Top 2 Tuesday!

This weeks topic at Taylor's Top 2 Tuesday is..........Top 2 Cities!

I am going to try to stick with only the cities I have been to because if I dont, the list would be endless! There is no way I could only pick 2 of the cities I am desperately wanting to go to!

So here are my top 2 cities that I have visited.........

1) I sort of cheated on this one, but I pick any of the cities in Orange County, California:

Ok, see where Aliso Viejo is listed on the map, right next to Laguna Beach?? That is where my daddy lives :) It is absolutely beautiful there! His house sits on a cliff overlooking a gorgeous state park and it is breathtaking to stand in his backyard and look out below! I will have to take pictures to share from my trip this weekend! I cannot wait to get out there!

And even better, he is just a short drive from the beach- I love just driving down to Laguna Beach to visit their shops or grab a quick lunch! Dana Point is also beautiful along with several others: Newport Beach (one of Taylor's picks), Anaheim (where Disneyland is!!), Huntington Beach.......see why I couldnt pick just one- I had to pick the whole county!!

2) My 2nd pick is Breckenridge, Colorado!

This is BY FAR the cutest little ski resort town! I started visiting Breckenridge as a kid with my family, but now Husband and I have made it a point to try to visit once a year for a quick ski vacation. The town itself is very small, but I love the feeling of getting away from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life and just coming here to relax! I myself am not much of a skier, so I come mainly to visit their shops and restaurants- and enjoy a massage too (while Husband is snowboarding, of course!)

I couldnt find any of our ski trip pictures on this computer, otherwise I would have posted some, but these will at least give you an idea!

I cant wait to read everyone's picks!

The Countdown is ON!!

Thats right.........I leave for my trip Saturday morning! I have officially started freaking out because I want to look good as I spend my days here:




I know, I know, I probably should have thought about this say....a couple months ago when I first planned this trip, but for some reason I kept telling myself I had plenty of time- that is until I woke up this morning and realized its less than a week away! I have been trying to stick with my running pact I posted several weeks back, but lets be honest: lately I have been slacking a bit. I did go for a run this morning and will try to get several more in before I leave.

I know this sounds silly, but seriously- I am going to be in LA and Las Vegas! Its like a rule that you have to look beautiful there! And honestly, with all the hormone treatments I have been through lately, I feel like I have not been my normal self. Between my face breaking out and adding some extra pounds in the thigh/behind area I feel like I am going through an "ugly" phase- yes, even I realize how ridiculous that sounds. Husband has been very quick to point out that those type of comments that I have been making around the house lately are stupid :)

I am sure I will feel much better after a shopping trip this week :) Wish me luck on keeping up with my running!

Fill in the Blank Friday :)

1) The most adventurous thing I've ever done is: Honestly, I am not sure..........I am not a big adventure seeker or risk taker. I am the type of person that will sit and list the pros and cons before taking a big risk. With that being said, I hope to start trying new adventurous things as Husband and I travel more (like ziplining, parasailing, etc). Husband loves this type of stuff and I am going to try my best to branch out so that I can do these things with him. Maybe I will have a better answer to this question within the next couple of years :)

2)If I were a pair of shoes I would be: a cute pair of strappy sandals! I LIVE in these during the summer and love that you can either dress them up or down!

3) My preferred mode of digital communication is: TEXTING! It is so much easier than having to talk on the phone with someone! Husband and I will call each other maybe once throughout the day, but we will text dozens of times! Its so nice to be able to ask a quick question or send a quick "I Love You"- short and sweet :)

4)I feel happiest when: Husband and I are laying in bed at the end of the day and just talk about whatever is on our mind. Normally the 2 dogs are cuddled in there with us too and its so nice to have those "family" moments!

5) A little dream I have for my life is: To have a couple beautiful children and enjoy life as a "soccer mom." I look forward to the days when I can wake up on a Saturday morning and go watch my kids play little league as Husband is coaching their team, or watch my little girl in a dance recital. Its such a normal thing for most people, but I think over the last 9-10 months it has become a dream to Husband and I.

6) The one modern convenience I could NOT do without is: My Blackberry! I am on this thing constantly throughout the day: texting, checking emails, looking at Facebook updates, "googling" things, you name it!

7) Music, Movies, TV, or Books: If I could only choose 1 to enjoy I would pick: BOOKS! I love curling up on the couch and getting "lost" in a good book. It is such a great way to pass a rainy day or enjoy some lounging time by the pool. (preferrably it would be a book on my Kindle :))

The rest of my weekend......

After being so good and taking so many pictures Friday night, I am so mad at myself for not getting good pictures from Saturday and Sunday! But here are some of the ones I was able to take.......

Saturday a co-worker and I hosted a pool party for everyone from our office. It was so much fun getting all of our families together outside of work! (For those of you that do not know I work a couple days a week in a dental office- at the time I had decided to work there as a way to cut down on hours and stress because I had just come out of a crazy job in the fashion industry. I heard my dentist was in need of help in their front office and thought "that would be perfect: less hours, less stress, more time for me to focus on a baby!" Little did I know that I would absolutely fall in love with everyone there and find such an amazing "work family") I had been planning this party for quite some time now and I am so proud to say it was a huge success! We themed it as a summer fiesta/luau (I know weird combination) but it was so fun because we had TONS of mexican food and everyone wore leis! I just wish I had taken more pictures! And by the way, you cannot tell from the pics, but we had 30+ people at this party- it was such a fun group of people!

Here are SOME of the kids, having fun in the pool:

Me and a co worker

Husband (left) being a trooper and entertaining some of the kids:

Then this is how I spent my Sunday:

I layed out at the in-laws :) We cooked some delicious hamburgers and listened to some music while relaxing by the pool- the perfect way to wind down the weekend! Again, I wish I had gotten more pictures :(

Happy Wednesday!

Top 2 Tuesday and Day 1 Weekend Recap!

I just want everyone to know I did NOT intend to copy Taylor's picks this week for Top 2 Tuesday, but I cannot help that we are exactly the same when it comes to this week's topic! :) This weeks topic is.......Top 2 Indulgences




1) Shopping......enough said! I am sure you guys are tired of hearing about this by now :)





2)Vacations! Husband and I try to go on several mini vacations a year (sometimes even quick 2 day trips) and then we always have one BIG trip as well. This year our big trip is Las Vegas (Husband has never been so we are going all out!) Here is what our hotel will look like:

We booked a suite in the new tower of Mandalay Bay, we have a pool cabana while there (thanks to my daddy :)), there will be quite a bit of gambling (mainly by Husband) and Husband and I plan on trying some of the top restaurants each night.

Depending on when Baby Hill makes their debut, we are already thinking of next year's big trip: either Argentina or somewhere in Europe!

As mentioned on Friday, this past weekend was busy, busy! Here are some pics from Day 1 (Friday). Husband and I got together with Taylor and her hubs to go to the North Texas Rodeo and take some country music!

(I have to let you all know that this was my first true country concert and first attempt at "western" clothes- hence the random sundress and boots :))




This was the CUTEST cow ever! Her name was Elsie and she is the "Borden Milk Cow"



Me and Husband :)

Taylor and I had to get a picture of our cute boots!

I will have Day 2/3 recaps posted tomorrow evening. Hope you all enjoyed your weekends too!

CAUTION: Busy Weekend Ahead!

Whew, I am tired just thinking of the weekend I have ahead of me! But at the same time I am very excited for the upcoming activities! First of all, this weekend is Tax Free Weekend- aka: weekend to do lots of shopping because there is no tax added on :) I already hit the mall this morning with Taylor from The Undomestic Momma and we each scored some great deals- I bought a pair of pants, a top and 2 rings all for $45!!! Husband should be so proud.......

Next up: Husband and I are meeting up with Taylor and her hubs to go to the North Texas State Fair and take in a concert! There will be greasy food, fun games/rides, and good music! I cant wait and will be sure to share some pics :)

Tomorrow: I have gotten together with some girls at my work to throw an office pool party! All of our spouses/families will be coming and we are sure to have a great time with plenty of mexican food and margaritas!

Sunday: Time to spend some good quality time with Husbands parents. We haven't seen them in several weeks and that seems like just too long because they only live 45 minutes away! I'm thinking some pool time and relaxation with them sounds like the perfect way to wind down the weekend........

Hope you all have a great weekend ahead of you! I cant wait to come back next week and share plenty of pictures from my crazy-busy weekend!

Recommendations??

I know quite a few of you that read this blog are either experiencing or have experienced infertility struggles and I really need your help! Knowing that I am once again at a standstill for several weeks with fertility treatments, I think that now would be a really good time to start reading a book about infertility. Husband has told me several times that he feels this would help- because lets face it.......there are days that I struggle with it and Husband does not always have the right comforting words (although he does try real hard sometimes). I am sure that some of you out there have read books on it as well to cope during the hard times and I would love to hear if you have any recommendations!

I have read some reviews online and have found a couple that seem to have really good feedback:

........but of course I would rather hear from you guys instead of reading through a ton of reviews online! Any thoughts would be much appreciated :)

The Big 1-0-0!!!....and some blog info

Man, this has been quite the week for my little blog- first the new design and now 100 followers!

Thank you all so much for listening to me ramble every day! I have had quite a few ups and downs lately with all the baby stuff and love all the support I receive from all of you! The fact that you guys continue to stop by my blog and offer such kind words has really helped me these past 2 1/2 months :)

And I am sooooo happy you all have loved the new blog design! Throughout the whole design process I kept wondering "what will everyone think???" I just couldnt wait to hear all of your thoughts! Some of you have asked about the cost of getting a design for your blog......Bailey (the designer for my blog) has her pricing listed on her website here. There are several different package options and other "add ons" to choose from. I will admit, I went all out on mine. I figured if I am going through all the trouble of having a design made I might as well get what I want and not have to worry about re doing it any time soon. I also had to pay to use some of the pictures in my design (like the girl and the baby bottle/pacifier) so that did add to the cost some- but it was worth every penny! Again, I could not be any happier with the outcome- the new design is so "me" and I love being able to express my personality that way!

Top 2 Tuesday and New BLOG!!!

Hooorrayyy for my new blog design!!! Dont you just love it?!?! I seriously could not have imagined anything more perfect than this design for my blog- it fits my personality 100% :) Bailey at B's Blog Boutique did an amazing job and if you are need of any new blog designs I would HIGHLY recommend her! I knew absolutely nothing about putting a blog design together and had no idea what I wanted so after talking with me a couple times and asking several questions this is what she came up with- and its perfect!!!

Now on to Top 2 Tuesday......This weeks topic is: Top 2 characters you would like to play on a tv show/movie

1) Carrie from Sex and The City

All those clothes and that amazing closet......I get excited just thinking about it! If only I could spend a day in her shoes..........I would be one super happy girl :)

2) One of the Kardashian sisters

)

They own their own clothing store- how perfect is that?!?! I will admit, each one of them has their own drama and issues, but still it would be fun! Not to mention, all of them have amazing bodies.......and mine does not look anything like any of theirs :)

Good Times in Dallas

After the news we received on Friday (see post below) Husband and I really needed a fun night out! Saturday night was exactly that for us! One of Husband's besties was celebrating his birthday and we drove into downtown Dallas to hang out with some amazing friends and enjoy a great time!

Husband (far right) and some of his besties

Husband (left) and the birthday boy- singing some karaoke :) They were hilarious! The first song they sang was "Dont Stop Believing"

Then another friend joined in to sing some "Fresh Prince of Bel Air"

Having fun at the end of the night :)

With all the craziness while trying to make Baby Hill, Husband and I had not enjoyed a night out like this in quite some time. I will admit I was moving a little slow this morning, but it was completely worth it :)

Several hours before going out Saturday night I did receive a phone call from Dr Ku (our RE). He had the results of my bloodwork from Friday and it turned out not only is my cyst active, its EXTREMELY active. This means trying for Baby Hill this month is completely out of the question. I will be starting another birth control pack- oh joy :( - and then we will cross our fingers that the birth control has helped the cyst "disappear".

In happier news though, my blog design is now complete!! YAY! As long as everything goes smoothly it will be up within the next couple of days- so keep your eyes out for it! I am so excited!

--Cait

Hmm....that shouldnt be there!

This morning Husband and I went back to the specialist for yet ANOTHER sonogram so that we could get the "all clear" to begin injectionables once again. We had no reason to be worried because the last couple of times we have gone through this it has always been a quick in and out appointment- we go in, they do the ultrasound, say "yep everything looks fine" and then we are on our way ready to start the next round of treatment.

Today's appointment didn't exactly go that way........I'll get to that in a sec. First here is a pic Husband took while waiting in the sono room:



First we looked at the uterus: perfect. Then we looked at the right ovary: perfect again. Finally, off to look at the left ovary: far from perfect.......this was what we found:


See the HUGE black circle with a "c" on it?? That lovely polka dot is a cyst- a large one :( Good news is I have sonograms so often that is very unlikely the cyst could be in any way harmful- since it wasnt there before. The tech said that it likely developed as a late reaction to the clomid I had taken last month. It is fluid filled and about 1 inch in size- which to me seems weird because wouldnt I notice something that size developing? Apparently not, if it continued to get larger (to about 2 inches) then I would start to possibly feel some pain or have other reactions to it.

So now the bad news- it is very likely we will NOT be able to do treatment this month. After finding the cyst, the tech decided to draw some blood to run some tests and told me they will call me within the next 24 hours. Since my appointment today was just with the tech (because it should have been an in and out type of appointment) I wasn't able to speak with my doctor and will have to wait until he has reviewed the sono and bloodwork results.

I hate the thought of going ANOTHER month without treatment! These past 4 weeks have been rough knowing there was nothing I could do while I sat and waited to complete the birth control pack. Now its even worse because I have all the new injectionables waiting patiently in my fridge. Husband and I are just hoping that the bloodwork results will come back positive- until then I am anxiously awaiting the phone call!


--Cait

Sorry for my "M.I.A-ness"

Combine working extra for a co worker that is on vacation, with planning some parties, along with some other activities thrown in there too and you have one very busy Cait! On top of that Husband has been putting in 50 hour work weeks at his job these last couple of weeks :( Its been a little crazy in the Hill House lately!

The good news is.....I'm Back! I plan on catching up on all of your blogs over the next couple of days and I should not be going MIA again anytime soon! I have really missed reading all of your blogs and have felt like something has been missing in my life lately :)

On a completely seperate note........today was a "kind of" anniversary for Husband and I. Our actual WEDDING anniversary is not until September 5, but on this day (August 11) last year we went to the courthouse to legally retrieve our marriage license- since we were married in Puerto Rico it was a lot easier to have it done here in the states first. Husband was NOT going for the idea of 2 anniversaries (I really tried to get him to fall for it!) so we will actually full-out celebrate our anniversary in September. But its also nice to have this day to look back on where we were exactly 1 year ago :) We went out to a romantic Italian dinner tonight and talked about all that we have been through this last year- it was a very nice, reflective night!

Here are some pictures from 1 year ago today..........

In this first picture I am trying very hard not to giggle during the judge's speech (I have told you guys of my nervous giggling problem before!)

Our very first kiss as Husband and Wife!

The new Hill family- Husband and I with his parents :)

--Cait

Fill in the Blank Friday!

Ok, lately on Fridays I have been "vegging out" at home so I normally dont have anything exciting to talk about. I am very much liking these Fill in the Blank Fridays at The Little Things We Do because they are always fun to answer and they give me something to post about on my non eventful Fridays!

Here are this week's questions...........

1. Today for breakfast I ate: a bagel from Einstein Bagels with honey almond cream cheese- yumm!

2. My go-to/never fail recipe: Chicken Dorito casserole- Husband's favorite! I dont have an actual recipe- I normally just "wing" it, but it mainly consists of: shredded ckn, velveeta, rotel, corn, black beans, and crushed Doritos. DELICIOUS! I think there are plenty of recipes out there on the internet

3. Something I eat that other people think is weird: not too sure on this one........maybe Ramen noodles?? Husband thinks I am very weird because there are times when I will CRAVE them!

4. My worst cooking disaster ever was: Honestly, I normally dont have too many of these. My main problem is that I always think that I can "guess-timate" measurements- which for cooking is normally fine, but if you are baking that becomes a big problem!

5. If I could only eat one flavor of ice cream the rest of my life, it would be: I normally change my answer on this a lot. For the longest time it was Mint Chocolate Chip, but lately I have been loving Cookies n Cream and Peaches n Cream

6. One food I hate and avoid at all costs is: nothing comes to mind on this one.......but I am VERY picky with any meat I eat- especially chicken! I always have to cut all the fat off and I will never eat any piece of chicken that has any type of "color" or dark spots- it has to be 100% white meat

7. What is your favorite meal- breakfast, lunch or dinner? Dinner- this is the meal you normally eat with your loved one(s) and the meal Husband and I most commonly go out to a restaurant for!

--Cait

Getting Fit!

If you know either Husband or I, you would know that we are NOT very good about getting excercise! We have been slacking quite a bit lately- I guess what they say is true, you let your body "go" after getting married. Looking back just 1 year ago, we both were in relatively good shape. Now.....not so much. We by no means think we are overweight, but we definitely are not in the physical shape we should be in for our age (22 and 23). I think the main reason it has started to bother us so much is because we were both VERY athletic in our childhoods all the way through high school. Husband played every sport imagineable (football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc) and I danced daily for 10+ years.

Another main reason I wanted to start getting back in shape is for Baby Hill. I've read in several places now that being physically healthy will increase your chances of getting preggo and will then help during your pregnancy. Obviously I have some strong odds stacked against me on the fertility side (due to medical reasons), but anything could help right?

So, our plan is to start running as a "family" (meaning with the dogs) several times a week. This combined with eating a little bit healthier (meaning Husband is no longer allowed to have ice cream for dinner!) should help us get back to a place where we feel content (aka: I do not get winded every time I have to climb a couple flights of stairs!)

Here is a picture of me with the puppies getting ready for the run. Please ignore the awkward position I am in.......Husband is not the best picture taker- he really needs to work on his timing!



Worn out puppies! This one is Diohgee (D-O-G......get it?? Husband named him)



And this is Miss Mollie......

And here was our healthy dinner for the evening- grilled chicken (with teriyaki glaze) and salad. Please notice how Husband's salad (on the right) does not have any tomatoes- that was too much "healthy-ness" for him! And we may have added some cheese and ranch to the salad, but hey baby steps right??

Lets see how long this healthy lifestyle lasts.........hopefully we can make it longer than a few days! Of course we will throw in some splurge days each week as well, but with how picky Husband is this may get a little hard!

--Cait

Updates!

Since its been a while (a couple of weeks) and I have some new followers since my last "baby-related" post, I thought I would give you all a quick update on our current status and whats to come! No, I haven't forgotten why I created this blog or what I devoted it to (making Baby Hill), but we have been at a stand-still the last couple of weeks so that I could go through a birth control pack. I still have a little over a week left on The Pill and then we can FINALLY move forward with another round of treatment. So, if you have been as anxious as I have been these last couple of weeks for some new news, then hopefully we will hear something by the end of next week. I am hoping to get some more pictures of the injections again, so look forward to those coming your way once all the maddness starts over again!

Another update: my new blog design is still coming along- and so far it looks GREAT! I am sooooo excited and cant wait to show you all! I would love to think of a fun way to reveal my new blog design (like maybe once I hit 100 followers???), but we will have to wait and see when it is complete. Who knows- maybe I will have some exciting Baby News to share- wouldnt that be the perfect transition!?!?! Only time will tell........


--Cait

Top 2 and a Couple Family Pics

This weeks topic for Top 2 Tuesday at The Undomestic Momma is: Simple Pleasures!


1. Summer! I LOOOOOVE summer! I feel like I am automatically always in a better mood during the summer- I think its the combination of warm weather and super cute sundresses :) I get cold super easy so you can imagine how miserable I am during winter- not to mention I HATE big, bulky sweaters! So its either freeze my butt off wearing something semi-comfortable, or look horrible in a big sweater while trying to stay warm!

2. Going on walks with my family. When the weather outside is nice, Husband and I will take our dogs on walks quite often. Its so nice to just spend that "down-time" together with our "babies" :)

Others that made the list: a glass of wine after a long day, game nights with friends, random "i love you" texts from Husband, and ice cream before bed!

Over the weekend, some of my family got together to celebrate one of my cousin's birthdays. We had quite a good time and took some pictures, so I thought I would share a couple here:

Me with my aunts:

Me and my grandmother:

And me with my beautiful cousins (the one on the far left is the birthday girl!)

Hope everyone had a happy weekend!

--Cait