BIG NEWS!!!

Well, we can finally tell everyone...WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY!!! I posted on FB last week because I was just too excited once we finally told all of our family members, so now is the time to post a blog about the last 10 weeks...

11/16/09 - the day I found out...
So, there I was in my broker's office, and she just up and asks me when Jeff and I are going to have a baby. I told here that we had put it in God's hands and when it happens, it happens. That is not to say that I hadn't been thinking about it and hoping and praying that we would be lucky enough to get pregnant before Christmas (I had this great idea for how to break the news to our moms with little baby charms for their charm bracelets, but it would only work if we were pregnant before Christmas).

So after I said what I did, she said, "well, I think you already are pregnant!!" I was shocked and speechless when she said that! I didn't even know how to respond, so I just said, "why do you think that??" She was confident, but I just kind of blew it off.

After I ate lunch that day, I was feeling pretty rough and felt like I could go to sleep and sleep for days! So, I went home and because of what my broker had said earlier in the day and how I was feeling, I could not stop thinking about the fact that I might be pregnant. I decided to just take a test so I could put it out of my mind. I was so sure it would say "NO," and then I could just move on and get back to work.

Well, I got home and took the test, and to my surprise, it said "YES!" I literally almost passed out! I thought there is no way that's right, so I ran to the store and bought two more tests. When I got back home and took those, they both said "NO." I was SOOOO disappointed because by this point, I was getting super excited about the idea of being pregnant! Well, I called the doctor and explained what I had just done, and she said that I was probably very early and there was only a small amount of the pregnancy hormone in my system which is why the 2nd and 3rd tests said no. She told me to take another test the following morning and then call back.

That afternoon, I couldn't wait to take another test, so on the way home, I bought another two tests and took one when I got home. Sure enough, that one said "YES" too, and I was just giddy! I printed this silly little thing on the compute for Jeff, but I was so excited, I called him at work and told him. I was so mad at myself because I didn't even get to see his face when I told him the news.


11/24/09 - Initial consultation
When I called to let the doctor know that I was in fact pregnant, they set up my initial pregnancy consultation to get medical history and confirm the pregnancy. This was a quick visit, but exciting nonetheless! They gave me a goodie bag full of all kinds of information on pregnancy and FAQs and all kinds of goodies! Also, they set up my first ultrasound, saying they needed to measure "crown-rump length." I was really excited about this, but Jeff was a little unsure?!?!?

11/26/09 - I had to tell somebody
Although it had only been a little over a week since we found out, I was dying to tell someone!! On Thanksgiving, Jeff and I went to Tampa to have lunch with Stephanie, Thomas, and Thomas' parents. I got a "congratulations" card for Steph and wrote inside, "you're gonna be an Aunt!!" When she opened the card, she was speechless! Her eyes filled with tears, and we just started hugging and jumping for joy!! It was great, and I am so mad that our camera didn't work right; Jeff had the camera ready to snap a picture when she opened the card, but the camera stalled! UGH!

11/30/09 - first ultrasound
Our appointment was set for 1:30 pm, and Jeff and I both arrived around the same time. We were super excited! When we got in the room, it was very relaxing and felt very much like home, which was great considering! She got started with the ultrasound, but she quickly realized that it was too early to get the measurement that she needed, so she just snapped a few pictures, and we were on our way. We set up an appointment for two weeks later so they would be sure to get the measurement they needed.

12/10/09 - breaking the news to my mom
By this time, Jeff and I had known for almost a month, and since I talk to my mom everyday, it was extremely difficult to not tell her the news. However, waiting to tell mama in person was SO WORTH THE WAIT!! We arrived at mama's around 1:00 am, but we couldn't wait to give her the little gift we had for her.

Ever since I started thinking of having a baby, I wanted to be able to be pregnant before Christmas so that I could give our mom's a baby booty charm for their charm bracelets (that is how I wanted to break the news to them). So, there we are in the middle of the night and mama opens up her little gift. Jeff had the video camera rolling and caught it all on video. It was so awesome to see her reaction as she opened up the package and realized that we were giving her a baby booty charm, and then she realized why we were giving her that...it was awesome!!

12/12/09 - telling my dad
I thought it would be funny to have Jeff tell my dad that he's pregnant as a way of breaking the news. So, we arrived at my aunt's house, and I was so ready, so I said, "Daddy, Jeff has something he wants to tell you." Then Jeff, with his cute little face, just smirked and said, "I'm pregnant." It took everyone a few seconds to realize what he said and then they just looked at me and we all started hugging and jumping for joy!! It was cool.

12/22/09 - telling Jeff's mom
Okay, so by now, we've known for almost 6 weeks, and we've talked to Jeff's mom and Wendy multiple times, and it's been tough not to accidentally spill the beans. Again, it was SO worth the wait to be able to capture Ms. Beverly's reaction on camera. We spent the entire day driving to Charlotte to spend Christmas with them. So, about half way, Jeff called his mom and told her that we had a gift for her and John, but they would need to open it that night when we arrived or else it would spoil. This threw them way off course because they never had a clue what we were giving them!!

So we arrive, and Ms. Bev, Mr. John, Wendy, and the boys were there waiting for us. We got all of our things in, and then I got the video camera ready, and Jeff handed Ms. Bev the little package. She sat down and opened it, and her reaction was hilarious! She looked at the little booty, and immediately screamed, "NO YOU'RE NOT!!" It was great, and I got it all on camera. Ms. Bev and Wendy both started crying, and it was just a great time!!!

Well, that brings us up to date. I have my first OB visit next Monday, 1/4/10, and I'm sure I'll have more to update then.

~Stacy~

On the Road Again

We're leaving town again tomorrow and heading up to Charlotte to visit Jeff's mom and sister and her family for Christmas!! We are super excited and can't wait to get there and spend some time with them and our little nephews, Griffin and Colton!!

We'll be back on Saturday and will hopefully have lots of pictures to share!!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Away We Go!

Jeff and I will be hitting the road tomorrow to go visit my family! I am super excited to see everyone and have an early Christmas with them. We'll leave tomorrow after Jeff gets off work and make the almost 6 hour trip home to mama's!! I can hardly wait to get home and see her...it's been too long since I was home last.

Anyway, I'll miss Flashback Friday this week but didn't want those of you that read this blog to be shorted of some type of communication from us! Here is the picture I was planning to use for this week's Flashback Friday picture...Halloween 2008

Jeff as Payne Stewart and me as an Eskimo

Until the next post...peace!

:-)

Flashback Friday

So, I'm totally copying Jennifer Ross' Flashback Friday idea because it's so fun!

Jeff "working"

Happy Friday!!

Bells Will Be Ringing...

Wedding Bells that is, and they already rang...

Liz and Craig got married this past Saturday, and it was beautiful! The day was perfect, and she looked like a Grecian goddess!!

Here are two pictures

Jeff & I, the Bride & Groom (Liz & Craig Zokvic), Brett & Kelly Jones

Jeff and I were both in the wedding, and I was honored to be the Matron of Honor. We all had a great time helping them celebrate their special wedding day!!

Home Seller Video

Home Buyer Video

SOoooooo, I am still alive!!

I have been a total slacker with my lack of posts, but I have a good excuse...I quit my job! Yeah, you heard right...I quit my job.

I am now a full time real estate agent, and I'm starting to wonder why I didn't do this sooner (my old boss told me that it would not take long for me to be asking myself that, and he was right!). This is my second week as a full time agent, but I have been in the business for over 2 years. In the last 2 years, I've been working very long hours and weeks to make my business get off the ground (hence, the absence of posts lately because I've been busier than ever). I'm now to the point where I feel like I can sustain myself and my business. I love being my own boss and making my own schedule, and while I'm busy, I'm never too busy for referrals, so for all of you out there that read this blog, if you know someone that is ready to buy or sale a home and lives in Central Florida, let me know!!!

Jeff is super supportive of me in my kinda new career...he's my cheerleader! He tells me everyday how proud he is of me, and that in itself keeps me going. It feels so good to have a husband that stands behind me and cheers me on in doing what I am coming to realize that I love and was created to do.

Well, let's see...what else has been going on?? We've been gearing up for football season, and it kicked off last weekend, and we had a great time tailgating with our awesome friends!! Jeff got a Weber grill that we take to the tailgate, and he is just super excited about it...he's like a little kid with a new toy! :-) UCF won the season opener, and now we're headed to Mississippi this next weekend for our first conference match-up with Southern Miss.

What else...I'm going on a Women's Retreat with the church next weekend, and I'm really excited about that (Liz is going too, and that's exciting!!). The women at my church are great, and I'm really looking forward to spending the weekend with them in a relaxing environment where we can grow stronger in our relationships with each other and more importantly with God. It's sure to be a great weekend.

One last thing...I miss my friends from my old job!! They were such good people to work with!! I wish I could have them to work with every day in real estate...hey, there's an idea...when I'm a million dollar agent (don't worry...it WILL happen!), I can hire them to work for me. Does that sound pompous/arrogant?? I don't mean for it to, but I'm just determined to be a super star real estate agent, and what better way to be able to see/work with my old friends, than to have them work in my company (one day...).

Okay, well that's all I have for now. Hopefully I'll have more time now to squeeze in a post at least once per week.

One Year Ago

One year ago (yesterday), I said 'I Do' to the most wonderful man I know! This past year has been so fabulous. Yes, we've had ups and downs, but those are the things that have helped us grow closer as the days have passed us by.

I am so excited to start another year of my life with Jeff. His kind hearted spirit helps me each and every day, and I am so blessed to have him as a friend, partner, and co-pilot in this journey called life!

Love you honey!!

Family

If there was anything fun about going home for my grandmother's funeral, it was that I got to see my cousins. Obviously, as families grow up, they tend to move away, so it's rare that I get to see some of my family.


Steph and I


Here are my cousins from L-R:
Sisters - Jill (St. Louis, Mo), Jan, and Joy (Birmingham, AL)
Brother/Sisters - Stephanie (St. Pete), Joey (DeFuniak Springs, Fl), Me :)
Brother/Sister - Beth (Panama City, FL) and Barry (Graceville, Fl)

It'll Grow Back

But, I miss my long hair!!

Holy Cow...

It's only a little over 3 weeks until my FIRST wedding anniversary! I love it! Where has the year gone...it's been fabulous, and I'm looking forward to the next 50 or more!

New Wheels

Check out my new ride...I'm super excited!

Remembering My Grandmother

Sarah Marie Preston Black
July 7, 1924 - June 8, 2009

My grandmother passed away last Monday night and wrapped up her time here on Earth. She lived a wonderful life that was filled with a lot of love, peace, and joy. She was such a sweet soul that loved Jesus and everyone she knew. While I will miss her terribly, I am thankful that today she is resting in the arms of Jesus!!!

Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother and granddaddy. My granddaddy was a Baptist preacher, so my sister and I spent many, many Sundays in church with my grandmother while granddaddy preached. My grandmother always had mints in her purse, and Stephanie and I would eat every single one of them while we were in church. She never got angry with us...she was a great grandmother!

I have a lot of childhood memories of my grandmother, but as I got older (into my college and adult years), my relationship with my grandmother became closer and very special. When I lived in Dothan, I visited her every Sunday after church for several years. When I moved to Pensacola in 2003, I went home every weekend to visit my grandmother. Even after I moved to Orlando in 2004, my grandmother and I talked on the phone every week at least once, and I visited her multiple times when I would go back home to Dothan. She was just a very special person!!

I have many more memories I could share, but time and space is limited.

Here are a few pictures:





She was anxiously awaiting my wedding day, when just three weeks prior she suffered a mild stroke and was hospitalized. However, the doctors had given her approval to come to my wedding.

This photo was taken on Wednesday before I got married on Saturday, and about two hours after that picture was taken, she tried to get out of her hospital bed and fell and broke her hip and her wrist.

She was unable to attend my wedding, so I took a piece of my wedding to her!

Jeff and I also visited her after the wedding; I'll post those pictures later.

I have many very good memories with my grandmother, and I will cherish them forever. I visited her every time I went home to Dothan, and I got pictures every time. This is the last picture I ever took with her.

Thought

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

On the Road Again

I got my car back today, but not before I forked over a ton of money!!!

I got a call yesterday from the body shop telling me the car was repaired and ready to go, but...they could not get it to start. WHAT!?!?! I was so bummed. I had mentally prepared myself to pay my insurance deductible to the body shop, but now he was telling me my car would not start. All I saw was $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ as I was completely unsure what was wrong with my car.

I ended up having the car towed to my mechanic's shop (thank you AAA!!) so they could figure out what was wrong. Turns out, the main relay (whatever that is) had failed, so they replaced it and now I'm back on the road.

I am thankful to have a vehicle, but I'm ready to sell this one and get me a new(er) car!!

Happy Thursday!

GO MAGIC!! Let's finish off those Cavs tonight! Blue and White Ignite!

Mom Mobile

Last Thursday, I was out showing houses to a customer (of all times), and I had a wreck! I was backing out of the driveway of one of the homes, and the neighbor across the street was backing up too. We backed right into each other...



So, while my car is in the shop getting repaired (to the tune of over $2,600...thank you Lord for insurance!), I am driving a rental car, and it's a MOM MOBILE!!!



I do not mean to offend anyone that drives this type of car, but I feel like it's a mom mobile, and it's just not me. I'm not a mom yet, but when I am, I prefer to drive a car or SUV rather than a mini van.

Up and Running!

My new website is up and running...check it out!!

www.stacyholmes.com

Get rid of that "Junk!"

Sea World Again

Jeff and I spent Saturday at Sea World and had a really good time. This is the 2nd time we've been this year, and we plan to go back again soon. We just love having the pass...it's fun to be able to just get up on the weekends and decide to go.

This time, I really enjoyed the Shamu show. When we went back in February, I wasn't crazy about Shamu, but I enjoyed it on Saturday. The Whale and Dolphin show is still my favorite, but Shamu didn't disappoint this time.

Here are a few pics:


Jeff has sensitive eyes and has trouble keeping them open for a photo


The "smaller" Shamu's were having fun on their back's before the show



I learned that Shamu can swim faster than Michael Phelps

They were spinning in circles along with the trainers

Time for some water splashes

Those people got SOAKED!

Everybody goin' surfin', surfin' on Shamu!

The finale with the REAL Shamu!

Recent pics from my mom's house.

Stupid Question

Have you ever asked someone a question and when you got the answer, you were like, 'oh crap, I feel horrible for asking that!!'? Well, that happened to me last night.

A few months ago a girl friend from H.S. told me she had gotten engaged, so last night I asked her, "hey chick, when's the big day?"

Well, she responded only to tell me that her "fiance" had decided about 3 weeks ago that he couldn't marry her!

I FELT HORRIBLE!!

My Friday

Even though today is actually Thursday, it's really my Friday. I'm off work tomorrow and SUPER excited that I get to go home tonight to SEE MY MAMA!! :) Stephanie gets to go with Jeff, Marlee, and me, so that makes the weekend doubly, triply, quadruply exciting (I'm sure those are words)!!!!

I always love going home to Dothan...going home to Mama's gives me that warm, cozy feeling! She always takes such good care of us!

We have a family reunion on Saturday, and I'm pretty excited about that too. I've not ever met some of the people that will be there, but I am looking forward to meeting them and seeing others in my family that I don't get to see often.

In other news...Mama was one of fine winners at Sony that will receive Sony's new PowerShot cameras to "test drive." She gets to keep the camera for like a month or something to test it out, and then she has to write a review. Apparently, this camera is super fly and wonderfully awesome, so I'm really excited to check it out this weekend; I know I'll have plenty of pictures to post on Monday.

Happy "Friday!" To all of my cyber friends...enjoy your weekend; I'll see you on the flip side!

Open House, Sunday 4/19 (1-4 pm)

Happy Easter!

Wishing you all a VERY Happy Easter! Jeff and I had an awesome church service today, and we are thankful for the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ!!

Open House, April 5th

This is a MUST SEE! This home has a beautiful resort style pool with romantic "Under-the-Falls" seating, Fiber Optic lighting, and natural-looking rock formations. Other features include granite counter tops in the gourmet kitchen, split floor plan, new interior & exterior paint, designer grade carpet, and MORE!

Open House Details:

Home Address: 462 N. Pine Meadow Drive, Debary, FL 32713

Date: Sunday, April 5th

Time: 2:00 - 4:00 pm

It's Raining...Finally!

I'm so happy that it's raining...we have needed rain so bad lately, and God is finally giving us a little this afternoon.

There was a pretty bad fire around Daytona on Friday afternoon, and because the wind was so strong, the smoke was carried all the way inland to Orlando. It gave Jeff and I a horrible headache, and we both agreed that we really need some rain.

Well this afternoon, we're getting what a lot of people have been praying for...RAIN!! YAY!

The pollen has been almost unbearable. Everything is yellow and everyone is experiencing stuffiness and allergy issues.

Praise the LORD for this rain!

Wishing you a good upcoming week!!

~Stacy :)

Yesterday vs Today

So I was going to post some pictures to illustrate my day yesterday versus today, but I can't get any images loaded.

So, yesterday was poopy, and today is much better!!

Happy Friday!

Real Estate Blog

Hey Bloggers and Readers!!

I've created a blog for my real estate business...here's the link, and it's also listed in my "Fellow Bloggers" section of this blog.

Stacy Holmes, Realtor

I'm super excited about this new blog as I think it will allow me to reach out to many, many people. I'm going to be advertising open houses and posting helpful hints and tips for buyers and sellers on my new blog. I hope that you'll find it interesting and pass the link along to all of your friends, relatives, co-workers, acquaintances...anyone looking for a Realtor to help them realize the "American Dream!"

Happy Monday!!

~Stacy~

New Find

So, ever since I posted about my small amount of weight loss, I've fallen off the wagon and seem to be tempted by everything that is BAD!

I was complaining to a friend/co-worker this morning about feeling like a LOSER because I can't seem to continue down my weight loss path. She shared with me this really cool website, Hungry Girl, where this gal, Lisa, searches high and low for replacement items for our normally high-cal/high-fat meal ingredients. I was really impressed and wanted to share this site with all of you, my web friends and fellow bloggers.

Here are a few meal ideas that sound really good:

HG's Yumbo Gumbo
10-Alarm Turkey Chili
HG's Nacho-rific Cheese Sauce
Itty-Bitty Snickers Pie

And these are just to name a few. You'll find all sorts of good eats and treats and other recommendations on this site...check it out!

Happy Birthday Fabulous!!

Happy Birthday Fabulous...a.k.a - my sister, Stephanie. Today is her 27th birthday, and she, like me, LOVES her birthday. I think birthdays are so special and love to celebrate the person whose birthday it is.

So here's to you little sister...I hope you have a fabulous birthday that is full of fun and excitement (since you're having a wig party tonight...sounds like a ton of fun; can't wait to see pics!).

You are super special to me, and I am thankful that God blessed me with such a wonderful sibling. I could not ask for a more wonderful person to have as a sister! You are so creative and independent and don't conform to the things that "they" say are right or wrong...you just do your thing and I love that about you!

I hope you have a great birthday; can't wait to see you tomorrow!

Love you...ATW!

Hats

Stephanie and I went home to Dothan this past weekend, and while we were there, we hit the mall with Momma for a little shopping...and a fashion show with random hats. LOL!!

Enjoy the pictures.

Thought for Today

When you love life with all that you have, life loves you back.

Happy Wednesday!

Rejoice

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

~Psalm 118:24

Happy Hearts Day!!

Happy Valentines Day!!

Because I was out of town all week, I had not planned a gift for Jeff. So, I decided to steal an idea from my girlfriend, Katee. I had Liz come home with me yesterday afternoon and take a few snapshots of me and Marlee. Marlee was so excited to have company that she got all worked up and tired, thus, her tongue was hanging out in every picture.

Here are the only two that really turned out...






Instead of giving gifts for Valentine's Day, Jeff and I decided to have a date night. Because of the crowd that will be out all over town tonight for dinner, we decided to do our date night last night. Plus, we have a BB game tonight, and we both always look forward to those.

I was really excited about our date night and had been looking forward to it all week long. We went to BoneFish (neither of us had been before) and had plans to go to the movies afterwards, but we didn't get finished with dinner until 10:00 pm, so we just decided to call it a night. We'll hit the movies some other time.

Here's a picture from our first Valentine's day as a married couple...I'm such a dork, I know. :)




When Jeff got home from work, he had me this beautiful bouquet of roses...they are the prettiest roses I've ever gotten! I LOVE them, and I love him!! He gave me the sweetest card too!




Happy Valentines Day!