Blog Challenge, DAY 30!!!!

I have FINALLY made it to day 30!!! This challenge took WAY longer than it should have (more like a 60 day challenge?), but I am glad that I stuck with it and it is done.

Today's challenge is to write about a dream for the future. I decided that the dream I wanted to write about is to stay home with this guy:

I will have to go back to work in January, and I am not looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong...I love my job, but I really love staying home with Jaxson. It is going to be hard to go back to work, even though I will just be working part time. Hopefully one day I will be able to stay home for good!

P.S. Jaxson and I went with my mom and sister to Gardner Village today. They have it decorated with elves, so we decided to pose for a picture. :)

Blog Challenge, Day 29

Today's challenge is to write about your hopes, dreams, and goals for the next 365 days. I decided to organize this into a "Top 10" style list. They are in no particular order:

1. I want Jaxson to keep growing and be happy and healthy. He is doing great so far.
2. Have Jaxson's adoption finalized in court! This can't take place until six months after his birth, so hopefully it should be finalized in May.
3. Jaxson's blessing and sealing. We have to wait to do this until after the adoption he finalized, so it will be May or June until this happens.
4. Enjoy the Holidays! I love Christmas, and I am really looking forward to being able to celebrate it with our new family.
5. I am planning on running in the Wasatch Back in June. Right now this freaks me out, especially since I haven't been running once since Jaxson was born. Hopefully I can start training, get prepared, and not let my team down.
6. Have my sister move in before I go back to work. This isn't really a hope or dream, but will be a huge help to us once I start working again. I am so lucky to have a sister who is also a nanny!
7. Go on a vacation...even if it is just to St. George.
8. Have Jaxson sleep through the night.
9. Mike's brother, Trevor, will be coming home from his mission in November 2011. We are all anxiously awaiting his return.
10. Finish the backyard. Our backyard is SO close to being done. We just need to pour a cement pad and do a few other things. We thought we would get it done this past summer, but it didn't end up happening. Hopefully it will be done this summer.

Blog Challenge, Day 28

Today's topic is to post about what is in your purse. Typically, my purse holds my wallet, a small make-up bag (filled with lip gloss, lotion, floss, etc), pens, cell phone, and gum. Right now, I have transferred most of the contents of my purse to the diaper bag. :)

Blog Challenge, Day 27

Today's challenge is to blog about one of your worst habits. I don't necessarily know if this would be considered a habit, but the first thing that I thought of is that it is really hard for me to tell people no. I always feel obligated to do whatever favor is asked of me, even when I don't want to or don't have the time. I am slowly getting better, but it is definitely a work in progress!

Blog Challenge, Day 26

Today's topic is to write about your week in great detail. Since most of the details of my week have been the same each day, I am just going to do a summary without going into a ton of details.

Sunday: Sunday was our first day home where it was a little more quiet. We didn't have to go anywhere, which was really nice. Derek and Jessica brought us over a delicious dinner (chicken tacos) and Jaxson was able to meet his cousin for the first time.

Monday: Monday was pretty low-key as well. My family came over on Monday night to watch the Jazz game.

Tuesday: We had our first post-placement visit with our caseworker. Everything went really well. We also took Jaxson to meet Mike's grandma and aunt. They were so excited to meet him, and he did great with the car ride.

Wednesday: I don't really remember what happened on Wednesday, besides the normal. I think that we watched "Toy Story 3" and "Grown-Ups", as well as the Jazz game...wow, that is a lot of TV for one day!

Thursday: I went grocery shopping and we went to see a sneak premier of the new Harry Potter movie. My mom and sister came up to watch Jaxson, and I have to admit that it felt really weird to leave him behind. Even though I knew that my mom would do fine, it still made me a little nervous to leave him. Fortunately, he did just fine and was in a great mood for his visit with Grandma.

Friday: Nothing too exciting happened during the day yesterday. Last night, we went out with some friends to Firehouse Pizza and then came back to our house to watch the Jazz game. It was good to get out with friends!

Blog Challenge, Day 25

Today's topic is to post about your day in great detail. So, here is how my day has gone so far:

I woke up with Jaxson at about 2:30 this morning. While I was feeding him, I watched last night's episode of America's Next Top Model - thank heavens for DVR! After Jaxson finished eating, burped, had his diaper changed, and went back to sleep, I went back to sleep, too. Mike got up with him at his next feeding, so I was able to sleep in until about 9:00, when I got up with Jaxson again.

After I got Jaxson ready for the day, I played with him for a little while, had some breakfast, and then got ready to run some errands. I went grocery shopping, went to Papa Murphy's, and returned a book at the library, while Mike stayed home with Jaxson. I was so stoked because I got some awesome coupon deals!

Once I got home from running errands, I got online to order more contact lenses, check my e-mail, and update my blog. :)

So, that is my day so far...nothing too exciting, but still a great day!

Blog Challenge, Day 24

Today's post is to blog about where you live. In my opinion, this is one of the more boring challenge topics. Rather than getting too specific, I will just say that I live in the Salt Lake City area. I have lived in northern Utah since I was three years old, and Mike and I have been in our current home for just over three years. The location of our home is great, because it is close to both of our jobs, has convenient freeway access, and we are pretty close to downtown SLC. The only thing that I wish I could change would be to have more stores closer to our house...we have to drive about ten minutes to get to a grocery store.

We live in a nice house, but it is nothing too special. We have an unfinished "basement" and our backyard is mostly finished. I love that our house has so much storage. The house is mostly decorated in browns, green, and black.

Blog Challenge, Day 23

Today's post is to share a YouTube video. To be honest, I don't watch a lot of YouTube...usually just whatever gets forwarded to me. The video I chose is a cover version of Kat Perry's "Teenage Dream". I really like this version....as much or more so than the original. Hope you enjoy!

Blog Challenge, Day 22

I am going to try and get back on this bandwagon...I am SO close to being done!

Today's challenge is to post about a website. I thought a lot about which website to share...I considered some of my favorite craft ones, or maybe a cooking one. In the end, I decided to post about Stirrup Queens. I stumbled across Stirrup Queens about a year or so ago, and it has been an emotional life saver. Basically, it is a website for all things related to infertility, pregnancy loss, and adoption. It has connected me with so many other women that have similar experiences. There are message boards, informational columns, support boards, and my favorite, ICLW (basically a time once a month for concentrated blogging). I would highly recommend this website to anyone who has experienced anything related to infertility or who is just trying to get a better understanding of what it is all about.

Blog Challenge, Day 21

Today's challenge is to post a recipe. I got this recipe from Lori, and it is SUPER easy, delicious, and the perfect treat for this time of year! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
Spice cake mix
Small can of pumpkin
Chocolate chips

Combine the spice cake mix with the pumpkin. Add chocolate chips to taste.

Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

Blog Challenge, Day 20

Today's challenge is to post about one of your hobbies. The hobby that I chose to write about is crafts. Although I usually need a few ideas to be in a more creative mindset, I really enjoy making crafts to decorate our home. For fall this year, I made a "harvest" wall plaque, "Boo" letters, and I still have a turkey to make. I also enjoy sewing, although that tends to go in spurts. I have a craft blog, but I will admit that it has been quite a while since I updated it. :) I have taken a few pictures, so I just need to get around to writing the posts.

Blog Challenge, Day 19

Today's challenge is to post about one of your talents. I chose to write about playing the piano. I started taking lessons when I was five years old, and I kept taking lessons through high school. Although I don't play as much as I would like it, the piano has always been a good outlet for me, especially when I am feeling a little stressed. I am so grateful that we have a piano in our home for me to play!

Blog Challenge, Day 18

Today's challenge is to post about your wedding!

Mike and I got married on August 29, 2006, and it was such a great day! We were married in the Salt Lake Temple...it was the perfect day to get married because there were only two or three other weddings planned at the temple that day, so it wasn't crowded at all. Something that was unique about our wedding pictures was that Temple Square was decorated with hundreds of American Flags, because President Bush was coming into Salt Lake for a visit the following day. So even though we were married in August, we have some very patriotic pictures.

Sorry the pictures are so small...I can't get them to upload any larger.

Rather than holding a wedding luncheon, we had a wedding dinner. Our dinner and reception were held in the Garden Room at Thanksgiving Point. It was so beautiful there because our room overlooked the gardens, we were able to take pictures in the garden, and all of our guests were able to enjoy the gardens. The only bad thing about the gardens were that for some reason, there were a ton of garden snakes out, and I have a HUGE fear of snakes. Our wedding colors were pink and black and we used pink roses and candles to decorate.

After the reception, we headed back to Salt Lake. Mike had originally planned for us to stay at the Little America, but because of President Bush's visit, we were upgraded to the Grand America! The next day, we took off for a honeymoon in Southern California.

Blog Challenge, Day 17

Today's challenge is to post a piece of artwork:


I chose "The Singing Butler" by Jack Vetriano. I love so much of his work - they seem simple, yet romantic. I have a few prints of his in our house, and as cheesy as this sounds, I sometimes day dream about the people in the picture - what is their story? Did he surprise her for a romantic picnic lunch and they had an impromptu dance? Did they have a mysterious meeting? Who can say???

Blog Challenge, Day 16

Whew! I have officially passed the halfway mark!

Today's challenge is to post a song that makes you cry (or nearly). The song I chose doesn't really make me cry, but it is one that is close to my heart, because it reminds me of when Mike and I got engaged.

Your Everything, by Keith Urban

The first time I looked in your eyes I knew
that I would do anything for you
The first time you touched my face I felt
what I never felt with anyone else
I wanna give back what you've given to me &
I wanna witness all of your dreams
Now that you've shown me
who I really am
I wanna be more than just your man

I wanna be the wind that fills your sails &
be the hand that lifts your veil
be the moon that moves your tide
the sun comin up in your eyes
be the wheel that never rusts
be the spark that lights you up
all that you've been dreaming of & more
so much more
I wanna be your everything

When you wake up
I'll be the first thing you see &
when it gets dark
you can reach out to me
I'll cherish your words &
I'll finish your thoughts &
I'll be your compass baby
when you get lost

I wanna be the wind that fills your sails &
be the hand that lifts your veil
be the moon that moves your tide
the sun comin up in your eyes
be the wheel that never rusts
be the spark that lights you up
all that you've been dreaming of & more
so much more
I wanna be your everything

I'll be the wheel that never rusts
be the spark that lights you up
all that you've been dreaming of & more
so much more
I wanna be your everything

I wanna be your everything
I wanna be your everything

Blog Challenge, Day 15

Today's challenge is to write about your dream house. Originally, I thought that maybe I would try and find a house for sale that I could post a picture of, but instead I will just describe all of the features my dream house would have:

1. The exterior of the house would have big, mature trees, a landscaped yard, and a big wrap-around porch. I would love to have room for rocking chairs on the front porch, and then a big enough deck in the backyard for a grill and tables.
2. Formal living room
3. Formal dining room
4. Big kitchen with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, a double oven, a big pantry, breakfast nook, and enough room for people to be visiting without getting in the way.
5. A big family room with a fireplace, room for a big sectional, and plenty of room for guests.
6. At least five bedrooms.
7. A master bedroom with a walk-in closet, big jetted tub, and enough room for a sitting area.
8. Room for a home office
9. A craft room with tons of storage for my scrapbooking and sewing supplies
10. A big playroom
11. A theater room, complete with a snack bar
12. A big garage with plenty of storage
13. A large landscaped backyard with a basketball court, hot tub, and play equipment
14. A large enough lot to not feel cramped, but not so big that the neighbors feel far away
15. A good reading nook/library area
16. A big laundry room with enough room for sorting, folding, and a laundry room sink
17. A happy family to occupy it :)

Blog Challenge, Day 14

Today's challenge is to write about a non-fiction book. I chose "Eat Pray Love", by Elizabeth Gilbert.

When I first started reading this book, I had a really hard time getting into it, but by the time I had finished, I loved it. I tried to look at it as a book I was reading to learn from, rather than just read for fun. There were so many parts in the book that seemed to offer such good advice or were just what I needed to hear. One of my favorite quotes from the book is from when she is in India (the "pray" part), and it says:

"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under my jurisdiction. There are certain lottery tickets I can buy, thereby increasing my odds of finding contentment. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I eat and read and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life – whether I will see them as curses or opportunities (and on the occasions when I can't rise to the most optimistic viewpoint, because I'm feeling two damn sorry for myself, I can choose to keep trying to change my outlook). I can choose my words and the tone of voice I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts".

I liked this quote because it was a good reminder that even though there are definitely times in life that seem out of control, there is always something that we do have a say over, and that makes it easier to have a positive outlook and keep going.

Blog Challenge, Day 13

Today's challenge is to post a fictional book:

I chose to post "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. I was introduced to this series in May, and I absolutely loved it. I bought the first book to take with me on vacation, and I couldn't put it down...I ended up passing it on to my mom to read once I finished and I went out and bought the second book. If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it. It is definitely not a "girly" series: there is a ton of action with just a little bit of romance. Now, I just have to wait for the movies to start coming out!

Blog Challenge, Day 12

Today's challenge is to post something that you are OCD about. This was really easy for me...the first thing that came to mind was making sure that doors are locked.


I HAVE to make sure that doors are looked - this could be the doors at my house, the car, my office, whatever. I think that sometimes I drive Mike crazy by always asking "Did you lock the door?" :)

Blog Challenge, Day 11

Today's challenge is to post a recent picture of myself. As much as I dislike the way I look in this picture, I really like what it represents. Mike took this picture of me the morning of my graduation ceremonies from Vanderbilt University's MSN (master of science in nursing) program. When I was younger, I don't know that I ever really imagined that I would go to graduate school, but I am so glad that I did. It was such a personal accomplishment for me to know that I could do something like that. I was (and still am!) so grateful to Mike for the personal sacrifices that he made so that I could get through school. Thanks for everything, hon!