Tristan!!!

Just a quick post with some pics of the munchkin. Tristan arrived on 10/31/08 at 12:44 am (yay I got my Halloween baby). He was 8lbs, 4oz and 21 1/2 inches long. He's beautiful and wonderful and I'm loving every minute of being a mommy!

Our Little Pirate

So stinkin' cute!

Heading home from the hospital

Sleeping with his Daddy

In Response to...

A few days ago I wrote a blog about my feelings about California's Proposition 8 and also on my opinion about homosexuality and gay marriage. I've recently received a couple of comments to that blog that I would like to respond to, so here it is.

First off, I asked for respect of my opinion when posting comments which I don't feel I received. I fully understand that there are many individuals that disagree with my opinion, including many of my close friends. I respect and welcome that. However, accusing someone of not following the prophet because I disagree with a stand that was made, is extremely offensive. Unfortunately, it seems to be a tactic that is used quite often by members of the LDS church, more often in Utah than elsewhere. Heavenly Father gave me this brain to think, question, analyze and wonder with and I'm grateful for that. I fully believe that he wants us to question everything; it will only make your testimony stronger, as it has mine.

I was not always of the opinion that people are born gay, though I've always thought that everyone should have the same rights as anyone else. It is through questioning, study and prayer that I've come to the realizations that I have. It is also through knowing and caring about people who have come out. I've noticed that many people who are so against gay marriage and homosexuality have not been a spectator to the agony that many go through before accepting who they are and coming out. A family member of a close friend recently came out after years of self-hatred, depression and anger about the feelings they'd ALWAYS had. Now that this individual has accepted that they were born this way and loves themself for who they are, they are happy. This person is also a strong member of the church and have one of the strongest testimonies I've ever seen. If it were your sister, brother, best friend, child, whoever, would you deny them happiness because you were always told that they were wrong? Would you shun them until they "decided" to live up to your standard of "normal" again? I certainly hope not. If so, I pity those individuals around you.

I'm not one who likes to debate (that would be my sister Halley). But I will always stand up for and defend those that I love and those that I feel are being treated unfairly. I will also fight, tooth and nail if I am attacked for my beliefs. Stating your opinion and attacking someone else because you disagree with them are two very different things. Please sit back and think about your approach before commenting. The only MORAL issue here is that we need to treat everyone the way that Christ taught us, with LOVE and without JUDGEMENT.


The last point I would like to make is this: I know that living in Utah, I'm most likely in the minority with my opinion. However, I had the courage to post a blog with said opinion and will happily voice that same opinion if asked and often, even when I'm not asked. My name and face are all over this blog, so that anyone would know who is stating her opinion. If you have such a strong belief about this (or anything else), have the courage to tell people who you are! By hiding behind the title of "anonymous" you just show that you are afraid. If you truly believe something, don't be a coward about it. State it proudly and stand by it! I would respect you and your opinion completely. Currently, I think you are a coward.

Locked and Loaded

We went to the doctor today for my (now) weekly checkup. I'm dilated to not quite 3 centimeters (she said somewhere between 2 1/2 and 3) and 70% effaced. The doctor also stripped my membranes to see if we can kick this into gear. So apparently I could go any time now. :) My doctor leaves on Nov. 3rd to go to Texas for 3 days so she can take her boards, which means she gets back the day before my due date. I'd really like it if she was the one to deliver Tristan since we've been through everything with her. I go back Monday (if he hasn't come that is) and she'll see if I've advanced any further and will try stripping the membranes again. If he hasn't come, we'll most likely schedule an inducement for November 1st. Wow! Haha I just knew when she checked me that I wasn't even going to have started dilating yet... guess I was wrong! The doctor said I've probably been laboring for the last couple weeks and just didn't notice. The most I've had is some minor cramping. I keep expecting for something to really hurt and let me know that it's labor pains but so far... no go.

We're as ready as we'll ever be. His bag is packed, the carseat is in the car and ready to go, his nursery is all finished (see the pics below). I have my bag basically ready... it's all together, just not in a bag yet. I'm not nervous yet... but just wait until I'm in labor and I'm sure it will be a whole other story!

Strange creature

This dog cracks me up... I just had to share. She's looking at the camera but she was sleeping just like this just seconds before. Does this really look comfortable? Rocky started out by being curled up next to me on the couch, then stretched out a bit and leaned into me, then slid her head down the belly to rest in my lap and last this position. I don't know how she sleeps like that!

Notice how spoiled the dogs are... we call them the Queens of Sheba because if they have the choice, they will A: sleep on the couch, B: find pillows on the ground and lay on those (they even dragged one of the couch pillows all the way upstairs to sleep on) or C: lay on the pile of cushions on the couch.

Proposition 8

I've seen a few blogs lately and heard comments that have really bothered me. And I feel like if I don't say something, that I seem like I agree with those statements. So here it is... I'm FOR gay marriage. Now I know that this makes me a "bad mormon" in some people's eyes. However, if being accepting of all people no matter their race, religion or sexual orientation makes me a bad mormon than I'm all for it! The fact that the church is encouraging people to vote a specific way in the California elections really pisses me off. First off, the church has always said that they DO NOT tell their members how to vote... well I guess that's not so true anymore is it? I know a lot of non-members who are convinced that members of the LDS church all vote a certain way because the leadership tells them what to do and until now I've been able to say no that's not true. The fact that the church has so openly encouraged the members in California to vote for Proposition 8 and told members that do not live there to encourage people they know in CA to vote for Proposition 8 will just make people think that we do in fact vote the way "we're told".

I do NOT believe that allowing two consenting adults to choose to marry is somehow going to destroy the family as it is considered today. A family is someone who will love and care for you. That could include a number of individuals, not just mom, dad and 2.5 children.

I do NOT believe that giving someone the right to spend their life with the person they love and cherish even if they are the same sex will hurt anyone else. It wasn't too long ago that inter-racial marriage was against the law in many states. Looking back, how stupid was that?

I DO believe that we are all God's children and it is not our place to judge anyone. We are told often that it is not up to us to judge anyone for the life they live.

I DO believe that teaching our children to be accepting and respectful of all people will make the world a better place.

I DO believe that we are born wired the way we are. Some of us are attracted to the opposite sex and some the same sex. That doesn't make anyone a bad or evil person.

All this Proposition is doing is pushing fear, hate and intolerance. Three things that we do not need in our world and should be fighting against, not for. So I would encourage anyone that I know in CA to vote AGAINST Prop. 8 on election day.

I do not mean to offend anyone with this post. If you disagree with my opinion, that is your right and I respect that. I simply felt the need to make my view known. Feel free to leave comments, just do so with respect to myself and others.

Cranky!

I've noticed I've been rather cranky lately. Or I just don't have the patience I did before. The littlest things are annoying me right now. :) But I can blame it all on the hormones right? I can't wait to get back to normal... althought I'm not sure that what I once considered normal will ever be the same again.
Today's latest thing that made me cranky: There's a couple in our birthing class that already drive me crazy. The husband especially! He's very opinionated about how the birthing process is supposed to go and what should or should not be done. And if he's contradicted, he gets condescending and snotty. A couple weeks ago, the teacher was discussing all the medical stuff involved in having a baby which included covering Epidurals and other drugs offered. When she was done she asked if everyone was planning on having a "natural birth". He scoffed and very snidely said, well I would think so if we're in this class. I of course had to say ummm actually... I'm not decided. I just want to be prepared as best I can for whatever happens. He looked at me like I was the devil and that I was going to burn in hell for even considering an epidural. So at today's class, the teacher brought in the empathy belly for the dads to try on and see how it feels (even though they'll never completely understand) and everyone BUT this guy tried it on. His wife kept trying to get him to do it and he flat out refused. He leaned over and told his wife that he didn't need to understand since he would never have to go through it. I about chucked my birthing book at his pin-head. Haha that would have been fun! Fortunately I only have one more week of class to contain my crankiness towards him. Hopefully I can make it! ;)

He's almost here and it's getting real!

We're down to 8 weeks until Tristan's due date and it's finally starting to sink in. I had to go get a new bassinet this week since ours was recalled. For those of you who don't know, Chad and I have had some baby stuff for about 2 1/2 years now. He likes to be prepared and we had some extra money to spend at the time so we bought some of our big stuff. We have a portable crib, swing, car seat / stroller combo and the bassinet. I really liked our bassinet but a couple weeks ago it was recalled because a couple of babies had essentially hung themselves in it. Yeah, definitely don't want that in our house! It was a Simplicity 3-in-1 Bassinet and oddly enough, Simplicity has yet to issue a safety recall. However, Babies-R-Us and a couple other stores have recalled it thankfully so we were able to return it and get our money back. I was fine with that until I couldn't find a bassinet that I liked as much. I had wanted one that would hook directly to our bed but I haven't had much luck, especially since our bed is so tall. I was finally able to settle on one that I liked. Though it doesn't hook to the bed, I love it. Here's a pic of it:

Isn't it cute! And the best part is that it matches our newly refurnished/decorated bedroom perfectly. The colors are an exact match! Notice the handles on the sides? Simply push the buttons in and the whole basket pops off for easy transportation around the house. Definitely a selling point for me! And my other favorite thing is that we'll get more than a couple months use out of this product because once Tristan moves into his bedroom to sleep, it converts to a baby bouncer. See:

I love it! Such a good idea! I came home and put it together right away (haha and have yet to move it upstairs out of the family room). As I was watching TV with Chad the other night I just kept looking at it. It's the first thing that we've bought that I'm really excited about and it made Tristan's arrival seem very real.

On another note, we started our birthing class last week. It lasts for 7 weeks, with the last 2 weeks being a class on breastfeeding. So hopefully he doesn't decide to come early or I may be calling those of you who have breastfed for pointers on what to do! Last week was pretty much a review of stuff we already knew and Chad said he felt like he was in Kindergarten because it was kind of boring and nothing new to us. This week should be a bit more enlightening since we will be going over labor and delivery. We are definitely the black sheep in our class though... we're the only ones with an actual doctor. Everyone else has a midwife. We also have the closest due date but I'm like half the size of the other girls in the class. Let me tell you... that got me a few dirty looks when I told everyone when we were due. It's not my fault I'm tall and have a long torso! Sheesh! ;) I haven't decided yet if I'm going the drug-free route or opt for the epidural. I'm leaning more towards an epidural but I do want to have the option to not do so. Hence, the birthing class. How many of you have had an epidural? Any suggestions or opinions on the matter?

Lastly, I had my first shower last weekend. My sister-in-law, Jennifer threw my "family" shower. It was fun and we got a bunch of cute stuff! This kid will be well dressed! :D Thanks Jen for the shower and to everyone that came!

Stretch Marks and Flintstone Feet

Wow, it's been over a month since I last wrote. I'm such a slacker! In my defense it has been a bit crazy the last couple of weeks. We went to Missouri to visit my family (and then go to Nauvoo for my sister's wedding). I don't mind Missouri in the spring time when it's rainy and comfortable but I don't know if I EVER want to go back in August. Hahaha at least not pregnant. It was around 100 degrees the first few days we were there (which I can handle) but on top of the heat was the 95% humidity! Ugh! My hands and feet were so swollen and no matter how much I elevated them they would not go back to normal. My new brother-in-law, Johnny, nicknamed me Brittany Rubble. :P The picture does not do justice to just how swollen they were! Now that we're home, back in the lovely dry desert weather my feet have gone back to mostly normal. Phew! I was worried they'd stay that way until November! I've also begun to get stretchmarks. Nothing horrible, but a few are a little random. I'll just lotion the belly up and hope for the best but I'm not super worried about it.

Now that I've whined a bit, I thought I would write my top 10 favorite things about being pregnant (I've only got 80 days to go until the due date so I better enjoy them now):

10. Now that I'm finally showing people are a lot more courteous, ie: they hold doors open, ask if I would like to go ahead of them in line, etc.

9. Complete strangers smile at me when they notice the belly.

8. Expectant Mother's parking at the mall! Normally I park in the back for the walk but my feet hurt enough as it is without adding walking across hot blacktop to it. ;)

7. Registering for all the cute baby stuff.

6. Envisioning Tristan and the nursery in said baby stuff.

5. Checking the pregnancy book every week to see where the baby is at in his growth and what he's up to in there.

4. Putting our nursery together.

3. Chad talking to his son via the belly. Makes me smile every time.

2. Tristan kicking/bumping/punching Chad's hand when he's talking to him.

1. Feeling Tristan move around at any given moment or watching my belly jump as he changes position.

I'm sure I could think of more things to add to the list but I think this is sufficient. It definitely makes the few inconveniences that come with being pregnant seem very minimal. Especially with how difficult it was for us to get here. Here's a more recent pic of the belly... 28 weeks along.

Bump Watch

I thought I'd post a couple pictures of the baby bump since I don't get to see everyone on a regular basis. I was told today that I'm barely showing for being almost 6 months. I guess I'm just lucky that I have a long torso so there's plenty of room for him to grow! I felt him move - when touching my stomach - for the first time yesterday, but every time I'd try to get Chad to feel him, he'd stop moving. Haha Tristan's being difficult already! I took both pictures at 22 weeks.

I finally bought some more maternity pants yesterday. The belly band on the new ones is much softer and thinner material so it doesn't show under my clothes like the ones I have on the pictures. Which I much prefer!

100 Things All About Me

So I recently read a list of 100 things about my friend on her blog and thought it would be an interesting challenge. Can I really come up with 100 things all about me? Guess we're about to find out huh? Hmm maybe I'll just start with the easy stuff and go from there.

1. I've been happily married to Chad for almost 4 years.
2. Pretty much every anniversary we have has happened on the 14th of the month: Our first date was Valentine's Day, we were engaged 3 months later on May 14th and married 3 months after that on August 14th. We miscarried on January 14th and then miraculously conceived again one month later on (I'm 99% positive) on February 14th.
3. This is my 2nd marriage. I married my "high school sweetheart" when I was 19 and then divorced him at 21. Not a good 2 years but I learned a lot about myself and how strong I can be.
4. I don't think I have, but most everyone I know thinks I've moved around a lot. I was born in Minnesota, lived there until I was 4. Moved to South Dakota and lived there until I was 16 when my family moved to Arizona. I lived there until I was 22 and then moved here to Utah.
5. If you count all the different houses I've lived in, then yes I've moved... way too much. MN: 2 houses. SD: 1 (and a half if you count the house we lived for a couple months). AZ: 7 houses/apts. UT: 6 houses/apts. For a grand total of 16. :P
6. When I was younger, I would write skits and plays and make my siblings help perform them.
7. We also came up with great games that only we know, such as the "Plunger Game". :) If you want explanation on that, you'll have to ask.
8. I've always been content just being by myself. My mom tells me I've been that way since I was a baby. If I've had several days in a row with people constantly around, I crave my alone time.
9. I've always wanted a pet snake or lizard. But since I apparently married a sissy (love you Chad), I'm never allowed to have one.
10. I blame my mom for my love of all animals, both warm and cold blooded. She used to catch gardener snakes in our backyard and let us hold them. She even kept one for a few days in a glass bowl in our garage until it escaped.
11. Because of my mom's love of animals, we could pretty much sucker her into letting us bring animals home. They ended up with a dog and a cat because they "followed us home".
12. The dog that "followed" us home, I actually stole. :) I smile because I stole him and 3 of his brothers and sisters because they were being abused by their owners. We kept Odie, gave 2 to neighbor families and donated one to the Children's Miracle Network to be auctioned off for charity. My parents still had Odie until about a month ago when they finally had to put him to sleep, he was almost 15 years old, pretty good for a black lab.
13. Though I love animals, bugs pretty much creep me out. I'm not afraid to kill them but they still give me the willies! The only bug I make Chad kill is earwigs... I just can't bring myself to get near them.
14. I was never scared of bugs or spiders when I was younger. We used to collect the pill bugs and millipedes on the playground and put them in wet paper towels. I'm not sure why! I remember putting them on the desk of a substitute once though.
15. I used to hate my name. I remember always changing it to something new when I was in 2nd grade. :) My teacher never said a word though. The only 2 I remember for sure was Virginia (ugh, I can't believe I liked that name!) and Tiffany.
16. I was in Girl Scouts from kindergarten through 5th grade but always thought the Boy Scouts would be better. They always got to do the fun stuff and get dirty!
17. I've never been girly (my sisters cornered the market on that one) and it took me until I was in my 20's to even be able to curl my own hair. I think I've found a healthy mix now between girly and tom-boyish.
18. I'm glad to be having a little boy because little girls scare me. One, because I'm afraid I'll end up with a girly-girl and won't know what to do with her. And two, because I was a horrible teenager and I'm afraid of retribution for how I was toward my parents!
19. Having this baby both excites me and scares the bejebus out of me! As mentioned previously in #8, I enjoy my alone time and I'm afraid I may go crazy if I don't get that every once in a while. I also worry that I will totally screw up and be lost as to what to do.
20. I'm quite a voracious reader. I love books... especially history. And it drives me crazy when people tell me they hate to read. I just want to smack them in the forehead like on those V-8 commercials. :P
21. I failed Word Processing in high school but can now type about 100 words per minute. I didn't fail because I couldn't type, I just had a crazy teacher.
22. I had horrible grades in school, not because I didn't know the info but because I didn't care and quite often didn't turn in my homework. Chad doesn't understand how anyone can be like that.
23. I failed Geometry twice because my brain just does not work that way! But I used to drive my teacher crazy because I would sit and draw my "optical illusions" in class and they are quite geometric in nature.
24. I finally went back to school at 26 and love it and worry about my grades. I'm quite proud of the fact that I have a 3.6 gpa and was asked to join the International Honor Society.
25. I've never ditched (or sluffed for you Utah people) school. My parents basically put the fear of God in me about ditching.
26. I have however, ditched plenty of seminary. I basically went once a week the whole 2nd semester of my junior year and 1st semester of my senior year. I often went home and hung out with my mom though and she was okay with it because I had a horrible teacher. I still graduated with 4 years of seminary though!
27. A lot of "Utah" words drive me crazy... Sluff being one of them. The Utah accent also drives me crazy.
28. I think Utah is beautiful but really worry about raising my kids here. I think that being surrounded by "the church" and a high population of members is actually detrimental to gaining a testimony.
29. I've been baptised twice. I was sprinkled as a baby and then dunked when I was 8.
30. My parents are converts to the LDS church and both are amazing examples to me of what it means to have a testimony.
31. I love to learn about pretty much everything and retain quite a bit of information. A girl I used to work with called me Rainman because I remember the most random stuff.
32. I have a complex about eating in restaurants by myself... I just can't do it. I blame it on the fact that I had no friends in 9th grade and ate by myself every day in a lunch room packed with people.
33. I used to be very shy and quiet and usually let people walk all over me just so that I had "friends".
34. Moving to Arizona was the best thing that could have happened to me because it made me break out of my shell and become more outgoing.
35. They call me the mean one at work because I'll tell it like it is and won't hold back.
36. I'm much more protective of my friends and family than I am of myself.
37. I often forgive people repeatedly and let them back in my life no matter how badly they may have hurt me or screwed me over in the past. It's a flaw but I'd rather be more forgiving than bitter and angry.
38. I have an insatiable need to "fix" people. My parents used to call my friends the stray of the month club because they were usually very screwed up in one way or another and I would try to help them.
39. The only people that I'm still friends with from when I was a child are my sisters and brother. Chad finds that weird because his group of friends has not changed and most of them are like family.
40. My absolute favorite song is Pachelbel's Canon. I heard it at a symphony when I was 7 and I've loved it ever since. If I'm ever upset, sad, scared, etc. all I have to do is turn on that song and it calms me down... works every time!
41. I love all kinds of music. Chad calls me a human juke box because I know most songs that come on the radio.
42. I love to sing and must say I don't have a bad voice. My mom made sure all her kids took choir and music classes and we all enjoy singing.
43. I played the flute from 5th grade through high school. I've lost a lot of my ability but can still play the scales pretty well.
44. I marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1994 with my high school band (yes, I was a band geek).
45. I've never been very good at sports. I usually went off in a daydream (much like JD from Scrubs) and was oblivious to what was going on around me.
46. I scored a goal for the other team - twice - when I played soccer when I was 6. I was more interested in doing cartwheels on the field.
47. Even though I sucked at organized sports, I rocked at 4 square! Haha probably had something to do with the fact that I was almost always the tallest kid playing.
48. I'm between 5'10" and 5'11". My height used to make me really self conscious and I would slouch horribly to appear shorter. I love it now and confidently wear heels that make me as tall as my husband (6'3").
49. My mom is 5'1" and my dad is 6'3" so you know where I get my height from.
50. Hallelujah, I'm half way done. I should really be working right now but it's very slow and this is keeping me entertained.
51. I have 2 dogs, Kallie and Rocky. Rocky thinks she's my child and will whine if she doesn't get her daily cuddle time.
52. I love to just go for drives. Though the mountains are pretty here, I miss being able to go out driving in the Arizona desert in the middle of the night.
53. My friends and I used to drive to the Denny's in Payson, Arizona (about 45 minute drive from Mesa) in the middle of the night even though there was a Denny's less than a mile from our house.
54. I love to people watch. I always wonder what their story is and love to hear about my friends lives and their families.
55. Genealogy is so interesting to me. My family is related to Jesse James and the Younger Gang and Chad's great-great-great Grandfather was one of the people that rowed Joseph Smith across the Mississippi river to escape Nauvoo right before he was arrested and put in Carthage jail where he was killed.
56. Though I sometimes get burned out with working, I love my job. I'm so grateful that I can work at home now and still do my job. Though most people think the hours are crazy, I really don't mind.
57. I take pride in my work ethic. One of my biggest pet-peeves are people who flit from job to job and don't do their best when at those jobs.
58. I was laid off of a job for being "too fast and efficient". No joke! They told me I worked too hard and was too fast at what I was doing (graphic design) and they just couldn't keep me busy.
59. I think I'm a good listener and a good shoulder to cry on. I'll happily sit and listen to my friends vent for hours if they need it.
60. I've been referred to countless times as not normal for a mormon. And I'm quite proud of that living in Utah. I love that my opinions and my beliefs on a range of topics differ from the masses.
61. One of those opinions: I'm all for gay rights and was very happy when California passed the law saying that gay couples could marry.
62. I hate when people judge others because of their lifestyle, religion, race, etc. I try very hard to be accepting of everyone and hope I can pass that on to my children.
63. I have very strong opinions on things but hate to argue with someone who disagrees. I love to have discussions with anyone on their opinions but I will usually sit back if someone starts telling me what I believe or should believe. I fully believe that everyone has a right to their opinion and beliefs and no one should try and force theirs on another person.
64. I wish I was more comfortable in my own skin. I'm envious of people who don't have to struggle with losing weight or keeping it off.
65. It drives me up a wall when said people complain about being fat when they have absolutely no reason to think that. I usually think they are trying to get people to tell them they look great just so they feel good about themselves.
66. I was my mom's biggest baby at 9lbs, 4oz and 22 inches long. And as I stated in #49, my mom is a little lady just barely over 5 foot tall. I fear that I'm going to have a 15lbs baby just as payback for what I did to my mom.
67. I'm the oldest of 4 kids and often mother everyone whether I realize I'm doing it or not.
68. Though we often wanted to kill each other as kids, I love my sisters and brother and know that I can always count on them.
69. I love having inside jokes and stories whether it's with my friends or family. It just makes me feel like I have an unbreakable connection with that person.
70. I didn't realize it would take so much effort to find 100 things to say about myself but I'm impressed that I've been able to find at least 70 things!
71. I have 3 all time favorite books that I've read several times each. 1st is the Count of Monte Cristo (6 times), 2nd is Roots (13 or 14 times) and 3rd is Gone With the Wind (10 or more times).
72. I like the movies that were made for Count of Monte Cristo and Gone With the Wind but they do no justice to the stories themselves. And I just can't watch the mini-series for Roots because they changed the story so much!
73. I love to watch movies. We own around 500 DVD's and our family room is decorated with movie posters, only one of which is not a rated "R" movie.
74. I love working in our house and seeing rooms transformed. We've slowly changed most rooms in our house since we got married and I love it!
75. We're currently redoing our kitchen and downstairs bathroom and it drives me nuts that I can't help with the painting etc.
76. I'm an extremely independent person and hate asking for help when I know I can do something on my own. The girls I work with keep telling me to play the pregnancy card but it's just not in me to try and get out of doing something I know I'm perfectly capable of doing just because I'm prego.
77. I enjoy going on vacation but am always ready to come home after about a week. I'm more of a home-body than I ever thought I would be.
78. I've lived in Minnesota and Arizona and have never been to Mexico or Canada. In fact, I've never been out of the country.
79. If all goes as planned, I get to go to Prague next year for work and I'm so excited!
80. My life is not at all as I pictured it would be as a child and teenager but I wouldn't change any of it.
81. You never think you'll appreciate the trials in your life when you're going through them but I'm grateful for every single one I've been through. They've all molded me in one way or another.
82. I associate music with events in my life. It always fascinates me that I can hear a song from high school and instantly remember a person, or place or event and remember just how I felt then.
83. I can't believe how fast time goes once you graduate from high school. It's hard to believe that I graduated 10 years ago and I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to slow down and enjoy that time because it will be gone before you know it.
84. I hate people who are two-faced (who really likes people like that though?). Don't pretend you like me or that you're my friend and then talk smack the minute my back is turned. I'd much rather people were up front with me. If you don't like me, too bad. I know who my real friends are and I don't need fake people in my life.
85. Our baby's name will be Tristan. People ask me all the time what happens if he doesn't look like a Tristan and I just think that's silly. :) I think it was meant to be; Chad and I both decided a long time before we ever knew each other that we each wanted to have a son named Tristan. It's fate!
86. Though I didn't realize it at the time, I was pretty close to suicidal as a teenager. My mom tells me now that I had her really worried for a while. All the poetry and stories I would write were about suicide and being lonely. My journal is full of statements basically saying that I didn't want life to go on after death, I just wanted it to be over.
87. I realize how precious life is and how our behavior can affect others around us. I've tried very hard to show my young women how their actions affect their friends and enemies.
88. I'm not a secretive person... what you see is what you get and I have no problem sharing with most anyone.
89. I'm grateful for all the people that Heavenly Father has placed in my path, both good and bad.
90. I love my husband very much and am so happy he's never given up on me... I know it's been hard sometimes.
91. I'm excited for the next stage in our life with this coming baby and all the changes that will result because of him.
92. I have stacks and stacks of my drawings as well as a book full of them but I've never done anything with them. I wish there was an easy way to share my creativity (or insanity depending on how you look at it) with others and possibly make some money.
93. I can hear the boo's and hisses now but I don't really like Disney Land. Haha Chad hates it because he and his family love to go there.
94. I do love rollercoasters and thrill rides. I would much rather go to Six Flags and give myself whiplash from all the rollercoasters any day than go ride the teacups in Disney Land.
95. I've wanted to go sky diving for the longest time but I've never actually done it. Maybe I'll be that old lady on her 70th birthday finally jumping out of a plane. It's definitely on my "bucket list".
96. I love to buy foods that my mom never let us have as kids. Especially Kraft Singles and white bread. Haha they make the best grilled cheese sandwiches but my mom was always thinking of our health... blah!
97. I'm now craving a grilled cheese sandwich and am going to make one as soon as I can come up with 3 more things about myself.
98. I haven't had any weird cravings with my pregnancy. I've noticed more what things do not sound good... like Cafe Rio! Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love that place! This kid is crazy!
99. Haha he must know I'm talking about him because he suddenly started kicking me and moving around.
100. I now feel rather narcistic because I've been talking about myself so much... and yet, strangely satisfied.