Save the dates and invites!

We used our pictures from our Engagement photo shoot to print up customized Save the Dates and Invites! We are going to use some of our pictures from the wedding for our Thank You's as well!

Super Cute, looks Super Professional and not very expensive!

Mrs & Mrs Eggers

We got MARRIED!!! YAY!!!

It was the perfect day, perfect weather and everything was....you guessed it, PERFECT!

Here are some pictures!

What a wonderful getaway!

We took our last summer vacation to the shores of Lake Michigan. This time we stayed in Algoma, WI. It was a long drive for sure, and because of our required frequent stops (we drink a lot of water) it was made even longer. The lesson we learned—keep it under 5hrs. I have a very low tolerance for long drives. Ivy Rose did amazing on both the trip there and back. She absolutely loves beach vacations!

We stayed in a big lake front home, easy to find and close to most things. We didn’t like the many rules, as this was our first time booking a vacation home through a real estate company, nor did we like the very little charm the home had to offer. But lessons learned and notes made—we will remember these points when making next year’s reservations.

We love to travel so each vacation inspires the next!

We do have one more vacation coming up this year—two if you count our honeymoon night away.

We get to stay overnight in Story, Indiana. We will be in the room about the Mill. Cute, romantic and charming! The next vacation is a weekend get a way to Chicago. I am looking forward to the boat tours, comedy shows and good food—maybe we will get lucky and get some snow to fall while we are in the city!

It does our heart, soul and spirit good to travel, get away and have a change of scenery!

Path to the beach

Lighthouse

Ivy, the beach and a fire--perfect!

Ivy Rose after digging in the Sand!

Getting married in a state where it is illegal

As we announce our wedding to our family and friends we are getting the “Is it legal” question. Now—the way I am taking this question may not be what is intended but it makes me feel they are saying because it is not legal in the state of Indiana for two of the same sex to marry then my celebration is less important. Technically a marriage is just a piece of paper you get at your local court house—the wedding is the celebration after. The Wedding Ceremony is a ceremony of love, the love between two people, and the guest are there to show their love and support for the couple. The only thing different about our wedding and others is a piece of paper. Our Love is just as strong, if not stronger; our Commitment to each other is just as meaningful. We share the same last name, we sleep in the same bed, we love each other more than words can express. We are Mrs. & Mrs. Eggers—deal with it! No laws and certainly no person is going to tell me what I can’t have, can’t do, can’t love. Those who think they can really don’t know me! I find a way. Redneck Republicans don’t scare me! (Ha!)

This is going to be a happy day for us; it’s going to be perfect and wonderful. I will never let the negative Nancy’s rain on our wedding!

A Few More Pieces to go before the Wedding Puzzle is complete

We will be shopping for me a dress this Saturday! Once we have the dress then we can get Duste’s suite Vest and pants. Once our outfits are complete we can get our flowers, let the cake lady know our colors and order our love bird topper! All the pieces are coming together nicely!


First comes Love, then comes Marriage, then comes......

Engagement Pictures—

 We met with our photographer, Tina Ott, in Story on a perfect Wednesday evening to have our engagement pictures taken. I had my hair and makeup done by Christina Rice and did Duste’s hair and makeup myself. We picked the perfect outfits a few days before, something simple in a creamy off white. We had props and the wonderfully beautiful back drop of the property around the Inn. The entire experience was perfect and the pictures show it! Within a few hours Tina had the disk ready, working late into the night as she was as excited as we were. We designed Announcement, Save the Date cards and Wedding Invites, plus got copies of all our favorites and a few for the moms. Tina even threw in a Free 8x10, pose of our choice! I am so excited!  The getting married experience is so exciting and fun so far!

I’m getting married!!

Yup- you read that right! I am marring my soul mate, the most wonderful supportive, loving, perfect, made just for me woman! We are tying the knot on Sunday, October 13^th 2013.  I have to be honest and say we have been planning this since the end of 2012. We picked the perfect spot—Story, Indiana at the Mill, the perfect season—fall with all the beautiful colors, the perfect cake, the perfect ceremony and we are going to have a DJ! Music is such a big part of who we are and we look forward to expressing our love through songs at our wedding/reception! It’s going to be a simple ceremony, short and sweet with finger snacks, refreshments and our beautiful cake. We are only inviting 25 people to keep the setting intimate.  I look forward to marring my perfect soul mate and sharing a last name with her!

It’s Official.......

I am now Talisa Ann Eggers! A month and $300 later the judge said YES! I now get to start the process of changing my name on everything, which I hear is too fun! Ha! Of course I already changed it on Facebook, My Email Acct and on Couple—an app we use. Duste is so happy, her parents are happy, I’m happy, my soul mom is happy—it’s one big ball of happiness! So worth the $300!

We are one step closer—closer to having the life straight people get so easily.

ü  House—own in both names

                  ü  Cars—own in both names
                  ü  Bank Acct—in both names
                  ü  Same last name--Eggers

There are only two things left on my “to do” list—

                  1.       Marriage
                  2.       Child

 Did you catch that—

Pinterest Love

I have to admit I was a little slow falling for Pinterest but like most when I gave it a try I fell hard! I have gotten so great plans for my yard, house and planting but the most valuable thing I have taken from Pinterest is picture poses!

Because of Pinterest I was able to save us HUNDREDS of dollars on a photographer for Eli’s birth announcements and some awesome sibling pictures! I also use a FREE picture editing program, with these two things the picture came out amazing!

The boys did wonderful, letting us pose and do wardrobe changes often. Eli even woke up and let us see his beautiful eyes! I am so in love with those two boys….

Here are a few of my favorites!

What a wonderful Saturday….

We spent Saturday evening at my sisters. Eli Joseph was past due for his newborn announcement photos and I wanted to get a few shots of both boys together. Over all I think both boys did amazing, letting us pose and change outfits several times! I may be a bit bias but I have very adorable nephews!

 After pictures Duste and Amanda made us an awesome dinner of grilled pork chops and chicken and sides of veggies, corn and mac-n-cheese! Then we all, including the dogs, went for a mile walk around their neighborhood. What a wonderful evening spent with family!

Earlier in the day I spent half the day with my wonderful Soul Mom! We went junk shopping, I found some great things for the boys and our surprise in October. We had lunch at a great sandwich shop and enjoyed each other’s company. I love spending time with her, regardless what we are doing!

My poor sweetie had to work Saturday, which is why I chose to spend time with Brenda. Not that we can’t do that together, but my sweetie hates junking and I get a little one track minded when she is home and only want to spend time with my sweetie! We are still like kids and can’t get enough time together.  

 

Livin’ the good life!

Price Matching at Wal-Mart

I am always looking for ways to cut my monthly spending, as you know, recently my focus has been on the weekly grocery bill.

A co-worker and friend told me about price matching at Wal-Mart. You do not need the ads, you don’t clip anything and once you get the hang of it, it doesn’t take much time at the checkout.

Several times a week I get sales ads from other grocery stores in my area, before I would just toss these aside because I am not one to drive all around town for a sale. Now, I keep them on my dining room table and once a week go through them while making my list.

I have one list of my price matching; broke down with store names, sale prices with units/sizes. Then I make a typical grocery list with everything I need, price matched items with a star next to them. I organize my list based on how my store is laid out so nothing is over looked.

Price matching works on name and store brands, like item to like item. You do need to pay attention to what the Wal-Mart price is so you know you are getting a deal. (If you want to go an extra step and make note of the store price next to your sale price this will make it easier at the end to calculate your total savings) You may also want to compare the item you have a price match for to a store brand item to even further insure you are getting the best price.

The best price matching successes I have had are on the Brand Name things I use weekly; like my gallons size and 12pack bottles of Diet Green Tea, Lipton with Honey to go packets, Silk Almond Milk, Quaker Oatmeal and of course stocking up on meat! Most everything else I will sacrifice for a store brand and cheaper price. (Using sale ads when Wal-Mart’s price isn’t lower) I also use price matching for fresh fruits and veggies. I would say typically my cart is maybe 5-10% things I do not have a sale price for!

Each week my savings range from $30-$74. Well worth the little effort it takes to look through ads and write a few things down I think! Before I discovered Price Matching I was spending between $1-200 making my monthly cost entirely too high for my liking. Now my weekly bill is typically under $100—like last week I spend $50 and saved $30. (So what would have cost me $80 I got for $50!) I call that a success!  

I hope everyone tried Price Matching at least once—let’s make these grocery stores work for our business; it’s the only thing we can do to fight back on the ever rising cost of food!

Exhaustion and an Eli Update!

As the calm settles in and I get back into my own routine the exhaustion takes hold. There were a few days there when I was running on 2 or less hours of sleep, plus with the stress, but at the time felt fine. It has caught up with me now. These past few days I am going to bed, without reading, and falling asleep before 10pm. I am hoping, as the weekend is fast approaching, by next week I will be feeling like myself again.
 

I am looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend/ evenings in my living room, on my sofa in front of the big nice TV we haven’t been able to enjoy since buying it! Oh how I’ve missed my DVR!

 

In other news—

Mr Eli Joseph was released from Riley Children’s Hospital on Wednesday evening! He is home settling in with his older brother. He is eating more than enough, pooing like a pro and enjoying life at home! We will be going to see him and his brother in a few days! I am so glad all of this is behind us and he can get to know life as enjoyable and not painful. NawNaw and NeNe love their little boys so very much!

Emotional Eating....

During the craziness of Eli at Riley my ceilings were in the process of being re-done. One room was supposed to take 3 days—it took 7. The next room didn’t take as long but they put in longer days. Now my house is covered top to bottom with dry wall dust. In my spare time I need to clean each room from top to bottom and also put everything back in its place. For over a week now we have lived in just a few rooms of the house. Our bedroom has become the living room, dining room, and catch all. I have felt like a kid again living in my mom’s house with only the bedroom to call my own. I am so excited to get the house back but not about cleaning it-ugh!

I have also found it is tough to eat healthy while eating out for dinner. The hospital and the places around the hospital don’t have a lot of good choices. In all the mess I stopped logging my calories for the day—there for a while we were living minute by minute and it was near impossible to worry about how many calories I was eating. I just tried to make the best decisions I could giving the options I had in front of me. My weight has stayed the same, so I suppose that is good, but I really need to get back to exercising, walking and seeing the personal trainer. My sweet Duste has passed me again and now weighs less than me. She looks great and I am very proud of her but it really shouldn’t be so easy for her and so hard for me—ha! To make matters worse I am an emotional eater and stress/worry is my trigger. I ate a cookie here and there, some frozen yogurt and stole a few fries. But what I really wanted/could do was eat, eat and eat some more so I think over all I controlled it fairly well—did I mention in the middle of all this I started my period? (Another thing that triggers my over eating)

It is a struggle and sometimes I don’t always win but one week of not so great eating for one meal a day won’t make me gain it all back. I just have to get myself back on track and log my calories so I know where I am each day.

Life happens, stress happens, periods happen and the unexpected happen—all we can do is do the best we can and roll with it. Like a tree in a storm, you either bend with the wind or you break.

My New Nephew!

As Keaton Michael would say “Eli Joseph just came out” on Sunday July 14^th at 8:14am. He was 7lbs 12oz and 19.5” long. We spent the next two days feeding, holding and admiring him, the perfect little buddle. Until Monday evening when finally a nurse took a look at him because things just didn’t look right in his diaper and he still hadn’t pooped. That was when we were told he has an Imperforated Anus and he would be transferred to Riley Children’s Hospital an hour away.

What a roller coaster—one minute everything is fine and we are preparing for him to go home in the morning and the next we are told there is something seriously wrong, so wrong we have to go an hour north to the Children’s Hospital.

Imperforated Anus is a type of birth defect that affects more boys than girls and occurs once in every 5,000 births. Typically babies born with this also have other health issues and birth defects. However, we got lucky! After lots of test everything else is fine, everything else connects he just didn’t have an opening.

He still has to stay at Riley for observation and after a week today he gets his first bottle. As long as feeding goes well they will be going home this week!

All of this has been a journey; emotionally, financially and mentally. It has exhausted us all but we are nearing the end and that’s what keeps us going.

I am excited to say I was in the room when Eli Joseph was born and it was an experience! Amanda did great and only need to push a few times and he was out! It was amazing to see, so much to take in and for me it all happened so fast! I loved the look on Keaton’s face when he was brought into the room to meet his little brother. Keaton Michael is an amazing big brother and took right to the role. I got to keep Keaton a few days and we had a blast. He and Ivy got close and were playing very well together. We would start and end the day with a visit to the local hospital to see Mom, Dad and Eli. Keaton would insist on holding Eli at the start and end of each visit. Keaton and I even had shirts made that say “I’m the big brother” and “I’m the little brother” with their last names on the back! He was very excited about that! I am a blessed NawNaw to have two very adorable little boys in my life.

 

 

My sister and I may have our differences, we may not always agree on things and we may but heads but when things get tough, when things get hard, we are always there for each other. I knew my role at the hospital when Eli was born because we had done this when Keaton was born. This time we had a week of hell at Riley to add to this. I did my best to keep spirits high, be encouraging and do what I could. I have made daily trips up to the hospital, stayed all night without sleeping a few times and made sure we had food in our bellies. Because that is what I do, that is what they needed me to do and I couldn’t stand being at home just waiting on a phone call. I am not a hand off sister, nawnaw or sister in law.

Things in my own life may have been crazy at the time, finances not where you would want them with something like this going on but we got through it because sometimes that’s all you can do. Life is full of ups and downs and all you can do sometimes is hang on. But in the end the result, a healthy happy little boy, is worth it all!

Kiss your family, hug your babies and be thankful for the small things in life!

 

NawNaw with Eli

NeNe with Eli

 

Doing something…..

I have always said if you’re not happy DO something. So, with some nudging from my wonderful supportive Duste, I have put one foot in front of the other and have taken charge of my professional life. I am doing something and it feels great! I feel like I am back in control, like I am no longer a sitting duck, no longer a victim! I am checking into the insurance requirements, in case I accept a part time position that offers no insurance I want to still be eligible to get my own policy the first of the year. Oh to be young and healthy again and not worry with health insurance.

As suggested by my wonderful Duste, I have packed up all the personal things on my desk. I think this will send a clear signal, which is exactly what they need. I want to make them sweat, make them realize they can’t treat me unfairly and I will just take it. Even if I do end up staying for the next 5 months, this will let them know I am serious. That makes my evil side smile!

To be honest, I would love to be a fly on the wall and watch their reactions when they come in Monday/Tuesday and notice my desk is bare—as I am off for the first 3 days next week. By the time I get back they will have worried and sweat like crazy and by “they” I mean “she”. (hehe—my evil side again)

Although I find myself on a dimly lit path I will continue walking to see where it leads, I will not fear this change, it is necessary for my health and happiness!

Working

Working has enabled me to have the life I do. I am able to afford vacations, home improvements and other extras. With us both working again it allows us to work on the house more aggressively. I have the money to have my nails done, my spa days every 6wks, personal training, vacations and tattoo dreams. All these things I am grateful for.

 But……

Working has also caused a lot of stress. I work in the mental health field which subjects me to a lot of negativity. What is worse than all that is the people who work here. We have the co-worker who would not think twice about throwing you under the bus to save herself, a Manic Bipolar Betty, a Clueless and Blind Blonde, A big mouth know it all and plenty of negative Nancy’s. These people wear on me and have worn me down after 7 years. It seems the up tightness, the everything is so serious and I must be a part of everything attitude has got worse as my “I don’t give a shit” has taken over. It’s one person that makes the everyday so stressful. I try not to give her that much power but her moods do have an impact on how my day will be. The days she isn’t here are so much more relaxed. You can actually feel the energy change. This is something that has been going on for 7 years but seems to have gotten worse in the last few months. When she gives me a hurdle however, I do step back and come up with a way to get around it, through it or over it; which has caused a lot of the negative energy to be directed at me and not sent out to the entire front office. Trained monkeys are not supposed to think for themselves or problem solve.

What I have learned working here for this long is; I don’t like working with all females. They are moody, unpredictable and most are bad leaders because they lead with their emotions and not their brains. I am the type of person who wants to know the rules. I do not like it when they can be bent or changed or only enforced when the mood hits. Rules are Rules.

 

I am ready for a change, which is the understatement of the year. Once I get my own insurance January 2014, put in my month notice, I will start looking for a part time job. I want something different. Not an office. Maybe something with Animals, I have worked with people, babies and grownups that were like babies, I have worked retail, office and daycare—now maybe it can be animals!

Like I always say, life it too short to be anything but happy; life is too short to be this stressed and if you’re not happy do something about it—so I am!

The Cummins thing didn’t work out so we took another path. Then the affordable health care act came into play and we focused on that. Duste has a great job that has competitive wages to Cummins we just have to make adjustments to carry me on insurance. Sure we didn’t plan on that but sometimes you need to adjust the sails, redo the plan and carry on!

Everyone deserves to be happy—sometimes it takes work, but it is always better than being unhappy!