2nd Blogiversary!

Last week, The Second House on the Right turned 2! I had every intention of posting a blog on the day, but life happens and here we are. 

I debated on what to do this year to mark this fun little anniversary, and finally decided to go with a little updated Intro! I've noticed several new visitors in the last couple of months, so I wanted to give a proper "Welcome". I also noticed my "About" page on the tab above needs updating...as does my little bio under the pic on the right side bar. Sheesh, I've got some work to do!! (p.s. anybody have suggestions on a blog designer who can do these little updates for me??)

I'm Erica and this little corner of mine on the internet is affectionately named after the easy directions to our house. This is our home and where we're making our memories and I'm sharing that with you, my blogging community friends! 

I was born and raised and still live in the same middle Tennessee town. My parents live 5 minutes away, my grandparents 2 minutes away, my in-laws 10 minutes away. We love it here! 

I graduated from Tennessee Tech University in the Fall of 2007 with a degree is Business Administration - HR Management and have done next to zero with it since, which from what I understand is how it goes most of the time. In 2010, I started working at our local / regional hospital in the Facilities / Safety Department as their Administrative Assistant, and now am their Supply Inventory Coordinator. (aka I do ALOT of purchasing and ordering...ALOT...everyday...all day, and various multiple other tasks.) I love my job, I love the people I work with, and I love that what we do helps our patients heal and provides them the comfort they need. Nobody WANTS to be in the hospital, the least that can be done is to be provided, a safe and functional environment while they're here. 

My husband Stephen and I married on September 28, 2013 and as cliche as it is to say, it was THE most beautiful day! We were surrounded by our families and friends and everything was perfect for us. It was alot of work and preparation with the help of many people and more money spent than should have been. In hindsight, I would probably do it differently and save the money, as most people would suggest after the fact. BUT, it was our wedding and it was the best day!! 

You can read all of our wedding recaps by clicking on the "wedding" tab under the Quick Finds section in the right sidebar. 

We started trying to get pregnant a year later, and soon found we would have some obstacles to overcome, but eventually we did get pregnant almost a year later. That pregnancy unfortunately ended all too soon in a miscarriage and our little world was shattered. I wrote several posts regarding this time in our lives. I know so many women that go through far worse than what we did, but nonetheless it was a horrible experience and one that I would not wish on anyone. Our faith in God was made stronger from that period of tragedy. 

You can read a couple of my posts, "February 25, 2016" and "To Our First Child", by clicking on the links. 

After my body had healed and we had healed, we began more testing and more fertility treatment help. In March 2016, we were joyful yet reluctant of the news that I was pregnant again. The next month in April, we found out our biggest surprise yet and revealed our secret to friends and family soon after....

We were having TWINS! God's plan has been written all over all our lives the past two and a half years. His plan is much bigger and greater than anything we had ever imaged for ourselves. 

I shared a fun post with videos from our families reactions to the big announcement, you can take a look here if you missed it a year ago. 

We found out in June of last year, that we'd be parents of sisters in mid November!

After a flawless, and easy peasy pregnancy the second go-around, our girls made a surprise early and FAST entrance into the world on Sunday afternoon, October 2. I shared their announcement birth story in these  posts: "Our Girls Are Here" and "Amelia & Mae Parker's Birth Story". 

The girls spent nearly three weeks in the hospital, before we were able to bring them home. I enjoyed every second of a 15 week maternity leave, and then maneuvered my way into adjusting to my new role of full-time working mom. After going through our experiences, my heart is forever changed and feels drawn to other women longing to become a mom themselves, and the ones who've lost their babies too soon, and to the moms of babies born too early. Unless you've been down this road yourself, you just can't relate to what our hearts feel and the hurt that we share.

Fast forward a few months at what feels like lightning speed, and here we are today, both girls thriving and growing like weeds. They'll soon be 7 months old! Where did my little preemies go?! 

Gosh I just LOVE these girls. I love seeing how much JOY they bring others. I love when I look at them I know without a doubt, they are God's purpose for me. I love the pure amazement that still sometimes takes my breath away for a second when I think about how they are mine!! I love that they are my and so many other's answered prayers. They are my best blessings. 

So, that's me! We're not glamorous people leading exciting lives. We live in a somewhat small town filled with our families and friends, of which there are many. We love our times spent in our home just the four of us and the times spent out and about with those we love most. We love our two nephews like they were our own, and they love their new cousins beyond what I ever expected! It's been so sweet watching them with our girls these past 6 months. 

I'm a fan of the occasional Dr. Pepper, a good Netflix binge, all four seasons, HOLIDAYS!, UT football (GO VOLS!), Predators Hockey, beach trips, Country music, cooking and baking, having my hair done, lazy rainy (or snowy) weekends, Instastories, a good nap, hilarious memes and GIFs (of which there are plenty in my Thursday Confessions posts), a solid credit score, my grandparents' backyard, and I'm pretty sure if I had to delete all but two apps on my phone I would save Pinterest and Instagram...buh-bye Facebook. 

I'm thankful for my Savior, my husband, my girls...my family and friends. And also dry shampoo, but that sounds a little shallow to throw in that list. I'm also thankful to you, my blog readers and some turned real friends. You make my writing worth it. Yes, I write and post primarily just for myself and for our girls to look back on when they're older, but I also write for you. To feel connected to those reading. Blogging is a hassle sometimes and certainly takes back seat to MANY other priorities these days, but it's also my favorite hobby. Thanks for hanging around with us for two years....here's to a few more!