V-Dub's 101

I've been working on this 101 post forever. I've loved reading other people's so I wanted to try and put one out there too. But I'm not done, so I'm going to just post the first 41 (random I know) right now and then we'll get the rest out there asap. Whitney tagged me with a "seven random things about you" post; so 41 random things about me should probably cover that: ) Here's for you Whit.

1. At night time I like to pull the mascara off my eyelashes....but I get sad every time I accidentally pull out an eyelash. I don't have a ton to spare: ) The only reason I thought of this is because I was just doing it and pulled out three whole lashes.....and yes, I'm sad about it: )

2. I love to eat good food and get really excited about it, especially if I'm hungry.

3. However, I often put eating lower on my priority chart doing other practical things first, take care of all of Emyri's needs, get ready, clean, etc.

4. When I do eat though, I like to really sit down, get everything organized and in front of me, and enjoy every bite. Chad is more of an inhaling eater. He is usually always done eating way before I am.

5. This "sit down and enjoy every bite" characteristic is just like my brother Blake.

6. Not only do we look the most alike, but we eat the most alike: )

7. I love the way it feels after cleaning my house.

8. I love to vacuum and think the carpet always looks ten times better after I do.

9. I am amazed time and time again with how much junk I find under Emyri's high chair while I'm vacuuming.

10. I never tuck my hair all the way behind my ears. I usually leave a tuft out.

11. Chad always tries (consciously or subconsciously I don't know) to tuck those tufts behind my ears. It feels awkward though, so I un-tuck them right away.

12. Chad was my first and only kiss.

13. I was Chad's ninth.

13.5 I'm fine with that.

14. Our first kiss was in a field on a hill by my house. It was snowing and it took me practically a half hour to get up the courage to go through with it. But afterward, I felt so good and so happy that I couldn't stop smiling through the night and into the next day.

15. "Can't Stop Loving You" by Phil Collins makes me smile every time I hear it. It was the song we listened too before I finally got the guts to kiss the kid: )

16. It took me two years of high school and a year of college to learn that even two people so young can have real love.

17. Chad taught me what real love was.

18. When I was first contemplating liking Chad, I was running around the track during track practice and thinking, "I could never marry a boy like that".

19. I was wrong.

20. The night Chad was set apart as a missionary, I sat in my room and really knew that Chad could come home and be everything I ever wanted.

21. He is everything and more.

22. When I was five I got a hip infection and was rushed to Jackson to have emergency surgery. When I got there, the doctors couldn't explain why everything suddenly looked a lot better and they'd wait until morning to see about doing surgery.

23. I know why.

24. And I never did have to have surgery: )

25. I became an aunt when I was in seventh grade. I was so excited that I wrote "I'm an Aunt!!!" on a piece of paper and hung it on my locker. (The outside of my locker mind you).

26. I'm an embarrassed about that fact......but I have loved being an aunt from day one: )

27. I am amazed at how strongly I love my nieces and nephews. Their happiness means so much to me.

28. I'm glad that list of nieces and nephews now includes Kaylee and Jack and Olly....It surprises me how much I love them too, seeing how they have only been "mine" for three and a half years. But seriously, how could you not love kids that are soo hilarious and cute: )

29. I'm glad I got to be around them so much growing up. It has helped me a ton with being a mommy now.

30. One random but favorite memories of mine with Jenna was when we sat in her basement and cut pictures out of magazines to make a rainbow collage. I don't know why, but thinking of that night makes me smile every time.

31. On a sadder note, one night when we were young we were having a slumber party at Jenna's with our friends and one girl ended up getting her feelings hurt, so she called her mom and went home. We all felt really bad, but Jenna felt so bad she cried until she threw up.

32. I don't know if you remember that night.....but just in case you do, I'm so sorry Laura.

33. I hate feeling scared, but I get scared really easily.

34. I can't handle watching scary movies anymore......wussy I know: )

35. Sometimes when I'm home alone, I turn the TV on so I don't feel alone. I did this when I was younger, and I still do it sometimes.

36. I love the feeling of running, especially the feeling after I have run. I wish I made more time for it.

37. After I lost my Student Body Elections my Junior year, I went straight to track practice and ran a three mile loop by myself. It made me feel so much better to run all of those feelings out of me.

38. Kel was my campaign manager and cried with me after I lost the election. That meant so much to me. She means a lot to me.

39. Running, music, and journaling are my own ways of healing.

40. I love people so much. I love love love hearing people's stories. Seeing how people have dealt with their lives and all they have learned from life.

41. This had a huge impact in why I went into Social Work and want to go into Counseling.

It's official. Emyri is going to have a baby sister: ) I won't even bother posting a picture of the ultra sound. None of them turned out very clear because she was crouched way down by my hip, which I am totally feeling lately: ), but you could definitely see during the ultrasound that she was a little girl. We are really excited. Chad wasn't able to be there because of work, which was a bummer, but I called him as soon as I was out of the office and he was really excited: ) Telling Emyri was fun too. She said, pointing to my belly, "It's my baby sister?" We would have loved having a boy or girl either way, but I'm really excited that Emyri get's to have a close sister. I never had a sister and always thought it would be fun to have another girl to talk to everything about, share clothes (or fight over clothes....I don't know how that works), etc. But really, I think that'll be lots of fun having two little girls: ) Besides finding out she was a girl, she looks really healthy too. Her tiny heart was pumping, her arms and legs were there, and I could even see all of her little fingers and toes. We're so glad that she is doing well and can't wait to meet her: )

Welp, just wanted to let you all know. Hope things are awesome for everyone else.

Ooooh SCARY!!!

10 reasons why we're excited for Halloween...

1. We get to take Em's tricking treating for the first time. Chad is trying to talk me into letting him take his own trick or treat bag......for some reason he doesn't think he's too old.

2. Not only will Emyri be excited to come home with a huge bag of candy, but so will we....Cuz you and I both know we'll probably eat more of it than she will: )

3. Seeing Emyri in her costume, which we finally decided she's going to be a scarecrow! Chad likes more scary costumes for halloween so we may have her make-up be scary....a little.

4. Our hometown trunk or treat

5. Our own little pumpkin carving contest. (We're probably going to go with something from here for us and something from here for the little one)

6. Decorating the Mortuary for our sweet upcoming Halloween Party. (our friend is a mortician hence the "spooky" location of the party.........no actual bodies are stored there, just in case you were wondering)

7. Dressing up for our sweet upcoming Halloween Party. (Chad's going to be a Gangster and I'll be his flapper girl. Now these aren't our real costumes, but you get the idea. We actually got our costumes at a Second Hand Store (Smith's Seconds mind you) for a sweet price of $10.50 each. And of course we won't be just any gangster and flapper, but zombie gangster and zombie flapper. We'll be sure to take pictures to let you see how that exactly turns out: )

8. Seeing what everyone else dresses up like for our sweet Halloween party.

9. Watching what takes place during the "Fear Factor" event at our sweet Halloween party. I wonder if anyone will throw up?

If you can't tell we're pretty excited for the Halloween Party.

10. That we're that much closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas: )

HaPpY OcToBeR eVeRyOnE!

Just Some Toughts...

Just wanted to say that General Conference was great for me in so many ways. Just what I needed. This time more than usual I was able to recognize the simple and peaceful feeling I'd get just upon hearing the choir or the speakers voices. Even just thinking back on conference these past couple of days brought with it that same peaceful feeling. For me, it's just another quiet witness that President Monson is the Prophet; that the church is true; that all I've been learning, experiencing, and believing all my life are true. It was the perfect refocus. There was a talk about gaining testimonies as a lot of times being a quiet gentle process rather than one grand experience. That's exactly how it's been for me. A life time of gentle experiences with my Heavenly Father and Savior. A life time of small answers to my prayers. A life time of things working out in the most peculiar, but perfect ways; tender mercies. A life time of little reminders that God loves me and that He loves others. A life time of simple truths being whispered to my heart and mind. There have been moments of intense learning, but even still it has been a life long gradual process.

And now I look at Emyri and know with all my heart that Heavenly Father is there and He and His Son Jesus Christ love each of us perfectly, that families and life are forever, that this love I feel grows and goes on forever, that there is definite purpose, that through Christ there is a perfect plan.

I was grateful for the reminder of where my testimony came from and how it grows; simply and quietly, with an occassional intensity. I was greatful for a hundred reminders with conference.

Plus it was so fun and neat watching Emyri kind of get this conference experience. Even though she either played or napped most of the time, she loved and sang along with the primary choir, folded her little arms for prayers, and got the concept that we were listening to the Prophet. I love her.

As my friend melissa put it, life is good.

Question?! Is anyone else excited for the new season?

Chad and I got married back in 2005 and since then we have almost never had TV. So, needless to say, we have constantly been behind on the TV happenings. Friends and family are often coming up to us asking if we have seen the latest program craze. When we tell them no, their look of shock is inevitable. They let us borrow the previous seasons on DVD and we then understand the reason why they were so disgusted with our ignorance. My sister in law Aleesha introduced us to the the hilarious world of "The Office". Every night since August we have been watching the older seasons on DVD and now TONIGHT is the season premiere of this great show. So, I'm writing this in anticipation of the (for sure to be funny) season premier. Here is a list of some of our favorite quotes from "The Office"

Dwight Schrute Quotes:
1. In the wild, there is no health care. In the wild, health care is, 'Ow, I hurt my leg. I can't run. A lion eats me. I'm dead.' Well, I'm not dead. I'm the lion. You're dead.

2. I have been Michael’s number two guy for about 5 years. And we make a great team. We’re like one of those classic famous teams. He’s like Mozart and I’m like...Mozart's friend. No. I’m like Butch Cassidy and Michael is like...Mozart. You try and hurt Mozart? You’re gonna get a bullet in your head courtesy of Butch Cassidy.

3. Dwight: ["steering" the ship] Don't worry Michael, I'm taking us to shore!
Micheal Scott: It's a fake wheel, dummy!

4. I can travel anywhere, except Cuba, and I will travel to New Zealand and walk the Lord of the Rings trail to Mordor and I will hike Mount Doom.

5. (After he didn't tip the sub man) Why tip someone for a job I'm capable of doing myself? I can deliver food. I can drive a taxi. I can, and do, cut my own hair. I did however, tip my urologist, because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones.

6. He was already dead, and we Schrutes use every part of the goose. The meat has a delicious smoky rich flavor. Plus, you can use the molten goose grease and save it in the refrigerator, thus saving you a trip to the store for a can of expensive goose grease.

Michael Scott Quotes:

1. Abraham Lincoln once said that "If you're a racist, I will attack you with the North," and these are the principles I carry with me in the workplace.

2. Nobody likes beets, Dwight! Why don't you grow something that everybody does like? You should grow candy.

3. I’m an early bird and a night owl. So I’m wise and I have worms.

4. Presents are the best way to show someone how much you care. It is like this tangible thing that you can point to and say “Hey man, I love you this many dollars-worth. So Phyllis is basically saying “Hey Michael, I know you did a lot to help the office this year, but I only care about you a homemade oven mitt’s-worth”. I gave Ryan an iPod!"

5. New York, New York. The city so nice, they named it twice. Manhattan is the other name.

6. Dwight, The kids don't wanna hear some weirdo book that your Nazi war criminal grandma read to you!

I wonder how many people will be tuned in to NBC come 8:00 tonight....?

I somehow found this family's blog today and have spent the last hour reading through this mom's heartaches. She lost her little baby boy this June and shares so much of her thoughts and feelings and lessons learned. I don't know this family, but even in this tiny peek into their lives they seem incredible in so many ways. I just wanted to share it with you, because already it has helped me think and rethink and feel and re-feel so much.

Emyri just woke up from her nap and I can't kiss her and hold and look at her enough.

So I wrote this whole heartfelt, self revealing post about my fascination with and love for creating music......but when I came back to complete and post it I found somehow it had never saved.

Now (for the moment) I am too sad : ( and tired to rewrite it. So, just to give you a taste of what it was about I'll post a few of my favorite youtube clips featuring these homemade artist.

(this one melts my heart every time...in fact, it melts emyri's heart every time too. When I
listen to it, she'll come sit on my lap completely captivated....maybe she feels it too?)


(incredible)

acoustic Hey Ya
(never mind the funny inclusion of the real outkast video)

really though, I will rewrite this post....it's something I want to share, so once again.....to be continued: )