, heart palpitations, and swollen feet and fingers.  I can't wear my wedding ring or half the maternity clothes I got.  I never anticipated pregnancy to be so hard, but I am more than willing to go through anything for this little lady.  I've had so many friends have babies recently, and I'm so thankful for all of their support and advice, and for the support of the rest of my friends and family.  Its been hard being so far away from home, but its amazing to still feel so loved.

Avery's Room

Today I am 25 weeks pregnant!  Chris and I worked hard on turning our spare room into Avery's nursery.  Here are a few things we worked on.

This is a cute little cubby system Chris put together.  It has brown and pink basket things which are full of her clothes and bath stuff.

This is our awesome stroller and car seat.

These are little flowers that we're decorating her room with.  They're brown, green, and pink. 

This is her blanky that I made for her.  It has elephants on one side and polka dots on the other.

I spend a lot of time in her room.  I can't wait until she is here and completes not only her room, but our family.  [:

memories with the family.

Family Vacation.

My family flew into to Fairbanks International Airport around one a.m. Sunday morning.  [June 27th]  We slept in a little bit after our initial excitement of picking them up and getting everyone settled into our small apartment.  At eleven a.m. we had brunch at Pike's Landing.  Its a restaurant right on the Chena River.  It was pretty pricey but the food and view made it worth it, to me at least.  

Monday was the big day!  I'd been waiting for months for this day.  I got up early and got ready.  My family woke up pretty early as well.  We couldn't wait to find out how many and what sex this baby was going to be.  After getting a little lost on the way, we found the "hole in the wall" clinic.  I got all signed in, and we got called back rather quickly.  As soon as we saw our little jelly bean kicking around, I asked if that was the ONLY one. The tech said, "Yep, there appears to only be one."  After breathing a sigh of relief [not that we wouldn't love having twins]  I let her know that we definitely wanted to find out the sex.  She checked its heart, spine, made sure it had all ten fingers and toes.  After finally getting it to roll around enough, she let us know that we are expecting a beautiful baby girl.  I cried.  Secretly I felt from the day I found out that I was pregnant that this little being was a girl.  But hey, what did I know?  It was my first pregnancy.  Anyway,  I am ecstatic to have miss Avery Jane.  She was 1.3 lbs and she may be a little further along then we thought.  I find out tomorrow at my doctor's apt.  I love you little Avery, and I'm already so proud to be your mommy.

Tuesday my family and I drove to North Pole.  Its a small city a few miles south of Fairbanks.  They have a really fun tourist stop called "Santa's House."  I'm not so sure how much my brothers enjoyed it, but my mom and I had a great time.  I got a picture on Santa's lap [which I'll have to get from my mom.]  And speaking of my sweet mother, she bought Avery her "baby's first Christmas" ornament.  Its darling.  [:  

Wednesday my family and I went to the Farmer's Market.  It was really fun, I wish we would've had more time to explore.  BUT we had to go see Eclipse.  My family is obsessed with Twilight.  haha.  I laughed throughout the entire movie, thanks to Ryan making smart little remarks the whole time.  Later that night we all went to see Toy Story 3.  Chris came to that one, it was great.  I cried.

Thursday was "family day" on post.  We did a walk around part of the base, at SIX THIRTY in the morning. I was a little beyond grumpy.  [:  Then my family and Chris went back at nine to shoot big guns and stuff.  Since that's not really my thing, I stayed home and enjoyed a little peace and quiet.  Love you family!  :]  After they got back, we got all packed up and drove to Chena. We hung out in the hot spring and spent the night in a little suite together.  It was really fun.  

Friday morning we went to an ice museum [in Chena], it was SO cool. We drove home from Chena and had a yummy lunch at Tubby's BBQ.  

Saturday we got up early and went to Denali.  I wish we would've planned it out better, but the boys had fun climbing up the mountain together.  My mom, Charlie, and I hung out in the car for a couple hours. haha.  During their hike, there was a huge storm.  By the time the boys got back to the car they were all soaked, so we got them new warm "Alaska" clothes from a tourist shop.  We had a great pizza lunch on our way back home, and all in all it was a really fun day.

Sunday we went to church and then went to Pioneer Park for the fourth of July.  We went into a little store that offered a "real Alaskan winter experience."  It was a room that was kept at 40 below 0 degrees.  We got a really cool picture taken and only stayed in there for a few minutes.  My cheeks are STILL pink from it.  ha.

Monday was my family's last day up here.  We hung out at our apartment all day and just spent time together.  I love my family so much, and it was one of the hardest things to have to take them back to the airport.  I cried the whole way home, but Christmas will be here soon.  And we'll be visiting Utah!  [:  I love you mom, Ryan, Dylan, and Bryce!

21 weeks.

The last few days have been rough.  I've been really nauseous, and its getting old.  I take b6 everyday, but it doesn't seem to help.  My next doctor appointment is in a few weeks, so I'm sure I'll try something else.  But the exciting news is that our ultrasound is ONE WEEK away.  I can't wait to see my baby's face.  I get teary just thinking about it.  I'm ready to call my little munchkin  by his or her name!  Its going to be great.

ooooooooooh we're half way there!!

Our little nugget is twenty weeks old!  Way to go champ!!  I am so proud of him/her.  In two weeks, June 28th, we'll find out how many and what sex this baby or babies will be.  I am ecstatic.  Early this morning Chris left for training in the field.  As most of you know, I was just home in Utah for the last two weeks.  Needless to say, we only had four short days together before he had to leave.  He'll be gone until Friday, have the weekend off and then leave again the following Monday.  I'm not sure why I'm so emotional this week.  Maybe the "reality" of pregnancy is finally sinking in now that I am all alone and have the time to dwell on it.  I cannot wait for this baby to come.  


These first twenty weeks have FLOWN by, although I hear the latter twenty seem to crawl, I'm sure it will go too fast.  I love being pregnant.  Despite still battling morning sickness and unmet cravings, I'm really starting to enjoy this little creature in my belly.  Since I've been back in Fairbanks its been moving around like crazy,  I can't wait for my family to be here in two weeks, so that they can feel its kicks and somersaults.  I love you little baby.  [: 

seventeen.

I had a dr. appointment yesterday, it went really well.  The baby's heartbeat was right where its suppose to be.    We just can't wait for our ultrasound!  I've felt it moving around a little bit the last few weeks.  It's getting really exciting.  :]  This week I'm not the only one gaining weight, our little bean is working on gaining its "baby fat" for after birth.  awww!

the big four months.

16 weeks and my morning sickness is back full force.  I guess I spoke to soon when I said I was feeling better. But as long as I keep my Ritz crackers and sprite nearby I'll survive. haha.  I can't wait to be half way there, just one more month, woo!

belly.

I'm already feeling pretty huge!  I can't believe fifteen weeks has gone by this fast.

I am so excited for my family to come visit in a few weeks, its going to be great.  I am extra excited for our ultrasound.  I'm hoping the next seven weeks will fly by!  

goober peas.

Saturday was a very fun day for Chris and I.  We woke up early and went to River City Cafe.  Its in downtown Fairbanks and it is adorable, it even has a bed and breakfast on the top floor.  We had coffee and homemade cinnamon rolls, they were delicious.  After breakfast we decided to go exploring.  We went to a pawn shop, which was full of animal skins and whale jaws.  :[  Later we lounged around in Rent A Center, obviously there's not much to do here.  We went to Aloha Grill for lunch, it wasn't as good as we had hoped..  

After lunch we ran home and grabbed CharLie.  We took her to the Chena River, since its right down the street.  Chris kept himself busy by "fishing" with CharLie's leash. haha.  I was getting tired so I sat up on the bank and watched them play. A drunk native man stumbled over and sat next to me.  He told me his life story and offered me a swig from his small bottle of vodka.  "No thanks. I'm pregnant,"  I said as I pointed to my belly.  He laughed and said, "Oh that's TOO bad!"  I awkwardly laughed along with him.  CharLie and Chris were still having fun by the water, I called out to CharLie so that I wouldn't be totally alone with this mumbling stranger.  The native started laughing, "Why do you call her CharLie?  That's a boy name!"  Well captain obvious, you're right, it is a boy name.  But it fits her.  [:  I just nodded and he kept laughing.  Eventually a boat came in to dock, and he said, "Think I can go see the boat?"  I assuredly replied, "Yes!"  He stumbled to his feet and hobbled over to the poor, unsuspecting boaters.  At least he left me alone.  [:  A dad and his two little kids came up to skip rocks.  The boy was seven and the little girl was two.  She loved playing with CharLie and she was glued to hip the whole time they were there.  She sat next to me and kept her hand on my knee.  Sitting on the bank, absorbing the warmth of the sun, listening to the water, and having that little hand on my knee, that's what life's about.  I can't help but look forward to my little one playing in the sand and running away from the waves.  The family eventually left and we hung out for a little while longer.  

We ran home and Chris noticed our neighbor Josh was working on his truck.  He jumped right in and helped out for awhile.  After they were done, we got invited to the dog park with Christina and Andrew.  We hung out there for a few hours and really wore CharLie out.  We hadn't eaten for awhile and by this point my tummy was growling.  I decided that Miguel's sounded delicious.  We've been there multiple times and I was excited to have some cheese enchiladas.  As soon as my food was in front of me, I went to town.  I had a few big bites, and then I told Chris it felt like my lips were on fire.  I was too hungry to care, so I had a few more bites.  I asked Chris if he could see a hive on my upper lip.  I couldn't figure out why I randomly had one hive, so I finished my second enchilada.  All of the sudden I had a mouthful of hives.  I could feel them growing in my throat as well.  Chris saw the panic in my eyes and we left immediately and headed towards Bassett Hospital. I had just run out of benadryl and since I'm pregnant I didn't want to use my epi-pen.  We walked into the ER and I filled them in on the situation.  They rushed me back and started checking my vitals.  I guess my blood pressure was through the roof.  It took them a few minutes to find the baby's heartbeat and that really scared me.  I was pumped full of liquid benadryl and an IV.  It was the scariest moment of my pregnancy so far, and I hope that my poor baby wasn't too stressed through out the whole thing.  I was eventually able to go home that night.  And I'm feeling much better now.  I still hate stupid peanuts!

sleepless nights.

Last night was the first night my pregnancy actually interfered with my sleep.

I first woke up to what I recently learned is heartburn.  

Then I realized I was about to pee my pants, as usual.

After going pee I decided to bore myself to sleep,

I tried reciting the 13 original colonies.

Because I'm such a nerd, I was able to remember them all.

Next I pictured a map of America,

and starting from the west coast I named all of the states and their capitals.

I never did remember the capital of South Carolina nor North Dakota.

After struggling for way to long trying to remember these stupid capitals.

My tummy began to growl, after all,

I had used A LOT of brain power trying to imagine

a map and states and capitals.

So I had a granola bar and a glass of milk.

I decided to go back to the basics and count sheep. 

I didn't make it very far because I got annoyed not only with the numbers,

but Chris started snoring, unbearably loud.  

So I elbowed his side and he rolled over quickly.

I was up from 1:30 - 4:30. 

I had just dozed off when Chris' alarm went off at five.

Its gonna be a long day.  [:

paper towel fiasco

CharLie my (soon to be 6 month old) Chihuahua has been the apple of my eye since Chris gave her to me for Christmas. The last few weeks we have been trying to leave her out of her kennel while we run for errands. Right before I left, I finally got around to dusting our entertainment center. I made sure there weren't any socks or shoes left out anywhere, because she's teething and loves chewing on the laces and elastic in socks. Too bad I forgot the roll of paper towels! haha. That's just part of the mess, she drug it through our whole house. What a day. [:

week 14

This week has been very exciting already.  I learned that a fourteen week fetus can suck its thumb and frown.  haha.  I have a feeling if this baby is anything like me, (s)he is probably already frowning or pouting for some reason by now.  Only twenty six weeks to go!  

first pair of real maternity pants! haha.

pitter patter

At 9:30 a.m. I laid back on the hospital bed, the thin paper-covering crackled beneath my weight.  The doctor attempted to keep my lose limbs on the table, but even with the extender at its max my feet were still hanging off the edge.  Being nearly six feet tall, I didn't expect to fit comfortably on the small bed.  I waited to hear something, anything as she ran the small device over my exposed belly.  A few minutes seemed like an eternity, I heard a faint noise.  She could see the excitement in my eyes, and immediately she let me know that what I had heard was my own heartbeat.  I became slightly flustered and I could feel my pulse speeding up, "Where is my baby?" I thought.  And just as I began to lose hope, there it was.  Chuga-Chuga-Chuga.. It sounded like a little choo-choo train.  I couldn't help but cry, I have waited 14 long weeks to hear that sound. Our little tadpole is so active that she could only keep it still for a minute at most, it actually kicked her hand away!  I was so nervous for today, and hearing that fast little heartbeat has helped put my mind to ease.  I can't wait to have this baby!

sunday mornin' rain is fallin'

A few days ago I saw a picture
of a dessert online.  It was called
a brownie strawberry shortcake.
I happen to love all three things,
so I decided to attempt to make it.
I was so proud of how it turned out
I had to share it with everyone!
If you like chocolate or strawberries,
you'll LOVE this dessert. mmm! 
It was really easy to make, and it
is delicious.  Chris and I both love it.

bye bye morning sickness

Today is the first day of my second trimester.
I have been feeling so much better lately.
My morning sickness has subsided for
the most part, I have pretty bad headaches
still but its still much better than a few weeks ago. [:

13 weeks

this is me now. [:

12 weeks

We hit the big marker of twelve weeks today.

I'm feeling a lot better, and we're getting

really excited to have this baby!

love and some verses

11 weeks

Today is Thursday, April 15,

and I am a little over eleven weeks pregnant.

Thinking back about two months ago,

I didn't dream of being pregnant.

At least not for a few years,

after all we had our three year plan.

Since Chris is in the army, and we are

stationed in Fairbanks, AK we figured

waiting until we moved back home to start

a family would be the most logical thing. [:

well, God had other plans in mind.

As I mentioned, two months ago I did not know

that I was pregnant. However,

I also knew that something was not right.

I had been extremely sick for about a week or a week

and a half, and my side had been killing me.

I called my mom, of course, and she said

it could be an ectopic pregnancy.

Well, I had taken a pregnancy test a few days prior,

and it was negative, so I figured I was in the clear.

The problem was I had taken it about a week too early,

sooo a few days after my phone call to my mom,

I took another test.

I waited around patiently to read "not pregnant"

to my surprise, the test was missing the word "not."

I was not about to believe just one test,

so I ran and grabbed a second one.

I started chugging water, and then decided

I didn't want to wait, so I hurried and did a second test.

This time I was frantically waiting.

And literally yelling, "OH MY GOSH"

the whole three minutes it took to process.

This test also read "pregnant"

I have probably never cried so hard in my life.

I was hyperventilating and shaking.

When I was a little girl, I had always

imagined that finding out I was pregnant

would be as exciting as my marriage proposal.

But for some reason, I was filled with fear,

doubt, and disbelief.

I immediately thought of all of the dreams and

ambitions I had been planning out for myself,

and I realized that my life was about to take a huge change.

I remember sitting on the bathroom floor asking God,

"Why right NOW?" I never felt more unprepared

for anything in my entire life.

I was scared that Chris would be upset,

and I had to wait until he got home from work to tell him,

because I knew I had to tell him in person.

When Chris got home I immediately told him,

and without blinking an eye, he hugged me and said,

"We can do this."

I never want my child to feel unwanted.

Even though its mommy and daddy

weren't anticipating a new addition this early,

we could not be more excited.

We consider him or her to be an absolute

gift from God. [:

christmas 2009

santa's house at north pole.

the maze in north pole.

ravens are demons with wings.

looks like an at&t add.

i think darryl said it all.

welcome to fairbanks. aka hell on earth. [:

we love christmas!

2009 recap

2009 was my "year of change."

January:

Chris and I officially began dating.

We shared our birthday, Jan. 19 together

at Sunset Coffee.

Sunset is held near and dear to our hearts,

because we first met each other there.

February:

We had our first V day.

We went to a monster truck rally,

dinner, and saw "The Last House on the Left"

March:

Chris decided to get serious about

figuring out his future and pursuing a career

or at least term of service with the US ARMY.

April:

Chris got our crazy dog Oliver on April 24,

to keep me company while he was gone during basic training.

May:

We had a super fun Cinco de Mayo at Sunset.

May 12, 2009 Chris left for Ft. Benning, GA.

June:

I pulled lots of extra hours at Sunset,

and was bored to death without my partner in crime.

July:

July 31- Aug 2 there was a family weekend at Ft. Benning.

I got to visit my honey!

It was one of the best weekends of my life.

August:

I despise this month, if I could skip it every year,

I gladly would.

Chris and I spent the whole month stressing

over where, when, and how we could possibly

pull off a wedding in just a few weeks,

without him being home until a week and a half before "the big day".

September:

I went to Georgia again from Sept 2 - Sept 6.

My dear friend Greg Smith came with me.

It was an amazing trip, and even though I hate Georgia,

we had a wonderful time together. haha.

Sept 4 was Chris's Graduation from basic training.

After he was released from the ceremony,

we went to the museum that is on the base.

Chris was acting very strange and he went up to one of the

workers and started whispering to him.

I was embarrassed right off the bat,

then he asked for everyone's attention.

He started congratulating everyone for graduating.

Out of nowhere he decided to call me up in front

of all of these people that I don't know.

My heart was pounding through my chest and I could

feel the heat giving off my flushed cheeks.

I walked up to him bashfully,

and immediately he got down on one knee.

I started crying immediately.

He took my hand and asked me to marry him,

and for the next thirty seconds or so I kept pulling my hand away from him.

I was so shocked and blown away I didn't know how to react.

I couldn't even say the word "yes."

Finally, Chris grabbed my hand one last time, looked me dead in the eyes,

and said, "Please, Jes."

My only response was a head nod,

and he slipped the ring on my finger.

He never ceases to amaze me,

he purchased a ring for me, during basic training,

and purposed in a beautiful museum in front of all of his peers

and their families.

It still melts my heart just thinking about it.

The day before our wedding, we had to give Oliver

to one of Chris's friends.

In July we got new neighbors below us,

and every time we let Oliver out their dog would freak out.

They complained to our landlord,

so rather than start up shiii with the neighbors, with only a month left

on our lease, we found him a good home.

We were so sad about giving him away,

but he has a great home now and is happy and loved.

Sept 23, 2009 we tied the knot in front of our friends and family

at the Carmelle Reception Center in Holladay UT.

It was a gorgeous night and we had so much fun.

Sept 28 Chris left for his duty station in Fairbanks, AK.

October:

I moved from my apartment back to my mom's house.

It was really great getting to spend my last month at home with my mom

and brothers.

On Halloween we threw a "Party Like a Rock Star" party.

It was hilarious!

November:

I left for Alaska on Nov 6.

And since the day I landed until the present,

I continue to hate this ice box and nearly all who inhabit it. [:

November 26- The Nightmare Before Christmas

AKA Thanksgiving.

Chris's Sgt. invited us to Thanksgiving dinner

at his house with his family, and other army people.

It was an awkward night.

And I knew right away that I was never going to fit in

with stereotypical army wives.

Thank the Lord the Broncos game was on,

I was distracted the whole night watching my team

kick butt. [it was the highlight of my night.]

When we were finally able to leave, we headed over to our neighbor

Josh's house. That night I met Joey, Zam, and their two year old Jason.

Since then they have become some of our closest friends.

December:

Since we had to give Oliver away,

I was going crazy without a dog.

Chris finally caved and got me an adorable

chihuahua for Christmas.

Her name is CharLie and I love her to death!!

She's our little love child. haha.