The Dunsieths

LOVE my Family

2011-07-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Mammaw (my grandma) and Charlie (my niece)

My beautiful niece, Charlie

To My Sweet Baby, Ellie Kate

2011-06-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

I dreamed about you last night. You were beautiful. You had baby blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. I held you and you were so soft. You were such a sweet baby. You started to cry and I spoke to you and you looked at me and stopped. My heart aches for you. I wake up. You are no longer in my arms. I look for you and realize it was just another dream. I go to the bathroom and know that you are not coming this month. My heart sinks. Another month, no baby. I TRUST the Lord. He is my all in all. He is my Father and your Father. He knows when you need to come to me. He knows when your brother should come to me. He has our plans written in His Book of Life. I know you are waiting in Heaven for me. Either you or another sweet baby. I am praying for you. I am waiting for you. I am hoping with all my heart that the Lord will send you to me soon. I already love you so much. I can't wait to look in your baby blue eyes and just hold you and talk to you. I know the Lord is loving you and holding you until I am able to. That gives me GREAT comfort. I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart and can't wait for you to come to me.

Mommy

One Stinkin' Pound

2011-05-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

So...after a month of Weight Watchers and exercising, I have lost one stinking pound. A little ridiculous. Wes says I should just keep going and hopefully it will start all coming off now. I sure hope so! This is crazy! I fear to be stuck above 180 forever! Please no! Also, its a little confusing when you're wanting to loose weight and get pregnant...those two don't really go together.... Just be praying, people. Thanks.

My Niece

2011-05-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Finally a pic of my beautiful niece, Charlie Annabelle. :)

Rough Day

2011-05-21T15:09:00.001-07:00

Been very down today. I feel defeated by my weight, my struggles with becoming pregnant, my need of a summer job, etc. This was a wonderful message to listen to today.

http://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/drink-again#

Weighing Me Down

2011-05-18T17:48:00.001-07:00

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've said I was going to loose weight in the past 3 years. I have said it over and over again and yet, I sit here still 185lbs rolling all over. According to my BMI, I am....OBESE! Can you believe that word? I never thought I would associate that word with me. I am to my limit and have finally taken a good step forward. I have joined Weight Watchers. So far, I have not lost anything, but yet again, I have not gained anything either. This is my 2nd week on the program. The HARDEST part for me is getting on that scale after a week of hard work and seeing nothing has changed. Apparently that is called impatience. That is definitely me--impatient. I want things NOW, I don't want to wait a year or two. This will be my biggest challenge in my weight loss journey. I MUST stay focused, MUST not give up, and MUST be determined. I KNOW I can do it! I am starting out a little slow because I have basically been sedentary since I've been married. It amazes me how hard it is to walk a mile now! I know it will not be 1 month, 2 months, or even 7 months. I've just got to stick in there and know that my efforts will eventually pay off. Please join me in prayer about this and I can take all the encouragement that I can get!

Is there anyone out there?

2011-05-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Just curious who actually reads my blog. Sometimes I wonder if its just me writing to the computer. If you read my blog, just comment on this post so I know you're out there! :)

Team Baby Nate

2011-04-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

On May 7th, I am walking along with many others for the March of Babies. The girl I am walking for is a dear, sweet, Godly girl who lost her sweet baby Nate due to complications. You can read about her story HERE. If you find it in your heart to donate or join in this cause, the team page is here: TEAM BABY NATE.

Our Church!

2011-04-11T09:37:00.000-07:00

It feels so good to finally call a church "ours". Wes and I have been visiting around from church to church really ever since we got married! We never felt like the places we visited were where God really wanted us. We've prayed and waited and talked about what kind of church we would like to be a part of. My good friend Kailey has been talking about Highlands--Auburn Campus for years. Her husband, Dru, is the worship leader there. She told me that they were a unique church that had "hub" churches all around and a main church in Birmingham which broadcasted messages every Sunday to all of the "hub" churches. This was so different from my traditional Southern Baptist raising and I was not so sure about it. Finally, this year we went to the "Ignite Marriage Conference" at the main Highlands in Birmingham and we LOVED it! We then started to go to the Highlands--Montgomery Campus. Within only about 1 month, we started the membership class. I didn't want to pressure Wes into anything so when it came time for us to fill our a membership, I just waited. Wes said "We don't have to turn them in today." I looked over and he had already filled his out! He was not wanting to pressure me. So apparently, we both felt like it was exactly where God wanted us to be. We joined the church and will attend the 3rd membership class this Sunday. This is a revolutionary, wonderful church! God's presence is definitely there and I believe he has great things in store for Highlands. We are just glad to call a church "home". So, if you are struggling to find a church that is right for you, just pray and God will show you where he wants you. Also, anyone out there who wants to visit Highlands or you are interested, check out the website: http://churchofthehighlands.com/

Charlie Annabelle-- My Niece!

2011-03-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my sister, Cierra, had her BEAUTIFUL baby girl! She was born at 1:49pm. She was 7.7lbs and 18.3 in. My sister did SUCH a good job! Charlie is a very quiet, smart baby. She caught on to things very quickly! I am SO proud of my sister and such a proud Aunt to Charlie!! Picture to come soon!

AWESOME Marriage Conference

2011-02-28T10:22:00.001-08:00

Wes and I had an AMAZING time at the Church of the Highlands Marriage conference in Birmingham. It was wonderful! We learned SO much about ourselves and each other. I HIGHLY recommend this conference to engaged couples and married couples of all ages. It was life changing! Also, I've been reading a book called "The Total Woman". It is from 1975, but its amazing how the truths in that book still stand today 36 years later. I encourage all women to read that book. It may have a few things that are outdated (such as most women didn't work back then), but overall, the principles are still the same. About 2,000 years ago God used people to write these same principles in the Bible. It's amazing that what worked 2,000 years ago still works today. That's because God made us and formed us to work that way. Anyway, I just feel so blessed! God is so awesome! :)

Coupon Trip 2/23/11

2011-02-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

This was a pretty good coupon trip. My total before tax was $31. My total savings were $102! I was pretty pumped. My total would have been under $20 had I not bought a few items that were not on sale. Overall I got: 6 bags of Green Giant steamers, 2 bottles of Juicy Juice Apple Juice, 4 cans of beans, 4 cans of corn, 4 cans of tomatoes, 5 jars of spaghetti sauce, 2 Marie Callendar lasagnas, 4 cans of Skintimate shave gel (which actually had free disposable razors attached to them), 4 tubes of Colgate toothpaste, Glass Plus cleaner, Vitamins, nail files, DayQuil/NyQuil and the items that were not on sale: bath pouf, bread, Finish dish washing detergent, Ajax dish liquid, Neutrogena bodywash gel, and McCormick garlic salt. The Penny Item for this week was the Publix brand "oreo" cookies. Overall, I am quite proud. We are pretty stocked up on some items now. I'll tell ya what, though, it certainly is a process to coupon! I was in the store for almost 3 hours yesterday wheeling and dealing. I think in the end it is worth it. I mean, hey, I saved $102! Happy Couponing!

Little Project

2011-02-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

My sister, Cierra, is expecting her little bundle of joy, Charlie, on March 9th (if not sooner). I decided to try my luck at making a diaper cake. As it turns out, it wasn't that hard. I actually had a lot of fun making this and I'm thinking about doing it on the side as a hobby. If you'd like me to make you one, let me know :)

January 31st Coupon Trip

2011-02-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

I held off a while on this trip because I knew my total would not be NEAR what it was last week. I won't even post this pic this week! I just didn't have any good coupons for overage. Bummer. BUT I still did OK. I spent $31 and saved $65. I got: 2 packs of diapers (for a diaper cake I am making for my sister), 4 packs of 8 Juicy Juice, 4 V8 Splash, 4 cans of Campbells Chunky Soup, 2 14lb jugs of cat litter (I may go back for more today!), 2 Marie Callendar's meals, 2 tubes of toothpaste, and 2 bags of coffee. Not bad...but the total was not like last week! Better luck this week! It's all part of the learning process! Be sure to check iHeartPublix and AddictedToSavings for the new Publix ad this week! There are also new Adv. Buy Flyers with matchups on iHeartPublix. Don't forget to get your flyers!

My First Solo Coupon Trip!

2011-01-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of my first solo couponing trip! All the hard work paid off! My total before tax was $7. 92 and after tax was $12.36! My total savings were $84.71 ! Mostly everything on here was B1G1. Iheartpublix.com is an awesome site that breaks the sales down every week and matches your coupons with the in-store sales. My moneymakers on this trip were the vitamins and the DayQuil packets. The trick to lowering your total is using high value coupons with existing sales to get overage that goes towards your total. AddictedToSaving.com is a good site that breaks the sales down and talks about overage. I am just so pumped about these savings and can't wait to beat them! :)

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons

2011-01-15T14:59:00.001-08:00

My new hobby! For a while I was pretty skeptical about couponing. I guess it comes about with a negative connotation for some reason. I used to think it was something desperate people did or those without a life. Haha! Boy, was I wrong! It started off with me Facebook snooping on one of my friends' photo albums entitled "Spending Frugally to Live Freely". I saw she was getting stuff that should be $120 for only about $8. This definitely sparked my interest! I began to ask her questions about it all. It still seemed so far fetched to me. A few weekends ago, I was spending the night with my best friend Angela in Birmingham. We landed our channel surfing on TLC (my favorite) and an Extreme Couponing show was on! We stayed up late watching these ladies (and one gentleman) score the biggest deals we've ever seen! These people were buying $2,000 worth of stuff and only paying around $100 OR LESS! It was insane! Now, granted, some of these people have probably taken it a little to far, BUT it really struck a cord in me! I got up with the friend on Facebook and she actually took me shopping with her. I observed her moves as one might observe a sensei. She is a genius at these deals! She taught me all kinds of stuff about combining manufacturer coupons with store coupons and sales. She ended up walking out with $75 worth of stuff and only paying $4! I was inspired! I ended up walking out with about $32 worth of stuff and paying $13. Not bad for my first trip--I don't have any items stocked up yet so I was in dire need of some essentials. This is not worthy of a Facebook album yet, but I thought I'd include a pic of my first trip at least on here:I can't wait for my next shopping deal! I'm sick right now, so I am waiting until I'm well enough to go again. Here are a few tips if you want to get on this coupon wagon: 1. Buy at least 2 papers every Sunday--the ones with the best coupons...in my area this is the Birmingham paper...it has better deals than Montgomery usually. Also, keep your eyes out for "blinkies", "tearpads", "hangtags", and other coupons hiding about. 2. Stash your coupons in a way that is best for you...I said I would not have a coupon binder but that ended up to be the best organizational way for my perfectionist mind. 3.Pick up on the coupon lingo! Look up sites to introduce you into this crazy world of couponing! Couponing101, KrazyCouponLady, or any other good intro to couponing sites you find in Google. 4. Pick a store! Don't overwhelm yourself with a million stores and a million deals! My Facebook friend said choose Publix. They double coupons and allow overage. 5. Follow blogs and sites that match sales with your coupons! They do it for you! IheartPublix.com is an awesome one for Publix! The tab at the top titled "Weekly Ads" is what matches coupons with store ads for the week. The tab that is titled "Adv. Buy Flyers" matches store sales, manufacturer coupons, and Publix coupons. Most Publix's give out these flyers every month. There is no limit on how many you can get although some stores are stingy and you have to keep going back. My Publix calls these the "green and yellow flyer" and they are kept behind the customer service counter... some Publix's stack them out in the front of the store free for the taking. 6. Brush up on your math skills! :) Figure out how the coupons and store sales work. For example if Chicken Viola is BOGO (buy one get one free) and is regularly $6, then technically you are getting them each for $3. If you have two $3 coupons for Viola then you get the 2 for free! Do the math! Many of the blogs break these things down for you and many stores have coupon polices that can explain things for you. AddictedtoSaving.com is also a good blog. (Scroll down and to the right there are Categories of different stores. Click on a store for their breakdown.) That is mostly all I have learned so far. I will keep you updated on my journey! Let me know if you have any questions! I can at least try to direct you to the right path! :)

Goodbye Precious

2011-01-08T15:42:00.001-08:00

My best friend and best cat, Precious, was hit by a car this morning. Apparently, the uncaring person who hit him kept going. My sweet neighbors saw him and brought him to us. I had to bury my sweet cat of only 4 years today. He was with me through thick and thin and was at times my only true friend. We were inseparable ever since his mother birthed him in my bed (yeh, it was a little gross). He will be greatly missed. I would like to think he is now in heaven where he should be. He was my sweet angel sent from heaven. Some people may think its silly to love a cat that much, but I believe God sends angels in the form of animals sometimes and Precious was my angel.

Precious
9/3/2006-1/8/2011

CRUISE WAS AWESOME!

2010-12-06T17:41:00.001-08:00

Pics are on Facebook. The cruise was great! So relaxing! We met some neat people who became new friends, relaxed, saw Mayan ruins, snorkeled in Cozumel, and got a glimpse of life in Mexico. I would DEFINITELY do a cruise again! Can't wait for our next one! ;)

We Booked a Cruise!

2010-08-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

We have been wanting to go on a cruise for a while! Now that we have both been blessed with jobs, we were able to afford it this year! We are going on a Carnival cruise to Cozumel and Progresso Mexico to celebrate our 2 year anniversary this year! Wes has been on a cruise with his family before, but this will be my first cruise. We are SO excited! We can barely wait! We just hope the hurricane season goes away before our cruise! We will be leaving out of Mobile on the 20th of November and coming back on the 25th (Thanksgiving morning). We can't stop thinking about our trip and I've had to stop Wes several times from starting to pack! God has blessed us SOOO much this year and He is continuing to bless us! Praise God! :)

WES GOT A JOB!!

2010-08-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

After MANY MANY prayers and many heartbreaks, Wes has finally got a job! He is a 7th grade history teacher and football and baseball coach at Prattville Jr. High! PRAISE GOD!!! I had a feeling that God had something up his sleeve. It was stressful and hard, but we put our trust in Him who is able! God truly provides! This is exactly where Wes wanted to be and we could not be happier! Thank you all so much for the thoughts and prayers! This is an example of how God always provides for those who love Him! :)

I GOT A JOB!

2010-06-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to say that I am officially a teacher! I am now a 6th grade Bible and Science teacher at Prattville Christian Academy! I am super excited and a little freaked out! I know it will be a great year and it will go awesome though! I felt good about PCA from the time that I was filling out the application. They are a wonderful Christian school and I am so excited to be there! I think it will be a fantastic year!

I have a completely blank slate of a classroom and my mind is running 90 to nothing thinking about what all I can do in there! Of course I will be doing...ZeBrA! That is just my favorite so I have to. I am just so excited. I really feel like this is where God wants me and that is a great feeling.

Please continue to pray for Wes. He is still job searching! Let us know of anything! (Teaching jobs, state jobs, etc.) Thanks for reading!

MY GRADUATION!!

2010-05-16T14:26:00.001-07:00

I GRADUATED!!
I can't believe I have graduated college! I ended up graduating Magna Cum Laude! I was SO excited! Honestly, it was a very weird feeling realizing I was finished with my VERY LONG school career. There's a sense of urgency and uncertainty. I feel like I've got to hurry and get hired somewhere or something like that. Right now, the education system is NOT looking that great! It is very scary and very discouraging. Please pray for me as I now enter the "real world". Wes and I have also started talking about the future of our family ;) Perhaps we will extend it soon! That is very exciting! Please pray for us. Also please pray for Wes to get a new, great job this coming year! It's a scary time, but we are trusting in God and we know he has the best plans for us! Thanks for reading!

New Eras

2010-05-14T15:14:00.001-07:00

Ang's Graduation
I am so proud of my best friend, Angela Grecu! She graduated from UAB this past Saturday! I can't believe we are growing up! We've been best friends since 5th grade and its been so neat to watch each other grow up! I am so proud of her and wish her the best! I know she will do awesome in any career she finds! Her degree was in Marketing and she will be so great at that!

6th Grade Internship
I had an AMAZING experience with my 6th grade internship. I had an absolutely awesome mentor teacher, Earnie Wade. She was just incredible! I got so close with the 6th graders and had so much fun! I never knew how I would be with that age (other than subbing with them) but I really enjoyed it! I made an amazing friend in Earnie and I learned SOOO much! I am so thankful for this experience and it was the perfect way to end my college career.

6th Grade and Update

2010-03-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

This week was my first week interning in 6th grade. So far I love it! The kids know exactly what to do and really work hard. Of course there is some attitude and drama, but I'm actually enjoying it. I really miss my 2nd graders because they were so sweet and loving, but...I'm realizing that I may be meant to be an older grade teacher. We shall see...it is only my 1st week...

Today is our housewarming gift card shower. I'm excited for my friends and family to come by and see our new house! I love having people over! We've already gotten the outside of the house ready, but there is still lots to clean inside...before 12....

My Mammaw has been in the hospital this week. It has been really hard seeing her there. She went in with chest pains. They found that her heart rhythm and blood pressure was fluctuating way too much. They got her stabilized and did several tests. God has really taken care of her this week. They found that she has NO blockages and NO new damage. This was awesome news! She has to start taking aspirin and a new pill to regulate her heart rhythm now. They are going to keep her in the hospital until tomorrow to make sure the new pill does ok with her. Please just continue to pray for her. She means the WORLD to me. It is so hard to see her weak and feeling bad in the hospital. I just pray she's back on her feet and feeling like herself again tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers!

MY WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY!

2010-03-06T09:35:00.001-08:00

To start the day off, my wonderful husband had these surprises waiting on me! :) Roses, a card, and wonderful omelets from IHOP! (IHOP is a tradition of ours on my birthday that started when we were first dating).

After my lovely breakfast, I went to school. I gave out a few tests and just started to feel awful...the kids and Mrs. Matthews surprised me with cupcakes and cards at snack! Mrs. Matthews saw I wasn't feeling well at all so she sent me home. I went to Primed and stayed in there for 2 hours! After several Xrays, tests, and a shot in the butt, I found out I have a sinus infection. I came home and took a long nap...

Wes woke me up from my nap and told me to get ready because we had reservations at the Catfish House at 7:00. I wasn't sure if I would make it...I asked him if we could do it another time and he said..."No...um...your surprise is there..." So I got up and got in the shower. When we got there, the waiter took us to a back room where I thought it would just be me and Wes...to my great surprise, my in-laws, Emily and Terry, and Angela were there! I was so excited!

My bestest friend Ang drove all the way from Birmingham! :)

I told Wes all I really wanted for my birthday was a zebra cake...He did good! :)

Thanks to my wonderful husband, friends, and family for making my day so, very special! :)

OUR HOUSE!!

2010-02-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

I am super pumped to say that...we are closing on OUR first house on Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) This was totally NOT what we expected to happen, but God has blessed us far beyond what we would have imagined! We were trying to keep it a secret until we knew for sure, but now we know for sure! Everything went through and we are closing Wednesday!! My in-laws have been INCREDIBLE! They have worked their southern cans off helping us paint and clean and everything else under the sun! :) Our families have both been so generous and so helpful! We are SO thankful!! :) I am just so blessed and thankful. Please keep us in your prayers! :)

Ephesians 3:20

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

Deuteronomy 7:13

"He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land--your grain, new wine and oil--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you."

Bless-to honor in worship; to offer approval or encouragement.

Faculty Follies

2010-02-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

Internship is going AWESOME! I LOVE W.E.S and I LOVE my class and awesome teacher, Carol Matthews! The school is great and I couldn't ask for a better cooperating teacher! I am very blessed!

Every year, W.E.S puts on a show called "Faculty Follies". Teachers get into groups and come up with skits to songs. The teachers asked if we interns would do a skit. We decided to be good sports and participate. We dressed as the California Raisins and danced to "Heard It Through the Grapevine." The other teachers' acts blew us out of the water, but, hey, we tried! It was a lot of fun. I was the lead singer and the other girls were my backup singers. It was cute.

I'm loving this half of my internship so much that it makes me sad to even think of it ending in 4 weeks! :( I want to stay there forever!

Internship!

2010-01-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I am LOVING my internship so far! W.E.S is an awesome school and I have an awesome cooperating teacher and an awesome group of 2nd graders! Everyone is so sweet! It's great to finally be in the classroom. I truly feel like this is my calling. My teacher trusts me enough that I am starting to teach some next week. :) She and I get along great and I am just so blessed to have her as my cooperating teacher. The kids are so great and very sweet. I am just happy that my fears did not come true. More to come later...

EW...

2010-01-07T18:58:00.001-08:00

Well...apparently I am allergic to Loratab...I have been feeling AWFUL since Tuesday and it wasn't my teeth. I felt insanely dizzy, nauseous, and had a pounding headache...I will spare you all the gruesome details. Today I felt the worst that I have ever felt in my entire life, I am sure of it. I drove to AUM on a wing and a prayer to the last intern meeting this month. My head was pounding so hard that I could barely keep my eyes open. I was basically driving with one eye open. I was also extremely nauseous and dizzy. We are not allowed to miss an intern meeting or our grade will drop one letter grade...so needless to say, I was making it no matter what. I arrived at AUM in a daze. All through the meeting the room was spinning. After our first meeting, we went to Goodwyn hall for our second meeting. I propped my head up and snoozed for most of the meeting. This is SO UNLIKE me because I am usually a very alert, "A" student! I knew something had to be terribly wrong and I almost drove myself to the ER. I decided to call the doctor who removed my wisdom teeth Monday. He said that I was apparently having a reaction to the Loratab! He said to immediately stop taking it, eat, take Benadryl, and sleep it off for the rest of the day. I followed doctor's orders and slept for most of the day. I still have a headache and I'm still a little nauseous and dizzy, but it is NOTHING like it was. I am PRAYING that this all gets out of my system so I can be on my toes for internship! This is so unlike me to be this unproductive. :( I hope to feel at least 90% better tomorrow. Please pray for me to make a speedy recovery so that I can be in tip top shape for internship! I hope this may help people to be more aware that some meds that are supposed to be good for you can really make you sick! God Bless.

Loosing My Wisdom...

2010-01-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally bit the bullet and had my wisdom teeth removed yesterday! What a ride! LOL. I was so nervous and scared! It was the first "surgery" I have ever had. I kept telling Wes "Now, if I die please take care of our animals...my family...etc." Well it really wasn't that bad. I didn't die...hence this blog...(Thank you, Wes for praying with me before everything! It really helped me to calm down! God was definitely holding my hand through the whole surgery.) Anesthesia is some cool stuff. Once they finally hooked the IV up (my veins were small because I was cold), they started shoving stuff on me and covering me up and shoving stuff in my mouth. The nurse looked down at me and said you'll be getting real sleepy in the next few minutes...I was thinking "Yeah, right! I'm still awake!" Well, the next thing I knew, they were taking everything off of me and I had gauze shoved all in my mouth. They said, "Ok! It's all done! Let's take you to your car!" I couldn't believe it was over. Wes was waiting in the car and I looked real stupid with all that gauze in my mouth when I smiled at seeing him. On the way home, he stopped and got my meds and to my surprise, I was not delirious at all. I wasn't even that sleepy. Wes came back with my meds and a cute puppy stuffed animal (I am a child, because this really thrilled me). When I got home, I took my antibiotic and Loratab and was off to dream land with my stuffed puppy and real puppy (my chihuahua) at my sides. I mainly watched movies (kiddie movies) and slept. The pain didn't really hit me until this morning at 6am. The right side is swollen and achy because the bottom tooth had to be chopped up unlike the others that were easily pulled. I am very thankful that all went well. I just pray for a very fast recovery because tomorrow is my first intern seminar at AUM, Thursday I meet my intern teacher, and Monday, internship starts! Please pray for a speedy recovery! Thanks for reading (sorry if it sounds silly because I'm kind of medicated) and thanks for the prayers!

It's A New Year...Hello 2010

2010-01-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Well I CANNOT believe it's already a new year! This year has flown by. I'm really hoping that this year is better than last year. Last year was not bad, but it was tough. I'm SUPER excited to be graduating this year!!! That is definitely something to look forward to. I also PRAY that Wes and I can get a great job this year! And REALLY pray we can buy a house. We shall see... I'm just really hoping this is a very blessed year. We sure need it.

I have decided to not make any "New Year's Resolutions" but just to make some general goals for myself. I'm always very timid to make goals at this time of the year because I want them to be sincere and not just conformity. SO, with that said, my GOALS in general are to 1. Loose weight 2. Get in shape 3. Save money 4. Become more active 5. Become an overall better person.

I did achieve one resolution last year and that was to read more. I read 10 books last year. I am hoping to exceed that number this year.

I hope everyone had a great New Year and I hope this year brings you many blessings!

Jeff Dunham

2009-12-28T11:30:00.001-08:00

As part of my Christmas, Wes gave me tickets to see Jeff Dunham in Birmingham for the day after Christmas. I was pumped! For those of you who don't know, Jeff is a ventriloquist. When I was first introduced to his comedy bit, I was a little unsure, but...after a while, he really grows on you! He's HILARIOUS and very talented. I was a little nervous about the live show, because I heard rumors that he wasn't as good live as he was on his DVDs...the rumors were wrong.

We began by stopping of at the in-law's house to drop off our "child", Pistol Pete. We then went to Olive Garden and had a wonderful meal for FREE because of the wonderful gift cards we got for Christmas. After we ate, we traveled to the BJCC for the show. We had great seats, in my opinion. They were squishy (lol) and they were direct so that we didn't have to turn our heads to see the show. The show began with "Guitar Guy" who is kind of like Jeff's human sidekick. He was awesome on the guitar and had some hilarious songs, even one about us being free in 2012 from Oprah, Obama, and hopefully The View. It was hilarious. We also learned that "Guitar Guy's" son is the lead guitarist in "Avenge Sevenfold". After "Guitar Guy's" bit, there was a 15 minute intermission. Finally after the intermission, Jeff came on! He did about a 10 minute bit of his own before bringing our his first puppet, Walter, the grumpy old man. Most all of Walter's material was new and it was great! After Walter was Achmed the Dead Terrorist and after Achmed was my favorite, Peanut! Then there was Jalapeno on a Steek which he does while also doing Peanut. After Peanut and Jalapeno's bit, Peanut talked a little more and then Jeff ended the show and ran off stage. People began leaving, but then Jeff ran back on stage! He said "Hold on! I haven't done this guy in a while, but I figured it was appropriate, so here's Bubba J!" Bubba J is his red reck puppet...I guess he figured it was appropriate with him being in Alabama. It was funny because everyone knew Bubba's lines and it freaked Jeff out. He said it was like some weird church service. "Everyone open your bibles to Bubba 2:16". The whole show was awesome and I was sad to see it end! We had a great time and I highly recommend his live show!

Thanks for reading!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T21:28:00.001-08:00

I feel like I have so much to write!!! I will try to break this up into sections...

Christmas Eve: Every year for Wes's side of the family, we go to their Christmas Eve party. We either all meet at his parent's house or his aunt and uncle's house. This year we met at my wonderful in-law's house. All kinds of family came...many of whom I did not know... We ate wonderful food and before I knew it, it was time to help my husband into the Santa outfit. Every year Santa visits the Dunsieth's Christmas Eve party and this year my husband was chosen to be Santa. He was very excited. His mom, his aunt and, I helped him into his get-up. After he was all in costume, he went around the house and came through the front door. All the kids were very excited. "Santa" had a gift for each of them. After all the children came and sat on Santa's lap to get their presents, some of the older cousins jumped in Wes's lap, followed by his dad and his grandmother (who actually tried to straddle him...HAHA!) He then looked at me and said "And how have you been, little girl?" I got up and jumped in his lap and kissed him on the cheek! He asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said "You, Santa!" Some of the people there did not know it was my husband and we got some pretty priceless looks! It's all caught on video, too! HAHA! After "Santa" left we played the Left, Right game. It's kinda like Dirty Santa, but not as mean. It's a very cute game. My mother-in-law read a cute story about the Right Family and we passed the presents according to when she said the word "right" or "left". At the end of the story, whatever gift you had was yours to keep. Wes got a cinnamon diffuser and I got a cool re-usable bag with a Christmas fleece blanket inside. After we played the Left, Right game, all of the extended family left and the more immediate family gave out our secret Santa gifts. (We drew names at Thanksgiving) Rachael got my name and got me the newest Nicholas Sparks book! Ethan got Wes's name and he got him "The Hangover" movie...which is quite hilarious. After we had all exchanged gifts, Wes asked his mom if we could open one of our Christmas gifts. She agreed and Wes opened his American Patriot's Bible and I opened my really cool plastic cake plate/cupcake/petit four holder. We then left for our long trek back to E-town.

Christmas Day: So this year Wes got 1 hour of sleep...HAHA! He was TOO excited to sleep! We went to bed at about 1:30am and Wes woke up and tried to get me up at 2:30am...TRIED being the key word. It was to no avail. I finally agreed to roll myself out of the warm bed at about 5:30am. When I came out into the living room, I found that Wes had already gone through his stocking...HAHA! We took turns back and forth opening presents from each other. Wes got a Burger King Kid's Toy (a joke from me), Magellan coffee mugs and thermos, a reversible belt, black dress shoes, a wind suit, Twilight the movie, Tiger Woods PGA Tour (yeh...I know...), a baseball glove, candy, and a card. Wes gave me Wii Fit! (which was a total surprise because he kept telling me he couldn't get me one), a Cool Pix touch screen camera, Breaking Dawn (the last Twilight book), an Edward bookmark, a Starbucks card, two shirts, a cami, a scarf, Up the movie, my favorite Russell Stover chocolate covered marshmallow Santas, a memory card for my camera, and a card. After I was done opening my gifts, Wes said to look in the tree. There was an envelope with "To:Nikki From: SANTA" written on it. He told me to open it. To my surprise it was two tickets to Jeff Dunham the NEXT day! I was so pumped about all my awesome gifts! After we opened our presents, my dad and grandmother came down. We exchanged gifts with them. My dad got us a DVD player and Mammaw gave us money and candy. We gave my dad a Columbia jacket which actually surprised him! (Usually I give away his presents too easily because he can read me like a book!) We gave Mammaw a Burt's Bees nail set and my dad gave her a Snuggie! After my dad and grandmother left, Wes and I made the trek back to Weogufka for the annual Christmas Breakfast at Sunshine's (Wes's gma). We had yummy waffles, bacon, biscuits, gravy, and eggs. It was great! After we ate and sat around and talked for a while, Wes and I went to his parent's house to open our gifts from them. Wes got a leather jacket, three nice button-up shirts, gift cards to restaurants, WalMart giftcard, JC Penny gift card, Columbia jacket, small flashlight, and candy. I got a COACH purse!!!!, a cute teacher bag, a zebra jewelry holder, "D" coasters, a CUTE apron with an "N" on it, a black and leopard poncho, a WalMart gift card, and Twizzlers! I was WAY TOO spoiled this Christmas! I must have been a REALLY GOOD girl this year! Not only was I spoiled by gifts, but by family who love me very much! I was just overflowing with blessings! After we left the Dunsieth's we came home and took a nap! After our nap, we went up to my grandmother's and ate lunch. We had a great time sitting around talking and visiting with my family. Wes fell asleep after a while...it seems to be tradition for him, lol and we went home to take another nap. After napping some, we got up and played the Wii Fit for a few hours. It is SO fun!!!

Ok, so in a nutshell, I had an AWESOME Christmas!! The reason for the season is God's gifts to us. I think some people get too wrapped up in how gifts are not the reason...but if you think about it, I feel like it's a good representation. God GAVE and we RECEIVED. I LOVE giving gifts at Christmas! Just as God GAVE Christ to us. I also don't mind receiving gifts. Just as God wants us to RECEIVE Christ into our lives and our hearts. I am beyond blessed and so happy for such a WONDERFUL, big family!

A Little Innocent Fun...

2009-12-16T21:26:00.000-08:00

Just to elaborate on my Twilight obsession............. ;)

PC Beach Trip

2009-12-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we went to Panama City with my best friend, Angela, and her boyfriend, Tim. We had sooo much fun! Even though it rained half the time we were there, we had a blast! We rode on the golf cart to the beach, went out to eat, went shopping, played cards, watched movies, cooked, and just hung out. It was a great time! The only downside was when we were taking pictures out on the beach, Wes lost his wedding ring. :( We looked for HOURS and never found it! That really stunk, but we had a great time overall. It was great to get away and spend some time with great friends! :)

I'm getting so excited about Christmas approaching. :) Under our tree is quite full with presents! I LOVE shopping for others and giving presents at Christmas time! It is my favorite part! This year, we bought a real Christmas tree. It smells so good! I think it was worth it! Here is a pic of our pretty tree. :) I wanted a classy tree this year and not a tacky one like we usually have. LOL.

I am SO excited that this semester is OVER! I will miss the kiddos at the preschool, but I am PSYCHED that this is my last real semester. Next semester is internship at Wetumpka and then it's graduation! Whoo Hoo! I can't believe I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now! So far I have one A. I am hoping that the rest of my grades are As too and it will raise my GPA! :)

I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season!
God Bless!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

2009-12-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

I haven't written since our 1 Year anniversary, so I thought I would today to update everyone. Our little escape to the woods was nice. The weather, on the other hand, was not so nice. We stayed inside more than we had anticipated, but it was still a nice get-away. Hopefully next year we can go on a more romantic adventure. Camping was less romantic than I had hoped...haha! Don't get me wrong, we had a great time...it was just not what we had anticipated. Either way, it was very nice to get away :)

I CANNOT believe Christmas is just around the corner! This year has FLOWN by! Wes and I have been married a YEAR now! Unbelievable! AND once again, it's Christmas time again. We've started a lot of our shopping, decorated some, and wrapped some. I do love this time of year, although it is definitely more of Wes's favorite time. We've talked about getting a real tree this year and may get one this weekend. I love the smell of real trees! We have also ordered Christmas cards! (Something I have never done.) I can't wait to receive them in the mail soon! I love buying for others. I think that is more fun to me than actually receiving. I wish we had millions so I could buy everyone something! :)

Well...the fever has finally hit me...the Twilight fever. I told myself that I would not conform into the hysteria, but it is TOO late! After seeing New Moon this past Sunday, I AM HOOKED! I started the first book, Twilight, Sunday night and finished it last night. I am starting New Moon today! Gosh, these are some awesome books! I was so skeptical, but now I see what all the craze is about! I find myself hoping that there are really vampires out there...haha! SO, my advice is that, if you have not experienced the Twilight saga yourself, then don't knock it! ;)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time preparing for Christmas!
Until next time,
Bella...I mean...Nikki...

Update on Wes and Life

2009-11-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, Wes had a seizure episode back in October. The ER put him on seizure meds and he has been waiting for his appointment. He finally had his appointment on the 11th of this month. To our surprise, the neurologist took Wes off the seizure medication. She said that he did not have a major seizure. She said it was more like tremors. Also, to our surprise, she attributed the disoriented manner to perhaps a heart condition! Wes is a big fella, but he has a VERY low heart rate--about 50. The doctor believes his heart is not pumping out enough blood and therefore, not enough to his brain which can lead to blackouts or being disoriented. So, it looks as if Wes may be going to a cardiologist soon. PLEASE keep him in your prayers. We are just ready to have some concrete answers.

I cannot believe Wes and I have almost been married for a whole YEAR! (the 22nd) We have been through a lot, but he is the perfect man for me. God really knew what he was doing when He put us together. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man as my husband. Well, we HAD planned on going on a cruise for our anniversary, but as you all know, life happens. And when it rains, it pours. All kinds of bills came in at one time, and we are now unable to go. We also looked into going to Savannah, GA, but we felt like it would be too much as well. SO, we have now decided to borrow his parent's camper and go camping at Mt. Cheaha (in pics). HAHA! Honestly, I just want to get away and spend some quality time with my husband. Even if we were in a lean-to, HAHAHAA! (that's an inside joke) I am excited for us to get away from all the stresses we have here and go spend about 5 days in God's beautiful creation together. We'll probably take our chihuahua, Pete, go hiking, build a camp fire, and just spend some great time together. As long as I'm away with him, it will be great! :) Well, I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading!

Our Little Poppyseed

2009-11-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this blog is to be open and honest about married life and life in general. Sometimes that is hard to do. My goal is to show others what "normal" is and maybe what to expect and just see an honest representation of marriage and life. Maybe this blog will help others going through the same things. Every relationship is different and every situation is different. It is also a type of diary for me. With that said, here is our present situation...

I have been feeling "funny" all month long. I have been cramping, nauseous, moody, craving weird stuff, very tired, and having a metallic taste in my mouth. Wes kept saying I was pregnant. I tried to wait and just see, but curiosity got the best of me.

So...I took a pregnancy test Thursday and this is what I saw [left picture]...do you see the very light left line? It was much clearer in person. If that wasn't clear enough, I took another test Friday at about 12:30 am...[right picture]. It clearly says "YES+". Wes and I had so many emotions running through our heads. We were excited, scared, worried, happy, freaking out...you name it. We didn't tell anyone because we wanted to make sure. We looked up the growth chart on the internet and found that I was about 4 weeks pregnant and it was about the size of a poppy seed and looked like the pic up top. The cells were joining together to make a baby. Very exciting. We both put a hand on my stomach and prayed for God's will. Later on Friday, I took another test and it said "NO-". I was very confused. I took another and only really saw one line. We were both very confused. We looked it up and knew that HCG levels could fluctuate so we just prayed. Even though we were NOT trying and were freaking out, we were trusting God to do His will. Yesterday, I found out that I lost it. It was a "chemical pregnancy"...which means a very early miscarriage. Click here to learn more about chemical pregnancies. I was upset, but trying to be strong. As the day continued I became MUCH more emotional. It was so much harder than I thought it would be. Even though I only knew a day that we were pregnant, I loved that little poppy seed with all my heart; we both did. Even though we were NOT trying whatsoever, we are both very heartbroken that our tiny child did not make it. This happens often and I would never had known that I was pregnant if I had not taken a pregnancy test. We are both trusting God and just trying to get through this little sad patch in our lives. It's an odd feeling. Even though we were only "parents" for a day, we feel like something is missing now. Please just say a prayer for us. We will be fine, it's just an odd time for us right now.

Update on Wes

2009-10-17T18:11:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, my husband had a seizure Wednesday. He was at school handing out grades and his hands started shaking. His students told him that he looked very pale. When he felt he was about to pass out, he went to the nurse's office. The nurse tried to hold his hands still, but they would not stop shaking. She called me at 9:30am and told me the situation. I was in my car and on the road at 9:39am to a ONE HOUR journey to his school. I put my flashers on and flew to Autaugaville. On my way, I called my mother-in-law. Wes used to have seizures when he was 17 and they thought he had grown out of them. I asked my mother-in-law how those seizures were. What she described was exactly what the nurse had described. In that moment, I knew he had had a seizure. When I finally arrived to Autaugaville High School, I found Wes lying down on the couch in the nurse's office. His color looked good. The nurse told me that his tremors lasted for about 20 min and he had been fine since. We helped Wes up and tried to walk him to my car. He began to walk very crooked and talk like a drunk man. I ended up bringing my car to the side of the school. Wes got in and was still acting very disoriented. He continued to act disoriented until about 30 min after he got into the car. He did not remember much after he left the nurse's office. This confermed to me that he had a seizure. My brother had seizures when he was younger and would act very disoriented afterwards. I took Wes to the Baptist East ER. There, we sat for 3 hours waiting for results of several tests the nurses took. In the end, all of the tests returned fine, which was great. The Dr. concluded that he had a partial complex seizure and decided to put him on seizure medication. The doctor also made Wes an appointment with a neurologist for November 5th. Wes is adjusting to the medication alright. It just really makes him groggy. Please continue to pray for him. It was all very scary and we are very anxious about the appointment in November. Thank you so much for your sweet comments and prayers!

Unbelievable...

2009-10-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

This is a portion of a thread on a poll about abortion on Facebook. I was APPALLED! This is just the small part where I contributed. It broke my heart! (Read from the bottom up) More on this topic on the next post...

Joseph Oct 6

There is no American race

Ideally we should strive to keep the birth rate at slightly above 2 children per family, because that will keep our population stable, and a stable population doesn't guzzle down resources at an increasing rate (advancing technology should actually help reduce resource consumption in a stable population), and it helps to keep a stable age ratio so we don't end up with a ton of old people like Japan.

A beating heart is also not required for life, sponges don't even have hearts and nobody doubts that they are alive. A fetus also doesn't suddenly become worthy of rights JUST because its heart starts beating. A heart is just something to pump your blood through your body, its not some magical key to being considered alive.

Now if you want to get into what defines a human being (being, being the important part) that might actually get at the heart of this matter, but nobody should doubt that even a zygote is an individual human organism.

Message

Nikki Duck DunsiethOct 6

Did you know that our social security is going down the toilet because we are "choosing" to eliminate our future? I had never thought about it that way until my preacher said that this Sunday. He also said that within the next 50 years, our American race will be outnumbered because we are again "choosing" to eliminate our population. A baby's heart starts beating at 2 weeks. That is life. I don't care who you are, that is life. There is no way to change anyone's mind, but I just thought I'd put that on here for information sake.

Delete

Audrey Oct 6

abortion is the womans choice no matter what..legal or illegal, a woman will still do what she thinks is best for her. Nobody can make those choices for the person. A fetus is not a baby until it breathes no argument to it.

Message

Nikki Duck DunsiethOct 6

A "fetus" is a child!!

Delete

Bill Oct 6

Every parent knows there is no denying the life and consciousness that is within the womb. "Fetus" is only another name for an unborn, living, feeling child.

Message

Joseph Oct 6

I don't think that comparing a fetus to a child is really an honest comparison.

June Oct 6

abortion is wrong it is murder if you ever lost a child you would know i cant imagine a person wanting to go thru that pain on purpose

FALL

2009-10-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it's fall again. I can't believe how time flies! I started off my fall being sick...which is rather normal for me. I tried my hardest to avoid it...I have been taking Airborne everyday. I started off with a sore throat last Friday night and it really went down from there. I only made it to half a class this week and my teacher made me go home. Unfortunately, my insurance did not start until yesterday, so, I waited patiently and finally went to the doctor yesterday. I have felt so awful this week that I just knew I had the flu. It turns out that I just have "a bad chest, nose, and throat infection" (those were my doctor's words). I sort of felt wimpy after that, because I'm not kidding, I have felt HORRIBLE...so no swine flu for me, thank God. Hopefully I'll be back to my normal self by Monday. I hate missing school.

Everyone seems to be very excited about the weather change. I, on the other hand, am not a fan of cold weather. I am a flip-flops, jeans, and t-shirt kind of girl. I do not like closed-toe shoes, socks, jackets, scarves, sweaters, etc. I wish I could just hibernate until spring. I don't know why I am like this. I do like the holidays that cold weather brings, though. I LOVE Halloween! I don't know why, but it is my favorite holiday. LOL. And of course Christmas is always fun as well. Not to mention our 1 year anniversary is in November and of course Thanksgiving. I don't mind fall too much, but winter....ew! No leaves on the trees, it's too cold to go outside much, blistering winds, my bones ache, I just don't like it. My husband loves cold weather. Hopefully we can build a fire in the fireplace this year and maybe this winter will be more cozy...

I can't believe Wes and I will have been married one year next month. It just blows my mind. This year has flown by, but yet it feels like we've been married forever! LOL. We aren't exactly where I imagined we'd be a year ago. I thought by now we'd have a house or an appartment. I guess I also thought we'd be trying to have a baby. We are still at my dad's trailer and are not in the monetary condition to be trying for babies. I am thankful for where we are, don't get me wrong, it's just not what I had pictured. I guess I always pictured that after you got married the house came, babies came, money came....and it just doesn't exactly work that way. It requires a lot of patience and planning. I will be graduating in May and I HOPE, HOPE, HOPE I will be getting a job soon after that. Hopefully, that will add more money in our pot and we can definitely buy a house then. Just the way things are going, I worry about finding a job after I graduate. I pray that God just opens those doors.

We are still planning on going on a cruise next month! I am excited and I hope things work out! More about that later...

Thanks for reading my long blog! I'm home sick and there's nothing good on TV! :)

A New Semester

2009-09-07T21:57:00.001-07:00

I haven't written in a while so I thought I'd do a little update. Wes is teaching 7-9th grade Algebra and coaching Varsity and JV football. It's tough but I am SO proud of him! Although it's very challenging, he's doing a great job. PLEASE keep him in your prayers! School has also started back for me...ONE more semester after this one and I'll be DONE! Yippee! It feels as if I have been in school forever! ...I guess I kinda have...since I was 5 yrs old. I'm a little nervous, but definitely excited. I am thankful that this semester is going much better than I anticipated and I hope it continues to go well. :)

We have still been looking for houses. We have found one that is SUPER cute, but it really didn't have the yard we want. We are trying to be patient. We definitely want a house, but we have to trust in God's timing.

We are looking at anniversary trips right now! :) I can't believe it has almost been a YEAR that we've been married!! (2 more months) Right now we are thinking a CRUISE...to the BAHAMAS! Whoooo! Sounds great to me! I hope we can save up the money to go. Wes has been on a cruise before, but I have never been. I think it would be a fun thing for us to do together. Well, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading and keep us in your prayers! God Bless!

"In his heart, a man plans his
course,but the Lord determines
his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Coach Dunsieth & Life

2009-08-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

This week Wes signed his contract with Autaguaville. Tonight is his open house with the parents. I am so proud of him! He will be teaching 7th and 8th grade Algebra. I hope to go to the school with him soon and decorate his room. School starts the 10th! Please be praying for him as this is a big transition! I know he will do great. These are pictures that are going to be in the Autaguaville newspaper.

Things have been a little frustrating because we are getting impatient. We know he has a good job now and I will be graduating May 2010, thank God. We are SOOO ready to look for a house! I'm so thankful my dad has let us live in this trailer, but Wes and I are so ready to have our own little nest. We are trying to decide if we should buy or build. Let us know if you have any suggestions. It's very hard being patient, but we are wanting to wait for God's timing and the house He wants us to have. Please keep us in your prayers for that.

Well, Wes's school starts the 10th, my school starts back the 17th, Wes's first football game is the 21st...life is about to get crazy! We need all the prayers we can get! Thanks for reading and God bless!! :)

Life's A Beach

2009-08-02T21:03:00.001-07:00

This past week was Wes's family's beach trip. We had an awesome time! We stayed at a NICE beach house (3 story) right on the beach. Every morning we'd get up around 8:30 and eat breakfast then go down and hang out at the beach. A few nights we stayed in and ate and a few we went out. This was DEFINITELY what we needed! This summer semester has been so stressful and it was so nice to get away and just relax at the beach. While we were down there we had to go back for a day to take finals. Although that kind of stunk, we really only missed one day at the beach. Wes ended up with all B's and I ended up with all A's. We were quite pleased. We just had such a wonderful, relaxing time. I hope we can do this every year at the same place. Wes's family were so fun and I am so blessed to have such an awesome new family! I love them so much! :)

This is the sweet beach house! 7 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms right on the beach!!

This was our awesome view everyday! What a week! :)

Ugh

2009-07-24T10:00:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while so I had some thoughts on my mind and figured I would now. I'm kind of upset right now. We leave for the beach tomorrow for Wes's family's big beach trip. I've been knowing about this beach trip for months and was REALLY wanting to loose at least 10 lbs. before it. Well, here I am the day before going and I have lost a few pounds, but probably gained them back these past 2 weeks. I was really enjoying working out and eating right. I had started to feel so much better....BUT...school has really taken it's toll on me the past 2 weeks. Because it's the end of the semester, so much was due and I found myself exhausted and drained. Needless to say, I stopped going to the gym and really started eating wrong again. I am still mindful of what I eat, but it seems so much harder when you are not working out and when you are very busy. I look back at pictures of myself from 2006-2008 and it just makes me sick. I was so thin in 2006. Slowly, I've packed on some pounds. My body has changed a lot (age=metabolism) and taking birth control did NOT help (gained about 25 lbs on it). I'm just ready to be back to a weight that I can feel comfortable at. I seriously feel like everyone will be starring at me the whole time at the beach (I'm going to wear a tankini and probably some shorts too). Even though no one probably pays it any attention, I feel like I'm just hanging out everywhere! Like a big protruding blob! I know I'm not obese or anything, but I've always been pretty well controlled with my weight. Anyway, I'm sorry I'm rambling, I just thought it would make me feel better to write out all these thoughts and feelings. I really hope to get back to the gym after this trip and start eating salads and stuff again. I know it's going to take a lot of effort (which is kind of discouraging) but I REALLY hope to be back at the size I want this time next year.

I Have Faith In My God Who Is Able!

2009-06-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

This phrase kept repeating in my head all during church this morning. Needless to say, it was a quite emotional service. I really felt like God was speaking to me. All of the songs sang praises of His ability and sovereignty. All of our tiny worries seemed so vain. I guess I should first explain my and Wes's conversation before church. We were talking about babies. More specifically, whether or not I will work after they are born. My answer is no. Wes's was "more realistic". Needless to say, we got in a little tiff. I respect my husband wholeheartedly and I know he was trying to look out for us. We have no clue what our future might hold and our present financial situation is not one to be encouraged by. We were trying to figure out where our lives will go and where our bank total will go. We were so focused on OUR plans. What we failed to realize was GOD'S plans. As I said, the phrase: "I have faith in my God who is able" kept repeating over and over again in my head as soon as we found our seats in Frazer's contemporary service. All of the songs sang of his awesomeness and how mighty He is. All of the sudden it crashed upon me like a wave...if God can do such awesome things...surely and most assuredly He can make our budget available for me being a stay at home mom if He deems it so. As Christians, we know God takes care of us...but little by little this world sucks us in. We think WE are in charge. We determine our futures by going to college, we work to get that promotion, we do this, we do that. We forget the simplicity in trusting God. HE created us, HE knows where we are going and where He will allow us to go. It's actually getting out of our comfort zone sometimes to trust Him. We have our little pile of worries and dreams and plans and God is just saying maybe if you drop those for a second, I'll really blow your mind. After the service, I told my husband that I respected him. I believe that is important. I do. I also told him with tearful eyes what God had told me in church. We both agreed that before our children are even born, we will give them to God. Their furtures, our plans, our money, their lives. This will definitely be an everyday thing. We need to remind ourselves everyday who is really in charge. It is so easy to get smoke screened and believe that we are. We came home and had a great evening. While on the computer I checked my e-mail. I was deleting some spam mail when I read an e-mail entitled "Financial Aid Status". I had not seen that e-mail until today. I checked it and found that I received a Pell Grant. We will not have to pay for my school this year. I will graduate with no more loans. Already, God is showing us who is in charge and who will take care of us. I praise God and I have faith in my God who is able.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

What A Week!

2009-06-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

Let's see, where do I begin? This has been such a crazy week! I guess I'll start with Monday...

Monday--Jon and Kate are getting divorced! I know, I know, it's all over the news and most people are tired of hearing it, but it still bothers me! Wes and I just stared at each other after we watched the episode. It was like watching a horrible car wreck. It's sickening and terrible, but you just can't seem to turn your eyes from it. I could go on and on about this, but basically it's just sad. They have grown so far apart. They are totally different people from when they first started this show. They used to be just a simple family from Pennsylvania, now they are "celebrities". This has really gone to their heads. Kate's a tanned, toned, Barbie woman now, and Jon is a tanned, pierced, partyer. Totally different from the NORMAL people they once were. It's just a train wreck. Many claim it's a publicity stunt...we shall see. I hate to support them by watching the show, but I can't help but to be curious as to how this is all going to pan out. Monday was also our 7 month marriage anniversary. How time flies! Also, I found out that I had a million things due in class that day and could not go to the gym, and instead became a slave to the computer and AUM.

Tuesday--Wes had a meeting with Autaugaville and they told him that he will be the assistant baseball coach and assistant football coach! Quite exciting! I'm so proud of him! It will definitely be nice to have the extra money...although I wonder if I will see him at all this year...LOL. I was also still enslaved to the computer and AUM this day.

Wednesday--QUITE sick of school and ready to quit. lol. I finally turned in my Science Resource File with 50 resources. Wow, that look a while. Finally got to go to the gym this day. It was nice to work out my frustrations on the equipment. Wes's parents surprised us and brought us groceries this day. It was such a blessing! They are so wonderful. I guess we were looking pretty poor...

Thursday--Today. The A/C went out in my car this morning. BOY was it a hot drive to school and back! I felt very unlucky today. Not only did that happen, but I was very sick to my stomach today and overflowed the toilet to make a BIG mess...TMI, I know, but I just want you to understand how rediculous this day has been. I am just hoping we can go to the beach this weekend (if Wes's loan refund comes in on time). I am totally worn out by school and totally needing a break! I am really trying to see the positive side in this week. I feel like Wes and I need to do a bible study or something. My attitude has not been that wonderful lately. I should really be seeing my blessings right now instead of all this other junk that's happening. I'm trying to seek God's will and His attitude, but I know I'm doing pretty poorly. Life can be tough sometimes, but I guess it is even tougher when your priorities are all mixed up. Marriage can definitely be tough too, and somedays I honestly feel like I suck at it. I guess I'm just really needing a break this week and hoping I can get one this weekend. Thanks for reading! (I'm sorry this is long-winded, but I felt like I needed to write it to get it off my chest.)

Summer Love

2009-06-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE summertime! There is so much to do all of the time! Fishing, swimming, laying out, BBQing, grilling, flip flops, T-shirts, watermelon, gardening, movies outside, the beach...so lovely! :) We have planted the tomatoes in the garden. They are doing alright, seem to be a little scorched from this crazy heat we have been having! The heat index was 101 today and it's only June! There is no sign of our lettuce...well the packet did say lettuce likes COOL weather...so much for that. Speaking of lettuce and tomatoes, I'm doing pretty well with my diet. I basically eat salad...every day....BUT I love salad so it's really pretty easy for me. I've also worked out everyday (except the weekend) for about an hour since we've joined Planet Fitness. I really like it! I love the elliptical, the medicine balls, and the climbing machine thingy--not sure what it's called. I feel a lot better! I feel more toned already! And definitely more energized. My goal is to keep this up! Work out everyday except maybe the weekends (even though that may be hard because I'm kind of addicted!). I've also been tanning so I just feel like I look a little better, too. lol. I was beginning to feel sorry for people who had to look at me. Haha.

School is trucking along. I'm happy my classes have not been THAT hard...so far. Mainly just takes up time, which is most of the classes in the Education Dept. Funny enough, Wes is actually IN one of my classes now. Haha. It's pretty cool to sit beside my hubby in class...and play tic-tac-toe...lol. It's also funny to see him freak out about the assignments and I'm like "Wes, it's really not that hard. Just do it." LOL. Pretty interesting.

WELLL...I gave in and joined Twitter! (@kbirkeland is a bad influence, lol). It's actually pretty cool. I like knowing what my friends are up to...and getting texts about it. Pretty neat. Find me and follow me! www.twitter.com/nikkidunsieth

This is quite wordy, guess I had a lot to say...God Bless!! :)

Gym, Paint, and Gardens

2009-06-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly we have been very productive lately! :) Today, we joined Planet Fitness! I am excited about going to workout. I've been eating salads for a while now and this weight is NOT budging. Ever since I started taking birth control pills, I've gained about 25 pounds and it WILL NOT budge. I am hoping some good workouts will do the trick. They also have tanning beds there so I hope to be back to my bronze self soon. I just hope I can make myself go everyday!

We have also been painting since Saturday. We painted the living room a light tannish color and the kitchen an olive color. Kirklands was having a sale so I got some stuff to go on the walls. I am happy with our progress. If we're going to be here a while, we might as well make it look good. Now if we could only replace the flooring, get a new stove, and replace the cabinets and countertops...

My dad, grandmother, uncle, and us have also started a garden. :) They planted peas and Wes and I planted lettuce and are going to plant the tomatoes soon. The tomatoes are still in pots right now. We hope to grow our own salad stuff since that's like all we eat. lol. It feels good that we have been so productive lately. :) Thanks for reading!

Wes Got A Job!!

2009-06-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Wes just got finished a few weeks ago teaching at Coosa Valley Academy. He was hired as an emergency hire so he could only teach 6 months. They invited him back, but to be honest, the pay was terrible. Ever since he tutored with Autaguaville and brought their graduation exam passing scores up 80%, they have shown a great interest in hiring him. He is tutoring with them again this summer. One day this week while Wes was turtoring, he was called in for an interview with Autuaguaville (this was not planned and he was wearing jeans and flip flops, so I actually had to turn around from going to school and get him some clothes, lol). Well.........THEY HIRED HIM!! :D He is going to be the Junior/Senior math teacher! Because his degree is not in math, he is only going to be hired for 1 year. If he passes his math Praxis, then he will probably be able to stay. If he does not, he still has a chance of staying on as a Social Studies teacher. Please pray for us! I'm ready for us to have some job security! I'm proud of you Wes!! :) (Oh, he might also be able to coach, too.)

Feels Like Summatime...

2009-05-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

Pete in the Pool at my Mom's

This is sort of an update on what's going on with us Dunsieths. We are still living in Eclectic in my dad's trailer. Thankfully, we have no roommates as of Friday! Whoo Hoo! (Not that I don't love my brother...) My brother moved to my mom's house in Auburn and his friend Josh moved to his own trailer. It feels nice to be alone again. Wes and I have started cleaning out this place (BIG job) and hopefully will have a yard sale soon (shooting for Saturday). We are also going to try to start painting, fixing some things, and eventually doing the flooring. We figured we'll probably be here a while longer than we thought so we might as well start fixing up some stuff. I guess our goal is to fix this place up and stay in it maybe another 6months- a year. I'll be graduating in Spring of 2010 (finally) and Wes will HOPEFULLY be getting a better job soon, so hopefully we can start looking at houses within 6months- a year. Please pray for us. We are both taking classes this summer and Wes will be tutoring again at Autaguaville High School and will probably get another part-time job. I will be babysitting some and might be tutoring as well. The Autaguaville principal really likes Wes and has already told him that he'd find a job for him in the Fall at the school...we shall see...don't want to get our hopes up yet again. I am very excited about graduating soon and having my own classroom. I even started a little website for my classroom. Haha. You can view it here if you so please: http://mrsdunsieth.blogspot.com/. I guess I kinda feel like Wes does...I asked him one night what is different from what he thought marriage would be like and he said "Well, I guess I just thought we'd have a house and good jobs." It definitely does NOT just fall into your lap like you imagine it to. We are really having to be patient and wait on the Lord's timing for all these things. It's quite hard. We are just thankful that my dad lets us stay here for practically free. Like Paul said "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." (Philippians 4:11) And that is the attitude we are trying to take.

Jon & Kate Splitting Up??

2009-05-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

I must say that I am so depressed after tonight's episode. Before I saw the awkward turtle episode tonight, I really thought I knew what was happening between them. I have seen the latest interviews--including the explosive one with Kate's brother and sister-in-law--and really thought I knew whose side I was on. But now...I am CONFUSED! Kate seemed very sad and hurt, but Jon really didn't seem too fazed. Kate was, as usual, very self-righteous and unabashed...but...something was raw and real in her eyes. On the other hand, Jon was quite rude and blatant. I just don't know what to think anymore. The way they were talking was like they have already decided it is over. MAN was it awkward! They barely talked and the mood was so grim! I heard that in order for them to continue with this season, they have to have marital counseling...I sure hope they do. I don't know why I'm so obsessed, but I just hate to see such a marriage go down the toilet. It is so sad! I REALLY hope they can wake up to reality here and get their heads on straight. Get back together Jon and Kate! :( I guess I almost feel like they are family. I want to just call them up or something...or bap them on the head. Sigh. I guess we'll see what happens. I just wish they had come out and said what the heck was really going on...

6 Months

2009-05-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

Friday marked our 6 month-a-versary of being married. Little did I know we were celebrating. :) I awoke to see little post-it notes. Wes was already awake and in the living room. I read the first post-it and it said "I love everything about you. Even what you consider flaws. You are my other half. Happy 6 months. I have a surprise for you." The rest were clues that led me around the house to finally my underwear drawer. lol. In it was a sweet card where he wrote how much our marriage meant to him. At the end he wrote "Now get ready, you have an appointment at the nail salon, the tanning salon, and Dawson's." (Dawson's is a favorite restaurant of ours) So my awesome husband took me to get my nails done (pedi, mani, and eyebrows), to get a spray tan, and to eat at one of our favorite restaurants. He is so amazing! He knew I was in a wedding this weekend and needed some of that done and he knew it had been a while since I had treated myself to any of that since we are on such a tight budget. It was a much needed day of relaxation and pampering. He patiently waited for me all day and did everything he could to make my day great. I am just so blessed to have such an incredibly awesome husband!! :) I love you, Wes, and I look forward to a million anniversaries with you! :)

Jon and Kate (I just had to...)

2009-05-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

Wes and I have been following the recent developments of Jon and Kate. We've been watching the show since we've been together (Wes, not so voluntarily, lol). We have taken their story as a lesson to ourselves. It is SO easy to take each other for granted! (Especially if you've got a smash hit show on TLC, a 1.3 million dollar house, and all the fame that follows.) In my opinion their relationship has been spiraling down for a while now. Just by body language and the way they talk (and yell) proves it. While Wes and I definitely have fights of our own, I hope I am NEVER so blind to not see his discomfort or his drifting away like Kate has. Just watching the episodes and her explosive selfishness makes ME feel bad! I wonder if she ever looks at herself objectively (YouTube--Jon and Kate "ugly moments"). After watching those, I began to reflect on my own attitudes and choice of words in my own relationship. How can she ignore all of this is beyond me...maybe she justifies it in her own mind.
Jon seems to be a very submissive person who just wants everyone to be happy (this is just my opinion based off of almost every episode of their show, I do not by any means know him personally). Kate has ran him over time and time again to where he is just exhausted and ready to give up. As evident from last season's finale, Jon is ready to quit this fiasco and go back to normal life. While it is true what they said, they really can't ever go back, Jon is crying out for Kate to see what this is doing to him. Seemingly, she doesn't care. She said that SHE wanted to keep going. From a wife's point of view, WAKE UP KATE! You're husband is dying! When's the last time you've cared about HIS needs? Kate says that her main priority is the kids. Maybe this was the mistake to begin with. From all the pastors and bible studies I've heard, it is your husband that comes first, then your kids. Don't get me wrong, children are SUPER important and are definitely a HUGE priority! But in my beliefs, it is the husband and wife relationship that is the ROCK and foundation of the family. If that crumbles, the whole family falls. That has definitely been my experience in my own family--my parents divorced when I was 15 years old. Just looking at all the stuff Kate's OWN BROTHER is saying (http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/05/exclusive-new-interview-kate-gosselins-family-blasts-tv-mom) is just proof that the Gosselin family is just spinning out of control. I mean a contract that they can see other people as long as they continue filming? WhAt??!! I mean, are you kidding me? And Kate still says "everything I do is for my children". Um...maybe not... I, by no means, know this family personally, but from what I have seen, I am definitely taking notes and lessons for my own marriage. NO marriage is perfect, but we can strive to be the best we can. God compares his realtionship to us to marriage. Now that I am married, I can definitely see why. Marriage is a commitment. It is a choice, a commitment, a decision, a way of life. Everyone is going to have bad days. Everyone has stressful situations. Marriage IS hard. I am NOT going to pretend that it's not. BUT, in the end it is a vow, a commitment, and a choice. I choose to love Wes everyday for who he is despite my stresses and disappointments. YES, there are days that are super hard! We have even talked about how terribly HARD it would be if 8 kids were involved. BUT, just as God chooses to love us no matter what and never forsake or turn his back on us, so should husband and wives. I am sure there are times God is wondering why in the world He created me and why He gave his only Son for my horrible, terrible sins, BUT it is a love and commitment that is deeper than anything in this world. I do not know Jon and Kate, but I feel I have sort of gotten to know them and their family through their show and I just pray for the sake of their marriage and their children (their REAL life) and their influence on others, that they wake up and see the light. I pray God does a big work in their lives. No one is perfect. God still loves them of course! And I am sure He is hurting just as bad as we are to watch them go down the toilet. I just keep thinking that years from now we're going to see their children in an interview with Oprah about how psychologically affected they are. :( C'mon and see what you are doing Jon and Kate! I know the fame is tempting (I can only imagine), but remember Who you are living for and live for Him! This has just been on my mind for the last couple of days. Thanks for reading. Their story can definitely be something to learn from, I just pray they see things before it is too late.

Super Wife

2009-05-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is sort of a continuation of my last blog. I just want to say thanks to my wonderful husband for being so great and loving! As stated in my previous blog, I was in kind of a funk all month. Finally I realized that I was really putting too much pressure on myself to be perfect. My husband finally told me that I DON'T have to be super wife. He said he does not care if the dishes, laundry, etc. gets done...all he wants if for me to be happy. He made some great points about spending days together instead of worrying about every little detail. He also said you never know when your last day will be, so spend it in happiness and love. He was totally right. I was pressuring myself to be the perfect wife and to Wes, I already was. He accepts me for who I already am and not who I should be. This was just an amazing moment between us. He reminded me that he married me because of the person I already was. He made me feel so good and normal! lol! Anyway, I know I'm rambling, I just felt like I needed to write this. Thank you Wes! I love you!

My Epiphany

2009-05-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

Lately I have really been struggling. I'm just going to be honest. I have been struggling with myself, my walk with God, and my marriage. I have talked and talked and prayed (probably less than I should have) and I think I've finally figured it out (I know I drove Wes crazy in the process). When it all came down to it, I realized that basically, I was afraid of being myself. I just felt like I was never a good enough wife, child of God, daughter, daughter-in-law, friend, granddaughter, cousin, etc. I was trying so much to measure up to these phantom expectations. I was putting WAY too much pressure on myself to be something that I'm not. I finally realized, that in a nutshell, I was afraid of truly just being myself. I am who I am. I'm sarcastic, but I would lay my life down for anyone. I love with my whole heart and trust a little too easily. I try to cook well, I'm not that great at it. I hate doing laundry. Our place is usually unorganized. I don't clean as often as I should. I have more of a quick temper than I should. I love God with my whole heart and TRY to live for Him though I fail often. I'm quiet. I'd rather talk about others and listen to them rather than talking about myself. I love to laugh. I'm a very deep thinker. Casual talk is very uninteresting to me, but I'll play to enjoy it. I'm a people pleaser. I am very hard on myself. I'm awkward. I'm pretty much a geek. I'm a perfectionist. I love to laugh. I love to joke around. Sometimes I'm way too serious, but I don't like to be taken very seriously. I long for people to figure me out. I long for deep conversations. I love my family with every breath I have. I love my husband with every breath I have. I can be a jerk. I'm not a very touchy feely person, although I love to be touched. I'm quite complex, but my heart is simply huge. I want to do mission work. If I won the lottery I'd give most of it away. I want to write books, learn how to fly an airplane, travel in space. You get the point. Basically, God INTENTIONALLY made me the way I AM for a reason. No doubt, there is room for improvement. I totally know that. BUT I am "fearfully and wonderfully made", "made in His image", and He "knew me before he formed me in the womb"!! We also must "love others as we love ourselves" (we must love ourselves before we CAN love others). Basically I NEED to accept who I AM and who God made! Afterall, He does not make junk. Thank you for bearing with me and reading. This was mainly just a reminder to myself that I just need to "Bee Myself".

Teaching at Maxwell

2009-04-30T19:25:00.000-07:00

This semester I have been taking a Literacy class at AUM--only 3 more semesters to go! The class is 3 classes in 1 and counts for 9 hours. So far this class has been the most meaningful class I have taken at AUM. I have learned so much! I feel like I have really discovered my passion--teaching Literacy. Reading and Writing have always been my favorite subjects--I have even wanted to write books since the 2nd grade--so it definitely makes sense that I would enjoy teaching this. This class was really a revolutional class--my professor taught us the new, non-traditional ways of teaching Literacy and I LOVE IT! Through my experience at Maxwell, I can definitely see that these strategies are WAY more effective than the old, traditional, rote practices. Another discovery I made is that I would really love to teach 1st grade! I used to think I wanted to teach 3rd-5th, but this experience has really helped me to see how great it is to teach at the 1st grade age. They are like little cute sponges. :) They are also still at the age where they want to please their teachers. I guess it helped that the children were so wonderful. So well behaved! You can definitely tell that the teachers have taken their time with the children to teach them how to behave. I feel that I became very close with my little group and I will miss them so much. My cooperating teacher was also amazing! I really learned a lot from her and hope to stay in touch with her. She was sooo sweet! I feel that we have a lot in common and I know I could learn so much from her! She is moving to another department next year and she wanted to have a fresh start, so she gave me all of her classroom stuff including her turtle! Now we have a turtle named Pokey Dot :) . I don't know how I will ever repay her! This has truly been one of the most amazing experiences I have had so far at AUM (and I've been going there for almost 4 years). I am so sad it's all over!! I seriously almost cried when I was making my kid's goodie bags for the last day! I can definitely tell that this is what God made me for :). I only pray my Internship will be this great of an experience...

Jackson Connor!

2009-04-06T19:44:00.001-07:00

Wes's cousin, Rachael, had her sweet baby boy, Jackson Connor, on April 2, 2009 at about 5:30pm. He was 7lbs 4oz and was 20in long! :) She had a very scary delivery! She went into the hospital at about 7pm April 1st having contractions and high blood pressure. The next day they broke her water and induced labor. Jackson was still not budging. Because of her high blood pressure, toxemia or pre-eclampsia occurred which is very dangerous for the baby and especially the mom. They finally gave her a c section at about 5:30pm. Jackson was fine! He was beautiful and healthy! Rachael, other than being drained, was ok as well. Wes, his family, and I left the hospital and went to his parent's house. While we were starting a movie, we got a call that Rachael was unresponsive and hemorrhaging!! We all freaked out and raced to our cars and flew to the hospital. On the way, we called and got many prayer chains started. I also called my mom. She used to be the Head Nurse for Labor and Delivery at Jackson Hospital and I'd been updating her all day. When I told her what was going on, she said that she was hoping it wouldn't happen, but she kind of expected it because of the toxemia. She also said that most of the time, the mother does not make it. We were all just loosing it! It was terrible. We just prayed and prayed. Finally, after nervously waiting, we learned that Rachael was OK! Boy, were we relieved!!! It was truly a miracle! She is still doing fine, but does still have high blood pressure. Please keep her in your prayers! Jackson Connor is doing wonderfully (other than gas) and is such a BEAUTIFUL baby! Wes and I are such proud "aunts" and "uncles". And, for now, I believe my baby fever is cured for a while. Please continue to pray for our lovely cousin Rachael and her beautiful baby boy, Jackson Connor. Thank you!

Baby Fever

2009-03-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly, I have not been able to get babies off the brain! Wes's cousin, Rachael, is expecting her son, Jackson, anytime and watching her at her baby shower just made my heart melt! When Wes and I were first married (about 4 months ago) I told him it would be a LONG time before I wanted children. Boy, was I wrong. (or girl...lol) I've almost been obsessed with it. Ever since that little scare we had about a month ago, my mind has been transfixed on having babies, being pregnant, all of it. I ask him almost everyday when we can have babies. So far his answer is one year. :( Realistically it makes perfect since--I'd be graduating from school, hopefully he'd have a good job with benefits, and HOPEFULLY we'd have a house or at least a nice apartment....BUT my heart and inner mommy find that totally unacceptable. :) I want them NOW end of story!!! I want to give my children the best life possible, but my baby clock is going off! I know I'm only 22 and I know we've only been married for 4 months....but SO! Haha! I did not expect this at all, but I want a baby as soon as possible! Preferably a girl! :) Of course, I'd be happy with a boy. I've thought about tricking Wes by not taking my BC, but I guess that wouldn't be very nice...like I said, I do want the best life for my children, but a year sounds like an eternity away! :( Please keep us in your prayers. The baby clock needs to quieten down or conditons need to hurry up and get good so we can have babies! :D Thanks for reading! (BTW, the baby pic was made by a baby maker--http://www.vw.com/vwhype/babymaker/en/us/--using me and Wes's pic :) )

No Bun in the Oven

2009-02-22T17:28:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful vacation to Destin, FL for Valentine's weekend. In our haste to pack, we forgot my BC pills. After our weekend, I begin to feel very nauseous. I even threw up twice one morning...and I NEVER throw up. I begin to have weird symptoms: dizziness, fatigue, nausea, bloating, lower back pain, cramps...which are usually the sign of a "bun in the oven". I began to get a little excited. I took a pregnancy test and it was negative, but I thought it may have been too early to tell. Despite my efforts to control myself, I was beginning to get very anxious and excited. My body had never felt this way and I was sure that we were expecting. Yesterday, mother nature proved me wrong. We were very sad...although very slightly relieved because right now we have no insurance and a pretty crappy income and living situation, but mostly I was very sad. I didn't think I wanted a baby for a while, but this experience made me realize that I REALLY DO! Just the thought of having a little person growing inside of me made by the love of me and Wes made me so excited....needless to say....AS SOON as Wes gets a proper job and we get things in order, we are going to try for a baby! YAY! I'm not too sure how soon or how later this might be, but I am hoping it is soon. I love Wes and I can't wait to start a family with him. I'm interested to see what beautiful children we can make. I definitely want our children to have the best life possible, so I'm hoping we can get financially stable very soon. Thanks for reading and thanks for your prayers.

Eclectic and "Coach Dunsieth"

2009-02-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

We're now living in my hometown of Eclectic, AL. After much discussion, we found it best to move back to my dad's trailer in "e-town". Currently my brother and his roommate, Josh, live there also. So far it has been fine. Josh works at night and is rarely there and my brother kind of keeps to himself. We have already painted the master room we are staying in and are looking forward to painting the rest and redoing some of the flooring. Since moving, I've been very sick and needless to say, there are still SEVERAL boxes piled up everywhere. I hope to get better soon so we can finally organize everything! Right now, I'm not working and I love it! I can really focus on school and hopefully soon do some decorating. I know I'll have to look for a job soon, but right now I am enjoying some down time. Wes is liking his job at CVA and this past weekend, I got to finally go up there and watch a scrimmage game. It was a beautiful day and it was a lot of fun watching my husband coach in his tight baseball pants. ;) I feel positive things coming our way and I'm just so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man! I love you Coach Dunsieth! LOL

Check out Wes's website on: http://5toolplayer.synthasite.com/ There you can find tips and the best available equipment for baseball.

Facts of Life

2009-01-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

SO, we were thinking we'd be moving to Clanton the end of this month....well...the facts of life may be preventing us from doing that. We sat down and talked about our money and found that we may not actually have the means to move right now. After discussing things, we realized that we would save way more money if we were to move back to my hometown of Eclectic. My dad owns a trailer there and we would only be paying the bills. If my brother lives with us, we will split the bills and Wes and I would only be paying about $200-$300 per month. That is WAYYYY better than $800-$900. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to the trailer. We are just thinking this just might be our better bet. It is closer to his job (about 40 min closer) as well. I would probably start substitute teaching again which would be a good way to get to know people as well. The details have not been decided yet, but please keep us in your prayers. Stay tuned...

We're takin' the job! ...anyone need a place to stay for February?

2009-01-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

Wes is taking the job in Harpersville! He's starting tomorrow! On the downside, we're locked in our lease until the end of February. :( We're hoping to move by the end of this month to Clanton. We'll either pay for February or find someone to rent it for a much cheaper price for a month. SO, if you need somewhere to stay for the month of February...Sturbridge is conveniently located across from the Rave in Montgomery. It is normally $780, but we will rent it to you for $350 for the month of February. Its a 2 bedroom 1 bath. The bathroom is a very nice size with a garden tub. The apartment has a fireplace, balcony, walk-in closet in the master bedroom, and a nice-sized kitchen. Let me know if you are interested!

Wes's Newest Job Offer

2008-12-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

So, we had just gotten back from my family's Christmas and we had started playing the Wii when Wes got a phone call. The headmaster of Coosa Valley Academy had called him earlier and he returned her call. Since it was on Christmas, I just assumed she was just calling to say Merry Christmas or something because she knew Wes. Well, she called him back and she said they had a job opening!! He would teach Consumer Math, Computer, History, and History of Religion and also be the JV baseball coach! It was such a surprise. Its not a lot of money, but Wes needs the experience. I asked God for a job for Wes for Christmas and He sure gave it to us!! We found an apartment in Clanton and its actually RIGHT beside his best friend. Its a great price and its right in the middle between the school and AUM. Unfortunately, I'd have to quit my job here and find one in Clanton. We're trying to figure out all the details, but more than likely, we are going to do it! There's really no other option for us. We're excited and hoping it doesn't fall through! Keep us in your prayers and we'll keep you posted!

Our First Christmas!

2008-12-28T10:02:00.001-08:00

We had a fabulous first Christmas together!!! First off, a few weeks before Christmas, we were able to go to ASF to see the Christmas Carol. That was really great! It was one of Wes's surprises.
Two days before Christmas, we went and saw my mom in Auburn. It was a lot of fun. Christmas eve, we spent the day with my dad watching movies and stuff and then that night we went to his family's dirty Santa party. After the dirty Santa party, we exchanged the gifts to the people we drew names for on Thanksgiving. After that, Wes and I drove back to Montgomery. Our wedding pictures were up so we stayed up until 3am looking at them. We finally went to bed about 3 and at about 5am, Wes came in the room with a Santa hat on telling me to "get up! get up! Santa came!" while the little ball on the Santa hat was going back and forth. After about the 10th time of him coming in there, he started rubbing my stocking on my face! HAHA! He was so excited like a little kid. I finally slithered out of bed and we opened our gifts from each other. I got him a Wii and he was THRILLED! He got me some dvds I wanted, a book I wanted, a Starbucks card, candy, and some clothes. After that, we went in our PJs all the way back to Weogufka to have breakfast with his family (a tradition of theirs). We arrived at about 8:00am and ate a bunch of great food!! We watched "Get Smart" and laid down a while with the younger people. Then, we left to go back to Eclectic to see my family at about 11:00am. We went to my grandmother's house and got to do my tradition of hanging out my family and eating an awesome lunch. We had a great time and finally left at about 5:30pm. We came home and finally got to play the Wii!!! Needless to say, we are very sore from playing with it everyday!!! We had a WONDERFUL Christmas and a wonderful time experiencing both our traditions!! Thank you for reading and we hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well!!

Resolutions for 2009

2008-12-22T22:13:00.000-08:00

Many people believe that resolutions are stupid, but I believe its a great way to set goals for the new year! A new year is a sort of clean slate. So far these are my goals for this new year and clean slate:

Loose at LEAST 20lbs=get in shape
Get much more involved in church=get closer to God.
Become a more positive person=become a better person & role model
read more books!=get smarter, lol. You can see what books I read and what I think about them on this website: http://nikkisbookreviews.blogspot.com/

I hope to attain these and not just set them!

Upset and Confused

2008-12-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

So....the school Wes has been tutoring for had a teacher to resign 3 weeks ago. Since the principal liked Wes so much, he wanted to hire him for the position. He went for an interview today with the principal and it went AWESOME! The principal sent him to the board to talk to them and they basically said he was hired. They just had to meet tonight to discuss everything. Get this, the woman who resigned came in RIGHT BEFORE the meeting and took her resignation back! So then we get a lovely call telling us that the teacher decided to stay so NEVERMIND about the awesome job we thought was in the bag! We are very upset and very confused. This will be about 70 apps completed, several promising offers ended, and a thousand hopes crushed. We are just wondering what in the world God is trying to show us. This job was IN THE BAG! So now its back to square one, once again. We are just so bummed and also very confused. Wes has really been such a great influence to the children at this school and we really thought this is what God wanted for him. We need money, we need insurance, groceries, a stable place to live, so much. PLEASE just pray for us and let us know of any job opportunities you hear of. Thanks.

Marital Bliss and Worries

2008-12-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

Please pray for us! We are getting quite frustrated because Wes has applied to about 70 jobs and we haven't heard a thing! We are trying to trust God in this and wait for His timing...but its getting hard! We need insurance and especially money. We're doing OK now, but something's gotta give! We love each other very much and we will get through this! We're just asking for your prayers and if you know of anything, please let us know! Thanks for reading and thanks for your prayers!

Our Wedding!

2008-12-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

We had the most BEAUTIFUL wedding on November 22, 2008. The weather was perfect, the decor was perfect, the bridal party was perfect, and the whole day was just perfect! My grandmother did all the flowers, my cousin and aunt did all the decorations, and my aunt, cousin, wes's aunt, cousin, and mom did the food!

My bridesmaids were: Maid of Honor--Dee Duck (my favorite cousin and has always been like a sister to me), Maid of Honor--Angela Grecu (my best friend since 4th grade), Bridesmaid--Rachael Turney (Wes's cousin who's like a sister to him), Bridesmaid--Emily Pertree (a great friend of mine I met at AUM), and Bridesmaid--Katie Stephens (a good friend from 4th grade and the one that convinced me to "go for it" with Wes)

Wes's Groomsmen were: Best Man--Paul Dunsieth (Wes's Dad), Groomsman--Corey Dunsieth (Wes's Brother), Groomsman--A.J. Duck (Nikki's Brother), Groomsman--Clay Wilder (Wes's Best Friend since he was 6 yrs. old), Groomsman--Matthew Palmer (Wes's Friend since he was 6 yrs. old).

Thank you for all who came and helped! We had an absolutely beautiful, wonderful, gorgeous, perfect day!!!