The Birthday Boy

Can I just tell you how much I love my husband? Celebrating his birthday is one of my favorite parts of the year. He is so easy-going and fun and being able to plan things to help him have a really special day just makes it even more fun for me.

This year, we had some things we had to get taken care of including the DMV and getting new tires. Being the sport he is, he was totally fine with doing it on his birthday. Although it was tedious, it meant that I got to take some time off of work and spend the morning with him; which I think is a bonus. I mean, going to the DMV and getting tires is lame, but being able to spend time doing it together made it a lot more fun.

After we finished, he dropped me off at work and then went to have lunch and go shopping with his mom and one of his sisters. From what I hear, he had a lot of fun. I would have loved to go with them...dumb work! I mean...I am really grateful that I have a job.

Any way, I decided to plan two separate dinner options as a surprise to him and just give him a choice of going North or South. So when he picked me up, I just asked him, "Up or Down?". His choice was Up, so off we went to Roseville! I let him start guessing where we were going to go and giving him clues. He had no idea where I was taking him! It was a lot of fun. I am not super spontaneous, but he loves surprises, so we both had a blast. He never did guess where we were going, and we ended up at....

DAVE AND BUSTER'S!

Neither of us had been there, but had both wanted to try it. Needless to say, we had an absolute BLAST.

This is us at the beginning after I just kicked his trash and won tons of tickets doing a horse racing game.

I know this picture is blurry...I suck at pictures. Here's Jared with all of the tickets we were winning!

Here's a non-blurry picture, but you can't really see any of the games. *Sigh* Did I mention I am not a very good photographer?

This is Jared's "game face" for playing Air Hockey. He had to redeem himself after I beat him at four straight games of Trivia! hahaha

This was a game that reminded us of "Tower of Terror" at California Adventure (our FAVORITE). It was called the Haunted Hotel, I think. Any way, it was a pretty cool game and helped us get excited for our Disneyland trip next Thanksgiving!

All in all, it was a really fun night. I love Jared and I am so grateful to have him be in my life. Here's to many many MANY more birthdays!

Happy Birthday!

Am I allowed to wish myself Happy Birthday? Okay, the truth is, I just couldn't think of a better title for my post! ; )

(This is what I came home to, thanks to my incredible older sister, Bethany. She is so dang awesome!)

I had a great birthday! I had tons of fun and felt lots of love from all my friends and family. At work my friend Elena and her daughter Mya brought me a surprise mini-apple fritter and a chocolate milk (YUMMY!). Then my co-workers went to Ettore's, which is the most incredible bakery ever, and bought a fresh fruit basket cake. Luckily for my hips, I was all sweet-ed out from the fritter, so I only had a couple of bites, but let me just tell you it was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

The best part of my birthday was getting off of work 3 hours early so that Jared and I could spend the evening together. He took me down to Tracy (about an hour south of us) so that we could go to our favorite BBQ place, Famous Dave's.

It was yummy and we had an absolute blast. There was a mall right by Famous Dave's so we decided to go and walk off all the food. I bought a super cute birthday outfit and then he and I each got our FAVORITE Christmas movies on DVD. My choice was "Santa Claus, The Movie" and Jared's was "A Muppet Christmas Carol". On our way home from Tracy, we saw this little beauty from the freeway and decided to go and check it out!

There was a farm that did a Christmas light show. It was basically a two mile long light show that you could drive through in your car. Unfortunately, we didn't think to bring our camera, so all of these pictures are courtesy of Jared's phone.

So I am not sure if you can tell from this photo, but these lights were brilliant! These are actually six elves playing volleyball! That thing in the middle is the net. : )

How awesome is this? I felt like I was getting ready to enter Space Mountain! I know the pictures don't do justice, but this light show made me really happy :)

All in all, it was a great day. I feel so blessed to be at home again and surrounded by family and friends. Thank you to all those who wished me a happy birthday and helped me celebrate!

In case you were wondering...

YES! The construction has already started again this morning! On a better note, here are some cute pictures of my niece Elaine:

The Rantings of a Pregnant Woman

Now, I am all about making things beautiful and I KNOW that sometimes it requires a little remodeling, but I have to tell you that I am about to poke out my eyeballs right now! Blame it on my pregnancy, or lack of sleep, or just good ol' fashioned irritability but I am going crazy.

There are construction workers BANGING around and using their crazy power tools right outside my office. I can't hear the customers when they are talking because it is SO LOUD. They are actually causing so much ruckus that it is setting off our security alarm once every 3 minutes or so. Are you kidding me? Who authorized this craziness to be done during business hours?

I talked to the foreman and he said they would be done "soon". That better be true or someone is going to die.

*Deep Breath* Okay, good, I am glad I got that out. Maybe now I won't punch someone. Did I mention I am pregnant and can't be held responsible for my actions?

6 months!

Well, if all goes as planned, in three months OR LESS I will be a mom. Crazy. Am I old enough to have a kid? Sometimes I think I am still 18.

"And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious..."

D&C 78:19

Most of you know that this weekend was....pretty crappy, to say the least. As if throwing out my back and Jared not passing his licensing exam was not enough, I also found out that I was passed over for a promotion at work (unofficially because of my current *ahem* "health status"), our check engine light came on in our practically new car, I missed out on a really important family activity at the temple, and it looks like my husband is now jobless once again. Not a good weekend.

Here's the funny thing: Today, I am feeling really grateful. There's nothing like having the world kick you in the face to remind you of how good you have things.

I am grateful that I have a husband that is determined to be successful, even during setbacks. That loves me, holds me, and reassures me in ways that no one else can. His optimism brings me joy. His love for life reminds me that there are some things just not worth stressing over. Even his presence brings me peace, which is something to really be thankful for, considering my anxiety!

I am grateful for parents that support me and for a mom that shows up at my house because she hasn't heard back from me and she knows I threw out my back. I love her for buying me beautiful RED chargers to go under my plates for Christmas. I love her for taking three batches of laundry so I can have clean clothes, and I love my Dad for encouraging her to help and loving me unconditionally. They are always present and always willing to support me. They are constant in a very uncertain world.

I am grateful for two wonderful sisters that put up with all of my crap! Thank you to Beth for always coming to fix my computer and being generous by inviting me to dinner when she knows the last thing I want to do is cook! Thank you to Brooke for talking so much that I forget about my own problems and for letting me kiss my niece anytime I want!

I am grateful for good friends that call me to check in, and offer to help, even when there's nothing they can do...especially to Abby who listens to me complain and makes me laugh harder than anyone else possibly can! I have a wonderful support system that makes my life easier.

I am grateful that I have a job to go to everyday! It may suck some days, but they have been completely accommodating, and for that, I am thankful.

I am grateful that by paying tithing, Jared and I have been able to make ends meet, even when there's no earthly reason that we should.

I am grateful for the scriptures, that they provide so much clarity in my life. They keep me centered and remind me that God has a plan for me, even when I can't see it right now.

I am grateful for the Young Women's program and the Beehives that I get to teach. Their simple testimonies help keep things in perspective, and their enthusiasm is contagious.

Mostly, I am grateful for the gospel and for the atonement. For a loving Heavenly Father who is patient with me and understanding of my shortcomings; for a savior that gave hope to a world without any and died to give us all a chance to live with our Father in Heaven again. There's something about this knowledge that just makes the other things in this life seem not as important.

Thank you to those that support me. I hope that I bring as much joy to your life as you do to mine!

Can I get an Ice Pack?

Well, for those of you who know me well this will come as no surprise, (but I have to admit that being pregnant has made this a much worse experience than I ever thought possible!): I threw out my back again! It has been such an amazing couple of days. I think the only thing worse than not being able to walk, stand or sit without any pain, is also not being comfortable lying down because there is a crazy baby in your uterus! Okay, okay, I promise this post is not just me complaining. : )

I have accepted that this is my life and the back that I was blessed with. Maybe one day I will have surgery on it, but until my odds are better than 60% that surgery will actually help...I will just take my chances.

This post is actually to break the news that this kid HATES the cold even more than his mama and I just think that's funny! :) When I was laying on my back with an ice pack he went CRAZY. It was the first time that I could actually see his kicking from the outside. He was kicking and squirming and moving up high and down low trying to get away from the dreaded ice pack. As soon as I took the ice pack off...he stopped moving. It was the weirdest/coolest/funniest thing I have experienced so far in this pregnancy. All I have to say is THANK GOODNESS we moved back to Cali because this kid would never have survived the snow! ;)

On another note: my awesome, wonderful, talented, beautiful and extremely generous older sister, Bethany, fixed my internet at home so I am finally able to post the picture of me at 4 months. I know it doesn't really matter because I already posted the 5 month picture, but I use this blog as a semi-journal, so I didn't want to miss out on a month! Any way, I will post the 4 and 5 month pictures just so we can all see the difference

Well, there's the proof! I am getting bigger :)

Anyway, prayers are welcome for me and my gimped out back because right now, I feel like I am dying! Now that the internet at home is back up and running, I will have to post pictures from Halloween and my very special surprise date to celebrate being "halfway" through the pregnancy a few weeks ago. I wish you all a very happy weekend!

5 Months

Man, I can't believe it has been 5 months already! It seems like the time has just FLOWN by :) I am feeling good, looking HUGE and ready for the next 4 months to fly by as well. Hopefully with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up I will be in the last trimester before I know it.
I think my stomach is officially bigger than my chest now, what do you think?

Things are going well, so I can't complain! The mood swings have stopped, which I am sure Jared is VERY relieved about, there are still no cravings, but for the most part, I am no longer nauseated and that makes me happy. Next week we go in for the echocardiogram on the little guy, so I will keep you updated on that.

*Sigh*

This is how I feel right now. Does anyone else ever feel like there are so many responsibilities, so much anxiety, so much to do, so much going wrong or right, so many worries, so many fears, so many EVERYTHING that just by keeping it all inside you are going to completely EXPLODE? That's how I feel right now.

I feel overwhelmed by my short comings. I feel saddened when people misunderstand me or think the worst of me instead of giving me the benefit of the doubt. I feel stressed by our current situation. I'm completely intimidated by the thought of having a child. I feel pulled in different directions when it comes to my career. I want a simpler life sometimes...well, a lot of the time.

It's a boy!

Well, from the poll you guys can see that it was 2:1 that we would be having a boy, and you were right!

Jared and I went in for the ultrasound Monday and were happy to find out that we are having a precious little boy :) I am not gonna lie, I was hoping for a girl, just for the simple fact that I love bows and frilly dresses, but a boy is going to be awesome too. I guess my niece Elaine will just have to wear all the cute dresses and bows I want to buy! Jared took me out shopping after the appointment and we got a couple of cute little outfits to celebrate the coming of our SON!

I wish I could post some pictures of the ultrasound but our ultrasound tech SUCKED! We honestly didn't get one good shot. You would think she would have done a full body shot, but she didn't. We got an arm here, a leg, a foot, but no BABY. We actually go back in a couple of weeks for another ultrasound and echocardiogram, so I think that I will request a good ultrasound picture!

The baby is healthy, and I am extremely grateful for that! I will keep you guys updated :)

HALFWAY

HALLELUJAH!

Well, I am officially halfway through this pregnancy. I am not gonna lie, it has sucked big time most days, but I am SOOOOOOO excited to have it be over and be blessed with a little kid to take away all my sleep and free time ;)

I DID take pictures when I hit 4 months, but I look like a humongous monstor, so I am still debating whether I am going to post them. I guess the good news is that I am still in my regular clothes, so maybe I am not as big as I think I am.

We find out Monday what we are having (if baby cooperates of course), and once that happens I think my first order of business will be to buy something! Can you believe that in 4 1/2 months we haven't bought ANYTHING for this poor kid?? Feel sorry for it, his/her mama is cheap! hahaha

People keep asking me about cravings, and the truth is...I haven't craved anything weird; I actually haven't really craved ANYTHING lately. There was one day where I really NEEDED cheese puffs, and another day where beef jerky sounded good, but for the most part, it's been a struggle to eat. I know, I know...shocking! Here's a sample of what the conversations between Jared and I sound like lately:

Jared: What sounds good to you babe?
Me: NOTHING
Jared: Well, can I make you something? Or do you want to go and get something?
Me: Well, I know I don't want mexican...or hamburgers...or chinese...or italian...or sandwiches...or sushi...or pizza.
Jared: (Laughing) Okay, so what does that leave?
Me: I guess I'll just have cereal

Not even joking, we have that conversation every day and have for about 8-10 weeks. And yes, I have cereal most nights because then I don't have to think about it, or cook. I can't think of a single other pregnant woman (beyond the 1st trimester of course) that has trouble meeting her caloric intake for the day. Does that mean that my baby is going to be one of those kids who always marches to the beat of their own drum? AWESOME!

Other than that, I am feeling good! Working sucks, but I am grateful I have a job. Jared finally got a testing date for his California cosmetology license, so I am REALLY happy about that! Hopefully that means that things are finally coming together.

I'll post again when I know what the gender is, and maybe even a picture of me, we'll see!

I hope you'll give me a chance.

I hope you'll take the time to read the following article because you love me and you respect me, and you know, deep down that even if you don't agree with what I believe...that above all else: I believe in love and compassion, just like my church teaches.

Hugs and Kisses,
Lindsey

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700072199/A-call-for-civility-following-Mormon-Apostle-Boyd-K-Packers-address.html?pg=1

Love It

So we went and visited my niece Elaine on Sunday and I caught her and Jared looking freaking cute together. I can totally picture him being a dad now!

Here's a little thought:

Did anyone else watch the General Relief Society meeting on Saturday? I loved the quote given by President Monson. He was quoting Mother Teresa:

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

I LOVE this and I hope that other members of the church that were watching it, love this too.

I am resolving to be better about giving others the benefit of the doubt so that the love of God can reach those around me. Is anyone else with me!?

Ultrasound Appointment

Okay, so everyone has been asking me when I am going to find out the gender of the baby. I wish I was announcing the gender, but...I still have a few weeks to go! The good news is, I finally set an appointment :)

HOPEFULLY, as long as everything goes as planned, we'll find out at the appointment October 18! In the meantime, I would love to see your guesses using the poll on the right side of the page. I can't track who submits, so if you want me to know what your guess is, feel free to leave me a comment too! If you are blog-stalking me...you are welcome to vote as well :)

Summertime

Okay, Okay, I know! I have been completely lacking in my blog posts this summer. So much has happened that it seems overwhelming to try and catch up. I have just decided to give a quick view of what happened so I can be caught up and not feel guilty about it anymore. :)

We moved back to California. My team decorated my work space my last day in Salt Lake:

Four of the things I will miss the most from Utah:

Six Flags with Morgan and the kids!

4th of July with my family

We found out we're expecting!

My niece Elaine was blessed

My niece Hailey was baptized

Jared gets a knock out from the Kung-Fu Panda

The California State Fair. AMAZING :) We had so much fun!

All in all we have had a great summer, and I cannot say enough how happy I am to be back home. I still miss quite a few people in Utah, don't get me wrong! However, nothing can replace the joy I feel being able to be surrounded by my family and friends again, oh...and the sun! LOVE IT!

3 Months

Okay, I am a few weeks past 3 months, but I am lame and I haven't felt like blogging lately! Just a quick update, things are going well, I am not nearly as sick as I was, and that has been a huge blessing. I am still uber-moody though. My poor husband :( We got an ultrasound the first time we went, and on Thursday I got to hear the baby's heartbeat. It was AWESOME :) I think I actually liked that better than the ultrasound. Proof that there is a living thing in my body taking all of my energy and keeping my brain hostage!

So, as you can see, not much of a difference, but I am starting to get a little pooch. And yes, I know those aren't awesome pictures of me...I need to start taking them in the morning when I am fresh and my make up isn't completely washed off instead of when I get home from work exhuasted and grumpy ;)

Big News

I know most of you have already heard this, but I thought that a blog post was necessary for such a seemingly momentous occasion. Okay, it isn't SEEMINGLY momentous...it IS momentous, I am just feeling overwhelmed today.

In less than 7 months, I will be a mother. That's right folks, I am having a baby that has an expected due date of March 2, 2011! I am currently on my way to 12 weeks along at this point and so far I have already encountered the most awful morning sickness I could have possibly imagined, an immediate up-chuck reaction to hot dogs (and for some reason, the smell of BBQ sauce), and complete and total exhaustion. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how TIRED I felt for the first 2 months. It took every ounce of energy I had to lift my head off the pillow in the mornings and drag myself out of bed.

The good news? Most of this has passed! Hallelujah!

I could post pictures being that I am almost through the first trimester, but all you would really see is that I am BLOATED! Bleh. Luckily, there hasn't been any weight gain yet, for which I am grateful. Jared and I are walking 4-5 times a week, and so hopefully that helps ensure I don't become humongous!

The past couple of days I have just been feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility that is coming my way. I am excited, but nervous. My life will soon change drastically, and I have a feeling that my relationship with Jared will too. Any ideas on how to balance work, a kid and a husband?

Internet...FINALLY!

Okay, so we have been without internet for almost a MONTH! Lame. Hence why I have been off the blogging bandwagon. A lot has happened. We packed up our life in Utah in a week, found a place to live and made the move. We ended up moving into the same apt. complex as my older sister just to make life easier because she could make all of the arrangements for us. We spent TONS of time with family once we came back because...let's face it, it is GOOD TO BE HOME! I started my new job, which absolutely rocks. It's hard, and sometimes overwhelming to start a new position when you don't know anything, but I know that once I get the hang of it, I am going to like it a lot. I ended up getting almost a 10% raise because of the promotion and my annual review which is AMAZING! Jared is working on getting licensed out here in CA, so that's going to take a couple of months. In the meantime he is looking for some part time work, so fingers crossed for that. He has been doing lots of hair though, so thank goodness for that! He also found a salon down in Midtown that he really likes, so hopefully once he becomes licensed, he will be able to start assisting there. All in all, I am just HAPPY! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY. I haven't felt this at peace in a long time. I am grateful for the opportunities that have presented themselves and that the Lord blessed us to have a quick, easy transition. I know this is where we are supposed to be and I am really grateful that it was finally time for us to return to the land of milk and honey ;) Here are some quick pictures from my friend Crystal's wedding (hair and make-up by Jared) and also the Hair Show that Jared participated in, in Utah before we left.

Jared's group had "Alice in Wonderland" and he designed the White Rabbit and White Queen.

Here is his whole group. Very cool.

Here we are at the Sacramento Temple for the sealing.

The happy bride and groom! I will have to wait for Crystal to start posting some of the professional ones so I can copy them and show you how good her hair and make-up turned out!

Oh, and this is Jared and I at the Sacramento River when we were down there in May. I just had to post it because I was looking at it and it hit me that Jared is A LOT taller than I am! Sometimes I forget! :)

Hallelujah!

Well, it's official....


I GOT THE JOB!

I start June 14th, which is fast, but how hard can it be to move 2 adults? Especially when this will be move #5 in less than 2 years! I think we're good at it by now. My last day at work in SLC is tomorrow, and then I get a week off (PAID! WOOHOO) to move to Sacramento. I imagine we'll be in Sacramento either Wednesday or Thursday next week. That is subject to change though depending on how things work out. I still have to rent a UHAUL and get packed and clean the apartment, and find somewhere to live out there. I have a lot to do, but I am excited! I can't wait to come home and be close to family. I love that I will never have to scrape snow off of my car at 5 a.m. again (or hopefully EVER). I can't wait to meet my new niece!

But I am sad to leave the friends that I have made here. I am sad that I am leaving my Mia Maids (there were a lot of tears last night when I told them). I am sad to be leaving my Department at work because I LOVE IT.

The things I am looking forward to really outweigh the things I will miss, and I am grateful for that, and for the opportunity that Jared and I have to move home. I am just really praying that we will get to stay put for a while! This whole, moving every 6 months thing, is getting really old!

Thanks to everyone for your prayer and support. For those of you who live in Sacramento, be prepared to help us move in!! : )

Update

Okay, so here is the latest with the job hunt. I originally applied for a position in the Sacramento Branch of Fidelity called "Private Client Services" (PCS). It was a really awesome position, but definitely not something that I was technically qualified for. I applied because....Jared made me! Okay, that's not exactly it, but pretty much. I didn't feel qualified, but Jared said I should apply and just see what happened. Plus, my manager said that I don't get 100% of the jobs I don't apply for. Needless to say, I took a risk and applied.

I got an email on Tuesday of last week to set up my first interview. That actually went pretty well, although I almost had an anxiety attack because it was so last minute and I didn't feel prepared. She said that I would hear back in about a week.

Well, then I get an email the NEXT DAY (not a week later like she'd said) for an interview that afternoon. HELLO, how am I supposed to prepare for an interview when you are springing it on me all the time? I was a complete stress case....again. : ) My team was actually going to Tucano's for dinner that day and needless to say, the stress totally killed my appetite! In the interview, she said that they had actually filled the PCS position with someone who was already in the branch, BUT that left a position open for a Financial Representative (which I am absolutely qualified for). She asked if I wanted to interview for that, and I said "Yes!". So she set up an appointment for a third interview with the Branch Manager for Friday.

Okay, so at this point, I was pretty excited. I had three interviews within a matter of days, and I realized that had I not applied for the PCS role, I would never have known about the Financial Rep position (because they didn't post an opening for that position). Coincidence? I hope not!

I wish I could say that the interview with the Branch Manager went incredible on Friday, but...it didn't. It was the most random interview I have ever had. I am still hopeful, but not nearly as confident as I was. I really hope that moving back to Sacramento is part of the plan for us, because...as I am sitting here looking at the snow outside my window, I remember again how much I want to be HOME. I want to be by my family and friends. I want to live where the sun shines the majority of the year and where I feel like I "fit in" again.

Wish us luck!

Wish me luck!

Okay, so I promise that I will post pictures of the wedding this past weekend because Jared did a WONDERFUL job on Crystal's hair and make-up, but first...

There is a job opening at the Sacramento branch of Fidelity and I am getting ready to apply. Wish me luck!!

Do you know what I love?

ROAD TRIPS

I am so excited to go to Sacramento tomorrow after work. It is going to be a looooong day, but I can't wait. I love that road trips allow me to:


-Sing (and let's be honest, dance!) in the car
-Listen to the movies that Jared watches : )
-Have 10 hours of uninterrupted "Jared time"
-Deep Thoughts that you have time to really explore
-Junk Food! Although we always buy it and never really eat it, it's nice to have the option!


The best part is getting back to Sacramento. It has been 6 months since we've been home and I am really really excited. It's only for the weekend, so we probably won't have much time to do anything other than wedding stuff, but I just KNOW it's gonna be sunny and warm and I can't wait!