This is Breaking My Heart

I ran across this family's story on Mckmama's blog a few days ago. I have not been able to get this sweet girl and her family out of my head. Please read this story (even though it is incredibly sad) and keep them in your prayers. ;( You can also read about them here.

The BIG 31!

In honor of my 31st birthday tomorrow, I've decided to celebrate blog style! Here are 31 things you may or may not know about me:



1. I always have fresh flowers on my kitchen table 2.I LOVE Pink! 3. I am never without chapstick and lip gloss.4. Shopping makes me feel better. 5. Snakes scare the crap out of me so much that I black out when I see one. 6. I've read the entire Stephanie Plum series. 7. Team Edward 8. I talk to myself all the time. 9. I wanted an apple tree for my birthday and got it! 10. I have 2 tatoos. 11. This is the first year I planted a garden. 12. Gingy is my favorite character from Shrek. 13. I will be secretly sad if the Lakers don't win the championship tonight. Even though I will try to convince Roy it's no big deal. 14. I love things that sparkle. 15. Cooking new recipes for my family makes me happy. 16. Every morning I have a specific internet routine. I check my email, check all the blogs I read, then I read all the news sites. 17. I go to bed around 9 on week nights. 18. I'm late for EVERYTHING. 19. I love picnics at the wineries. 20. Recently I've been reading female comics memoirs. 21. I like putting together lego sets. 22. I am horrible at putting on sunless tanner.23. If I won the lottery I would go to culinary school and then I would compete on Top Chef. 24. I love chocolate twizzlers. 25. I love wine. 26. I hate driving. 27. Shrimp is my favorite food. 28. Naps are my favorite. 29. Old men love me. 30. Cottage cheese makes me gag. 31. I feel old!

Amy & Roy's True Love Story

I was 19, I was just out of a series of bad relationships, and I decided I was taking the summer off from dating. My mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer and I was working 3 jobs. Also I was just the maid of honor in my high school friend, Jennifer Sundberg's wedding. While I was in Phoenix I also heard that another high school friend, Audra Curtis was also getting married the same day. Why didn't anyone want to marry me? (FYI now that I look back on this I realize how stupid I was) I was confused and needed a break, a loveless summer. I got just the opposite.

My cousin Nikki worked in the deli at Schnucks. I visited her when she was working and I was bored. The deli was next to the meat department where Roy worked. Nikki was on a mission to set me up with someone even though I was not in the mood. One day she pulled Roy out of the backroom and tried to introduce us. I hid, like I said not interested. She called me in the next couple days and said he wanted my number. I said no. She asked several more times and I declined. One day while visiting Nikki I was approached by Roy in a bloody meat apron asking for my number. I blew him off, but he was persistent. What can I say, he wanted me. (ha,ha) So I gave in and then a strange thing happened. I got this weird calming feeling. Looking back years later I realized I knew he was the one. I've never told him that.

He called me twice on a Tuesday. I still have the message my sister wrote down for me. I didn't call him back. That Friday was my 20th birthday. I spent it with my 2 good friends Amanda and Meghan in Amanda's basement drinking strawberry daiquiris. After a few I called Roy. We decided to go out the following Tuesday.

On Tuesday (June 22, 1999) he took me to a baseball game. I felt like we hit it off right away. I told him to stop looking at my butt, he laughed when I told him I tanned. We compared tattoos. It was love (ok probably not yet)

After that date we were exclusive without even discussing it. He wined and dined me at expensive restaurants and always brought me roses. We didn't even kiss until our 3rd or 4th date.

He proposed in Cancun on our hotel balcony right after sunset with the waves crashing. It was perfect. I should probably mention I was nasty and bitchy to him for hours leading up the his proposal. He always insists I mention that part.

We were married on October 20, 2001.

Eleven years after our first date here we are. Despite our current "issues" I like to think we are happier then ever. I think it's funny when people ask old married couples the secret to a happy marriage. If you're in a good marriage, you already know and it is probably different for everyone. I can't imagine being happier with Roy. We make each other laugh, we fight, and we are completely honest with each other. He tells me when things make me look fat and I love it. No seriously. Our wedding vows should've been for fat or skinny, messy house or messier house, crabby or happy...


PS Jamie Mehan is a genious for coming up with this great idea of telling our love stories.

Pain Pills, Birth Control, or Surgery....... Oh My!

I have endometriosis. According to my (former) infertility specialist one of the worst cases he has ever seen. Is has almost completely destroyed my reproductive system. In fact, my chances of conceiving on my own without extremely expensive procedures are less than 5%. Of course miracles can happen! Anywho, I've spent the last 2 months in a vicodin haze. I am on birth control to control the endometriosis but it isn't working. So now it's time to make a choice, live on pain pills, stronger birth control, or surgery to once again (#3) clean out all the scar tissue. You'll be happy to know I have downgraded my pain killers so I can function. On Saturday I accidentally took 2 vicodin instead of the recommended 1 and let Tyler paint my face. Let me tell you I was pretty! This week I am taking a break from decision making and am going to concentrate on celebrating my sweet boy's 5th year of life. On Saturday we are having a HUGE birthday carnival in our backyard. It is a welcome distraction. Hopefully I will only take the recommended pain pill dose and not make a fool of myself. Wish me luck!

Praying for Stellan

I read this wonderful blog by the most honest mother ever!!!!! Her name is MckMama and she has four children under the age of 5. Her youngest son, Stellan, is turning 1 today and is in the PICU. He has a heart condition that started in the womb. Please include him in your prayers today. If you want to read to whole story click on the Praying for Stellan button on the left. Thank you!!!! *****Warning, her blog is addicting********

Decisions, Decisions

Big changes are ahead for our household. I can feel it. No I'm not pregnant. I can't go into too much detail because I'm not exactly sure who reads this. Big decisions to be made. I am trying to stay positive and "go with my gut." However, I have always been Miss Safe and Cautious. Please pray for us as we decide on these major issues.

The Cake (dessert and a lesson)

Once upon a time there was a mom with a food allergic child. She had a brilliant idea to take up cake decorating and "wow" everyone with her exceptional cakes. Everyone would want her to make these cakes (that were not only beautiful but also dairy free) for their children's birthdays. Then when her precious T attended these birthday parties he could eat the same cake as his friends and not feel left out. Good plan, right?!?

I recently became obsessed with cake decorating shows. While spending hours on the couch recovering from surgery and an allergic reaction to bandaids (long painful story) I watched lots and lots of cake shows. They make it look soooo easy. So when my mom asked me what I was planning to bring to my sister's graduation party I offered to bring the cake. She asked me if I was serious. Sure I was, how hard could it be?

I spread the process out over 4 days because I have a tendency to get overwhelmed. Wednesday I made the fondant. Thursday I bought the cake mix, icing, and other cake making necessities. Friday I made the cakes (double chocolate fudge w/ whipped chocolate filling). Everything was coming along great. Saturday was left for decorating. I told everyone who would listen about this wonderful cake in the making. I had a vision of the completed product. A two tiered cake, covered in white fondant and decorated with yellow fondant stars with a black and yellow (Lindenwood University colors) piped icing trim. Simple.

Saturday I rolled out the fondant and covered both tiers, easy. I put straws in the bottom tier and carefully put the top tier in place, easy easy! I started piping the yellow and black trim around the bottom of the top tier. Did you know when black and yellow icing mixes it looks like baby diarrhea? And then it started dripping down the bottom tier. I tried to color the baby poop icing yellow, then black, nothing. Then panic set in. Roy came to look and offered a few suggestions. I cried. He said to make the bottom tier black. I hate black icing. To make a long story shorter I ended up with a beautiful blue color instead of black. So I used it to cover the bottom layer and from there came all new ideas. Roy told me the end product was probably better than my original plan.

When I was young I envisioned my future as having a wonderful loving husband and 3 or 4 children. Finding the perfect man , I thought, would be difficult. Having the children would be fun and easy. Falling in love with Roy was easy (almost too easy), kind of like the first 3 days of cake making. The part with the kids has been challenging and not what I expected, kind of like the cake decorating. Hopefully my life will be exactly like this cake process, not what I expected or planned for but better then I could have ever imagined.

I will post a picture as soon as I get a chance to upload my pictures. When my sister cut into it at her party I wanted to slap her. All that hard work and she just cut into it. How dare she?