One year down, one gazillion and infinity to go

Nate and I celebrated our first anniversary on Sunday the 27th. It has been one great year together as a married couple and I just wanted to make a little list of the the great things I've come to love about Nate even more in this past year.

-He is not disgusted by the frightening loss of my hair: i.e. hair and hairballs everywhere. If you have ever been around me for a few days or lived with me, you know that I cannot be anywhere without leaving a trail of evidence of long black hair everywhere in really gross amounts. Thankfully my sweet husband still isn't annoyed or grossed out by this.
-He lets me sleep with two comforters. Nate prepares my side of the bed with two comforters even if it means he will eventually be hotly smothered in the tangled up mess of comforters that end up on him in the middle of the night. This is a big demonstration of his love for me because he gets super hot really easily and hates waking up sweaty in the middle of the night.
-He does the dishes on all of the right days. It's almost like he magically or intuitively knows when my burned out points have been reached, and he takes the initiative to clean up while i'm not looking.
-He's such a hard worker. I know every job has it's negatives but have you ever been 6'7 having to work on the ceiling of a 5'6 space in a mildewy, humid, 100 degree cat pee basement with your neck cocked to the side for 3 hours only to repeat an extremely tedious process 3 more times in a day for 5 more days? An he's excited to go out and do it again this upcoming year.
-He loves any meal or food I make for him. I am so happy this man loves to eat as much as I do, but I am even luckier that he praises the heck out of every simple to complicated thing I whip up, even like a grilled cheese or something. The amazing thing is that he actually really appreciates it and loves it, he's not just doing it to make me feel good.
-He never makes me feel stupid or weird for enjoying watching basketball as much as he does. He has never made one condescending comment in response to my input on games or players even though I have never played the sport nor fully understand the game.
-He continues to open my car door wherever we go even if it is pouring rain and it is completely illogical. I know we've only been married a year so we'll see if this is still going on in like 20 years, but I still think it's so sweet and so indicative of his personality.
-He has a great desire to make special days into special occasions and an impeccable memory. He knows and remembers all 500 of his family members birthdays, as well as friends and in laws. He loves Christmas and holidays and really making a special day into a memorable one for his loved ones. I love this about him because if it were up to me all these holidays and special occasions could pass me by just like any other day. But thanks to Nate, I really see the value in making memories with loved ones and making them feel special. Also, I have a horrible memory and would be constantly double booking myself if it weren't for him.

I could keep going but these were just a few I had on my mind. I love having Nate by my side every day and I really do thank God that he is such a caring, sincere, loving, selfless, loyal person by nature. He hates to see people suffer and loves to make people happy and I couldn't ask for more in a companion and best friend. Happy Anniversary Nathan Glen.

It's a boy!

Checked out the package today and his little profile. He looks pretty cute already.

Thanksgiving was good but the after party was 20x better

Nate and I had been planning a San Diego Thanksgiving since May because my grandparents were having a big wedding reception sized party for their 50th wedding anniversary.

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I had been working on stuff for it months prior. My uncles were taking care of some big ticket things like food, alcohol, music(i.e. the same mariachis and taco caterers from my wedding plus an awesome DJ) and I was to take on invitations and making the whole event look nice.

Granted I'm no Heather Balliet, but I wanted my grandparents to be pleasantly surprised by how capable I am at suiting the taste of the occasion instead of my own taste. ( I'm pretty sure my family thought I was nuts when they saw the bridesmaids outfits I planned out for my wedding.)

The day of the party Nate and I had spent over 7 hrs setting up for the event, 4 1/2 hours enjoying the event, and 40 min cleaning up with family after the event, and every minute was well well worth it. I have never seen my grandPARENTS, yes BOTH of them, so happy before.

My grandpa had been very against the party and tryed really hard to play his role as the stick in the mud, but he finally gave in and had admitted to having a fun time and "really enjoying himself." Anyone who knows my grandpa knows that he rarely admits to enjoying himself.

The decor wasn't perfect the way I wanted it to be, lots of projects fell through and weren't completed, but I left San Diego satisfied knowing how happy my grandparents were with the whole event.


These are the perfect invitations, created by Mrs. Alison Faulkner-Robertson




These are the envelope liners i made featuring my grandparents circa 1955



Here is where the main chunk of 7 hrs went to. Nate sweetly slaving away on a ladder while I annoyingly gave direction



and the real night version



The centepieces




Hotty Lupe (Age 89) on the left before she tore it up on the dance floor. She's into younger men, any takers? Pinna on the right (Age 90)



Grandpa trying to socialize with everyone one on one and trying to stay far away from the dance floor and out of reach from being the center of attention. He was really hard to find all night, this is the only picture I got of him. This is Ronnie & Jackie before they danced danced to every song that came out between the years 1950-1985



My uncle and aunt, Dennis and Lyn, and my cousin Gabe just bartending the night away in that balloon corner



My mom in a sexy red number trying to dance salsa for every song and screaming "Ayayaya" when the mariachis were playing. Mmhmm



I really blew it at not getting a picture of my grandparents together, and I REALLY REALLY blew it not getting a picture of my grandma pleading nate to stop body rolling and freaking her because she was laughing so hard she thought she was going to pee her pants.

But we did get one moment that captured the night and summed up how happy my grandma was dancing the night away to nearly every song played that night. Here she is with awesome uncle Larry. The best is when she pauses while she is completely bent over draping her arms down.

We saw the baby yesterday!

I finally made it to the doctor for the first time yesterday, yes i'm 4 months, and we got an ultrasound. Here are the pictures. The top one is a profile shot of the little face looking up, i have no idea what the middle one is, and the bottom one is the baby's tiny back and spine facing us with the head on the right. In a couple weeks we should be able to know the sex.




P.s Why does the uterus look like there are valleys and hills in there?

good news

I haven't felt nauseous for over 2 weeks now! I am grateful for weight gain as my only bodily annoyance!

SUBSTITUTE

I've been getting myself into a couple side jobs lately. My job as a cashier is still only part-time so I've been scrounging up the opportunities that come my way.

Opportunity #1: Jack of all trades/Substitute aid at the local elementary school

This one is the most interesting because I am able to sub for so many different positions. Today I subbed for a crossing guard and a recess aid. I put on my neon relective safety vest, grabbed my stop sign and went to work. While on the job mid-crosswalk this morning I experienced a bloody nose meltdown from a boy who had to drop his bike and book it to the health center. I also witnessed the following conversation. Let me first preface by saying the cars that were driving in to drop off kids were mostly Mercedes SUV's, Escalades, Denalis, Infiniti SUVs, etc. While watching the late kids come into school to get their tardy passes from the office, I overheard one of the office ladies tell two little girls, "We've really got to talk to your mom girls, this isn't good. This is getting really bad." Mom walks in and 60 yr. old office lady starts speaking to 27 yr. old mom softly about the issue so as to not embarrass her. Mom raises voice and replies, " I am NOT getting them here any earlier. This is ridiculous, I mean I just think having to leave the house this early is RIDICULOUS. I am NOT waking them up any earlier, and we are NOT leaving the house any earlier than we already do. You know what the problem is? It's the traffic, the traffic is really bad here." The older office lady was shocked and speechless, as was I. Wow.


Opportunity #2: Substitute Cycle instructor at 24 HR Fitness
I couldn't be more excited about this one. Remember when I went to my 24 HR Fitness certification and training for their cycle classes back in April? Well, I've finally settled into one city since then and so I felt it was time to contact the area manager here so I could schedule an audition/tryout. With the group classes, it's kind of a different ballgame than just asking "Are you guys hiring right now?" You have to tryout with the area manager and then if they like you and there is a position, you can have it. But if there isn't an available position you can still be a substitute and get hired and just wait until a position opens up before you get your own class. So I got hired as a substitute to teach cycle which I'm SO excited about. I wasn't excited when Suzy the area manager critiqued me saying my voice was way too high and to really nip that in the butt before it becomes a habit."Because no one wants to hear a really high voice, it's just annoying. I mean I couldn't hire one of the girls cause her voice was just too shrill and high." I thought my voice was on the deeper side, but I guess Suzy knows what she's doing. She also told me I talk "WAY" too much and to tone it down, "you know, keep it short and sweet." I felt pretty embarrassed after that audition and kept trying to listen to the sound of my voice. But I'm pretty pumped now though. Suzy's just doing her job trying to "nip bad habits in the butt."



Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention a few weeks ago that I turned 27. Nate gave me a great pre-birthday date since I had to work on my actual birthday. After all of you suggesting I go for the cooked/tempurah stuff I didn't hesitate to pick a sushi restaurant here called RA as my BDay restaurant choice. It's kind of like Happy Sumo in Utah, except there's way more of a club vibe going on. We could barely hear each other talking over P. Diddy blaring. But the food, was SOO good. Nate also got me my first road bike! He got an old bike and had some new tires and tubes put on it and it is ready to go. We've already taken it out for a ride. Nate really takes celebrating occasions seriously and I love that about him. He is the best. Here's my new little bike...

Boooooring

Nate and I saw Where the Wild things are on Saturday. I never really was super attached to the book like a lot of people I know were as a child, so hopefully I don't offend you and your emotional ties to the book. The movie was so so so boring. For two hours you sit through obvious allegories of parent/adult perspective/experiences versus children's perspective/experiences and wait for something to happen. Nope, nothing happens but a lot of pretty imagery and music in an attempt to supplement a lack of a storyline. I will admit that I got pretty sad in the beginning in the real life scenes and was involved in the story. But then it turned to the craziness that is the book, and that was the end of my interest. This is why some children's books do well as just that, because kids are the ones with great imaginations. Kids don't need story lines and plots, they are beyond satisfied with dreams and nonsense. But this was not a kids movie, this was an adult movie. Kids enjoy movies like G-Force or Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs. But maybe it was for the adult child and maybe you're more of a kid than me and have a greater imagination, and maybe you'll like it.

Camping in Payson

We went camping in Payson, AZ and we only took pictures of our campsite. But we did go exploring on our mountain bikes and on foot and we are very excited to go back to this place called Water Wheel in the Spring.

why would my body do this to my own body

This hormone dosage my body is injecting into itself is really controlling my life. It's taken over my eating habits, my gym habits, my sleeping habits, my cooking for my husband habits, my even-keel disposition habits, my cleaning my house habits. I'd say it is a pretty cruel thing for my body to demand sushi daily when it knows full well that pregnancy=no sushi. Whatever body, whatever.

i feel nauseous

No morning sickness here, but I have a very sensitive tummy. Things are starting to make me gag. Don't worry though, two bowls of top ramen seem to cure a case of nausea. Mmm, sodium....

On a more serious note...
This book really impacted my way of thinking.



I was thankful for two things:
1. That someone recommended this book to me; I otherwise don't read books.
2. That it was really short. I have a really hard time finishing a book more than 200 pages. ( Except for when I read a 500 page biography on Che Guevara when I was 18 and trying to be part of this really awesome hardcore scene. Heard of Bane? Vomit, thinking about that phase I went through.)

I really liked the new perspective I came away with. I guess that is the point of a book, but this one was really unexpected. I had lots of preconceived ideas of how this book would approach the subject matter, but I was pleasantly surprised. It might not be for everyone though. I feel like some people might shy away from this kind of stuff. Maybe it's just the Mexican in me that draws me to tales of spiritual visions and dreams. Forget I said that, and read this: http://deseretbook.com/item/4199802/The_Message

Our new baby

We morphed our pictures on some celebrity baby predictor gadget. Here's the balding little guy...




I say it's a boy, Nate thinks it looks like a girl. I understand it has pierced ears, but it still looks like a boy.

please help

All i have been doing is sleeping or being VERY tired. I'm only in the beginning, does it get worse? How can I fight off this extreme fatigue?

Got a job

Anyone remember when I worked at Henry's Market in Solana Beach and I could fly your produce past my scanner without mistaking your chard for collard greens or confusing your hot house cucumbers for zucchini? I will be back at it again at the exact same store and corporation, only it's called Sprouts here in AZ. I'm really happy I got a job, and I'm even happier that I will be back at such a fine establishment. If anyone wants to come in for produce deals, just a little FYI, on Wednesdays you can redeem last week's ad special AND the upcoming week's ad specials. It's pretty great. I am blessed.

babies everywhere

There are babies and kids everywhere when this circle of life stuff happens. It makes me feel like this lady sometimes...




These are my babies everywhere right now:

Nate and I were very proud of our B-day gifts for Sadie: A Superman costume and collection of trolls. She loved her superhero outfit and was really intrigued by the trolls.


This is Julianna. She has the best eyebrow expressions and a hilarious shoulder shrug that looks like she's dancing.

Good movie, Bad movie

Good Movie



I know this has been out on DVD for some time now, but it is the only funny movie I have seen in a really long time. I was panting a little bit because I had laughed so hard. Great message by the aetheist Ricky Gervais: Be a good person. Not crude, not vulgar, just really really funny with a feel good message. I love it.


Bad Movie



I was definitely more offended by this movie though than I was annoyed with having to endure it's cheesiness. (Does over referencing The Smiths and casting Zooey Deschanel define a good movie now?) I'm not a movie critic so I won't embarrass myself and explain my reasoning for why I thought this movie was cheesy, overkill on the "indie," crude, vulgar, and mixed in it's messages. But I will explain why I was offended by how they portrayed Tom Hansen's pre-teen sister. The 12 yr old pre-pubescent sister is portrayed as more romantically and sexually experienced than her 20 something yr old brother. Her lack of naivity is portrayed as cool and her unconventionality seems to be a lesson to the viewer that this is the new headway of pre-teens: premature promiscuity. My problem with condoning the portrayal of 12 yr old girls as romantically and sexually experienced is that under the law, they are still seen as children incapable of making their own judgment. So while we are being educated by these ridiculous movies on how pre-teens are just more sexually advanced these days, we are still imprisoning adult men for pursuing these children. And did I say it was cheesy?

There are two lines there

There's a little zygote inside of me:)

My first sewing project with a pattern

These little baby Kimonos are officially the first things I've ever sewn with a pattern. My friend Stephani was having a baby boy so I got an early start knowing it these would take me forever. Luckily Alison, my sewing coach and motivator, was there to force me to finish them before we left Philly. I was so frustrated by such a difficult time I was having that I wanted to put them off for "later." Good thing I had a friend to buckle me down to finish them early because the little baby boy was born over a month earlier than expected. Congratulations on getting here so early little Benjamin!

We moved back to the West

But first we went to DC on the hottest humid east coast day of August..












I was uncomfortably hot



And before we left we took some Pinnacle family portraits...






We went through Nauvoo, Illinois...



Thanks Andrea!



It was raining..











The Mississippi River in the background..



We towed this 1972 Shasta camper trailer full of our belongings all the way from Philly to Utah, then from Utah to Arizona.




I made Nate stop on the shoulder so I could pick some flowers. I did not realize I was also wearing bell bottom jeans and a tie-dyed t-shirt.



We also slept in our camper trailer on two nights of our cross country trip. One of the nights we just parked it in front of Kohl's department store as seen below. One night we got to stay in the lap of luxury in a real home. Nate's aunt Lynette treated us to a hospitable night's stay and some of her famous treats-hedgehogs. Thanks Lynette!



Parking the trailer at Kohl's left us a stone's throw away from a Jack in the Box which meant easy access to a public restroom when we woke up the next morning. (See Jack in the Box in background below.)



We are now moved into our new apartment in Mesa, AZ and we are ecstatic to be back in the Western United States. Nate is going to school and I'm on the job hunt. We just got back from a relaxing and wonderful trip to San Diego this weekend also. We weren't so good at taking pictures there though, we only took one. Enjoy.

Cardio jams

Alison commented on one of the climbing drill songs we listened to while cycling and said it was really great for climbing. This made me want to share all of my cycling and running mix favorites and standards. Usually I am very sick of my running or cycling mixes after a week, but these songs below have really held their own for a long time now and are some really great staples:

DANCEY STUFF:

Humanitarianism- The Twelves remix/Zeitgeist
I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You-The Twelves remix/Alan Parson's Project
Hurricane Jane-The Twelves remix/Black Kids...these first 3 are great for cycling speed or just a long paced endurance drill
Fancy Footwork- Chromeo oh anything really
Harder Better Faster Stronger Alive remix- Daft Punk...it HAS to be the Alive remix, and this is perfect for doing ANYTHING

ROCKISH:

Tampled Under Foot- Led Zeppelin.. just a great long run or an endurance bike ride and you will like it even if you think you don't like Led Zeppelin
Retreat- The Rakes...speeding around town
Miss You- The Rolling Stones...climbing a rough one
This Charming Man- The Smiths...speed speed speed and it says bicycle!
I Turn My Camera On- Spoon... CLIMBING, i love these bassey ones for climbing
Train In Vain- The Clash... long time endurance or climbing

NEW WAVEY:

Blue Monday (Razormaid Remix)- New Order...the remix gives it a faster beat but it's the same song really. Once again great for ANYTHING: speed, climbing, or a long run
Ice Cream- New Young Pony Club...great climbing tune
Banquet (Dance Remix)-Bloc Party...How does this song not make me sick from hearing it so much? will work for anything

HIP HOPPY:

Award Tour- A Tribe Called Quest.. long rides
Vivrant Thing- Qtip.... this one just has a faster beat than the Tribe songs and is great for speed
Everyday People- Arrested Development....great for a climbing drill
Bombs over Bagdad- Outkast....fastest song you will ever hear, perfect for the end of a run
She Rockin That Thing Like- The Dream...climb
My Goodies-Ciara climb
Calle Ocho (1,2,3,4) - Pitbull... Long rides, endurance
Fire Burning On The Dance Floor-Sean Kingston...ANYTHING


These are all the ones that have endured my listening over and over again and still hold my excitement. I hope you can share in my cardio excitement while listening to them.

My newest workout is one ENTIRE album: Manners by Passion Pit. I LOVE it!!! get it get it get it if you want a fun workout.



My favorite move your body songs on it so far are:
Sleepyhead- this was the one Alison liked for climbing
Eyes as Candles
The Reeling
Swimming in The Flood
Folds in Your Hands


But really, the WHOLE album is wonderful for any workout. Who can even listen to a new album in it's entirety album these days?

Won't you share your favorites with me??

Pennsylvania summer

Just a photo recap of the past week while Lezlie and my cousin Gabe came to visit...Lezlie and Evan Faulkner were on quite the cross country road trip and decided to end their trip with a 5 day Philadelphia stop. I haven't seen Lezlie in about 4 months, so I loved lounging around with her. Gabe was in Philadelphia visiting a friend and met up with us to go out to lunch. It was great having another San Diegan native to whine about East coast differences with. It was even better to realize and appreciate that it is so much better to be cousins as adults and be able to see what great family members I have.

These are the PA fireflies! I couldn't get a good picture, but the green specs are the fireflies.


The boys talking politics at the pool..


The girls sunbathing at the pool..


This is a great country restaurant in the middle of the forest out on the Wissachikon river. Alison and I were on this beautiful forest trail for about 2 miles and all of a sudden there was this really cool restaurant on the trail next to the river. I knew Gabe would love it so that's where we decided to go to lunch. It was Me, Nate, Lezlie, Gabe, and Gabe's friend Laura.








All of us, minus Lezlie, on our way to Gettysburg. Just a $3 amazing burger with a side of tasty onion rings for lunch at the local diner. Oh yeah, and a wet walnut sunday of course.


The start of our 3 hour auto tour listening to a book/tour guide on c.d. tell us the entire story of the Civil War. Lezlie started out in the hatchback part of the Nissan Rogue but missed all scenery since she couldnt sit up straight. So, we moved her to the back seat with Nate's long legs in the middle seat, and stuck Eric and Alison in the passenger seat together. Sounds comfortable for a 3 hour car ride right?









This is a great view of preserved Gettysburg. The house far out was Dwight D. Eisenhower's.



Robert E. Lee









Devil's Den from high up












A reoccurring sentiment for Lezlie that day..


The gory photo taken after the fight at Devil's Den and Mr. Jensen









Lezlie taking every opportunity to sunbathe





Anthony and Stehphani also came to meet us for dinner. We went out for a Philly cheese steak of course. We had a "Geno's" cheese steak first, and then a cheese steak from the accross the street Rival "Pat's." Only Anthony had two sandwiches though.






My favorite activity of the week was going to the Solebury Orchards with Lezlie and some girls from our ward and their babies. You can purchase beautiful and fresh produce for a comparatively great price, or you can pick your berries for an even better price. We picked blackberries and blueberries and Lezlie got me some delicious peach butter. The orchard provides these buckets that tie around the waist for picking.


















At the end of my picking, I came back to our blanket spot to find Lezlie alone like this: feeding one of the babies that came with us and surrounded by a lot of kids that hadn't come with us. She's magnetic.