Updates

First of all, Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday! We got so many fun things and really enjoyed our time with our families. We are looking forward to an exciting 2009!

I haven't blogged in awhile, so I wanted to post some updates.

Baby...I am finally past throwing up everyday and I am so happy to be feeling better. From what everyone has told me this is the time you feel the best so I need to enjoy the next few months! We have our ultrasound scheduled for January 14th to find out the sex of the baby, we are SO excited!

New Callings...Nic was called to be in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and I was called to be in the Primary Presidency. We are both really excited and are looking forward to growing in these new areas. I worry about Nic's time while he is in law school, but I know he will be watched over and blessed.

Everything else in our lives is going great! We are looking forward to 2 awesome bowl games next week (Penn State in the Rose Bowl & Utah in the Sugar Bowl)!

Holiday Etiquette

I don't know about you, but I constantly have etiquette questions (especially around the holidays). Who do you buy gifts for, how much should you spend on a gift for your Boss, how much do you tip people around the holidays?? Nic bought me a book a couple of years ago that has been a lifesaver, Emily Posts Etiquette Bible. I would recommend it to anyone. I get her monthly newsletter and I really thought this one was helpful:

Holiday Tipping Is Really Holiday Thanking
The holiday season is traditionally the time Americans choose to thank those who provide them with year-round services. In these tough economic times it’s important to remember that holiday tipping is truly about saying thank you. With a little creativity you can accommodate everyone on your list this year without blowing your budget.

Holiday Thanking Recommendations

The table below contains our recommendations for holiday thanking, or tipping. These are not rules. Remember that averages and ranges can vary based on the type of establishment, regional customs, and your own budget. You never have to give cash and a gift, except in a few cases, such as when your child may give a gift to a babysitter in addition to your tip or thank-you. We understand that some people aren’t comfortable picking out gifts for those they don’t know well so there are cash amounts listed below, as a suggestion only.

The table is posted on her website at: http://www.emilypost.com/everyday/holiday_tipping.htm

2nd Trimester! Boy or Girl?

I am enjoying my second trimester much more then my first!! I feel like I can function again because I am not throwing up all day. It feels nice to be able to eat normal foods again and not feel quite as tired. Well, that special time is quickly approaching for when we get to find out the sex of the baby. I would love to hear your guesses of what we are having!

You all know what a fact geek I am. I am loving reading all kinds of books and articles on pregnancy and babies. Here are some facts that were especially interesting to me:

A baby is born every seven seconds.

While in the uterus, babies spend most of their time sleeping. By 32 weeks, a fetus displays rapid eye movement (REM), the hallmark of dreaming. No one knows what babies dream about, although floating around in the warm, comfortable dark is probably a recurrent theme. Scientists believe that fetal dreaming plays an important role in brain development.

By week 34, babies can recognize a specific piece of music. They might even move along with the beat.

Your blood volume will increase by about 50 percent during pregnancy (although this increase varies from person to person). This additional blood volume contributes approximately 4 pounds to the average woman's overall weight gain during pregnancy!

Babies are born with very poor vision but can recognize their mothers almost right away.
Babies are born with swimming abilities and can naturally hold their breath. However, they shortly lose this instinct.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We had the neat opportunity to go with my side of the family to a cabin up in Oakley. It was so much fun and such a great location. It was a lot of fun to have the whole family together and sleeping in one house. It was fun to wake up to snow both days we were there. Such a fun way to spend the Thanksgiving weekend! It was a little sad that my sisters and I missed the Black Friday shopping, but it was worth it.

When we returned home on Friday Nic and I bought our Christmas Tree. We always get our tree the day after Thanksgiving. To us, the season goes by way too fast as it is. Might as well start early, right? Here are some pictures...

Do you have your tree yet? How is your Christmas shopping coming? Only 24 days until Christmas!!

Post #100!!

There are many reasons for us to give thanks
Like food on our table or money in the bank,
A gracious Father looking down from above
Or a brand new baby to increase our love
Wait just a minute! I’ve let it slip
That my expanding belly and growing hips
Will be more than a product of delicious food
And my emotional swings not just a bad mood.
Because this year more than the turkey will be
Stuffed to the brim…Yes, I’m talking about me!

I was able to hear the most amazing sound today, the sound of my baby's heartbeat! I can hardly believe that Heavenly Father has blessed Nic and I with this incredible miracle! We are expecting our little bundle of joy around the end of May. We are scared, and excited, and did I mention scared? I am looking forward to all of you giving me your words of wisdom and advice!

Thanks to my sister Wendy for writing the cute poem!

Faith Hill's New Christmas CD

Faith Hill is my favorite singer by far! I was so excited when my sister bought me her brand new Christmas album. I think she honestly has the best voice in the whole world. PLUS, she is the prettiest person in the world (in my opinion). I really love her song "A Baby Changes Everything". You can listen to it here: http://www.faithhill.com/index.php?em2917=1034_-1__0_~0_-1_10_2008_0_0&content=videos&em3254=&em2913=&em3120 . Her voice is so powerful, I could listen to her sing all day. I highly recommend this CD if you are looking for a good Christmas CD!

44 Days Til Christmas

I love this time of year! People seem so happy during the Thanksgiving through Christmas season. How are you doing on your Christmas shopping? With the exception of 2 gifts, I am completely done. I always do my shopping throughout the year. That way I can pick up things for people when I see something they would like (and I don't feel the pressure of finding a great gift in a month) AND it seems a lot more manageable financially. If they were selling Christmas trees, I would have mine up today!

Nic and I have already started watching Christmas movies. We are trying to build up our collection. This is what we have so far, but I wanted to see what other holiday favorites people suggest!
It's a Wonderful Life
Miracle on 34th Street
Polar Express
White Christmas
Christmas Story
How the Grinch Stole Christmas

What other Christmas movies do you you love?

Merry Christmas! Ok, Happy Thanksgiving for now :) !

Blacksmith Fork Canyon

For date night we went for a drive up the canyon to try and photograph the gorgeous fall colors, well we were too late for that because all of the leaves are already on the ground. So, my second objective was to see a moose. I asked Nic to drive me 1 1/2 hours to Blacksmith Fork Canyon where I saw a moose last Winter. Sure enough, because my Heavenly Father knows and loves me, I found exactly what I was looking for and more!! I not only saw a bull moose--BUT TWO! Moose don't usually travel together, so to see two at a time is especilly neat, but to see two bulls was incredible. I have never seen that before in my whole life. We were even quite close!! Here are the pictures of our trip...

Columbus Day

We had such a fun day off today. We slept in until 10am--which was a real treat for Nic because he never gets to sleep in (because he wakes up early to study even on Saturdays and has meetings on Sunday mornings). We went on a tour of the Mrs. Cavanaugh's Factory. They give free tours to the public along with free samples. It was really fun and educational.












Then we went and picked out our pumpkins. This is one of my favorite things to do in October. There is a great little produce stand that is close to our house and I always buy the biggest pumpkin they have every year.

IT'S FRIDAY!

TGIF! LOL, do you remember watching TGIF on CBS growing up? They would show 4 TV sitcoms in a row; Family Matters, Step By Step, Boy Meets World, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, or Hanging with Mr. Cooper! Oh those were the days! My best friend Anna would come over and watch that with me and my siblings and my parents would get us Little Caesar's pizza.

Sorry for the flashback moment! Anyway, I am so excited that it's Friday! Our Friday nights usually consist of Bountiful High Football, which is a lot of fun to support our brother Benj. He is really good and is so much fun to watch. Saturday will be regular Saturday--chores & errands and Sunday I am having my in-laws over for dinner. But the reason I am so excited for this weekend is that it's a 3 day weekend! You gotta love working for a bank--paid holiday for Columbus Day. I am even more excited because it is Nic's Fall Break and we will finally get to spend a whole day together!!! He has promised to limit his studying that day to 2 hours so we should be able to have a lot of fun. I hope that you have a great weekend!

Here are some Friday facts for you:

• The first letters of the months from July to November spell the name JASON.


• In every continent, there is a city named Rome.


• 215 jeans can be made with one bale of cotton.


• The reason why women's dress shirt buttons are on the left and men's on the right is because when buttons were first used during the Victorian period maids used to dress the ladies, and since the maids put on their shirts the buttons were put on the servants right side, hence the women's left. (Ashley's note: this is a theory that is believed to be true).
• 38% of Americans eat breakfast everyday.


• After chocolate and vanilla, orange is considered the world's most favorite flavor.


• Americans consume the most peanut butter in the world. (Ashley's note: Not a surprise to the Browns!)

VP Debate

Did you watch the Vice Presidential Debate? I thought it was very interesting. As my sister said "Can we vote for a Biden/Palin ticket?". I really liked how they had a good debate, yet they weren't nasty. It seems like all McCain and Obama do is give personal insults back and forth to each other. Biden and Palin did a lot of complimenting each other which really surprised me. The both seemed very cordial and intelligent. Palin sounded much more impressive at the debate than she had in her interview with Katie Couric. I know I said this before, but I really like her. She seems to really know her stuff and I like that she is a White House outsider. I would love to hear your opinion!!

Man's Search For Meaning

Well, today was the last week in our book club for reading "Man's Search For Meaning". If you read along, or have read this book before, please post your comments on it!
I loved this book. I really enjoy books that I can learn from. I loved how thought provoking and inspiring it was. Like all heroes who have endured hardships, it is amazing to me how he was able to see the meaning in his suffering. Some of my favorite lines from the book are:
"He who has a Why to live for, can bear almost any How"
"In Spite of all of the enforced physical and mental primitiveness of the life in a concentration camp, it was possible for spiritual life to deepen"
"The Truth--that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire"
"I understand how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved"
"Tell her that I talked to her daily, hourly. You remember. Secondly, I have loved her more than anyone. Thirdly, the short time I have been married to her outweighs everything, even all we have gone through here."
"Suffering ceases to be suffering as soon as we form a clear and precise picture of it."
"Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

The last quote is the basis for the whole book. Like I said, it was so inspirational! I highly recommend reading this book. It has made me catch the WWII bug--I want to learn everything I can about it.

October's Book is going to be Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. I would love to have you read along!

Happy Birthday Nic!

It's my hubby's Birthday today! Happy Birthday Baby! I had a friend ask me last week why I seem so content and happy with everything in my life. I told her that I honestly felt that it was because of Nic. He is the person I had been looking for my whole life. Because I have him and he is so wonderful, I just feel so happy with everything! He fulfills everything that I have ever needed or wanted. He is happy everyday and so positive about life. He is a spiritual giant that I really look up to and admire. His work ethic is as strong as my dad's and my father-in-laws, and you don't come by that very often. He is smart, funny, handsome.... Do you know that Sara Evan's song "I Could Not Ask For More"? That perfectly says how I feel about him....
I could not ask for more than this time together
I could not ask for more than this time with you
Every prayer has been answered
Every dream I have's come true
And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be
Here with you here with me
These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive
These are the moments I'll remember all my life
I've got all I've waited for
And I could not ask for more

Nic, I just wanted to tell you how much I love you! Thank you for making me the happiest, luckiest girl alive! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I had a Birthday party for Nic on Saturday and I appreciated all of our family members & friends for coming! Thanks for the great potato salad Char--it was a big hit! Here are some pics...

Happy Birthday Jen!

I just wanted to wish my sister Jenny a very Happy Birthday! I love you! I hope that you have a great day!

Colonoscopy

Has anyone ever had a Colonoscopy?
Medical issues can be embarrassing to talk about, I think that's why people find it humorous to start sending me jokes and stories when I tell them I have to go in for a dreaded colonoscopy. I am scheduled for this lovely little surgery this coming Friday and I get to take Thursday off for the "prep" day. I am really dreading having this done and can't stop stressing about it. At least you are under anesthesia for it, right? My boss sent me this story and it was so funny that I thought I should post it! If you have had one, I would love to hear your thoughts!
http://on-the-edge-of-something.blogspot.com/2008/06/dave-barrys-colonoscopy-journal-lol.html

Book Club: Man's Search for Meaning

After all of your comments about my Twilight post, you might not be interested in this..BUT her goes nothing. I wanted to invite all of my friends to read along with my family book club. We are starting this month with the book: Man's Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl. You can buy the book from Barnes & Noble for $6.99 (or check it out from the Library of course). It is a pretty short book and we should be able to finish it by the end of the month with no problem. Here is a quick review of the book so you can get a feel for what it is about:

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz , while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of those he treated in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")—holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, Man's Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey by the Library of Congress and the Book-of-the-Month Club that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaning among the ten most influential books in America .

I've been tagged!

Sorry Jen, I just read yours! Here are the rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 obsessions, 3 surprising facts and tag 3 more people on your blog.

3 Joys:
Naps on Sundays, Being the hostess, Interacting with & watching animals

3 Fears:
Something happening to Nic, not being able to have children, someone breaking into our apartment

3 Obsessions:
Nic, Organization, Shopping

3 Surprising Facts:
Grew a 14 lb tumor, Broken both legs, Shark Diving in Hawaii

I tag Jamie, Allie, and Anna!!

Things that I DON'T Like (but everyone else does?)

Crocs (for adults)
Maple Donuts
Cats
Twilight Books (I have a separate post about this!)
Snow cones
Brad & Angelina
Text Messaging
Popsicles
Mustard
Pickles (they smell horrible people)
Kenny Chesney (don't be mad at me Jamie & Kevin :)
Napoleon Dynamite
McDonalds
Coke, Pepsi--any cola drink
Gone With the Wind
The Simpsons
Barack Obama
Email Forwards (that are false)
Peach Cobbler
Oprah
Board Games (most, not all)
Leashes for children
Watching Soccer

I must be missing something, because I realize that I am the exception on most of these things. Maybe you can help me out here, why do you love these things?

Twilight, Seriously?

I am mad at myself for giving in to peer pressure and reading this book. I know this post will upset a lot of people, but the book is ridiculous. I was so confused as to why someone would want to read a love story about a vampire--but everyone assured me that it's not as weird as it sounds. IT IS EXACTLY AS WEIRD AS IT SOUNDS! She is not bothered at all that the boy she is in love with is an actual blood sucking vampire. How can it not be evident that this book is ridiculous when Bella is asking Edward if she can watch him hunt bears & mountain lions? The book is very high school, simply written and geared towards younger girls. So why do so many adults like this book? I just can't grasp the "true love" feeling when the book is based on a high school romance. I prefer true love stories that could actually happen. And I am sorry, but I can't stand that the word "EYES" is in every sentence!! You think I am kidding, reread this book....
My eyes, of their own accord, flickered to him....
His eyes somehow managing to smolder...
His voice was was dark and his eyes were cautious...
Those are all in one paragraph! I can't handle it.

No matter how much Stephenie Meyer tries to portray that Edward is some gorgeous creature--your thoughts immediately go back to the fact that he is a blood sucking, fast driving, pale skinned, mind reading psycho vampire!!

I thought that the lines were very corny and that the book was very plainly written. I was offended that an LDS person would swear in her books as well. There are 469 pages in this book, and not a lot happens. The whole book is conversations. Basically, they meet, spend a couple of days together talking all about the details of what a vampire is and does, they go to the baseball game and then she gets hunted and attacked. I just don't get the obsession with these books. There are many more interesting, better written books then Twilight.

Ok, lets have it Twilight fans!! I am no book critic, but I really, really don't understand the fascination with this book!!

Nic Starts Law School!

Nic started law school this week! He went through a week of orientation and then his actual classes start next week. We already had our first Saturday of him reading all day :). They had a swearing in ceremony for all of the 1L's (that's what they call the first year law students). I thought it was interesting to see what a variety of people were in his class. 44% are woman, and the ages range from 21 to 52! The swearing in ceremony was really neat and I couldn't help but think how lucky we are for Nic to have this opportunity. I know it will be really hard, but it will be worth it for Nic. Here are some pictures of the swearing in ceremony...

Here is a picture of Nic's $700 books!

Home Improvements

Nic and I have viewed this as our last free summer. We wanted to make some small improvements to things in our apartment while Nic was free before law school. Here are some pictures of our updates.

The living room needed some year round decorations for the fireplace...(the wreath and sign came from that boutique that I mention in my Brigham City post)









This is our office/closet/storage/laundry room. Since we moved in it has just been piled up with stuff and had no organization. Although it isn't pretty, at least its organized.

Nic painted this dresser to match the nightstand that he made a couple of years ago. On top, you can see my new jewelry organization. I was tired of necklaces getting tangled and not being able to find everything...so I started searching for jewelry stands like they use in stores & boutiques. I found these for great prices and I think its a cute way to display your things.

I love updating things in your house! It really refreshes things! Nic started law school yesterday. He has a week of orientation and then classes start next Monday. We are both pretty nervous about how things are going to go the next 3 years. I know he is going to do great! Wish us luck. I will keep you posted every step of the way!

Wendy Graduates, Matt Moves to Iowa

My little sister Wendy graduated from BYU on Friday. We are so proud of her! Congratulations Wendy!

Saturday morning Wendy & Matt left for their road trip to take Matt to Iowa State for school. It was hard for me to say goodbye to him. It will be at least 7 years until he lives back in Utah again (1st Year Red Shirt @ Iowa State, 2 year LDS Mission, 4 Years Wrestling at Iowa State) . That is sad to think about because he is so much fun to be around! I started crying just when he said goodbye to his dogs--they will miss him so much. Good Luck Matt! We Love You!!

I am obsessed with Brigham City!

Nic and I did a little weekend getaway to Box Elder County last weekend. We wanted to do something fun before Nic starts law school and we no longer have any time together :)

We stayed in the cute little town of Tremonton. We stayed in the Hampton Inn there. I really love Hampton Inns because they always seem so clean. Plus, their beds are the most comfortable things in the world! Doesn't this beautifully clean white bed make you want to take a nap? We spent most of our weekend in Brigham City. I can't tell you how much I want to live in this city! Something literally draws me to it. It seems so perfect to me. It's small enough for everyone to know each other, but big enough to have everything you need. It is right off the freeway and has gorgeous mountains right behind the city. Not to mention Box Elder High School is the best at everything and they are so stinkin nice about it! I was obsessed with asking every person we talked to on our trip if they liked living there and how they liked raising their family there. You can imagine that everyone responded that it was the greatest place in the world. Nic and I would really like to move there after law school, maybe in about 5 years from now. Brigham City is home to Nic and me's favorite places in the state. Nic's favorite place is the Maddox Ranch House. I think I have done a post about the Maddox before, but it has the greatest food. Nic loves everything on the menu! Their great customer service, rolls, and well water are just wonderful extras! My favorite place is "Where Else". It is the cutest little boutique ever. I love buying gifts from there (they gift wrap for free)! They have the cutest home decorations plus great purses, jewelry, and holiday items. It's worth a trip up north just to go shopping there. The owner is so cute and I want to be (and look) just like her! So after we have eaten at the Maddox and gone shopping at Where Else, Nic and I both leave Brigham City feeling very happy & satisfied!

We are going back to Brigham City with our friends for Peach Days at the beginning of September and I can't wait to go back!! http://www.bcareachamber.com/14.phtml

I Love Davis County!

When Nic and I were dating I would give him such a hard time about everyone's obsession with Davis County being the best. I have to say, after living here for over 3 years I am really a fan! We will get to the food in a minute...but where else in the state are you 15 minutes from your horseback riding lessons, 2 temples, the Great Salt Lake, Downtown Salt Lake, the Davis County Fair Grounds (oh yes--the fair is FREE), hiking & camping and the best food ever! We literally walk across the street to go to church, we are less then 2 minutes from the freeway, I just love it! They have local grocery stores with great customer service and tons of family owned businesses. Not to mention that the west side of Woodscross & West Bountiful still have a lot of small farms with tons of animals and horses to drive by and see. Don't forget the Bald Eagle watching in the winter!!!

I love that every great restaurant around her is not a chain!! With the exception of Brigham City (Maddox, Maddox Drive Inn, Idle Isle) Davis County has the best food in the state! If you haven't tried the local favorites--its worth a trip! Here is my run down on our favorite places:
Cutlers-Is my favorite restaurant at the moment! They have 2 locations, 1 in Centerville (the best) and 1 in Bountiful. They have the BEST sandwiches in the world and you will love their homemade cookies!
Nielsons Frozen Custard- Do you want to take a step back in time? Try this fabulous old fashioned diner! They are known for their frozen custard and to-die-for chicken sandwiches! Only cash or checks are accepted (like I said, old fashioned diner)
El Matador- My husband's favorite! Great Mexican food, great service! They have the best homemade chips & salsa!
Parson's Bakery- This place will break your diet! Seriously the best rolls, cookies, and cakes! It's located across the street from Nielson's so you can hit those both in the same trip!
Robintinos- There is something for everyone at this traditional Italian restaurant! My husband loves their lasagna and I love the garlic cheese pizza! Great garlic & cheese bread as well!
Mandarin Restaurant- We don't go here as much as we would like, but this place is ALWAYS packed! Great Chinese food! Some reviews online say that they travel long distances just to eat Chinese at the Mandarin!
Pace's Dairy Ann- Very similar to Nielson's. They have great hamburgers & ice cream cones. Again, only cash or checks are accepted.

Have I forgotten any? I love supporting local businesses! So does everyone in my family! Check out this site for ways to keep your business in Utah http://www.localfirst.org/ . Do you have favorite businesses close to where you live? I would love to hear about them!!

Kenny's Wedding

My cousin Kenny was married on Friday. We were so blessed to be able to attend his sealing in the SLC Temple. Here are some pictures of him and his beautiful bride. I am so happy for them!!

He looks pretty happy!!

If you know Kenny, you wouldn't be surprised at the grooms cake..