About June

June has been a month of huge changes around here. So many changes in fact, that I can't even really keep them straight or remember what order which happened. The best part is - most were good. Great, really. Let's see, where do I start?

Well, I became a Chevy driver...


Yes, I possess better pictures of my new Chevy Equinox...I just can't seem to locate them on my computer at the moment, so I'm pulling my crappy cell phone pic off of facebook! Maybe I'll update this later with a better picture...we'll see.

I can now proudly say that I've marked "buy new car off the lot" off my bucket list. I didn't really figure it would happen this soon, but we took the leap and I'm incredibly happy with our decision. We all have a little more space and I don't have to smell like cat pee every time I sit in it! (Long story...but I'm sure you can put two and two together if necessary.)

More June events:
I shot my first wedding....


It was a small, laid-back event and a great first wedding to get my feet wet with. I can honestly say that even though I had fun and I love wedding pictures, I don't see myself going down this path very frequently in the future. It's a lot of work, and a lot of stress...just like I imagined it would be! But it was exhilarating to step outside my comfort zone and push myself a bit.


Our yard gained a few new aspects this month. Eddie labored several weekends on Julian's new playset.
Here it is not quite finished...we have since finished it and put down tire mulch around it, but I have yet to get any updated photos of it. Unfortunately it's also been 100+ degrees every single day since it was completed, so it has yet to really been utilized to it's fullest. We had some dirt work done to level out an area of our lot that is close to the house and clearly visible from our living room window. I think it's the perfect spot for it! And don't get me started on how much money we've spent on dirt on the last 2 months. You'll see why in a few moments.



Another pretty big addition to the yard just went up this past week too...




It's not quite finished, but the structure is up and done. Can you believe that only took 2 days?! Crazy. Now it just needs concrete, water, electric and probably something else (sorry, not the shop expert here.) Eddie takes trips outside multiple times a day just to look at it. I think he's pretty happy.  We will also be carving out a small corner at the back of the shop for a natural light studio area for me. I'm hoping to get it underway before winter hits so that my photography doesn't have to dry up completely this year like it did last!

Believe it or not, the shop isn't the only other new addition to our home. This week while the shop was being built outside, we had contractors inside as well....finishing the bathroom. Yes, that's right. We will actually have a functioning bathroom very soon! And no, we didn't win the lottery! It's just been a lot of planning and saving and finally utilizing money that was put aside for these things years ago. As you can probably imagine...when Eddie contracted out for a shop to be built, my conditions were clear - bathroom gets DONE NOW. It's been long enough (um, 3.5 years to be exact.)  And while I don't have pictures yet...I will hopefully have some to share soon. Right now we have actual dry wall up, so once that is mudded and sanded, we'll be getting to all the fun stuff. Hopefully just in time for my mother in law's visit in 20 days. We shall see. That is our goal! The last time she was here, the bathroom looked exactly the same as it did last week. It literally hadn't changed in 3 years. At least not significantly.

As for other, more personal changes, June marked the month that we spent a lot of time in Kansas City. I had my second hysteroscopy performed by my new RE/doc. He found and removed more troublesome scar tissue that had reformed after my last procedure and left a rather unsightly catheter in it's place for a week (no fun, I will tell you that) but I'm happy to report that things are looking VERY good and while this sounds like a silly thing to celebrate, I successfully had my first period since 2008! This week marks our fourth trip up in 4 weeks to get another ultrasound and be sure things are still looking good in there, then we'll probably be looking at another minor procedure down the road to check my fallopian tubes as they weren't able to visualize them during my surgery (oftentimes they are blocked by scar tissue too, and we want them open!) So while we are far from 'done' with doctor's visits and the like, at least these trips have been productive and I have a doctor that is willing to actually treat me and fix me! It's hard to be truly optimistic after so many setbacks, but I'm definitely headed that way. It has been incredibly encouraging. Despite my last OB trying to avoid the word altogether, I do have Asherman's Syndrome (and endometriosis caused from that), but it looks to be on the milder side where scar tissue is concerned, and this is a very good thing.

As for Julian, he has been having a pretty great summer so far. We haven't made many trips to the 'official' pool, but our neighbors have a small above-ground pool that he has been enjoying with his friends. We are also looking forward to his 3rd birthday (can you believe it?) and planning for a fun get together for family and friends. Here are a few recent pictures of my little trouble maker (he's acting more and more 'three' every single day.)


















And one little sneak peek of his 3rd birthday photos...



It has been a wild month for sure, and July is looking nearly as hectic with more bathroom construction, a busy personal schedule, Eddie being gone for more training and Julian's birthday/family visits...but once that's all over, maybe I'll just sleep through August. Wouldn't that be nice?