A to Z about me

You know how I stink at updating? Well here's something I found on my cousin's blog to make me feel like I'm updating...enjoy.

A. Age: Turning 25 on Christmas Day :)

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore that you hate: Dishes--I'll do just about anything to get out of doing them.

D. Dogs: I am not a dog person.

E. Essential start to your day: Food...

F. Favorite color: purple

G. Gold or Silver: It depends.

H. Height: 5'4"

I. Instruments you play: violin...way out of practice though..

J. Job title: Wife/homemaker/domestic goddess/pregnant woman

K. Kids: Expecting a baby girl sometime in March :)

L. Live: Utah for the moment

M. Mother's name: Andrea

N. Nicknames: No official ones, exactly.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Not since I was born, but I guess I'll be doing that after I give birth.

P. Pet peeve: Self-righteousness

Q. Quote from a movie/tv show:  

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me." --Batman Begins

R. Right or left handed: Right

S. Siblings: Paul, Craig, and Scott

U. Underwear: White

V. Vegetable you hate: mushrooms

W. What makes you run late: Stephan, losing track of time, etc.

X. X-Rays you've had: Teeth and left hand (when I sprained a finger)

Y. Yummy food that you make: Katsu 

Z. Zoo animal:  Umm....baby bears?

Didn't keep my promise

Oh well.

So I am now 24 weeks pregnant. Seriously, this pregnancy is going by faster than I ever imagined it would. I mean, I could have this baby as soon as 13 weeks from now. Or as much as 18 weeks, since the normal range for delivery is between 37-42 weeks. As you can probably tell, I'm not exactly obsessed with a due date...I mean, only 5% of babies are born on their due date anyway. Did you know Stephan was one of those babies?

Yes, we know what we're having. We're having a baby GIRL. We were totally convinced we were having a boy, for various reasons. But like my mother before me, I have no intuition concerning the gender of my children. She was wrong for every single one of us, no joke. Ironically, she guessed girl for this one...maybe she has grandma's intuition *laughs*. But we are excited to be having a girl, and yes, we have a name picked out. However, we aren't revealing it to the public until she is born. Our immediate families and a few select other people know the name, but everyone else is just going to have to wait ;) If you know me well enough, you know that the name we have chosen is perfectly boring and traditional.

Stephan has been doing quite well at school this semester. He thinks it was a bad idea to take on the grading job along with everything else, but we've adjusted accordingly. He has been on top of his studies and has performed well on most of his tests--I'm very proud of him, naturally. Finances have been tight (again, the grading job wasn't such a good idea), but somehow we've trudged through. Next semester is going to be very nice: he only has one class! With our little girl expected in March, this will make things much more manageable! He'll also be able to work more hours (more money!), and have plenty of time to apply for jobs.

Our washer died two weeks ago. It's a bummer, but the washer was about 15 years old, so it lived a good life. Our dryer is still in good condition, and we have coin-ops just down the hall, so we'll be using those to wash our clothes, and lugging them back to dry them. We didn't feel like it was worth it to buy another washer, especially since we're most likely moving next summer and would just have to sell it again anyway. That's our decision, and we're sticking with it.

Ummm....don't know what else to say. Have a good week!

I'm lazy

...about blogging...even on my other blog

Part of that is because I'm pregnant.

That's for those of you who don't follow my other blog or who aren't my friends on facebook.

But yes it's true, Stephan and I are expecting baby #1 sometime in March 2012. We're very excited. I am coming close to being 14 weeks and officially in the second trimester.

How have I been feeling? Well, the first trimester was no picnic, but all in all, the discomforts were very mild compared to some. For all of this, I am truly grateful. I am getting a pregnant belly, and some people have told me that I am a cute pregnant lady (awww...). We heard the heartbeat on August 17, and it was joyous. This will be grandchild #1 for my parents, and grandchild #4 for my in-laws, but the first to carry the family name.

Now that I've got that out of the way, I'll update you on everything else.

Stephan is still in school, but this is his last year (FINALLY! FOR REAL THIS TIME!). He is on track to May 2012 graduation. He is working three jobs--the math lab, grading for a professor, and iPhone programming. The last two are ones he can do on his own time, so it's not like I never see him.

I am no longer watching Aiden. They moved away because his mom got remarried and they wanted to live closer to their jobs. I miss them, but it was all for the best. My little Aiden is in kindergarten now *sniff*. Now my time is focused on incubating another life form, and trying to pursue actual hobbies outside of web surfing.

My younger brother is coming home from Brazil on September 15 (our mom's birthday). I can't be there for his homecoming, mainly because we were just down in Houston last month. Hopefully we'll get to see him for Christmas--we just have to get the holiday situation figured out.

I guess that's all for now. Maybe I'll update in less than two months ;)

Sorry...

I know I haven't been posting much here, but I have been posting a fair bit on my other blog.

But I'll give you a few updates:

--We're going to Cedar City for our anniversary again. We didn't think we would be able to do it this year because of finances, but after taking a closer look at things, we decided we could :) Plays we'll be seeing: A Midsummer's Night Dream and The Music Man. We're pretty excited :)

--My nannying days are numbered. Misti (Aiden's mom) is getting re-married, and they're moving to Lehi so they can be closer to her and her soon-to-be-husband's job. It's too far for me to drive that early in the morning, plus she has a sister there who can help out. I'm very happy for them, I mean REALLY happy, but I'm a little sad that I won't get to watch him anymore. Heck, Stephan is bummed too. We both love the little guy, what can I say? He has really changed our lives. I don't know what I'll be doing about work yet, but I'll figure it out. No unsolicited job advice please. Thank you.

--Stephan has a second job. He technically got hired for it in April, but hasn't really started it until now. He is an iPhone programmer for his brother's business, and let me just say that it pays a lot better than his current job. In fact, he will be cutting back his hours at the Math Lab this fall so he can devote more time to the iPhone programming. This will look REALLY good on his resume :)

--I'm reading a lot more.

--I've been doing Bountiful Baskets and enjoying it.

--My house is always a mess, and I'm always trying to procrastinate it.

--We have church keys. Jealous? It's part of our calling as meetinghouse librarians.


That is all for now.

What do I say?

Having two blogs is somewhat overwhelming. One of them inevitably gets neglected.

So, what's been going on besides me venturing further into the blogging world?

Let's see...

My parents came to Utah a few weeks ago. The main reason for their visit was because my mom's youngest sister was (finally) going through the temple for the first time. Let's just say this was an event that the family was waiting for since before I was even born. She was endowed in the Bountiful Temple, and her oldest daughter (who got married six months after I did) acted as her escort. It was a good day. After the endowment session, Stephan and I had dinner with them at a really tasty Chinese restaurant in Bountiful (Mandarin, if you're wondering) and then we went to a concert on Temple Square.

Then the next day, my dad flew home, and my mom came to church with us...in Pleasant Grove. My brother-in-law was giving his homecoming talk, and my mom needed a place to attend church. Afterwards, there was a reception of sorts. Stephan spent most of this working on a final project for his game programming class.

The day after, I spent a few hours with my mom. It was really nice because I don't get to see my folks often. She helped me figure out my sewing machine, take some boxes to DI, and then we had sushi. Then she left to visit other people (it was a short trip).

Stephan also had finals that week. It was a hard week for everyone, even though he only had three. He was really nervous about his Partial Differential Equations final, because he had been struggling in the class all semester. He had a pretty crazy professor whose teaching method didn't agree with him. On the day of that final, I put out a request on facebook for people to say prayers or send happy thoughts his way. I think it worked because when I picked him up, he was really positive that he had done well on the final.

Although we had to wait a week for grades to come out.

Stephan wasn't very easy to live with during that week.

When the grades came out, he was scared to even look at them. But when he did, there was great rejoicing. He passed his Partial Differential Equations class, as well as the others. Hallelujah!

Now he's taking summer classes--only one per term. He's still working at the Math Lab, although only 11 hours because it's summer. Stephan will also be doing work for his brother's business, and he is starting a computer building business. Ask us about it :)

As for me, I'm still nannying Aiden. He has been having a hard time lately because his mom just got engaged, and his dad has a new girlfriend. On the plus side, I've gotten him to eat regular meals rather than snack all the time. And I've been able to limit his TV watching, although it's really hard to get him to play by himself when I need to get something done. He's an only child of divorced parents, so he's used to having constant attention by one person. I've just got to keep trying, I guess.

I forgot to mention that it's pretty much official that Stephan will be graduating next May. This time, it really does seem to be set in stone. He only has a few classes left; most of them are not going to be horrendous like the last few semesters have been. In fact, he only needs to take ONE class next spring. That will give him enough time to look for a post graduate job...hopefully one in Washington State. Like I said, he has his heart set on getting a job. there. Me, I don't really care where we go, as long as we move out of this state.

And there's my update.

New blog

Hey all, I have a new blog. Don't worry, I'm going to keep this one, so no need to change your URLs. This blog is my attempts at a homemaking blog (and possibly get a little income off of it). Check it out!

My new blog

You can also find me on twitter under the name the_sushi_snob. Find me!

:)

Remember...

When I complained about not having any hobbies?

Well, now I have many.

Crocheting, gardening (fairly recent), cooking, baking, reading...

Just added knitting to that list because I FINALLY found a casting on stitch that worked for me.

I'm going to start sewing.

One of these days, I'll practice my violin more regularly. And study my French.

And this last week, I've been taking joy in completely reorganizing my apartment.


Was I born in the wrong decade?

It's graduation season...

And Stephan is not one of the graduates.

Last summer, we honestly thought he would be graduating this month. But in November, we found out that he had underestimated what requirements he had left, and so his graduation date moved to December 2011. Rough at first, but I dealt with it. I made the best of the situation. And then, Stephan found out that while he passed certain classes, the math department requires higher grades in those classes for him to get the credit for his major. Now it's looking he won't be donning cap and gown until April 2012.

*insert high-pitched blood curdling scream*

It's really hard for me to see so many people on facebook announcing, "I'm taking my last test EVER!" and the like. It's hard to see people moving on with their lives while we are stuck here in a tiny apartment with a scary looking number in our bank account. 

Everyone says, "Enjoy this time!" "Make the best of it!" and all that crap. I've really been trying to make the best of our situation, I really have. I think of the advantages of living in a small apartment; the things I don't hate about living in Utah; the advantages of Stephan being a student; etc. etc. and so forth. 

I want us to make more money. No, I'm not asking for tons of money to fall into our laps. I just don't want to constantly worry about paying the bills every month. I want to get out of this state. I want a baby (and to be able to afford it). And yeah, I would like a little extra space. 

Some of you may be saying, "Get a real job, Laura! Stop nannying the kid! Make Stephan's life easier!" As if nannying isn't hard work? Please, it's the hardest thing I've ever done. And I've gotten a lot of spiritual confirmation that I need to keep nannying him, even though it doesn't make a lot of sense. 

I should also mention that the good Lord has helped us out in little ways. Stephan recently started tutoring a few people privately. My family has always been willing to help out with money, even though I really dread asking them when we do need it. We also dropped our old health insurance company and got less expensive (and better!) coverage with another company. 

I suppose that I just need to suck it up and make the very best of the next year. It's hard, but somehow it will be worth it in the end. At least, it had better be!

Kind of funny...

I haven't been updating the blog much lately, and yet I get annoyed when one of my friends hasn't updated theirs in a timely manner. How hypocritical of me.

The reason I haven't been writing much lately is because I haven't had much to say. Is anyone really that interested in my life? Well, considering the hits I get, I guess so.

First off, I'm excited for spring to come. This means I can take Aiden outside, and he spends less time in front of the TV. I try to keep him from watching too much TV in the first place, but sometimes, it's inevitable. I'm also excited because Stephan will be able to ride his scooter again. This is exciting because (a) we'll save money on gas and (b) I won't have to drag Aiden out of bed at 7:30 to take Stephan to school.

Stephan had spring break last week. We went to the temple on Wednesday, for the first time in too long. We hadn't gone in a long time because I had a negative experience the last time we went, and it left me traumatized. I think we went on a day when the bad temple workers were on duty. Yes folks, they do exist, though thankfully in very small numbers. But this last time was wonderful, and I'm sorry we went so long without going. We are going to attend more often.

Thursday and Friday, we watched Aiden. Stephan played Wii with him, I took him to the playground, etc. The playground at our complex is a great place to socialize, I found out. Friday night, we went to an Orchestra at Temple Square concert in Salt Lake. Stephan planned the date himself :)

I'm convinced that Stephan is going to make a better parent than me. He's better at telling Aiden "no" than I am. Especially when it comes to food. I swear, all Aiden wants to eat is our granola bars.

My brother-in-law Brent is coming home from his mission in a week. My in-laws are in the Czech Republic now, spending time with him before his mission is finished. We'll get to see him next Monday--it will the the THIRD time I've seen him in my life. Stephan and I started dating exclusively right as Brent was getting ready to report to the MTC. In fact, the first time I met Brent was at his farewell. He more or less insisted on approving of me before he left. As if he has any authority. Amusingly, we were engaged a few weeks before he flew to Prague.

Speaking of the Czech Republic, I found out that kolaches originated there. For those who aren't in the know, kolaches are a pastry traditionally filled with fruit, and I like them better than doughnuts. They are very popular in Texas because there is a Czech community there, and Texan kolaches can also be filled with sausage, eggs, cheese, and other savory foods. Some Texans think that the sausage ones are the original, but apparently not. I wonder if my brother-in-law has heard of them. I found recipes online for kolaches, and I want to try them out. Yes, from scratch. I like cooking things from scratch. It's better for you. And cheaper.

That's all for now.

I will follow God's plan for me...

I had just finished my first week at BYU when I first the saying "Know how to make God laugh? Tell him your plans!" And it has never completely left my thoughts ever since.

Of course, a lot of my college plans seemed to coincide with what God had in mind for me. I started out as an English Literature major with the intent to minor in Editing, but then I changed to English Language my junior year, still minoring in Editing. I didn't want to spend years and years in school, and that worked out. I also didn't want to get married until I was at least 21 and mostly done with school--I got married at age 22, the day after I graduated. Perfect.

But other things have not gone according to plan. There was Andrew--I wanted things to work out with him, but God told me that there was someone a million times better for me out there. I couldn't believe it at the time, but six weeks after ending things with him, I met Stephan. At that time, I thought that first date with Stephan would be the last because I *did not* like him. Divine intervention took place, and now I thank God everyday that I changed my mind.

Then there has been my job situation. My plan was to have a job as soon as possible so I could put Stephan through school. It's the good Mormon wife thing to do after all. That obviously did not work the way I wanted it to. I wanted to work, mainly so I could put my degree to some kind of use, and so we could have financial security. Aren't we all counseled to be as financially secure as possible, after all?

During my time of unemployment, I realized that perhaps the reason I wasn't getting a job as soon as I (and our mothers *ahem*) wanted was that I needed the time to focus on other things, like being a good homemaker. Knowing me, it would have been a nightmare trying to figure out how to keep a household running and work at the same time in the beginning. I was also able to do some freelance jobs here and there, which helped a little bit.

Almost a year after I graduated, I finally got a stable job. The freelance jobs I had, as well as my editing minor, helped me get that job. Finally, we could have some semblance of financial security. We wouldn't have to worry where my next paycheck was coming from! And Stephan could focus more on doing well in school.

Then three months later, out of the blue, I got laid off. Bam.

I couldn't understand it. Why would I get a job that let me use my skills, only to lose it a short time later? Stephan gave me a Priesthood blessing after I got laid off, and the blessing promised that I would have a job soon, and that I would enjoy it.

A few days later, I stopped by a visiting teachee's apartment so I could schedule an appointment with her. We got to chatting, and my layoff came up. She asked me if I wanted to watch her son a few times a week for pay while I was looking for another job. Apparently, she wasn't all too pleased with her then baby-sitter, and she also wanted someone close by. I accepted, thinking this would be a temporary thing until something better came along. That blessing could not have been implying watching Aiden, did it?

Five months later, I'm still watching Aiden. There have been jobs that have come up that I could have applied for, with better pay. Tempting, considering how there have been months where the number on our bank balance scared us. It would have made perfect sense for me to get a better paying job!

And yet, I still keep getting the feeling to stay with Aiden. There was one job that I was especially tempted to apply for--a part-time editing job that paid better than my old job. I prayed about it, and got the feeling to compare the benefits of getting a new job and staying with Aiden. This was one of those difficult "good and better" decisions. So I made a list, and the benefits of staying with Aiden were greater in number than the benefits of getting another job.

I also recently learned that my willingness to watch Aiden was also an answer to Misti's (the mom) prayers. There was some drama that had happened with her previous baby-sitter; nothing too serious, just the girl overreacting when Aiden's dad came to pick him up. She probably thought he was one of those ex-husbands you hear about on the news (I've met him, and he is not). Because of this, some disagreements ensued, and no one was happy. Misti decided she needed a new baby-sitter: someone who wasn't a teenager and who lived close by.

Since I've started watching Aiden, she and his dad have not argued about him. Her ex-husband is happy knowing that Aiden was being watched by someone (a) married, (b) with a college degree, and (c) over the age of 18. Apparently all of this implies maturity ;)

Stephan has also become more comfortable around little kids since I've been baby-sitting Aiden. For those who don't know, Stephan has been uncomfortable around small children ever since he accidentally dropped his sister when she bit him on the chest (hard). Well now, Stephan loves playing video games with Aiden, and he is quite anxious for us to start having kids.

I know some people might be thinking, "Well *I* have to work! You're just lucky!" The Lord's plan is different for everyone, with the same goal in mind: to draw closer to Him. I confess, I often feel guilty that I stay home while my husband busts his tail off going to school and going to work. And there have been many months where I wonder if we're going to survive, and somehow, we do. I also feel guilty because I know women who want nothing more than to stay home, but circumstances are such that they cannot. Stupid economy.

The title of my post is part of a song that children learn in my church. It's called "I Will Follow God's Plan." The lyric that is in the title has been running in my head since I started brainstorming this post. Here's the actual song:

My life is a gift; my life has a plan.
My life has a purpose; in heav’n it began.
My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth
And seek for God’s light to direct me from birth.
I will follow God’s plan for me,
Holding fast to his word and his love.
I will work, and I will pray;
I will always walk in his way.
Then I will be happy on earth
And in my home above.


I often struggle with doing God's will, especially when it isn't what I want to do. But I have to remember that he knows me infinitely better than I know myself. And I know that when I have followed promptings he has given me, that I have been a lot happier in the long run than if I had just done what I wanted to in the first place. I know that God loves each and every one of us, and he has a plan for us all, however different each individual's plan may be. But like I said, the ultimate goal is for all of us to gain eternal happiness and to return back to him.

And how can you want to leave such a cutie? At least when he's good...

Our Story Part 3

You can get parts one and two here

I continued walking home after getting Stephan's voicemail, telling myself that I WOULD NOT call him. When I got back to my apartment, Jenny (the roommate who set us up) was there. "Guess who left a message on my phone?" I said.

"Stephan?" she said.

"Yeah, but I don't want to call him back," I said.

She was surprised, "Why not?!"

"I don't like him!" was my excuse.

The next day, I chatted with some people about it, and one asked, "Well, what was the worst thing you found out about Stephan?"

I thought about it, and said, "He doesn't talk very much."

"Well," he said. "if that's the worst thing about him, then he deserves a phone call!"

With that, I called him back, and I could tell that he was very happy to hear from me. We had a very pleasant conversation (to my great surprise), and he asked if he could see me again sometime. I answered in the affirmative.

Our next date wasn't until the week before finals. That day, there was a big snowstorm. And I mean big. Stephan had only recently gotten his driver's license and didn't have snow-driving experience. To tell a long story short, I met my father-in-law on the second date.

Thankfully, my father-in-law didn't come with us on the date itself--I would have never given Stephan another chance after that. Besides the "chauffeur" it was a good date. We had lunch at Brick Oven, in case you are wondering. He talked A LOT on this date. After lunch, his dad drove us back to my apartment complex, and Stephan walked me to my door. Since it was just before Christmas break and I was going home for a few weeks, he asked me for my e-mail address. It must have been divine intervention, because I gave him mine. When I got inside, my roommates were sitting at the kitchen table, and they told me I was glowing (I denied this of course).

We e-mailed a bit over the break, and on my birthday, he sent me a "Merry Christmas" e-mail in the morning (I thought he forgot my birthday, so I reminded him) and then in the evening, he sent me a "Happy Birthday" e-mail along with a picture of a Star Wars birthday cake. I later found out that he remembered me telling him how my family celebrated my birthday, and he used that to time the e-mails. Brilliant.

After I got back from Houston, we were still e-mailing, and one evening, he directly told me that he wanted to ask me out again, but didn't know what to do. He asked me what I liked and disliked, and when I was available. I appreciated his honesty, and wrote him back with the information he wanted. With that information, he planned our next date...

To be continued...

Day 30: A Dream for the Future

Doesn't this kind of go along with the last post? Well, I guess this is the distant future.

In less than a year, Stephan will graduate, and while that isn't very far from now, it sometimes seems like it is.

I dream of a time when Stephan gets a good job in the computer programming field--a good job meaning a job he enjoys and that pays well. Then we can actually start SAVING money! Like I said before, the thought of having money in a savings account excites me. Yes, I'm a nerd.

I also dream of being a writer--having something published and possibly be a bestseller. Yes, in my dreams, but hey, this post is all about my dreams ;)

I also dream of having a clean house all the time, like that's ever going to happen. Then again, my mom somehow accomplishes this. But she doesn't have kids at home anymore, so it's a lot easier to do.

Oh yeah, I also dream of having a house of our own.

And in this dream, I also have kids. Hopefully I don't have the "Kimball Curse" (endometriosis) which would make having these kids difficult. We would have an even number of boys to girls, but knowing us, we'll probably have mostly boys.



That's the end of this series. I hope y'all have enjoyed it :)

Day 29: Hopes, Dreams, Plans for 365 days

These are some things I would like to have happen within the next year...

Have Stephan graduate in December. And have a job not too long afterwards. He has his heart on getting a job in Washington state...

Re-learn how to sew

Become better at crocheting

Learn more about knitting

Learn more recipes

Make practicing my violin a habit

Not waste so much time on internet

Go to the temple at least once a month

Keep a cleaner house

Actually start saving some money...

Read more books

Attend more cultural events (preferably free ones)

Read scriptures on a more frequent basis

Go to bed at more reasonable hours

Eat healthier

Exercise more often

Possibly start trying for a baby...still under discussion. 

Some of the things I want to do within the next year, and more.

Day 28: What's in my purse

Lucky for me, I reorganized it a few days ago.

cell phone
wallet
feminine protection (hey, it did ask...)
pen
keys
car insurance card
lip gloss
some receipts I need to throw away
grocery list that I also need to toss

There you go.

Day 27: My Worst Habit

I asked Stephan what my worst habit is (because really, I have a lot of bad habits and it's hard to choose from), and he was very hesitant to tell me for fear of me being angry with him. I guess I can't blame him. He finally told me:

"Thinking people don't like you."

This is very true. Unfortunately.

You see, for a long time, I've basically decided that deep down, everyone who knows me must really hate me for some reason. I don't feel like I'm a likable person. In fact, I've been in therapy for this twice because I believe it is part of the cause of my depression and anxiety.

I believe the root cause of this is some childhood events. The beginning of them being detailed in this post, which I haven't provided a second part to. I will provide a second part here.

Because I was in Early Childhood (special ed for preschool aged kids) and required speech therapy, I came to my elementary school teachers with the label "special ed" and an account of my history. I had more or less become the poster child for the special education programs in the Katy ISD because I had defied the odds. Most of my teachers were fine, except for my second and fifth grade teachers.

And because I was speech delayed, I was behind in my social development, until I was in college actually. Needless to say, I was picked on a pretty fair bit for it. And in second and fifth grade, if I got into trouble with the teacher (even if I was innocent), my classmates would side against me. Some classmates would also pretend to be my best friend one day, and the next day, act like they never knew me.

Even among my friends, I always fear that one day they will suddenly decide they don't like me and pretend they never knew me. I even feel this way around family. To this day, I still think my husband's family must think he married a crazy woman and therefore not like me very much. I know this isn't true, but I can't seem to shake it. I always find a reason why someone must not like me, even if I am friends with them. It's hard for me to make friends because I wonder how in the heck they could like someone like me. This has resulted in me being somewhat high-maintenance.

Now you are probably wondering, "How did you ever get married then?" I've wondered that myself. It must have been a miracle.

I know some of you are asking, "You need some therapy, girl!" I've been in therapy for this. Twice. I can't seem to shake it, and I really want it gone. My paternal grandmother was a very paranoid woman, thinking everyone hated her, and I think it's what killed her. When she developed Alzheimer's, the only memories she had were of all the bad things people had done to her. I don't want that to happen to me.

Yes, this whole series is supposed to be lighthearted, and now I've killed it. But people have told me that they like my blog because of my honesty, and I want to uphold that. This is not one of those perky blogs that "Seriously, So Blessed" satirizes.

I hope that by writing this, I will find some healing. If anyone comments, I want them to be sincere. I don't want empty "I like you" comments. Just please, be sincere. I am not trying to make myself out to be a martyr and I am not looking for a pity party. I'm just showing you that yes folks, I am indeed human!

If you are genuinely my friend and are hurt by anything I say, please don't be. Just please continue being my friend, and know that I really am trying to overcome this.

If you made it to the end of this, I want to congratulate you. I hope I haven't put a damper on your day.

Day 26: My Week in *some* detail

Monday was MLK day, so Stephan did not have school or work. We slept in, had a late breakfast, then ran some errands. We stopped at Subway for lunch--I got a sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwich, with onions, lettuce, and pickles. For some reason, I've started liking pickles recently. I used to hate them. Stephan had a roast beef sandwich with cheese and veggies...no dressings. He doesn't like dressings on his sandwiches or salads, unless it's the ginger dressing at Yamato. I must learn that recipe.

On Tuesday, Stephan worked from 8-12. I did some cleaning while he was gone and then took a shower. While I was in the shower, the FedEx guy knocked on my door. Unfortunately, I didn't get it, for obvious reasons. So, he left it at a neighbor's house. I didn't notice this until I was leaving to pick Stephan up--the guy left a note on the door. But I didn't have time to get it, plus, I knew it was my sewing machine. I picked Stephan up, we stopped at the bank, then went home and got my sewing machine. Stephan had fun playing with the parts.

I didn't sleep well Tuesday night, so I was *very* tired Wednesday morning. I also woke up with the mother of all shoulder pains. Ouch. I took Stephan too school, and went back to bed for about three hours. Yes, I was very tired. Then I got up and tried to clean. At two, I picked Stephan up from school. We made enchiladas for dinner that night (new recipe) and they turned out way too spicy. We are never getting "hot" enchilada sauce ever again.

I didn't sleep well again Wednesday night. Wha? And I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to let Misti drop Aiden off on our couch. After she dropped him off, I went back to bed. We got to sleep in a little, but then Aiden came to our door because he needed to use the bathroom. We got up, got some breakfast (gave Aiden a granola bar because that's what he wanted). Then we took Stephan to work. Aiden was upset that Stephan was gone because he wanted to play Wii with him. We went back to Aiden's apartment, got him dressed, got him some food, and watched a little bit of Pirates 2. Then he randomly turned it off. Grr. He wanted me to play with toys with him. I am not much of a playing with toys person. I just watched him play. Then his mom came home, and I left to go pick Stephan up from school.

Friday was kind of a rough day. I had gone to bed earlier, but had to wake up at 4:30 again to let Misti and Aiden in. And then I had to wake up again around 7-ish to take Stephan to school. Aiden wouldn't wake up, so I had to carry him to the car. He is a very tall four-year-old, so this was not an easy task. He finally woke up in the car, but wouldn't go to sleep when we got him (much to my chagrin). Aiden played on the Wii for a little while, but not long enough for me to get a nap in. He usually does *sigh*. I got him some food, then we went back to his apartment and watched Pirates 3. We watched it all the way through, yay. After the movie was over, I told him that it was time to get dressed. He told me he had to play with his toys first, but I countered that by telling him that he would get dressed and *then* play with his toys. He wanted me to dress him, but I know he can dress himself, and told him he could dress himself. An argument ensued (I know, arguing with a four-year-old), he stripped naked, and I still told him that he could dress himself (yes, I'm mean). He finally dressed himself, but told me to look away, never mind that he stripped naked in front of me. I don't remember everything that happened after that, but we did watch some Rupert on Qubo at one point. Then his mom came home, and I left to go get Stephan.

Saturday, we had planned to go to the temple, but I came down with a cold (again?). I took Stephan to work, and then tried to rest when I got home. I took a hot shower (ahhh) and tried to be human. At two, I picked Stephan up, and we tried to retrieve a package of his from UPS, but alas, the site was closed. Then we went to his mom's house so she could work on my aching shoulder. She did that, and worked on some pressure points on my foot to help my cold. It helped a lot! We hung out for a while, and then went and got some dinner and came home.

Today, we went to church, got sustained as Meetinghouse Librarians, Stephan had a case of vertigo (not fun),  but he did recover. Then we came home, had some leftover too-hot enchiladas, and here we are.

Day 25: My Day in Great Detail

Stephan's alarm went off at around 6:15 a.m.; he turned it off, and we snuggled for a little while. Then he got up to take a shower, and I promptly went comatose. Next thing I knew, he was coming out of the shower--I hadn't even heard the water running! I got up, threw on some sweats, then use the bathroom while Stephan toasted up some English muffins for his breakfast. Since it was nearing time for me to take him to work, I decided that I would eat breakfast when I got home. Stephan was a little slow getting ready this morning for some reason. We got out to the car, and there was frost on it, which is a normal occurrence in January, but annoying since we were already running late. So, Stephan scraped it off and announced that our scraper seemed to be wearing out. Great. Then we drove to UVU.

As soon as we got to UVU, Stephan turned off the car for some reason, which was really weird because I would be driving home as soon as he went to work. I (not so kindly) pointed it out to him, and he turned it back on. I felt bad about that :(

I drove home, parked the car, and went back into the apartment. I toasted an English muffin and spread peanut butter and jelly on the slices, and ate it for breakfast. After that, I just lazed around for a while, and even went back to bed because I was tired (had a hard time sleeping last night). I dozed for a while, then got up and did some dishes and other little chores around the house. I also listened to the BYU Devotional on the radio, and took a shower. I thought I heard a knock on the door while I was in the shower, but obviously I couldn't check. 

After the shower, I got dressed, listened to the rest of the Devotional, and then left to go pick Stephan up. As I was leaving, I saw a note on the door: FedEx tried to deliver a package, but since I didn't answer the door, they left it with a neighbor. Luckily it was the neighbor who faces us, but I didn't have time to get it since I needed to go get Stephan. I drove to UVU, picked him up, stopped at the bank to deposit some money, and came home. I picked up my package from Ken (the neighbor) and brought it back to the apartment. It was the sewing machine I got for Christmas! My mom had it shipped because I couldn't bring it on the plane. 

We had our leftover Subway sandwiches for lunch, and just hung out for a while. I was feeling kind of weird (in probably a hormonal way), and Stephan offered to rub my back, which helped. He let me talk things over with him too. Afterwards, Stephan opened the box my sewing machine came in and started tinkering with some of the parts. Silly Stephan ;)

Then I took a picture of the sewing machine so I could post it on facebook. I hadn't been on facebook in 11 days (I know, shocker) and Stephan still has my password. I had him log me in, and then I posted the picture and got some comments on it. I checked some stuff, and remembered why I'm reducing my facebook usage, and logged off. It was nearing dinnertime, so I started cooking. Pioneer Woman's macaroni and cheese was for dinner, with a side of garlic roasted broccoli. I had Stephan grate cheese for me while I did everything else--he's very helpful. The macaroni and cheese tasted milder than we wanted, but I found out it was because I had purchased mild cheddar cheese instead of medium. Whoops. Other than that, it was good. 

Afterwards, Stephan went and played with his DS for a little while, and I lazed around some more (I do that too often) and watched some Divine Comedy on YouTube (hilarious). Then I got a hankering for cookies--homemade cookies. I mentioned this to Stephan, and of course he told me that I must make cookies ;) He helped me wash dishes, and then I started the cookies. Oatmeal chocolate chip, in case you are wondering. Yummy. 

After I got all the cookies in the oven, I washed the dishes used for the cookies, and cleaned the kitchen. It was just in time for the first batch to come out. I took the first batch out, moved the second batch to the lower rack, and reset the timer. A few minutes later, that batch was done, and it was tasty.

Now, I'm finishing this post about my day. I hope you enjoyed it.

Day 24: Where I live

Currently, I live in Orem, UT. Orem is about an hour south of Salt Lake City, and is the town just north of Provo. It's pretty much a college town, since it is close to Brigham Young University (my alma mater) and Utah Valley University (where Stephan goes to school). I have been asked if there is a rivalry between Provo and Orem; as far as I can tell, there really isn't. However, Orem supposedly has a reputation for being the "immoral" town whereas Provo is the epitome of "Happy Valley." Maybe that's why I like living in Orem--it's more "real" to me. Ha ha.

The general stereotype of Utah is that everyone is white--no minorities. That's not entirely true. We actually live in a very heavily hispanic neighborhood. There are enough hispanics that the elementary school in our neighborhood hires translators for those kids whose parents do not speak English. Now black people are hard to find out here--there is one black guy in our entire ward. That's weird to me because a third of the student body at my high school was black.

Now, for where we live. I won't give specifics because there are too many creeps out there ;) We live in the north-central part of Orem (more or less). We live next door to our church, which makes things very convenient. Our ward is great--when we move, I want to take our ward with us. I love the ward because we're all pretty much in the same position--young marrieds, trying to make ends meet somehow. No competitiveness that I've seen. Our apartment is about 600 sq. feet, with a good-sized living room, too small kitchen, adequate bedroom, and a small bathroom. Oh, and we have a laundry room. And not a lot of storage space.

And that's it for "where I live."

Day 23: A Website

This was supposed to go under Day 22...I got them mixed up ;)

Alicia's Homemaking

I came upon this website when I worked at Emergency Essentials, looking for websites to advertise on. Since then, it has become one of my favorites.

Why? Alicia (the woman behind this site) is someone I can definitely relate to. She's also putting a husband through school, living in a tiny apartment (with a baby besides!), and on very little money. I think we could be friends, if only we lived in the same state. She blogs about her adventures in homemaking (cooking, budgeting, cleaning, etc.), her faith, her family, and marriage.

Check it out :)

Day 22: A YouTube video

This was the only one I could think of. It's hilarious, and very true. But big hair isn't that popular at BYU. Straight hair is the ideal. I know this because they tried to straighten mine.

The marriage hungry part? Oh yeah, it's true.

Day 21: A recipe

I haven't done this thing in a while, and I want to finish it.

I want to try this recipe sometime. It looks really good.

Christmas

We had a good Christmas and I had a good birthday (a few of them, actually).

On Christmas Day, Stephan baked up some Rhodes cinnamon rolls for my birthday breakfast. We opened the few presents we had for each other. We picked out our own Christmas presents. Yes, we are boring. I got Stephan headphones that were normally $30 for $10 with Amazon gift cards that I got from using Swagbucks. I also got him a new polo shirt. Stephan got me Josh Groban's newest album, a beret, and a couple of tops (he wrapped the beret and shirts together). 

Since we spent last Christmas with my family, we spent it with Stephan's this year. Stephan got to talk to his brother Brent (who is coming home from his mission at the end of March) and then we opened more presents. Lots of good presents. One of my favorites was a wheat grinder. After presents was dinner. Since there were so many people there that day, my mother-in-law forewent the traditional turkey dinner for a soup bar of sorts. Then we had a birthday for me, with the cherry pie I made. My mother-in-law isn't used to someone in the family having a Christmas birthday, so she didn't have a cake. She felt bad, but I wasn't upset because I wasn't expecting her to have a cake. Then I got my birthday present: essential oils. I am having fun learning how to use them :)

The rest of the day, people played games and such. We ate dessert. And I spent most of the time holding my adorable new nephew Kelton :)

Then Stephan and I came home, and he basically pampered me the rest of the night. His birthday present to me will always be Christmas evening to do whatever I wish, and my wish was to be pampered. 

Now to Houston...

My parents held off on celebrating Christmas until the 28th because Stephan and I were flying in on the 27th and my brother Craig had to work on Christmas day. We got good presents there too--I got a sewing machine! I was originally going to get my mom's old one, but she found out that it was almost on its last leg, so she got me a new one instead. It has to be shipped, but I'm so excited about it! I've been wanting to get serious about sewing for a while now. And as tradition dictates, we celebrated my birthday later.

Yes folks, I got THREE birthdays. So, why am I gypped again? 

We spent a total of a week in Houston. I got my haircut by my hairdresser Scott (please don't let it be a year before I see him again), and it looks great. I like my hair shorter--easier to manage and the curls bounce more. We saw the new Narnia movie--I liked it, but I know people who were disappointed. And we ate Mexican and Indian food (Stephan's first time eating Indian). All in all, a good trip. I don't want it to be another year before we visit my family again, though. 

Now we're back in Utah and to our routine. Stephan has started a new semester of school. We recently found out that Stephan will not be graduating until December (a miscalculation on his part). He's taking a lighter class load and is getting 20 hours at work, for which we are grateful. He was working 15 last semester, which made things really tight after my layoff. I'm back to watching Aiden a few times a week and trying to organize our apartment better.