What's your vote?

Ok so I know the voting feature has been up for a couple days already, but I wanted to add this. I really appreciate everyone's votes but I want to know who voted for what! So please spill! We go for our "big" ultrasound on Monday August 11th! Vote before it's too late.

what fun...

Last weekend I decided it was probably time to see the dentist after...gasp almost 3 years. In my defense, 18 months of that was the mission! I made an appointment for Thursday, my day off and was nervous about the number of cavities they would find. The weekend passed and Monday night my jaw started to ache a little bit but nothing too terrible. However, Tuesday I was taking painkillers all day just to survive. That night it got so bad that it woke me and I had to put ice on it. Which by the way doesn't help when trying to sleep, although it does help cool off an overheating pregnant body. The next morning I called the dentist and luckily they could see me. I got an x-ray taken and they proceeded to show me the reason I was in so much pain...a big dark spot and a sad looking root. The diagnosis was I needed a ROOT CANAL! Oh the joy! They really took great care of me, numbed me right up and drilled and filed the heck (literally) out of my tooth. The picture above is how I felt, nearly 2 hours with my jaw wrenched open. I am feeling great now though and am so glad that someone is interested in teeth and knowing how to fix them. :)

A wedding in Idaho Falls

This weekend we had the opportunity to head up to Idaho Falls and participate in the sealing of one of Andy's mission friends, Briant Giles. I'd met him a few times before and we actually met his now wife at our wedding last year. Neither of us had ever been to Idaho Falls but we really enjoyed our time there. It's such a beautiful little place. With flowers everywhere, I became totally obsessed with the town's hanging plants that were on every corner. So beautiful! The snake river is running right through town and its huge! I was just amazed at another beautiful place we have to enjoy on the earth.

The wedding went perfectly, they were sealed by Elder Groberg who is the temple president there and it was awesome. He said 5 things to do to keep your marriage strong. They are:

• Daily family prayer
• Daily family scripture study
• Full tithe payers
• Regular temple attendance
• Supporting each other in callings

They seem simple enough but I definitely don't have them mastered and I imagine it only gets harder as your family expands. :)

You can kind of see the "belly" in this pic! It's coming right along! I like it though, it's an awesome experience. I'm super excited to finally feel the little jellybean move. Just for an update we get to have an ultrasound and find out the gender August 11! We're totally excited.

Weddings are fun, especially temple marriages. It's always great to be reminded of your covenants and how powerful they really are, if we can just be faithful. Andy and I were both reminded of our own special day not quite a year ago.

We love this picture! I'm so grateful for my husband, I couldn't have dreamt up anyone better for me. The Lord definitely knows me and exactly what I need. I love him for so many different reason but here are just a few: for the way he looks in his apron, his giggle, his quick forgiveness when I'm bratty(yes it happens). I'm so grateful for the desires of his heart that are pure and worthy goals. I love that he wants to have a family with me and that he chose me. Honey I lub you!

Flaming Gorge, it's a lake not something else!

I know its been forever since we blogged but, we've been busy doing mostly nothing :) Anyways, so far this summer we have enjoyed a couple of trips up to the lake with Andy's family. It's great because it's only 3 hours away and SO beautiful. I went up there frequently as a child and youth but with the Athens it's a totally new experience! in a great way of course. With them we stay on a boat or camp on King fisher island. They have wave runners and other families come up that have smaller boats we can go out on. Plus the fact that the sun is 50 times stronger there, you can get tan quickly. I love that! We also did henna tattoos this time on the bottom of our feet(in case they didn't work!) Another highlight of the lake is fishing. I love to fish! Andy is the best, he always catches the biggest fish and just of the dock! Here's the proof...

After he caught this 3 1/2 pound rainbow he sent his line out again...well truth be told he was using my pink fishing pole! Anyways, he offered to let me reel in the next fish, of course I agreed. I was excited when not 5 minutes later he called me over from my uno game to get the fish. I was expecting a similar fish to his and here's what I was lucky enough to reel in...

I was so proud! The first small mouth bass I've ever caught. He was approximately 3 inches long! It definitely made us all laugh! And grateful I wasn't responsible for catching our dinner! Other highlight of the trip include my belly deciding it was going to pop. It must be camping that does it to you! Also my mother in law made a new special friend, you'll have to ask if you want to know more! We just had a great time and had a fun 4th of July weekend!

Andy's Random Thoughts

I don't really have anything exciting to blog about and it definitely is my turn, so here are a few things that I think are worth discussing.

1- Who was the genius that decided that pickles and olives deserved their own section at the grocery store? It was probably the same guy who brought you "good luck ever finding marshmallows without asking the awkward, pizza-faced, teenaged employee" and "729 loaves of the bread you want when you're grabbing an extra loaf to put in the freezer, but only one on the shelf when you're completely out of bread that turns out to not really be the kind you want, just one that was discarded when someone realized they accidentally grabbed cracked wheat instead of 12-grain." Seriously though, when was the last time you ate pickles and olives at the same time? Possibly even stranger is the fact that, at my house, we can only buy the fancy schmancy refrigerated pickles that are next to......the bacon. I enjoy slapping together a good, ol' fashioned BLP as much as the next guy, but there has got to be a better way to organize said foodstuffs.

2- Note I'd like to leave on the gate to the pool area on the way out:

Dear large girl on the floating pool lounge,

You might want to give that bikini a second thought. If after that second thought, you still want to wear one, here's a little advice. When shopping for the bottom, stop clinging to the M sister. Go ahead and step up to the big girl L and no one will think any less of you. In fact you might even get the kind of attention that you want at the pool instead of that pleasant face people make when they've just thrown up a little in their mouths. While you're at it, grab a top that is actually a full D. That medium C is not doing those girls any favors.

Sincerely yours,
The married dude that isn't a resident and technically should not be swimming in your pool

PS- The reason why my wife made the previously mentioned face several times today was because she's pregnant and has an overactive gag reflex.

3- I love IKEA and I'm not ashamed to admit it. In fact, my wife won't even let me go alone because I have little self control. I mean, we may not have need for it now, but you never know when we might need a flexible, multi-colored lamp or a wall mirror the size of a postage stamp. I've heard they have good food too. I wouldn't know. I've never been able to divert my attention from the deliciously Swedish merchandise. On a similarly girly note, I don't have a problem buying feminine hygiene products by myself. When I get to the checkout with a variety pack of tampons, no one in their right mind is going to think that they're for me. Why should I be embarrassed? In fact, I might even get a little respect from the cashier when I get up there with the pads that come with those little soothing wipes, because....come on....those are the best.
(The record shall also show that I still love thick steaks, sports, working out and blowing stuff up)

And I'm spent.

IT'S ALIVE!!!

Science has invented many wonderful things and I've always been glad to have them but I can't remember a time when I appreciated them more than today. This little machine here is a fetal doppler and allows you to hear your unborn child's heartbeat.

Today we had the priviledge of meeting our doctor, who is strange and super nice and we also got to hear our little jellybean's heartbeat. It was going about 180 bpm. From what I hear that's fast and means it's a girl. I guess time will tell.

We're both happy and a little relieved that only one heartbeat was heard.

CARPOOLING...

To carpool or not to carpool, that is the question.

When I started my job in October and knew I would be driving to Salt Lake four times a week, I figured that being in a carpool was a great idea. Not only for convenience, but to save miles on the car and save money. Had I known the mental anguish it would cause me in the months to come, I'm quite sure I would have spared myself and Andy all the horrors!

My carpool was made up of some interesting (to say the least) characters. There were 2 women and 3 males. Only the males drove and that in itself was frightening enough some days, as at random times, one driver exclaimes "WOW! I was just going 105 mph" Some things can be overlooked, such as speeding or over zealous honking habits but I soon discovered major character flaws that I just couldn't handle. Besides the fact that 4 of 5 were over 5'10" and being squished into a 2 door Honda, or even worse a VW jetta. Oy! Needless to say, I always was in the back seat considering my short leg syndrome!

One morning, we were on our way and the car was reaking of some horrid odor that was all too familiar...morning breath. When the assailant was questioned he cheerfully admitted that since he had skipped breakfast, and would be eating at work he'd also skipped brushing. YUCK!

So my friends, my advice is that no matter how desperate or frugal you are...SCREEN your carpool particpants carefully. You have no idea how much you will learn about them on your commute to and from work! I did end up with one good friend through the carpool experience but some other members are definitely on the list. (you know mom, they're dead to me!)