Too Overwhelmed to do Anything...

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed with all the things you need to do that you end up doing nothing? Sometimes when Kensley goes down for a nap I look at my “To Do” list and just zone out. I stare at it for what seems like a half hour just thinking about what to do first. Then I get so overwhelmed that I just wonder around my house looking for things to do...even though I already have a list! Then I end up doing nothing or doing the thing I want to do instead of what I need to do. I love the days when I feel motivated and energized. But sometimes when Kensley takes a nap I just want to lay on the couch. I hate feeling lazy and I hate not being productive. But some days I just feel like doing nothing. I don't feel sad or anything I just feel lazy...How do you get yourself out of that?

When did I become 75 years old...

I recently posted on Facebook about MRI results from 2010. The results showed I had a herniated disc and degenerative disc disease. I decided to request those because for months I was waking up with serious back pain. Every morning I woke up unable to stand up straight. I would put on my gym clothes then go downstairs, lay on the floor and have Spencer stretch me out. I often thought, "This doesn't seem normal for a 28 year old." But I was going to the gym everyday and my Dad has back problems so I thought it was just something that came with the territory. In a way it was - genetics play a big role in my weak back and too much intense, pounding (so to speak) exercise has caused problems as well. The funny thing about this back issue is it's just another thing on my list of health problems. I don't talk about any of those things very much but it's honestly just become a joke to me now. Once one thing gets cleared up for the time being, another issue reappears.
I often joke with Spencer that he married a 75 year old women - at least I look pretty good for my age :) When Spencer first met me I was dealing with compartment syndrome in my lower legs and numbness in my feet with activity. I was running almost everyday, seeing a physical therapist and a different doctor at BYU trying to fix those issues. On top of that I had had digestive issues for years and could never get a diagnosis or get the problems under control. I didn't know what to eat because it seemed like everything hurt my stomach. I wasn't very social because I was afraid my stomach issues would flare up at any moment. I would get extremely bloated, to the point of looking pregnant, or I would be in extreme pain because something didn't digest correctly.
Since we've been married the only time I haven't been dealing with one of those three issues is when I was pregnant. It was honestly the magic healing to my digestive issues. I could eat whatever I wanted and I wasn't working out as intensely so my legs were getting a rest (I also gained lots of pregnancy weight but that's beside the point lol) It all seemed great even after Kensley was born. But over the last few months my digestive problems and back pain have come back. It has really just become a joke at our house, "When did I become 75?"
I've been comforted by the fact that others are dealing with some of the same things. My sister-in-law has Crohn's disease and we often chat about our stomach problems, share stories and helpful tips. An old roommate shared with me that she's dealing with multiple herniated discs. I feel so bad for everyone who has to deal with these things but it is comforting to know you're not alone. Luckily Spence loves me whether I'm 28 or 75 so we'll just keep dealing with health problems as they come :)

Update

It has been a year and a half since my last blog post. I got onto my blog to update some information and thought I would write another post. I go back and forth in my interest in blogging. I'm not too interested in doing it myself but as I've stated before I like following others so I keep my blog for that purpose. I keep a journal for myself and my daughter so I don't write about very much here. I also like Instagram for updating pictures so I don't post a ton of pictures on the blog either. But I always come back to the blog thinking one day I will have something to say that will be interesting or fun. For now I am just posting to update...

However, if you do happen to follow my blog still, let me know. Leave a comment so I will know that someone is following. Look back and I may have another update sooner rather than later :)

Six months has gone by...

Hello everyone who follows our blog. We have been busy this last 6 months with the addition of our beautiful baby girl! We love her so much! We love being parents and we're having so much fun. We've had a ton of exciting changes in our lives and hopefully we can keep everyone up to date...

You Look Better Than Ever

Let me start by saying I understand and am completely fine with the weight that needs to be gained while I'm pregnant. I always tell Spencer I would rather have a healthy baby and I'm not obsessed to stay "thin" while pregnant. I do try to eat healthy and exercise but let's be honest there is really nothing you can do to stop the weight from coming.
With all that said, I have discovered the bonus to gaining weight during pregnancy. The bonus is that as I look at pictures of myself before I got pregnant I look thinner than ever! Any pre-pregnancy size I used to complain about I now long for! Before if I looked at certain pictures of myself and think, "Man I look fat in that picture." I now look at it and think, "I look thin" and "How I can't wait to look like that again." It is a major self-esteem builder and makes me appreciate my size before pregnancy so much more.

You Know You're Pregnant When...

I have been very lucky and really have enjoyed being pregnant (for the most part). But there are a few things I have noticed as I get further along in my pregnancy and I wanted to see if other women have felt this way.

You know you're pregnant when:

1. You keep the Tums on the nightstand by your bed instead of the medicine cabinet.

2. You dread the thought of having to tie your own shoes because it takes so much effort.

3. You try to find the parking spots where you can pull forward so you don't have to back out and try to turn enough to see behind you (I make Spencer drive sometimes just because it's hard to turn around or even check my blinds spots).

4. If you spill anything it ends up on your shirt because your belly is too big to be avoided.

5. After you do the dishes or wipe the counters your husband points out that your belly is wet and you didn't even notice because you can't see the wet part he is talking about.

6. You work up a sweat when clipping your toe nails.

I promise I'm not lazy it is just really amazing how hard the simplest tasks become once you're pregnant and your belly grows so much. Feel free to leave your comments and give a "You know you're pregnant when..." example.

The Pregnant Belly Touch

Why do people think it's ok to touch pregnant womens stomachs? I understand it's a lot bigger and it's exciting but it's still my stomach. Just because it sticks out more doesn't mean I can't feel it when you touch my belly. We don't touch peoples stomachs if they're not pregnant so why do people think it's ok to touch when you are?

30 Weeks

I finally decided to take the typical pregnancy picture of myself. I'm 30 weeks along and am starting the count down. Everything is going well so far and I feel pretty good.

Maternity Pants

One of my favorite things about being pregnant is maternity pants! I love maternity pants! I am not sure why we don't wear jeans with an elastic waistband all the time. Maternity pants are super comfortable and thanks to Motherhood Maternity and Target they are also fashionable.
During the first part of my pregnancy I bought a belly band so I could still wear my regular pants as my belly grew. A few months into my pregnancy my mom bought me two pairs of super comfortable and cute jeans from Motherhood Maternity. Just yesterday I finally bought a pair of black maternity work pants - my regular black work pants were too small in the waist to even wear with the belly band. Today is my first day with my maternity work pants and they feel fantastic! It feels like I'm wearing pajama bottoms! I have already told Spencer I plan on wearing maternity pants even when I'm not pregnant :) These things are fantastic!

Halloween Is NOT A Garment Holiday

This is something that has been bothering me for a long time. I do not understand why temple married, garment wearing, LDS members feel like they don't have to wear their garments on Halloween! Why do girls think they can wear any costume they want even if it is not garment appropriate. I just do not understand that logic. Garments are meant to be worn at all times, minus a few exceptions which are clearly stated and understood when you go through the temple - Halloween is NOT one of those exceptions. Why in the world would Halloween be a Church approved time to dress immodestly and not wear your garments! I do not understand. I get very upset when I get on Facebook after Halloween to see LDS members, who I know have gone through the temple, wearing a costume that does not allow them to wear their garments. Yesterday I ran through the news feed on Facebook to find a girl who got married in the temple two months ago already decide it was ok to wear a strapless black mini dress as a Halloween costume! Hello girl! Halloween is not a garment holiday! Halloween is not an excuse to dress immodestly! It really makes me upset when people completely disregard the importance and purpose of the garment and decide not to wear their garments on Halloween. I do not understand it!

It's a Girl!

We're having a girl!
We are both super excited to finally know the gender of our baby. It's a lot more fun saying "she" rather than "it" when referring to our baby. It seems a lot more real that I'm pregnant and going to have a baby now that we've had our first sonogram and know the gender of the baby! I can't wait! My little brother Jace surprised us with an "It's a Girl" cake the night we found out! It was super sweet! February 20th is our due date and we're looking forward to filling our house with everything pink...well at least I am.

Substitute Teaching

I was chatting with a friend yesterday who also substitute teaches and we were discussion how hard it is to be a substitute teacher. We both have our teaching degrees and have practice and experience in the classroom but it is still a challenge to go into different classrooms everyday and teach different students. But with all that said I really enjoying substitute teaching. I think subbing is the best because you get to do the fun part of teaching which is the actual teaching! You don't have to worry about lesson plans, tracking students progress, meetings and everything else that teachers should get paid a lot more to do. Substitute teaching is also great because if you do happen to have a bad class or bad experience you don't have to sub for that class ever again. I've experienced a few of those classrooms and was glad I wasn't the full time teacher. Overall I'm grateful I get to substitute teach! It is hard but a great experience.

Big News!

Spencer and I are going to have a BABY!!

Due date is February 25th. We'll find out in October whether it is a boy or a girl. We are super excited!!

Moving On

Some big things have happened since I lasted blogged. Spencer finished his second year of physical therapy school at UNLV and is now doing a year of clinical rotations. We decided awhile ago that we would do all three of his rotations in Utah so Spencer could take care of his dad. So June 17th Spencer took his last final at UNLV and the next day we moved out of our apartment and headed to Utah. We found this great two bedroom four-plex apartment in Orem. We love it so far! It's so nice to be by family again! My brother Jace is playing soccer at BYU so we've been able to see all the home games! That has been wonderful! We show up an hour early just to watch him warm-up...that is how wonderful it is to see Jace play soccer again!
As exited as we are to be in Utah, it was harder than I thought it was going to be to move from Las Vegas. The two things we miss the most about Las Vegas are first, hanging out with Wes, Kelley and the kids and second, our Mountain Vista Ward and callings with the Young Men and Young Women.
For the next year we will call Utah home once again!

Over A Year

Spencer and I hit our one year mark March 27, 2011! It went by so fast! Our one year anniversary fell on a Sunday and we don't go out on Sunday. So we decided to do a whole weekend celebration for our one year anniversary. Saturday night we went to dinner and a movie, Sunday we had a cake and a nice dinner at home then Monday night we went to Cirque Du Soleil Mystere on the strip!! It was the most amazing show I have ever seen!! We had a fabulous anniversary weekend and love being married!

The best way to make money ever

In the past two weeks Spencer and I have been extremely fortunate to house sit in two very nice homes. Spencer’s professor at UNLV went out of town for a week and we got to house sit for her and watch over her two dogs. The house was super nice, really big and the dogs were very calm, friendly and fun. We spent a week over at her house and had a great time! The best part is we made money doing it! She paid us very well for living at her house. What a great gig. This week we’re staying at a friend of the women whose house we stayed at last week. This house is super cool, nice and also with two very nice, calm dogs. I love this job! It also makes me very excited for the time when Spencer and I can move into our own house. House sitting is the best way to make money ever!

Hello

For those of you who follow our blog you can see that I am not a good blogger. I have to be honest I have a blog basically to keep up on other people's blogs. However since I got married and now it's become for Spencer and myself I am more excited to post things. So I will try to actually post things on my own blog instead of just following everyone else :)
Spencer and I are doing very well! We've been married for almsot 7 months now! It has gone by so fast. Spencer is half way through physical therapy grad school at UNLV and doing very well! He studies a the time and is super dedicated and motivated. I am substitute teaching and I love it! We have a good time living in Las Vegas. We love having family and friends visit and we've been very lucky to have company come stay with us.
We keep busy with school, work and church. Spencer is the first counselor in the young mens and I am first counselor in the young womens programs of our LDS church. We love it! The youth are so fun to work with.
We love being married and getting through grad school so we can start our "real" life together :)
Thank you to all of those who follow our blog! We are honored that you do.

We're Married!!

Spencer and I were sealed for time and all eternity March 27, 2010 in the Portland Oregon Temple. It was the most perfect day! The weather was amazing, the temple was gorgeous and our reception was unbelievable! We are so happy to be married and so happy together! We are so grateful for all the support and love of our family and friends! We appreciate all those who came to our wedding! We're so grateful for everyone who helped and made our day so special! My parents were amazing and did SO much for our wedding and I can't thank them enough!
Eileen Daniels was our wedding planner and did a beyond amazing job decorating, doing the flowers, cake etc! A huge thanks to her and Randy for everything they did!
We got married at 12pm in the temple, took pictures, then had a reception at 6pm that night. Pictured below are my amazing family, extended family, in-laws and friends! My parents who are absolutely amazing! Agian I can't thank them enough! My brothers who are my favorite people - including Jace in cardboard form! My beyond adorable flower girl my niece Wrigley! My gorgeous bridesmaids are my amazing sister-in-law Kasia, best friends Heather, Jill and Sami. My gorgeous husband Spencer who I love more than anything! I'm so happy and lucky to be married to him!
































I love pictures and couldn't decide which ones to put on the blog. There are a ton of wedding pictures on my Facebook if you would like to see more.

Bridals

I'm Engaged!!

I am so happy and excited to be marrying my best friend!! Spencer is amazing!! We're getting married March 27th, 2010 in the Portland Oregon Temple!!