4 years!

This past Wednesday, June 23, Scott and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. Since we still don't have a lot of extra cash (and based on our career choices, we probably never will, but that's a whole other blog entry...) we decided to go down to Salt Lake and stay the night in a hotel.

We paid about $60 on hotels.com after researching the prices, and all the reviews, and we settled on a hotel near the airport. All in all, it wasn't a bad place to stay, despite the hotel pool being right there in the lobby (hindering our plans to swim...) and the toilet running, but the bed was comfy and it was just nice to get away.

After checking in, we decided to go over to The Gateway Mall, where we saw the new Karate Kid movie. It was really good! We both really liked it. We then wandered around the mall to do some shopping. We had $25 each to buy presents for each other, but Scott came up with the cutest idea! We went into the Build A Bear workshop where we created a bear together, and called it our Anniversibear! It's SO cute!! And we decided to make it an annual tradition! It was so much fun picking out the clothes and everything together. Then Scott took me to Victoria's Secret, where he allowed me to stock up on all the body washes and lotions I love! He is such a sweet husband!

We then had dinner at Z'Tejas. We've heard a lot about the place, but we'd never been there. We were thoroughly impressed!! Not only were the prices totally decent, but it was some of the best food we've had in a long time! It is a Southwestern Grill and everything we ate had so much flavor! It was fantastic!! Overall, it was a really great anniversary.

The next day, Scott's little sister, Laura, arrived home from her mission! She went to the Georgia Atlanta North mission. I can't believe how quickly the past 18 months went! We got up in the morning on the 24th, had our free breakfast at the hotel (which was awesome), and then headed over to the airport to meet Scott's parents and sister Becca, and wait for Laura's arrival. It was SO fun to see her come down the stairs with the other missionaries returning honorably. It took me back to the day I got home.

We took her to a nice lunch at The Olive Garden, and then she asked if we could go to the Salt Lake Temple, so she could go through the temple one last time as a missionary. Scott, Scott's mom Kathy, Laura and I went through a beautiful session at the temple. I LOVE being in the Salt Lake temple - seeing all the amazing detail and ornate decorations that the pioneers worked so hard to create. Being there fills my heart with such gratitude and appreciation for them. That temple has a very special spirit about it.

We then went with Laura to be released. It also reminded me of the day I got home - and the strange feeling when you get released. I am so proud of Laura and what a great missionary she was. I know she will always reflect on the lessons she learned there, and she will be forever grateful for the time she took to serve the Lord. I know I am forever grateful for the experiences I had as a missionary.

This was such a fantastic week! And it didn't hurt that we both had three days off work! It will be tough to go back to work tomorrow, and settle back into daily life. But these are the times in our lives that make all the difference.

Adoption

Not too long ago Scott and I had our first adoptive parents meeting at LDS Family Services. I was surprised by how much information they were able to provide in such a short amount of time. And I was more than excited to get the process started.

HOWEVER...this process is going to take a LONG time. We have our paperwork and it reminds me of getting ready for the mission. We have all kinds of forms to fill out, background checks, interviews, etc etc etc. We also need to come up with the fees as well, which at times feels harder than it should be. Even after the paperwork process and all of that, there is the waiting factor - hoping to be chosen out of the thousands of hopeful adoptive parents.

The social worker gave us some really great advice: GET THE WORD OUT. Sometimes the best adoptions come from someone that you know that knows someone else looking to place their baby with a family. That is the purpose of this blog entry.

If you have known Scott and I over the past 4 years of our marriage, you have known that we've been trying to have children since the beginning. I've known since I was quite young that I would adopt children someday. When I was 16, my doctor told me I would have a very small chance of ever conceiving my own children, due to the fact that I have some genetic issues. That only sparked my desire to adopt even more. With each passing day/month/year that desire gets stronger and stronger.

I've watched everyone around me have children - my best friends, my sister, people in my ward, and then some. Although I am SO incredibly happy for them, it is so hard for me to not feel that jealousy that inevitably comes along with the joy I feel for them. As I get older, I start to fear that I will never be the mom I so much want to be.

Scott is the most amazing man I have ever known, and I know he will be an incredible father. It is absolutely heart breaking to know that I probably can't provide him with children of our own. I am so happy, though, that he is 100% on board with adopting. He is just as excited as I am to one day bring a beautiful baby into our home and raise him/her with as much love as humanly possible.

So I pose this question to anyone and everyone that might possibly know someone that is looking to place their child up for adoption. PLEASE CONSIDER US! If you meet someone or hear of someone looking for a loving couple to place their baby with, I just hope that we will cross your mind. That is the best thing anyone reading this blog could do!

I am thankful to have the wonderful friends and family I do in my life. And most of all, I am thankful to have the world's best husband! I hope that someday our dreams can all come true!

New iPhone = Awesomeness

Today was a great day for Scottie and me! We got brand new iPhones from AT&T!!! I'm SO excited because I've been wanting one for a really long time. And since I always seem to be a few years behind the world (technologically speaking) I figured it's about time we catch up.

Thanks to my job, we were able to get SMOKIN deals on our phones along with a nice monthly discount off our bill. It's just another reason I really love my job! Who knew I'd love this job so much? It's so totally unrelated to my field of study. But it's been awesome - and the perks (i.e. lasik and now the iphone) have been absolutely fantastic.

The next few weeks (and maybe months) will be dedicated to figuring out all the details of my new fancy phone, although I am really surprised at how easy it is and how user friendly it is.

I am a very happy girl!

Welcome Little One!

I can't even tell you just how excited I am to be an aunt again! Almost 9 years ago I became an aunt for the first time when my nephew Jasen was born. It has been so fun to watch him learn and grow and develop his amazing little (or should I say big) personality! He's an awesome little boy and I love him so much.

Well on Sunday, Feb 7th, during the 4th quarter of the Superbowl, my other sister (Anne) delivered her brand new little one - Ava Elizabeth. I finally have a niece! She is absolutely beautiful and perfect and I love her so much already. Just like when Jasen was born, I can't help but feel so touched by the miracle of the human life.

I love the feeling of holding a beautiful new baby and just feeling their spirit. I can already tell that Ava is a very special girl, and I am so excited to watch her grow as well.

My sister and her husband are already amazing parents, and I'm so excited for them as they begin this new adventure in their lives! I love them so much and I am so happy to have this special new addition in our family!!





Check out that gorgeous red hair!!!

20/15 Baby!!!!

For my birthday this year, I got one of the best presents possible!!

LASIK!!!!!!!!!!!



My baby blues that now see beautifully!

I have been wearing glasses and/or contacts since I was 9 years old. That's one year short of being 20 of my 28 years of life being in contacts and glasses. I remember getting my first pair of glasses - light blue rimmed glasses with big thick lenses. I was so excited because having glasses was actually "cool" then. Haha yeah.

When I was a freshman in high school, I finally got my first pair of contacts, and since then, only wore glasses at night or when my eyes needed a break from contacts. I never thought I would ever be able to wake up in the morning and be able to see!

Thanks to my job, and my flex spending account, this year I got something I've been wanting for a REALLY long time! NEW EYES! Eyes that can see at any time of the day, and not just see, but see perfectly clear! Lasik took my vision from 20/400 to 20/15 in a matter of SECONDS. No, seriously. Seconds. For anyone who is interested in knowing what the process of lasik is like, here is a brief rundown of my experience.

I arrived at Hoopes Vision nervous and excited. They brought me back to a small waiting room, where they promptly gave me a Valium and a checklist of exactly what I would go through. They covered my head and feet in surgical cap and booties, and washed my eyelids with iodine. Then they put numbing drops in my eyes, and took me into the room where the Intralase laser was ready to create the flaps in my corneas! This was the worst part. I lay under a big machine, seeing a circle of lights that reminded me of a tiny UFO. Dr Hoopes placed a suction ring on my eye, and my vision went black. There was no pain, simply some pressure while I focused on keeping my eye still. It took about 10 seconds to put the little bubbles in the cornea to create the flap. Then the same process for the next eye. After the bubbles are inserted, it takes about 20 minutes for them to dissipate, so they put me in a big comfy massage chair where I sat with my eyes closed. Next they took me into the other room where I lay under another machine and focused on a green light while they lasered the flap back into place. It took about 15 seconds per eye. It didn't hurt, it wasn't uncomfortable, and it was over before I knew it. Afterward I sat in a dark room for 10 minutes with my eyes closed. When I opened them, my vision was really foggy, like looking through a fogged up window, but I knew my vision was going to be amazingly clear! The next morning (yesterday) when I woke up, I saw more clearly than any contact could ever do. I felt like I was seeing the world in HD! And if you have ever watched tv in HD, you know you don't EVER want to go back!


Dr. Hoopes performing Lasik

Ok that wasn't so brief. But you get the idea! :)

I am SO glad I made the decision to get this done. No more glasses, no more contacts, no more worrying about not being able to see in the night if I have to get up, or when I have kids I won't have to deal with putting on glasses or contacts in tired eyes in the middle of the night....it's just one big obstacle eliminated from my life! I do have to wear my cheesy sunglasses for a week, and I have to tape up my eyes at night for a week, but it's SO very worth it. I am so happy!! If you're thinking of having it done, DO IT!!! You'll be VERY glad you did!!

www.hoopesvision.com

One year older...

Last Tuesday, the 19th of January, I turned 28 years old. I can't BELIEVE how old I'm getting! I mean, not that 28 is old by any means, but with each passing year, I can't help but wonder where all the time is going! It's just speeding by.

I had a really great birthday. The Friday before, Scott's family threw a party for me, with my favorite foods (hamburgers on the grill and New York Cheesecake!) and we played games! It was a lot of fun. Scott's family is really great.

The Sunday before my birthday, my family had a dinner at my parents' house. It's so great to have not one but two wonderful families! I'm a lucky girl!

On my birthday, I went to work, and afterwards, my co-workers/friends, Scottie and I and our friends Alan and Katie all went to Applebees for Karaoke night! It was SO much fun!! We ate, sang, and just hung out and had a blast.

I definitely got spoiled by my family and Scott with their fantastic presents, and to top it all off, on Monday - I'm getting LASIK! I can't wait. I seriously can't imagine a world without contacts and glasses. I've worn glasses since I was 9 years old and contacts since I was 14. I've lived almost my whole life blind, and now I'll finally have a huge obstacle eliminated from my life! I am really looking forward to waking up in the morning and being able to SEE! Life is going to be so much easier.

Life is goooood.






Oh yeah, and the pic in the middle, with the lady drinking something...that's my boss. And I love that pic. hahaha!
See the whole album here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2040243&id=203000580&l=bb441f884b

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Christmas is HERE! I am so excited. I just love the Christmas season! Ever since my mission, the Christmas Spirit has taken on a little different feeling for me. Being away from home, away from my family for the first time at during this time of year, made it a little easier to focus on the true meaning of Chrismas.

I only had one Christmas in the mission field. I was in the area of South Milwaukee, which, oddly enough, is just south of the main city of Milwaukee (about 10-15 minutes from downtown). I had been in the area for about 2 1/2 months - just long enough to form some amazing friendships with many of the people there.
My companion and I with Bro Greasby

We had one family that was investigating - a single mother of two children, one of them with some special needs. He had Cerebral Palsy and was unable to walk without assistance (either crutches or a wheelchair) and he could speak but most of the time his words were not understandable. The mother worked two jobs just to make ends meet, but when it came down to it, she still had nothing.

The Sunday before Christmas, she came to church and cried through all three hours. I had seen her be touched by the spirit and become emotional before, but this seemed different. I pulled her aside and asked her what was making her so emotional. She told me that her car had broken down and she had to use the money she'd saved all year for presents for her boys to pay for the repairs. My heart ached for her. Over the next couple of days, my companion and I rounded up all the presents we could, as well as food and money for this family that was planning on having nothing under the tree and nothing on the table on Christmas. The ward was more than willing to donate, and we were overwhelmed by the response of the amazing members of the West Allis 2nd ward.

On Christmas Eve, we made our way over to their house with the boxes of presents, food, and an envelope of money for her and her boys. When she opened the door and saw us there, she fell to her knees and began to cry - tears of sheer joy. We placed the food on the table, and the presents under the tree. She called to her sons to come see what the Lord had provided for them. The son with Cerebral Palsy, too excited to grab his crutches, crawled from his room to the tree, sat in front of it and cried. He turned and smiled at us, and of course it brought us to tears also.


That night my heart was transformed. It made me realize that Christmas wasn't about presents, Santa, or shopping. It was about miracles. The miracle of our Savior's birth is the most incredible thing of all - for it is because of Him that we have a chance to return to live with our Father in Heaven. I was away from my family and home, but I felt so close to my Heavenly home than I ever had before in my life.

I love my Savior and I love what He has done for me, for you, for all of us. Without Him, there would be no purpose. This year when giving gifts to your family, imagine what it would have been like to be there that night He was born - to give Him a gift, to see His precious face, His tiny hands that would be pierced for us.



Merry Christmas to you all!