Blue Hair, Don't Care!

Once the divorce was final, it was time to start taking care of me! I got my hair cut, touched up my gray, and even lost about 30 pounds this summer... damn winter hibernation and gaining some of it back! In July, I went to the local hair school and met an awesome lady who I've now gone back and seen three times... which is about three times more than I normally go in one year to the hairdresser! By my third visit, I was like I want to do something different, completely out of the box, something not me so... I got some blue peekaboo highlights!!!

I got them done right before we were supposed to go to FL but the weather changed our plans and we ended up not going. Since my hair is so dark, she had to bleach it first THEN put the blue over it so it was about a four hour process! Still, it turned out pretty awesome in my opinion!

I know, you're thinking, Alyssa, you're crazy, what if you hated it? Well, good thing that when my hair was down, you couldn't even see them at all!!!

Now that it's growing out, I'm kind of over it. It's once of those things that I can say I've been there, done that, and now it's out of my system. Awesome job, Gabby, thanks for giving me the encouragement to do something different!

The G-Fam Now

First off, thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome back! This is why I love you all so much. I know I kind of dropped a bomb on you with the whole divorce thing and you probably have like a million questions you want to know if you're anything like me aka nosey and want to know all the details. Let me start off by saying I won't be bashing or saying anything bad about any party involved so don't think I'm trying to act like we're perfect, I'm just trying to be respectful. Everything started in August 2015 and I have a couple blog posts that I started to write but they ended up being more of an emotional outlet for me instead. They were really raw and more about my feelings than the facts which is what I'm going to try to keep this to so here goes.

August 2015, Matt and I decided to get divorced. No big drama or event of what got us to this point, we'd both been feeling it for awhile so when he brought it up, I agreed. Matt stayed in the house with us until May 2016 when the divorce was finalized. AR and I stayed in our house and Matt moved about fifteen minutes away so it's nice that we're still pretty close location wise. My mom stayed with AR and I mid-May-mid-August which was a good transition for me and for AR.

As far as parenting plan goes, we trade every other weekend and Thursday nights plus she stays with her dad every Wednesday as well. I won't lie, it's been tough not being with my girl every night but I try to stay busy when she's not home. I've had an awesome support system of people who invite me on walks, let me come over and hang out, or go out dancing with. I definitely can't complain about that although I still have times that I sit at home and have a pity party every now and then but the good definitely outweigh the bad.

She played soccer this fall, Go Grapes! I went to all her practices even though they were on Wednesday nights. My philosophy is that I still attend practices/activities like I would have if we were still married. She did awesome and we made some really amazing friends! One of her teammates is having a Gingerbread House party in a couple weeks so AR is really excited to see everyone again.

Matt and I still struggle at times like we did when we were married. For both of us, we always try to put AR first and what's best for her. Matt and I may not be husband and wife anymore but we will always be her Mommy and Daddy so when she asked if Daddy could go trick or treating with us, the answer was of course yes.

It's been a long road to get to the point where we are now and it's going to continue to be until we get the hang of it. Even then, the only guarantee in life is that it's always going to change so we'll regroup and figure things out at that point again. And while we've had lots of changes in our world, AR seems to be handling it pretty well. I mean occasionally, she'll say something that breaks my heart and I think geez, she's really going to need therapy one day but take a look at that smile of hers? She's a pretty happy and blessed little girl. She's got a Mommy and Daddy that love her, some amazingly awesome friends, and a family that adores her. Our girl is strong willed and sassy and she doesn't hesitate to call us out when she needs to. Overall, we're still a family that's a work in progress.

I'm back!!!

Hey all! I'm back and I'm sure you've noticed a few changes to the blog. New layout, new pictures, oh and yeah, I got divorced. It's been a long year of eye opening experiences and changes but so far, everything has been for the better. Most days are pretty good but there are some days or stretches of times that I really struggle with all the change in my life. I promise I'll do a post on it sooner than later but feel free to ask any questions.

I'd been debating about whether or not to get back into blogging. Last Wednesday, Jenni from The Average Momma invited me to a viewing of the new Brad Pitt movie along with some other bloggers. I decided that night that I needed to get back into blogging. Not because of the free stuff, that's just an awesome bonus, but because that's where I started. When I moved to STL, I barely knew anyone and started up this blog. Some of my best friends, women that have seen me through marathons, fertility treatments, pregnancy, and even my divorce, have been women that I met through blogging. On the days that I don't have AR, I struggle the most with staying busy so hopefully going back to my blog roots will get me back to a better place so I can keep being the momma my girl needs me to be.

So I think this picture pretty much can summarize... WE'RE BACK!!!

Feel free to read back as I did so some posting while I was radio silent. 

Hazelbaker the Cupcake Maker

What I thought was going to be a laidback Monday evening turned into an evening full of excitement! My friend Laura, who lives in Cape, texted my sister and I that Cardinals outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker was going to be signing at Rally House in Brentwood. Ever since AR saw Hazelbaker at spring training, she has called him Hazelbaker the Cupcake Maker and when he's up to bat at Busch Stadium, she always yells at him to ask, "Do you bake cupcakes?"

This past weekend, my sister saw him in Pittsburgh and told him about AR and her cupcake question so when Laura text us about his signing, my sis said she'd grab the cupcakes and meet us there. As soon as AR set them down in front of him, he immediately recalled the conversation with my sis. AR kind of froze up and he had to kind of coax the cupcake maker part out of her. Then when we snapped this pic, he asked someone to take a picture on his phone, too!

He signed a ball and a picture for her then we put the stuff in the car and came back in to look around. As we were looking at visors, he came up and admitted that he had a sweet tooth. Our convo:

Hazelbaker: Yeah, I've got a sweet tooth.

Me: Only on your cheat days though, right?

Hazelbaker: Every day's a cheat day.

Me: Yeah, me, too.

Somehow it came up in conversation what part of town he lived in and I told him about a cupcake place close to him.

Me to AR: Remember that place? We met Mary Poppins there a few summers ago. *I turn to Hazelbaker* Mary Poppins, Hazelbaker... you know, I'm sure they'd love to have you sign there, too!

He laughed and then some more people came in to get autographs so we bought a visor and he went back to signing. The store gave us another photo of him so AR went up to have it signed. Their convo:

AR: Can you sign this for my sister, Haley?

Hazelbaker: Sure, I can sign it for your sister. Where should I sign? *they have a discussion deciding where to sign* Think I should put her name on there?

AR: Yeah, it's Haley.

Hazelbaker: How do you spell that? H-A-L-E-Y?

I nod to AR who looks at Hazelbaker: Pft! That was easy!

Hazelbaker, laughing: Yeah, it was. I shouldn't have even asked.

AR: Thanks for keeping me up past my bedtime.

Hazelbaker: Oh, are you supposed to be in bed?

AR nods

Hazelbaker: Aw... I like it!

Then we thanked him and told him good luck with the season. I posted this pic on IG:

And as if the evening was already awesome enough... HE LIKED OUR PHOTO!!!

Thank you, Hazelbaker the Cupcake Maker, for your time and making this little girl's night. You have a new fan for life now!!! And then he posted this on his Instagram page and AR is even more in love with #hazelbakerthecupcakemaker

Paying It Forward

Let me start off by saying, I am NOT a positive person. Matt always said that and it's true. However, I prefer to think of myself as a realist or a positive pessimist. I don't know, I've always had the mindset that if you expect the worse then you'll be pleasantly surprised when anything better happens. Ever since last August when my life got 'turned around, flipped upside down,' things were really put into perspective for me. It was like every random Facebook post was speaking to me. You know, the ones that say something like "smile because it might make someone's day" or "you never know what the person next to you is going through." I started thinking about that because that was my life. Inside, I was falling apart. I was walking around very precariously with this fragile outer shell but no one knew. One wrong raise of the eyebrow by the cashier at the grocery store and I'd find myself in my car crying my eyes out. You can ask my ex-boss and co-worker all of the crazy things that ran through my mind and how ridiculous they all were. Side note: Thank you, Amy and Holly, for listening to my never ending rambling and worries.

Friendships from years ago to people I'd only just met came out of the woodwork to see me through this hardship. On a whim, I went to an Advocare meeting at a preschool mom's house in July and BAM! Friendships that I NEEDED were dropped into my life. Seriously, these women were put into my life at that precise moment on purpose. My girls from high school were checking in on me, sending short texts saying they were praying for us. I'd read that text and sit there crying for the next few minutes. At an Easter event, one of my co-workers checked AR in for me, her daughter was sure that AR had a golden egg, and if I were a hugger, I would've been hugging them, instead I cried for their generosity and help. And let's not forget the guy at the recycle center who helped me with the giant TV I was recycling and had already dropped on my leg getting it into the car. There's been countless other acts that friends, families, and strangers have done for us and while I can't list all of them out, THANK YOU to everyone.

These small acts of kindness made a HUGE impact on me and somehow, some way, I wanted to pay it forward. Here are a few things that AR and I have done over the months to pay it forward. This is in NO WAY to brag what we've done but to give ideas of how you can pay it forward and please, leave any ideas because I love new, fun, creative ideas.

*We bought items for the Adopt-A-Family we had at work.
*We made cards thanking people for decorating their house for Christmas, picked out our favorite houses in the neighborhood, and left the note with a lottery ticket on their door.
*I had a coupon for a buy one, get one free burrito so I took the "free" burrito to the nice man at the recycle center who helped me with the TV.
*We adopted soldiers! And therefore have raided every Taco Bell we see for sauce packets!
*Any time I see a mom with a kid having a meltdown, if I'm close enough, I tell the mom, "Hang in there, Momma. We've all been there."

Cards' Game-The Trifecta!

Last night we went to our first game at Busch Stadium for the 2016 season. Since AR and Matt Adams have become besties over the last year, she decided she wanted to invite him to her birthday party. We worked all week on this sign then filmed this video of her with it the morning of the game. We posted it on Instagram and we actually mailed an invite to Busch Stadium for him. No, I don't think he'll really come, but it's something fun and totally out there for us to do. :-)


We loaded up with my sister and H and headed to Busch in hopes of who knows what!

We got into the stadium and found the perfect spot. We snapped this pic, posted it on IG, and sure enough, AR made the big screen!

H came and joined us so we passed the time taking selfies!

Some of the players started to come out and get warmed up. For AR to be so small, she sure has a LOUD and distinctive voice. She started yelling at Adam Wainwright and when he turned around, he glanced over at her with a smile on his face. AR waved and he waved back to her!!! That was pretty exciting itself! He finished his warm-up then headed our way. He saw our sign and he yelled at us, "I'm not Mr. Adams!" I yelled back, "We still like you, too!" He came over and took a ball from AR to sign.

Waino asked her name, she told him then he got this look on his face and looked from her to me and back to her and said, "Your name is Adam?!" I laughed and told him her real name but that other people had called her that before. He handed the ball back then H asked to get a picture with him. AR was busy looking at her ball so Mr. Wainwright said, "Take your pen back, sugar." Then he took a pic with H.

Our very own Adam Wainwright ball!

And so, Mr. Wainwright, you have gained another fan and like we promised, you'll be invited to the party next year!

Sometime in the middle of the game, AR and I got up to go to the bathroom. When we sat back down, my phone was blowing up because this little ham bone made Fox Sports!

Before the game, we saw the camera man and AR asked him if wanted to take her picture. He laughed and started filming her. It wasn't until about 20 minutes later that I saw he was with Fox Sports. She was blowing kisses and air hugging Matt Adams.

We saw Matt Adams before the game but he didn't come sign, after all, he was about to go to "work" so I don't blame him. We'll try again in a couple weeks. Of course, with a three-year-old, baseball doesn't quite hold your attention so we had more silly selfies during the game. In the 8th inning, Matt Adams hit a homerun which equals fireworks. We told AR that he did it for her and her birthday, she was thrilled!

I still don't understand what was going on with his cougar but AR was really excited to see him and asked for a pic with him, he even gave her a robotics keychain. Hey... whatever makes her happy, right?

Definitely a night to remember! I mean honestly, can it really get any better? Well, winning the game would've been awesome, but AR got Waino's autograph, made TV, and Matt Adams hit a homerun and fireworks for her! She is one lucky, little lady!!!

#stlcards #lovemyAR #GoBirds #BigCity32

Cardinals' Spring Training 2016

Back in March, AR, my sister, and my niece all headed to the airport bright and early before the sun was out. We were catching a plane to sunny Florida for spring break to catch our STL Cardinals at spring training. It was a great trip, hot and exhausting, but lots of baseball and fun times! We caught four Cardinals' games and hit up three different stadiums. Our first stop was Space Coast Stadium, home of the Nationals... and Bryce Harper. Here's AR yelling, "Come on, guys! You can do it, I know you can!" Poor girl was so excited for the game but exhausted for the early wake-up call and passed out for the entire game.

Here's the Cardinals' "bullpen"

Bullpen catcher, Teran, that Haley and I were buddies with

This was the inning after Gyorko passed Matt Adams running the bases. I can only imagine what they're saying here.

Oh, swoon-YADI!

A rare moment of AR loving on her Sha Sha

 

 Now, here's the most awesome story of the trip! Last season, AR got to meet Matt Adams before a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium. My friend Laura got this great picture of them talking and Matt has a huge smile on his face. Seriously, the guy is amazing with kids. I had the picture printed in an 8x10 in hopes that we'd get him to sign it for her... and he did! This is him walking straight to her.

 

He took the picture and looked at it. AR informed him that it was a picture of her and him. He laughed and started to sign it but AR stopped it and asked what he was doing. Matt said, "Well, I'm going to sign it, put my name here. Is that okay?" AR thought about it then nodded and proceeded to tell him her full name... in case he wanted her to sign anything!

There she is in the pink hat watching him sign her pic.

 

 Ta-da! When we got back home, I bought a frame and put it in her room. The night I did it, AR came up to me with a Batman sticker and said, "Mommy, thanks for putting the Matt Adams picture in my room. You can have this sticker." She's such a sweetheart!
 

Haley and I went on the field one day for batting practice. That was cool to see all the players so close and the kids got a few autographs. 

AR got Jacob Wilson's autograph, who Haley is in love with!

Roger Dean Stadium, home of the Cardinals and the Marlins

This was at Tradition Field, home of the Mets

This was by far the hottest day if you can't tell by this picture.

We enjoyed dinner out a couple nights and ordered in a few. AR insisted on trying a lemon... bad idea, chica!

OH! Bryce Harper!

The girls got Tanner Roark's autograph from the Nationals

 

Although AR was much more interested in eating Pringles

All ready to get some autographs!

Another hot game day... at least I got a good tan to start the summer with!

Thank you to the Yankee fans that sat beside us and gave AR their Cardinals' popcorn helmet!

 

We got to meet Curtis Granderson of the Mets up close and personal thanks to his cousin, Tameka. This guy is so genuine, waves to every fan, signs at many autographs as he can, and ALWAYS has a smile on his face... with a smile that good, why wouldn't you?

My friend Laura was down there with her family. AR and TJ hit it off and were quickly best friends.

AR was in charge of the spray bottle and ice, a great job for a toddler!

Sunday was Easter and the Bunny stopped by our hotel. He did forget a basket so luckily we had that popcorn helmet to use. AR got a necklace with her name on it and that girl hasn't taken it off except for gymnastics class!

Then it was back to reality on Monday morning and a flight back to MO!