This is a GTKY of sorts. I like getting to know you guys on a more personal level. So tell me, what is something you are passionate about? It doesn't have to be TTCAL related at all. What gets you fired up or makes your heart happy, want to burst or hurt?
(And yes I realize I'm being a PW today but I'm trying to keep this board moving and shaking)
Re: PW- What's your passion?
My passions are cooking(especially baking) and organic gardening. It's awesome to put work into something that you know will nourish and please your friends and family.
TTC since March 2012
BFP #1 1/29/13, EDD 10/9/13
BFP #3 8/11/14 EDD 4/22/14
Since losing Addison I've thrown myself into raising support for (Pre)eclampsia research and awareness. PreE was a part of my life even before my loss. My sister had it with her first LO and it was a scary event for her. Her son was born 6 weeks early and in the NICU for almost two weeks. Since my loss I've met so many women (and men) who have never heard of PreE. It's amazing. For something that affects almost 1 out of 10 pregnancies it's rarely talked about.
I also refuse to shop at Wal-Mart. They are insane. Their company is such a joke that I will not be a part of it. It frustrates me that they have "the lowest prices around" but no one seems to care about how they achieve these low prices. They treat their employee's horribly and take advantage of them in so many ways! It' gets me fired up just mentioning it!
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
This is one of my new hobbies too. It's also our second year. We plant a little bit of everything and see what grows. It's been a really fun project for DH and I to do together.
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
I love to bake too. My husband hates it because we never need that much for just the two of us!
What are you growing this year?
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
I think that's amazing that you've found a way to make something positive out of something so tragic.
TTC since March 2012
BFP #1 1/29/13, EDD 10/9/13
BFP #3 8/11/14 EDD 4/22/14
**warning - toddler mentioned**
I am very passionate about March of Dimes. In 2011, my son was born 10 weeks early due to my pre-eclamsia and spent 40 days in the NICU. for the last 2 years I have participated in the March for Babies walk and raised funds by holding "Zumbathons" - Zumba fundraisers.
Zumba is my other passion. I have been teaching fitness classes since 2007 and I just love the endorphins from working out and motivating others at the same time.
11.2011 - DS1
02.2013 - loss at 6 wks
06.2014 - DS2
10.2015 - loss at 12 wks
03.2017 - DD
Like other people have said I start my own vegetable garden last year and have been in love with planting my own food. It is so rewarding and I love every minute of it.
Iam very passionate about refurbishing furniture. I truly love the way a piece of furniture looks after it has been restored. I also built my first piece of furniture (a desk) and find that I have a true talent for it. It's not as hard as it sounds, plus you have something that you worked hard to make.
This goes along side of the gardening, but I have started canning. My family has been canning and perserving food for so long. Now with my garden I can jar my own spaghetti sauce and make my own pickles using my cucumbers. I love having homemade things in our house. Even better, I also know exactly what is going into my food.
2 angel babies to watch over us- bfp 3/16/13, c/p 3/27/13- bfp 6/27/13, c/p confirmed 7/4/13- We will always carry you in our hearts
Mommy to our princess warrior- 3/4/09
Rescuing/adopting animals. It was not something I had thought a lot about until we adopted Annie last year. I'm an avid supporter of it now and can't stand pet stores that still sell dogs and cats. There is only one pet store left in our area that does this and I'm kind of apalled that they still do since they're a smaller mom-and-pop type store and the larger chains don't do it anymore.
If you are considering getting a pet, please, please think of adopting. There is quite literally an adoptable pet out there for everyone, regardless of what you're looking for. In my mind there is NO reason not to adopt.
July TTCAL Siggy Challenge - Favorite Children's Book




Surprise BFP 5/15/12, EDD 1/29/13, mm/c @ 8wks, discovered at 11wks, D&C 7/11/12
AF finally arrived on Christmas after 167 days of waiting.
TTA until January 2014
PGAL/PAL always welcome
This. for me too. I really like to volunteer at shelters and love on the dogs that nobody else loves on.
I also love spin (indoor cycling). Funny, because I can't actually ride a real bicycle which is just sad.
married my best friend 10/04/08, TTC since July 2012
BFP#1 Thanksgiving 11/22/12, mo-mo twins(one sac), traditional EDD 7/27/13, EDD due to risk 6/15/13
mmc Angel 2/7/13 @ 15w3d, mmc Aubrey 2/13/13 @ 16w2d, D&E 2/16/13
BFP#2 9/21/13, EDD 6/2/14, DD born 5/17/14
All AL always welcome in my threads!
Thank's LaRomana, I honestly will tell my story a million times if it means someone is more aware of what could happen. I hate that babies are lost because of something their mother's had no knowledge of. I'm sure it drives people crazy but if I can help even one family then it's more than enough.
It also makes me nervous that people think it's just a little swelling and high b/p when they do know what PreE is.Obviously, I'm on the far spectrum of what could happen but I'm not the only one. There are thousands of mother's, babies and sometimes both lost to PreE every year.
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
siggy
I also love to cook and bake pretty much anything! I love trying out new recipes and getting a pretty immediate and tasty reward. So many things in life take so much time to really see your hard work and cooking is relatively a quick return on your work. I also work for a diabetes company and am very passionate about type 2 diabetes and making sure pateints get all the information they need to take control of the disease.
That's amazing! Have you looked into your local Promise Walk for Preeclampsia? https://www.promisewalk.org/ I participated in mine this past May and it was so wonderful. It was incredibly encouraging and I learned so much about the research that is going on! I looked into March Of Dimes but felt it wasn't the right fit for my situation. It would be doubly difficult since it's all NICU babes. If my sister had a team then I'd of course participate but for me the Promise Walk was perfect!
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
What kind of animals? Any specifically or all kind of critters?
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
These are both very interesting! I'll have to ask you sometime about the political ones!
I totally know what you mean though. Some things are just better left off TB. Politics and religion are usually two that come to mind. I'm super curious about the second subject you posted!
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
This is such an important issue LLP! People think adopting pets means they get stray and all kinds of crazy other things. The best pet I ever had was a black lab mix we got from the pound. He was incredible. Sweet, loving, loyal and so smart!
I remember seeing an episode of Oprah where she featured puppy mills. I was so appalled that pet store animals came from there. It totally changed my mind about breeders and pet stores. This is a wonderful passion!
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
Awww thanks love!
I think lots of these are amazing. It's fantastic getting to know some posters on a deeper level than a clicky poll (which I also love don't get me wrong!)
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
I am so with you here. Shelter pets are so wonderful. I can't stand to walk into a pet store that sells animals. It just makes me so sad. I also really can't stand when my friends tell me they spent $1500 on a dog. I'm sure their dog will be wonderful, but so would the sweet lab mix from the shelter. It breaks my heart.
married my best friend 10/04/08, TTC since July 2012
BFP#1 Thanksgiving 11/22/12, mo-mo twins(one sac), traditional EDD 7/27/13, EDD due to risk 6/15/13
mmc Angel 2/7/13 @ 15w3d, mmc Aubrey 2/13/13 @ 16w2d, D&E 2/16/13
BFP#2 9/21/13, EDD 6/2/14, DD born 5/17/14
All AL always welcome in my threads!
I had seen your post about the walk but could not remember the name at all. Thanks so much to bringing it up again. I am definitely going to look for my local walk. I totally agree that so many people aren't even aware that preeclampsia exists.
I laugh about it now, but whenn my sister told my sister in law I was in the hospital due to pre-e, she didn't actually remember what the nurse called it. So she told my sister in law that she thought I had chlamydia. I had to clarify that very quickly!
11.2011 - DS1
02.2013 - loss at 6 wks
06.2014 - DS2
10.2015 - loss at 12 wks
03.2017 - DD
Dogs and cats, but I pretty much love everything!
Not only that, but people who sell animals for money are not in it for the welfare of the dogs (in most cases, there are some breeders that are). The first person who walks up with the cash gets the animal. Recently my BIL's brother purchased a Beagle puppy from said local pet store. He doesn't even have a home - he's couch surfing currently, so he dumped it off with his elderly grandmother. She can't care for a dog, let alone a puppy. The poor thing is barely 5 months old and was kept outside on a heavy chain all day and then crated indoors all night. Granted she wasn't abused, but she could have gone to a home where she would be loved and cared for SO much better than this. Luckily my SIL finally talked him into giving them the dog and now they have her which is a much better situation. But all of this is to say that he had NO BUSINESS owning a dog, and any adoption agency or shelter would have figured that out.
July TTCAL Siggy Challenge - Favorite Children's Book




Surprise BFP 5/15/12, EDD 1/29/13, mm/c @ 8wks, discovered at 11wks, D&C 7/11/12
AF finally arrived on Christmas after 167 days of waiting.
TTA until January 2014
PGAL/PAL always welcome
It is so sad but true. I HATE that! I'm glad your SIL now has the dog in a better situation.
My uncle bought a Basset Hound puppy for his son who was I think maybe a freshman in HS at the time because he wanted one(because they were cute). Well, when the pup grew up, my cousin tired of him. But, my uncle is so greedy, they won't give the dog to someone - they want to be paid for him since they paid for him. So he lives in a small pen in their backyard and gets basically no human interaction. It makes me so mad I have to leave the room when they bring it up. I have confronted him about it on multiple occasions, but at the end of the day, they feed the dog, he is not abused, and he's not mine, so he doesn't really care what I have to say. People need to have a lot better reason than "because it's so cute" when they get a dog.
married my best friend 10/04/08, TTC since July 2012
BFP#1 Thanksgiving 11/22/12, mo-mo twins(one sac), traditional EDD 7/27/13, EDD due to risk 6/15/13
mmc Angel 2/7/13 @ 15w3d, mmc Aubrey 2/13/13 @ 16w2d, D&E 2/16/13
BFP#2 9/21/13, EDD 6/2/14, DD born 5/17/14
All AL always welcome in my threads!
This is so interesting. You ladies have some great passions and interests!
*kids mentioned*
I'd have to say my passion is car safety with kids. I would love to become a CPST and I think one day I will, but until then I'm doing lots of research on my own and lending my current knowledge to those around me that want to learn how to keep their little ones safe in the car.
I get it about the pree, since my mc I've become more active in premoting fund raisers and stuff like that. I am active in raising funds for the still project and I've been looking into walks for awareness. I'm just waiting for the house stuff to be over to get into the full swing.
As for WalMart...marry me poppy.
Edit, fleshing out.
I love to garden as well, I've been keeping an herb garden in my apartment. I can't wait to have an actual garden in my yard.
For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for volunteering. I currently work as a Volunteer Coordinator for a child advocacy agency and love the people I work with. In addition to making a career out of this passion, I volunteer in my own time as well. For the past few years, I have done fundraising for the ALS association. My passion for this cause was ignited when my father was diagnosed with the disease. With my recent loss, I am looking into organizations I can support in Izzie's honor.
On a purely fun level of passion, I love to bake and plan trips to disney world. DH proposed there and we spent our honeymoon there. In his words, it is our happy place.
Lastly I am very very passionate about all things Japanese. I love the culture, love the food, love the country. I alwaysjoked with DH that he never will have to compete with another person but my "other woman" is a country lol.
Of course I'll marry you. My H needs a little competition. Wal-Mart turns me into a crazy person. My family all shops there and I refuse to go into the store. I'd rather sit in the car than deal with their hot mess. Or add to the problem.
There are so many amazing foundations, projects, and programs that deal with loss of all kinds. This whole experience has really opened my eyes to the pain women face in pregnancy and in growing their family. It's so often a huge (and mostly silent) struggle.
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
What do you do for a living snedge?
This is very impressive Veganlady. I always assumed you were fairly green just by your sn. But now I have proof! Many of your choices are fairly easy to integrate into daily life too. Not totally simple but very effective.
I would love to get into yoga.
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
I think these are both great! I think it's wonderful that you are actively trying to live a life that is uplifting. I think most people would agree they want that but don't strive for it daily.
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
I totally agree with the mom and pop shops. If they make great products then I don't mind spending the few dollars more. The service is almost always worth it. And support a local business and family is way more important than a supermart or OliveAppleRubyOutback whatever.
H would kill to go to Japan. He's always wanted to vacation there. It is just so not my cup of tea. I would go if he talked me into it but I'd way rather visit Europe or the beach somewhere. That's awesome to love an entire culture like that!
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
You guys sound like Oregonians! We feel guilty when there is no recycling. My BIL lives in AZ now and he put pop cans in the trash and I was like WTF are you doing? Did you forget where you are?
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
Wow, we all do really cool things!
FFwifey- I had to comment, I am also a field hockey player! Although I have a feeling my butt would beg differ if I attempted to play at this current moment. I love sports, I have coached girls high school lacrosse for 8 years, and it is my true passion, probably coaching more than any individual sport, it is just so much fun!
I am also a huge animal lover, our dog was our first baby, and we wish we could adopt every dog that isn't loved!
BFP#2 2.5.11 (EDD 10.15.11) DS born 9.28.11
BFP#4 8.27.13 (EDD 5.6.14) DD born 4.23.14
My Recipe Blog
~All AL'ers welcome~
1. Urban development and planning. I live downtown and I want my city to be a place where people want to buy property and even, gasp, raise a family. Other cities do it, so why can't we?
2. Women in Tech. I volunteer for a nonprofit to coordinate, design programming, and teach classes to young girls to inspire them to pursue technology careers. The number of women in tech has been on the decline since the 80s. It's finally started to go up. With women having a lot of buying power, using social media and online gaming it's very odd we don't have women designing/programming/leading the experiences.
3. Sort of connected to the above one I am also interested in figuring out ways to keep more women in the workforce after they have children and how they can move up the ladder. I've read a lot of books and working with some organizations inside and outside my office to discuss this. There are a lot of reasons behind this and it just really intrigues me! I think it has been more an interest lately because of TTC and how I am going to figure all of this out once we do have a family.
4. Probably on a more personal level I love to just tinker or play in technology in general. New stuff is always coming out so I love to think about what the next wave will be and how I can apply it to my work.
"It's, not, where you are, it's where you're going,
And it's, not, about the things you've done, it's what you're doing, now"
TTC Journey Began 8/12
BFP #1 11/9/12, MMC/D&C 12/21/12 @ 9w2d, EDD 7/24/13
SAs: 2%-3% Morph - RE Official Diagnosis Unexplained
BFN = IUI #1 (Clomid) | IUI #2 (Letrozole)
BFP #2 4/19/14 = IUI #3 (Letrozole)
Expecting Our Elf 12/27/14
~All Welcome~
I am a big fan of eating local. I live in a farm town and love all the fresh, local produce. I also prefer shopping in the local mom and pop grocery store. We also have some amazing restaurants in town. Town Council is very supportive of local business and makes it tough for chain stores to come in to town.
THE DARK SIDE IT IS
and GBCB
BFP 8/2/12 EDD 4/9/13 Addie was delivered 1/4/13 at 26 weeks due to Eclampsia
BFP 9/15/14 EDD 5/28/15 Please be our R A I N B O W take home baby BOY
~All AL always welcome~
This is a great post, Poppy.
I know after I post, I'll have to go re-read the thread, so I can gtky ladies better.
Here is what I am passionate about:
Bellydance: I have been taking classes and dancing for six and a half years. We dance in an Improvisational Tribal Style format. I am a part of a dance troupe, and we have shows and travel all the time. It is so much fun! Maybe I'll post a link to youtube here someday. I love going to festivals, taking classes, shopping for fun stuff. It is such a great creative outlet. I have recently been teaching as well, which can be challenging, but so rewarding. I just started teaching a children's class this summer, so fun and adorable!
Rabbits: We have three rabbits. They are the best pets ever. I want to look into becoming a foster mom of rabbits at my local shelter. Our bunnies live in cages when we are not home, but roam our house and safe yard when we are with them.
Disneyland: This is me and my DH's favorite place in the world. It is our special place together. We live 8 hr away in northern california, but we have gone many times together. Seven. And we've been together 9 years, so that's a lot for it being "far" away. I could talk about Disneyland all day. Don't get me started.
Thanks for the fun post!