Ha!

Oh, life.  I wrote this on February 17 and feel exactly the same way today: "I had no idea how stressful getting pregnant would be..."

But life is good! Oh so deeply good, and I am bound and determined to be happy and joyful and grateful in spite of my self - my sometimes dark, sometimes brooding, sometimes "woe, woe is me" self.

And so I will.  But first I will finish this paper so that I can talk our little dog for a nice long walk.

true story.

I saw this quote and immediately identified with it.  I can't find which of Schuyler's poems it is from, but I love it deeply already because it says so much so simply.

   not to be in love with you I can’t remember what it was like        
           it must’ve been lousy                          
                            - James Schuyler

"A kiss? How did I get so lucky?"

"Almost - less than - over - a year ago - two years ago - you said, 'Yes!'"

A Sappy Moment Preserved

I feel like I should be feeling more stressed right now, since my graduate class workload is in the processing of crushing my brain, but really, I feel blessed to have such an amazing husband. Justin has been nothing but supportive, helping me out, cooking me dinner, and setting me straight when I cross the line (like making a leap from "We don't have any food," to "Why don't you buy some groceries?"). He has proven to me that kind words, a good laugh, and some quality snuggling can ease my anxiety.

I'm so looking forward to seeing how we adapt to our new roles as "puppy parents" next week when Maia arrives - the adorable little pup that will one day be our children's dog. I get all verklempt just thinking about it! It seems each new phase we enter is just as exciting as the last.

Thank you, Justin, for being the best friend, teammate, and husband for me. Little else matters! I love you with every fiber of my being.

All About Maia

My email worked! Here's some quotes and photos from the breeder:

The whole litter is super sweet and really just starting to show some individuality. They will come running now when I feed them and roll on their tiny backs to get bellies scratched.

We did also weigh everybody last week when we photographed and your girl was 1 lb 8 oz, as were two others in the litter. We had one smaller than her and one larger but it is pretty consistent in size and on track to be about 3 to 4 lbs when she leaves home.

Life is good.

We're very (very, very, very, very) excited about Maia's arrival at the end of this month! Justin and I have each read two books about raising puppies and have three more (a piece) to go if we're to read all that we have purchased. On the dining room table, we have bowls, a collar, leash and harness set complete with tag, and two beds. I've spent the past hour (while my adorable husband naps in bed) looking at puppy kindergarten classes, Meetup groups, and writing a very polite but borderline pleading email to our breeder in an effort to get some insight and information about our pup's personality and the picture we have been dying to see since we clicked on that Paypal button that fateful night. Maia's all signed up for puppy kindergarten on Monday nights starting in July! So very exciting...totally what I imagine having a baby will be like (probably on a smaller scale!).

Things are busy, busy, busy here! Our social calendar is awesome, but we have been feeling run down lately. We are home this weekend, a rare and wonderful occurrence. Justin spent the first part of the day on projects while I proctored placement tests at the Aggie. Word on the street is that I will be teaching English next year, and I could not be happier! This year has been challenging for me, to put it mildly, and I am looking forward to putting it behind me and getting back to actually teaching and feeling whole. Justin will be preparing for the CPA exams starting in September - we'll both be going to class! :)

Married life is wonderful. Small group and praying together have only made us closer and our bond stronger. I can't believe it's been ten months since we got married, and I can't believe it's only been ten months since we got married! Traveling to Aruba for our one year anniversary should be an awesome opportunity to just enjoy each other. I feel so blessed every morning when I wake up and every night when I fall asleep next to the man I love, my very best friend. I'm looking forward to this summer and all the firsts we have ahead of us!

Meet Maia!

Well, we'd like to, too!

We finally bit the bullet and put in a deposit for a teeny, tiny pup we've named "Maia." She was born on May 2nd and lives in Illinois. Justin has spent the day reading some Everything You Need to Know About Puppies book, and I've read every online article on Aussiedoodles. She comes home to us on June 30th, and we can't wait!

We've been busy with softball and school, but married life is wonderful. Over the past few weeks, we've started praying together each night before bed and I love it. I think our communication skills get better every day, and I am so, so happy that I have such an amazing partner. It's been a wonderful spring, and I think this summer will take the cake! In addition to Maia, we'll be taking our honeymoon in Aruba!! We're definitely looking forward to the beach and the sun and the togetherness! All in all, life is good.....very, very, very good!