The newbies should park in the back

Well... first Monday of the new year. And do you know what that means?
I couldn't get my normal parking place or cardio machine at the overcrowded gym this morning.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you all have made a firm resolution to get up and go the gym at 6 am every day, and I'm sure you'll stick with it for the next 12 months.
But, for those of us who have been there every morning for the last couple of years, could you please park in the back and not use my favorite machines? You're kind of breaking my routine up a bit.

First Post in the New Year

Okay... I've been thinking about my 'resolutions' for a week or so, and I think I might be ready to write them down so the great blog community can remind me that I've failed all of my goals come February. And... so Bryon can have a list to copy from.

First, the obvious one...

1. Lose weight. I know, I know, I'm REAL original in this one. More specifically, I am going to lose 500 or more calories each time I go to the gym (thanks to my new heart rate monitor I can track these things). I've given myself one day off during the week, so I'll attend the gym 4-5 times a week and I'll do strength training 2-3 times a week instead of just cardio. Oh... AND, I'll quit snacking on chocolate at work.

2. Write Birthday Cards. I love birthdays, and I think you should make a big deal about them, especially when you're under 18. So... I will go and buy bulk birthday cards and somehow keep track of everyone's birthdays and get cards in the mail (with a stamp). Everyone will include: Moms, Dads, brothers, sisters, sibling-in-laws, grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles. It will also include friends (if I know your address, you'll be on the list) and the young single adults that Justin and I teach in church.

3. Read the Book of Mormon with Justin (and hopefully the Young Single Adult Class). Justin and I read the Book of Mormon cover to cover during our engagement, and I haven't been very good since. This year's Sunday School curriculum is the Book of Mormon, so we'll challenge our class to keep up with Justin and I. And, to make sure we're keeping our end of the bargain, we'll update a chart in front of the class every week with our progress.

4. Daily personal and family prayers. Got that Justin? I know we start and stop all the time, so now everyone knows.

There's many other goals and resolutions I could and probably should make, but those are the four. Feel free to add your list and ask how I'm doing on my goals.

A Year to remember

Before I get around to writing (and thinking about) any new years resolutions... I thought I'd highlight the last year... quite a bit has happened.

This time last year I was planning a wedding. Ugh. I will never do that again, ever. I liked picking out my dress... and that's about it. Everything else I found stressful. Oh, except picking out my photographer, that was a no brainer. Terra Cooper of Magnifique Photography is AWESOME, I highly recommend her. (Check her out here and here)

In January my cousin had a baby boy. First great-grandchild. Wait to go Elliot!

I was married in February and had my first trip to Europe. Justin and I went to Paris, France and London, England for our honeymoon. Loved it! My favorite parts were the Eiffel Tower at night and driving to see the American Cemetery. And, spending time with my grandparents at the London Temple, seeing Les Miserables on the front row, and the town of Salisbury.

My cousin got married a week after we got home from the honeymoon, in March.

And, I turned 27.

My little (big) brother got married in May.

I became an aunt in June! Thanks Laila.

I once again had 20/20 vision without the aide of glasses or contacts in August. All it took was a small loan and a big laser!

My beloved Red Sox won the 2007 World Series in October YEAH!
(let's not talk about what this guy did to the world series ball)

Justin and his dad and uncles bought Henstrom Generator in November

And then this happened in December.

What a year! Overall, I've enjoyed 2007, and I'm looking forward to a great 2008. (I usually try NOT to rhyme... but I couldn't help it.

Happy Boxing Day

You know... if we were in New Zealand (or any other country under the British Commonwealth, and maybe a few others) this would be a legal holiday. And... I wouldn't be writing this from work. We'd all be off work and shopping. Or... boxing things up, or something. I always forget what Boxing Day actually is.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We were able to see almost everyone (we did have to miss a few family gatherings for the sake of our sanity and driving miles) and had a really nice time everywhere we went. Here's a few pics from our family to yours. (Doesn't that sound like a hallmark card or something??)

View Album

Get your own

By the way... thank you for everyone who commented, called and made a point to express their concern over my last post. I'm feeling much better, thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers.

The end to a very long week

How can you miss something that you never really had?
Today I found out. You can miss that thing very, very much.

I got the results of a test this morning that I had been waiting for since Wednesday. The waiting was killing me, but I found myself not wanting to hear the results, because I was pretty sure I already knew them.

I found out on Tuesday that Justin and I were expecting a baby. I was over-joyed and surprised that it had happened so quickly. I expected this week to be very long and slow-moving because I wanted to surprise him on Christmas morning with a baby nightie and to tell him were going to be parents next year.

Instead, he came home from work on Wednesday to a very distraught wife who told him, 'Honey, we're pregnant. And, I might be having a miscarriage.' It didn't go the way I had planned, to say the least.

So, after 22 hours of bliss, I've had to wait these last 4 days not knowing whether or not my body wanted to keep this pregnancy. At least I had those 22 hours... Justin wasn't even that lucky this time around.

Yes, I know there are good things that have come out of this. At least we know I can get pregnant, (and rather quickly, I might add) and this is a very common thing to happen to women. I know I'll be okay. I know that we'll try again. And I know this is a natural process the body sometimes needs to go through when things aren't going well at the beginning.

None of that matters very much right now though.

I still miss that baby that I never really had, very, very much.

It's Complicated...

I'm experiencing another one of those emotional and nostalgic moments where I think I have something to blog about, but it turns out to be much more complicated to put into words than it is in feeling... This week has been an extremely exauhsting, yet productive one. While businesses are all going positively, it seems that personal life manages to make up for the instability that must be present at all times - I assume for our growth and development.

My mind was left to wonder about times past and the associations that I have made in recent years. Why do the majority of friendships last such little time? You'd think that if we are only on earth for a moment, it would be much more beneficial and helpful for us if we kept every friend that we used our energy and time to gain.

The truth is I suppose that priorities change and it becomes more difficult to focus on the "neccessities of life" and simulatneously spread ones attention indefinately to all directions. The best people are those who can make everyone feel as though they are worth something special.

What's worse than packing?

I figured out what's worse than packing before your move. Getting to the new place, and it's not ready for you.
They were still painting and finishing the wiring when the movers got there yesterday. I ended up not even going in yesterday, and when I got there today it wasn't much better. My poor supervisor leaned up against a wall that the painters had just touched up (and didn't leave any sign of warning) and got paint all over her pants and jacket.
It reminded me (although not nearly as bad) when my family remodeled our kitchen and had to live in a partially working house for a couple of weeks. We don't have to do dishes in the bathtub or use a flashlight to go to the bathroom, but it's still terribly inconvenient and difficult to get any real work done.
Maybe tomorrow I'll have a phone in my office.