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Rascal Flatts - Changed

I can't say that I am a music person.  My husband certainly is.  I can usually take it or leave it.  Especially after motherhood, there is something very nice about a quiet car ride when I get the rare opportunity to be out on an errand alone.  I think at times I just get a little sensory overload & I find quiet more soothing than music.

However, when it comes to Rascal Flatts, I feel like they are one of very few bands that trigger the musical person hidden deep inside me.  With them I experience the nostalgia & memory connections with my songs that instantly transport me back to the time in my life where that song was new and popular.  They are also one of very few bands where I can put their album's on and listen to the entire thing all the way through without skipping songs or turning it off.  I will listen to them enough that when I hear one of their songs on the radio - as it goes off, I start to sing the song that follows on their album... anyone else do that?!

Their first two albums, Rascal Flatts and Melt take me back to college.  Especially the long summer nights, fresh mountain air & lots of fun times with friends.  Their third album, Feels Like Today,  takes me back to my newlywed years with Bless the Broken Road.  I think we all feel that way when we've finally found our forever someone & marrying him really made me reflect back on my dating experiences & I was so thankful for my new husband and starting our future together.  The album also takes me back to a handful of NASCAR races here in Richmond and down in Charlotte where I really had some great times. Their forth album, Me and My Gang, takes me back to my younger sisters high school graduation with the song, My Wish.  It really summed up everything that I hoped & wished for her as she entered college & adulthood. 

As I stated earlier, entering parenthood as really reduced the amount of free time that I used to spend listening to music or attending events where I had the opportunity to listen to music!  However, as the trio's eighth studio album, Changed, was just released earlier this month & it is just as much of an amazing album as their past ones. What I love most is that these guys are so invested in their music & their passion.  Each of the three band members had a hand at writing the songs on this album.

As I am in the hospital on bed rest with my pregnancy of our second baby, I suddenly have plenty of time to listen to music again & I find that it helps to pass the time.  I've really enjoyed listening to Rascal Flatts new album, Changed.  I think my favorite song on the album is Hot In Here.  Every woman likes to know that they have such an affect on their man.  It's a really upbeat song that is easy to sing along to & one that on a warm day you'd love to turn the radio up, put the window down & just sing along as you are driving down the highway.

The Changed album overall doesn't disappoint.  I feel that its still the same great band & that is one thing that I have always like about Rascal Flatts is that they stay true to who they are & their country roots.  You can hear a song & instantly know its them.  They are great & I love that they keep producing great music that helps create happy times & happy memories.

One thing I haven't done that I wish to do is to catch them live in concert.  It's on my list & I know that when I do, it will be so much fun!  If you are looking to catch Rascal Flatts live in concert this year, here is the listing of their upcoming concert tour dates.

I received Rascal Flatts, Changed, album as a member of the One2One Network in exchange for my review.  All opinions are solely mine.

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What's the coolest part I think is that some of my local frugal buddies, Tiffany from Young & Frugal in Virginia & Alison from Richmond Bargains, will be offering savings workshops there too!  These ladies have a ton of great information to share with you & is certainly & don't miss!  So don't miss out!  Get your tickets now at 50% savings!

Stepping back in for an update...

Well the lovely cartoon above has probably given it away -  but I am currently in the hospital in the antepartum unit just loving life....  (truth be told these nurses have been amazing & you actually look forward to them coming in to have someone to chat with, even when the visit entails having your vitals checked & having to answer plenty of lovely pregnancy questions that we all like to pretend just don't happen to us).

How did I get here? I was doing so well!  I KNOW, RIGHT!  Well to back track.  With our daughter Lyla, I started swelling (um, like a blowfish) and having trouble with my blood pressure early on, at our 24 week appointment.  I had a slow progression and didn't get the official 'pre-eclampsia' diagnosis & hospital admittance until 34 weeks.  It was mild, as my proteins stayed in the 400-800 range the remainder of my pregnancy & my blood pressures were mostly 140's/90's with me on my sides.  So all that landed me the entire month of May 2008 in the hospital.  I was admitted on May 2nd and we walked out of there with our new baby on May 31st!  It was a wild month but one that was totally worth it all after we met our beautiful daughter.

Even though it was 'worth it' - lord I didn't want to be here again.  This pregnancy, as I have shared with you'll before, I have worked extremely hard to try & control any perceived risk factors that I could.  Not working any longer so I was hoping that controlled my stress & rest levels enough to gain from what an almost 4 year old also takes from those! lol!  Eating high protein & very nutritiously.  It's helped me feel really great.  Maintaining some sort of exercise.  I've varied between jogging early on and light weights to swimming and walking.  It's felt really great to of been more mobile & active up to this point.  The good eating along with the exercising has led to a very realistic and normal weight gain (at this point with Lyla, shew....).  Finally, combine all of these together with the fact that my blood pressure had been super normal & i'd been a text book patient up until last Thursday, at my 31 week appt, had left me thinking that I was going to make it to the end with only having to see the hospital for a few days of joyously welcoming our second baby.

BUT - couldn't be that easy, right?

My blood pressure was up at my 31 week appointment, enough that they sent me over to L&D for more bp checks & some monitoring of the baby.  After a long 4 hours - my bp's were down & they sent me home for the weekend with a 24 hour protein collection to turn in on Monday (collecting your pee, ya'll).  My parents kept our bug for a few days in attempt to give me peace, quiet & rest so that it could buy me time & keep me out of the hospital.  Didn't work out that way.  Yesterday, my bp was back up in the drs office.  No place where it's higher.  Add in a little white coat & nerves to elevated bp & it can make an OB/GYN nervous really quick!  So back to L&D for more monitoring & we were waiting for the protein catch results as that would let us know if we were dealing with just PIH (Pregnancy Induced Hypertension) or the start of my nemesis, Pre-eclampsia.

We were looking for levels below 300 and of course after 4 hours of chillin on my side in L&D Triage closet size room & roasting, as it was beyond hot in there, the results came back in the 400's & suddenly we are thrown back into the Pre-e game again - with almost no warning.  My blood pressures are mostly 130's/70;s-80's right now.  If you were to see me & compare me to a photo that is on my fridge of my office baby shower from 4 years ago - pregnancy dates are off by about a week - the difference is so noticeable.  I am sure some wonder why I keep that photo on my fridge b/c I look like you could lay me down & roll me b/c I am so bloated & swollen. (I keep it b/c its one of the last sweet photos of me pregnant with bug).  With the absence of the swelling this time & the fact that I've really been feeling great, with great reports, up til Thursday, I had really convinced myself that this time would be different.

So here I am back on the Antepartum unit.  I'm here at least a few days & through at least a few more rounds of blood work & lab tests.  Thankfully, all my blood work for my kidneys & liver & such look great.  Depending on how these go, will determine if I could possibly get to go home or if I am here until I deliver.  Let me just say - that was how they got me in the door last time.  Sneaky.  Then the night went to the weekend then to the week & then - BOOM - you're here until you deliver!  So I am not anticipating anything different this time around.

I am so thankful for both sets of our bugs wonderful grandparents that are able to drop everything & help work out schedules with us that allows her to have a pretty normal routine, provides my hubby with plenty of help & also allows me to get to see her almost every day of the week.  That is the plan.  I get to see her this afternoon, as I haven't seen her since Saturday - longest time apart ever - and I can hardly wait.  It's going to be a long next month or so - but we know that it's all worth it in the end.  First goal is to make it to 34 weeks and the next goal is 37 - i'll be 32 weeks on Thursday.

My current goal is to try to get a little more sleep before they are in for rounds.  My 5:30a blood pressure check was such a sweet way to greet the early morning & left me, shockingly, hungry, so I couldn't go back to sleep.  Grabbed me a bite to eat out of my fridge (which high fives for that b/c my other hospital 4 years ago did not have that amenity) and decided to blog a little while I was eating.

I'll have plenty of time on my hands here - so do expect regular updates and i'll probably even get to some frugal posts too - "Gasp, isn't that what this blog is about to begin with?  Not pregnancy & babies!"  I know - so sorry to of neglected you guys - but everyone loves pregnancy & babies.. right?!

All thoughts & prayers are greatly coveted and appreciated.