Home At Last

Strawberry Fields For-NEVER

2010-06-10T09:50:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to introduce Chloe to a variety of fruits and vegetables, in both baby food form and the real thing. I really don't want her to be as Food Fussy as I am. It's really hard to cook for!

She's done very well so far, with the exception of baby food peas, and I can't blame her. They smell worse than the real thing. I was trying to feed her peas on a night we got McDonald's for dinner. She actually threw up the peas, and I felt bad that we were getting junk food and she had to eat mashed peas, so I gave her applesauce or something instead.

The other day I gave her a piece of real strawberry. She scrunched up her face, and I said I understood, they can be very tart. Even I like a bit of sugar sprinkled on mine, which kind of negates the fact that I'm eating fruit, but I guess it's better than a handful of Oreos. So I didn't force the strawberry.

I asked Bryan to pick up some of the baby food Puffs for her. It's like Cheerios but they dissolve instantly so there's less risk of choking. He picked out the strawberry and banana flavor. Sounds good! I gave her one puff in the morning and she spit it out. No big deal. In the afternoon, I tried again. She spit it out instantly. I tried to put it back in her mouth and she pinched her lips shut. I tried one more time and she pinched her lips and made a "raspberry" sound. Pffft! Chloe does not like strawberries!

6 Months

2010-05-29T21:05:00.001-07:00

Dear Chloe,

It's time you got to know the true nature of your Mom. I'm a slacker. It's only because of the thrill of finally having you here and the newness of you that I've been pretty "with-it" at taking your monthly picture. It's also due in large part to your Aunt Malissa. Here is your "6 month old" picture. You are acutally 6 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days old. So technically it's 6 months, but just barely. I guess it's not too bad. Ask your Aunt Cathie some time about having baby pictures.

Love,
Your Mom

Oh, yes. You sit up now. I'd like to point out the fortress of pillows set up for your protection. Just because I don't take pictures on time doesn't mean I don't love you. It means this was May, and Mama is a teacher. Not good timing.

We are so happy for you, achieving your life-long dream of being able to sit upright all by yourself. You've been trying to do it yourself and insisting that we hold you sitting up since you were born. Really, even in the hospital you were trying. Congratulations!

Here you are, laughing at something silly Daddy is doing. He makes you laugh all the time. You have a very sweet little squeal that you do just for him.

And here is your close-up. Not a fan of the flash on the camera today. But cute as ever! Thanks, Kimmy, for the very cute outfit!

Chloe is 5 months Old

2010-04-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

Well, really she's older now, but these are her 5 month old pictures, taken by her talented Aunt Malissa. Thank you, Malissa, for capturing her cuteness!

Chloe's Firsts

2010-04-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

First time sitting in her Bumbo Feb. 9, 2010
(and loving it!)

First time riding in her stroller without the carseat Feb. 15, 2010

First haircut March 7, 2010
(Chloe had like 10 long hairs that looked scraggly that needed to be evened out with the rest. That's what happens when Mommy is a hair stylist! Notice that it was real hair shears doing the trimming, of course.)

First time at Sea World March 16, 2010

First time eating rice cereal March 18, 2010
(notice that Mommy hasn't even bought baby spoons yet)

First time wearing a sun hat (where she can see the brim) March 21, 2010

First time eating baby food- carrots March 28, 2010

Followed by her first time sitting up in the bathtub March 28, 2010
(notice her slicked- back hair do)

Happy Anniversary!

2010-02-02T20:02:00.001-08:00

February 3 is a big day for me. TEN years ago, I left the MTC to fly to Canada for my mission. I can't believe it's been TEN years. That was an important day as I entered the mission field to find those who needed to hear the Gospel from me, and the person that I was then was about to be drastically altered, for the better, as a result of my service.

Maybe just as important is that it's also the THREE year anniversary of when Bryan and I got married. We've had a lot of threes in our years together, and I thought a list might be a fun way to commemorate:

3 pregnancies (but only one baby)

3 weddings (Ours, Cathie's, and Bryan's mom's)

3 deaths (Bryan's dad, Bryan's Grandma Wanlass, and my Grandma Dees)

3 new nephews (Jaxx, who was born on the night of our first date; Crew; and Stone)

3 fights (Maybe. At the very most.)

3 types of flooring downstairs (we started with my original tile and carpet, then pulled that out and put in bamboo, then we just switched that out for walnut)

3 t.v.s (I finally broke down and gave up my 36 inch behemoth Tube tv. We moved the 50 inch Plasma out of our bedroom and down to the living room, and put a respectable 32 inch LCD in our bedroom. What a compromise.)

3 of the happiest years of my life!

Thank you, sweetheart, for putting up with me! I love you!

2 month old pics

2010-01-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of 2 month old Chloe. Special thanks to Malissa for the fabulous photos!

Catching Up

2010-01-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 13, 2009: Chloe had this weird little vibration/kicking thing that she'd do while still in-utero. It was always a surprise, and I'd look down at my belly and ask her, "What are you doing in there? How can you kick so rapidly?" On this day, I was holding Chloe while sitting on the couch (I basically had held her non-stop for her first week of life) and I saw and felt her do the same little leg kick again. It was such a shock to see it happen this time. It was also a great moment of connection with her. It was HER in there!

November 18, 2009: Happy Birthday to me. 31 years old. Wow. That just sounds old. This year's theme song is "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder.

Isn't she lovely?

Isn't she wonderful?

Isn't she precious?

Less than one minute old

I never thought through love we'd be

Making one as lovely as she

But isn't she lovely, made from love

Isn't she pretty?

Truly the angel's best

Boy, I'm so happy

We have been heaven blessed

I can't believe what God has done

Through us he's given life to one

But isn't she lovely, made from love

It's really more about Chloe than about me, but isn't that what Motherhood is all about?

December 16-19, 2009: Chloe took her first road trip to California for Auntie Cathie's wedding. Time was when Bryan and I could pack a bag, throw it in the back of the Durango and be on our way. Here's a picture of the car once we had packed all that we needed for the trip. How could one little tiny person need so much stuff??

Aunt Chelsea pushed Chloe in the stroller while we went inside the temple for Adam and Cathie's sealing. While she was walking around out front, the temple workers invited them inside to sit in the waiting room. Afterwards, we were walking through the foyer to the waiting room, admiring the beautiful decor along the way, when I heard a baby's cry. It was Chloe, and I knew it, not just because she was the only baby around, but because she was MY baby and I knew her cry. I elbowed past Bryan and charged down the hallway toward the waiting room, as fast as was temple-appropriate. It was so innate, automatic, and instant. I'd even knock over Bryan to get to my baby!

While in California, we were all gathered around watching Chloe drink a bottle. She's even cute while eating! She had finished, but kept wanting to suck on the bottle. I didn't want her to because I didn't want her to swallow so much air. I started thinking out loud, "Maybe if I took a nipple without being attached to a bottle...but then she'd suck in air, so maybe if I plugged the hole up with something, she could just suck without the air...." My sister Chelsea looked at me and said, "Dude, that's a pacifier!" Dang! Someone beat me to it! Kind of like last winter. I was trying to invent "something that had the warmth of a shoe, with the ease of a flip-flop." I pondered that phrase for about a week until I realized, it's already been invented. They're called slippers.

The Arrival of Chloe Jane

2009-11-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, October 27, 2009: Another doctor appointment, another ultrasound. We were expecting the usual. However, Chloe had only grown a few ounces, up to 5 lbs. 3 oz. She was in the 2nd percentile for size. A significant drop. She just wasn't increasing in size like she should be, a side-effect of a medicine I have to take. Up until now, they had always said that she was small but there was no reason to worry. Apparently, there was now reason to worry. This time, my doctor said that the baby would be delivered no later than 38 weeks. No question about it. Those were the doctor's parting words to me. Wow.

She then had me go over to the next room to do a stress test for the baby. They hooked me up to a monitor to keep track of her heartbeat, and they had me click a button every time I felt her move. She was moving around a bit and I clicked enough times to show that she's moving around ok, maybe like 10 or so kicks. This was acceptable, and I got to leave for the day, but had to schedule appointments to come back for more stress tests the next week.

Monday, November 2, 2009: Another stress test. I had to go in to school to get stuff ready, then run over to the doctor's office while an aide brought in my class and get them started until I could get back to school, only about an hour later. (Thank you, Lisa!) I was a little frantic, since the prior Friday was our Halloween day and the room was a wreck. I got things together just in time and made it to my appointment, but it was a lot of last-minute business for a 9-month pregnant lady!

My appointment was just for another stress test, but the assistant always takes my blood pressure. I can never remember what the numbers are or what they mean, but mine came up like 160 over 120. Even I knew that was high. She said she was going to try it again. No change. She had me lay down and hooked me up to start the stress test, then went and got another assistant to come and try my blood pressure. It only improved a little, so they were visibly freaking out. On top of all that, Chloe wasn't moving. At all. I thought they were going to rush me off to the hospital right then and cut her out! And I didn't have a substitute for the day!

As a last resort, they went and got me a "juice" to see if it would get her moving. (Hi-C, which is apparently 100% sugar.) After gulping down the juice, I only had to wait about 2 minutes and Chloe was kicking my uterus like she was warming up for a soccer game.

The doctor came in and said, "We'll deliver on Friday. Someone will call you this afternoon or tomorrow to schedule your delivery." And that was that.

Thursday, November 5, 2009: Another stress test. Even though they were planning on me delivering the next day. Things must look pretty bad. I made sure to take the day off so I wasn't rushing around, affecting my blood pressure. It still was kinda high, but way lower than on Monday, so it was okay. However, we could not get Chloe to kick at all. Not even with juice. I think I felt her move twice in almost a half hour. Not a great sign, but I knew she was just asleep. She's more of a night owl than an early bird; I had been feeling her kick and stretch all night long!

Friday, November 6, 2009: My delivery by cesarean section was scheduled for 5:00 pm. So not only did we have to sit around all day, anticipating, but I also had to fast for 8 hours before the operation. Fast all night, light breakfast, then fast all day. It was gonna be rough. And boring, waiting and waiting all day for 5:00 to arrive. Happily, my sister-in-law, Malissa, did some maternity photos with me. (I'll post some photos as soon as she's done editing them.) That helped pass the whole morning. Plus I still needed to pack my bags for the hospital. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute.

Finally, it was time to head over to the hospital. Bryan dropped me off at the Maternity entrance so he could try to find a parking place. It was packed! Good thing I had an appointment! I walked in the door and went back to the second desk, past the information desk. The lady greeted me and I said, "Um, hi, I'm here to have a baby... I'm scheduled for 5:00." They checked the books and said, "Candace? Just go through those door there with the yellow paper on it." Nice! I filled out a bit more paper work (but seriously, what is the point of pre-registering if I'm just gonna do more paperwork when I get here??) Bryan met me in this room, and then she led us out to the prep- room to get ready for surgery.

Here's the last picture of me pregnant with Chloe. And here's Bryan getting ready for surgery. They had a devil of a time finding a vein to put my IV in. The nurses asked if I had any water to drink today because my veins were hard to find. Um, no. I had to fast for 8 hours, and before that was night when I was fasting in my sleep. My sister-in-law Malissa warned me that getting the IV would be the worst part of the c-section, and she was not kidding. But it was nice knowing that once they got the IV taken care of, the rest would be smooth sailing. We sat, prepped for surgery, and waited for over half an hour. Hmmm... We heard one of the nurses mention that the lady in the operating room was taking too long cause they couldn't get her to stop bleeding. Greaaaaat... just what I need to hear. But I had a blessing from Bryan before we left for the hospital, so I wasn't nervous or worried a bit.

We finally get into the operating room, and it was freezing in there. My anesthesiologist came to talk to me. His name was Dr. Seamus. He had a pony tail and an earring. But he was great! The spinal block was a lot of pressure on my back. It hurt, don't get me wrong, but the worst part really was the IV. I had to lean forward so he could insert the needle. I was trying not to shiver uncontrollably so it didn't mess him up, but it was so cold! Once he got it in, he said, "Okay, now your feet are going to feel really warm and heavy in about 2 seconds." I was in the process of saying, "Wow, that's really fast!" but only got out, "Wow! That...." I laughed and said, "There it goes!" They helped me to lay down, and Dr. Seamus said, "Now they're going to do a pinch test to see if you can feel it. I don't need to know if you can feel it or not, I just need to know if it hurts." I agreed and he said, "Well it must not have hurt cause they already did it!" Ha! Let the surgery begin! I was numb from the chest down, but the top of me was so cold I was shaking; I just couldn't stand it. Bryan was really more concerned with what was happening on the other side of the sheet hung up so I couldn't see what was going on (thank goodness) but I got his attention and told him I was freezing. He told Dr. Seamus, who then got me a nice warm sheet to drape across my arms and shoulders. NOW I was ready for surgery!

Bryan watched the surgery intently, but declined taking photos. I don't think I would have wanted to see that. He said at one point blood went squirting out. He still talks about it as the coolest part. I felt nothing at all and finally was warm enough, so I was doing great. It seemed to go really fast, I didn't feel like I was there long at all, when I heard a loud newborn's scream. My very first thought was "That's mine! She's mine! She's mine!" (That looks really creepy typed out like that, but think of me saying it in a sweet, excited, maternal kind of way.) As soon as her head was out, she was screaming, and she kept screaming, which was good. They got her out easily. She was a little blue, but warmed up and turned pink really quickly. I could see the nurses cleaning her up to my left as I laid there, with my doctor cleaning me up. She was so tiny! Just 5 pounds 5 ounces and only 17 and 1/2 inches long! But she was healthy! They nurses offered to Bryan to cut the cord, which had already been cut and clamped as they removed her from me. He hesitated, but I told him to do it, so he did. He later said it wasn't as cool to him because they had already cut it to disconnect us, this was just secondary cutting. (I still find it funny that he wanted to be the one to come between me and Chloe.) They took her away to get taken care of, and I was moved onto a rolling bed to be taken to the post-operating room to be taken care of, too.

Bryan and Chloe met me in the post-operating room. She laid in her bed beside me. Bryan's mom, my parents, and my brother Collin had come to the hospital to be the first to greet Chloe. Only two other people could come back at a time, so they kept rotating. I was so tired and drugged up, I wasn't really too sure what was going on. I was only allowed to eat ice chips, since putting anything in my stomach would likely cause me to throw up. Apparently even that was too much. My dad was standing near me and I asked him to pass me the tray that was on the table. He did just in time. I was waiting and ready. I was a professional at throwing up by this point.

Everyone kept asking how I was doing, but I was just drugged up and tired. They moved us up to our own room. Grandma Gigi (like G.G. short for Grandma Gifford) got to change Chloe's first diaper. Gradually I came out of my stupor. I still couldn't move my legs though so I sent Bryan home to sleep and Chloe to the nursery with the nurses. They knew what they were doing better than I did, anyway, and we'd all do better with a good night's sleep.

Saturday, November 7, 2009: We just sat around watching tv. Grandma Gigi was with Chloe as much as possible, and she let Grandpa Gifford come along and watch her hold Chloe. She was so excited; she didn't share well. Other visitors include my aunt Sharon; Bryan's sisters Kristy and Malissa; and some friends from our ward, Grace and Richard, and Vance and Anakate.

Sunday, November 8, 2009: I was healing well and Chloe was doing great so we got to come home, one day ahead of schedule. She was down to just 5 pounds even. Any smaller and not only would we have had to stay longer, she might have found herself in the NICU. But we were very blessed and able to go home. We are so glad to have her here!

Shhh....Don't Tell Bryan

2009-10-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

Bryan has been complaining about needing a new pillow for quite some time. He has NO problem falling asleep and snoring all night long, but everyone should be allowed their ideal pillow. Last night, we just decided to pop over to Macy's to check out their pillows. He bought his last pillow there about 10 years ago and paid $120 for it! That seems like way too much for a pillow to me, but, in his defense, it was buy one, get one free. That makes it a little better.

Fortunately, Macy's was once again having a sale on pillows. Maybe they do it every 10 years or so. Bryan checked every pillow in the store. Even the ones on display that weren't even for sale. He likes the firmest pillow possible. He was leaning towards another $120 pillow that was once again buy one get one free. I told him he would have to store that free one in his closet for a back-up. But it was goose down and he wasn't quite sure that it would stay firm enough. I pointed out a Calvin Klein synthetic pillow that was on sale for $36. I told him whatever he was happy with was fine. But then I got to go spend that much money at Pottery Barn for stuff for Chloe's room, which he hates, but he agreed.

Then the sales lady came over to see if we needed help. I stepped back and let them talk it over. I really was suggesting the Calvin Klein pillow because it was synthetic and wouldn't smoosh down as quickly. But he said I was just trying to choose the cheaper one. The sales lady suggested the exact same thing and for the exact same reason, but Bryan listened to her and picked the Calvin Klein style. Even with tax, it was only about $10!!! He bought two of them!

So on the drive home, he said, "What are you going to buy at Pottery Barn for $20?" I don't think they have anything there for $20! Well, I may not get anything for Chloe's room, but at least we didn't spend over $100 on a new pillow! Thank goodness for the sales lady who could talk some sense into him! Just don't tell him that I knew she would!

Never Ending Search for Great Lashes

2009-09-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

When I'm resurrected, one of my top 5 requests for my perfect body is for awesome eyelashes. I obsess over having great eyelashes. Although that is dwindling as I get more pregnant and feel less like dealing with it.

Saturday I decided to try false lashes, not as part of a costume, but as a short-cut to the lashes I spend at least 4 coats of mascara on, and as much time as I spend on the rest of my face combined. The falsies looked pretty good, and were way faster.

8 a.m. church is just too early for me, so I decided I'd wear false lashes as a faster way to get ready. I put on a pair, but it seemed a little long. Well, that is the point, right?? Just to make sure, I went and checked with Bryan to make sure they were church appropriate. He looked at me and said, "You're working the Library, not Van Buren!" I peeled them off and put some mascara on my sparse, natural lashes. And we got to church at 8:30.

Work Sucks.....I Know

2009-08-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Blink-182 probably wasn't referring to Teaching when they wrote that line for their song, but it sure is true.

This has to be the hardest year yet. I have 30 students, which is WAY too many to get any work done. I've been at school 'til well after 5 each day this week. I still feel like I'm just barely keeping my nose above water. It better get better.

The hard part is that I don't love my kids yet. It's a lot like getting transferred to a new area as a missionary. I missed my old area and the people who were there, members and investigators. But eventually, I learned to love the new area. I know I will learn to love my new class, but until then, it's especially rough.

My feet were swollen yesterday. That's new to me in this pregnancy. I've discovered that wearing tennis shoes is the only way my back doesn't hurt, but that really limits my clothing options. (I will not be "that girl" who wears tennis shoes with a skirt!) But I'm not allowed to wear jeans every day yet. Maybe I can get a special exception. I'd rather not be pregnant and wear a skirt and heels.

When did I become a Hobbit?

2009-07-13T11:33:00.001-07:00

I don't really even like Lord of the Rings that much. But you have to admit that Merry and Pip, the two side-character Hobbits, are quite funny. Apparently, being pregnant has turned me into a Hobbit. I suppose it was only a matter of time: my dad has been told by his brother since he was in his youth that he has "Hobbit legs." But if you remember Merry and Pip in the second Lord of the Rings discussing "second breakfast," you can see how I'm eating like a Hobbit.

First breakfast
Second breakfast
Elevensies
Lunch
Snack (I think they called it Tea or Tea Time)
Dinner
Bed snack or dessert.

I'm getting very tired of eating. I don't even like that much food! But what Chloe wants, she gets. See, Bryan? I told you she was the boss already.

Good Looks and/or Musical Ability

2009-06-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

I like to quiz Bryan when we are listening to the radio to see if he knows who's playing, and then teach him things about the artist/group. So last night I was teaching Bryan about Ted Nugent, and I was telling him how he is not good looking. Bryan said, "Name a rocker who is!" Here's our conversation:

"L.L. Cool J." I mean, his name is Ladies Love Cool James. You can't deny that.
"No, he's a rapper, not a rocker."
"Okay, Justin Timberlake."
"No, he's Boy Band."
"Oh no he's not! But I will agree that he's not a 'rocker.' Hmmm..."
"Think of the Rolling Stones or Aerosmith....Not good looking. You can't rock and be good looking."
"I will think of someone!"

About 3 hours later, as I was brushing my teeth, I thought of Jim Morrison. The Doors were rock, and he was good looking. Got one! Bryan was in the kitchen so I shouted down the stairs at him, "Jim Morrison from The Doors!" I had to explain to him who The Doors are, but then he agreed that I found one. I thought, there has to be more! So today I asked my parents if they could think of any.

They both agreed with Jim Morrison, but they said only in his younger days. (Isn't that how good looks work with all people? Only in our younger years...) My mom suggested Rick Springfield. He was so good looking he's been on tv shows as a true actor, not as his famous self. We were debating whether he was truly "rock," but we gave it to her. My dad suggested David Lee Roth. Now, we all know that the true rock and roll talent lies with the Van Halen brothers, but we will give it to David for being the voice and personality for the band. I agreed that he was probably good looking, as far as 80's standards go. I can't watch those 80's videos and not laugh. Yikes, what a decade. But we had already established that it's good looks for their younger years, and probably height of popularity, so it doesn't matter what he looks like by today's standards.

But that was it. Jim Morrison, Rick Springfield, and David Lee Roth.
Was John Bon Jovi good looking in the 80's also?

Can you think of others?

Big Announcements

2009-06-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

Alright, alright. What do I do? Just shout it out to everyone? I'm not really like that, but here's the official announcements:

Yes, I am pregnant. I know it just looks like I'm getting fatter, but there is a baby growing in there. And a baby girl, too!! Hooray! I'm about 19 weeks along (about 4 1/2 months) and everything with the baby looks great! So far she is healthy and growing right on schedule. I have not had fun being pregnant, but that's the price we pay. Hopefully that means she'll be healthy when she's born. We've even chosen a name for her already: Chloe Jane. She can be C.J. for short or if there's another Chloe in her class. She'll be here in mid-November. I'm betting on the 20th so that I won't be able to go see "New Moon" right away. But we'll see.

Our other big news is that Bryan and I FINALLY got sealed on Saturday, June 20th. Don't feel left out if you thought you should've been invited. I wanted to keep it a small ceremony. I hate being the center of the room with all eyes on me. But it was very nice, and I managed not to cry, although my sister said it made me have a funny look on my face. It is so nice to have a feeling of "completeness" in our relationship and to know that Bryan is stuck with me forever and ever! We had a really fun dinner afterward, and I appreciate everyone who pitched in and everyone who came to show their support. It was especially great to have a group to come play Rock Band with me, which is rare. I had a great time! Thanks everyone!

Something I Miss

2009-06-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

One thing I miss, since becoming pregnant, is wearing a pair of tight jeans that makes my butt look great. Silly, I know. But it's gone... for now.

Realization

2009-06-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

So I was at the OB yesterday, waiting 45 minutes for my appointment, which I was not pleased about, but it's summer time and I don't really have much else going on so it wasn't a big deal, and sometime it will be my turn to take all of the doctor's time, so I was reading a Pregnancy magazine. I generally avoid them because reading too much makes me over-analyze and freaks me out, so Bryan says I'm not allowed to. But I had already read all the regular magazines in such a long wait. As I was looking through, trying not to pay too much attention to what it was saying, I realized why I'm not totally thrilled about being pregnant and having a baby: (besides the fact that pregnancy sucks)
I'm totally stressed out about it. I've just been ignoring it and so it comes across as just being not excited. I DO NOT do well with new situations. Ask my sister or Bryan. I don't go on vacations to places I haven't been before or am not with someone who has been there. Mom and Dad gave us the Christmas present of sending us on a cruise for Spring Break, which was SO great of them to do for us, but I could only agree to it because Bryan speaks Spanish (the cruise was to Mexico.) Just checking in for the cruise had me completely freaked out. Cathie thought I should have been fine because it's a very controlled atmosphere. We were on the boat the whole time and when we got off, it was with group tours provided by the cruise line. That is the only way I survived that experience.
Going on a mission was ultra-super-stressful, too. I only survived the MTC because, again, it was a very controlled atmosphere. And going to Canada....well, I have no doubt that the Lord gives extra blessings to missionaries. It's the only way I survived the whole thing. I took over as "Travel Leader" in the airport on the way to Canada because I thought the Elder in charge was going to get us lost and miss our plane. Another elder re-named me as the Travel Leader, and they answered to me. I swore to the Lord that if He lost my luggage, I was turning around and going back to Arizona. What do you know-- it only got lost on my way home after my mission! But I was stressed.
They try to warn you before you go on a mission that "It's a lot of work." But no one really explains what that means. It's not a lot of work like digging a trench, it was much more emotional and spiritual work, especially in my mission where we drove cars the entire time. It was hardly ever physical work. But no one tells you that. You just gotta find out for yourself.
Everyone tells me that pregnancy is rough, or that labor is going to hurt like nothing I've felt before. But I don't really know what exactly it's going to be like. So there we are with a new situation, which I DO NOT do well with. So I'm stressed. And it's only just begun. Reading about it just freaks me out more. So what I'm trying to say is: I don't mean to seem like I'm not excited, I am excited deep down, I'm just stressed out.
I know, I know, get a blessing, trust in the Lord, pray about it, blah blah blah. It's still new and stressful. And I haven't even begun to think about once baby is here.

On a happier note: The doctor told me that I actually lost weight since I saw her last. And not because I can't keep any food down. Lately I feel like I can't eat enough! Oh yes, I am one of those annoying women who actually lost weight while being pregnant. Take a moment to hate me now.
Okay, okay, it's still early in my pregnancy, I'm sure it won't last long. But at least I can say it now!

Another example

2009-05-26T09:45:00.001-07:00

It may be a bit boring to you readers, and I don't mean to seem like I'm bragging, but I have another example of how considerate we are in our marriage. This is like my journal, afterall.

Last Sunday we were at Bryan's Mom's house for dinner and his sister, Kimmy, who is quite a baker, made chocolate chip cookies. Our nephew, Ty, was walking around with a plate of cookies, serving the grown-ups. (One thing I can't wait to have kids for!) There was one cookie left when Ty got to me. Bryan was is the adjoining room, so I knew he hadn't gotten one, so I told Ty to take it to Bryan, which he did. I could hear Bryan's response when Ty reached him: "Has Candace gotten one yet?" I leaned over to where he could see me and told him, "I just sent him to you!" I do feel so very lucky and blessed to have such a sweet husband! He did take the cookie, BTW. But that's okay because I don't like chocolate AT ALL when I'm pregnant. Weird.

Consider This

2009-05-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

One of my most favorite things about being married to Bryan is how considerate we are of each other. We both agree that we were missing it in our first marriages, and maybe that's why we both try especially hard to be considerate. Or maybe we just naturally are and make a great couple.

The other day, we were both in the kitchen, putting things away and getting things out. He needed to put something in the fridge at just about the same time I needed to get something out of the freezer. We turned around and I opened the fridge (for him) and right afterward he opened the freezer (for me). He realized what I did and asked, "Did you open the fridge for me?" and I said "Yes." He laughed and said, "I opened the freezer for you!" It was just a very sweet moment that showed how much we think of each other first, before ourselves. It's such a nicer way to live.

Did you get a straight answer?

2009-04-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

So today during lunch, me and the guys were doing what we always do, watching CNN. They were doing an interview with a high school senior and his lawyer. He was complaining about how we was unable to access Gay friendly websites while at school. Guessing by his lisp and the fact that his lawyer looked like a man but was actually a woman, I think they were both gay. They were going on and on about something when the commentator asked a very legitimate question to them. She asked, "Have you gotten any straight answers?" Well after that, we don't have any clue on what was said because we were laughing so hard. If you're gay and reading this, don't be mad, it was still funny.

Racing to the Doctor's

2009-04-14T19:25:00.000-07:00

I was reminded of the Seinfeld episode where they go to pick up the car rental they reserved, but the company gave them all out and Jerry makes the joke about they know how to *make* a reservation, they just don't know how to *keep* the reservation.

Bryan and I went to the Obstetrician's this afternoon. As we pulled into our front-row parking spot, a lady and her daughter (who looked way too young to be going to the OBGYN in the first place) were walking up to the doctor's door. They saw us pulling into the parking spot that was obviously for the same doctor that they were going to, so they start hustling and trotting up to the door, like it's Disneyland and whoever gets there first gets served first. I'm pretty sure the Doctor knows how to *make* appointments and *keep* appointments.

In a Nutshell

2009-04-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a loooong time since we wrote. The funny part about it is that we've actually had quite a bit going on. Here's our last few months in a nutshell.

Christmas was great. It was our 3rd Christmas together, so that's fun to have a "history."

I have a student teacher this semester, so that has brought a welcome ease of schedule for me.

We went on our first cruise! My parents got us a cruise for Christmas, which took place over Spring Break. I'm not a very good traveller; I get very stressed out when going to new places, so a cruise was perfect because it was very contained and organized by the cruiseline. We will definitely be going on more in the future! Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Right before we left on the cruise, I mean the day before, we found out that I'm pregnant. No exclamation point. I called the doctor that day and she put me on some medicine that is supposed to help keep me from miscarrying. Everyone gets all excited and giddy when we tell them we're expecting, but Bryan and I were talking about it today, and we're both just "meh" about the whole thing. We'll see if this one lasts. I think I'll be more excited when I make it far enough along to start to have my belly showing. Maybe.

But the real reason I felt compelled to finally blog again was our trip to Utah for conference. My sister works in the Church Administration building, so she was able to get us great seats for Conference, and she just bought a condo there, so we had a place to stay, too. Having recently found out that we might be having a baby this fall, we figured this was our last chance for a long time. I don't want to drive to Utah when I'm 8 months pregnant, and you can't take kids younger than 8 years old in the conference center, so it was now or almost never.

We took Friday off of work to make the drive without messing up our sleeping schedules too much. We knew it was going to be windy and chilly, but by the time we hit Kanab, it was snowing! Several inches! We knew we needed new tires on the Durango; we were just waiting for our tax refund to purchase them. But the roads had not been plowed, and our tires were too bald for this type of drive.

At one point, we slid over the other lane of traffic (going like 10 miles an hour, but still scary) and went head-first into the side of the mountain. Luckily no traffic was coming, but everyone was going 10 miles an hour, so it might've been ok. Bryan just put it in reverse, backed over to our side of the road, and we continued on our way. Less than a mile later, we started spinning out- we had no traction whatsoever. We slid over to the shoulder of the road and tried, but we could not get moving.

We tried calling 911 and I spoke to them for a couple of minutes before we lost signal, but I didn't get to tell them where we were. We were totally stuck. Bryan said a prayer for us, and then a big semi- truck drove by, squashing some big, clear tracks in the snow. Bryan put it in reverse again, backed up into the semi's tracks, put it in drive, and we were on our way.

Little did we realize in all of the snow-stuck crazy-ness, we somehow missed a turn and took a slightly longer route, not through the mountains. We didn't realize this until we were on our way home on Sunday. We had bought brand new tires for a killer deal, and the snow had cleared, so we were a little less stressed on our way home and could follow the directions more closely. We realized that the road the directions told us was NOT the way we had come up. We also realized that the road the directions told us was much more steep and much sharper turns. We never would have made it on our old tires in the snow!

While it was great to be at conference, and so fun to see the apostles and prophets up close, I felt like our real spiritual experience came from the travelling. It was very clear to us that we were led and guided and watched-out-for along the way. I am very grateful for prayer, that when we could not contact anyone else for help, we could ask our Heavenly Father for help, and He answered. I know he hears and answers our prayers, maybe sometimes just in His own way.

Toddler + Teenager

2008-12-12T21:52:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been going back and forth about whether I even want to have kids at all. I've got Titus and Leah, and they're the perfect blend of Toddler and Teenager.

Like a toddler, I have to keep the floors free of anything I don't want destroyed or anything that they could choke on. I have to bathe them, I have to fix their food for them, I have to clean up their poop. They have to go to the doctor for checkups a couple of times a year. They can't tell me how they are feeling or what they need, so I just have to guess until they seem happy. They like to cuddle with me. They leave their toys all over the floor!

Like a teenager, I don't have to get a baby-sitter when I want to go out. They don't talk to me. They sleep all the time.

Who could ask for anything more, right?

The End of an Era

2008-11-21T16:17:00.001-08:00

Well, so long 20s, hello 30s. I'm actually happy to be turning 30. I've been through a lot, and I've done a lot. I feel like I've earned it.

For quite a few years now at each birthday, my sister and I have been choosing a theme song for the up-coming year. I loved the idea that a song can bring to mind a specific movie or tv show, and liked the idea of a song bringing to mind a specific year. And it really does! Choosing a new song has become my favorite part of my birthday. Here's a list of my birthday songs, all but one: the only birthday during the last marriage. I can't remember. Guess I just blocked it out. Anyway, you can see where I was in my life, and where I was hoping it was headed.

30: "Just the Two of Us" by George Benson
29: "The Great Pagoda of Fun" by Donald Fagen (look up the lyrics; it's great!)
28: "My Best Friend" by Tim McGraw
27: "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac (it was the Dixie Chicks' version that first inspired me, but officially I had to go with the original.)
26: "
25: "Why Georgia" by John Mayer
24: "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin
23: "One Day Closer" by Carolyn Dawn Johnson
22: "I Love to See the Temple"
21: "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission"
20: "Dance the Night Away" by Van Halen
19: "Hey Nineteen" by Steely Dan
18: "Barely Bloomin' Eighteen" by Ace of Base (don't laugh- it was 1996)
17: "Dancin' Queen" by ABBA

What's YOUR theme song??

Breakin' Up is Hard to Do

2008-11-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

I went to lunch during Fall Break with a friend who is still single, bless her heart, I've been there. There was one day in September when she asked how I was doing and I told her I was pregnant, and she told me that she thought that she had found Mr. Right! But when we went to lunch on Fall Break, I had to tell her that I miscarried again, and she told me that they had broken up. The timing was oddly funny. We were comparing our situations. Has anyone ever considered how similar a miscarriage is to a break-up??? We found so many similarities! She's lucky enough to have someone to blame and someone to be mad at. Who do I blame? Who can I be mad at? My own body? The Lord? Yes, and Yes, but it's not the same.

Consider the similarities, and imagine getting dumped by both your own body and by the Lord. Ouch. At least I have Bryan.

Camping??

2008-10-19T15:23:00.000-07:00

For the first time in about 12 years, we went camping. Bryan's family was going for Mesa's very short Fall Break, which happened to be Columbus Day weekend. I didn't want to be the wife who keeps him from going to family events, so I agreed to go. Time makes you forget, and Bryan and I had forgotten the details of camping. We were actually quite looking forward to it.

We had a great time spending time with the family, but yikes was it cold. I did have a good time starting and maintaining fires in an appropriate setting. The s'mores were delicious (thanks, Kimmy!) It's nice to get away from the routine and relax.

But really I was just too cold. It's not really fun when you spend the whole time just trying to keep from shivering. Bryan and I calculated the cost of the trip, which was pretty reasonable because we were all pitching in, but I figured that we could have stayed at a resort for a day or two in Peoria, which is far enough away to feel like we really went out of town for the weekend, but still close enough for a short trip. It would have been warmer, I could have worn makeup all weekend, and we still could have relaxed. Well, maybe next time. Maybe camping is yet another of those things that is more fun if you have kids.

Fabulous Flagstaff

2008-09-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the beautiful Grand Canyon. It basically looks the same as it does from an airplane. It was neat to be able to say that we'd been there, but it was kinda over-rated. Does make for a nice background for our pictures, though. Meteor Crater was much cooler.

We're Still Alive

2008-09-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

I can't decide if we haven't updated for a while because nothing has been happening or because so much has been happening. Really, back to school is all that's been happening, but it's pretty over-whelming, so that's a good excuse.

Speaking of school, I have a couple of funny stories about my class this year. I always tell my students that I would rather read than do anything else. Which, for the most part, is true. They were quizzing me to try to find something that I would rather do than read. One girl asked me, "Would you rather read than go to Disneyland?" I paused and thought about it to really decide. It's expensive, I've been there 50 times, and you just stand around in line most of the day. "You know what? I WOULD rather read a good book than go to Disneyland," I told her. She made a face at me and said, "Lady, you've got issues!" That totally cracked me up. I had to go give her a hug so she knew I was laughing with her and not at her. Another boy, who really hasn't had much personality, asked, "Would you rather read than spend time with your husband?" I paused to think about that one and told him, "No. I think I would rather spend time with my husband than read. You found the one thing." How very insightful.

The other funny story is from when we were discussing democracy vs. republic. We talked about how the U.S. is a republic because we elect our leaders to make decisions for us. I asked who the leader of our country is and one girl said, "President Clinton." I laughed. These kids were born in the year 2000. "He hasn't been president since you were born!" I told her, and the children corrected her as to who the president is. A flicker of understanding came to her eyes and she said, "Ohhhhh. That explains a lot. I was wondering why he was supporting Hillary Clinton for president. I thought, 'She's trying to steal his job!'" It was funny that she was so wrong about who the president is, but it was hilarious that she saw it as her trying to steal his job.

Hopefully they continue to be this funny because it sure makes school more fun!

Occam's Razor Need Not Apply

2008-07-13T15:42:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, the lamp in our family room quit working. Years ago, it used to be a touch lamp, but that broke after only a few months. The reviews online said that was pretty common for that product. So we put it on a dimmer switch to be able to adjust the amount of light it gave off. When the lamp quit working, I thought maybe the lamp had just given up the ghost completely. The dimmer switch has a little light to indicate if you have it turned low, medium, or high, but there was no light showing up on the dimmer switch. So I figured that the connections had gone wrong and it was the switch that had died. Weeks went by and we had no light for t.v. viewing in the family room, which I don't like. Finally, Bryan was getting ready to change everything out, but he decided to try another light bulb before he started cutting wires. He took the bulb out of the lamp and shook it-- sure enough. The bulb was dead. All the lamp needed was a new bulb. Duh! Occam's Razor is the concept that, all things being equal, the simplest explanation is usually correct. Proven yet again, with our lamp!

Poor, Sick Titus

2008-07-02T13:12:00.001-07:00

This picture says it all. Just looking at him, you can tell how sick he feels. Bryan decided to ease up and let Titus sleep on the couch (like he used to do before Bryan moved in!)

Thankfully, he's feeling better now, but at the end of May, Titus was so sick. He was throwing up, he had diarreha, he wouldn't eat anything, he had lost easily 15 pounds... I took him to the vet right away. He had a bit of a fever, so they gave him some antibiotics.

A week later, he still wasn't feeling any better. Bryan took him to the vet again, and they gave him a stronger set of antibiotics and drew some blood to run some tests. But Titus still wasn't feeling any better.

We were driving by the vet and Bryan suggested we stop in and see what the results for the bloodwork were. I started speaking to the assistant, and I was trying to be very calm and nice, but the more I talked about Titus, the more upset I got. He is my baby, and he was not getting the help he needed to feel better! I started to get a bit emotional, and a bit worked up. My voice was getting louder. She asked if I wanted to speak to the doctor, and I said, "No! I want some medicine to make him better!" She went and got the doctor instead.

The doctor came out, and I again shared that Titus was not better, and that I was not happy with the service I was receiving. Bryan says I yelled at the doctor. I was so upset and so worried about Titus, I can't remember if I yelled or not. But Bryan said it was well played. Not too mean, just enough to get some results.

And results we did get. Although it was about half an hour til closing time, the Vet said to go home and get Titus and he'd take some x-rays and check him out. Well, come to find out, Titus has Valley Fever. I KNEW it wasn't just a tummy ache! We got the medicine he needed, and after about a week of taking it, he was nearly back to his old self. Now, after about a month, he is as good as new.

A little bit of rage goes a long way.

16 Reasons Why I love Candace

2008-06-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well I wanted to tell you all what makes Candace so special. Not to mention to show you all why these 16 months will just be a small portion of the actual time we will be together, because she is awesome. So here it goes, hopefully I don't miss anything!

1. Well, most important to me is that she loves me and still wants to be with me.
2. She is my best friend also and I love spending time with her and doing things together.
3. She lets me do all sorts of projects around the house and is always happy to help me out.
4. She bought me a Wii!!!! That right there would be enough but there's even more.
5. She let me buy her a quad to go riding with me.
6. She makes the best Tortilla soup this side of Chili's.
7. She gives the best hair cuts and always makes sure my hair looks the best.
8. She still sleeps in the same room and bed with me, even with my snoring.
9. She let me buy a golf cart. I mean who needs a golf cart, but I have one!!!
10. She helps me with the yard work and picks up the "land mines" from the dogs in the backyard and doesn't even complain about it.
11. Did I mention she let me buy a golf cart, yeah your jealous but just keep reading.
12. She walks to school cause I want to save gas money.
13. She lets me turn up the AC to save some money, and she's home all summer.
14. I get to have the remote when we watch TV.
15. She puts up with all my crazy ideas and even encourages me on some of them.
16. Last but not least because of who she is. She makes me happy and that's really all I need!!

16 Things I Love About Bryan

2008-06-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was our 16-month anniversary. I can already hear my sister, Cathie, now: "Anniversary" means a year! But this is a much more important anniversary. Both of our previous marriages lasted 16 months (what are the odds?!) so we are really excited about eclipsing our previous records.

In celebration, I wanted to write 16 things that I love about Bryan.

1. He is my best friend. I love to hang out with him more than anyone else because he makes me so happy.

2. He almost always cries a tear or two when he says prayers with me.

3. He loves Titus and Leah, and Titus and Leah love him. Maybe more than they love me. Which seems like it would be a bad thing, but I love that they love him, even though they were my dogs before I even met him.

4. He lets me color, straighten, cut, and generally fuss with his hair.

5. He is so handy around the house. He builds furniture, fixes things that are broken, paints and decorates, remodels, and makes the place look great.

6. He cleans!

7. He helps me choose which shoes look best with my outfit- and he always makes a great choice.

8. He likes it when I wear a lot of makeup (which I love to do).

9. He is hilarious, and he always makes me laugh.

10. He ALWAYS greets me with a kiss when we get home from work, no matter who gets home first, even when I forget to kiss him.

11. He has no idea what I'm talking about when I wake him up to make him roll over during the night because he is snoring. I have to repeat it several times and basically push him over, but it's funny.

12. He gets along with my family. He goes over there without me sometimes. Even better, they love him! My little brother probably talks to him more than any of the rest of us.

13. He doesn't bother me when I'm into a good book.

14. He is slow to get angry with me, and very quick to forgive me.

15. He brought Tivo into my home!

16. He loves me! Which just goes to show how sweet he really is, to put up with me.

Hooray for 16 months, and here's to many, many more!

"It is no small thing that they, who are so fresh from God, love us." --Charles Dickens

2008-05-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

This has always been one of my dad's favorite quotes, and we really felt it on Sunday. We were finally released from Nursery; we had been serving there our whole marriage- 15 months so far. It's a long time to have a calling, it's a long time to be with crying, slobbering, diper-dirtying babies, it's a long time to be taking care of other people's kids when you'd really like to have one of your own. It had been suggested that we ask to be released, but I wouldn't go that far. But this past Sunday, they released us. We celebrated by wearing church clothes that we normally can't wear to nursery: Bryan wore a suitcoat and I wore a wrap dress with high heels. We even brought our scriptures to church! After Sacrament meeting we turned in our tithing and asked where the Sunday School class was. It had moved since we were there last! Everyone congratulated us on our accomplishment of getting released. We were surprised that so many people knew who we were! We sat down in Sunday school but only a minute or two went by before the nursery coordinator tapped us on the shoulder. Apparently, whoever the new nursery leaders are didn't know that they started that day, so she came to ask us back for one more Sunday. Of course, we went back. How do you say no to that?

We went back to the nursery room and a couple of the parents were still in there, waiting for leaders before they could drop their kids and scramble for the door. One boy's mom said, "Oh, good, you're here. Now he'll stay in the room," and then she left. Apparently, when the little boy got to nursery and saw that we weren't there, he ran out the door and back down the hallway saying, "Let's go home!" But once we got there, he was fine and his parents could leave.

Another little boy started crying as his mother tried to peel him off of her shoulder to put him down so she could go. I took him from her and he cuddled into my shoulder. The mom left, and I guess she told the dad to go check on him because he came in. He asked his son if he was okay and held out his hands for the boy to go to him, but he stayed snuggled on my shoulder. The dad was surprised: "He's never done that for anyone but me and his mom!" The little guy rested on my shoulder and sort-of slept for about half an hour then got down to play and was fine. That was when the quote from Charles Dickens came to mind. We might have been ready to be released, but it didn't seem like the babies were ready to let us go.

2008-04-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hello all!! Well here we are, 16 days left in the school year for Candace. I don't know who's more excited for Summer break, her or her class. As for me, I am sad to see the cool nights leave us for the warmer nights. Hopefully Candace will be able to make it these next 16 days of school before we leave for some fun in Cali.

Not too much happening around us as of lately. Which might be the reason for no blogging. No fun pictures of us out on our quads since we haven't had a chance to go. We have been spending lots of time at Candace's parents' house cleaning out the garage and then preparing it for epoxying. Hopefully I can get to it this week and finish it up. It will be super nice when it's all done. I've also been helping her dad get the pit ready to be usable for storage and what not. He's putting a big awning on it that is 24 x 60. So with my allergies, it's been super fun working outside with everything blooming. Luckily there is good drugs out there that help with keeping these things in check.

This past weekend would have been my dad's 57 birthday. My mom took some of his journal entries and made each of us copies and then we all read them out loud. It was fun to read them and see things that he went through. It was also very hard to read them, I only made it through half of my page before I handed it to Candace to finish for me. But it was a good birthday and we also celebrated Tony's birthday also which was yesterday. We went to Pizza Mart to celebrate his birthday.

Well I don't know what else there really is going on with us currently. Just hanging out, watching American Idol and our Monday night shows. Walking the dogs, neglecting our house work. Which we'll get to some time this week. The laundry is done, the dishes are clean, so were good. Seacrest out!

Terrific Two's!!

2008-04-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

It may be terrible two's for human babies, but for puppies, it's the terrific two's!!! Two is the magical age when Boxers calm down (somewhat) and totally change into mellow dogs0]. When Titus turned two, he was like a whole new dog. And he was pretty nice to begin with. Leah has always been more mischievous than Titus. She's definitely an outside dog, she thinks she's part Terrier and digs up the yard, and she's destroyed way more stuff than Titus did as a baby. Well, that or I've just forgotten more of what Titus destroyed. Anyway, I've really been looking forward to Leah's second birthday, March 18, so she could grow out of this crazy puppy stage. She has been much better behaved. We bought a harness to go around her chest to hook the leash to instead of her collar. She really seems to like that better. I think she feels more secure, like babies do when you wrap them up tightly. She is our protective guard dog and such a lover-girl. She'll do anything for loves. Here's pictures of her on her birthday.

My wife is funny!!

2008-03-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

So on Saturday Candace and I were coming back home and stopped at Taco Bell. I know, not the best for you, but super yummy. So we got one combo meal and an extra burrito. Which means we got one drink. Candace usually gets Dr. Pepper, but decided to share with me and got Mountain Dew instead. Now I usually don't drink much soda, but I thought a little was fine and I love MD, so why not. So we returned back home to eat our little lunch before continuing our Saturday cleaning. We cleared off a space at the table and began eating our lunch. I took a drink and set the cup down. Candace picked it up to take a drink and thought I was drinking too much. A few minutes later, I picked up the cup and slid the straw up so that it was at the top of what was left inside the cup. I took a drink and it made the slurping sound you get when the drink is empty. Candace looked up with both a panicked look and an I'm-going-to-kill-you look. She was not happy that I just finished the drink. I knew what her reaction was going to be when I did it. But the funniest part was that it was still half full! LOL. I was laughing so hard I was starting to cry. She was ready to get up and go to Circle K to get her own drink that she wouldn't have to share with me. It was great!! Silly Candace!!

Busy Busy Busy

2008-02-18T19:59:00.001-08:00

Well it seems when you start one thing it seems to spawn other things that need to get done. We started off Saturday cleaning up the garage. We had some things that needed to go to the goodwill and to school with Can. So once we had those items dropped off, it cleared up lots of room in the garage. Course the reason to clean the garage was to bring over our quads and trailer. The week before last we got a good deal on a quad for Candace. So we brought them over to get them ready for some riding before it gets too hot to go, Candace is pretty excited to have a quad. But its just nice to have a clean garage again. Still more to do, but getting closer!!! Today we decided to add an extra shelf in the closet to double our storage space in that closet. We also decided to go ahead and paint the closet now rather then later. So off to Walmart to get some more white paint to make it nice and bright. Course as you can see from below when you're trying to clean it makes a mess somewhere else. As soon as it's dry, all that will go back in the closet in a nice, neat, organized way to help us use our extra storage. All in all, we got lots done today, not to mention we went grocery shopping and Candace found time to make some home made bread, some delicious enchilada soup, and totally clean up the kitchen. She needs more days off!!!!! Well hopefully on one of those next days off when she's in town we can head to the desert and do some riding. Hopefully we'll keep getting some rain so it will be nice and muddy.

Bangs or No Bangs???

2008-02-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, I need your help. My bangs have grown out a bit, so now I'm in limbo-- do I cut them short again, or do I work on growing them out? I like both ways, but I think we see ourselves differently than we really are, so I'm not really sure what looks best. Please cast your vote on bangs or no bangs. Here are a few pictures to help you decide.

No, really, I mean it. Please post a comment and say bangs or no bangs. Even if I don't know you, or you think I don't want your opinion, or whatever, you can still let me know which you like better. It's a pretty important decision. ;) Maybe not, but I'll be stuck with them for a while if I do cut them, so I need to make sure.

Oh, and please be nice. I'm only asking for help with my hair. I can only do so much with the rest of me. Thanks a bunch!

Coordinated Bryan

2008-02-16T20:56:00.001-08:00

Okay, I shouldn't say that we did nothing for our anniversary. Friday, February 1, Bryan brought home two bundles of two dozen roses, so 4 dozen total. He's a sweetheart.

I love to post the funny things Bryan does and says. He's really quite a riot. This morning, we decided to go for a bike ride. It was a little chilly, so he put on a blue long sleeved shirt under the t-shirt he wanted to wear. He had on brown shorts. He looked down at his out-fit, and started changing his shorts. I asked him if he thought he was going to be too cold to wear shorts, and he said no and held up the same style of shorts but in blue. I laughed and asked if he was changing shorts to match better. He said "Of course!" Then, to top it all off, he picked a blue hat! I didn't realize we had to dress up to go on a bike ride! Here's a picture of my coordinated Bryan.

So after the bike ride, we went out back to clean up our "snow." Leah had destroyed a pillow and the stuffing all over the yard looked like a first snowfall. So today we "shoveled" the snow, but really we used a rake.

Happy Anniversary

2008-02-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

We've had some complaints that we haven't updated our Blog recently. I just wish there were something to write about! It was pointed out to us that we had our first anniversary last week. Apparently that should have been a big deal, but it wasn't to us. Bryan said, "Everybody makes it a year. Talk to me at two years." I'm just looking forward to being married 16 months. Bryan and I both ended our previous marriages at 16 months, so I figure if we can beat Not-So-Sweet 16, then we're in the clear. Just keep rooting for us!! :)

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder where the idea for New Year's Resolutions came from? Well, I don't know, but I've been thinking about it. I figure, people tend to take a lot of pictures at Christmas time, and one year someone saw all the pictures of himself and decided to make a goal to lose weight, then the idea just caught on as New Year's Resolutions.

Thankfully, there weren't too many pictures of us this year, but Bryan and I have decided that we do need to lose some weight. So once again, we're going to try to start our own Biggest Loser Contest. ((Hooooraaayy!)) We tried it with Bryan's family last year, and it kind of flopped like a belly-flop in the pool, so we're going to try it again this year, but open it up to whoever would like to participate. Here's the rules:

1. Official weigh in is Wednesday, January 16 at our house. Just stop by in the evening. Email us if you need our address.

2. Each person will contribute $50 dollars to the prize money, to be paid by January 31 or you're out of the contest! There will be a 1st prize of 75% of the pot, 2nd prize is 25% of the pot.

3. We will do weigh-ins every other week to keep track of progress. The winner will be determined by whoever loses the largest percentage of their starting weight--so it's fair for everyone.

4. Final weigh-in is June 1 at our house again, so get ready for a marathon, not a crash-diet.

**Pregnancy is the only way to get out of the contest and get your money back. Unless you are pregnant and not married. Then it's tough luck. Sorry Cathie and Sharon and Kimmy and Kristy and Marie and Jennifer. :P

If you are long-distance, and would like to participate, you have to send full-body swimsuit pictures, a photo of the scale when you weigh yourself, a signed statement by a witness who saw the number on the scale..... just kidding. Those are Bryan's ideas. We'll just do the honor code.

If you are long-distance, and would like to participate, just email us and let us know. We do want your money, and we need a way to keep track of weight lost, so we'll set something up. (Bryan wants a money order, but I think a check is fine.)

We'll post the percentages lost on the blog so we can all keep track and stay motivated. Bryan's even gonna take pictures, but I don't think we need to share those with all of cyber-space.

Okay? Everyone in? Hooray! Email if you have any questions! :)

Bless This Mess

2008-01-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I'm still on Winter Break, but Bryan went back to work today. I felt like practicing for when I'm a stay at home mom, so I made dinner tonight using Aunt Judy's cook book. Bryan requested chicken fried rice. Okay, we've got some teriyaki chicken frozen, so that should be easy. She's a great cook, so I trust the recipe, but I don't cook much, so I don't trust my skills. As I was setting the bowls of food on the table, I said, "I hope this turned out okay. If it sucks, I'm going to Taco Bell." Bryan volunteered to say the blessing. It was nice until the very end: "Please bless this food to be good so that we don't have to go to Taco Bell."
Amen.

P.S. It turned out good, but needed a little extra sauce. He said, "I guess my blessing worked 'cause it's freakin' good."

December Lights

2007-12-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

We just got back from California, and what fun that was! We went shopping (of course), drove around Hollywood, and walked around Santa Monica. Here are some pictures from Santa Monica, a little dark, a little blurry, but fun nonetheless. The picture of the roller coaster is where an episode of Moonlight was filmed. Love that show, had to take a picture of that place. I stood under the place where Mick St. John stood!

Check out my beautiful, new, 8' x 11' authentic Persian rug!!! We picked this up in downtown L.A. Bryan was such a tough shopper. I couldn't hide my excitement, so I lost my bargaining power, but Bryan was tough. He refused to agree to a price until it was WAY lower than the guy started at. Merry Christmas to me!!! Bryan got a Wii and I got a Persian rug!!!

You know how people have their precious items that they are super-protective of? Like a woman with her mixer, or kitchen in general; or a man with his tools or car? My rug now ties with my couches for my precious items. We even sent the dogs to my mom's house this weekend because of the rain and the mud it creates. I'm just not ready for real life to take its toll on my new rug!

Feeling Festive

2007-11-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

Aren't we festive? I put up the tree Sunday after Thanksgiving and decorated it. Can you believe it's done this early? Yup, it's done. I like it plain and simple. "I find the tinsel distracting." (If you're cool, leave a comment and tell me what that's from!) I even tied the bow on the tree myself! I am a semi-professional bow-tier. I haven't been paid to tie bows (that would make me a professional,) but I've had tons of people ask me to tie bows for them, so I figure that's semi-professional.

And look at the Thanksgiving spirit get to Bryan! He watched one too many cooking shows and had to cook his own turkey. Look at how beautiful it is! Look at him enjoy it! It really did turn out great-very yummy. Come over and have some--we've got tons now!

2007-11-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well first and foremost HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! Hope everyone out there had a great turkey day. It has been a few weeks since we posted anything and a lot has happened. But this post will mostly be about what Candace and I have been working on every weekend and some during the week since the middle of Oct, OUR BACKYARD! As you can see from the pictures to the side the change that has gone on. We finished the retaining all and finished digging out the pond and added the plants and fish. Now were able to go outback and enjoy the calming sounds of the waterfall cascading down into the pond. It was a great project that we are both very happy to have finished and love to enjoy as much as the dogs enjoy their new watering hole! We added lights around and in the pond. Its great to be able to enjoy the pond and the plants in the evening also.

I hope all is well with all as we enter the Christmas holiday season.

My Turn to be Funny

2007-11-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

We were getting ready to make a run to Sonic tonight, and I asked him, "Are we just driving through?" I was just going to go barefoot.
He answered, "Yes."
I thought about it a second more and remembered what my mom taught me: Never go anywhere without shoes and your purse. (You never know if you'll get car trouble and have to walk somewhere, or if you'll need to have money or your i.d.)
I told Bryan, "Hold on, let me get some shoes. My mom taught me never go anywhere without your shoes and your purse."
Bryan laughed at me, "There's lots of times you don't take your purse."
I patted him on the shoulder and said, "That's because I have your wallet!" I tried to kiss him to show that I was teasing and trying to be cute, but he refused me. Apparently I thought it was much funnier than he did.

Silly Bryan

2007-11-05T17:53:00.000-08:00

So last night, Bryan was laying in bed, already half asleep while I was getting ready for bed. By the time I laid down, he was mostly asleep. I was talking to him about who-knows-what, and he kept agreeing with everything I was saying. "That's a good idea." "Yes, you're right." "Uh-huh."
I remarked, "You are so well-trained! Who do I have to thank for you being so well trained?"
He replied, "Myself."
I said, "You trained yourself?"
He said, "Yes."
I asked, "How did you train yourself to be such a good husband?"
He told me, "I took some kids toys and made them into better toys."
I totally busted up laughing. This must have woke him up, because he asked me what was going on. I asked him, "How do you take kids toys and make them into better toys and train yourself to be a good husband?"
He looked chagrined: "Is that what I said?"
He had no idea. Silly Bryan! What a sweet, silly guy.

Playing "House"

2007-10-31T11:22:00.001-07:00

Last night, Bryan and I were talking about having a baby, and I told him, "I can be the mommy, and you can be the daddy," as though we were playing house like I did when I was a kid, playing with my sister and cousins. Bryan nodded and then asked, "Can I be the boss, too?" I paused, thinking about what I might be giving him permission to do, then told him, "Sometimes."

Dirt Moving Day

2007-10-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

Wow!! What a Saturday. A fun day of moving 3 tons of dirt from the front yard to the back. We wanted to raise up the area behind our beautiful retaining wall, so Bryan ordered and had delivered 3 tons of dirt. It didn't look like much in a pile in front of the house until we had to shovel it into the wheelbarrow and dump it in the backyard. Well, I mean it as a "Royal We." Really, Bryan had most of it done before I even woke up. He's such a sweetheart. Don't worry, I helped when I woke up. Then I cleaned the kitchen while he went to bed early. See last picture below. :)

Anyways, after we got all of the dirt dumped and smoothed out, we went to Home Depot (my dad always says that it's not a Saturday without at least one trip to the Depot) and bought thick plastic and 45 feet of light brown astroturf. We laid out the plastic first, to keep weeds out, and also to keep mud from coming up through the astroturf. Then we laid out the carpet and nailed it down with giant 10 inch spikes and washers to keep it from poking through. Now our dog run is all carpeted, so the dogs won't track in so much dirt, so they won't get all muddy when it rains, and so they won't have to walk on hot rocks/gravel. We hope this turns out to be a good idea and they don't destroy it. Now, if only we can pry the dogs away from my dad! He loves them! Even if we can't get them back, it looks like nice smooth gravel, and the best part is the easy maintanence: we just hose it down, or use the leaf blower!

Such a hard worker! He fell asleep while taking off his shoes! Only got half-done before he was snoozing!

2007-10-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Well greetings all from Fall Break!!!! Its been a little over a month since our last posting. Well we've been busy, I guess you could say a little bit too busy to post. So where do I start? Currently Candace is on fall break and I've decided to join her for a few days why we re-do the back yard.

But before I let you know what were doing in the back yard, I'll let you know what we've been up to. Really we've been hanging out not doing too much. Unless you count the long weekend we

recently took to California for some fun. We went a few weeks ago to go to the USC football game. We went over with my mom and stayed with
Grandma and Grandpa Stone for the weekend. We went over on Thursday afternoon and then on Friday we went to Disneyland! The picture to the left is of me in front of Matterhorn Mountain. As you can see a beautiful day in always sunny southern California. The forecast had called for rain, which worked out very nicely for us since people believed the forecast and didn't come out to play. We were able to walk on almost all of the rides with no wait times. So all in all a very nice time at Disneyland. On Saturday we slept in late, ate some nice home cooked breakfast and then headed off to the fashion district for a little shopping. Well Saturday wasn't as sunny and nice as it was on Friday, but it made

for a nice day to shop as we traveled around the streets looking for the deals.
After shopping for the deals we headed off to the LA Coliseum for the game. It was a great game with a little bit of rain with the sun still shinning on us. It was great and to top it off USC won!!! After the game was over we took a little stroll around the Coliseum to check out the history of it. It was pretty amazing.

Which brings us to the present week. We planted our winter lawn last week. Cut the grass down nice and short and as you can see from the pictures it's coming in nicely. Should fill in nice and thick over the next week or so. Also today we built us a little retaining wall along the back of the grass area. We got the retaining blocks that had the stone look to them. It adds a really nice look to the yard and even gives it a little bit bigger feeling to it because of the blocks. In the first picture of the yard we planted a new tree to add some nice shade to the area. In the same section we are also going to put in a pond. That is the project for Thursday, to finish digging the pond out. Should a fun filled day of digging. We've been soaking the dirt to make it easier to dig it all out. After which off to HD or Lowe's to check out which plants we want around the pond and the tree. Well once we get the pond all in we'll post some new pictures with the plants around it.

What's been happening

2007-09-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings all!! Hope this finds you all in good health at this time. It has been a number of weeks since our last post. I apologize to all those that need to hear from us and have been having to go through withdrawels because of our lack of attention to our blog. It has been on my mind to do so but just haven't sat down and did it up.
So another week has past and we find ourselves this week home and healthy. Which is not what I can say for the past few weeks for us. A few weeks ago I, Bryan, was deathly ill and unable to do anything for like 5 days because of influenza, which sounds really bad, but otherwise referred to as the flu. Luckily it just gave me a bad fever, nothing like what Jaxx had. So that made for a fun week for me of doing nothing!!! I don't recommend it to anybody. Luckily I have an awesome wife that nursed me back to health and made sure I was going to make it through it.
After finally getting healthy it was Labor day weekend and we were off to Utah. Candace's other sister, Chelsea moved up to go to school there at LDS BC. So we went with her family to take some of her stuff up to her and spend the long weekend there enjoying some cooler weather. That I would have to say was the nicest part of it all. Just to get out of the blistering heat for a few days. So we didn't do to much while we were there except hang out and enjoy each others company. On Sunday we once again decided to take in the Music and the Spoken word. Which as always was very good, a "Can't Miss" while visiting SLC. After which we went to Sacrement at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Which is always an awesome place to visit just to see the detail work that was done so long ago. So while we were waiting for sacrement meeting to begin, everyone was sitting down waiting patiently. Then the front doors opened and everyone begin to stand up as the Prophet walked in. Now this was the ward the he attended when he felt good and was in town and he just happened to be feeling good and in town. So that was a neat experience to be able to attend sacrement meeting with the Prophet. He waved at everyone as he entered in and kind of waved everyone to sit down. Since we were visitors they have you sit in the back so that the ward members can sit more towards the front. I guess so that way they can kind of know who is sitting around where the Prophet might be sitting. After the meeting was over we all stood and waited for Him to leave, waited a few minutes and we were able to exit the chapel. That was a highlight for me to be able to go to church with the Prophet.
We came back home on Monday and it was back to work for the both of us. So another week has passed for us. Today we spent the day cleaning and getting some projects down around the house. That's about it for now, hope you all have a good week.

Birthday Boy

2007-08-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 11, 2007 was Titus' 2 year birthday! He's a big boy now! Officially, that is adult for boxers. It's starting to show, too. He's so much more mellow now than he used to be. I guess old age takes its toll on us all.

Titus has been with me through some crazy, crazy times in those two years. When I'd sit down on the floor and cry, he'd climb up on me and put a paw on each of my shoulders as if he was hugging me, and he'd lick my chin, which is how they give kisses. He always knows when I'm upset. People laugh at me for how spoiled these dogs are, but they don't understand what they were for me during those crazy, crazy times. I can honestly say that Titus saved me.

For his birthday, we went to Petsmart to get his free treat with the birthday card that Petsmart sent to him. Then we went to the dog park, which was closed for grass issues, but he met a tiny little Italian Greyhound and his friendly owners, which he enjoyed. He's so social. Here are some pictures of Titus, and the last picture is Princess Leah, all on Titus's birthday.

2007-08-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Salt Lake City!! Well, not really, we're back home at this point. But being the travelers that we are, that was last weekend. We are now back home safe and sound. We have been, how you say, a little bit of slacking on keeping up our blog. Its not that we've been so busy with everything else. No, its more like nothing has been going on. At least until last weekend when we went to Utah. But up until then its been quiet. Candace's sister Cathie, moved to Utah for bigger and better things. So she has been there for several weeks working without any of her things. So last weekend Candace and I went up with her dad, and other sister, Chelsea, along with a very big trailer loaded down. So off we went on our short little "vacation". We arrived on Saturday afternoon to a much cooler SLC then we would have expected in Arizona. So that was a very nice change for at least a few days. So we began the unloading process then went in and did our best to arrange the rooms that were suitable to at least us. It was a quiet evening after that with some dinner and of course a trip to Walmart for some Sunday food supplies. We had decided that while we were in town to go see some of the sites that were available to us on a Sunday. So we were up early and off to the newly renovated Tabernacle for Music and the Spoken Word. The extra cool part about that, was since we were with our "insider" Cathy, who works at the church office building we were able to park underneath the buildings right next to where the Apostles park. So that was a nice extra special treat. So a little shout out to Kathy for the extra in sites and fun weekend, Thank you!! After the spoken word we went over to the Joseph Smith Memorial building for Sacrament meeting. If you've never been to the building I would have to say that you make it a place to see. The architecture and the art deco that is inside of the building on the 20 foot ceilings is just incredible. The chapel is located a few floors up and is just incredible. I would have to say probably the nicest chapel that I have ever been in.

After sacrement meeting was over it was back to the house for some lunch and of course a nap. Once we were all well rested we were off to the Conference Center. Which is just an amazing building. It looks big from the outside, but then you get in and its just HUGE!!! Each floor seems like the ceilings are 30 feet tall and the craftsmanship is just amazing. The main seating area is something like 21,00 seats on 3 levels. It seems like the ceiling at the bottom was well over 100 feet high. They were setting up for conference in a few months. I guess it takes a few months just to set up everything. So that was fun to see that getting put together. We went floor by floor and then made it to the top of the center. Which has a stream that starts there and then there is about 5 waterfalls down the side of the building and then is a stream on the ground level that goes around the building. The roof allows for some great views of Temple square which is where the pictures here were taken from. The building is simple amazing to see first hand. It looks big on TV but actually seeing it first hand is truly an experience. The sheer size and just how nice it looks and all the finishing touches is worth the trip along. So if you haven't yet, you need to and should make it a priority to go and see. All in all it was a fantastic trip! We had a great time and enjoyed ourselves immensely. One of the best parts I think was the trip home, mainly because we flew. Sure beats that 12 hour drive!!

2007-07-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well what a week it's been here at our house. OK not really, but it could have been and you all wouldn't know unless I told you. So on Tuesday Candace and I went bowling with her brothers and sisters. Her sister Cathie was leaving to go live in Utah, where Chelsea will shortly follow next month. So that was a good time then went to get some pizza and then back to her parents house for some band practice on the Guitar Hero. Gotta get faster if there is to be a live performance some day. Wednesday was a big day around here. Our dogs had been living at her parents house due to the fact that they have a nice big backyard for them to be able to play in. But there was a party going on that night at their house so we went over and got the doggies and took them to Petsmart and got some new fish for the sweet tank. Then it was off to home for baths!!

They hadn't received baths for a while due to the fact that they lived outside while at grandma's house. But since they were coming home where they get to enjoy some nice air conditioning and a soft indoor bed, they were in desperate need for some baths. Also during the day had a little training at work where there was a giveaway for all those that attended and I won it!!! It was a brand new PSP with game. If you don't know what that is you can always Google it. Basically a handheld xbox, everyone should really have one. So that's been fun, retraining the dogs the things that they seemed to have forgotten while at grandma's. I think we brought them home just in time for the storms that have been coming this week. Last night was a doozy, lots of rain and lightning with some thunder. Didn't seem to bother them too much, just slept right through it. So tonight we'll go over to her parents for some pizza and more band practice. Have a good weekend!

Symbolism

2007-07-15T22:56:00.000-07:00

I have a set of four wine glasses, given as a wedding present from one of my favorite people. I love drinking out of stemware, so these are my favorite glasses in our cabinet. Either last night or the night before, I had a dream that I was holding out the glass and it fell to the ground and shattered into thousands of tiny little pieces. There was some little kid in the dream that I was trying to keep from walking through the glass shards, but I can't remember if they did or not. Anyways, that part's not important.

I looked up several dream symbolism sites to see what breaking glass represents. I'm going to cut and paste what they said:

To break glass dishes, or windows, foretells the unfavorable termination to enterprises (An enterprise is an undertaking, especially one of some scope, complication, and risk.) (http://www.paranormality.com/dream_dictionary_g.shtml)

If glass is shattered in your dream, it could symbolize breaking of both negative and positive things. It could be the shattering of dreams or hopes that a person has been holding close to his heart.

(http://www.experiencefestival.com/dream_dictionary_glass)

To see a cup in your dream, represents nurturance and the womb. To see a broken cup in your dream, denotes feelings of powerlessness, guilt and/or low self-esteem. Perhaps you feel unqualified or inadequate in dealing with a situation.

(http://dreamcrowd.com/dreamopedia?drid=4471)

This is the best one...

To see a wine glass in your dream represents happiness. It may also be symbolic of a pregnancy. If you break the wine glass, then it may denote a miscarriage.

(http://dreamcrowd.com/dreamopedia?drid=3094)

Holy Crap! Could it be ANY more obvious??!! I used to think dream interpretation was like astrology; a person could stretch it to fit a situation if they really wanted to believe it. But this is unmistakable!!

Love and Kindness

2007-07-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well it is Sunday morning before getting ready for church. We have been neglecting our blog for several days. It has been a busy few days with much ups and downs for us.

Candace and I went to the doctors office on Friday for her check-up to see on the baby. What we found out was that instead of hearing a heartbeat we found out that the baby had stopped growing a few weeks earlier and there would be no heartbeat today. So that is the reason for the ups and downs that have been experienced the past few days. So sorry to say we will not be having a baby as previously hoped for around Jan. 22, but will have to wait a few more months after that.

But on the bright side life does go on and this is not the end. We have received much love and support from both of our families the past few days.

After our trip to the doctors office I had been thinking about getting Candace Guitar Hero II. Its a game for the XBOX360 that you play with a guitar and can play along to different songs. She had played it a few times and was already a professional. So I decided that we would go get that and then grabbed the 360 and headed over to her parents house for pizza and living the dream of being a part of the band. Her brothers and sisters loved playing along almost as much as she did. They all got really good at playing and keeping with the other band members. We left pretty late from there after having a good time and decided to leave it there for her fam to work on there skills to be able to keep up with hers. We'll see later on tonight just how good they've gotten since Friday night.

Saturday we got up and did a little cleaning around the house. One of Candace's friends came over for a haircut and we talked for a little while. Then he left and we did some more cleaning up around the house. Just your normal weekly stuff and finished the laundry, that sort of fun things. Malissa called and asked if they could come over, so we said sure. Then we doubled our efforts to finish faster knowing people would be coming over and had to make sure everything was cleaned up. We don't get many visitors since everyone thinks its such a drive to come over that we had to make sure the house was cleaned when ever they do come over. So when they arrived it wasn't just Malissa and her crew but also Troy, Holly, Kimmy, and Heidi carrying a large vase of flowers for Candace. As pictured in the blog. So that was really nice of them to come over and do that. On a side note i'm sure other people would have made it either but were working and could not come. So a shout out to those that were able to come over and deliver the flowers and hang out with us. They were able to inspect my craftmanship of the before mentioned in the first blog of the bookshelves. They said that they were much bigger in person and even nicer! So that was nice of them to say. They checked out how the nursery murals that Candace was painting were going. Which are coming along nicely by the way. So with this latest setback and with school starting up for her she should be able to get them done with the little free time she will have before the baby does finally get here.

After they all left we finished up around the house to head to the bowling alley. We hadn't gone for awhile because it turns out that Candace is like a Semi-pro bowler and always wins. So that takes some getting used to. So I finally decided to go bowling with her. We invited those that had come over and those that weren't able to make it at that time. Some couldn't make it because of some prior engagements and some because of some scrapbooking stuff. So we headed over to Malissa's house and got those that wanted to go bowling with us and headed over to the bowling alley. It was Ty, Makinzee, Tony, Candace and I. My mom stopped by to watch but is still under doctors orders not to play as she might re-injure herself from falling again. So we bowled a few games and after ME WINNING the first game and then Candace winning the second game. We then averaged out the two scores to see who the winner was that day--get this it was a TIE. We couldn't believe it!!! It was the weirdest thing too. But I guess that's better then being beat by your wife, again.

After the fun of bowling Candace and I went and got some yummy Mexican food at The Gecko Grill. Which has the best green salsa in town. As we were sitting there enjoying some chips and salsa Candace's Aunt walked over and said hello. We didn't even see her come in we were enjoying the chips so much. So we talked with her for a few minutes and then said good-bye and got back to the salsa and chips. After dinner we headed over to Barnes and the Noble to look for an author that Candace wanted to check out. Because let's face it, we didn't go there for me. But we were unlucky in finding what she was looking for so we headed for home and off to bed after a fun filled day. Thanks to all that were involved in making it a fun filled weekend for us!!

My Personal Cricket Killer

2007-07-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

I hate crickets. I cannot tolerate sharing my house with them. (I did tell them that the garage is neutral ground.) I must kill them when I see them or hear them. Last night we were sitting on the couches watching t.v. when I saw a cricket crawling out from under the couch that Bryan was laying on. Bryan's shoes were right nearby, so I screamed, "Cricket! Kill it! Your shoes are right there!" Bryan leaned forward--not even fully sitting up--picks up his shoe, and tosses it onto the cricket, killing it instantly. Impressive! In the picture, the flip flop is where it landed on top of the cricket.

Random Bits of Etiquette

2007-06-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

"One is apt to think of Etiquette as being of importance to none but brides or diplomats or persons lately elected to political office. As a matter of fact, there is not a single thing that we do, or say, or choose, or use, or even think, that does not follow (or break) one of the exactions of taste, or tact, or ethics, or good manners, or etiquette--call it what you will.

Considering manners even in their superficial aspect, no one--unless he be a recluse who comes in contact with no other human being-- can fail to reap the advantage of a proper, courteous, and likable approach, or fail to be handicapped by an improper, offensive, and resented one. And certainly the greatest asset that a man or woman or even a child can have is charm. And charm cannot exist without good manners--meaning by this, not so much manners that precisely follow particular rules, as manners that have been made smooth and polished by the continuous practice of kind impulses." ---Emily Post

This is will be my recurring theme. As I prepare for the arrival of my baby, I'm thinking of the things I will need to teach him or her. Good manners and proper behavior, also known as etiquette, should not be overlooked. I've seen too much of that as a teacher.

In 2002, my sister and I were antiquing, and I picked up the official book of Etiquette by Emily Post. The original copyright date is 1922. Amazing. Much of what she says will not apply to us, such as the entire section on Domestic Help (maids, butlers, cooks, etc.) But the bits that do apply, that we're all lacking, I'm going to post.

May we all learn a little bit more etiquette.

"It's Not a Tumor!"

2007-06-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

"It isn't at all!" It's also not the 5-week flu. I really, truly am pregnant. 10 weeks and 3 days, the doctor says, putting my due date at January 22, 2008. We went to the doctor this afternoon....finally. I've been waiting forever! Well, 10 weeks, I guess. It was a pretty uneventful appointment. The Doctor heard ONE BEAT of the baby's heart. We didn't know what we were listening for, so we didn't hear anything. We go back to the doctor on Aug 2nd--the day before I have to go back to work! At least I'll have some news for everyone! Yikes!

What a funny guy!

2007-06-23T09:02:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday evening, I needed Bryan to make some cinnamon rolls for my last class of the summer (thank goodness!) I bought a couple of the Pillsbury containers because they're the easiest. I could hear Bryan in the kitchen, getting things prepared, when all of the sudden, he hands me the containers of cinnamon rolls. I gave him a questioning look, and he explained that he does not open those exploding containers!! I asked him what he did on his mission, and he said he'd just peel the corner and grab it with tongs and shake it until it opened. (I wonder where his companion was....?) What a funny guy!

Bryan's Beautiful Bookshelves

2007-06-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

I don't mean to be a copy-cat by blogging, but it seems to be the only way I'm going to be able to get out of the "dog house" with Bryan..... Plus, this way I'll be able to keep a record of our family life, since I hate to scrapbook.

These pictures are of the awesome shelves that Bryan built. He's quite handy and likes to build all kinds of things. He really does a great job, but I forget how sensitive he can be sometimes.

We had the basic frame of the shelves put together. It was just a few sheets of birch plywood thrown together, nothing special. He asked how it looked, and I told him it looked like a couple of newlyweds built it. I only meant that it was just plywood nailed together, but it REALLY hurt his feelings. I knew he wasn't done, and I told him I was sure that his finishing touches would make it look great when he was all done, but it was too late. The damage had been done.

I explained to him that I was referring to my parents. They were very poor when they got married, and my dad built a lot of the shelves and other furniture. He also did (and does) a great job, just like Bryan. When my dad builds something, it's tough enough to last through the Millennium. Seriously. He helped me build stairs for my dogs to get in and out of bed with me, and they are so sturdy, I can climb around on them. So comparing Bryan's work to my dad's should NOT have been an insult to him, but I did hurt his feelings.

To make it up to him, I promised to create a Blog for our family, and the first posting would be in honor of his bookshelves, which really turned out great once we got all the detail work done. Please make sure and let Bryan know if you like the shelves he built; post a comment here or send him an email: bryankw@gmail.com

By the way, the bead board-backing was my idea. :)