So Eric's firm's 75th anniversary Gala was this past weekend. I think I had more fun getting dressed up than actually going (no dancing really, a little stuffy). We had a good time.. got a little drunk but don't think I made an ass of myself, so overall it was a good night.
Here are a few self portraits of my hair and makeup:
Here is a pic of the boys and girls, just to be reminiscent of prom.
And here are me and my honey looking gorgeous.
The funniest part of the night was when we were getting ready and Eric put on his tuxedo, and he reached in the pocket and pulled out a card with a check for $300- yeah, that was a wedding gift from 3 yrs ago- way to get your tux cleaned you dope, and of course now we can't cash that- that would look horrible. LOL
Monday, June 30, 2008
I feel pretty... oh so pretty
Posted by Carly at 7:03 PM 0 comments
Friday, June 27, 2008
I love Yao-Ming...



Yao-Ming my dog that is, I don't give a fig for Houston basketball.
Yoa-Ming
more often than not called Ming or Mingy... although many times she is called Mingford, 'the string', mingnatious, mingy-journo (French accent), mingstinko, mingferdinand, and more.
(here's a pic of Mingy driving!)
She is my baby for now... and will be my fur baby for always. This dog is seriously the best dog ever. She loves everyone, she's sweet, she lays on your lap, comes and gives you kisses attacks, and really is just the best. She is such a snuggler... even if you are trying to get work done she comes right over to be with you.
We have even sent our Christmas cards out with pictures of her and go to the city's dog festivals (like the Halloween one in the pics below)

About Ming- well we already went by her names... how did she come to be named Yao-Ming you may ask? Well, my husband didn't want a dog... I desperately did. The deal was if we got a dog, he got to name it... and so we had Yao-Ming, the 4 lb schnoodle puppy. I still HATE her name, but its her now. (don't worry- this same deal will not be made with children- in fact, I may let him name all pets in exchange for control over all children's names in the future). Anyway- it bugged me because when we first got her, she loved him more- and he isn't even the one who wanted a dog!

Now he is a complete mush- he loves her just as much as I do. It is funny, if he goes to the supermarket he will come home with a new toy for her (everytime! which really isn't that often since he is not the market goer of the pair of us- but still:) )
Where did Mingy come from? Well unfortunately she was born on April 16th, 2005 on a puppy farm in good old PA... conditions were awful, the owners were fined, and she needed a home. Now she has a family. When she came to us she had an umbilical hernia (basically a hole in her stomach where we could actually stick our finger in and touch her intestines), tapeworm, and many ticks. Now she seems to be healthy as can be minus the occasional ear infection.
What kind of dog is Mingford?- she is a schnoodle.. half poodle, half schnauzer. I personally think she is funny looking because she has eyebrows- but funny looking in the most adorable way.
Mingy's likes and dislikes- she is a bizarre dog who will only eat treats that are human food (chicken, green beans, red peppers) or are pupcorn. Anything else you give her (rawhide, milkbone, greenie) will later be found either hidden in our bed, our couch, Eric's dry cleaning pile, or sometimes under our own legs while sitting on said couch. She also re-hides these things every few days and will walk around with them in her mouth crying because she can't find the perfect spot.
Her favorite toy is some stupid teething ring by Hartz- I think she must have gone through 15 of them (no exaggeration- Eric ordered her a case directly from the company for Xmas one year- as she chews through, we just replace them).

Other favorite toys are anything that she can fetch or swing around her head and play with herself (looking like she may be a little of her rocker- but hey, it pleases her). She goes nuts for squirrels and other small animals (although living in the city has made her used to birds). She really is just the best dog ever.

Sorry- I just wanted to post about her because my sweetie just snuggled up to me this morning. Last week while I was having my early miscarraige, it was like she knew how heartbroken I was and devoted herself to just being there for me... I swear she could sense my pain. Where I went, she followed and just cuddled right on up, always good for a kiss.
So little Minglemans... I LOVE YOU!
Posted by Carly at 11:49 AM 1 comments
Thursday, June 26, 2008
WTF
I have a zit... I am very unhappy about this. Not to sound like a braggart, but I am one of those people who rarely ever had pimples... could sleep with a full face of makeup on and no big deal, in fact i never even wear skin makeup (just do the eyes and lips)
so of course... I have this black tie function to go to in 2 days, and I get a painful monster pimple in the middle of my cheek... And, to make matters worse, I guess I keep touching it because it seems to be growing a ring of red around it. I was so looking forward to getting prettified this weekend- have a gown I love, hair appt, great shoes... and a fucking red target in the middle of my cheek
Why does my life hate me???
Posted by Carly at 7:08 PM 0 comments
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Back under the cloud...
I am having a low day. I suppose it is natural to have days where you are ok, and then days when you are just so down and back under the cloud of depression.
In the past few days a lot of great things have happened to a lot of great people. Eric and I hung out with some coworkers, one was showing off pics of his 2 month old baby girl, another was 5 months pregnant and just popped looking completely adorable with her belly. I opened my email and got 2 things that threw me through a loop- first was the "You're 5 weeks pregnant" email.. immediately unsubscribed to babycenter.com, that sucked to read. Next was pictures from a friend who just had her baby... her daughter was a month early, but is doing great, healthy, and tiny and cute as can be. Fast forward to the Nest- my sanctuary for this ttc journey- there have been a few BFP announcements, which is great.
It makes me hate myself that all this happy stuff is going on, and I am down. I am so happy for people, I don't begrudge them their happiness, I love that great things are going on for people I care about- but after this week, it just burns a little. I guess it is jealousy and grief all rolled into one. I don't like being the unenthusiastic person- and I know I am in a funk... and I feel like as people read this they will think I am a selfish bitch. I am soooo very happy for everyone, I just regret not being happy for myself anymore :(
Posted by Carly at 1:10 PM 0 comments
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Advice for TTC'ers
As I began this journey, a friend of mine (hey Shannon!) would always help people hold off from taking pregnancy tests by posting the following table of HPT accuracy
HPT accuracy DPO (days past ovulation)
10 dpo : 35%
11 dpo : 51%
12 dpo : 62%
13 dpo : 68%
14 dpo : 74%
15 dpo : 80%
16 dpo : 88%
17 dpo : 92%
18 dpo : 99%
I got my Positive tests on 11-13 DPO.. it was great, and early.
Here is my advice- take it or leave it :)
NEVER TEST EARLY-
so what if you can and get results with all these new uber-sensitive pregnancy tests, don't do it!!! If chemical pregnancies are so common and really do occur 50-75% of all conceptions, then spare yourself the grief and knowledge, and wait until you're late.
Easier said then done I am sure- but having gone through this grief, you will never see me typing "should i test, hold me back from the stick, is it too early?" type questions... I would prefer to guard myself against this pain in the future. I personally will be peeing on a stick from now on at around 16 days past ovulation, which is when I would expect my period...
Sorry- it is just one of the lessons I have learned during this miserable week
Posted by Carly at 7:10 PM 0 comments
So... what was the verdict?
I suffered a chemical pregnancy (I should say we suffered since besides the cramping, this devastated both Eric and I)
What is a chemical pregnancy some may ask?
Well I will give you two answers
The 1st answer is provided by the American Pregnancy Association
"Chemical pregnancies may account for 50-75% of all miscarriages. This occurs when a pregnancy is lost shortly after implantation, resulting in bleeding that occurs around the time of her expected period. The woman may not realize that she conceived when she experiences a chemical pregnancy....During the first trimester, the most common cause of miscarriage is chromosomal abnormality - meaning that something is not correct with the baby's chromosomes. Most chromosomal abnormalities are the cause of a faulty egg or sperm cell, or are due to a problem at the time that the zygote went through the division process."
The 2nd answer is provided by ME
Chemical pregnancies are an emotional roller coaster. They are characterized by going from one of the happiest moments of your entire life, to moments of despair and grief where all you do is mourn that happy moment- all in the matter of days. Chemical pregnancies sound like a fake name, like it wasn't even a real pregnancy, you just had the chemicals in your body- yet to the person who experienced it it could not have been more real. Chemical pregnancies are getting your hopes up just to be crushed, one of life's cruelest teases. Chemical pregnancies suck. When grieving your chemical pregnancy and being told how common they are, it does help on some rational level, but the emotional part of you just wants to be like "who the fuck cares if it is common, it is not common for me" Having it be natural, normal, common really is a relief, but it doesn't change the fact that you lost something you never had.
Posted by Carly at 7:02 PM 0 comments
Thursday, June 19, 2008
A brighter tomorrow
I went to meet my husband for dinner tonight. Today was a beautiful day- probably 80-85 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in the sky. As I walked guess what I saw... A Rainbow. There was no moisture, no rain, but I saw a rainbow through a local fountain as I was walking. I feel like it was God telling me it will be ok, it will brighten up, don't worry. There is no explanation for seeing a rainbow on a sunny day... Yes, you cynics will say well duh, it was a fountain, but I walk by there frequently and have never glimpsed one in the 4 years we have lived around here, so I for one am going to choose to believe it was a message for me. To uplift me, comfort me, give me hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Posted by Carly at 9:08 PM 1 comments
