The day we found out our babies gender...

11:15 AM Posted In , Edit This 3 Comments »


I am very excited to announce that we are having a little baby girl! (Although all of you who read this already know this wonderful fact)
I can say that all along I "felt" like it was a girl.  I had at least three dreams that we were having a little girl and everyone continued to say they felt like it was a girl too.
I think I would have been very surprised if it had been a boy!

It was a challenge to even find out the gender though!  Our appointment was scheduled on January 12th and of course we were so excited and elated and planned our whole day around the event.  The late morning of the 12th we found out our appointment had to be rescheduled because the ultrasound technician was out sick.  Of course we were sooo disappointed and almost devastated.  We had waited for this day for so long!!! The earliest the ob/gyn could get us in would be Friday, late afternoon.

Seeing how distraught I was, and feeling the same way, Sam called back to see if there was anything we could do to get an earlier appointment or go to another doctor for the ultrasound.  Well, instead of a sympathetic "No" or "I'm so sorry but we can't do that," the woman who does the scheduling laid into him and told him there was nothing they could do and basically we were being selfish for wanting to know our babies gender.  She was very adamant in portraying that they "were not in the business of finding out gender, but cared about the babies health." And OF COURSE we care about our babies health, but what other parent do you know is not SUPER excited to find out the gender of their baby??!!  Needless to say, that conversation just made us more disappointed and upset.

So I suggested looking up places that did the 3D ultrasounds.  We found a few in Charlotte and gave the office a call.  The lady who answered was a sweet, Asian lady who said, "you come right now, we do it for you.." The price was $150 and with that we would get 2D/3D ultrasound and pics and also a 4D (live action) DVD set to music.  Sam thought the price was steep, so being the bargain hunter he is, he negotiated to pay $99.  She told us she had an opening in half an hour, so we jumped in the car and we were on our way.  We were so excited and hoped that this experience could redeem the way the day had turned out.  But we were also nervous and didn't know what to expect...


On the way I told Sam we had to stop for coffee or caffeine of some sort because I was afraid our little one would not be active and we would not be able to see the gender.  So on the way we stopped at a drive-thru Starbucks and I got a yummy, carmel frap.. Mmmmm...it was soooo good!  I have to admit I have missed my coffee since being preggo.

We finally arrive there and walk into this huge building with many offices and take the elevator to "Sunshine Baby." The office was sooo nice!  It was just the Asian lady we had talked to on the phone who was there.  We went into the lobby with lovely couches and pictures of babies everywhere.  We filled out some paper work and then she took us to the ultrasound room, which was beautiful. There was a very large, flat screen television on the wall and then a leather lounge for the mommy to lie on.  There was also a nice couch for daddy to sit too. =)

At first our little one was jumping around like crazy (thanks to the caffeine =) but within minuted the lady said, "looks like a girl!" and I said, "Really???  I knew it, hunny!"  I think Sam was truly surprised because he was convinced we were having a boy.  We both were so excited tho!
 
All I can say is that the experience was WONDERFUL!  Every couple should do it at least once.  We were there for over an hour and got to see our little one do so many things.  She even appeared to be "blowing kisses" at one point.  I would also suggest going to Sunshine Baby.  The woman was so sweet and kind and she was also hilarious!!!  the comments she made about our little one moving around like, "She is saying she is number one..." and "Ohhh... now she is thinking," made the experience so fun and enjoyable. Needless to say, it made up for the day we had, for sure!

I am actually thankful it ended up this way.  We would have never done this if our appointment hadn't gotten canceled, but I am so glad it did.  There are more pics on facebook. More to come soon...

Sometimes you just need to take a day at the spa....

11:50 AM Edit This 4 Comments »




(Ok, B and Renee don't kill me for posting this blog...y'all should post a blog too, b/c way more people read your blogs than mine!!!! =)

Well, my dear friend Renee had a milestone birthday this year-30! Renee is just as fun and young and fresh as ever though and 30 is nothing but a silly number... So her great sister, B decided that it was fitting to take her to a spa for some pampering.

I took her for a pedicure the day before her birthday and that was amazing. We were all really looking forward to the spa as well. B came in from Alabama, just for the occasion (oh and a wedding, but ya know...=)

We went to Panera Bread for "brunch" first and had a splendid time chatting and laughing.

And then to the spa we went....

When we got there we had to fill out a bit of "odd" paperwork, but soon we were sitting in the "relaxation room" sipping on sparkling white grape juice and eating yummy treats (such as an amazing pound cake) while chatting away, the way women do when they are all together and having fun.

After "relaxing" for a bit we changed into soft, fluffy, white robes. Ohhh....ahhhh... =)
And our spa journey continued with facials and massages. I had never had either, so it was a very fun experience for me.

Details will be had perhaps by Renee's blog...I want to leave something fun for her to write about too. =)

I personally throughly enjoyed the day off. It doesn't happen often for me, so I was thankful! I felt the people at the spa did a great job making it an experience. I definitly cuold get used to massages and facials on a regular basis, but everyone knows I am trying to swing back to my "hippy days" so it may be a bit before I do this again!

"Hi, my name is Heather Joy Collins and yes, I have fallen off the face of the earth."

3:22 PM Edit This 2 Comments »


So, YEAH for me for not writing for 500 years!!!! What can I say??? My life has been SUPER busy since Jan working three jobs. I have enjoyed my time being a workaholic, but the time has come for me to say goodbye to at least one job for now. I am quitting my job at the mall. this decision came about for various reasons, one top one being I just can't work 75 hours a week anymore, seven days a week with no brake!!! =p It really was fun, but I have realized I have neglected other important things in the quest to "make more money." Like going to church and organizing my house, grocery shopping, training for a marathon. Needless to say I am super excited to have a little bit more time to myself to relax and reflect.

I am thoroughly enjoying my nanny job, with the two cutest little boys ever (besides all the boys of all the people who read this blog... =) Spending time with Grant (the 5 year old) in the afternoon is glorious. I love the way the world looks through the eyes of a 5 year old. Grant is as boy as they come and he always asks about Sam b/c he is in the Army. And Grant wants to be in the Army too, someday so he can "shoot bad guys and drive a big truck." The other day he said, out of the blue, "did your husband find you or did you find your husband?" How totally cute is that??? So, I adore that job and plan on staying there for a while.

In other parts of my life, I was able to run the half marathon-whoohoo!!! And now I am hopefully going to start training for the Chicago marathon in October.

Sam has come and gone. We had the best two weeks ever! I am really looking forward to him being home for good in August, so we can get into a routine of normal living and the like.

In the meantime his shift at the airport has changed so we can talk on the webcam and skype almost every night for 4 or 5 hours. it's really, really nice and I am so thankful that we have had such great circumstances. I am also so thankful that our marriage has actually grown stronger through all this and we will be able to leap ahead when he comes home.

Hopefully, I will keep up with the updates more often now..........no guarantees though!!! ;)

Ok, I've decided to come back to the blogging world...

7:57 PM Edit This 7 Comments »

So I am finally deciding to write another blog. It has been a significant "hot 5" since I have written because like my brother-in-law, David I was taking a "moment of silence" for a fellow blogger.

So this is what has been happening in my life. I have taken on a third job as a nanny. For now I am temping for a family with two boys and trying to decide if I am going to take the job. The kids are really good, but it is a 30 minute drive up to the Ballentyne area of Charlotte and the hours are 8-5, 5 days a week. So, in due time I will have to make a decision about whether or not I am going to stay with this family. I am still working at the mall and waiting tables on the side as well. I have actually become a work-a-holic, and I enjoy the rush of being stressed and hardly having time to eat between jobs. Ha! No, really I actually like it. Who would have thought I would WANT to work 24/7??? Honestly, it helps the days blur together and a teensy bit more bearable for me to wait for Sam's arrival home (47 more days). The countdown has started and it can not come soon enough. These 4 and a half months have been a bitter-sweet eternity. It seems these last 7 or so weeks are going to be torture waiting until March when Sam will FINALLY arrive home.

Having friends and family to distract me has been wonderful too. I took a great trip to Arizona to see my rad bro-in-law, David and had a blast with him. And then my adoptive "in-laws" came to visit this weekend and it was so fun to spend time with them and hang out. I enjoyed the chill time and deep conversations. The support Sam and I have received has really been overwhelming and we are forever grateful to all the amazing people out there that have encouraged and prayed for us through this deployment.

Ok, next update. I am steadily back in training for the half-marathon. I am really excited about it and get a great rush thinking about it when I am running on the treadmill at the gym. I am so excited to reach this goal in my life.

That's a pretty good summary of what has been going on, on this half of the Heather/Sam duo.
I hope all is well with everyone else in the blog-a-sphere!

A little odd maybe???

1:25 PM Edit This 5 Comments »
Ok, I can tell this story, now that I have told Sam. So the other day while I was driving home from grocery shopping I got pulled over. About 8 months ago, Sam got pulled over at almost the same spot. I should have known, it is a speed trap. The speed limit changes from 45 to 35. So I get clocked going 50. I see the blue lights and the cop motions me to pull into the nearest open parking lot. So, I pull over. He asked for license and registration. I hand them to him. He then tells me to get out of my car and sit in the passenger seat of his car while he writes me a ticket. A bit odd, per say??? I don't quite understand why that happened. He was chatting it up as he wrote me the ticket. I answered his questions politely because he is authority, but I did not "chat it up." I felt very uncomfortable the whole time. I find it odd because they have cameras outside of their vehicles, so if he thought I was going to run, (which come on, do I look like the type that would run???) he would have no worries, he has all my info right there-in his camera...anyway, I thought this was odd. Is this standard procedure??? I am confident I could have gotten out of the ticket, but I didn't really feel comfortable trying to talk my way out of it.

Has this ever happened to anyone else??? Maybe you all are exceptional drivers that never speed. Anyway, I thought this was odd and I was wondering if anyone knows of this happening before....

An update on my life...

1:44 PM Edit This 4 Comments »
Well it has officially been over 5 months that Sam has not lived at home. First, that seems crazy to me. Next, people have told me from the beginning that it would get easier. They were wrong.
Each day carries new challenges. Whether it's trying to fix a crazy problem, I know nothing about, or not hearing from Sam for several days.
Recently, it has been a bit difficult because we have not been able to communicate as much as I would like. It's hard not hearing from Sam because our entire relationship is communication. They have him running around like a chicken with his head cut off, I have been working a lot and we have to deal with an 8 hour time difference, so it is really no one's fault, but it is difficult none-the-less.
I can't tell you how many people tell me we have the ideal relationship. "He pays the bills, but you never have to see him." I am always insulted when people say they wish they were in my situation. It really is sad to me, that people do not put enough effort into their marriages to make their relationship work and happy.
I know that both Sam and I have been through our own battles in the time we have been a part. I feel that is has gone smoothly for the most part. But missing him is missing him, it doesn't get easier or less painful with time, I promise. I know we have both learned a lot, especially me it seems, and somehow I know that all this is suppose to happen, but I will be happy when it ends.

Honestly, sometimes I get so jealous of couples who have not had to spend significant time a part. It seems so unfair sometimes, but it's in those times when you feel like you can't control a situation that you really have to trust God.

Every relationship I have had in my life has been, or turned into a long-distance relationship. It's almost like God was preparing me all these years to endure the pain of being a part from the person I would love the most, my husband.

The thing that has made this bearable is A. Sam's constant effort at connecting with me in emails or cards or phone calls. And B. having people that care about us and make an effort to connect as well.

I am so thankful and lucky to have so many loving people around me in this time. Sam doesn't really have that. So please keep him and us in your prayers. Really if we didn't have God to depend on I'm not sure how we would make it through this.

All this to say, thank you all for being there for us and also never take advantage of the fact that you have your loved ones near. Give the people you love an extra hug today or a "thanks for being so great." Having people you love around you is the best gift ever.

Decorating the tree =)

8:17 AM Edit This 6 Comments »







On Monday night I went over to my in-laws house to help decorate the Christmas tree. I was really excited about it, because honestly it has been YEARS since I have decorated a tree. Ever since my mom passed away, Christmas has been kinda hard for my family. She always made Christmas amazing and it was hard to be motivated to take her shoes in the Christmas cheer. For years I have looked forward to being married and having a family of my own to start Christmas traditions with. The Chapins got a beautiful tree and all of us girls had a GREAT time decorating it. After the tree was decorated Rachel and I went on a "hot chocolate run" because you have to drink hot chocolate and listen to Christmas music while decorating a tree. =) We also started to get motivated to make cookies, but we didn't quite make it because it had gotten so late. I had many other pictures I wanted to post, but they were either blurry or the lighting was wrong. I can't say I am talented like BA AT ALL when it comes to photos!!!!!
I have a small tree I am going to decorate so look for that post too!
I can't WAIT to have Sam home to do Christmas together, but I am happy and thankful for the friends and family around me that have made this time a part from him so much easier. Thanks and love to all! =)
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