Consignment Crazed

It is that time of year in Nashville, TN -- baby consignment sales are all over the place. And while we were initially skeptical about these sales, the amazing deals we've discovered have turned us into huge proponents of consigning!! So while we still have several months before the baby arrives, we have officially begun to prepare for his/her arrival.

Today we hit up three local sales. Each very unique. The first was held in a church gymnasium. When we pulled up there were only a few cars in the parking lot, so we began to doubt the quality of goods we'd find inside... And despite the dimly lit, musty gymnasium we found our best deals/purchases of the day! Plus it was the last day of the sale and nearly everything was 50% off!! Check out what we found:

We found this great Fisher Price swing in
"like new" condition
Purchase Price: $25

This is my awesomely masculine Eddie Bauer diaper bag
Purchase Price: $10

Ashley found this cute, gender-nuetral-ish sling style baby carrier
Purchase Price: $7.50

So our total cost of fun new baby things today was $42.50! Not too shabby!

The second sale we checked out was one that we shopped last Sunday on Day #1 of the sale. It was in a very large empty warehouse and had all sorts of items for sale. The quality of the products at this sale were more hit-or-miss, but Ashley did find some crib bedding that she absolutely loved! However, it was priced at $150 which we felt was a bit high (although it was custom made and very high quality). But after waffling over a decision, we concluded that we'd return on the 50% off day (which was today) and if the bedding was still for sale, we'd snatch it up. Much to our dismay, we later realized while examining a photo of the bedding that it was marked "ND" or "No Discount." This was a very sad moment for Ash! And after much more discussion and debate we chose to return to the sale to see if the bedding was still around. A big part of us hoped it would have been purchased already to help make our decision much simpler... no such luck!! The bedding was still there. But after more consideration we decided to move on and hope for bedding that we both loved as much as Ash loved this set.

The final sale we visited today was more along the lines of with what we are looking for. The items appear to be in great condition. There are more cute brands we like (GAP Baby, Osh Kosh, Pottery Barn, etc). The items are displayed well and the location is moderate in size making it easier to navigate. All that to say, we found several other items we really liked. However, their 50% off sale is Sunday, so we shall be returning after church to browse through what remains and may have some more fun, new baby purchases to share tomorrow!

So stay posted! And until then, we're just the Joneses trying to keep up!

The Great Debate

With Ashley getting back in town Saturday evening, I've had little time to compile a new post. But after an eventful Sunday, there are several exciting updates to share with you!

First, we attended our first children's consignment sale yesterday! It was a teeny bit overwhelming, but helped us realize we need to make a much stronger game plan before attacking a sale like that again. We basically have no idea what the fair price is for many of the items we browsed through yesterday. So our new game plan... go to Target with a list of all the major items we believe we'll need to purchase and take note of the prices for the various items. That way, when we venture into another warehouse full of baby things, we'll have a much better idea of what a crib/car seat/stroller/etc. should cost.

However, we were thrilled to make two great purchases yesterday: super cute maternity jean capris for Ash and our first set of onesies for our little one!! Check out the onesies below:

The second piece of exciting news from yesterday -- we are now engaged in the GREAT DEBATE. What might you ask is this great debate concerning? Well that is a great question. We are currently in a stalemate over determining the gender of our baby!

This is something that we both knew would be an issue, but the battle came to the forefront of conversation yesterday as we perused baby things. Ashley's preference is to wait till the birth to find out the gender. My choice is to go ahead and find out at our 18-20 week ultrasound visit. And at this point, neither one of us is wavering on our stance.

Is there a right or wrong answer? Unfortunately, no. If there was, this would likely be a much easier decision. However, there are certainly Pros and Cons to each. Here's an overview of each argument:

Oliver - Pros and Cons of finding out early

Pros:
1) We get to talk about the baby as he or she instead of it/baby/peanut/tinker/etc.
2) We can buy gender specific clothes/toys/etc.
3) We can prepare for boy or girl vs preparing for both
4) The option is available so why not??

Cons:
1) It ruins the surprise
2) We are going to happy with either a boy or girl, so what's the need to find out early

Ashley - Pros and Cons for being surprised at birth

Pros:
1) It is how Ashley has always envisioned it -- something special about the doctor holding the baby up saying, "It's a boy/girl" and something very special about me (Oliver) going to our family/friends in the waiting room to tell them "It's a boy/girl"
2) It gives extra incentive to push the baby out
3) It will prevent anyone from expressing disappointment with the gender - how can you be disappointed with a precious newborn in your arms?
4) What a fun surprise
5) We will likely choose neutral baby things anyway so we won't have to buy new stuff everytime we have a kid, so knowing boy/girl won't really be that important in prepping for baby

Cons:
1) It will ruin the surprise
2) People will be too inclined to share their opinions on raising a boy/girl

So, as I look over this list I realize that Ashley likely has a much stronger argument... shoot! Well like I said before, there's no right or wrong answer to this debate... I guess that's what makes it such a tough call.

What do you think? Have you had to make this decision before? How did you decide?

Until next time, we're just the Joneses trying to keep up!

Lay Your Life Down

I am flying solo for the next couple days. Ashley is in Athens, GA, for Dietitian's conference with work. I absolutely hate when Ashley is not at home! I miss her so so so so so much!!! And I'm constantly reminded of all the amazing things I love so much about Ash!! The only positive is that it makes her return that much more special!!

Tonight I'm reminded of the prayer my parents taught me as a child: "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord, my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the lord my soul to take." Such simple words, yet such profound meaning!

So what brought this prayer to mind? Well, there are two things that made me think of laying one's life down...

First, with Ashley out of the house, I'm able to catch up on "The Pacific", HBO's miniseries documenting the endeavors of a group of Marines during WWII in the Pacific theater. I finished watching the final two episodes of the miniseries tonight, and I was touched by the vivid reminder of the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform make for us every day! Throughout the miniseries, there have been many examples of one man laying down his life for the other. It's impossible not to see the imagery of Christ's sacrifice for us!! The greatest sacrifice EVER!!

Second, there is a song that Ashley introduced to me that I have quickly come to love -- "Dancing in the Minefields" by Andrew Peterson. There is a line in the song that goes as follows: "Cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down. And I believe it’s an easy price for the life that we have found." What a great reminder to us all that we have been redeemed by a God who loves us enough to send His only son to die for us, that we may live!!!


Check out the video for the song below:

Until next time, we're just the Joneses trying to keep up!

Mission Accomplished

I apologize for the lack of new posts in the last couple days. It was a busy busy weekend.

As I mentioned in the previous post, we headed to Birmingham for the Mercedes Marathon and Samford Step Sing. It was a fun-filled, crazy weekend that flew by way too quickly. Following are some of the highlights:

Friday night we were welcomed with an O'Carr's Chicken Salad & Fruit Plate. I know it sounds a little "lady-like"... Don't hate it till you try it!!

Saturday morning Ashley and I met some great friends for breakfast. Ashley really enjoyed catching up with her dear friend, Courtney Murphy. And I was privileged to break bread with my good buddy Bee Frederick.

Saturday afternoon we spent some great time with Jim & Dina and Kari & Mike. There is no lack of laughter when you get the Reese family together :-)

Finally, after multiple Facebook postings, text messages, and old fashioned phone calls we tracked down a pair of tickets to Step Sing. After much thought, Ashley decided she'd be better off staying home due to the exhaustion she been experiencing during her pregnancy. Soooooo, Mr. Bee Frederick and I reunited once more to partake in the spectacle that is STEP SING!!

The brothers of Pi Kappa Phi brought their A-game to the stage! Unfortunately, they were robbed by the independent male group, Dudes-A-Plenty. Nevertheless, I felt great pride watching my boys rock the Step Sing stage!

Bright and early Sunday morning (5AM) we awoke to prepare for the much anticipated Mercedes Marathon Relay. We arrived in plenty of time to get to our various exchange positions. And to everyone's surprise, each of us ran our legs of the relay faster than we'd anticipated! Woohoo!! Despite all of my pre-race anxieties, I successfully ran the 10K. Now I am definitely feeling it!! Let's just say I am a moving a bit more slowly today.

Here's some pics from the race:

We all decided to cross the Finish Line together:

 

Post race photo op:

Until next time, we're just the Joneses trying to keep up...

BIG WEEKEND!!

Finally, the work week is over!! And what a week it's been. Fortunately we have a fun-filled weekend to look forward to!

That being said... here is a picture from last night:

That's right -- that is Ashley running on snow/ice covered streets!! We have been dedicated to training for the Mercedes Marathon-Relay we are participating in this weekend.

And if you recall, I mentioned that I might have to run a 10K instead of the 5K I was originally planning to run. Well the moment has come and I am as ready as I can be!! I don't expect to set any world records, but I do hope to avoid walking during my piece of the race... we'll see.

So we're headed to Birmingham, AL to see our family and friends. It's gonna be a crazy weekend. Not only is the race on Sunday, but there is also a major event at Samford University (our alma mater).

STEP SING!!!!

It's the greatest event EVER!! I am proud to say that my Pi Kappa Phi brothers and I brought home the Sweepstakes Trophy with this performance: http://vimeo.com/3295317.

Check it out! You will be AMAZED!!

Unfortunately, Ashley and I dropped the ball big-time this year and didn't get tickets. Major bummer! Nevertheless, we are thrilled to get to see friends from college who we have not seen since last year's "Step Sing Reunion."

Hopefully in my next post, I will be able to share that the brothers of Pi Kapp have brought the trophy home again!! And perhaps even that our relay team brought home the gold... keep your fingers crossed!

Until then... we're just the Joneses trying to keep up :)

Happy "Hump" Day

So this morning I woke up feeling great (which is pretty rare). Normally I feel a deep sense of sadness at the sound of my alarm - regardless of how happy sounding the tune is. But for some reason, today I felt magnificant! Not in a sense of, "Wow! I really am excited to get out of bed and tackle the day!" More in a sense of, "Man, I slept great! And I really feel like I can sleep a bit longer. Or at least cuddle for a while with Ash!" And to top it all off -- I was convinced that it was the weekend!!

But to my utter dismay, today is Wednesday...

And I learned a new term for Wednesday when I started my current job -- Hump Day. I was greeted one Wednesday morning with a "Happy Hump Day." Initially I was a bit creeped out by this remark, but then I realized that the "hump" referred to the fact that Wednesday is like the peak of the work week mountain. And that on Thursday I'd be making my descent to the weekend!!

It didn't mean this kind of "hump".

But in bigger news today -- Ashley is 12 weeks pregnant!! That means our little Tinker is about the size of a lime. Ashley is starting to "show," but not quite enough to make photographing her belly worthwhile just yet. She has graduated to the Belly Band. For those who don't know, the Belly Band is this magical elastic band that allows Ashley to leave her pants unbuttoned and/or unzipped without worrying about getting busted for indecent exposure :) At this point she's mostly wearing it for comfort, rather than necessity. But we know that day will come.

**And after a nice big dinner, I'm kinda jealous of her pant's elasticity... so I just unbutton my jeans too (although I look less pregnant and much more redneck/white trash).**

So as I sit here typing, snow is falling outside wreaking HAVOC amongst those on the roads. I am dreading my drive home from work, but know that it is inevitable. Plus, I'd much rather be home with my beautiful bride and our baby than sitting here in my dimly lit cubicle stalling my drive home in an effort to let traffic subside. So... off I go!!

Adios! And HAPPY HUMP DAY!!

Just Another Case of the Mondays

The weekend is over. The Super Bowl has come and gone. The Black Eyed Peas' performance was less than memorable. Christina Aguilera botched the National Anthem. The commercials were hit or miss (more on this later). And we all ate and drank WAY too much!!

Now our bosses expect us to get to work all bright eyed and bushy-tailed. On a Monday morning no less!!

But in the spirit of "Office Space," it's just another case of the Mondays! And to combat that "funk" you're in, I thought what better way to get someone excited on a dreary day in the office, than with amazingly  hilarious Super Bowl commercials!!

So below are my favorites. I hope you enjoy. And perhaps find yourself chuckling a bit at your desk (or wherever you work/study/etc).

#3) Volkswagon - Baby Darth Vader

#2) Bridgestone - Reply All

#1) Doritos - Finger Licker

So what commercials were your favorites??

Eatin' Dirt

Ashley and I are training to run the Mercedes Marathon next weekend!!

Okay, so maybe not the whole marathon... but we are training for the marathon relay. Our team consists of Ashley's dad (12k), sister (10k), sister's friend (5k), Ashley (10k) and me (5k). We've known about the race since Christmas and have been training ever since -- NOT!! (at least not me)

Now that this race is right around the corner, I am starting to realize I am in no shape to take on even a 5k.... whoops! So this past week Ashley and I have been running together.

I have been eating her dirt!

For some reason I think that I can go from months of inactivity to running a 5k with little effort -- I could barely run 1 mile. Not good for someone who has to run 3 (possibly 6 - depending on Kari's knee injury) in little over a week...

Here's Ashley finishing the 2010 San Antonio MARATHON!!

Ashley is a runner!

Oliver is someone who occasionally likes to think he's a runner... So for now, I will remain in Ashley's shadow, eatin her dirt.

At least the view is great!! :)

Preggo Froyo

So Ashley recently made the greatest discovery EVER!! Well, okay... so maybe not "EVER". But it certainly comes in a close 2nd to discovering we were pregnant! (Okay, so still maybe I'm a little too excited about this). Just wait! I have a feeling you will be too (at least if you're expecting). Who knows -- perhaps this could be motivation enough to get that family of yours started too. But I digress.

Back to the AMAZING discovery. Drum roll please......

Sweet Cece's is offering FREE frozen yogurt to pregnant women!!!!! Check out the offer here. And if you haven't tried Sweet Cece's before, you are missing out on life. Find the one nearest you and try it immediately! We'll even let you take Ashley along with you if you're short on cash and need a little extra discount. (Okay, so maybe not. I haven't asked Ashley if she'd be cool with that -- and I'm guessing the answer is no). But seriously, Sweet Cece's is amazing! And even though it's freezing outside and frozen yogurt may sound like a terrible idea -- GO FOR IT!

I mean how can you say NO to this???

Or this???

Or THIS???

The Blessing of Life

So we've fallen into the trap that we most hoped to avoid this time around with blogging -- not blogging!!

This is a problem I (Oliver) have had in the past. I get excited. All sorts of ideas start flowing in my brain. I start thinking of witty one-liners and blog titles. I envision a blog that tons of people will read. And the next thing you know, I've posted two entries and forgotten all about it. I've run out of ideas. This whole writing/blogging thing starts to become way less glamorous than I envisioned.

But this time around, we are going to stick with it and stay on top of our blog. Starting now!

This weekend we were blessed by a family friend who works at the Hope Center. She invited us to come for an ultrasound!! We were so excited! Normally we'd only get one ultrasound of our little bundle of joy, but so far we've had one with a study at Vanderbilt, one at the Hope Center, and we'll get one more at 20 weeks with our midwife!! Three times we'll get to see our baby!!

Here's a little preview :)

And one more :)

The most amazing part of the whole experience this past weekend was that our little "tinker," at only 11 weeks started moving around in the womb! We were able to view it on the screen and it was such a vivid reminder that even at the size of a lime, our baby is an active little person with a heart beat, arms, legs, fingers, toes, eyes, nose,  and more!!

We feel so blessed and cannot wait to see what's in store!