tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61348770253828677412024-02-20T14:45:25.146-05:00A KRUG'S LIFEAshley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134877025382867741.post-44657358413075543212021-08-08T21:16:00.000-04:002021-08-08T21:16:26.470-04:00Another update!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiy2INicFdcXwnZ_ujXsyoJ5yEto5H6jQFlcSmOkQtx-0Wv3l-tdcImIxPH5-uqj4Zcp5IElpLy12ozla_jala2GGXPlChLYbvIndePuF62Mb1HMCyOAqomppVTk_JvWr_xQyw8i0x_kmL/s1440/123545710_10105827520758824_2053524617708974134_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiy2INicFdcXwnZ_ujXsyoJ5yEto5H6jQFlcSmOkQtx-0Wv3l-tdcImIxPH5-uqj4Zcp5IElpLy12ozla_jala2GGXPlChLYbvIndePuF62Mb1HMCyOAqomppVTk_JvWr_xQyw8i0x_kmL/s16000/123545710_10105827520758824_2053524617708974134_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Apparently, I’m the queen of long absences.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>The last time I checked in it was to tell you the very
amazing news that we’d introduced a tiny human into our family of two. Then I
left y’all hanging without an adoption story and went on my merry way trying to
figure out how to be a mom and wife and friend all during a pandemic. I still
want to take the time to do a full post on Harper’s adoption story, but I
thought this post would be a great opportunity to do a quick catch up since
October and ease myself back into regular-ish blogging moving forward.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Since we left off in October…</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Little man grew literal leaps and bounds in his first
year. With his 1<sup>st</sup> (OMG) birthday now past us (pics soon!) I’ll share a month
by month comparison of Harper’s first year but its safe to say he didn’t stay a
teensy tiny little guy for too long! Harper started getting the sweetest cheeks
and thighs and little baby rolls around this time and I was so obsessed. Eric
and I are both really into Halloween costumes and while we knew we weren’t
going to go trick or treating during a pandemic, we still dressed up and porch
visited our parents for the holiday. Eric’s Joe Exotic mullet will forever be
imprinted on my brain.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGevZDMm_PygXPaoo4dg7j2Q-JsBg38kKKVvQ1hmc0AhcHYHWfPIGcHMV5pqwaeQd-U0BPpaVdyttNovYz8AJd-nvO3QUYqo8WnxB-bpm8Riizhjvh1Db8GS5Mpsf9Z4lR_vrDk4-kEPa/s1440/123243754_10105823671901964_6825568082116612081_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGevZDMm_PygXPaoo4dg7j2Q-JsBg38kKKVvQ1hmc0AhcHYHWfPIGcHMV5pqwaeQd-U0BPpaVdyttNovYz8AJd-nvO3QUYqo8WnxB-bpm8Riizhjvh1Db8GS5Mpsf9Z4lR_vrDk4-kEPa/s16000/123243754_10105823671901964_6825568082116612081_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">We also traditionally have a pumpkin smash event to
encourage recycling pumpkins into compost instead of throwing them in the trash
can and while we weren’t having in person events, we found a really fun way to
work with our friends at the Zoo to let animals be part of the fun. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoT_qWfTC0DI_bdsKrZxarqEAxUjh-xnPHIuKHd-ek3e3PR0__uP7sT8NALnHcCPLWa6dXY4otPyTp-ddmRlc2u5t7fMtOCEXtyWV3rqXmHOi4ySHz9IRjFYEqiwOF-xZaNsUjzMta9us/s1440/121632158_10105791311377714_5621618769208437018_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoT_qWfTC0DI_bdsKrZxarqEAxUjh-xnPHIuKHd-ek3e3PR0__uP7sT8NALnHcCPLWa6dXY4otPyTp-ddmRlc2u5t7fMtOCEXtyWV3rqXmHOi4ySHz9IRjFYEqiwOF-xZaNsUjzMta9us/s16000/121632158_10105791311377714_5621618769208437018_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Thanksgiving was another holiday that we had to shift, but
I was so so pleased with how our family came together to make it work social
distancing style. We distributed storage containers to all 20 of us, and
everyone made house size portions of the holiday foods we all normally enjoy. Then
we all jumped onto a Zoom call and chatted and played games (I found a
fantastic Thanksgiving Jeopardy game on Etsy that was AMAZING!) While I hated
not seeing the family in person, this was definitely a memory that we’ll all
have of this crazy year.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Christmas came and per usual, Harper was way more excited
about the wrapping paper than the gifts. We all wore matching jammies (even the
dogs, who were less than enthusiastic about it) and even got a very special
visit from Santa to our house. (My sweet uncle moonlights as Santa and offered
to come out of Santa retirement so that Harper could get some pics. It was
seriously the cutest thing.) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRoedvt3SRnLZfOlH5u8T-gy7z7RwBLZbKOOifimuhjYoIxAyshytk8BMkFBO8SDgJHl9LXY333B_tVyR-4IT_5HAeJY6zheWESHcvpfHdQtrK7Og-pkUUCrUbGqpaHhM6K5AgYosIh85/s1440/133351816_10105941314610034_3885908307600020540_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRoedvt3SRnLZfOlH5u8T-gy7z7RwBLZbKOOifimuhjYoIxAyshytk8BMkFBO8SDgJHl9LXY333B_tVyR-4IT_5HAeJY6zheWESHcvpfHdQtrK7Og-pkUUCrUbGqpaHhM6K5AgYosIh85/s16000/133351816_10105941314610034_3885908307600020540_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">January 10<sup>th</sup> meant that Harper was officially
6 months old and could start eating solid foods! We’ve been doing baby led
weaning (and finding tons of help through @babyledweanteam and @solidstarts)
and are steaming along on our 100 First Foods Journey. A full post on this will
be coming soon too, but it’s been SO fun watching people interact with all of
the photos we post on insta and facebook.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">Perhaps the biggest and most exciting part of January
took place on January 29<sup>th</sup> when Harper OFFICIALLY became a Krug. We
had our final court appearance for Harper’s adoption finalization via Zoom and
it was so overwhelming and relieving and joyful. We couldn’t be more blessed. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqELsCHuCkEs_AknlcfPo2xh_hCnaJTiZEQCnvfMiOkPNHJazmk7fmRtGgWKHl9GUJbdW6u7IGx03Ah3xzoVdbe3J4EzpwvQP9FomeUaTl_nTI5q3iWRmCuzcwCB4i-i37dbbOuPA1U0J7/s1440/144333131_10106036023038584_2099736105401870919_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqELsCHuCkEs_AknlcfPo2xh_hCnaJTiZEQCnvfMiOkPNHJazmk7fmRtGgWKHl9GUJbdW6u7IGx03Ah3xzoVdbe3J4EzpwvQP9FomeUaTl_nTI5q3iWRmCuzcwCB4i-i37dbbOuPA1U0J7/s16000/144333131_10106036023038584_2099736105401870919_n.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing">The past few months have been full of milestones
including Harper’s first teeth (he’s up to 4 now and LOVES to use them), he
moved from rolling to crawling to cruising to WALKING in what felt like just a few short
weeks and a return to
daycare for him and work for Eric and I. After nearly 14 months working from
home I’m still not entirely ready (and I can promise my pants weren’t ready for
my comfortable pandemic body lol) but we’re easing back into the routines being
vaccinated and the City opening more up. This has been one of the weirdest year’s
yet, but I have been so thankful to have the time to spend at home with my
family, to appreciate our home and our health, and to really be mindful about
slowing down. I’m looking forward to watching this little man grow alongside
Eric and the adventures that we have in store! <o:p></o:p></p>Ashley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134877025382867741.post-43267288808472466822021-03-26T14:53:00.003-04:002021-03-26T14:53:24.041-04:00What's Making Me Happy :: 166<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7YKOXMuwVupfXRXZ4NgBzJVxHJ7uBQ5xtl1uSnUB6cg24c6xRs3X8a_X5cb2AP939gWrNZPsCiEfBw53DI8F5mD5nTUQZqzAL8yeuDDBnX7Ce0aVq7qZAoMAbBhgr9WQBYfrpJyXR_Vb/s2048/vaccine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7YKOXMuwVupfXRXZ4NgBzJVxHJ7uBQ5xtl1uSnUB6cg24c6xRs3X8a_X5cb2AP939gWrNZPsCiEfBw53DI8F5mD5nTUQZqzAL8yeuDDBnX7Ce0aVq7qZAoMAbBhgr9WQBYfrpJyXR_Vb/s16000/vaccine.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<h3>
<b>Happy Friday friends!</b> The weekend is almost here and the temperatures are above 50 so we're all basically in flip flops already in anticipation of Spring. I'm hoping to spend as much time outside as possible planning some big landscaping changes for the upcoming seasons and am SUPER pumped about it. In the meantime, here are a few things that made me happy this week:</h3><div>Feeling super fortunate that both Eric and I were able to get our COVID test last week. YAY SCIENCE!!!</div><div><br /></div>Eric bought me an AMAZING loom and weaving class from <a href="https://thecraftersbox.com/product/2019-11_premium_largetapestry/" target="_blank">The Crafters Box/Sunwoven Studios</a> and I've been a weaving field ever since. I just finished the weaving above and am trying to decide on the best place in our home to place it.<br />
<br /><div><div>I found the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/allsaintshouse/">@allsaintshouse</a> through The Gold Hive blog (as I do most things) and am OBSESSED. Ever since we stayed in a renovated church Airbnb for Emilie's bachelorette, I've always kept an eye out for old churches for sale and this gothic church turned beautiful home has given me major house envy.<br /><p class="MsoNoSpacing">Every year around the end of February/mid-March things in
Missouri start to look and feel like Spring and Eric and I get the outdoor
gardening itch… but being Missouri, its tricksy to actually get outside and plant
ANYTHING for fear of frosts and late season snow. We’ve got big plans for our
backyard and gardens this year so we’ve been drawing and plotting away until it’s
time to get out the shovels and rakes. In the meantime, we stumbled upon an
ABSOLUTE GEM of a TV show that warms our gardeners hearts called <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mw1h">Gardeners World</a>. It’s British
and so lovely, and there are about 50 seasons if you want to go wild. I highly
recommend checking it out (and joining me in my ultimate wish of a walled
garden). If you’re looking for something on this side of the pond, we also love
the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBZ3Cy7qR5oLtAoA3Eaa6RQ">Urban Farmstead</a>
you tube channel, Kyle is so thorough and his backyard is major inspiration!</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Speaking of gardening, Eric bought me this pair of <a href="https://www.duluthtrading.com/womens-heirloom-gardening-short-overalls-56719.html?ev3=Dept_BestSellers_BottomOfPage">gardening
overall shorts</a> and Y’ALL. They are so amazing and comfortable and stretchy.
I bought them in green but am kinda kicking myself for not getting the fun
veggie print… I’ll bet it’s also in my wardrobe before the end of summer.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Completely obsessed with Ashley’s <a href="https://www.thegoldhive.com/blog/2021/3/22/a-custom-plate-rack-in-the-kitchen">custom
plate rack</a> in her equally <a href="https://www.thegoldhive.com/blog/2020/11/23/lights-cabinets-action">enviable
kitchen remodel</a>. I’ve loved following Ashley throughout all of her home
projects because she’s so thorough and makes me feel like I can do anything
with enough research.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Harper is crawling, pushing himself to seated, and even
pulled himself up to standing (those last two BOTH happened on Wednesday… we’ve
been busy in the Krug house)! He’s also obsessed with putting things in his
mouth, trying to pull on electric cords (computer cords really intrigue him)
and untying your shoelaces. I’m trying to decide if I’m going to just buy a
pre-made busy board (<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/898343736/toddler-busy-board-fast-usa-shipping?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=busy+board&ref=sr_gallery-1-7&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&bes=1">this
one</a>, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/978183569/busy-board-for-toddler-fast-shipping?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=busy+board&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1&pro=1&frs=1">this
one</a>, and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/912151911/busy-board-montessori-with-a-phonebusy?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=busy+board&ref=sr_gallery-1-8&organic_search_click=1&pro=1&frs=1&col=1">this
one</a> are all saved on Etsy) or if I want to try and take a stab at making my
own. <a href="https://somethingturquoise.com/2019/10/28/toddler-busy-board-fiskars-diy-tools/">This
site</a> has a great tutorial and the board is so cute!</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>This <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@monmackfood/video/6929450609854778625?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowuHLqcFXKMg03Y5kTHGzdENIkUqZZ5AUKvszhDs9U0wbQFkZHLNkcv57bNludmNZHGgA%3D&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAVrXvP0tBPJl7nAK8ZZxsY4XdnYcZTImoLH8udQkVsimNtRwH8-IhX4sKLdeiLxLG&share_item_id=6929450609854778625&share_link_id=278C679B-9C4B-4422-A49D-762CE6AABEEB&timestamp=1615575670&tt_from=copy&u_code=ddfhkbf3dc3k0h&user_id=6852396155927315462&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&source=h5_m">lemon
hack</a> is a GAMECHANGER.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Have you also been obsessed with reading about <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/local/editorspicks/article/lost-tourist-who-thought-Bangor-was-San-Francisco-15940512.php">the
last lost tourist</a> – the story of a German man in the 1970’s who thought he’d
landed in San Francisco when he actually was in Maine? </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Ashley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134877025382867741.post-28232013403022858022020-10-12T16:12:00.001-04:002020-10-12T16:13:38.318-04:00a BIG little update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBQf-CuK9oi1Bm_mGQG0aDeXjvo50juieLk4j3kXMXYpuE9FGFSIO1OWlNGAdgY5QNEXjeEmi9Bv4ojjfGc7f6cElN1o4Q01OKmxLSINr5SCsm6RK2Up7IgBa890TqqVgAYVS-SWm93cQ/s2048/ashleyanderic1638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBQf-CuK9oi1Bm_mGQG0aDeXjvo50juieLk4j3kXMXYpuE9FGFSIO1OWlNGAdgY5QNEXjeEmi9Bv4ojjfGc7f6cElN1o4Q01OKmxLSINr5SCsm6RK2Up7IgBa890TqqVgAYVS-SWm93cQ/s16000/ashleyanderic1638.jpg" /></a></div><br /> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">It’s been a while since we’ve been active on the blog and
that is because we’ve had some SERIOUSLY AWESOME news… Our family of two is now
a family of THREE!</span></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Wait what? Rewind.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>When we last left you back in February we were busy
fundraising for our adoption (which was awesome and so so special,) and had
officially gone “live” with our agency, meaning that we were able to start being
shown as a waiting family to expectant mothers/families. One of the things that
we knew going in was that this part of the process can take time and that lots
of families wait months and even years for a match, so we were really trying to
prepare ourselves for some time to pass (especially when COVID hit the US and pretty
much all things shut down).</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Over that first few months we were presented with a few
possible matching opportunities, (which is when you are given VERY limited
information about a potential match, and which you say yes or no to being
presented to) all of which ended in disruption of varying kinds. (Disruptions
during the matching process are very common). We tried our hardest to not get
our hopes up and all the while were very cautiously going through the process
of purchasing the bare bones needed for a nursery if a match were to happen.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p><i>Note: Lots of families do NOT choose to begin a
nursery until they’re farther along in the matching process, but I’m a planner
to a fault and wanted to be able to walk the line of not being in a Walmart the
buying whatever was available the night of a match and also not having a fully
decorated and completed nursery. Honestly it really gave me something to focus
on and plan for, which helped me a lot especially when stay at home orders went
into effect and we weren’t leaving our home often.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>In the first three months that we were “live” we were
presented with 3 possible matches all of which ended up being disrupted, and
with Eric always saying that they just didn’t feel right. We laugh now that
whenever I felt good about a match he was wary (and right much of the time). Knowing
that the process could take several months was always in the back of our mind,
so you can imagine our surprise when our case worker (who is literally an angel
from heaven, we love her so much) sent us a text in early May asking if we could
join her on a video call. We’d matched with a baby being born in late July. I
wish there was a screenshot of our faces because I know that we both were
entirely in shock the whole call. We group called both of our parents to tell
them the big news and frantically started reading every parenting book we
could. We’d scheduled video calls with the birth parents to be (this was heavy
in the middle of stay at home time,) which were all so nerve wracking… would
they like us, what would we talk about… I was completely a wreck. We ended up
having a lovely call with both birth parents… and things from there pretty
quickly went off the rails.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Eric will tell you that he’d had a feeling that something
felt a little off, but I was pretty heartbroken when we received an email that
one of the parents was no longer comfortable with an adoption plan. I won’t go
into a lot of details because disruptions are so common, and it truly is a
great thing when people choose to parent their children. Looking back now I have
nothing but the most love for that family and wish them all the best.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>Because y’all, I am a believer that things happen when
they’re supposed to.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>We’d heard from countless families who had already adopted
that you had to be patient, that God’s timing was perfect, and that YOUR baby
is out there and will come to you when it’s meant. When we received the call
that there wasn’t an adoption plan anymore, we asked to be put back onto the
waiting parents list.</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p>And LITERALLY five days later we were presented with a
possible matching situation for a little boy to be born in July. We said yes. </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p><i>Hint: It has a VERY happy ending </i>💓</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>Ashley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134877025382867741.post-154504965495187932020-02-12T09:53:00.000-05:002020-02-12T09:53:33.674-05:00What month is it even?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey friends! <o:p></o:p><br />
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I know, I know, it’s been quite a bit of time since we’ve
done an adoption update, but I’m here to tell you ALL about what’s been
happening over the past 4 months. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We started
fundraising and saving pretty much immediately.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The first thing we did was sit down and take a look at our
finances to see where we could make cuts. I’d been chatting with friends and
the internet about successful fundraising opportunities and we knew that there
were two that were no-brainers. The first most logical step for us was to have
a garage sale, we needed to organize our home for baby anyways, and had a big sale in October. A local realtor even posted about our sale
signs! It was so easy and was a great way to de-clutter the room that would be
our future child’s. <o:p></o:p><br />
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I’d also spoken with my friend Kimmi, who had raised money
through a Christmas ornament fundraiser, so I immediately reached out to her to
find out more and got to painting 150 wooden Christmas ornaments with a saying
that had kind of turned into our adoption mantra, “together is better”. (It’s
from a Simon Sinek book and is all about how it takes a community to be successful
in our endeavors.) I even wrangled Eric into painting some, which turned out to
be slightly hilarious. Crafting certainly isn’t his favorite thing, but y’all
this turned out so well! The ornaments turned out so well and sold like hotcakes. We
loved getting pictures from all of our friends of the ornaments on their tree,
and will always have the sweet reminder of how amazing our community is when we
see them on your trees. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After our adoption announcement, my incredible friend Dawn
reached out to see if I’d like to have an adoption fundraiser class, where I
sold ornaments and got to dance my heart out with all of my friends from
Jazzercise. I even dragged my mom and best gal pals along and it was seriously the
most fun day. If you are in Springfield and want to be surrounded by amazing and
empowering women who also love to shake their booties, PLEASE come join me at
Jazzercise. Those women are so special to me! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We completed our home
study visits <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d been intimidated
hearing from friends how LONG this process took, to the point that most of our
friends said that it basically turned into a second part time job, so I was
prepared to jump in as quickly as possible. (Eric will tell you that this is
likely my most endearing AND annoying quality… when I get a task, I’m ready to
take it on then and try to complete it as quickly as humanly possible.) <o:p></o:p><br />
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I’d started our “APQ” (adoption profile questionnaire)
pretty much immediately and had schedule our first home study visit for the
week before Christmas BECAUSE I AM A GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT. Eric and I
received a two page list of things that they’d be looking for in our home (i.e.
fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, outlet covers, medications placed in
appropriately inaccessible places, etc.) and began maniacally cleaning the entire
home. I often joke that Eric and I take very different approaches to cleaning,
when we’re having people over I’ll be sure to majorly hit the rooms that I know
they’ll be in whereas Eric will be polishing all of the faucets to a mirror
sheen and scrubbing the attic baseboards. You know, the really important things.
We went on an organizing kick and I labeled and categorized every medicine and
cleaning supply… so maybe we both have a problem... </div>
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We’d been told by every
friend who went through their home study that it was no sweat, but I had worked
up a such a head of worry the day of that I broke out in hives. And y’all. It
was so fine. Our home study worker was so laid back and nice, she put us
to ease pretty much immediately. The whole process consisted of two meetings,
took about 6 hours, and about 1 million very personal questions. Then your home
study worker writes up a giant report on you with all of that information, states
if they would recommend you as a good fit for adoption, and it gets sent to the
agency for final approval. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And then, we wait. And wait. <o:p></o:p><br />
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In our home study, one of the questions that we each had to
answer was what we felt would be the most difficult part of this process…and y’all
I’m in it. Over the past few months we’ve been working so hard gathering
documents, preparing our profile book, and checking off tasks so that we were
one step closer to going live. We’re just awaiting the final stamp of approval
on our home study, have our profile books printed and distributed to each
agency location, and then we’ll be officially able to “go live” to waiting families.
From there it’s a total waiting game, and I won’t lie that I’m much more
nervous about having nothing to do but wait than I ever was when I had a list
of tasks. The average wait time is anywhere from 12-18 months, and we’ve known people
to have significantly shorter AND significantly longer wait times until they
were matched. Patience surely isn’t my strong suit, but I’ve felt in my gut
that 2020 was significant to this process and that it would be our year. So now
we wait, we pray, (I’ll probably cry a few times) and we remind ourselves to take
this time to celebrate our time together as a couple before our family grows. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We continue to be so grateful to each of you for the support
and advice you’ve provided us throughout this process, we are so so so lucky. As
always, we appreciate your calls, texts, prayers, good vibes, as we wait. Love
you, mean it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Ashley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134877025382867741.post-69098620978036856432019-10-27T11:05:00.000-04:002019-10-27T11:05:32.993-04:00Adoption Q + A: Getting Started<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDjAkKMoIzqM4fky4bFL56u9XV7XevziU2f9CNnJRe1e3ECFMQjkyLjKZviHpRfJmISEJ7PUa0hkVjhvwJx4fCFxfs8Z1QcIqW9b2uXG6fQwhiYWTFpwXnAIl17s7RhooCYXAQFuF-5zn/s1600/Ashley%252BEric61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDjAkKMoIzqM4fky4bFL56u9XV7XevziU2f9CNnJRe1e3ECFMQjkyLjKZviHpRfJmISEJ7PUa0hkVjhvwJx4fCFxfs8Z1QcIqW9b2uXG6fQwhiYWTFpwXnAIl17s7RhooCYXAQFuF-5zn/s1600/Ashley%252BEric61.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Holy guacamole y’all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We cannot thank you all enough for the amazing outpouring of encouragement, support, and advice we’ve received since we shared our news. Other than being able to no longer contain our excitement, we knew that there was a wealth of knowledge in our community about adoption and parenting overall, and you all did not disappoint. We are so stinking lucky to have you all in our lives!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We’ve been getting so many questions about the process, our decisions, questions about the baby, etc. so I decided to compile one big blog post to answer them all. We’re still learning and are by no way the experts; our answers may change over time as we make our way through the process and learn more. We’ll also try to answer any additional questions you may have so feel free to reach out or respond in the comments. Our answers are what we chose for our family, based on our needs in this moment. There’s no right or wrong way to adopt, and you’ve gotta do what is right given your situation.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you adopting internationally, domestic, or through foster system?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We’re pursuing a domestic adoption. Our hearts have always been VERY drawn to international adoption, but after several months of research and a lot of looooong conversations, we felt that a domestic adoption was the right first step for our family. That’s not to say that we won’t pursue an international adoption or fostering in the future, but as totally new to this whole parenting thing couple, this was the right fit for us right now.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why not choose to foster a child?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We’ve gotten this question SO much lately, and I’m here to be totally real with y’all. I think that families who foster are literal angels walking among us. They’re so strong and necessary and total rock stars. But one of the most important conversations to have among yourselves when beginning to explore adoption is to be really clear on what you can and cannot handle. You have to be 100% onboard as a couple for every decision you’re about to make as a couple. And the thing that Eric and I have been 100% on the same page was how difficult it would be for us to foster a child and for whatever reason, have them leave our family. Foster care first and foremost is about family reunification, which we completely support, but it just meant that fostering isn’t the right fit for our family right now.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">How old will the child be?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We’ve indicated that we are open to a child under the age of 3, but traditionally our program places primarily infants.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will the adoption be open or closed?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The range of closed adoptions (where the biological parents have no direct contact with the adoptive families) all the way to fully open adoptions (where the biological parents does participate in the process of placing their child with an adoptive family and may continue to have contact thereafter,) is huge, and most adoptions generally fall in the middle. We don’t have the absolute answer to this question yet, but it’s something we’ve been talking a lot about together and with our agency.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most adoptions now have some level of openness (for example, our agency requires that adoptive parents be open to at least a semi open adoption, where the biological parents choose the adoptive family and will likely have some level of communication throughout the pregnancy and the child’s life.) There are oftentimes requirements to provide a yearly letter and photos to the biological parents, but most importantly, it’s really up to the biological parents to determine the level of communication they’d like to have and see if that matches our own ideas. This helps with the placement process so that everyone is on the same page from the very beginning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;">What is the </b><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>time frame</b></span></span><b style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"> and where in the process are you?</b></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are currently just starting the home study process, which usually takes 1-3 months, and once our home study paperwork and review have been approved, our profile will “go public”. We are enrolled in both programs with American Adoptions, meaning that we’re open to a child of any race, which can sometimes have a quicker placement time, but generally the estimate following the home study is anywhere from 1-9 months. So we very likely may have a tiny Krug in our arms by the end of 2020!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">How did you choose your agency?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh man, this was a process for us. There are just SO many options; consultants, agencies, lawyers, word of mouth… it’s endless. We did a LOT of research, and I reached out to friends who had used various methods for their adoptions as well as directly contacting nearly every adoption agency in our area for more information. What was wonderful was the breadth of information that we received from every agency we contacted, it was so helpful to have things broken down, and that even if we didn’t choose them, they still had really valuable information about the process to give us. We ended up choosing American Adoptions following several phone calls with one of their social workers. He put us at ease SO much and answered every weird question that we threw at him. They provided a lot of support for birth mothers (including education and counseling throughout the process,) and that was a huge priority for us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another thing we were very concerned with was the potential of a disrupted placement (it happens,) and losing the money we’d already invested in the process and having to start back at square one. It really sucks that money is something that we have to be concerned with in this process, but it’s a very real component. American Adoptions will reimburse adoptive parents of many of the expenses incurred in the case of a disrupted or failed adoption, which helps enormously when going active again.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are the costs?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Adoptions can have a pretty huge range of costs depending on the circumstances, but on average it is estimated that a domestic adoption will cost anywhere from $35,000 - $50,000. Our agency requires adoptive parents to set the adoption budget (this helps with placements as well if there are circumstances that would lead to an adoption on the higher end.) We are anticipating our adoption expenses will likely be around $42,000 and are actively working to raise the funds throughout the whole process. We’re also working to save extra, as both of our employers don’t offer maternity or paternity leave, and we’ll likely have to take FMLA leave as we are traveling to our child’s birth state and settling in and bonding with our child once we return.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you scared?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m pretty sure every new parent is slightly terrified, so duh, yes. But we’re more excited than anything. We’ve loved watching our nephew grow up and being a part of that process (he’s three now,) and cannot wait to be parents. I think that excitement and love we have for our future child completely eclipses any of our fears.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you still trying to get pregnant?</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s kinda funny how often people talk to me about getting pregnant after our adoption announcement. Literally EVERYONE knows someone who adopted and then got pregnant, but we aren’t pursuing any infertility treatments or actively trying to get pregnant any more. (I talked a little bit about our struggle with infertility in the last post.) We aren’t medically preventing pregnancy (I’m taking a break from ANY additional hormones in my body… I’ve got enough on my own) but we know our chances of pregnancy are pretty low, so we’re not too worried about it. We feel super confident in our choice to adopt and are so excited! </span></div>
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Ashley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134877025382867741.post-7244027492547798412019-09-28T21:15:00.002-04:002019-09-28T21:15:45.098-04:00We're so excited to tell you... we're adopting! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We're so excited to let you all in on our little secret.... we're adopting! We're still very early in the process and know that there is so much still ahead, but couldn't wait to share our news with our friends and family. (You all know how difficult it is for me to keep secrets - like REALLY hard.) We're nervous, because this process can seem SO daunting, but we also know that there is so much love and support in our community, and so much we can learn from all of you about parenting, adoption, and building a strong family. We are already overflowing with love for our future little Krug!<br />
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<b>So how'd we get here?</b><br />
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Since the beginning of our relationship, Eric and I have always been on the same page about wanting kiddos, and that we wanted to start trying pretty much right after the wedding. And try we did. (Newlyweds amiright?) But month after month, we were faced with big fat NOT PREGNANT in capital letters. After the first year of not really worrying about it, knowing that the timing could be off with both of our jobs being incredibly active, and that "these things take time," I finally made an appointment with my OBGYN. She assured me that even though I was older (seriously y'all, did you know pregnancy after 35 is considered GERIATRIC?!) a huge percentage of couples got pregnant within a year. </div>
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But we didn't. </div>
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All in, we went through rounds and rounds of hormones, ultrasounds, an HSG - which I passed out not once but twice during, and likely scarred the ultrasound tech - and 4 IUI's. Let's just say that the amount of tears that I can produce withOUT hormones is already at an astronomical level. So, the meds, plus the disappointment each month really did a number on both my and Eric's sanity (he's a saint). After almost 2 years, and after seeing another specialist out of St. Louis, we learned that our likelihood of actually conceiving was very low due to a low ovarian reserve, possible endometriosis, and that we should immediately start trying IVF - basically the next month - even then, my chances would be low, really low, like 30% low. We've been programmed to believe that this is something that is SO easy to do, something that we're designed to do naturally, so to find out that we couldn't and that it was my fault... lets just say that there were several very tearful phone calls and conversations.<br />
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But, it also provided Eric and I with a lot of perspective and the opportunity to really sit down and discuss the options in front of us. When dealing with infertility, especially in your mid-thirties, it kind of feels like you're a ticking time bomb. Every month you're not pregnant you're one step closer to not having a child. Our doctor was wonderful with the news, but we felt very pressured to make a quick decision, and were very uncomfortable with the timeline. We both had hesitations about IVF, the expense, and our chances of conceiving. It just didn't feel like the right choice for us. My mind kept returning to those conversations we'd had throughout the first few years of our relationship about how adoption was something we both felt very strongly pulled towards. So we waited, and we prayed for clarity.<br />
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For months, I would find myself googling various adoption agencies and clicking on "more information" but would hesitate before filling out our information. I'd even click on the waiting child lists and find myself crying in our office over all of the pictures and stories. One night, Eric asked what on earth I was looking at, and with tears in my eyes, I told him that I only wanted to pursue adoption moving forward. He agreed, and we cried together (though he would never admit to that) over children seeking their forever families<span style="background-color: white;">. </span><br />
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Dealing with infertility is a painful and lonely process, but it's not the end of our story. We know that our family will not be defined by DNA, and there are children out there who we would be privileged to give our love. We can't wait to get started!<br />
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We'll be updating this blog as a way to document the process and keep you all up to date. Thank you so much for your love and support!<br />
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xoxo<br />
Ashley & Eric</div>
Ashley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134877025382867741.post-18392040823231950072019-02-01T09:03:00.002-05:002019-02-01T09:03:29.911-05:00What's Making Me Happy ::165 ::It's been one of those weeks that is so cold that all I've wanted to do is stay at home in my pajamas, snuggle with our pups, and watch re-runs of Mad Men. Last night we got out for a bit and wandered the aisles of Barnes & Noble (our favorite date night activity,) and I stood in front of the gardening section forEVER dreaming of spring planting. PLEASE SEND WARM WEATHER OUR WAY!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dwell.com/article/a-minimal-yet-mighty-brooklyn-apartment-1a351a0f">source</a></td></tr>
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I think <a href="https://www.dwell.com/article/a-minimal-yet-mighty-brooklyn-apartment-1a351a0f">this </a>is such a beautiful and unique kitchen countertop. As the daughter of a woodworker, I am drooling.<br />
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I just bought <a href="https://www.sarahmadeiraday.com/product-page/harpswell-8x8-canvas-print-of-original?chargeId=815bcd8a-231d-44da-afe5-12c24685dab7">this beautiful print</a> Sarah Maderia Day for our bedroom... I think I'll wake up happy every day seeing that sunrise. I'm also in love with <a href="https://www.sarahmadeiraday.com/product-page/copy-of-orange-coast-9x12-original-on-canvas-framed?chargeId=815bcd8a-231d-44da-afe5-12c24685dab7">this oil on canvas</a>. <br />
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Ashley from the Gold Hive shares my love of using less, and introduced me to <a href="https://www.thegoldhive.com/blog/2019/1/25/weekly-roundup">this company</a> that will soon be launching in the US. I'm so excited and intrigued that brands are starting to minimize their impact on the environment by considering shipping reusable containers! Major game changer.<br />
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I just finished <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39280445-nine-perfect-strangers?ac=1&from_search=true">Nine Perfect Strangers</a> and was so pleased with the ending. I've loved Liane Moriarty's books universally, but this one was especially good. I've also been listening to <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Hunger-Audiobook/B01DMXFJO8">Hunger by Roxanne Gay</a> as an audiobook and an really enjoying it. I've got several books in the queue to start, but I suffer from new book selection paralysis after finishing a great book...any suggestions?<br />
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Alison revealed her <a href="https://www.deucecitieshenhouse.com/2019/01/reveal-cabin-tiny-bathroom.html">bathroom makeover</a> at the cabin and I am completely smitten, and considering doing something similar in our guest bathroom. Her entire home and cabin are seriously crush worthy.<br />
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I love shopping...who doesn't, but I have major anxiety spending a LOT of money on certain items (especially decor). But I finally bit the bullet and purchased <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtBzlXZgdbZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">this coverlet</a> that I've been eyeing for ages now... new bedroom look to come soon!!<br />
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I've been going to <a href="https://www.jazzercise.com/">Jazzercise</a> for right at a year now and really love it. When my sister-in-law invited me to the first class, I laughed, because how can a workout our grandmas do be at my level? HA. Jazzercise is hardcore y'all. Who knew? I burn over 500 calories every class and actually have fun doing in. (Well as much fun as one can have when sweating profusely.) I'm attempting the February challenge at my location, 25 classes in 28 days... and today's day one! I'm traveling to NYC for part of this month, so it's even gonna give me the chance to try out classes in another city... wish me luck! If you're in the Springfield area, I go to <a href="https://jcls.jazzercise.com/facility/jazzercise-springfield-south-fitness-center">this location</a>, come join me!<br />
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<br />Ashley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134877025382867741.post-77673019742387847672019-01-17T07:00:00.001-05:002019-01-17T07:00:02.121-05:00HOUSE HUNTING<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/169268595@N07/39793295963/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_3783"><img alt="IMG_3783" height="768" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4887/39793295963_b9948a07bf_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Throughout a large portion of our relationship, I lived in Springfield while Eric was in Oklahoma City finishing his degree. This not only is hell on your vehicle but allows for you to accumulate a lot of STUFF to fill two homes. This all was fine until Eric finished school and moved to Springfield into the teensy 800 sq ft house I’d been renting for the past two years. Add in wedding presents arriving on a daily basis and I started worrying that we might lose our Yorkie in all the stuff. We literally had NO room for all of our things, two dogs, and two full on adults who liked to collect. Needless to say, almost the day we returned from our honeymoon, we were actively looking on Zillow pretty much daily for a home.<br />
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Did I mention that it was the beginning of February, a notoriously terrible time to look for homes?<br />
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By the age of 33, ya girl has lived in just about every type of home and apartment in the greater Springfield area, so I knew the neighborhoods that I loved, with a couple of spots high on my list. One particular neighborhood near one of the local universities was at the top, with tons beautiful historic homes. Like every other 30-something female in the US, I’ve always loved the charm of craftsman style homes with adorable built-ins, hardwood, lead glass windows, and nonsensical nooks. This neighborhood hit every one of checkmarks… but not my husbands.<br />
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Now he’s on the same page as me on how freaking cute a craftsman can be… but my he's a very practical man. All he saw in those 100+ year old houses that I kept falling in love with was teensy tiny rooms, no closets, all new wiring, new windows… we’re talking sometimes major dollar signs people. So we were back to the drawing board.<br />
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This time we made a list together. Some of our stipulations included:<br />
·2 car garage (Eric is a vehicle hobbyist and wanted to have plenty of places to work.<br />
·3 beds minimum<br />
·Mature trees and decent sized (fenced) yard for the puppies<br />
·Single level. Now this one was a tough one, because actually we both really like 2 story homes. But true story, I have fallen down the stairs of EVERY HOME I’VE EVER LIVED IN. I once even went through a plate glass door at the bottom of the stairs of my apartment in Boston. So I’d like to avoid that if possible. Crazy I know.<br />
·Character. This is hard to define I know, but basically, I wanted an older home that had some quirks and soul.<br />
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And the hunt was on. There was another established neighborhood that we’d been interested in, but honestly didn’t know if we could afford. Wide streets lined in giant oak trees, mid-century homes of my Mad Men dreams… but literally EVERYONE was moving there, so the market was very competitive and we knew we’d have to be decisive if we found something that we liked.<br />
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Now I love snooping at other peoples homes. When I lived in Boston, I loved walking down the street and being able to see inside the beautiful brownstones. I wanted to see their décor, their architecture, the DEETS inside those beautiful old homes. So having the ability to walk into empty homes and imagine their possibilities is pretty much my favorite thing ever. We also quickly learned that mid-century homes can have the WEIRDEST stuff in them. Those Mad Men era homes were BUILT for entertaining, and if that means a room covered in floor to ceiling red marble (yes that was there) or a hot tub in the living room, then there you go.<br />
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We’d been stalking one particular home online for a while and set up time with our realtor to check it out. It was surprisingly HUGE, with all kinds of add ons, a crazy garden and a legit treehouse on top of the garage. I was very into the weird. But it was VERY dated and would take a ton of work. So Eric wanted to think on it. As we were leaving the area, we passed a home down the street that was also for sale and Eric said “Man I wish we could see THAT house.” Our realtor told us he could probably just get us in then as it was unoccupied.<br />
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I’m telling y’all now,in the driveway, I wasn’t into it. I’d seen that particular listing online several times, and it just didn’t stick with me. So I was unenthused. But I love my husband, so I’m willing to look. We walked into the entryway and Eric announced that he loved it. WE HADN’T EVEN MADE IT 4 STEPS INSIDE. We wandered and chatted about the size (it was good for us) the backyard (which has giant amazing trees and landscaping,) the updated kitchen, and the wall of shallow closets that Eric thought would make a great built in bookshelf. Eric wanted it bad, and the more we wandered, the more I could see how this house would be a great fit for our lives and our budget. And I couldn’t get those built-ins out of my head. We put an offer on it that night. Which they denied and broke our hearts.<br />
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Over the next few weeks we looked at other houses, and kept comparing them to the house that got away. We talked to our realtor about it, who happens to be one of my best friends, and he agreed that the house was perfect for us, but wouldn’t suggest paying more than our first offer. But not to be dissuaded, he continued to get comps, sent them to the homeowners, and basically worked his ass off selling our offer as the best one for their home.<br />
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And miraculously, it worked. (He’s pretty cute, so maybe that helped. He’s also single ladies.Just saying.)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/169268595@N07/46759365941/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_3520"><img alt="IMG_3520" height="920" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4891/46759365941_53ba3cd44a_b.jpg" width="690" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Ashley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134877025382867741.post-18856339011292985632019-01-15T21:48:00.000-05:002019-01-15T21:48:26.670-05:00Well guys, I'm back...<imgsrc a="" data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/169268595@N07/31817322317/in/dateposted-public/" title="Ashley+EricWedding23"><img alt="Ashley+EricWedding23" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7919/31817322317_3a56af63f3_b.jpg" /></imgsrc><span id="docs-internal-guid-20702f12-7fff-d237-0053-88aca5826b96"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-20702f12-7fff-d237-0053-88aca5826b96"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guess who’s back? Back again?</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-20702f12-7fff-d237-0053-88aca5826b96"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve hemmed and hawed about getting back into blogging for the better part of the last year, without actually doing anything about it, and finally decided, it’s 2019, I’m in. YOWZERS!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those of you who’re readers from this blog’s previous iterations, Hi friends! For those of you who are newbies to my rambling, I’m super excited to ramble anew to you all as well. To update you all on what’s happened since that final blog post in December. Lets do a little time traveling…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. I became a Ra Ra.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To you newbs who haven’t had the pleasure of a child naming you something entirely off the wall, that’s an auntie. My baby bro and his lovely wife shook hands and then the stork showed up with an adorable little person. I love him the most and if you follow my social media, you know how passionate we both are about dinosaurs and garbage trucks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. I got promoted!</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m now serving as the Market Development and Sustainability Coordinator for the lovely City of Springfield, MO. What this generally means is that if you live in the area, you’ve seen a ton of me on the news telling you all the ways to recycle in our City and generally flailing my arms a lot. I’m super passionate about personal and community sustainability and love to talk to people about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. I met a pretty great guy. We tied the knot.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In true millennial fashion, we met on Tinder. He lived hours away. It shouldn’t have worked at all but it DID and we’re so happy. His name is Eric, he’s the love of my life, and you’ll likely be seeing him on here from time to time as I lure him into helping me with one of millions of DIYS. He came with a pint sized yorkie named April who thinks she’s the boss of us all, and whom Monty begrudgingly allowed to share his doggie bed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. We adulted hard and bought a house.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More on this later. It’s a big deal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I mean, it’s a lot for two years absence, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you read my blog in the past, it was a real mismatch of all things I liked. It was pretty inconsistent, but it gave me a creative outlet when I was in the middle of moving back home from Boston, looking for my first real job, and generally figuring it all out. Frankly, I think the lack of direction was one of the major reasons I finally quit blogging. So I knew that if I were to start blogging again, it had to be with a real focus and intent. I’m in an entirely different chapter of my life now and my interests have definitely changed (though I still love dinosaurs, tattoos, and pop culture… some things just never change.) But as I looked at my own consumption of culture, I’ve seen a real shift and only follow a handful of blogs. The thing in common with all those blogs? Homes and design! I’ve always been very obsessed with home decor, but as a perpetual renter until last year, there weren’t a ton of things I was willing to do to make these spaces more mine. That’s all changed now that we purchased our first home and realized that we can do WHATEVER WE WANT TO IT. It’s exciting and terrifying at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So that’s where we’re going with this blog now. We were lucky to find a wonderful home in a fantastic neighborhood that was in really good shape, but needed some updating and personalization. These first blog posts will be a little time travel-y, as I want to bring you up to date since March of 18 when we actually signed the papers, but from there on, it’s on. I’m hoping to share some of our immediate changes that we made when we moved in, and then tackle some of the very scary big projects we still have ahead of us. There will be power tools. I’m also hoping to place more of a focus on living consciously, with lots of resources for you all who care as much as I do about the environment. There’s SO much we all can do to make a positive impact. I’m very likely to share some random nonsense as well, because it’s me… and I just can’t not share puppy videos from time to time. ¯\_(</span><span style="font-family: "ms gothic"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ツ</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)_/¯</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m pretty excited about this y’all. So looking forward to connecting with you!</span></div>
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</span>Ashley Krughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818253994402260474noreply@blogger.com0