2012 Resolutions

I believe in making New Year Resolutions.  There are several resolutions that I would like to accomplish this year.  Here are my following resolutions for 2012: 

1) Have a better connection with God.  I hope to accomplish this more by attending church more and spending more time in prayer.  I am so thankful for all of the blessings God has given me and my family.  I need to remember to trust in God instead of worrying and trying to plan out everything.  I need to realize that He is in control and I need to hand everything over to him.

 

2)  Weight loss. I kind of don't want to make this a resolution. It's just so cliche and I'm worried that I'll end up like the forty bazillion other women out there who are resolving to be skinny and are back to eating cheeseburgers and fries by January 8th.  But, I'm going to. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and it's time for me to make some serious changes. I'm ready, and I'm going to do it. I'm tired of being fat and lazy and miserable in my own skin. So, I'm going to change. This pin on Pinterest really resonated with me.

 Its not just about losing weight, but I want to be HEALTHIER and feel better about myself

3)  Yolates.  I started attending Yolate classes last year and absolutely loved it but did not stick with going to the classes.  Yolates is a mix of Yoga and Pilates and one of my resolutions is to at least do Yolates, Yoga, or Pilates at least once per week.  As a nursing student, time is of the essence but so a person's health and  sanity.

4)  Be a better wife.  I am one of the the lucky ones who have an amazing husband.  Unfortunately, I'm the wife that doesn't always show appreciation of the little things my husband does.  He is constantly working to improve our lives and make my life as easy as possible; I need to be less selfish and move giving in my marriage.  

5)  Travel to Europe (Hopefully, this summer)

6)  Become more familiar with the kitchen:  2011 was a big year in the kitchen for me.  I spent a lot of time trying out new and healthy recipes.  I found that I love cooking!  I love searching for new recipes, buying all of the ingredients, and then seeing the end result after time in the kitchen.  I want to continue this in 2012.

7)  Blog More (enough said)

8)  Go on a day trip or mini weekend vacations at least once a month.  I feel like the weekends that Justin and I both have off are sparing, but at the same time when we do have a weekend off together we usually spend it fixing things around the house or just lounging.  I would rather spend time with each other making memories in different places. 

2012: New Beginning, New Hopes, New Dreams

Justin and I were not able to ring in 2012 together since he had volunteered to work so we decided today that we would have our New Year's Date Night if you will.  He did not get home until 5:00am on New Years Day so of course I did not  go to bed until he was home.  After we woke up around noon we went over to the in-laws home for lunch, came back home took a nap, and then got up and started getting ready around 5:30pm.  We decided we would go to dinner at Wings & Rings and a movie in Greensburg.  We decided to see New Years Eve (even though we were a day late)

It was a good movie with a lot of good/heartfelt moments throughout the movie.  One of my favorite quotes from the movie is the following: 

"It's suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the New Year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and our missteps - our promises made, and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures - or closed ourselves down, for fear of getting hurt. Because that's what New Year's is all about: getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about 'what if' and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight - and it will drop - let's remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long."

I love that quote and hope to remember it throughout the whole year.  2011 was a great year for us and I am very excited to see what 2012 has to hold.  I hope everyone had a great New Years.  Cheers to 2012 :)

2011 Recap

I have decided that one of my resolutions again this year is to blog.  I want to use my blog as a scrapbook; I think it will be neat to look back and look at the things that Justin and I have done over the years.  I also think one day maybe our children will appreciate being able to read about their mom and dad before we were "mom and dad".  2011 was a great year for us!  Just a brief recap of some things so I don't forget:

*  We got our furbaby Savannah on January 9th; yes we gave her the same name as the first one.  She has brought so much joy to our lives....we constantly treat her like our baby because she is...she's like a child to us and we love her soo much.

*  I turned the big 28

*  Justin had sinus surgery on February 10th

*  I was able to celebrate my best friend, Ashley's,  28th Birthday with an amazing group of people in Lafayette

*  Our nephew Bronson was born on February 25th

*  Justin's position at for P&G was eliminated but luckily he was hired a week later as a Driver Manager at Fraley & Schilling here in Rushville which turned out to be a blessing in disguise

*  One of my besties, Brooke, got married in Bora Bora and hosted a reception here in Indiana

* My sister, Nicole, got engaged to the love of her life Mike (they are a match made in heaven) with a wedding date set for July 21, 2012 in Columbus, Indiana

* Justin's sister, Janel, got engaged to DJ with a wedding date set for August 18, 2012 here in Rushville

* My baby sister, Kathryn, started high school

* I started clinicals in nursing school where I was assigned on the Oncology floor at Reid Hospital and at Richmond State Hospital which is one of the state's psychiatric hospitals.  Both were completely eye opening experiences where I learned a lot about nursing, my patients, and a lot about myself.  I know psych nursing is not for me, but I absolutely loved working Oncology; I would love to work in this area some day.  It was such a humbling experience and every day I left the floor I was reminded of how thankful I am to God for everything he has given me in my life, especially my health.  Every day I took care of people who were literally fighting for their life; it made me realize how little my problems were and made me appreciate all of the little things in my life that I take for granted most of the time. 

* Justin and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary

* Justin turned the big 28

* My dad invited Justin to one of the Colts game; this was a big deal because it was my dad's first NFL game 

* November 28th - Savannah turned 1

* December 3rd - Justin took the LSATs (we found out the results on January 6th)

* Last Christmas Justin and I adopted a family so this year we decided to just get some things for each other.  We were supposed to just get each other little stuff but I ended up getting him a 51" plasma tv and he ended up ordering my new french doors (which I am soo excited about!!)

2011 was a great year, but I am VERY excited to see what was 2012 has in store for us and our family.

Nursing Orientation

I had my Nursing Orientation today which was awesome! I had to dress up like a SuperHero so I went as a Super Student Nurse. I wish I would have taken a picture of it this morning because my costume turned out really cute! On the back of my lab coat it said:

STUDENT NURSE

I gave up my life to learn how to save yours.

The orientation was really inspiring but at the same time intimidating as well. The senior class started off with 60 people and now have a graduation of 12! Yes, I said 12! Some of those people couldn't make the grades and others couldn't make the full commitment of time, but I know I won't make those mistakes. I knew going to nursing school would be a huge commitment and I am prepared for that but I will miss my husband, family, friends, and having a social life :)

Shopping Adventure

Justin and I had to run up to Greenwood this evening for a little shopping. We ran to Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up a wedding gift, Menswarehouse to get a tux, and to Best Buy so I could purchase a laptop for school. I love shopping for anything and everything except for computers. It's awful with all of the choices and brands! I was thinking about a Mac but a lot of the healthcare software is not compatible so I ended up with the Dell Inspiron. It's pink soo it made the decision a little easier as well :)

After leaving Best Buy, we were starving so we ran over to Olive Garden to grab a bite to eat. I love date nights with my husband but I especially love impromptu dates :) We originally wanted to get in order something little and get home, but we ended up just taking our time. We laughed soo much during that dinner and had such a wonderful time! I'm very lucky that I have such a funny husband!

On our way home we got the call that Grandma Howard was in the hospital with chest pain. We went to visit her (this was about 11:30pm) and the ER Dr. did not think it was her heart but maybe a touch of pneumonia. She was admitted that night but was already feeling better when we left. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

Visit To Riley

Justin and I went to Riley's Children Hospital in Indy to visit Aubrey and the Beever/Deno families. Aubrey has a type of leukemia which is called "ALL" the family was hoping for this type because AML is a lot harder to treat. Aubrey was all smiles! You would have no idea that this little beautiful baby was sick; she was walking all around the play area and smiling away. She gets her first chemo treatment tonight so please pray that her white blood cells drop. Hopefully, she'll be able to go home and continue her treatments next week!

Pray for Baby Aubrey

I just found out that my close friend Lacey, her youngest daughter Aubrey, was diagnosed with Leukemia this afternoon. I do not know any more details about the diagnosis or prognosis, but please pray for this beautiful little 1 year old girl tonight before you close your eyes and tomorrow before your feet hit the floor; she is such a beautiful and happy baby. Please keep Aubrey and the Beever/Deno families in your prayers.

Weekend Recap

Friday night we went over and had dinner and drinks at Ross & Lauren's house. Lauren & Ross just recently found out that they are expecting Newhouse #2 at the beginning of April. So we celebrated the great news!

Saturday was a fun night as well! I had to work all day Saturday but as soon as I got home Justin, Plummer, and I headed to Greensburg to grab some dinner at Wings & Rings and catch a movie ("The Other Guys") which was hilarious. We had a great time!

Sunday was a great day! Tom, my FIL, delivered the sermon at church. He did an AMAZING job! He talked about believing and trusting in God and his plan for your life. I think the part of the service that got me the most was when he summed up what worrying is. He expressed how worrying does nothing for you but shows that you do not have faith in God and his genious plans. I would not call myself a worry wart but I do worry here and there but since this sermon today, I am going to make a conscious effort to just turn it all over to God!

I hope you all have a great week :)

Fripp Island Family Vacation

The Selby clan headed down to Fripp Island, SC this past week and had an AMAZING time with everyone. We ran into a couple of problems with the house we rented (like the upstairs A/C going out and taking 2 days to fix) but other than that we had a great time and made A LOT of GREAT memories! Pictures to come...



While on vacation we also got the news that we are going to be an Aunt & Uncle again. Justin's sister, Janel, is due at the beginning of March! Congratulations!

Weekend Recap - Shopping, Putt Putt & More Shopping

This weekend was fun and relaxing! Friday morning our car had to be taken in for a recall so I got a rental and headed over to Greensburg to do a little shopping. After shopping, I met Justin for lunch which was soo nice because I am hardly ever in the area to have lunch with him. We ate some Chinese and then headed over to see Aunt Dala's new house. After a short visit Justin headed back to work and I headed back home to do some much needed laundry and pick up our car from the dealership.

Justin got home around 5:00 and since it was still soo hot we decided to head over to his parents house and get in the pool. It wasn't too long after that Justin was hungry and wanted to go grab some Mexican. We invited Linda, Justin's mom, to go with us! We had a great time catching up and eating WAY TOO MUCH!

Saturday, I pretty much worked from 10-5pm. When I got home I was really tired so Justin and I decided to pop in a movie. We watched Valkerie (sp?) with Tom Cruise; it was pretty good! After the movie, we got our second wind and decided to go play Putt Putt.

(I know I look really weird but this is the only picture I have from the night taken with my BB)

Justin supposedly beat me by three strokes but I think next time I'll keep score and see who wins :) Afterwards, we grabbed an ice cream cone and headed home; I love out little dates.

Sunday = Shopping

Since Justin and I are leaving on vacation soon we decided to spend Sunday shopping. We headed up to Greenwood and definitely did some damage! After about 3 hours of shopping we started to get hungry and headed over to Olive Garden for a late lunch. We decided to leave Greenwood and head to Shelbyville to stop by another store and shoe place. Finally, I had enough shopping done and we headed home so we could make it in time for dinner at Justin's parents house. It was soo nice having everyone together for dinner!

It was a wonderful weekend! I hope everyone has a great week!

Weekend Recap - A Holloway Becomes an Ellis

This weekend was full of activities. I love weddings and I was very honored to help my friend Taylor with hers this past weekend. Friday I helped with decorating and rehearsing for Tay's wedding. After a couple practices everyone headed to Rico's for the rehearsal dinner; it was a really nice dinner. Our friends Haily and Mac were flying in for the special occasion so after the rehearsal dinner Justin and I met them at my Grandma's house. Kent & Melissa put on an awesome display of Fireworks for about an hour that we all enjoyed and then headed back to my mom's house because we were all soo tired.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed to my Aunt Lisa's house to swim for about an hour. It was really nice seeing everyone and I even got to meet my new 2nd cousin Brody. Lindsey is an amazing mom and Brody is adorable.

Saturday afternoon we headed to Kentland for the main event. Taylor was a glowing beautiful bride despite the 95 degree weather. The wedding was outside under a beautiful tent! It was soo great to see a lot of my friends that I haven't seen in forever. Justin and I danced pretty much all night and had a blast! Congrats again Mr. & Mrs. Ellis :)

Weekend Recap

Saturday night Justin and I had an AMAZING time with my dad, sis (Melissa), and her boyfriend Kent at the Tom Petty concert.

(All I had was a picture from the cell phone)

Thank you soo much for the tickets dad! We had such a great time! Love you!

Sunday, we were pretty lazy much of the day! We slept in and unfortunately missed church, but we had a nice little Sunday morning making pancakes. In the afternoon we headed out to the pool to get some sun and spend time with Linda & Ella. It was nice to just relax and get a little sun. We then headed over to Greensburg to see the movie "Grownups" which we thought was really funny. It was a nice relaxing weekend which is just what we needed! I hope all of have a great week!

Soo Hard

Justin and I have been upset all day about losing Savannah. I had to go into work an hour late this morning because I could not pull myself together. Then the waves of emotions started. I was sad, angry, and shocked most of the day with tears flowing with every emotion. Before Savannah I was never really a big dog lover and I never really understood what it was like to lose a dog. I never realized how fast a puppy can jump into your heart. Obviously, Justin and I don't have kids yet but it feels as though we have lost a child.

Everything reminds us of Savannah; all we see when we go home are things we did with Savannah. To try and get our loss off of our minds for a little bit Justin took me to the movies to see Eclipse and we grabbed an appetizer afterwards. The waves of tears came and went throughout the night but the monsoon really took place when we arrived back home. I came across one of her little bows and leash and I just lost it. The pain of losing her is just awful.

Sad Sad Day

We got the call about 8:18am this morning that our little Savannah had taken a turn for the worse and we were going to need to put her down. Our vet said she could go any minute so neither Justin or I had time to get there to be with her. Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. Even though she wasn't our baby long, she will be greatly missed!



Justin and I are having a very hard time with losing her soo fast, but we know she is in a better place. We hope she knew how much we loved her :)

Visiting My Baby

I had the day off today so I went to visit Savannah this morning. She is still really sick but I am hoping she starts getting better by this afternoon. She was soo lethargic this morning; she slept pretty much the whole time I was there.

Update: So I went to see Savannah again this afternoon (Yes, I am a crazy mom, but I miss her soo much) and she is still really sick. The vet tech says that with Parvo sometimes smaller dogs, especially puppies, take longer to recoup from the virus. Please pray that our baby starts feeling better. We are hoping by Monday she can come home :)

Happy Birthday Nikki

Happy Birthday to my BEAUTIFUL sister Nikki!

(This pic is from last year's bday since we haven't celebrated yet this year)

We love you and can't wait to see you soon!

One Quick Pic

Justin stopped by to see Savannah today and took this pic on his cell phone! Hopefully she starts feeling better with that IV pumping away!

Fourth of July, One Sick Puppy, & Bowling

Once the sun went down we brought Savannah over to meet all of her new family. About 8:00pm she had gotten sick and we thought it was just because of the heat and all the new people who were holding her. We watched the fireworks and headed home because we were all so tired. Savannah kept dry heaving and would not eat or drink. Justin and I chalked the illness up to eating grass, traveling a lot that day, etc. But when she kept dry heaving at midnight and seemed very lethargic I began to worry. Yes being the paranoid mother I am I called the vet emergency line. Of course on the 4th all the vets beepers were off due to the holiday, but we had a scheduled appointment for today (Monday) so we decided to keep her comfortable for the night and we would just call and see if we could move our appointment up in the morning.

Originally our schedule appointment was supposed to be for her first round of vaccinations, but obviously they had to run a couple of tests to see what was wrong with her first. Once the vet came in he explained she had the Parvo virus which is something that is contracted 10-14 days out before any symptoms come into play aka she received the virus at the breeders home. Parvo virus basically cuts the villi in the intestines off so Savannah could not absorb any of the nutrients which equals a dehydrated dog + throwing up + diarrhea = on sick puppy. I don't know if it was because I was soo pissed off at the breeder, worried for Savannah, and the lack of sleep but I started bawling when the vet was explaining the treatment plan for her. Yes, I was that girl. Parvo virus has to run its course but Savannah has to be hooked up to an IV in order to hydrate her, give antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection, and stay at the vet between 48-72 hours all awhile the vet explains this type of treatment runs between $500-$600. The vet also mentioned we could talk to the breeder and get a different puppy if we didn't want to aquire the costs. NO THANKS! We wanted Savannah and why would I risk getting another dog from that breeder when it could have picked up the same virus.

When we left the vet's office, I called and gave the breeder an earful! At first she was really defensive and didn't believe me until she talked to our vet. Luckily, she called me back apologized and offered to pay for half the bill which at this point I am fine with. The thing that sucks is she cannot afford to pay us her half until she sells another puppy which she can't do for another 2 weeks due to our puppy contracting the virus at her home; the remaining puppies have to be quarantined for 2 weeks to see if any of them develop any symptoms of the Parvo virus.

In order to stop being pissed off at the breeder and sad for Savannah, we decided to take Kathryn bowling. I suck at bowling but love doing it! I haven't bowled in probably 5 years so I was exceptionally awful today, but the three of us had a great time.

July 3rd

Last night was a great little Saturday filled with friends and family! We headed over to Justin's Aunt Lisa & Uncle Bob's house for a cookout, swimming, cornhole, etc. We had a blast and it was soo great spending time with everyone. We were going to go get on the boat at Lake Santee for their fireworks but we were both exhausted and we had to come home and take care of our baby. We figured Savannah was going to be wide awake when we got home (since she slept all day) so we would take her for a little walk and get some of the energy out of her even though it was 10pm and all I wanted to do was go to bed. Since it was late we decided to try out her collar and leash. We took three steps out the door Savannah got soo sassy and just laid on the ground and would not take another step; she would not budge at all. As soon as we took the leash off she was on our heels the whole time we walked.

Saturday night the crying continued but was not as bad as the first night. We still had to get up at 12am, 3:00am, and 6:00am to take her outside but this house training schedule is working because she did not have an accident all night. Justin and I can't see straight because we are soo exhausted but we don't have to clean up any accidents so I guess it is all worth it!

Today we are going to a cookout at Rick's house at noon and then we are coming back to enjoy some swimming and a fireworks this evening at Tom & Linda's with Ms. Savannah in tote :)

Happy Birthday America! I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable 4th!

So this is what it is like to have a newborn

Last night we were soo happy to have Savannah home with us, but my oh my were we not prepared for the situation. Savannah was wonderful when we came home, but when it was time to go to bed she just cried and cried all night. We were up at 12am, 3am, and 6am taking her out to go to the bathroom (we are house training) but still did not sleep much since she cried all night long. I have been told this only lasts about a week at most. She did not stop crying until we got up for good and picked her up. If we put her down she just started crying again, so needless to say we took turns running errands and holding Savannah this morning. I feel like we have a newborn on our hands! Finally around lunchtime she started to let us put her down so she could explore her new home and follow us everywhere we went. She has been sleeping most of the day today.....she must be tired from all of that adorable crying she did last night :)