So, it turns out that taking a break from school gives me more time to think about the reason that I started going to school in the first place...
I started going to school to keep me distracted from the fact that we don't have a baby. Now that I have more free time on my hands, I can see how well it has worked. There have been countless times over the last several years that homework and testing and making plans for things we only have time for in the summer have saved me from myself and have kept me completely distracted...
So many people that I know are announcing pregnancies, having morning sickness, decorating nurseries, attending baby showers and so many other things that I long to experience and while I am so thrilled for them, my heart aches - and I feel it, and it hurts.
There's really nothing to do about it, I'm just sick of keeping it to myself.
January 27, 2011
January 6, 2011
Harrison Family Party
Nate's sweet grandpa turned 80 on December 24th! He is one of the most outgoing and quick witted 80 year old men I have ever met!!
To celebrate this exciting occasion, Nate's aunt planned a wonderful birthday bash for him in Salt Lake!! We braved the icy roads last week and drove down to celebrate and enjoy time with Nate's family - some of whom we have not seen for, literally, years!
We had such a great time catching up with cousins and aunts and uncles and meeting family members that we haven't gotten a chance to meet yet!
We played some Human Foosball -
and some "Minute to Win It" games - Nate & I were the first group drawn & rocked our challenge, resulting in the win of some yummy Sour Patch Kids -
and many other wonderful activities, including a pinata & "toy" walk for the kiddos, question and answer time with grandpa, a very yummy catered dinner and raffle, and the MUST HAVE when large groups of people get together: photo time (of which I was put in charge)!
The Law Family (minus Tom)
The cousins & spouses (minus a few)
The "original" Harrison Family!
and the adorable and entertaining great grandkids!
We had such a wonderful day and we are grateful that we were able to take work off and to spend the day with the beautiful and loving Harrison Family!!
To celebrate this exciting occasion, Nate's aunt planned a wonderful birthday bash for him in Salt Lake!! We braved the icy roads last week and drove down to celebrate and enjoy time with Nate's family - some of whom we have not seen for, literally, years!
We had such a great time catching up with cousins and aunts and uncles and meeting family members that we haven't gotten a chance to meet yet!
We played some Human Foosball -
and some "Minute to Win It" games - Nate & I were the first group drawn & rocked our challenge, resulting in the win of some yummy Sour Patch Kids -
and many other wonderful activities, including a pinata & "toy" walk for the kiddos, question and answer time with grandpa, a very yummy catered dinner and raffle, and the MUST HAVE when large groups of people get together: photo time (of which I was put in charge)!
The Law Family (minus Tom)
The cousins & spouses (minus a few)
The "original" Harrison Family!
and the adorable and entertaining great grandkids!
We had such a wonderful day and we are grateful that we were able to take work off and to spend the day with the beautiful and loving Harrison Family!!
January 4, 2011
*** {30} Questions about {2010} ***
I think that I say this every year, but I can't believe that the New Year is here!! Really, it feels like we welcomed 2010 in just a few weeks ago, but once again, life has flown by and happened as I stood by and let it!
I saw these questions on my cousin's blog, so I decided to follow suite and throw them up on our blog! So, without further adieu, here are my answers to 30 Questions about 2010!
1. What did you do in 2010 that you have never done before? Off the top of my head, the main thing that I did this year that I've never done before is had a car accident! I had my first ambulance ride, my first x-rays, my first neck brace and my first time being strapped to a body board!! Other things - purchased an AWESOME camera, started visiting a Chiropractor and held a Hissing Madagascar Cockroach!
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions? Seeing as how I don't really remember the resolutions I set last year, I'm going to say probably not!! ;)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My sister in law, Ollie, gave birth to our beautiful niece, Sadie Jane!
4. Did anyone close to you die? This year my grandpa passed away (in March), which was a blessing! My cousin Cory also passed away (in August), which was a tragedy. They are both loved and missed very much!
5. What places did you visit? For our 10 year anniversary this year Nate & I went to Zions National Park to celebrate and spend time together! We also took at trip to New York City in August to visit Nate's parents!!
6. What do you want to do this year that you didn't do in 2010? I would like to be more focused this year - at school, at work, at home - I feel that my life has kind of meshed together from the stress last Semester, so I hope to be more balanced! The two BIG things that I hope to accomplish this year are to get a step closer to being a mommy and to finish school (the two go hand in hand, so I am looking forward to accomplishing them both)!!
7. What days from 2010 will be etched in your memory? I think that the things that I remember most about this year will be our trips to Zions & New York, the relief that I felt after my head teaching week at the Child Development Lab, and the day of my car accident!!
8. What is your biggest achievement of 2010? I am really pleased to say that I have booked a lot of photo shoots this year! My camera has paid for itself and more, which makes me feel successful and very happy! I am also really pleased to say that Nate & I survived the Fall Semester - and we not only survived it, but we still loved each other! :)
9. What was your biggest failure? I am going to change failure to disappointment, because I feel that the year was pretty successful! My biggest disappointments in myself for the year are putting of my math classes (which I am determined to finish by April), and not getting pregnant (maybe 2011 will be our year!)
10. Did you suffer any illness or injury? Aside from my car accident? I had a few major colds (that happened to be during our trip to New York and during my head teaching week), but they were manageable and I feel blessed to say that I've had a pretty healthy year!
11. What is the best thing you bought? I think the best purchase that we made this year was Nikki the Nikon!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Nate rocked my world during Fall Semester when he took on being a “housewife” – including cooking, laundry, cleaning, working full time and still finding the time to help me with my crazy assignments and lesson plans!
13. Whose behavior appalled you? Truthfully, I can’t think of anyone who has truly disappointed me - and even if there had been, I feel that this would be the time for me to forgive and forget!
14. Where did most of your money go? Hmmm... good question! Bills and dining out!!
15. What did you get really excited about? This year brought a lot of exciting things! We got to spend a lot of time with our nephews and nieces, which always brings us joy! I was also really excited about the trips that we took. And, of course, the camera!
16. What song will always remind you of 2010? I'm pretty sure that the soundtrack to "Glee" has been the soundtrack to our life this year! Because the songs are so diverse, it happens to be on most of the time in the car, at home while cleaning, and on the I-Pod while working!
17. Compared to this time last year are you:
happier or sadder: just as happy!
thinner or fatter: probably about the same
richer or poorer: about the same
18. What do you wish you had done more of? I wish that we would have saved more money, I wish that we would have spent more time outdoors in the summer, and I wish that I would have seen more sunrises!
19. What do you wish you had done less of? I could have spent less time in front of the TV and computer, and I definitely could have procrastinated a lot less!
20. Did you fall in love in 2010? Yes!! Every time I looked at my Nate!! I also fell in love with our camera (is that weird? Am I a little obsessed?)! Other things I fell in love with? Smoothies made in my magic bullet, my new cream boots, photo books and getting adjusted by the Chiropractor!
21. What was your favorite TV program? This year we watched "Glee" pretty religiously! We also enjoyed watching "30 Rock" and finished up "LOST!"
22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't last year? What a silly question! I’m a lover, not a fighter!
23. What was your greatest musical discovery? I'm not sure we discovered any NEW music, but as I mentioned before, we adore the "Glee" soundtrack! I have also really enjoyed Paramore and Taylor Swift this year!
24. What did you want and get? If you don't know the answer to this question, I'm not sure I want to tell you!!
25. What was your favorite film of the year? I'm trying to remember what movies we saw! I REALLY loved "This Is It," (the Michael Jackson movie)! The only movies that I remember seeing in the Theater were "Eclipse" and "Harry Potter 7," both of which we really enjoyed!
26. What did you do on your birthday and how old? On my 30th birthday, I worked for a few hours! After work and dinner, we met up with our families and closest friends for treats and what ended up being a water party at a local park!
27. How would you describe your fashion of 2010?
- School attire: jeans and a sweatshirt
- Work attire: slacks & sweaters
- Home attire: pajama pants, tank tops & ponytails
28. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most? I really respect and admire Ellen Degeneres! I know that a lot of you will disagree with me, but I think that the things that she does to support people who need it are amazing and I can only dream of being as generous and kind as she is!
29. Share a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010: I think the biggest thing that I learned this year is that it is okay for me to be me! I have spent a lot of my life worried about what others think about me and how I come off to other people, but this last year I have really felt like I have been able to shed that way of thinking and I have really enjoyed discovering who I really am!
30. New Years resolutions for 2011: As I mentioned before - my goals this year include becoming more balanced, finishing school in December, and getting pregnant!!
Happy 2011 everyone! I hope this year brings you joy and happiness and that all of your dreams and goals for the year are remembered and accomplished!!
I saw these questions on my cousin's blog, so I decided to follow suite and throw them up on our blog! So, without further adieu, here are my answers to 30 Questions about 2010!
1. What did you do in 2010 that you have never done before? Off the top of my head, the main thing that I did this year that I've never done before is had a car accident! I had my first ambulance ride, my first x-rays, my first neck brace and my first time being strapped to a body board!! Other things - purchased an AWESOME camera, started visiting a Chiropractor and held a Hissing Madagascar Cockroach!
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions? Seeing as how I don't really remember the resolutions I set last year, I'm going to say probably not!! ;)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My sister in law, Ollie, gave birth to our beautiful niece, Sadie Jane!
4. Did anyone close to you die? This year my grandpa passed away (in March), which was a blessing! My cousin Cory also passed away (in August), which was a tragedy. They are both loved and missed very much!
5. What places did you visit? For our 10 year anniversary this year Nate & I went to Zions National Park to celebrate and spend time together! We also took at trip to New York City in August to visit Nate's parents!!
6. What do you want to do this year that you didn't do in 2010? I would like to be more focused this year - at school, at work, at home - I feel that my life has kind of meshed together from the stress last Semester, so I hope to be more balanced! The two BIG things that I hope to accomplish this year are to get a step closer to being a mommy and to finish school (the two go hand in hand, so I am looking forward to accomplishing them both)!!
7. What days from 2010 will be etched in your memory? I think that the things that I remember most about this year will be our trips to Zions & New York, the relief that I felt after my head teaching week at the Child Development Lab, and the day of my car accident!!
8. What is your biggest achievement of 2010? I am really pleased to say that I have booked a lot of photo shoots this year! My camera has paid for itself and more, which makes me feel successful and very happy! I am also really pleased to say that Nate & I survived the Fall Semester - and we not only survived it, but we still loved each other! :)
9. What was your biggest failure? I am going to change failure to disappointment, because I feel that the year was pretty successful! My biggest disappointments in myself for the year are putting of my math classes (which I am determined to finish by April), and not getting pregnant (maybe 2011 will be our year!)
10. Did you suffer any illness or injury? Aside from my car accident? I had a few major colds (that happened to be during our trip to New York and during my head teaching week), but they were manageable and I feel blessed to say that I've had a pretty healthy year!
11. What is the best thing you bought? I think the best purchase that we made this year was Nikki the Nikon!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Nate rocked my world during Fall Semester when he took on being a “housewife” – including cooking, laundry, cleaning, working full time and still finding the time to help me with my crazy assignments and lesson plans!
13. Whose behavior appalled you? Truthfully, I can’t think of anyone who has truly disappointed me - and even if there had been, I feel that this would be the time for me to forgive and forget!
14. Where did most of your money go? Hmmm... good question! Bills and dining out!!
15. What did you get really excited about? This year brought a lot of exciting things! We got to spend a lot of time with our nephews and nieces, which always brings us joy! I was also really excited about the trips that we took. And, of course, the camera!
16. What song will always remind you of 2010? I'm pretty sure that the soundtrack to "Glee" has been the soundtrack to our life this year! Because the songs are so diverse, it happens to be on most of the time in the car, at home while cleaning, and on the I-Pod while working!
17. Compared to this time last year are you:
happier or sadder: just as happy!
thinner or fatter: probably about the same
richer or poorer: about the same
18. What do you wish you had done more of? I wish that we would have saved more money, I wish that we would have spent more time outdoors in the summer, and I wish that I would have seen more sunrises!
19. What do you wish you had done less of? I could have spent less time in front of the TV and computer, and I definitely could have procrastinated a lot less!
20. Did you fall in love in 2010? Yes!! Every time I looked at my Nate!! I also fell in love with our camera (is that weird? Am I a little obsessed?)! Other things I fell in love with? Smoothies made in my magic bullet, my new cream boots, photo books and getting adjusted by the Chiropractor!
21. What was your favorite TV program? This year we watched "Glee" pretty religiously! We also enjoyed watching "30 Rock" and finished up "LOST!"
22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't last year? What a silly question! I’m a lover, not a fighter!
23. What was your greatest musical discovery? I'm not sure we discovered any NEW music, but as I mentioned before, we adore the "Glee" soundtrack! I have also really enjoyed Paramore and Taylor Swift this year!
24. What did you want and get? If you don't know the answer to this question, I'm not sure I want to tell you!!
25. What was your favorite film of the year? I'm trying to remember what movies we saw! I REALLY loved "This Is It," (the Michael Jackson movie)! The only movies that I remember seeing in the Theater were "Eclipse" and "Harry Potter 7," both of which we really enjoyed!
26. What did you do on your birthday and how old? On my 30th birthday, I worked for a few hours! After work and dinner, we met up with our families and closest friends for treats and what ended up being a water party at a local park!
27. How would you describe your fashion of 2010?
- School attire: jeans and a sweatshirt
- Work attire: slacks & sweaters
- Home attire: pajama pants, tank tops & ponytails
28. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most? I really respect and admire Ellen Degeneres! I know that a lot of you will disagree with me, but I think that the things that she does to support people who need it are amazing and I can only dream of being as generous and kind as she is!
29. Share a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010: I think the biggest thing that I learned this year is that it is okay for me to be me! I have spent a lot of my life worried about what others think about me and how I come off to other people, but this last year I have really felt like I have been able to shed that way of thinking and I have really enjoyed discovering who I really am!
30. New Years resolutions for 2011: As I mentioned before - my goals this year include becoming more balanced, finishing school in December, and getting pregnant!!
Happy 2011 everyone! I hope this year brings you joy and happiness and that all of your dreams and goals for the year are remembered and accomplished!!
December 31, 2010
Christmas 2010
We had a wonderful Christmas this year! We both had Christmas Eve Day off, so we ended up spending the day with my parents! We had lunch at Beehive Grill, went to "Tangled" (which was ADORABLE), and then headed out to their house to celebrate Christmas a day early!
*** If you know anything about my family, you'll know that any time we get together, a card game or two will be played! My sister in PA found these awesome huge cards & sent some to my parents & to Nate and I for Christmas!
We had a very relaxing Christmas morning at home! We slept in, opened gifts & relaxed for a bit before heading out to see family!
*** Silly socking stuffers are a tradition at our house! This year, our nephews helped us pick them out!
Nate's parents came home from New York to spend Christmas with the family, so we spent the rest of the day over at Joe & Ollie's! We had a great time catching up and watching the kiddos get so excited!!
We are so blessed to live near family and to be able to celebrate the holidays with them!
*** If you know anything about my family, you'll know that any time we get together, a card game or two will be played! My sister in PA found these awesome huge cards & sent some to my parents & to Nate and I for Christmas!
We had a very relaxing Christmas morning at home! We slept in, opened gifts & relaxed for a bit before heading out to see family!
*** Silly socking stuffers are a tradition at our house! This year, our nephews helped us pick them out!
Nate's parents came home from New York to spend Christmas with the family, so we spent the rest of the day over at Joe & Ollie's! We had a great time catching up and watching the kiddos get so excited!!
We are so blessed to live near family and to be able to celebrate the holidays with them!
December 18, 2010
Christmas Card Photo Shoot
A few weeks back, these two adorable ladies agreed to get a few photos of Nate & I for our Christmas Cards!
Toni & Britney are Nate's awesome cousins and we LOVE that they live in Logan!! I've been waiting for them to tell me their "artist name", but I've yet to get one, so just know that the shooting credit for these go to Toni & Britney! I edited these ones, but I'm looking forward to the photos that they've edited and I'll be sure to post them when I get them!
While we were out, I was able to grab the camera and get a few shots in as well:
We had a fun stop at First Dam where Britney braved the geese and a cute little couple offered to get a photo of all of us in exchange for some photos of them feeding the geese!
We had such a great time and are so happy with the photos that they got! We laughed A LOT during the shoot and had a great time with Toni & Britney!
(www.shutterfly.com)
2010 "Blizzard"
On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the city hunkered down in preparation for the blizzard that was headed our way! The schools closed down for the afternoon, businesses closed and the grocery stores were full of people stocking up on their emergency supplies! The storm blew in quickly and I happened to be out in it, picking Nate up from work! We snapped these pictures on the drive home with my cell phone.
The end result of the "blizzard" was kind of a let down, but it was nice to have a cozy night in while the snow fell and the wind blew!!
The end result of the "blizzard" was kind of a let down, but it was nice to have a cozy night in while the snow fell and the wind blew!!
Merrill Cazier Library
I spent a lot of time at the library this Semester and throughout my hours of studying, broke out my phone and snapped a few pictures to break up the monotony of studying and lesson plan writing!
This first picture was taken at 7:00 (literally) in the morning! I was the first student let into the library (I was there before the doors were unlocked)! The library & I got to be pretty good friends this Semester!
Anyway, there ya go!!
This first picture was taken at 7:00 (literally) in the morning! I was the first student let into the library (I was there before the doors were unlocked)! The library & I got to be pretty good friends this Semester!
Anyway, there ya go!!
November 30, 2010
... we are grateful for ...
November 1st: Caffeine ... (it has been a really long day)
November 2nd: Quick & easy dinners
November 3rd - November 13th: We are grateful to have survived the last ten days of seriously stressful schedules and hope to make it through the next ten. We are also grateful for take-out, Zicam, Advil and our Chiropractor.
November 14th - November 20th: We are grateful that we survived my head teaching week! 40+ hours at the Child Development Lab, plus work and homework made for a very busy 6 days, but we survived, and we are extremely grateful for that!
November 21st - November 25th: Is it cheating that I'm combining all of our days together? Too bad if it is, because that has been our life lately! We are grateful that we have been able to re-coup and to spend some time together!
November 26th to the end of November: We are grateful that we survived November! We had a fabulous Thanksgiving and have much to be grateful for!
November 2nd: Quick & easy dinners
November 3rd - November 13th: We are grateful to have survived the last ten days of seriously stressful schedules and hope to make it through the next ten. We are also grateful for take-out, Zicam, Advil and our Chiropractor.
November 14th - November 20th: We are grateful that we survived my head teaching week! 40+ hours at the Child Development Lab, plus work and homework made for a very busy 6 days, but we survived, and we are extremely grateful for that!
November 21st - November 25th: Is it cheating that I'm combining all of our days together? Too bad if it is, because that has been our life lately! We are grateful that we have been able to re-coup and to spend some time together!
November 26th to the end of November: We are grateful that we survived November! We had a fabulous Thanksgiving and have much to be grateful for!
November 28, 2010
Our Happy Thanksgiving
For Thanksgiving this year we headed out to my parents house!
We spent the afternoon eating a yummy Thanksgiving Dinner:
We skyped with my sisters and their kiddos,
And we played a very humbling game of Hand & Foot (my mom & I got schooled)!
We witnessed a truly spectacular Thanksgiving Sunset:
We went to my aunt's house for a few minutes to visit with family from Idaho,
And we spent the evening at Nate's brothers house with his family who was in town! We were able to skype with his parents & brother as well, making our day complete!
We had a fabulous day with our families and are so grateful for them and the blessing that they are in our lives!
November 25, 2010
... grateful ...
I have a long list of things that I am grateful for this year! Included in that list is my wonderful husband - the love of my life, our Rascal, our families and our wonderful friends! The saying that "I am a part of all that I have met" keeps popping into my mind as I think about my loved ones and those that have influenced me and the person that I have become!!
I hope that all have a wonderful Thanksgiving day and that you will be surrounded by those that you love and those that love you!
November 21, 2010
Sisters Weekend Vegas Style - 2003
Yup! You guessed it! I'm gunna reminisce again! I've been missing my sisters a lot lately and when I found these pictures as I was browsing through my computer last night (because now I have time to do things like that), I couldn't resist a post!!
In May of 2003 we all met up in Vegas for our Sisters Weekend!! It seems like it was such a long time ago, in fact, if you look closely, you can see that Jess & Amanda were pregnant with Hallie & Indy - and it's really hard for me to imagine a world with Hallie & Indy, so yes, this was forever ago!!
We booked a room at The Excalibur and spent a wonderful long weekend shopping, lounging by the pool, and seeing the sights that Vegas had to offer!
Ha Ha. I remember Jenny and Amanda saying that they wanted to get a picture with some "Roman Guards" - they got the "ok" from the guys and then pushed me into the picture. I was slightly mortified! Aren't sisters the greatest?
I don't know whose idea it was to kiss the bear. Really, this is quite a silly picture.
I promise there was no drinking at our sister's weekend. The flash in this picture obviously caught me off guard... but look at the Eiffel Tower behind me!!
Amanda & Jen Fen!
Takin' a tour of the M&M Factory - because you can't go to Vegas and not see the M&M Factory!
Stopping for a sugar rush on our shopping day!! This picture doesn't show the many bags that were sitting at our feet! Hooray for outlet malls!!
There goes that flash again...
Sassy ladies @ the Mirage!
Lord of the Dance = Amazing! To quote Chandler Bing, "their legs flail about as if independent from their body!"
We had such a great time on our trip! I am blessed to have such wonderful sisters and to know that despite the miles that are between us, we still love one another and there isn't anything we wouldn't do for each other!
That being said, I suppose I ought to give my little bro a shout out too! Love ya Blake - but until you find a wife, no one from your house will be invited to our sisters weekends ;)
In May of 2003 we all met up in Vegas for our Sisters Weekend!! It seems like it was such a long time ago, in fact, if you look closely, you can see that Jess & Amanda were pregnant with Hallie & Indy - and it's really hard for me to imagine a world with Hallie & Indy, so yes, this was forever ago!!
We booked a room at The Excalibur and spent a wonderful long weekend shopping, lounging by the pool, and seeing the sights that Vegas had to offer!
Ha Ha. I remember Jenny and Amanda saying that they wanted to get a picture with some "Roman Guards" - they got the "ok" from the guys and then pushed me into the picture. I was slightly mortified! Aren't sisters the greatest?
I don't know whose idea it was to kiss the bear. Really, this is quite a silly picture.
I promise there was no drinking at our sister's weekend. The flash in this picture obviously caught me off guard... but look at the Eiffel Tower behind me!!
Amanda & Jen Fen!
Takin' a tour of the M&M Factory - because you can't go to Vegas and not see the M&M Factory!
Stopping for a sugar rush on our shopping day!! This picture doesn't show the many bags that were sitting at our feet! Hooray for outlet malls!!
There goes that flash again...
Sassy ladies @ the Mirage!
Lord of the Dance = Amazing! To quote Chandler Bing, "their legs flail about as if independent from their body!"
We had such a great time on our trip! I am blessed to have such wonderful sisters and to know that despite the miles that are between us, we still love one another and there isn't anything we wouldn't do for each other!
That being said, I suppose I ought to give my little bro a shout out too! Love ya Blake - but until you find a wife, no one from your house will be invited to our sisters weekends ;)
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