"For a good cause"

I have always loved having long hair. It has always been a source of pride for me that my hair grows fairly quickly. My hair was, after all, to my waist when straightened. On October 1st, in honor of my mother, I cut my hair to donate to make wigs for cancer patients.



The minimum you can donate is 8 inches...but that was nothing for me. If I was going to cut it, I was going to cut as much as I possibly could. I don't cut my hair often, and I definitely don't cut it to a style so this was a rarity. I was determined to help as much as I could. The stylist split my hair into 6 sections as I was able to donate a whopping 15 inches.

I am so glad that I was able to do this. I still remember when my mom received her wig while undergoing cancer treatment. She once told me she no longer felt like a woman after having ovarian cancer and breast cancer and losing her hair. I like to think that having a wig helped her feel more feminine and I pray that my donation will help bring a smile to someone's face.

Math makes my ears bleed!

So it's probably a good thing that I FINALLY passed the only math class I am required to take for my degree. That is number 87 on my list.

I have taken a 110 or 112 level math class every semester since I started college. It was horrible. I struggled more in college math than I can ever remember struggling with anything else, ever. 

I have shed so many tears of stress during my math homework, quizzes, and tests. But I've finally made it. And not just made it, Made a B in it! That's it. Never again will I have to do math. Whenever Lucy comes to me and asks for help with her algebra homework, I WILL say "no, however your engineer father will be home at 5." :)

#49 Watch Sarah graduate from high school

After having my precious bundle of joy, we had to remain in the hospital for a little while due to Lucy's laryngomalacia. However, we were able to get out with plenty of time to be able to attend her aunt Sarah's graduation ceremony. It's really bittersweet. It made me feel extremely old but so very proud of her for sticking with it. Congratulations, Sarah. We love you.

It's been a while and I've got some catching up to do...so here we go:

#43 Pick a TV series and watch it from beginning to end

I had a lot of free time while I was pregnant so I actually watched several:

Friends...TWICE

That 70's show which is Brian's favorite

AND....

I LOVE LUCY! Brian bought me the entire series on DVD for Christmas last year and it inspired me so much that I named my daughter Lucy. :)

Not only that, but Brian also bought me every season of How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory for Christmas this year as well as 1 season of Gilmore Girls. We have also started New Girl on Netflix. 

Now that I think of it...why are we paying for cable? lol

Lots more to come...

It was great...while it lasted.

Goal #19- Buy a 4-door Car

So last Thursday, Brian and I got approved for a new car. We didn't want a huge car payment so we went with a pre-owned 2010 Toyota Corolla. Red! My favorite color! I was so excited! I finally had a car that I carry my little bundle in safely and comfortably!

...for all of 4 days. On Sunday, which is usually my off-day, I got called in to work because one of the other girls was sick. Which is fine, I don't mind covering for people when they need it. I was supposed to get off around 9 and I was going to see a movie with Emily and Brian before he left for Auburn for the week.

I ended up getting off about half an hour late so Brian came to pick me up so we could ride together. We were driving down highway 69 and stopped behind a car that was turning into a business. I happened to look in my side mirror and noticed an Audi was not slowing down...at all. All I could get out of my mouth was "Brian!" before they crashed into the back of our car at 45mph.

To be the less expensive of the two vehicles, I have to say mine looked a lot better than the other driver. However, the back doors to the car won't open which leads me to believe that there is frame damage. Frame damage = totalled vehicle. :(

That makes me a very sad mommy-to-be. But the good thing is, Brian and I are fine and more importantly, the baby wasn't affected by the accident. Thank the Lord.

My first love

Goal #10

Finally! I have been waiting for this day for almost 6 years. The day I could say that I no longer have a car payment.

Unfortunately, it is also the day when I say I no longer have a car.

Yes, I finally made the last payment on my Tiburon. But a few weeks prior to that, I realized that it simply was not big enough to fit an infant car seat in. Which means, I had to say good-bye to my car, something that meant more to me than a lot of people.

I was able to find a silver lining in selling my car. I found a lady on facebook garage sale that was looking for a "cool car". I sent her a message, along with some pictures and explained that I was only selling because I was having a baby. She seemed extremely interested and asked to test drive it. That all went well and we agreed on a purchase price.

I met this lady, along with her husband early this week to give them the keys, title, and bill of sale. She then informed me that today was her daughter's 16th birthday and that she had passed her driver's test less than an hour earlier. They waited until after her test to let her know that they were buying her a car. She told me that her daughter was so excited that she started crying.

As much fun as I've had through the years driving my little coupe, I walk away so glad to know that another little girl is going to enjoy it as much as I have. So, with tears in my eyes, I said goodbye to my car and drove away in my mom car (Brian's Curtis) and silently greeted this new chapter in my life. I can't be that care-free teenager anymore. I am going to be a mom. But I sure as hell am going to be a fun mom! :)

Debt-free at 23!?

Goal #18

Originally, that was supposed to be the plan...Brian and I thought we were well on our way to buying our first home. He had taken out several different kinds of loans including a credit card through his credit union. Unfortunately, what they failed to tell us, is that the credit union that he was doing ALL of his business with only reports to one credit bureau...which means...no house for a while...AND all that hard work to pay off our debts (over $20,000 in less than a year) was for not.

What does every bank advise us to do?

Go back into debt. What?!

Yep. They gave us very specific instructions to go back into debt with certain companies that wouldn't hit our credit and report to all three credit bureaus.

The result? We bought new living room furniture on credit. I know, I know, I was supposed to buy bedroom furniture but my mother-in-law bought us (new to us) bedroom furniture. Not completely our style and not exactly what we had picked out but it's fine.

So now we have living room furniture with no living room to put it in...yet. Since I am pregnant and able to work my waitress/hostess job less and less, Brian and I decided together that it is better that I handle our finances for a while.

This makes it much easier on both of us and I believe that we are well on our way to being able to buy a home.

"One does not simply watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy in one day..."

...well, not simply.  This was probably one of the longest days of my life.  I had an entire day off work on November 7 (I know this post is a little late! ;)) I figured I could use the day productively. I woke up around 7am by accident. My goofus wakes up around 4am to go to work and I could never really get back to sleep when he left. 

So 7am came and I got up, started some laundry and skipped over to the television, eager to get the marathon started! The first one was awesome, just as I remembered. A little long, granted, but still really good. I found myself reminiscing back to when the movies first came out and I would oggle over Orlando Bloom. :) He was still just as dreamy as I remembered him being when I was 11. 

3 hours later, it was time to start "The Two Towers".  I hopped up, a little less eager but still excited to watch the movie. Now don't get me wrong, I love these movies but I didn't think about how big of a task this was going to be. 3 hours of walking later and I was finished with two out of three.

By that time, I definitely needed a break. So I ate lunch, started another load of laundry and took a half hour nap. 

Half an hour later, I reluctantly started the last movie. The return of the king is my favorite of the three. I begrudgingly had to finish it this time though. I cried at the end partially because it is a heartwarming ending and partially because I was so glad it was finally over!

I would not suggest to anyone to ever watch these movies all in one day. Not alone at least. I was more tired that day than if I had gone to work and worked all day long. 

"We're having a baby: My baby and me!"

Goal #15

This is one of the most exciting goals I made at the beginning of this year and my husband and I are so blessed. We had been praying for a baby for the better part of the year. We had, unfortunately suffered a miscarriage along the way. But last week, I just had this feeling that something was different with my body. I bought a pregnancy test on September 2 and low and behold, it said yes!

I had all these grand plans of how I was going to tell Brian when the time came. I was going to fill our room with pink and blue balloons, write "guess what?" across my belly, or even have a photographer present to catch his reaction. But all I could think about when I saw that digital reading of "Yes+" was run. I ran to him as fast as I could and just fell into his arms crying. My heart just melted with his response of "I'm going to be a dad?!".

My already extensive "Baby Garner" pinterest board is only going to get bigger and I'm more than positive that my sisters among others (Sara) will have pretty large boards that will be extremely helpful along the way.

We still have a pretty long way to go but we couldn't be any happier with this new phase in our relationship. Of course it is going to be difficult. We are still young, after all. But I believe this experience will only draw us closer to each other and closer to God. 

My due date is May 11, 2013. We get to go back to the doctor in two weeks to hear the heartbeat! I cannot wait to meet our little bundle of joy but for now we must be patient. :)

"I am a Jedi, like my father before me!"

#76

If my geek status hadn't been set in stone before, I think it most definitely has now. I had never gotten around to watching the Star Wars movies. I started out with number 4 and watched the ones with Harrison Ford first. (This, I was assured, was the correct order). I enjoyed these much more than I thought I would, reading each opening sequence in my most dramatic voice. :) I even went so far as to change my text message tone to a lightsaber sound. I think it's pretty awesome.

Ultimately, I am glad that I finally watched this series.

I have many more exciting posts to come soon. Stay tuned!

Bills, bills, bills.

#8, #9, and #23.

These specific goals were some that Brian and I both were seriously looking forward to accomplishing. We made a budget and a brand new financial plan a few months back and we were able to pay off BOTH of my credit cards. We were also able to pay off Brian's 2010 Scion 3 years early! We also had a wedding loan as well as a signature loan we had taken out last year and we were able to completely pay those off as well! 

This is a major accomplishment for Brian and I because we haven't always handled our money the way we know we should. We have also started tithing because we know how important that is. With these monthly expenses out of the way, we hope to be able to be in the process of buying our first home by the end of the year! :)

"But I have promises to keep"

Goal #7

So I've been working SO much at my job these past few weeks, I haven't been able to work on my list but I finally accomplished one that I've really been wanting to do for a while now. I got a new tattoo! I got the quote "And miles to go before I sleep" from Robert Frost's Stopping by woods on a snowy evening. I really love this line because it really hits close to home with me. I feel like God has so much more in store for me on this earth and this is just a reminder to live my life to the fullest and appreciate everything I've been given. Of course it hurt but I feel like it was totally worth it! I cannot wait to get another one! :)

Donation

Number 29. Sort through clothes and get rid of what I do not wear.

This is something that my mom used to require all of us to do at least once a year. I've found that since she passed away, I have neglected this "spring cleaning" ritual. It needed to be done quite desperately, however. My fluctuating weight has given me a multitude of sizes that I simply cannot wear anymore. From my former size 8 up to my heaviest size 14 and everything in between.

All in all, I collected 6 bags of dresses, sweaters, pants, tops, and shoes. They will be going straight to good will the next time I go into town. This means that I have even less to move when we make our way back to Tuscaloosa this summer! :) Oh, did I forget to mention that? My husband got offered a job in our hometown so we will gladly be moving back within the next few months! Now to buy a house... Prayers are appreciated.

Who needs 12 crystal candy dishes?!

Number 88.

All the credit of physically taking back our unused and unwanted wedding gifts goes to my wonderful husband. Anyone who has come into our apartment knows exactly where that stack of gifts was: lying in the dining room floor next to our front door. Thanks to Brian, we have so much more room in our tiny, little apartment. We are now going to be able to start buying our wedding china with the credit that we earned from said gifts as well as gifts cards that have been collecting. yayy.

I can see!

Happy April! I am very excited about my lasted goal that I accomplished this past Thursday, March 29th. I completed goal #63- get new glasses. Vision, not sun. :) I have been needing these desperately since the last pair I got was when I started middle school. Those were kind of unfortunate.

I think they look pretty spiffy. My favorite thing about them, though, is that they are Vera Bradley. I normally don't focus too much on labels but I do love my Vera Bradley glasses and I'll show you why...

I absolutely love that they have the Vera Bradley designs on the outside! :) It makes the "sophisticated" glasses kind of "quirky" at the same time!

You have how many?!

I am very excited to announce that on March 13, 2012 I officially completed my first goal. I completed goal #100- Get a new piercing. In the past I've had some pretty obscure piercings, (none of them inappropriate) but this time I got a fairly simple piercing.

 Like most piercings, it hurt initially. However, after the jewelry was put in place, the pain was a non issue. I was able to sleep on the ear the very same night, which doesn't happen often, if ever. I was very excited to be able to share this piercing opportunity with my awesome friend, Amanda, who is coincidentally not a fan of piercings. She was pretty supportive, though, even allowing me to hold her hand without much complaining. So without further ado: My new piercing. :)

The new piercing is the bottom cartilage piercing. My mom took me to get the top one for Christmas about 4 years ago. I pretty much think it rocks! :)

Okay, I'm pretty new to blogging so this may start off pretty rough. I'm using this blog as a place to display my progress on my 101 goals in 1001 days. I've been really excited about this since my friend, Brittany, started hers. This list took me around 15 hours to compile. That's a long time. However, I'm fairly confident in my 101 goals and my ability to complete them. Any and all encouragement is welcome and I appreciate you showing interest in what i'm doing!

Italicized goals are in progress.
Bold goals have been accomplished.

I'll be posting soon, hopefully!

101 Goals in 1001 Days

101 Goals in 1001 Days

March 9, 2012-December 5, 2014

1. Finish college

2. Travel to Italy

3. Buy a house

4. Read 25 books [9/25]

5. Take more pictures of Brian and I

6. Learn to sew

7. Get another tattoo

8. Pay off loans [2/2]

9. Pay off credit cards [2/2] 

10. Pay off my Tiburon

11. Travel to Japan

12. Travel to at least one other Disney: Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, or California

13. See a Broadway show in New York

14. Lose 35lbs (and keep it off) [7/35]

15. Announce pregnancy (Due May 11, 2013)

16. Go on a cruise with Brian

17. Reupholster dining room chairs

18. Buy new bedroom furniture

19. Buy a 4-door car

20. Go on a roadtrip

21. Visit Niagra Falls

22. Go to Las Vegas with my girlfriends

23. Pay off Brian's Scion

24. Learn to ride a motorcycle

25. Stop drinking soda (for at least six months)

26. No chocolate for one month

27. No fast food for one month

28. Finish 60-day exercise program

29. Sort through my clothes and donate what I do not wear

30. Save all of our change for 1001 days and cash it in when the challenge is done

31. Watch at least 50 movies on Imdb's top 250 list [0/50]

32. Buy new living room furniture

33. Collect 15 classic Disney movies that we don't already own [2/15]

34. Find the perfect little black dress

35. Bake my Granny's famous caramel cake

36. Sing a solo at church

37. Read all of Gregory Maguire's books that I haven't already read

38. Watch 10 classic musical movies [2/10]

39. Go to California and see the footprints in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre

40. Celebrate three years of being married to my best friend

41. Send out Christmas cards

42. Call my Pawpaw at least once a month

43. Pick a TV series and watch it from beginning to end

44. Have my body kit put on my Tiburon

45. Paint my Tiburon

46. Drink only water for at least one month

47. Read through the entire Bible

48. Lose 50lbs (and keep it off) [7/50]

49. Watch Sarah graduate from high school

50. Take flowers to Mom's grave at least once a year

51. Decorate my home in a way that makes ME happy

52. "Declutter" my home, car, and life

53. Display more of our wedding photos in our home

54. Have a styled shoot with Jennifer

55. Finish purchasing wedding china and find a reason to use it [1/8]

56. See the Grand Canyon

57. Get a pedicure twice in one year

58. Don't stress about a single thing for an entire week

59. Go ice skating at least once a year (to justify Brian buying my new skates) [0/3]

60. Visit at least 3 states I've never been to [0/3]

61. At least attempt to start couponing

62. Read 100 poems out of my Emily Dickinson poetry book [3/100]

63. Get new glasses (vision not sun)

64. Have dinner at dining room table at least once a week

65. Be a bridesmaid in someone I love's wedding

66. Learn to change my own oil and accomplish it at least once without any help

67. Learn to change my own tire

68. Learn how to shoot a gun

69. Visit a zoo and actually read the signs to learn about the animals

70. Get my passport updated  (change to my married name)

71. Call or text Dad, Emily, Randy and Sarah at least once every two weeks

72. Eat at least five foods that I would never have considered eating [3/5]

73. Go white water rafting

74. Take a day and watch the Harry Potter series from beginning to end

75. Take a day and watch the Lord of the Rings series from beginning to end

76. Watch all of the Star Wars movies in order

77. Have all Christmas shopping done before December one year

78. Take my turn praying over meals at least once a week

79. Do dishes after dinner every night for an entire month

80. Keep my planner updated with the week/month's activities

81. Bring my GPA back up to 3.5

82. Have a semester where I get straight A's

83. Finally get my massage

84. See two movies in theatres in one day

85. Get my motorcycle license

86. Don't miss class for an entire semester

87. Pass my math class the next time I take it

88. Return wedding gifts we don't need/use

89. Completely forgive at least one person I've been holding a grudge against

90. Set up a booth at Kentuck or Tannehill to sell my crochet projects.

91. Wear makeup everyday for an entire month (even if I don't leave the house)

92. Wear my hair down everyday for an entire month (for the entire day)

93. Get all of my belongings out of storage

94. Make Brian breakfast in bed at least once a year

95. See a movie at a midnight premier (Breaking dawn with Emily)

96. Write a letter to five people who have made a positive impact on my life [0/5]

97. Don't use facebook or email for an entire week

98. Start collecting Cameo's (jewelry, pins, etc.)

99. Grow my hair out past my shoulder blades again

100. Get another piercing

101. Make a new list of 101 goals in 1001 days