I'm a little inconsistent...

4 weeks? Eh... that's not too long. I just feel bad because it make it seem like there hasn't been anything going on in my life. How could that be true? My life is crazy! haha Well, maybe not from day-to-day, but overall.

Let's rewind back to about a month ago. I never wrote about my cousin's wedding! Or my Mom coming out to visit for said wedding... or about hearing the baby's heartbeat again at 12 weeks... Or even about going to Colorado and seeing Kevin's parents... I'll just have to take things one at a time.

Since I'm pretty sure the farthest thing back was going to Colorado, which was way back in the beginning of June. Kevin's Dad had a snack food event where he could go and advertise his product. (Wheaters!) It ended up being a HUGE success. People loved the product, and he's already gotten into quite a few stores as a result. We drove the 8.5 hour drive out there, and it's probably the prettiest drive anyone could ever make. In the Utah part... it's actually one of the most boring. Literally, there is NOTHING for over 100 miles. No towns, no gas stations, no pit stops; nada. Just straight dessert and plateaus. (Yes, you lost the mountains and hit the plateaus.) Once we hit the Rockies, however... MAN it was pretty! I took pictures with my phone which don't do it justice at all. If I had to live in Colorado, it would definitely have to be in the Rockies. The weather there was just perfect! It was really awesome to see his parents and hang out with them for those few days. It was also really sad to leave them; as well as leave the nice weather... it was still cold in Logan then! Ridiculous. But I digress. Overall, it was a lot of fun to have a short trip together (first road trip!) and to spend more time with Kevin's parents. I'm pretty positive that I lucked out in the in-law category. I seriously have the best in-laws and I know that won't ever change. Can you say jealous?

Moving on to my cousin's wedding! My cousin got married in the Bountiful temple on June 17th. The sealing ceremony was awesome and the spirit there was so strong. Seeing someone get married for time and all eternity truly is one of the most touching and amazing experiences in this life! Kevin and I have been to two sealing ceremonies since our own, and both were such great reminders of what we have together and each made me love him all the more; I didn't even think that was possible. Every day makes me love him so much more, and how could I not when he is the BEST?! He does so much for me and never passes judgment when the majority of my day is spent lying around because the baby zaps all my energy. Anyways. Back to my cousin's happiness. Her luncheon reception was beautiful and so it matched her well, she looked so gorgeous! I don't think there a point in the entire day where she wasn't smiling, and that was just awesome in it's own way. It was really funny, though, because she wouldn't tell anyone where they were going for their honeymoon and everyone (including me) was so curious! I has my mom texting me the whole week after if Andrea had updated her facebook yet to say where they went. That was just a funny side-note. I ended up having to leave the family pictures outside the temple to try and find some carrots for my nausea. (Carrots were my then cure-all). Then, we left the reception before they left because I just needed to lay down. I felt pretty bad, but I'm sure she didn't notice haha. Oh, another "funny" thing-- more like quirky, if you know my mom-- is that Andrea's wedding was the day after my first baby doctor's appointment, so we were letting people know. Slowly. My mom, however, decided that the wedding was the perfect time and place to tell my cousin's whole family. I was kind of embarrassed and laughed because it wasn't the place to do it in my mind, but it was all good. When I even went to say congrats to Andrea, again, in the line-up she knew and tole me congrats! haha Goodness...

So, my mother came out to visit. It was really nice! Things were really tense between us for years and even when I left for college. Being in a more outside perspective point, I really regretted everything that had happened between me and my mom. I tried to patch things up, but there's only so much you can do across country. When she came out here, it was a really good chance for us to finally bond and seriously talk. It was a slightly tearful conversation, but a really good one nonetheless. We really enjoyed the time together. Kevin and I stayed the night in their hotel after the reception so we wouldn't have to drive back home at 10 or so at night. With my nausea, that was a huge relief. The next day, my Mom and Nathan came up to Logan with us, and Kevin and I were surprised by how much we found to do! haha Since it was a Saturday, we had the idea of going to finally check out the farmer's market, but there ended up being the Summer Fest instead, and that was really cool to walk around and see! After that, we went to the Bluebird restaurant and had dinner, ending with her buying chocolates for everybody. I picked out ones for my dad for Father's day. (My goal was to convert them from See's candy to Logan's infamous candy. See's isn't my favorite, but I love Bluebird's.) That was followed by my Mom graciously taking us to Sam's club and stocking our kitchen. She even got us a dutch oven because I had talked to her a while ago about how much I wanted one to make her peach cobbler. So nice. Kevin was amazing the whole time, making sure that Nathan was kept busy so that I could have time with my mom. He even drove Nathan home in our car so that I could drive with my Mom alone! Isn't he awesome? :] So, basically the night ended with the 3 or so hour talk between my mom and I, and she went back to her hotel in SLC and flew home a couple days later. Oh, and on her way home? She found out she won a raffle from the Summer Fest for a picture. I would call the day a success just from that.

And finally... the doctor's appointment! Well, that story is very uneventful. We went in for our 12 weeks appointment and it probably lasted a whole... 5 minutes? Give or take a few. She just wanted to hear the heartbeat and ask us if we had any questions. Then, she gave us a brief run down of the "2nd Trimester Norms" and a sheet to explain more. We rescheduled for another similar appointment at 16 weeks, and we were off. We won't get another ultrasound until 20 weeks, where we'll also find out the gender! I'm kind of disappointed that they wouldn't do an ultrasound at the 16 weeks, because a lot of people on the "Baby Board" I go on a lot found there's out between 14 and 16 weeks, and most are finding out around 18 weeks. I don't want to wait! haha I'm so impatient and ready to start shopping. There's only one baby store here in Logan-- outside of Kohl's which is a big NO because they are so ridiculously expensive; as always-- but luckily it's super nice! They have anything and everything, other than maybe clothes, and we really liked what they had.

Now I think that's the gist of our lives... Kevin is still looking for internships and taking his one summer class. I met with my advisor this morning to make sure my schedule is lined up correctly to graduate on time, as well as verify what classes I can take online in the Spring. It turned out so well! I can take even more classes online than I expected, so I will definitely be full-time and on track; I can line everything up perfectly to graduate by Fall of 2014; AND I have enough room in my major to take a minor without adding time! All such really good news. Now I'm looking into minors... I'm thinking business, music, or psychology... If I did business I could do a double minor in psychology which would be really cool if that turns out to be something I'm interested in. I don't know how many credits are required in a music minor, so we'll see about that one. Okay, so that's random and boring.

Kevin and I are starting to finally read the general conference talks from the Sunday Morning Session we missed last conference. (Horrible, I know. But I had morning sickness already! We just didn't know it then...) It's turned out to be a really cool thing and something that really brings the spirit into our home. We started with Elder Uchtdorf's Waiting on the Road to Damascus. It was so good! Well, obviously since it's Elder Uchtdorf. :P I'll wrap this insanely long blog up with some of my favorite quotes from it. If you read to the end of this... The only prize is a spiritual lesson. Haha Take it or leave it. Enjoy!


Waiting on the Road to Damscus:
- "The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed."
- " testify to you that our Father in Heaven loves His children. He loves us. He loves you. When necessary the Lord will even carry you over obstacles as you seek His peace with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Often He speaks to us in ways that we can hear only with our heart. To better hear His voice, it would be wise to turn down the volume control of the worldly noise in our lives. If we ignore or block out the promptings of the Spirit for whatever reason, they become less noticeable until we cannot hear them at all. Let us learn to hearken to the promptings of the Spirit and then be eager to heed them."
- "My dear brothers and sisters, let us strive to be among those whom the Lord can rely on to hear His whisperings and respond, as Saul did on his road to Damascus, 'Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?'"
- "It has been my experience that some of the most powerful promptings we receive are not only for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others. If we are thinking only of ourselves, we may miss some of the most powerful spiritual experiences and profound revelations of our lives."
- "By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own."
- "Do not doubt. Remember, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”¹³ God loves you. He hears your prayers. He speaks to His children and offers comfort, peace, and understanding to those who seek Him and honor Him by walking in His way."


For the full talk, go here-->  http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/waiting-on-the-road-to-damascus?lang=eng

10 weeks :]

    And thank heaven for ginger pills! Since nothing in this artificial era has actual ginger in it, constant nausea is really hard (impossible, really) to get rid of. Finally, research taught me about these pills that have nothing but ginger in them and are perfect for morning sickness that lasts all day. Most women mixed them with Vitamin B-6, but we're cheapo and I'm satisfied with just the ginger. I could actually be out of bed today! It's a huge difference, though the nausea isn't 100% gone. It still seems to threateningly hover, but I can keep it at bay with the ginger every few hours. Hallelujah.

   My current addiction? I've moved on from mashed potatoes and carrots to popcorn chicken. From sonic, to be specific. Though with our low income, eating out as often as I crave them isn't exactly feasible, so today (since I could actually make it up to campus :] ) I found a video on youtube that shows you how to make them! Let's hope it works because this is my only hope at being frugal with something my body has determined I will get-- and there will be no peace until I get it. It's insane! I had always heard of the cravings, and thought they were fun and probably the least important thing to worry about in pregnancy, but man. Other than the nausea, it's probably the most frustrating! haha! You crave it to such an extent that I could not have previously imagine. It's probably the closest thing to losing self-control that I have ever experienced. Not to mention it's a sure sign of the impending weight gain... I'm not too excited about that, to say the least. :P

   I haven't had too many spiritual experiences so far, probably since I keep missing church from being confined to my bed... Hopefully with the ginger, though, I'll finally be able to make it to more than just sacrament meeting! Good thing Kevin's in charge of the spiritual thought for FHE tonight, because I'm a little unprepared...

   Oh my gosh! I used a Netti pot for the first time today! To those who don't know (I didn't until yesterday), the Netti pot is that funny little tea pot looking thing that people use to dump a saline solution in one nostril to have it come out the other. Sound gross? Well, when you have a sinus infection that makes it impossible to breathe without looking like a retard with your mouth wide open, it is. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world, especially when you don't tilt your head in exactly the right way because then you get a gagging effect. Fill in that visual for yourself. It's disgusting, but it works! Haha. Temporarily anyways. I have to do it about once every couple hours-- more if I had the stomach for it. I'm just looking forward to this infection clearing up faster. There's hope since the pressure is already gone! I just want some SLEEP, man! haha.

   Okay. I did the dishes earlier, and now I get to go make more to make dinner for whenever Kevin gets off work (it's forever a guessing game). Guess what I'm making? If you'd been paying attention you should have known. Popcorn chicken!! Chubby-City here I come!! :]

Continued Thought....

  In my last post, I talked about how important the family is to me and how much the LDS church emphasizes that importance. Since I was in charge of FHE (Family Home Evening) that night, I decided to go over certain parts of The Family: A Proclamation to the World with Kevin because of what we had gone through earlier that day. Along with it, I decided to find a talk on it if I could. It just so happened that this month's Ensign had a talk titled "Defending the Family in a Troubled World." Um... perfect much?! Haha I was very surprised by my luck, and loved the talk. It fit perfectly with what had happened earlier that day with my conversation with my friend. It's a long talk, so I didn't cover the whole thing with Kevin, but I highlighted points that stood out; mostly the ones that applied to said experience. Anyways, while I was deciding to do this I really wanted to post the proclamation on here to further show what our church's beliefs are on the family. (And further proved that we aren't brainwashed into any nonsense. Sheesh... You'd think after being friends with someone since 4th grade they would recognize how UN brainwashed you are? Whatever.) 

   Oh, and if you want to look up that talk, I'd strongly recommend it. Just look up June 2011 Ensign "Defending the Family in a Troubled World." It has some very good points and "oh yeah... that does happen a lot" moments. Enjoy :]

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

9 weeks!! (REWIND)

   Today I am exactly 9 weeks pregnant! I've been wanting to write on here about being pregnant for a while, and now that I'm actually allowed... I of course can't think of anything. haha!
   But I looked up pictures of what "it" looks like! It's crazy. I can't put them on here because it takes too much time to convert them on my computer, but oh well. There are pictures of girls who are already showing! I don't think I am.... Though I've gained 3 pounds. Ugh. :P

    Anyways, the rewind part. Back to the doctor's appointment on Thursday! We didn't have any clue how far along I was (thank you birth control), so the doctor's visit was to figure out the due date as well as how healthy the baby was. On Thursday we were 8 weeks and 3 days, the baby looked very good with a very strong heartbeat (the BEST part of the visit. Oh my gosh, hearing that was amazing.), and there was another "yolk" sac-- as the doctor called it-- that could potentially mean there had originally been TWO babies in there but the other one had never developed. Crazy right?! There was a lot to learn in one visit, but mostly we were just so excited.
    Morning sickness... What a bad name. It should just be called 24.7 sickness because it seems like the morning nausea is the easiest to handle compared to the random nausea I get during the day. Carrots and mashed potatoes are my cure-all. Not together! Ew no. They just somehow get rid of it haha.

   After today, I am SO thankful for supportive friends and family. And of course the church to teach us what is right and how to determine it. I can understand how non-members see getting married and pregnant at 19 and 20 is a little crazy, but to those non-member friends who are still supportive: Thank you. Let's just say I had a talk today with an old friend who lectured me on being stupid, naive, and brainwashed. It wasn't too much of a surprise, but when they don't even try to understand it's a little bit of a shock. But whatever. I'm actually more surprised by how un-bothered I am! I feel like I should be, but I have the comfort of why I made the decisions I did along with knowing that marriage is not a horrible thing that should be postponed until you feel ready to handle it. I married my best friend and my family is the most important thing to me. I'm not consumed with the need to live some superficial life before I get married to say that I have had all the experiences and it was easy. Having a baby while going to college? Yeah, it's going to be hard. But it's not like it's impossible. The school allows a maternity leave, there are online classes, and my husband will always be there to help and support me. Plus, all his classes are set scheduled and back to back in the morning, so I just stagger my classes with his and there will ALWAYS be someone to care for the baby. I feel like we got so lucky on how easy it is for us. Most couples don't have one person able to have a set schedule, they have to try and work around scattered available times and such.

    After hearing all these arguments from my "friend" on how getting married was a mistake and getting pregnant so soon afterwards was an even bigger one... I feel so much more appreciative for what I have and feel so blessed and lucky all over again to have met Kevin at such an opportune time in both of our lives. It may seem like the LDS religion has "brainwashed" its members, but that is so far from the truth. All the church does is emphasize how important of a decision marriage is and how important your family is. They are THE most important things in this life, and I've been blessed to witness and experience this in life earlier than planned. Everyone's lives are going to carry out differently in the way that is best for them. Mine happened to be getting married and pregnant when that was the last thing I thought would happen. For me, it has completely organized what this life is and what I want, including a career goal. I love my life and my little family! :]

Work Stinks, Man!

Well. Not my job. My job has been pretty awesome so far. (For those who haven't been updated, I am no longer working at Information Alliance-- Hallelujah!-- but I'm a personal assistant for a lady who's job is to travel a lot. I think. I haven't really gotten a description of her job yet... haha) Sadly, Kevin is still stuck at Information Alliance with the rude people on the phone and the unstable of hours. My job suits me perfectly since I can get my boss's errands done on my schedule, meaning I can still get things done at home, which I'm EXTREMELY grateful for because I was feeling like that part of my life was being seriously neglected. How could it not be when my work day was from 3-10? All morning we were normally rushing around trying to get a little done while at the same time dreading the work to come. I may have gotten out of it, but it still takes my husband away from me the majority of the day.


So basically, Kevin has two jobs. At least it's not 3 anymore, which was just way too much for both of us to handle. He goes to work as an English Tutor at 1:30 until 3:30, which he REALLY loves, and then comes home for about ten minutes before he has to drive off to IA from 4-10. Did I mention I really don't like that job? Or the hours? Goodness I miss him most of the day...

Anyways. Happier topics: So You Think You Can Dance Is On Again! One of my favorite TV shows and one that is just on a whole other level of talent. I'm getting Kevin into it, but since the auditions weren't all that interesting to him, I'm hoping he'll like the choreographed dancing. They're so amazing!!! There's nothing else really to say about that... I'm looking for excuses to decorate cakes again, and Jennifer suggested 4th of July... I'm thinking of doing a two layered cake in the shape of Uncle Sam's flag hat with rockets and/or fireworks popping out the top? Yeahhhh, we'll see how doable that is. haha Easy for cake decorators, not so much for beginners like me.

Okay, I'm going back home. Hopefully I'll do a little more cleaning before I start cooking dinner for when Kevin gets home. I love being a wife :]

I need something to do...

I guess I could go home and finish cleaning the kitchen...namely dishes... But kevin gets off work in about 20 minutes and I want to see him as soon as I can. Though then we have a longgg walk across campus and beyond to get the car from the parking lot at his other job. That's right. Kevin's working 3 jobs. Not that he really needs to, just that they were offered and he really wants to make sure we're supported. And I feel like we are. :] I just really miss him ALL.THE.TIME. That's all.

It's actually nice outside! A high of 75 today has given me hope that Logan Utah isn't a secret Alaska. There was snow on Monday! SNOW. Mostly in the mountains, but still. SNOW. Plus it was cold enough to have snowed all day if it wanted.

Can I just say that I love random texts from people I love?? They make me happy. Then, when they're about hilarious rumors that started based off of nothing, it just makes me smile even more. I love having contact with people back home, even if they're only for the purpose of entertaining me with questions about having a baby. They're still funny and nice. At least I know I'm not completely forgotten already. :P

Hm... what else...

Oh! We have our first road trip this week :] We leave for Colorado to help Kevin's parents out with his dad's food show. (Was that complicated??) I'm really excited to get to see them again, and to just have time together with my husband and his family. Hopefully, there will be final plans made/finalized for a trip to VA this summer so I can visit my family and home ward. :]:]:] I really miss them! We'll see how it goes.

Okay now I'm really out. Until something more interesting comes along... Later!

Holy Toledo!

I think that pretty much explains my thought process this whole week...

That is all. :]:]:]:]:]:]