Our Trip to Florida

Last week for my spring break, Toby and I traveled to Florida! It was so nice to get away from the cold weather. The winter blues is a real thing y'all. I'm originally from Florida so every time we go back I get super nostalgic! I am definitely built for the beach/warm weather life. I tried very hard to convince Toby that moving to Florida for a year would be a great idea. I don't think it worked! But he definitely wants to go back again so that's a start :)

We flew down which was great because I think we were both dreading the thought of driving for 16 hours straight. We spent our first three days in Orlando which was so fun! Toby got us an awesome deal on a hotel that was walking distance from Seaworld. My dad got us Busch Gardens passes for Christmas which get us into eight different theme parks on the east coast! This worked out great for us because two of them are in Orlando (Seaworld and Aquatica) so we spent a lot of time at those parks. With our passes, we got discounts on food and we got "ride again privileges" on the roller coasters which was so much fun! The parks weren't crowded at all and the weather wasn't too hot which was a real blessing. We were able to just enjoy ourselves rather than sweating like crazy and spending the day in lines. When we left VA it was 8° and there was a lot of snow on the ground so we were both so happy to be in Florida that we had fun just walking around outside. Our hotel had a pool and a hot tub and if you can believe it, it was warm enough at night to go in those. I love Florida weather. Toby has most of the pictures from Seaworld on his phone, so I only have a couple to post. And Aquatica is a water park, so we did't get any pictures there because we locked our phones away. We loved exploring Orlando and spending all of our time outside!

When we left Orlando, we went and stayed with my Aunt and Uncle in West Palm Beach for the remainder of our trip. We cannot thank them enough for taking us in! They really blessed us on our trip. They housed and fed us every day. We spent the time hanging out at their pool, going to the beach, and exploring West Palm! It was so great to see my family, especially since I don't get to see them very often. My little cousins are 9 and 11 and they adore Toby. He was so good with them. I loved the fact that they got the chance to get to know Toby and that they spent so much time with us! Also, my cousin Keenan used to live in Fairfax and moved back to Florida last October, so it was good to spend some time with him as well. All in all, it was an awesome week!

Toby insisted on keeping his mustache for the first day of our trip. I kept catching him taking pictures of it.

The Walruses were HUGE! 

The Beluga Whale looks to me like an overweight dolphin.

I love dolphins so much. They have always been my all time favorite animal! 

The Shamu show never disappoints! We also saw the killer whale that the whole "Blackfish" documentary was about. He was in the show. Pretty crazy.

They had this cool window where you could see the killer whales while they swam by. This was the baby. Can you imagine how big the adult ones would be in this window?

This was the coolest British Pub we got to eat at! They have different beers from all over the world and a "Pour your own beer" wall that works like a froyo place (pay by the ounce). 

The beach was so pretty. This picture doesn't even do the blue water justice!

We went over to the top of the Everglades and we got to see some alligators swimming around. My cousin said this one is between 6 and 7 feet long. He said if you measure in inches the distance between the eyes and the edge of the nose (snout?) that's how long it is in feet. Pretty cool! Better than measuring from up close...

We got to sit outside at World of Beer on our last night.

My favorite person to travel with!

This was the weather on the day we were leaving. I think it was a sign we should have stayed...

I'm A Horrible Blogger

I am a terrible blogger. Apparently I forgot that I even have a blog because I can never remember to post. I will take some pictures and think "oh I can put these on my blog!" but then that's as far as it goes. Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?

Since I haven't posted in like a month, I figured I would do one long blog to recap the last month in the Schaefer house!

Going way back to our first married Valentine's day: Toby and I had breakfast together and I gave him the card I made him. I recently got some water color paper so I had to try out an idea I saw on Pinterest :) After breakfast, we went to the National Gun Show where Toby got a gun. I know he was excited because he has been wanting to get a pistol for awhile now. The day after Valentine's day, I made us a romantic dinner and Toby surprised me with a room at the Westin! It was so nice to get away for the night and spend some time together. We love the beds at the Westin, they feel like what I imagine sleeping on a cloud would feel like. So comfortable. I want to get one of those beds.

Our breakfast (pecan cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs, simple and unhealthy; my specialty)

The card I made for Toby. I think this will be the new way I make cards!

Toby signing all the forms to buy his gun

I guess I should learn how to shoot now, right?

Literally the best hotel ever

Our romantic dinner: Coq au Chardonnay, mashed potatoes, bread, and red velvet cake pops for dessert :) In setting up for dinner I realized we didn't have candle holders, so I used Mason Jars. 

Now for the rest of the month, these are just some random pictures of what has been going on!

Chewy isn't supposed to be on our bed, but every time I come home from work or school he has weaseled his way up there! He looks to cute to scold...

We have had so much snow this winter! I took this picture back in February when I still thought it was pretty. Now it's just a nuisance and I'm ready for summer.

Toby and I love going over to Scooter and Laura's! It's so nice living close to family and getting to see them so much. I love when Toby plays with Landon. He's going to be such a good dad.

Scooter took Toby to the CPAC conference one night and they got to go to some really cool places! Toby loved it and is still talking about it a month later. He looks so handsome in a suit.

A Small Medical Update

Most of you know that a few years ago I had two fast growing tumors surgically removed and biopsied from my breast. Both of them were labeled benign fibroadenomas. This past July, I had another one removed and biospied; also a benign fibroadenoma. When they did the ultrasound, they found two more small tumors. I was told we would monitor them every six months with an ultrasound and chart their size. Fibroadenomas are extremely common and harmless. However, typically with fibroadenomas they stay the same size or grow very slowly. The normal process for a fibroadenoma is to have an ultrasound every six months for two years and at the end of two years if they haven't grown or have grown very little, you get to keep them! But if the tumors grow, they have to be biopsied. My understanding of the reason why growth is bad is because growth means the tumor is unpredictable.

Fast forward to two weeks ago: I had my follow up appointment and what do you know? Over the past six months they have both grown about 5 mm in size. Because they have grown, I have to have a biopsy. My doctor said she can tell me with 80% certainty that these are also fibroadenomas and not breast cancer, but only a biopsy gives you 100% certainty, so we have to do something. That leaves me with two options: a core needle biopsy or an excisional biopsy. Excisional biopsies are what I have had in the past. A core needle biopsy is less invasive, however if I choose that option and the tumor continues to grow (which history tells us that it will), then I have to get an excisional biopsy anyways. From what I have read, the core needle biopsy is extremely painful and I would much rather be asleep for the painful part. Toby and I have really been talking about the options because I would love to not have any more surgeries this year. There are so many things to consider and I am really bad at making decisions. Thankfully, I don't have to decide by tomorrow or anything, but my doctor said not to take longer than three months and if possible, not to take all of three months.

I have really been weighing my options, and I have also done an insane amount of research to see if there is any option we could be missing. I have not found any other options that I am a candidate for. However with all of the research I have done and my extensive amount of medical knowledge that comes from binge watching Grey's Anatomy, I feel like I should be a doctor.

While a core needle biopsy is less invasive, if the tumor grows after that, it has to be removed excisionally anyways. Because of this we are leaning more towards the excisional biopsy. This may be the more invasive procedure, but it is still outpatient and we think it's my best option. I would rather have one more invasive procedure now, than have two procedures later.

Going forward, we would really like to figure out what is causing these tumors to grow and how to prevent it. If we could get the growth under control, then there would be no need for any more surgeries in the future. We could monitor them with an ultrasound and after two years they will be considered "safe." I will post an update as we decide and move forward. I don't want this to turn into one of those "my medical journey" blogs, but I figured since it's just family and close friends reading, this would be a good place to update everyone all at once!

Since we got married I have had two, going on three outpatient procedures. Toby has been so awesome. He comes to every doctors appointment that he can with me, he takes care of me after surgery (and lets me pick what we watch on Netflix :)) And he lets me cry/vent/laugh/talk his ear off about everything and helps me make these decisions. Toby really didn't know what he was getting himself into when he said "in sickness and in health," but I'm glad he's here to go through it all with me :)

A Warm Day In February?

Leave it to Virginia weather to confuse, but Sunday was a gorgeous day! It was 65 degrees and sunny out. Given that it has been freezing the last few months, we had to do something outside! Toby and I met up with family and friends at a winery for the afternoon! It was such a fun and relaxing day. Everyone brought snacks and we got some wine and sat outside to enjoy the weather!

Love spending time with my sister-in-laws! And Landon :)

A day well spent!

Whirlwind Weekend

This past weekend I got to go on my first "Schaefer road trip." We traveled to New Jersey for the wedding of some of Toby's family friends. It was so much fun as Toby, Scooter, Ben, Patricia and I packed into a car for the 5 hour drive. We met Sue, Ulrich, Brennan, Holly and Isaiah up there. Since I haven't been a Schaefer for very long, I don't know everyone very well yet so I always look forward to any time I get to spend with any of my in-laws! I want to be super intentional about getting to know everyone and letting them get to know me. I feel like I have the best in-laws ever! This weekend was so much fun and I loved getting to talk with everyone. I always hear people make jokes about how in-laws can be a nuisance or difficult, and I honestly feel very sad for those people that they don't have the Schaefer's as their in-laws. Everyone is so welcoming, kind, and caring. And all of the brothers have an uncanny ability to make anyone laugh. Toby and I always talk about how fun it would be if everyone lived closer so we could all spend more time together. I am so excited now for my first Schaefer Christmas so that I can see everyone again!

The wedding was so much fun. Whenever Toby and I go to a wedding together we dance the whole time! Neither of us knows how to dance, but we like to pretend and we have a blast doing it. I can't wait for Ben and Patricia's wedding so we can dance again! I also loved seeing Isaiah. He is the cutest thing. He loves to give hugs and he wanted me to hold him the whole day. I was in Auntie heaven! And on Sunday we went to Scooter and Laura's for the Super Bowl, which was more Aunt Chelsea heaven. Landon was playing with me and letting me read him books and by the end of the night he would run over and give me hugs. The Super Bowl was fun, but Landon was definitely the highlight for me! At one point, he was sitting on Toby's lap and Toby was reading to him. My heart was melting. 

All in all it was a very busy weekend! We were exhausted on Monday but it was so worth it to spend so much time with our family.

Can Blogs Be Short?

I can't figure out this blog thing yet, but I'm hoping that there's no right or wrong way to go about this. Can blog posts be short? Or do they have to all be super long with pretty words and lots of pictures?

Anyways, here's a short one that I wanted to share. Wednesday's are super long for me. I'm working part time and taking 18 credits, so on Wednesday's I work from 8-11 and then I head straight to Mason for classes until 7:10 at night. I don't have any breaks between my classes so the day feels really long. By the time I get home I am so tired and I have so much homework and I'm super stressed out.

Wednesday's make me tired, but they also make me thankful. My sweet husband was cooking dinner when I got home we had a nice relaxing night. He sure is a great person to come home to after a long day.

Am I A Real Schaefer Woman Now?

Since all of the other Schaefer women have blogs, I figured it was time to jump on the bandwagon. I have been talking about starting a blog for awhile because it's such an awesome way to keep family and friends updated all in one place. But how do you start this thing?

I really want to start blogging not only for family and friends, but also because there is so much change happening in my life right now. Marriage is such a new and exciting journey and I am having so much fun figuring it out with Toby. I want somewhere I can look back at everything we have done and learned together in this sweet time of our lives. I know it will go by too quickly! I am also really bad at taking pictures of things I want to remember, so hopefully this will give me some motivation to do more of that.

 Basically I have no idea what this blog will be other than a place to keep memories and whatever else I can come up with. In a few years, Lord willing, there will be some cute baby pictures, but for now there will probably just be lots of pictures of Toby, Chewy, and our life together. Occasionally I'll post a new recipe I've tried (9 out of 10 times it will be unhealthy but delicious. I have not mastered cooking healthy food but I have got a handle on cooking good food), crafts I've made, or a long rant about how I can't wait until May 16th (graduation). There is no plan here. Just to write! Or I guess type...

So here it is! My very first blog post. Nothing super exciting. I know Toby and I got married almost eight months ago, but am I a real Schaefer woman now?