Madison Lilly

Madison Lilly is an up and coming artist with a soul-filled voice! She's also my 14 year old sister-in-law! I made the video below using my husband's photography, Madison's recording, and iMovie. Please give it a listen and a like, and don't forget to subscribe to her YouTube channel! We'd greatly appreciate it if you could spread the word! More videos are coming VERY soon, so stay tuned!


*Just an FYI, Madison owns the rights to "A Moment Like This." Vance Bailey Photography, my husband's photography business, owns the rights to the pictures. The chalkboard slides are free for personal use. 

Happy 33rd Birthday, Turtle!

Happy 33rd birthday to the most wonderful husband a lady could get! I love you infinity and 'yond!

xo,
Your Sweetpea

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Be Still My Heart

Source

My heart and my mind are OVERFLOWING! I have soooo many things I need to share, but I haven't wanted to blog. I am SO stinkin' busy, it's ridiculous! Buuut, since Max is playing trains (and the little goober does NOT want me to play with him!!) I thought I'd take a few minutes to update all of my faithful (???) readers out there on what's going on in the Bailey household!

1. We moved! It went well! Out apartment is a disaster as we try to condense two years worth of HOUSE build-up into a 2/2 apartment. We definitely need an Ikea trip in the near future to take care of a couple of issues furniture wise (like a new entertainment center since what we've been using is way too big for the area in which it needs to fit!) We've used the pool at least 7 times in the last two weeks. Definitely loving that we moved in right when it got warm! When the mess is put away, I will definitely post pictures!

2. We celebrated two SPECTACULAR years of marriage! I have no pictures of the event, as we didn't make a huge tado about it! We plan on celebrating somehow later, but we don't have the extra money/time to do it right now. We both worked that day (June 19th), came home, exchanged sweet cards, had awesome homemade Asian food, went to our apartment complex's gym, swam, watched a movie, etc. It was a sweet night! I adore my husband with every ounce of my being. To me, there is no greater guy in all of eternity (excluding Jesus, of course!)

3. I gained/lost weight. Yeah. During those couple of weeks of packing/moving, we didn't cook a lot at home due to our stuff being packed/not wanting to buy a ton of food before we moved. Soo...I gained a few pounds. BUT...I've also lost a couple of them already this week. I was super frustrated and discouraged, but my My Fitness Pal buddies have been seeing me through! Set backs happen, but I'm not allowing myself to fall this hard next time!

4. Still no baby. Sigh. Two years of marriage signifies two years of not being pregnant. It's difficult, but not super difficult for me. I was reminded today of God's perfect (although sometimes ironic) planning. He orchestrates things to work out for the best. For that, I am extremely grateful! I had to cancel my doctor's appointment this week because I needed to watch Max. We're going to try to reschedule sometime next month, though. With all that being said, it leads me to my next point...

5. We've decided to further explore/start the process of....foster care! Yep. We may be foster parents soon! It's hard to believe that I, the woman who swore she'd never do foster care because "it's scary," is so stinkin' excited about it! We're (ideally) hoping to adopt through foster care. We have pretty strict criteria for the type of children we're willing to take into our home, though, so it could be a long road. We basically don't want to foster kids over 3 years old. I don't feel like I'm old enough to take in a 10 year old, let alone a teenager. Speaking with people who have experience in the foster care system (have I ever mentioned that all of Vance's 6 siblings were adopted through foster care?) and people who have adopted through foster care, we NEED to make our specifications and stick with them as they WILL call about kids outside of your criteria. I'm getting ahead of myself, though. Before we can even have children enter our home, we have to go through the process, which includes a home assessment, financial statements, background checks, references, medical exams, a 30 hour training course, etc. The next course is in September, so that will be the one we attend, if all goes well. We also plan on attending an into to foster care class before then, just to make sure we're going to do this. I feel super strongly about this, though. I feel like God is telling me to do it. I feel a sense of urgency about it, too. I don't know. It's weird, but I'm trying to be obedient. Please pray with us about this! It's a HUGE deal!

I think that's about it, for now. Please pray with/for us about our future, weight loss journey, our new home, our marriage, etc. We can't do anything a part from God!

P.S. Sorry for the lack of pictures!! Here...have a picture of my cute babies enjoying their bed in our new bedroom!

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If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Thankful Thursday 5/31/12

Normally, for my Thankful Thursday posts...if I remember to make them...consist of 4 or 5 things I am thankful for. Today, I'd like to focus on two.

First of all...my husband. What an incredible man! He is loving, kind, sweet, HILARIOUS, sexy (ahem.), forgiving, understanding, slow to anger, patient, empathetic, sympathetic, giving, serving, selfless, courageous, self-evaluating, honest, compassionate, tender, etc. etc. etc. He gives of himself so so much is often taken for granted by those around him. He does his best to provide for our family and hates that I have to work, though really...I don't mind because I'd be super bored if I didn't work! (Plus, my student loans don't pay themselves, ya know!) Vance is an amazing husband. Hands down. My co-workers at Old Navy CONSTANTLY compliment him and talk about what a sweet man he is. I have had several women tell me they hope to marry someone just like him someday. What a compliment to me! What praise for him! What a proud wife I am! Vance is truly my dream come true, and I am exorbitantly grateful that he is in my life! We've been married for almost two years and known each other for three years. These have been three of the best years of my life! I look forward to many many more with him by my side!

Secondly, my job nannying for Max. He is SUCH a cutie pie! I love Love LOVE this kid! He keeps me laughing on a daily basis! I never know what he's going to say next...except that he's in the repeating phase, so he'll pretty much say back to me whatever I say to him...which can be extra fun! For instance, I said, "Thank ya, Bay-bee!" the other day and he said, "Thank you, Bay-bee! Haha....funny!" in reply. Now, it's a game with us. A game which he thoroughly enjoys! He is developing a very funny sense of humor, too! He'll say things sometimes then says, "Hehe....funny!" Even if what he says ISN'T funny, the funny part is when he giggles at himself and says it's funny! I love Max's personality! He is so funny, snuggly, and compassionate! I stubbed my toe the other day and said, "OHHHH OUCH OUCH OUCH!!!" (Seriously. I don't swear, so that's about as strong of language as I use...haha...) Max came over and said, "Ok???" And said, "Kiss it! Kiss it!" He then planted a big ole slobbery kiss on my big toe. It was the sweetest thing he's done in a long time! (It was also kind of gross!) Max is so smart! He knows all of his colors, can recognize his name when it's written out, can find the letter M (and usually the A and X as well) in a sea of magnet letters, knows all of his animal sounds, can count/say the alphabet with a little guidance, knows every type of car that can be a part of a train, knows the name of pretty much every type of vehicle/farm machinery out there (seriously...he's taught me a thing or two!), etc. etc. The kid is smart! The kid is funny! The kid is adorable!

I linked up with my sweet friend Cami's blog, First Day of My Life and Julia at Black Tag Diaries! You should, too! What are you thankful for today?

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Thankful Thuesday 4-19-12

I haven't done a Thankful Thursday in a couple of weeks! Not because I have nothing to be thankful for, but because I haven't had the time to write a post!

1. Weight Loss
I'm down 16.5 lbs as of Monday morning! Woohoo! I am well on my way to my 20 lbs down by July 7th and 50 lbs down by December 31st goals! Pretty excited about it! I've never stuck with a weight loss program this long and I've never lost this much weight during one program. Pretty awesome! Also, I feel pretty great due to exercising Mon-Fri for at least 30 minutes. :-)

2. Vance
He's a spectacular husband. He cooks. He cleans. He shops for groceries. He mows the lawn. He takes care of me. He encourages me and joins me in my weight loss. He loves me unconditionally. He's wonderful.

3. My jobs
Working at Old Navy is obnoxious at times. The schedule is inconvenient sometimes. The customers are a pain sometimes. The co-workers are lazy and/or gossipy at times. However, I am grateful for my job there and that I like it 95% of the time! I LOVE watching Max. He's hilarious, charming, adorable, and sweet! He says some funny things and repeats almost everything I say. Good thing I don't swear! He brings a lot of joy to my life!

4. The NC Zoo
Vance and I invited my mom and youngest sister, Hannah, to go to the zoo last Saturday. We had a blast! It was a nice day and a lot of the animals were active! The NC Zoo is one of the best in the country. I'm so blessed that it's so close to where I live! Elephants are my fav, but the giraffes were sooo cool that day!

What are you thankful for today? Come link up over at my sweet friend, Cami's blog, First Day of My Life!

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

A Real Conversation From 4-15-12

(While watching HuluPlus.)
Vance: Oh look, Honey...the Mormons have commercials.
Angela: They've had commercials for years.
Vance: Oh. The end of the world is coming!
Angela: The end of the world has been coming since Jesus left. People who knew Jesus thought he'd come back in their lifetime. It's been several lifetimes...and the disocvery of several new countries...and the massacre of Jesus' people...
Vance: ...and the Indians...
Me: What??? *Burst out laughing*
Vance: *Burst out laughing.* You married a goober.

Source

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Thankful Thursday 3/29/12

Happy Thursday!

Today I am thankful for...

1. My husband, Vance. I know I write about him all the time, but seriously...he is THAT amazing, and I am THAT thankful for him. He keeps on encouraging me in my weight loss (as I am him) and supporting me by being on this journey with me. I love him. Infinity and 'yond.

2. My sweet friend, Cami. She, too, is encouraging me in my weight loss journey. She emails me asking how I'm doing, sends me suggestions for exercises, keeps up with my weight loss blog, etc. While I do have Vance (and other friends on myfitnesspal.com who keep me accountable) it's nice to have a girl friend who is healthy and in shape encourage me! I love her to itty bitty pieces!

Source

3. My weight loss thus far. As of this morning around 6:45am, I have lost 12.5 lbs in less than two weeks. I'll take it! :-)

4. The kickboxing workout I just did. Whew. I haven't made it through the entire 45 minutes yet. It's kicking my butt! HOWEVER, I only made it 10 minutes last week and I made it 20 this week (I do it Thursdays when Max, the little boy I nanny for, is at preschool.) According to myfitnesspal.com, during those 20 minutes, I burned around 460 calories. Sounds good to me!

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5. The beautiful weather! To me, Spring is perfect! I love being warm, but not super hot. I love the flowers blooming and the grass being green. By the time Summer rolls around NC, our grass turns less green and more brown from the heat. I enjoy having to wear a sweatshirt in the morning with my yoga pants and then just a tshirt (and yoga pants) by the evening when I go home. It's lovely!

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Thankful Thursday 3/22/12

Today I am thankful for...

1. myfitnesspal.com. It helps me keep track of the calories I've eaten/will eat through the day and how much I'm burning with exercise. :-)

2. Losing approx. 6 lbs this week. Official weigh-in is Saturday morning, but as of Tuesday, I had lost 5.5 lbs, so maybe it'll be more? Even if it's less, it's still SOMETHING! I have a long journey ahead of me, but am encouraged by such a great start!

3. My husband, Vance. He keeps me encouraged and is working along side of me to lose weight! I love him dearly and am grateful he chose me as his wife.

4. My doggies! Petey and Cinnamon hung with us for 2 miles when we walked the other day. We tied them to the fence (we were walking a track) for the last mile. They were so tired afterward, but were happy!

5. My jobs. I've been working a lot (worked 55+ hours last week) between them both, but I am grateful for having not one, but two jobs, in an economy which is STILL trying to recover! Every little bit helps!

Max Snuggling

Did you write a Thankful Thursday post? Link up with us at First Day of My Life's blog!

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Vday Card 2012

Since my hubs reads my blog, I couldn't post this yesterday. 

Here's the card I made for him for Valentine's Day.

(The pic of us on the card is our first kiss as husband and wife!)

(Click to enlarge.)

We originally had reservations for Bleu, a swanky restaurant here in Winston-Salem, but Vance wasn't up to par. SO, he called back to change the time. The only time he could get was 9:30pm, so he made it. When he told me Monday about his initial plan and how it got all screwed up, I seriously almost cried. He put so much effort and thought into it! He had been saving money and planning for weeks! Now, I am no a huge Vday fan. It's never been a huge deal to me, but we try to celebrate special holidays as well as celebrate every day we have together. Anyway, I asked him yesterday evening (when he came to see me at work since I was working 5-10 at Old Navy) to cancel our reservation so we could go another night. I can't wait to eat dinner until 9:30pm and I honestly have to get up too early on Wednesdays (today) to eat dinner at 9:30. Ha. I'm 26 and already old. Anyway, we are going out to Bleu later this week/early next week as well as hopefully seeing The Vow. (We're totally being cliche' here.) I hope you had a fabulous Valentine's Day and your special someone treated you right! :-)

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

I Have a Talented Husband

Have I ever shared with you how talented my husband is? I haven't? Well, it's about darn time I did!
He is a...

• Writer
• Technical Engineer
• Customer Support Guru
• Culinary School Attendee
• DJ
• Great Kisser (ahem...)
• Amazing Husband
• Great Son/Son-In-Law
• Super Brother/Brother-In-Law

and oh yes...a fabulous PHOTOGRAPHER!

For the past 6-9 months or so, he has worked so so hard in honing his picture taking and editing skills. He has gotten REALLY good. Not only has he improved significantly, but he keeps on improving. He keeps seeking knowledge and keeps focusing on getting better and better. Best part? It's really paying off, and people are taking notice!

This past weekend, Vance had the opportunity to do a photo shoot for a teenage punk-pop band out of Lexington, NC called Fairview. (You should totally click that link and give them a FB "like.") My sister, Hannah's, boyfriend, Zack, is a guitarist for the band, so Hannah and I tagged along. She came for moral support. I went to help the hubs with placement, ideas, teenager-herding, etc. and to get some behind the scenes shots. Here are some of the photos Vance took. (Click the images to make them larger.)

Pretty awesome, right? If you'd like to see more photos check out his portfolio page at his blog, Vance Bailey Photography! (Oh yeah and leave him some comment lovin'!! I know it will make his day!) Also, if you live in the triad area of NC and need a photographer with reasonable rates, please consider Vance Bailey Photography! If you mention you found him through my blog and/or you go to our church, I might be able to get you a reduced rate...since I know the owner and all. ;-)

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Things I Say A Lot These Days

Take your hand out of your mouth, please. (Max)
Take your hand out of your pants! (Vance)

Say "Please..." (Max)
Say "Please..." (Vance)

It's not 'deering.' It's during! (Vance)
That's a waffle, not toast. (Max)

Did you just poop? (Max)
Did you just fart? (Vance)

Eat a little more, please. (Max)
Are you sure you want to eat that? (Vance)

Please don't pick your nose. (Max)
Stop picking your nose! (Vance)
(Vance is usually scratching the side of his nose...just FYI.)

Time to clean up the toys! (Max)
Will you PLEASE take care of your clothes? (Vance)

I don't understand what you're saying! (Max)
What did you just say?? (Vance)

Please use your words. (Max)
Please stop talking. (Vance)

Go play with your toys while I make lunch. (Max)
Will you please put your phone down and snuggle with me? (Vance)

If you could take 2 seconds and give this a click, it would mean so much to me! Thank you!!

Testing the Swimmers Part III--Guest Post By The Hubs

This is the third part of what's now becoming a FOUR part guest spot! Catch up with Part I and Part II before reading today's!


xo,
Angela

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So I did the test/ What an experience! It wasn’t as bad as I thought. As it turns out, I didn’t have to go into a room with adult magazines and take care of business. I was able to take care of business at home. That is where the bad news comes into play. After getting the “SAMPLE”, I had to keep it at body temperature. This meant making the 10 minute drive with a sterile cup of sperm in my pocket.

Once I got to the lab, I had to fill out some very basic paperwork mainly dealing with my insurance. The people were very nice, and apparently I was the only one that felt awkward passing a cup of man juice across the counter. This all happened on Friday. The lady that took the sample said the results would be ready around the first of next week.

That might seem like a short period of time, but when being infertile is one of the possible answers, it feels like forever. As of the time writing the post (11/21), we still haven’t got the results. I’ve contacted the lab every other day and get the same answer. “We’re experiencing an extremely long wait due to heavy demand.” At this point, I’m thinking about going to a place that specializes in fertility testing in Greensboro. If I don’t get the results in the next few days, that’s exactly what I’m doing. As you can tell, I’m extremely irritated by this. My nerves were already on edge waiting for the results, and the stupidly long wait is making it worse.

So I’ll tell you what, no matter what happens, I’ll write another post dealing with either the results, or my experience with the fertility center in Greensboro. Till then…

Clicky clicky for my wifey!!

Testing the Swimmers Part II--Guest Post by The Hubs

This is the second post of a three part segment written by my hubs, Vance, author of The Vance View. If you didn't read Part I yesterday, I highly recommend you head on over and read it before you continue reading this post. Part III will be posted on Monday of next week! :-)


xo,
Angela

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In my last post we had gone in to see the doctor for my wife’s lady visit. That’s when they told me about the lab for my tests. What I didn’t do is go into much detail on my last post about the actual conversation we had with the doctor about my visit to the lab. Let’s just say it was interesting. She tossed around words like Playboy and phrases like getting the job done. I kind of wanted to throw up in my mouth a little. Angela had the same thought go through her head as well.

It took a few days to make the call to the lab. And by a few days...I mean five to seven. Nervous doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt about this whole situation. Not only did I know what had to be done (remember the playboy incident from the first paragraph?), but I couldn’t help but think the worst about what the results might be. But, I made the call anyhow. As it turns out, I didn’t have to go into a creepy room with girly magazines. The down side? The lady from the lab told me that I had to create the sample at home and bring it to the lab. Oh joy! It was bad enough that I had to be tested, but now I had to transport it!

It wasn’t until I made the appointment that it really sunk in that I was having my swimmers tested to see if I was infertile. I can’t speak for other men, but for me this is a depressing topic. It is also kind of embarrassing. I know what you’re thinking, and it doesn’t matter. That is just how I feel. I’m still doing it because I want kids so badly, and I need to know exactly what we’re working with. All I can do is pray that the results come back saying I’m fine.

My third installment will be coming Monday. I’ll talk about my thoughts on the test experience and the follow up. Until then...

Vote for my sexy wife!

Testing the Swimmers Part I--Guest Post By The Hubs

I am pleased to announce that today marks a very monumental day for Angela's Favorite Things! Today is the first guest post we've ever had. Who better to write a guest post than that author of The Vance View, my husband, the hubs, Vance? I've tried to keep you all updated on our TTC journey with the most recent info, feelings, potential conceptions, etc. Well, what has been lacking is a male prospective! I cannot express what my husband is feeling along the way any better than he can fully express what I'm feeling/thinking. In this three-part segment, Vance, the hubs, will share his point of view on our TTC efforts and his role in getting tested!


xo,
Angela

Tune in tomorrow to read Part II of this three part guest series to read about Vance's anticipation leading up to the whole testing process!

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Before my wife and I got married, we talked about the future, but the one subject that kept coming up was kids. We both wanted them. The question was when? We discussed birth control for the first year and also having kids right away. After thinking about it, I knew what I wanted. At 30 years old, I didn’t really want to wait very long. The way I looked at it was once we got married in June, it was less than two months before I was 31. If we waited a year, I would be 32 when we started trying, and I really didn’t want to be a first time father at 33 or 34. So the decision was made! We were going for it; we wouldn’t get on the birth control train. We wanted to enjoy each other, and enjoy being newlyweds, but we wanted to get pregnant too.

So off we went! For the first couple of months we didn’t worry about cycles and ovulation, or anything of that sort. Then as the weeks and months went on, we started to get a little discouraged. I secretly felt like a huge failure as a man and husband. My wife, on the other hand, went to town on the research. We both knew she wasn’t the most regular when it came to that “time” of the month, but we pressed on. Now, as any couple that has issues conceiving knows all too well, the act of making a baby stops being fun after about the fifth failed attempt and turns into pressure and disappointment. As a man, it is also a huge hit to the ego, I know that’s how I felt anyway. It started to get harder and harder to get into the mood, and I started to get very depressed. At the time, I didn't express this to anybody, not even Angela.

Then, this past summer, we really thought we were pregnant! It was well past “that” time of the month, and I just knew we had finally succeeded! We went out and bought the "family pack" of pregnancy tests, but everyday was the same...no period and a negative test. I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t break every time she said negative again. We talked to a ton of people that had the same issue, store bought tests coming up negative. We needed to get a real test, but unfortunately my company’s pathetic insurance plan makes it impossible to insure my wife. We researched alternative options. We found that there are a lot of resources available if you just look. So, the next step was going to a place that specialized in this. We found a pregnancy center that was right down the street and we went right in. My hopes were quickly crushed when that test came up negative as well. At this point I wanted to dig a hole and jump in it. I was so down it wasn’t even funny, but I had to be strong, or at least I thought I did. We asked the lady in charge, Nancy, where we could get a blood drawn test for cheap. She gave us the number of a place that would do this. The name is Southside United Health and Wellness Center. After getting lost more than once, we finally found the place and went in to get the test. This was my last hope of good news, and I needed it at that point. It took around 3 days to get the results…NEGATIVE!! The disappointment on my beautiful wife’s face was almost too much to bear! I have never felt like that in my life! I wanted to scream, cry, and curse at God so bad at that point in time. My anger was close to getting the best of me. I know now that it was more hurt and sadness than anger, but hindsight is 20/20.

Our next step was making her lady exam appointment, which we did. When the day came, I went with her, and that is when the doctor gave us the name of a lab that could test my swimmers. Now I am really nervous! This ordeal has been very difficult for the both of us. But to find out it is my "fault"...that is something I don’t want to think about. So I really hope they swim like Michael Phelps, and not sink like the Greek economy.

(This post was written Nov. 7.)


Hey! Give my wife a vote for being so awesome!