In Honor of ICLW

I've been thinking over the last few weeks and wondering why I never used my real name on my blog and instead set it as "Still Hoping." I keep meaning to go back and change it but never had, until today!

I've also never posted any pictures of hubby and I but I think he's pretty cute so I will share him with you ladies too!

Let me introduce you to us... Jeff and Lora!

This is a vacation pic from fall 2010 in Orlando in front of Landry's Seafood.

This is a pic from last summer at a friends party.

So now you've met us! I've changed my "name" to Lora instead of "Still Hoping" but I'll keep my profile picture the same so you'll remember who I am. :)

For those of you stopping by for the first time, here's a little bit about our journey:

* We have been ttc for 4.5 years

* Got our BFP after IVF #1 on January 3rd, 2011

* Suffered a miscarriage on February 22nd, 2011

* Started IVF #2 in January

* Trigger shot tonight

* Retrieval on Thursday

* Transfer on Sunday or Tuesday (3 day vs 5 day)

Some random facts (because I love random stuff):

* I have one tattoo on my foot that I got a few weeks after our miscarriage and my best friend got one that matches. We're linked forever! (I got it touched up a few weeks ago before we get pregnant from this IVF!)

* I'm a huge Cincinnati Reds fan. My dad used to take me to games and now I take him when I can.

* Hubby is a motorhead and loves classic cars. He has a '52 Chevy in the garage while the cars we actually drive sit out in the weather.

* I started college to head into Physical Therapy but now I'm in Real Estate.

* We live in a small town where I grew up at, Jeff is from this area too. 

* We go to the small church that I grew up in, my family goes there too.

* Until I was in Junior High, my hair was really long, long enough that I could sit on it. As you can see from the pictures I went the opposite direction!

* We love to go camping and boating during the summer.

* We got married when I was 20 and Jeff was 22, young, I know. We are now 28 and 30.

* We are hanging on to hope and each other as we pursue our dream of children!

Thanks for stopping by, looking forward to getting to know more of you better during this week!

My First Award!!

Given to me by Cristy at Searching For Our Silver Lining! Thank you!!                           

Liebster is a German word meaning dearest, and the award is given to up-and-coming bloggers 

with less than 200 followers.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.

2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favorite bloggers and keep it going!

The 5 Blogs below are the ones that I want to pass this award onto:

BW at Mummy, are we there yet?
Ally at Praying for a Pregnancy
Lady Bug at My Journey to Conception
Emily at A Blanket to Keep
Megan at Infertile Myrtle  (I know you have alot of followers but I like your blog!) :-)

Much love ladies and thanks again Cristy!

My First ICLW

So I'm still pretty new to the whole blogging world and this is my first ICLW... I love it!

It's so nice to be able to connect with other women in this community, share our stories and in turn, hopefully bring a little encouragement to each others lives. I've been so busy trying to comment and find new blogs to follow that I hadn't taken the time to post myself!

When I finally decided to start a blog, my original intention was to send a link to some friends and family members and use it as a tool to tell them about what we had been through. Very few know the details of our situation, and even fewer know that we did IVF. The more I thought about it, I didn't send that link out because I knew I would forever have to be careful and censor what I wrote on here.

After my first couple of posts, I quickly realized that this would be an avenue for me to express my true feelings. As I started getting my first comments I understood how powerful this could become. For me, blogging was not about telling family and friends our story, that can come later. This is about community. It's those of us who are part of a club we never would've asked to join, but trying to make the best of it anyway. We don't even like the criteria for membership, but the shoe fits. Sharing our feelings, the good days and the bad, and reaching out to those around us to lend a helping hand through a difficult time in their lives.

I've realized through my own journey that no matter where you are in life, there is always someone out there who can use your help. Be ready. Listen. Support. Care. Reach out. Be the person for someone else that you need someone to be for you... it will come back around.

Thanks to all of you who have visited my blog and those who have commented. It's already making a difference in my life after only a few short weeks.