I ordered a maternity shirt from Target...I opened the package and received a pair of bikini bottoms instead! TARGET FAIL!!!
Happy New Year all!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Christmas Recap...
...well, Christmas has come and gone in a blink of an eye and I'm still exhausted! I worked right up all last week and even Saturday on Christmas Eve and now I'm enjoying some much needed time off.
Ah! I don't even know where to start but let's start here. On Christmas Day, I was officially 20 weeks pregnant...halfway through! Excited to be halfway there but overwhelmed at all that needs to be done in 20 weeks. Our "big" ultrasound is January 6 but Matt and I have decided NOT to find out the gender. We agreed to not find out but to tell names. I'm waiting until after the u/s to tell names in case he tries to change my mind! We did tell our families the names this weekend with mixed reviews (I'll do a post on that after the 6th).
I did much thinking and realized that I think I turned my infertility blog into my pregnancy blog because I do blog somewhat "annoymously" there and I feel more comfortable writing about the gross things of pregnancy there and posting belly pics. With that being said, here is my 20 week belly shot(and only shot so far!). I couldn't help but post it because of Emma in the background!
Guess she was over us trying to get the "perfect" shot, huh? Anyways, being 20 weeks had to be the BEST present but Santa was still good to me.
After a heated debate of rocking chair vs glider, he realized I would be spending most of the time and he bought me this glider! I was totally shocked and not expecting it at all. He always does a good job in the gift department.
Matt also got me new sheets (which I've been asking for the past 2 years!) and a "gender neutral" baby book (it looks more blue to me though!). His family got me boots and a gift card to the mall. My family got me a World Series hoodie, maternity clothes, some cash flow and the cutest little onesie that says, "Baby G" on it and the G is in camo. The G is for our last name and how the baby has been referred to on my side of the family so far. Matt's dad calls the baby "Butch or Butchette" after my dad...
I got Matt snow camo which he'd asked for, some Mizzou sweatpants, a change jar and socks. We spent all day today buying and exchanging the camo because the pants I got were XL and seriously, we both could have fit into them!
This was our little Charlie Brown Christmas tree we had at our house with a couple presents under it.
Ah! I don't even know where to start but let's start here. On Christmas Day, I was officially 20 weeks pregnant...halfway through! Excited to be halfway there but overwhelmed at all that needs to be done in 20 weeks. Our "big" ultrasound is January 6 but Matt and I have decided NOT to find out the gender. We agreed to not find out but to tell names. I'm waiting until after the u/s to tell names in case he tries to change my mind! We did tell our families the names this weekend with mixed reviews (I'll do a post on that after the 6th).
I did much thinking and realized that I think I turned my infertility blog into my pregnancy blog because I do blog somewhat "annoymously" there and I feel more comfortable writing about the gross things of pregnancy there and posting belly pics. With that being said, here is my 20 week belly shot(and only shot so far!). I couldn't help but post it because of Emma in the background!
After a heated debate of rocking chair vs glider, he realized I would be spending most of the time and he bought me this glider! I was totally shocked and not expecting it at all. He always does a good job in the gift department.
We had a very blessed Christmas not just with our gifts but with the food that we ate (and still are!), the family that we spent time with and our safe travels. I hope you all had a great Christmas as well!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas!!!
...I opened this to write a post about Christmas about four hours ago and have totally gotten sidetracked. So...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!!
I bet this is what the wise men thought!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Our First Onesie!!!
...our first onesie! It is so tiny and so hilarious!
This came from one of my assistant camp directors at work! Guess she doesn't want me to forget about them this summer. Thank you Danielle for this sweet gift. I just hope my baby fits in this!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Christmas Time!!!
...can you believe it's almost Christmas time already? Seriously, where has this year gone!?! I wanted to do a general Christmas post so please, feel free to comment with your thoughts when you're done reading!
Traditions
Let me be honest when I say that we don't really have any traditions yet! Well, I mean we get stockings at my mom's house and Matt's parents but when, where, how we celebrate is always different. This year is actually the first year, I won't be celebrating Christmas with my dad and that side of the family on Christmas Eve because I drew the short straw and have to work this Saturday. Oh well, at least I got Sunday off but it still counts as a weekend shift so I'm not complaining too much. We're moving that celebration to Monday so we'll still get to see everyone.
Matt and I still don't have a set time that we exchange gifts...usually whenever we can squeeze it in between all the family hopping. Some years we go to midnight service with his parents, some year's (like this year because I won't be able to stay up that late!) we don't. So hopefully, we'll figure all that out soon.
Some traditions that I would like to start next year (or maybe the year after):
*A cake that says, "Happy Birthday Jesus!" I mean after all, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. I figure the first few years I'll just make it or get it at the store then when the baby is old enough, he/she can help me decorate it.
*Again, when the baby is old enough, I want him/her to go with me to pick out a "birthday" present for Jesus. I'm thinking it'll either be something we can donate to the church (like the nursery or school rooms) or give to something like Toys For Tots.
I just really want our child to understand that Christmas isn't all about getting presents, Santa and snowmen. Don't get me wrong, we'll still see Santa and I'm sure my family will spoil him/her with presents but I want to try to instill the real meaning. I know this isn't going to be next year or maybe even the year after but when they are old enough.
*I have never been a Christmas tree person but luckily, Matt is. We've only had a tree once since we've been married. I'm hoping that maybe the day after Thanksgiving or a set day that we pick, our family (meaning the three of us) can spend an afternoon putting the tree up together and having a home cooked meal. See Matt and our son/daughter can do the tree and I can cook, just pop in to check on them from time to time but we're all together.
Those are just a few traditions I want to start...I'm sure the list will grow!
Gifts
Well, I think my shopping is done. I have to double check my gifts and start distributing them all. I'm excited about some gifts I got people and I think/hope they'll like it. I don't feel like I got anything great for Matt. He asked for white camo and that's what I got him. Then a couple weeks later, he started describing what kind he wanted...um, didn't know there were so many kinds! I'm not even sure what kind I bought so he might have to exchange them.
For me? Everyone always asks me what I want for Christmas and I NEVER know what to say! I asked for a World Series hoodie (my 2006 World Series hoodie has a hole in the armpit!). I always say sheets because I try to think of things I need (i.e. 2 years ago, I got a mailbox and last year, I got a microwave). Of course, this year there's a ton of stuff we could use for the baby room but we haven't started planning it yet so I don't know what to ask for!
In a dream world, I would LOVE a DSLR camera but that's way too much to ask for. I think Matt has in mind to get us smart phones which I have told him, no absolutely not! Not that I don't want one but our expenses are going to be increasing already, we don't need to ADD to that with smart phones. I usually tell Matt not to get me anything but he always does. To be honest, I wouldn't be upset if he didn't. Winter is always a tough time financially around our house with him having a weather related job so I'd really rather him save his money for bills (or to pay off the truck bill!). I'd settle for a foot rub. :)
Dinner
Let me just say that I'm in awe of people who host holiday dinners at their house! First off, in this house, we will never host a holiday meal because we have NO SPACE. Matt and I usually host summer holidays since we can have additional seating outside. So kudos and good luck to all those hosting!
Now my ideal holiday meal:
Meat: Ribs! Weird, right? But this is tradition in our family. We go to a local store and buy 2 slabs of ribs and they are fantastic! We usually also have either ham or turkey but that hardly gets touched.
Salad: Pasta House salad and/or Broccoli salad (Broccoli salad is made with duh-broccoli, almonds and this yummy dressing! I think my dad calls this St. Louis salad)
Sides: Grandma's homemade macaroni & cheese. green bean casserole (or anything vegetable smothered with cheese!) and rolls (not burnt!)
Dessert: Seriously? I'm not going to be picky about dessert other than NO FRUIT in it! i.e. no apple pie, cherry pie, etc...pumpkin is allowed
So there are my thoughts and what we're doing on Christmas festivities. Let me know what you all do!
Traditions
Let me be honest when I say that we don't really have any traditions yet! Well, I mean we get stockings at my mom's house and Matt's parents but when, where, how we celebrate is always different. This year is actually the first year, I won't be celebrating Christmas with my dad and that side of the family on Christmas Eve because I drew the short straw and have to work this Saturday. Oh well, at least I got Sunday off but it still counts as a weekend shift so I'm not complaining too much. We're moving that celebration to Monday so we'll still get to see everyone.
Matt and I still don't have a set time that we exchange gifts...usually whenever we can squeeze it in between all the family hopping. Some years we go to midnight service with his parents, some year's (like this year because I won't be able to stay up that late!) we don't. So hopefully, we'll figure all that out soon.
Some traditions that I would like to start next year (or maybe the year after):
*A cake that says, "Happy Birthday Jesus!" I mean after all, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. I figure the first few years I'll just make it or get it at the store then when the baby is old enough, he/she can help me decorate it.
*Again, when the baby is old enough, I want him/her to go with me to pick out a "birthday" present for Jesus. I'm thinking it'll either be something we can donate to the church (like the nursery or school rooms) or give to something like Toys For Tots.
I just really want our child to understand that Christmas isn't all about getting presents, Santa and snowmen. Don't get me wrong, we'll still see Santa and I'm sure my family will spoil him/her with presents but I want to try to instill the real meaning. I know this isn't going to be next year or maybe even the year after but when they are old enough.
*I have never been a Christmas tree person but luckily, Matt is. We've only had a tree once since we've been married. I'm hoping that maybe the day after Thanksgiving or a set day that we pick, our family (meaning the three of us) can spend an afternoon putting the tree up together and having a home cooked meal. See Matt and our son/daughter can do the tree and I can cook, just pop in to check on them from time to time but we're all together.
Those are just a few traditions I want to start...I'm sure the list will grow!
Gifts
Well, I think my shopping is done. I have to double check my gifts and start distributing them all. I'm excited about some gifts I got people and I think/hope they'll like it. I don't feel like I got anything great for Matt. He asked for white camo and that's what I got him. Then a couple weeks later, he started describing what kind he wanted...um, didn't know there were so many kinds! I'm not even sure what kind I bought so he might have to exchange them.
For me? Everyone always asks me what I want for Christmas and I NEVER know what to say! I asked for a World Series hoodie (my 2006 World Series hoodie has a hole in the armpit!). I always say sheets because I try to think of things I need (i.e. 2 years ago, I got a mailbox and last year, I got a microwave). Of course, this year there's a ton of stuff we could use for the baby room but we haven't started planning it yet so I don't know what to ask for!
In a dream world, I would LOVE a DSLR camera but that's way too much to ask for. I think Matt has in mind to get us smart phones which I have told him, no absolutely not! Not that I don't want one but our expenses are going to be increasing already, we don't need to ADD to that with smart phones. I usually tell Matt not to get me anything but he always does. To be honest, I wouldn't be upset if he didn't. Winter is always a tough time financially around our house with him having a weather related job so I'd really rather him save his money for bills (or to pay off the truck bill!). I'd settle for a foot rub. :)
Dinner
Let me just say that I'm in awe of people who host holiday dinners at their house! First off, in this house, we will never host a holiday meal because we have NO SPACE. Matt and I usually host summer holidays since we can have additional seating outside. So kudos and good luck to all those hosting!
Now my ideal holiday meal:
Meat: Ribs! Weird, right? But this is tradition in our family. We go to a local store and buy 2 slabs of ribs and they are fantastic! We usually also have either ham or turkey but that hardly gets touched.
Salad: Pasta House salad and/or Broccoli salad (Broccoli salad is made with duh-broccoli, almonds and this yummy dressing! I think my dad calls this St. Louis salad)
Sides: Grandma's homemade macaroni & cheese. green bean casserole (or anything vegetable smothered with cheese!) and rolls (not burnt!)
Dessert: Seriously? I'm not going to be picky about dessert other than NO FRUIT in it! i.e. no apple pie, cherry pie, etc...pumpkin is allowed
So there are my thoughts and what we're doing on Christmas festivities. Let me know what you all do!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Weekend Recap...
...woo! It was a busy weekend! Let me try to recap it for ya:
Friday
I left work early to go to Haley's school because she had a classroom play. It was one of those days where I left work later than I wanted, traffic was horrible and as soon as I walked in the room, my work phone rang! Needless to say, I missed the first showing. Luckily, a lot of other parents did too so they did an encore performance. H was the Guardian Angel and was actually the female lead! She neglected to tell all of us that but keep in mind it was a 10 minute play. I actually left right after the play because I was not feeling great so I went to my sister's and laid down until her, H and my grandma got home.
Then we had homemade meatballs for dinner-yum and lots of pretzels with icing! H and Grandma played beauty shop which ended in finger nail polish remover all over the floor and that game ended quickly. We then did our coupon cutting and planned out our game plan for the next day.
Saturday
After a quick (well not really quick) breakfast at IHOP, we went to use up our coupons and finish up our Christmas shopping. Haley used a coupon to buy Matt an Axe gift set for Christmas with her own money; I usually get him one every year so he'll be very excited. FYI-we have Axe out the ears at our house right now.
I then headed home to find our Christmas cards had arrived-yah!!! Unfortunately, someone had pregnancy brain when making them and wrote "edition" instead of "addition" so I had to handfix all of them before mailing them. Oops!
Then I headed to work the gate at the local light display to raise money for the American Lung Association.
This is also where Matt works part-time and had worked all day from 8-5pm. I gave him Super Husband of the Day because he came home, ate dinner and went back up to help us work. It was insane! I think something like 700 cards came through and I witnessed a verbal fight because one car was mad the other car couldn't turn off his headlights...how's that for the holiday spirit?
Sunday
The night before really took it's toll on me. I stood outside for 4 hours and didn't get to bed until after 11pm so come Sunday, I had a killer headache which caused an earache which caused Crabby Alyssa. Other than almost crying twice, I think I actually did pretty good not being crabby. We had Matt's mom's side's Christmas yesterday which included 4 children and a flutophone and I didn't even ask to lay down. It was funny because his 6th grade cousin and I found we had a common love for "The Hunger Games" and spent quite awhile discussing it.
Monday
I took a vacation day today. I had to use it before the end of the month. Unfortunately, I had to go in yesterday to take care of some things at work and I had to go in today. It's nice to have a lot of time off at the holidays but at the same time, it's kind of crazy because all of this stuff has to be done before the end of the year.
I had to get up early and take Matt to work because he truck has been in the shop the past week. Apparently, a screw fell out of the bumper and went through all the gearshifts or something. We're going to pick it up today after work...and pay $3,100.
So that my friends was my weekend, it's almost noon and I've done all my errands for the day and I'm back in my pajamas now! Hope you had a good weekend!
Friday
I left work early to go to Haley's school because she had a classroom play. It was one of those days where I left work later than I wanted, traffic was horrible and as soon as I walked in the room, my work phone rang! Needless to say, I missed the first showing. Luckily, a lot of other parents did too so they did an encore performance. H was the Guardian Angel and was actually the female lead! She neglected to tell all of us that but keep in mind it was a 10 minute play. I actually left right after the play because I was not feeling great so I went to my sister's and laid down until her, H and my grandma got home.
Then we had homemade meatballs for dinner-yum and lots of pretzels with icing! H and Grandma played beauty shop which ended in finger nail polish remover all over the floor and that game ended quickly. We then did our coupon cutting and planned out our game plan for the next day.
Saturday
After a quick (well not really quick) breakfast at IHOP, we went to use up our coupons and finish up our Christmas shopping. Haley used a coupon to buy Matt an Axe gift set for Christmas with her own money; I usually get him one every year so he'll be very excited. FYI-we have Axe out the ears at our house right now.
I then headed home to find our Christmas cards had arrived-yah!!! Unfortunately, someone had pregnancy brain when making them and wrote "edition" instead of "addition" so I had to handfix all of them before mailing them. Oops!
Then I headed to work the gate at the local light display to raise money for the American Lung Association.
This is also where Matt works part-time and had worked all day from 8-5pm. I gave him Super Husband of the Day because he came home, ate dinner and went back up to help us work. It was insane! I think something like 700 cards came through and I witnessed a verbal fight because one car was mad the other car couldn't turn off his headlights...how's that for the holiday spirit?
Sunday
The night before really took it's toll on me. I stood outside for 4 hours and didn't get to bed until after 11pm so come Sunday, I had a killer headache which caused an earache which caused Crabby Alyssa. Other than almost crying twice, I think I actually did pretty good not being crabby. We had Matt's mom's side's Christmas yesterday which included 4 children and a flutophone and I didn't even ask to lay down. It was funny because his 6th grade cousin and I found we had a common love for "The Hunger Games" and spent quite awhile discussing it.
Monday
I took a vacation day today. I had to use it before the end of the month. Unfortunately, I had to go in yesterday to take care of some things at work and I had to go in today. It's nice to have a lot of time off at the holidays but at the same time, it's kind of crazy because all of this stuff has to be done before the end of the year.
I had to get up early and take Matt to work because he truck has been in the shop the past week. Apparently, a screw fell out of the bumper and went through all the gearshifts or something. We're going to pick it up today after work...and pay $3,100.
So that my friends was my weekend, it's almost noon and I've done all my errands for the day and I'm back in my pajamas now! Hope you had a good weekend!
Friday, December 16, 2011
My Thoughts on Ugly Sweater Parties...
...first off, thank you so much for all the feedback yesterday! I've got some ideas to get the ball rolling so hopefully I'll have a few posts or so coming up soon. The first one: My Thoughts on Ugly Sweater Parties
The first I'd heard of an Ugly Sweater Party was back in 2008. I thought the idea was FANTASTIC! Now in 2011, I think it's totally overrated. Every time I turn around, people are looking for ugly sweaters or heading to that kind of party...I think it's time we find another theme!
In 2009, Matt and I attended our first (and only) Ugly Sweater Party. What my friends did though was you had to DECORATE an ugly sweater and bring it to the party. Once you arrived, you drew names and then had to wear that person's sweater. Me? I LOVED it because I love to be crafty. Matt? He HATED it. Apparently, men don't like dressing likes fools and then heading into public...who knew?
So if I were to have an Ugly Sweater Party...OH-idea! A Bachelorette Ugly Sweater Party would be awesome! Kind of like wearing your old bridesmaids dresses instead you could make wedding like shirts to wear. I'm a genius! Watch out Stevie, you're getting an Ugly Sweater Bachelorette Party this spring.
Sorry I got sidetracked there! I think Ornament parties are cute and you could even throw in themes each year so it's not always the same...retro, ugly, Santa, reindeer, personalized (you'd have to draw before). What about a Reindeer Party? Everyone wears antlers and you could decorate the antlers.
What do you all think about Ugly Sweater Parties? What other kind of holiday theme parties could people throw? Happy Friday!
The first I'd heard of an Ugly Sweater Party was back in 2008. I thought the idea was FANTASTIC! Now in 2011, I think it's totally overrated. Every time I turn around, people are looking for ugly sweaters or heading to that kind of party...I think it's time we find another theme!
In 2009, Matt and I attended our first (and only) Ugly Sweater Party. What my friends did though was you had to DECORATE an ugly sweater and bring it to the party. Once you arrived, you drew names and then had to wear that person's sweater. Me? I LOVED it because I love to be crafty. Matt? He HATED it. Apparently, men don't like dressing likes fools and then heading into public...who knew?
So if I were to have an Ugly Sweater Party...OH-idea! A Bachelorette Ugly Sweater Party would be awesome! Kind of like wearing your old bridesmaids dresses instead you could make wedding like shirts to wear. I'm a genius! Watch out Stevie, you're getting an Ugly Sweater Bachelorette Party this spring.
Sorry I got sidetracked there! I think Ornament parties are cute and you could even throw in themes each year so it's not always the same...retro, ugly, Santa, reindeer, personalized (you'd have to draw before). What about a Reindeer Party? Everyone wears antlers and you could decorate the antlers.
What do you all think about Ugly Sweater Parties? What other kind of holiday theme parties could people throw? Happy Friday!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Help! What To Do With This Blog???
...I have to say that I really miss blogging! Part of the reason I'm taking a break is because I was really letting my free time get consumed with blogging...I felt like I had to have a post every day, I felt like I had to read every blog in my blog list and I had to comment on every blog too. It was like I'd come home from work, rush around to get things done, fix dinner, shower and then I'd get on the computer for 2-3 hours/night just doing blog stuff! It's amazing how much free time I have now!
The other part is because I don't really know what to blog about here. Having experienced infertility, I'm really trying to be aware of my readers. I know how hard it was to read about pregnancy when that's all I wanted. At the same time though, I do feel like this is my blog and I want to blog about my life which includes that. I've kind of turned my infertility blog into my "pregnancy" blog if you will. I debated big time over that but my justification is during that first trimester (and still now), I had no idea what was normal or not so I wanted to document that for those experiencing the same thing. And aside from pregnancy, I just don't have a whole lot going on right now outside of work (which I try not to blog about although we did have cake tasting at work on Tuesday which was AWESOME!). Well, I should rephrase that, I don't have a lot going on that's blogworthy! I actually do have a lot going on but it's fundraising stuff for ALA, promoting Hospital Hill and trying to tell my husband that Bethsheba is NOT an option for a girl name!
So help me out, readers! Please leave me some ideas of things you'd like to see me blog about....my thoughts on Albert or Matheny, my ideal holiday menu, pics of my cute furbabies, my thoughts on Ugly Sweater Parties....I need some motivation here! Please nothing political, I don't follow politics enough to do a blog post on that.
Let the ideas start flowing...GO!
The other part is because I don't really know what to blog about here. Having experienced infertility, I'm really trying to be aware of my readers. I know how hard it was to read about pregnancy when that's all I wanted. At the same time though, I do feel like this is my blog and I want to blog about my life which includes that. I've kind of turned my infertility blog into my "pregnancy" blog if you will. I debated big time over that but my justification is during that first trimester (and still now), I had no idea what was normal or not so I wanted to document that for those experiencing the same thing. And aside from pregnancy, I just don't have a whole lot going on right now outside of work (which I try not to blog about although we did have cake tasting at work on Tuesday which was AWESOME!). Well, I should rephrase that, I don't have a lot going on that's blogworthy! I actually do have a lot going on but it's fundraising stuff for ALA, promoting Hospital Hill and trying to tell my husband that Bethsheba is NOT an option for a girl name!
So help me out, readers! Please leave me some ideas of things you'd like to see me blog about....my thoughts on Albert or Matheny, my ideal holiday menu, pics of my cute furbabies, my thoughts on Ugly Sweater Parties....I need some motivation here! Please nothing political, I don't follow politics enough to do a blog post on that.
Let the ideas start flowing...GO!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
An Afternoon in the City...
...this afternoon, Matt and I had planned on using some of my Groupons so first stop was my favorite, the Fountain on Locust. Matt was "starving" so we ordered an appetizer. Before we knew it, our food had arrived but no appetizer. So the waitress gave us free dessert since we didn't get our appetizer-yum!!! Matt said since we got free dessert, we weren't allowed to use the Groupon so I guess that means I'll have to go again! Darn the luck...:)
Next stop was the Laclede's Landing Wax Museum. Luckily, I only spent $6 on this Groupon because it wasn't even worth that. Here are some pictures I snapped...
Matt and the Hulk
Whoopi and Patrick from "Ghost"
Louis Armstrong and Michael Jackson
Indiana Jones
Ronald Reagan
Yeah...see what I mean? Also, this place was FREEZING! I pulled out my gloves and put them on it was so cold. I guess so that the wax didn't melt, that was my guess. They also had a Hall of Horrors but only Matt went since I'm pregnant it said not to go. Matt said he didn't know why unless they were afraid being scared. OH and did I mention that we were the ONLY two there and it only took about 20 minutes to walk through the entire thing?
Since we were downtown already, we decided to drive along the Riverfront.
We found some artists working on graffiti on the flood walls.
And I never pass up a chance to get a good picture of the Arch.
All in all, it was a very nice little date for us. The weather was beautiful, it got us out of the house and was a fairly cheap afternoon. Although I would NOT recommend hitting up the wax museum! Have a great weekend everyone!
Next stop was the Laclede's Landing Wax Museum. Luckily, I only spent $6 on this Groupon because it wasn't even worth that. Here are some pictures I snapped...
Matt and the Hulk
Since we were downtown already, we decided to drive along the Riverfront.
Friday, December 9, 2011
How Expedia Falsely Advertises...
...okay so wow-things have been insane around this house! First off, I was gone all week at my sister's watching H and on Wednesday, Matt calls to tell me that he can't go to FL with me the week after Christmas because his boss is leaving town and he has to run the nursery. I'm going to just leave it alone and not add my two cents but that's the jest of the story. The plan was that Matt and I were going to drive my mom's car down to FL December 27 and then fly back on January 4. So now I would have to drive my mom's car by myself 14 hours and 20 weeks pregnant...not so much fun, right?
So my mom and I start trying to think of different ideas to get me to FL. First off, Matt's ticket is non-transferable to another person. We could receive a credit to use in a year but then they charge you a $150 re-issue fee so right away, our ticket has doubled in price so long story short, we're just out that $121 (hoping that his boss will pay for it but doubtful). My mom and I found a flight on 12/30 for me to fly to FL for only $159 (including taxes and fees). Sweet! That's definitely the best deal because 1. I'm not driving 20 weeks prego across country by myself and 2. It's cheap (well for the most part). Now on to how Expedia sucks!
I get on Expedia, price still advertised at $159 and click, "Book this flight." I fill in all the information and get to the payment page and suddenly the price is $189. Hmm...so I pull up another tab and search the flights again thinking maybe I took too long to book and the price had increased. Nope, still advertised at $159. So I call Expedia to find out what's going on. The agent tells me that the airline is updating the price so $189 is the price. I ask, "So you're telling me that the prices you advertise are false? You don't honor the prices you show?" His reply, "Let me put you on hold." He doesn't tell me why, just puts me on hold for over 15 minutes. When he comes back he tells me, he can't do anything so I ask to speak to a supervisor. He transfers me to another lady and I explain the whole situation to her to which SHE replies, "Let me transfer you to a supervisor." What!?! I thought I was talking to a supervisor!!! She goes to transfer me and surprise! my call gets dropped. I'd given her a call back number in case that "might" happen but no one ever called me back.
I get home from work yesterday afternoon and call again to speak to a supervisor who basically sticks to the company policy of apologize, explain and get them off the phone. I plan on writing a letter to the company, not that it will probably do anything but it will make me feel better. I'll never book with Expedia again and I hope you don't either! I highly would recommend trying out other sites like Travelocity, Kayak, Orbitz, Priceline, Hotwire...should I go on? I am now on a personal mission to spread my story because
1. Expedia falsely advertises and does not honor the price they show. It would be one thing if I clicked and then the entire site increased but for the whole 30 minutes I was on hold or speaking to the non-helpful agent, I kept refreshing and checking and the price stayed at $159 so this wasn't just a moment of I happened to click at the wrong time. They falsely advertised this price for a LONG time.
and
2. There customer service is not service at all. They have memorized the policies and lines to repeat but don't actually listen to your problem and try to help. Excuses, excuses, excuses!
So there you have it, my friends, how Expedia falsely advertises and has horrible customer service! Now let's just hope that my reservations are correct!
So my mom and I start trying to think of different ideas to get me to FL. First off, Matt's ticket is non-transferable to another person. We could receive a credit to use in a year but then they charge you a $150 re-issue fee so right away, our ticket has doubled in price so long story short, we're just out that $121 (hoping that his boss will pay for it but doubtful). My mom and I found a flight on 12/30 for me to fly to FL for only $159 (including taxes and fees). Sweet! That's definitely the best deal because 1. I'm not driving 20 weeks prego across country by myself and 2. It's cheap (well for the most part). Now on to how Expedia sucks!
I get on Expedia, price still advertised at $159 and click, "Book this flight." I fill in all the information and get to the payment page and suddenly the price is $189. Hmm...so I pull up another tab and search the flights again thinking maybe I took too long to book and the price had increased. Nope, still advertised at $159. So I call Expedia to find out what's going on. The agent tells me that the airline is updating the price so $189 is the price. I ask, "So you're telling me that the prices you advertise are false? You don't honor the prices you show?" His reply, "Let me put you on hold." He doesn't tell me why, just puts me on hold for over 15 minutes. When he comes back he tells me, he can't do anything so I ask to speak to a supervisor. He transfers me to another lady and I explain the whole situation to her to which SHE replies, "Let me transfer you to a supervisor." What!?! I thought I was talking to a supervisor!!! She goes to transfer me and surprise! my call gets dropped. I'd given her a call back number in case that "might" happen but no one ever called me back.
I get home from work yesterday afternoon and call again to speak to a supervisor who basically sticks to the company policy of apologize, explain and get them off the phone. I plan on writing a letter to the company, not that it will probably do anything but it will make me feel better. I'll never book with Expedia again and I hope you don't either! I highly would recommend trying out other sites like Travelocity, Kayak, Orbitz, Priceline, Hotwire...should I go on? I am now on a personal mission to spread my story because
1. Expedia falsely advertises and does not honor the price they show. It would be one thing if I clicked and then the entire site increased but for the whole 30 minutes I was on hold or speaking to the non-helpful agent, I kept refreshing and checking and the price stayed at $159 so this wasn't just a moment of I happened to click at the wrong time. They falsely advertised this price for a LONG time.
and
2. There customer service is not service at all. They have memorized the policies and lines to repeat but don't actually listen to your problem and try to help. Excuses, excuses, excuses!
So there you have it, my friends, how Expedia falsely advertises and has horrible customer service! Now let's just hope that my reservations are correct!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
STL Cardinals That One Guy...
...apparently, I'm the only one that remembers That One Guy from Old Busch Stadium. He would do the Clarkson Eyecare challenge and the Southwest Flight challenge. He'd interview people before the game and then there would be a video thing of it between innings. He would DJ at Paddio's after the games....anyone, anyone?
Anyways, today, he offered a free seminar that I couldn't attend but some of my co-workers went. I told them to get a picture and this photo is what they came back with!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The H & Me...
…so this week my sister is out of town on business as is her husband so it's just H and me. Minus the 45 minute commute to work and 45 minutes back to her house, there are definitely perks. Let me share with you, the top five reasons it's awesome to stay with my niece:
5. Cash for food!
4. Debit card for gas!
3. Parking in a garage!
2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast & Fruit Roll-Ups in my lunch!
And the number one reason why it's awesome to stay with my niece…
1. BUNK BEDS!
I'm not even kidding with this list! I love parking in a garage and all the yummy foods I wouldn't normally have at home. Luckily, Haley is very easy to get up in the morning and it doesn't take her long to get moving so the mornings have been easy. I will let you know that my sister left us a LONG to-do list each night and with my early bed time, it's hard to get it all done! Don't you worry about Mattie, my sis left an entire pan of lasagna for him (I had a couple pieces) plus I made him Sloppy Joes and the TJ's pizzas we ordered from our friends' son came in so he's all set.
Now snow, please stay away until at least next week!
Friday, December 2, 2011
How We Told...
...well, obviously, I didn't get to do anything too cute or creative for Matt since he knew what was going on. I did the best I could with the sticky bun! So on to how we told the rest of our family...
My dad, sister & Haley
Remember, my dad took my sis, H and I to our first World Series Game? Well, that's when I told them. It was actually Matt's idea because my dad is such a HUGE Cardinals fan. So we get to the game and first off, H and I had to go to the bathroom BAD!!! So we went then everyone wanted dinner and then we finally found our seats. It was raining so my sister left to go get napkins to wipe down the seats. Inside I was screaming, let's just sit down already!!! FINALLY, we get situated and I wait a few minutes, heart pounding, when I look at my dad and said, "Dad, how cool that you're bringing BOTH your daughters and BOTH your grandchildren to their first World Series game." I got a confused look from my dad and sister then my dad whispers (as though anyone around us could hear), "Are you pregnant?" I grinned and nodded. H and my sister tackled me with hugs and my dad teared up.
Then my dad said, "It doesn't even matter if they win or not now," which for my dad to say is HUGE! The rest of the night he kept looking at me and saying, "That's cool...really cool" and my 7 year old niece kept telling me, "I'm soo excited!!!" She even told my dad, "You're here tonight with 1 boy and 4 girls," then she looked at me and said, "because I want your baby to be a girl!" When I got home that night, my sister had emailed me. She said, "H said the best part of the game was finding out she was getting a new cousin and spending time with Papa."
OH! And remember the whole World Series and the #11 post? Well, they won the World Series in my 11th week of pregnancy!
My Mom
I told my mom and step-sister at the MIA conference. It was quite hilarious how it all went down. My RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) and I had briefly worked it out how I would tell her. This is how it went down...
I was in the hallway picking the fellow's from my clinic brain about my thyroid levels & giving him suggestions for research papers but telling him that he'd have to dumb it down for me to understand when my RE arrived. I barely got to tell her hello when I saw my mom round the corner to head to the bathroom and I whispered, "She's coming, are you ready?"
Let me break here. I tried to think of a special way to tell both my parents and I wanted to include Dr. K, my RE, because I figured she never got to be included for this sort of thing. At the same time, knowing I was at an infertility conference, I didn't want it to be a big deal and to upset people's feelings so I was trying to figure out a way to get my mom and Dr. K away from the crowd. So this all just kind of worked out. Okay, back to the story!
My mom walks up and I introduce her to some people standing there and then I turned to Dr. K and said, "And this is Dr. K. She did my retrieval and transfer and now I'm pregnant." My mom had been smiling the whole time and just kept smiling as I said that. It took about 5 seconds and then her face went blank. She looked at me and said, "What? You're pregnant!" I nodded and she started crying and repeating, "You didn't tell me!" Uh...duh, that's kind of what I'm doing right now. I then told her that we put on the whole conference just for her so I could tell her.
So picture this, my mom sobbing, hugging me then Dr. K, kissing me then KISSING DR. K! Yes, you read that right...my mother kissed my RE!?! (Luckily, just on the cheek but more than once!) I said, "Mother! Did you just KISS HER?" They all laughed and Dr. K was crying right along with my mom. Finally, I told my mom, "Go to the bathroom before you pee yourself!" LOL! It was hilarious! Then my step-sis came down and we did the same thing. Luckily, there was no kissing this time around.
When Dr. K left, I thanked her again and apologized saying, "I hope my mother didn't traumatize you by kissing you!" She laughed and said it was the best kiss she'd received in a long time. Oye! My family is so CRAZY!!!
Matt's Family
Well, as always with his family, it was totally disorganized and did not go as planned! We had two different nights planned to have family dinner and tell and both nights got cancelled. The second night, his mom calls and says, she'll take Matt and I to dinner. So we go to dinner with her and I handed her this little photo album I'd made. The first page said, "Grandma's First Brag Book" and then it was the picture of the dogs and their signs then all of our ultrasound pics. She grinned and told our waiter she was going to be a grandma as soon as he brought us more water.
After dinner, we headed to where his dad was working. Matt's mom showed him the book to which his reply was, "Okay, she's pregnant, I get it." No comment...
On the drive home, Matt called his brother and said, "Are you ready to be an uncle?" to which his brother freaked out and then said, "With Alyssa?" Again, no comment...
We tried calling his sister multiple times that night but she didn't answer. By the next afternoon, his mom emailed me to let me know that my FIL had told her and his sister had called her to say she was excited. She didn't call Matt or I until the end of the weekend. OH and apparently, she already knew because Matt had mentioned wanting a gun safe (which we've talked about ever since we got together) and because Matt told her dog not to jump on me (it's a 120 lb rottweiler).
So that's how we told our families. Matt's mom is loving the book I made her because she's showing it to everyone. My mom posted on her FB page about it and Matt and I have yet to mention anything on FB! My dad called me every day for a week asking if he could tell people yet. I think they were all more excited to tell people than we were! Not that we weren't excited, just that we were (and still are!) being cautious.
It's so funny after we tell people and they'll be like, "Oh, I could totally tell when you said..." Because I feel like I said some pretty obvious things but the things people mention I said, I'm like no way did I say that implying pregnancy. So that my friends is how we told!
My dad, sister & Haley
Remember, my dad took my sis, H and I to our first World Series Game? Well, that's when I told them. It was actually Matt's idea because my dad is such a HUGE Cardinals fan. So we get to the game and first off, H and I had to go to the bathroom BAD!!! So we went then everyone wanted dinner and then we finally found our seats. It was raining so my sister left to go get napkins to wipe down the seats. Inside I was screaming, let's just sit down already!!! FINALLY, we get situated and I wait a few minutes, heart pounding, when I look at my dad and said, "Dad, how cool that you're bringing BOTH your daughters and BOTH your grandchildren to their first World Series game." I got a confused look from my dad and sister then my dad whispers (as though anyone around us could hear), "Are you pregnant?" I grinned and nodded. H and my sister tackled me with hugs and my dad teared up.
Then my dad said, "It doesn't even matter if they win or not now," which for my dad to say is HUGE! The rest of the night he kept looking at me and saying, "That's cool...really cool" and my 7 year old niece kept telling me, "I'm soo excited!!!" She even told my dad, "You're here tonight with 1 boy and 4 girls," then she looked at me and said, "because I want your baby to be a girl!" When I got home that night, my sister had emailed me. She said, "H said the best part of the game was finding out she was getting a new cousin and spending time with Papa."
OH! And remember the whole World Series and the #11 post? Well, they won the World Series in my 11th week of pregnancy!
My Mom
I told my mom and step-sister at the MIA conference. It was quite hilarious how it all went down. My RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) and I had briefly worked it out how I would tell her. This is how it went down...
I was in the hallway picking the fellow's from my clinic brain about my thyroid levels & giving him suggestions for research papers but telling him that he'd have to dumb it down for me to understand when my RE arrived. I barely got to tell her hello when I saw my mom round the corner to head to the bathroom and I whispered, "She's coming, are you ready?"
Let me break here. I tried to think of a special way to tell both my parents and I wanted to include Dr. K, my RE, because I figured she never got to be included for this sort of thing. At the same time, knowing I was at an infertility conference, I didn't want it to be a big deal and to upset people's feelings so I was trying to figure out a way to get my mom and Dr. K away from the crowd. So this all just kind of worked out. Okay, back to the story!
My mom walks up and I introduce her to some people standing there and then I turned to Dr. K and said, "And this is Dr. K. She did my retrieval and transfer and now I'm pregnant." My mom had been smiling the whole time and just kept smiling as I said that. It took about 5 seconds and then her face went blank. She looked at me and said, "What? You're pregnant!" I nodded and she started crying and repeating, "You didn't tell me!" Uh...duh, that's kind of what I'm doing right now. I then told her that we put on the whole conference just for her so I could tell her.
So picture this, my mom sobbing, hugging me then Dr. K, kissing me then KISSING DR. K! Yes, you read that right...my mother kissed my RE!?! (Luckily, just on the cheek but more than once!) I said, "Mother! Did you just KISS HER?" They all laughed and Dr. K was crying right along with my mom. Finally, I told my mom, "Go to the bathroom before you pee yourself!" LOL! It was hilarious! Then my step-sis came down and we did the same thing. Luckily, there was no kissing this time around.
When Dr. K left, I thanked her again and apologized saying, "I hope my mother didn't traumatize you by kissing you!" She laughed and said it was the best kiss she'd received in a long time. Oye! My family is so CRAZY!!!
Matt's Family
Well, as always with his family, it was totally disorganized and did not go as planned! We had two different nights planned to have family dinner and tell and both nights got cancelled. The second night, his mom calls and says, she'll take Matt and I to dinner. So we go to dinner with her and I handed her this little photo album I'd made. The first page said, "Grandma's First Brag Book" and then it was the picture of the dogs and their signs then all of our ultrasound pics. She grinned and told our waiter she was going to be a grandma as soon as he brought us more water.
After dinner, we headed to where his dad was working. Matt's mom showed him the book to which his reply was, "Okay, she's pregnant, I get it." No comment...
On the drive home, Matt called his brother and said, "Are you ready to be an uncle?" to which his brother freaked out and then said, "With Alyssa?" Again, no comment...
We tried calling his sister multiple times that night but she didn't answer. By the next afternoon, his mom emailed me to let me know that my FIL had told her and his sister had called her to say she was excited. She didn't call Matt or I until the end of the weekend. OH and apparently, she already knew because Matt had mentioned wanting a gun safe (which we've talked about ever since we got together) and because Matt told her dog not to jump on me (it's a 120 lb rottweiler).
So that's how we told our families. Matt's mom is loving the book I made her because she's showing it to everyone. My mom posted on her FB page about it and Matt and I have yet to mention anything on FB! My dad called me every day for a week asking if he could tell people yet. I think they were all more excited to tell people than we were! Not that we weren't excited, just that we were (and still are!) being cautious.
It's so funny after we tell people and they'll be like, "Oh, I could totally tell when you said..." Because I feel like I said some pretty obvious things but the things people mention I said, I'm like no way did I say that implying pregnancy. So that my friends is how we told!
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)