Beginning of my 2nd Trimester

Ok...So I'm on a roll today! Let me just make all my blogs at once! K? Sounds great!

Well...I was moving into my 2nd trimester on December 13th being 12weeks and 3days. That Monday was HORRIBLE.
I just kept feeling nauseous...like usual...and I just wanted to roll over and quit. Food was nauseating, the THOUGHT of food was sickening, the process of EATING food was not helpful, and I just was sick. I hated feeling this way. I just wanted to sleep and NOT have to eat anything. WHY do we have to eat? It's silly.

But then the miracle that some speak of happened the next day.
Tuesday December 14th....I had the huge ball of energy, I felt GREAT! I was hungry all the time but never nauseous. I couldn't believe it! At the end of the day I said my prayers of thanks and then waited for the following day to kick my butt again....
BUT IT DIDN'T!
It was GLORIOUS!
I had energy. I felt great. I LOVED food! I couldn't get enough food. Wonderful!


And everyday since then I have been perfect. Not one ounce of nausea, sickness, or yuckiness.
I have been very tired still but I can live with that.
Food seems to love me as I love it. We get along very well right now.
Oh...and I haven't gained a pound since my first visit! (Which I am told it good for the 1st trimester and then I am suppose to SLOWLY and LIGHTLY gain pounds as the baby gets bigger. Yay for saving it through the holidays!)

Well that's the update! 14weeks and 3days right now. yay! Next month I should be able to find out what we are having. I still feel it's a boy. We shall see!

Whisperings

Ok, here is a little story for you.

Nik wakes up early for work and to be able to work out before work (they have a gym at his office and it rocks. Gotta love BofA).

Anywho...he woke up at 5am this morning so he could get there in time to work out, shower, and get ready for work there and be to work by 8 without any rush.

As he is leaving the house I was still cozied up in bed but had this feeling to roll over and make sure he took his scan badge to get in the buildings. But then I realized my phone was over on the bookshelf and I didn't want to have to get up to text him if it did happen to be there on the dresser still.
Bad wife? Maybe.

Well about an hour after he leaves and I fall back asleep I get this BANGING on my window!
My head lays right there and it scared the HECK out of me!
My eyes SHOT open and stared at the ceiling.
I didn't know what to do.
I have this fear of looking out windows in the dark because I might  see some yellow beady eyes staring back at me.
Ok?
might
But still...it's a horrible thought.
Then more rapping at my window.
I just layed there motionless and prayed that Nik locked the door when he left for work.
THEN my phone light went on and I ran to it.
Maybe Nik was having a feeling that something bad was happening to me and wanted to tell me he loved me.
So I got out of bed...and IT WAS Nik calling me!
My LOVE!
So I called him back and whispered "hello"
And he goes "Yes, it's me at the window."
GOSH!
Scare the living daylights out of me!!!!
I look over on the dresser...and there was his scan badge!
DURH!
Why couldn't I have just LOOKED over there when I had that feeling...because now Nik will have driven the length to Maricopa and back today and that was one thing we were looking forward to with me being out of a job now - less gas! Yes, he drove to Chandler and the 101 and THEN he realized he left his badge. grrr.....listen next time, Dawna!
The reason he was knocking at my window was because he doesn't have a house key to my parent's house yet....which is NOW on my list for the day!

So not only did he waste gas because I didn't listen to the Whisperings and he didn't double check...but he also didn't have time to work out before work (which he loves). Sorry babe.
Learn from my mistakes and listen!

LOL
What a morning!

Our Merry Christmas

Christmas morning we woke up 

BRIGHT and EARLY!

5:15am to be exact.

After getting ready, we opened presents at 6am

and then headed to Grandma's house for our Breakfast tradition.

We ate our Mickey Mouse Waffles, yes waffles....not pancakes.

Top that!

Then we had our sliced oranges and baked apples.

Add in some eggs and salsa with some bacon.

DEE-LISH!

Then we opened presents there and could feel all the love from our families.

We are so blessed to be so close to our families.

After presents we played some Mario Cart (Thank you Santa),

played Phase 10 (Allred tradition),

Watched some Despicable Me (Thanks again Santa),

And slept.

Then Nik and I headed off to Nanu and Grandpa's house.

After almost running out of gas, because we were just so excited for Christmas, we made it safely.

We hung around for a bit until the food was done cooking.

Had a delicious roast, mashed taters, corn, yummy salad, and rolls.

Can't forget about the Poppers that Nanu gets us each year for us to pop.

Inside our Poppers we each got a paper crown to wear for the day, a joke, and a fun toy.

(we love traditions!)

After dinner we cleaned up and opened our gifts there.

We love our family.

Everyone gets along and loves each other.

We are so blessed.

After presents we had some pie and Wassail and then rolled ourselves out the door.

SO.MUCH.FUN!

Here are the two pictures I have from the day and am waiting for the rest to arrive via email.

This was our 2009 ornament and tree.

LOL.

Our tiny Provo apartment did not have adequate room for a tree

And we were going to be in AZ and CA for the majority of the holiday

I just bought this 4inch tree candle to sit atop our t.v.

Oh, the memories!

 This is our 2010 ornament.

All the writing was chosen by Nik.

Gotta love his humor and ability to have fun.

This sat on my parent's tree because we didn't have one of our own again.

And here I am at 14weeks and 1day (Christmas day).

Depending on what I wear you can see it or you can't because I'm not that big.

But it's fun to see a little growth.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas like we did!

This is the holiday feast we had here in the office. So delicious. I have the best, most generous boss ever!! Me and Baby Berry are stuffed! Now time to decorate the office. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Who's Your Daddy!

So....

ever since I can remember Panda Express making the Orange Chicken more spicy....

I have HATED it!

Nik on the other hand LOVES it!

Sometimes if there isn't anything else that looks good he will get double Orange Chicken.

I can't stand it.

Sometimes it is so overpowering I feel my nose hairs fry off.

lol.

Well, ever since this baby landed in my belly...

...I have been CRAVING Orange Chicken.

I just can't get enough.

So....all I can say is that Nik is definitely the daddy...

And the baby has his taste buds.

So I texted Nik to tell him this:

This baby is DEFINITELY yours!

Not just for obvious reasons but also because

I can't stop craving Orange Chicken!

He replied:

If it is MY baby, as you claim,

It would crave TimTams and Dawna.

Seeing as how it OBVIOUSLY hates you

And you have not craved the chocolatey goodness that is TimTam...

It is OUR baby.

So he obviously took the "yours" in my text too literally...but his reply cracks me up.

"Seeing as it OBVIOUSLY hates you..."

lol.

For the last couple days it has been non-stop discomfort of the stomach.

(just an fyi)

He is so funny.

I love him!

So I just replied and said

Meant to say YOU are DEFINITELY the FATHER.

Oh well...he is still cute and funny.

Call Me A Baby...

...But I just cannot help but tear up everytime I see this picture.

(which is probably means it's not a good idea to make it my desktop.)

It means so much to me to see all these people that love and support us.

To know that the man I am kissing is the man I get to keep for the rest of my life.

To know that he makes me so happy.

To know that half of these people I inherited with this marriage

And they are wonderful to me.

To know that THIS is love, life, and happiness!

This was the happiest day of my life...so far...

....another to come this summer!

Lower Back Pains

So I have been having some pains in my butt/tail bone/lower back area.
It hurts when I walk up steps.
It hurts when I stand on one leg to put the other leg in my pants.
It hurts when I try to get off the couch or out of the car or out of bed.
It hurts when I try to roll over in bed.

I'm not sure what is going on. I've done a little research but don't want to be overreacting if I'm wrong.
The symptoms say it is Symphysis Pubis Disfunction.
What the heck is that??
I am not sure what to do but I am in constant pain when moving.
I think I will call my doctor and see if there is anything they can prescribe, other than Tylenol, because that doesn't seem to be working.

Hope this goes away or gets better soon!

Coming Soon to a Couple Near You - June 24 2011

Yep, this is REALLY happening!

We are going to be parents around June 24th, 2011

(although I want to have it on the 22nd)

All the families know and are excited.

My mom and dad teared up,

My Mother-In-Law almost fainted,

And all my sisters screamed, Amy included!

Oh, and can't forget our brother, Sam,

who is excited to be Uncle Sam soon.

It was a shock to everyone but we are Soooo Happy!

=]

Newlywed Graduates!

June 10, 2010
Disclaimer:
This is long overdue....
but made possible with the faster internet now.
In California our internet was too slow to do any pictures on our blog,
so that is why there is a huge space between posts.
Enjoy!

This has been one crazy fun year of marriage.

We have lived in

Provo, UT

and

San Diego, CA

and loved each experience in its own separate way.

Now it is time for our First Anniversary
so we got work off to head over to

DISNEYLAND!

We were both so excited because the last time I went to Disneyland I was 8 and Nik's last time he was 18.

This was MUCH overdue....

and came at a perfect time for living 90 minutes away from the park at the time.

Here are some pictures I can FINALLY load up with the faster internet.

Welcome to Disneyland, ya Lovebirds!

In front of Splash Mountain.

We did this one twice.

Loved it.

Pictures below.

Don't know why this is sideways

I love him!

This was our delicious lunch

And our waiter snuck into the picture

It was so good!

We stuffed our faces and didn't have to eat for the rest of the day.

Before

After.

OMGoodness! It was sooooooOOOOooooO Good!

On the Matterhorn.

First time on this ride because when I went at 8yrs old,

some guy fell off of the ride just prior to our visit,

so it was down for construction.

Eek.

I WAS a little nervous to ride it.

1st ride.

Made him go first because I didn't want to fall out.

My MOST FAVORITE ride EVERRRRRR!

Nik and I waited a little longer than 2 hours to get the front seats.

It was AWESOME!

(don't mind my goofy face)

Our last ride of the day.....

I WAS SCARED OUT OF MY MIND!

But then I wanted to go on it again right away.

It was amazing.

Well, that sums up our trip. It was so fun.

I love this man and the fun times we have together.

Hinting

So I was at work yesterday with these new clients. We are writing some new business and enjoying each others company. They had just celebrated 50 years together and were telling me about their lives and how much they treasure their four children, who have now given them grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

The husband said that those years of raising their children were the best years of their lives. I don't hear this very much from parents nowadays. I have been hearing a lot of "these were the mistakes we wish we could take back" or "hold off as long as you can until you get some common sense not to" or "boy, did we wish this never happened."

Yes, times are rough,

 things are going to be hard,

 and life will forever be unknown....

but THAT'S LIFE!

(Nik is much better at this than I am.)

You are still alive

and you are still alive, right?

But didn't things happen that changed everything?

I guess one way to make yourself miserable

is to make everyone else happy.

(ok, enough ventation, Dawna)

These all make me sad even though sometimes it might look as if they were just joking, I don't know that.
I don't know if you are joking or serious. I hear this stuff more than the happy stuff.

I will say that a friend posted on FB "I love when my little girl falls asleep in my arms. Motherhood is the greatest gift of all." This made me SO happy!
Motherhood IS a blessing, a hard never-ending job, but a joy as well. I am excited for this...to take on this new role.
And Nik can't wait to be a father. Whether it's a boy to throw a ball with or a girl to treat her like a princess (although he says she is going to be one cute tomboy. lol).

Well, back to the old man. As he was talking about his children he said
"So I take it you have kids, (paused), or you will be soon?" (as he pointed towards my stomach.)
I was thrown back.

WHAT did you just say?!?!

I was trying to suck in as much as I could but I guess sitting down really emphasizes everything.
Luckily I could tell him that "Yes, we are expecting our first."

But still, he was LUCKY!

It could very well have just been some weight for the winter.
But oh well, guess this cat has to come out of its bag sooner or later.
When I stand you can't really tell, and I have been trying to wear shirts that flow, but let's just be realistic - Nik and I really can't keep this secret in much longer.
Okay, maybe just me....but I'm sure he's dying to say something too.

So, with Thanksgiving right here....it is perfect because we wanted to say something at this holiday of Thankfulness (a word? it is now) and everything seems to be going well. I will be 10 weeks....and we think this is good enough, especially since all our family will be here at one gathering, it couldn't be better.

(except for Caren and Gma and Gpa Allred....we'll just have to Skype them)

OH....And I'm always exhausted! I went to bed at 8:30 last night and slept til 5:30.

I hear I better catch up on these hours for they quickly dwindle when Lil Berry arrives.

Allred/Berry Family Pictures

My awesome friend

-Andrea Wanlass-

took our Family Pictures this weekend

and here is a sneak at what she did.

(p.s. - last time we took Family Pics Hannah was a newborn

...8 years ago!

About time?

I'd say so!)

I love my family.

More to come.

Thanks Andrea!

Here is her info if you are interested...

...and you SHOULD be!

Facebook

Email

Blog

Contact her.

You won't regret it!

Let The Games Begin - 9 weeks

NAUSEA: a stomach distress with distaste for food and an urge to vomit.

Do you know what is causing said Nausea right now?

This little RASPBERRY in my belly!

Well that raspberry is graduating to a green olive (which REALLY makes me vomit) this coming week.

It just amazes me that something so small and so wonderful can be so painful and life changing…

and it hasn’t even shown itself to the world.

Nik is so wonderful and he is trying his best everyday to make me comfortable. I appreciate the fact that he does NOT say “I know how you feel” because he doesn’t. He just tries to make things better for me…running and getting me my crackers or a fresh glass of water and then rubbing my back. I am so blessed to have him with me on this journey.

My doctor gave me some meds that are suppose to help ease the nausea.

Getting that prescription filled as I type!

Oh, and it was the most precious thing, yesterday, to see Lil Berry’s heart beating. How crazy is it that a little being about 1inch in length has a little heart and it BEATS?!?! Seriously!

And people say it isn't a human yet!?! Now, THAT is sick!

The sound of the 160 beats per minute is just breath-taking…to know that some little human is growing inside me and I am responsible for him/her right now BEFORE s/he is even born by eating right and getting good rest and taking the proper vitamins. This is all just so amazing to me. I still lie awake at night and can’t believe this is possible.

The doctor said Lil Berry has a very strong heart beat and that the chances for miscarriage right now are about 2-3%. This is one thing that has been stressing me – hoping it doesn’t happen. Yes, if it happened it was meant to be, but I have seen friends go through those struggles and I can’t imagine the pain.

We are so excited to tell our friends and families next month.
It sure has been hard keeping it a secret and having to fib when people ask.

(It's funny to think I am blogging all about this and it is JUST for me right now,

but I type it as though you are following along right now.

A little therapy, you could call it.) 

I am 9 weeks right now and in my 3^rd month. That is so weird to think about.

Well, that is what is new with us. Nik keeps telling me that because of all the pain I am having now, this child is going to be an angel. I sure hope so! ;-)

(P.S.Sorry if this is so scatter-brained...

I am having a hard time thinking straight right now.

Lil Berry's brain is growing right now, stealing mine.

Plus, Fatigue, Nausea, and early mornings are rough.)

Emotional Much?!?!

Wow!

Can I just say I, Myself, am sick of this!

I cry over anything in an instant.

Nik and I were talking about some major changes coming up this month

and it was just overwhelming.

Nothing we haven't prayed about or can handle....

I just got majorly overwhelmed.

I couldn't take it.

I got off the phone with him and just started crying.

Why?

I don't know.

I am just overwhelmed and don't know what to do with myself.

I called my mom during lunch and just bawled.

Couldn't give her a reason why; just bawled.

She felt bad but kinda snickered with a grin - that these are my major hormones going crazy.

The little Berry in my belly is taking control!

OF EVERYTHING!!!

I know that. I need to control it.

At least I haven't taken this out on anyone yet.

And you know what else is changing....my pants.

Can't fit in them and I'm only in my 8th week.

The doctor will confirm how far along I am next week in my appointment

but for right now...

I am a rubberband girl.

JOY!

I'm beginning to like dresses more and more.

Oh....AND....I can't enjoy frozen foods.

I use to go to Jamba Juice 2 or 3 times a week and get an Ideal Meal for breakfast.

[Can't tell me this doesn't look AMAZING!]

(Especially with the little smiley banana)

Well it isn't anymore.

:'(

My tastebuds don't like it.

It isn't like it is nasty....I just can't taste it.

So I haven't had one for about 2 weeks but this morning I decided I would give it a try again

JUST IN CASE

it was a fluke.

Nope.

Not good.

Makes me sad but my wallet will be happy.

It wasn't expensive because I am a cool person that has a 20% off key card.

SCHWEET!

But yeah, weird huh??

Not a fan.

Well, as you read from the previous post...NIK HAS A JOB!

So next month we hope to move out from his parent's house and into our

own place.

Ok....I'm done being an emotional wreck. I just want to sleep now.



In HIS Time

This has been a hard concept for me to comprehend. Patience hasn’t been one of my best qualities. I thought I did great while waiting for Nik. Of course I had my ups and downs but I survived those two years. I did it. We made it. But looking back at that….I wouldn’t really call that Patience. I would just call that “waiting” just like a pregnant lady….let me explain.

When Nik left, I knew when he would be back…just like a pregnant lady has an estimated due date. There is something to look forward to. I thought I would be perfect as a pregnant lady (in the future) because HECK that is only 9 months, not 24. I might be perfect at it…but I wouldn’t call it patience.

To me…patience is waiting for something to happen and not knowing when that might be. Now THIS is very hard for me. I have a HARD time not knowing. Ask my mom (or Nik, as I shared this with him on our first date) about my first Disneyland experience. I was NOT about to wait an unknown number of hours to find out where we were going. Not gonna happen!

Well these last 3 months my patience was tested to the max. Let me explain….Nik and I have been married for 1.5 years and this whole time we have made many choices with Prayer and Faith. We got married 6 short weeks after he returned home from his mission and then the day after our reception we moved to Utah where I had a job but Nik did not. We didn’t know anybody except my aunt who lived 30 minutes south and Nik’s great-aunt who lived 45 minutes north. So…we were pretty much flyin solo in good ol’ Provo. Although that was a difficult 10 months away from what we were comfortable with in Mesa, we felt we needed to experience it and are so grateful we did. Nik was able to get a job 1 week after arriving.

Then we heard of this opportunity in San Diego selling pest control. That was another experience that helped us grow. I was able to work with the same company there with Nik, so we were both employed. It was awesome to live there for a few months. After 2.5 months there, my old boss from Mesa called me to let me know she needed me NOW but Nik still had 5 weeks left in his contract in San Diego. We decided I needed to go home to AZ without him to be able to keep the job I loved and we needed. (so, if I lost you, we married in AZ, moved to UT for 10 months and then to CA for a few months, then back to AZ).

After being apart for 5 weeks while Nik was in CA and me in AZ, he was finally able to join me and we moved in with his parents house. They are so kind, generous, and they love us. I am so thankful for them and their hospitality, also for his dad giving him work while finding a job. We have been living with them since August and we are so blessed. Well, Nik had been applying everywhere for any sort of job. He focused on Bank of America as they have great benefits and pay. One of the positions he applied for actually did a phone interview and then a real in-person interview with him. Even though he interviewed, he kept applying for more positions with BofA. Well, he kept getting emails back denying him a position but they weren’t specific as to which position he was denied. So I thought a few times those were from the interviewed position. But then they would send him a request to do a background check…and then I got my hopes up again. And THEN we would get more denied emails. And I got so sad. That position looked so promising! For some reason, Nik has always been better at keeping his chin up and positive. (I think that is why we were meant for each other….so I could grow.) Well after we were suppose to hear back from that interview after a week…..it was 3 or 4 weeks and THEN we heard back….AND HE GOT THE JOB!!! He got it! And Nik just said “I told you we would be okay.” Yes, yes he did…but I just have a hard time. WHEN? When was he going to get a job? There was no timeline or expiration date. This has been hard but such a blessing to move forward with Faith.

Okay, I had to take a break from this post...as I'm sure you did IF you are still reading this...so let me just make this short-ish story shorter.

I love my Heavenly Father and His plan. He keeps putting things in my path to help me grow with Patience, but I usually just give up. Maybe I don't even give up, I just complain. I might not even complain, I just get really sour about everything. My wonderful husband is a sweet man because he puts up with me when he is so strong in this. And my Heavenly Father is wonderful because He KNOWS I can do hard things...He will never give me a task He knows I cannot handle.

Like I said earlier....I believe that is one of the many reasons Nik and I were meant for each other. I wouldn't say we are complete opposites, because we aren't, but there are many things we are opposite in.

He like the crust of the brownies, I like the inside. PERFECT!

He like the crunchy cookies, I like the soft...sometimes not so perfect.

(only in the sense that I get all my cookies to myself).

He is always warm and I am always cold. THE BEST!

We are both picky eaters but about different things....so food usually never goes to waste.

I could go on...but the most important on, and the reason for this blog is

PATIENCE.

He likes to live each day in itself and I can't help but look forward and wonder...

which then makes it difficult to have patience.

I love him and my Heavenly Father, who has the plan set out for me...and probably gets a good laugh every now and then over my ridiculousness.

Well, enough. This was extremely long. Thank you.

Oh, and Nik starts his new job in 12 days!!!! I'm so excited. WE'RE so excited.
With that comes better hours for everyone involved = more time together.

LOVE!

It's only Wednesday??

Let me just take a brief overview of the last two weeks - I have been tired but not really fatigued. Just when 9pm comes around I hit a brick wall. I have been cramping as my body is changing and growing. I have a new favorite seat in the house...the porcelain throne. (The books really didn't kid around about going to the bathroom SO MUCH! Unbelievable.) I have needed to eat more and more often. I try to eat more little meals through the day....but it seems like I am ALWAYS hungry. I cry over commercials on air and on tv. It's actually pretty ridiculous. I try not to let others see me when that happens because it would be quite embarrassing. I have been extremely hot...kicking the covers off at night and not getting comfortable. It sure is a good thing the winter is coming up...I need the warmth. (Now enough with the sentences that start with the letter I, it's driving me nuts) Last week I had to start using the rubberband with my pants...that is kinda depressing but I guess it is just a part of the job. I am gonna love it!!!

But jumping to today and going forward....I am exhausted. I fell asleep doing my coupons last night at 9:30. Nik was so sweet to tuck me in and turn off the lights. I woke up this morning at 7am....but I am so tired. This is the first official day of exhaustion. I have times (usually after lunch) where I get tired but not the physical exhaustion. I have to turn my ipod on in the morning on my drive into work and sing at the top of my lungs to keep me from falling asleep in that long one hour drive to work. Can I drink caffeine? I kinda quit soda at the beginning of October....only to drink a Sprite when my stomach isn't happy....but I'm thinking I am going to need the caffeine. Agh. I don't know.

I am in my 7th week and have my first OB appt in 2 weeks. So excited! Nik will be there with me (unless work keeps him). Hopefully everything goes smoothly and we get to hear that heart beating 150beats/minute. Our baby is now the size of a blueBERRY. haha.

Nik talks to my belly already and says if it is a boy his name is Melvin and a girl is Gloria. lol. Of course these are not the names we will be giving them....but he likes to joke around and have fun. We don't really want to give the baby a name and call it by name while in my belly...only when the baby arrives.

Week 7 is almost to an end. Crazy!!! We're having fun so far.
Except for tonight...we have class until 10pm. NOT looking forward to that! I can barely make it past 9 while I am doing nothing.

The Beginning of Our Lives Changing Forever

Tuesday October 19, 2010

My friend, Catharine, sent me a text that she was pregnant. I was so excited I HAD to call her and get the details. We talked for a bit about how she was feeling and how things were going. She told me how she announced it to her husband, Kirk, and just all the joys she has felt the last couple days since finding out. She had told me that before she found out she was pregnant she was going to the bathroom ALL THE TIME. She had no idea what was wrong with her but things were different.

The whole time on the phone I was thinking about the changes in myself….I was going to the bathroom all the time, I was cramping (which I thought was for my period that was due the Friday before and was just late), my top was so sore that Nik couldn’t even hug me, and I was physically hot to the touch like a temperature but not really (which was extremely backwards in our relationship. Nik was always the hot one and I was always cold).

After getting off the phone with Catharine to head to lunch, I decided to text her and ask her if she was feeling the same things – cramping, sore top, and hot to the touch. She said YES.

EEK!

What did that mean for me?!

I thought I wanted to wait til the next week to take a test…JUST IN CASE I was just really late…but while I was getting my lunch I decided to grab a test at CVS. I HAD to go to the bathroom anyways when I got back to the office…so it was perfect.

When I arrived at the office, I headed straight to the bathroom. The test laid on the floor as it was working up the results. As I headed out of the bathroom I looked down at the test

PREGNANT.

PREGNANT?

PREGNANT!

I bent down real slow JUST so I didn’t fall over from shock. I read correctly. Luckily it was the Clear Blue test that actually said the word instead of the stupid lines…I definitely wasn’t reading this one wrong. No way possible.

I walked out of the bathroom…as white as a ghost. I couldn’t believe it. That word meant my life was going to change, along with Nik’s, FOREVER. But this is everything we wanted….so I was happy, just in shock. I left the bathroom and walked to Wendy’s desk and stood in front of it, just staring at her, IN COMPLETE SHOCK.

I just stared.

And stared some more.

She looked at me and asked what was wrong. I told her what just happened in the bathroom. She jumped up and gave me a huge hug and started crying. She was so excited for me.

Yes, she was the first to know. I thought I was gonna faint…I had to tell someone.

I sat in my seat, as she ate my lunch, and we talked about how we should tell Nik. It was 2pm and I had 3.5 hours left of work. I wanted to tell him right then, but over the phone is not cool. I wanted to always see his face with this news. After many ideas I decided I was go to Target and get a onsie that says “I love Daddy” on my way home.

5:30 did NOT come soon enought, but when it did I left work and headed to Target. I was so nervous. I was afraid it was a fluke so I took another test at Target before I made my purchase JUST to make sure I was pregnant.

Yep.

Same results.

Nothing changed.

So off to the baby section I went.

Not sure if it is a boy or girl (obviously) I just bought the cheapest onsie that said “I love Daddy” on it. Turned out it was grey and blue for a boy because all the girl ones said Mommy. I just left it in the Target bag cuz I didn’t have any special wrapping already handy.

When I got home I told him to come and look at what I got at Target. I told him that it was cheap and I just had to have it now even though we won’t need it until the Summer. He was pretty excited to see what I got because I have been pretty good at getting good deals, he wanted to see what it was this time. As he stood in front me I opened the Target shopping bag and he looked down and saw the onsie folded up and the part showing was DADDY.
He looked up me.

“You’re pregnant?! REALLY!! YOU’RE PREGNANT! We're having a BABY!!!”

I kept nodding my head in agreement and we both started crying. He gently picked me as if I was a porcelain doll, ever so gentle not to ruin anything. He was so sweet. We had our moments of laughing and crying tears of joy and happiness.  He kept staring at me like he was unable to fully comprehend what was happening.

Our lives are going to change forever the summer of 2011.

After my own calculations I estimated my due date to be June 24, 2011.

(It would be awesome if I could have the baby on the 22^nd. If you know the story behind the 22^nd, you get it).

My first OB appt is November 18^th. We shall see what happens.

In the mean time, we both want this to stay under wraps until the 2^nd trimester has begun. 

This blog is going to go through my life and I am going to try to keep up on it a little better. I will keep posting but it will not be visible to the public until my 2nd trimester has begun.

Berry Happy!

I didn't have access to the internet yesterday, so today will have to do.

Yesterday, May 13th, marked one year from the day Nik asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. We have it on video because he was super sneaky (knowing me, you have to be) and still I have yet to see the video. Someday when we get back to Mesa I will, but it has been in storage all this time.

I am so lucky to have him as my husband. He is the best thing that has happened to me. He makes me laugh all the time, helps me learn and grow, and makes me so happy everytime I look at him. At times I feel I do not deserve him because I just could never imagine being any more happy.

Nikolas James Berry, 

You are the man I have waited for 

and 

dreamt about my whole life. 

Thank you for finding me and loving me.

Love,

Dawna Genette Berry

Four weeks from now we will have graduated from the Newlywed Stage in life. How exciting! We are hoping to go to Disneyland since it is right around the corner. [Keepin' my fingers crossed]

Sane Again

Tuesday May 10th...I became sane once more.

I was able to go grocery shopping with a full budget and my buddy.

I had my coupons cut, my recipes laid out for the next two weeks, and some money!

First stop - Smart & Final. Here I got Nik his favorite cereal, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS. $1.88 is something I couldn't pass up. Not exactly the cheapest I have paid but it definitely was a good deal here in SD.

Next stop - CVS. I was able to stock up on canned veggies and some RAISIN BRAN, Nik's next favorite. The boxes of cereal were smaller but only $1.38 and heck, still under 2bucks, I will take it!

Last stop - Von's. This is where I stocked up on the majority of my food list to last us 2 weeks.  
[heck, this is WEIRD having to wait 2 weeks for a paycheck. for the last 3 years I have received a check every week. HORRIBLE!]
I got Nik his last favorite cereal that happened to be on sale, HONEYNUT CHEERIOS. $1.48 wasn't bad at all!

But let me tell you the best deal of the day!!! 

Betty Crocker cake mixes, frosting tubs, and original brownie mixes were all BUY 2 GET 3 MORE FREE! 
Wait, what? Pay for 2 and get 5??? Kidding me? I had to ask the gal next to me in the aisle if I was reading that right. And THEN I had 75cent coupons. 6 of them!  
It pays to buy newspapers in bulk. 
So...I bought 2 or 3 rounds of 5 items each the first time but they were out of German Chocolate Cake frosting so I had to come back that night to get the new product. After work at 10 I went back with Nik and got 3 pairs of German Chocolate Cake frosting and cake mix and 2 pairs of the FunFetti kind. 
I was sooo happy. We are going to make cupcakes up the wazoo!
(I even got Nik his favorite cake mix - Carrot cake, but shhhh. I am excited to surprise him with that!) 

Well, thank you for checking this out!
All in all...I purchased $296.09 WORTH of food but only paid $138.55.
I saved $157.54 being a 53.21% savings! I WAS STOKED!
Nik was very happy too! We finally have food in our pantry and fridge after 3 weeks of it being empty.
Such a nice feeling. I have had better savings percentages but after 2 months of not being able to shop like this, it feels GREAT!

One Year Later

One year has come and gone...

...and nobody can believe it.

April 29, 2009

You might be asking what happened on this day.

No, we did not get engaged on this day.

No, we did not get married this day.

No, we did not start dating this day...(well sort of).

And no, I am not crazy for celebrating all the little things.

This day was the day Nik returned home from serving an honorable

and

full time mission in Tokyo Japan.

This day was the day all of us, family and friends, had one huge smile

plastered on our faces.

This day was the day that a son, brother, boyfriend, and friend

returned home after 749 LONG days away.

This day was the day I felt I was living in a dream.

(as I'm sure many others felt too)
This day was the day I had been waiting 3.5 years for.

Let me show you this day...

...the few pictures I have on this laptop.

Okay, well I had a few more pictures to put up
but my computer wouldn't load them.
I will update this post if I can get them up here.

Thank you, Nik, for doing such a great job

over in the lands of Japan.

Thank you for being such a great example.

This day was a special one for so many.

We all love you.

p.s. I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend.

Me? Tan??

Okay....So....last night we went to Target to get me some new flip flops.

I heart Target flip flops.

The top is rounded perfectly with my toes...a slight square toe with a slight curve. PERFECT!

So...like I was saying...we went to get my flip flops for the summer. 2/$5.

Nik was down the aisle checking out the Clearance shoes.

He found his favorite shoes in a new color...for $5.

SCORE!

SO HE BOUGHT 2!

I laughed and rolled my eyes...but heck, if my favorite shoes were only five bucks...I WOULD BUY MULTIPLE TOO!

He was so funny to see him so excited to get new shoes and to get 2 of them. Silly goof!

It was funny.

But let me tell you about my awesome shoes.

The white flip flops.

Today I wore my knee shorts and the white flip flops...and the brand new white shoes make me look TAN!

I love it!

The end.

(Great blog, eh?)

Story of the Day!

Mark this day on your calendar - April 20, 2010.

And no I am not talking about Weed Day...

I am talking about the day I realized admitted I was an addict.

A Coupon Addict.

Let me share the story with you:
Nik and I have been living out of a suitcase for the last 10days.
All our other stuff has been in packing boxes.
I haven't shopped for groceries or looked at any ads for about 3 weeks.
I haven't clipped coupons for 2 weeks.
I haven't even opened my coupon binder for 2 weeks.
YESTERDAY this all fell apart.
Nik and I FINALLY moved in to our apartment here in San Diego
(and yes it is the actual city of San Diego on our mailing and location address. Everyone asks. True story. No we are not rich [hence the story] it just comes with the job)

Anywho...I had to go shopping for a few necessitites - Milk, bread, eggs, meats, etc.
I went to Vons (which is the same exact thing as Safeway and Smith's). I love it!
My coupon binder was still in a box SOMEWHERE in the apartment at the time of my shopping adventure.
I walked into Vons and felt so naked and so alone.
Naked because my coupon binder wasn't sitting in the shopping cart with me
and
Alone because Nik wasn't with me.
Now, I can handle and NEED to handle Nik not being there because he works EXTREMELY long hours...sometimes until 8 at night.
However, I cannot and WILL not handle my binder not being there. My binder keeps me sane. I realized without her I am lost. I felt so uptight and not "together" about the whole shopping experience. 
IT WAS HORRIBLE!
I walked up and down the aisles with no clue of what was on sale, what I had coupons for, what coupons expired that I need to throw away, NOTHING!
AGH!
I felt like I was committing a murder...a murder of our money...to THROW soooo much of it away!
  ok, so that MIGHT sound a little dramatic...but no joke, I felt horrible! NEVER will I shop without my buddy. She saves me lots of money!

SO...I ended up making it out of there ALIVE, thank goodness, and headed home with $47 spent. WTH!?!?! And I only had 4 bags to show for it. 
Yes, Cali and SD are more expensive to live in but that is just unacceptable. That is what I spend in 2 weeks of groceries. YUCK! The prices weren't too bad, it was the fact that I bought them when they were not on sale and without a coupon. Two very big NoNo's.
I tried to relay this story to Nik but he was so so SO tired, I don't think he understood the sadness I was feeling.
Sad Day, 
This CANNOT and WILL NOT happen again.

Thank you.
Thank you.
You are awesome listeners/readers.
I am sure if you read hard enough, you could hear me and the pain in my voice.
I know my Mamma can! 

The End. 

New Blog

Well....I have started another blog. I thought ONE was hard enough...so I need your help to keep me inline. ;-)

Anywho...it's true. Here is the link.

http://www.dawnadinners.blogspot.com/ 

It's just a simple blog that will showcase new recipes I find.

Heck, who doesn't want to try something new....and can I say....EASY!!!
I know I like that idea! And so does the Nikster. 

So...as I look for new recipes and try them out, I will post them here for you to try. 
I have to successfully complete the recipe in order to post it...which means ANYONE can do it too if I have!
Trust me...I am NO Pro and definitely NOT any better than anyone when it comes to cooking or baking...but I AM trying to expand on the few recipes Nik gets stuck eating every week.

Check me out. Follow the adventure. And enjoy!

I am always [the whole purpose of the blog] looking for new delicious and simple meals....so email me if you have some for me to try! I would love it!

Email Me

@ 

NikDawnaBerry{at}gmail{dot}com 

Let's Save Money!

Do you get the Sunday Paper?

yes

Do you use coupons?

yes

Do you like to SAVE MONEY??

Yes

Now…if you answered YES to all of the above (like me)….did you know you could save even more money by purchasing MULTIPLE Sunday papers???

YES!!!

Well you can.

Ask your local paper if you can receive more papers and possibly get a discount.

Nik and I are signed up to get FIVE

(yes, 5 from the same company)

Newspapers EVERY Sunday!

It is like Christmas morning every Sunday Morning.
We look outside our front door and see 5 red plastic baggies
with Newspapers in them.


Inside those Newspapers are COUPONS!

Oh….what happiness!!

See….

Before November I had NO idea you could order multiple papers to get multiple coupons for the same product.

I had NO IDEA! You know what that means…MULTIPLE opportunities to save on one item and stock up. Can you say AWESOME?!

I can!

So…

Now when there is a good deal on something that I have a coupon for…

I can now get 5 of that item and start storing more in my Food Storage!

Let me tell you a story:


Nik and I got married in the summer and after a few months of grocery bills…we realized that other than Rent Payments, those receipts for groceries were our biggest monthly expense.

One of two things needed to happen:

1) Starve

or

B) Save Money

We decided that starving wouldn’t be the best of ideas…so we went and bought a 3-ring zipper binder, baseball card pages, and dividers.
We then subscribed to the newspaper and started getting one Sunday paper each week.
That was great and we saved $13 (out of $127) on our first majorly-focused trip to the grocery store.

We were excited!

$13 is like a movie and popcorn

or

half-a-shirt!

(lol)

This went on for a few months and we would save a few bucks here and there…then in November came the BEST Relief Society Activity EVERRRRR…

How to Clip Coupons and Budget!

I was SOOO excited to go there and learn how to save us some money!

WHO wants to spend all their money on food??

I’d rather spend money on 

home décor

or

clothing

or

shoes

or

movies

or

go on a FANCY DATE with Nikolas!

Food??

All you do is buy food, eat it, and buy some more.

DUMB but important, I guess.

Becky, the Coupon Genius in my ward that taught the class, gave us some great tips and to go check out our local newspaper’s Savvy Shopper, Amy. I went home that night and looked her up online. It showed Amy having a seminar at the hotel right next to our apartment that upcoming Tuesday.
I was STOKED!
I signed up and that night the two of us went to learn how to save money!!!






The Savvy Shopper, Amy, was GREAT!
She was funny and kept the class alive.
Everyone in the class was so shocked by her money-saving stories and techniques.
With our eyes wide open and jaws dropped to the floor in disbelief/excitement we all scribbled down notes and vowed to never pay full price for an item again!
Going to that class allowed us to get a discount when we order up to 5 Sunday papers.
We pay $18.75 each month to get 20-25 newspapers
(depending on the number of Sundays in the month).
It is AWESOME!

So…we have had many great weeks with our grocery bills.

I get excited for Wednesdays when the new grocery ads come in the mail

and

Sundays when the retail stores and coupons come in the paper.

This is how my week goes –

Sunday: new coupons come to my doorstep for me to clip and organize in my binder.

Wednesday: new grocery ads come in the mail for me to browse and circle with a permanent marker what deals are good for us to buy.

Saturday: I make my shopping list of what he need for meals the next week and what we can stock up and put away in our Food Storage.

Nik and I then go shopping

(it’s always great as a team that way we don’t over spend or get something we don’t need or so we don’t overlook a great un-advertised deal)

and we try to get the most we can with our $25 Grocery Budget.

It has been a ton of fun…especially because we make such a great team!

Now, the best week we have had so far was this last Saturday.

Let me lay out my savings and maybe you will join me in the

Coupon Clipping Fun.

Toiletries (we bought Shampoo, Conditioner, Toilet Paper, and Hairspray):

Pre-savings Total: $43.76

Spent: $27.52

Saved: $17.08

Percent Saved: 39%

# Items Purchased: 20

Groceries (Too many to list…oh and some name brand stuff for FREE):

Pre-savings Total: $99.65

Spent: $34.59

Saved: $68.22

Percent Saved: 68%

# Items Purchased: 52

*Now,

we DID go over our budget for the week

but the prices were

too good

to not get the items at that time.

ESPECIALLY since they were name brand…

and cheaper than the Store brand.

Let me lay out some of the best deals from that day.

 Honey Bunches of Oats (Family Size).

Originally $4.50

Purchased for $1.18

(We got 12 boxes. Heck yes! Some for Food Storage and some for every day use.)

Bumblebee Tuna Cans.

Originally $0.69

Purchased for $0.33

(We got a few stacks of those. Tuna is a cheap staple food for us right now.)

Pasta

(Don’t remember the name but it WAS name brand and not generic. BONUS!)

Originally $0.99

Purchased for $0.50

(Another easy and cheap staple we both love!)

(THE BEST DEAL!)...

Bumblebee Single Serve Tuna Pouch

FREE!!!

I was/still am SOO HAPPY with our shopping trip!

We saved sooo much money and stocked up our pantries really well.

All that money we saved could go to bigger and better things.

I LOATHE spending money on food because it feels like it’s ALWAYS GONE!

This makes me feel better about spending money on food.

Yay!

Anybody can do this and save money just like me!

*Call me CRAZY...

but saving money is

AWESOME!

I'm sure if you tried it...you'd be hooked.