Let's go to "The Goon"

So last Memorial Day my parents had this plan to go to Lagoon. I am not a fan of Lagoon on any normal day because it is so expensive just to get into the park-$41.95 plus tax just to get into the darn place! And then, on top of that, unless you bring your own food and drinks you have to pay like $3.50 for just a drink. It is crazy! My family always packs a cooler for food and drinks so we don’t have to pay for all that, but still, there are other fun things to do there that you have to pay for. Like the go-carts, for example, are about $7.00 a person. It is pretty ridiculous.

But on top of all that, I am six and a half months pregnant. So I totally wasn’t going to go. Like I would have fun just watching everyone go on rides? But then I talked to my brother Byron and he really wanted me to go so that it was he, my parents, and I. And then my mom offered to pay for my entrance into the park. So I agreed. Besides, there had to be something I could do right?

For all other pregnant women who are convinced to go to Lagoon by their loved ones, please be aware these are the rides that you can go:

Sky Ride-the one that goes from one end of the park to the other.
Ferris Wheel
Train
Flying Aces
Merry-Go-Round
Dracula’s Castle-Please note that there are 2 haunted houses in Lagoon. Dracula’s Castle and then the Terroride, which is across from the merry-go-round. Only Dracula’s Castle was approved for pregnant women.

Six rides that I found in the entire park! I was actually impressed that there was even six. Now, I didn’t go on all of the rides I listed. There wasn’t time to do all that and for my family to go on the rides that they wanted to go on. I went on the train, flying aces, and, because my brother forced me to go with him, Dracula’s Castle. But on top of that, I had fun with my family. My parents are fun to be around and my brother always makes me laugh. Byron and my mom were even good enough sports to go on The Cliffhanger because I asked them to. It was such a fun day even though I couldn’t go on all my favorite rides. So I just wanted to say thanks to my family for making it such a fun day!

WHAT THE H@#$?!?!?

On Monday night I was driving home from work and saw perhaps one of the weirdest things I think I have ever seen. I have seen some pretty random things, like a man playing a trumpet while driving down I-15. (No I am not kidding.) This however, was in a class all it’s own.

On the side of the road I could see a cop car parked with its lights on. There were no other cars pulled over nor were there any motorcycles or even a bicycle. But the cop was obviously talking to someone…I just couldn’t see who that was.

As the traffic inched closer I could see people looking. So naturally, when traffic came to a stop, I looked too. What I saw…oh boy! There was a tall skinny man who appeared to be in his 60’s. He was very pale and his gray hair was obviously thinning. He was wearing over-sized sunglasses on his face. You would think the following would all be normal right? WRONG!

His top was a bright red sports bra. I blinked a couple times to be sure I was seeing things correctly. His bottoms were just as weird being that they were a pair of some of the shortest denim cutoff shorts I think I have EVER seen! And I believe he finished his outfit off with a pair of strappy red heels. I am not 100% sure about this because he was standing in grass.

Oh wait! I also forgot to mention that across his exposed abdomen, written in red paint or red lipstick or some sort of red substance was the word “SLUT.” I am sure that this is what encouraged the police officer to pull over. The man must have been on foot because like I said, the cop car was the only vehicle pulled over. I wish I knew what had been going on with guy! Was he crazy? Did he lose a bet? Or perhaps was he advertising? And that poor cop just looked so confused.

I wish I could have taken a picture with my camera phone but as soon as could take the image in, traffic started moving again and so I continued on my way home. I have, however, used my paint shop feature on my laptop to give you a CRUDE artist’s rendition. I hope that this amazes all of you as much as it did me. ENJOY!

P.S. Notice how happy my picture looks! I am sure that no matter what, this man was a very happy man!

So Much...

I haven’t been blogging for the last couple months. Period. Life has been crazy and I have had many other things to do. I am however going to take a moment now to update.

Yes, Ryan is gone. I drove to Mississippi with him April 1st to April 5th and then with many tears and much sadness, left him there. Saying goodbye is never easy. But saying goodbye for six months to the father of your unborn child is much harder than I expected. I cried my whole flight from Gulfport Mississippi to Denver Colorado. I was sitting on the very last row with my hood up on my black jacket, sunglasses on, quietly sniffling and wiping away my tears. People probably thought I was a terrorist. I am sure the flight attendant with nervous about asking me if I wanted anything to drink because who knows what chain of events he might set off. Instead, I ordered water with extra napkins. He kindly brought me extra tissues instead.

Since that day, things have been okay. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss Ryan. He is my better half and it sucks not having him here. But I survive and so does he and we both know that what he is doing is important for the future of our family.

Right around my birthday, Ryan was very sweet and got me a new dog. Her name is Freya and we got her from the Utah Humane Society. We aren’t 100% sure what kind of dog she is. She must have some beagle in her and who knows what else. We have heard everything from Collie to Pit Bull to Jack Russell terrier. All I know is that I love her. She is a great dog. Well…she is a great dog with the exception that she is Houdini Dog. And when she escapes from her kennel, she makes a mess. A VERY BIG MESS! HUGE!

At first Ryan and I had her in a smaller wire kennel. Her escape from this was partly our fault. She was too big for this kennel and simply pushed on the back of it and popped the side open. From there she got into the garbage and used our hallway as a restroom. I think she also ate a pair of my socks.

So we upgraded. We bought a larger enclosed plastic kennel. She did fine in this kennel for almost 3 months. That is, she did until a couple weeks ago. I get home from a long day of work to be greeted at the door by my little escapee. I am also greeted my a massive mess including with little was left in my garbage can since I had taken it out the day before as well as a box of cereal that she had gotten out of my cupboard.

Upon inspection I discovered that she escaped by chewing a hole in the side of her kennel. No, I am not kidding. When I left for work, there was no hole. When I came home there was a hole, a dog on the loose, and very large mess. Don’t believe me? I have a picture. In one day, this dog chewed a hole in her kennel!

So now I am mad…mad at myself for being out-smarted by my dog. So I go to Petsmart and buy another wire kennel, but this one is much bigger. While there I tell a couple members of the Petsmart staff what my dog has done and they are amazed. Amazed by my escape-artist dog. I would go so far as to say they were impressed by her breakout skills.

But I can’t just leave it at the wire kennel now. She has already proven that she can pop the side open with these so I enlist the help on my Dad who uses nylon zip-ties to secure the kennel. Now I am sure she can’t get out.

What happened next is all my fault. I underestimated my dog. I should have known. The new kennel made it one day with no jail breaks. By day two, she had formulated a plan. At some point during the day, my dog got the bottom lock on the kennel door open and was able to then push the door open enough to squeeze through the bottom. And the reward for my mistake? The biggest mess she had yet to create. Not only did she crap on my floor, shred every bit of garbage she could get her teeth on, empty the bottom to shelves of my bookcase onto the floor, and tear open a box of potato flakes and bag of flour, but she also destroyed the plastic blinds in my kitchen and chewed 2 of the slats of my wood blinds in my living room. She wasn’t just upset she was in the kennel, she must have been furious and I paid the price for my ignorance and over-confidence. I once again was out-smarted by a 25 pound dog!

So now she is back in the kennel and I am having to padlock the door shut. It has held up for three days but I am no longer going to be arrogant about it. She has gotten the best of me three times now and I am not going to let that happen again. Hopefully this one will hold, but I am not going to hold my breath. My dog should be in a circus freak show. This is why she ended up at the Humane Society…she got the best of her last owners. But not me! I am determined to win this war!

Other than all of that, things are going just fine. The baby seems to be doing well and developing great. I am now about 23 weeks pregnant. And I am feeling all 23 weeks now. My first trimester was so easy that my second has been much harder. My OBGYN says this should be my “honeymoon period” but I am not feeling it. I didn’t have a hellish first trimester so all the changes I am experiencing now seem much worse than they may have for other women.

I have hip pain, bloating, fatigue, heartburn, and hunger. LOTS OF HUNGER! I can eat a meal and 60 minutes later, I am feeling hungry again. It is nuts! And my pants….I am wearing pants that have a stretchy panel in the front to accommodate my ever-growing belly. I feel like a damn Chia pet! All I can do the water myself and watch me grow. My weight gain has been perfectly normal but still, I feel like I have gained 20 pounds in this last month instead of only 4.

But I am happy with my development. Things are normal and I could not be any more grateful. I know life with my new baby will not always be this easy or normal but I can only count my blessing and continue to pray that things continue in this direction for the rest of my pregnancy.

Thanks to everyone who has kept in touch. I am always thankful for your love and support. I will keep you updated and hopefully my next blog won’t take so long that it’s title will be “IT’S A BOY!”

My Top 10

It seems like now that I am pregnant, I have much more to say which equals much more blogging. (What this really means is I have more to be sarcastic and whiney about.) So I have compiled a list of the current things that are annoying me about being pregnant.

My stuffy nose-a fun and unexpected side effect caused by the changes my body is going through.

My fatigue-apparently when your body is using all its energy to create someone else’s body, you become exhausted!

Constantly being thirsty-I am drinking water all the time now which makes me need to use the bathroom frequently.

People telling me what is good for because I am pregnant-Thank you, I know I should be eating more veggies, getting lots of rest, stopping the cocaine use…ect ect.

Sneezing-any woman who has been pregnant knows what I mean here!

Hormones-I am already bitchy enough as it is, I don’t need any help.

People scolding me for not finding out what the sex of my baby will be ahead of time-my uterus, my baby, MY CHOICE!

Putting baby furniture together-Luckily Ryan does 99.9% of the work. But the .1% that I help with is annoying.

How sensitive I am to smells-I am constantly fighting back my gag reflex.

Buying new clothes-it is expensive and I am not going to be wearing them long.

I know that things are only going to get worse from here. Please, don’t send me emails telling me that is “best” is yet to come. I understand all of that. I am just complaining because I can. And it isn’t all bad...some parts are great.

Also, just a quick update. Ryan and I leave for our 4 days drive to Mississippi on Wednesday. I am going to drive down with him and then will fly back Sunday afternoon. The trip is going to be very bittersweet for me. But I will take my camera and hopefully get some pictures posted when I get back. Love to you all!

I think I coughed my lung up a few days ago

So I know that pregnant women usually get sick. I have not been one of those women. So this current illness I was lucky enough to get has been VERY ANNOYING! As far as I know, which isn’t much, pregnancy sickness doesn’t included fevers, sore throat, coughing, congestion, body aches, and fatigue all at the same time. No no, what I have is a special brand of yuck. This is nature’s way of getting even since I missed out on morning sickness. And what is even better, because I am pregnant, there is not much I can take. No decongestants for this mother-to-be. I can suck back cough drops and orange juice and pray for the end to come soon.

I can also lie on the couch and complain as Ryan does his very best to make me feel better. He has been the only thing to really help me this entire time! He has been truly amazing! He gets me soup when I am hungry, makes me push fluids even when I don’t want to, and keeps me well supplied with cough drops. Not to mention all the hugs and kind words when I am cranky and miserable. (Ryan is the best husband!)

I am finally starting to feel better today. My cough sounds terrible and my voice is a little froggy but other than that, I am okay. Getting sick is never fun but being sick, being pregnant, and not being able to do much about it is not something I would recommend. Thanks again to everyone who was concerned. Really, I think I am on the mend. But if I suddenly disappear for a month, call Ryan. I may be stuck back on the couch in my blanket cocoon.

It Is True! We Are Having a Baby!

Hello family and friends! I am finally going to get around to updating my blog on all the events of the past month or so. (It has been a freaking crazy month as many of you know.)

At the beginning of January Ryan and I found out that I am pregnant. We didn’t announce it until I had seen my OBGYN however. So, for those of you who were surprised that we waited until almost 10 weeks to tell you, don’t feel bad-you weren’t the only ones who found out that late.

Ry and I are really excited for the baby to come. Allow me to answer some questions that you may have. (These are the same questions that I have been asked by nearly everyone I have told.)

Q: How are you feeling? Any morning sickness?
A: I am feeling great! I have not had any morning sickness.

Q: Do you want a boy or a girl?
A: What we are really hoping for is a healthy baby. But we would like a boy.

Q: When do you find out what you are having?
A: When it comes out of my uterus.

Q: Really? You aren’t going to find out?
A: Nope. We want to be surprised.

Q: Well how are you going to plan for clothes and stuff?
A: I just won’t buy pink or blue. It really won’t be that hard.

After these series of questions, I usually get horror stories from other people’s pregnancies. Things like “24-hour labor” or “9 months of morning sickness” or other gruesome stories I won’t be sharing on a blog. Are those type of stories meant to comfort me? Because if you are trying to show your support and make me feel better, you are failing…MISERABLY!

Also, I guess I should tell everyone that Ryan leaves for his air force training on April 1 and will be gone until the beginning of October. This does mean that he will miss the birth of our child. We didn’t plan for this to happen. We had signed up for Ryan to go to his training before we even got pregnant. We can’t change it, or delay it, or fly him home. Trust me when I say, we have asked everyone and looked into any possible option. It sucks, but that is just the way it goes.

I am going to be fine and so is Ryan. He is bummed he is going to miss everything and I know that his heart will be with me no matter what. I am sad that I have to go through it all alone. But really, I won’t be alone. I have got amazing family and friends who are going to help me every step of the way. It isn't the same as having Ryan there to hold my hand, but honestly, it really is the next best thing. And if I can’t have Ry with me, there isn’t anyone else I could imagine having there except for my Mom and Dad. So I know that it will all be okay.

Sorry to have taken so long to post about the baby. Life has just gotten a little crazy as I am sure you can imagine. I am just over 15 weeks along and I feel great! Thanks for all the warm wishes and congrats. Much love to you all!

Husband Info...Kinda Fun!

Hi all! Here is a quick post. I promise to post more about my pregnancy when I get time. As of right now I am 15 weeks along and doing great. Love to you all!


Husband Survey

1. Where did you meet your husband?Ryan and I met while we were both working at Wal*Mart.

2. How long did you date before you got married?2 & ½ years

3. How long have you been married?About a year and 9 months…give or take. I am not going to calculate it.

4. What does he do that surprises you?He will get me flowers when I am not expecting it or take me to dinner or just surprise me with a kiss or hug.

5. What is your favorite feature of his?His eyes and his shoulders.

6. What is his best quality?How supportive and loving he is. I could not ask for better!

7. Does he have a nickname for you?Oh yeah! He calls me all sorts of stuff. Usually involving the word “snuggle”

8. What is his favorite food?That is really tough because he likes lots of stuff but I would guess prime rib.

9. What is his favorite sport?He is starting to like basketball.

10. When and where did you first kiss?I don’t remember the exact date but it was not long after we first met and it was in my grandparent’s living room.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Ryan and I like movies. I also play video games with him sometimes.

12. Do you have any children?Ryan has a wonderful little girl from his first marriage that is 7-years-old and we are expecting our first in September.

13. Does he have any hidden talents?He can be a pretty good cook when he tries.

14. How old is he?26…almost 27.

15. Who said I love you first?I did and I am okay with that. Ryan was really guarded because of his past and so I knew that he loved me, even if he was scared to say it.

16. What is his favorite music?He likes alternative rock like Sublime, Cake, and Nirvana. Also some music from the 50’s and 60’s.

17. What do you admire most about him?His strength to over come some of the very difficult things he has been through. And also how great of a father he is.

18. What is his favorite color?Blue

19. Will he read this?I think so.

20. Will he fill this out about you?
Nope.