Take It Easy

OK this one is for Angie and Beki. I know you've been begging for baby bump pictures but......... I'm just not very good at this blogging thing :)

Mostly it's been because there hasn't been a bump to show. I had a coworker ask me if I was growing a chipmunk the other day lol. But today at our all-day training it seemed like everybody could see it (and everybody who saw it commented) so I guess it's time to post a picture. This is all I've got and I'll try to post more as I get bigger. It helps that we'll be finishing school in....count 'em, 8 days!

In terms of updates, I don't know the gender yet. We did decide to find out though and we'll find out in two weeks. I can't wait! I'll try to be better about sending out the update for that one. The morning sickness is waning, so I'm starting to enjoy pregnancy a little more but it really hasn't hit me yet. I've felt little fluttery kicks, which is exciting but I think I'm still in school mode so it's hard to focus on anything else. Just 8 days and I can take it easy :)

What else??? I dunno..... I'll just have to be better about keeping you all posted. Thanks for your patience, love, and support.

Waiting

Alright it's out. I've entered the Waiting Place of my life. Waiting to tell people we were trying.... waiting until I can take the test..... waiting to see if the test is positive..... waiting for the perfect time to tell my parents...... waiting until I can tell friends and family...... waiting for the first appointment.... waiting to see the ultrasound...... waiting until the morning sickness subsides....... waiting to find out if it's a boy or a girl -- or to decide whether I'll find out or wait to find out (I don't know yet)....... waiting to start showing........ waiting until the due date...... you get the idea. That's pretty much all that's going on right now but I thought you all would probably like find out now instead of when you get an invite :) I know it's hard to see but it basically looks like a little lizard. If you want to see it close up, I guess you'll just have to pay a visit to Lehi sometime!

Chicago is SO Two Years Ago

OK, so more like two months ago but hey, at least I beat Bree to blogging about it. Seriously me? Beating anybody at blogging? Sorry Bree but that's pretty bad. When was the last time I posted? Two years ago? Well, it seems like it. At least Kerstin hasn't given up on me yet :)

So here you go, an update. We just got back from Nauvoo.......two months ago. Actually for me I'd say that's pretty good. I still haven't posted Lake Powell pictures from last September (and I'm thinking those are just going to have to lay where they lie until this year's trip because I have no idea where the pics are).

So for my dad's parents' 50th wedding anniversary he decided to take them and his children and spouses (minus Will on the mission) to Nauvoo to see the sites. It was quite an adventure:

So we started the trip out with a relaxing day at

the ball park. Good old Wrigley Field, home of the Cubbies...... Well it was kind of relaxing except someone was in our seats....which was actually because there were a whole bunch of school kids in their seats.....who took up a whole lot of seats that weren't theirs to begin with. Oh well, I guess I can't complain. I wouldn't want to be responsible for twenty-something kids in a huge city like Chicago.

But hey, at least Michael J. Fox was there to lead us in the singing of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh inning stretch.

And we got some super good eatin' Chi-cago style. We were starving! Even after the Chicago dog minus the Chicago toppings (for me anyway, but Mark loved the onions).

And I got to go to the game with my little-big sister Bree and her husband Mike.

Five hours later we had a run-in with the local KFC and a trucker who was looking for chicken. You'll have to talk to Mike and Mark about the details but basically we peeled away with about $200 worth of chicken but we only had to pay for two buckets (it pays to go at closing time).

My poor dad, who was funding the operation since there were no open restaurants in Nauvoo after 7:30, about had a heart attack when we walked in. He probably thought we'd break the bank on the first night there.

And now the chronological order goes out the window -- mostly because I'm not about to put 300+ photos on here. Don't worry, this isn't a later engagement picture (I'm not that bad at blogging am I?)

It was just some random bridge we found. Actually I think it had some historical significance but I was probably hungry for more chicken so I can't remember (if no one laughs at that joke I know at least Bree will. I guess you had to be there).

A great thing to do there is to take the wagon tours of Old Nauvoo. Be sure to take a jacket though because Nauvoo is not warm in April.

Thankfully they do let you borrow some nice quilts. Apparently Mark was on his own for this tour though because it doesn't look like I was ready to share.... Hmmm......

Oh come on Babe, we only went on two wagon rides! Just kidding. I'm not sure why he's making this face actually. Probably because I was taking too many pictures (I do that sometimes).

Another fun thing to do is check out the Family Living Center. You can do all sorts of things like watch this guy weave a rug....

Learn about how to make parent-friendly candles. This one is called a courting candle where you move the candle up for more time or down when it's time for your teenager's boyfriend to go home. As you can see, Mark is in good standing with my mom right now......

You can also make a rope.

And cut the rope when you're done --- but only if you follow the directions.

But they all know why you really decided to go to the Family Living Center when they told you about it on the Wagon Tour......

It's to eat the homemade bread. Who could pass up an invitation to "Sample homemade baked goods at the local bakery"?

Mark conducted a meeting at Joseph's Smith Red Brick Store.

But apparently my talk wasn't nearly as motivating.

But at least I can rock this old-school golf hat. OK I know that's not really what it's called but you get the idea.

The travel party - minus Grandma and Grandpa...... I'm not sure where they went?

And on to one of the many spiritual highlights. The temple is beautiful inside and out.

What a Man!

Can I just say that I have the sweetest and most thoughtful husband? Seriously. Brace yourselves, this is going to be a long post.

We needed a new washer and dryer - the details on why I won't bore you with - so we've been doing some research. Found a couple decent ones on KSL, looked around the after Christmas sales, the works.

So yesterday we go to RC Willey outlet and find a pretty nice white washer/dryer set for a decent price but the salesguy - ugh. He was nice and I know he was just trying to help, but I am sensitive to condescending tones. He kept trying to give me the business on the differences between different sets. I wanted to just stop him and say "Listen buddy! I know what I'm looking for. I did my research." So anyways, we find this set that's pretty good, good brand, good price, and a front loading washer like Mark wanted.

Yes, you knew there's more to the story since the picture is definitely not a white washer/dryer set. The only problem with the one at RC Willey is the door locations. I need the dryer to be on the left for my hookups but to do so, the door to the washer needs to be on the other side. The salesman at RC Willey explains that all brands are made the opposite and though the door is reversable on the dryer, no washer of any brand comes with a door on the side I need it on. Stubbornly, I look around at all the other brands just to make sure (Bree, if you're reading you're probably shaking your head knowing exactly what I'm thinking during this time).

And yes, those are the dirty clothes that have been piling up in my bedroom inside :)

All the while, Mark is patient and understands my concerns about the door (I've still got a bad back from my car accident, so the laundry needs to be as painless as possible). We discuss and discuss and finally agree on this set since it's a good brand and a good price. I go back to work a little flustered about the situation (and not to mention the pushy salesman).

A couple hours later I get a call from Mark all excited. He'd seen right through my attempt to make a decision, knowing exactly what my concerns were and why. Apparently he went to Lowes to compare again. Lo and behold, he was able to get the same brand but a nicer model for not much more - making it an even better deal. Plus a perk: we got these nice black ones :) Now all of my appliances match color and brand-wise (Did I mention Mark was doing all of this on his day off? What a man!). And another perk: they were delivered today instead of on Friday!

Oh yes, and there's more. Remember my issues with the doors? Well, I always knew Mark listens to me since he can repeat me word for word, sentence for sentence on just about any conversation. But seriously ladies? He went out of his way to make sure we got a longer dryer hose so my washer could be on the left -- creating the ideal door scenario and saving my back. What a man!

Say It Ain't So :(

Socrates is dead. Yes, but he's in a better place now. Named for my controversial healthcare ethics teacher, my beta fish, Socrates, was purchased sometime in late 2006/early 2007. Despite critics, he was quite responsive and seemed to show excitement whenever I returned to my desk. He lived a pretty decent life. A year and a half-ish. Socrates passed away sometime between 12:15 PM 11/14/2008 and 8:15 AM 11/17/2008. Funeral services will be held on 11/18/2008 sometime between 8:15 AM and 6:15 PM at the University of Phoenix.

**Disclaimer - photo is not of actual fish. I've spared you the image.

Kings and Queens

More trees :)

Here's one of our new ones. It is called a Japanese Crimson King Maple. It's really tall, but is supposed to bush out a little more. We really liked the color and that it's a little more mature.

To go with him, we found out this one is called a Japanese Crimson Queen Maple.

Another picture of the Crimson King.

We got some new dark leaf hard maples for our park strip. The two are pretty much identical.

Previously, I was determined to have no evergreens whatsoever because they only remind me of winter. Winter reminds me of being cold and that's just no good. When I saw this little guy, however, I had to have it! I can't remember the name of it though. It's like a palmy pine and I think "Ebeneezer" is somewhere in the name. It's pretty cool though. The needles are considerably soft :)

Remember the new shoots on my squash? Here's an up close picture.

My transplanted cantaloupe is growing like crazy!

Here's one of the dinky little maples our renters planted. I think its growth has been stunted. It was planted in sandy soil. Hopefully it'll take off a little better here with more quality soil.

Here's the other little dinky tree from our renters. It's a Quaky (sp?). It's looking a little shocked right now from being transplanted but we've got our drip line going now so hopefully it'll come back.

Bring Me to Life

Alrighty then. Things have finally started to slow down enough for the pictures to be a little more interesting. Welcome to the transformation.

Here's the park strip. It looked terrible.





Watch this little plot of land transform into my garden.








These were noxious weeds! I'm so glad they're gone! Can you believe clean grass is growing there now?

Railroad ties and curbing to outline the master plan. These things are authentic. They even bleed tar when it gets really hot. But not onto the top soil. Just don't step on the wet tar.

More curbing. Remember the noxious weeds? Gone baby gone!

Mark overlooking the DeHaan habitat. The sprinklers work much better now too :)

More sprinklers along the side.

Special delivery. Retail on leftovers: $50 in 15 minutes.

I'm thinking of doing a contained strawberry patch right here. What do you think? It's kitty corner from my garden plot.

Much much better. What more can I say?

This is one of my favorites of our new trees. It's called a Ginko tree. It's one of the oldest species of trees on earth, which means it's really hardy and can survive wind.....drought.....pretty much anything you throw at it ---- said the salesman. But actually I think they're pretty sweet. When we were planting the wind started blowing like it does here in Lehi and I was worried at how my trees were starting to bend in the wind. Then I look over at my Ginkos and the wind doesn't even phase them! Needless to say, I was quite impressed. Slow growers though. Only 1 foot a year.

Here is another favorite. My Fuji apple tree. It probably won't produce for a year or two, but it'll be fun to watch it grow. I've never seen an apple bud. The salesman said they just "appear" when I asked him what they look like. I think he was jerking my chain though....

An overhead view of my other Ginko tree. We'll probably have to trim this one a bit. It's a little lop-sided.

This is my Navajo Willow. It doesn't get quite as big as your Weeping Willow, but it's supposed to grow tall and bushy....perfect for blocking out the view of the neighbors.

Instant garden! OK, so our neighbors had too much and they transplanted some fruits that I'm not particularly interested in harvesting but it'll make good practice for next year. The little scraggly ones in the back are squash. They looked like they were dying but I noticed today that there are new shoots growing. So I've trimmed out most of the dead stuff and will give them another shot. I'm not the best green thumb though, so we'll be adding in a drip line for sure!

OK so I guess they're all my favorite trees but this one is like my little baby. Mom says it's a Japanese maple. All I remember was the word Japanese and it looked cool so we got it. It fits perfectly in front.

Well that's all for this year we're thinking. We might buy a few more trees but flowers and shrubberies (Nei!) will be coming next spring most likely. No use buying annuals for one month. We'll have to keep you posted ;)