Thursday 5

The last Thursday 5 of May. Wow, this month 

and this week have gone by so fast!

Here are this weeks words:

Fascinating

Pleasant

Sweet

Sensational

Heartwarming

1. So, my husband and find the juicing diet Fascinating and have decided to try it to jump start us back into healthy eating. I am doing a modified version since I am trying to get pregnant. For my husband, this means no solid food. For me, I have a protein shake for breakfast, a power bar for a snack, a healthy lunch, a piece of fruit and a juice for dinner. Last nights juice is the picture above this! It looks gross but it tastes like salad. Here is the recipe:
3 stalks of celery
1/2 cucumber
3 carrots
1 cup spinach
1/2 an apple

2. The weather out here has been very Pleasant! Even in Arizona it was nice last weekend. While we were on vacation it never got hotter than 95 and we spent the whole weekend in the pool! It has also been lovely here at home, it was so nice in fact that I sat outside on my porch to read yesterday afternoon!

3. I was playing around with my new camera, which is AMAZING by the way and I took this picture of my Sweet little pup Garrison. Please excuse my husbands feet in the picture haha!

4. My new gym is Sensational and I love going everyday! My doctor doesn't want me burning anymore than 2,000 calories a week since I am on fertility meds. This has been tricky since I used to ride the bike or walk until I burned about 500 calories. I have adjusted my work out to 15 min on the bike or 20 walking (about 100 calories) and then using the machines to work out a muscle group. Today, I am going to a mat Pilates class with my new next door neighbor! 

5. One of the most Heartwarming things is getting to see my little football team on the ultrasound machine every week! I got to see them on Tuesday! There are now about 30 follicles and one of them is slightly bigger than the rest. The one that is a bit bigger is only 7mm and it needs to be around 18mm before we can do the trigger shot. If it is this exciting just to see follicles I think I am going to be so elated I wont know what to do with myself when I actually get to see an ultrasound of my baby! 

I hope you all have a great week and don't forget to link up over at Flip Flops and Combat Boots! 

Sunday Praise Report (A Few Days Late)

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Hey everyone! So sorry that I am behind in posting the praise report. I hope you well all still link up and join me in sharing how your week went! 

My week was AmAzInG! I was able to get a lot done, even though I am still a bit behind with work :/ and we took a last minute trip to my Dad's house in Arizona! I really needed the break! Before we left for my dad's house we stopped at my doctors office for what feels like the millionth ultra sound! We were able to see out Football team! Let me back track a little bit before explaining. With the first three rounds of clomid there were no follicles. With our last round of clomid 150mg there was one follicle. With our first round of follistim injections there were 20-30 follicles. We are calling those 20-30 follicles our football team! Not to worry, I wont have 20-30 babies! I continued my injections all weekend and am going back for an ultra sound this afternoon to see if we have any star players! We are praying that there will be three or less star players and that I can stop doing the injections! I know the two week wait (2ww in fertility forums) is going to be the hardest!

I also ordered a new camera at the beginning of last week! Unfortunately, it didn't get here until a few hours after we had already left for Arizona :( At least I have it to play with now! Anyway, here are some of the photos from my trip!

This is the tree that has been in my dad's backyard since I was a kid! I think it is beautiful!

Flowers growing in the garden!

This is my 5 year old nephew Aidan. He was freezing after getting out of the pool. So, I taught him the trick I used to use. Lay on hot pool deck and have someone cover you up!

This is not the best picture in the world quality wise but it was too cute not to post. Addy keeps spraying her brother and when he turns the table on him she tells him, "No Aidan, you can't get my hair wet!" Such a girl haha! 

I hope you all have a fabulous week! Please don't forget to link-up with me!

<3, Allie

Thursday 5

Happy Thursday everyone!! I hope you all are having a great week! Don't forget to link up over at flip flops and combat boots. Here are this weeks words!

Great

Incredible

Inspired

Rewarding

Swell

This week went by so fast! I got a lot of stuff done and visited with a few Great friends! This was my first week of injections and it couldn't have gone any better! I even let my husband do my shot last night since I read that husbands doing the shots helps them feel like they are apart of the process!

It has been absolutely Incredible that my husband has had a 3 day work week this week! He had Monday off as well as this Friday and next Monday! I am enjoying having him around! My blooming roses have Inspired me to plant more plants and i can't wait to do that when I get home from vacation. I am in a hurry to get packed this morning but I will upload pictures when I come home from vacation!

Today we head to the doctors office to see if all of the meds and injections are growing in follicles or future baby lucas' as I like to call them! It will be so Rewarding if all of this is really working!  I am just reminding myself to stay positive, which is hard to do sometimes. After my doctor apt we are headed out on a road trip vacation! We will be driving to Yuma tonight and staying in a very nice hotel for cheap, since its in Yuma! Friday morning we are headed on to my Dad's house! All the kids are coming in this weekend and bringing their kids. There will be about 14 people in a 3 bedroom house. It is going to be Swell!

Just for the Bloat of It...

Oh dear lord, it's here haha. Okay, so all you fertility treatment ladies know the retched side effects of fertility meds. Clomid and Provera are my least favorite combination but I didn't get too much bloating with those two. I had plenty of hormonal outbursts, hot flashes, night sweets, and exhaustion with those two though. Now I am on to Follistim. I can't say I like it because I have to give myself shots every night and really, who likes doing that? Not I. I also learned after putting band-aids over the area I gave my self the first few shots that I am allergic to band-aids. Awesome, right? Not! I look like I have some kind of skin disease. My stomach is bright red where all the band-aids were. I have tried rubbing alcohol to get the sticky part off and then realized that it isn't even sticky, its just red. Great! No bikini for me this weekend haha!

On the brighter side, I have less hormonal outbursts which I know my husband is thankful for! I don't cry all the time which is great. As far as making me hormonal it really only seems to make me angry faster than I normally would. Its more just being agitated than anything else. The only real side effect I have noticed is bloating. Which I guess is better than the side effects from Clomid and Provera but my goodness. It looks like I am already 3 months pregnant or I ate WAY too much for dinner. I don't know but it doesn't do a whole lot for my self-esteem. I  have been going to the gym daily and eating healthy so what gives right? I told my husband that there is nothing right about feeling fatter after you go to the gym than you did before.

I have been doing some research because I am fearful of Follistim causing over stimulation. It seems that the bloating is very common and it is just a sign that the meds are working. I go back to the doctor tomorrow afternoon for an ultrasound to see how many little follicles I have grown in the last week. The doctor says he expects to see between 1 & 3 so we shall see! We are headed out to Arizona right after my appointment! My dad lives right outside of Tucson! We are going to stop and stay at a really nice hotel on the way and finish the rest of the trip there on Friday. I will update you more about the trip later!

Just out of curiosity, how many of you are going through fertility treatments? If you are going through them what meds are you on? How long have you been ttc? Any vents or brags?

<3, Allie

Sunday Praise Report

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I must say, it has been a very interesting and eventful week. Monday started out with us finding out that we lost the pregnancy that we had only found out a bout a week prior. This sparked my doctor into referring me to a specialist that I was able to meet with on Friday! This new doctor really knows his stuff and although I am super uncomfortable with having a male doctor he thinks he know exactly what the problem is and exactly what we need to do to fix it. The Naval hospital doctors had NO clue!

This new doctor of mine has decided I need to do injections. When I heard this I started crying. I knew that was the next step but prayed and prayed it wouldn't come to that. I am terrified of needles. I was that kid in the doctors office that you could hear screaming from outside the building. My first injection was Friday night and it didn't go so well but lasts nights was much better. Seeing as how I will be doing this everyday for at least the next two weeks I guess I will get much better. This might not sound like a praise worthy story but we are so thankful that we have a doctor that knows his stuff and I am so blessed to have a God that is always with me even when I am facing something I don't think I can handle. The truth is, I can't do it on my own. I am not strong enough but I don't need to be because he is strong enough for the both of us!

Friday was also an amazing day because I was lucky enough to attend a Navy Cross Ceremony for a Marine that was deployed with my husband in 2010. It was heartbreaking and scary to hear the citations but I am honored and proud to be able to attend. He truly deserved this award! Below are a few of the pictures I took while I was there!

This is the Marine who was awarded the Navy Cross

These are the Knights of Kajaki, India BTRY 3/12

The man in the suit is a former Marine and Secretary of the Navy

During the reading of what the Knights of Kajaki did the Marines were very emotional. The Marine who received the Navy Cross knees buckled and his fellow Marines rushed in to support him.

This is what Honor, Courage and Commitment looks like

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you will link up and share your Sunday Praise Report!

Getting to know me in 50 Questions

At the risk of appearing to be a 15 year old MySpacer (remember MySpace haha!)I decided I would post this and I would love for you to fill it out and post it as a comment so I can get to know you too!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My whole name is Alexandrea Marquette. Alexandrea is to names put together. My dad wanted to call me Alex after the Alex in the 80's movie Flash Dance. My mom didn't want to spell it the normal way so I am an Alex Andrea haha and I hate the name Alex which is why I go by Allie! My Middle name Marquette was after a flash flood in Marquette, Indiana! How random right?


2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Monday, losing a baby is emotional.


3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Haha, no. My handwriting looks like a fourth grader haha! Which is why I type!


4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Honey Ham!


5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Nope but I hope to in 2013!


6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I think I am a pretty good friend. So, I would say yes!

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Yes but I should try to tone it down a bit!


8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes


9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Nope... What if the rope snaps... No thank you!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Reece's Puffs! Yum! So not apart of a complete breakfast haha

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Nope cuz I wear flip flops haha!

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Physically not really but emotionally, I am stronger than I realize sometimes. One of my favorite quotes is, "You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." I have survived a combat deployment, infertility and the loss of a baby in a two year time period and I am still rockin on!

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
I love ice cream in general but Cherry Garcia cuz it has my maiden name in it!

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their smile!

15. RED OR PINK?
Pink! I am such a girly girl!

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
That I carry all my extra fat in my stomach and I can be way too emotional at times!

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
This is a hard one. My three favorite people are my Great Grandfather (DaddyPapa), My Great Grandmother (My Mamie) and my Grandma Sandy. I would give just about anything to spend just a few more minutes with them. Its always hard when you hit those mile stones in life or when life seems to be falling apart to not be able to pick up the phone and call one of them.

18. MARRIED OR SINGLE?
Married for over two years now!

19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
I am bare foot haha!

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Cherries! Yum!

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Air1! "I've been keeping my eyes wide open..." Your love is a Song by: Switchfoot

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Lavender!

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
I love fruity, citrus smells!

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My mommy!

25. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?
Mountain hideaway since I already live less than 2 miles from the beach!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
I'd prefer to read a good book!

27. HAIR COLOR?
Brown, but it is turning blond from the sun! Gotta love summer time!

28. EYE COLOR?
Blueish green!

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
I wish but no, my eyes hate contacts but I have been wearing glasses forever. I love them in general but they look terrible in pictures!

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Burritos con queso (Bean and cheese burritos!)

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
ummm. I can't remember the name. It was about the Scott Peterson case. Absolutely appalling.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Hot Pink!

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer all the way.

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Depends on who they are from but hugs are always goods!

36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Ice cream or cookies!

37. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?
I do a good mix of both!

38. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION?
Book? I spend more time on my computer though.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Water for Elephants. It is great so far.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Mouse Pad really? Does anyone still have one of these?

42. FAVORITE SOUND?
The garage door opening when my hubby pulls in from work!

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
The Virgin Islands!

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Hmmm. Let's see, I guess my greatest talent would be my spiritual gift of teaching. I love being with the kiddos.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
San Diego, Ca.

47. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW?
Oceanside, Ca.

48. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE?
Tanish haha!

49. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR?
Black Cherry!

50. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING 50 QUESTIONS?
It gave me something to do so yes. Will I do it again soon, probably not!

Don't forget to fill it out and post it as a comment so I can get to know some random facts about you!
<3, Allie

Thursday 5

Happy Thursday everyone! I am so excited for tomorrow! I am getting up at 5am (pretty normal for me) and going to work with my hubby. They are having a Navy Cross ceremony for one of the guys my husband was deployed with. It has taken over a year and a half for this award to be approved. The Secretary of the Navy is supposed to be here too! I will be taking pictures for sure! I am also excited because I got a phone call from my new, civilian fertility specialist that they want to see me tomorrow afternoon instead of Monday! So exciting but that also means I have to drag my bum to the Naval Hospital today to get my medical records :/

Here is the Thursday 5! Don't forget to link up over at Flip Flops and Combat Boots


  

Irresistible

Positive

Successful

Vibrant

Glorious 

I have finally decided to eat healthy which can sometimes be a real challenge! Especially when you are married to a man who only eats junk food! This week I went to the Fresh and Easy down the road from my house and picked out some Irresistible fresh fruits! I bought strawberries, blue berries, raspberries and cherries! I also picked up some carrots and fat free ranch! Yum!

 

This week has been hard to say the least. I was so convinced that once we got pregnant the hard part would be behind us, not so much the case. However, I am determined to stay Positive, even if it kills me. There are a lot of good things going on too, I just have to keep reminding myself of them! For instance, the Navy Cross ceremony will be wonderful, I can't wait to meet my new fertility dr and be at a place where they have more resources and on Sunday we are taking a trip to LA to see my Great Grandma! I just have to stay focused on the positive things and keep on praying that the next round of fertility treatments will be Successful and I will carry a healthy baby for 9 months! 

My other set of Grandparents came in from Pennsylvania last weekend which caused an uproar at my mother's house. My 15 year old sister, Ashley, is currently in the bedroom that also doubles as the guest room when Nanny and Grandpop are at the house. The problem with this is that Ashley's room was two different shades of birght, Vibrant, lime green.  Picture this color GREEN and times it by 100! My panicked mother decided the day before they got to the house that she absolutely had to repaint. I must say, the new paint color is only GREEN times 10 now haha!

 

Well everyone, I wish you a Glorious Thursday and for that matter Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well! I can't wait to update you with pictures and info from my crazy busy day tomorrow! Don't for get to follow the link and link up with Thursday 5! 

 

 

 

 

<3, ALlie

Finally a Stroke of Good Fortune

As you all know I have been going through fertility treatments and we just lost a baby (I was only 4 weeks along). Well, I have been waiting for months to be referred from the Naval Hospital on Camp Pendleton to the specialist in Balboa at the Naval Hospital there. Well, I was taking a nap today when the phone rang! It was the nurse from the specialist clinic! It turns out that the hospital in Balboa was full and we will be seen at a civilian clinic right here in Oceanside! I get to meet with my new doctor on Monday!

I was trying so hard not to mope around all day today but I was just in a funk and not really looking forward to starting back on medicine here soon. I am just worried that I was going to get the same result as the last time. Now I am actually excited because we will have a few other medicine options and be able to do an IUI if we need to and be on meds that will help the new baby once we get that far!

I have learned that it is a lot easier to trust God when life is going according to plan. My faith has really been tested throughout all this. I have personally seen how trials can expand and grow your faith just like fire helps grow a forest. It isn't always pleasant or fun but when you are faithful, prayerful and patient it is amazing to see God move and to really notice as prayers get answered!

A Page from Macbeth!

I think Shakespeare had the right idea and I feel Macbeth mirrored Matthew 6:34 (probably not on purpose). Here is what Macbeth had to say: 

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

To the last syllable of recorded time,

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more: it is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

Macbeth was my favorite play in school. My husband was astonished to find out that I am actually a huge Shakespeare fan! Anyway, to sum this up, life is short and you can ramble and rant but in the end it all means nothing. My favorite verse and the verse I call my "life verse" is Matthew 6:34, "Don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its self. Today has enough trouble of its own." You can fret and worry, pace about but in the end it matters not. God' plan is supreme and wins every time. So why be the fool, a poor player on the stage? Why tell a tale full of sound and fury that means absolutely nothing? 

Lets conduct an experiment shall we!  What is your biggest pet peeve, something you spend a lot of time ranting or complaining about? Is there anything you can do about it? Is there a lesson God is trying to teach you?

My biggest pet peeve was in the car. I hated slow, oblivious drivers or drivers who tale gate and drive like idiots. I am known to yell at other drivers like they can hear me. Anyway, I was talking to confidant of mine who pointed out that I had two choices. I can be upset and also act like an idiot or I can choose to let it go and I can choose to be happy. I think that I was always running into idiot drivers because God was trying to teach me that I really do have a choice. I now to choose to enjoy my drives. I leave a bit earlier than normal, I put on my Air1, Christian radio station and I drive in the slow lane. I have some one-on-one worship time and I am in a great mood when I reach my destination! 

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my new blog, "A Life Courageous". The name comes from my favorite verse Joshua 1:9

 Life isn't always easy and we don't always get exactly what we want when we want. The whole purpose of this life is to bring glory to God and to learn to rely on him and not ourselves. The trials and tribulations we go through are meant to bring us closer to him. I always try to remember when I am going through something to just trust that he's got my back. God wants me to be Strong, Courageous and to not be Fearful. He is with me everywhere I go and if he is with me and he is for me, whom then shall I fear?

I may not always fly on wings of eagles or run and not grow weary but because of my God I will walk and not faint. This blog is my life's adventure, the good times, the hard times and the lessons learned. It is about my relationship with God and how his word really does relate to my everyday life and he uses it to communicate with me the things that are important. This blog is about infertility, the military and the issues I face as a woman, as a daughter, a wife, a sister and a friend. Someday, I hope to share with you the joys of motherhood, a cross country PCS and much more. I hope this will be a place where you can grow in your relationship with God, where you will feel safe to share your experiences, ups and downs and prayer requests. I can't wait to get to know you!



<3, Allie