Baseball

You might be looking at the above (and below) picture and wondering why you're looking at my arm. If you look closely you might notice that I have a baseball sized bruise on my arm. The picture failed to capture the multi-colored beauty (if that's the word for it) of this bruise.

Yes, the most exciting thing that has happened to me in weeks is that I got hit in the arm by a baseball. I had decided to take Pookie for a long walk around the park across the street from us. I figured the weather was beautiful and I (we) needed some exercise and fresh air. As we were finishing up our first lap around the park, we were passing by a little league game. I was off in doggy walking la-la land and wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings. Although I doubt that my reflexes or any reaction that I could have had with advance warning would have helped me (and probably would have only made the situation worse). Anyway, out of no where I feel this arm deadening whack. Yup, I got hit by a foul ball. I was so shocked I just kept walking with Pookie. However now I was heading home instead of around the park again. My walk had effectively ended.

On my way home all I could do was say a little grateful prayer that the ball had hit me in my arm versus my head/face/belly. I think that was the most shocking thing of all- the realization that the baseball could have just as easily done some real damage instead of giving me a good sized/colored bruise.

Sorry for the long hiatus

Well the winter has returned here. We'd been having clear weather for the past week and on Thursday and Friday it even got up into the 50's- it was so nice! But this morning the rain turned to snow and it's grey and wet out there. Oh well. Maybe this will be winters last hurrah? (Knock on wood). I wouldn't mind rain for the rest of the winter/spring instead of snow.

Our weekend was okay- more stressful than relaxing. There are so many questions up in the air right now. What do we? How will this all work out? What's the best choice? How do we make this happen? Stuff like that. Dave and I have very clear ideas on what we want to do and where we want to go but we're having problems with the logistics right now. More like it's just me having problems with the logistics. I don't think of myself as a control freak but at the same time it is really really hard for me to just let go and know that someone else will make it happen or will take care of me. I feel like it's my responsibility to get things done. Time to revert to the saying that got me through rough spots before "Let Go and Let God." :)

We looked at houses on Friday night. We saw a whole bunch of immediate "no's" and one "this is more like it." But after much discussion I think we're going to wait and see what kind of changes Bean brings along. Who knows though- that could change again next week- it's one of the things that we are so back and forth on.

Speaking of Bean- we scheduled the ultrasound for February 23! We'll find out what we are having on that day! Just a few weeks now (2 to be exact). I am so excited! Both Bean and I are doing well- I've started gaining weight. I am a little over 17 weeks along- getting closer to the halfway point.

Anyway, that's about everything in recent memory. Oh yeah- last weekend we had to take Dave to the hospital. We had gone out to dinner and after dinner Dave slipped on some ice and scraped his hand up. He had cellulitis (where bacteria gets into the blood stream), so he had the red line running up his arm showing the infection. Scary stuff! He had to go on 3 rounds of antibiotics (2 IV's and 10 days of pills). Blech. Poor guy. He's doing much better now and his hand is well on the way to healing.

Slacker (on the photo thing)

So I carry my camera with me everywhere I go. You know- just in case I see something cool. Like this one time I saw elephants walking along the street outside of my office (at work). That really did happen (the circus was in town and apparently they still transport animals via train). Anyway, I tried to take pictures of the elephants but by the time I could, they were too far away.

So I was going to spice up my blog today by just posting a random picture from my camera- even if it isn't very current. But then I realized that I have pretty much posted all the good pictures already. I have pictures going all the way back to September on my camera (I'm not very good about uploading pix to my computer apparently). So tonight I'm going to make an effort to find something good to take a picture of just so I can put it on the blog. More than likely I'll finally remember to take pictures of my Christmas decorations (including the wreath I made).

That's pretty much it. I got my oil changed today and I feel pretty good about. Otherwise I am tired- Pookie woke me up last night and it took me 2 hours to get back to sleep. 16 Days to Christmas. Significantly less days to the mailing deadline (I'm working on it).

I'll admit that I am lazy

Sorry guys- I have totally dropped the ball on this whole "blogging" thing. I remember promising to write every day. In the past month I have hardly written at all.

Right so let's move on to the updates....

I quit working at Michaels. It is no more. It just finally got to be too much for me- the straw that broke the camels back. I think a few weeks of rest and recuperation and I'll be back up to speed. The only bad thing about this is that Dave says that now that I have all this free time I have to start going back to the gym. :( So much for just being lazy.

Thanksgiving went great. I made a whole lot of desserts and no one really ate them (not a surprise- especially after a tasty Thanksgiving meal). I have a pumpkin pie and a cheesecake sitting in my fridge right now. I don't think they'll be eaten.

Dave and I are ready for the holidays. I have the house decorated and lights put up. And Dave and I have our Christmas shopping all done. The presents are even all wrapped up. :) I'm pretty proud of that. We have a 1.5 foot tall fake tree that we have the presents propped up against (all of this is on our dining room table). I think next year we're going to have to get a real tree or get a bigger fake tree. At least Pookie can't chew on the tree this year.

And there we go- all the updates I have for you guys. Still no snow around here. It's actually been pretty warm. I was hoping for some snow before Christmas (it's the prettiest when it's Christmas).

This next weekend Dave is going to take me out to see the lights at Temple Square. I am so excited. :)

Randomness

It's Tuesday afternoon and nothing especially notable is going on around here. I am finishing up the book Ender's Game. I don't know how this book was under my radar for so long- I have really enjoyed it.

The weather is warming back up around here (by warming up I mean it should be around 70 by Saturday). It is definitely, finally, autumn. :) I am even more excited about the trip to Oregon now. So close! Just two more (long) days until we go! It is going to be so much fun. :)

I hope you all have a much more exciting day planned for yourselves. :)

I feel like spending lots of money today.

But I'm being good. Plus, I know that there's nothing I really want. Although, I am starting to look into things that I can do for Christmas. I think I am going to try to be a little bit more creative about Christmas presents this year. We'll see. (Notice, how I am always getting ahead of myself- it's not even Halloween yet and here I am talking about Christmas).

The weekend was pretty fun. The weather was cold and rainy (and it looks like it will be that way again next weekend). My mom came in to town so we were able to hang out and just relax. Sunday we didn't stray far from the house as it was General Conference. Even my mom listened in. :) Monday, my brother, Jamieson came into town so we hung out a little bit last night. This morning, Jamieson and Mom were out the door and on their way across the US. (I'm still a little bit jealous- I love road trips). Yesterday I stayed home. So today is kind of like my Monday (but it seems to have gone by faster).

It's the end of the day and I am excited to get home. I need a nap something fierce.

Need more pictures (soon).

So the big thing about me starting a blog was that I wanted to put a whole bunch of pictures up so that people would remain interested (yes I was planning on bribing you all to come visit my page by using cute/pretty pictures). But I haven't really had much to take pictures of. Except Dave in his pajamas and Pookie sleeping. Or me being sick. So really, I was waiting for a good opportunity to take a bunch of pictures. Like this weekend.

So yes, this is another blog post without pictures (though I am tempted to put some of Pookie up, despite the fact that it might make me look like one of those weird dog owners).

This weekend is going to be good. Saturday we will celebrate Dave's birthday. That's going to be fun once we figure out what we are going to do. :) And I'm sure there will be lots of pictures on Monday to chronicle the event. :)

On Sunday I am going to meet up with my friend Katie. Katie and I went to High School in Hawaii and then came to Utah together. We went through college more or less together (although she graduated a few years before me- I took a lot more breaks than she did). And now Katie is living in Washington, DC with her husband. Here's a fun story for you- Katie's husband, Matt, is pretty much the very first person we met after moving to Utah. He was living in the dorms as well (in the building next to mine) and we all stopped to chat. And look where that got them. :) Anyway, Katie will be in town for a short bit and I am excited to see her on Sunday. (Yes, more pictures).

Unfortunately, before I get to the weekend I have to make it through tomorrow. Tomorrow I have to go in and get oral surgery done. Back in January or February I broke one of my back molars on a bagel (yes, really). When the molar broke, it broke below the gum line so the crown that we put on has pinched the gum ever since then. I just thought crowns were always supposed to be uncomfortable, but my recent trip to the dentist told me otherwise. Anyway- Friday afternoon I am going in for "crown lengthening surgery" which means they are going to make my mouth fit the crown better (I'll spare you the details).

Sophia...

My sister in law (technically my brother in law's wife), Julie, had her baby yesterday! A little girl! Sophia. :) Sophia is the 15th from her generation, the second girl born, and the first little girl born in Utah (yeah, I have recently acquired 13 nephews and 2 nieces now in addition to the nephew and nieces I had previously). I'm excited to meet her. :)

Dave has been in school for three days now, enough time to kind of getting an idea of what he is in for for the remainder of the semester. I am sure he doesn't agree with me, but I am glad that he has his classes every day- the classes are short and it's a lot easier to reinforce ideas when repeatedly dealing with them, rather than one three hour class per week. (That being said, I always tried to sign up for the three hour class once a week).

His Physiology class uses this transmitter thingy in class. I'm not certain of the details, but it's an electronic transmitter that students will use to answer questions during quizzes. (I have visions of the transmitters from "who wants to be a millionaire" in my head, but I really have no clue). It sounds kind of cool. I think my sister, Leanne, was talking about how they were trying to use something similar to this at the school where she teaches...

There's a three day weekend this week and I don't think Dave and I will be doing anything special. I'll try to convince him to go for a hike one of the days but we'll see. I love three day weekends but it's really too hard to plan anything for them- hotels are usually booked (or really expensive) and I'm really too lazy to try to drive anywhere.

Wish there were more exciting things to report, but I'm the lame one these days. :) I think I got all my excitement out of the way during the summer. Now that fall is beginning it appears I'll be going into hibernation. :) Speaking of fall... it's finally getting cooler here... We try to sleep with the windows open as often as possible and last night I had to get another blanket because it was so cold out. I am not sure if it will even make 80 degrees today (but then again, the day is still young). This being Utah, it will more than likely warm up again, but it's a good reminder that fall is on the way.

Last Hurrah (Before School Starts)

Well, Dave starts school today. After realizing yesterday afternoon that there was a major conflict between his class schedule and his soccer games, we had some last minute reorganizing to do. And his schedule looks pretty manageable now. :) This semester Dave is taking Physiology, Physics, and Math 1070 (a stats class I think). Only three classes but it's considered full time! Next week Dave will start shadowing a member of the Physical Therapy department so he'll have a chance to really learn about the program and everything that is involved.

On Saturday Dave, Pookie, and I went up into the Uintas to Mirror Lake. I had heard that Mirror Lake was just beautiful, but I'm a little disappointed. It was really crowded- lots of people fishing (my sister's husband, Doss, would probably have a lot of fun with this place).

We got out and walked around the lake (which was fun) and also went off and hiked a little bit elsewhere (where there were not so many people).

Pookie was a good watch dog- except she kept barking at all of the fishermen (here's Dave trying to get Pookie to be quiet).

I was able to take a lot of good pictures though. :) Enough pictures to annoy Dave too.

By the end of the trip Pookie was pretty tired- she just curled up in Dave's lap and slept the entire time. :) It was pretty cute.

Wrap Up

Well, it's Friday and I'm not even supposed to be at work right now. We're having the employee retreat today so we're all going to a park and enjoying the day instead of working. Unfortunately I was sick yesterday and did not come into work (thus the reason I am here early this morning). Anyway....

Dave and I are finally coming out of our shells, a little bit. We are having my friends Jeremy and Renee over for dinner. It's the first time that Dave and I have invited our friends over for dinner. :) Hopefully it will go well... I am excited.

Other than that we just have a quiet weekend planned. Nothing too special. Dave wants to have a quiet weekend before school starts on Monday and he has no time for anything anymore. :(

Still no wedding photos. :( I'm excited to get them but I have no clue when I'll receive them. It's just supposed to be a wedding CD (I decided I wanted to print my own pictures) but it doesn't seem like that was any quicker. Oh well. I'll let everyone know as soon as wedding photos come in.

One Month (and other things too)

So Dave and I have been married for one month, today! :) Whoo hoo! I love it. :) Married life suits me. I love everything about it (really).

It has been a quiet week so far- the good news is that I have plenty to do at work so I keep pretty focused and the day goes by quickly. I still love the projects that I work on (this job works so well with my strengths) and I have been enjoying working here. I have also had enough time to work on the other things in life that need attention- like making a new (better) budget spreadsheet for myself (I'm quite the Excel nerd), and working on Dave's schedule for the next semester. So I feel productive all around. (It's a nice change from a few weeks ago).

School starts next Monday- I can't believe the summer has gone by so quickly, but then again, I'm not really surprised it went by so quickly.

Dave and I went to our family ward on Sunday (we haven't had the best attendance since we've gotten married mostly because of travel). I think I am going to really enjoy it. It is really different from the singles ward (obviously) and will take some getting used to- especially with all the kids everywhere. On Sunday, in Sacrament, the little 2 or 3 year old girl (she was little) sitting in front of us started singing "she likes to move it move it" pretty loudly. It was hilarious. It got the people sitting around her to laugh. But we went to all three meetings- Relief Society is always the hardest for me to go to for some reason. I'm still too shy about meeting new people but give me a little bit of time and it won't be so bad. I think I will really like my Relief Society though- lots of friendly sisters. Anyway, tonight I am having my first visiting teachers come by. It should be good (I hope).

Entropy (Friday spelled backwards)

Entropy: Inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society.

Sheesh it's the end of the week already and what do I have to show for myself? Oh well, I'm just glad it's the weekend again.

I get to clean and organize this weekend... I'm trying to get our spare bedroom organized- it's become the craft/storage/food storage room and is basically just a mess. (This is actually a constant on my to do list- we'll see what actually happens).

Tomorrow Dave and I are going to a Motorcycle race out at the Larry H Miller Track in Tooele. Dave's best friend, Jason, races his motorcycle and there happens to be a race tomorrow. It should be a lot of fun- these guys are going about 150 MPH on the straightaways and about 90 around the turns (Dave is NOT allowed to race his motorcycle, that and it's a really expensive hobby). I went to a race last month and had a lot of fun- I am looking forward to tomorrow's race. It is Jason's last race before he goes back to Med School in Ohio (he leaves on Sunday).

Also tomorrow is my friend Zane's wedding. :) So many people getting married this year! Before this year I had gone to two weddings (both were sisters) in the past five years. In the past 30 days I will have done 3 weddings (of course, one was my own).

Miscellaneous

It's a Wednesday and I really have nothing to say for myself today. :)
We took Dave into the doctor yesterday and the good news is that he didn't break his leg. But he's going to have a nasty bruise and a lot of pain for the next few days (can you believe that he's happy because this means he can go play soccer on Monday?).
Life is just chugging along at it's normal pace. I am not especially motivated at work (uh-oh), but I'm trying. School starts in just a few weeks. We're trying to figure out what this means to us. Will Dave go back to school? Will he focus only on school or will he work full time as well? It's going to be interesting. It doesn't help that the classes he wants to take don't necessarily fit with a 8-5 job. It will get interesting.
Fall is over a month away but I find myself already excited for it. Not necessarily for the cold and the dark, but for the changing colors and the holidays. Okay, a crisp morning here and there would be nice as well (just to liven things up). I've already noticed that it is getting lighter later each morning- and I've noticed it takes me that much longer to get out of bed each morning. :) After Hawaii I don't think I'll ever get used to the way the length of the day changes here. :)


And for no reason at all, here is a picture of a cool tree stump.
(The tree fell over so you are looking at the bottom of it)

Monday

*sigh*



The weekend went too quickly as usual. Saturday I helped my brother in law move into a new house. And then I sat around the rest of the weekend reading (good news it that I finished Breaking Dawn Sunday night). I also went to my new family ward. That will take some getting used to. It's not much bigger than the singles ward I was previously attending and that was kind of surprising.


This afternoon Dave is flying to Mesa, Arizona for Nick's (his little brother) wedding. Nick is getting married tomorrow in the Temple down there to Darcie Kehoe, who is also from Oahu, funny yeah? I can't wait for Dave to get back already.


And to make you laugh: here's a pic of Dave surfing the internet last night. Seriously.

So much in so little time

Well, it has been a fantastic year so far. 2008 is definitely the year when things happen. This will hopefully be a good way to keep everyone in touch with the happenings out here in Utah. My goal is to add plenty of pictures along the way to help keep it interesting. We'll see how I do. :)
Anway, this is a short introduction to what will hopefully become an interesting blog that keeps people in touch.

Oh and I guess I should run through the synopsis for 2008 so far (just in case)... I was baptized, we started dating (officially), we got engaged, we graduated, I got a new job, we got married, and now Dave is going back to school.

Sounds like a lot huh? Feels like it too.