Lucky girl

I love that Patrick learned to play "Don't Stop Believing" tonight just so that I could sing along! What fun!

The Usual Suspects

These are the people who are closest to me in my life. I will probably talk about them more than any others, so I thought I'd take this time to introduce you to everyone!

This is Patrick and me on our wedding day, October 11, 2008

Our doggie, Lee!

My mom, Lori. Yes, she's always like that. Probably where I get it from!

My sister, Marquisha. Fabulous!

Marquisha's daughter and my oldest niece, Aniyah!

Marquisha's other daughter, and my youngest niece, Alayah!

My sweet sister, Essence. She's so grown up!

My awesome brother, Tyrell. I still got him in height! Ha!

My mother and father-in-law, Jennifer and Richard

My sister-in-law, Christine and her husband Will.

My besties! Tina is on the left and Angela is in the middle!

So there you have it. The usual suspects!

I'm Pregnant!!

Patrick and I are so excited to announce that we will have our first little baby this year. Baby O'Rourke is expected to arrive on August 3. We are 10 weeks (and 5 days) along!

It's pretty hard to believe that we are going to be parents. This is something we've looked forward to for quite some time, so to have it finally happen is just wonderful!

We first found out on December 8 when we got a positive result from a home test. I was so shocked that I took a test on December 9th and December 10th too. . .just to be sure. I told Patrick by showing him the result on the 8th, to which he replied, "What does that mean?" Once I explained that we were pregnant, he scooped me up and couldn't stop saying how great it was. I'll never forget that moment.

We knew we wanted to use Dr. Gass right from the start, and knew it would take quite a bit of time to get in to see him. Not only that, my insurance from my new job hadn't kicked in at that point, and wouldn't for another 3 weeks. It was pretty difficult waiting around for that first appointment.

Long ago, Patrick and I decided that we'd keep the news between the two of us, but I couldn't help myself. I later confessed to Patrick that I told multiple people :/ (like 8)

Luckily, he wasn't upset!

Our first appointment with Dr. Gass was Thursday, January 6. Immediately they took us back for an ultrasound. Patrick got to see our baby first, and instantly began asking TONS of questions about what he saw on the monitor (in true O'Rourke fashion!). After some photos, the technician turned the monitor for me to see. I couldn't stop smiling. The feeling of seeing our baby for the first time was pretty indescribable. Then our baby moved its little arms, and I melted into a sea of tears. It suddenly became real!

After the appointment, Patrick and I took the ultrasound pictures to his parents house. They were very happy for us. We then went to tell my mom, who wasn't home! Ahhhhh! To add to the drama, Patrick had a rehearsal that evening. We had to wait until that was over before heading back to mom's house. Upon arrival, I barged into her home saying loudly that she needed to settle a bet that Patrick and I had going on. I then pulled out the pictures and asked her what she thought they looked like. Once it all processed, she jumped up and screamed for joy! It was priceless. Another moment I'll never forget.

Everything has gone pretty smoothly. I had most of my sickness during the first few weeks. Every now and then it comes back, although as I improve my diet and eat more often, I'm able to hold it off. The doctor says I shouldn't feel this nauseous for much longer. I can't wait until that part is over. Luckily, I haven't thrown up at all.

I have had a few strange cravings. . .tuna and oranges was pretty strong early on. Also, I LOVE the smell of dill pickles! Yum! Tonight I really wanted potato salad. I've had a pretty strong aversion to hamburgers and french fries, which was once a staple in my diet. Just the thought of them make my head spin. . .blech!

Patrick has helped satisfy my crazies! Anything I need, he takes care of it. Even over the holidays when I needed someone to make me put my "big girl panties" on, he was there kicking my butt, and telling me to pull it together. I really have a wonderful husband, and I can't wait to see him as a father!

I'm looking forward to this awesome journey! What a blessing this child is! We are thankful that God has trusted us with this little life. He is good!

This Just In

I'm probably way behind, but I learned about this tonight and thought I'd share. I remember hearing about these as I was coming up through school, but now that we're pregnant, it's becoming more important to me.

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/index.cfm

Selfishly, I also wanted it on my blog because otherwise I would probably forget that it's out there.

Tonight I start The Shack

So I'm going to do the 100 book challenge this year. I'm truly going to try and make it through 100 books before December 31. That means 8.3 books per month (Dr. Seuss is not off limits!) We will see how this goes. In order to get started, I did what any normal person of this century would do. . .I polled my facebook friends for good reads! It turns out, my friends have lives outside of the internet! I got lots of great ideas.

The book I've chosen to start with is The Shack. I've had it on the shelf for 2 years now. It actually belongs to someone else. I feel kind of guilty about that, but now I'll finally get to return it.

I think the best thing about taking on this challenge is that there will be (as my friend Rachel says) no dementia for me when I get old! I'll keep you posted!

Did you see this guy?

Patrick and I just finished watching the 5th season of The Wire. If you haven't seen it, stop what you are doing right now and watch it. Right NOW! It's pretty amazing.

Anyway, with all the craziness of the series swirling in my head, I got to thinking about how hard it must be to live on the streets as one of the characters on the show does. I thought, is there even a gleam of hope for these people? Then, I came across this story. . .

I just had to share this. I mean, he is so thankful and wonderful. I sure hope there is nothing but positive left for his life!

I'm Back!

. . .for now at least! I was inspired by my friend April, who has promised herself that she would do at least one blog entry per week. It's a new year, right?! I can do that too. So, I will shoot for 52 entries. Anything beyond that is just icing on the cake.

Life is good! I've got a new job working with the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA). I'm an outreach counselor for the company. I work in 7 counties around the area and teach middle school students all the way up to adult learners about the admissions and financial aid processes for college. I also teach financial literacy. It's pretty amazing! The last few days I've been studying up on the FAFSA. Not only am I in schools working directly with students, but I also work creatively with community partners that serve those audiences. I love my job!

Patrick is great. I am in love with my husband. Yep, head over heels! He's been getting back into the groove of school. I'm still amazed at the fact that he takes kids from sounding like screaming banshees on their instruments to actually producing music. That man has the patience of Job!

I'm falling more and more in love with our dog Lee! He's got quite the personality. Lately, he understands that the kitchen means food, and anytime we are near it, he comes running. . .you know, just to make sure we know that we can give him treats if we feel so inlined.

So it's a new year. I didn't actually come up with a resolution this time around, although, I would like to read a LOT more this year than last. . .particularly the classics. A friend of mine did a 100 book challenge last year. She's Superwoman, though. I'm sure she finished 100 books in the first week of 2010. I'm pretty inspired by her, so I think I'll take on that challenge this year!

What resolutions do you all have? Any at all?