week 22: saying goodbyes.

our four years in sweet home birmy have come to a close.  it's been an incredible four years of ups & downs & beginnings & endings.  blakey learned how to be an excellent physician.  i learned how to be a pasty chef & actually love my job.  we learned how to live in a city we knew nothing about.  we learned to make friends, truly amazing lifelong friends.  & we even learned how to be husband & wife.

the biggest life lessons i learned while in birmingham:

1. be selfish with your marriage.  learn to put your spouse & your marriage first before all of the other things that are in your life - work, friends, even other family.  it might sound rude, but it's so important to start there & learn to live out your life together.  i will point out a very wise thing my father-in-law said to me before blake & i got married: when marrying a doctor, you have to be ok with coming in second.  you are always his first priority, but you are going to come in second sometimes.  this is also a good thing to remember.

2. find an amazing group of married friends with similar beliefs about marriage.  i cannot tell you how lucky & blessed we were to find these amazing friends.  not only because they are each awesome but because we all understood how important our spouses were to each other.  it made it even easier to put our marriages first.

3. marriage is a choice.  a wise friend of ours once told me that the key to a good marriage is to wake up each day & choose your spouse.  sometimes it's easy & sometimes it's hard.  but it's always a choice.

4. even if you love your job, it's ok to love home more.  i always wanted a job that i looked forward to going to on monday mornings.  after having my dream job for the last three years, if you asked me if i'd rather be at work or at home, i'd choose home every time.  & you know what, that's ok.

5. please don't ever say "i don't have time" or "i don't have a choice".  you have time.  you get to choose how to spend your time.  & you have a choice.  just because you don't like your options, it doesn't mean you don't have a choice.  

four years ago, i never would've dreamed it would be so hard to leave birmingham.  this city with its beautiful trees & hills, its cool summer nights, its amazing food, its southern hospitality, & its incredible people.  birmy, you've been good to us.  

& because you know i couldn't leave this city we love without having a "final meal" {& telling you about it} - our last meal was at saw's.  a pulled pork baker with lots of delicious saw's sauce & the best fried okra there is.  technically, we ate our "final" saw's meal at least six or seven times, including twice in the last week. each one was absolutely incredible.

"you get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place.  

like you'll not only miss the people you love 

but you'll miss the person you are now 

at this time & place 

because you'll never be this way ever again."

love love,

kjp.

week 21: blakey is finished!!!!

oh my goodness, blakey is finished with residency.  four years of extremely hard work & play.  four years of learning & growing & teaching & baby catching.  i am so proud of the man, doctor, & husband he's become.

to honor this great group of outgoing chiefs, we had an evening filled with dinner & dancing at the country club.  all eight chiefs were accepted to a fellowship program in his/her specialty, an impressive achievement.  well done, y'all.  well done.

it is so bittersweet to say goodbye to this place that has had such a part in turning blakey into the man he has become.  they've supported him & they've supported me so well over these years.  we could not have asked for more.  

{we're going to miss you, boone,

& your amazing tennessee orange.}

happy pre-father's day, love!  you are going to be an excellent dad.

love love,

kjp.

week 20: halfway there!

the halfway point brought with it the most amazing thing i've ever experienced in my life - nora belle's first kick!!  i was laying on the couch with tanky all snuggled up to my belly & blakey by my side when i felt the weirdest little thing inside of me.  i sat straight up with my eyes gigantically wide.  blakey said i had the funniest look on my face that he has certainly never seen before.  "oh my goodness, what was that?!  i think i felt her kick!"  forget what people say about it feeling like butterflies fluttering, it feels like a fish.  a fish was swimming around in my belly.  my sweet little nora belle fish.  i am so happy to feel your little feet in my "nora belly".

twenty weeks was also blakey's toast & roast to his outgoing chief class!  we had a fun night celebrating these eight fine doctors & all they had accomplished over the last four years.  with tears & laughter, we had another round of goodbyes.  

our final few weeks were also filled with farewell meals at our favorite restaurants.  highlands, of course, made the list with an incredible meal of seafood & steak & an amazing chocolate dessert.  frank stitt, you sure know your stuff.

happy halfway!

love love,

kjp.

week 19: my final week at urban.

week 19 meant my last week at my beloved baking job.  urban standard became my home away from home in birmy.  i started working there in only our second month in alabama, when i knew almost no one in the state.  over the years, blake & i met so many friends at the shop and felt much more at home.  after graduating from pastry school, i was enabled to create my dream job.  i could not be more grateful for the experience.

saying goodbyes are always hard.  saying goodbye to your dream job when 19 weeks pregnant - oh my goodness, so many tears!

over my last week, i made so many of my favorite treats, customers' favorite treats, & a few fancy things i had been wanting to try.  but my last day was purely selfish with my favorite espresso donuts, my favorite chocolate chip orange zest cookies, & my favorite spicy mexican chocolate cake bites. blakey & i even shared one a piece.  & they were delicious :)

with all of the goodbyes were also many hugs, so many kind words, two beautiful flower bouquets, fun photos of me baking, & more fun gifts.  helen even taught me how to make her amazing banana pudding!  y'all have to try it.  ask me.  i'll make it for you.

goodness gracious, y'all are the best.  four of the best years of my life with so much learning & experiencing & loving.  urban, you are so going to be missed.

love love,

kjp.

happy 4th anniversary, byrds!!!!

celebrating a very happy 4 years with the love of my life!  four years.  four years of creating a life together, creating an even greater friendship, creating an even stronger love.  & now onto creating a little porter!

 {1st year of happiness in montevallo}

{2nd year of happiness in memphis}

{3rd year of happiness in nola}

i love you, dear love of my life.  you are truly the man of my dreams.

love love,

kjp.

celebrating 13 weeks with the vandaveers in birmy!

13 weeks!  the second trimester has arrived & i've welcomed it with open arms.  i'm feeling much better, like i could conquer the world even!  my appetite has returned to a normal schedule, not eating every hour or two.  my biggest cravings are still orange juice & v8 juice.  so random, but i'll certainly take it.  & naps are still my most beloved afternoon activity.  but conquer the world after those naps i can!

to celebrate these 13 weeks, the vandaveers came to visit us in birmy!!  it was little man's first time to our neck of the woods out of the womb.  {julie byrd & little aveer were here when she was 7 months pregnant, almost 2 years ago.}  we ate some amazing food {moe's & saw's, of course}, played at parks & the museum & watched choo choos {malcolm's favorite}, & celebrated easter together!  it was a wonderful & so loved weekend.

 {a sunrise swing date}

 {all 4 fellas on a trip to the park}

little man celebrated his 2nd easter with us!  we made a huge feast with our favorite pioneer woman spicy dr pepper pulled pork, super cheesy potatoes, corn casserole {you know, for a "vegetable"}, spinach & kale wontons {julie's idea of easter food}, coconut cupcakes, & carrot cake cake bites!  little man got an easter basket full of eggs & bubbles & stickers & an easter book & an easter lamb.  he was pretty pumped about the bubbles.  & then he had his first easter egg hunt!  with stickers & bandaids abound.

 {cheers!}

{or boom! if you're blakey}

{a little frat guy in the making}

{love you, julie byrd!} 

happy 13 weeks & happy easter & happy weekend with the vandaveers!

love love,

kjp.

oh my goodness! we must tell you...

oh my goodness, we're pregnant!  13 weeks pregnant, in fact.  we lovingly refer to our little one as "gummy bear," as that is pretty much what it looked like at the first ultrasound.  an adorable little gummy bear blob.

we found out about our little miracle the day after valentine's day & told our families a few weeks later.  it was so fun to share our big news.  we {haha... i} sent each family member the book are you my mother with "mother" covered in washi tape & with their future name/relation written on top with a little note inside telling them congratulations!

of course, i'm taking bump date photos!  the family has been dying to see them, so, family, here you go:

7 weeks: we just got back from our baby moon vacation in puerto rico!  it was fun to get to talk out loud about being pregnant & our future baby, as no one there knew us anyway.  we got to relax & walk the beach & enjoy some rays in the happy bliss of being new soon-to-be parents!

8 weeks: our first ultrasound!  {well, our first ultrasound that showed a baby blob.}  we got to see the little heart beating so fast.  it had arm buds & leg buds & was the neatest thing i'd ever seen.

9 weeks: lisa & dave came to birmy for the last time before we move!  lisa bought me my first maternity clothes - an amazing pair of maternity jeans!  they don't fit quite yet, thankfully, but they are going to get so much good use very soon.

10 weeks: is that a little baby bump i see?!  yes, yes it is.  my sweet big sister was so kind to point that out while i visited her & my bro-in-law & my adorable nephew in philly!  playing with little man made me all the more excited about having a little one of our own.

11 weeks:  still feeling pretty great, as long as i ate every hour or two & took a little afternoon nap about every day.  not too shabby.  raw greens were finally starting to not repulse me.  my meals finally included a few things other than carbs & cheese {although that was pretty awesome}.  & i remembered the fine points of fruits & veggies & actually having energy to cook a meal for my sweet husband.  oh, 11 weeks, i appreciate you.

12 weeks: we got to hear gummy bear's sweet sweet heartbeat again!  it's an anxious little thing, just like it's mother.  155-165 bpm.  & then i got to experience another ultrasound!  gummy bear was waving its hands in the air & kicking its feet.  the doctor said it was a stubborn baby, when it wouldn't turn over for quite awhile.  of course it's stubborn, it's related to me!  this was the first time i realized i might actually have a human inside of me.  an incredible blessing.

love love,

kjp.  

b is for bennett!

elyse & matt are having a baby boy!!  bennett david rogers is so loved by his family & this wonderful group of friends.  we cannot wait to meet you!

to celebrate this anticipated little boy, we threw a baby shower!  we enjoyed a blue theme with bleu cheese, apple, & caramelized red onion dip with blue corn chips, purple potato salad, moe's wings with bleu cheese dip, & blueberry cupcakes with honey cream cheese frosting.  we toasted with champagne & alcohol-free champagne with blueberries, blackberry mint water, & of course the father-to-be's favorite, miller lite.

it was an afternoon full of love, joy, laughs, & so much to celebrate.  congratulations, elyse & matt!  we are going to love that little baby boy of yours.

love love,

kjp.

thankful thursday - let's do this.

for the first time in as long as i can remember, i don't have any specific new year's resolutions this year. not because i think i have everything together, we all know i don't.  & not because i am against resolutions, i actually think they can be quite helpful.  i really am just not feeling called to any one specific task or goal or weakness.  the only thing that keeps going through my mind as this new, beautiful year approaches is:  let's do this.

blakey & i have quite the year ahead.  we are leaving this wonderful city, these wonderful friends, these wonderful jobs, our wonderful life we have spent three years building this year.  we are starting a new.  we are packing up everything we own & moving to a city we have each been in less than 3 days or less than an hour.  we are starting over once again.  new jobs, new home, new friends, new city, new life.

i am thrilled & terrified all at the same time.  i am positive this is where we are supposed to be.  but somehow that doesn't completely lighten the anxiety of it all.  so to all of the excitement & fears, let's do this.  let's freakin do this.

& for all of the excitement & fears, i am thankful.  even if i am not sure of it all, i am thankful.  let's do this, 2014.

i hope you can think of something today for which you are thankful.

love love,
kjp.

a jolly resident christmas party!

the annual "couth" christmas party was this weekend!  all of the obgyn 3rd & 4th years, fellows, & attendings gathered with spouses to celebrate this wonderful time of year.  we enjoyed the evening with our friends full of delicious dinner, treats, & libations.  and after all of that proper socializing, we had a rockin dance party!  katy perry, meatloaf, & journey.  it was a fantastic holiday event.

{blake & neil looking quite dapper}

{my favorite UAB party friend, ashley}

{dance party time!}

our last uab christmas party.  crazy how fast it all goes.  a very joyful time indeed.

love love,

kjp.