More Than You Bargained For

Good Riddance 2011 - Hello 2012!

2012-01-05T05:30:00.006-07:00

I have been trying like the dickens to get this post out for days. A couple of days ago I had it all written up and everything, then Blogger had an epic fail and lost it. So I said eff this and decided then and there not to do it at all. Obviously I've changed my decision, because here I am. I am opting to try again now because I have already arrived, bright eyed and bushy tailed at 5:30 a.m. on a Thursday, to work on my day off (gotta get those dollar bills, y'all). I wish I could honestly blame the Baby Boy for waking up at 3:30 a.m. while he's sleeping in my bedroom (he knows I'm there, so he won't go back to sleep), but I know it's not his fault that I put him to bed at 7 p.m. thinking he'd wake up again around 9, as he usually does, for a bath and more food and then letting him continue sleeping when he didn't wake up on his own. The poor boy is hungry! I actually fed him twice before I came to work, and I'm only hoping that he went back to sleep after the second bottle.

Anyway! 2011 is long gone, and yet its still causing me issues thanks to this post. I'm thinking now (because it's January 5) that I don't really need to review the year in detail, because you all have been following me all year, right? Right. We all know that my 2011 was all about the Baby Boy, as we found out on January 19 that he was on his way. He was born on July 8, one week past his due date, at 7 lb 7 0z and 20 inches long. The rest is, literally, history! And it's here, on this blog for you to enjoy if you need a refresher ;-)

It is definitely worth noting that C and I successfully launched and went onto publishe six issues of Ingredients Magazine in 2011, starting in June. That's right, six issues published while dealing with a newborn. How do you like them apples?

Oh, there is one more thing about 2011 that cannot be overlooked: C and I got engaged on December 15. Check it out:

Bam. It's a portugese cut peridot if you are wondering, in white gold with white diamonds in the setting. I think that the colored stone throws people off because no one expects an engagement ring to be anything other than a diamond. In my mind, diamonds are overpriced and undersized. I wanted something BIG and colorful, because you know that's how I roll. The peridot is August's birthstone, and they are formed in volcanic eruptions. C has a thing for volcanos, and even has some raw peridot from a volcano in New Mexico. He was concerned about buying a peridot ring because they aren't always the bright green color they should be. As you can see, we found one with great color :)

So that's all there is to be said about 2011. Now it's full steam ahead onto 2012, which I think is going to be awesome. It's starting out with a trip to Canyon Lake, TX this month to meet Chris's grandma, Honey GG (that's greatgrandma for you folks playing along at home). Yes, we are flying with the baby. No, I'm not at all excited about it (the traveling part, that is. Being there will be awesome). Yes, it will be worth it, though, for Honey GG to meet her first great-grandbaby and grand-daughter-in-law (is that a thing? It is now). Interesting note: Honey GG has a grandbaby and a great-grandbaby that are practically the same age. Her grandbaby was due at the same time as the Baby Boy but ended up being 2 months premature.

2012 is going to be another baby year, with just about every mom I know having second (or third) babies! My older sister is having another baby boy in May (she really wanted a girl, but honestly I'm kind of selfishly stoked that it's a boy so that I can give her all of my boy's barely-used baby clothes as he grows out of them. Does that make me a dick? Probably). And The Bestie is having another little girl in June, so I've got at least two baby blankets to be getting started on ASAP. I can't even tell you how many other women I know are due in 2012 because counting them would take a lot of mental power that I just don't have available at the moment. But there's a lot! And honestly I'm pretty stoked about them all :)

2012 also has in store: a marriage, obviously, since we're like officially engaged and what not now. Official ceremony will probably take place at the SL Courthouse at some point in the Spring (if you are interested in attending let me know and I will keep you posted). Also, a few trips to Albuquerque to spend Baby's first birthday and his second Christmas at Grandmommy's house. I hope we also get the chance to hit up some of my favorite spots: Bear Lake, Moab, St. George, Vegas, possibly even Lake Powell (convincing Dad to haul the boat down there may be easier this year than it has been in past years). And I'd really like to spend more time outdoors this year, so I guess you can count that as my one New Years Resolution. I will shortly be acquiring a new baby carrier (the old one lost a strap and is now useless), so we'll be putting it to good use in 2012.

By the end of this year my baby boy will be nearly 18 months old. It blows my mind to think of all the growing he'll do between now (6 months this coming Sunday) and then. I guess it's a really good thing we finally bought a new camera, because I'll be taking lots and LOTS of pics in 2012. Now there's a resolution I will have no problem keeping!

So, peace and love and puppy dogs and flowers and rainbows for all of you in 2012!

4 months

2011-11-28T07:25:00.007-07:00

Holy crap it's almost December. When did that happen?

So, here we are, staring the end of 2011 square in the face, which means I'm also about to have a five month old on my hands. So far, I think it will be fun. He's eating solid food really well nowadays, and he's sleeping really well, and the rest of the time he is just chill as chill can be. He loves to play on his mat and in his bouncy chair. He's turning himself over and starting to scoot around on his belly. Yup, he'll be crawling in no time, I'm sure of it. And then the fun really starts.

Anyway. Here's Baby Boy over the last month:

Laughing at Daddy. That's all this boy does, I swear!

Getting huge. This adorable knight/castle/dragon outfit no longer fits him :( good thing we paid $1 for it at D.I.!

Really starting to fill out that car seat.

Loves from daddy :) He gets them pretty much all day every day.

On his 4 month birthday. The owls just get me. (P.S.: Buy baby clothes at the Thrift Store and D.I., trust me!)

So sleepy.

Hanging out with Cousin. Chris thinks Colt is pretty awesome, and always wants to hold the baby. Chris' mom is having a baby in May, so this is good Big Brother practice for him :)

More smiles :) They're happening all the time now.

Huge eyes! The camera's flash always surprises him.

He's officially outgrown all of the newborn sized stuff. Within the next week he'll be completely out of the 0-3 month sizes too.

I saw this hammer at Albertson's and had to buy it. He digs it.

Baby Boy is spending much more time on his belly these days. He's even started sleeping that way. Yup, mobile in no time.

Here's yet another outfit that has to go :( This one is by far my favorite. I guess I'm going to have to find him bigger, skull-themed pjs.

That face just gets me every time! How is it possible for a baby to be this cute?

He's constantly got his hands in his mouth. The best is when he's sucking is thumb while waiting for a bottle. He wants to complain but he won't let go of the thumb, so it comes out as a muffled whining that just makes C and I laugh and laugh. Bad parenting? Maybe. But it is hilarious!

More loves from Daddy :) This boy is getting SO BIG! I swear he has gained two pounds just within the last two weeks. It's crazy! He is so much fun, though, and he turns his parents into complete clowns. Seriously, he can't see his daddy without smiling and laughing, even when C isn't trying to be funny. I suspect that's because C is making funny noises and faces at him all day. I really could not ask for a better baby, or a more awesome baby daddy. I've got the best boys in the world! <3

Playing Catch-Up: Shnookie's Wedding

2011-11-08T06:16:00.016-07:00

Even though she got married at the end of July and it is now almost her birthday (next Wednesday, November 16), I still have to remind myself that my little sis is married. Perhaps it's because I'm still just coming out of denial about the fact that she's not 10 years old any more. Nope, she's an adult now, and I'm just going to have to get over it!

We had a lot of fun at her wedding, of course. The Baby Boy was all of three weeks old for the event, so he slept through most of it (his Mom and Dad were very grateful for that). He was still too newly hatched at that point to care much about being passed around from relative to relative as long as he was allowed to sleep on whomever was holding him, so taking a three week old to a wedding out of town turned out to be much less of an ordeal that I had originally thought it would be.

The weekend started out with the Bachelorette party, naturally, which I utilized to inflict as much embarrassment as possible >:) I take my role as older sister very seriously, you know. So, I got the bride this sssssssssssuper sexy nightgown:

Yes, those are puppies. I may or may not have cackled just a little (okay, a lot) when I found it on the clearance rack. And she looks AWESOME in it:

I also bought her the cute bra. Her best friend/MoH also got her an awesome nightgown, one that is quite possibly the best lingere I've ever seen. When both were finally in place and all of the accessories were accounted for, Shnookie was definitely ready for her wedding night:

Rawr! Watch out, Jeff. And I'm not sure what she's got in her hands in this next photo; I just really like the smile on her face...and the bra on her head :)

Bahahahaha! Oh man, I <3 this girl. After dinner at Johnny Carino's these young girls went onto Victoria's Secret and Target (?) for some more (ahem) appropriate bridal lingere. I, however, had to bow out to attend mommy duties. Dinner was a LOT of fun, despite that we had a small turn out. I always knew Shnookie had good taste, and her choice of friends only proves it:

Good times :)

So, onto the main event! The lovebirds got hitched at the Idaho Falls Temple, naturally, which was fine except for the whole place was under construction! That is, except for like 30X20 feet worth of space that is the Bridal Garden. We all squeezed in to take the family photos, and between Jeff's family and ours, it was almost a tight squeeze. Before the bride and groom made their entrance, I snapped a few pics of my 1st favorite (chronologically speaking, that is) little guy:With Uncle Matt who, I daresay, could pass as this little guy's dad! Chris is obviously more interested in the fruit snacks than in the picture taking at this point. And whatever Grandpa's got to say:It's a serious matter, I'm sure. And if Chris isn't enough cute by himself, he was lucky enough to have a partner in crime the whole weekend:Those are some BLONDE kids! Particularly PG, whose hair is not only white but curly and thick. I feel your mom's pain, kiddo.

Anyway. At long last the bride and groom arrive!Yes, the shoes are yellow, and no, she did not wear them for very long. This girl makes for one beautiful bride, no?After they shuffle through the Bridal Garden taking the first official "man and wife" photos, the families shuffled around to take all of the group shots. These are presented with one comment: Shnookie, I'm sorry about the sun glasses. You see, they're prescription so I can't see without them. It didn't even occur to me to take them off....my bad. Forgive me?

Oh my Abuelita! She traveled up here from TX for the event (and to see her newest great grandchild). We just don't see her often enough. There was never a happier bisabuelita than this:Yup. She loves those baby boys! And, of course, as the uber matriarch, she's always first in line to hold the baby. He liked her too, and slept like a champ whenever she had him.

The reception was held at the stake center, of course, and the decor amazing:Not surprisingly, the bride changed her shoes for the reception:

The reception was beautiful, and featured everything that is supposed to be at a wedding reception.

The Cake:

Plenty of Shenanigans:

Some of our first Family Pictures :)

Four Generations on Both Sides:

Wedding Party Photos:

Embarrassing pictures of the Newlyweds, with the Engagement photos thrown in:

Shoe clips:

A bouquet toss:

And one tired groom:

Whew! That was a lot of photos! I didn't mean to post so many but then I got to going through them and remembering what a good time it was. I may have gotten a bit carried away...I hope it was worth it!

3 Months

2011-10-09T09:17:00.004-06:00

So, it has been three months since the little guy was born, and I'm now starting to realize that time really does go by quickly. At first it just dragged and dragged, but then the baby started smiling at us and time picked back up! Or perhaps it was the fact that I returned to work? That probably doesn't help. Either way, the Baby Boy is getting huge! So huge, in fact, that his head is outgrowing its hair. Seriously, he's got a bald spot on the right side, and it is not because the hair has fallen out. His head has just stretched and the hair isn't keeping up with it yet. It's pretty funny :)

Anyway, I have proof that he's getting bigger, and it lies in non other than the famous Tuxedo Onesie. This is him and it at the beginning of September:

And here he is in it yesterday, at exactly 3 months:

Yup. Definitely a better fit. In fact, he's practically outgrown all of the 0-3 month onesies that we have, and yet all of the 3-6 month stuff looks huge! I guess that's just how it goes. In 3 more months from now I'll be commenting on how the 6-9 months sizes a look huge too. Well, maybe. Considering how much this boy eats, perhaps it won't even take three more months before he can fit into them.

Besides getting bigger by the day and outgrowing his hair, Baby Boy is getting smarter all the time. He likes to lay on his play mat and grab at the octopus and the little vibrating duck. His Daddy text me this morning to tell me that the little one has figured out how to make the music turn on (it's sensitive to movement, so he just has to pull on any of the hanging accessories hard enough to make it happen). He is smiley and vocal, and he's starting to laugh pretty loudly at us. It's awesome! I'm taking lots of pictures and video, of course. Neither C nor I can get over how freaking cute this baby is, and he only gets cuter and cuter all the time. He is a stubborn little thing, though. He wants what he wants when he wants it, and he wants it yesterday. He's still a cuddly little thing, thankfully, and I may or may not have spent the majority of my three day weekend cuddling him to sleep. And I don't regret it at all :)

New Shift = Swimming

2011-10-03T12:02:00.003-06:00

So, my schedule at work changed so that I start at 7 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. Considering my baby boy is still up at around 4:30 for food, though, means that I actually have time to get my big ass to the gym! Honestly, I was pretty convinced last night that I wasn't going to make it, but then I was up and sleep was not an option, so I couldn't talk myself out of it.

The rec center where I just got my annual membership is only about a block away from my house, so it works out pretty well. This morning I did 30 minutes of swimming, which is by far my favorite sport/exercise. I even got in on some of the water aerobics class that started at 6, but I had to bail at 6:15 so that I could be out of there by 6:30. Tomorrow I may change it up and use the fitness room instead, but we'll have to see. I love the water so much, and it really was an excellent way to start my day.

Baby Bath Time

2011-09-23T20:06:00.005-06:00

I figure it's pretty appropriate to just start this thing off right with a cute picture of the Baby Boy. Of course, they're pretty much all cute, so it's hard to choose one, but I just came across this one on our desktop comp:

Does it need to be said again? Probably not, but I will anyway: my baby boy is the cutest ever!

So, a lot of parents that I speak to are shocked that my 2.5 month old is sleeping through the night. Well, I hate to burst anyone's bubble, but he's been sleeping through the night since he was just about six weeks old. Now, I suppose it is possible that he's just a really good sleeper, but I'm convinced that it is thanks to Baby Bath Time, which happens every night sometime between 8 and 9 p.m. Back when he was little enough, we bathed him in the bathroom sink:

That was sufficient for a little while, but sooner rather than later we had to move him into the baby bath:

And of course from there it was only a matter of time before this happened:

Luckily for C and I, this baby loves his bath. Getting out of the bath, on the other hand....

Well, he is undecided about the hooded towel. Mom loves it, though. And he's adorable in it :)

2 Month Photo Round Up

2011-09-14T11:17:00.000-06:00

I know I've said it before, but I will say it again (and again...and again): my baby boy is the cutest baby ever made! I know, that's what all parents think, but let's face it: not all babies are adorable. I daresay most of them are pretty funny looking when they're born, but my baby boy has been the cutest little man since the day he was born. And all the proof I have for that is right here:

Tell me that's not the cutest little face you have ever seen. Go on, I'll wait.....and for no reason at all, here's a picture of his gigantic eyes:

And here's one of him from this week with his daddy:

See, can't deny it can, you? A. Dor. A. Ble! And on top of all that ridiculous cuteness, he's an awesome baby. He sleeps like a champ! And we don't have to worry about the pacifier anymore because he discovered that a forefinger/thumb combination is much easier to get a good grip on and a lot less likely to fall on the floor.

He is a super sweet little guy, but he reminds me more and more of me thanks to the little attitude he is developing:

This is what I get for taking pictures instead of feeding him. I think he looks most like me when he's in this kind of mood. My parents and siblings would probably agree. But aside from the occasional outburst when mom doesn't move fast enough, he's pretty chill. He's getting more vocal and even more smiley, though, whenever I try to take a picture of him being smiley, he stops doing it:

Two seconds earlier he'd been smiling up a storm. I have managed to get him smiling at least once on video. All I can say is that it is so super cute! Seriously, I cannot get enough of this little guy.

So sweet! Plus, he's super cool and a sharp dresser:

Knuckles? Yes.

The Little Guy had his 2 month check up on Sept. 8 (exactly two months! I'm good at this game), and everything is good except for the fact that he has only gained 1/2 lb and 3/4 inch since birth. The doc was not terribly thrilled about that, but he was not overly concerned about it either, so he's having us supplement nursing with formula and rice cereal for the time being. And add this to the No Amount of Warning Can Prepare You For list: Immunizations. Poor little guy has never screamed so loud in his life! It was, quite possibly, harder for me to bear than it was for him, but I know better than he does how necessary the shots are to keep him safe. Now that we're through the first round maybe mom won't cry next time...maybe.

So, Baby Boy should gain at least one whole pound before we go back to the office next Thursday. He is not at all picky about his food, so he eats the formula up like it is nothing, and the increase in food has made him a lot more content. However, having to feed him four ounces at a time every 2 to 3 hours can make it feel like I do nothing but feed him all day long! Now that I'm back at work his daddy is starting to realize just how much work it is to be a work-from-home parent. Needless to say there is very little work actually getting done while Mom's at work, on account of the fact that his daddy can't resist the cuteness either and just wants to hold him all the time. C, however, is better at it than I am because he did actually manage to get some cleaning done yesterday between feedings. I can only hope that I'll be so luckily productive over the weekend.

Recent Conversations Between New Parents...

2011-09-06T15:59:00.000-06:00

He kicked his little sockie off.
Oh no. How'd he do that?
I dunno. Should I put it back on? He looks so content. I don't wanna touch him.
Yeah, don't touch him. He's okay.
I'm worried about his little foot.
He's okay. Don't disturb him.
...[pause for consideration of cold toes versus being woken up]...
You're right.

And Another Year Goes By.

2011-08-28T07:52:00.008-06:00

So it's what? The 28th of August now? Yeah, that's right. I had to check because I haven't been at work in over two months and keeping track of the date is not much of a priority. I guess I'll have to get used to it soon, though, seeing as I go back to work in nine days. Surprisingly, I have few complaints about it. Colt is sleeping through the night, pretty much, so the only thing I have left to worry about is pumping enough milk to get his dad through the first few days. Luckily, since I return to work on a Tuesday, I will only have to work three days in my first week back, unless there is overtime available (and from what I hear about unusually high volumes thanks to the stock market roller coaster as of late, there should be). All in all, I'm glad I've had the time off, but I'm ready to go back.

I'm not that bummed about going back to work, but I am bummed that the summer is ending with an unfortunate double whammy: the pool shuts down next weekend too. I haven't even taken the Baby Boy down there yet :( I'm going to try to get that done this week. He really likes his bathtime, so I think the pool will be fun for him. And for me. But for him more because he needs the distraction. So far walks and the nightly bath will distract him from his fussiness, but that's all we got so far. We'll have to find a pool to go to during the winter. The one at the rec center up the street will probably do fine. It's close enough to walk to at least until it gets really cold.

I'm getting distracted. It happens often these days, and it's mostly due to the fact that my baby boy is so freaking cute that his dad and I will spend hours just watching him, awake or asleep. Just thinking about him, sleeping soundly away for probably not too much longer, gets me distracted. I want to post pictures from my birthday. I'd better do it before he wakes up!

So, usually the Famdamly gathers at Bear Lake around my birthday (and by that I mean I insist that we go with the boat and the rest of them agree because Bear Lake is AMAZING), but this year it was decided that boating with a 6 week old baby was probably not the best idea. Honestly, I was okay with the idea, but that's mostly just because I am still naive about the process it is to take a 6 week old baby anywhere further than down the stairs and into the stroller for our nightly walk.

We ended up picnicking at the park down the street from my house, which was excellent. KFC and 10,000 Tacos to Go from up the street and we were in business. The picture taking commenced once the Baby Boy decided he was going to be fussy and Grandpa volunteered to remedy the situation with a walk around the playground in the stroller:Of course Chris and Tank had to go with him, and Chris may or may not be a total ham. And I may or may not have taken several pictures of Grandpa pushing the stroller, partly because Grandma kept asking if I had a picture and also because it has been a VERY long while since we last saw Grandpa pushing a stroller...There he is again! Actually, come to think of it, I'm not sure I've ever seen my dad push a stroller. No wonder Grandma wanted pictures. I'd say he's got this Grandpa thing down pretty well.

All of my siblings save one were able to make it down, and it seems that all of us now have significant others, thanks to Geoff's new flame, Heather. Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of them, and Geoff told me they weren't an item, but from the looks of it that would appear to be a lie. She's a cutie, though, and I hope she sticks around for a while. This is pretty much the only picture of Geoff's face that I managed to get.

In case you can't tell, I now have two bearded brothers. Geoff had no qualms admitting that he's copying his older brother's style, but thanks to the honor code at BYU-I, he's probably already shaved it off. And speaking of bearded men, here's mine!
So relaxed, I'd swear he was taking a nap. If only he'd had this kind of help from my nephie poo:
Aunt Shnookie probably got herself into that mess. But it's okay because she repaid the favor with this back-straightening maneuver:It must have worked because this little guy is relaxed!

Of course it is worth mentioning that the newlyweds are as happy as can be. Aren't they cute?
Mostly my sister is just gorgeous.

All in all, turning 26 was not that big of a deal to me. Last year I was determined to party it up for the official passing of my youth as I moved from 24 to 25, but this year I was not so concerned about moving into the dreaded "almost 30" age-range. I'm just grateful that my family was willing to come hang out with me. And as an added bonus, I walked away with a Belgian waffle maker. I call that a success!

One Month

2011-08-10T16:34:00.006-06:00

Well, we've made it 30 + days and the baby is still alive. Whew! It's been a crazy month. The longest of my life? Hmm. Maybe not, but definitely in the running. Now that it's over, I can say the typical "OMG it went so fast!" but I clearly remember thinking on many an occasion "Everyone says this goes by so fast....when does that start?" In any case, we're into month 2 now and things are getting easier. Or maybe I'm just accustomed to functioning on 4 hours of sleep already...in any case, here he is at one month old: What did we accomplish in the first month (other than keeping him alive, which is a feat in and of itself)? Well, not really anything more exciting than the actual birthing part. He did catch onto breastfeeding pretty easily, though the first couple of attempts at the hospital were hit and miss(thank god for knowledgeable nurses!). He's a champ at it nowadays, and I think that if he were left up to his own devices he'd eat all the time. Mastering the nursing thing is about it, though, as far as accomplishments go. I mean, that is, unless you count getting cuter and cuter by the day an accomplishment. Which it well should be! I mean, look at this baby:How freaking cute is he? Granted I'm a little bit biased, but he really is freaking precious. Everything he does is cute. he's even cute when he sleeps:
Speaking of which, he does seem to be getting better at the whole sleeping thing. There is usually at least one 4 hour stretch at night that his dad and I are both able to sleep, and that usually falls between midnight and 4 am. Being at work by 6 am for two years has trained me to be up around 4 anyway, so I guess it works. I've been pretty bad about bringing him into the bed with me in the mornings, though, and not surprisingly, he loves to sleep in my bed. It's amazing how much of a bed such a little thing can take up. And along the same lines of spoiling my child, turns out he loves the carrier too:
This thing allows me to get so much done! And of course he falls asleep within minutes of putting him in it and then I can't get him out without waking him up again, so he may or may not have slept in the carrier while it laid on the couch on more than one occasion. Don't judge.

Colt made his first road trip during his first 30 days on Earth too. We headed north for Shnookie Shnook's wedding. I'll be posting pictures from that affair later, but I would like to take this opportunity to say that traveling with an infant was not nearly the clusterf*ck I thought it would be. I figure that's mostly because IF is only three hours away, and Colt eats just about every three hours, so he slept most of the way up AND most of the way back. Lucky! Of course there was plenty of pass-the-baby going on, and vigilant as we are, we did manage to get four generations pictures with both sides of my family. Excellent :)

So that's it for now, but pictures of the baby are piling up on my phone more and more every day, so more to come soon.

Baby Boy, in the Flesh.

2011-07-20T18:56:00.007-06:00

So, I used to take a lot of pictures of my kitty cat on my phone. Nowadays and much to her chagrin, Candy's camera time has been dedicated to pictures of this little guy.Isn't he adorable? This pic comes from the photoshoot Bestie did last week. The rest are from my phone:

My last maternity picture, right before we headed into the hospital on Thursday night. Don't I just look about to pop? That's 6 days overdue, by the way. We did everything we could in the week leading up to Colt's birth to initiate labor short of taking castor oil, but all to no avail. Walking around Ikea for hours, taking a midnight stroll through the neighborhood, the breast pump, other nipple situation methods and sexy times, but nothing we did would get this baby moving on out. The pitocin eventually persuaded him, though, and here he is in his printed debut with daddy:

That's one happy, and clean-shaven, daddy! The clean-shaven thing was done for Grandmommy's sake. She doesn't approve of C's facial hair, so he shaved it all off so that she wouldn't have to photoshop him out of all the pictures ;)

Here's a better shot of his face, wrapped up all nice and warm in the blanket that Mommy so lovingly made for him:

And another with daddy. Holding on tight!

Haha I love this next picture, in his going-home outfit, with the scrunchy face!

That face says: me no likey!

Look how little he is in that big car seat! Momma appreciates the fact that he was born at less than 8 lbs purely for the going up the stairs with a loaded car seat factor. Here he is, finally at home with his Grandmommy:

And with cousin Chris:

And in the magic chair (seriously, the vibrating bouncy chair is the best thing ever invented. He loves it!):

When he was first born, we couldn't figure out what color his eyes were. I know, they're going to change, but in the hospital they looked like a weird brownish/grayish/sometimes green and sometimes blue. Two weeks later and they've settled on a blueish gray, with a halo of lighter gray around the pupils. The picture doesn't exactly capture it:

He's such a good baby! And so cuddly. I just can't get enough of him. And guess what! His hair is curly!! Did I mention that already? I'm just really, REALLY stoked on that fact. I swear, it would be my luck to end up with straight haired kids. Looks like that's not happening :)

And we still managed to get it into somewhat of a Mohawk. We're working on it...

This is him with Gramma B. He's being so good :)

And the moody, black and white photo of course:

That's right after a feeding, so he's actually content.

And on his belly. He's actually got pretty strong neck muscles already. He nearly rolled himself all the way over this morning. Which is scary, considering he's only 14 days old. It was mostly an accident, though, so hopefully he takes his time figuring out how to do it on purpose.

So that's it for now. There will be plenty more to come :)

The Birth Story

2011-07-12T15:00:00.004-06:00

So, technically I should be researching articles for the next issue of Ingredients, but I want to get this all written down before the details start slipping away from me :)

Thursday, July 7.

The doc had me scheduled to go in for induction on Thursday, so I called at 7 pm as they instructed and was told to plan on being there at 8. So, we packed on up and headed in. After getting checked in and led back to the birthing suite, they strapped me to the external fetal and contraction monitors and gave me the first dose of the oral med that got things going. C and I popped in Zoolander and the nurse gave me an ambien. I was supposed to be able to sleep after that, but that bed was by far the worst bed ever invented! Plus, every time I changed position, looking to get comfy, the baby would shift and the monitor would stop picking up his heart beat. Then, of course, the nurse would come in and have to spend 10 minutes trying to find it again. Needless to say, there was no sleeping going on for me, despite the ambien, but C and the baby slept pretty soundly.

Friday, July 8.

The second dose of oral med came at midnight, and contractions were irregular and still pretty mild. The third dose started at 3 am, but very shortly afterwards the baby's heart rate started dipping more than they liked, so they had me spit that pill out. I maybe slept for about an hour, uncomfortably, before they came in again around 6 to let me out of the monitors so that I could get up and get some movement. I immediately got in the bath and stayed there for an hour. It was glorious. Contractions were still manageable at that point, and the bath helped even further.

And still, the contractions were not registering enough for the doctor's taste, so the decision was made to break my water, insert the internal monitors and start the pitocin drip, so by 8 am the contractions had steadied out. Though I was not confined to the bed, I was still strapped to an IV and the monitors, so moving too far past the bed was out, and getting back in the bath was not even an option. When they checked me at 11:30 ish, I was dilated to 4 cm, and the contractions were coming one after another. By noon I had had enough. It's no joke that pitocin makes everything that much worse, so I finally put my foot down and asked for the epidural. There was no relaxing out of that pain, particularly when the contractions were one on top of the other.

So the anesthesiologist showed up around 1, and by 1:30 I was in heaven. I could still feel the pressure, but all the pain was gone, and I could finally relax. That did the trick, because when they checked me again I was dilated to an 8, and by the time the doc showed up at around 2, I was fully dilated and the pushing could commence. The doc said that she could see the little baby's head, and that it was covered in dark hair! I may or may not have fist pumped right there and then. No big, bald babies for me!

I pushed for about an hour before Colt was officially born at 3:03 p.m. His heartbeats had been a little bit lower than the doctor liked, and it took him a minute to start wailing, so the newborn emergency peeps took him from me to make sure he was alright while the placenta was taken care of and the doc stitched me up (only two minor lacerations, no episiotomy or rectal tearing for me!). He weighed in at 7 lb, 7 oz and 20 inches long, and as an added bonus his head of dark hair was all curly! I am so happy about that, I can't even say! After the curls I immediately noticed that he's got my daddy's wonky ears--one of them doesn't curl over at the top hardly at all, and the other one is folded over more than usual. How crazy is that? He is adorable though, with the cutest cheeks and little chin ever!

So here he is, baby Colt, happy and healthy and the awesomest little newborn ever!

Aside from some jaundice that required we keep him on the baby tanning bed for two nights, he has been the most chill little thing, and super, super cuddly. I seriously can't get enough of him! I must say, the 9+ months of pregnancy pains were definitely worth it to have this little boy in the world. Don't worry, there are plenty more pics to come!

41 Weeks: The Plan

2011-07-07T13:05:00.002-06:00

I haven't had a single surge in the last 24 hours, so I'm thinking that if he's left up to his own devices, baby boy would stay put forever. Tomorrow marks the official 1 week past due date for this little one, and thankfully there is a plan in place to make sure he doesn't just hang out in my uterus for as long as he well pleases. I'm scheduled to go into the hospital sometime tonight to be induced via oral meds that are supposed to ripen my cervix (um...gross?) and get things going. Hopefully that does it, because I really REALLY don't want to be put on the pitocin drip, which I've heard from EVERYONE makes everything suck all that much more. So, one way or another, this baby will be here by tomorrow afternoon/evening, and it won't be a moment too son!

Countdown: ?

2011-07-01T10:32:00.002-06:00

Well, today's the day! Technically. Of course, only about 25% of babies are actually born on their due dates, go figure. Actually, I have no idea what the percentage is, but chances are this one is not making his way into the world today. Still no pattern of surges yet, and we're headed off to the doctor soon for some kind of fetal stress test to make sure all of his vitals are still good. If he doesn't start making his way over the next few days, they'll give me some sort of oral medication on Tuesday that is supposed to help soften and dilate the cervix, and hopefully put me into labor. I'm going to do a lot of walking this weekend, likely at the IKEA. I'm really hoping that gets things going!

In other news, baby's Grand Mommy will be here tomorrow from Albuquerque with all of the baby furniture, so that's exciting!

Four. Days.

2011-06-27T11:24:00.003-06:00

Yes, I'm still pregnant. Yes, it's hot outside. Yes, I hope he comes soon. Yes, I've had a couple of legitimate surges, but no, nothing resembling a pattern yet. C doesn't want me to do anything that could trigger labor before July 4, and my doctor is not a fan of going too much past the due date. So, if this baby hasn't started making his way out of me by next Monday, there's a strong possibility that I'll be induced shortly after that. I'm hoping that doesn't have to happen, because I've heard that induction makes everything that much more painful. So, in the next week I'll be practicing my relaxation techniques, walking and swimming A LOT, and visualizing a delivery on the morning of Independence Day. I promise I'll be keeping everyone posted on the progress.

The Countdown: Single Digits

2011-06-22T15:35:00.005-06:00

Nine days. Nine days left. Only nine days. How is it that nine days still feels like an eternity? Probably because realistically we're looking at more like 14 days, seeing as this is my first baby and I haven't dilated any past 1 cm in the last three weeks. C is still crossing his fingers and telling the baby that July 4 is the day, so that makes it 12 days. Nine, 12, 14...all of it is too long for me to clearly see the end. I haven't had any regular ~~contractions~~ surges yet. Sure, I've had some, but not in anything resembling a pattern, so I'm starting to wonder if maybe they're all just in my head. The Bestie reassured me yesterday that I will know when the actual process starts. I really hope that she's right because I am SO OVER being pregnant, for more reasons than one:

1. Sleep
Luckily, I stopped working a week ago today, and in that week I've been able to sleep a lot better than I did while I was working. Still, I get up to pee ever two or three hours, no matter when I stop drinking fluids at night. And if I don't get up, go, and get back without saying anything to C in the process, going back to sleep is a no-go. Once conversation is introduced, my brain turns back on and any chance of sleeping in the following hours is nil. On top of all that, I've got 17 pillows and none of them keep me comfortable for very long. I'll tell you this: even if this is preparation for when the baby gets me up every hour, that can't possibly be as bad as this whole not sleeping soundly and having to pee all the time. At least after he's born I'll be able to sleep on my stomach, as I prefer to do, and without the ridiculously frequent bathroom interruptions.

2. Pregnancy dreams are WEIRD!
I'm not a particularly vivid dreamer, usually. Before I got pregnant it was a rare occasion that I woke up and could remember what I'd been dreaming about. Nowadays it's a rare occasion that I'm not shocked awake by a strange vision, during which I tell myself repeatedly "this is a dream" but am unable to bring myself out of. And over the last few weeks the most vivid of these dreams have become (disturbingly) murder themed. Last week, I was on the move with a group of strangers that were supposed to be my family, trying to hide dead bodies in the backyard of a house in the middle of what looked like rural Idaho between IF and Rexburg. There were three teenagers in the house when we broke in, and one of them ended up taking an ax to the back of the head (see??? DISTURBING) before we all tried to lay low in some backwoods barbecue joint where the cops showed up to chase us out. This morning I was going to see the movie Selena (??) with a group of friends (again, strangers), and was crammed into the dollar theater seats until we all got up and started wandering through a Salvation Army. As we wandered, members of the group started disappearing, and suddenly we were all trying to run away from the hot boy who was out to murder us all. I finally woke up when there were only two of us left, and the murder was trying to break through the door that I was holding shut. WTF?? All of these strange dreams have had the same underlying sense of dread, inability to control what was happening and involved a lot of running, which, I surmise, is my subconscious mind's way of playing out all of the worry and insecurities I have about the responsibilities that come along with having a baby. I'm really, REALLY hoping they stop once he's born.

3. Walking is a lot more difficult than it should be.
Why does everything have to hurt? And why must I waddle so? Seriously, I'm not a fan. Have I mentioned that I live on the third floor? And climbing the stairs never used to bother me. Nowadays, though, even coming up the stairs empty handed gets me all winded. It's embarrassing! C is such a trooper, though. He doesn't let me carry anything heavy, or anything at all if he can help it. But its not just the stairs. If I sit for any length of time, standing up and walking hurts my entire lower half. NO BUENO.

4. Fat.
I'm huge. I don't care that I am pregnant, I am HUGE, and it is not fun.

5. Heat.
There's no happy medium around here for some reason. Either I'm sweating bullets, or I am freezing cold. And it hasn't even been that hot weather-wise in SLC yet. We had maybe two days last week when it got into the 80s, but that was a temporary and fleeting phenomenon. It's worst at night when I can either let my AC click on and off rapidly of its own volition all night, or I can shut it off completely and sleep without any covering (in which case I'll still end up sweating profusely).

So all in all, I'm ready to be done with pregnancy and onto the fun part where I actually get to see and hold and play with my baby. He's getting so big (see #4 above), and every now and then he'll full on punch me in the bladder. His feet are finding their way into my ribs more and more as he gets more and more squished. I'm trying to stay positive about it, but alas, nine days still feels like a freaking long time.

Father's Day = Love

2011-06-19T20:40:00.006-06:00

If you ask me, dads should be honored with more than just one day a year. I was lucky enough to grow up with a dad that loves me and each of my siblings, and took an active role in our lives from day one. He is the best dad a girl could ask for, and I turned out [mostly] okay because of him and his influence. With all of the problems caused by "daddy issues" that I see out there, I'm nothing if not grateful to the man who dedicated his life to making sure I understand what loves really means.

But as much as he did for me, I didn't truly understand what love is supposed to mean until I'd figured out everything that it does not mean. What can I say? I'm a stubborn one. Regardless, my daddy was successful in teaching me to take responsibility for my actions, to own up to the consequences of said actions, and to learn from my mistakes. And learn I did, from the huge mistake that was my first marriage, that love is not supposed to be hard, scary or plagued constantly with doubt. No, it should come easily and there aught to be no doubt about it.

Enter my darling C.

I took this picture in Playa del Carmen in April 2010. At that point C and I had been dating for about three months (if that), and even then I knew that what we had existed on a level of emotion that I had never known. As tough as he appears on the outside, C has, from day one, treated me as no less than a queen. He has supported me 100% in everything I do, but he's not afraid to give me the straight truth when it is warranted. Over the year and half that we have been together now he has not once made me feel anything less than safe and protected. We don't fight with each other, which may sound strange, but I figure it is because neither of us have any reservations about communicating openly. I feel completely myself around him, and I know without any doubt that he loves me for it.

When I found out that I was pregnant in January, the idea that C would disappear crossed my frantic mind at the time (even though we had already talked numerous times about how much he wanted to have kids), but he was there when I got home from the doctor's office and he's been here ever since. He is ecstatic about being a father, and he has taken such good care of hormonal me from the beginning. He is truly all that I could ask for in a partner. I am at home in his arms, and I can already see that he's going to be the world's best daddy to my little boy. They say you have to go through a lot of frogs before you find your prince. Well, after countless frogs I've found mine, and I am forever grateful that he is the strong-willed, outspoken, headstrong man that C is. I love him with everything that I am, and I am extremely excited to be embarking on the journey of parenthood with him.

Happy Father's Day to my baby's daddy, and to all the awesome daddies out there.

The {Baby} Invasion is Imminent

2011-06-13T08:25:00.008-06:00

Over the course of this weekend my second bedroom went from a semi-organized office/guestroom to a complete and total disaster area to the mostly empty beginnings of a nursery. The ceiling even got painted last night!

It's the same green I used in my living room, but C is going to add in ripples with white spray paint so that it looks like looking up through the water's surface. Neato, eh? I thought that painting the ceiling would make the room feel smaller, but its such a bright green that it doesn't at all, so that's a bonus :)

The spray painting of the walls is going to be finished today so that I can complete all of the detail work this Thursday. With all that we've gotten done over the last few days, it is starting to feel like my house is being taken over. Even the bathroom is not exempt from the imminent baby invasion. Yes, I know my baby won't be bathing in the tub right away, but that didn't stop me from purchasing and installing this awesomeness:

Isn't he cute? He holds bath toys!

I mean, how could I pass that up? Who doesn't want a giant frog in the shower at all times? Not me!

So far most of the invasion is contained in the second bedroom, thankfully. We don't have a dresser for the babe yet, but we did get one of these convenient things for the closet:

And these nifty wall stickers worked perfectly on the closet doors:

Pirate monkeys, of course! The creme de la creme, though, is the Pack n Play that I scored for $50, which we successfully assembled without too much trouble on Saturday:

The mobile with the bears is just too cute! Poor Candy is not all that sure about what's going on in there, but she's not terribly thrilled:

All of these changes has made her extremely needy over the last few days. I can't walk into the house without being fiercely meowed at until I pick her up and give her some love. I still have no idea how she's going to react when we bring the baby home. She will likely go into hiding for a while, not just because of him but also because his grandmas and lots of visitors will be coming around. I'm sure she'll adjust eventually, though.

So that's it for the nursery pics for the time being. After this next weekend I'll have more to show off because we'll finish up all of the painting, including all of the details I'm putting in. The good news is that I won't have to work again after Wednesday until August, so there will be time to get everything in order and (hopefully) posted on the blog!

The Baby Shower

2011-06-11T16:08:00.007-06:00

My darling T and my awesome older sis threw me the most amazing baby shower ever. It was pirate themed, of course, and I've been waiting forever to post the darling invites:Aren't they cute? T found them on Etsy. Speaking of T, here she is facilitating the first activity, which involved everyone guessing how big around my baby belly is with yarn:My mom and my little bro came pretty close, but my friend Beth from pottery was closest and won the pirate booty (a bag of chocolate coins). I put my younger sis, the Shnookie Shnook, in charge of the camera, and this is the first pic she snapped of me:
Oh yes, blue steel! Not a full on belly picture, but it definitely shows how Baby Boy has dropped further down my abdomen. Compared to my May belly picture at least:More blue steel, of course. Anyway, back to the shower:
The Shnookie Shnook, being a dork. I heart this girl mucho :) And I have no idea what mom is laughing about, but it was obviously pretty funny.
My other sis, the gracious co-hostess, her hubby's Aunt, Josh and Amanda (T's sister in law). We had quite the turnout, actually, which I was thrilled about. Unfortunately we didn't get pics of everyone, which sucks, but I snapped this one:which is most of the crowd participating in the second activity, which was decorating onesies, hats and baby shirts for me with fabric markers and iron-on decals. I've never heard of this done at a baby shower, and it was pure genius! We got some uber cute pieces out of it, and I can't wait to take pics of the baby in all of them.

I heard these girls, and this one too:And these kids always crack me up:
My siblings are kinda strange, but so am I so it works out pretty well for us :)

I've never understood the whole "women only" baby shower idea, so I was lucky enough to convince some of my guy friends, my brother and my daddy to come, and some of my girlfriends brought their hubbies along for the ride. The jack-n-jill thing makes so much more sense in my mind! I mean, of course C wanted to be there, and how do I tell him no (hint: I don't)? And look how cute he is I caught this pic right as he was telling Soni something silly, obviously. Of course my nephie poo was there, and he spent the whole party hamming it up as much as possible.Isn't he adorable? Cuter by the day, I'd say!

All in all it was an awesome time, and from what I heard, everyone had a good time. I'm so lucky to have so many awesome and caring friends that were willing to come hang out with me and buy my baby gifts. It's a shame that showers usually only happen for the first baby, because I would have no objections to doing this kind of thing again the next go-round!

37 Weeks and Counting...

2011-06-08T15:42:00.005-06:00

So, this pregnancy is officially full term, and yes, I am most definitely still pregnant. The good news is, though, that at my last doctor's appointment (last Friday), I was already dilated to 1 cm and 50% effaced. The doctor also mentioned that the baby was also at a -1 station, which explains why it feels like he's been playing the drums on my bladder! I've had some ~~contractions~~ surges (as they are called in HypnoBirthing) over the last couple of days, but nothing with a regular pattern yet. C is still hoping that I give birth on July 4, but honestly I don't see this baby waiting that long. Who knows, though. The doctor may well tell me this Friday that I haven't dilated any further. I guess we'll just have to see!

My last day of work will be June 15 (that's a week from today!), and I hoping to get at least a week off before the little one makes his grand entrance so that I have a chance to work on my growing to-do list. First and foremost is the nursery, in which the painting still needs to be finished. We've scheduled a day (next Friday, I think) to do that, and the bed that's in there currently will be relocated to my sister's house this Friday, so that will help. I picked up a used pack n play for $50 this week, so the good news is that Colt will actually have some place to sleep when he gets home. My awesome parentals are buying us the stroller/carseat that I want (it's orange!) so by next week we should also be equipped to legally transport him home from the hospital.

Aside from a breastpump and a changing table, we're basically stocked on what else he'll need, thanks to the baby shower on Saturday. It was a total blast, and I'll be blogging/posting pictures of it sooner or later. The only picture I got on my phone is this one, of the awesome pirate ship that C built:

Isn't it amazing?? My man never fails to surprise me with his seemingly limitless talents! Seriously, he's incredible in more ways than one :)

Shameless Plug: Latest Project

2011-06-02T16:36:00.003-06:00

So, aside from incubating a baby boy, I've been involved with another project over the last few months that has finally come to life online! Check out my writing skills, and C's rather impressive design skills at

Ingredients Magazine

Let us know what you think!

35 Weeks

2011-05-23T10:35:00.004-06:00

Well, the pregnant waddle has finally occurred. I thought I would just sail through the last leg of my pregnancy without it affecting my stride, but I was horribly, horribly wrong. For reasons unbeknownst to me, walking is just not the easy, straight, non-waddle that it should be these days, and I am not a fan! Perhaps I just need to force myself to walk more. Maybe all of this sitting I do is partly to blame. Or maybe my hips are just finally starting to spread. In any case, it's not cool.

What is cool is that I can see baby Colt moving around in my abdomen these days. I sat in the bath yesterday and just watched him squirm around for like a half an hour. He's very active these days, waking me up sometimes at night with his flailing. He's even responding when I push and poke at him. I wonder if he gets irritated with me when I do that, but I don't feel bad about it because, let's face it, he's inhabiting my body! If he gets to continue to grow and cause me a waddle, then I'm going to poke at him when he pushes up against the top of my belly. That's just how it's gonna be!

The good news is that he's already positioned correctly for birth, so that's great. My appointments with the doctor have increased from monthly to bi-monthly, and starting in June I'll see her every Friday. I just can't even believe that June is so close! My baby shower is the weekend after next, and I could technically give birth to a full term baby anytime after the first week of June. How weird is that? WEIRD! I'm really pulling for July 4, though. I mean, it will suck a lot having to be that pregnant for that long, but wouldn't it be awesome to be born on the Fourth of July? C and I think so. And it won't actually be that bad because it turns out that I can get up to two weeks off before my due date, paid, thanks to FMLA. So, if all goes according to plan my last day of work will be June 15 and I won't go back until September 4. How excellent is that? Pretty freaking excellent if you ask me! That's practically the whole summer off with pay. Can't complain about that, so I won't :)

So, I technically have 5 weeks left until my due date, which is pretty scary considering what still needs to be done. Painting the nursery is coming right along, but it's not done yet. The nursery situation is a little sketchy anyway, though, because currently we've got a futon bunk bed in there that will need to stay there for a while after Colt is born so that his Grand Mommy has some place to sleep when she comes to visit, which is fine because I'd prefer to have the baby sleep in our room for the first little while anyway. Luckily, my sis and bro-in-law can use the bed, so I've already got someone to take it off my hands when it's ready to go. So, long story short, the nursery probably won't even be officially set up for Colt's use of it until closer to when I go back to work. Still, I'd like to have the painting done before he arrives so that it's one less thing to worry about.

We also still need to take a hospital tour so that I know where we're going when the moment of truth arrives. The hospital where Colt will be born is in downtown, and I live 20 minutes from downtown, so getting there is going to be a challenge in and of itself. Hopefully he is a good boy and starts his decent late at night on July 3 like I'm hoping, and we don't have to deal with any traffic en route. All I know at this point is that Labor and Delivery is on the fourth floor. So, that's one of the main priorities. The other main priorities have mostly to do with cleaning the house. And by cleaning I mean really, really cleaning it for reals. Sounds like fun, eh? No, not really, but it is nonetheless a necessary task.

So that's really it for now. I'm getting more and more impatient for the end as each day goes by. I'm dreadfully curious and anxious to meet the little person that's growing inside of me, and I'm getting more and more tired of being pregnant. Still, I hope he holds out until July 4 :)

Mother's Day Photo Round-Up

2011-05-08T06:38:00.007-06:00

So, I'm spending the first Mother's Day in which I actually qualify to be celebrated as a mother at work, but I'm not bitter (honestly!). I had an excellent weekend with the amazing man that made me into a mother, and I even got to spend time with two of the awesomest mothers I know: my own mom and my older sister. I was pleasantly surprised by a very sweet card from my mom-in-law, a card from my sister and whatever my man is working on for me at home (I have a feeling it's the disaster of a kitchen I left in his capable hands this morning). All in all it has been a pretty wonderful first Mother's Day :)

Other than that, plenty has happened over the course of the last couple of weeks. C and I finished up our HypnoBirthing class, which means that we've moved on to practicing relaxation at home, aka listening to the HypnoBirthing CD until I fall asleep. Pretty awesome :) We've also invested in a birthing ball, which is basically a balance ball for those of you that were confused. En route to find said birthing ball, I ran across this:

THEY MAKE THEM IN GREEN NOW! Because, you know, the ShakeWeight isn't appealing enough as it is, they now make it in the most conspicuous shade of green imaginable. You're welcome.

And in the realm of things that really are awesome, behold:

What is it, you say? It's an inflatable treasure chest, complete with scattered jewels at the bottom. T purchased two of them for the baby shower, and I couldn't resist testing one of them out. It's still sitting in my living room, and I'm fairly certain it hasn't lost any air. WIN!

These next two pictures are of cake, so dieters be warned.

I think I'm going to call this one Mount St. Caramel. My awesome neighbor invited C and I over for dinner on Friday, so I figured I'd better show up with something tasty. I've had a box of chocolate cake mix and a box of chocolate pudding mix in my cupboard for who knows how long, so I threw them together and covered the whole thing in Hersey's dark chocolate syrup and the same caramel sauce that I use to coat popcorn (which is a stick of butter and half a cup of brown sugar melted together on the stove). Needless to say, the whole thing was delectable! This next one was a variation of the same pudding/cake mix method:

I'm calling this one Tropic Thunder, and the creative genius behind it belongs to C. It's a yellow cake mix with coconut and banana pudding, dyed lime green for good measure, topped with a jellied mango/lime puree (which has been dyed pink for effect) and pineapple topping. It's basically the perfect summer time cake, and uber moist! After these two beauties I've decided that I will never make another box cake mix without adding a pudding packet to it because I CAN'T STAND a dry cake.

And here's the best photo for last:

Can you believe he is almost four years old?? I can't! I still vividly remember the day he was born, and now look at him being a little kid! He very badly wanted to show me his truck, and I was actually pretty surprised at how well he can navigate that thing. Granted, the turning radius leaves something to be desired, and his use of the reverse function is not perfected yet, he still managed not to hit my car as he zoomed around it in the driveway. They really do grow up fast, don't they!?!

31 Weeks

2011-04-20T10:23:00.003-06:00

Well, here we are approaching the end of April already, and my theory about time moving faster as I get older is only proven again and again with each passing day. I'm starting in on my 31st week of pregnancy today, and I have to admit that it is actually getting easier. That or I've just accepted it finally, so my mind and my body have stopped fighting. Either way, the appreciation I have for my thick-boned and muscled body only grows as this baby takes over more and more of my midsection.

My major complaint since getting knocked up (even before I knew that it was the case) has been heartburn. Well, over the last couple of weeks my heartburn has more or less subsided, though it flares up every now and then thanks to my diet choices. I don't feel tired and beat down like a lot of women do in their third trimester, though, and I can't exactly say that's thanks to getting more sleep. I still go to bed too late and get up too early four days a week, though perhaps it helps that I get to sleep in ridiculously late on the other three. I haven't experienced too much bloating or swelling, either, which is nice because I'm self-conscious enough as it is. Honestly, if it weren't for the baby's movements, my inability to squeeze through narrow gaps and the effort it is to put socks on these days, I would probably forget that I'm pregnant altogether. Everything else feels pretty much normal. Oh, except for my hair, which has gotten curlier, but I'm not complaining about that; mostly I'm just amazed that the curls could get any tighter in the first place.

My family hails mostly from Germany, so being big-boned is no joke and there is just no way around it. I've always referred to my hips as "child bearing," and it turns out that it's true! Seven months in and these jeans are still as loose at the hips as they were when I bought them. Honestly I would be surprised if my hips did end up spreading at all in the next two months. I guess there are some advantages built into being wide-set. C pointed out to me the other day that I haven't developed the pregnancy waddle yet, and while I do waddle from time to time (usually just when I get out of bed in the morning), I'm glad that it is not constant. My back and feet don't hurt any more than they usually do, as long as I wear the right shoes, and I still take the stairs at work whenever I need to. Granted, I get to my desk slightly winded than usual some days, I still think that is something of which I can be proud.

Perhaps all this lack of physical ailment is due to the state of peace in which I've been existing recently. It is possible that the childbirth classes that C and I have been attending for the last three weeks are responsible for this change. I decided long ago that I do not want to be strapped into a bed by monitors during childbirth, so after some deliberation (and recommendations from mothers that have done it) I decided to take the HypnoBirthing class instead of your standard childbirth class. I was hesitant at first, of course, because anything with the word "hypno" in it makes me skiddish of hippies and the new-age crowd, and the philosophies it teaches are kind of hippie-esque, but I 100% agree with their main theory, which is that birth was not meant to be painful.

Think about it: why in the world would the uterus be the one muscle in the human body that causes excruciating pain when it works properly? That doesn't make any sense. And if we are created in the image of a perfect God, then why would our method of reproduction be dangerous and painful? We are practically the only mammals on the planet that experience painful births, so perhaps we're doing something wrong? I certainly think so, and therefore I'm preparing to give birth naturally. I figure that as long as there is a tub in which I can soak during the process, laboring will not be painful and exhausting. As an added bonus, Hypnobirthing mothers have to have episiotomies less often, regardless of how big the baby is.

Aside from myself, I don't know any babies that were born 100% naturally. My mom walked into the hospital already dialted to an 8, so there was no time for painkillers before I came. And yet she will freely admit that I was her easiest birth (and out of 5, so that's something to be said). Our cultural references always portray birth as a long, excruciating endeavor with lots of screaming and crying and swearing, possibly even some death threats thrown at the father for good measure, because that kind of thing makes for interesting viewing material. Watching a woman calmly and peacefully work through the birthing process is not exactly exciting (trust me, I've watched at least eight hypnobirthings so far in class, and they're all pretty much the same boring tale that does not involve any of those things). The way I see it the pain associated with giving birth is 90% mental. My body was built specifically for bearing and raising offspring, so when it comes time I will relax and just let my body do its thing. If I think it is going to hurt, it probably will. Basically Hypnobirthing has taught me what I already know: attitude is everything, so I've simply adjusted my attitude about the process of birthing a baby. In the end, I'll be grateful to be cognizant and fully-functioning by the time my son is in my arms.

This Week in Pictures

2011-04-14T10:13:00.008-06:00

I know it's only Thursday, but I'm at work for the last time this week, so that makes it okay for me to post a weekly pic round up :) Enjoy!

This first set of photos are of the crib set that C's grandma purchased for us. The set was delivered at the beginning of the week. Of course, we couldn't resist breaking it out and going through each of the nine pieces. They are so cute! And not uber cutesy like most of the pirate stuff I've seen is.

This pillow may be my favorite piece in the whole set!

This is the window valance :)

Yarrrrr matey! Crib bumpers

The quilt. Adorable! And incredibly soft thanks to the suede material incorporated in the pattern.

These photos should fulfil your daily cuteness quota.

This is Chesie, who belongs to C's old roommates James and Ally, and her three babies that were born just a few days ago. I'm not sure I've ever encountered kittens this small before, so naturally I went a little crazy for them.

Their little "mew mew mews" were almost too much to bear! Their momma was pretty protective of them, of course, but she was kind enough to let me hold all three of them before whisking them away back down the stairs one by one.

This last set of pics are just random things I felt inclined to photograph this week. Starting with the most atrocious vehicle I've ever seen...

Okay, seriously, who does this? What sane person wakes up one day and says, I think I'll paint zebra stripes on my Hummer? I didn't even bother to find out if there was a logo or anything justifying this horrible decision, because there is no company out there that I would agree is justified in doing such a thing.

First completed canvas painting for the nursery. This little fishie glows in the dark :)

And of course, no photo roundup is complete without a picture of the Kitty Cat. Have I mentioned that she loves bags? Because she does.

Pottery: I Still Do It!

2011-04-06T10:19:00.002-06:00

Turns out it's been quite a while since I posted anything on my pottery blog, and that's just sad. I love doing pottery every week because it gives me a chance to build something with my hands, AND because technically it is playing in the mud. My inner child will never get tired of playing in the mud, of that you can rest assured! Anyhow, if you are interested you can check out the redesign and newest post for your fill of handcrafted shenanigans.

FYI: Orgasms

2011-04-04T06:01:00.003-06:00

I found this on GraphJam. They found it at Medical Insurance.

Quicky

2011-03-27T16:16:00.004-06:00

Just a few things from the weekend:

-I started my part of the painting in the Nursery, and I can't help but pat myself and C on the back for how awesome it is looking. I may or may not have purchased glow in the dark paint for some of the fishes and plants...My baby boy is going to have the coolest bedroom EVER!

-Again, with the random puking. Twice over the weekend, once completely out of the blue and the other thanks to brushing my teeth. Other than that the nausea has pretty much gone away and stays away as long as I keep food in my belly.

-Speaking of which, my appetite has gone from inconsistent to constantly starving. This kid is putting on weight quick.

-Random pregnant girl with too much makeup on at Taco Time told me that I'm "pretty big for only 26 weeks." Repeatedly. Thanks for the confidence boost, biotch.

-They say that heartburn means your baby will have hair. If that's true, my baby boy is going to be born with a mane.

-The youngest siblings were in town for the Festival of Colors, and I had the pleasure of taking care of the Tankeroo for 24 hours. You know that I love this dog,

but after housing him overnight I realized that I'm very VERY glad he's not a full time resident at my house. I probably got 4 hours of sleep that night. Of course, the only consolation C could offer was "Just wait until we have a baby!" Touchee.

Everything Nice

2011-03-20T12:33:00.004-06:00

To my great surprise, the bestie called me last Wednesday and asked if I would put her and my niece up for the night on Thursday. Of course, I was thrilled to do so because I just don't see them as often as I'd like to, what with them living about five hours south of here and all. The little miss is just as adorable as ever. Look at this face: Seriously, she's going to be a heart breaker. And a big spender:That's her playing with my credit card. The girl knows what to go for already! The black mark on her forehead is mascara, which she wanted to play with but wasn't okay with putting on her eye lashes. Oh, and that's her mom in the background with the blonde hair. If only I could pull off blonde like she does...

As it turns out, my darling C is rather inexperienced when it comes to babies and toddlers, but he totally has a knack for it! Look at him hanging out with Ms. Mae:
This pic just makes me squee! I LOVE seeing boys with babies. I don't know why, but it's freaking adorable!

So we went to the Ikea, which is becoming a tradition when these two are in town. The Little Miss is so very well behaved for an 18 month old. Again, she only got fussy at the end after she'd missed her afternoon nap. And she loves to sleep! She all but led me into the second bedroom around 1 p.m. and stood by her pack-n-play saying "Uh oh" until I picked her up and put her in it so that she could have her mid-morning nap. Her parents are SO lucky! I can only HOPE that my baby boy is as fond of sleep, really, and trust me: I am crossing my fingers for it!

The Last Leg

2011-03-14T10:30:00.003-06:00

It's surprisingly un-busy at work today, which is odd for a Monday morning, but I'm really not complaining. I have run out of things to look at on the internet, though, and seeing as I'm broke until Thursday, online shopping is mostly just depressing. So I guess I'll just spew my thoughts in the form of blogging. Right? Right.

Yesterday marked the official beginning of my third trimester, which means that there are only 15 weeks left of pregnancy. That's pretty excellent! This last leg of the journey is going to be the hardest, no doubt, and that's already becoming pretty apparent. While I actually lost weight between my first and second prenatal appointments at the OBGYN, I gained 10 lbs between the second and the third. I am NOT at all happy about that, but really, what can I do? I'm enrolled in a water aerobics class, so that's a good step. C and I have also been taking walks on the weekends now that the weather is FINALLY getting warmer (yay!). I guess we'll just have to keep doing what we're doing and hope that the weight gain doesn't get out of control.

According to the doctor, I should be feeling movement at least once every 24 hours. Well, if that's standard then my baby is hyperactive! He spent a good hour turning somersaults yesterday afternoon while I was working, and I'm even feeling movement while I'm standing and walking. No one else has felt him yet, though. He's got that awesome habit of freezing whenever I or anyone else puts their hand on my belly. His grandma was pretty disappointed yesterday that she couldn't feel him. With the way he's growing, though, I'm sure that he'll be kicking everyone soon enough, including me and my ribs.

Reposting: 200 Things

2011-03-10T12:00:00.003-07:00

200: My middle name is : Lynn
199: I was born in: Orem
198: I am really: pregnant
197: My cell phone company is: T Mobile
196: My eye color is: Hazel
195: My shoe size is: getting bigger :(
194: My ring size is: 10 I think. I've never had it measured
193: My height is: 5'8"
192: I am allergic to: Penicillin and sulfa drugs
191: My 1st car was: CLAUDIUS!
190: My 1st job was: Oh, A&W. How I don't miss you.
189: Last book you read: Fool
188: My bed is: sooooooo comfy now that there is a feather bed on it :)
187: My pet(s): The Kitty Cat
186: My best friends: C, T, The Bestie, Ebs and Carmy Carms.
185: My favorite shampoo: Lasts forever because I only have to shampoo my hair once every two weeks
184: AIM name: n/a
183: Piggy Banks are: for breaking
182: In my pockets: nada
181: On my calendar: Water aerobics tonight, appointment with the OBGYN tomorrow
180: Marriage is: happening again, only less horribly this time
179: Sponge Bob can: just go away!
178: My mom: is going to be here tomorrow.
177: The last three cd's I bought were: Rihanna's latest and Lady Gaga's first two.
176: Last YouTube video watched: something involving a turkey call that turned out very badly
175: How many cousins do you have?: 20
174: Do you have any siblings: Four to be exact
173: Are your parents divorced: 30 Years together this year
172: Are you taller than your mom?: Yup!
171: Do you play an instrument?: Guitar
170: What did you do yesterday: Ate delicious food at Cracker Barrel and then bought more spray paint at WalMart.

I Believe In:
169: Love at first sight: nope
168: Luck: Yup
167: Fate: Meh
166: Yourself: definitely
165: Aliens: Yes
164: Heaven: Nope
163: Hell: No
162: God: No
161: Horoscopes: Kind of, I suppose. I do fit into the definition of a Leo.
160: Soul mates: I do now.
159: Ghosts: No
158: Gay Marriage: Absolutely.
157: War: Not this one
156: Orbs: uh....no?
155: humm : er...

Which is Better
154: Hugs or Kisses: Why can't I have both?
153: Drunk or High: Pleading the Fifth
152: Phone or Online: texting
151: Blond or Brunettes: Red heads!
150: Shoes Or Flip flops : I wish I could still wear flip flops 24/7
149: Hot or cold: Hot
148: Summer or winter: Summer
147: Autumn or Spring: Spring
146: Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
145: Night or Day: mid-afternoon
144: Oranges or Apples: Apples
143: Curly or Straight hair: Uh...duh.
142: McDonalds or Burger King: McDs is disgusting
141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: Milk! White chocolate is not really chocolate.
140: Mac or PC: PC
139: Flip flops or high heels: see 150
138: Ugly and rich OR Pretty and poor: Pretty and poor
137: Coke or Pepsi: diet either
136: Hillary or Obama: Well, now that it's been two years and nothing has really changed, so I'm starting to wonder if Hillary would have been the better choice...
135: Buried or cremated: Cremation for me, please!
134: Singing or Dancing: Singing in the shower, dancing in public
133: Coach or Chanel: both are too expensive
132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: Don't care.
131: Small town or Big city: Big City
130: Wal-Mart or Target: Target. Wal-Mart is the root of all evil
129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: Zoolander!
128: Manicure or Pedicure: Both please
127: East Coast or West Coast: West
126: Your Birthday or Christmas: My birthday!
125: Chocolate or Flowers: Chocolates
124: Disney or Six Flags: Never been to a Six Flags, so Disney by default
123: Yankees or Red Sox: Don't care

Here's What I Think About
122: War: Is a waste of human life, money and time.
121: George Bush: Should be tried for war crimes
120: Gay Marriage: Liberty=Equality for all.
119: The presidential election: is starting to worry me again.
118: Abortion: Still pro-choice. A woman's body is her own and she should have the right to make her own decisions about what happens to it.
117: MySpace: what is that?
116: Reality TV: is really stupid.
115: Parents: are awesome!
114: Back stabbers: Karma's a bitch.
113: Ebay: uh....
112: Sex: is getting a bit more difficult these days.
111: Work: a necessary evil
110: My Neighbors: are pretty freaking awesome.
109: Gas Prices: are back up to RI-DAMN-DICULOUS
108: Designer Clothes: no thanks
107: College: meh
106: Sports: eh.
105: My family: the bestest ever
104: The future: is daunting

Last time I
103: Hugged someone: last night
102: Last time you ate: Got my yogurt right here
101: Saw someone I haven't seen in awhile: Dia came and visited me at work yesterday
100: Cried in front of someone: yesterday (I'm pregnant. Whatcha gonna do?)
99: Went to a movie theater: True Grit with C last month
98: Took a vacation: Too long ago
97: Swam in a pool: last Thursday
96: Changed a diaper: Oh, it has been a while. The nephie poo has been potty trained for a while now. That'll change in just three more months though
95: Went to school: uh...about a year ago
94: Went to a wedding: Hmm. Good question. I want to say June 2008
93: Broke a bone: 2000
92: Got a piercing: 2004
91: Broke the law: only counts if you get caught
90: Texted: Yesterday

MISC
89: Who makes you laugh the most: C, and the nephie poo
88: Something I really miss when I leave home is: C
87: The last movie I saw: RoboCop for the first time ever. Oh, the 80s.
86: The thing that I'm looking forward to the most: Having a baby boy in July!
85: The thing I'm not looking forward to: being pregnant for three more months
84: People call me: Jess, Jessa, Jessica, Baby Tickles :)
83: The most difficult thing to do is: wait
82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: Only 1.
81: My zodiac sign is: Leo
80: The first person i talked to today was: C, but I'm pretty sure he was still sleeping when he responded.
79: First time you had a crush: 5th grade. Aaron R....something.
78: The one person who i can't hide things from: C, T, Ebs
76: Right now I am talking to: clients via IM.
75: What are you going to do when you grow up: Financially independent
74: I have/will get a job: Have a job.
73: Tomorrow: DAY OFF!
72: Today: Overtime
71: Next Summer: Can't come soon enough
70: Next Weekend: almost here
69: I have these pets: didn't I already answer this one?
68: The worst sound in the world: nails on a chalkboard
67: The person that makes me cry the most: it's the baby in my belly's fault these days
66: People that make you happy: My friends and family (duh)
65: Last time I cried: pretty sure I answered this one too
64: My friends are: amazing
63: My computer is: running pretty well!
62: My School: is on the back burner
61: My Car: is reliable.
60: I lose all respect for people who: don't stand up for their convictions.
59: The movie I cried at was: Land Before Time, Fox and the Hound
58: Your hair color is: natural
57: TV shows you watch: South Park, Scrubs, That 70s Show, Greys Anatomy
56: Favorite web site: Google Reader :)
55: Your dream vacation: Amsterdam. I will get there one day
54: The worst pain I was ever in was: nothing compared to what is to come
53: How do you like your steak cooked: medium
52: My room is: kind of a mess
51: My favorite celebrity is: hmm. Rihanna?
50: Where would you like to be right now: back in bed with my love
49: Do you want children: Guess so!
48: Ever been in love: Not before I met C
47: Who's your best friend: C
46: More guy friends or girl friends: Guys
45: One thing that makes you feel great is: sleeping!
44: One person that you wish you could see right now: Grandma Hoopes
43: Do you have a 5 year plan?: Nope. I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of girl
42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: On my list of Lists to be Made
41: Have you pre-named your children: This one's name is Colt.
40: Last person I got mad at: stupid drivers on the road. It's just snow, people!
39: I would like to move to: a beach where it never gets cold
38: I wish I was a professional: writer

My Favorites
37: Candy: Snickers
36: Vehicle: 69 Ford Mustang Fast Back in Cherry Red or Cobalt Blue
35: President: Clinton
34: State visited: Nevada
33: Cell Phone Provider: T Mobile.
32: Athlete: Mia Hamm
31: Actor: Johnny Depp
30: Actress: hmmm.
29: Singer: Brandon Boyd, Lady Gaga and Alejandro from Boyce Avenue
28: Band: Incubus
27: Song: Shimmer by Fuel
26: Grocery Store: Winco
25: TV show: South Park, Scrubs
24: Movie: Zoolander, Pride and Prejudice
23: Website: Google Reader (is there an echo in here?)
22: Animal: Man
21: Theme Park: Universal Studios
20: Holiday: Halloween
19: Sport to watch: Football
18: Sport to play: Soccer
17: Magazine: Cosmo
16: Book: The Hero and the Crown, The Blue Sword, Pride and Prejudice
15: Day of the week: Friday
14: Beach: Crescent Beach in Laguna
13: Concert Attended: Incubus
12: Thing to cook: yummy food
11: Food: Indeed
10: Restaurant: Ahh Sushi
9: Radio Station: don't listen to the radio any more. Can't handle the commercials
8: Candle scent: Apple Cider
7: Perfume: Country Apple
6: Flower: Roses
5: Color: red and black
3: Comedian: Eddie Izzard
2: Dog Breed: Weims, schnauzers
1: Are you ready for this survey to be over?: Does it count as 200 when there were so many repeats?

The Nursery

2011-03-08T07:02:00.004-07:00

C has been working hard to get the nursery painted. We're both really excited about it, but I probably shouldn't be spray painting in my current condition (right? Right), so he's been at it on his own while I'm not in the house. Check out how much progress he has made in only a couple of days!

Doesn't that look amazing? I am so impressed with my love's spray painting abilities! And my favorite part so far, the porthole:

Complete with cracked glass and everything. My spray painting skills are pretty limited. I certainly couldn't do this:

I wish I could be helping more, but I'll probably have to invest in some sort of ventilated mask before I start in with aerosol paint. I'll be at it with the brushes and acrylics soon enough, though, to put in all the coral and fish and what not. I guess maybe we should start buying the furniture that needs to go in there....

Painting and Movement

2011-03-06T14:27:00.004-07:00

It dawned on me last night that I'll be into my third trimester as of next Sunday. Today marks the beginning of week 24, so next Sunday will be week 25, which is the first week of the last trimester. Is that strange to anyone else? I guess that's what one gets for being unaware until halfway through the second trimester. Still, it's crazy to think that there are only three months left until this little one comes along. I won't lie, I'm only getting more impatient by the day. My darling girlfriend Lindsey is having her baby tomorrow morning, and I just can't wait to see pics of her little guy! And once he's born I'm going to be even more anxious for my little one to get here!

Well, it's only three more months, right? And those three months are *hopefully* going to fly by with all of the craziness that goes on during this time of the year. It's only going to get busier at work as we approach tax day (which, by the by, is April 18 this year because of some strange holiday in DC that happens to fall on April 15). And things are going to get hectic at home as C and I prepare the house for our son. So far C has made some progress on the painting in the nursery. Behold:

Looks awesome, eh? This is the beginning of the sunken pirate ship. I love it! The whole thing is going to end up being an underwater shipwreck scene, so there will be a lot of colorful fish and coral reef and what not. Even the ceiling is going to be painted to look like the ocean's surface from below. I feel pretty confident in saying that it will be the most unique nursery you'll ever see! Being able to paint like this is precisely why I bought my condo instead of renting again. Well that, and rates were at an all time low, so who can pass that up? But being able to be as creative as I want to with the paint in each room is the real perk of owning :) Mark my words: my baby boy will have no shortage of colorful things to look at when he finally moves into his nursery.

I'm a bit scared of my third trimester, though, in that I'm going to be getting HUGE! My son weighs about a pound at the moment (according to my book, but I'm thinking he weighs more than that since he was 1.5 oz more than what the book said was normal at 19 weeks), and he's only getting bigger. I'm afraid that by the time July rolls around I won't even be able to get into or out of my car for being so big. Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll be born early like my nephie poo was (though, nephie poo was born at 8 lb 10 oz and that was supposedly two weeks early. We suspect that the due date was over-estimated). C is really hoping for a July 4 birth, though, because how awesome would that be? HUGE party with FIREWORKS every year on your birthday? That would definitely be pretty freaking cool. July 3 or 5 wouldn't be too bad either, because then we could have separate celebrations involving fireworks. Can't complain about that!

The third trimester is, however, supposed to be the most exciting, since the baby starts to move around much more noticeably than during the first two trimesters. Over the last four days his movements have definitely become more noticeable and way more frequent. It's like he starts to move around as soon as I've been still for two minutes. And the movement is much more pronounced than it was before--instead of little flutters that could be mistaken for gas, it feels like kicks and pushing and stretching in my uterus. It's very odd, you know, feeling another being moving around in there. C hasn't felt any movement yet, but that will likely change very soon. I put my hand on my tummy yesterday and could feel the movements from outside while I was laying down, so it's just a matter of time before he starts kicking his daddy too. Soon enough we may even start SEEING him move around. That'll be really weird. I've heard many a tale about elbows and hands and feet sticking out randomly, and I won't lie: that freaks me out a little bit. But of course, it's all part of the territory. I'll get my body back to myself eventually. Well, the lower half of it at least ;-)

Milk Me

2011-03-01T07:12:00.004-07:00

The brave C and I attended a breastfeeding class last night, and to say the least it was educational. Thankfully we didn't get stuck with one of those lactation consultants that is adamant about breastfeeding until the age of five (though, she did admit to nursing her youngest until he was three, which is a bit excessive in my opinion, but I'm not judging), but she was very informative and positive about the benefits. I even learned that breastfeeding can reduce MY risk of female cancers like breast and ovarian. That's pretty nifty, eh?

Breastfeeding, in my opinion, is pretty much a non-decision. It's free, it's WAY better for the baby, and there will be no substitute for the bonding that will go on between me and my son. Plus, dirty diapers are less of a mess, there's less spitting up, and barely (if any) burping. And it means that I don't have to get up and make a bottle when the baby is hungry. I can even nurse in bed while I'm trying to sleep! Seriously, what isn't to love about it? Other than the constant reminder that my tits are actually functional instead of just for funsies, I guess. Meh, I'm over it.

Now, as far as how long I will breastfeed goes, I'm shooting to make it a full year. I was a bit worried about being bitten when his teeth start coming in, but I figure it's probably similar to training a dog not to bite, only easier because human babies are a lot smarter than dogs (one hopes, right? Right). My niece's momma told me that she only had to flick her a couple of times before she stopped biting. Granted, I'm having a little boy who is part me and part C, so it's quite possible that he'll bite me more than twice before he understands that it's not kosher. Or he'll do it simply because he can. I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there.

See, this is (one of) my issue(s) with being pregnant: all the speculation. I just want the prize at the end of this long, body-changing road! I've heard women just go on and on about the joys of being pregnant, but honestly I think it blows. The uncomfort only increases by the day, and maternity clothing is becoming the bane of my existence. I smell funny, my breath is worse than it has ever been ALL THE TIME, and there is so much mucus in my body right now that I am simply in AWE of my mucus-creating abilities. And don't even get me started about the mood swings. I practically bit C's head off last night over the best way to sanitize baby bottles. WTF? I have no idea, but I'm not a fan. Damn hormones.

This is my 23rd week, though, so that means there are only 17 left. Whoa! That's crazy. I found out at 17 weeks, and now there's only that much more to go? I guess I can't complain about that. The baby counter over there says I've got 122 days left. That's a lot...I think I'll stick to the week calculation. For some reason 17 weeks is a lot less daunting than 122 days. 17 more weeks....17 more weeks....17 more weeks...

Kanye West is a Douche

2011-02-20T07:57:00.006-07:00

That being said, I have to admit that he makes decent music every now and then. For example, All of the Lights, featuring Rihanna (whom I love, if you couldn't tell).
Well, with the generous help of others, obviously.

Changing

2011-02-16T07:06:00.005-07:00

So, my belly is getting bigger ever second, it seems, and I'm starting to think that I'll be giving birth to a 9 lb baby in July. He was measuring at 11 oz at my 19 week ultrasound, which is more than the 9.5 to 10.5 oz my book says is typical at this point. I won't be all that surprised, actually, if that happened, because big, bald, blond babies are pretty much the norm in my family. My nephie poo was 8 lbs 10 oz when he was born, and my cousin's baby was 10 lbs! And the level of infant baldness in my family is way past cute. Check this out:

These are both babies mentioned above (my nephie poo is on the right, cousin is on the left) when they are about five to six months old. And this is my nephie poo at nearly a year old:

I was this bald (according to my parentals) until I was almost two, which is crazy considering how much hair I have now. C is pretty convinced that our baby will be the exception to this rule, though. He's got Italian blood, and those are pretty dominant genes. I hope that he's right. I just love baby hair! And there's a pretty good chance that my boy will have curls too (and by pretty good chance I really mean that he'd better have curls or I will be very, very disappointed in my genetics). So, if I'm lucky, I'll birth a not-too-big baby with tons of curly, dark hair, and if I'm not lucky he'll be huge, blond and bald as a cue ball until he's two. Either way, of course, I'll be happy to have a healthy little boy.

So I've been aware of the boy growing inside my body for about four weeks now, and since then I've been waiting to feel anything other than the excited/apprehensive/scared-shitless feeling I get whenever I think about it (which is pretty often, if not constantly). I have been wondering if it is pregnancy that changes you or if it is the birthing process or if it is the child himself after he's taken his first breath of oxygen. Being pregnant only makes me feel fat and hormonal, along with the scared-shitless part, but overall I still feel like the same person I was 6 months ago, only with more worries about the future than ever before. Does having a child really change you at all, though? I've heard people say that it does, but all the moms that I know (aside from a select few that went totally crazy) are pretty much the same as they were before, only with more responsibilities than ever. Hmm. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

In other news, C and I are pretty much in sync when it comes to raising our boy. He's already given me the "he's a boy, so he's probably going to get in trouble and get hurt" lecture about being overprotective. I'm a big proponent of letting kids learn for themselves, so I don't think I'll be freaking out every time he gets a bump on the head or anything, but I guess we'll just have to see what kind of momma bear instincts kick in when reality strikes. I've been told by several friends already that my baby is going to be born a badass simply because his father and I are such badasses (C more than me, though I've been known to exhibit badassery when the occasion calls for it), and I know without a doubt that my son will be too smart for his own good. I am slightly concerned about how he'll behave, but the way I see it any kid can be taught to behave if the training starts early enough. C was a little rebel from the beginning, but I figure that's mostly because of the situation in which he lived (his mom was not around a lot due to being in the military). It will be an interesting study for both of us in the whole nature vs nurture debate.

Oh yeah, and I've been feeling the baby move a lot over the last few days. He seems to be awake and active mostly in the evening. I really hope that trend continues after birth. When I was a baby I slept through the night two days after I got home from the hospital. C claims that he was a good sleeper too, and a very quiet and content baby, so I'm REALLY crossing my fingers that our son is the same. With my luck, though, he'll end up having colic for months on end, in which case I'll likely go crazy from lack of sleep. Let's hope, for C's sake, that doesn't happen.

My Sleepy Kitty

2011-02-11T20:02:00.004-07:00

Crazy cat lady alert: My cat is adorable.

Seriously, I want to squeeze her all the time. She's not a fan of that kind of thing, but I do it anyway. Because, honestly, how do you resist this?

Even when she is naughtily sitting on C's laptop, it's hard to be too angry because she's just so fluffy and little (not an oz over 8 lbs since she was about a year and a half old). I'm starting to suspect that she knows something strange is going on with me. She's been very needy and particularly cuddly lately, which is very out of character for her. I already know that she is NOT going to be happy when the baby comes home. She hasn't liked my nephew since he was a baby in his car seat, even though he's never done anything except look at her. So, I expect that I'll have to tolerate some acting out from her when the new addition comes home, but she'll get used to it eventually.

Musical Meanderings

2011-02-07T09:57:00.005-07:00

So, I love Rihanna. Seriously, I think she is beautiful and talented, which is a combination that doesn't seem to exist so much any more in the pop world. I just recently purchased her new album, and while it's too soon to say that I love it, I do like it a lot, particularly Love the Way You Lie, Part 2, which features Eminem (aka the Brett Farve of the music industry). She's always made pretty decent choices when it comes to pairings. For example, one of my VERY favorite pairings ever: OMG THESE TWO MUSICIANS ARE HOT!! Seriously, I'm pretty sure my temperature raises every time I watch it.

But what I want to know is this: what constitutes a "featured" artist? I mean, take this video for example:It's labeled "Rehab featuring Justin Timberlake," yet the man only sings like two lines in the whole thing. I suspect that he's just there for her to rub up against in the video. Not that I'm complaining, JT is a VERY sexy man, I just wonder if his involvement really constitutes being "featured" in the song. Hmm...

Ultrasounds

2011-02-05T10:59:00.005-07:00

In case you've never had an ultrasound, let me warn you: they ask you to have a full bladder, and then they spend 20 minutes pressing on that full bladder. Something about how looking through the bladder gives you better pictures. I don't really know how it works, but I did it anyway and I nearly peed my pants. So, don't say no one ever warned you ;-)

Anyhow. I've had two ultrasounds so far, one at 17 weeks to find out how far along I am, and the other at 19 weeks because that's when they could get me in for the midway exam. This is the only printout I got at the first one:

You can kinda tell there's a baby in there. His head is on the right, facing down. He was being a stinker at that one and refused to turn over. The ultrasound tech was able to get a good shot of "the stinger" (as he put it) though, so we got to find out that he is a boy practically right away.

The second ultrasound was yesterday, and I got a DVD of the whole thing, and eight slides that I've scanned in for posting on FB. These ones were a bit overexposed, either because the printer at my OBGYN clinic does that or because of the full bladder thing. Either way, he was less of a stinker this time :)He was actually facing upward, so we got a really good shot of his profile. Look at that little nose! We also got a straight on shot of his face, which I'm assuming is on the DVD. We also got good shots of his appendages:
That little foot makes me squee a little bit, I won't lie. I want to tickle it!
I think he's sucking his thumb in this one. I wouldn't be surprised if he developed the habit. My family is notorious for it. So we'll see.

The whole thing turned out to be normal, and the tech said we wouldn't have to come back for another one unless something comes up later on. I can't even begin to tell you how impatient I already am for him to be born! I am not a patient person, as y'all can attest. My only option at this point, though, is to focus on being healthy and making sure my baby is comfy as possible while he continues to take over my midsection.

Oh, and isn't nausea supposed to go away in the second trimester? I didn't puke at ALL in my first tri (though, I was nauseous nearly every morning), but I've hurled three times so far in the second. Isn't that a bit backwards?

A Bun in the Oven

2011-02-02T15:25:00.006-07:00

So, the whole family knows now, and the news has been made public via facebook, so I guess it's safe to post these pictures now.

Yup, it's true. I am currently incubating a little boy inside my uterus (which is as strange to me as it sounds written out that way). As the doctor put it when I found out, it's a very strong positive. There's no mistaking that pink line. Turns out I've been preggers for 19 weeks as of this week (I found out at 17 weeks), so I got to cruise through my first trimester completely unaware. Actually, in complete denial is a better way to put it. I can't say that I was not nauseous pretty much every morning from November until now (though, I didn't actually hurl, so that's lucky), and I can also not say that I wasn't completely exhausted for no reason during the last quarter of the year. And I guess that explains the wicked heartburn I was having (that too has abated for the most part) and the weight I've gained since my back surgery in September. Still, perhaps being in denial helped my first trimester go by quickly and somewhat painlessly.

I also got lucky in that I found out about the baby's existence and that he is a boy all within 24 hours, which means I got to skip all the hoping/worrying about gender completely! And I would have worried too, because I've always wanted to have a boy first, so I would have spent many days obsessing over it. It's not that I don't love little girls (my niece is just adorable!), I just always hoped that any daughters I had would have an older brother. Plus, I hear that little boys are harder to deal with as babies but get easier as they get older, which is a theory I can get on board with, being that I have two younger brothers. Girls are easy to start with but get harder as they go along, which is something to which I can also attest, having been born a girl and remembering in all-too-vivid detail the hell that was going through puberty. So all in all, I'm pretty stoked to be having a boy!

It's a good thing too because I'm not at all into the pink/fairy/princess stuff that usually goes along with having a daughter. I decided basically right away that we'd be going with a pirate theme in the nursery, and that wouldn't work so well with a girl. I mean, could you purchase something like this for a baby girl?

Well, I probably would still, but I'm sure I'd get funny looks for it. I'm already registered on Amazon and at Target, and I would just like to take the chance to tell Amazon THANK YOU for having awesome baby pirate stuff that Target would never dream of carrying. Though, I did find a diaper bag at Target that is black with jolly rogers on it. The BF (aka C) and I will be painting my second bedroom in an underwater/sunken ship motif, and I'll most likely be making my own crib bedding because everything pre-made that I've found so far is way too cutesy. Don't be surprised when the first photo you see of an infant will be one of him in a jolly roger onesie or something of the like.

So, stay tuned for updates. Let's face it: being pregnant and planning for the little one will probably be the only things I blog about for a while. My second ultrasound (for the halfway point exam) is scheduled for this Friday, so I should have some ultrasound pics for posting soon. I'm going to try not to over do it, but it is not my fault that one's brain finds it impossible to focus on anything else when there is a life growing in one's body. It's still a lot surreal to me, which isn't that surprising considering I was pretty close to being halfway through when I found out about being pregnant. Surprise! I've always kind of suspected that that is how it would go for me, though. I'm not so good at long term planning, so it's probably a good thing that it snuck up on me. C and I are very excited about it, though, and have a lot to do before our son makes his grand entrance!

This Weekend in Pictures

2011-01-31T16:36:00.004-07:00

So, if you know me at all you probably know that I've been obsessing over my youngest brother coming home off his mission for about the last month. He flew in with my parentals on Tuesday, January 25, and then I headed up to grand old I-De-Ho on Thursday to spend the weekend with the fam, reveling in the fact that we are whole again. As always, the time at home was spent running around after this one:

His adorableness lessens a bit now that he's developed selective hearing (such a manly quality!) and an attitude to rival my own. It's a good thing he's got so many aunts and uncles to keep him in line! Speaking of uncles, tell me these boys don't look alike:

I mean, aside from the fact that the Elder Brother is so tan! He's very glad to be home again, except of course for this situation:

Yes, that is three feet of snow piled up from the streets and the driveway. And it turns out that IF does not believe in (or maybe they just don't understand the concept of) salting the roads to melt ice. So getting into and out of the neighborhood was a bit of a challenge. But this kid made it all 100% worth it:

Isn't he such a stud? In case you were wondering, he's already on the prowl. I think it's safe to say that girls are his number 1 priority. Forget about going to school for an education, it's time to get hitched! But don't worry, because I made him promise not to be married within the next six months. Hopefully he'll stick to that, but you know how it goes with these returned missionaries. Particularly since he'll be attending BYU-I starting in February. Soooooooooooo, mostly I'm thinking he'll be hitched or at least on his way to being hitched by the end of this year.

Also, for the sake of cuteness, this is the other brother's puppy beating up the 70 lb dog:

The best part is that he does want to play with her, as long as he can lie on his back and just bat at her with his ridiculously long legs. What a doofus he is, but dang do we love him!

(not my) Vacation Pics

2011-01-24T07:49:00.004-07:00

Mom and Dad are still down in Cancun enjoying the sun, sending me pictures like this:And this:
This is just from the first dive she did. Apparently there are two more. I'm just going to say that I'm EXTREMELY jealous.

Elder Brother

2011-01-09T06:53:00.005-07:00

(mine is the blond one, in case you were confused!)

For those of you that are counting, my little bro Geoff has been in Mexico proselyting for the LDS Church for 23 months and some change. This means that he is coming home in exactly 17 days!! I can't even begin to tell you how stoked I am for his return. We got to chat with him at Christmas, and it sounds like he is ready to be coming home too. I can certainly attest to the fact that the rest of the Belnaps are ready and rearing. The parentals are packing up and headed down to Cancun the weekend of January 21 to pick him up. Of course, they'll be doing some sight-seeing before they collect him from the mission home. Mom intends to go scuba diving in the ocean for probably the first time since she was in college, and I'm fairly certain Dad intends to golf. Geoff gave them specific instructions about getting their tourist activities done first, then picking him up, because he wants to get home ASAP! Honestly, having been to Cancun and having seen what he's been living in for the last two years (clay huts with thatched roofs, sleeping in a hammock, washing his clothes by hand, living in constant humidity), I can't blame him in the least!

So, his homecoming will be on Sunday, January 30, and we'll be hosting the open house. I'll be in town from the 27th or 28th to the 30th. I'm pretty sure we're serving Mexican food at the house after his address in church on Sunday, and sad as it is I have to question my Mom's judgement on that choice. When she told me we're having Mexican I said "Seriously? Don't you think Geoff is sick of Mexican food by now?" I mean, personally, I'd want a cheeseburger and fries, or a steak off of Dad's grill, but Mom wants to do Mexican so that's what we're doing, only without beans and rice because Geoff is SURELY sick of those by now. So, despite the redundant food choice, please feel free to stop by the Belnap house on January 30 if you are going to be in IF or any of the surrounding areas on that day :)

A Milestone

2011-01-06T14:47:00.003-07:00

I've been watching my odometer pretty closely for the last few days, because it was about to do this:

Yup, that's right. 100K, baby! And my car will last more than another 100K, I'm sure of it. That's why I bought a Honda. Sure, I dropped nearly $1200 into this year, but that's what it takes to keep it going the way it should, and there shouldn't be any more super expensive maintenance items on it for a long while. I'm extremely grateful for my reliable car.

Here It Goes Again

2011-01-02T13:01:00.003-07:00

So it's 2011, and, not surprisingly, I feel no different than I did in 2010. That's pretty standard, though, so whatever. I am kind of excited to be starting a new year, though, because the beginning of another year forces me to evaluate what is going to happen and what I need to make happen in the coming 12 months. First and foremost I'm going to be focusing on improving me. I was laid up for six months last year due to a herniated disk, and I managed to pack on what feels like 100 extra pounds during that time (it's probably closer to like 15, but seriously, it feels like a lot more). So, priority is to be getting rid of that and more, so that all of my clothes will fit properly again. What's the plan? Well to start with there will be no more fast food for this girl, and I'm going to be better about bringing food with me to work instead of going out to lunch every day. I'm also going to be utilizing the gift I bought myself for Christmas, Dance Dance Revolution. Yes, yes. I am a giant nerd. I know. I can't help that it is awesome! I will also be utilizing some other at home equipment, like a balance ball and my yoga mat, because in addition to gaining weight my injury also cost me most of my flexibility (word to the wise, try to avoid herniated disks at all costs. Trust me, they are no bueno).

Second priority is going to be getting my business endeavor up and running. I'm already underway, in that I've set up an Etsy store, but as you will see, there isn't anything for sale yet. There will be, though, as soon as I'm able to take some decent photos. That will probably have to wait until I have my office set up, which brings me to my more immediate priority of setting up my office. I'm in a pretty decent position to finally do so, thanks to a settlement check I'll be collecting from the lawyers office on Tuesday. I see an IKEA trip in my very near future. Said settlement check is also going to be used to pay off my credit card balance and pay down the car loan, but mainly it will be used to start the transition from corporate employee to self-employed. I'm not 100% sure if self-employment will be accomplished by TheNWB itself (though, honestly, if I could throw pottery and crochet all day every day, I most definitely would!), but there are many other options out there for me, and I intend to investigate them all thoroughly.

So that's really it for me and my goals in 2011. As always, of course, I am determined to have more fun this year than I did last year. I figure that as long as I don't get injured again I should be good to go. Granted, 2010 was fun regardless of the injury, but I'm just gonna go ahead and try to avoid any further injuries just for the sake of my spine; it's messed up enough as it is from two separate injuries sustained almost exactly 10 years apart (9 years and 6 months, to be more exact). So let's just put that on the list too: in 2011 I will not sustain any injuries. That's a good goal to have, right? Right.

I guess I should also resolve to spend more time with my family, and to keep in better touch with the friends and family that don't live near me. I'm also going be better about saving money. I have a very nicely sized retirement fund at the moment, thanks to the contributions that my employer makes each pay period, but I have very little (practically zero) cash savings for back up expenses, so I'm reverting back to the savings philosophy with which I was raised: save 10% of every pay check first thing before anything else. Sounds easy enough! We'll see how it goes.

All in all, and as always, I am optimistic about the coming year. Heres to making 2011 better than 2010!

Winter Solstice

2010-12-21T10:05:00.002-07:00

Today is the Winter Solstice, aka the shortest day of the year. Making it more exciting this year, the moon is also full and there will be a lunar eclipse tonight. Too bad for us here in SLC that won't be able to see it due to the cloud cover. Damn snow.

I'm Not a Total Hum Bug

2010-12-20T07:00:00.003-07:00

So, the parents were in town yesterday and hooked me up with some wrapped gifts, so I figured I'd put up the tree. Behold!

Busting out the blue and silver again this year, mostly because they were the first ornaments I came across. Yes, those are blue ball ornaments hanging from the ceiling around the tree. Because that's how I roll.

Christmas....and junk

2010-12-19T11:22:00.004-07:00

So, Christmas is in six days. I'm sure I've said this before, but I'm just not into the whole Christmas thing. I STILL haven't even put up my tree, and in fact it seems kind of silly for me to do it now. It's not like I've got any wrapped gifts to put under it anyway. That's not to say that I didn't get gifts for my loved ones, I just didn't wrap any of them because none of them will be at my house on Christmas morning. Instead, my parentals and little sis are on their way to UT this very moment, so we'll be exchanging gifts directly tonight at dinner (at In-n-Out, because where else would you go to celebrate Christmas in America?). I will be making a delicious dinner on Christmas Eve, but Christmas day will be reserved to sitting around watching netflix in my pajamas with the BF. Now that's my kind of Christmas!

The really exciting part of the holidays for me is going to be next week, when I leave Wednesday night for Boise, ID. Going to Boise in and of itself is not exciting (trust me), but I'm excited to see my mom's side of the family all gathered in one place for the first time in YEARS and YEARS, and I'll get to meet my cousins' babies that I haven't met yet (sadly, two of the three I haven't met live in Provo, which is a mere 40 miles away, but I try to avoid that place, for obvious reasons). Plus, my BF hasn't ever been to Boise, so he's (unrealistically) excited to see it. So, I'm looking forward to New Years much more than I am looking forward to Christmas. Though, I am pretty stoked to be inheriting the Rock Band equipment that has been sitting in my parents' basement collecting dust for over a year. And I am stoked for the present I bought myself this year: Dance Dance Revolution for my Wii! Did you know that the first game system I ever bought on my own (the slim PS2) I purchased specifically so that I could play DDR? If that makes me a nerd, then I am most definitely a nerd.

Anyhoo. Happy Holidays to all y'all :)

One of my Hometowns

2010-12-10T11:49:00.006-07:00

Sad as it is, I can't deny the fact that I come straight out of the "happiest" place on Earth: Provo, UT. Yes, it's true. I spent the first 12 years of my life in Happy Valley, and I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that I got out of it when I did (thanks, parentals!). Why am I so happy? Well, this video about sums it up:

It would not be so freaking hilarious if it wasn't so true. Even my peeps that live in Provo can't deny it (go on and try!). Provo girls are a special brand of crazy.

Shakeweight and Truth

2010-12-01T07:45:00.006-07:00

So, I just came around the corner and work and one of my coworkers was holding a Shakeweight. I can't even begin to tell you how entertained I am by this product. I mean...have you seen the commercial? Even if you have, please enjoy it again for me:Awesome, right? I mean, do they even realize??? I suppose they don't, which is both sad and hilarious at the same time. Maybe they should watch THIS ONE instead to get a clue (I literally almost peed my pants watching that version!) I never thought I'd come across one in real life, but then one just showed up! Of course I had to try it. Get this: it doesn't turn on! Here I'm thinking that the thing shakes on its own, but NO! You actually have to shake it yourself... ... ... yup. Entertainment for days.

So, on a less scandalous note, perhaps, one of my coworkers emailed me this list, and I had to repost:

Undeniable Truths for mature humans

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Excellence

2010-11-22T16:21:00.002-07:00

Doing what I do and having the kind of internet surfing skills that I do, y'all should know by now how much I love my funny Web sites. In the last couple of days I have stumbled across a few more, possibly even funnier sites that I just HAVE to share.

First and foremost, Regretsy. I can't even begin to tell you how much this site and its author please me. All of the "whimsicle fuckery" is just amazing. I find it amusing that some people who happen across the site are so easily offended, but I guess I ALWAYS find it amusing when people get offended so easily. And, as an aspiring crafter myself, it's nice to know that there are people out there trying desperately to sell the crafty crap they come up with and that there are people out there willing to buy such crap. That is very, very excellent news for me ;-)

Secondly, Chalkboard Manifesto. This site reminds me a lot of XKCD, what with the stick figures and sarcasm and what not. Just check it out to experience the awesomeness for yourself.

And last but not least, Srsly Sorry is just raucus, raunchy, backhanded, passive-aggressive fun. I'm seriously sorry if you don't get it.

Blast!

2010-11-21T08:13:00.003-07:00

The last three days have been unusually warm and windy in SLC, so I knew that a storm was coming our way. I didn't think it would dump a foot of snow at my house overnight, though! Of course, I had to drive through the worst of it to work this morning, and let me assure you that the trek was nerve-wracking. It's 8 a.m. now, and thankfully things have calmed down to a lazy sprinkling of tiny flakes. I still took the time to move my car into underground parking (thank goodness it's free on Sundays!).

As much as I don't like the snow, I will be the first to admit that it is pretty. I snapped this photo on my phone on my way back into work from the parking garage:

I do love it when the snow coats all the branches, making it look like it's frozen. So pretty! Still, I could do without the cold.

Five Weeks In

2010-11-04T12:20:00.007-06:00

Can I just say how grateful I am to have a job? Sure, I haven't been to the office in five weeks, but knowing that it's there when I'm ready to return is so awesome. I'm starting to count the days left--10 to be exact--with both anxious excitement, because I am bored out of my MIND being at home for so long, and certain dread, because I know that it's been crazy at work since I left, and I'm going to be working more than 40 hours a week right off the bat I'm sure. There was some shuffling of teams and what not while I was gone too, so I'll be returning to a slightly different dynamic. Hopefully the new peeps will be as cool as my old peeps. I'm sure they will be.

Anyhow. What have I accomplished in five weeks of free time? Well, mostly I've done a LOT of cleaning, and let me assure you that cleaning gets REALLY old really quickly. I also put up and partially took down the Halloween decor. The biggest endeavor was painting my sliding glass door, which I did around the first of October. As I intended, my condo was easily discernible for a while:

I love Halloween. I was going for a sunken pirate ship look, because I refuse to take down the fish I decorated with for my birthday :) You can't see it in this picture, but there are bloody hand prints in the porthole on the right. I love how acrylic paint just scrapes right off of the glass! For the moment my sliding glass door is clear, but rest assured that it will not be for long!

I've been to Idaho Falls once, and I made my momma a quilt for her birthday. Check it out!

Neato, eh? I like how the stripes go different directions. I did that on purpose. Mom took it to a Skyline Football game and received a death threat, apparently, because our rival's school colors are black and orange. In the shared stadium it's practically blasphemy to take orange onto the Skyline side, or blue onto the IF side. Mom pointed out the purple and was let off the hook, I guess. I'm thinking she won't take it to another football game anytime soon :) I've got enough material for a second one, which I will get around to actually assembling sometime between now and next Halloween.

Owning my house is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better than renting ever was for many reasons. My favorite part about it, though, is the fact that I can decorate however I want. And that means painting my walls as such:

The fish aren't painted (I'm not THAT talented). I just loved how the turquoise I chose for that wall looks like ocean water, so I couldn't resist completing the scene with coral and what not. Took me all day, but I'd rather spend my time being artistic and creative than any other way!

Speaking of which, I have spent quite a lot of time at the pottery studio in the last five weeks. I've thrown a lot of useful things lately. I'm particularly proud of my salt and pepper shakers, which will hopefully be ready by Christmas so that I can give one of the two pairs away. As always, though, I'll be surprised if that actually happens. November and December are traditionally very crazy months at the studio, and I learned long ago not to expect too much as far as finished product goes during these months. I guess we'll see. I'll be posting pics eventually :)

So that's basically it. I am going scuba diving for the first time ever tonight with T at the scuba place in Holladay. I'm totally stoked on that. I think that it's something I could really get into. But for the time being there is yet more cleaning to do around here. Such is the life, I guess.

Surgery and What Not

2010-10-12T12:59:00.004-06:00

So, I'm thinking it's a good thing that I had surgery a week and a half ago and this is the first time that I'm actually blogging. I am taking it as a good thing because that means that I wasn't sitting around with time on my hands for the last week and a half. Nope. I was busy with friends and family and tattoo work and writing and partying it up! Basically my recovery so far has been awesome. So that's one week and counting, and if things keep going the way they have been, the next six weeks of recovery time are going to be awesome.

Of course, I may not need the whole six weeks. I'm already down to one pain pill per day (none so far today!), but that may be because I've been taking naps in the afternoon. Sleep is very important for the healing process, you know ;-) I'm trying not to over do it, though. Too much sleep isn't good for you either. The surgeon stitched me up with the dissolving stitches and skin glue, so I don't have to go have anything removed. I do see the surgeon again in a couple of weeks. Hopefully at that point he'll tell me that I can resume massages for a while to loosen my muscles back up. Muscle memory is definitely no joke. My body thinks that I have been injured again (which isn't that far off actually, since surgery is really just controlled injury to the body), so my hip muscles have clamped back down on the joint to keep my leg from falling off. They did the same thing when I broke my leg 10 years ago, and right after the car accident in March. My massage therapist, Connie, and I had made a lot of progress getting those muscles to chill out before the surgery, and now they're right back to being overprotective.

So that's that. I have pictures on my phone to be posted. Stay tuned for them :)

I'm A City Girl

2010-09-23T09:10:00.005-06:00

But I can't really deny where I'm from. Let's be honest, Idaho is about as country as it gets. Particularly Southeast Idaho. I do love living in a bigger city, though, and the fact that I was not born in ID probably saves me the Wranglers, plaid and a baseball cap gene. Country music is not really my favorite either, though I do love me some hot country men like Timmy and Keith Urban and the guys from Rascall Flatts. I've recently developed an appreciation for the classic outlaws too. Who doesn't love Cash and Willy? Seriously. And if you ever want to tell me that country music is less offensive than rap music, you should listen to some of David Allen Coe's non-publicized songs and get back to me (er...that one is nsfw. This one is funny and only slightly inappropriate tho! ;->).

Anyway. One of the country musicians I've always appreciated is Cletus T. Judd. If you don't know, he's the Weird Al of country (and I bet he hates that comparison). When I was first exposed, I heard his silly songs like Did I Shave My Back for This?, which is mild compared to some of the things that I've heard from him recently. Cletus is still silly, but he's apparently taken up politics as well. And you know, I've gotta give it to him for not mincing words about it either. Exhibit A:

And you know what? He's right. Look, I voted for Obama, and despite everything I haven't lost complete faith in him. He really did inherit a HUGE mess. And he's been looking older and older because I'm sure the stress is more than any of the rest of us could handle. But we're going on two full years of his reign and things have not and are not changing. Well, they are changing, because change is always inevitable, but if anything the economic situation has worsened. Unemployment is at 9.6 percent? That's insane, particularly considering what he had to say about unemployment while he was campaigning for the stimulus package.

There is some good news, though. Retail sales are up, and one can never complain about that. It doesn't surprise me, though. I know I'm not having any problem spending the money I do have,. but I have also had to spend some of the money I don't have, which is bad, but it's better than being charged out the wazoo for late payments and overdrafts, right? Right. The GDP is up too, and there are 27,000 new jobs available in UT this month, which means that all of the new, prominent, flashy advertising I see from local businesses is not just a coincidence.

So at least my state's economy is recovering a bit, but that's probably mostly because it wasn't hit as hard as the rest of the country. I guess I have to count that as a bonus of living in this sheltered place. UT aside, the national economic situation is still out of control. Granted, it did take us a good eight years to get into this mess, so perhaps it's too much to expect any one man to get us out of it in two. But after this year President Obama will only have two left, and he'll have to spend those ones actually making things happen if he even has a shot at re-election. And honestly, if he doesn't stop trying to please everyone in congress (and all of their various corporate supporters) and start making good on everything he promised the voters in the first place, he deserves to be voted out.

And yet, eternal optimist that I am, I can't help but be hopeful. Here's to 2011 being kinder to my 401(k).

Some of My Favorite Things

2010-09-22T10:48:00.006-06:00

Puppies and IKEA furniture. This is why I love OK Go. Well that, and these:

and

(not the real video, bc the douches on youtube have disabled embedding for all of the real ones, but Legos are almost as awesome, so it'll do!)

and last but certainly not least, the awesomeness that is this:

These guys are pretty much the epitome of awesome.

I Got Better...

2010-09-21T06:26:00.003-06:00

Click to see the whole thing. So classic!
courtesy of GraphJam

Photo Roundup

2010-09-20T06:46:00.003-06:00

If one were to scroll through the photo reel on my phone one would find one of two types of pictures: the series, in which several pics are taken of the same thing or event, and the randoms, which have no theme or connection. For example:

This came out of a high school memory box not too long ago, and I felt compelled to display it. This is a classic example of what Bestie and I called the Caitlin page. Many a page of big blank paper was covered similarly, using our favorite weapon of choice, the crayola marker. The Caitlin page either began or encouraged my collage obsession...

A lady bug made its way into my house during my birthday party. She was there for a couple of days too. I tried to help her get back outside, but my efforts were in vain. I didn't see her again, though, so I hope she made it!

This is a tree outside of my Chiropractor's office. It was the first tree I saw changing colors, and this is two or three weeks after I first noticed. The weather has been amazing for the last two weeks: warm with a nice cool breeze. Perfect! But the creeping brown on these leaves and the red pockets showing up on the mountain face don't lie: Winter is coming.

Not surprisingly, one of the themed series on my photo reel is Kitty, and now it's not just my kitty! Meet Hanna:

She is one of T's kitties, and she has gorgeous green eyes and the cutest little cheeks you will ever see!

Speaking of green eyes, this is what happens when Kitty looks directly at the camera as it is flashing:

Alien kitty! The best part is that the reflected flash is so much that you can hardly see the rest of her.

Reality? Nah, I'd Really Rather Not...

2010-09-08T08:42:00.006-06:00

I love to travel and all, but the stacation is awesome. I can't remember the last time I was so well rested! Getting up and coming to work this morning was barely even a struggle. On the downside, though, my house is a mess AGAIN, despite me having spent so much time cleaning during my week and a half off. I did get much accomplished, though, the least of which are not the following:

The IKEA dresser that has been waiting patiently in its box at the end of my bed has finally been rescued from the darkness of boxitude. Behold its gloriousness!

I also got a wild creative hair on Monday, and what resulted was the following painting (with original, for comparartive purposes).

My obsession with Lady Gaga is reaching new levels. She is just so utterly fabulous that I can't help it! This pic, btw, is out of the most recent Vanity Fair.

I was also able to spend some quality time with this little one

He is just too cute! As a now-three year old, he doesn't look too much different than when he was two, but his brain is obviously developing at a fast pace. I picked him up from day care one day last week, and he came over with his mom to swim in my pool before they closed it down for the season (so soon! I'm totally bummed) on Monday. Before they even left my house he was telling his mom "I miss my Auntie." God, I love that kid!

And, of course, my other major accomplishment has laready been mentioned, but here's a pic for good measure.

Asus is currently rated the No. 1 PC brand, apparently. So far I like it. Mostly because it allows me to surf the web and use Photoshop from my couch, but also because it was my first major business expense. Exciting things to come for sure!

It's About Time!

2010-08-31T08:49:00.002-06:00

So, here I am, lounging comfortably on my couch and working on my computer at the same time because I FINALLY purchased a computer. The lounging part comes in because I saved myself $200 by not purchasing a monitor. My TV is bigger than any monitor I've ever seen, and it has an HDMI port, so why not? Hello 32" of internet surfing power on 1 whole terabyte of harddrive space. If you can't tell, I'm totally geeking out over it. Computers sure have come a LONG way since I purchased my first lap top for $100 on eBay eight years ago. It was old and heavy, but it had notepad and paint, and that's all I needed at the time. Now look at me! I've got a laptop sitting over here, and my entertainment center is home to a Wii (and its accessories), a DVD player and about 20 DVDs and a computer tower connected straight into the flat screen. I feel so modern!

In other news, I've got this whole week off work. I just found this out on Sunday. My liquidity situation has me on a staycation, which I'm okay with because I need to get a LOT of stuff done. In fact, some of that stuff requires my immediate attention. Luckily, though, thanks to the new set up, it does not require that I move more than my finger tips. Technology is a beautiful thing.

The Problem with My State...

2010-08-17T09:37:00.001-06:00

Well, let's be honest. There are A LOT of problems with my state, but this one in particular has got my blood boiling today.

This is precisely why I refuse to live in anywhere outside of the county in which I currently live (which, it just so happens, is the only one in the state where members of the dominant religion are the minority). I'm sorry, but where does "personal choice" come into play here? Isn't it pretty obvious that there would be smoke inside of a hooka bar? And that being the case, doesn't it stand to reason that the people going into a hooka bar would be aware of that fact?

Sure, don't smoke in buildings where no one expect there to be smoke, but in a bar? And in a hooka bar for that matter? COME ON! I'm not saying that everyone who goes to a bar smokes. I am saying, though, that people EXPECT THERE TO BE SMOKE IN BARS, and personally I don't think there are too many people out there who thought to themselves: "Wow! No more secondhand smoke in the bar! That means I can go in there and destroy my liver without having to worry about lung cancer. That is so awesome!"

In fact, I'm prett sure the people who were all petitioning the state to crack down on the whole indoor smoking thing are the same ones that would prefer to ban the smoking of cigarettes (and everything else) all together. And drinking, for that matter, because the sight of alcohol being poured and mixed behind the bar at Applebee's might polute the innocence of a child's mind. All those brightly colored alcoholic beverages, and the smiling people enjoying them could seriously scar a poor child's mind, and just that glimpse is more than enough to turn them to a life of SIN!

I wish I were exaggerating. They recently took wine coolers and what not (i.e. bitch beer) out of gas stations and grocery stores for the same reason, because such things were OBVIOUSLY intended to be purchased by underaged drinkers, and because the rest of us should be subjected to the morals and standards of the fundamentalist that founded the place.

For those of you that have never been here, consider yourselves lucky. It used to be that if you wanted to even go into a bar around here you had to put your name in the database and become a "member," or you had to be with someone who was already a member AND still put your name in the database. Thankfully that law has been done away with, only it was replaced with a scan of your ID. That sure does make it convenient for the DOT to see where you are on a Friday night, doesn't it?

Oh, Brother Big. You sure do keep a close eye on us.

The Gene Pool

2010-08-16T12:47:00.003-06:00

I come from a hot one.

SURPRISE!

2010-08-08T10:04:00.003-06:00

So, you know the bolt that was supposedly responsible for my car's A/C malfunction? You know, the one that was going to cost me $700 to fix? Well it turns out that I paid $100 to my dealership for nothing. The bolt (which was supposed to have punctured through the filter and was holding the "hole" shut) did not actually puncture--it only dented, and it was barely holding on. My BF only had to flick it away, and guess what! No leaking fluid. So my mechanic is going to be getting an earful as soon as we can stop playing phone tag.

In other news, BF was able to replace my starter motor successfully. The unsuccessful part of the whole endeavor was finding the correct starter. Apparently Honda makes two different types of starters for my car, and there is absolutely no way to determine which one is which. The manufacturers that make the part don't even know, because the part they had pictured was correct, but the part in the corresponding box was not. So it took me three hours to track down the correct one, had a guy at the auto parts store tell me that I could just un-mount the piece of the part that was wrong (DO NOT go to the Checkers on 45th and State if you live in SLC. Their employees are obviously retarded), and ended up paying $300 for the correct part from Honda. Thankfully the BF talked them down from closer to $400. Still--uber ridiculousness.

All in all, though, I saved about $400 replacing the part by hand instead of having it done at the dealership, thanks to The Wrench-It Center (which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone!) and my darling gear-head BF (it is so nice to have a man that is handy with tools and can fix a car around!). Hopefully I won't have to replace the starter again EVER.

Clive, I've Been So Good To You...

2010-08-03T06:17:00.003-06:00

I have been wondering most deeply if it is more than just coincidence that my car's starter is going out just now as my warranty is running thin. Probably not, which doesn't make the situation any better. And to add to it, here's what else needs to be fixed:

1. The Windshield. I've been driving around with a giant crack for about 2.5 years because I didn't have to go through safety/emissions last year.

2. The back brake pads. According to my mechanic, they'll be completely gone within the next 100 miles...

3. The A/C, which is going to cost me $700 just for the part because there is a three inch bolt embedded in the front air filter right below my license plate. Don't worry, that bolt is keeping the hole mostly sealed, and the air on the passenger's side is great. It's just the air on the driver's side that is warm all the time...

4. The back tires. I just had the front ones replaced at the beginning of June because there was a bubble in the front driver's side tire, but the back ones still have to be replaced.

The most excellent news of all is that I have to get all of this done before the end of August because my registration is up. Well, the A/C part isn't critical. I drive with my windows down anyway, and I don't exactly have $700 extra laying around (wouldn't that be nice?). But the starter isn't going to be cheap either. According to this new fangled internet, a replacement starter for my car is going to run $200, and of course that doesn't include labor. And to top it all off I just paid the dealership $140 for an oil change and to find out about the bolt in my air filter.

Honestly, I want a new car. I know that Hondas are supposed to last forever, and that at 100,000 miles they're only just getting started, but it does scare me a little that all of these problems are cropping up just as my warranty expires (I'm at 93K+ miles total). What happens when I cross that magical limit on the odometer? I'm scared to find out.

Let's Just Face It...

2010-07-21T06:30:00.002-06:00

Courtesy of GraphJam.

Overcompensation

2010-07-14T07:47:00.004-06:00

Dear Mr. Dodge Truck with Ridiculously Large Wheels Driver that Nearly Ran Me Over on I-15 this Morning:

Look, buddy. You aren't fooling anyone. I know life must really suck for a guy with such a small penis, but seriously? There is absolutely no other purpose for tires that big except to compensate for what you so obviously lack. I may have let it slide if there was any indication on your truck that it was used for heavy lifting or towing (let's say a construction company decal or a not-so-clever license plate holder that boldly declares that you'd rather be doing motocross), but your truck and its naked-lady-silhouette mud flaps were SPOTLESS.

Now, I don't know about anyone else, but a clean truck is one that obviously is not being put to its proper use. So why don't you just give it up and put the appropriate bumper sticker on your truck? I know that they make 'em, because my brother in law saw one on a truck similar to yours. It said "Yes, I have a small penis" and I guarantee that it has gotten him laid at least once. I'm even inclined to shake that man's hand, because at least he's aware of the fact that his giant truck is a dead give away. And there is a lot to be said about self-awareness.

That's definitely something you should look into, because apparently you don't realize that your giant monstrosity of a truck takes up more than its allotted amount of space on the freeway. I know you probably can't see just how far your tires are in my lane over your insecurity, but they're about halfway and closing. My car is moderately sized, not tiny, so it's not like I'm hard to see. If you're going to change lanes, GET THE F!#$ OVER ALREADY! If not, then stay in your own damn lane. And for god's sake USE YOUR BLINKER! It's one of the wands that sticks out from behind your steering wheel. The one with the most dust is probably your best bet.

Still, even a blinker won't save me if you decide to take me out monster truck style while I'm trying to pass you. It's called a blind spot, dumb ass, and you of all people should be checking it before drifting across the line. Of course why would you bother when you don't seem to realize that you're doing it? Considering the way you're drifting from side to side you're lucky that I or any of the other drivers on the road (all of whom are managing to stay in between the lines) don't call you in as a drunk driver. You should be thanking us, not running us all off the road.

Seriously, dude, we're onto you. Your giant truck doesn't make up for the fact that you got the short end of the stick (pun most definitely intended) when it comes to manhood. But that fact alone can be forgiven, particularly if you are not the insecure, unaware jerk that you appear to be. However, at this point, what with your tires coming within an inch of my passenger side doors and your inability to identify and utilize the dusty lever that is your blinker, it's not looking too good for you in terms of redemption. Still, I'm open to hear your defense. Or, perhaps, the more appropriate response would be to drop trou and prove me wrong. Either way, I still think you're a douche.

Sincerely,

A Concerned non-Utahn Utah Driver.

NEW!

2010-07-11T10:25:00.004-06:00

As most of you know, for the last couple of years I've been an avid iPhone user. In fact, up until the previous post most of the pics on this blog (and this one) were taken on the iPhone. Well, as all good things must be eventually, my iPhone was decommissioned from phone use in exchange for a spiffy new myTouch Slide. While I do miss some of the things about my iPhone (like...well...um...hmm...music?), it was time to upgrade, and I did NOT want to drop another $400 on a newer iPhone and deal with all of the same things that my original had to deal with, it being a jailbroken model and everything. So I went on into the cell phone store near my work on my lunch break and got set up with the new one.

So far I really like it. Having a keyboard is awesome, and having a touch-screen and a keypad is even better! The camera is nice too. Those pictures of Paisley Mae were taken on my new phone, and I used it to take all the before and after pictures of this weekend's project (more on that to come when I get all the after pictures taken). While I was taking pics yesterday and getting frustrated that the camera wouldn't capture colors the same way my eyes do, I found out that it has some cool effects like Sepia and Negative and Solarize and Posterize, which was my fav. Candy was oh so excited to be my test subject:You can tell by the yawn that she's obviously enthralled by my attempts to get her picture. The effect is pretty sweet.

And of course there is always the great standby effect, grayscale. Kind of boring and overused (like Sepia, if you ask me), but still fun. Candy does well in black and white:
Mostly I am able to capture her attempt to ignore me, particularly when I have the flash on (a flash! On a cell phone camera? It's new to me...), but she's just so damn cute that I can hardly resist shoving the camera in her face whenever I get the chance. I'm kind of crazy like that, I suppose.

La Niña

2010-07-04T09:22:00.005-06:00

Happy Independence Day, all! Today is the officially designated day use to celebrate when our Forefathers declared us a free nation. History tells us that they actually voted to confirm the Declaration of Independence on July 2. The thing was actually signed on July 4, though, so that's apparently why we celebrate today. UNLESS today falls on a Sunday, in which case all celebratory events must take place on Saturday or on Monday. Personally I think that's bullshit. Why? Because today is July 4. Tomorrow isn't July 4, and yesterday wasn't July 4. Today is July 4, 2010. We aught to be celebrating today because today is the day. And the most messed up part? I'm working today and not tomorrow. That's all sorts of backwards.

I could go on and on, but honestly there's no point. I live in UT, after all, and the reigning religious mindset will have its way regardless of my interference or non-interference. So that's enough of that.

What I really wanted to write about today is this girl:Freaking hell she's cute! I seriously can't get enough of her. And neither can you. And I do nothing but aim to please. So, here are two more overdoses of cute:
I don't know about you, but I just want to squeeze her little cheeks. She's looking a lot more like her mom these days, and I can't figure out if it's because of her big blue eyes and cute little nose so much as it's because they have pretty much the same haircut. Paisley's hair has gotten a LOT lighter since she was born. It's a dark blond now, and it was so dark brown! Crazy how it'll do that, right? Right. She's just a sweet little thing, though, weighing in at just about 20 lbs. And she's mobile now too! Crawling around getting into things, constantly threatening to hurt herself...you know, the usual crawling baby routine. It sure is fun for her parents. And for me. I love being an auntie!

Weeks and Weeks

2010-06-30T08:52:00.003-06:00

The month of June has been pretty action packed. Now that it's the end of the month I wonder how I made it through. But I did, so all is good. I'm still in the process of buying a new home computer (it's been what? Like four months or something...), so I don't have some of the pics that I want to post available yet. I promise that I'll get them up soon. For now we'll content ourselves with a quick run down of June 2010.

The month started out with a voyage up to ye ol' IF Town with the BF, my bestest best B and my Matty to party with Tay Tay and go to Beerfest. I got scorched and didn't take any pics on my own camera. Remind me to ask Matty to send me some. Bestest Best B and the BF got to see the family residence for the first time, and we discovered that Tay's girlfriend is an amazing artist. I also got to see my darling Carmy Carms for the first time after her sad day. As per usual she was her beautiful and cheery self, and I was again reminded why this woman is such an inspiration to me. I heart her.

The next weekend was spent putting my bed together. I just recently added a string of star lights at the head, which look awesome and are way better than candles on the nightstand. In case you're wondering about the state of my project list, it hasn't changed much. Though I have collected paint samples for the kitchen and bathroom, and for the wall in my nook. Hopefully July will be less activity-filled so that I can actually get that done.

On June 19 the BF and I went boating with the Family for my daddy's birthday. He turned 50 on June 16 this year, and I'd be lying if I told you that the milestone didn't hit me like a ton of bricks. It's weird enough that I'm turning 25 this year, but my daddy is 50! Maybe I find it strange because he was my age now when I was born. No, I don't think that's it. I'm not really sure I find it strange, and now that it has passed and things are still the same, I've stopped wondering about it. So, moving on.

Last weekend was amazing. It started out with a three hour visit to Sue for more ink. I will post a picture soon, and before I do let me just answer: YES, it hurt A LOT and no it's not done yet. I've got at least one, maybe two, more three hour sessions. I won't keep you completely in suspense, though (because that's just mean), but I don't want to give it all away either. So I'll just show you the inspiration. The design was altered a bit to allow for the level of detail I wanted, but no major changes were made. Even though it's just outline, shading and about 1/7 of the color so far, it looks awesome!

Also awesome last weekend, my hardworking BF was able to take two whole days and one half day off work! And trust me, that's a rare thing for him. It was good to actually have more than just one weekend day together. I probably shouldn't get to used to it, though, because he's in the middle of developing a product that's only going to be more time consuming once it's up and running (more information about what that product is when the time comes). But I certainly did enjoy it while I could!

On Friday we went south (to my least favorite place on the planet: UT County) to see the largest gathering of my dad's family that's been seen for five years. You see, I have cousins that currently live in Russia and Abu Dhabi, and that previously lived in Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Hawaii, and Dubai. Then there is us and my dad's sister, in the always exotic UT and ID. So naturally we don't get together too often. Can I just tell you the shock of seeing my 14 year old Cousin Ephie in all of his >6 foot glory? Last time we hung out he was 3. And before that I saw him and his family in Mexico City when he was 18 months. So yeah, it was a shock.

We gathered together this year because my Grandpa B turned 80! So many milestones in just one month. Anyway, we had dinner at a reception hall (my aunt's sister owns it) and there was a presentation about the different roles that Gpa has played in his life (son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, teacher, principal, farmer, etc.). Then there was gift giving and picture taking. The fam headed out to the lake on my parentals' boat on Saturday. We did not join them, though, because the BF and I both have healing tattoos that should be kept out of direct sunlight. They also had another dinner at the same reception hall on Saturday night with extended family and friends, but an allergy attack kept me from going to that. I'm sure there are pictures somewhere.

So that was June in Jessaland. Next weekend is Independence Day, and I don't have anything planned. I'm sure there's a lot going on, but with the excitement in June prevented me from thinking about anything more than three days in advance. To be honest I'd be completely okay with NOTHING for which I have to plan happening in July. Except for painting my house, which is priority number one. And I promise I'll buy a computer soon so that all of these awesome pics I've been collecting can be displayed in all their glory.

So that's it for me for now. Y'all have a good weekend!

I'm Such a Sap.

2010-06-23T06:16:00.006-06:00

Here It Goes Again

2010-06-21T12:51:00.005-06:00

It's Monday and I only have one word for it.

Wait for it....

BLAH.

Hope yours isn't as boring as mine. If it is, this will cheer you up for sure:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Enjoy!

Sleeping Soundly

2010-06-14T08:25:00.004-06:00

I know you all have been waiting on news of my new bed, and I am happy to report that I have finally finished it! Behold the glory:Isn't it cute? Oh how I love that Ikea. Everything on that bed save the blankets and one pillow case (which you can't see) are from that glorious place. The night stands too. And I may or may not have purchased a dresser on my last trip (which was made on a Saturday around 2 p.m. Not my brightest idea ever, but I had to do it because the frame is too wide for my box spring, undoubtedly thanks to a ploy by the evil Swedes to make me spend more money on the bed slats at their store). The dresser is still boxed and in the back seat of my car; I can't exactly haul a 100 lb box up three flights of stairs in my condition.

I also wanted to point out the curtains over the window.
These were lovingly handmade by my excellent mother some time ago, and this is the first time I've been able to hang them. They're part of a whole bedroom set that includes a dust ruffle, a duvet cover and pillow shams. Said set is not currently in use because Candy Cane decided one day that she was angry, and long story short everything except the curtains needs to be dry cleaned. That's on my ever-growing To Do list. Along with painting that curtain rod white. The brown clashes with the black ribbons.

Also on my To Do list: painting. I've lived in my house for a year now, and I have not made any changes to it. I don't know why, but that strikes me as odd. I have big plans, though. My white kitchen is going to be citrus themed (I'm thinking a lime green on the walls), and my bathroom is going glamorous. I'm not exactly sure what the means yet, but it's going to be awesome. I think I'll leave the bedrooms alone. They were painted shortly before I moved in, and I like the colors good enough for now. I'm thinking I might experiment a bit with stencils in my bedroom. Really there are too many possibilities, and I am horrible at making a commitment. That's probably why I haven't done anything in the 365+ days that I've been there already.

Change Never Comes Easily

2010-06-13T09:12:00.005-06:00

So, June has been a strange month so far. First of all, I'm weirded out by the fact that it is even June in the first place. And almost halfway through it at that! Time certainly does fly. Makes me wonder where the time goes. Then I look around and realize that I am, once again, at my desk on Sunday morning, wishing fiercely that the office douche wasn't here so that I could be working with the lights off, and I no longer have to wonder.

Anyway. It's recently been prevalent in my mind that I have been employed at this company for nearly five years, and in that five years I have only changed departments and roles once--and that was just over three years ago. It occurred to me sometime recently that those facts probably don't look terribly good on my resume. Of course, my current role is pretty freaking sweet (I mean, let's face it--what other job allows me to blog as much as this one does?), but it's time for me to expand my horizons again.

So here's my dilemma: I never intended this to be a long term gig. Finance is last on my list of things to be passionate about. And what is the point of doing something one is not passionate about? Money...duh. My job is paying for my college education, and seeing as I hate being in debt, I guess I'll stick around. Plus, you know, without this job I wouldn't have been able to buy my home or my car, so I'm not really complaining about the lack of intellectual stimulation associated with it.

School goes by extremely slowly when you only take one or two classes a semester. I've been graduated from high school (Go Grizzlies!) for seven years now and I'm not done with my associates degree. That's embarrassing, to say the very least, but I'm kind of over it because no one can say that I've been completely slacking. I am a financially independent single female homeowner with zero debt, after all. And I'm not quite 25 years old. But it would be a big, fat lie for me to say that I didn't wish I had the time and energy to devote myself to getting school done so that it could be over before I'm 30.

In the mean time, I suppose, it wouldn't hurt to expand my resume within the company. Experience is experience, right? Right. So I chatted with my manager the other day about the path that needs to be taken in order for me to get into management. It's a long, convoluted path, to be sure, and it has no guarantee of paying off, but it's more or less the only direction I want to go. Well, that's not 100% true. I have always wanted to get into our Training department, but that hasn't worked out so far obviously.

To be honest I'm not particularly keen on playing the corporate game that goes along with the management path. It's the politics of it all that has kept me entrenched on the front lines for so long. Politics both in the sense that I'd have to act a certain way in order to move anywhere, and politics in that I have to deal with things like tenure even though I work in what's supposed to be a "meritocracy." So typical of the corporate world, no? That's basically why I never wanted this to be a long term gig.

I figure the transition from here to there should be about a year, maybe year and a half. I hope that's what it takes, anyway. Who knows what the timeline will really be. All I can do at this point is play the game, I guess, and get my slacker ass back in gear with school (I took yet another semester off to focus on other things, most of which ended up being men...) so that I can get onto doing what it is I want to do.

Now, if I could figure out just exactly what that is, we'll be good to go.

Setting and Rising

2010-06-09T10:09:00.009-06:00

As you all know, I tend to take a lot of pictures on my phone. Mostly the pics in the camera reel are of my nephew and my kitty, but there are also plenty of flowers, leaves, trees and the sky. I'm always fascinated with these things. I think I'll eventually do a "nature in the urban setting" series of real photos on a real camera. In the mean time, I'll make do with my iPhone, which is not too bad anyway. Behold:This pic was snapped out my window on the way up to IF a few weeks back. I am always stunned by the way the light hits the clouds during a sunset.

Well, now that it's summer I also have the privilege (please read the sarcasm in that term) to witness the sun rising. I've already posted the first pic I took when the sun was rising before I got to work. My arrival at work was greeted by this the other morning:So pretty, despite it being before 6 a.m. I'll tell you what: I am so glad that it is summer around here finally, and I'm already dreading the return of the fall.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

2010-06-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

So, some of you might not know this about me, but I LOVE big dogs! Little dogs are yappy and annoying (most of the time), but big dogs are chill and loyal. I do like a certain kind of little dog, though, and that is big dog PUPPIES! I love their oversized paws and their rolly-ness. They are so cute that I just want squeeze them anytime I see one!

Well, lucky for me, my bf's roommates happen to have a great dane, Lela, that gave birth to 7 puppies on Mother's Day this year. We've seen them once or twice a week since then, and they just get cuter! Last night was the first time we'd seen them get up and move around on their own, stumbling and tripping like puppies do! I could not resist to snap photos on the trustee ol' iPhone. Behold the cuteness:This little one is the pick of the litter and one of the two boys. He's pretty alert these days, and his coloring is so gorgeous. He'll go home with his dad's owner in a couple of weeks.
Pile of puppies!! They are still in that whole "sleep a lot" phase, but they're slowly and surely coming out of it. I can't wait to see what they look like next week!

I showed these pics to one of my friends at work, and he immediately wanted to know which one of these cuties is mine (he knows of my obsession with big dogs already). Sadly, none of these little ones will be mine this go around. I love them, of course, but the next $500 purchase I make will be a computer, seeing as I don't have a functioning one at home any more. Also, living in a condo is not ideal for a dog that has the potential to weigh over 100 lbs, no matter how I try to spin it. So no puppy for me, but I do get to hang out with these guys a bit longer before they all get sold off, so I'll content myself with that for now.

That's all for today. I'm off to ye ol' IF with a gang of like-minded hooligans this weekend. I'm stoked for that! Y'all have an awesome weekend too!

Butt Crack of Dawn

2010-05-26T11:49:00.003-06:00

The realization that it's almost June hit me like a ton of bricks this morning when I saw this:

That's the sun rising, by the way. Before I got to work at 5:50 a.m. this morning. I was stunned to say the least. I guess it is hard to wrap one's brain around the fact that summer is practically here when it snowed only two days ago. By the way Monday's storm was the latest snow fall in history at the airport. And it was 60 degrees by the time I left work.

These are the oh-so-awesome perks of living in a place where all four seasons exist together, but not peacefully.

One of These Things....

2010-05-24T08:26:00.004-06:00

Good morning. If you would, so kindly, note the date on which this post is being written and published. It should say May 24, right around 8:30 a.m. (mountain time). With the date noted, please review the following photos: The two trees at the entrance to my complex bloomed really early this year, and much to my delighted surprise, the flowers are huge! None of this petite, fragile little cherry blossoms, this is a flower!
Along those same lines, here are some leaf buds from a few weeks ago. Aren't they cute? This little tree is right outside the entrance to my building, and they put it there early this season after ripping out a big, dead evergreen last season. It had pretty little white flowers on it for a whole day.
And this is a cute little rosebud, growing happily away on the bush at T's complex. I can't wait til it and all its friends bloom in the summer.

I like to collect these types of things. Little signs of Spring that bring warmth and joy to my heart after the cold dreariness of Winter. I hate the cold (just like my mom, and her mom before that), so when Spring comes around with its color and heat, I get so excited for the gloriousness of summer. The flip flops, sandals, shorts and tanks come out right around the first of May, because in my mind that is when it should be warm more often than it is cold. Well it's May 24 now, so we should be completely done with the cold, right? Right.

Wrong. Behold the view out my office window as of about 10 minutes ago:Yes. That is snow falling. SNOW. In May.....it boggles my mind too.

Seriously, WTF? Memorial Day is in exactly one week from now, and I dunno about you but Memorial Day, in my book, is supposed to be the OFFICIAL kick off to summer. How exactly are we supposed to do that while we're still covered in effing SNOW?? Granted we were warned that this would happen. I can't deny that. During the ONE time I've seen the news in the last two months (at or near the beginning of April), the weatherman did say that we'd be cold up through the end of May. But c'mon! Since WHEN is the weatherman EVER right about anything more than seven days in advance? I'll tell you! Since NEVER! Except for this once. And maybe there's been this ONE other time, but I swear that's it.

I remember that it rained basically all through June 2009. I remember how badly that sucked. I sure hope that this is the last of the weather's feeble attempts to ruin all the beautiful sunshine because I am past DONE with the cold. I'm ready for warm and hot and my pool to be open so that my fading Mexico tan can be salvaged. Global warming be damned. I want regional warming. If it could just be warm in Salt Lake, that'd be cool. I could handle that.

Well I'm done ranting, even though it is still snowing. In case you're wondering, the weather report for tomorrow is 71 degrees and sunny. Welcome to UT.

Weekend Update (still no Tina Fey)

2010-05-23T12:57:00.003-06:00

So, it's Sunday again. Here I am, yet again, at work since 6 a.m. I've been doing it for so long now that getting up at 4:44 a.m. on a Sunday morning is nothing. There is something seriously wrong with that...

In any case. It was a productive weekend. I got my new bed set up. It looks amazing (pictures to come), and it only took me basically ALL of Friday. I'm paying for it now though. My chiropractor is certainly NOT going to be thrilled that I put myself through such a thing. He can't expect me to sit around doing nothing all weekend just for the sake of my hip, though! Can he? Does he? Who knows. I won't do it in any case. Even if I end up paying for it in pain over the course of another week. Being injured sucks, by the way, particularly if it's a hip injury. Can't exactly put a cast on it and wait for it to heal, now can we? Nope! So I grit my teeth and bear it, and try not to complain too much.

Also this weekend, my momma was able to see my Carmy a couple of more times in the hospital. She should be going home today, and hopefully I'll be able to chat with her a bit on the phone when I leave work. I spoke with her mom, the awesome Ms. Tams, the other day too. Both moms report that Carmy is doing very well with recovery, which doesn't surprise me because Carmy is strong and resilient, more so than anyone else I know. My momma reported that Carmy had really good color in her face just a few hours after the c-section, and apparently the poor girl has staples in her stomach from the surgery. I remember having staples in my knee after I broke my leg, and that prompts me to hope with every fiber that her scar doesn't look anything like mine after staples!

That's pretty much all of my news from this weekend. I am very much looking forward to (and also simultaneously dreading) next weekend bc it is going to be PACKED. Thursday night is the Sex in the City 2 premiere, so the girls and I are getting dressed up for the opening event at the Gateway. That is going to be amazing! Friday night I'm going to see Gallagher with all the peeps from the shop where my BF works, which is going to be also amazing. Nothing like seeing a 60+ year old man smash watermelons on stage, right? Right. Saturday night is Jefe's graduation party/bday party for his wifey, at which I will be making an appearance so that Jefe does not follow through with his threat of never speaking to me again if I don't show. The silent treatment from him would prove to make work akin to slow and painful torture, so I will comply ;-)

The weekend after that I'll be in ye ol' IF Town for Beerfest and to see my darling Carmy, of course. When will I be relaxing? Or cleaning my house for that matter? I'm not sure. There is no rest for the weary, I suppose. This is what I love about the summer, though. Certainly there will be no want for activities. Thank Xenu for three day weekends.

rough

2010-05-19T08:28:00.003-06:00

My heart is heavier today than it has been in a long time. My dearest Carmy Carms lost her baby girl yesterday. She was due on June 12--less than a month to go. They don't know what happened yet, but the baby just stopped moving sometime over the course of the night. I cannot stand to think that something this terrible could happen to someone so amazing as my Carmy. She is truly a great woman. She's been an inspiration to me for as long as I've known her. She and her family are some of the most honest and hardworking people I know. I love them all so much, and I ache for their pain.

Luckily, my mom was able to go see her at the hospital last night, and is going again tomorrow. I'll be up there in two weeks. I can't go on too much about it right now, though, because I'll start crying again, and I'm at work, so that wouldn't be bueno. Thoughts and prayers, though, are greatly appreciated :)

Warm Weekend = Heaven

2010-05-16T08:14:00.006-06:00

So, don't judge me, but I may have gone to Ikea twice yesterday and spent money both times. Hey! I said don't judge! I finally bought my bed! It has not yet been constructed (that may actually have to wait until next weekend), but I own it! The good news is that the price dropped $20 from when I looked at it originally. And, it only came in two boxes, which were only slightly unweildy (HUGE thanks to Megs and Faye for carying them up my stairs for me!!I'm under strict orders from my doctor not to lift more than 10 lbs lest I aggravate my hip injury further, so I totally owe my girls lunch).

Of course, as it is Ikea, I couldn't just go in and come out with the bed! Nope, I also bought some shelves for my front room, a new rug for my kitchen (one of their awesome little circle ones in blue), and some file folder boxes because my filing system is in serious need of organization. When I went back in the evening with my bf, I bought hanging folders and a double sided mirror for my bathroom. I sure to love that Ikea! They are so handy. And their stuff is cute too! I'm pretty sure that my entire house will eventually be furnished with all Ikea stuff, save my dining room table.

So, two Ikea trips in one weekend? Must be Spring! It's about time too, because I am FED UP TO HERE WITH THE COLD! I just want it to be warm now that we're mid-way through May. Is that really so much to ask? I think not! This weekend did not disappoint like the first weekends in May did. Last weekend was warm too, I guess, but I was in ye ol' IF Town, where it was 50 degrees and windy. I was there for a baby shower for my dearest Carmy, who is expecting her first baby girl (Emri Jade) on June 10. At the shower I got to see one of my favorite mom's ever, Mrs. W, with her two newest granddaughters. I have a couple of pics from that event, which will have to be posted at some undetermined time in the future because my lap top is shot to hell, and I'm still in the process of buying a desktop to hook up to my 32" TV (woot! Only looking for the best deal at this point. Hopefully by next weekend I'll have made a decision on that).

In addition to going baby-clothes crazy at Target for baby Emri, I also made her a quilt by hand. I busted out my sewing machine finally (it's been sitting unused in my second room since August of last year when T got it for me for my b-day), and even though it is obviously handmade, the quilt turned out awesomely I think. I'll definitely be doing more of that kind of thing now that I know for sure how to thread my machine (it's complicated, okay?). I also get to make curtains for my new bed, and I need to make some for the entry way closet because the accordion doors on that are basically useless without a bottom track (which, for some unbeknownst reason, was never reinstalled after the carpet was laid).

I've been feeling so crafty lately! Even though it totally gives me away as having been raised a Mo, I am really glad that I have some talent for handcrafts like sewing and crochet. They are useful talents, really, and I would much rather make than buy, particularly when it comes to giving gifts. I just need to focus in on those talents and see what I can do with them. I'd love to start selling on Etsy, so I'll need to build up somewhat of an inventory. That's pretty much what I'll be working on over the summer. As well as painting (both creatively and decoratively) and getting more ink done. All in all I think it will be a really productive and exciting summer.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T06:50:00.003-06:00

ihasahotdog.com

Happy Mother's day to all the amazing Moms out there that I know, and to my mom and sister in particular. I love you mucho and I want you to know that you inspire me every day!

A Week in Paradise (no pics)

2010-05-03T12:59:00.005-06:00

So, I'm back from my vacation. I have been for about a week, actually. For those of you who didn't hear, a volcano in Iceland blew up a couple weeks ago and effed up air traffic in and out of Europe. Well, said volcano went off two days before I was supposed to leave, and therefore my dream vacation to Amsterdam and Paris was DOA. I'm still trying to convince myself that I'm not bitter about it. I'll get back to you on how that goes.

In any case, having vacation time from work already set up, T and I said "F*CK IT!" and went to Mexico, where we spent a week laying on the beach/by the pool and drinking fruity alcoholic beverages. We even managed to tour some Mayan ruins and got cultured. It was amazing and beautiful, and I will most definitely be returning there for future vacations. So, though it was not Amsterdam and Paris for 10 days, 7 days on the beach is a pretty awesome consolation I suppose.

Still.

I'm not bitter.

I'm not bitter.

Pics of the beach and what not to come eventually.

True Honesty

2010-04-11T10:24:00.004-06:00

So, Lindsey tagged me, and last time she did I failed to comply. But since it's Sunday and I'm at work looking to be entertained, I give in.

10 Truths about Jessa (that you may or may not already know).

1. Honesty is not my best quality. I have a tendency to lie to myself, and therefore to others. I was allowed to get away with it so much during my childhood that I sometimes find myself lying by default. It's a problem of which I am aware and on which I am working to improve.

2. I won't hold a grudge. It's a pointless waste of energy, I think, to stay angry at someone for something that happened however long ago. The only exception to this rule so far to date is that of my ex-husband, whom I begrudge a little less each day that he does not try to contact me. So it stands to reason that soon enough he will no longer be the exception, granted he doesn't pull any of his usual crap and cause the cycle to begin again...

3. Music is a necessity. I rarely do anything that does not involve music in some way, aside from sleeping, but I have eclectic tastes. My all time favorite is Incubus, but I also listen to Kanye and Snoop Dogg, Portishead, Gym Class Heroes, La Roux and Lady Gaga. I'm constantly looking for new sounds and artists. Music is one of the exceptions to the Everything in Moderation rule.

4. My favorite colors are red, black and white. I know it's lame, but I love the combination, okay? I've been trying to resist decorating my entire house in the theme, but so far I have mostly failed. My couch is white and the book shelf and TV stand and the TV itself are all black...

5. I have commitment issues. That's probably not surprising, considering. I guess it's more true to say that I have commitment issues when it comes to relationships with the opposite sex, because commitment in general doesn't scare me too much. I did purchase a house, after all, and I'm 100% committed to myself and my family, so really it's only the idea of committing to a relationship that scares me.

6. I believe in facing my fears. I've recently begun watching scary movies (which, believe me, is a challenge for one as sensitive and squeamish as me), the goal being to overcome my fear of such things. Similarly, I've also faced up to my fear of commitment, and now I find myself in a relationship. It's only been two months or so, and I still catch myself fretting over all the what-ifs. But, as the old priest says in Keeping the Faith, you can't truly make a commitment without realizing that it is a decision you keep making, over and over again. So I'm keeping that in mind and trying my damnedest to keep all my crazy contained ;-) Luckily for me, I've found a man that makes it easy to not be crazy.

7. I don't get ruffled. I tend to let things go without making a big deal. I don't like confrontation, so I do what I can to avoid it. That does not, however, mean that I'm a pushover. If it comes right down to it, I will most certainly express my opinion or make my annoyance/anger/etc. known.

8. I really struggle with being passive-aggressive. Left to my own devices, I'll be passive-aggressive if and when I think I can get away with it. Being married to another passive-aggressive person for four years only served to make my habit all that much worse. However, I am aware of the issue (obviously) and am working to break it. As a result, I'm discovering just how hard it is to break a habit that is 24 years in the making.

9. I am easily entertained, and I'm NOT sorry about it. What's so wrong with wanting to laugh instead of scream at a movie? Or being excited about little things like bubble paper? Don't judge me ;-)

10. I am an insufferable knowitall. I just can't help it, okay? I grew up with a father that always has an answer (usually true) to any random question that was thrown at him. I must have picked it up from him, because I'll answer any question if I know the answer and even if it isn't directed at me. Again, knowledge is power, and my awareness of the issue helps immensely.

So anyhow. I hope we all learned something today. It's not as hard to be honest as I originally thought. I'm going to tag April, Mrs.T, Faye-alicious and Sarah. Ready............GO!

Inked

2010-04-06T07:14:00.003-06:00

I don't even know how to preface this, other than with TA DA!

The first of many, right under my collar bone on the left side. The artist is Sue Miller, from Susie M's in Salt Lake. The concept is mine, actually, designed in HS and fleshed out by Sue. Isn't it cute? I heart it!

And yes, for those of you who are wondering, it did hurt, but not really as much as I expected. It actually hurts more now than it did at the time. As predicted, I am addicted. The next one, which will either be one on my left wrist or the one on my right shoulder, will likely happen shortly after I get back from Europe.

Speaking of which, there are only 10 days left until I leave. I. Can't. Wait!!

Weekend Update (with Photos, minus Tina Fey)

2010-03-28T08:45:00.008-06:00

And it's Sunday again. I swear they just keep sneaking up on me! In case you're wondering, 6 am is way too early to be doing ANYTHING on a Sunday morning besides sleeping, and yet here I was, at work, logged in and ready to go by 5:59 am. Blasphemy, I tell you, blasphemy.

In any case, the weekend was good. I got to see my BFF and her baby girl. Last time I saw Paisley Mae she was about 7 pounds. Now, she's about 17 and just getting cuter! Don't believe me? Here she is!Told you so! Isn't she just the cutest? You see her hands? Those little fingers are constantly moving like she's grabbing at the air. It's too cute. I just want to squeeze her. Paisley is not biologically my niece, of course, but April might as well be my sister so I'll claim her offspring as such! She's entered that baby phase of development where she's just observing and soaking everything in. She is soooooooo well behaved. She only got cranky at IKEA right as we were about to leave and needed a diaper change. She was fascinated with my hair too. She just stared at it and wanted to wrap her fingers in it. OMG, she's a doll! I heart her. Can you tell? Oh yeah, and her mom is good too :)

Speaking of IKEA, I may or may not have spent $140 there. It would have been at least $300 more had I had a means of transporting this bed:Can I just tell you how stoked I was to see this there?? I have been looking for a simple four poster with clean lines (none of the fancy, turned posts for me, thanks very much!) for ages, and there it is waiting for me at IKEA. I love IKEA so much! This will be the first thing I buy when I get back from Europe next month and have located a truck or something big enough to haul it.

In other news. Last weekend was the first day of Spring, and I took advantage of the warmth by wandering around my neighborhood for about six hours with my bf. It was awesome, and I've got to tell you; I am SOOOO glad that I don't live in Midvale any more. In our wandering, we found a cute little game/hobby store in the complex up the street. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a picture with this particular game: The Bullet? You bet! How's that for awesomeness?

Also in the awesomeness category, my dear friend Mr. Tolman's shirt. Behold: Check out all his Majesty!

And this one, of my Matty! I found this picture on my phone a couple of days ago, but I don't remember taking it. All his 6'4" fits rather nicely in my little nook, eh?

So that's it for this edition of the Weekend Update with Photos. Stay tuned for another exciting episode to come (eventually...)!

I Read it on Wiki....

2010-03-24T07:43:00.006-06:00

From Wikipedia: "Wikipedia's 15 million articles (3.2 million in English) have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site."

Translation: anyone can write/edit for Wiki. In my mind, that means that anyone can make up whatever they want and throw it into Wikipedia as fact. And yet, Wikipedia is toted as the end-all of the online resources. It is used and allowed as legitimate source material for writing a research paper (which, while I think that is a huge detriment to the advance of information in a digital age, I can't really complain because all of the research papers I've written in the last three years were helped along by Wikipedia). I bring this all up because during a conversation about cars last night I was told point blank, "It's true! I read it on Wiki." To me, that sounds an awful lot like "It's true! I saw it on Fox News." Click on that link to read the insanity. Not recommended for conservatives that love the channel, but pretty dang useful to those of us rational people who expect our "news" to be relevant AND true... Okay, the "rational people" comment is probably uncalled for, but seriously? Suing for and winning the right to lie to your viewers and yet people still watch it...? I'm so confused.

At least Wikipedia takes some precautions against full on lies being published. Of course, I'm sure plenty still get through. Not surprisingly, Wikipedia and Fox News fit pretty perfectly into Baudrillard's theory of Simulacra and Simulation. Maybe one day (perhaps not to long from now), the only information we know will have come from Wikipedia, and the absolute truth about reality will be distorted to the point that we don't even suspect that it is.

Then again, "absolute truth" is nothing more than a concept at this point. Information, regardless of source, is never delivered unhindered or unaltered by some sort of bias to the general public. Sometimes the alterations are unintentional, of course, because people can't help but relate things in their own view and with their own words, but sometimes (cough cough the Bush administration) information is altered on purpose to serve certain interest.

This is more or less why I am so cautious about any "fact" on the internet. A new term should be invented to describe this wave of half truths and biased fact, and then everyone should agree to use it so that people can tell the difference!

Anyway. Be skeptical is all I'm saying.

So here's some awesomeness for you.
I heart P!ink, and I particularly like that her ex is in this video with her. You go girl!

Awesomeness on a Tuesday

2010-03-23T13:56:00.006-06:00

see more LOLz

So, if you haven't been to any of the LOLz sites, such as icanhazcheezburger.com or thereifixedit.com, I truly feel for you because your life sucks even worse than you thought. Obviously your life is too lame already to enjoy such nuggets of awesomeness. Regardless, you should go there now. The link is on the left of my blog, labeled "LOLZ." Go and waste an afternoon looking through all of the awesomeness. Trust me, you won't regret it!

Are You Feeling Lucky?

2010-03-17T12:47:00.005-06:00

I am an epic fail today. I left my house, got in my car and drove all the way out of my neighborhood before I realized that I'm not wearing any green. Unless the rubber band bracelet that's been on my wrist for the last three weeks and the peacock feather ring I happened to have in my purse count. Seeing as they're both green and I am no longer in elementary school, though, I'm going to say that they do!

In any case, I love St. Patty's Day for the same reasons that I love Mardi Gras and Cinco de Mayo, but also because it means I get to dye stuff funky colors. Behold: How awesome is that? These are my family's famous sour cream enchiladas, only the sauce has been dyed with neon green food coloring. Doesn't it just look awesome with the orange cheese? And they were, by general consensus at work, delicious as always.

I got really lucky this year in that St. Patty's Day fell on a Wednesday. That means I don't have to work tomorrow, which means that I'll be partying all night. It's too bad most of my friends don't have Thursdays off, but that's okay. I won't be partying alone, so don't even worry ;-) I can hardly wait for 4:30 to roll around so that I can get out of here. And, I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who is stoked about green beer! Behold, an actual conversation I had with a client today:

Me: Hello, Mr. So and So. How are you this morning?
Him: I'm a bit hungover, but I'm good.
Me: Well that's good then. Isn't it a little early to be hungover from St. Patrick's Day?
Him: Yeah, it is. I started a day early this year.
Me: That's awesome.

Professionalism? Not so much. Awesomeness? Uber!

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone. Have fun and BE SAFE!

Down the Rabbit Hole...

2010-03-07T08:56:00.003-07:00

I went to see Alice in Wonderland this weekend. It's probably the first movie I've ever been to over opening weekend, and it was TOTALLY worth it. The movie was not at all what I was expecting, though I was not expecting much. I don't know Through the Looking Glass very well, but I've been informed that it didn't really follow the story anyway, but I won't give away anything other than that ;-)

The movie was classic Tim Burton. The visual imagery was amazing, of course. Johnny Depp, not surprisingly, did an amazing job as the Mad Hatter. The only thing that kind of bugged was his lisp, which seemed to fluctuate in and out without any consistency, and the fact that I could see that the gap in his teeth was painted on. But that's hardly his fault, right? Right. The girl that played Alice, Mia Wasikowska, did a good job of portraying Alice as less of a stumbling ditz, and more of a mature young woman torn between pleasing her family and pleasing herself. Gotta appreciate the writing and the actress for that. Of course, Helena Bonham Carter did a fantastic job as the Red Queen, and the graphics department did an excellent job of making her huge head and small body look cohesive through the whole thing.

I tend to get excited about a movie before it comes out, and more often than not I am disappointed in the result. Usually this happens with movies based on books and remakes of classic films. Well, this movie was based on a book, and technically a remake of a classic, but at the same time it was much, much more than the original, and I haven't read the book yet so there's that. All in all, I LOVED IT. I loved it so much, in fact, that I may just go see it again soon!

Done and Done

2010-02-28T09:50:00.007-07:00

Plane tickets for my trip to Amsterdam and Paris have been reserved and charged to my credit card. We (T and I) are leaving April 16 and coming back April 26. Five nights in Amsterdam, five nights in Paris.

Jealousy can commence now.

Love is Just Another Starving Youth

2010-02-24T15:44:00.007-07:00

So, YouTube has started airing 30 second ads at the beginning of every third video or so, and I've been repeatedly assaulted with bits and pieces of some songs and artists of which I have never heard. Well, annoying as it is, I finally gave in and looked up one such artist, La Roux, and I have to admit: I am hooked. She's very unique in both look and sound. I totally dig the techno/pop sound. This video strikes a particular chord in my brain:

It's all false love and affection, you don't like me you just want the attention...

I love finding awesomeness like this. I mean...did you see her hair or listen to her voice? How could you not love her? If you dig her as much as I do, look up Bulletproof too. It's almost as awesome, with a much more 80s glam tech video.

National Single Awareness Day

2010-02-14T11:05:00.008-07:00

Or, perhaps you know today as Valentines Day. Most people do apparently. This year, I celebrated my singleness hanging out and having a good time with my bffs and a new friend :) It was a really good time. Probably the best Valentines day celebration ever!

And now I'm at work and that is lame. A darling work friend of mine did send me this though, and IMMD. Enjoy, and have a happy Valentines Day!

This Week (In Review)

2010-01-28T10:47:00.005-07:00

1. In case you were wondering, strep throat is no walk in the park. First off all, it's painful, secondly it's annoying and thirdly it makes your breath smell like death.

2. Using up half of one's allotted sick time for the year in January is maybe not such a good idea.

3. Antibiotics rock. Except that they're horse pill sized, and I have to take two at a time, twice daily for 10 days. And they're gross. No pain no gain, right? Right.

4. Thursday = Friday for me this month, and that means that by 11 a.m. on Thursday I'm ready to pull my hair out bc the minutes are CREEEEEEEEEEEEPING by.

5. Anticipation over friends coming into town on Friday night isn't helping the Thursday work situation go by any faster either.

6. Anyone wanna buy a full sized IKEA loftbed? It's too tall for my second bedroom, so it's time for it to go. It looks like this only in birch, and is very sturdy. I think you'll need at least 9ft ceilings to accommodate, but I have a mattress or two to go with it! Tell your friends!

7. Chicken Bacon Ranch sandwich from Domino's = heaven on bread. Better hot than cold though.

8. My dependence on Diet Coke grows by the day. Why does it have to be so delicious?

9. It is possible, I have found, to go three to four weeks without doing any grocery shopping other than to buy milk. I would, however, not recommend it seeing as having fast food at least once a day for those three to four weeks can get expensive and is likely not the healthiest route.

10. In case you were wondering, being single pretty much rocks. I know my married friends would say differently, but seriously? I basically love it.

That's all for today. Have a great weeeeeeeeeeeeeeekend!

There is No Charge for Awesomeness

2010-01-15T12:30:00.002-07:00

Or Attractiveness.

So, I'm at work on a Friday. Why? I'm not really sure. Oh wait...I remember. It's because I need money. Yeah, that's it. That whole paying bills thing...

Anyway. I'm obviously being realy productive at work. I'll prove it to you!

I've always loved Bloodhound Gang. They are so funny. And irreverant. And it's hilarious! T was so kind as to provide me with this next video, which I had never seen before, and am a better person for having watched!
LOL! Inuendo and subtlety. Perfect!

Beating the Dead Horse

2010-01-06T08:12:00.003-07:00

So, if you've ever met me or read my blog, you probably already know that I don't make resolutions. I'm just not a fan. They always get broken anyway, and I just don't need the guilt. However, being the obsessive list maker that I am, I can't let the beginning of the year and decade to pass without at least setting some goals for myself. I mean, it's always good to have goals, right? Right.

But first, let's review last year's list. I was certainly crafty, and in more ways than just one. I took up painting, and I did learned some new crochet skills during the summer lull at work. I did not take up beading (though, to my credit, I did help my mom pick out the beads for the watch that she made me. That counts for something, right?). Turns out beading is an expensive hobby, and I already have enough of those to keep me busy.

School. Well, I didn't finish, but I did get that much closer. I only have two classes and a CLEP test to take, as well as an advisor to speak with (again) about my Spanish credits--long story short I took higher level classes than they want to accept for my degree, which makes zero sense in my mind. So, I'll be done after the Spring and Summer semesters.

I am very happy to report that I made progress by at least one leap, possibly a few bounds, as far as the whole "Being Healthy" thing went in 2009. The biggest thing for me was ridding my life of the toxic assets that were weighing me down (in the most literal sense). Soon as he, I mean, said toxic assets and all the associated stress was gone, my body started functioning differently. Better, I would say, by much. And I can be nothing but happy about that!

I don't think much has to be said about writing. While I did a fair amount of it here in 2009, I also did a fair amount of it elsewhere. I took a writing class in the Fall, which was awesome, and I filled 3/4 of a journal between June and December. The whole staying organized thing was a partial success. I bought my place in June, and up until about October I did a really good job keeping it clean. Then the holidays came around and things got out of hand. That is shortly to be remedied though.

One of my first goals for 2010 is to deep clean my house. The Christmas decorations are coming down ASAP and everything that is currently piling up in my second bedroom will be packed back into storage. It really needs to happen--it's getting ridiculous. Also, part of that is actually purchasing a filing cabinet, because trying to keep all of my paperwork organized in the box that the folders came in is just not working out so well any more. So that's the immediate plan.

The more long term plan is a bit more complicated, especially considering how awesome I am at remembering anything other than birthdays, movie quotes and random bits of useless knowledge for very long. In 2009 I gained my independence in all ways save one, and now I face 2010 realizing more than ever that I am naught but a slave to the hormones and their resulting emotions even still. Now, I realize that I won't ever be able to fully conquer, and by no means to I believe that I can fully tame my emotions, but I do believe that by investigating the events and things that trigger my emotions, I will come to a more full understanding of them and myself. I'm hoping that this understanding of the causes can help me to reign in some of the more violent reactions to which I am prone (hey, I'm a Leo--it happens).

I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense outside of my own brain, but rest assured it makes sense to me ;-) I foresee this endeavor to be difficult because, as a human, it is my natural instinct to run from the things that scare me. In fact, my brain already resists the prospect of confronting some of the things that set off my emotional side. But, as the saying goes, the only thing to fear is fear itself. So I'm going for it, because it must be done for the sake of progress. Or something like that.

So that, more or less, is the plan for 2010 and beyond.

Snow

2009-12-30T10:42:00.002-07:00

Amen, Stealth cat, amen!

The Home Stretch

2009-12-28T08:40:00.003-07:00

So here we are. It is officially the last Monday of 2009. On Friday it will be 2010, and I'll have to start getting used to writing a different year on everything yet again. I am actually excited for 2010, though, because I think it will be an interesting and exciting year. Before I divulge any of my plans for the new year, let's take a look back at 2009 one final time, shall we?

2009 started out like the years before it, with a New Years Eve celebration with the Albanians. We went to Port O' Call, and got to spend its last ever New Years in the original location. January, February went by without much excitement, and at the end of March I moved out of Midvale and ended my first marriage (which, not surprisingly, I have always looked at as a "first" marriage). During April and May I lived with my bff, T-Dawg, and I took a trip to Denver with my girl Jessie. During those months I also passed the time searching for a condo. I found one in the middle of May, and I closed on it on June 1. I moved in and have been loving it ever since!

The main focus of my summer was furnishing my first home, and I became good friends with the Draper IKEA. My nephie poo turned 2 years old on August 7. Two weeks prior to that he moved from the adorable, compliant little angel he was to a holy terror of two year old fury. I threw some parties, specifically one for my birthday. My pseudo-niece Paisley Mae was born on August 17, and I got to go see her and her parentals in September. Then I threw a rocking Halloween party, followed shortly by T-Dawg's birthday Tea Party. November and December got hectic with school and the Holidays, and I thought on more than one occasion that I will never do another semester of school if it kills me.

While events transpired in 2009 that caused much tumult and torment on a personal level, I have emerged a stronger and better person. I feel that way about it, anyway. And I also emerged from the tumult with a number of new friends, as well as a number of old friends with whom I was able to reconnect. So, all in all, 2009 was the best of times and the worst of times. Standing here on December 28, though, I look back and realize that the best of times far outweigh the worst of times. And for that I am eternally grateful.

So now away with the past and onto the fun future! I haven't made too many plans for 2010 yet, though there are several events that will happen. A) I will be ringing in the new year in Las Veags, which I am totally stoked about. B) T-Dawg and I will be taking a trip to Amsterdam and Paris in the Spring. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about that. Special thanks to the tax payers who are funding this vaca via the $8,000 first-time homebuyer rebate I will get as soon as is humanly possible. Screw paying bills. It is going to be awesome!

Other than that, like I said, I haven't made many other plans. I hope to be able to go to St. George sometime in the first quarter to visit with Ms. Paisley Mae again (and, I suppose, talk to her mom and dad for a bit). I would also like to take a couple of weekend trips to my favorite UT locales, like Moab and Panguitch. If I'm lucky (e.g. if I can afford it), I'd really like to go to San Francisco, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. I think I might plan a trip similar to what my parents did for Spring Break--drive to Laguna Beach and then up the coast and back down through Boise. That'd be awesome, and time consuming and expensive, but totally worth it.

Mostly I am just looking forward to having as much fun as possible over the coming year. Seeing how this year was mostly fabulous, I can only imagine that next year will be even more mostly fabulous, and that, my friends, is cause for celebration in my book.

I hope y'all have a happy new year!

December 25...not just Christmas.

2009-12-25T13:03:00.004-07:00

This is why I love XKCD.

SMOG

2009-12-22T10:45:00.003-07:00

Dear Rocky Mountains (specifically along the Wasatch Front in Salt Lake):

I love you dearly, don't get me wrong. You are gorgeous and grand, and you make me feel safe living on a long-overdue-for-"the big one" fault line. You provide hours and days and months of outdoor activity, which is what really attracts non-Utahns to the state in the first place. I really do love you for all of these things.

But.

But you also keep all of this gross air trapped in the valley. This causes me to cough and choke and generally hate life because my lungs do NOT appreciate having to chew for oxygen. Is it really necessary? I mean, honestly. What good does it do you? It can't be much, if any. I would imagine that the settling in of this bad air could only be bad for you, though perhaps it inspires people to climb up your heights in order to escape it. Well if that's the only reason then that is LAME.

Anyway. I would really appreciate it if you would stop. In fact, I'm sure that all of us who live here in your shadows would greatly appreciate a break from the smog. I seriously couldn't even see past either side of the freeway this morning due to its density. So if you could just move a little bit...like, I dunno, just a few miles north or east or both so that the winds can just blow the air past us like they should, that'd be great. I really think that our relationship (and not to mention my lungs) would be much healthier if you just complied. It's called compromise, right? Right.

I really do love you. I just need more space. And less pollution.

Sincerely,

Jess

P.S. I know that this bad air was sent our way by California (spiteful bastards polluting my air!), but why does it have to stop here? Just let it pass on through to Colorado. They won't mind it, I'm sure, and we will all just be so much happier.

Um....Really?

2009-12-21T12:35:00.005-07:00

So, Christmas is on Friday. I won't lie, that kind of freaks me out. It's not that I haven't gotten all of my shopping done (I haven't, but that's not the point), or that I'm so excited about it that I'm afraid it will be lame (which it will, again not the point). It's just that Christmas being on Friday means that New Year's Day is NEXT Friday. 2010 is literally around the corner! If that doesn't freak you out, I don't know what will.

In any case, I did get around to putting up my Christmas decor. I did take some pics as proof on my regular camera, but I didn't bother with my phone. Silly me. I can't upload pics from my camera directly to my work computer, so there will be none of those posted here. However, going through my phone pics I found this:Ah ha! Proof that I did indeed put up my tree. Candy wasted no time investigating. She's been pretty good so far abt not messing with the tree (she just sits underneath it when I'm home). I've only found one ornament on the floor so far. I think she just likes the lights.

Anyway. Also in my scrolling I came across this beauty, which made me laugh out loud yet again:Please tell me that I'm not the only one who thinks this is hilarious. This particular shrubbery "arrangement" lives in Temple Square, along with six others that look just like it... Personally, it made me wonder (after I was done rolling on the ground with laughter) why someone else, over the course of time, didn't look at those and think "Hmm. Those arrangements are particularly phallic. I wonder if that's really such a good idea in Temple Square...." Guess not!