A New Chapter

As Matson and I finished cleaning up our apartment that we lived in for almost 4 years, we looked at each other and realized that we actually might miss it.  Most young couples today would look at our apartment and think how "ghetto" it was with the 1970's drapes, no air conditioning, no dishwasher, no laundry hook ups, and cabinets with who knows what underneath them!? 

But for Matson and I it was perfect. We talked during dish cleaning time that sometimes took forever when we used lots of pots and pans. We screamed together and sometimes even jumped on top of furniture as spider season began and what seemed like hundreds of spiders came swarming into our doorway. There are so many funny stories that that apartment holds in its walls. Like the time when our furnace turned on in the middle of the night awakening us with a big roar sound and fire blowing out of the furnace closet. Or what may be even funnier is how two weeks later after complaining to our landlord, that furnace was still blowing fire 3 feet tall everytime it turned on and we were suppose to believe that was what "normal" furnaces do. It holds our first fight as a married couple, some of the best laugh attacks, and most recently the moment that Matson and I found out we were going to become parents. 

Although I will miss the memories that apartment holds, I won't miss the actual apartment. The month of May was a whirlwind of nerves and excitement all at once. We bought a house! We are just so happy and love it! It is in a great neighborhood and has so many wonderful features that we are still getting use to. You mean I can do my laundry any time that I want?! I am the typical woman who just loves nesting and organizing! With all these changes in our lives, we can't help but be extremely grateful and realize how blessed we are. 

Well, I thought I would share our new address with each of you so that you can come visit and send us gifts! ;) Or just send us your Christmas cards! Seriously, I know how it is around Christmas when you are trying to gather addresses and you realize that someone you normally send them to has moved! Or even worse when you send it out to the wrong address and it comes back to you. 

Week 15

Pregnant!

Don't you just love my post title? I always think it is so funny when people announce they are pregnant on their blog and they title it "Big News" because before anyone even presses on it, the readers already know what you are going to say. So instead of doing that, I just decided to be up front and obvious about it.

I am pregnant! And thrilled!

So here's the whole story of how we found out and the beginning events of my pregnancy. This is more for my memory than anyone else's, so if you get offended by excited, pregnant ladies or don't like TMI types of stories...I would suggest you just X out and I will see you next time!

ANYWAY, as I wrote in my last post, I went up to Oregon to help my grandparents move in early April. For a week my mom and I organized, climbed through small attics, cleaned out, trashed junk, lifted many boxes, and much more. The whole time we were there I kept having to take breaks - for getting tired and for eating. I have always been one that needs little breaks and such for food, but I was seriously hungry. I just thought I was working a lot and needed more energy...little did I know. Matson, my brother, and sister in law met us up in Oregon at the end of our week to help us move all the big furniture and then drive the U-Haul down to Utah.

Matson and I decided we would drive the U-Haul back to Utah the whole way while everyone else drove back in the Suburban that my mom and I drove up to Oregon in. In that little U-Haul let's just say I had some rather smelly gas. They were as most people refer to them as... "silent but deadly" and Matson was getting rather sick of it. I don't blame him, they were bad. I was plugging my own nose. Haha. He looked over at me and said, "Wow! What is wrong with you? You either ate something so bad or you're pregnant!" Once he said the word pregnant, I deep down inside of me knew it. I just knew it. I was so gassy, unlike ever before and I hadn't eaten anything that bad.

The next day when we got home, I bought a couple pregnancy tests on my way home from work. I hate buying pregnancy tests or tampons or anything like that in the middle of busy dinnertime grocery shopping. So I chose something else to purchase at the grocery store to cover up the pregnancy tests. I think it was a pack of Red Vines. I took the test as soon as I got home. {Ahem} I peed on a stick, waited a little bit in the bathroom, and then it came up positive. I walked out into our family room of our apartment and said to Matson, "Yep, I am pregnant!" He instantly covered his face with a blanket and I could hear him smiling and giggling like a little boy. As soon as his giggle fest ended, he came out of the blanket and said, "I don't believe it! Take more." SOOOOO I took two more tests that night and one the next morning just to make sure, even though we both already knew it. After all the tests, he finally believed me and I called the doctor to make my first appointment.

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Last week we announced our pregnancy via social media and I cannot thank everyone enough for all the kind comments and likes. It probably seems so lame to be thanking you for liking my picture, but honestly it all means so much. To be honest, before we posted the announcement I didn't want to. Matson woke me up that day and told me that he couldn't wait any longer and that we needed to just tell everyone. For some reason I just was nervous that as soon as I tell everyone that something may happen. The beginning weeks of pregnancy is like walking on thin ice. I feel like at any moment that thin ice will crack, everything is so delicate and such a miracle. I just can't wait to figure out the sex of our baby and feel the baby. That will make it all seem so much more real.

We told our families very early on and some close friends early as well...Matson needs someone to be able to tell so I gave him the thumbs up on a few friends. Haha. Let's just say Matson is the worst secret keeper of exciting/happy news.

Luckily for me, I haven't been sick at all. {This is not to brag or complain...but just to help me remember my symptoms} From the time I found out I was pregnant until about Week 10 I slept so much. I took naps after work, I would just fall asleep all over the place and I went to bed before midnight for the first time since high school. I never go to bed early and it's very unlike me. I literally would crash on the couch around 11, when we normally don't go to bed until after midnight or one. I was ALWAYS tired. At 12 weeks, the nauseous feeling when I don't eat every couple of hours started and I also started breaking out all over my face. So next time you see me, do me a favor and just don't look at my face. Ha joking. But I will take the tiredness, slight nausea, and break outs over the sickness and throwing up.

We are so excited, blessed, and are feeling every emotion that soon to be first time parents feel.

Highlight Reel | August 2013 - May 2014

There is no way that I will ever be able to catch you up on everything that has happened during my blogging hiatus. So instead I am going to do this highlight post (think of it like a highlight reel - but BLOGGING STYLE). WARNING: It might get long and wordy so if you wanna just skip this post, that's all good. I will see you next time!

The last time I blogged was in early August of 2013 so just a quick catch up form then month by month.

August 2013 - Matson and I walked even though we both didn't really finish school until December of 2013. Went to Las Vegas for a quick trip with friends before school started. Best idea ever...it was our last taste of freedom.

September 2013 - I started my very last semester at BYU by teaching at Spring Creek Elementary in Provo School District for 6 weeks. I was in 6th grade which totally sucked (they really do need to wear some deodorant), but I learned so much which was the best. Matson and I also watched some of our favorite little kiddos for the last week in September while their parents went out of town. We had a blast with the kids and even had a "Drive In Movie Night" inside. It was the cutest, the kids loved it, and they literally sat in their cars (made from boxes) the whole movie. Their baby is just the sweetest, happiest, most perfect little baby...I wouldn't mind have a baby just like him! At the very end of the month, I think the last day, I started my student teaching at a school in Nebo School District named Mt. Loafer Elementary. I taught in 4th grade. Best thing ever! I also turned 23!

My last FIRST day of school

Inside Drive In Movie

BEST baby in the world!

October 2013 - We watched another one of our favorite families when their parents went out of town again. We always have a blast with the B* family kiddos. HALLOWEEN. Matson and I were Katniss and Gale (he didn't want to be Peeta...whatever) from The Hunger Games for Halloween. We both love the books and the movies, so we figured it would be fun and easy enough. But the very best was on Halloween for school I dressed up as an old lady. It was one of my best costumes EVER. No one recognized me and my students loved it.

Us (in our Hunger Games costumes) with the B* kiddos at a Halloween Party. 

My attractive Halloween costume. Definitely one of my best yet.

November 2013 - We watched my nanny family kiddos while their parents went out of town (I know we just love watching families, it is the best experience and practice for us).

STUDENT TEACHING/HOW I GOT MY JOB. Anyway, in November I was just sooo busy with my student teaching. I focused so much on them and I was fortunate enough to work with two teachers. One in the morning who taught all literacy and one in the afternoon who taught math, science, and social studies. They both are incredibly strong teachers because they focus on their subjects so I learned from the best of the best for every subject and was able to grow sooo much. In mid November I started looking for jobs that were opening up mid-year. I was mostly looking in Provo School District because that is where all the mid-year job openings were. A neighboring school in Nebo School District was apparently looking for a teacher to take the place of a 4th grade intern teacher who was quitting mid year. The school's facilitator, Leslie, came and watched me teach in my student teaching class and then told me she and the school's principal would love to meet with me! So later that week I met with them and that Friday night I got a call from the principal, Kali, and was offered the job! Matson and I were thrilled. As soon as I found out I got my job, I got right to work. BYU allowed me to end my student teaching early and somewhat graduate a month early kind of. That way I could focus on MY class not, someone else's class. I had lots to do - deciding what my classroom would need, look like, and all that jazz. My mom, Matson, and Leslie were so nice to help me over Thanksgiving Break to set up my class room.

December 2013 - And on December 2nd I started my first day of REAL teaching. I wasn't necessarily nervous, I just wanted the kids to like me. That sounds so nerdy, but honestly I just wanted them to love me and each other. I treated December 2nd like it was the first day of school back in August. The teacher that taught them before me was very different so I started over from scratch in December. Call me nuts, but I had to make sure that I was comfortable in my own classroom and that things would work me for the rest of the year so that the students could succeed. December was also full of fun holiday festivities. We had our annual Christmas party with friends and Mats and I made our best gingerbread house yet! We enjoyed the Christmas season so much and found out on Little Christmas Eve. that my brother and sister in law were pregnant. We were ecstatic! Another niece or nephew (which we now know is a niece!).

January 2014 - We took our nephew, B*, to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. He loved it and we loved taking him there. A good family friend and my dad's father figure throughout his life passed away. We will miss you Warren!

B* on a quest to get T-Rex!

February 2014 - Celebrated Matson's 26th birthday! He is feeling old! At the end of the month, we found out at my brother and sis in law's Gender Reveal party that they are having a girl! So excited for August (maybe late July) to come!

March 2014 - Our good friends from Texas came into town and we got to spend time with them! Matson and my brother's basketball team won the WHOLE city league tournament! It was so intense and fun to watch the games this year. Matson probably gets terribly embarrassed from all my screaming and cheering, but no one is worse than my dad cheering for them.

City League Champions!

April 2014 - We watched the B* family, which was so much fun. We only had the two youngest so we got to spoil them and just play, play, play! After years and even months of trying to convince my grandparents to move down to Utah from Oregon, they finally caved in! I spent my spring break off from school up there helping my mom get them all packed up and ready to move. And after DECADES of living there, there was a lot to got through. (I will write a post more about the move later...lots of funny stories).

Matson and the B* kiddos playing around at the grocery store!

May 2014 - I cut off 12 inches of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love (no tears), had a wonderful Memorial Day with my family and husband, enjoyed the last week of school, and sadly (with tears) said goodbye to my 4th grade class. My class was so sweet and decorated my car on the last day of school and brought me many gifts. Also, 2 minutes before the FINAL bell rang on the LAST day of school one of the boys in my class yelled, "Group Hug!" and my whole class ran into the center of our classroom and hugged each other. It was the sweetest thing and that's when the tears started. Man, I love those kids.

New haircut. So weird to get use to.

My class and I the last week of school.

DONE! Wellp, there you go. That is the best update I could get to you in like 30 minutes of writing!

Reevaluation

This is a post about change and about making myself a better person.

A strong memory of my childhood was once when I was about 7 years old. My family was living in my parents "Dream House" in West Seattle. I literally was so naive to everything in this world. I was completely unaware of swear words, money, trials, and I had no idea how to act in social situations yet all I craved was acceptance so much so that I would stay up late waiting on the stairs and listening in on my parents and their friends talking. At this young age of 7 I did know that I didn't fit in with my brothers. Once in our bonus room (pretty much our play room) my siblings (in normal kid fashion) informed me that I wasn't as "cool" as my younger sister and that I wasn't as fun to play with.

As sad as that sounds, this is not the point of my story. The point of my story is how I reacted. I wasn't sad and I didn't go tattle on my siblings (which is a shocker because I was very well known as the tattletale). I took what they said and decided to love them. I clearly remember thinking well if they don't want to play with me then I am going to do nice things for them and then for sure they will want to play with me! As dumb as these things sound now I decided that I was going to help clean up their rooms, try and make them laugh, leave them notes, draw pictures of them, or let them choose what VHS we watch or game we play.

This is a slightly dumb example but this is how I use to react to situations that were hard for me. I took them in and usually cried, but then came up with how I was going to be nice or helpful to make them and myself happier.

Somewhere along my life journey how I reacted to situations changed for the worse. I no longer did nicer things for others (especially those closest to me), I didn't try my hardest to make people feel comfortable and want to be around me. This is just one thing that I want to change in my life.

I have reevaluated my life by asking myself simple questions. What makes me unhappy? What am I impatient about? Who do I want to be? How do I want to be perceived? How do I want to be remembered? When asking these questions to myself I wasn't looking for easy answers.

Well here it is...these last 12 hours of my life have been huge for me. I have come to terms with myself, which means that I am completely aware of the hard changes I need to make in my life so that I can be a better, positive person. I don't want to only fill my life with positivity, optimism, and joy but adding more of it to the lives of people around me too. I want to be a person that people will choose to be around.

// Note to the 6 people who actually read my blog: I am sure many of you are thinking well where the heck have you been for almost a year? This is something else that I need to change in my life. I need to make time for blogging because this is not only my journal that helps me to remember everything in my life but it is also a very therapeutic place for me (I dislike the word therapeutic so much so that I just tried to look in the thesaurus for other words that would get what I want across to you but in a different word and I failed to find one so therapeutic it is).