Welcome to the world Eleanor Louise!

On November 12th at 7:01p, Eleanor Louise made her way into this world, and instantly commanded everyone's love and adoration. Though, how could you not fall head-over-heels in love with a face like hers?

My sister-in-law has wanted a baby since she and her husband got married 5 1/2 years ago, and so there is no shortage of love for this adorable bundle of joy.
She's not my first niece, but she is the first that I was able to greet at the hospital.

Chelsea and Kalen were smitten with little Ellie at first sight, as was I.

I'm so happy for the new family. The amount of love radiating off of them is incredible, and I know that this baby will never want for anything so long as she lives.

Bookworm meets Author...yeay!

A few days ago, one of my favorite authors (Rachel Vincent) announced that she was going to participate in a local book signing with other authors from Oklahoma on Halloween. I was thrilled at this news and made sure I had room in my schedule to attend. Since I had not yet bought Menagerie, nor had I won a copy online...I decided I would buy a copy at the book signing to support her and hopefully encourage her to have more local events.

I was already going to be in the area due to a brunch at a local Panera Bread, and so I was thrilled that it was going to work out so well!

I showed up at the book store, and was surprised at how small it was, but it was cozy nevertheless. As soon as I walked in, I saw Rachel Vincent sitting at a small table, and I got giddy. I bought a copy of Menagerie, then mozied over to her table to get it signed.

I follow her on Facebook, and a while back and attended a concert at my place of employment. I commented that I was at the same facility she was, and that I wished I could go say hello, but I was working. Apparently ever since then, she has recognized my name and profile picture on Facebook as a local fan. When I walked up to her table, she knew my name and even how to spell it! That's a big deal for me, since my name is spelled differently. Anyway, Rachel Vincent was so nice! She signed my book and we talked for close to 30 minutes before I had to leave for work.

As a bookworm, this was a huge ordeal for me. I can't wait to start reading Menagerie!

So much to celebrate!

My family has had so much going on in these last couple of weeks, and I was lucky enough to be able to participate!

September 19th was Chelsea's baby shower, and it turned out so great! My sister-in-law is having a baby girl, and the theme of the party was princess, in pink, gold, and pearls. There was a mountain of presents, and the food was looked so pretty and tasted delicious! Plus, it was fun getting to hang out with friends and family in celebrating a new addition to soon join the family.

We played Baby Shower Family Feud, we ate cake, cupcakes, fruit and yogurt dip, and chocolate covered oreos, we drank punch, we oohed and aahed at the adorable baby onesies and homemade blankets, and had a great time all around.

Eleanor is going to be spoiled little princess, that is for sure!

The next day, Chris and I took April to go see Disney Presents: Frozen on Ice at the Oklahoma State Fair.

It would have been much more enjoyable, but we got rained on as we were walking to the arena. We had parked in the free parking area and had to walk, which was fine with me, until we got about half-way to the arena and it started pouring huge droplets of rain, and we had no umbrellas or jackets. By the time we got inside, my once cute and curly hair was a wet mess, my jeans were drenched from the knee down, and my shirt clung to me for dear life. Once we found our seats, the "pre-show" had already started. The seating was awful, with steep and narrow aisles and incredibly uncomfortable wooden chairs that made you feel like you were sitting in your neighbor's lap.

The show itself was good, and the skaters were very talented, but I couldn't shake my grumpy demeanor because I couldn't dry off in the cramped seat, and I was cold from being wet in an ice rink.

After the show had ended, we walked around the fair to dry off and get some fair food. Chris bought a deep fried Snickers, April had some deep fried Wisconsin cheese, and I ate chocolate covered cookie dough sprinkled with real bacon. The fair is the only time I get somewhat adventurous with my food, but not so adventurous that I'd eat bugs. No thanks...I'll pass on the candy coated scorpions and cricket pizza.

Thursday, September 24th, was Deaf Awareness Day at the fair, so I went back to support my college's Deaf and Hearing Social Club, and to support Deaf Awareness Day. I got to see an interpreted magic show, which was pretty cool! I was supposed to be observing the interpreter, but I kept finding myself looking at the magician instead. Oops...

Yesterday (September 26th) however, was the biggie!

Chris has been training for his aquabike for a long time, and yesterday was the big day. Chris had a 1.2 mile swim, followed by a 56 mile bike ride, and then a 100 yard run across the finish line. I know how hard Chris has been training for this event, and how many times he has sacrificed sleeping in for waking up at 5am to ride his bike, or to go swim in the lake.

We got up at 4:15am and got to Lake Hefner at about 5:15am for the event. We had to park a decent way away, and then Chris had to get his things situated and ready for the race, which didn't start for a couple of hours. I wasn't able to stay, because I already had plans to attend the 3rd Annual ASL Walk at the zoo. I dropped Chris off and met Chelsea and some other friends at the zoo at around 7:30am. We walked the mile loop and chatted for a few hours, and then Chelsea and I went back to my house to get ready for the post-aquabike celebratory BBQ.

At 12:28pm, I got the call from Chris saying he was about 45 minutes away from crossing the finish line. Chris' mom, step-dad, half sister, pregnant sister, brother-in-law, brother-in-law's brother, his wife, and I all piled into a van and a jeep to go watch him cross that finish line.

I could see the transition area across a grass field from the finish line, and knew that he would be running out of that area to loop around the field, and I kept my eyes glued to it, waiting for my husband to come towards us. When he finally started to make his way to the finish line, my heart was pounding and I was on the brink of tears. My heart was (and still is!) so full of pride and joy that I wanted to burst out into tears. Chris crossed the finish line, and after getting his medal and a water, we swarmed him with sweaty hugs, congratulations, selfies, and a kiss from me. He was so tired, but so proud of himself, as he should have been!

We got Chris back to the house, finished setting up for the BBQ, and let the party begin! Unfortunately, the guest-of-honor wasn't feeling his best and didn't get to enjoy the food to the fullest. There were plenty of leftovers though, and after a 10 minute power nap and some heavy duty pain killers, he was able to eat some food.

Today, Chris is relaxing and enjoying his day off. The house is nice and clean, he has no homework tonight, he has more than enough leftovers to eat so he doesn't have to cook anything, and he has the house to himself all day!

Way to go Chris!!! I love you and I'm so proud of you!

Baby on the Way! ... No, Not For Me

I don't know if I still have anyone reading my posts, or if everyone has abandoned ship as I seem to have done.
Oops...

The last time I wrote, I was complaining about life and how busy I am, and while none of that has changed, I feel like there is a light (albeit a pinprick in size...a light nevertheless) at the end of the tunnel now.
I have one year left of school before I graduate with my Associates in Sign Language Interpreting. That leaves me with one year to test for state certification, and hopefully get a job with "normal" hours during the week so that I can see my Okie family more, and maybe even have friend dates! I feel like I never go out with friends anymore, and that the friends I do have are getting more and more distant because I have such a weird and busy schedule.

As far as my life, and my schedule, nothing else has really changed.
I am, however, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my baby niece!

Eleanor Louise is due in November, and I'm so excited! Chelsea has been wanting a baby since she and Kalen got married, and they're going to be absolutely wonderful parents.

Plus, I get a cute baby niece out of the deal! I'm not ready for a baby of my own, but I am very ready to babysit and spoil Eleanor!

I started crocheting in January or February, so I'm making Eleanor a pink and grey blanket for her to snuggle up with and stay warm!

Now that I've started to crochet, I can't stop! I have ideas for blankets for everyone!

I'll probably make a crochet something for everyone on my list this year...So get ready!

When the going gets tough...well...it sucks

Sometimes when life gets hard, I tend to clam up and do nothing but complain.
When the world seems to be against me, I curl into myself and hide.
I doubt myself a lot more than I should, and I take on too much at a time.

Let's look at this school year so far as a perfect example.
In the summer of 2014, I accepted the position of OSU-OKC's Deaf/Hearing Social Club President. I also enrolled in four college classes (though one of which was cancelled, so I only ended up actually taking three). The school year started off well, though I also made a few attempts at eating healthy and losing weight to get back down at least to where I was when I got married. I haven't gotten unhealthy by any means but I did notice a little extra Krysta in the mirror and spilling over my jeans. "No matter" I thought, "I can be a nearly-full-time student, sustain a happy marriage, run a college club, lose some weight, and work." Oh, I may have forgotten to mention. During this time, we lost some dispatchers due to other jobs, bad performance, or a lack of desire to come back after leave. So, not only was I this Nearly-Full-Time Student, Devoted Wife, Club President, and Health-Guru...but I was also working 42 1/2 hours per week. Easy peasy! I am woman, hear me roar! Right?
No.
My studies didn't suffer, as they have always been my priority, but I know I could have put forth even more effort and done even better. I could have attended more social events and exposed myself to more than I did.
My husband may have forgotten who I was during those few months, or maybe even forgotten that I existed. I hardly ever saw him (at least not while both of us were conscious) and I never got to spend real quality time with him.
The club wasn't as active as I had hoped it would be, though that was not entirely my fault. Of course I always think I should have done more or I could have done better, but that club was not ultimately my fault. Really, the only thing being President of the club brought me was stress and the blues.
My health nut streak has been an on-again off-again type situation, and I have a love-hate relationship with my healthy living. Actually, that's pretty much a lie. I have a apathetic-dislike relationship with it. Sometimes I do crave a good salad, or an avocado, or a grilled chieken breast with corn. Sometimes I love going for a long walk and listening to an audiobook or the sounds of nature (as long as it's not dogs barking and chasing me). Sometimes though, I just want to sit on my butt all day eating popcorn or ice cream and don't want to feel guilty for it. Besides, who am I trying to impress by slimming down? My doctor has already told me that I'm one of the healtheiest patients she's worked with, so I don't think I can get much healthier. The only thing is for me to slim down or get in to good physical shape. But who am I doing that for? I already have a husband that loves me and my body just the way it is (or so he tells me).
I was sick of working, and felt like I never did anything else. Normally we have 5 dispatchers and a supervisor (so 6 of us in total) but in August, we were down one due to personal/health reasons. A little while later, another dispatcher left due to accepting a job elsewhere, and another was promoted to another position within the casino. That hacked our numbers down to a whopping 3. 3 people to monitor a phone, at least 13 radio channels, and anyone that decides to pop in to the office unnanounced. Some days it was fine, but others, I just wanted to punch a wall...or a computer screen...or radio...or maybe just yell really loud. I had to work extra hours to help out until we could hire more dispatchers, and full time is technically 42 1/2 hours a week. While the money was nice, I had no free time whatsoever, which only assisted in my husband forgetting what I looked like.

So why did I take on so much last semester, and why on earth did I think it could get any better this semester with 4 classes?
Yes, I did go back to my regular hours at work, but 38 hours is still a lot.
Plus, I am not actually starting to take interpreting classes and working on becoming an interpreter.
Also, it's only getting warmer, so Hubby will only want to ride his bike on the nice days, which takes out that time that I could potentially be spending with him as well.

I've decided to take my cues from Elsa, and just "let it go".
At least...with some things.

My schooling is still very important to me, and excluding my marriage, it is my top priority. So I will cling on to my education.
My marriage is most important to me, and I am lucky enough to have a husband that understands that our situation is temporary, and makes the best of the time that we do get to spend together.
I will not let the club go to the point of failure, but I've already quit worrying about what will happen when I resign at the end of the semester, and have already made it known that i will not reclaim the position in the Fall. I can only do so much to keep the club alive, and if the members do not share my enthusiasm, then all I can do is feel sad for them and the loss that they will no doubt experience when the club does in fact fail next semester. However, I have to brush this off my shoulders, as it was not my doing that will bring the club down. It takes more than one person to run a successful organization, and try as I might, I am not Atlas and I cannot bear the weight alone.
It has been confirmed that I am healthy, and I feel healthy. The only reason I wanted to lose weight before (realistically) was to look good, but to others. Even when I was at my lowest on my wedding day and on my honeymoon, I still felt "fat". I don't think I will ever be OK with my appearance, and stressing myself out about a few pounds or a couple of extra calories isn't worth it. My husband makes me feel beautiful, and that's all I need. I wasn't trying to lose weight to be healthy, I was doing it for vanity. I need to break that, and accept the way I am. There is nothing wrong with how I look, and so long as I remain healthy on the inside, who cares what the packaging comes in? My health is what matters. I need to understand this. My weight has always been a sore spot, but it's never been outragious. Besides, who cares about the number on the scale other than me? NOBODY!

I've decided to make a conscious effort to remove the unneccesary stress from my life.
I need to add more smiley faces, more laughs, more hugs, more encouragement, more friends, and more love.
We all need more positivity, but I need to truly embrace the positivity I have already, and make a conscious effort to find more.
It helps that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I'll have a week off in March to see my family.

So what's your positive throught of the day?