Christmas and New Years came and went. We went to bed at 10 pm on New Years. The fireworks woke us up around midnight, we gave each other a kiss, and went back to sleep. The next day I realized that only 3 years ago we were in downtown Brasilia at a free concert with thousands of people all dressed in white for the new year, dancing with friends, eating street food, and partying til the early hours of the morning. Times have changed for us!
My friend Elizabeth sent me an email Christmas card that I have thought about quite a lot. She listed all the things she had done by month that were little checks off her bucket list. I was also proud to be a part of some of those things she had done like whitewater rafting and a trip to New York. Knowing all the challenges and heartache she has been through this last year and the year before, I was so inspired to see that in spite of it all, she managed to push through and live her life to the fullest. In the end she said, "This year has been productive, i have done many things on my TO DO list for 2012, and i dont think i would have done any of them if I wouldn't have read that list over and over and reminded myself that life is to short. If we want something we have to work and get it ourselves! I am lucky to have family, friends, and a job that will tell me live my dreams. So to all of you, i say Thank You!
My friend Elizabeth sent me an email Christmas card that I have thought about quite a lot. She listed all the things she had done by month that were little checks off her bucket list. I was also proud to be a part of some of those things she had done like whitewater rafting and a trip to New York. Knowing all the challenges and heartache she has been through this last year and the year before, I was so inspired to see that in spite of it all, she managed to push through and live her life to the fullest. In the end she said, "This year has been productive, i have done many things on my TO DO list for 2012, and i dont think i would have done any of them if I wouldn't have read that list over and over and reminded myself that life is to short. If we want something we have to work and get it ourselves! I am lucky to have family, friends, and a job that will tell me live my dreams. So to all of you, i say Thank You!
Thank You for your love, support, kindness, emails, texts, advice, treats, and smiles this year!
I know that next year, will be wonderful, only gets better from here!"
If I were to recap my year of 2012, it would look something like this:
January: Went to LMFAO during Sundance at a club with girlfriends and danced til 3 am, then drove home in a blinding snowstorm.
February: Had a romantic Valentine's and saw one of our favorite Bluegrass bands, Emmitt Nershi at the State Room.
March: Our offer on the house was accepted! We got to move our of our apartment and start moving into our home.
April: We officially moved into our first home in a dream location with an awesome layout and a phenomenal ward. We got to go to Newport Beach with my family and hang out in a California for a few days. Then, we finally got a puppy we had wanted since we were newlyweds, Koda. I also got a pretty big promotion at work.
May: We started remodeling our home as total novices with no experience and only a little money after spending it all on a down payment.
June: We went to Oahu to celebrate our niece's first birthday in a traditional Hawaiian baby luau with Justin's family.
July: We got our second little angel, Porsche, from a rescue organization.
August: We went to Seattle to visit my sister and even drove northward and took a ferry to beautiful Orcas island. We also went on a backpacking trip with Evelyn and Richard and took the puppies in the Uintahs.
September: I realized my promotion was not helping me live the life of family and Gospel centered peace I wanted so I stepped down. To celebrate and unwind, I went on a super fun 5 day trip to NYC and Philadelphia with two awesome friends and saw Broadways, ate great food, and stayed up way too late having girl chats.
October: After 2 years of trying to have a baby, we finally found out we were pregnant without having to resort to any fertility treatments. I owe it to cutting back at work, relaxing more, and getting two dogs to love and adore.
November: We told family about the pregnancy! The best reactions definitely belonged to my parents and my sister Caroline. I'll never forget how excited they were for us.
December: We managed to stay sane through the holidays, but decided that next year we might skip out and be in Hawaii or Mexico to avoid the craziness.
With that, I would like to say that it was a fantastic year. The crowning jewels definitely belong to getting into our home, getting our two puppies, and obviously becoming pregnant. I have felt that the older I get (not that I'm old) the more I realize how when everything else is stripped away- work, stuff, success, education- the only things that truly make me happy and whole are my family.
This year I have some more "bucket list" goals. Before the baby those goals usually revolved around travel. Now they revolve around my home, our baby, and bettering myself to be the mother I want to be. And I'm okay with that. :)
Now for a pregnancy update!
How far along: 18 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain: 3 and half pounds
Maternity clothes? Yep. I recently got three pairs of pants with the belly band, a maxi skirt and a couple of maternity blouses. I actually love maternity clothes!
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Depends on how tired I am. Despite getting up at least once to use the bathroom, I sleep pretty well. Even with all the crazy dreams. Lately they've all been about wild animals threatening me, the dogs, or family. I wonder what that means?
Best moment this week: Wearing an outfit to church that showed off my belly and some people finally commented that I look pregnant.
Movement: Not yet.
Cravings?: No cravings lately.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Just kidney stones. Had to go to the ER for the 2nd time last week. :(
Belly Button in or out? In still. Probably for a while.
Wedding ring on or off? Still on. No swelling.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Neither. Just tired. Very very very tired.
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move. Hopefully soon! And the Ultrasound to let us know if it's a boy or girl is in 2 weeks. We can't wait!
Total weight gain: 3 and half pounds
Maternity clothes? Yep. I recently got three pairs of pants with the belly band, a maxi skirt and a couple of maternity blouses. I actually love maternity clothes!
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Depends on how tired I am. Despite getting up at least once to use the bathroom, I sleep pretty well. Even with all the crazy dreams. Lately they've all been about wild animals threatening me, the dogs, or family. I wonder what that means?
Best moment this week: Wearing an outfit to church that showed off my belly and some people finally commented that I look pregnant.
Movement: Not yet.
Cravings?: No cravings lately.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Labor Signs: Nope.
Symptoms: Just kidney stones. Had to go to the ER for the 2nd time last week. :(
Belly Button in or out? In still. Probably for a while.
Wedding ring on or off? Still on. No swelling.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Neither. Just tired. Very very very tired.
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move. Hopefully soon! And the Ultrasound to let us know if it's a boy or girl is in 2 weeks. We can't wait!
