Goin' Down The Bayou

We have had just a wonderful trip so far!
So here's the play-by-play:

SUNDAY:
(we got in about 9pm on Saturday and only got a little bit of grocery shopping done while trying to find our condo...)

Since it was Sunday, we wanted to keep things as simple as possible. Plus, we had a huge day coming up and wanted to keep up our energy.
We found a local ward and went to Sacrament meeting. It was interesting, full of all the quirks that an LDS ward has. The chorister kind of flung his hand around. And the men sang a number and there was 1 tenor out of the 30 men out there. On the way to and from church we saw this house with the MOST Christmas decorations that I think I have ever seen... and not necessarily in a good way. Yes, there are more pictures than this. It was impossible to get it all in one shot. This house was CRAZY. Since it is on the corner of two streets, both sides are just covered, but here's the corner and hopefully you get the gist.

Later that day, we decided to walk up and down the beach and hit up the north side of the gulf (well... the part where we are). We walked up and down Clearwater beach since we heard it was a huge attraction and the water was clear and beautiful. It was really lovely and one of the piers had a bunch of really neat vendors on it. We also saw some soccer (I don't know how people play soccer on the sand... I can hardly walk in it!), and some interesting street performers. One guy in particular had some Asian girl with him and he was doing some acrobatics/break dancing, and the entire 4 or 5 minutes that we watched him yell out puffing himself up, he did NOTHING! I feel like Clearwater was a little hyped up. The water was murky and the whole place was crowded. You could tell it was the place people usually vacationed. Well, that's fine, because we really enjoy staying in a place that's a little toned down, relaxed, and quiet.


MONDAY:

We got up nice and early and headed out to Orlando. We had a reservation at Discovery Cove that also gave us admission into Sea World for 14 days. Wow! Everyone at Discovery Cove was SO nice and accommodating. We also got free food ALL DAY! On top of that, only 1000 people are allowed in the park, so it wasn't crowded at all, which is amazing for any theme park.

Since our dolphin encounter wasn't until 11:10, we had a couple hours to kill. Luckily, they had a lot of other things to do aside from dolphins. To our surprise, they had an aviary there. So we went to check that out expecting something really small with a few birds. After all, this is an aquatic park. On no. They had hundreds of birds that you could feed! Since we got there pretty early, not many of them were sick of food yet (all-day buffet for the birds, ya know?) and they would come up to us, land on our hands and shoulders, and eat from our hands. It was SO NEAT! That was one of the most amazing aviaries I have ever been to!!!

After that, we wandered around for a bit and then had our dolphin encounter. We were in a group with about 6 other people and each took turns petting, kissing, and swimming with the dolphins. It's amazing how smart and beautiful these animals are! And each one is just as unique as people are! I have a much deeper love and appreciation for these beautiful mammals!

Did you know:
Dolphins, though they swim in it, cannot drink salt water? It dehydrates them.
Dolphins fins and tails have unique patterns on the end, just like a fingerprint?
Their babies nurse by curling their tongues into a straw?
They don't use their teeth for eating? They use them to communicate in various ways... like flirting.
Most places only let you swim with dolphins for 10 or 15 minutes? We got 30.

After we were soaked in salt water, we took the opportunity to go to their grand reef. Oh yes, we snorkled. They had all sorts of tropical fish and rays. We got to touch them and swim with them. It was beautiful. They had rays that were gigantic!!! They were bigger than me and Cory combined. And we got to watch them eat, which was so interesting.

Later on, we went and lazed around their lazy river, which actually went through the aviary. It was great to see the birds we got so intimate with earlier. It was nice and relaxing. AND, Discovery Cove had showers. Not your standard showers, but they provided clean towels, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, hair dryers, and bags for your wet clothes. I highly recommend saving up and taking the adventure out to Florida and going to Discovery Cove.

We spent the second half of our day at Sea World. It was pretty much what you would expect at Sea World. What was really amazing was that we happened to be at the right place each time a show started. AND we got some pretty great seats each time. And the shows were pretty cool. The exhibits were great too. We got to see dolphins and rays again and pet them. It was such an adventurous day! I LOVED IT!


TUESDAY:

We decided to take it easy again today. We started off our day going to lunch at a local place right on the beach. Literally, you ate your food on picnic tables in the sand a few yards from the water. I ordered a philly cheesesteak... because it sounded really good. They had some awesome fries. Cory got the fish of the day. I'm not a huge fan of fish... maybe because I haven't really had it cooked well. I'm not sure. But this fish was delicious! And they served him a ton of it! We could barely finish our meal. That seemed to be the pattern when we went out to eat. They really load you up out there.

After lunch, we drove down to the south side of the beaches. We went all the way down to Ft. DeSoto and went to East and West Beach. We started with East Beach... which I was not pleased with. They have the most interesting pine trees... skinny on the bottom and bushy on the top with teeny tiny pine cones. That's not why I wasn't pleased though. Walking the several yards down to the actual beach, they had all those little prickly pokey things in the grass. You know, the ones that are really small and stick you at the slightest touch. So I had prickly pears all over my poor little toes. One stabbed me so hard that it made my toe bleed... a LOT. I was pretty grumpy after that. I was pretty cautious at West Beach, but it was much nicer. No prickly pears AND a sting ray warning. I thought that was pretty cool. After that, we went to the fort, which was pretty neat, then went to a frozen custard place and watch the sunset at John's Pass. We were told there was good dolphin watching there. There were no dolphins... only people fishing off the pier. And, the frozen custard was not that great. Probably the worst frozen custard I've ever tasted... and the most expensive. I wasn't super happy about that either. After all our fun adventures, we went back to our room, planned our next day, and watched Christmas movies.

WEDNESDAY:

Are you kidding me? Disney World ALL THE WAY! We started off at Magic Kingdom, made our way to Epcot, and ended up at Magic Kingdom again to watch the electrical parade, the castle show, and the firework show. Yes, I rode the fun rides. Even though they say expectant mothers should not ride. Seriously. I did it. But, most of them we watched first before I hopped on. Once we realized that these crazy rides were not so bad... I just went on. And so far, I'm fine. Judge me all you want, but my sister said I would be fine and I trust her with my life. And my baby. Good thing I have another ultrasound coming up... but I'm sure everything will be just fine.

Disney World... amazing. I completely recommend it!

THURSDAY:

We had every intention of finishing up Disney World today since we had two-day park hopper passes. But when the alarm clock went off, there's no way that was going to happen... not at all. Seriously, I'm pregnant and was literally walking around ALL DAY the day before, went to bed really late, and tried waking up early. Yeah. No way.

So we slept in really late and finally woke up to go eat some lunch. We ate at Original Pizza. Cory got a calzone and I had something similar, but not a calzone. Both of them were just delicious. Probably some of the best pizza place I've ever been to. And it was so huge we ate it for dinner too.

We kept it a really low key day and did some laundry. The place we stayed at had free laundry facilities... and they were just outside our door too. That was nice and convenient. We went to bed early so we would have plenty of sleep before taking off super early the next morning.

FRIDAY:

This was another Disney World day. :) We saw some super cute Mickey ornaments that we got personalized for our family as a small thank you gift since pretty much our entire family contributed to our vacation. So we had to go SUPER early to get them done. Right after we got our order in, we ran over to Animal Kingdom for the morning. We started off on the safari. We saw so many amazing animals. They made it so realistic too! You could hardly see the ditches they dug to keep the carnivorous animals from eating you. We did drive right next to the giraffes and ostriches.

After Animal Kingdom, we finished off the day at Hollywood Studios. It was okay. There was more to see than there was to do. But the things to see were pretty neat. Cory and I rode the Tower of Terror. That is definitely not my favorite ride. I really hate feeling like I'm falling. I honestly had my eyes closed half the ride. Cory went on another roller coaster, and it's the only one I didn't go on because it went upside down and did loops. I figured that probably wasn't the best idea for Baby. It was still fun and I called my mom while I waited for Cory. It's what I do.

We called it an early night and were out of the parks by 9. That was kind of nice because we got to our cars and got home pretty.

SATURDAY:

Check-out was at 10am. Our flight was at 8pm. That meant we had a LOT of time to kill before we flew back to Vegas. SO, we packed our bags, and headed up the coast to see what there is left to see. We happened upon this little mini golf course with a 2nd round special. Okay okay, mini golf. Less that glamorous for a vacation. Especially since you can to that almost anywhere. EXCEPT, how many mini golf places let you golf around baby alligators!?!?! It was an awesome course too! It was multiple levels and the holes were all different and pretty tricky. It was so much fun!

Then we went up to Clearwater and bummed on the beach for a bit. Well, 4 hours. It was the only time I got even a little sunburned. Not very bad, but I didn't put sunscreen on. Not too smart, but it wasn't bad.

After the beach, we just headed back to the airport and ate dinner there. We saw a Chipotle nearby, but they closed less than 30 minutes before we got there. UGH! And I've been craving it ever since... sigh. Oh well. We ended up eating Chili's, which is pretty good too. And fortunately our layovers went quickly, everything left on time, and our flight to Vegas even landed 40 minutes ahead of schedule. That was wonderful. We got home, got to sleep, and got to enjoy a wonderful, and busy, Christmas with my family.

Merry Christmas All. I hope yours was as good as mine. :)

Christmas Time Is Here

We're getting closer and closer to Christmas. And often the season divides the Scrooges from the Bob Cratchits. I can be a little of both sometimes. For example, I refuse to play Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. It's just a thing.

Well, it also happens to be Cory's birthday. Today, in fact. And my mom was kind enough to send him a gift in the mail. She told me the day she send it so I could keep an eye out for it in the mail. It got here just in time. It was a nice card, but nothing inside. I thought that was strange since she said she sent his gift... not just a card. But either way, no big deal. My mom text him wishing him a happy birthday, and he responded thanking her for the card. Her next text mentioned the card helping on our honeymoon (the vacation we're taking to Florida next week as a belated honeymoon). We hummed and hawed over that one for a little bit thinking it strange that a birthday card would help on our trip. I kind of took over there and text my mom back asking if there was supposed to be something inside the card. Well, yes, in fact, a ticket to Disneyworld was supposed to be inside. But it wasn't. And there was tape on the back of the envelope, which, if my mom is going to seal the back, it's going to be with an actual seal or sticker. It's just her style.

We determined that the ticket was stolen... and someone put the card back in the mail. Sure, strange, but who wouldn't want their birthday card? We were all a little bummed. My mom because she spend some good money and a lot of effort getting it to him on time. Cory because his birthday gift was missing... and he knew what it was supposed to be... and it was awesome. Me because I felt bad for my mom and Cory. It's an all around no fun situation.

That night, Lauren and Ashley came by with Christmas gifts. I gave them theirs earlier. I gave Ashley a photobook of the roadtrip we took 2 summers ago, and I made Lauren some amazing Snuggly Duckling coasters (you know... from the movie Tangled). I kind of wish I had taken pictures of them to show you. Lauren gave me a pretty good waffle maker. Not just any waffle maker, but a circus themed waffle maker! And Ashley, learning how to knit over Thanksgiving break, made me a really lovely and SO SOFT scarf. I ended up giving Cory one of his Christmas gifts a little early since I felt so bad for him (Ticket to Ride - Europe... who wants to play?).

A few minutes after the girls left, my mom calls. She finally got home and got the mail. In the mailbox was an envelope from the post office. Inside the envelope was a letter of apology and the Disneyworld ticket that we assumed was gone forever! It was truly a combination of a Christmas miracle, and my mom being really smart by wrapping the receipt around the ticket (the receipt that happened to have her mailing address on it).

I'm so grateful for the kindness of others. In this case, my mom, my family (for helping us go on this vacation), and the Post Office worker who took the time to send the ticket back to my mom.

It's going to be an awesome Christmas.

(Also, the gifts we got our parents are pretty amazing too. And I'm so excited for them to open them.)

My Baby

There are first-time moms out there who are completely cool and collected their entire pregnancy, and then there are the other 99.5% of us who are normal and worry uselessly if our baby is going to end up being a mutant alien freak, or worse. Well, partially out of my own paranoid selfishness, and partially because I really do have a desire to help others, I signed up for this nuMoM2b study. It's a study to try to find indicators for babies born early, born with low birth weight, or mothers who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy. I'm sure there are other things they're looking for, but that's just a few. Some of the perks of this study are ultrasound exams during each of the three visits for the study. This is definitely a perk since my insurance only covers the ONE ultrasound at 20 weeks. Do they realize that 4 1/2 to 5 months into a pregnancy!?! I'm sorry, that's far too long for me to know if my baby is developing properly. Thus the selfish part of my participation. Unfortunately Cory had to work all day today, and he couldn't come to the appointment with me. He was pretty bummed. But I went straight over to show him the pictures they sent me home with (and I also happened to have a choir concert tonight... it's just convenient they're in the same place).

So this is our baby!:



Feel free to take your guesses. Half a dozen people have their suspicions already.

Either way, I'm pretty excited.

My sisters and mom have all called or text me asking how everything went (well before my appointment, mind you). I love how excited and supportive they are. After all, this will be grandbaby #19... It makes me even more excited knowing that there are a bunch of people out there on the edge of their seats waiting to hear news. It makes me feel really special even though there are a million pregnant women out there. I guess they only have one pregnant sister right now... and I'm the littlest sister.

And can I tell you about the other little adventure Cory and I had this week?

Well, we went to a friend's house for dinner and we all brought food to share. You know, pot luck style. Anyway, we all overate and were uncomfortable. A few hours after eating, I was still really uncomfortable... and I kind of attributed it to being pregnant and eating too much. That is until I got home and COULD NOT for the life of me find a comfortable sleeping position. Everything hurt. I tried and tried to fall asleep and just sleep it off. It wasn't working. Finally around 2am, I got up to go to the bathroom, deciding that would solve all my problems. I guess it did because I just threw up EVERYTHING I ate that day. It was super gross... and the first time I threw up this entire pregnancy up to that point. It was not fun. I was up and down all night, but got more sleep the second half of the night than the first.

There was no way I was going to be able to work the next day, and I always feel bad for calling in since there is no one to cover for me at all and it completely throws off our routine (BAD NEWS!). Well, Cory ended up calling in that morning too. He was heaving a lot, but I don't think he ever threw up. He also slept a lot better that night. I had a final that afternoon that I could not miss, so I ended up going to class for a couple of hours and being completely dizzy the entire time. I just hope I didn't fail the exam. And then the fun part of my evening began. I had to work 3 student recitals in a row. There was no one to cover the shift for me there either, but I tried to work despite my aching body. It didn't go well. I mean, I put on a happy face for the patrons and others who were around me, but once I got back into my office, I was down. Seriously. Not. Well.

This morning was only a little better. I called in to work again. I hate doing it. Slept all morning, and ended up feeling a lot better than before. Not 100%, but at least 55%. I attended my last class, and went to my concert. By the end of the night I felt at least 70% better. But let me tell you that food poisoning (we're pretty sure that's what's going on) + pregnancy = bad stuff all around. And I am STARVING, yet, nothing looks good or edible.

This could explain why I have lost 7 lbs. in the past 3 weeks (since my last dr. appointment).

I'm just grateful for modern technology and that my baby is okay. I'm counting my blessings!

Turkey Lurkey Doo

We had a pretty phenomenal Thanksgiving. Crazy, but still really awesome.

First off, we went up to Washington to spend Thanksgiving with Cory's family. At first it was just a good idea and a hope if we could afford the trip. Especially since his brother was coming home from his mission the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Then we found out his next youngest brother isn't leaving for his mission for a while, so if we went up, it meant all 9 boys would be home at the same time... for the first time ever. Then we get a call from his sister, Brittney, in Missouri saying she wanted to come to surprise their parents. So she drove out with her kids and we rode with her. It was a long drive, but still really nice.

On Wednesday, Cory, his brother Jacob (who drove in from EWU), and I drove down to the Portland Temple since my best friend, Kayla, was going through the temple for the first time. On our way to the temple, we happened to stop by PDX (Ptld Airport) and pick up Cliff, Brittney's husband, who was flying in to surprise her.

In short, Brittney came to surprise Mom and Dad, then Cliff flew in to surprise Brittney. I think that was all the surprises.

The hard part was knowing about all of it for about a month and not being able to tell ANYONE. Though, I'm pretty sure I spilled to GMA and GPA Parker a couple times accidentally. I don't think they caught on since they were still surprised. Note to anyone out there: don't tell a pregnant lady secrets. We don't keep them very easily.

On top of all the holiday surprises, GMA and GPA Parker had us bring up all the Christmas presents for the family, so we decided to have Christmas on Thanksgiving morning. Of course all the little kids were thrilled. And baby made out like a bandit! The Scotts were VERY generous. I got a cookbook and a sewing machine. Baby got some cute clothes (if it's a boy... if not, future baby boy got some clothes), and Cory and I got a couple of really nice collector's spoons from Cory's mission and where we are going on our honeymoon.

That's pretty much the long and short of it. We took some family pictures, of course. So our Christmas gift to the grandparents and to the Scotts will be family pictures in nice frames. Since none exist currently of the entire family. Once we get them from Brittney, we'll print them off and send them off.

It makes me feel really good that we could help facilitate all the Thanksgiving joy.

And with my new sewing machine, I started on the fabric I found on Black Friday for $1.50/yd (orig. $7/yd). I know baby will end up with a lot of blankets, but I loved these patterns and couldn't help myself.

For boy:


For girl:

Big News

Since most people we are close to already know, or figured it out somehow, I guess we can tell the world now. At least to those who read this blog... and maybe next week to the entire world. Anyone who reads my blog gets special privileges. Because I like you that much.

And brace yourself for a BUNCH of other blog posts that have been sitting in limbo.

Cory and I will be expecting Baby #1 June 22nd, 2012!

We couldn't be more thrilled!

We've known for over a month and it has been killing me to keep it a secret. So I'm glad the beans were spilled.

Last night we went to my cousin's wedding in St. George and my mom told her sisters. No big deal. They asked.

At work, a couple of people didn't know, and the doors were wide open at one of our meetings when our boss said congratulations on the baby! I think she felt bad for spilling, but again, oh well. We had to tell her a while ago to get some extra medical insurance coverage since she had to sign some papers for us.

We finally told the grandparents (not our parents, but Cory's grandparents) at dinner this past Sunday. Cory's uncle is an ER nurse at Intermountain, so we were hoping to get a good recommendation on a dr. We sure got one. And the cousins are thrilled. There aren't a lot of great-grandbabies running around, so it will be nice to be in a small group versus the 18 grandkids my parents already have. Cory's parents only have 4 grandkids so far... and since this is the first from a son, I'm sure it will be nice and special too. They're not the type to pick favorites, so I'm certain all their grandbabies will be special as they come along.

Pretty soon everyone close to us was going to know anyway. I just wasn't going to tell everyone until mid-december when we're completely through the first trimester. But again, most of our really close friends and most of the family knows anyway.

We have our 2nd appointment on Cory's birthday, Dec. 14th, where we'll get to hear the heartbeat (another reason I wasn't going to spill until then). At the last appointment they said everything was looking really good. I don't exactly know how everything "look" good when you can't SEE anything. I get my first sonogram at 20 weeks. But, I'm thinking about helping out a research study for new moms that is looking for reasons for low birth weight, and other problems of newborns. Sure, helping others is great, and a good reason to do it, but I'm a little selfish and kind of considering it for the 3 sonograms... free sonograms. So hopefully we don't have twins so I can participate and see my baby pretty soon. :) I won't be posting sonogram pictures on facebook. I know a lot of people do it, but I think it's a little impersonal. And I think the 3D pictures are a little creepy. I don't know why. I'm not judging or anything. They're cool, but they creep me out.

Anyway, that's our big news for now.

I'm 9 weeks and some days, 3 more to go till we're pretty much in the clear.
And we're super excited!

PUBLISH!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Looks like there will be a few changes going on the job front in the Scott household.

First of all, our first HM meeting on Friday went wonderfully! I really feel like a lot of issues were resolved on both sides. So I feel a LOT more comfortable with where things are headed.

However, Friday night, Cory's boss in the marketing department emailed him (it was seriously time-stamped just before midnight) telling him that one of the marketing employees was graduating in December and asking him if he would consider coming into marketing exclusively. He dangled both a pay raise and an increase of (stable) hours each week. We were JUST talking about the idea the day before, so he looks over at me and says he might have to take the offer and run. Of course, it wouldn't take effect until January, and he would stay on the HM job to help train new HMs they would have to hire or promote to fill his position. This will help us tremendously in the financial department. And since Cory is going to start his research pretty soon, he will really need his evenings and weekends to do it.

Second, one of the girls from scheduling was working with me the other day and mentioned that EVERYONE in scheduling is graduating in April and Jennifer, our boss, is desperate for people to train in scheduling to help transition. I guess I was one of the people she was considering because I'm very meticulous (her words) and get things done. Plus, I have office experience and know how to organize. On top of that, I'm really good at telling people no when they're being dumb and it needs to be said... which is necessary in the scheduling office. So, with Jennifer's approval, I could work a solid 10 hours in scheduling staring next semester to get trained, and work part-time as an HM, and continue to help train in-coming HMs and ushers. Then in spring, I would go completely over to scheduling, getting solid hours each week, until I graduate, and sub HM when they were really desperate for extra HMs.

These opportunities have been a huge blessing. It will help us out SO much. So today, we are thankful for our jobs, and the opportunities and experience they have given us. Oh... I can still totally work my morning job too! So I'd be working full time, essentially. And we'll be able to be home together more evenings and weekends.

Aggravation!

And I'm not the only one aggravated here. It's me and each and every one of the HMs at work. What could cause so much turmoil in a workplace, you ask? Primarily, the lack of communication between EVERYONE!

Everything changed this school year. Well, most things. Like our supervisor, scheduling, and a bunch of people left. Fine. Whatever. We used to have weekly meetings with our previous supervisor and have been trying to reinstate those with the new supervisor. Our first meeting is scheduled this Friday. Two-thirds of the way into the semester!!!

Second, not even considering us when big decisions are make. Again, we used to be consulted when promotions were being considered. Lo and behold, this is no longer the case. And it frustrates me to all ends because of who they're choosing. We have been working with these people WAY longer than they have and have a MUCH better idea of their work habits/ethics. Who do they think they are? Yes, I understand they make the final decision, but I don't think they realize they are making poor decisions lately.

Third, hours have been cut WAY back. This time of year I would almost get 20 hours each week. At least 15. But now they're filling in with stage crew and giving our shifts to crew. And taking away shifts all together. Up until this past week, I was averaging 5 hours a week if I was lucky. Not cool!

It's junk like this that really makes me want to leave. Technically, if Cory can pick up more hours at his other job, we'd both be able to quit. And we are tempted. Everyone deserves a chance, but this is certainly the last straw! If things don't start changing after this meeting, I am out of here!

Have You Ever

This is for all the moms or pregnant women out there...

Have you ever taken a HPT 5 weeks after getting a positive from previous HPTs AND your doc? Yeah... it might be a little overkill, but I had to know. Not that I'm experiencing anything that would indicate a miscarriage. I've just been hearing a lot of horror stories lately and it makes me paranoid.

I'm thankful for my lack of feeling crappy all the time... so far (at least that's what my sisters keep telling me). But at the same time it makes me super paranoid.

I will admit that my gums hurt like crazy when I eat. Not all the way around, but just where my wisdom teeth were removed a few years back. I hear that all the hormones can make your gums sore, swollen and red. Maybe it's my hypochondria kicking in. Or something like that. But the reality is that I can't bite into a nice hearty sandwich without tenderness.

I also don't drink soda very much. I'm not a huge fan. But if I'm somewhere and it's the only thing available, I'll drink it. Occasionally I want it. Lately it's all the time! I need something to clear the gunk out of my throat, and water just isn't doing it. Actually, it's mostly rootbeer. It sounds so good all the time. I don't drink it all the time still, but boy does it sound good!

Oh, and talk about emotions!!! I cry over the dumbest things! Not a serious, overly emotional cry. I just tear up. Luck for Cory I'm not seriously emotionally liable... except when really dumb things happen.

And I can't remember anything. Irrelevant things mostly. Except for when I forget where I parked the car... all the time. Or that I have a class at 3:30... a few times already. Fortunately Cory has the same class so I don't feel like I'm missing too much since he's taking notes.

Government Employees

Any time you have to deal with the government, you usually anticipate it being some horrific, inefficient, waste of time that makes you want to scream and pull your hair out. Maybe you don't. But I do.

I've been having to deal with the government and some of its programs lately. And honestly, I have been so pleasantly surprised with how simple, pleasant, and easy it has been. All except for the one 45 minute wait on the phone just to talk to someone, but after that, it was easy peasy! They have been prompt in sending me all necessary information. They have been kind and courteous on the phone. I haven't had to stand in any line that spans an entire building. Heck, I haven't stood in any real line yet.

Maybe I've just been really lucky. Maybe the way they run things in Utah is just better. I don't know. And who knows if it will be this easy when this process is coming to an end? I sure don't. All I know is that I am very thankful for how easy this process has been thus far, and for the kindness of these government workers who have been making my life much easier than it could have been. Maybe they actually like their jobs. I really like working with people who like their jobs.

Do Not Let Them Pass By

I was just informed this afternoon that BYU has awarded me a half-tuition scholarship for next semester. Usually they only award scholarships at the beginning of each school year for the fall and winter semesters. This is such a HUGE blessing because it either means we can cut back on my student loans a bit, or we'll have a little extra money to pay a couple months worth of rent for winter semester. Either way, it's awesome news! I am so thrilled!

The only possible downside is that I was only going to take 12 credit hours winter semester. I guess someone else thought better of that, because in order to receive scholarship moneys, you have to enroll in at least 14 credit hours. Is it worth the extra 2 credits to get half of your tuition paid for? And technically, it's more than half your tuition since you don't pay extra for anything over 12 hours. Heck yes, it is so worth the added stress of one more class!

So I started looking for classes I could possibly take. I mean, I've had it all mapped out for a while which classes I would take and when. How to make my life as simple as possible this year. I could add my last ComD class for this year. I was planning on taking it in spring since they just started offering it at that time. I have no other classes for my major or minor floating out there. And then I saw it. BYU, just this year, started offering an ASL interpreting class. Hurrah! This could be my only opportunity to take this class. It could be my only opportunity in my college career to start learning to interpret. On top of that, it would be awesome for my future post-grad career.

BYU started offering 2 sections of interpreting. I will only be able to take the first section, but in my opinion, it's better than nothing at all. At least I'll get a foundation. Plus, I've already had this teacher before. She's tough, but she's really good. I haven't taken any ASL for more than a year now. It makes me a little nervous. But I'm still really excited and I've been able to use what ASL I have quite a bit lately.

Opportunities like this don't come around very often. And when they do, we must do something about them. Seize them for what they are. Use every inch of them. And thank the Lord that he has blessed you so abundantly.

"Do not let them pass by saying, "sometime I'll try," but go and do something TODAY!"

The Down-Low

Here's what's going down -- seeing as I haven't posted in a longer than usual amount of time.

Cory and I are just going the school and work thing. We don't have much of a life outside of that. Especially now that it's midterm season. And, for being as busy as we are, I've been doing really well on my exams. I have As in ALL of my classes except for one, and that grade can easily get up there as long as I do well on the exam this week. Hooray! And I really need to keep my grades up in order to be competitive for grad school applications. Yes, we still have a year to worry about the actual application process, but it still needs to be on the forefront of my mind.

We are gearing up for the holidays too.

The week of Thanksgiving, we will be driving up to my sister's in Oregon to spend a day with her family, then we'll take a day to spend in the Portland area with Kayla, then drive up that evening to Washington for the rest of our visit.

We've been planning out or Christmas vacation/honeymoon too. Florida, here we come! Plus Disney World, Sea World, and some swimming with dolphin action. Saweet! We will be spending an entire week in Florida, then spending some time in Vegas with my family. We will be back in Utah before New Years, but right now the time line is up in the air.

You've probably heard all this already. But I am so excited to spend time with family, and be out of Utah. Especially to be in the PacNW!

So far at the new-ish job, I am having a blast! It is a very rewarding job. It has its highs and lows, but for the most part, with all the praying (for help and out of gratitude) it has been a pretty spiritual experience. I love this girl I work with. I love the family. And I love the other aides I work with. And since one of the girls is going on a study abroad next semester, I will probably be picking up a few more hours! There aren't too many to go around, but a few more will definitely go a long way. And since I'm only taking 12 credits next semester, it should be easy to work around my schedule.

I think Cory and I might be making Christmas cards... we can get them free, so why not, right? We'll see how that goes, if we decide to actually do it. Keep an eye out.

That's the October up-date.

Addicted

At least by now everyone should know why I haven't posted in a while. Ha!

And now let me tell you how addicted I am to a little site called BabyCenter.com. Yep! It tracks the development of your baby and they have message boards where everyone can come together to talk about their problems, joys, worries, etc. And I soak it up! Especially since we don't have TV. So in my spare time, when I'm procrastinating doing homework, dishes, and laundry, I pop on and see what's going on in everyone's lives. I stopped reading the sad stories pretty quickly. They just make me sad, and paranoid. So I learned that lesson real fast. And I like to read the happy ones, or anything that I feel could pertain to me. It is quite fun.

On another note, still no morning sickness. I'm counting my blessings. But I did get a lovely cold this weekend. Less fun. My sister said that with her pregnancies, she was nauseated, but only threw up once with one of her kids... those are stats I can live with. I can deal with nausea. Throwing up is a whole different story. I can't handle it. I hate the way it feels. So I am going to avoid that as much as I possible can... with what very little control I may have over it. We'll see how this goes.

Wish me luck.

Anticipating

I'm only a little over 5 weeks into this pregnancy thing. So far, so good. It was really fun to tell family and the closest of friends (sorry if you weren't in that group... it's not because I don't love you too). The only thing symptom-wise right now that bothers me is that I am EXHAUSTED all. the. time. I keep hearing that it doesn't get better. Oh well. I'm still getting As in my class. It's midterm time and I've been acing everything. Maybe pregnancy makes your wits sharper. Maybe not. Maybe I'm more concerned about this baby's future. That sounds more like it.

Almost everyone who knows right now is pretty regularly asking how I feel. Not in a concerned way. Why would they. Pregnancy is not a disease. But more of the - have you started throwing up all the time - kind of way. No. I'm fine. The only time I felt really nauseated was during my 2-hour conducting class. It was the end of class, it was super hot, and I was super tired. I think it had less to do about the pregnancy.

They say that the sickness hit about week 6. That's pretty much now. Or right around the corner. And I'm pretty determined not to get it...at least not debilitatingly so. And all the moms out there are laughing at me right now. Well, there's no guarantee, but I'm just going to make it happen. Before you know it, we'll be out of the 1st trimester, fall semester will be over, and I'll be the happiest pregnant lady you've ever met and never knew was pregnant. Wish me luck.

We're Having a Baby!!!

I know everyone has been waiting for this announcement for a long time. My brother's reaction was, "what took so long?" Ha! Yeah... well there is this whole process to the thing. But we don't need to go into that here. Or at all, ever.

Cory and I found out this past Monday (for you who are reading this much, much later than when I wrote it, we're talking October 10th) and were just thrilled! My sister Kelli has been waiting for this for a couple months, considering she was the person I was really talking to about all this. Last month we were pretty sure I was pregnant, but then I wasn't, and was actually pretty devastated. So this is seriously good news. I had to take a home pregnancy test 3 times just to check. (I did it over the course of a few days... and I must say, I'm not pretty good at peeing on a stick!) I was too excited to let it sit for days, or weeks, until I told someone. So that night, for FHE, we called our parents and made sure to let all the brothers and sisters know.

Cory's phone call to his parents (everyone at home was on speaker phone): Kayla hasn't been feeling well lately. She has the Egyptian flu. In about 9 months she's going to be a mummy.

Totally the family humor up in Washington. I rolled my eyes and giggled a little at the same time.

Everyone on the home front seems to be pretty excited. This will be grand baby 19 for my folks and grand baby 5 for Cory's.

So it looks like we'll be due toward the end of June, and we'll just add more June babies to the family. There are already tons. But we'll take them!

I've actually been really excited the past couple of nights. I'm way more tired, most likely from my lack of sleep. But then today I was looking at the maternity coverage with our student health plan. I knew having a baby was going to be expensive, but this just made me worry. Granted, it could be a lot worse, but our co-pay is $150. I'm not sure how that's going to happen. I have faith the Lord will provide, but right now the number looks scary. It's not like we're rolling in the dough here. I'm thinking I'm going to have to have Cory deliver this baby au natural at home (a joke... I think). Oye. I don't know how people deal with this. And this is probably why people don't have babies. But you know, I will not shirk keeping commandments just because it's not easy or convenient. And there's not a whole lot we can do about it now anyway.

So far, I like being pregnant. Tired? Yes, already. Nauseated? No, thank Heavens!!! Anxious? Just a little. Excited to hold my very first baby in my arms? Like I can't even describe.

Cory wants a girl. I want a boy. Cory jokes about twins. I want to punch him when he does. But no matter what happens, I pray our baby is healthy, because I know we're going to fall in love harder than we did with one another.

The thought of being a mom is so tender to me. I know this is the right time because I can feel the Lord's approval and His hand in our lives. I know He wants us to raise our children in righteousness and show them how much they are loved by us and Him. I want to lead my children by example and teach them that hard work and compassion is the key to life. I want them to know they can always turn to the Savior and always talk to us when they want or need. I already love this baby and am so excited to see their tender little face.

Families are forever.

Patience is a Virtue

And I have none.

- How's that for a nail-biter?

Oh Baby Baby!

Before you get too excited - no, I'm not pregnant.

I love General Conference. Yesterday Cory and I went up to my sister's house to can. We went to a farmers market and bought some peaches and raspberries so I could get some canning. I wanted something really yummy in our food storage and Kelli was already going to be canning peaches, so she invited us to join her. I'm not sure how much fun Cory had, but I enjoyed it. And now we have a ton of peaches. I also froze half our raspberries and used some in our dinner tonight. (Raspberry chicken was a super good idea!)

Today Cory and I relaxed at home and watched conference. We heard a lot about missionary work, but I also heard a lot about families. Both about keeping them strong and not putting off starting a family. I think we got the message. Who knows when it will happen, but we already knew that we weren't supposed to put off a family. We got it from the sealer at the temple, the temple president, and from the prophets for the past... I don't know... forever.

Cory and I are excited to have our own family some day. We both want a big family. I'm so grateful for him and how much he loves me. :)

Just When I Think I've Had Enough

Primary is stressful for me.

I love the kids. But being in primary is stressful.

And I attribute a lot of me feeling like I'm not really a part of the ward to being in primary and being a full-time student. We had our RS social this week and I couldn't go because of school. So I don't get to go to any activities during the week, and I don't get to talk to anyone else because I'm in primary.

I've felt for about a month now that I'm done with primary. That I just want out. Just when I'm fed up with feeling belittled and I'm sick of feeling like the presidency believes we have no clue what's going on in our class, one of the kids does something that warms my heart or cracks me up.

Yesterday we had our primary program practice. It was seriously frustrating. It was probably 30 minutes too long for the kids' attention span. And about 15 minutes before we were done, one of the presidency members says, "who's ready for a pizza party!?!" to the kids, riles them up, makes them sing 2 more songs, talks for a while, has a closing prayer, and talks some more. These kids are jumping out of their skin because you've reminded them of the pizza party you're throwing after the practice. And then, as Cory and I are helping a lady from another ward unload her car full of food into the kitchen, 2 of them stop us to remind us of things we already know, or that are just common sense. Please. I just want to go home. I'm tired. I have a day of work ahead of me. And I have my arms full of food that's not even mine.

Then, today for the program, it was really difficult to keep the kids sitting still. They just don't. And that's fine. But keeping feet and skirts down isn't easy. Then, when one of the boys in our class that didn't want to stand and sing because he didn't know the words started singing "I Love to See the Temple" I started getting a little teary-eyed. And then, this same boy in sharing time, looks at me, looks down at my chest, back up at me, again at my chest and says, "Wow! Those are two big ones!" I knew if I laughed it would bring more attention that necessary. After church I told Cory, who also busted up. So funny. I love these kids so much.

My Heart is Filled with Peace

I have to say that Sundays are pretty much my hardest day of the week. Teaching Sunbeams has not been a cup of tea... not in the least. But I love those kids.

The past two weeks we've been practicing for the primary program in sharing time. Not fun. The kids lose interest real fast. They're only looking forward to the Saturday practice because there's a pizza party afterward. And honestly, I would lose interest real fast too if there weren't pizza... Yeah, sad. I know. I'm pretty much a 5-year-old. I have a stinkin' hard time sitting in one place for more than an hour.

Well, during sharing time today, the added all the extras too. You know, the two Asian kids who play violin really well, the extra talks, and this one boy who sings his heart out. They gave this kid a solo. Well, he sings the 2nd verse to one of our songs. And can I just tell you he almost made me cry. The Spirit flooded into the room. The kids were still for just a moment. And my own heart was filled with peace. Oh, if I could hold onto that feeling the entire day...

I am so blessed to have these little moments of security in my calling.
And I love these little kids.

Remember When

I can't remember everything from 9/11/2001. But I do remember being at school and watching all the devastation on the news. I remember being in shock at what was going on and not really believing it. It was a horrendous event and I pray for all the soldiers, servicemen and families who were scarred by the terrorist attacks on that day.

Today, Cory and I kind of commemorated the day by watching documentaries about 9/11. We started flipping through TV channels looking for something worth while. A lot of standard cable channels were airing football games, which I found pretty disrespectful. Okay, I know people can't stop their lives for an entire day to remember the past. Oh wait, what is Memorial day, and Veteran's day, and all of the other holidays we've started to remember fallen soldiers or devastating events? We do have a day. And yes, I know not everyone actually takes the time to remember.

And I'm not really expecting the world to stop just for 9/11. But I think airing programming 9/11-related would have served this country a whole lot better than football.

We are in such a state of selfishness and apathy in our nation. The youth don't care how their actions effect others because their parents haven't taught them.

I feel like failing to remember the events of the past is actively searching for failure in the future. I feel we need to respect those people who give their lives to keep us safe. It's the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and I was 14 and probably don't realize the full significance of the tragedy. What happens in 10 more years when no one remembers? We are the generation that experienced it. We need to be the generation to remember and learn to be unified with one another.

Working Hard

Things always work out. Right? That's what I'm told.

Well, so far, at least in the job market, they finally have.

I'm back to 2.5 jobs and I'm so excited about it!

I still have my job in the HFAC, Cory and I go up to grandma's to help with the house and yard, and now I will be a classroom aide for a 14 year old girl who is hearing impaired and learning delayed. I cannot wait!

When I was called in for an interview, I was shocked because I have been shut down so many times in the past couple of months. When I went into the interview, it was great. It was the most fun interview I have ever had! This girl and I got to play Wii and the rest of the interview was so relaxed. I felt so comfortable. I love her mom and I was so excited about the idea of working with her daughter.

After the interview... I waited. And waited. But, she went on vacation over Labor Day weekend, so I don't blame her at all. On top of that, when she got home, her modem went down. So her phone and internet was down. It felt like everything was against me.

Kayla told me today that this woman talked to her (Kayla was a reference of mine), so I was hoping to hear back from her today. And I did!!! She told me that after going back and forth with all the people she interviewed (I didn't realize there were so many...) and she wanted me to work with her daughter! What a blessing!!!

Aside from working with this incredible girl (her hearing impairment wasn't diagnosed until she was 5! And she was tested every two years...) I am so excited to have some real life experience working in my field of study. It will be great for a resume and an application to graduate school. Which just means I have to work really hard to be excellent at this so I can get a good reference letter. I cannot wait!!! I've only met this girl once and I already love her.

Yes, working so many jobs get stressful, but it's stressful not working that many jobs. Before this job offer, I was starting to panic. Cory and I were still surviving. He's getting pretty good hours with his jobs, so we're not starving. But still... it's nice to feel more comfortable, be able to save up some money in case of emergencies, and be able to go on a date here and there.

Thank you, friends, for all your love and support, and to all my employers for having confidence in me. And Cory for working so hard to keep us above water.

If I Die Today

Tonight we got an interesting phone call. It was my sister-in-law. Essentially she wanted to call to tell us that if she and her husband happened to die in some kind of freak accident, we would get their kids. Their 4 kids. Their 4 adorable and super smart kids.
Boy that's a lot of trust!
But at the same time, I'm grateful for that trust.
So thanks Brittney and Cliff. We love your kids and are excited to take them off your hands when you die. Uh... if you die.

...Cory and I both laughed after this phone call. Because, how many times in your life do you get that kind of call? I mean, really?

And I guess that means that Kelli, Kristy, and Korrie are out of luck. We are taken. You just didn't get to us fast enough...

Relax

Since my sister gave us her couch back in April or May, I've been looking for pillows for it. It's has some quirks and Cory and I have been saying we needed to get some pillows for it for a while now. Well, Labor day sales are usually pretty good. But when I was pricing them, even the sale prices, it would have cost us at least $60... and that would have been for ugly pillows. No way.

So I decided to make my own. The fabric store had just about everything 50% off... so I picked up some cute fabrics, piping, thread, and had at it. Well, I didn't have any filling, and I wasn't going to pay $30 to fill my pillows either. When I went to Walmart, they had a sale on pillows and it hit me. I'm just going to transfer stuffing from regular pillows to my couch throw pillows. $5 I can do. So 4 pillows, minus labor of course, cost me $20. $5 a piece I can work with.

I'm especially proud of myself since I don't have sewing machine. I'm really hoping to get one once Cory and I have a little more space that I can actually put a sewing machine. Until then, I either have to borrow... or do it all by hand. And did you see that piping?!?

Heartbreak Warfare

Ever feel like everything in life is conspiring against you?

Welcome to my week.

Yes, I survived the first full week of school. Great. Good for me. So did about 35 thousand other students.

The past couple of weeks I have been trying SO hard to find another job. I was working 2, now I'm down to 1, and that just won't cut it. Especially since everything at my job is crazy right now. I loved my job before they changed everything, but now I'm not so fond of it. In fact, I'd really rather not work there if it's going to continue like this. But since it's the only job I have, I have no choice. And on top of that, I don't believe in doing a job 1/2 way.

Monday I had a job interview that was perfect with my schedule and I was really excited about it. Tuesday afternoon I found out that I didn't get the job.

Thursday I had my call-back audition for Women's Chorus, which I was in last year. I find out this morning that I didn't make it back in. That is probably the most heart-wrenching disappointment I've had in... well, years. I LOVE Women's Chorus. I was even willing to miss part of a class to be in it (don't worry, Cory is in the same class and would have been there for the parts I missed). I am heart-broken. Genuinely. Like the kind of heart-break you feel when you lose a loved one. It may seem silly to you, but I really felt this was a part of me. And in reality, it is.

So no job. No Women's Chorus.

There is hope though. At least I'm telling myself that there is.

I interviewed for another job this afternoon working with a deaf girl. I think it would be a phenomenal job, and especially great to put on an application for grad school.

I'm just hoping, knowing the Lord will provide since he always does, that he will soon. Because so far, this year is not looking good. And my heart just hurts.

Take My Breath Away

So... earlier this year I was diagnosed with asthma... finally. Except, I wasn't so sure, and still I'm not so sure that I do, in fact, have asthma. In my opinion, my lungs just struggled to recover fully from the pneumonia from last summer.

I had a pretty bad cold this past week... and so far, my lungs have been fine. So I'm hoping that the recovery from this cold will help my lungs to recover from the last remainders of the pneumonia. Stranger things have happened...

Work & Play

I've determined that getting back into a normal school routine might be pretty hard. This summer hasn't been as packed as the past few summers. Yes, I did get married. So I was really busy up until then. But since we got married, and because work on campus is always slow in the summer, and since I'm no longer working my 2nd job, I have had a lot of time to play. And by play, I mean be lazy at home... since none of my friends want to be my friend anymore because I'm married. Yeah, it stinks.

However, since I am no longer working my 2nd job, and going up to gma's house isn't going to be as easy (we might not be able to make it up every week), I've been on the hunt for another job. I have been eye-balling other on-campus jobs for a long time now, but have never had the extra time to consider applying. On top of that, up until a few months ago, I really loved my job. Well, I still really love my current on-campus job, but now that everything has merged, I feel like everything is unsettled. I'm not worried about losing my job. Not at all. My concern is the hours. Cory has pretty stable hours working in marketing and can add to them with the HM job. Now I only have my HM job with no certainty in hours. And we need to pay rent somehow...

While job-hunting on the BYU student employment site, I came across a listing for a dean's office receptionist. This could be really perfect for me. I've been a receptionist before... about 6 or 7 years ago. I really enjoyed that too. So I scurried into the Student Employment office to take the office skills tests. Okay, so my scores weren't fabulous. But they were higher than the job requirements. During the school year when I'm writing papers all the time, I can type just over 100wpm. When I'm not writing papers all the time, it's about 75wpm. I scored 60 wpm on the OST. Ouch. But they only asked for 50. So I'm satisfied.

Anyway, I applied with a so-so cover letter, because honestly, cover letters are not my forte, and a pretty sharp resume. And I got an email saying that if I told them about my software experience it would distinguish me from other candidates. I responded, and was asked for an interview Monday morning. Hooray!

The job is a solid 15 hours a week. And the hours fit perfectly into my schedule. On campus, you can only work up to 20 hours a week, allowing more students employment opportunities, and allowing students to have time for school work. With a guaranteed 15 hours per week, I could still work a couple nights in the HFAC for my 20 hours a week. With both Cory and me working roughly 20 hours a week, we could probably be secure in paying our bills and keeping food in the apartment. It would certainly be a huge blessing. Plus, if anything else happened at work, or if this merger turns out to be disastrous, I could just quit without being/feeling destitute.

So Monday morning it is. I have nothing to wear, of course, but I am determined to have the best interview of my life. Wish me luck!

Hindsight

It's 20/20, right?

Well, I am grateful for hindsight.

Very frequently hindsight has shown me the "wisdom of Him who knoweth all things."

This week I have seen a couple times why certain things did or didn't work out. Recent things.

I am so grateful for the little moments when I can see why my Heavenly Father does what he does. And that He knows exactly what's going on. Always.

We Are Family

So, we all know I don't have a picture perfect family. Who does? And it's okay. We still love each other. And that's what matter.

I do know families who don't talk to each other. Families who have gone beyond repair... or so it seems. And families who can't be in the same room with one another.

I am grateful my family isn't like that. Even though we have our moments of miscommunication, we're still love one another and still want to visit with each other.

My brother has not had the best time in life. Yes, he has made some poor decisions, but so have all of us. He is realizing now that if he wants his life to change for the better, he has to be the one to do something about it. He has to be the one to do something differently. And he has been. And I am so proud of him for the steps he is making.

I look forward to the day when he truly feels like his life has come together. When he has his whole family together. When he finds true and lasting love and happiness.

I pray for my brother daily. I love him so much and want the best for him. I hope he knows he really can have the best, and as he works toward that goal, he will truly deserve it.

Love ya big bro!

I Love to See the Temple

I am so excited! Kayla, my very best friend from Oregon - practically a sister - called me today to tell me she is going to the temple to receive her endowment very soon.

Kayla has an interesting story and her life has not been an easy one thus far. In my eyes, it feels like her life is finally starting to come together, and she's doing everything it takes to keep it together. Including going to the temple.

I am so proud of her and right now we're just waiting to hear when she is going so we can look at plane tickets to Oregon. The ideal would be around Thanksgiving when we would be trying to get up to Washington anyway. It would just be the perfect incentive for us to really get up to Washington. Either way, I am going to try my very best to get up to Oregon for Kayla. She made it all the way out to my wedding, she's a sister to me, I feel like I should get out there.


On a completely different note, Cory and I have been enjoying our Sunbeam class. It's amazing how much energy these kids have, and really, how far small amounts of discipline can go. We have one boy who is always trying to get out of primary. He'll scream, kick, and cry bathroom every 5 minutes. Not to mention throwing everything in sight on the floor. Today, because the kids filled up the "We've Been Good" jar, they have earned a treat for next week. So this boy, when his dad came to get him, told his dad he didn't want to leave class. We all were shocked! We also had a fun time with him sticking his hand down his pants... oh boy.

It was funny because we saw his family after church and I told his mom how much we really enjoy having her son in our class. We really do. He's a sweet boy. He struggles in primary, but he really is a good kid. When you can get his attention, he is so smart and knows exactly what's going on. It made me sad when his mom's response made it sound like I was lying, like I was just trying to say something nice because I couldn't find anything really nice to say about her son. So sad. And so disappointing for me. I feel like he has such potential.

Well, school starts in 2 weeks. We're not entirely looking forward to it. We're really excited to finish next year. I think my family is planning to come out for graduation. Cory and I will walk together in August, but I have one class that WILL NOT fit into my schedule this year. Therefore I have to wait one more year until grad school. Well, at least it gives us an extra year to prepare for grad school.

That's about it for now.

Mr. President

Obama speaks on the national credit downgrade today. He says the problem is not a lack of international confidence in our credit. He says that our problems are solvable. The chit-chats about some other things before telling us that the solution is tax reform and health care reform. His tax reforms include having those who can afford it pay their fair share.

I would like to ask what happens when you ask the wealthy to pay more taxes (even though they are already paying more than 85% of the nation's revenue... that's less than 10% of the population now)? Tax the rich and the poor lose jobs. That's how I see it. Where do the jobs for the lower and middle classes come from? The wealthy who create them, right? Tax the rich more so they are paying "their fair share" and they don't have as much money to spend. Therefore, fewer jobs, more insecurity, and I'm sure we have a less stable economy to look forward to. Not to mention awful health care reforms.

As an interesting note, the DJIA (DOW) dropped between 25 and 30 points from the time the president began speaking to when he finished (less than 15 minutes). The Dow is currently down a total of 400 points - give or take 2 or 3. I think the people of this country have lost trust in the government's ability to manage the country.

40 minutes after his speech - DJIA down 550 points.

And the DJIA closes today at -634.77 (-5.55%), $10,809.85...

Yes, we need reform. But the reform we need is to stop government spending, not raising the debt ceiling.

Just my opinion.

Lesson Learned

Things I've learned today:

1. You should not procrastinate math.

2. You cannot cheat or skip through the things you think you already know in math.

3. Finishing a math class in 2 weeks is not fun.

4. I'm not a huge fan of math, but I really like it when I understand it.

5. Learning the same things twice makes it much easier the second time around.

6. I have a wicked cool husband. (I didn't just learn that today though.)

SunBEAM!

Cory and I have been in our new ward for a little less than a month. (PS, it's our 1-month anniversary today - which only newlyweds and teenagers celebrate, I know, and not even them sometimes.) Our first week, we met some really great people and even made friends with a family that lives in our building. I can only tell you that this is a miracle since, from the day I moved in more than 2 months ago, I have never seen people interact with each other at this building. And by never, I mean never. Those we have seen, or by chance made eye-contact with, have quickly passed by, often without a word. There is this one guy who lives next door to us who, when we see him and are on the verge of speaking kind, friendly words, lowers his eyes and bids us a good night. THAT'S ALL! I don't get it. But on the plus side, 80% of our neighbors attend the married student ward, while we attend the family ward, so we never see them anyway. And now we have our friends that have 2 of the cutest kids and are super nice. So we don't care.

Anywho... Our first week we met the bishop, a few people in the ward, and we just happy to be going to church together. Week 2, we get called to sub the CTR6s (which fell through because they accidentally booked 2 couples to teach), and called to meet with a member of the bishopric. When we got to our appointment the following Sunday, we were called to teach the Sunbeams! We were sustained that very day. The 1st counselor called me Kyla. Which, I promptly corrected... to my husband.

The following Sunday, we were sustained AGAIN, and once again, the ward will know me as Kyla. Ugh. Really, Kayla is NOT that hard to figure out as far as pronunciation goes. Just call us Bro. & Sis. Scott. If you can't pronounce my first name, the Church makes it REALLY easy to get around it. And we have a SUPER easy last name.

We also got to start teaching on Sunday #3.

What's really funny about teaching Sunbeams is that the primary president sat down with us beforehand and gave us the down-low on our kids. The girls are pleasant but the boys have problems. That was the gist of it. She was telling us over and over again about one boy who likes to hit... etc, and looks like he's on the verge of baptism. Well, our first week teaching, the one boy she seemed really concerned about wasn't even there. However, our other boys were and one of them was ALL OVER THE PLACE! Climbing on the chairs, tearing (no really, tearing) things off the chalkboard, and playing with the flag in the corner... all in primary. In the class, he wasn't too much different, except the constant cry for the restroom. Might I also note that there are 2 couples called to assist in our classroom when needed. We were 4 adults to 3 kids. After church the primary president comes up to us to tell us that this boy was quite manageable today. And this wasn't even the kid she was warning us about!!!

This past Sunday, week 2, amazingly, was about a million times better! I say amazingly because we had all 6 of our kids, including the one who "likes to get physical" (hitting, kicking, etc). I'm not sure what it was, but while the boys (and girls) had their moments of difficulty, all in all, it really was exponentially better. And these two boys that are considered "trouble" are just so sweet sometimes. Both of them took turns sitting on my lap, and the whole time they were there, they were 90% calm. Mind you they weren't on my lap the whole time. But still. It was such a blessing to see their calm, sweet sides. We were also only 3 adults to 6 kids (7 during primary but one left early because his mom was having a baby). They were concerned about the two boys sitting next to each other, but it wasn't really bad. These kids just need to know that they are safe and loved... especially when mom and dad aren't there to tell them.

Primary and Sunday school are the one place these kids are left without their parents that isn't in their own home. No wonder they get nervous or act out. This doesn't normally happen for kids until they're about ready to start school.

Can I also say that I think it is ridiculous to have jr. primary first? They are supposed to sit in Sacrament meeting for just over an hour quietly. Hard. Then they go to primary where they are expected, again, to be reverent. Granted, they interact and get to be off their chairs for about 3 minutes, but still... even harder. THEN they go to Sunday school where they are taught in smaller groups, but they're contained so we can play a little more, stay out of our chairs, color, etc. When they've been sitting for more than 2 hours, it's no wonder they are ready to jump out the window (which there have now been 2 attempts in our classroom, 1 almost successful). I understand that the reverence is a huge factor in it all. And they would probably be harder to contain and manage in primary if it were after Sunday school. But when you're 3, you really do not have any desire to sit still for more than a minute and pay attention to anything. And there's not a whole lot that we teachers can do about it...

What makes primary really hard for the Sunbeams is that they're brand new to primary. They don't know any of the songs/games/etc. So singing is not fun to them. Scriptures are not fun to them. It's all foreign territory... at least en masse it is.

I should also say that giving a newlywed couple a calling in the Sunbeams, logically, is not the best idea. If you want a couple to not have kids for a long, long time, put them in Sunbeams. Fortunately, Cory and I know callings are from Heavenly Father and we are supposed to learn and grow from this experience. So we're trying to do just that. Without being afraid of children. And, unless by some serious fluke in biology, we will not end up with 6 or 7 children all at once. Hallelujah!

All in all, while I have dreaded the thought of teaching Sunbeams... I do love these children very much. I know their Heavenly Father loves them. And I pray that they can get everything they can out of us. I know we will learn from them. I hope we are in a place such that the Lord can use us as instruments in teaching His children His love for them. After all, what could be more important than knowing who you are and that you are loved?

I Hope They Call Me On A Mission

My new little brother (new because he's my brother-in-law) just turned in his mission papers on Thursday. It's kind of exciting to me. I guess we have a brother on a mission right now, but he's coming home in November, and I've only talked to him on the phone... so I kind of feel bad but I forget he exists sometimes. Yep, I'm a jerk sister.

I'm really excited for Parley to get his mission call. We made our guesses. To make it official for everyone outside the family, I'm guessing Texas, or Chili... Cory is guessing Louisiana or El Salvador. (In his family you get one state-side guess and one out-of-states guess.)

It makes me think back on my own mission and how neat of an experience it was. I even ran into an Elder from my mission yesterday. In fact, he approached me asking if I remembered him. I didn't... but that's really because he served in an area I was in just after I left. I was amazed ANYONE remembered me at all. That felt really good.

I'm proud of Jared who is serving now, and I'm proud of Parley who will probably be leaving for his mission in the next few months. I hope that the next 4 brothers in line will follow suit and that Hyrum will also decide to serve the Lord in this capacity. It is a huge blessing and opportunity for them, family, and friends.

And just so everyone is aware, I will now have a brother or two serving a mission for the next... close to 10 years. So neat!

It's just so great because, besides my dad, I am the only one in my immediate family who served a mission. So I get to finally help little brothers prepare, etc. I get to tell him to be nice and look up to the example of the Sister missionaries. Because... well, there are a LOT of elders who didn't like us just because we were girls on missions. Sad, right?

I am grateful to all the young men and women choosing to put life aside to serve the Lord. And I'm grateful for my husband, whom the Lord trusted so much to give the experiences he had on his mission, who also decided to serve faithfully.

I know the Lord is continuing to bless us.

The End

I realized I still haven't written about my last week of EFY.

My last week.

I will say it was completely bittersweet.

I had another group of 16 & 17 year old girls. This time we had two groups of boys. So that was super fun... and frustrating in its own way. But I still loved them, as I always do.

I had two girls that struggled with anxiety. I was able to bond with one of them really well because of it. But this was no small anxiety. Her anxiety attacks, standard, were the same and the worst one I ever had. (I think, in a way, my anxiety attack a while back was a blessing to help prepare me for this girl. Everything has a purpose.) This girl, her life is hard. She's the only member in her immediate family, one of her parents is an alcoholic, she's the only youth in her ward, and the only member in her high school. Granted, I was never as physically isolated as a member, but I sure felt a lot of social isolation. We were pretty much best friends by the end of the week. At least I felt that way.

I felt like I wasn't really able to sit back and enjoy my last week partially because of the anxiety issues. But at the same time, it also allowed me to relax and see it from a different point of view... and let the boys take over.

I can't really remember most of what went down that week. I remember being really frustrated at one of my cos because he was a goof-off and I felt like he was more there to entertain and be given attention than teach.

By the end of the week, I was so grateful that I took the time that I did have with my youth to share my testimony with them. Most of them actually left me notes of gratitude, sharing what they learned and sharing their testimonies with me. It was awesome.

I even had a non-member in my group, which I had never had before.

I had the step-sister of the session director's wife in my group.

I had a girl whose dad was dying from some nerve disease that was causing his brain to decay.

I got to teach about families again. :)

It was an amazing week that strengthened my testimony that everything we experience can be for our good and the good of others. It strengthened my testimony of eternal families.

I just love EFY, and I can't believe I'll never work as an EFY counselor ever again. But I have been blessed. No doubt about that.

This Is My Confession

I confess... I am a crybaby.

Cory and I went to the SS office last week to get my name changed, and as we were sitting at the counter, I started to cry. I think it started when my name was too long to put into the forms and I had to make a choice. "Kayla Danielle Merriman Scott" was not going to work. It's one letter too long. *sigh* I know, I'm crazy. But I want to keep all of my names. "Kayla" wasn't going anywhere, obviously. Unless I wanted to be radical and change my whole name to something like Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock. (Those of you who watch the show will get the joke, but I think the point is still valid.) I didn't want to give up "Danielle" either because throughout all of high school, I had an identity crisis and went by Dani instead of Kayla. And, I know most girls are so willing to give up their maiden name as a symbol of accomplishing their life goal of getting married. But I'm not most girls, and I really, really LOVE the Merriman name. It ties me to my family. Or at least that's how I feel about it. It's one of the few things that I share with my brother, and what tells people I am my father's daughter. I have an unnatural attachment to my father. Not unnatural in a bad way. But the man raised me. I guess, subconsciously, I wanted to pass on his name to show the world how much I love and appreciate him and all of his sacrifices. (I can't leave my mom out, she has done a ton in the past many years, and especially for the wedding, to make sure I was alive and well.)

So I had two options, since Kayla Danielle Merriman Scott was out of the picture. Ultimately, I had to make a sacrifice. The government always crushes your dreams, right? (That was a joke...) After the deal was done, I signed the paper, and we walked away, I cried again. And again when I saw my name on my shiny new SS card.

Even in church, when people call me Sister Scott, it still doesn't feel like me.

I confess, I also cry everywhere else.

Any time I hear my husband singing and playing a love ballad, I cry. Well, to be fair, sometimes he IS singing directly to me. And sometimes we sing together. Just because we're like that.

I cry when I pray, thanking my Heavenly Father for my wonderful life, families, blessings, learned lessons, moments of inspiration or opportunity...

I am a crybaby.

L.O.V.E

After almost 8 months of being engaged, Cory and I finally got married!!! Yep! We did it! And it was the most beautiful experience ever. Never have I felt the Spirit more strongly than when I knelt across the alter in a temple of God to be sealed for time and all eternity to this man.

I'll admit, not having a car for the entire week before the wedding and not having everything finished until the night before really did stress me out. I got maybe 4 hours of sleep on Thursday. But, it didn't matter. Everything turned out beautifully. Cory had to put up with my venting here and there, but I'm sure we'd both rather me let it out than keep it in.

Also, for those of you who left early, you missed Cory singing to me. He arranged the last two verses of a song just for me. I love him so much!!!

I'll try to post some pictures soon. Well, once I get them, you'll see them.

We spent the rest of the weekend at family functions. My parents got us a hotel in SLC, which was great since we'd have to do a lot of back-and-forth driving otherwise. Gma Scott's 90th birthday bash was a huge success, and Kelli and Kristy's baby blessings were just wonderful. They even asked Cory to participate, which really meant a lot to me. I am so grateful my family loves him. My brother, Matthew, even approved, though he only met him the night before the wedding. That meant a lot to me too. I am just so grateful for all of the support of our family and friends. This weekend would have been miserable (except the temple part) without everyone.

Last night we headed up to Park City. Gma & Gpa Parker have a condo up here that is just lovely and became available for us last minute. So we get to spend a couple nights up here for a honeymoon. Cory cooked me breakfast this morning, so I'm making him dinner tonight.

I am mostly so grateful that the Lord has blessed me with such a wonderful and talented husband. He has filled my life with so much joy over the past year and I am so excited to see what our future holds!

Time of My Life

I guess now is as good a time as any.

I haven't written about the rest of EFY yet. Mostly because I've been really busy. I should have been really busy today too (SO much planned and so many errands to run!), but my car decided not to start again. So instead of doing all the things I had planned, and because I don't so much feel like being out in 90 degree weather, I'm stuck in my apartment. At least my apartment is mostly cleaned and organized. Just about ready for Kayla to come and for Cory to come home to. Maybe my car not starting is a blessing in disguise... so I can get a few other things done and relax a little before a truly crazy week. And by "other things" I mean studying for my bio final I need to take before I get married so I can start my math class...

I still need to finish week 1 of EFY also. Yeah, about that...

Can I just say that working EFY has been one of the most rewarding jobs of my life? Well, that is up to this point. I'm sure motherhood will be just as exhausting and probably a little more rewarding. Especially since they'll be my own children.

Random pause: my new neighbors apparently have no consideration for others since their music has been on full blast all night and all morning. Ugh... I can't stand the sound of bass blasting like that. It could just be that their TV is right against the wall and they have some kind of sound system that they've turned the bass up on. Either way... annoying. Really detracts from the Spirit when you're trying to read your scriptures...

Anyway. EFY. Awesome. I love working with the youth of the Church. Even if I don't get any sleep and my co-counselor acts like a 5-year old more than half the time.

June 5-11: Red Team - 14 & 15 year olds
Last year I loved the 14 & 15 year age group. Loved them! They were so innocent and excited to be at EFY. It seemed like there were little to no modesty issues and they tried as hard as they could to be obedient and feel the Spirit. What happened in just 1 year? Don't get me wrong. I loved my girls. Even the ones I struggled with a little more.

This year I decided to just give them their agency instead of trying to control every little thing. I have a bit of a control issue... so being relaxed was not easy. I wasn't relaxed about the rules. Rules are rules after all. But I didn't try to keep such a tight leash. It worked really well with the 16 & 17 year old girls the previous week.

I also have to say I had great cos again. Derek and Krista were awesome and their kids loved them. It took me a while to figure them out, and they seemed to click a lot more than I did. But that's how it usually goes with me. I'm usually the odd man out. By the end of the week though, we really got it. I didn't feel left out at all. (This year I also tried really hard to keep the mindset that this whole thing is not about me in the least.)

Pretty early in the week, one of my girls approached me saying she really didn't know if the Church was true, but that she really wanted to gain her own testimony. First off, I was impressed that she had that much desire at her age. Second, I felt very blessed that she and the Lord would trust me enough to help. So we talked for a while and we talked about how to find answers, prayer, faith, etc. Really just the basics. The next morning she told me she started reading her scriptures and praying intently. You could immediately see a change in her countenance. She was excited and happy. It was awesome! Friday night after devotional, she waited for all the rest of the girls to get to their rooms so she could talk to me alone. She told me that this week she realized that she really did have a testimony. She didn't think she did before and if she did, it didn't matter. But now she knew. I told her to call her parents that night to tell them about the experience. (What parent wouldn't want to hear about their child discovering their testimony? And on top of that, families don't talk to each other about spiritual things anymore...) You could tell that she was excited to talk to them about it. This experience (along with a few other small experiences) really made the whole week worth while.

We also had a few girls that were... reckless. They had no sense of propriety and no consideration for others. I hope that they learned something. I really, really hope, because it sure didn't seem like it when they left. It all started with this boy with a duck tail. Just a little bit of hair at the neck that curls up and looks like a duck tail. I'll tell you, I like it MUCH better than the ugly Jedi braid boys are growing behind the ear. But at EFY, boys are expected to maintain the dress and grooming standards, including hairstyles. That means to get into EFY, they have to cut it off. And this boy cut off enough of his duck tail to get him into EFY, though some of it remained.

He was teased a lot about it by these girls, but he was obedient in cutting off the required amount. So Friday morning (of course it was the last day) during the morning devotional, these girls plotted together, sat behind this boy, and decided to take it upon themselves to cut the rest of the duck tail for him. Okay, in order to understand the full gravity of this seemingly small and stupid act, you have to know that this boy lived in New Zealand for a while where the duck tail was a style and was how he identified himself with that country. He's also a football player and it stuck out of the back of his helmet so people could identify him. No matter my personal feelings on the duck tail, it was something that was important to him. There are also 5 rules at EFY that if you break them, you WILL get sent home. One of which is causing anyone physical, spiritual, or emotional harm. While boys don't like to think of themselves capable of emotional harm... this sure did it. That boy was about ready to hurt someone. And we didn't want that either.

The boy got over it. Not really, but enough to not want to beat someone. The girls felt bad when it came to the boy being upset. Once he calmed down, they seemed fine. The problem is, when you do something at EFY, pretty much everyone and their dog has to get involved. Even after taking these girls aside and speaking to them, informing them of the severity of their actions, they seemed to have little to no remorse for doing something wrong. Fortunately, they weren't sent home. I almost wish they were so they could understand that you cannot take it upon yourself to take away the agency of another. Frustrating. It was dumb. Just so dumb. I wish we didn't have to leave EFY on that note.

For our Friday night company devotional, we also only had 20 minutes. We usually get at least 40. I spent my 5 - 7 minutes talking about proper choices, getting to the temple, and eternal families. I called them out too. Not by name. But I told them that I was concerned that some of them weren't getting it. That they didn't realize that the Gospel applies to them too. They are not immune. And they are not excluded. I sure hope they figure it out. And fast. Before they make really stupid mistakes that they can't take back.

And I really hope that one of my other boys, suffering from what seemed like a neurological problem, is okay. He's such a good kid and I hope his dad's pride doesn't prevent him from taking care of himself and growing the way he needs to.

Uh... would you be offended if I wrote about last week a little later. Mike is coming over to help with my car. Hopefully we can get it towed to a shop and figure out what's wrong with it... :)

New York, New York

And another one bites the dust.

WARNING: This blog post contains personal views on politics and religion.
Read at your own risk.

New York just passed same-sex marriage. It's legal now.

Let me start by saying, while I don't approve of same-sex just-about-anything, I do believe that if that is your lifestyle, your choice, if your partner is the only family that you have, yes, they should have some of the same rights, like claims to the life insurance policy of your partner you've been with for 20+ years. There has been much debate on this over the past several years and a lot of wrongs have been committed on both sides.

Let me also say that I have had many relationships where I love the person, but not always their actions. Yes, I love my gay and lesbian friends. They are good people. Some of them are good, God-fearing people. But let me also say that I am a little sad for them because I know they can't enjoy all the same blessings that I may or may not have the opportunity to enjoy.

Let me tell you what I know:

I know marriage is between a man and a woman, ordained by God, just like it was in the beginning with Adam and Eve.
I know that sex before marriage is, in fact, a sin (gay or straight).
I know that God's plan for us centers around families. True families. Families that last beyond the grave.
I know that God gives all His children the same opportunities, but we have to choose them.
I know that some of us have challenges in this life that seem impossible to overcome, but I also know that through Christ, ALL things are possible.
I know that God wants to bless His children for their obedience to His commandments, but again, we have to choose to keep His commandments in order to receive the blessings predicated upon our obedience.
I know God loves ALL of His children and wants the best for us.

I do not believe, now that same-sex marriage is legal in a few states, that it is right. Everyone has their agency, their freedom to choose. I know that not everyone believes the same things about religion, morals, etc., as me. Do I want everyone to have the same opportunities for happiness as me? Yes. But I also know that true, lasting, eternal happiness only comes from living the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That disobedience, no matter how society twists it to look "right", never leads to that kind of happiness.

I am happy for those who feel a great sense of relief and success over this law being passed, but I'm also sad for them because they just don't know what I know. They haven't felt what I have felt. They haven't seen what I have seen.

The fullness of the Gospel is on the earth today, and there are so many who just don't know it.

Marriage is not just a temporal matter. It is a spiritual matter. What is bound here on earth by God's proper Priesthood authority is bound in heaven.