An Icy ICLW

Another snow day!!!! Well, I should say an "ice day." Good ol' Michigan weather gave us another day off of work today. I have posted some pics of our icy madness at the bottom of this post. We lost power through the night and got it back about 10:00 this morning - thank goodness because it was getting really cold in our house. February sure wants to go out with a bang here!

Now onto more important things....HAPPY ICLW! I made so many great connections last month through ICLW and am looking forward to connecting with more incredible women. You all never cease to amaze me!

For those of you who are new here, I will give you a quick break down of our story:
- Started dating in September 2002
- Married December 2006
- Started trying to conceive August 2008
- 1 year of trying naturally
- 3 months of just plain clomid
- 5 IUI's (all BFN's)
- tried naturally in between the IUI cycles
- 1 laparoscopy (removed stage 2 endometriosis from behind my right ovary)

Bottom line is, more than 2 and a half years of trying and we are still not pregnant. My lap was in January and the doctor told us to try naturally for a few months (hoping something magical happens here!) If we are not successful we are looking at starting IVF this spring.

We do not have a baby yet but we are still alive. We are still breathing. We are healthy and happy with so many other things in our lives. Some days it seems as though I am suffocating underneath the infertility blanket but most days I just try to not let it define me (easier said than done, right?)

For now we are just continuing to walk this journey hand in hand. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.
When I was in the car today I heard an old song that really hit a trigger with me. Do any of you remember Des'ree? I have posted some lyrics from her song "You Gotta Be."

Don't ask no questions, it goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
The world keeps on spinning
You can't stop it, if you try to
This time it's danger staring you in the face
Oh oh oh Remember
Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
My oh my hey, hey, hey
You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day

Love will save the day....what a powerful statement. I truly believe this. My Grandpa has been in a nursing home due to a stroke since the beginning of December. Whenever I ask my Grandma how she is holding up with all of this all she ever says to me is: "Sara, I don't have a choice." She is such an amazing woman and I have taken those words to heart with my life. To my husband and I, we don't have a choice. We will just continue to roll with what life brings us, what God gives us. We are following the logical steps, in our opinion. We all may do this differently, but this blog is about the journey my husband and I are on. Feel free to follow and stay awhile and walk with us on this path to who knows what.

My mantra throughout all of this has been to repeat to myself: CALM AND STRONG. Des'ree's lyrics remind me of this. You gotta be tougher than you thought you could, you gotta be stronger than you ever imagined was possible.

Now for some pictures of our hard, crunchy ice and yet again winter wonderland....


It may be hard to see, but we have 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of ice on our trees and power lines. These pics are all from my yard, but our poor neighborhood lost many trees, branches, and power lines. Spring is on the way, right? :)


It is windy too, and when I was standing outside I could
hear all of the ice cracking on the branches.

I got bored this morning without power so I got a little camera crazy! These are a few pictures of my pups today...thought I would share!