Small Town Charm

One of the best things about Louisiana are the small towns that make up the fabric of the state. One of those cities is Natchitoches (it is also the oldest town in Louisiana). Kyle had Monday off so we headed out to do a little site seeing. We have been here once before for the Christmas Festival last year but it was so packed we didn't really get to explore.

Not many stores were open but the ones that were open were adorable. I love family owned businesses they just provide something extra special.

We had lunch at a place called Maglieaux's on the Cane. It's an Italian/Creole restaurant and it was delicious, I didn't take pictures of the food because I was too busy stuffing my face haha. We sat out on the deck and enjoyed the amazing 75 degree weather.

Afterwards we walked around and explored a bit. The gardens on the river are beautiful and there were a few historic houses that dated back to the 1740's.

Our last top was the house where Steel Magnolias was filmed. It is now a bed and breakfast but you can also tour the house. It's one of my favorite movies so it was awesome to see the house in person.

My sister and the kids will be coming to visit at the beginning of October so we can't wait to take them here.

It's always fun to play tourist, do you enjoy doing that?

Have a great Wednesday.

The Great Outdoors

Another weekend has come to a close and this one was pretty awesome. Kyle only had a few meetings to finish up for this rotation and he was home free.

He had to miss a 5k on Saturday morning, but I still went and had an amazing time. It was a 5k benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis foundation and I ran the race in honor of my cousin, Brad, who passed away in 2014. I had no ambitions of running fast or placing, I just wanted to run for him. Well, imagine my surprise when I ended up placing 2nd overall for females!

It was such a special event and it made me so proud to honor him in that way. Kyle grilled steaks as a treat for me that night and it was delicious.

Kyle had an early meeting yesterday morning but afterwards we packed up lunch and headed up to Kisatchie State Park. We hiked roughly 5 miles on the Lakeshore Trailhead. It was absolutely beautiful.

We had an amazing view of Kincaid Lake, there were quite a few people out there boating which was awesome.

We can't wait to go back and explore the area even more. We are heading up to Nachitoches today for lunch and to do a little shopping. 

It has been so nice to spend time with Kyle after only spending a total of 5 hours with him over the last month.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Never Forget

It has been 14 years since our country was changed in the most catastrophic way. I will always remember where I was when it happened and the feelings that I felt.

Kyle and I have had the honor to visit ground zero and see those reflecting pools honoring those who were lost on that day. The emotions that we felt are something that I cannot put into words. 

Those who were lost in those attacks including the first responders will never ever be forgotten. Nor will we forget those thousands of amazing service members who have defended this great country against the evil who committed those acts. We almost lost a very dear friend in the attack on the Pentagon, had he left his office a few seconds later we would not have him in our lives.

We Will Never Forget.

A Little Exploring

Finally this weekend Kyle and I will get to spend some quality time together. He has a few meetings on Saturday but Sunday his day is open and I knew I wanted to do something fun. We haven't spent much time outdoors so we are going to venture out to the Kisatchie National Forest and do some hiking.

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How beautiful is this?! There are several trails and we are opting for the 7 mile trail, it intersects with 3 others so we can choose to go for longer if we want. I am excited to start checking off things from our bucket list of things we want to do here. With how much he works we don't get much time together to just explore. We are going to bring food for a picnic and get lost (well not really because I just bought him this fancy Garmin that he uses for work lol). 

It's possible that he could have Monday off so I am planning fun for that day too haha. There is a cute little town about an hour from us called Natchitoches (this is where Steel Magnolias was filmed and where the real family lived). It's the oldest town in Louisiana and has adorable shops, plantations, and gorgeous views of the river. 

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We went for the Christmas Festival last year and I have been wanting to go back since then. Here's hoping that the weather cooperates.

I know some time together will do us both a lot of good and I am really looking forward to it. 

A Few Bright Spots

I headed down to my sisters on Wednesday and have spent the majority of the time relaxing. It has been nice.


We had a girls day at the beach. It was overcast weather but still beautiful out.

My diplomas came in the mail and Kyle sent me pictures. It definitely made me smile that he opened them up to snap a photo for me. He is a good one! :)

Yesterday was spent at the river, it was another nice day to just relax and do nothing.

I head home tomorrow and it will be time to makes changes for the better. 

Hope you all had a great weekend.

What They Don't Tell You

Before I start this post I just have to say that it took me a long time to decide if I wanted to share this but I knew that I needed to because there are many others suffering in silence. 

I am struggling with depression.

This is one part of the infertility journey that they don't tell you about, they don't tell you that you will feel like you are a broken person. I thought I was just sad and then realized it was much more than that, with my educational background I was able to break down my symptoms and realize what it is.

I noticed it a few months ago but over the last several weeks it has gotten progressively worse. More often than not people who are also dealing with infertility with deal with depression as well. I have always given this outward appearance that everything is okay and we are so positive but to be honest it's not always like that. I feel like I am drowning most days and I don't know how to cope. I see pregnancy announcements on social media and all I can think about is why can't that be us, why can't we have a baby, why does this have to be so difficult. I know that people say things such as "things will happen when they are meant to" and "it will happen just relax", statements like that don't help someone who is struggling. I feel like we are getting so close to a solution but it still feels so far away or that it could end in more heartbreak and dealing with that is hard.

I struggle with the simplest things such as getting out of the bed in the morning and going out in public. There are nights when I don't sleep and in the morning I want to pull the covers back over my head and forget about everything going on. I cry for no reason and feel like I am living in a constant fog that I can't get out of. I have to force myself to do the simplest things so that I can feel normal, it's the classic case of perfect on the outside but crumbling on the inside.

Let me be clear that I have never had thoughts about hurting myself, but I am not who I was a few months ago. I finally came clean to Kyle on Tuesday and the rest of my family yesterday because if I can't tell them who can I?! Everyone has been incredibly supportive and it means a lot.

I have decided to seek help from a professional, I know that I need to talk to someone who is not personally involved in the situation.  Whether that involves medication or CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy), I need to figure out what is best for me to feel well. 

There should never be a stigma about depression, I am being open and honest in hopes of helping someone else. 

Two Things

Two things that make me happy:


Fresh new hair color!!

New running shoes!

Happy Wednesday everyone!