Wish List

I know, I know, we've just made it through the month of January, but South Carolina has had some teasing weather this week and it has me already thinking about Spring! 

And this year, I have some items that I have my eye on to get ready for the Spring weather.

Since I made a vow to myself not to purchase any clothes before I lost weight, I am using some of these items as inspiration to shed the pounds. The more I lose, maybe the more items i'll cross off my wish list!

1. This monogram hat from Marley Lilly has me dreaming about Carolina Cup already! For those of you unfamiliar with Carolina Cup, it's a horse race that is as big deal to college students and residents of South Carolina. I absolutely love getting all dolled up and attending this spring occasion, regardless of whether or not I even see a horse. :) This year, I believe, this monogram hat will be attending the cup with me!


2. Rain boots are a must in SC for these next few months. It's looking like SC will skip the snow this year and jump straight to cold/rainy spring days. These rain boots from Target will at least be cute for me to wear in the not so fun weather.


3. This ridiculously cute dress from ModCloth (or one similar to it) will be perfect for the few weddings I have to attend in March, April, and May.  I hope to drop a dress size or two by those months so I can stock up on a few cute dresses for these weddings. 

4. I've never been a fan of Lilly dresses (for myself) because I just don't think I can pull off their busy patterns. But I am in love with some of their scarves they have like this one. Scarves are my favorite accessory because they can play up outfits in such fun ways. This one has a ton of color that will add pop to my wardrobe as I transition from winter to spring.


5. This is a big wish for me, but a girl can dream right? Maybe I'll get this with my tax return check... hmmm??? I absolutely adore this Kate Spade bag though! :)

6. Since the weather hasn't been that cold here in SC, I am struggling with what to wear on these days when it starts out cold and ends up in the 60's or 70's. I've found I don't have many "in between" coats and this light trench coat would be prefect. Old Navy offers a variety of coats in different colors but I kind of like the boldness of the yellow. 


7. I just had to throw this last one in here because A. it's so freaking cute and B. it's monogrammed.... what more could a girl want? This insulated cooler tote from Marley Lilly would be perfect for any excursion. :)

What's on your wish list these days??

Focusing on the positives

Well, most of January and the beginning of 2012 have pretty much sucked for the Hyatt's. With Shane being in the hospital and still on his road to recovery, we haven't really had "fun" this month.

But, with January coming to an end and my hubby FINALLY starting to feel like his normal self (as normal as you can feel with a trach in) I thought now is a great time to focus on the positives and what i'm currently loving in life.

• Today marks 5 months since we tied the knot! And regardless of how challenging these last few weeks have been, i'm still having the time of my life being married to my best friend. These months have flown by and I just can't wait to spend many many more together.
• I'm loving how I was reminded every day that Shane was in the hospital, and even after, just how many people love and were praying for us. We received countless phone calls/texts/cards/messages a day from ones we love and even distant people we barely knew. (some of our friends' parents and church members we had never even met reached out to us to let us know we were in their prayers.) And our close family members and friends made sure we were never without clean laundry, food, or whatever we may have needed. It's so humbling to know how much support we had.
• With that being said, while Shane was in the hospital dropping pounds (unwillingly of course) I wasn't exactly eating *ahem* healthy food all of the time. At the beginning of this year, I joined Weight Watchers, and it's time to get back in the swing of things. One of my favorite bloggers just started a new blog, Skinny Up. She is also doing weight watchers and has some great motivational posts that are really helpful to remind me of my own weight loss goals! I love how I feel when I'm eating healthy and making smart fitness/food goals, so I really want to get back to focusing on that.
• My mom and stepdad moved to Florence this past weekend!!! I am oh so excited for them. I made a quick little trip last night after work to see their new place and have a late birthday dinner with them. (my mom's bday was Monday) Their place is so cute and I can tell they are so happy there. My mom is letting me take free reign of their new place and letting me help decorate.... so I can't wait to put a little Olivia flair on their place hah!  

Last, but not least, I'm loving that things are almost back to normal. Now, I'm just ready for my hubby to no longer be under house arrest so we can go out on dates, hang with friends, and get back to our everyday lives!

And, i'll be back in full swing in the blogging world next week too. I've got some link ups and fun topics to share so stay tuned.

Happy Friday Loves!

P.S. ...check out my desktop background. Weather in SC this week has been crazy (and different every day) so this is a pic on my work computer that was taken on our honeymoon. It takes me back to such a relaxing and happy (and tan) week in my life :)

You don't realize how strong you are, until you have to be.

My hubby gets to come home today! 

I'm so proud of how well he's done and how strong he's been. 

He has quite a road of recovery ahead, but I know he can do it. :)

 

getting ready to leave the hospital this morning!

What's going on

Well hello strangers! Long time, no talk. I have been MIA from the blogging world and well, from reality in general for the past two weeks. Want to know what's going on with me right now? 

Let me go back to last Friday, January 6th and start there.

Shane came home from work and we were both extremely exhausted from our busy weeks at work. Shane had been fighting off some sinus congestion all week and said he was really worn out from that. He claimed to have a little bit of a sore throat, so I threatened that if it got any worse, we'd be making a trip to the doctor soon. (FYI, Shane does NOT go to the doctor.) 

Saturday morning, he woke up with a severe sore throat, so off to the urgent care we went. The doctor diagnosed him with Strep Throat (the test was negative, but that happens) and sent him home with an antibiotic and steroids. The next 24 hours completely spiraled downhill from there and Shane got gradually worse. 

Sunday afternoon, I rushed him to the ER because he was having a ton of trouble breathing.

When we arrived at the ER, they immediately began pumping steroids in him to reduce the swelling and gave him a breathing treatment to help calm him. He seemed to be doing great after that and they planned to admit him for the night for observation. Apparently, this was only a temporary fix, because shortly after that, he began having trouble breathing again and it got 10 times worse. It was literally the scariest hour of my life. The doctors were trying to do everything they could to help him breathe but nothing was working and he was fighting for air. An entire OR team and ENT specialist were called in and he was wheeled away in to the operating room. He had to be intubated and put on a ventilator to control the breathing. 

The next three days, Shane was in ICU and breathing on a machine. Looking back now, those days were a blur to me, because I went on about 3 hours sleep and was there around the clock. Finally, Wednesday afternoon, he was taken off of the ventilator and the breathing tube was removed. They kept him in the hospital for the next 2 days as he was recovering and continuing to receive a ton of antibiotics.

Friday, the doctors said Shane was on the path to feeling normal again and he was released from the hospital. He felt pretty good Friday night, having his own couch to relax on and the steroids he'd been on had him feeling a ton of energy.

Then came this past Saturday morning and the deja vu began to sink in. Shane woke up with a severe rash all over his body and we rushed to the urgent care afraid he was having an allergic reaction to his meds. Which he was. An hour later we were home again, with new meds, and attempting to relax again. About 3pm, all hell broke loose and Shane began struggling to breathe again. Frustrated and scared, we both went to the ER and the ENT met us there right away. The infection was still fighting its way inside Shane's body, and this time the doctor didn't want to take any chances. He was taken to surgery and an hour and a half later, he had a tracheotomy tube in his neck helping him breathe. 

Shane has remained in the hospital since Saturday and after a day of being fully depressed and frustrated, he's learned to talk, eat, sleep, and breathe (almost normally) with the trach in. This time, the tube will be left in until he has fully recovered and all signs of the infection are GONE.

What this could mean: Shane could have the tube in for days or even weeks. He will go home with it, and a lot of care will have to be paid attention to it. Not going to lie, the first time the nurses explained this to me, I was so overwhelmed I cried. No, bawled. More because I'm scared. I'm so scared to have the responsibility of dealing with something that affects his breathing, That is a direct exposure to his lungs. Last night, I went home and completely sterilized our house and sent our cat to my dads in preparation for when he does get to come home. I am scared to be alone with Shane because I would literally die if something happened to him, especially after all he's been through.

After calming down, I did a lot of reading, research, and practice on taking care of his tube last night. I'm still a little nervous, but I know I'll be able to manage taking care of him once he comes home. My poor husband has had the roughest week of his life, and I am just so ready for him to be home and feeling back to normal, but I know we have a little while until that happens.

Pretty crazy start to our year huh? And after only 4 1/2 months of marriage, we've had to deal with some pretty scary stuff. I'm exhausted beyond means, and I know Shane is even more tired of this than anyone. 

One thing I know for sure, I love that man more than life itself and I'd do anything and everything for him. Seeing him suffer has been the hardest part of this and I am relieved he is finally on the road to recovery and will feeling great hopefully before long!

time for a brain dump

After not blogging alot recently, I think it's about that time for one of my random brain dumps to catch you all up.

1. I have officially made my New Years resolutions. Call me one of the millions who swears she's sticking to it this time, but no really! My main resolution is to lose weight and stick to it. Not lose weight for a month, then slack off for a month (which I am notorious for.) I've officially joined Weight Watchers and am holding myself accountable. I want to feel good in my clothes and i'm not stopping until I do.

2. My second resolution is to focus more on my career. A lot has happened at my job in the past month that has left me with some uneasy feelings. Don't get me wrong, i'm thankful everyday that I have a job and because of that, I can go to work each day and smile. But a lot of things, and I mean a lot, have caused me to feel that it's time to move on and look at other options out there. I want to focus on working on my skills and weighing all of my options this year. Only God knows where i'll end up, but I really want to make this a priority in my life right now.

3. I gave Shane an Xbox/kinect bundle for Christmas and I have to admit that i'm enjoying it about as much as he is these days. We bought a workout game for the kinect and it's really awesome. It's almost like having a personal trainer in our living room. I have found myself working up quite a sweat to some of the workouts it provides...and the best part, it does it in small intervals so the workout doesn't feel "overwhelming". JUST what I need right now to get me back in the swing of getting my butt in to shape. I'm also loving that I can do this from home since our gym is beyond crowded with people just like me right now!

4. Shane and I have a new guilty pleasure.... Friday Night Lights. Thanks to the suggestions of my old roomie, we're now completely addicted. We're almost through season 1 and we find it harder and harder to turn off the episodes at night. We were up until almost 1am watching them last night.

5. My mom and stepdad found out the most amazing news recently. My stepdad landed a GREAT job in Florence, SC and my parents are moving there the end of this month. My mom (and majority of my family) are from Florence and my mom is beyond thrilled to be moving back closer to friends and family. Since my mom's brain hemorrhage last year, she has had a lot of health problems. Being near friends and family is just what she needs on her rough days! I'm so happy for them!!!

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. We have a dirty house, lots of laundry, and other chores that need to be done, but I can't wait to spend the weekend relaxing and catching up! Happy Friday Bloggies!

The New Year

Every year, we build up such anticipation for the holidays and before you know it, they have come and gone and you're left reminiscing about what happened and what the new year will bring.

I feel like my entire year has been like that. 

2011 was a year that had a lot of anticipation. 

When I think back to my most memorable years, this past year has to top them all. Some of the events that happened were milestones in my life that i've been anticipating since I was a little child.

No need to go in to details reflecting back on the amazing year I had, after all, this blog has done just that for me! I began this blog back in February of this year, and it really has provided me with so many amazing opportunities.

So now, 2011 has come and gone. 

SO many things happened to squeeze in to one little year, but it was one hell of a ride. 

My life changed (for the better) this past year, so I have some pretty high hopes for the years ahead. 

Only God knows what 2012 and the years to come will bring, but i'm happy to be in this new chapter of my life and to be spending this road ahead with the love of my life.

Ringing in 2012