Albaugh & Sons - Review (part 1)

When we made the decision to fence the backyard late last summer and update the deck, we knew we wanted a company that did both. I scoured the internet, asked for referrals on the neighborhood pages and finally stumbled upon Albaugh & Sons. 

Nick Albaugh runs the fence and deck division of the company. From the minute Nick stepped out of the truck, I knew we had found our team. First, he was early and if you know me, you know that early is my jam. He took his time to answer my questions, set expectations (major points here), gently crush dreams (when safety codes would not allow for my original vision) and gave us information on what we wanted. Not once did he push any add ons or higher end products or anything. It was like chatting with a friend as opposed to a salesman.  He gave us a full run down on trex decking vs lumber decking, pros and cons of both, and let us make our choice. I cannot stress enough how important that was to me.

So here are some before of the deck and backyard. Clearly, we did make some other changes to the house; however, that was done with another contractor. And we removed some of the trees and overgrowth from the backyard which makes a HUGE difference.

The crew that came to do the fence and deck were incredible. They were always on time. They stayed until they felt everything that could be done in a day was done, even if that meant wrapping up in the rain. They made sure there was not a single nail in the yard because we have dogs and small children. They were thoughtful and detailed oriented and I am so so happy with how it all turned out.  

The kids absolutely love being able to play with Hank in the backyard and I cannot believe that the deck is really ours. It is all so beautiful.

Valentine's Day 2021

Brandon and I don't typically celebrate Valentine's Day. The man doesn't need a holiday to give me a card and chocolates - he does it on a random Tuesday (and other days of the week too). During peak pandemic when most of the world was shut down, I was still required to go into the office every day. And every day I had a new surprise candy bar in my lunch, some I had never even seen before, because he knew it would make me smile and help get me through some of the toughest work days I have ever experienced. While February 14th doesn't hold a romantic significance for us, since having kids, celebrating holidays is so much more than the Hallmark event, it is a chance to create magic. And I love being a magic maker. During the pandemic, I have felt an even bigger need to make magic when I can. 

While it was a little bit extra for us, it wasn't totally over the top. A couple of Party City centerpieces and a plastic table cloth go a long way.  Natalie and Everett both got a cute little pail with a stuffed animal, red glitter heart shaped glasses, a pez dispenser and a box of chocolates.  Over the top though, but 100% necessary, was the 4 ft tall bear balloon. He was easily my favorite part of the day :)

for my little cat lover :)

for my big girl :)

The kiddos had heart shaped cinnamon bun waffles, thanks to B making my special breakfast dreams come true :) And because he is secretly just as extra as I am (under the disguise of making less dishes) he made my eggs with the heart waffle maker. Freaking swoon. 

I think it's safe to say, the kids were ok with me being a little bit extra this year :)

my covid vaccine experience

I work in healthcare. To my practice, I am considered essential personnel. As far as the pandemic goes, in my opinion, I do not qualify as essential. The frontline workers doing the heavy lifting are essential. But to my patients with infertility, I guess I am pretty essential. Given my status as a healthcare worker, I was offered the covid vaccine as part of Tier 1A, the first people allowed to get it. I was anxious about getting the vaccine, given how obviously new the vaccine is, but I also understand the importance behind vaccinations and knew I wanted to get it at some point. My husband, the ever rational thinker, convinced me to pull the trigger and get it done.

I want to take a minute to pause here. I am (clearly) pro vaccine. That being said, I support and love people who are not pro vaccine. It is not a stance I understand but it is not one that will make or break a friendship for me. It is a topic on which I will, respectfully, agree to disagree. You will not change my mind and I will not change yours. It's that simple. Everyone feels they are making the best decision for themselves and their families. Life and motherhood are hard enough without bickering about this stance.

Moving right along... 

I am lucky to work on a team with three amazing women who also happen to be my friends. One of these rockstars is a nervous nelly like me and we opted to go together for our vaccine.  If this is a possibility for you, I highly recommend it. Something about being with a trusted friend makes the hard stuff seem less hard.

After the first dose, I was ok. My arm became super sore in the evening but by morning I was fine. First dose was a piece of cake.

Before my second dose, we had a clinical meeting where we were warned about some tough side effects of the second dose: fever, body aches, flu like symptoms. This put my anxiety on high alert. I seriously considered canceling my appointment; however, it had been so hard to get the appointment for my second dose that I was scared to miss it and have to start all over again. So we went and got our second dose.

After my appointment, I sent B the below selfie with a text "oh you know, just waiting for impending doom". Sups mature, I know. 

That night my arm started to feel sore around the kids bedtime, just as it had before. I took one motrin to help that subside. That night I slept like crap. Not because I was symptomatic but because I woke up constantly, almost like I was checking to see if I had any symptoms. They never came. I woke up a bit achy. But was that from the vaccine or was that from the 9 inches of snow I shoveled just a couple days ago? I never had a fever, low grade or high. I won't comment on being tired because I am a mom with kids who haven't been sleeping through the night, tired is my baseline. I had some chills but I also work from home at a desk set up in our basement and feel cold all the time so not an easy one to assess.  I did feel in a fog the first few hours I was awake but was that the vaccine or was that the week catching up with me? Only Ahtohallan knows.

I feel pretty lucky that I experienced only very mild side effects. I know others who have had a tough experience, both with covid and with the vaccine. I encourage everyone to do their research and make the decision that feels best for you and your families.

Happy vaxxing, friends, or not vaxxing, if that's what you're into :)

First Snow Day 2021

 We had our first snow day of 2021 this week and it did not disappoint.  The kids loved getting outside and playing in the snow. I would have loved it more if B hadn't sprained his ankle and been on crutches leaving me, unfortunately, to shovel out the 9 inches of snow.  I took it as an opportunity to teach Natalie something very important: women are physically strong too.  I explained to Natalie that husbands who shovel snow (mow lawns, do manual labor around the house) are a luxury and women are capable of doing hard things.  Two reminders I needed myself: I can do hard things and I need to take time to acknowledge and appreciate all the things, small and big, my amazing husband does for our family.

I don't want to ever forget bundling my kids up in snowsuits and seeing the sheer joy on their faces. Snow days are a reminder to slow down and enjoy the little things.

There is something so stinkin sweet about babies bundled up and my baby is hardly a baby anymore. He is so much a little boy, not even a toddler. Clearly, I'm coping well.

The snow is starting to melt today but I am going to hold onto these happy moments in our bubble as long as possible. As much as I love these days, here's to hoping we don't have another one before B is healed :)

hello old friend

It has been a little over two years since I have sat down to write a blog post. I never really said goodbye to this little space of mine. I just kind of hit pause.  Perhaps, deep down, I knew I wasn't quite done. Life got crazy and I didn't have the same time I had previously to invest in documenting our days. Parenting two kids (5 and under) while working full time, being a wife and maintaining a home with my husband is a lot (even if my husband is a rockstar).

Life is happening so fast around us that now seemed like as good a time as any to pick up where we left off. We are living through a global event, an international pandemic, that will be in the history books. Closer to home, we watched unthinkable events take place at the Capitol Building just weeks ago. The emotions still feel so raw. Yesterday, for the first time ever, a woman was sworn in as Vice President of the United States of America.  The words give me goosebumps. We will have TWO working moms in the White House.  If that doesn't show women and girls everywhere that they can do anything, I don't know what will.

© the insanely talented Jennifer Vallez

History is happening. Memories are being made. I want to remember these days one way or another and perhaps writing it all down will help. So, I gave the old gal a little bit of a facelift and cleaned things up a bit. Here's goes nothing, after my longest hiatus yet, here is round 3 of the blog. Third time's a charm, right?