Counting your Blessings... Every Day

This post may seem to start off cliche and be lengthy, but it is something that has been on my mind the past few days. Life happens so quick and too many times we get caught up in the trials and tribulations and we don't have the time or energy to stop and think about what is really happening in our lives. We are all guilty of this in one way or another.

Over the past few months, our family has experienced lots of changes. From Kyle returning from deployment, to finding out we were pregnant, to living in a hotel for months upon end and moving halfway across the world, our life has been pretty eventful. I've tried to take every event and make it a positive experience instead of a challenge, but this isn't always easy! I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't thrilled about moving to Hawaii. It was far, touristy, expensive and once again far from family. But, the silver lining about moving to Hawaii was that Kyle would be attached to a shore based staff and wouldn't do 6 months or longer for deployment. Kyle worked hard to get qualified during his first tour to get this job and he really earned the right for the position. 

With that said, a lot had to be done to get us here. Macey Jane had extensive vet appointments and a stateside quarantine to qualify her to enter Hawaii, not to mention her admission to the state was not cheap. We also had to sell Kyle's car because we could only ship one vehicle and finally, we had to plan our move to Hawaii with a month long stop in Virginia Beach for training. It doesn't sound like much, but it was taxing, especially because I was doing most of this alone and my communication with Kyle was limited. Sometimes I just wanted to throw my hands up and be done with the whole thing. We found out we would be moving to Hawaii on May 3, 2013. 

Fast forward 8 months and we are finally here, in Hawaii and I could not be happier. The first few weeks were hard getting adjusted, but once we got settled, I really started loving this place! We found a house that we have made a home, we are close to the beach, base, great restaurants, etc., Kyle has settled into his job and is enjoying it, I have several nannying jobs and most importantly we are TOGETHER in this amazing place! To say I am blessed is the biggest understatement ever. 

We had an ultrasound today and got to see our sweet baby. Kyle met me there from work so after the appointment we drove back home separately. On the drive home, I started thinking "how can life be this good" or "this isn't real life" or "how can life get any better than this". I think of that clothing company "Life is Good" and I know it is so cliche, but that statement could not be more true in my life right now. And, I know that life is going to get better when we welcome our daughter into this world. 

On the flipside, I know this is NOT true for many people. They face constant struggles whether it be health issues, money troubles, job losses, etc. I also know that your whole world can be turned upside down in an instant! So, enjoy your life NOW! You never know what tomorrow may bring. If you are brought blessings from the Man upstairs, pay it forward! Be kind, do a good deed, help someone who is struggling and most importantly, count your blessings!

I was inspired to write this post for a number of reasons, but one of the main reasons I was inspired was because of a miracle that has happened in my life. First and foremost, the fact that I am carrying Kyle and I's child is a miracle in itself. Being pregnant has allowed me a whole new perspective on life. 

Most of you know that I have a sister, Ashley, who is my best friend. She is 4 years older than me and lives in Miami. She owns a commercial real estate company and is a mommy to Robby, my sweet nephew, who will be 2 in April. From my previous blog post, you know that Kyle and I's journey to parenthood was quite... instant! My sister and her husband didn't have the same experience. They tried to conceive for over 2 years and Ashley was told she wouldn't be able to have children without medical intervention. That is a HARD pill to swallow. After a few different treatments, lots of praying and enormous heartache, they got pregnant with Robby in July 2012. He was the first grandchild for my mom and a little baby we all wanted so bad. We loved him from the minute she said she was pregnant! He was born in April and I got to spend the first week of his life with him. Talk about being on cloud nine. He was such a miracle, every baby is. Fast forward to today and Robby is almost 2. They always knew they wanted to have more kids, but thought maybe they would go back to the specialist in summer of 2014 to start trying. 

Robert Henry Hux Thornburg- 1 day old 

Over Thanksgiving, we flew back to Florida from Virginia and Kyle and I announced our pregnancy to our families at Thanksgiving dinner. The following weekend the Hux and Chance families met us in Williamsburg, VA and we had a great family weekend. Ashley wasn't feeling well and threw up on Friday, she didn't think anything of it, but just didn't feel great. Then on Sunday, she threw up again. My mom, being a nurse, was skeptical and said we need to go buy a pregnancy test. But, Ashley said it was impossible and don't get your hopes up. My mom went into Food Lion to get some groceries and bought one. We went back to our hotel and all 5 of us waited in the other room while Ashley peed on the stick. About a minute later, her and her husband appeared in the doorway with the biggest grins on their face. Wait, how is this possible!? No way? Oh my goodness! Tears! Were some on the reactions. Of course we were elated; sisters pregnant at the same time. We started doing some math and using our pregnancy calculators to try to determine when she was due. Ashley has pretty bad pregnancies and was sick from 6w1d to 16 weeks with Robby. By my calculations, Ashley was due August 1 and on the Friday she got sick, she would have been 6w1d. On Monday, we all flew back home and her doctor confirmed her due date of August 1st, exactly ONE WEEK behind me. If this isn't a miracle, I don't know what is! I couldn't be more excited to share this experience with my sister and I'm even more happy that she didn't have to go through the stress, anxiety and unknown of fertility treatments. Because Ashley and I are so close, I experienced all of those emotions and my heart goes out to anyone who struggles with infertility. It was also a constant fear that I would have similar problems. You can't imagine how BLESSED I felt when we conceived so quickly. 

With our positive tests- December 8, 2013

So, count your blessings everyday, love your family to the fullest, turn challenges into positive experiences and live in the NOW! I promise, you won't regret it! 

Ok, I'm off my soapbox!