So long 2008

I have spent the last few days thinking about 2008 and everything that has happened in my life over the last 12 months. At first all I could think of is how over this year I am and how ready I am for 2009. However the more I started think about it 2008 wasn't such a bad year.

Here is a little recap of things that happened this year.

In January Chris and I went to our first ever Dallas Cowboys Playoff game. I have been to many regular season games but I will tell you there is nothing like the energy of a playoff game. We had great seats an a fantastic time tailgating with our friends. January was also the month that I had surgery to remove the tumors I had growing on my uterus. I remember being so happy because I thought we had finally found the cause of my infertility.

In February we went on a Cruise and celebrated Valentines Day in the Caribbean. Chris surprised me with the gift of a beautiful diamond tennis bracelet. We had an amazing time. I also took a business trip to Omaha in February where it was 5 degrees with a wind chill of -15. Soooooooo cold. Needless to say I will NEVER live in Omaha.

Springtime was back to Fertility treatments. We celebrated 6 years of marriage in March. Several trips to California for work. Traveling with fertility drugs wasn't easy as they have to be kept cold. Since they cost a fortune I refused to put them in my checked baggage. Needless to say security was not a fun place for me.

May was the month that I decided to take up golf. I am so happy that Chris was able to play with me in my first ever golf tournament. I had a fantastic time and immediately became hooked. This is also the month that I joined the Cooper Clinic and met my trainer Joven. We hepoed host the 7th annual Blue Ball Golf tournament and I think it may be our last.

We sold Chris's Moms home in Virgina and took a trip to clear out her house. It was hard to go through all of her things and we came to the realization that she was really gone. After packing everything into a rented Suburban we drove 2 days home to Dallas.

I turned 34 years old in June. It was a great month. I spent a ton of time at the Cooper Clinic and really enjoyed my workout sessions with Joven. Chris and I went to several Dallas Stars Playoff games and had a wonderful time. This was also about the time that I met the ladies of the the "Rockin Ranch Mom's Group". I am so happy that these wonderful women have come into my life. They make me laugh and I always have a great time with the group. A girls trip to Horseshoe Bay with my Grapevine girls was an awesome weekend get away.


Palm Springs is where we spent our 4th of July weekend. Four days of golfing was wonderful. We participated in a Graze Around the Neighborhood event by hosting the dessert portion of the meal at our home. The month was capped off with a GNO to see Kathy Grffin at Nokia theatre. We finally got a chance to golf at the TPC Craig Ranch Course on the 29th. Too bad it was 109 degrees that day.

August was a busy month full of fantastic trips. San Francisco with Tatum, Lance and Shawn was amazing. I never knew I could have so much fun while working. Two weeks later I went to Scottsdale for a work conference combined with some golf. Thanks to Shawn and Jason two good golfers who didn't mind letting a chick who sucks play with them at some of the greatest courses in the Southwest. Spending a week at an amazing resort was just what I needed. The end of the month was spent back in LA at another work conference. However this time I got to hang out with one of my friend Erin Luna and had an awesome time!

August is also the month that I accepted a new job as the Area Director of Sales for the Marriott hotels in Fort Worth and began my daily hour commute. The month ended with Todd Gustafson's famous Speedo and Mojitos weekend to celebrate his 40th birthday.

Disney was the big event in September. I will never forget the trip I took with my family to Orlando. It was truly Magical. Many memories were made that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Chris and I spent a few weekends golfing but the best time we had was playing in Holton's Drive for SIDS.

Easter came early in October as it was all about the eggs. This was the month that we started our IVF rocess and did everything we could to get my ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible. We had an egg harvest at the end of the month and things looked great. Halloween was spent with our Grapevine friends at the Houser's Halloween party.

November was the best and worst month of the year. On the 8th all of our dreams came true when we found out we were finally pregnant. I know that this was one of the happiest moments of my life. I couldn't believe that it was finally our time and we would be proud parents in 2009. Chris and I went on another cruise over Thanksgiving week and on Thanksgiving day our biggest fear came true. We had a miscarriage and spent the remainder of the trip just devastated.

The final months of the year have been just a blur. I have been very busy at work and still dealing with the miscarriage. I am fortunate enough o be surrounded by amazing friends and family. They helped me to stay so busy in December that I haven't had time to be sad and I like it that way.

We are ending the year tonight at the Dallas Stars game. Hockey is something Chris loves and I know he will have a great time at the game.

Wow 2008 was CRAZY. I am worn out just typing about it. Thank you to everyone who has been part of our life this year. We are truly blessed with some of the greatest friends in the world. You have provided us with laughter and love.

My Famous Hubby?

Chris and I spent the day running errands and getting ready to have my family over this week for Christmas. After our 3rd trip to Costco in just 3 days Chris said he was done and asked if we could go home. I said yes but I just need to run by the grocery store so I can make dinner.

He makes me a deal. If I take him home before I go to the grocery store then he will make dinner. Woo Hoo! He says he will make his famous Chili. Famous Chili? If it is so famous then why have I never had it in the 9 years I have been with him? In fact the only Chili I have ever had that Chris made involved corn and mushrooms. It was more or less spaghetti sauce with spice. Oh well. I am tired and he is trying to be helpful so off to Market Street I go.

I get home from the store and Chirs is ready to make his not-famous-to-me Chili. I sit in the living room as he starts dicing, slicing and chopping. Somehow I fall asleep on the sofa only to wake up to a wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen. I think to myself... this famous chili must be pretty damn good because It smells devine. Has my hubby been holding out on me for all these years? Can Chris really cook? Maybe he will be willing to cook more often? Rock On.... I married a chef and I didn't even realize it. A million thoughts were going through my head.

I go to the kitchen to find he even set the table. Chris places a bowl of this yummy smelling goodness in front of me and I compliment him on how fantastic it looks. Then I grab my spoon and take the first bit. HOLY HELL is all I can think. Flames are shooting out of my nose and mouth. This stuff is so spicy that I think I am going to cry. Chris is sitting across from me with a smile on his face just waiting for my reaction. I look up at him, try my best to smile and and say "It's great.... just a little hot for me". He goes on and on about how delicious it is and I just don't have the heart to tell him that my insides are on fire. I add a little sour cream on top to cool it down and get a huge glass of ice water. Then I sat and enjoyed his famous Chili.

In m opinion here are the things that his Chili is famous for:

Famous for burning the taste buds off my tongue
Famous for giving me a stomach ulcer
Famous for what it will do to me in the next 24-hours
Famous for making me realize that my old hubby doesn't have any new tricks
Famous for making Chis feel happy that I liked his famous Chili

If you LOVE hot things then stop by the house I will hook you up with some of this stuff.

Tracy's Favorite Things

I was having an Oprah moment the other day and thought I should share some of my favorite things with you.



Sonicare Tooth Brush - my dental visits have been enjoyable ever since I found this 8years ago - Thank you Vadran!

Glad Press and Seal

Snapware

The Container Store

Lauara Mercier - makeup and skincare

Ugg shoes and boots - winter would suck with out them



Izzie Drinks

Facebook
Cashmere - My life would be so empty with out this fantastic fabric

Spankx - The only reason 1/2 my clothes fit

Tivo/DVR

Dunkin Donuts Coffee - love it but don't like the donuts

Coke Zero - actually taste like real coke

Chapstick - the original. I always have at least 1 tube on me

Blackberry

Primeacare Prenatal Vitamins - I just keep taking them because my nails have never looked so good

Costco - I am sure when I get to heaven there will be a Costco there. Beside where else can you pick up a $20,000 diamond, TV, 30 pack of Toilet paper, a Piano, a 50 lb bag of flour and 24 Bananas all under the same roof?


Cole Haan Shoes - Love the MAN that decided to put Nike Air in a high heel. Praise GOD!

Triscits

Lotion and Bath products by Fresh - It smells Divine and no need to wear perfume when I use this.

Ping Rhapsody Driver - Now I can finally hit a good tee shot

Bean Burritos - Taco Cabana has the best ones

Iced Tea from Sonic

Champagne - I always have a few cold bottles in the fridge. You never know when an occasion will "pop" up



Red velvet Cupcakes from Sprinkles

Nordstrom Rack - I find the greatest deals there

Garlic - on everything

The Shark floor steam cleaner - my tile has never been so clean

wii - Mario cart is sooo much fun

Market Street

Sorry unlike Oprah I don't get these items for free so I don't have any to share.

Got Fox Urine?

That is what Terminex says we will need to chase away the Armadillo under our house.

Chris is going to the McKinney Feed Store today to get some.

Gee..... I thought I moved out of the country when I left Valley Mills, TX. Now I have used the words feed store and Fox urine in one blog. My Grandaddy would be so proud!

Live from Animal Planet

Lately I feel like our home should be a show on Animal Planet.

It all started 2 weeks ago when Chris found a mouse in our garage. We call Terminex the next day and the nice man came out to the house to set traps. (Disclaimer to all who are coming to my house this holiday season..... We have NEVER found one in the house. Just in the garage). A few days later I was getting ready to leave for work and went to the garage only to find dead mice in the traps. YUCK! I made Chris get out of bed and pull my car out of the garage because there was no way I was going anywhere near those things. Need less to say I have refused to park in the garage for the last 2 weeks. I am sure the cold weather this week will force me to face my fears and return Lexie to the warmth of our garage.

Last week I was working from home and was looking out the back window when I witnessed a Hawk swoop down pick some small animal up and carry it away to be enjoyed for lunch. It was so cool that I interrupted the conference call I was on to tell everyone what I just witnessed.

Our house backs up to a farm so every night I listen to horses and donkeys make noise. The donkey has scared the hell out of me ever since my Brother In Law told me the reason it is making noise at night is to scare off the coyotes that we have living in our neighborhood. Thanks Mike! Did you know that the donkey is a natural enemy of coyotes? There really are some coyotes loving in the area around the hood. It doesn't help that we have the creek running behind out house where they get water and food.

So yesterday I am out in the front of our house and I notice a huge mound of dirt in the flower bed. I go to investigate more only to discover a GIANT hole that goes under the foundation of our house. I now know that we have an Armadillo that has burrowed under our house. No worries Terminex is coming on Monday to help us get rid of it.

So there it is your update from Animal Planet. Did I mention that we live in Suburbia? I sware I didn't get this much action when I lived on the family farm. Sad thing is the Terminex guy just gave us hos cell phone number so we can just call him directly now. What else can happen?

37 years of tradition

It took me 15 seconds to screw up a tradition that has lasted 37 years.

Chris has not been doing so well since we found out about the miscarriage last Monday. This combined with the realization that this will be the first Christmas with out his mother has all just come down on him. So to cheer him up I decided to break out all the holiday decorations and get the Miazga house in the holiday spirit.

Chris's Mom went all out for the holidays. There was not an inch of her house that was not decorated. When we went to Virgina this summer to clean out her house we found 63 boxes of Christmas decorations. We couldn't take them all so Chris sorted through them and took the ones that meant the most to him. The most important being the family Nativity set. There is nothing fancy about this set. Just a ceramic set that his Mom hand painted 37 years ago. She had a beautiful Waterford Crystal Nativity set that Chris gave to his sister. He only wanted the one she made.

On Saturday I am unpacking the boxes of decorations when I find the set. I am so excited because I have the perfect place for it. Right on the table in the entry so that Chris can enjoy it every day as he comes and goes from the house. I start to carefully unpack all the little figures. When suddenly I hear a Crash. Look down and there is a Camel in the floor in 100 pieces. Chris comes in the room and I have to tell him what happened. he get a look of frustration on his face and I feel terrible. He says to me "My Mother unpacked every piece of that set 37 times and never once broke a single thing". I apologize and tell him that I can glue it back together. He looks at me like I am crazy and gets the broom. I start to cry and apologize.

As We were driving to a Christmas party last night we were talking and I realized our frustration had nothing to do with the broken Camel. It is more about how broken we feel. Broken that Chris's Mom is gone. Broken that we lost our baby. Our hearts are what is broken. So a few tears were shed and then I said... "Well at least I didn't break baby Jesus". Chris grabbed my hand and smiled and said that is why I love you. Always willing to look at the better side of things.

Moving On

I can't leave bad news up for long.

So to help me get in a better mood I purchased tickets to the Britney Spears concert last night. She will be in Dallas on March 31, 2009. I will be holding a competition amongst my friends to see who gets to be the lucky person to go with me. (Chris refuses to go).

My secret I that I LOVE Britney. Not as much as Justin Timberlake but I still LOVE her. By the way yesterday was Brits 27 Birthday.