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.

Congrats to the Obama's!!

Just wanted to do a short blog about 2009's Inauguration Day. I thought it was wonderful! As I was getting ready for work I kept peeking at the T.V. and watched as the Obama's arrived at the White House before heading to the Capitol-they looked so confident and calm. It made me feel very proud that I voted for President Obama. When I hear him speak and watch him conducted himself, I am filled with hope. I believe that I made the right choice by voting for Obama. I believe that he wants to change this country for the better. And more importantly, I believe that he can make that change happen.

There are many people who have been upset by the way our country has been run over the past few years. And hopefully, most of those people welcomed the changes brought by yesterday's events. Hopefully we, as Americans, can continue to stand united behind our new leader and press forward to make this country a better place.

There are people who are criticizing Dr Joseph Lowery's benediction where he said, "we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead man, and when white will embrace what is right" But what those same people should remember is this: that man is not our president. He is not the person we elected. So yes you may think what he said was strange, but he is not the person who is going to be running this country. So please, stop making a big deal about. His message was all about peace anyway. Remember that he also said, "And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance. And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will." So come one people! If that is the only thing you can complain about, GET OVER IT!

I look forward with hope, not hate, not anger, not with an impending sense of doom or fear, to the next four years. Only time will tell if President Obama is going to be able to help this country out of its current mess. But, I have hope and I believe that yes, we can!

2009

I am done appologizing for not blogging as much as I should. Most of you know that I am a very busy person anyways.

2008 came to close with a lot of goings-ons. Right around Thanksgiving, Ryan's dad Scott came to Utah, with Ryan, in a U-Haul to bring us some furniture for our new home. It was great to see Scott and spend some time with him. (We don't get to see much of Ry's family because almost all of them live in Montana.) And it was fun to get all of our new furniture moved in and give us a place to sleep. And we will be forever grateful for all of Scott's help and all of Grandpa Willard's old furniture.

At the beginning of December I started my CNA class. It was a great experience. I passed my classes with flying colors and now have to pass my state test to become an official CNA. But I feel like I really learned a lot and am excited to really put my training to good use.



Aroud this same time Ryan's grandpa Willard got stuck at the Salt Lake aiport on his way to Washington to visit Ryan's uncle Mark. The weather was terrible and so Ryan and I got to have our first real house guest. It was fun to have Ry's grandpa there for the night. (Willard got to see what happened to all his old furniture!) I love Ry's grandpa! I think he is such an interesting and kind person and I know both Ry and I enjoyed the short visit with him.

We also got to have Sera with us for Christmas this year! It was so much fun to have her around the house. She brings such an incredible energy when she comes. Ry and I both miss her so much when she isn't here that we really enjoy spending time with her when we get it. I only wish it could have been for more than a couple weeks.

Ryan's Mom Linda also came down for a few days during the Christmas holiday. It was so nice because she hadn't been able to come when Scott came right before Thanksgiving. I hope that she enjoyed her time with Ry, Sera, and I. Again, my only regret is that the visit was so short. But I am sure that we will all be seeing each other again soon. (Hopefully we can all meet up again for Easter like we did last year.)

We also had a birthday party for Sera while she was here. Her birthday is Jan. 5 and we had her party with us on Jan. 2 We went to Hollywood Connections and let the kids go crazy! I think that it went great and that everyone had fun. They got to go on rides, play in the play area, go mini golfing, play in the arcade, and eat pizza and ice cream. And quite a few kids were there. Nicole brought her 3 boys: Cam, Jackson, and Chris, as well as a little girl that she watches. Our neighbors Jay and Rosie brought their 2 boys Chance and Logan and our other neighbors Randy and Nina brought their girls Amelia and Maggie. And by the end of the night, all of them were worn out.

Sera left on Jan. 3 which was very sad for both Ryan and I. The house got really quiet after that. The other thing that sucked was we had to have Sera up at 5:30 am to get her to the airport by 6:00 am for her flight...it was way too early for both Sera and myself. Neither of us are morning people.

2008 ended on a really positive note and I can only hope that 2009 is just as great! Thanks to all of our family and friends that helped us with our new home. And a big thanks to my parents who spent countless hours at our place helping to paint and fix things. (WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU GUYS!)

Ryan and I love you all and hope that your 2009 has started off well. Keep in touch! Much love!

The Pressure Is Just Too Much

Ryan and I are in the process of buying our first home, (Details to come!) and so of course I start thinking about things we will need. We won’t be moved by the 31st of October, of no no no, but it did make we want to park my butt over there on Halloween night and hand out candy to all the trick-or-treaters that will be knocking on doors. So the other night while at my local grocery store, I stood in the Halloween isle in awe. Even since I was a trick-or-treater the candy options have grown. From chocolate eyeballs, to Spiderman gummies, to the traditional candy corn, there was just about any type of candy you could think of! The whole experience made me feel very nostalgic and brought back some found memories of being out with my friends. In fact, there is only one Halloween I can remember being miserable and that was the year it was raining and freezing and we didn’t even make it halfway around the block before my Dad came and picked us up in the car.

As I stood there, debating over my hundreds of options and weather or not I really wanted to buy the candy to go and sit in an empty house, it got me thinking about what my candy would say about me. Come on folks, we all know that as kids, we knew which houses to go to first for the good stuff. We all wanted the chocolate fun size bars and no taffy. We knew which neighbors might give us extra if we acted super sweet and cute. We also knew which ones to avoid unless we wanted a lecture about being too old to trick-or-treat when we were 11-years-old and out with a large group of friends. We knew to watch for groups with little kids because people we almost always in a more generous mood if you had some little kids in your group. Oh yeah, to kids, Halloween is as much of a tactical battle as it is a night out with your buddies.

What would my Halloween candy say about me? Well I could go with the bag of chocolate body parts. They are your standard chocolate that is now wrapped in tinfoil painted to look like a severed bloody foot or a bloodshot eye. This candy says, “I get you kids. You like creepy gross things and I am cool enough to give you what you want.” But two problems arise with this: 1. Little girls dressed as Sleeping Beauty may not be down with it and 2. Although the candy is pretty cool, they are still small and let’s face it, small candies are not always a big hit.

Another option I saw was your traditional bag of Fun Size Snickers bars; a staple for all trick-or-treaters. They are a tiny candy bar small enough to hide from you parents so that you can eat it when you go to bed even though they said only one piece and you had that after dinner. Plus Snickers have it all-chocolate, caramel, nougat, and peanuts. They are diverse enough to satisfy almost anyone. But then I got to thinking about what that said about me…everyone hands out Snickers. It shows that I am lazy and don’t care enough to put serious thought about my candy. Nope, I don’t want to be lazy so I will have to find something else.

Moving on I see bags of little boxes of Milk Duds and right next to them are bags of Blow Pops that are suckers filled with gum. These are two options that kids love! One, the boxes of Milk Duds are something a little different and they look bigger even though each box only contains about 4-5 Milk Duds, but with kids it is about what LOOKS bigger. And suckers with gum, well that is a candy that just keeps on giving! First a delicious crunchy outside that has some lasting power and then BAM! Gum in the middle to chew until it is tougher than a piece of leather and just about as flavorful. These were two types of candy that said I really understood what the kids want…I was going to be a great house for the kids to go to! But then it occurred to me…what this candy might say about me to my fellow neighbors who are parents. I am giving their children sticky, messy, chewy things that will rip out their fillings, get stuck in their braces, or make the couch a sticky mess! So I put the candy back and moved on deciding that I don’t want a mob of angry parents coming after me.

Handing out candy that isn’t individually wrapped, such as candy corn, would make me appear creepy, like I was trying to poison the children. Passing out pixie sticks could possible create a state of anarchy with sugar overload. And if I were to give them Frooties, well I can consider myself the lamest person in the entire neighborhood.



I was getting a little freaked out. This was a lot of stress and pressure. As the new person on the block I didn’t want to end up a laughing stock because I was handing out the wrong kind of candy. I wasn’t sure what to do. So I figured, screw this and grabbed myself a bag of Reeses Peanut Butter cups and headed to the check out lines. I will deal with it next Halloween. Now all I have to do is tackle what kind of Christmas lights I am going to hang up which may give me ulcers.