Promised Pic

Sorry to not have more, but I really need to get to bed. But I did promise at least something. I will post more pictures when I get back from our Steamboat getaway. But this is the beautiful Brielle (please don't mind my ugly arm in the background). This is when she is less than a day old. So cute!

Alright, more when I get back. Today has been one heck of a day. 

Quick words

Ok, I officially dub myself the "blog lame-o." Sorry for the slow posting/slow commenting. Sheesh.

Bigger post w/ pics coming probably tomorrow night, but I just wanted to throw down some quick words. My sister had her baby on Sunday, and boy is she beautiful (: I took pics...which will be up tomorrow. Ah, the cruelty. Her name is Brielle, and if I weren't still planning on waiting a few years and if I could skip the whole pregnancy/labor part at this point...I would totally have a baby. Bri will suffice in the meantime, until I am ready. ;)

So my mom is in town, and in between visiting the hospital and all around other busyness, I have been absent on the blogging front. Someday I'm not going to have a decent excuse.

More to come!!

Anniversary

Mark and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on Monday, and it was exactly what I needed, especially given my recent funks. (BTW, thanks to everyone who commented on my last post - it really helped a lot :))

We both had to work, and I had to go to my research meeting after work until 6. So needless to say, our celebrating got underway pretty late in the day. When I got home from BYU, there were some beautiful roses and a nice card waiting for me on the kitchen table.



There was also a surprise waiting for me in the fridge:



A whole tray full of delicious, chocolate covered strawberries. And trust me - they were delicious. We went to dinner at Red Lobster, which was really yummy. We then went to the mall to exchange the pj pants Mark had bought me for our anniversary, as they seriously almost slid off my butt. I decided to try on a medium pair of pants that Mark was originally going to get me, but then decided not too after the girl helping him told him that a size 10-14 girl could not fit into them. Well guess what? They fit me just fine, a MEDIUM pant! Definitely a huge boost to the ego. And she must not know what she is talking about or something.



Once we got home, we just ate some strawberries, watched some Simpsons, and spent time together. It was so relaxing, and it really helped boost my spirits. We are going on a weekend trip to Steamboat Springs, CO in a little over a week for our anniversary "getaway," and I am really, really looking forward to it.

Hooray for 2 years. Even though I am by no means a perfect wife, nor Mark a perfect husband, we really do compliment each other well in so many ways. I love having a husband who I can be serious with, and romantic with. But I also love that we can sit down together and play a video game, or have a pillow fight like old friends. Here's to many more happy years together. (:

Ashamed

Really, I am the biggest blogging loser of all. 8 days?? And let's just say I haven't been the most consistent lately *sigh*. Once again, a recap:

• Having Mary, her kids, and Chrissy in town was lots of fun. I hadn't seen Mary and the kids since Christmas! Alas, I was dumb, and did not take a SINGLE photo. I really need to be better about that. But it was fun having all 5 sisters together at the same time, as well as all the nieces and nephews (minus Joelee, my bro's daughter...whom sadly, we probably won't see again).
  
• Lots of quality time with Jessie and Hannah - with Book Club, helping out Thursday with last minute Lola's Legacy prep, game night, and the great event itself on Saturday, I saw them pretty much every day. Which is a good thing (:
• Book Club at Diana's. Though small in numbers this month, it was still lots of fun, and I had the chance to talk to Diana for a little while beforehand. (: I love the friends I have made through Book Club.
• HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSIE! WOOHOO FOR THE 1/4 CENTURY!!
• Lola's Legacy was so fun. My first album was a bit of a struggle, but the whole thing went so well, and it felt so good to be doing something productive for others. Plus, the sandwiches and lemonade pie were delicious.
• My typing seems to not want to change from italics now. Odd.
• Ok, there we go. D&D on Saturday was fun as well, and Drew (one of the friends we play with) made this ridiculously delicious dinner. Can you tell I love my food?
• Father's Day. I sure wish I could have been there with my dad. I've been missing him a lot. My family will be out soon though, with the impending birth.
• 2 year anniversary tomorrow. Just planning on going to dinner and maybe a movie, as we will be going on a little "getaway" at the end of the month. (: Mark got me some really comfy pj's and some handweights. (Yes, we already gave presents. Sometimes we struggle with surprises).

I have so many good things going on, but I sure have been struggling the past few days as well. Sparing details, I have just been in a personal rut, and a rut with Mark as well. Hopefully it's something that dissapates soon, as feeling this way really is a bummer, and I tend to let it spiral.

*What are some suggestions you have for pulling out of a personal and relational funk?*

EDIT: Haha, I just re-read the part about Father's Day this morning, and thought I should clarify. It's not MY impending giving birth, it's my sister.

Out of Touch

Wow, I have felt out of the loop on blogging lately. I apologize if I have been a rather scarce presence on any of your blogs lately. I haven't spent as much time on the computer this last week.

I don't have much to say, really. Work is staying hectic as usual. But, I think I am finally "catching up" to the pace. I'm finding that I have felt less stressed throughout the day, and I feel a little more in control of what I am doing. I'm definitely learning a lot, and it's fun to watch our small business just expanding like crazy in such a short time. I hope this trend continues!

My sister Mary, her kids, and my sister Chrissy are coming into town tomorrow. It will be so fun to see them. I haven't seen Mary and the kids since Christmas, and so much has gone on in her life since then. I hope the trip is a refresher for her - having just finished up the school year as a kindergarten teacher, finalizing a divorce, and moving into a new place, she definitely needs a break. I will do my best to remember to take pictures. If I don't, I invite you all to throw things at me.

This morning Mark and I did some cleaning around the house. Our bathroom needed it SO BAD, and the house was just getting icky. I loathe the actual cleaning, but the feeling when it is over is so refreshing. It's really a catch-22 - I hate a messy house, but I also hate cleaning it. I wish I had that odd trait of enjoying cleaning.

Alright, I have to type up a word strip for my Primary lesson tomorrow. Hopefully week 2 goes smoothly! Looking forward to game night tonight!

Fun weekend

This weekend was exactly what I needed after feeling quite tense and stressed, and overall kinda icky this past week.

Friday was the big event: the blog party. And what a fun party it was! It was so cool finally putting all of these names and lives I read all the time with faces. And there were quite a few there whom I hadn't "ventured" much into their blogs yet. Let's just say that has changed. ;) It was such a fun group, and I was surprised at how comfortable I felt around everyone. It usually takes me a little while, especially in a group that size, to ease up. But it just felt like everyone there clicked. I was glad that I stayed longer than I had originally intented to for sure, and next time, I am staying for the whole thing! I just wish I had remembered my camera. Dang it.

I pretty much missed out on our D&D game, as they were wrapping things up by the time I got back. We ended up having this 2 hour discussion afterwards though, that was quite interesting. It was predominantly on politics, which really isn't my thing. But it's always interesting to hear other's views, and it was honestly a refreshing conversation.

I was able to sleep in on Saturday, which was WONDERFUL. I needed it. Mark got his hair cut short (it was definitely time, he was getting pretty shaggy). That afternoon, we ran some errands and relaxed some, then went over for game night at Jessie and Timm's. Game night is so awesome - I love having the chance once a week to get together with good friends, and just kick back and chat/play games. We played Trivial Pursuit, which was killer. We didn't even finish it. Then, Pictionary. I hadn't played Pictionary in YEARS. And that game makes me tense, holy crap. I didn't think Pictionary could create such anxiety within a person, but it is definitely possible.

Today, we went to church, and I taught my first lesson as the "official" CTR 6 teacher. It will be fun to do, and the kids I teach are all really cute. The attention span of 5 year olds is astounding....ly absent. But, at the same time, they make some really insightful comments, and are overall great kids. The only boy, Alex, had a tic tac container partially filled with water, and he was pretending it had fish. Ah, kids. (:

I was really grateful for friends this weekend. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in myself, I forget what wonderful people I have around me.



On that note, I leave you with a random flower picture. I've got nothing.

Blur

I feel like I am always doing these random, montage posts of my life up to the point of blogging. I'm sure a lot of it is rather inane, and boring to trudge through. And so...I apologize in advance for subjecting you all, yet again, to my mindless mumblings.

This week has felt like a blur. Honestly, I have been feeling pretty anxious, and overwhelmed inside recently. I try not to let those feelings come out, and I regret to say that when they, it is usually Mark who has to deal with the mood swings, the apathetic attitude, and overall badness. I am thankful to have a husband who is patient with this, as I get on my own nerves all the time. I can only imagine how he feels some days when I come home really crabby and snappy, and stay in such a state the majority of the night without a good answer as to what's causing it.

Work is insanely busy right now. We recently rolled all of the operations of a now non-existant company into ours, taking on essentially more than 1,000 distributors overnight. The preparations for the change, in addition to my shipping responsibilities now, have been intense. And it will be intense...for quite a while. It's frustrating, because I feel like I am a good employee, and that I am trying really hard, yet I always feel like I am a few steps further back at the end of each day. I hope I grow more confident in myself, as I feel like I still have so much to learn, especially when it comes to shipping.

Jessie's mail on Tuesday was definitely a bright spot in the week. I love the cute cards, and the embellishments. That really was so thoughtful of you, Jessie, and I hope you know how much it means to me that you were thinking of me. (: I hope I do a good turn around on the generosity you have shown me!

Last night we had scuba class, which was so much fun. I admit, I was pretty anxious for the closed water session. Not having passed my mask clears last week, and just being in an anxious mood overall definitely contributed to that. I was happy with how well I did on the last quiz and final exam. But once we got in the water, I was feeling pretty nervous. I did loosen up with time, and felt much more comfortable after half an hour or so. Going into my 2nd attempt at redeeming my mask-clearing-tard status, I was a bit nervous again. But Timm, being the awesome instructor that he is, was of course really patient and encouraging towards me. And lo, after a failed attempt or two, I finally got it! Twice in a row, I was able to do all 3 clears. I was ecstatic, to say the least. And it's ridiculous, because once I got it, I had to wonder at why I struggled with it so hard before. It was so easy. Hopefully I will be able to pick it right back up when we do our open water dives. Timm, seriously - thanks for being awesome.

Tonight, I met up with my good friend and former co-worker Heather and her cousin Chels for dinner, which was great. I hadn't seen Heath in what seemed like forever, and she looks so great. Jessie and Hannah, you should see her hair - she cut it short! It's above her shoulders now, and so cute! It was so nice to hang out with her a bit. I need to do so more often.

Tomorrow is going to be another crazy busy day. Work, then I will head straight to our friend's house to begin that Mark and I Play D&D with every other week. (If you haven't caught on to the fact that I am a huge nerd by now, that just completely blew my cover). I will also be sneaking away from it for a while to make an appearance at the blog party! I am really excited for that, and truly, a little nervous. To confess, I am somewhat intimidated by my blogging friends, from those I only know "on blog," to those I know well, and see on a regular basis. You all seem like such....I dunno, "super people" is the best I can come up with right now. I just feel like the lame-o of the group. But, that is the extremely comparitive nature I have speaking. And it has been exceptionally active lately. I wish it would go away! Because truly, it will be so cool to meet more of you in person, and get to know you "behind the blog" - even though these are pretty good windows to peak through (:

Alright, this post is reaching the length and content of ridiculous. I should really get to bed anyways.

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