come listen

what we're doing this weekend:

the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

i was up every few hours through the night, just feeling uncomfortable and nauseous from the antibiotics. when i went to the bathroom to get more ibuprofen for the pain, i noticed a white spot near my left tonsil. i didn't think much of it. it's probably common to have pus in your throat when you have a sinus infection like this one.

by the time i actually woke up, the white spot was gone, but there was a new development: my left tonsil had swollen, really big, and was covered in grey spots. i had already been complaining about how much it hurt to swallow and cough, and now i could see why.

i called the doctor's office to explain my problem and also told them the amoxicillan was making me nauseous, and the lady said she would let my doctor know and get back to me. in the mean time, i google "swollen grey tonsils" which i do not recommend you do. because it will scare you into believing you have tonsilitis. which is very rare in adults (remember how Chloe just had hers out, though?)

what upset me most was that we would have to cancel our sleepover plans with the babies. which breaks my heart! i was so excited to spend the weekend with them! they are the greatest!

while i was waiting for the doctors office to call back, i texted my mom, just to update her on how i was doing (which wasn't good). she called almost immediately and said she was on her way to get me to take me to the instacare. i was getting discouraged about my called being returned by my doctor's office anyway, since it was past 5:00, which is when they close.

when the doctor's office called back (finally), the nurse said she would switch my prescription to something that wouldn't make me nauseous. that was all. not any mention of my tonsils. 

but i was already on my way to instacare. there, the doctor said he would get me all new prescriptions. that would work better to help my sinuses and my sore throat. he also said the swollen tonsil wasn't big enough to cause a problem yet (which is weird because it's pretty big to me! but oh well. at least it's not that bad!) he reach in my mouth and poked it really hard a lot. i thought he was going to try and pop it! luckily, he didn't. 

he also said he would give me an antibiotic shot in my hip. i almost immediately froze. luckily, by this time, devin was finally on his way home from work, and met my mom and i at the doctor. he walked in right as i was getting ready to take the shot. they gave me some gross liquid to drink first, and then they shot a really thick medicine into my bum. and it hurt so bad. and it still does. and i may have cried a little bit. 

right after that, we went to pick up my prescriptions. the doctor had given me a new antibiotic to start taking tomorrow and a rinse that would heal the pain in my throat topically. he said to do the rinse right away. 

what he didn't tell me is that the rinse was a numbing medicine. the same kind the dentist uses before giving you a shot. it tastes so awful, like rotten juice, and it didn't touch the back of my throat. i got it all over my lips and tongue. gah!! a numb tongue and lips is not fun. and it feels weird. luckily it wore off relatively quickly. 

right before i did the rinse, sean (devin's older brother) came over and brought us soup from zuppa's. he's so awesome! sean has also played a major part in all of our life-changing decisions this week - more on that later though. but seriously. it was so awesome of him to bring us some soup! it was exactly what i needed! all i had eaten the entire day before that was a few saltines. 

the point is:

i am so glad to be off amoxicillan. it made me sooooo nauseous.

my bum is so, so sore, but the injection definitely made a difference, and i'm in much less pain (except for my bum, of course).

i have to rinse with that numbing stuff 4 times a day, and i think know i will hate every second of it. 

i'm supposed to be better by monday or tuesday! 

after talking with both my sisters in law, it seems like a lot of this could be caused by being in the nursery at church. exposed to so many baby germs all at once in a tiny room with the door closed, and lots of old, messy toys is probably not the best thing for your health! hopefully we can get some regulation with the nursery. 

my tonsil (just the left one, really) is still swollen and grey, but it's supposed to go away soon. hopefully. if not, i am supposed to go the ER! 

oh. and my mom told me that devin and i should have a baby this year since we've met our out of pocket for insurance, so the baby would be free! not gonna happen, mom! hahaha

feeling better already

after missing work monday and tuesday, and leaving early today because i just couldn't handle it, i called my mom in near-tears. 

moms always know what to do. 

she said to go to the doctor. 

but i just went to the doctor for the same thing. 

he said it was a cold. 

even my throat culture was negative. 

go again. tell him you're still sick. 

i did. 

and it was an agonizing 1.5 hours of waiting in sheer pain before he finally figured it out. 

an ethmoid sinus infection. 

the ethmoid sinuses are the ones the doctor can't look at by shining his light by your nose and eyebrows. they are the sinuses inside your head. 

and they are devils. 

i left with a massive (like, huge) prescription of amoxicillan, and spent half and hour trying to keep it together while i waited for the pharmacist to fill it.

which may have been the slowest, most awful half hour of my life.

i cried the whole way home.

my head is so cloudy, i might even be hallucinating, and swallowing makes my eyes water because it hurts so bad.

on top of this month-long ailment, this week is probably the most stressful of our entire marriage (so far, at least) and we have a lot of really major decisions to make. 

it's going to be so difficult. 

i'm not one to enjoy a sacrifice, but we know we will be so much better off in the long run. 

what a week it's been!

these antibiotics better get me out of bed soon, because the babies (Makayla and Kaden) are coming for a sleepover tomorrow! also? i couldn't ask for a better weekend for conference. i could really use some lounging around, getting spiritually fed. it's been too long.

speaking of... i have never calmed down so quickly as i did earlier this evening when my sweet husband and generous grandfather came to my aid and gave me a priesthood blessing. 

rarely do i feel as close to and loved by the Lord as i do with the hands of wonderful, worthy men on my head. 

it was exactly what i needed. 

i cannot even begin to explain how grateful i am that my husband is a worthy priesthood holder with the ability to give me a blessing at any moment i, or anyone else, for that matter, may need one. 

knowing he has this ability makes me feel so humbled. 

having the priesthood in our home is something i never hope to take for granted. 

what a sweet man he is, that husband of mine. 

he has been within my reach ever since he got home, doing all kinds of things to make me feel better, including some pretty entertaining attempts to make me laugh and smile.

how could i resist him?? 

i can't. 

i don't even try.

10 Things I'm Missing

with this spring weather being so hot and cold with us (no, literally...) it's got me anxious for it to make up it's mind. one way or the other. march has always been my least favorite month. it's such an ugly transitional phase in seasons and nothing good happens (with a few exceptions this year!) and the only thing on tv ever is basketball. if i were my brother in law, brandon, i would say, "lousy smarch weather..."

so anyway. march has me missing a lot of things. such as...

1. this sweet little baby girl, and her mama, of course! it's only been what, 4 days since she even existed, yet i'm thinking about that jones family all day long! i'll see them soon, if i can ever get healthy, that is! devin and i plan on making them dinner some night next week!

2. we have been making up a pretty giant to do list lately, and one thing on that to do list is to move all the winter gear into the storage unit, and get all the summer gear back out. once we pull out that camping gear, it's going to take a lot of effort to not camp immediately! i also have some new chacos that need more breaking in...

3. these little ones! i so miss the conversations carter and i would have, and the hilarious games i would play with aria. i even miss watching tangled every single day for 2 months. i miss being a nanny! it was one of the best jobs ever!

4. our honeymoon was awesome. we didn't go anywhere fancy, or do anything too fancy (except for that one really expensive dinner by accident, and that shopping spree at banana republic by accident), and it was exactly what we needed. 6 days of uninterrupted time together. it was easily one of my favorite vacations ever.

5. my kitty! but i miss him as a kitty. word on the street is milo is a big cat now. last time i saw him, his neck was bigger, and wider than his head. my theory is that the cats on the west side of the neighborhood are drug dealers, and milo's been getting mixed up with some sketchy stuff (cough cough steroids cough cough) but really, he is huge in the weirdest way. i miss him as a kitten. he was much cuter, way nicer, and also hilarious.

6. i miss our brian head trip! hands down the second best trip we've ever taken! which is saying something, because we've done a lot of trip taking since we got married! we had so much fun, the resort was the best skiing i've ever had (since i was 2!) and it was just the right amount of vacation before we had to go back to work. also? the best christmas present ever!

7. the morris'! i miss kelli and sean so much! i so hate that they live in layton. lucky for us, we see them every once in awhile, but it's just not often enough. the last time we saw them was meeting in salt lake for dinner at red iguana about a week ago, and the time before that, i went up to their house while devin was on his backpacking trip. i wish they lived closer so i could go bug them all the time! kelli is easily one of my best friends, and it's hard when your best friends isn't 100% accessible at all times. (ps, this is my favorite picture of them, ever. look at how dreamily she is looking at her husband. that's love.)

8. impromptu adventures. this is what is getting me most excited for summer. now that we have a truck, impromptu adventures are going to be happening on the regular. and i mean like... weekly. probably. remember that time we couldn't find a camping spot for labor day weekend in the uintah's so we just had to drive home, and then we hit a deer? it was such an awful night! i was so bummed! the next day, we decided to just go up anyway, and we hiked into dean lake, caught absolutely no fish, but had the best time! and remember how the day after that we bought a truck? that was a very spontaneous weekend for us...

9. i can't wait to golf again! i know i usually define golfing as driving the cart for devin and sweating in the shade while he golfs and i take pictures of his cute behind, but i can't wait to do it anyway! i am promising myself i'll do more actual golfing this summer. hopefully.

10. nights and Bandit's with these crazies. this doesn't even need an explanation. if ryan's face isn't convincing enough, then i'm sure his purple duckie sweater will be. 

5 Things x2

I find that I use "5 Things" posts to wrap up all the random. It's been so long since I did a 5 things post, though, that I have a lot of random to wrap up! So this is 5 things twice. 2 5things. 5 things x2.

five things once:

1. she's two! (very, very two! - and also not until Friday. officially.)

 

2. valentine's day present from Devin - so sweet.

3. a dinner plate-sized cinnamon roll for dessert (and breakfast the next day!) at Wallaby's - an impromptu dinner date with devin's parents last saturday.

4. for a long time, kaden was always complaining of headaches and constantly rubbing his eyes. we couldn't figure out what was wrong with him - turns out he just needed some glasses! now, he looks even more like his uncle Devin! what studs. even though kaden is blurry, i love this photo! i love devin in his ray ban's!

5. devin's dinner creation: chicken rolled around onion, bread crumbs and fresh parmesan cheese - so amazing! where did my husband learn to cook?!

>>><<<

five things twice:

1. my newest food obsession: blackberries. mmm

2. what monday looked like. tons of water. tons of orange juice. (i was very sick)

3. what tuesday looked like - hot water with honey and lemon juice to help my throat. and water. sooo much water. (i was still very sick)

4. what every night looks like -- saved by the bell, the office, or arrested development every night before we fall asleep.

5. our weekends have been SO busy this last month, but our weekdays? nada. 

sassy water

lately i seem to be turned on to the idea of learning about the foods that naturally detox and cleanse your body's important organs. probably because i seem to be getting sick very often, and very easily. and it's very frustrating! i think "re-setting" might help. after a lot of reading and pinterest-ing, i found something i want to try! 

sassy water

it's named after Cynthia Sass, who is the co-author of "The Flat Belly Diet". it's part of the diet in the book, and even if you aren't following the diet (i'm sure not!), it helps with the whole "drink 8 glasses of water a day" tradition. 

it claims to be able to calm your gastro-intestinal tract, it's a great source of fiber, and it can soothe an upset stomach among tons of other benefits. here's the recipe:

8 1/2 cups water (purified or filtered, ideally)

1 tsp grated ginger 

1 medium cucumber, sliced thin

1 medium to large lemon, sliced thin

12 spearmint leaves

mix all the ingredients together in a pitcher, and refrigerate it over night. strain the water in the morning, and drink all 8 1/2 cups before bed, throughout the day!

the ginger boosts metabolism

cucumbers are natural diuretics and also help your body release excess water it's storing

lemons are digestive aids and liver cleansers

it's recommended you drink this as a replacement of regular water for 4 days straight, and maintain a healthy diet throughout the "cleanse" for the best results. a lot of women claim to lose weight by making this switch in their water drinking alone, but it also helps get your body running the way it should, naturally!

i'm pretty sure i've never seen spearmint leaves in the grocery store, but I called Sunflower Market, which is here in Orem, and they said they carry them!

addi-tude is 2!

Addison Renee turns 2 on March 30th!

I can hardly believe it. When I met Devin, and he introduced me to his family in 2010, this girl was still small enough to cradle! She has grown up SO fast, and has the big personality to show it! 

She is the busiest 2 year old we know. Constantly on the move.

Her obsessions include phones, puppies, screaming, juice, snacking, Minnie Mouse and climbing on things.

She gets a little smarter every day. We love visiting and noticing how much more articulate she is with her words. She is forming full sentences and her pronunciation is past jibberish now, for the most part! She is so smart, and so pretty and absolutely hilarious!

We can never get enough of little Addi.

So to celebrate, we had some dessert and played outside on Sunday with the family!

the party hadn't even started and she had just finished cookie #3!

and naturally, clutching a phone, any phone.

she LOVES her cousin Kasey. she gets so, so excited when she sees him.

she was reading the card to all of us, and at the end, she said "DUN DUN DUN" - like a scary movie.

moses was cookie stalking, and getting a nibble whenever she wasn't looking!

opening all of her presents - she got spoiled!

the thing about this 2 year old is that she isn't a fan of toys, and has an especially short attention span. so what do you get a girly 2 year old that doesn't play? clothes!

more phone time.

the only "game" my lame phone has is an app called "Tumbling Dice" - you just shake it, and it rolls the dice. every time she sees me the first thing she says is "shake it?" - meaning she wants to play.

this is what happens when I ask devin to get me ice cream, and I apparently ask too much of him.

a little bit of ice cream, with marshmallow fluff and caramel.

and don't forget the whipped cream! - he gave me TONS!!

Skiing with The Hancocks

Our good friends Josh and Amy are on their way out of Utah soon, so Josh can go to school to become a P.A. and they made a "Utah Bucket List" to finish before they left. We are big fans of the beehive state, so we enlisted ourselves to help them complete their list. First on the agenda: skiing!

We went up to Sundance on Saturday for our last trip of the season. It was so warm, we didn't even use gloves, and Devin and Amy both got sunburns! The snow got pretty slushy after 12:00, so we only got a good 4 hour day in, but it was so worth it! Devin finally tried the famous nachos from The Bear Claw, and I never even fell! I was also proud when I successfully helped Amy re-learn her ski techniques. It was an awesome day! Devin spent a good amount of time on the black diamonds, totally rocking them, and I only joined him for 1 of them, but it was a great afternoon!

I'm glad the Hancocks still have several months before they move, because we are sure going to miss them! Once it gets warmer, the next thing on the list is to hike Timp!

Hunger Games

we went to a showing of The Hunger Games on Friday with a bunch of family and friends at Thanksgiving Point. We watched it on the Mammoth Screen -- that thing is TOO HUGE! We left a little nauseous but it was worth it! I thought the movie was so well done. It followed the book pretty much exactly. Down to tiny details, and even some of the script. It was very impressive. The cast? Incredible.

The thing about the book though, is that it is so well written, and already set up to be an amazing movie, so as I read it, it was so easy to picture it in my head. And although the cast they actually used was incredible, I had my own in mind:

When I picture people in books, it just happens by default and I don't seem to have much say in it, and it just stays that way forever.

HAYMITCH: Kevin Costner circa 1990 (like in "Dances with Wolves" except drunk.)

PEETA MELLARK: Taylor Wach (my younger sister's ex-boyfriend - weird, i know. but like i said. it happened without my consent.)

KATNISS EVERDEEN: Me... even weirder, but again, default. 

PRESIDENT SNOW: Christopher Lee - except more white hair.

EFFIE: a very petite redhead....

I know I had ideas for other people, but I can't think of them right now. I think the cast I had could have done a great job, too...

Bayli Grey Jones

it's friday night, about 1:00 a.m.

we just got home from seeing the hunger games (more later) and are trying to fall asleep.

devin is on facebook on his phone and sees that Val has said "it's baby time!"

she's at the hospital!

my phone wasn't in the room but the next morning, around 7:45, we wake up and i have a bunch of texts from val and stef.

i text back and val is responding, so i decided to just call.

i thought they would probably just be waiting around waiting for doctors to get things going.

which was sort of the case...

garrison answers, sounding like it's any other day, and hands the phone to val.

who is in labor. she's already had an epidural. 

and we're just talking on the phone like it's no big deal.

she even has a contraction!

true best friends, haha!

after a few minutes, i told her i better get going, because it sounded like she was pretty busy (haha)

devin and i had plans to go skiing with josh and amy, so we headed off to those plans (more later)

and around 2:00 when we were finished, we headed back home.

i had gotten next to no sleep, because of the late movie, plus my cold, plus my best friend was having her baby girl, so I took a short nap.

i had a text from stef around 10am saying that baby bayli was here and healthy, and val was doing good, too!

valeri and bayli were both resting, so we decided to wait a little bit. obviously, they'd had a pretty big day! 

we headed to the hospital around 4:30, and holy cow.

the most beautiful, tiny little baby girl was there in her nursery cart coo-ing and squirming.

i can't get over how beautiful she is.

and Valeri! she just had a baby, and she's gorgeous and happy, and already proving to be an amazing mother!

the first thing i noticed is that she looks a lot like her daddy!

she is a jones baby for sure.

we were all so sure she would be bald and look more like val!

i can't get over how tiny she is, but she's totally healthy. val only gained 17 pounds during the entire pregnancy!

5 lbs 3.8 oz

18 inches long

full head of dark brown hair

3 weeks early

born at 9:56 a.m.

on March 24, 2012

Bayli Grey Jones

my first ever surrogate niece, haha! val is the first of all of my close friends (excluding the ones I have met through Devin) to have a baby, so it's a very big deal!

i didn't take very many pictures, because I was holding her, but Devin snapped a few.

i wore a doctor's mask because of my cough. i didn't want to get that baby girl sick! - I also realize I look slightly crazy in the pictures, but I couldn't contain my happiness!!!

she has the cutest little cry, and big, big dark blue eyes.

she has big lips, just like her mama!

i held her for a good 20 minutes, and she just stared at me. she is gorgeous!

i miss her already!

they will probably come home from the hospital today or tomorrow, depending on how well valeri is feeling (which is good, for the most part!)

the funny thing is, though, Bayli wasn't just a surprise when we found out Val was pregnant, she was also a surprise when she came!

Valeri had just come to the hospital to turn in some labs she had done. They told her she had preclampsia. They admitted her then and induced her, because the only cure for preclampsia is to have the baby! Surprise!

The other interesting thing is that I was talking to my mom the day before about Val, and said "I hope she has this baby tomorrow!" - looks like my wish came true!!!

I am so excited for Valeri and Garrison. They will be great parents. It was already obvious in the hospital! Bayli is too small for even the premature diapers, and all the hats and headbands we put on her were way too big too! She is so small and so beautiful, and I am so happy. Part of me was so sure that seeing Bayli would put me into full-blown baby hunger (even more so than before!), but I actually left feeling like the opposite! Man, am I excited to have my own little baby some day, but I can definitely wait!!! I realized I wouldn't be thinking that if the timing was right, so we are going to happily move forward with our crazy life as it is, and continue to travel and work and learn! And obviously, play with everybody else's babies as often as possible! ha!

less than 1 day old!!!

I'm sure I will get more photos later, and I know Val and probably Stef will post some soon, too, so I may steal some of those! I just can't get over this little girl!!!

BPW: sharing + where you'll find us this weekend

anxiously waiting to start the weekend. at 7:30, you could find us at paradise bakery, one of our favorites, with tons of our friends, eating some delicious food. 

we'll probably be there for awhile.

and at about 9:30, you'll find us sitting, way too anxiously, in front of the mammoth screen, tapping our feet while we wait for The Hunger Games to start. 

and then, almost immediately after, we will most likely turn into zombies and go directly to bed.

where you can find us until noon, is my guess.

the afternoon, we can be found on the mountains of sundance, skiing our hearts out for one last time this season. 

we'll be with some other great friends. and i mean, really great. it's the hancocks, you know! they are awesome. i can't wait! 

and then, we'll probably immediately turn to zombies again, except for more sore, and with runny noses, and maybe even a sunburn or 2. and we'll be in bed until we convince ourselves to get up for church. if we can be convincing enough. 

and sunday night? we'll be found with our family, celebrating the birthday of the 2 year old with the loudest most adorable personality ever. that's right, little addison renee herself is TWO. are you kidding?!?! she is growing up way too fast. it just means we need to get some more babies in this family!!! (you know who you are...!!!)

and we will spend a few minutes dreading this awesome weekend coming to a close. and we'll fall asleep slowly, and then monday will come, and it won't be so bad. and the week will go by so fast, that it will all be okay. because it will be time for another weekend.

as for what i love about blogging this week?

sharing. i love linking up to other blogs or old posts or other websites and things. i like to give credit where credit is due, when i can remember to do so. did i mention yet that i love that my blog is like a google, but for my life? i use it all the time to look up old dates for jobs and other events that happened, to find pictures, and all other kinds of things.

i also like to share what i learn and do. i don't have very many original ideas, but i like them enough to want to share the wealth. because it's worth sharing. plus, i learn so many great things from other blogs, that it wouldn't be fair if i wasn't contributing to the huge idea pool that has been created in the blogging world.

BPW: you! + thursday

The terrible thing about today is that is feels like it's Friday. but it isn't, and when I have to remind myself that, I get a little grumpy. The great thing about today, is that my boss got us pizza and ice cream for lunch, and we left work an hour early. paid. and i did a ton of really great work today. i love my job! it's the exact kind of busy work i have always enjoyed. most people don't like "busy work" but i love it! 

the other nice thing about today is that it's 70 degrees, which my really attractive husband put on his bibs and jersey and took his bike out for another ride. the terrible thing is that i still can't go with him. changing that next season, we hope! 

today is going to be nothing but relaxing. i haven't moved from the couch since i got home and put sweats on, and there's not a sound besides the clicking of the keyboard while i type. so relaxing. i get to catch up on my hulu! i love it when i get to do that! 

other thoughts about today:

i'm so grateful to have a husband who will randomly send me funny things that happen to him and sporadic "i love you!" 's. 

i also love that he is just as content with my idea of a junk food dinner including hot dogs and potato chips as he is with a fancy meal at communal. 

and i love that it's finally spring. we're hoping to head back to buckhorn wash next month if it's not too wet and do some exploring in jackass benches. anybody wanna come???

blog positivity week: 

another awesome thing about blogging is YOU GUYS. i don't have many official followers (shout out, 29!), but i am getting international views and returning visitors daily. i don't know who you are, but i love you! 

just this week alone, my stat counter has recorded visitors from:

all over southern utah (mostly st. george)

around here in northern/central utah (draper, salt lake, orem, provo, payson, west jordan, etc, etc)

colorado 

massachusetts 

missouri 

hawaii 

australia 

california 

michigan 

wisconsin 

texas 

idaho 

new york 

iowa 

korea 

tasmania

alberta 

kansas 

maryland 

south carolina 

saudi arabia

um... that makes me feel pretty great about myself. i don't feel like i have anything special going on here, but knowing that i'm providing enough entertainment for people to read this, let alone, keep coming back, is pretty cool. 

i have met some AMAZING people through the blogosphere. amazing, i tell you. to name a few:

stephanie & mr. nielson: this couple was in an airplane accident a few years ago, and her road back from that is amazing, inspiring, and miraculous. nie nie is easily the most inspirational, influential person i've ever "met". 

namoi & josh: rockstar diaries is easily one of the most popular blogs around, but man. not only is that baby eleanor the cutest thing ever, but they are solid. such a great family, and members, no less! so awesome!

sydney & tyson: another super popular blog, written by members! the daybook is my go-to when i want to laugh. sydney is hilarious, and her son everett has the best facial expressions i've ever seen! so awesome.

sam & sarah: sarah is my sister in law's sister in law. if that makes sense. so i have done things with her a few times, but i feel like i know the most about her through her blog. she is amazing! so, so crafty, absolutely gorgeous, and she is so multi-faceted. she is a farm girl, loves horses, but still sews like a champion, and has flawless hair and makeup. she's also one of the sweetest people i've ever known.

sam & chas: they are both artists. so artsy. they are in SLC, and sam is seriously the biggest trooper. she's not much older than i am, and she's pretty much been to hell and back more than once, and she is so much stronger for it! she is so willing to share her experiences and share it with others, and there is a strength in doing that, that not many people have. she is a killer painter, too.

hue & hum: i couldn't say enough good things! caitlin and robbie are pretty much the coolest. she's an artist. he's a musician (and in one of my favorite bands, the fictionist!) robbie is also the brother of one of our best friends, and devin's old mission companion, TJ! they are both so incredibly talented, and caitlin constantly finds a way to relate the process of art to life. she is so creative and interesting, and also hilarious! you should check out her fotoshop phridays!

brittany: brittany is the mother of a family from new england where devin serve his mission. and when i think brittany, i think "i am mom, hear me roar!" she is everything i aspire to be as a mother, and so passionate and loving. she is also an amazingly talented artist, and has so many great thoughts to share. i cannot WAIT to meet her in two months when we head our to new england! she is so inspiring.

and who could forget my trusted besties? kylee and valeri both write hilarious and entertaining blogs. kylee blogs about really book-smart stuff. like her literary english sort of stuff that she is studying at UVU. she's always quoting some really, really old genius, and making really funny metaphors about herself and her life. it's pretty much why we're best friends. valeri's blog is sometimes my only way of getting caught up on her life and pregnancy! that little bayli grey is coming any day now, and it's been fun to see her and garrison prepare and learn. she is amazing! i can hardly wait for her to be a mama! 

then there's my sisters! chloe and amanda are in-law sisters, but it doesn't really matter. sisters are sisters! they both write hilarious, amazing blogs and i LOVE reading them, even if they already told me the stories! the longer we've known each other, the closer we get, and i LOVE IT! they are amazing. i can't believe they're my sisters! 

my little sister kayla writes a pretty awesome blog too. her perspective of life, and high school, and love is so different from mine, and i love reading about how she does it all! she is gorgeous, genius, and hilarious, and i love her. the end.

i would link up to all those blogs, but they are pretty much all on my side bar ----> and if not, i bet you already follow them! i love these guys. they make blogging what it is to me. 

BPW: writing + wednesday

Wednesday has been good to me, too. It's been an all around great week, truthfully. 

I stayed late at work so my "team" can go home AN HOUR EARLY (PAID!!!) tomorrow. That's right. Work has been so great, obviously. It's been good for me. Good for us. 

Devin has some potentially big changes (did i word that right...?) coming up in this next week or so. More on that later... the only thing that matters is that we are both feeling really great about everything that's going on. 

We are making steak kabobs right now. literally. i'm sitting in the kitchen. devin just put the steak on the stove. and i'm refraining from eating all the orange and yellow peppers...! then we'll make the rounds to our family and catch up and drop off...

Blog Positivity Week:

I love to write. I always have. I even spent a year at Dixie State College, trying to keep my head above the water that is a mass communications major. I was taking 17-21 credits, all relevant to journalism, and I was a section editor at the ripe young age of 18, which entailed at least 40 hours a week worth of editing, writing, proofing, photographing, and critiquing. It's a meticulous little job. Not for everyone. Not for me either, unfortunately. (if you care to know more about my journalism career or my time at dsc, read here.) It was the most stressful experience I have ever had, but I'm grateful for it every day. I learned so much, and even though that may not always show, with my typo's and grammatical errors, I am a good writer. I know I am. And that's not bragging, I promise. It's just... one of those things. Blogging is a little different then journalism, and writing newspaper articles, but still. Anyway, blogging is an awesome way for me to practice my writing. As often as every day. I think it's healthy to write. No matter what form you use to do it in. I also love the ability to channel thoughts into words. I think it takes  a lot of creativity and talent to do it in a good way, and I'm still learning, but it's something I've always aspired to do. 

I also think blogging/writing is a great outlet. A creative outlet to get my thoughts and ideas out there, a way to keep myself composed, and not bottle things up. A way to share the girly things my husband doesn't care to listen to (haha). I couldn't say enough things about writing. And the fact that blogging allows me to write as often as I want, how I want, where and when, and about what... makes blogging important to me. I am a huge believer in the power of the written word. I would often communicate to Devin difficult things through email while we were dating and engaged. I always felt like I sounded so dumb, that it was hard for me to talk about those things in person when we were dating, and more so when we were engaged, but he totally understood the difference it makes to be able to write out your thoughts and organize them. That's a prime example. I think everyone should be able to have an outlet like this for whatever it is they do or want. Just another reason why I love to blog!

BPW: inspiration + countdowns

TUESDAY has been okay. Devin doesn't work on Tuesdays. Tuesdays are his school days. So my tuesdays generally start with several curse words in my head as I kiss him goodbye while he's still in bed, and I head off to work on a mean, cold morning (I say mean, because we almost his 70 like, 2 days ago. what a joke it is to wake up to 20 degrees again! boo.)

Tuesday got a little better when I came home for lunch and we had hot dogs and watched daytime sitcoms like "Yes, Dear" and "King of Queens" - classics. It also got better when I got to work and "unintentionally" spent at least 1/2 an hour hanging out with my boss, not on the phone. It was pretty awesome. She's easily one of the coolest bosses I've ever had. (Alex and Jamie are easily the best bosses... haha! I miss them!)

Then it got GREAT when I got to leave work 1/2 an hour early and get paid for it! It's because our team in our department did exceptionally well yesterday, and as a reward, we get to duck out early! Wahoo! I love incentives like that.

I came home and we watched Seinfeld until Devin went to class. During that time, I watched the episodes of Buried Life where the boys deliver a baby and compete in a krump competition. This show is hilarious, and also cool in an inspiring way. Those are some good guys. Then I watched the CNBC show called something like... "The Facebook Obsession" it was interesting, but not really. Whatever.

Then... we cooked. After Devin got home from class early (nothing better than a cool professor). We made creamy italian chicken, rice, and squash/zucchini. YUM. And I even made chocolate mousse for dessert. I don't think I've ever seen Devin's eyes get to wide and happy as they did when I pulled the ingredients out!

Now? It's Jazz game time. For the... 3rd night in a row, I believe? Man, I wish I liked basketball more. And I'm guessing we'll end the night with some mousse in bed, while watching The Buried Life.

so mostly... Tuesday's been good to me.

now about the countdowns:

1 year until we get to plan our next anniversary trip (we're thinking... beachy.)

1.5 months until we get iPhones. which has been a LONG time coming. it's about time. my phone is awful. i've never even had a smart phone. and i'm jealous of instagram-ers. i wanna play :(

2 months exactly until we are off to BOSTON!!!

3 days until we go to the hunger games with all our family/friends!

4 days until we go skiing with Josh and Amy! We are taking them for I think both of their first times, and it will probably be our last chance to get out this season. Luckily, we still have some free passes! So maybe i'm a little glad we've had some recent snow... because that means fresh powder on the mountain :)

what i love about blogging today:

so many IDEAS out there. so much INSPIRATION. from other bloggers. i think the blogging world attracts women (mostly) who are crafty, which is really handy for me, because i'm still learning how to be crafty, and i'm slowly getting better at it. i learn so much from these other bloggers. so many tips and tricks. lots of cute things to try... crafts, and things on myself! how do you think i learned all the hairstyles i wear lately??? haha blogging is the best. i love how much i can learn and figure out from the bloggers around me. they are some amazing ladies! (i single out women because i only follow girl blogs. except for my husband. but he hasn't posted since... a few days before our wedding, i think? what a slacker.... haha! just kidding.)

okay. i'm done. i don't have the patience to blog tonight. i scarffed down an in-n-out cheeseburger and fries for lunch yesterday and i still feel sick. i also think i might be allergic to grapes. they give me heartburn... what the H, mario?

BPW: connecting. + sunday/monday

like i mentioned in this post here, i'm participating in blog positivity week! (BPW) so... this week, i am making it a point to be positive, talk about my favorite things about the blogosphere, and encourage all other bloggers to do the same.

so first of all, yesterday was Sunday. and we went to church for the first time in 3 weeks. because those past 3 weeks, at least one of us was terribly sick. which is a problem when you're calling is in the nursery. but today, we finally got back to church, and it felt so good. i feel like i never notice how much i have missed the uplifting feelings i get from church each weeks until i don't get them... so i was all smiles. even when nursery was a full 2 hours of wiping runny noses and trying to explain to the 2 year olds that throwing big, plastic cars at each other is not a good idea. they are adorable anyway. we had 10 kids in nursery! that's a lot! they were all great. all of them. so cute. it was so great to be at church. i should really stop taking that blessing for granted. not only do we have an amazing ward family to spend each sunday with, but we live 2 houses down from our church building, which is another blessing.

today, was great. it consisted of:

doing work at work. (I don't mean that as in actual work, although i did do actual work at work... that's why i go there... but I mean it in the boy way. Like... I really showed today who's boss, and I went to town on that work day, and I made it my b... you get the point.) i got a 100% of a recording. which is a big deal to nobody but my co-workers who know what i'm talking about. but it's really cool, and i'm really proud of myself. it pretty much just means i am doing good at my job. 100% good. which is goooood.

going to CPK with Devin (he was a first timer). it was delicious and weird. as usual. 

mall browsing. which was only at trade home (my secret shoe store that nobody else seems to shop at), macy's, the weird game store (which had no games we wanted, or knowledge of the games they did have...), and express. 

grocery shopping. we went to target. they've been remodeling. i thought they would leave grocery alone. i thought wrong. they moved basically everything all over. UGH. whatever. i had that store DOWN. i did work on that store. and the very second I am totally completely 100% confident with my target knowledge... they switch it all up and move practically EVERYTHING. grocery shopping is always entertaining. i think Target might just make up for this switch though. they're getting a starbucks?? if i can get a vanilla bean frappuccino (my computer keeps saying that's spelled wrong... but google says it's right. all of you actual coffee drinkers, correct me. because i only pretend. it's only vanilla bean, after all...) in there, i will be a happy girl. and probably get one every time i go there.

finally freaking finding out who A is. and that "finale" didn't solve ANYTHING. especially at the end. who the heck is Mona talking to??? who was in the black dress??? why is mya dead??? is she even dead??? ugh. i never finish an episode feeling satisfied. so i guess the people behind the show are doing their job. 

the voice. which is one of our favorite shows. 

>>>

also, each day this week, i want to share a different thing about blogging that i love. so today?

connecting.

the majority of the blogs i follow are my friends and family. i've been lucky enough to live relatively close to all of them, but as you grow up, and get married, and have families, it gets a little harder to hear all the details of all the stories from all the people! blogging has been a fantastic way to stay in touch and in the loop with my friends and family. like, for instance, my mommy-to-be bestie, Val, recently moved into a house and has done a ton of renovating, and baby preparing, that we've both been too busy to catch up on in person (which i realize is sad, but it happens). so it's nice to be able to hear what she's up to, even when i don't get to see her every single week. same goes for my family. even though i live 5 minutes from my parents, i still love reading my younger sister's blog, because she's a high school senior, and never home anyway! i love that blogging allows me to connect/stay connected with the awesome people i have surrounding me.

blog positivity week

have you heard of this yet? if not, go here. if you want to participate? also go there.

i think this is a good initiative, because i have expressed several times how much i want blogging to remain a positive thing for me, and everyone else. 

so this week? 

happy thoughts

week in review

monday.... we had dinner with Ryan and Danica at Red Robin.

tuesday... i don't even remember

wednesday... also don't remember

thursday... got trained on newer, cooler stuff at work! i spent the evening with chelsey, stefani and loni planning val's shower

friday... lots of shower preparing, dinner with ashby family (pizza!), then movie night to watch Larry Crowne at our house with Amanda & Jason and Sean & Chloe, complete with root beer floats!

saturday... baby shower! spent some time with Kylee. met up with Kelli and Sean at Red Iguana in SLC, then to Gourmandise for dessert, of course! 

it's been a good week. 

we haven't been to church in 3 weeks (that's how sick we've been!!! :( boo) but we can't wait to play with those nursery kids! we've missed them. 

oh, baby!

i teamed up with one of my best friends from high school, Chelsey, to throw our other best friend, Valeri a killer baby shower (maybe that's an inappropriate term...) we had a build-a-library shower for little baby girl jones, and it was a smash (i figured i'd just keep going with the inappropriate terms...). i have never spent so much time at Pebbles in My Pocket in my life! not even for my wedding! and it was great. and worth all the work!

for starters, i put my amateur skills to work on an invitation. (another thing to make note of: this entire shower could have easily been sponsored by pinterest.com...). and I've gotta say... they turned out darn cute. i hand stamped every single little triangle, one at a time. and even though it was tedious, it went by quickly, and i'd do it again! i love how they turned out

next, the actual party:

I was put in charge of the cake. which turned out surprisingly well, with the help of my husband (who knew i married a baking-emergency expert??). a pintereest idea, for sure:

chelsey and justin had made sugar cookies, chelsey's amazing mom, Cindy had made delicious raspberry lemonade, and there was also a fruit bowl I put together, and Loni/Stef made lemon bars:

we kept the bunting banner theme going with the other decorations, including this banner (which I made at Pebbles in My Pocket) and the onesie banner.

these were the first girls i ever met in high school, and we've stayed so close ever since! i love them!

lots of girls came, and we had a great time getting TMI from val about pregnancy (which is typical. and expected.)

we played a hilarious game where Loni put different foods through my food processor and Val had to guess what they were... we were mostly nice...

and I put together some little bags of popcorn as party favors with chelsey. turned out great!

it was such a great time. Val got loaded up with cute clothes and books, loved her Addison Renee Boutique headbands, and we all had a fun time! obviously, the colors were pink, yellow and grey. yellow and grey, because that's just Valeri, plus Bayli's nursery colors, and pink... well because, she's a girl, of course! I was so happy with how this turned out and was proud of how well everything came together! There was also a cute picture line of all the sonograms of Bayli, that I didn't take a picture of. She has huge lips and she's gonna be SO PRETTY! I can hardly wait. Valeri is progressing perfectly, and could have this little girl any day now and I am so giddy! I love Val, and am so beyond happy for her. To watch her be a mother is going to be so much fun! She will be amazing, so I'm glad she's going first so I can learn how to do it!