YAY for me

I have been SO tired lately that I literally just sit on the couch when I wake up in the morning and watch tv...then I get home from work and do the same thing. If I DO get up to do "just a little bit" I end up getting a LOT done. So it's just getting me off the couch that is the key. I don't remember feeling this tired since I was a kid and had pulled an all nighter with my friends! And trust me--I'm getting 9-10 hour night sleep every night! I gotta admit--caffeine and I have been friends today. Oh well...

So last night I had been sitting in my usual couch position for about 2 1/2 hours when I asked Ben if he'd gotten the mail. Oh yeah...he had. I opened one of the letters to me to find it was my $500 check from my second online offer I completed! I had been waiting for it to come Fed Ex...so I had no idea it had even arrived! I was SO excited!

If you haven't looked into doing one of these offers, you really SHOULD because they are legit and so far I have done 3 (received 2 with the other one on it's way) worth $1500.00. I have spent about $150 out of pocket. SO....check into it!

Connor Tyrrel-32ish weeks

Here's our sweet baby at roughly 32 weeks! He is measuring a LOT bigger than that..about 34 weeks and a few days. According to their measurements he is almost 5 pounds...so either he's gonna be a FATTY or he's coming early! They said he'd be due November 29th if those measurements were accurate. Unfortunately even the docs don't trust their own machinery and said they can't technically change my due date. But trust me--I'll be surprised if he doesn't come at least a little early! He's measured at least a week ahead the whole time...so if he wants to come a bit early that's fine with me! Here's a cute little face shot of him! He's turned and his head is down where it should be...so we're just waiting for him to grow and be ready to come into the world! Everything is ok with his heart, nothing to worry about there...now we just gotta stay healthy!

Aaaaa CHOOO!

This weekend was supposed to be relaxing, fun and our last "getaway" before baby Tyrrel graces us with his presence. We were going to stop at the Beaver cheese factory and get yummy ice cream cones. We were going to eat at The Blue Iguana in Salt Lake--my favorite Mexican food. We were going to stay in the SUITE at the Kimball right across from Temple square-complete with a HUGE jacuzzi tub that was going to be WONDERFUL for my sore muscles and crazy sciatic nerve.

We were going to see Music and the Spoken Word because Ben has never been.

We were going to get free hot chocolate at 7-11 because I found coupons...(he he)

We were going to enjoy a weekend of no homework, no primary class, and no stress at all.

This was all going to happen until yesterday morning when...

It literally started out of the blue. The night before I had felt FINE. That night I slept really restlessly and woke up at 6:30 to find my head felt like I had been hit by a bus. I thought it was due to the lack of restful sleep, but Ben asked if I maybe had gotten his sinus infection..sure enough what I described was how he'd felt all week. WHAT?! I just got over a COLD last week. Now I'm sick again????

I suffered all day and called in sick to work. I was going to visit a doctor but my cousin told me I could have my baby nurse midwife call in a prescription for me. SO I did just that. They called in a Z pack and I'm waiting for it to do it's magic. But that doesn't change the fact that I am just NOT up for a trip now. Our plans will have to wait until AFTER baby Tyrrel comes!

I am just hoping and praying now that I really have JUST a sinus infection and not something much worse like swine flu. It seems that's all you hear/read about..and what if I DO have it? How long should I wait to go to the ER and be tested? I only had a fever last night and it's gone now. Sigh...what would YOU do?

On the upside- we adopted a sweet little kitten the other night. She would have gone straight to the pound if the owners couldn't find a home for her, and I couldn't stand the thought of it! So since we wanted Figaro to have a friend to distract him when the baby comes...we figured what the heck. She's 11 weeks old and the biggest FLUFF ball we've ever seen! So far she and Figaro are still getting to know one another...





It's funny to hear her little set of paws running around the house...and Figaro keeps her on her toes. He wants to play so badly but she's still just so small! :-) We're crazy I know--blame it on the nesting.

AIDA

So back in 2001 before 9/11 and all that devastation hit NYC, I took my very first plane ride and went to the Big Apple with my performing group, Diamond Talent. I scrimped and saved for that trip for months..even having a big car wash a few weeks before hand and getting the sunburn of a lifetime! I cleaned so many toilets I swore the first time I went to the bathroom IN New York it'd make up for all the ones I'd cleaned to get there! It definitely did...

I don't have any pictures from that trip online, that was back in the days of film...but the memories I have from that trip are still SO vivid! I LOVE New York City and hope I can visit a few more times in my life. Ben will be going there in January for a school trip. It'll be hard not only to be without him, but to miss out on a NY trip! We had so much fun there together when we did our engagement pictures!

My point for this post is to rave about my favorite Broadway show of all time...AIDA. I saw 8 shows that week, but this one took the cake. I saw it on a Tuesday after eating at Tavern on the Green for my best friend Tishanne's 16th birthday. It was a fairytale day...followed by one of the best nights EVER! I even recall the food from Tavern made me sick...REALLY sick. But I didn't care because I got to see AIDA with the original cast comprised of Heather Headley and Adam Pascal. I was rocked to the core after this show. Heather Headley had this amazing gift of not only the most remarkable VOICE but the ability to connect with her audience. I wasn't on the front row or anything, but felt that woman's passion for her role several rows back. I wasn't the only one who felt this way either...almost all of us were at a loss for words for the rest of the night. It was AMAZING!!!!So of course, 8 1/2 years later I was a bit hesitant to see the show again at Tuacahn, which puts on great shows but is definitely not BROADWAY. I mean what if the woman playing Aida just did not GET it? What if she couldn't portray the role correctly? What if her voice was sub-par? What if the set was lame compared to the gorgeous Broadway set? What if Radames didn't have that awesome rock voice needed for the role? SO many unknowns. :-)

If I wouldn't have free tickets to this show I may not have gone..in fact we almost forgot to go! We realized Sunday that the show was closing this week and we could only use our free tix on Tues or Thurs. Luckily we got amazing seats for last night's performance.

I was NOT disappointed. I had told myself I'd never be able to enjoy this show again after the original..but the second the lights came up and I saw the beautiful museum setting and pyramids in the back on the beautiful Ivins mountain..I started to cry. And I cried more when I saw Princess Amneris in her museum "box". I bawled when she started to sing and the main characters made their way on stage. I finally calmed down when things got a little more...I don't know. Just not emotional. But I cried again when Aida belted out her first phrase "You know NOTHING ABOUT ME! AND CARE EVEN LESS!" Thank GOODNESS she had an awesome voice. Thank goodness Radames was good looking and had rock and roll quality.

I am SO glad I went and saw the show again. It was so refreshing to sit through a show that long and enjoy EVERY second of it. I haven't been that entertained at a show since I saw La Boheme at Opera Pacific...but that's another story!

Photo Session giveaway!

Hey all, my friend Errin Andrus is having a photo session giveaway on her new website/blog! Check out HER SITE to find out how to enter! She does an amazing job, I'm having her take baby Connor's pictures right after he's born! I already wanted to hire her even before I got pregnant. Check out her site and see her fabulous work! Here's a sample--a picture she took of my sister for Senior Pictures a few months ago.

Beautiful right? Errin also teaches photography in private one on one classes if you are interested in learning the art of photography! :-) Go to her website soon to check out all the fabulous photos and deals she has!

31 weeks!

I can't believe how fast the last 12 weeks have gone by. While they were happening they felt very long, but knowing I only have about 8-9 weeks left...I can't believe how fast it has gone! The other day I looked down at my belly and started to laugh because I hadn't realized how BIG it had gotten almost overnight! Here's a picture to prove it...

How can I possibly grow any bigger?!
Baby Connor weighs about 3.3 pounds right now...and I feel every ounce of it. My tummy is HEAVY!

Things I am loving about this pregnancy right now:

~The baby moves ALL the time. He is hardly ever sleeping and I can feel little parts of him more distinctly! I love that I can feel him kick his little foot and leave it pushed against the top of my tummy for a few seconds.
~When I push on my tummy where he's kicking or pushing, he'll move it to another part of my tummy
~I feel the hiccups a lot more distinctly now...and they don't bother me. It cracks me up!
~I feel very bonded with this little baby boy and find myself daydreaming about him ALL the time.
~My baby loves music! It puts him to sleep...and I can't wait to sing to him when he's here.


Things I am NOT loving:

~Thinking I am about to pee my pants only to find I have barely 4 drops of pee when I finally go...
~The heartburn that has been there since day 1
~Not being able to sleep due to sore muscles and constant anxiety/excitement about this baby!
~The muscles in my sides pulling and stretching to make more room for baby...ouch.
~The fact that Connor found my ribs and is NOT shy to kick them to bits. My sides have also been sore on the inside from his intense kicking.
~Swollen hands and feet...they are just gross.

Things I have learned this past week:

~What Braxton Hicks contractions feel like...
~I can't sit close enough to the table anymore...puts me at higher risk of spilling food all over myself. I think this is why women start to use their tummies for a table...
~Why it's natural to waddle when you're pregnant...
~Nesting instincts reach far beyond just decorating and cleaning a nursery...they can make you very determined to rake the leaves in the backyard you never even sit in...

All in all I LOVE being pregnant. Ben thinks after this one I won't want to do it again...but in spite of my complaints I'd do it over and over. Knowing I'll be a mommy soon to this sweet little baby makes all the suffering SO worth while! We love our baby Connor and can't wait to meet him!

WHY?

Today's post is for all of us wondering WHY people can be SO lame, dumb, stupid, etc...

I am luckily not severely affected by the course of action that has led to this complaint blog...so I'm not shaking with anger or anything. Just wondering WHY?

2 years ago Ben and I had just started dating. We were doing the long distance thing-and it was so fun to travel back and forth! Being the wonderful man Ben is--when I called him on September 27th crying because my grandma had just passed away, he asked if I wanted him to come. At first I said no, that would be too much to ask. But after we hung up I realized I DID want him there. And I knew chances were I'd be asked to sing for the funeral, and judging by how HARD it was to sing for my grandpa's funeral years before, I thought it'd be nice if we could sing a duet. Ben didn't hesitate for a moment, he bought his plane ticket and was there within 2 days. He rented a car for that visit, since I didn't have the energy to drive to Vegas to get him, and the shuttle schedule didn't work with his flight time. I remember he was SO tired and could hardly wait to get into town.

He picked up the rental car and had a hard time figuring out how to get out of the airport...they had just changed their exit or something. He was talking to Lauren on the phone when he hung up all of a sudden (after saying one swear word--which indicated something BAD had happened since he NEVER swears). He called back and said he had jus been in a small accident, a fender bender. I can't relay the exact details, as I was not there- but it sounds like he changed lanes at about the same time as a lady was merging into the same lane, so the very back bumper of his rental car hit the front of hers. VERY minor--nobody was even near hurt. It was SO ridiculous. There had been a cop nearby that saw the whole thing and apparently had blinders on because he wrote BEN the ticket-even though it was technically both of their fault.

Long story short--Ben's insurance with State Farm DOUBLED because of the mishap. The woman racked up a TON of medical bills for "injuries" sustained in the accident. More like chiropractic work she probably blamed on the accident that didn't even cause any damage! He had to switch to a new company when we got married, and then recently we switched to a very cheap company here in Utah.

It's been a little over two years since the incident. State Farm called him today and let him know that woman has filed a suit against him. She had attempted this before in the past I believe--but finally went through with it just days before the statute of limitations expired. We are not worried- State Farm will cover the entire thing, and they will pay for Ben to travel to Las Vegas if he has to- for a trial or whatever. But Ben does NOT have the time for this at ALL right now! And what type of person files suit for such a STUPID accident TWO years later? My guess is she's down on her gambling luck and needs the extra cash. I hope a judge will see it that way and not give her any money. Even though we aren't the ones who have to pay for it--it just seems SO unjust to grant such a person money for this ridiculous accident! According to Ben she didn't come across as a very normal human being...so it doesn't come as a HUGE surprise.

Can someone please tell me WHY we have to deal with such morons in this world? Why are there people out there just living life to make HELL for others? Why do annoying things even happen? If Ben had figured out how to get out of that airport the first time he'd have never met this woman. If I had gone to pick him up this time it wouldn't have happened. If a lot of things...so WHY? What was the point of this happening? Why do people pull out in front of us when we are in a hurry and cause us to miss the next 3 stoplights? If they had waited 4 more seconds we could have been at our destination 3 minutes earlier! I know sometimes these things can keep bigger worse things from happening. But from my small perspective...all I can do is ask WHY?!

Happy Birthday to Ben!

Today is Ben's 28th Birthday! It's the third birthday I've been able to spend with Ben, and I think they've gotten better every year! He got WAY spoiled this year and had a whole birthday weekend in St. George! I drove down Friday with Ashlee, while Ben worked on his huge load of homework, then he came down on Saturday and met us at Olive Garden for lunch! My dad was rabbit hunting so it was just me, Ben, my mom, Ashlee and Jeremy. Jeremy and Ben share the same birthday, so it's always been fun to celebrate together! It was a WAY yummy lunch and we had lots of fun!

We spent the afternoon relaxing and then the boys went to Priesthood meeting that night, and us girls went to Deseret Book for Ladies Night! My mom and I have ALWAYS gone early and stood in line and gotten our names in for the drawing...well this year we didn't go early, and BARELY got our names in for a drawing and we BOTH won something! ha ha...go figure! We met the boys after that for some frozen yogurt at KRAVE...the new self serve place. SO yummy I've eaten there 4 times already! We went to the movie theaters and got some movie popcorn after that...and they gave us a big bag for our "free refill" cuz they knew we weren't staying for a movie! We got some more treats and came home and just visited with our spoils. After a couple hours we were all hungry and realized we hadn't eaten dinner- just junk food! So we spontaneously all packed up and went to Denny's at 11:30! It was SO much fun and I love that we are all old enough to stay up that late now! :-) We had great waiters at both restaurants that day..which made it so fun.

The next day we watched some conference, had some home made cinnamon rolls and let Jeremy and Ben open their birthday presents early since Ashlee had to go back to BYU last night, and Ben has a full busy day today! He got pretty spoiled...a new Wii game, Flannel Sheets (he's been wanting for a LONG time), a curly fry maker (yard sale item! ha ha),How I Met Your Mother Season 4, and some Hawaiian chocolate covered macadamia nuts!

Today I got up a couple hours after him..ha ha..and made him some birthday breakfast! Leftover cinnamon rolls..(I'm pregnant...) and scrambled cheesy eggs, and OJ!

Ben is such a wonderful man and lately I have just realized how lucky I am to have him for a husband. I never knew I could love someone so much and that even when the "honeymoon" phase wore off that love could deepen into something so sweet and amazing. He takes such good care of me, and I can't tell him enough throughout the day how much I love him! He is SO smart and I'm constantly amazed by what he's able to accomplish. I love hearing how well he's doing in school and with his assistanship. And I love that he is so talented and will be able to pass on his musical passion to our children! He was selected to sing two solos with the Southern Utah Symphony in December for their performance of Handel's Messiah! I'm so thrilled for him, but hope this baby boy is here to listen to his daddy as well, since his performance dates are the 13th and 14th! :-)

Ben is the love of my life and I would go through what I did to find him a million times if it meant having him as my companion for eternity! I love you Ben! Thank you for being such a WONDERFUL husband! Happy Birthday!!!