Halloween Bash

So, I think it's official.. i haven't dressed in any sort of costume since the AXO swap days.. it was good to feel young again(: We had such a fun time-although I can probably only do 2am once a month! Anyways, after a wonderful day in T-Town we went to walmart at 8:30 to look for a costume to a party that started at 8:00!! I was a "deviled egg" if you can't tell- I think only 2 people at the party actually got it....the round orange dot on my stomach is the yolk and the white shirt I have on is supposed to be the white part- and then you know the whole devil thing... A for effort right?!!!!ha Kris, y'all are the best...

Round Three

Finally, after a two month rest, my ovaries decided to cooperate and quit freaking out. My FSH and Estradiol were both low enough too. So, we start our new bed night routine of jabbing my stomach with a needle for the next 6 nights. Which is really not that bad. I'm just dreading the HCG shot because last time Andy gave it to me blood spewed out.. yikes. Then our 6th IUI (I think.. I have lost count!)

Emotionally, I think we are doing pretty well. Still have our good days and bad. But God has been so good, constantly extending His Grace-we are so blessed. I could type for hours of all we have to be thankful for. And going through infertility is actually on the list! I have learned soooooooo much and grown so much through this experience. Ready for it to be over with? YES! But trade it for a pain-free life? never. Our hearts are both longing more and more for a child-and care less and less of HOW God will provide one. So that's been a relief to both of us... to feel the freedom of complete abandonment to His will. So we'll wait and see what He has in store.. kind of exciting!

Oh, and random side-note..I get a lot of questions about what I have been actually "diagnosed" with...and I think I've given the impression that there's not really anything wrong.. but if you put all of these factors together, I don't have a whole lot going for me! But God is the author of life.. so I have stopped analyzing all my ailments.. it was driving me insane... and Andy was about to kill me.

Elevated FSH level: (meaning I don't have as many quality eggs as the average 28 yr old)
Hostile Cervical Mucus: (meaning the sperm can't get up me on their own)
Endometriosis: (which they got in the surgery, but could come back)
Anovulatory Cycle: (meaning I might not ovulate every month)
Unexplained Pelvic Pain: (which the doctors say is often a symptom of women dealing with infertility but they don't know why.. hence "unexplained" I guess!)

It's amazing how EVERYTHING has to be perfect to get pregnant!
Anyways, that was just some technical info for those of you that had asked!

Please keep the prayers coming(:

Road Trips

Andy and I just celebrated our 5th Anniversary smacked in between 2 fun trips... first off we went to the beach for 5 days- the weather was absolutely perfect and makes me only want to go in October! We ate amazing food (my new favorite place in Orange Beach is Cosmos if you haven't been... I got grilled shrimp over roasted red pepper risotto and a black cherry mojito- amazing!)... I also finished 1 and 1/2 books and got too much sun.. the best!

After that we were home for a weekend and celebrated our actual Anniversary (October 18th) in T-Town for the Ole Miss game... then 4 days later we packed up and headed to Waynesville, North Carolina (near Highlands) with my cousin, Lauren, and her husband, Cameron. We stayed for a few days at his parents Mt. home (where the trees were at their peak and so pretty!) then drove over to Knoxville for the UT game... ROLL TIDE!

So now here we are, heading into the Holiday Season with Ashley Mac's.. so we won't be going anywhere for a while.. and not sleeping much either... but it has been such a fun fall and I'm thankful we get to take advantage of such a fun stage of life with just the two of us-it kind of makes me not want to grow up(:

Beautiful view from our balcony

Being off fertility drugs for a month does have it's advantages...

Praying for 60 more years with my husband (who I am obsessed with in case you forgot)

How beatiful is this?!!!

Lauren and I "hiking".. it was raining so we just drove along the blue ridge pkwy instead

Visit Ashley Mac's Blog

Didn't have to time to explain last post... but we decided to set up a separate blog for Ashley Mac's because obviously I don't want clients and employees reading this blog! I need to keep some sort of separation between business and personal life. So we thought it would be fun to be able to keep everyone updated with events we are doing, pictures, and I will probably share some recipes and kitchen tips too. Blogging and Facebook are supposed to be the next thing for business owners so I am going to take full advantage(: So spread the word to your friends and check it out!(:

http://www.ashleymacsfood.blogspot.com/

Doctor Update

After a month off I finally went back to the dr. today. At first we got good news from the ultrasound.. that the cysts were gone and I could start the follistim shots tonight. But then we received a call this afternoon that said my blood results came back and my estrodiol and FSH levels were too high to start treatments (which basically means my ovaries haven't recovered from the shots I took last month). I was pretty bummed because I am just ready to get going again. At least when I am taking the shots I feel like I am doing something about it - being pro-active I guess. So I am probably exactly where God wants me to be... completely and utterly dependent on him because there is nothing that I can do.

Andy and I are heading to the beach Wednesday for a few days and we are SOOO excited about it! We were going to have to come back 2 days early to go to the doctor if I was taking the shots.. so at least we get an extended vacation now(:

Loving the Blackout

Pic Below is from the gameday set after the game.... Saban was like 5 feet from us and he turned around and gave us a thumbs up... it was so cool! I am definitely a big Saban fan now.. it took me a while.. I guess I was just waiting for him to start winning..

How about that game?!! Andy and I went over Saturday morning with my parents and brothers, Tyler and Sam. We had such a blast and were thoroughly enjoying wearing our white in the "blackout".

If you watch the food network then you will recognize the guy in the first pic below, Jamie Deen (Paula Deen's son). I get REALLY excited when I see a "celebrity".. no matter what caliber. However, food network stars rank pretty high on my list! I've met Emeril, Tyler Florence, Paula, and now Jamie! I got all flustered and was like "hi, um, I own a catering business.. i'm a big fan.. uh, I met your mom once... so, can I get a picture with you?"... I'm such a dork. He was so nice and down-to-earth though. He asked what kind of catering we do and didn't seem like he was in any hurry! Not only did my mom wear this glove all day.. but she used it to it's fullest.. waving at every GA car driving by..
Andy and Patrick (one of our good friends from church)