We're finally here!!

Well it's finally done! We are in our new house and I keep waking up to pee in the middle of the night not having any idea where I am. We are so excited to finally be here, getting this house has been a long drawn out process but worth it! We've looked at SO many houses over the last 4 months that it started triggering my gag reflexes... and this is the one we had our heart set on since day one. So, we're thrilled to finally have it wrapped up. We've spent all week packing up our condo and spent the whole day Friday finishing packing and moving everything. Thank you SOOO much to those of you who were here to help! We needed you so much! I have taken much needed baths these last couple of nights and sat in our massage chair much more than usual. My body aches in places you can't imagine. And I haven't even felt like I've done that much! But we are here and absolutely love the place. We're still here in Provo but it honestly feels like we are in the middle of the forest... our whole yard is full of trees! We are right on the Provo river and I can't even believe we are still in the city. It's divine!

We went exploring today and for a moment I thought we were lost in the back yard. Jason was merrily singing, "born and raised in a briar patch" the whole time as we crawled our way through the woods, trying our best to avoid the thorns. I tried to keep up with him but I think he forgets that I'm pretty pregnant these days and not as agile as I once was. We got to one point that had a huge tree going across the windy trail, and of course Jason happily jumps over but my leg won't even lift half the distance. So I turn around and sit on it and Jason (huffing and puffing) drags me across with his arms around me in heimlich position. Whew! Glad we were alone out there and no one witnessed that event. Here's some pics of our new niche and some of the surrounding area! We have so much to do as far as landscaping goes but we are so excited to really make it ours!










By the way, our Canyon Meadows condo is for rent! If you know of anyone looking let me know! 3 bedroom, 2 bath, clubhouse with pool and excercise facility! Most amazing ward too. We've loved living there, we will miss it so much!

D-Will, We still love you...

I'm forced to re-post sooner than I normally would. I just cringe everytime I look at that last part of my last post, about being so excited to have the Lakers back here at home for game 6. Ugh! We had the priviledge of being there at game 6 and dealing with the oh-so-obnoxious Lakers fans dispersed throughout the arena, and my eyes welled with tears as the final buzzer went off (not joking about that). Another season wrapped up, just like that. It was a great season; we laughed, we cried, we hurled. I guess "there's always next year," (if Boozer can get his act together.) Now I'm just done with the NBA all together this season, especially western conference because I hate the Spurs and I hate the Lakers! I was actually thinking of trying out to be a Jazz dancer this year... I heard auditions are July 26th, my exact due date... I probably should be able to make it just in time! And if baby comes later than her date and if I'm still prego, they should still be able to see that I clearly meet all the requirements, especially this "athletic physique" at ten months pregnant. While I've never technically taken an actual dance class in my life, I have been to the hip hop aerobics class at Gold's and I always look around the room thinking about how I'm the best dancer in there. I think they hire Jazz dancers based on personality anyways so I'm good to go. Matter of fact, I'll go get my leotard on right now and start choreographing some new moves to show them...

A new babe in the family!!

So, first thing's first! My little sister Nessa had her baby this morning in San Fransisco!! This little angel is Leah Mae Palmer, she weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces, and required only 20 minutes of pushing! Whoa mama! Look at those big eyes! Look at that hair! I cannot get over how BEAUTIFUL she is and that is NOT just family bias coming through! My mom called last night to tell me they were on their way to the hospital and I promptly BURST into tears. I've been crying all day on and off talking to mom and Vanessa. Ness is doing great, her and baby. Our convo was a little sobering though because her response to every question I asked about the details of the event was, "you don't want me to answer that, Mera." Apparently the epidural only took to certain parts of her body. Ouch... In 10 weeks I will be joining her club. Oh the tears and triumphs of womanhood! I'm SOOO HAPPY I can't wait to meet her!! She's so perfect!

And to the borring stuff... by the way I am starting to get really sick of that last post of mine. I may just erase it all together. It takes up an exorbitant amount of space, especially for how monotonous the information provided really is (let's be honest). Here is Jason and me yesterday after church. I told him "I want to go for a walk," meaning a casual Sunday stroll. So he drives right up to the base of a hiking trail close to our house. Jason can be kindof intense. We start up this "walk" and I notice quickly that it is a pure incline, (I'm gripping boulders and tree branches along the way trying to hoist myself upward and onward) so I kindly and gently remind him of the hefty 25 extra pounds I am hauling (wow I must have like a 20 pound baby in there!), not to mention the dress I'm in and ask him if he's prepared to deliver our baby if I suddenly go into labor early due to the extra energy and strain he is requiring me to exert. We ended up walking it for only about 45 minutes, but don't worry. I was covered in sweat and dirt by the time we were back to the car. Here's one of me as you can see getting seriously house size, thrilled at where I've been led by my galant husband. Cute pics of our Sunday stroll!





PS. I have had the same sickening song in my head for three days straight now, and it annoys me to no end. And when I get songs stuck in my head, it's like a stereo is blasting it into my ear. It never plays quietly in my mind. Ya know that song on Charlotte's web, "we've got lot's in common where it really counts"? Yeah, that's the one. Run my head into the wall. Bless that life-saving spider Charlotte and bless that pathetic Wilbur but MAAAAAN that song just drives me NUTS! I keep listening to other stuff to try to get it out and then as soon as it's quiet again I hear it creeping back in.
P.S.S. How bout them Jazz? Wow I could not believe that game yesterday HONESTLY! Why didn't Fish shoot like that when he played for us? Why is Kobe such a freaking baby? Why is D-Will so unbelievable? Why is Booz so inconsistent in the playoffs? What planet did Price come from with those hops?! Did you see that block??? Whooooo hooooo I can't wait for game 6 back in our house!

Tagged... A to Z

Ok Aimei, this ones for you. You better find this particularly enthralling!

A to Z Tag
A- ATTACHED OR SINGLE: Very attached, married for almost a year and a half, but I’ve been attached to him on and off for four years.
B- BEST FRIEND: Jason. I was thinking this weekend about how hard we make each other laugh. Lucky. He’s my favorite person to do things with.
C- CAKE OR PIE: Pie through and through, preferably coconut cream, banana cream, pecan, pumkin, or any kind of pie that’s fresh out of the oven and that I can heave a huge scoop of vanilla ice-cream on. I love pie!
D- DAY OF CHOICE: usually Saturday, but it depends on the time of year. When we are super crazy busy and hectic, Sundays are my favorite.
E- ESSENTIAL ITEMS: lip gloss (I cannot stop buying it… I will have at least 7 or 8 lip glosses in my purse at any given time), cell phone, and dental floss. Honestly I have started to get a little anal about flossing my teeth after dinner!
F- FAVORITE COLOR: changes all too often.
G- GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS: Both together!
H- HOMETOWN: Idaho Falls, Idaho. Jason’s is West Valley (SLC) Utah.
I- INDULGENCE: Frozen custard, no-bake cookies, rice crispy treats.
J- JANUARY OR JULY: July. Baby is coming this July! But I always like July better. Fireworks, camping, barbeques. Who would answer January? Jan is so drab and crappy.
K- KIDS: lots!
L- LIFE IS INCOMPLETE WITHOUT: Love. All you need is love! And lot’s of money. Haha Just kidding.
M- MARRIAGE DATE: December 9, 2006.
N- NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: I am one of 5 (2 sisters and 2 brothers) and Jason is one of 7 (4 sisters and 2 brothers). Throw in all those in laws and that’s a lot of siblings!
O- ORANGES OR APPLES: both. Jason doesn’t like either. He’s not a big fruit fan. Big conflict in our marriage. I often try stuffing whatever I can down his gullet. My favorites are mango, watermelon, peaches, Crenshaw. Mmmm.
P- PHOBIAS OR FEARS: looking back at the end of my life and having regrets. Oh and being a mom. Most exciting and terrifying thing ever! And having my husband kidnapped and held for ransom. Well actually that last one isn’t really an on-going fear or phobia, it sortof just occurred to me but it would be pretty scary.
Q- QUOTES: “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” (Dr. J Dale C original-I love that pap in law!)
R- REASON TO SMILE: the gospel, my husband and family, babies, springtime when the snow is finally melting, blue skies, thunderstorms, Dwight Schrute, gosh so many reasons.
S- SEASON: Spring and fall. I love the change in season. I love the air in both of these seasons. Summer coming on is so invigorating, and I LOVE when a huge majority of the students leave (yes, I'm a miser and enjoy less traffic, so shoot me). As for fall, the leaves changing, the anticipation of holidays and football season is so fun, especially here in Provo.
T- TAGGED FRIENDS: Jenna, Becky, Stacy, Jodee, Brandi, and whoever reads my blog! Oh and Vanessa, you don't have a blog but get with it sister.
U- UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: hmmm what do people not know about me? I have 6 toes on my left foot. No.... no I don't. Ummm I am pretty open and vocal so I’m not sure what the unknowns are. I took a self defense class and they asked me to continue taking courses to become one of the instructors! I felt pretty tough, but had to run away to Paraguay at the time.
V- VERY FAVORITE STORE: I love Forever 21, Ross dress for less, Nordy Rack… I LOVE bargain hunting. Thanks mom, you did good. Once in a great while I will splurge and buy something expensive but I am always racked with the torment of knowing I just voluntarily got robbed.
W- WORST HABIT: lot’s! One for example: yesterday while I was still getting ready for church I told Jason the bed needed to be made while he was in the process of coming into our room to make it on his own. He gave me the stink eye, and I immediately knew I was being directive when I had no right or need to be. I have to mind my own business and let people be proactive on their own. I have been getting lot’s better, but I’m sure the challenge will be a whole new ballgame as a mom.
X- XRAY, ULTRASOUND, OR MAMMOGRAM: umm yeah I’d love a mammogram over an ultrasound. What? Hooray for ultrasounds! We are obsessed with them and have had lot’s during this pregnancy.
Y- YOUR FAVORITE FOOD: anything foreign. Sushi, Thai, Arabic, Argentine, Indian, (my current favorite- Chicken tikka masala and coconut lamb korma…and that naan bread! oh goodess!)
Z- ZODIAC: Virgo! And Jason is a Gemini. Don’t believe in that stuff though so it means nothing to me!

SoCal treats us oh so good!!

We headed back down to Southern Cali this last weekend... Jason luckily had another "business trip" and I had another opportunity to lay pool side. Yes! Honestly, I've never loved a pool more than during pregnancy. I'm just starting the 3rd trimester and bouncing around in that weightless environment is heaven sent. It was great! Hard to come back when upon landing the pilot announces that it's 38 degrees in SLC. Ouch! It's only almost May, don't worry. Welcome home mama!

Here's us with some of the NorthStar peeps at Claimjumpers Friday night. Yum!


So, I have a strange relationship with this exotic fruit they call mango. I LOVE it. Adore it, obsess over it, yearn for it. The strange part is, I had a severe allergic reaction to it on my mission, when over the course of 3 days I ate about 30. (Not exaggerating, not at all. What? you've never done that? We had two HUGE mango trees in our yard!) Never quite figured out if it was a true allergic reaction or if it was just the consequences of my disobedience to the word of wisdom, "moderation in all things." At any rate, my lips blew up to hot dog proportions, and I broke out into the WORST hives all over the bottom half of my face and hands. Lasted about a week. Was pure hell. Members and investigators would gasp at seeing me. Children would burst into tears running and screaming for their mothers. One man even turned and vomited when he looked at my face. It itched so bad that I'd wake up in the middle of the night rubbing in between my fingers together so hard that they would bleed! Well you'd think that would cure me, right? That I'd never go near the stinking fruit again right? WRONG. It intensified my passion. I guess it's sorta like the abuse cycle. I'm addicted to being battered by mangos, and I defend them if anyone has anything bad to say about them. I always go running back. So when I saw the little mexican man taunting me with his cooler of chilled mangos... I fell into the addiction yet again. Luckily this one I hoovered, against the stern exortions of my husband, did me no harm. I made it away safely... and yes it was delicious beyond description.



Plus, it's so sexy to watch someone eat a mango on a stick. My husband thought I was particularly irresistable... mmmm hot.



Favorite Dave quote of the weekend:
The scene: riding to Baskin Robbins, Jason driving, me in the passenger seat and Dave sitting behind me.

I make some smart remark about Dave, mostly for comedic purposes (I have no idea what it was) so he reaches up, hands clasped around my neck, and starts choking me. Not really cutting off air supply, mostly just pretending to. Then he makes the comment:

Dave: “Wow your neck is really skinny”

Me: “Yeah it’d be fairly easy for you to actually strangle me, huh.”

Dave: “All I’d need would be my rubber mittens to hide all the evidence and I’d be set.”

Awkward silence fills the car.
Me: “Did you just say ‘rubber mittens’?”

And it was over from that point on. He tried to correct himself “I mean rubber gloves,” but the damage had been done. That brought in at least a good 15 minutes worth of laughs.

So this picture at last night's Jazz game has nothing to do with the subject of the post, I just thought baby girl is turning out pretty photogenic so far...

What I wanted to talk about is general conference! Wasn't it most superb? We were able to go to the Saturday morning session. When President Monson was sustained I kept getting goosebumps over and over again. I'm so grateful for the gospel. I feel so richly blessed that I have it in my life, and that it gives me so much purpose. I was sitting there listening to President Eyring speak... and I found the quote that in particular touched me.

"My sense of gratitude stems also from blessings to my family. It is the sealing power and our knowledge of it which changes and transforms our family life here and our expectations for the joy of family life in the world to come. The thought and the hope that I can have eternal relationships carries me through the trials of separation and the loneliness which are part of mortal existence. The promise to the faithful in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that we may have associations and an expansion of families in the eternities. That assurance changes forever and for the better all of our associations in families."

Not to get too Hallmark on you, but I was sitting there with Jason, one of his hands holding mine and the other on my belly feeling baby girl move...you add pregnancy emotions in there and I was completely gone. I could not stop crying! The spirit touched me, and for that moment everything in life was sublimely perfect. There are things we hear over and over again in the church like "families are forever," and it can become so routine. Once in a while I really internalize the fact that I have the blessing of knowing I can be with Jason eternally, and our family, and it makes me so happy. There are moments that certain gospel truths ring overwhelmingly TRUE to my heart. I need those moments. We all do. Sometimes it all just seems too good to be true, doesn't it?

P.S. speaking of the wonderful husband...(I know, I'm obsessed with him) I was thrilled this afternoon to see that he discovered the posh new dish gloves I bought... he seemed equally as thrilled... He loves doing the dishes! They look great on him.

So I feel like going nuts with spring cleaning. Anyone with me? (Feeling much like Rosie the Riveter. Isn't she just hot?) I'm not talking about the surface stuff either. I want the deep stuff. I am going through my closet today and D.I.ing ridiculous amounts of junk. So if any of you have been secretly eyeing any of my items, they might show up on the shelves at DI within the next couple of weeks. Then again, that might be awkward when I see it on you and ask where you got it. Dang it, if you are eyeing it just tell me and I will give it to you! I am trying not to be too drastic or rash because I obviously don't happen to fit into like 90% of my clothing right now. It's sorta like the seasonal temporary insanity that comes over me every winter, I want to throw away all my summer things because I just think, "Well I really don't wear this lately." Does that happen to you? Yeah that's how I am feeling about every last pair of jeans I own, besides the maternity ones with the huge fabulous belly strap. (PS bless those maternity jeans, bless them bless them and bless the soul who came up with them. ) I think I will most likely move onto my husband's closet next (which is bigger than mine by the way, who does he think he is? Doesn't he understand the rules of life?!?) and begin a trashing tirade there as well. Women, I've realized it's just much easier to de-junk your husband's stuff when he is at work. I promise he (at least Jason) will not even realize there is a single THING missing, even though I will be hauling out 2 huge black garbage bags from his closet alone. I think they call this phase of the pregnancy "nesting," and I happen to just adore that term because every time I hear it I imagine myself as this big fat hefty hen waddling around searching for mud and twigs. And it makes me laugh. Hooray for nesting! Hooray for spring cleaning! It really is therapeutic. Feels great!