let's spend the afternoon in a cold hot air balloon

Imagine that you are a big balloon. Someone is filling you with air. At first it's no big deal, you just feel and look a little bigger. But soon you are feeling so stretched out that it hurts. Like a lot.



That would be me. My belly is sore almost all the time. When I see myself, sometimes I wonder why more people don't rub my belly for good luck.



She's due in 7 weeks. April 20th. I hope she doesn't come that soon, though. I have it in my romantic heart that she'll come April 24th. That's the day Jeffree and I got engaged 2 years ago. It's also Easter Sunday. I like the idea of having a little Easter bunny to bring home.

She likes to wiggle and listen to her Daddy sing her lullabies. She isn't comfortable at night and no matter what position I'm in, she'll push against the bed. She's already wearing out her mother and giving her headaches. But I suppose when I finally see how cute she is, I won't even remember the headaches. We're excited to see our little girl.

gotta keep my head held high

It makes me giggle to think that this whole week the sun has been rising when I leave for work in the mornings.



And the rainbow chip frosting on the cake is the 30+ degrees it is outside. I know it's not here to stay, but it sure does bring a smile.

you told me i was pretty when i looked like a mess

I've been feeling a little down lately. I'm hoping I don't have to endure another Rexburg winter. It seems to make things appear so dreadful, so gloomy, so impossible. So today I will try to feel hope. There is so much to look forward to. And so much to experience right now.



Our precious little bundle will be here in ten weeks. It seems so soon when I say it out loud. Jeffree and I were cuddling in bed this morning and I realized that will soon be over. Of course we'll still have our little moments, just the two of us. But soon we'll have a tiny person to take care of, to join our little snuggles.




We are looking forward to meeting our little angel, but for now I want to cherish every moment I have with Jeffree.

i'd never known it could be such fun

The following story should either make you smile, laugh, or roll your eyes.

For whatever reason, I ended up at work one day without a lunch (yay for school lunch :P). I handed my money to the lunch lady and she looked at me funny. I had checked with my students about the cost, so I wasn't sure what was concerning her.

I asked, "Isn't that how much it costs?"

"Are you a student or an adult?"

awkward confused pause ... "What?"

"Are you a student or an adult?"

Really? Are you really asking a 24-year-old pregnant woman if she's a student or an adult? How many pregnant high school students in Rexburg, Idaho do you know of?

I was so caught off guard. A student? Really? Wow.

Thinking about it now, I confess I'm still a little baffled.

all the icicles

There's nothing quite like waking up to a call at 6:11 am telling me to go back to bed. No school? I can live with that.



I have to admit, I don't know of another place that will only close school if it's
-20 or colder. But I'll take what I can get.

of infinite worth

Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.

Margaret D. Nadauld, October 2000

I used to think one day...

The other day, I decided to be satisfied. I think I’ll make that my word to live by this year. Satisfied with only one small portion of dessert. Satisfied with a big hug and kiss from my honey. Satisfied with my job. Satisfied with my hair. Satisfied with my own handwriting on our mirror. Satisfied with how much sleep I got. Simply satisfied.



Sometimes when I have a great thing, I want more. I found myself wondering why I couldn’t just be satisfied with all that I do have. So I decided my new take on life will be to choose satisfaction… and it’s made a world of difference. I find myself doing things I know will help me feel satisfied.



Lately the thing that I find most satisfying is just being silly with Jeffree. When he wraps his arms around me I feel so much better, no matter how bad of a day I’ve had. When he tells me I look pregnant and makes sure to clarify that he thinks it’s cute, I can’t help but smile. When he dances during the credits of a movie I giggle, thinking that he’ll be doing the same thing when we’re in our 90’s. Sunday morning I woke up before him, which is rare. I lay there looking at the way his lips were relaxed and thought how lucky I am. I couldn’t be more satisfied.