Some Ben, Lots of Meg, and even more Noah!

Recent Happenings

2012-01-25T21:38:00.003-07:00

Well, this past weekend my whole family got together at a friend's cabin and had a fantastic overnighter! This cabin is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and has lots to do, everything from a theater room to ping pong to air hockey to hot tub to a barn with animals to visit! It was a blast. Noah had a little bit of a hard time going to bed that night, but once he was asleep he was out for the count until 8:30 the next morning, which was awesome. We had a family bingo game that we played too, I learned a few things about my siblings which was really fun. My niece and nephew LOVED the house, it is really big so they ran around like crazy trying to see everything. It was a lot of fun, and we even got to watch the snow fall which was gorgeous. Then on Sunday we were all over at my parent's house to celebrate two birthdays-Mom and my sister-in-law Ashli. It was a lot of fun as well, although all of the kids (Noah included) were pretty tired from the late night at the cabin. On Monday was my mom's actual birthday and as a surprise I took dinner over for her and the family. It was my sister's idea-and she took care of all the planning and everything, right down to having sparkling cider for the beverage! It has been nice to have a couple of days just at home since all that happened back to back-I have my work stuff to get turned in and it was good to get Noah back to a set routine. All in all, it's been a lot of fun lately! :)

The Solid Food Experience!

2012-01-09T13:20:00.003-07:00

Our first day eating rice cereal! Noah's bib says, "This is what handsome looks like", which is actually the VERY first thing I bought when I found out that I was having a baby boy! :)

I don't think he is smiling for the cereal so much as he is smiling for daddy making funny sounds behind the camera!

Feeding him cereal takes FOREVER, but he is so cute that it's all worth it! He is getting better and better at eating it, we will be moving to vegetables soon!

Wax Museum Pics

2012-01-04T13:39:00.004-07:00

Ben, Me, Noah, and Uncle Derek (Ben's brother) at the entrance to the Madame Toussard's Wax Museum inside the Venetian hotel on the Strip in Las Vegas. We had fun looking at all the "celebrities", I even bumped into a wax figure and apologized before I realized it wasn't a real person! They all looked extremely lifelike!

Me and Noah with Shaq!

On Evil Knevil's motorcycle (it actually made revving sounds when you sat on it)

Kicking back with Beyonce

Ben getting his "Snoop" on.

Noah is the treasure with Johnny Depp. I actually had two ladies take pictures of Noah sitting in the treasure chest with the little hat on!

Ben, Noah, and The King himself! (He even sang when you touched his hand)

My pose is kind of ironic considering what actually happened to this circus act...

Ben and Nicholas Cage

Ben, "walking" on the moon

Ben Franklin, George Washington, and us!

George Bush and us

Getting an autograph from Elvis!

This is a moving walkway leading to the wax museum, Ben sat Noah on the arm rail to take a little ride.

Some Random Pictures

2012-01-04T13:27:00.003-07:00

This is Noah "helping" his dad put a bookshelf together.

Daddy is already helping him with handling tools! (Don't worry, Ben didn't let Noah handle the screwdriver unattended...)

Laying in the base of the little bookshelf.

My boys!

Ben likes to put his hats on Noah's head, and then he will say something like, "Yo yo yo" in a really deep voice, and Noah thinks it's hilarious!

Me and Noah all dressed up for Ben's work party. We make a cute little couple, don't we?

Playing with his "baby friend".

Since he scoots around and rolls all over the place while he is playing with his little friend, he usually ends up sideways under the toys. He thinks it's quite funny, a lot of times the toys will kind of bonk him on the head, but he giggles and thinks it's a game!

This post is in commemoration of Noah's 5 month (calendar) birthday. I can't believe he is 5 months old already! He can now roll from his back to his tummy, and he started solid foods (rice cereal) last weekend. He continues to be a very happy baby, and he is a joy to be around! He sleeps 10 1/2 hours continuously at night, and has 3-4 naps during the day, usually averaging 1 1/2 to 2 hours long. Stay tuned for pictures of Christmas, Las Vegas trip, and the solid foods experience!

It's a Very Growl-y Christmas!

2011-12-22T08:53:00.002-07:00

So, I just had to post about this because I think it is hilarious. Noah has learned how to growl! Not the cute little baby grunts that they make about this stage, but full blown, from the chest, deep, throaty growls! He sounds like a little bear cub! It's really funny, he will just growl and growl and growl over and over again. I have some pretty good videos of it that I should post, as soon as I figure out how! Even now as I type this, Noah is laying on his play mat and growling away at the mirror, the ceiling, his hands, everything he can see! It honestly doesn't sound like a noise that should be coming from the throat of a darling little baby! He smiles the whole time he is growling too, which adds to the comedic effect! It makes me laugh, he growls for about 15 minutes straight before falling asleep at each nap, and he will do it for even longer than that when we go for drive in the car now. We will see how long he can actually do it when we drive to Vegas on Monday... He has also discovered how much he likes people's faces. Whenever you pick him up now, he will look right into your eyes and rest his hands on your face. He usually likes to hold your chin or rest his hands on your cheeks. Almost every time I pick him up from his naps now he will pat my cheeks and squeal or growl. It's so cute that he likes to see me after his naps so much! :) Also, he is just starting (CROSS YOUR FINGERS!) to like cuddling! He will curl up with me more and more or rest his head on my shoulder and just lay there for a little bit. This hasn't ever happened! Since he was born he has had to always have his head up and looking around, so this is a treat for me! I hope it lasts, and I hope he does it more! :)

Noah's 4 Month Pictures

2011-12-13T09:35:00.007-07:00

I found Noah this way after one of his naps. How he got his blanket up over his head like that after being swaddled is quite impressive! :) I like his face too, like he is saying, "What?"

He has discovered how delicious his thumb is and what a good sleepy time friend it is! He will usually suck it for a moment or two, and then when he falls all the way asleep it falls out of his mouth.

He's sleeping on the couch since he refused to take his nap at the time he was supposed to, and then realized that not taking his nap made him tired!

Thumb on it's way out of his mouth.

Noah really like to sit up more and more, he can actually sit up pretty good on his own for a while, but we have to really watch him because as soon as he decides he is done he will immediately fall over!

Playing with Mommy

Sleeping in his stroller

Back awake in his stroller when my mom and I went to the Festival of Trees. He really liked being pushed around and looking at all the lights and people.

After his bath one day.

I got this face when I came at him with his antibiotic for a minor ear infection. He got to where he recognized the little syringe full of medicine!

Enjoying being pants-less!

Noah is SO incredibly close to being able to roll from his back to his tummy, he did it once already, but I think it was a fluke. He looked incredibly confused that he was on his tummy! He is getting more and more social all the time, he will smile at anyone and everyone that talks to him! I get comments all the time on how social he is. He loves to listen to voices and music. He really loves his bath time, he will splash like crazy and squeal and grin the whole time. He likes to sit in his baby swing and look out the window, especially if it is snowing or raining. He also really like to sit in his boppy pillow and watch me cook dinner and do the dishes. He is getting really good at sitting up on his own, he is slumped forward for balance a little bit, but he is getting there! At his 4 month doctor's appointment we found out he is a little over 14 lbs putting him in the 33 percentile for weight, but he is 27 inches longs, putting him in the 85 percentile for height! He is a long, skinny guy! He is doing great with his nap times, he don't usually cry at all, or if he does, it's only for 2-3 minutes. He usually plays in the crib for about 35 minutes before actually going to sleep though! I can hear him in there rolling around, blowing raspberries, talking, and cooing for a while after I put him down. He is so funny! He still loves to babble and talk a lot, and when we go in the car now, instead of falling right to sleep like he used to, he will sit back there and talk and talk and talk and spit and make noises for a while, and then fall asleep. It's so fun to listen to all of his little sounds! :) Noah is about the happiest, content, pleasant baby I have ever seen, which makes it so much fun! I sure love my little guy!

Lessons from a Toilet Knob

2011-12-02T12:44:00.003-07:00

A little while after we moved into our house, the toilet in our master bathroom started leaking and being obnoxious. Ben gutted it and replaced its insides with a super fancy new plumbing system that is quite advanced, you can do a "half" flush for little toilet deposits, and a "full" flush for bigger toilet deposits to help save water. The knob even directs you that for a half flush, the knob goes up, and for a full flush the knob goes down. I thought this was a nice feature, and we moved on. Well, the other day I was having one of those days where nothing went quite like you thought, you didn't get done what you wanted, and I was indulging in a little self pity. (Not something I do often!) So, after Noah was down for a nap, I decided to pamper myself with a nice, long, hot bath. As I was relaxing, I started telling myself all of the things I should be doing instead of what I was doing, things like laundry and dishes and making dinner, among other things. I then got more enmeshed in my self pity party because I had so much to do. I happened to glance over at the toilet, and I got a friendly philosophical reminder written on my toilet knob - "Half Full". I started laughing, reminding myself to look at my glass as "half full" and to get over my pity! Hooray for life's little lessons! :) May you always see your glass as half full!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T14:10:00.002-07:00

I know that I am a day late, but I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We got to spend the holiday with Ben's family, and it was a lot of fun. We had the big dinner at his grandma's house with lots of extended family and then we spent the night at his parent's house and came home earlier today. It was Noah's first night away from home, and he did really well! :) We had a good time with lots of family, food, games, and conversation. It made me very grateful for several things:

*The blessing we have of living close to our families, I am so grateful for my family and the joy they bring to my life, and I am so grateful for my in-laws and for the loving relationship I have with them.

*My amazing husband. I have such a kind, caring, loving husband, and I am so grateful for him! He treats me like a queen and he is an amazing father to our little boy. I am so grateful for Ben!

*My son, Noah is a delightful, happy, content baby and I have loved welcoming him to our family. He is my little sweetheart, and I am so grateful to have him!

*Our health. We have been very lucky that Noah has been very healthy, other than an ear ache, and was born healthy and happy. We are both healthy and I am so grateful for that!

*Our country and the area we live in with good neighbors, freedoms, and privileges that so many go without.

*The Church and the marvelous things it teaches us about the Savior and families, I am so grateful that I go through life with a very clear understanding of who I am, where I am going, what I am doing, and why I am here. My gratitude to a loving Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can't possibly be adequately expressed, but the feelings are part of my every day life.

I love the Thanksgiving holiday, and not just because of the food, but because of the wonderful reminder of all the things that I have in my life that bless me and make life so worth living. I am truly blessed, and I hope that I don't forget the feelings I have lingering in my heart from this year's Thanksgiving celebration. Happy Thanksgiving!

Poor Noah!!

2011-11-14T15:52:00.002-07:00

My poor little guy has an ear infection! Noah has been solidly sleeping through the night since he was 9 weeks old. Then, Saturday night came and he woke up 4 times SCREAMING which is very unusual. Not just because he woke up, but because of how he was crying. Noah doesn't have a very loud cry normally, he has a very small squeaky cry and so for him to be just screaming made me worried. We spent Sunday at my parent's house for my dad's birthday, and then the same thing happened again Sunday night. Then, this morning he woke up with a fever to boot. So, after a visit to the pediatrician, it has been confirmed! I got an antibiotic that he will take twice a day for 10 days, with a follow up visit the day before Thanksgiving. He really didn't like the medicine, he scowled at me the whole time I was giving it to him. I think it just tastes SO different from breast milk that he didn't like it. Hopefully he will start feeling better soon, his crying breaks my heart! He is hard to soothe when he cries like that too, poor little guy. They said it should only be a couple of days before he is feeling better though, I hope so!

Noah's Baby Blessing

2011-11-04T09:20:00.003-06:00

We blessed Noah in our ward on October 16th. We had a luncheon afterwards at my parents house, which turned out great! We served soups and breads, and then we had a cake and I had everyone sing Happy Birthday to Ben since his birthday was the day before. It was a really special event. I have more pictures of people who came and family pictures that I will post later. I forgot to charge my camera so all of those pictures are on my mom's camera! But, these are a few pictures of Noah in his cute outfit!

Pumpkin Carving!

2011-11-01T12:38:00.002-06:00

My 4 younger siblings and my dad came over the day before Halloween for Sunday dinner and pumpkin carving! After a lasagna dinner we all went on the back porch to carve our pumpkins!

Noah woke up just in time for the final pictures! Our pumpkin is the Pac-Man one, and the Elvis pumpkin belongs to my youngest sister Ashley. The one with the mis-matched eyes in the front is Emily's, the one with the big eyebrows (by Brittney) is hers, and the really big one in the back is my dad's!

Noah kept snuggling down further and further into his fleecy blanket! We all joked that he could be a cocoon for Halloween! I would pull the blanket down from his face and he would just wiggle back into it. I think he liked to suck on it more than anything else!

Me and my handsome hubby! This was our first Halloween together, every other year one of us has had to work so this year was fun to be able to hand out candy together and play with our little baby dinosaur! (See post below!)

Noah's First Halloween

2011-11-01T10:16:00.008-06:00

Noah was a dinosaur for Halloween, and he looked SO cute! We got his costume for only 4 bucks too, which was an added bonus. He didn't know what to do about the hood very well, and he wouldn't move his hand around too much at first because of the little claws, the weight kind of threw him off!

This is not Noah's stash, this is what we handed out. I just thought it made a cute picture. We didn't take him trick or treating since he can't even eat anything yet! We will take him next year though.

Noah and his handsome dad outside our house with our Pac-Man pumpkin!

Showing off his tail!

You almost can't tell that Ben is holding Noah up, it looks like he is standing on his own!

Full body tummy shot! He looked SO cute wiggling around in this costume!

I wish this picture wasn't blurry since it's the only one where he had his head all the way up! He didn't like to keep his head up with the hood on.

I love this picture, it just makes me want to kiss his mouth and cheeks!

We got out the boppy pillow in an effort to get a better tummy shot!

I have a lot more pictures posted on my facebook for those that are interested! Noah did pretty good in his costume, but there were a few times where he really didn't like it! :) We are excited to take him trick or treating next year! Happy Halloween!

A Few Pics

2011-10-28T09:50:00.003-06:00

I love this outfit with the matching hat. Noah isn't quite sure what to think about it...

Folding his arms! Such a reverent little baby!

His Halloween costume, he is going to be a dinosaur!

I will post more Halloween pictures a little later on, we just tried this on for size and I snapped a couple of quick ones on my phone. He looks so cute in it though!

3 Months!

2011-10-28T08:34:00.002-06:00

Well, Noah is officially 3 months old! I can't believe how fast that went! Some ways it feels like I have always been doing the mom thing, but in other ways it's still very new! Noah is a joy to have around, he is a very happy-go-lucky baby and has been a blessing to have in our lives. He is sitting on my lap watching me type this, so I apologize for any spelling errors! Here are a few things that Noah can do:

*He can roll over from his tummy to his back. He did it for the first time right on his two month mark. He loves to lay on his tummy and look at you, and then will roll over and still looks a little confused when he does so!

*He can hold on to little plastic baby rings and loves to chew on them. He is getting a lot better at grasping things now and he loves to hold onto shirt sleeves and collars when he is being held.

*He loves to smile! It doesn't take much to get a smile out of him. He smiles all the time, all through his bath, all through getting changed, and sometimes when he is eating he will stop every few minutes to give me a big grin, and then will continue eating. It's so cute!

*He loves his bath and has figured out how to splash around. He will kick and move his arms and then coo really loudly.

*He is quite talkative. He makes lots of cooing and squeaking noises when you talk to him. He loves to tell stories and talk back to you!

*He is sleeping through the night! He started sleeping from 10:30-7:00 or 7:30 right at 9 weeks, and that has been lovely! He is starting to go a little longer at night now too, I don't think it will be long before I can drop his late night feeding altogether. He does wake up at about 5 every morning and fusses for a bit, and then lays in there and plays around for about an hour before falling back asleep, so mommy isn't sleeping through the night yet... :)

*He really knows my voice. I can be out of his vision and say something and he will turn his head to find me, usually giving me a smile when he does. Same goes for Ben, he really knows and loves his daddy! If someone else is holding Noah, and he hears one of us talking, he will try to find us.

*He goes to other people really well, not much stranger danger so far! He is content to be passed around, which is a good thing! He doesn't mind it as long as they hold him so that he can see, he doesn't like to be held on his back very much but prefers to be up and looking around.

*He is a very observant baby, and has been since day one. He likes to cuddle with me, but that's about it. Usually he likes to be held up and he likes to observe everything going on in the world. He is very content to sit in his swing, or the boppy pillow, and just watch everything. He also likes to lay on his back on our bed and watch the ceiling fan turn.

*He has always had a really strong neck, since the moment he was born. After they placed him on my chest when he was delivered, he lifted up his head to look and me and Ben! His head is still strong, and he has really good control of it. It doesn't flop around at all, he is very steady with his head. He loves his tummy time, and will hold his head up for as long as 30 minutes before laying it down for a rest.

*He naps pretty well overall, we still have some naps where he cries for a bit before settling in, but more and more he goes down for naps without a peep which is great. He still likes to sleep cuddled up next to the blanket my sister made for him.

*He loves mirrors. I got a baby gym for him that is an arch that has toys dangling down that he can play with and it has a mirror on the top that he can see himself in and he LOVES that! He will lay and talk to the baby in the mirror forever. It's adorable to see him smiling and cooing at himself! We call the toy his "baby friend".

*He also loves music. His baby gym has four big piano keys at the bottom of the mat that he can kick with his feet and they play music, and he loves it. He will get really into the music and kick his feet like crazy! Also, if we sing a song to him (especially when we are holding him) and the song ends, he will bob his head to get us to do it again. He also likes to squirm and dance to music.

*Noah has very strong legs. He likes to stand up and hold his own weight, and he will "step" with his feet. He also does a little scoot thing that is so freaking cute! He will lay on his back and I (or Ben, who discovered this trick) will hold in feet and ankles. We will place his feet flat on the ground with his legs bent and say, "Go!" and he will push off and straighten his legs, which scoots his body across the floor! He will go around our whole house like that, scooting around and grinning like crazy. I think he likes the mobility. I am sure I will have a very active toddler on my hands before too long!

*At his two month appointment he was 12 lbs exactly and 22 1/2 inches long. I am pretty sure that in the past month he has grown a LOT more than that though! We are now in all 3 or 3-6 month clothes, and have been for a couple of weeks now. He is a growing boy with a good appetite!

A birthday and a blessing!

2011-10-19T18:35:00.003-06:00

I have been a little neglectful of my blog as of late. It's been busy! We had Noah's baby blessing on Sunday, and he looked adorable! We blessed him in our ward and then had a luncheon at my parents house afterwards. I forgot to charge the camera beforehand, however, so all of our pictures are on my mom's camera! So, pictures will follow later. Ben did a fantastic job with the blessing, and Noah was a great baby and slept through the whole thing! He little blessing outfit looked great on him, and he waited to poop through his diaper and get it all over his pants until after the guests had all left the luncheon! :) What a good boy... We had a nice luncheon of homemade soups and rolls, with lots of cookies and cakes for dessert. Since Ben's 29th birthday was the day before the blessing, I surprised him with having everyone sing Happy Birthday to him! About 50 people total-which is WAY more attention than Ben will ever be comfortable with! But, I thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up since I will never get to plan a big party for him since he wouldn't like it! We had both of our families there plus several dear friends and their children. It was a lot of fun, I thought, to have them all there to celebrate his birthday as well as the blessing. He got a lot of great gifts too, mostly gift cards to various restaurants to give us some free dates, which is awesome! He had a great time, regardless of the "embarrassing" birthday song.

On his actual birthday we really didn't do much, I let him sleep in until about 11 in the morning, and then we just had a lazy day at home, which was great. It was actually just what he wanted for his birthday so that's what he got! That night we were going to go out to dinner, but it just didn't work out, so Ben brought dinner to us! We ordered Texas Roadhouse take out, put the baby to bed, and had a little feast while we watched a movie! It was a lot of fun and reminded me of our first Valentine's Day when we had a candlelit picnic on the floor consisting of deli food from the grocery store since we were poor and had moved into our apartment the day before! We had a blast, and I think he enjoyed his nice lazy day off from work, school, and everything else!

Smile!

2011-10-06T16:09:00.002-06:00

I love my little boy, and I love to make him smile!

Impromptu Photo Shoot

2011-09-30T12:02:00.007-06:00

These pictures were taken by my awesome sister-in-law, Kayla. She is a photographer extraordinaire and this photo shoot was done with black tablecloths and pillows on the floor of my mother-in-laws living room! We didn't plan to do pictures until Kayla suggested it right then and there, and these were all taken with a point and shoot camera! Thank you, Kayla! I think that these turned out great, Noah is just so cute! I love a few of his facial expressions, he is looking at us like, "What are you doing to me?" because Kayla, Grandma, and I are all talking and making noise and crawling all over the place to get smiles and to get him to look in the right direction. It was quite humorous...only babies can get adults to make such fools of themselves! :)

She even captured one of his smiles, this is an impressive feat since he seems to have "camera radar" and stops smiling as soon as I pull out our camera!

This face cracks me up. "What are you doing to me?"

This is his kiss-y face. The smaller his lips gets, the more I know he's going to poop his pants!

He's discovered his tongue and loves to play with it.

He actually really likes his tummy time, usually holding his head up for quite a long time!

This was another one of Kayla's great ideas, I think he looks so cute, and he didn't even pee on the tie or anything!

He doesn't like to be naked around other people, as you can tell from this facial expression... He's quite a modest little guy!

And, of course we have to have at least one naked baby shot! He DID pee all over during this part of the photo shoot...boys will be boys I guess! :)

2 Months!

2011-09-29T09:01:00.002-06:00

Can I just say that I can't believe that my little boy is two months old already? WOW! That went so fast! When we were visiting Grandma Anderson yesterday, his Aunt Kayla helped us do an impromptu photo shoot, and we got some great pictures! I will get them posted on here soon, he did good for just suddenly being thrown on some pillows and black sheets with no warning! :) He was a good boy too and didn't cry at all, even when he sneezed so hard he rolled himself off the pillows! He is such a good natured baby, he almost always wakes up full of smiles and he loves to coo and talk to me when he does wake up. He sleep great at night, which I much appreciate, and he is just all around happy! He loves to lay stretched out on his back and just observe every detail going on around him. He still likes to be held, but he is perfectly content to just be on his own! He also loves to look in the mirror, he will coo forever to his "friend". I love that I can make him smile just by talking to him, and he still loves him bath, usually grinning the whole time. He is developing such a little personality, and I absolutely love being his mom!!!

50 Random Questions

2011-09-27T08:42:00.001-06:00

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:00, unless you count 4:00 when I fed the baby…

2. How do you like your steak? On someone else’s plate. YUCK!

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Captain America. I LOVE movies!

4. What is your favorite TV show? I don’t really watch TV, sorry.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? In my house! I love being close to family. Lots of places I would visit, but I like living close.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Scrambled eggs with ham and cheese mixed in and a protein drink. YUM! I love breakfast food, and now that I stay at home, I actually eat it!

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican, followed closely by Italian.

8. What foods do you dislike? Most red meats, asparagus (it stinks!)

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Los Hermanos!

10.Favorite dressing? Ranch, but I like lots of other dressings as well.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Chevy Malibu Classic

12.What are your favorite clothes? Do high heels count? I LOVE to wear high heels. Thank you ballroom dance past…

13.Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland, Egypt, Italy, and the Philippines

14.Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Depends on what’s in it! J Just kidding, half full for sure

15.Where would you want to retire? Wherever my family is.

16.Favorite time of day? Around 8 or 9 at night because that’s when Ben gets home from school! I also love around 7 in the morning when Noah wakes up because he wakes up very happy and loves to smile and coo at me first thing in the morning and its so cute!

17.Where were you born? Orem, Utah

18.What is your favorite sport to watch? Basketball, but we mostly watch football in our house!

19.Who do you think will not tag you back? I'm not tagging anyone, so I don't think it counts.

20.Person you expect to tag you back first? Again - I'm not tagging anyone, so I don't think it counts.

21.Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Everyone, I love to read these about other people!

22.Bird watcher? Not really. I like hummingbirds…

23.Are you a morning person or a night person? Both. I can actually do either one really easily, I can get up just fine and I can stay up just fine. I guess I am a whatever person!

24.Pets? Not currently, hopefully not ever. I am SO not a pet person, and luckily Ben isn’t either. I am sure kids will probably change that one day though!

25.Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share? Not really, life is good!

26.What did you want to be when you were little? Honestly? I wanted to be a mom! I am living the dream!! J

27.What is your best childhood memory? I have lots of great childhood memories-girls nights with my mom when the boys were on Scout campouts, going on a daddy-daughter vacation to West Virginia, memorizing and then acting out Garfield comic books with my older brother, too many great things to choose from!

28.Are you a cat or dog person? Neither really, but probably more cat than dog. I like to look at dogs, as in-look at that person’s dog-but that’s about it whereas a cat I will actually pet.

29.Are you married? Yes, and it’s awesome!

30.Always wear your seat belt? Yes, always.

31.Been in a car accident? Yep, I read ended someone on the freeway once (it was more a love tap in rush hour, no damage to either car at all) and then I totaled my car on the freeway when I accidentally took two sleeping pills instead of two migraine pills and blacked out behind the wheel. Not a fun day…

32.Any pet peeves? Of course! One of my major ones is when people lecture/give advice as if you are too stupid to know any better. Like when they think that since they are older/have more kids/been married longer/whatever that if you like your life they must say something negative to “teach” you what is inevitably going to happen to you. I HATE that! I also hate when people think that we are bad people because we were married for 5 years before having a baby. Only in the Mormon culture…

33.Favorite pizza topping? Canadian Bacon. YUM!

34.Favorite Flower? Tulips

35.Favorite ice cream? Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked. It’s SO good!

36.Favorite fast food restaurant? Gonna have to say Taco Bell, with Wendy’s as a close second.

37.How many times did you fail your driver's test? I passed the first time!

38.From whom did you get your last email? Barbara Williams, from my work

39.Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Probably Barnes and Noble!

40.Do anything spontaneous lately? Spontaneous doesn’t work well with a baby…

41.Like your job? I do! I love being able to stay at home with my little son!

42.Broccoli? As long as it’s not raw. I can’t stand the texture of raw broccoli!

43.What was your favorite vacation? I LOVE Lake Powell, I have also loved Hawaii, Canada, West Virginia, Heritage Tours (three weeks back East), Bermuda, and of course my honeymoon in Montana! I have been on lots of other trips, but these ones stand out the most.

44.Last person you went out to dinner with? My hubby! My mom took the baby and we went to Wing Nutz before a play. Yum!

45.What are you listening to right now? Silence-baby is asleep and I am content with the quiet!

46.What is your favorite color? Depends, usually blue, but I like to wear pink and brown and black.

47.How many tattoos do you have? None, nor will I ever! I can barely get my blood drawn, how on earth would I handle a tattoo?!

48.Coffee drinker? No way, it stinks!

49.How many children do you have? One little guy!

50.Are you in love? Deeply!

Mastitis!

2011-09-26T08:44:00.003-06:00

So, last week I was feeling a little bit sick, mostly a sore throat and some headaches. But, on Friday last week I got EXTREMELY sick! I was running a high fever, had terrible joint and body aches and pains, sore throat, awful headache, and some strange swelling under my left arm. It got to painful that I couldn't pick up the baby! So, I called Ben in tears and asked him to come home from work-which he did. I got in to a doctor to get an antibiotic or something, thinking that I had the flu. Come to find out, I actually have Mastitis-a breast infection! I am on a crazy high antibiotic, but that Friday night was one of the worst of my life. I was in so much pain in my joints that I couldn't even walk up the stairs-I had to crawl. I just laid on the couch in misery, and Ben would bring the baby to me when he needed to eat and then he would help hold him so I could nurse him. Nursing on my left side is extremely painful-but they encourage you to nurse through it! OUCH! I thought that I was doing a little bit better so on Sunday we went to my parents home for a family birthday dinner for my niece. I was doing fine but starting to go downhill as the night wore on. Finally, just as we were getting ready to go home, I stood up too fast and got a rush of pain, that combined to make me pass out! That was a little traumatic...After received a blessing from my dad and my husband, we were on our way again. I could sure use your prayers right now, I REALLY need to get over this thing! Ben is going out of town at the end of the week on a business trip and I am a little nervous that I will still be feeling like this. So, prayers are much appreciated!!!

A Few More Pics

2011-09-02T14:49:00.004-06:00

Again, these are all from my phone so I apologize for the poor quality on some of them. I really need to start taking more pictures with a real camera...

Best Baby Book EVER!!

2011-09-02T09:19:00.002-06:00

So, my sister in law introduced me to a book that has seriously turned my baby around! It is called Baby Wise and it talks about how to help your baby learn to fall asleep on their own, sleep on a routine, eat on a set routine, and sleep through the night earlier and more completely. It basically talks about how after you feed your baby, you need to keep them awake (except for at nights) for one hour total, including the feeding time. Then, baby goes down for a nap-period. They cry and fuss for a little while and then they sleep for about an hour to two hours. Then, if they don't wake up on their own to eat again, you wake them and feed them again. Then you have that wake time (you do things like take walks outside, sing songs, read books, have a bath, etc) and then they go down for a nap again. This routine helps them get the sleep they need, keeps them eating regularly, and makes for a MUCH happier baby! It talks about how to help them sleep through the night and says that on this system most babies sleep 7-8 hours at night by 8 weeks old! Noah already sleeps for 5 hours at a time at nights now on this system and he is SO MUCH HAPPIER!! He is much more alert during his wake times, and so much more content. He still has hard times where he cries and fusses a lot, and some of the naps don't go well and are a lot of work for both of us, but overall this system has been a huge deal! I highly recommend this book to ANYONE with little ones who can't sleep well. It talks about how to start this routine even if they aren't newborns too. They have a toddler-specific one as well. "On Becoming Baby Wise" by Gary Ezzo. Happy sleeping! :)

Baby Pictures!

2011-08-23T11:59:00.005-06:00

The moustache binkie is a joke from one of Ben's co-workers. Thanks, James! :)

He loves his baths, and he always looks a little drugged! :)

In his baby swing

Sorry about the poor quality of these, they are all from my phone. I am also not sure why they are different sizes... I am not computer literate enough to care and I also have a baby in one arm so I just don't want to spend the time to fix it! :) I will get better ones on here soon from our actual camera, they are a lot better quality! Hope you enjoy how freaking cute my son is! (Not that I am biased or anything...)

Noah's Labor Story

2011-08-18T16:47:00.002-06:00

I wanted to have a copy of the story of the birth of Noah, so this is mostly for my records and for my memories. Read if you want to!

I was originally due on August 9th. I had a doctor’s appointment on August 3rd to see how far along I was. When I got there I had slightly elevated blood pressure, which was unusual since I had had really great blood pressure every other time they had taken it up to that point. After taking about 5 times I was told to go home, get my hospital bag, eat dinner, and report back to the hospital to be induced! So, Ben and I went home all excited and get ready to have this baby! After we got home, got my bag, ate at Chick-Fil-A, and then started back for the hospital we started calling family to let everyone know that I was being admitted that night.
We got to the hospital at about 8:00 PM that night. After getting checked in and everything, we got started on the pills to ripen my cervix that night. I started having fairly serious contractions at about 9:15 and I had contractions regularly every 3 minutes all night long. I had three doses of the pill, and for about an hour after each dose I would feel really sick and have stomach cramping on top of the contractions. After the first hour after each dose I did okay, the sickness faded and the cramping calmed down and I just had the regular contractions. It was a long night, Ben was able to sleep a little bit but I was in enough pain that I couldn’t sleep at all. I spent the night crying and watching TV!
At about 7:00 AM the morning of the 4th the nurse came in and told me that she didn’t know when I would be able to get an epidural since the anesthesiologist was booked in several other labors. I was SO ready for the epidural at that point, I had been having those contractions so regularly all night long, and they weren’t getting any better. I was still only dilated to about a two, but my cervix was nice and ripe and soft. My doctor came in about 8:30 AM and broke my water, and then the anesthesiologist was able to swing in to my room at about 11:00 AM to give me the epidural! That was a weird experience but it felt great to stop feeling! The epidural went in really well and I started feeling relief quickly. It was a blessing to just be able to relax and get relief from the pain that I had been in. I got started on the Pitocin shortly after that. My mom and Ben both stayed in the room with me and talked, joked, played cards, read books, and rested. I was REALLY slow getting dilated though! It was a long day.
I got checked regularly, and we participated in a new study monitor to track the EKG of the baby through a sensor in his head. It was an internal monitor which was actually much much better since I could lay more comfortably and it was so much more accurate. This new monitor had some problems at first, but it was great. I am glad that we participated in this study.
As the night went on, we started making a little more progress. My mother-in-law came down and she actually stayed through the labor which was fun. As the night wore on, I got closer and closer. I was dilated to a 4 by about 6:00 pm and then when they checked me again in an hour I was dilated to an 8! It was SO great to be that far along. I was so excited to be that close to meeting my little baby! As I finally hit a 9, my epidural started acting funny. I started to be able to feel really well in my hips and pelvis, especially on the left side. We had another anesthesiologist come in and he decided to give me another dose. Well, I don’t know if it was a different kind, or just too much, or what, but my body started to react to the medicine. I started having dim vision, and I almost blacked out a few times! I got really dizzy and light headed, my nose completely plugged up, and my hands went numb! All of this happened in a few minutes and I was now dilated to almost a 10! Well, they moved me all around to try to get the epidural to go back down to my legs instead of my arms and hands. It didn’t work! They were able to get my hands to have some feeling again, but the pain in my pelvis and hips never went away and now it was time to push! This was the scariest part, I couldn’t breathe very well, still had numbness in my hands, and I was feeling very weak and wiped out already, and I hadn’t even started pushing!
Ben held my left leg, and my mom held my right leg. I was good at pushing luckily, even though the pain was intense and I was so tired already. After about 45 minutes of pushing, I had my baby! I remember feeling the head, especially since it took forever to get it all the way out, but I think that his shoulders hurt more than his head did! He had his dad’s shoulders for sure. Ben was able to cut the umbilical cord and then they put the baby on my stomach. After getting him toweled off and breathing, he cried for a few minutes, and then they put him inside my hospital gown right on my skin. That skin to skin contact was so bonding and special! About 30 seconds after Noah was laid on my chest he stopped crying, stuck his fingers in his mouth, opened his eyes, and lifted his head! He lifted his head several times and just looked all around at everyone! It was so sweet, and it was such a relief to have him there and healthy and I fell so in love with him!
The afterbirth and placenta were delivered, but there were still membranes attached so she had to actually put her fist inside me and scrape them out with her fingers! That was almost as painful as the labor part! I just tried to focus on my new baby, but that after birth stuff with the stitches and everything else-with the epidural worn off-was incredibly painful! It was nice to have that part over.
I didn’t start contracting back to my normal size very well, so they gave me more Pitocin, an antibiotic, and something for pain. I felt so drugged up after all that! I went through about 8 cups of apple juice and ate some crackers, and then I was able to nurse the baby for a few minutes. He ate really well and still had yet to really cry! Such a good baby! Noah was born at 9:48 pm and weighed 7 lbs 13 oz. He was 21 inches long and the nurses were impressed at how strong he was with holding his head up as much as he was!
We got to the maternity ward at about midnight and I was falling asleep anytime someone wasn’t poking, prodding, or talking to me! After the initial check in process, talking to the nurses, and getting Noah checked out, he was hungry again so I fed him and then I was finally free to sleep at about 3 AM! We stayed in the hospital until Saturday afternoon and then we took our little guy home!

Noah's Nursery Pictures

2011-07-28T15:07:00.005-06:00

These are some pictures of Noah's nursery! I think that it all turned out really cute. Thank you to my amazing husband who put all the furniture together and to my mom and sisters who made a night of organizing the dresser and setting up the crib with me! I just can't wait to get my little guy here now!!

It's hard to see the window valance, but it's the same pattern as the bumper pads on the crib. So cute!

My amazing little sisters put this together for me!

It took me forever to get a cute car seat cover and I LOVE this one! It has an elastic on the back too so that it won't blow around in wind, plus it is reversible. Much better than a blanket too since it can't fall off!

This is me "modeling" my new rocking chair. The onesie is just for fun. :) Sorry this picture is on here twice, I can't delete the second one!

I apologize for the poor picture quality, these are just pictures off my phone, which doesn't have a very good camera. But, didn't his room turn out cute?! I LOVE the sports theme that we went with. I have a little bit of artwork that I still want to get hung up. I have a frame that I need to actually have some baby pictures to put in (as soon as Noah gets here of course), and there is an Ark picture that I want to hang above the rocking chair. I would also like to find some ceramic letters to spell out Noah above the crib. But, all of that will have to come later. Enjoy the pictures, I can't wait to get this little guy here so that I can put him in his cute room! :)

Long Overdue Post

2011-07-28T15:00:00.002-06:00

I wanted to post these cute pictures of something my amazing employees did for me a while ago! I was surprised at work when a beautiful Edible Arrangements bouquet of fresh fruit showed up for me, and then one of my employees came in with presents!! I LOVED the fresh fruit (one of my cravings!) and my employees purchased a bunch of books for me that I was holding for myself! I got What To Expect the First Year, What to Expect the Toddler Years, and A Mom's Ultimate Book of Lists. For anyone who knows me well, they know how much I love lists, so that last book was awesome! It has lists of all kinds of stuff, from diaper bag packing, approved medications, birthday party games, healthy snack ideas, and more! The First Year book has been awesome too, I have started reading it and it has EVERYTHING baby in it. I love it! My employees are so sweet and I am really going to miss them when I leave in about a week. Thank you, ladies, you are amazing!

My Voice!

2011-06-05T11:48:00.002-06:00

Guess what? I have a voice again! I am so happy to be able to speak! Hooray! I won't say I sound like normal since I am so stuffy and raspy, but I don't sound like one of Marge Simpson's sisters anymore and for that I am truly grateful!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

2011-06-02T12:19:00.002-06:00

So, I am horribly sick. Not pregnant sick, but real-people sick! I can't even talk because of my sore throat. If I do try to talk I have this awful, raspy cough that makes me gag because of it's intensity. I have a buzzing headache, and all of that on top of the aches and pains of carrying around a wiggly bowling ball in my belly! So not fair. I think that pregnant people should be immune to all disease during the pregnancy! So, life-are you kidding me?!

Okay, now that I am done whining, sorry to had to go through that, I will give the updates! We had an awesome Memorial Day BBQ, which Ben and I hosted in our new backyard! We had my family and his family over so all together we had over 20 people there! Our backyard accommodated that size of a group just fine, which made us love it more. We had the typical fare of hamburgers, hot dogs, veggies, fruit, chips, and tons of desserts. After eating we set up volley ball, badminton (minus a net...) and croquet in the back and everyone had a blast! The last of our guests trickled out around 9:30 that evening, so I would say the event was a success. Earlier in the day my mother/sisters-in-law and I all went shopping and out to lunch too. It made for a very busy day but it was a lot of fun. Ben also got our hot tub up and working earlier that day so he enjoyed a nice soak after everyone left. I can't sit in the hot tub until after the baby, but I enjoyed sitting on the side and dangling my tired legs and feet in! It was a lot of fun, and I am sure we will do it again. I am quickly discovering, now that we have our own place especially, that my husband likes to play host! He is already planning several, that's right, several, other gatherings with friends and things like that. Good thing I am such a social person, huh? :)

Other update news, I am only 10 weeks away from my due date! Hooray! I am measuring right on time for where I should be, which is great, and the baby is very active all the time, but especially at night. I think he is going to be a major night owl like his daddy. I have started to get more and more baby stuff accumulated, and I am doing a big "baby day" in about another week or so. I will put some pictures up of his room once it is all done. I have discovered that Kid to Kid is awesome. Great clothes, awesome prices! It's hard to go in there and not come out with something so I am limiting myself to how many trips I make there, especially alone!

I have an Excel spreadsheet to help me stay organized while I shop. Nerdy? Yes. Awesome? Totally! It is broken down by categories and price points, and then for things that I need multiples of-onesies, for instance-there is a number in parenthesis next to the item and then small check mark boxes on that line so if I buy them at multiple locations I still know how many I have, and how many I will need. It keeps me from over-buying which Ben loves, and it keeps me from feeling panicked wondering if I shorted myself on something I need, which I love!

Don't laugh, you know you shouldn't be surprised if you know me at all!

I was honestly going to try to get pictures of the house, yard, and Memorial Day up on my blog this week, but then my deathly illness (cause that's how I feel) struck, and now all I am going to do is watch two seasons of Lie to Me on my Netflix and sleep and drink water. I may also watch a little Mr. Bean, I found that on Netflix too and Ben won't watch them with me! So, watch for an update next week instead that will include pictures! Sorry!

Oops!

2011-04-07T10:54:00.001-06:00

So, I really had planned to have pictures posted today of our house. I went down and took lots of great pictures to show the awesome house we are moving into, but I can't find the cord to download the pictures off of my camera. I'm sorry! I had the best intentions, honest! Stay tuned and I will try to get them on here soon!!

It's a BOY!!

2011-03-22T19:18:00.003-06:00

We are so excited to welcome our little baby boy into our family! Noah Benjamin Anderson is still scheduled to join our family in early August! He was super active and wiggly all through his ultrasound and he is a couple ounces ahead of his projected weight. We are thrilled! The picture is actually a picture of the bedding set we plan to get for him in his nursery. We are going to go with the sports thing since his initials are NBA. :)

Anniversary!

2011-03-09T08:07:00.004-07:00

I just wanted to do a quick post in honor of our 5 year anniversary! We got married 5 years ago today, and I am so glad we can celebrate that! We were married in the middle of a horrible blizzard that made the drive a nail biter for those coming from far away! We only got about 6 outside temple pictures before the cold, wind, and icy snow drove us back inside. We got a ton of pictures at the reception to make up for it and then Ben and I went back about 6 months later to get a whole bunch of temple pictures. It actually worked out well, we took them right after a week at Lake Powell with my family so we are all tan! :) I am sure you can tell which pictures are from the wedding day and which ones are from later on...I absolutely love my incredible husband, he has treated me like a queen the whole 6 years I have known him. He is romantic, thoughtful, sweet, and caring. I am so excited he is going to be a daddy because he just LOVES kids, and little kids all love Ben. We are in nursery in our ward and the other ladies laugh because at any given time Ben is surrounded by three or four kids at a time all vying for his attention! We have had a wonderful 5 years, and I hope we get many many more years together. Love you, Ben! I thought I would quickly post 5 of my favorite memories of our time together. Bear with me, you can totally stop reading if you want to! :)

1. I love the way Ben proposed to me. He sent me on a scavenger hunt of different locations that had meaning to him during our courtship. It starting with flowers at my work, then flowers and a love letter at my house, then a love letter, CD, and gift card at my favorite Olive Garden, then a love letter at his house, and finally a love letter in a park we had originally talked about marriage in. Keep in mind, this was about a three hour process with rush hour traffic thrown in there, going from Alpine to Kaysville. Then, at the last location, he was waiting for me with the beautiful ring he picked out himself. We were all alone in a gazebo and it was lightly snowing, it all looked like a movie!

2. Our first Valentine's Day as a married couple was really fun. We had just moved into a new apartment the day before, so everything was in boxes and a mess. We were also really poor. So, on the way home from work I stopped and got sparkling cider, candles, and deli food! When Ben got home I had a blanket spread on the floor amidst all the boxes with candles lit, and we had a little candlelit picnic. It was so fun!

3. I loved the day that Ben found out he got his current job, and we knew he wasn't going to have to work nights anymore! We had worked opposite shifts for years from each other and we were both sick of it. It was such a blessing to have him home with me in the evening! We adjusted quickly to more time together, and it's been wonderful!

4.I remember when Ben first talked to me about getting married, he was so nervous to even bring it up and I actually thought he was breaking up with me! He finally stumbled out, "What do you think about marrying me?" I was stunned for a minute cause it caught me so off guard, which made him more nervous! I said, "Well, I'm kind of in love with you!"and we were set! He didn't propose until 4 months later!

5. I think one of my favorite memories will always be when I told Ben I was pregnant. We had been trying for such a long time and I had started to get really discouraged. When I got that positive test I was ecstatic and I ripped open the shower curtain while he was showering screaming, "I'm PREGNANT!!!" and I think I about scared him to death! He was so excited, we both shed a few tears of relief and happiness and I will never forget that day!

If you are still reading, kudos! :) Happy Anniversary, Ben, I love you!

TWO WEEKS!!!

2011-03-07T08:15:00.002-07:00

We get to find out what Peanut is in TWO WEEKS! We are both really excited, it's getting closer which is awesome. I will be sure to post! I am debating about something. Do I post a picture of the ultrasound? Does anyone else actually care about seeing this picture besides me, Ben, and the grandmas? What's your stance? On another note: Ben and I have our 5 year anniversary on Wednesday! We aren't doing much on that actual day, but the next day we get to go to the temple for a dear friend's endowment session before her mission to South Korea, and then we get all day on Saturday together and we are going to go see the musical version of Tale of Two Cities at Hale Center Theatre that evening. Should be fun, and will help to make this week go by faster so then there will only be one week left until "Baby Day", as it is marked on my calendar. :)

Mark the Date/Need Advice

2011-02-23T12:31:00.002-07:00

So, we get to find out on March 21st what we are having! Less than a month away! We are very excited and anxious to find out what we will be having. We already have a girl name picked out, but the boy name is under negotiation...Wish us luck on that front, we have very different boy name tastes. So far Ben and I are both leaning more towards it being a boy based on how sick I have been and how fast the heartbeat is. My doctor says I am in for an interesting pregnancy once I can start to feel the baby, because it's already REALLY wiggly!!!! Peanut hardly holds still for a moment for the ultrasound we have already had and every time they try to find the heartbeat. It's going to be interesting to see if Peanut will still wiggle around that much once I can feel it. :) For my friends out there who have had kids, what did you do to avoid stretch marks?? I am starting to show just a little bit, and I would like to avoid stretch marks if I can. Any suggestions??

Exciting News!!!!!!!

2011-02-17T18:48:00.003-07:00

Well, I put this on facebook, but in case you didn't see it:

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I love my hubby,

And our unborn baby too!

That's right! I am pregnant! We are very excited, this has been a long time coming for us, and we are thrilled! I am due on my birthday, August 9th. We will find out the gender in March, it's getting close! So far I think we have a pretty even split between boy and girl votes. I have been extremely sick, in January I lost 14 lbs in 3 weeks, so they put me on some anti-nausea medicine, which has helped. I am hoping I am on the tail end of being sick though, I am about 15 weeks along, which is close to the "no sick" zone! Cross your fingers that it holds true for me, I am ready to actually EAT! :) We told our families as a Christmas present, but in different ways.

My family:

I made a "baby on board" sign and taped it to my shirt over my stomach. And then I zipped my coat over my shirt. We were at my family's house for Christmas Eve and so when we got there I asked my mom if she wanted to see my new shirt. She gave me kind of a funny look and said yes, so I unzipped my coat and showed her my shirt. She said, "Really???" and starting screaming and hugging us. The commotion brought my little sisters into the kitchen and they asked what was going on. I told them that mom really liked my new shirt and showed them the sign. They had similar reactions to my mom. Then, my sister ran into the bedroom where my dad was taking a nap yelling, "Dad, come see Megan's new shirt, come see Megan's new shirt!" He was understandably confused... :) He was also very excited for us and took some pictures, which I will find and post later on. It was a great Christmas Eve present!

Ben's family:

Since we were going to be at Ben's house for Christmas morning we thought it would be fun to give something to his mom to open as a present. We found a cute bib that said, "Grandma said I could" in big letters and we wrapped it and put it under the tree. It was hard to act normal because we had to wait for her turn to open a gift before we could give it to her! She opened it and said, "Oh, my heck!" I think it kind of took a minute for everyone to process exactly what it meant, but it was hilarious, all three of Ben's sisters looked over at me at the exact same time after they saw what it was, it made me laugh! They are all very excited since this is the first grandkid in their family! Thanks goes to my sister in law Kayla who posted the news right away, and then took it back off when I told her I wasn't quite ready to tell the world yet! I was only 7 weeks at the time and wanted to make sure this baby was here to stay!

So, there's the update! I will try to post more now that I actually have something exciting to post about!!!

Flowers!

2011-02-17T18:45:00.003-07:00

Ben sent these to my work for Valentine's Day! I LOVE Tulips, they are for sure my favorite flower. They just look fresh and cheerful. Plus, since they were my wedding flowers, I think about our wedding day every time I see Tulips. Thank you, Honey!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T08:32:00.003-07:00

Dear Ben,

Happy Valentine's Day! I want you to know how much I love you! You are an incredible husband to me, you treat me so well! I can't believe how happy you make me. Last night when we talked for a couple hours reminiscing about our courtship and the early days of our marriage was so much fun! It was fun to go back and look at the beginnings of our relationship, from the first encounter when I had just come back from running and was all sweaty and gross, to our first date when I was so nervous that I missed your first "move", to the first time you brought up marriage and I thought you were going to dump me, to our wedding day, I feel so deeply in love with you! It's fun to look back, but I wouldn't trade where we are now. I love being your wife! I love our relationship and how well we work together. Thank you for truly being my knight in shining armor! You have made my life so full and rich, I have never been treated so well! Thank you for spoiling me rotten, thank you for knowing how to handle my craziness, thank you for loving me. Happy Valentine's Day, honey, I love you for eternity!

Love,

Your Wife

I thought I would post

2011-02-04T21:34:00.003-07:00

So Megan always posts on here and I never do so I thought I would. I just wanted to say how amazing she is. She always says on here how great I am but never how much she does. She is kind, loving, and always thinks of others first. Thanks babe for being the girl of my dreams and for loving me enough to be my wife. I love you and I always will.

Who Am I??

2011-01-20T15:47:00.002-07:00

So, I am sure that a lot of you have heard that the Zodiac signs have changed. This makes me VERY sad! I loved being a Leo! I will admit, while I don't believe in or actively follow my sign, I have read a lot about the signs and their meanings and I think it is interesting. I think it is fun to learn about. Not something I would base my whole life off of, but fun to read and see what signs are compatible, etc. Now I feel as though all of my research is for nothing! I have always read a lot of stuff on Leos, NEVER on Cancers (my new sign) and it makes me sad! Is it weird that I am kind of mourning my loss of Leo? I just don't fit my new sign, at all! I am not shy, I am not a home body, I don't dislike crowds and groups of people. I am still declaring myself a Leo-I don't care what the new research says! I was born under the impression of being a Leo and I am sticking to it! I love people, I love the spot light, I am feisty and have a temper, I am a LEO! LEO LEO LEO! Any one else have a slight crisis of identity with their sign changing? (And even if not, I would appreciate some support to show that I am not crazy!)

Sick Day

2011-01-10T15:11:00.002-07:00

I took a sick day from work today cause I really needed it. Feel like poop! This is my first sick day in about 8-10 months so I don't feel too guilty making my employees run my store on a Monday without me. However, I don't think I took the full advantage of my day off from work-I did laundry, dishes, and made a grocery list/menu for the week. I also cleaned the bathrooms and vacuumed all while I feel like poop. I think I need to enjoy my sick day more next time by not doing all those productive things! What is your favorite thing to do on a sick day? (Besides eat chicken noodle soup!) Wish me luck, I took a day off from life yesterday too-had myself a nice pajama day! Here's to the rest of the week being nice to me!!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T01:07:00.002-07:00

Here's to hoping that you keep all of your New Year's Resolutions! (Especially the ones you didn't keep in 2010...)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-23T08:23:00.002-07:00

I know that I am not going to get a chance to post a Merry Christmas wish later on, so I am doing it today! I am going straight from work tomorrow to my house for Christmas Eve and then we are driving an hour home that night so that we can be at Ben's parent's house early Christmas morning. Whew! Good thing it's a holiday that practically encourages naps after presents and breakfast! :) I am also very excited for my busy season at work to wind down, I am exhausted! It will be nice to go back to my regular hours at the store too. Well, I want to wish all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope that your Christmas mornings are full of excitment and fun and I hope you have all been nice this year! Our love to you and enjoy your Christmases!!

Books!!

2010-12-08T19:14:00.002-07:00

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes that most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed below.

I have bolded the ones that I have read all the way through. I have read 59 of these bad boys! And some of them I have read over and over, one of my all time favorite books ever is on this list! (#21). Well, that was my self esteem boost for the day. I feel so good about myself now! Plus, I think this post ties in nicely with my background. :)

1. Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen
2. Lord of the Rings -J.R.R. Tolkein
3. Jane Eyre-Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series-J.K. Rowling
5. To Kill A Mockingbird-Harper Lee
6. The Bible (Old Testament, New Testament)
7. Wuthering Heights-Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four-George Orwell
9.His Dark Materials-Philip Pullman (Own it, but haven't gotten to it yet)
10. Great Expectations-Charles Dickens
11. Little Women-Louise May Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles-Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22-Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca-Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit-JRR Tolkien
17.Birdshong-Sebastian Faulk
18. Catcher in the Rye-JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler's Wife-Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch-George Eliot
21. Gone With the Wind-Margaret Mitchell (Over and Over! I LOVE this book!!!!)
22. The Great Gatsby- F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House-Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace-Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited-Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment-Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath-John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland-Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows-Kenneth Grahame
31.Anna Karenina-Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield-Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia-CS Lewis
34. Emma-Jane Austen
35. Persuasion-Jane Austen
36. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe-CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner-Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin-Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha-Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh-A.A. Milne
41. Animal Farm-George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code-Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude-Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney-John Irving
45. The Woman in White-Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables-LM Montgomery
47. Far From the Madding Crowd-Thomas Hardy
48. The Hnadmaid's Tale-Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies-William Golding
50. Atonement-Ian McEwan
51. Life of Pi-Yann Martel
52. Dune-Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm-Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility-Jane Austen
55. A Suitable boy-Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind-Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale of Two Cities-Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World-Aldous Huxley (I would read this one, but my hubby read it and HATED it!)
59. The Curious Incident of the God in the Night-time-Mark Haddon
60. Love in the Time of Cholera-Gabriel Garcia MArquez
61. Of Mice and MEn-John Steinbeck
62. Lolita-Vladmir Nabokov
63. The Secret History-Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely bones-Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo-Alexandre Dumas (LOVE this book!)
66. On The Road-Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure-Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones's Diary-Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children-Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick-Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist-Charles Dickens
72. Dracula-Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden-Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes from a Small Island-Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses-James Joyce
76. The Inferno-Dante
77. Swallows and Amazons-Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal-Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair-William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession-AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol-Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas-David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple-Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day-Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary-Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance-Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web-E.B. White
88. The Five People You Meet in Heaven-Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection-Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness-Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince-Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory-Iain Banks
94. Watership Down-Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces-John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice-Nevile Shute
97. The Three Musketeers-Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet-William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and Chocolate Factory-Roald Dahl (I have read, multiple times, EVERYTHING by this author!)
100. Les Miserables-Victor Hugo (This book is another of my favorites!!)

I did it.

2010-11-13T23:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally joined facebook! So, come find me, I need some friends! :)

Broken Neck

2010-11-11T10:49:00.003-07:00

Okay, not really, but it really hurts! Let me back up. I woke up on Monday with a very bad pain in my neck, on the right side, at the base of my hairline. Thinking I slept on it weird I just continued on my day. It gradually got worse. I came home that night and applied a hot pad and my sweet hubby took care of dinner. Had a VERY hard time sleeping on Monday because it hurts any way I tried to lay down. So, Tuesday I was exhausted and in even more pain than before. The pain had also spread down my neck and settled in both my hairline and the top of my shoulder, it was a much more acute pain than before, so I took some Advil and went to work. At work I tried to lift a heavy box (not unusual in a bookstore) and had to drop the box and immediately sit down because I starting seeing spots and the pain shot down my arm. So, Tuesday night I applied ice for about 45 minutes and then heat for about 45 minutes. My sweet hubby took care of dinner AGAIN and then made me take a Loretab. We thought I must have pinched a nerve or something like that and thought the Loretab would help my body relax so that my muscles would let go of the nerve. Didn't help-I just got loopy. (Incidentally, watching late night TV is mcuh funnier on Loretab...) So, Wednesday morning I got up to go to work and literally couldn't turn my head. I was in so much pain! I had to turn my whole body instead of my head because the pain was so bad. Well, Ben called me in the middle of the day to see how I was feeling and I was on the brink of tears. He asked if I wanted to go to the doctor and I said yes-VERY unusual for me, I will kick and scream and fight my way out of going to the doctor every chance I get. Ben was surprised and started to really worry since I NEVER agree to a doctor! So, he picked me up after work (the advantages of his work being really really close to mine!) and we went to the doctor. He said that I have a bulging disc in my neck that is causing the pain! No wonder ice and heat didn't help! I am now on a pack of a cortizone/prednisone blend, extra strength Tylenol, perscription ibuprofen, and a little bit of Prilosec to keep my stomach from freaking out at the pill overage! I don't take pills very often for anything so this is way overlaoding my system! This morning I took 2 prednisone, a Tylenol, and an ibuprofen-all just at breakfast! I still have 9 pills left for today! Ugh. But, hopefully I will start to get some relief soon, I can still not turn my head very well and it really really hurts! I am glad that today is my day off from work so that I have a day to rest while the pills starts to do their stuff!

Bad news, and good news

2010-11-04T16:00:00.002-06:00

Bad news:

Well, we found out a few weeks ago that my amazing mother in law has breast cancer. She has already beaten cancer twice (thyroid) so this is her third round. She has had a lumpectomy already to remove the tumor which they said was small so that is good news. They did find some cancer in her lymph nodes though so she is going to have to undergo chemotherapy. However, it still sounds like they caught it fairly early since the nodes weren't very hard, which is another good sign. The family has pulled together to support her and I know that we will continue to help her through this battle. I am so grateful for such an amazing family, I feel very close to my in-laws and I love them all very much. Please keep our family in your prayers.

Good news:

My brother in law is getting married! His fiancee (Hayley) is a sweetheart and I think she will be a great addition to our family! Ben and I are excited to have another married couple in the family. They are getting married on December 17th in the Bountiful temple. I got to go wedding dress shopping with Hayley, my mother in law, and one of my sisters in law which was a lot of fun and she is going to make a beautiful bride! She has a very unique dress that looks amazing on her, and I am sure their pictures will be beautiful. Congrats guys!

Exciting Work Project.

2010-11-02T08:31:00.002-06:00

So, I know that no one else probably cares, but this is so sweet! These are pictures of my discount tables at the back of my store which are normally loaded to overflowing. Well, with Christmas coming up I figured that we needed to try to consolidate some space to make room for new books, Christmas items, etc. My employee was able to make this much space on my two tables! It was able to hold all of the items I was hoping it would hold and still have space left over! This is absolutely phenomenal for this time of the year, so I am doing a happy dance! This was an all day project what will have a dramatic impact for the rest of the busy season. Even if you can't totally understand the ramificaitons of my super sweet discount tables, be happy for me cause I think it totally rocks!!

Survived!

2010-11-01T08:27:00.003-06:00

Well, we survived Ben's business trip, although it was really boring, at least on my end! Ben was so busy he barely had time to breathe, but that is nice since it makes it go faster. Ben was very sweet and sent me these flowers which arrived at my work on Monday morning! It was great timing since Monday was the "hump day" of him being gone. I LOVE my husband I am so glad he is home!!! Sorry about the poor picture quality, these were taken with my crappy camera phone. He really enjoyed the trip though, he got a Google TV and a new Droid 2 phone for free! And if he codes an application for a Blackberry in December he will get a free Blackberry pad too, he is pretty excited about that since his school stuff ends really early in December (I think his last final is on like the 5th!) and so he will have the time to do that! Anyway, there's the quick update! I should have pictures of Lake Powell (finally) and Park City posted soon, I think we found our camera cord!! Stay tuned...

Ben's Birthday!

2010-10-14T17:36:00.003-06:00

So, Ben is turning 28 tomorrow, and so I thought I would share 28 memories/reasons I love him/fun facts about Ben! (I know he will kill me for this post later, but he's at work right now!) For Ben's birthday we are going to eat at Macaroni Grill (thanks mom and dad) and then go shopping at IKEA for a new DVD stand to go with our new sweet TV! It will be an interesting night though, Ben is working today (Thursday) from 8am-3am! So, it might be a short date night. Poor guy! The picture is from our wedding pictures (the ones 6 months later, not the actual day hence the tan and nice weather!) and I think it is very handsome! I love you, Ben!

1. Ben hates to be the center of attention. He would prefer to be on the outskirts of social gatherings which is perfect for me since I love the spotlight! (And it's also the reason he will hate this post, but bear it like a good sport.)

2. Ben is very romantic and constantly leaves me notes and flowers.

3. Ben is going out of town in a week for 5 days on a business trip and we are both dreading it, this is will be the longest we have been seperated since we got married. I don't know how we ever did the long distance thing!

4. Ben loves rock climbing, but hasn't been able to go for a very long time because he is so busy. One of our first dates was to go rock climbing (which I had never done before) and to impress him I also volunteered to do a repel, where you go down a rock face instead of climbing up. It about made me pee my pants, but he was impressed so mission accomplished!

5. Ben knows a lot about cars and enjoys working on them, especially if he can work on them with his dad and brothers.

6. Ben loves fresh fruit and makes faces when he eats store bought or canned fruit.

7. Ben can play the trumpet, guitar, and piano but hates to sing.

8. Ben planned out his very elaborate proposal two months in advance!

9. Ben enjoys reading, when he gets the chance, and one of his favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird.

10. I am so grateful for Ben's patience. He NEVER loses his temper, ever! Any disagreements we have is usually him stating an opinion and then me getting all fired up and irritated! :) (I know, that is shocking to those of you who know me well!)

11. Going along with number 10, Ben's favorite nickname for me is "Spitfire".

12. Ben served a mission to the Philippines and is still exceptionally fluent in Tagalog. We have occasionally met people who are from there and he can converse with them very easily.

13. I love that Ben treats me so well, everyone who spends time with us notices how sweet and thoughtful and caring Ben is with me and I LOVE it! He is an amazing husband who I love with all my heart.

14. Ben does not like to be in pictures, which is why I had to go all the way back to our wedding pictures to find one of just him!

15. Ben really enjoys going to plays, we get season tickets to Hale Center Theater every year together and that has been awesome! Ben is very well versed in literature and the world of theater, so it's fun to have conversations about the plays we see together.

16. Ben is a very loyal person, he has a close knit circle of friends and family and he is loyal and protective of those in his circle.

17. Ben is really really handsome. (Again, I know he will shoot me for posting this, but it's true!)

18. Ben doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, instead of dessert after dinner (a must have for me!) he is good with a glass of juice. It's weird, but great since it keeps me from buying junk food!

19. Ben is a very hard worker, he is great at juggling school and work and puts a lot of effort into both.

20. Ben has absoluely loved his new job, for which we are so grateful. It's about time he works somewhere that appreciates him!

21. Ben is a total night owl through and through, he can stay up a late as anyone I know but he is not a morning person at all!

22. Ben is great at making me feel better after a bad day-he knows just how to make me laugh.

23. Ben hates food with nuts, banana bread, brownies, Toblerone, ice cream, you name it and if it has nuts in it he won't touch it!

24. Despite the nut aversion however, Ben LOVES peanut butter!

25. Ben is so cute with kids, he loves to play with our niece and nephews and can't wait to be a daddy. (No, that's not an announcement.)

26. Ben is a problem solver-whether it be finances, homework, programming, or just figuring out why there's no sound with the TV he loves to solve things. If he starts something at night, he can't go to bed until it is completely solved. This is a great trait for his line of work!

27. Ben really loves his wife, which incidentally, works out really well for me!

28. Ben loves football, he knows everything about it, and loves to follow it all. He is also very patient with his wife who just doesn't get it!

I love you, Ben, for all of the wonderful things that make you the incredible man that you are. I appreciate so much how lovingly you take care of me. Happy Birthday, sweetheart, love you forever!

Thank you!

2010-10-12T18:58:00.002-06:00

So my parents generously gave us their old TV on Sunday, but before you go thinking this is just some old junky TV, it is a HUGE 43" telelvision! It is almost as big as our entertainment center which is awesome! The fact that it was free is even better! We got it set up on Sunday and tried out some of our favorite movies, and a couple of Ben's favorite games. He is very pleased that he can actually see and read the text on this new TV! I will post a picture as soon as we have the living room put back together, it is still kind of a mess right now, since the entertainment center can't fit there anymore I have a few piles of books and DVDs that need a new home. So, until I get that done I will leave you all in suspense. Thank you, Mom and Dad, we LOVE it!

Wow...

2010-09-20T17:38:00.003-06:00

So, I am looking at my last post, and I STINK at blogging! I swear I had that all lined up perfect until I published it and then it moved itself! So, sorry that I refer to photos that are, by the time you read it, nowhere near the text! :)

2010-09-20T16:52:00.013-06:00

So I have been wanting to post this for a while now, and today I finally had time! First, I really like my new blog background, don't you? I think it fits me rather well... :) Ok, here we go. So back in July I took a little trip to go see my grandparents in Colorado. I don't get to see my grandparents out there very often so it was a treat! My mom and sisters drove out there on a Wendesday and I flew out Thursday afternoon to join them. I flew ALONE for the first time in my life and it wasn't quite a scary as I thought it would be. Granted, it was only to Colorado, but I still had to catch a connecting flight which means I had to navigate the airport alone which is a pretty impressive feat for those of you who know how easily I get lost! (Lindsay...) Anyway, we drove home together on Saturday so it was a short trip but very worth it! We had a blast and it was fun to hang out with my grandparents and all the Roberts girls! (That includes you, Mom!) My grandparents took us to this park that had a huge stone circle fountain thing. I was really far away from it when I took this picture which shows you how big it was! It rotated and had a little wading area around it that we all went and walked in for a little bit. It was so crowded with little kids, and by the way they were acting you would have thought it was the best waterpark in the world! It was the only part of the trip I thought to take pictures on, so there you go! The top picture is of the fountain itself, from quite a distance-that was the only way I could get the whole thing in the picture! The second picture are my gorgeous sisters, L to R: Brittney, Ashley, Emily. The last picture are my sisters, mom, and grandpa walking to the fountain. Thanks, family, I had a blast! Also on this blog, I have finally included a couple pictures of our apartment by special request. You know who you are! We have been here for almost a year (can't believe it's been that long!) and we love it. We have a great ward and it's a nice complex-very small and much better neighbors than before! The living room picture cuts off one of my bookshelves, the whole wall is books, which makes it my favorite room! So, picture another bookshelf identical to the one in the picture on the other side of the entertainment center, also full. I love my kitchen too, I actually have counter space! These pictures aren't great since they are just from my cell phone but they give you the idea. So, there you go! A new background, a new post, and pictures to boot! Does life get any better? I will be posting Lake Powell pictures soon, I just need to find my camera cord...

Shocking

2010-07-15T11:44:00.002-06:00

I know I know, I am ACTUALLY updating my blog! Sorry, I just don't get on the computer anymore! Here's the update:
Ben:
Ben got a new job! He is now a computer programmer for a company called School Improvement Network. They create teaching software and things like that. He LOVES his new job, he has a great boss and awesome co workers. He actually gets to work with one of his closest friends, Mike, whom he has know for most of his life so that is great. It is down in Murray area, which is a decent drive but he is part of a 4 person carpool so it's not too bad. He got this job in December and has already been promoted! The best part of this job is that it is a DAY TIME job! We LOVE being able to actually see each other! We get to eat dinner together now and everything! He loves the environment there, he doesn't feel like he is going to get cheated or thrown under the bus every time he turns around like he did at the old place. This has definitely been a big improvement for him! He also recently bought himself a grill. I will post pictures of it soon, (I will honestly try!) he bought this with a dividend to REI from our credit card, so it actually didn't cost us anything. It is a really nice grill that can collapse for camping and it works out wonderfully for that. He is excited, Ben LOVES grilling! Ben is still going to school at Weber, he is been doing a fair amount of online classes but this coming fall semester he has one online class and two night classes. He is going to be very busy with that many credits plus work! Wish him luck. We actually ran into one of his professors at Walmart the other day and he recognized Ben and started talking with him, it was fun for me to see that his teacher really liked and respected Ben for working and going to school. It's a sacrifice but if anyone can do it, Ben can!
Megan:
I have changed stores! I used to manager a store in the Brickyard area-over by Sugar House. But, I have been upgraded! I took over a new store by the Fashion Place Mall in October, and it has been awesome! I was very sad to say goodbye to my cute staff in Brickyard but I love my new store! It has its own set of challenges (namely low ceilings which make it hard to display artwork sometimes) but I have an amazing staff and I love my customers! It was a great move for me, I love my job! I have also added more and more to my book collection, which will be bad when we move again. Speaking of moving, we did! We are now in the Kaysville area instead of Clearfield which was a great change. Much better area, better neighbors, and most importanly, I have my washer and dryer back! I LOVE not having to use the laundromat anymore, it's been heaven! Our new place is acutally bigger than our old one and has a much better kitchen. It is a two bedroom two bathroom which is great for when we have company over.

Well, that is pretty much the update, we are so happy to be a regular married couple now and we love our jobs, our home, and our life! We recently took a camping trip with some good friends up to Monte Cristo above Pine View that I will try to post some pictures of that later. We didn't camp in a conventional camp ground, we made our own so we had our own fire pit and it was very secluded and quiet. It was in a sort of flower meadow area surrounded by aspen trees. Beautiful! Only downside was no bathrooms...not too big of a deal for me but I had to teach the other girl there how to "rough it" in the woods! It was quite hilarious...We tested out the new grill and had excellent food cooked up by Ben, we had lots of smores, played in the lake all day, and had a wonderful little vacation all about 45 minutes from home! I will try to post more often (don't hold your breath) and I will try to get some pictures on here soon. Honest!

Hospital Visit

2009-06-16T12:57:00.002-06:00

I know it has been a really long time since I posted, and a lot has been going on! Most recently, Ben was in the hospital for a surgery-Appendicitis! He got a really bad stomach ache about 10 days ago and called into work and took a sick day. The first time he has done that in over 2 years! The pain gradually subsided a little, enough to work. He thought it was either something he ate or a little bit of a stomach bug. But, those were actually the first signs of his appendicitis! He went for 9 days with the pain before we got some pretty strong promptings to go to the doctor. Well, the doctor didn't think it was appendicitis, and even tried to talk us out of getting a CT scan that day. Ben insisted that we schedule the CT scan immediantly. So, we went straight to the hospital and had the CT scan and sure enough, it was appendicitis. By this time, it was around 1:00 AM Sunday morning. They took us to the ER to talk to the surgeon and get checked in. While we were there one of the staff had to inform a woman that her brother/husband (we weren't sure which) had died and she started hysterically screaming his name and crying. It was horrible! I almost lost it, I HATE doctors and hospitals anyway, and I was about to send the love of my life in for surgery, and that happened! It was awful! Anyway, they told us the surgery would be at 8:00AM and so they got Ben hooked up to an IV, and put him in a room until then. He was able to get a litttle sleep, but I wasn't. :( They came and got him and did the surgery, which went well. They couldn't find his appendix at first so they had to "fish" for it, so one of his incisions is about an inch and a half long. We stayed in the hospital until abourn 9:00PM Sunday night. I was able to take him home and he is doing pretty good. Sore, but good. I hadn't slept for over 36 hours, so it was nice for me to come home too! I left out a lot of the story so I wouldn't bore anyone, but needless to say we were at the hospital from 7:00 PM Saturday until 9:00 PM Sunday, but we were so blessed that it hadn't ruptured or anything like that. We are so grateful that we listened to the prompting to get it taken care of when we did. Please keep Ben in your prayers and in your thoughts, we would appreciate it! He is able to walk around pretty well and able to eat things, but he is pretty sore and probably will be for a little while. And I promise I will post again soon, Ben has actually been working a day shift the last month or so and so I have had him home in the evenings which is awesome, and which is also why I haven't been blogging! :) I will post pictures soon of our Oklahoma trip and give a general update. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

BIG news!!!

2009-04-13T19:59:00.002-06:00

So, I got a promotion at work! I am going to be "graduating" from the mangement training position and I am becoming a full-blown mananger! I am going to be managing my own store in Salt Lake City (I know, commuting again! Yuck!) But it is a fairly substantial pay increase (always a good thing!) and I will be in charge of my very own store! I am SO excited, but I am also really nervous. I start at my new store on Wednesday, and then on Tuesday is my yearly inventory! YIKES! It is going to be insane, but I guess I would rather jump in with both feet. The day after my inventory we are leaving for Oklahoma for 5 days, so that will be crazy too! We are going to Oklahoma because Ben's buddy Rob is getting married and Ben is a best man. We are flying standby out, so wish us luck! I had a dream that Ben and I had to take seperate flights and my flight went to Oklahoma by way of Hawaii! Weird, I know. Anyway, so wish me luck on my "new" job, I have a feeling that I am going to need it!

So Proud!

2009-04-02T22:50:00.002-06:00

Can I just say that I am so proud of myself? I just finished some major spring cleaning! I scrubbed my floors on hands and knees before mopping it to make sure I got it really squeaky clean, I dusted and washed all the pictures in my house, I took out four garbage bags full of garbage from de-junking and cleaning out my fridge and pantry, I organized my pantry, I put together four bags for DI of old clothes and shoes, and got my laundry and grocery shopping done, all in about 4 hours! I am so good...:)

Snow, Snow, Go AWAY!

2009-03-25T22:25:00.003-06:00

I am SO ready for spring! I am saying this as there is about a mountian of snow falling outside my apartment! I wore capris and sandals earlier this month, and now I am wearing sweaters and my winter coat again! Typical Utah weather I guess...but I am ready for Spring! So, everyone, think flowers and sunshine and BBQs and maybe we can turn the weather around by sheer will! I am having a "spring and summer day in my heart" day today, otherwise known as early spring fever! I am so done with winter! Although, I have been loving the fabulous strawberries I have been getting lately, I love fresh fruit! I am getting excited for peaches! Ben's grandpa has peach trees and we always get more than we can eat (which is saying a lot, since I LOVE good peaches) and I am also getting excited to have BBQs. I love burned hot dogs cooked on a grill. (Yes, I said burned, that is the very bestest way to eat them!) I am also excited to go to Logan canyon and have tin foil dinners and make s'mores. (Jen and Tristan, we will have to meet you there!) I can't wait to be able to wear flip flops and feel warm sun. Heck, I wouldn't even mind a good sunburn right now! I am excited for it to stay light late in the evening, and I am excited to play frisbee in the park with Ben's family, and in the backyard with my family. I can't wait to be able to drive with my windows down too! Sigh, if only the snow would stay in the mountains where it belongs! Well, oddly enough, my little I-want-it-to-be-spring therapy session worked, I feel much better! What are you looking forward to doing in the Spring and Summer seasons? Think Spring!

Tyler's B-Day, Anniversary, Crazy Eyes!

2009-03-17T23:07:00.008-06:00

So, I have realized that I haven't been as diligent in posting pictures as I would like to be, so I am going to fix that right now! We are going back to February with my nephew's thrid birthday party and will work forward from there!

We did a make-your-own-pizza night, it was a lot of fun! We got to roll our our own dough and everything!

Tyler got a dinosaur for one of his gifts, it makes sounds and he loves it! He is really into dinos.
Opening gifts

More gifts!

Here is where our anniversary pictures start. I forgot to take any pictures at the theater where we saw Phantom, but take my word for it, it was AMAZING! We loved it! I also forgot to take any pictures of the hotel room and newly remodeled lobby, sorry! I was so excited to look at everything that was new myself that I forgot about the camera! But, it was all beautiful and it was really fun to stay in the Presidential suite! Ben took me to the Melting Pot for our anniversary, it is an all-fondue restaurant and it was really yummy! I think that if we ever go back though we will just do dessert. It was not too expensive to just get dessert for a couple and it was by far the best part of the meal!

This is the cheese. The way the restaurant works is there are four courses, you start with a chesse, then get a salad, then your main course, then your dessert. We chose the Mexican cheese, without knowing it had beer in it! (Not fully cooked out, either!) It was dang good though! It had lots of salsa and jalapenos in it. I would have like it a little spicier, but it was good. They bring chips, different types of breads, veggies, and apples to dip. I didn't dip any apples, but I ate them plain! :)

Close up of the cheese

Main Course! This platter was loaded! It came with lobster, shrimp, chicken, steak, filet mignon, artichoke/spinach ravioli, and veggies. Ben discovered that he doesn't really like lobster. I think the smells of all the raw meats got to him a little and that might have affected his experience. It was kind of weird to just have a big ole plate of raw meats!

Main course again, there was like 10 different dipping sauces and butters for all the meats and stuff, it was hard to keep it all straight!

Main course again

Ben, after the main course, and ALMOST too full for dessert. Almost.

I, on the other hand, had been looking forward to dessert from the minute I walked in the restaurant! I am ready, bring it on! Please notice that I am wearing a hoodie with a three on it to symbolize how many years it has been...

DESSERT! This all the stuff we got to dip in the chocolate! There is cheesecake, pound cake, strawberries, bananas, marshmallows rolled in both graham crackers crumbs and oreo crumbs, brownies and rice krispies. Can you blame me for being so excited about it now?!?!

This is the chocolate that we chose, it was a blend of dark chocolate and white chocolate, but there are lots of different ones that I want to try, there was like 12 options of chocolate! YUMMY!

Sorry this is blurry, we are laughing! (Probably cause we are a little tipsy from the beer in our cheese! :) )

The glare from the sun reflecting off the windows of the building across the street was a little blinding, but we did the best we could! I love you, Ben!

And last, but not least, (these are from Sunday) I have always had what my hubby calls "crazy eyes", where I can cross one eye but not the other. I can do it in both directions, and I can even move them independent of one another! So, I discovered on Sunday that my mom and my little sister Emily can do it to! They are beginners so it is a little harder to see their eyes doing it, but one look at the following pictures should help show everyone why my husband married me. I am so hot right now...

There you go! Crazy eyes! I made this face at Ben the first time we met and he was a goner. (Just kidding, he probably would have run screaming the other direction!)

Aren't we all SO cute?!

Just a picture of my gorgeous mom to prove that, even if she can do crazy eyes, she is still beautiful!

I love this picture, Ben was trying to help Brittney with some of her math (which is harder than anything I ever did in college!) and her face is exactly how I would feel about math homework! :)

10 Cow Woman

2009-03-11T23:57:00.005-06:00

So I have recently been called to my Relief Society presidency and part of my job is to document the events, such as Enrichment, in pictures. Our theme was "How to Be a 10 Cow Woman", from the old movie Johnny Lingo. (If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it if you want to have a feel good moment!) We had a Hawaiian Luau potluck dinner and then a little presentation including a singing of a song called "Count Your Many Wrinkles", which was really cute. Here are a few pictures of the event! We decorated it like a luau, but yes, those are cow balloons tied to the chairs...I thought it turned out really cute, myself! I am going to be posting some pictures and stuff from our anniversary sometime next week...

Anniversary!

2009-03-06T22:17:00.002-07:00

So, our three year anniversary is on Monday, we are going on a romantic long weekend together to celebrate! I got a free two night stay at the Sheraton hotel in SLC (yes, the hotel I used to work at, it's a long story!) and we are checking in tomorrow! We are staying in a large suite on Saturday, and then we are upgrading to the PRESIDENTIAL suite on Sunday and we have a late check out on Monday! We are very excited, and since it is free that makes it all the better! It even comes with free breakfast, which I am really excited about since I love breakfast food a lot...We will be seeing Phantom at the Hale Center Theater Saturday evening as well, which will be great I am sure. I am so excited to have a long weekend with my hubby, we don't get to spend enough time together during the week! Curse working opposite shifts! So, it will be nice to have the chance to just spend some time together. It might snow on Sunday night, I hope it does, becuase I would love to snuggle up together and watch the snow fall outside our balcony! I will post pictures as soon as I can afterwards of our gorgeous rooms. To my husband, Happy Anniversary! I love you Ben, and I so glad that we are married!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T19:37:00.002-07:00

To the love of my life:
Happy Valentine's Day! I love you very much, you are an amazing husband and I am so lucky to be your wife. I have never been so happy as I have been the last three years! I get butterflies around you still, and you still make my knees weak. I am so in love with you and I appreciate you more than you will ever know. Thank you for being the wonderful, dedicated, sweet husband that you are, I am trying to keep up! Happy Valentine's Day to my knight in shining armor, my best friend, and the love of my life! I love you!

With a twist...

2009-02-09T21:25:00.002-07:00

So, I thought that I would put a twist on the "25 things" post, and do 25 random facts about Ben! After all, my blog is supposed to be SOME Ben...:) So, here goes!

1. Ben knows more about cars than I ever thought possible!
2. Ben loves computers and knows more about them than I ever thought possible too!
3. Ben hates nuts, but loves peanut butter.
4. Ben made a cutting board for his future wife in his woodshop class in high school, and it is so pretty that I have never used it, because I don't want to mark it!
5. Ben is very good with kids, I tease him that our kids are going to like him better.
6. Ben can play the trumpet, piano, and guitar.
7. Ben loves the outdoors, he does everything from rock climbing to snow boarding.
8. Ben doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, a good dessert for him after dinner is a glass of juice. He keeps my sweet tooth in line, thank goodness!
9. Ben enjoys playing computer games, he really likes to play World of Warcraft and Playstation games, but always puts his wife first!
10. Ben is going to school at Weber University to earn a dual degree in business and computer programming.
11. Ben is extremely thoughtful and romantic, which I love!
12. Ben is a very loyal person, once you are included in his circle of friends you are there for life.
13. Ben loves Kit Kats and Twix candy bars.
14. Ben enjoys a good action film, and so do I so we never argue over what movie to see.
15. Ben is a very good cook, he makes especially killer omlets.
16. Ben is currently working as a trainer for Dell and he loves teaching!
17. Ben served an LDS mission in Baguio, Philippines and learned to speak Tagalog and Ilukno. He is still fairly fluet in Tagalog-his main language.
18. My family absolutely loves Ben, and they are always very excited to see him when we come visit. (Sometimes they are more excited about him than me I think!)
19. Ben is the second of 6 children in his family, just like me!
20. Ben is very much a night person and really struggles with mornings, but he still diligently gets up and goes to school very early. His job right now actually works really well for his biological clock-the 3-midnight shift!
21. Ben can tell you the date he proposed, which I think is pretty impressive!
22. He also came up with a very elaborate, romantic proposal that made me cry a few times! It's a really long story, but it involved lots of flowers, a CD of love songs, 4 love letters, and a romantic dinner-all over the span of about 3 hours!
23. Ben is very close to his family and they all love him enough to put up with his crazy wife!
24. Ben is very spiritually grounded, he has a beautiful testimony and is constantly reminding me of what is important in life.
25. Ben is the best husband I could have asked for, he is patient and loving and caring and kind and sweet and strong and romantic and can fix anything and everything and will take good care of me and our children his whole life. Ben is the love of my life and I am so grateful for him. He is very complex and has so many aspects to him, everything from fixing cars to fixing computers to playing "nerdy" games to rock climbing and snowboarding to fixing my vacuum and showerhead to leaving a single long stem rose and a love letter on my pillow for when I get home from work. Our three year anniversary is coming up next month and it has gone by so fast! Good thing we have eternity or I would feel really ripped off! Love you, Ben!

On Board

2009-02-06T20:39:00.003-07:00

So, everyone else is doing the 25 random facts about themselves thing, and so I thought I would do it too...if I can think of that many!

1. I love my hubby very much, and sometimes wonder why on earth he picked me!
2. I loved loved loved my ballroom dancing days, I miss it still, and there are times when I will dance all around my apartment to some of my old music. (I know my downstairs neighbors like it...)
3. I have a typing speed of 85 wpm, and a killer fast 10 key, though I have never actually tested it.
4. I love blackberries and anything associated with them-shakes, ice cream, cheesecake, etc.
5. As you can tell from #4, dessert is my favorite meal.
6. I have so many books that I don't have enough shelf space, despite owning four bookshelves!
7. I love driving, but only if I am alone. I hate driving with anyone else in my car!
8. I secretly like rock music...a lot!
9. I am hopelessly addicted to chocolate milk, I drink it all the time and I always have!
10. To go along with #9, when I was little and I understood what it meant to breast feed your baby, I honestly thought that my breast milk would be chocolate milk because I loved it so much and because I drank it so much.
11. I LOVE to travel, I think I got that from my dad...I love even the stressful parts, like catching a plane with no ID...(Long story...)
12. I have to sleep with two extra firm cotton pillows, I have even been known to take them with me to hotels...
13. I LOVE to clean! I enjoy having my home fresh and clean and I enjoy it, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I also deep clean when I am stressed or upset.
14. However, I absolutely hate doing the laundry.
15. I have a wonderful relationship with my family, and with my in-laws, and I am very grateful for that. I am very blessed.
16. Until last year I had never owned a straightener. I mean, have you seen my hair? Even now I still don't straighten it very often, I love my curls!
17. I am terrified of spiders, I can't kill them so I will put a cup over them and wait for Ben to get home. :) I am okay usually with other bugs, just not spiders!
18. My dreams at night are very vivid and real and I can almost always remember several different dreams every morning.
19. I am horrible at giving, receiving, or following directions and get lost very easily. I don't understand it when people say "look at the mountains" as a means of giving directions, there are mountains everywhere here, it's UTAH! What kind of sick joke is that?
20. I slept with a panda bear in my bed until my wedding night. (My mom wouldn't let me pack him for my honeymoon, I can't imagine why...)
21. My favorite flower is a tulip, in any color.
22. My birthday is in the summer, and so I always felt a little ripped off that I never got to celebrate it in school, even my "half birthday" was just never the same. Then I realized that all the school birthdays were suckers, they had to go to school on their birthdays! Ha!
23. I hate earphones, I can't stand stuff in my ears!
24. I also REALLY hate the dentist, I have a really bad gag reflex and the dentist has a certain torture aspect to me. In fact, I have a broken crown that has been broken for over 4 years now becuase I refuse to go get it fixed!
25. I absolutely love theme parks and amusement parks and anything with big roller coasters and thrill rides! I must get this from my mom, when we went to Universal Studios, my mom and I rode the Tower of Terror 12 times! In a row! It was awesome...I really enjoy the feeling of leaving my stomach behind for a second or two...:)

Quick Update

2009-01-30T21:05:00.002-07:00

I know I know, it has been a really long time since I last posted, sorry! :) I will be putting some pictures on at the beginning of next week, I have two Temple Square trips to post, as well as Christmas at both houses, so there will be lots of stuff! As for a quick update, we are doing great, Ben is firmly entrenched in his school studies, he is taking 16 credits and working almost 50 hours a week! Yes, he is superman, in case you were wondering. :) He is working very hard and has a lot of do all the time, but we still find time to spend with each other. I am busy with work still, I absolutely LOVE my job! I have a great staff and the work is so much fun, I love sales! I love working with people as much as I do and selling them books and other products and managing payroll and orders and IBTs and RMOs and a whole bunch of other stuff that I won't try to explain! My job is very rewarding and I am so grateful to have it. We signed our apartment contract for another year so we will be staying where we are until February 2010 at least, which I was in favor of. I love my apartment, it is so cute and perfect for what we need. I will be sad when we do leave it behind. I think that is about all the updates I have for now...I will get some pictures up soon, I promise!

Super Exciting News!!!!! and a shout out to my honey

2008-12-19T21:58:00.004-07:00

I have very exciting news for everyone! My little brother is going to be performing at the Dancing With the Stars show at the E Center! He audtioned and was chosen to be in the top ten local performers to perform before and during the show! They are even going to do a contest with an audience cheer-o-meter to pick the winner of those top ten! So, to anyone attending the show-cheer for Mr. Ryan Roberts! He is going to be the super awesome one...I am so proud of my brother, I told him all the time that he would love dancing if he gave it a shot and sure enough, I was right! He is very talented and he and his partner are awesome! They will be performing a Cha Cha and a Jive-I know that he gets his awesome Latin moves from me. He is so handsome in his ballroom clothes to with that dark skin, he will probably just woo all the women in the audience into voting for him whether he dances good or not! Congrats, Ryan! I am so excited for you, and I think you are the best little brother I have! :) (Well, I should say younger brother, since you are taller than me!) Go, Ryan! Also, I would like to say a big fat thank you to my husband. I went out to my car today and found a bouquet of flowers on the passenger seat! Thank you, Ben, for loving me so much and for always finding the time to show it. Thank you for making me feel like a princess and for treating me with such love and respect. Thank you for always being there for me, whether it is to let me cry or to make me laugh. I admire and respect you so much. Thank you for putting some magic into the Christmas season for me, I love you with all my heart!

You want pictures, I'll give you pictures!

2008-12-16T22:14:00.011-07:00

So, I have finally found time to post some pictures! Work has been incredibly busy, which is exactly how you want it to be when you are in retail, so I guess I can't complain! Ben and I went to REI on Satuday to spend our dividend. We had $300.00 to spend! We got Ben a really nice snowboarding helmet with an upgrade to have an audio kit in it, meaning he can listen to music while he snowboards! It makes me feel better to have his handsome head safe! And, BREAKING NEWS! I am going to learn to snowboard! I am going on my first excursion in January-I will be sure to blog about the experience! I am a little nervous and I fully expect to fall getting on AND off the ski lift-I am super coordinated like that! :) Hopefully I won't break anything or die or something, wish me luck! I even got me a supre cute beanie at REI for when I hit the slopes. I am still not sure I like how I look in a beanie, I will have to put on a picture and get some opinions...Anyway, on to the picturesOn Sunday we went down to Alpine for my sister Brittney's birthday, she is a whopping 15! I can't believe that Bean is that old! :) Happy B-Day Brit, I love you!
Ben and I gave Britt some lotion as part of her present and my nephew just had to try some on! Those lines on his forehead are finger marks from applying the lotion!

Here he is rubbing the lotion on his cheeks for that "baby soft" feeling! :)

My cute neice didn't want to miss a camera op, she is posing for me!

My dad's parents were able to come out for the big birthday dinner, it was really nice to have them over, we hadn't seen them for a long time! Dad snuck into the picture behind Ben right as I took it, so I figured it would serve him right to have it posted on the Internet! Ha ha, Dad, jokes on you! :)

The whole fam

As part of Christmas this year, we are tying these fleece blankets to give to the homeless shelter as a family. The ends are cut into strips, and then you tie little knots in them to make it decorative! They look great when they are done and it was a lot of fun to sit together as a family and work on these blankets.

The family working on our blankets, doesn't my mom's decorating look cute? The rest of the house looks like something from Better Homes and Gardens, I should have taken some pictures of the rest of the house, just to make everyone else jealous that their house doesn't look this good! (And that includes my apartment!)

My amazing mom, the mastermind behind all the charity! She also put together a 12 days of Christmas for each family-the one still at home, Ben and I, and my brother's family. Each day has a story that we read out loud and then a little gift with a rhyme. My mom is so creative, it has been a lot of fun! We are loving reading Christmas stories each night as a couple when Ben gets home from work, it has really made our season more meaningful. Thank you, Mom! You are the best! We love you!

Us, tying our blanket

Better view of the blanket, with the edges tied and ready to go!

We went to the Festival of Trees in Sandy with my family at the beginning on the month. I got so involved looking at all the beautiful trees, I forgot to take any pictures until we were leaving! So, I took one of Ben, and he took one of me! I wish I had pictures of some of the trees there, it was beautiful! I would totally reccommend it next year to anyone who hasn't been before. Even if you have been before, it is different every year! All the proceeds go to Primary Children's Hospital too, so it is a great cause and a lot of fun!

I am only posting the picture of me so that Ben won't tease me about only posting the picture of him! :)

This picture begins some of our Grand America stay pictures. I have more that I will post later. I have to find them...Whenever I have stayed in a hotel I have discovered that I like to open all the cupboards and drawers in all the pieces of furniture. Just for fun. I don't think I am ever looking for anything, but I found something this time! One of the nightstands was actually a little goodie station! Of course, it was $3.00 just for a bag of Skittles, so we didn't eat anything, but it was a cool find anyway! We went to the grocery store and bought a few yogurts and some juice since we would be checking out on a Sunday, and that way we could have breakfast without spending money! We just took all their stuff out of the fridge and put ours in, and then switched it back before checkout. Genius!

This is the sitting area, I am looking through a dining guide trying to decide where to go for dinner. The room was actually huge, but you can't really tell...guess you had to be there!

This is us trying really hard to get a good picture in the mirror in the bathroom, I think we succeeded given the circumstances! :)

This is actually the courtyard, really far below us! I just thought it looked cool. The view was spectacular, I will find the night pictures and post them too, because they were breathtaking!

Quick Update

2008-11-29T22:11:00.002-07:00

So, I am super lame and haven't had a shred of time to update my blog! Hopefully I will be able to get all the pictures on here that I want to! For Thanksgiving, Ben and I flew down to Vegas to spend it with Ben's extended family (on his dad's side). We flew down Wednesday night, and flew back EARLY Friday morning so that I could go straight into work for a 10 hour day! We had to get up at 3:30 AM and then I literally got off the plane, drove home, changed my clothes, and drove to work for Black Friday and it was CRAZY! By the way, I am super exhausted right now so ignore any spelling errors! It was great to see all of the family, and Ben's sister Kayla took some awesome pictures of the family, I will get some and post them later. (No, I really will this time!) We had a lot of fun, but it didn't feel like much of a vacation since it was way too short! Then, to come back and work the two busiest days of the year was so hard, but I survived (barely) but tomorrow is the day of rest, thank goodness! :) Ben is super swamped right now with school since the semester is winding down to finals week, and I know that he is really looking forward to the Christmas break! He needs one! I think he is very excited to not have to do anything for a little while! Anyway, that is the quick update, I will post pictures of both our Grand America stay and Thanksgiving soon. Promise!

Grand America

2008-11-11T23:20:00.002-07:00

So, my wonderful husband surprised me with a really inexpensive stay (he always finds the good deals) at the Grand America hotel on Saturday night! We were able to stay in an executive king suite, and when we checked in we were even upgraded to the 22nd floor at no additional charge! I have pictures of the room, but they are still on Ben's camera phone so I will post them a little later. We had a STUNNING view from that high up and the room was gorgeous! It was a nice little getaway for the two of us, it helped us reconnect with each other since our schedules are so opposite! Especially with school and work being so stressful right now, we really enjoyed a weekend with no stress or worries. He is very romantic and planned the whole thing out and then surprised me with it. I love you, Ben! Pictures of the awesome room and the killer view to follow!

Ryan is 16!!

2008-11-04T22:32:00.003-07:00

My little brother turned 16 on Sunday! He has a date set up already to go to a girls choice school dance and he is very excited! Here are a few pics from the event!

No, he didn't get a jacuzzi for his birthday, he just has a weird habit of only opening it halfway to sit in it so I had to snap a picture! We aren't sure yet if it is laziness or ingenuity...

This is Ryan with his buddy Mike, who is practically part of the family. My mom is always the designated cake cutter, we are getting ready to dive into some cheesecake! Which was an interesting choice for Ryan to make for his cake, since he doesn't like cheese! Oh well, he is a teenager! :)

I don't know if Dad actually took a picture of us doing this, but I did! :)

Happy Birthday, Ryan! We are proud of you and think you are a great guy! Watch it out on the road, and watch it out on those dates! We love you!

Hubby Questionaire

2008-10-30T20:58:00.002-06:00

All about my hubby!!!
1. Full name: Benjamin Vance Anderson
2. How long have you been married? 2 1/2 years, 3 in March!
3. How long did we date? We dated for a full year before getting married, we wanted to get married earlier but we waited for Derek (his brother) to get home from his mission. You owe us, D! :)
4. Who eats the sweets? Me, unfortunately! Ben doesn't eat much sugar at all, but I sure do! Way too much I am afraid!
5. Who said I love you first? He did, when he asked me to marry him! Not the official proposal (which didn't come for 6 more months) but the first time we talked about it. It was funny, I actually thought he was going to break up with me-not want to marry me! It was a pleasant surprise to say the least!
6. Who's taller? Ben! I am 5'4" and he is 6'1". I can wear BIG shoes, which I love! :)
7. Who sings better? Ben would say me, I would say Ben, so I guess we will never know because neither one of us is going to sing for someone else to decide!
8. Who is smarter? Ben, hands down. He knows all these weird things, like where the origins of flipping someone off came from! He watches the history channel all the time for fun, so he is really smart!
9. Who does the Laundry? I do, Ben tries to do it for me and be sweet, but I am a little OCD and I just re-do everything! He lets me do it now. :)
10. Who pays the bills? It's split. I pay half and he pays half.
11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me, that is the side with the nightstand and since I wear contacts and don't hit snooze as much, that is my side!
12. Who cooks dinner? Me, but I usually eat it alone since Ben works nights and then he takes the leftovers for lunch at work the next day. That is, when I actually cook...I love to cook, but it is hard to be motivated to spend time doing it when I eat it alone! Oh well, it makes him the envy of the workplace to have the leftovers I am sure! :)
13. Who drives? Ben, every time. I am actually self conscious of my driving, and Ben is an impeccable driver and really enjoys it, so it works well!
14. Who admits they are wrong? Ben admits it, even though he never is! What a good hubby!
15. Who kissed who first? Ben kissed me first, an entire month after we had been dating. I was about to take some cough syrup and he kissed me right before I could. I said "thank you" after my very first kiss so I was afraid of saying something stupid again so I chugged the cough syrup since I wouldn't be able to embarass myself if there was something in my mouth! I started choking on it-which was more emabarassing that anything I could have said! :)
16.Who asked who out first? Ben asked me out first-to a dance and he even made a big Filipino dinner for it, and then I asked him out the next day!
17. Who wears the pants? Ben does for sure, but he lets me think I do sometimes!
18. why do you love him? His smoking hot body. :) Oh, and because he is sweet and thoughtful and wonderful. He is very hard working and dedicated and motivated. He is a loyal friend. He is protective of his sisters and his mother, and I love that he is just as protective of my sisters and mother. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is very positive. He always puts me first in everything, and is always willing to drop anything for me. I have never been treated so well. Thank you, Ben, for making me the happiest I have ever been. I look forward to the rest of our eternity together! I love you!

Thanks for the cute idea, Jess!

I know I know...

2008-10-28T23:33:00.003-06:00

So I know that I totally just posted a few minutes ago, but I saw this on Jen and Lindsay's blogs and thought it looked like fun! I am super lame, sorry!

I am: A happy wife (and hopefully a good one!)
I think: That fall really is my favorite season
I know: That the church is true, duh! :)
I want: To lose a little weight and (this is so stupid) to get rid of the freckle on my lip!
I dislike: Not feeling in control of things in the workplace
I miss: My loved ones that don't live as close
I fear: SPIDERS! SNAKES! ALL THINGS CREEPY CRAWLY!
I hear: The traffic outside-I have the window open so I can hear when Ben is home so it doesn't freak me out when he walks in the door!
I smell: The orange gummi pumpkins I am snacking on...YUM!
I crave: Time with my hubby, and chocolate-always chocolate...
I cry: Very rarely
I usually: Am up for anything
I search: For new ways to make my store look great
I wonder: What book I should read next
I regret: Not much of anything
I love: My wonderful husband
I care: Too much about my appearance, I am too self critical
I always: Am excited to see my husband!
I always like to: Take a hot bath after any sort of stress, or for no reason at all!
I worry: About finances, but who doesn't?
I am not: Excited about cold winter and snow coming soon
I remember: When I first met Ben, ooohhh, the butterflies!
I believe: Love conquers all
I dance: When I cook. Weird, I know.
I sing: When I clean. Also weird, I know. :)
I don’t always: Feed my hubby like I should!
I argue: Way too much, Ben doesn't argue-I argue. I am sure this doesn't surprise anyone...:)
I write: For fun, I am not nearly as talented as my sister-in-law Kayla!
I win: RARELY! (Yes, Ben, I am admitting it, but I don't want to talk about it!)
I lose: My temper, and sometimes my sanity
I wish: Ben didn't have to work nights, and that I lived closer to family and friends.
I listen: To Rock music-I can't help it! I am such a rebel...
I don't understand: Math. Period.
I can usually be found: Reading a good book and getting way too sucked into it!
I need: More time to sleep!
I forget: Silly things, like cashing my paychecks! :)
I am happy: Well, yeah...I am married to my sweetie!
I tag: You-if you are reading this, you are tagged. :)

UPDATES! Ben's B-Day

2008-10-28T23:13:00.002-06:00

So, I have been a MAJOR slacker as of late and I haven't updated this like I wanted to. First of, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the love of my life! Ben's birthday was actually on October 15, so I am a little late...We have been busy! We went to both families house's on different Sundays for dinner and cake. We also went to see "Into the Woods" at Hale Center Theater the Saturday before his b-day. Then, he surprised me by getting off work early on his b-day so we could go to dinner together. So, then I surprised him by showing up at his work with cookies, balloons, and a big candy bar poster. He got harassed pretty good by his class about it-which was the whole point! He turned 26 so I keep teasing him that he is "Over the Hill"-the 25 year hill, so of course that is what all his balloons said! :) It was a lot of fun. I think he had a good b-day all in all. He got lots of good stuff, season 4 of The Office, the third Eragon book, Iron Man special edition (complete with comic book!), new scriptures, a Clive Cussler novel, a gift card to Best Buy (which he has already used!), an awesome board game and funny shirt, and a few other things that I can't remember. He made out pretty good, huh? That is not all from me, that also counts gifts from our families.

This is Ben and I at my parent's house, isn't he handsome? Good thing he has such a YOUNG wife! :) (I am only 3 years younger, but I tease him like he turned 60.)
This is my handsome hubby at Boston's Restaurant. He told me to surprise him with where we went for his birthday, so I picked here because it is one of his favorites, but I was very disappointed when they said that they didn't sing! We still got a free dessert though, so I was slightly mollified...Ben wasn't sad about that at all though!

This is kind of hard to see, but it is part of the stage for "Into the Woods". It was AMAZING! The theater has seating all the way around the stage so it is a very tiny stage to work with, but the whole thing MOVED! It was incredible, the center part rotated, the outer ring rotated, things came down from the ceiling, stuff came up from underneath, it was absolutely awesome! It was really cool too, once you walked into the theater everything was decorated with leaves and fake trees so the moment you walked in, you were literally in the woods. The performance was amazing. I had seen the play a few times before but it was Ben's first time and I think he really enjoyed it. We have season tickets for next year's line up which includes plays like "Phantom", "Treasure Island", "Hello Dolly", and one of my personal favorites, "The Scarlet Pimpernel"! We are very excited, this theater is AMAZING! :)

I really don't like me in this picture, but I feel obligated to put it up anyway to commemorate the birthday play we attended together! So, just ignore me and look at Ben! :)

As far as other updates, my little brother is turning 16 on Sunday, which is really weird. He has already been asked to his first dance, which is only a week later! Go Ryan! Work for me is getting crazy-we are getting more and more stock in for Christmas and I can't put any of it out yet so it is just clogging my back room with boxes EVERYWHERE! For those who know me best, you know that I am a border line neat freak and so this is putting me over the edge a little bit...I have literally had nightmares about the cardboard boxes turning on my and swallowing me whole...Wish me luck!

2008-10-10T22:33:00.002-06:00

This is something that I stole off of Lindsay's blog cause she always has cute stuff like this. The idea is to highlight things you have done. Of course, I have added several of my own little side notes for entertainment value...:) Enjoy!

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula (NEVER!)
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (Well, it wasn’t at sea, but I have seen and ridden in plenty at Lake Powell!)
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty (I didn’t actually walk the stairs, but I have been there!)
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse (I can't remember if it was a total or partial, but either way it's really cool to see)
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run (I don’t hit, I strike out!)
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (Gotta love those high school days)33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (I am pretty sure some of my ancestors were born in Salt Lake City…:))
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach (I bet this would have been really romantic if I hadn’t been 9 and it hadn’t been with my older brother cause we snuck out of the hotel in Hawaii…)
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason (Thank you Ben!)
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal not physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (Don’t remember if I actually walked it or not…)
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone (Or a knee!)
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad (And own it…)
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Ew!)
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97.Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people ( I hope so anyway)
108. Brought out the worst in people (I am sure of it!)
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway play
115. Been inside the pyramids (Some day for sure!)
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco (High school dance)
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in a historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise (And got it! :))
132. Made a hole-in-one (Not on a real golf course though)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating (Ouch)
135. Ran a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight (Of course, I’m a girl!)
156. Gone on a diet (See above!)
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Did you actually read to the very bottom of the list? Wow, you must be bored! :)

Conference Weekend Pictures

2008-10-08T22:59:00.002-06:00

It's almost a holiday to have Conference weekend at my house, we have to tear Mom away from doing dishes and making delicious food, even for a picture! She spends the day before Conference baking and making treats and we all love it!
This is my brother Deven and his lovely wife Ashli, we are sitting at the kitchen counter, probably waiting for more treats!
This is my sister Ashley with my neice Kate, my family loves to watch Conference, and movies, with a quilt!
This is my brother Deven again, this time with his son Tyler. Tyler loves to get his picture taken, he says, "Cheese!" every time!
Most everyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to decorate, especially for the fall, my favorite season. I took this picture to show everyone that I get it from my mother! She bought these trees then strung the lights and leaves herself. She is amazing!

We had lots of fun coming down for Conference, I had to work Saturday so we headed down to Alpine after the Priesthood session was out and spent the night. We love being around family and it was wonderful to sit and listen to the messages. I was touched several times, and I didn't fall asleep once! Ben didn't either, which is impressive! :)

Volleyball

2008-10-02T21:30:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to my cutie sister-in-law Shannon! I just went to one of her amazing volleyball games and she did AWESOME! No pictures, I forgot my camera, but she was amazing! She jumps up and blocks just about every ball coming her direction and saved several of them mere inches from the floor! Way to go Shannon! I love ya!

Day one, and a dance competition

2008-09-29T19:16:00.004-06:00

So, I started the new job today! It went great, I can tell I am going to love it! I am very happy, and very excited to see it finally get here! It was a wonderful first day, and I am expecting more to come! Ben has been very supportive of my job change, even though it will mean a little less of our already little time together. Thank you, Ben, I love you! Also, on Saturday we went to my brother Ryan's dance competition. They danced in the semi-finals for Samba, Cha cha, and Rumba and did great! I was very proud of my little bro...he is a mjor stud too, he had 8 girls come to watch him! Look out girls, he turns 16 next month! Two of my little sisters (Brittney on the left and Emily on the right) came to watch too, it was a family event! We had a great time, but it did make me miss dancing a lot! One of these days I'll get Ben to dance, but until then, we will just watch instead! :)

NEW JOB!!!

2008-09-19T21:04:00.002-06:00

So, I have some exciting news, I am starting a new job! I have offically quit my job at the Sheraton Hotel (as of today!) to go train to be a manager at Seagull Book! I love Seagull, I have worked in 6 different stores but eventually had to quit to make more money at my current job. But, I am coming back as an "MT"! I am very excited! I will be working in the Riverdale store, which is only 10 minutes from home instead of 40, and it is the opposite direction of rush hour traffic, which will be AWESOME! I can't imagine driving to work without a traffic jam...I start on the 29th, and I can't wait! I love everything about this job and I can't wait to get back in a bookstore! My sweetie has been very supportive of my decision, and I so apprecite him for that! Wish me luck!

FOOTBALL!

2008-09-16T11:28:00.003-06:00

Go BYU! The game on Saturday was amazing, 59-0 over UCLA! Go fight win! Ben and I had fun watching the game with lots of food and in our PJs, it was a nice relaxing weekend after a really hectic week! I am lucky that even though I married a man from up North, he is still a die hard BYU fan! Go Cougars!

So it begins...

2008-09-09T17:40:00.000-06:00

Okay, so this first picture is my "real" wedding day picture, only of the few moments when there wasn't sideways snow and sleet! Ben's family had to drive an hour down to make it, and it was a little scary! I knew a March wedding was a little touch and go for weather, but give me a break! :) It was gorgeous day before my wedding day, and I woke up to a blanket of white!

These wedding pictures were taken a full 5 months later in August, right after we had been at Lake Powell with my family for a week, which is why we look all tan! So, got to wear my dress again, that was a lot of fun!

I got pretty good mileage out of my dress, I got to wear it for bridals, wedding day, wedding day pics later, the reception, and an open house a week later! It was great! :)

So, I decided to stop being lame and just start blogging already! Lindsay will tell you that I never thought this was something I would do and I warn you now, I might just randomly give up! :) To give everyone a quick update on my life...Today is my 2 1/2 year anniversary of being married to the man of my dreams! Ben Anderson is a wonderful husband and we are very much in love! We currently live up north in Clearfield (almost to Ogden!) which has been weird for me! I kinda miss happy valley...but that is okay! Ben teaches tech support for Dell computers, and I am sorry to say that I NEVER undertand a word he says when he talks about work! Oh well...I try though! I work in downtown Salt Lake City in the sales department of a hotel as a sales and wedding coordinator. It is a stressful job, especially if I get a bridezilla! It has been fun though, I have coordinated some very unique weddings, including a Muslim one where the groom arrived on horseback! I am almost alwyas more stressed about these weddings that I ever was about my own which makes my husband laugh. Ben is currently going to school at Weber, and I am very proud of him. Despite a 50 hour work week he still has excellent grades. We don't get to see much of each other though, we leave the house together at 7:15 AM, and then I get home from work at about 7:00. Ben gets home from school middday with about an hour to spare before going to work and he usually gets home from work around 1:00 AM! Needless to say, our weekends are precious! Well, I knew this would happen, I already know I talk to much, but I am afraid that personality trait translates to TYPING too much too! :) Don't worry, they won't all be this long! (Hopefully...)