News and Realizations

Ok, so I know I'm not the best at updating this blog, and to be completely honest, I'm not so great at updating my journal...but since I did that two days ago, I should probably update this. So, it's pretty much official! Bryce and I are expecting our first child! I'm only 9 weeks along, and technically you aren't really supposed to be telling people you're pregnant until the second trimester comes along, but who cares? The only people who see this already know anyway. :) Bryce is super excited. I was really nervous up until yesterday, when I spoke with one of my good friends and companions from the mission, Shanae. She was telling me about this test that was run on a pregnant woman, where doctors put like a microphone or something inside her stomach/uterus to see just how much the baby can hear. Shanae described it as just putting a blanket over your head. The baby can hear practically everything! ESPECIALLY the mom and the people that the mother is around a lot. For some reason, this put me at ease. I mean, I was really nervous and scared about what happens after birth...I'm sure every mom can say they felt the same way with their first-born. So, for now, I'm at peace with the idea of having another person growing inside of me...for now. :)

Bryce is convinced I'll be a great mom. I told him I wasn't so sure. I don't say this for praise or to be reassured. I get it from Bryce every time we talk about it. And everyone we tell is sure of it, as well.

Anyway, life is just getting interesting. I'm just glad I'm living it with Bryce. :)

Well look at me...

So, recently (as in, since being married...) I've discovered I'm a fairly decent cook. I didn't ever really take time when I was growing up to be in the kitchen with my mom to cook for anything, unless it was mac and cheese or unless I was being forced to do the dishes because let's face it, what kid actually likes doing the dishes? (Unless you're my cousin Natalie, and you don't complain about anything. Ever.) So, having to cook for myself and husband, I've learned I'm pretty good at following directions...except one time, when I was making chocolate chip cookies. I put in 3/4 cup of regular sugar, instead of 1/2 cup...it turned out WAY better, anyway. So that simple mistake was ok. Nay, it was GREAT. It's the only way I make cookies now. Anyway, I feel like I'm proficient at cooking now. I may not be the best and things that my sisters know how to do, I might not, so of course, I feel silly/stupid when they tell me how to do something that they've apparently doing for years. But, I'm getting there. Each time I try and new recipe (which seems to be a lot recently...thank you to pinterest.com) I feel good about myself when it turns out great. I want to try all the recipes on my food board on pinterest...that's a great goal that seems a bit overwhelming at times because I keep adding to it.

On another note, I'm excited for when I don't have to work any longer. Currently, I just want to craft all day and be one of those wives that just makes everything (kind of like my SIL Kristen...haha.) I'm not good at sewing. At. All. Which, I think my grandma might gringe at a little bit, though, one can't be sure. She would probably just smile at me, take my hand, and lead me into her sewing room to start on a skirt I would have wonr everyday because it would turn out marvelous. So, I've decided I need a sewing machine. Also, a cricut. (I always want to pronounce it cry-cut. hahaha) Or a silohuette (however it's spelt), which is what Kristen introduced into my craft world last night. The crafty side of me (that hardly ever shines) feels like it should shine whenever Kris talks about crafts.

Also, my SIL on my husband's side, Alicia, makes me want to be more creative with photography. Well, her and Elissa Stewart. I loved taking photography in high school, and I love taking pictures and thinking that I'm better at it than I actually am. It might be that instant gratification of knowing you're doing something amazing and everyone can see it in a matter of seconds.

So, I guess what it all comes down to is that I just want to be creative. In pretty much anyway possible. Pinterest definitely helps with that. (...hahaha.)

One more, I'm kinda super excited to have kids. Don't worry, I'm not currently with child. Don't get any crazy ideas. Although, I do already know what kind of party I want for my first baby shower...milk and cookie themed. Tons of different kinds of milk and tons of cookies! ....Cookies filled with filling the color of the baby gender...cute, right? Yeah, I know.

Mission Reunion

So, my mission reunion is at the end of the month, and since I mention it, so is Bryce's mission reunion. Both are up in Utah, his in Provo, mine in Taylorsville. Here's the problem. Because he has school that day, we won't be able to make either. And I REALLY want to go. Nearly everyone I served with is home now including my first mission President and his wife. So, it sucks that we can't go up there. It wouldn't really be a problem if it were a regular school day for Bryce. But since it's the last day of the term, there's no way I could ask that of him....again. haha. I guess it just wasn't meant to be!
On another note, tomorrow marks my one year mark of being home! Crazy. I can't believe it's been a year already. I was super close to moving up to Utah after I got home, but then I met Bryce. I'm glad for many reasons, too. It wouldn't have been the right thing to do. I would have just been up there to try and figure things out, but who says you can't figure things out right where you are? Anyway, I should mark things off my list now...

Newly Married...

Ok. So, I've now been married for 2 1/2 weeks. Fun. Scratch that off my list. ...and I thought that once you are married, you would feel different...well...I don't. Though, I did ask a friend of mine who has been married for over a year if it ever changes, and she said not really. It's been good though, don't get me wrong. :) I love being with my best friend all the time. And by all the time I mean when I get home, and when I wake up. He normally works at night, so I go to bed before he gets home...by a long shot. Anyway, life is good. Our new ward is good. That same friend mentioned earlier is in the ward. She actually lives in the same complex as us with her husband. We also are in the same ward as a friend of Bryce's, Tracy and her husband, Justin Bennet. (So she could have some girls and name one of them Elizabeth...hahaha.)
Anyway, we're anticipating getting callings in our new ward fairly soon, as well as getting an assignment to speak during Sacrament meeting. Let's hope it takes a while for that to happen. :)

Engagement photos/Wedding Invite

So, with just 45 days to go (I've officially started counting down. Before, it was my phone that would tell me when every 10 days would go by, but now I know. Everday.), we have had our amazing engagement pictures taken (Thanks Alicia!) and now we're looking at the different ways Alicia has put together an invite (Thanks again, Alicia!). So far we have a pretty amazing one:

Alicia said she has more though, so I'm excited to see those too. I showed my mom, she loves this one! Mom said these are the favorites of her pictures we took. There was another she liked too:

Anyway, I love all these pictures! Just wanted to share these with you, because they just look amazing. And just having them on facebook doesn't cut it for me. haha.

Engagement pictures!

It's time! Engagement pictures are happening today! I'm excited...I love to see myself look so good in pictures. :) We're driving down to Huntington Beach where Bryce's sister, Alicia, lives so she can take the pictures for us. She's super good. Even has a website: www.aliciamariephotography.com.

Anyway, we aren't going to the beach to take the pictures, too cliché, and Bryce and I have never actually been to the beach together...so...it didn't really make sense to me to go to the beach for this. So, instead Alicia has some places she's wanting to try out. I'm excited. yay. I'll put some of the pictures up when I get them. Should be epic! (and I don't even use that word!)

Last night we had a talent show for a ward activity. This week has been a little stressful because of it, but only because people kept canceling. How nice. Even up until the day before, people were backing out. Dumb. So, I had to scramble around and convince people to help out. Matt Ellis, especially. I did a Carnac bit with Bryce, like Johnny Carson's, it went really well. :D Though, instead of that turban Carson would use, I used a tiara Daely happened to have in our closet. haha. It was really good. OH, and Daely helped super last minute too! She drew stick figures of a few people in the ward. It turned out really good. Leo was our MC and he was good, too. He was happy with the turn out of the whole thing. So was I. I'm glad it turned out so good in the end. I stopped worrying about it as it started. I probably should have stopped worrying so much, but if I didn't, we wouldn't have had such a great show! Elissa had a really good bit. Super funny. I'll have to get a copy of it.

Let's be honest.

I started this blog so I could have something else in common with my sis-in law, Kristen. And so I could comment on her blog, too. :D I love reading her blogs and seeing what that part of my family is doing day-to-day. Her kids are just so cute and funny, I can hardly stand it. I can only hope that my future kids will be half as cute/funny. And let's be honest, they probably will be.