Random Thoughts

1) Backing up the computer isn't much fun. But I just know this one is gonna die soon. And I don't wanna lose everything. And I have millions of unorganized pics. So they had to be organized before I backed them up. Halfway done...

2) My cousin Courtney is having her CD release tomorrow. She is AMAZING. Seriously. If you're interested...contact me for information. I can send you to her facebook link or tell you where it's at. I'm so proud of my little cuz. Blows me away.

3) My book is overdue at the library. But I can't renew it because someone has it on hold. I'm not taking it back yet though because I want to finish it. Yes...I'm just that mean. But it's good.

4) It's freaking hot outside. I'm gonna buy myself a mini inflatable pool for the backyard. Because I'm just that cool.

5) I have SOOO much to do before Baby Ryan gets here. Oh my goodness. But I have been more productive lately. I love it!

6) Budgeting is hard. I'm still trying to work on it and get the hang of it. Also year supply. Haven't quite mastered that one. I'm working on it all. Bleh.

7) I love weekends because I get to spend lots of time with the hubs. He makes me happy.

8) Wildflower Bread Company is delish. Oh my gosh. Go eat there. It rocks.

Happy Weekend!

Instant Realization

This morning I woke up only to realize that my phone (also my alarm) had died sometime during the night. After that finally registered in my half-awake brain, I also realized that this meant my alarm hadn't gone off. I frantically looked to the clock to check the time and realized it was an hour and a half past when I wanted to get up. I turned to my husband and said, "Ah man! I was supposed to get up at 7!" To which he sweetly replied, "Babe, you need your sleep."



And something clicked in my brain.

Realization one: When I fell asleep last night, I had two bars of battery left on my cell phone. If I fall asleep with only one...it will still make it through an entire night. But for some reason, last night it didn't make it with two...

Realization two: I was beyond exhausted yesterday. It was miserable.

Realization three: Everything happens for a reason.

Jess was right--I did need my sleep. And I felt so refreshed today.

Pure bliss.

One Crazy Day

Yesterday morning I woke up around 7:30. I got showered and ready for the day.

I made myself a piece of toast and some sliced strawberries for breakfast.

Then Richard and Melissa (Jess's brother and his wife) picked us up.

From there, we made the drive out to the airport.

We met Steve and Pam (Jess's uncle and aunt) and Bill and Jane (his grandpa and his wife) there.

We waited, and waited, and finally boarded the plane.

A short hour and a half later, we were in Salt Lake City.

Jess and I took a taxi to Temple Square to eat at the Lion House. It is probably one of my favorite restaurants ever! I'm not so sure Jess was a big fan. But, I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. They have AMAZING mashed potatoes, rolls, jello, and pie. It's a home-cooking style type of place, which makes it simply amazing. If you have never eaten there...I highly recommend it.

After that, we walked down and I insisted upon a detour to the temple. It's gorgeous.




Then, of course, I made Jess take me to the visitor's center to see the big statue of Christ. I remember going there as a little girl. It was so beautiful; it literally took my breath away. Now I can't pass it by without going to see it. And it was baby Ryan's first time there. I know he loved it as well.




Jess wanted to go the Deseret Book there. It's HUGE. So we went to cross the street and head on over. As we were waiting for the light to change, I turned around. And there, walking down the side of the road, was Dallin H. Oaks. He smiled and waved at us. What are the odds? Amazing.

Inside Deseret Book, I was like a kid in a candy store. I wanted EVERYTHING. There are so many books there that I want to read. We bought a couple of movies for our Sunday afternoon collection. And I fell in love with some books I wanted to buy for little Ry Guy. But I held myself back. I even passed up the chocolate covered cinnamon bears. And let me tell you...that was a tough feat.

Then it was time to head on over to the church office building for the real reason we were there all day: Jess's dad got called as a mission president. He and his wife will be serving in the Buenos Aires North mission in Argentina. Elder Cook was going to set them apart. The whole family met at the church office building. It was fun to be all together. It was also great to see Brad and Matt because it will be awhile before we get to see them again. Brad is in Boston for the summer interning for a finance company. Matt is up at BYU. He is on the football team there as a kicker and so he probably won't be coming home between summer and fall semesters. So it was fun to talk to both of them.

We waited and talked, waited and talked. And then it was time. They took us up the elevator and down to Elder Cook's office. He shook each hand, sat us down, and talked with us. It was an amazing experience.

When that was over, we all headed to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building up to the Roof buffet restaurant. More family met us there. I got to meet some of the Gulbrandsen cousins that I had yet to meet. They were all nice people and I'm glad I got to spend some time with them.

Then, we headed back to the airport and flew back home.

It was a short, fun trip. But it was so worth it...even if my hands and feet were swollen most of the time. :)

Be the Best You Can Be Week #11

Well, once again...I have improved.

That being said, I am still keeping the water goal. It's summer. I need to be drinking MORE. So that is goal number one.

Goal number 2: Work out. I've been slacking. It's much harder to do when you are pregnant. But that's no excuse.

Goal number 3: Don't procrastinate. I have a baby coming in like two a half months (eyes open super wide). I know. I can't believe it. And I have SOOO much to do before then. It's insane. And I keep putting things off. I don't have TIME to put things off. Baby Ryan is going to be here before I know it. And I want to be ready when he does. I want to be ready to give him my undivided attention. So...no more procrastination for me!

Life is good :)

Things of Importance

1. Icees on a hot, summer, Arizona day are the best. Yeh--uhh---meeee.



2. Sometimes we have to make decisions we don't want to make in life. Sometimes those decisions are hard. Sometimes we feel that it's unfair for us to have to make those decisions. But we just need to have faith, let the Spirit guide us, and make the decision that is best. And with that faith, everything will work out the way that it needs to. It might not always be fun, but it will be okay. We'll get through it.

3. I love bright colored dresses. They make life fun. Leggings are saving me this summer. Flats are your best choice of shoe when you are pregnant. A flower headband can take your blah-looking-gross-ponytail-second-or-third-day-hair from disgusting to decent. And owl necklaces were pretty much the cutest thing ever invented. I own a lot of them.




4. My puppy is the cutest thing ever.



5. I have world's best husband. I fall more and more in love with him every day of my life. No, our life isn't perfect. Yes, sometimes he drives me crazy. Yes, I know that sometimes I drive him crazy. But that's life. And what matters is that we always remember that we love each other. I can't wait to spend every day from here on out with him.

6. My baby is coming soon. And I have so many projects and things I want/need/hope to get done before he comes. It's pretty intense. But I can't wait for him to be here. He's gonna be cute. Trust me...I saw him in a dream. And he was the cutest baby I've ever seen. And dreams don't lie.

Okay, so maybe my baby will look nothing like the baby in my dream. Just go with me on this. :)

But he's gonna be cute. I just know it.

P.S. -- Tomorrow is Friday! Weeeee!!

The Weekend

Friday

My cousin got home from his mission, so we went to my grandmas house for banana splits. Yum!

Saturday

Our anniversary. Smile. I could NOT believe that it had already been a year since I married my best friend. Crazy stuff. We woke up and headed over to Crismon's to buy our crib. I LOVE it and can't wait to put it together. Then, my hubby took me to Ihop for breakfast. So good! After that, we went to Walmart for some good ole' shopping. We got the second two Glee cds. We're pretty much obsessed. If you never watched the show...do. If you don't have the cds...get them. It's well worth your time and money. And then, due to my swelling fingers, Jess bought me a new ring. Check it:





How GORGEOUS does it look? I was impressed. And so worth the $9. Yes...we spent a whopping $9 on that thing. Later that night, we went to a party for Jess's parents. They are leaving on their mission next week, so some of their friends threw a party for them. After that, we headed over to a BEAUTIFUL reception.

Oh...and don't forget the tradition...




Yes, we ate our cake. One year later. It was DISGUSTING. Well, at least the frosting was. It was all slimy. The cake part wasn't too bad. But I only ate my one bite anyway.

What did you do over the weekend?

Be the Best You Can Be Week #10

My goals for this week are staying the same as last week.

1. Eat better. I definitely improved here. I've eaten more veggies and less carbs. But I can still do even better!

2. Drink more water. I've also done better with this. But I can still improve.

3. Be motivated to get stuff done at night. Yeah. This is where I failed. We'll try it out this upcoming week.

Happy beginning of the week!

Giveaway Winner

Since not everyone posted each entry separately, I first wrote down all the names with the correct amount of entries...

Then I used the handy dandy random number generator on Random.org...

And the winner is....

Miss Lexi Crum!! Congrats girl! (Go visit her blog if you haven't already. It's super cute...and so is she!)

And Lex, I'm thinking since you live right by my parents, I'll just run it by your house next time I visit them. Sound good? For sure within the next week. E-mail me if that won't work!

The Weekend

Our first anniversary is this coming Saturday. One year. I can't believe it.

But we have a very busy weekend, filled with family things each night. So we knew we wouldn't be able to go on a special date to celebrate. I got over it. We could still have a fun, enjoyable day.

Jess had different plans.

Friday morning, I woke up and laid in bed, hoping I wouldn't have to get out of it. As Jess rolled out of bed he said, "By the way, you should have a bag packed for the weekend by the time I get home from work."

Huh? I was confused. "Where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise."

Seriously? I'm telling you...he's perfect. It gets better.

"Oh...and if you have time, you might want to go buy yourself that new camera you want."

Melt.

So I did. I bought my new camera, I packed us a bag, and I got ready for a fun weekend away.

We enjoyed our time in Flagstaff eating food, walking around, enjoying the coolER air, watching movies, ordering late night room service, going to the Lowell Observatory (and viewing Saturn and Venus through telescopes), trying to go fishing, sleeping in, going to the NAU singles ward, browsing antique stores, eating ice cream, and being in love.

It was perfect. See for yourself.









And don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Be the Best You Can Be Week #9 and a Giveaway

I missed another week. And blogging has been sporadic...but I'm gonna try and be better. In fact, I think I have a plan to help with this. We'll see if it works.

But as for my previous goals. Ehhh...I did okay. I did GREAT with the facebook one. I got on again today. It was refreshing to have been off it for so long before though. Now it's just gonna be a here and there kind of thing. I like it much better that way.

New goals:

1. Eat better. I just feel kind of bleh. So I'm going to eat better. More veggies. I do really well with fruit and some other things. But I overeat carbs, and I could afford to eat more veggies.

2. Drink more water. With it being summer in AZ, I need more water. Especially as a prego girl. I'm already swelling here and there. Argh.

3. Be more motivated to get stuff done at night. It's hard to want to do stuff around the house when Jess is home from work. But with summer school all day...I have no choice. And when baby comes, same thing. So I need to get used to this now.

And...since this is my 200th post (yay!), I decided to do a giveaway (finally.)

It's pretty lame-o. Since I'm stressed and don't have the time to make anything cool. But I was at Forever 21 the other day, so I picked up some cute accessories.







Mandatory Entry:
Tell me what type of accessory you can't live without (rings, earrings, necklace, scarf, belt, anything!)

Extra Entries:
Follow my blog (1 entry)
Facebook about this entry (1 entry)
Blog about this giveaway (2 entries)

Giveaway will end Friday at noon and winners will be announced around then! Good luck!

Declutter

Why is it that we want to keep things. We want to buy new things. We want to surround ourselves with stuff.

But in reality, we feel the best when we de-clutter our kitchen pantry, our closet, our lives.

It's complicated, confusing, and annoying if you ask me.

(Me and Jess on our first New Year's Eve together...2008. Makes me happy.)

I've been going through my computer files, documents, and pictures. I got rid of the things I no longer needed. I organized the files. It feels much less cluttered. And, in turn, I feel less stressed.

I can't wait to do the same thing with all the stuff in my house when we move. It's going to feel refreshing.

On another note, summer school started yesterday...and now my life is way BUSY. I love that too.

Here's another thought for you.

(Tower of Terror Line March 2007 at pom nationals. I miss these girls!)

Why is it that when we don't have much to do, we can't seem to fit it all in a day?

But when we add more things to our lives, more obligations, we somehow manage to get it all done.

Seriously, the more that I take on, the more I actually end up getting done. It makes no sense. I guess I just love being busy all the time. It makes me feel accomplished.


(Senior prom. This pic makes me want to cut my hair short again. Don't let me do it...)

But I may be MIA for awhile. We'll see.


(And excuse the old pictures...)