The Weather is Here

Not a Second Thought

2010-10-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

It has been interesting, the things I have heard since General Conference last week. I always look so forward to General Conference. Waking up, eating a fantastic breakfast together (which doesn't ever happen on Sunday due to early church meetings), and watching Conference, hearing the wonderful instruction and thoughts of our dear church leaders. This past Conference, when I heard Boyd K. Packer's talk, I can honsetly say I didn't think too much about it. Not a second thought. It was a great talk. I, being a member my entire life, was not at all shocked at the words he spoke. Then, later on in the week Greg informed me of some opposition to his words out in Utah. This saddened me, but I again didn't dwell on it too long. THEN, while talking to my wonderful sister-in-law tonight, America (who really is so wonderful-I am thankful all the time that my brother married such a great woman) she asked me if there had been any backlash in our ward because of that certain talk. I answered, "No, I haven't heard a single thing." She then went on to tell me how sad she was that there were a few people in her ward that were apparently shocked by what Elder Packer said. Huh? She went on to say that a few of them were so torn up about it that they were questioning the church and "couldn't even read their scriptures" because of their personal turmoil. I was completely surprised by this. Can I just say, I DON'T GET IT?! I don't mean to be insensitive at all, but if you are a church member is this really shocking? If you have been through the temple, how can you be surprised by this? As we talked, America told me that those she spoke with honestly thought the church would eventually change their opinion on this subject. Oh, wow! She went on to say that one of the women who was saying this is a YW leader and is now unsure of what to think. Some are even beginning to read anti-mormon websites. It breaks my heart that people are questioning our church leaders. I always look so forward to hearing them speak to us and I KNOW that what they say is so true. As a YW leader myself (and especially a mother of a young child that will have to endure far more in this world than I did), I cannot begin to think about what would happen if we as leaders to the youth would all begin to doubt and falter in our testimonies. Now is the time to hold onto your testimony as tight as you can! Hold on for dear life! My heart hurts right now for those that do not know that this IS the true church. And especially for those that once knew and are letting their testimonies slip through their fingers! Now is the time to stand and be courageous against the things of this world. What does the future hold for us and for the youth of this Church if we don't? If we let the world dictate what we do and what we think all because we don't want to offend others? The Church will NOT ever change it's teachings, and we shouldn't want it to change.

Choose Your Cupcake Wisely

2010-09-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

Last night for YW we had a discussion on chastity. We had two great speakers come in and talk to the girls about the importance of remaining chaste. While planning this activity, I came across this great idea on Sugardoodle and decided to end the night with it. I asked the girls to choose between the two types of cupcakes I had brought for them-the first, unbaked, and the second, baked, filled, iced, and beautiful. The girls caught on quick that I was referencing back the chastity message. We discussed how if you eat the raw batter, (break the law of chastity) it can make you sick and you can lose your appetite and it would feel like something is missing. However, if you are patient and wait for the cupcake to bake (wait for marriage), it is so much better and worth it.

I loved this object lesson as soon as I read it, so I wanted to make the cupcakes absolutely irresistible looking. I spent the afternoon making these beauties with my sister. I made chocolate cupcakes with a ganache filled center (which was so yummy), topped with swiss meringue buttercream and a white shimmery fondant flower. I wasn't too impressed with the taste of frosting by itself...but it wasn't bad with the cupcake. I think they turned out fantastic looking!

(Here's the heartbreak of the night...While on my way to the church, the young woman I had picked up was carefully holding my precious cupcakes on her lap when the car in front of me slammed on his/her breaks! All our hard work was now smashed together in a blue mess. There were only 6 cupcakes that were not harmed. I WAS DEVASTATED!! There went my whole thought!! I am so grateful for the women I serve with. They quickly calmed me down when I got to church and all went to work right away to make them presentable again. When I handed them out at the end of the night, they weren't the most perfect looking cupcakes...but I think the YW still got the message!)

The Naughty Spot

2010-09-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

I don't think I need to explain this picture. I will say this might be one of my favorite pictures to date and says a lot about our little Lochlan!

Perrysburg

2010-08-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

Lochlan and I took a trip without dad to Ohio. Greg's sister, Alysia, was coming into Ohio and everyone wanted us to come up so Lochlan could spend time with his Utah cousins. Greg, unfortunately couldn't go. July is his busiest time of the year at work AND he had to stay back to close on our house! So, Lochlan and I took the journey on our own. I would like to publicly apologize to the poor lady that had to sit next to us on the way up-Lochlan was not on his best behavior. We had a blast with the family. Lochlan LOVED all his cousins, I think by the end of the week he thought he was 4 1/2 too, like the triplets. We got to do tons of fun things while we were up there, here's a little of what we did!
Lots of fun in Nana and Grandpa's backyard.

We went to the "Butterfly House." Which, was so fun!
We also went on the boat on the Maumee River. Lochlan had his very first tubing experience. I'm not sure what he thought about it, because he fell asleep on the boat!

(Savannah-our niece-let Lochlan borrow her pink life jacket...I don't think Greg would have approved if he'd been there.)

Carol, my amazing mother-in-law, took us to this adorable old farm house called the 577 Foundation. They had community gardens which smelled incredible. It inspired me to try to start a garden at our new house-it will take a lot of work, seeing how I kill most green things...but I am always up for learning something new!

At the end of the very fun week, we headed back home to Greg, who was so happy to have us back!

The BIG 3-0! (Not me, Greg)

2010-07-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 30th Birthday Greg! Love you!

Happy 6 Years

2010-07-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Greg and I have been married for six years as of 7/31! I can't believe it has been six years! We were so busy with the new house that we weren't able to really celebrate it until the following week. We went on a little getaway up to St Augustine-Greg had never been there before. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera...fortunately, we each had our phones!

We had a great time exploring the historic little town...until it down poured on us!! Gotta love Florida-one minute sunny, the next soaking wet!

I love St Augustine! One of my favorite parts about the old city is that it was built out of coquina-which is a shellstone. You can see it in the wall in this picture. (Excuse me looking horrible-I had just been rained on!)

We had a such a great weekend! It's been a good 6 years, and I cannot wait for more!

Swim Lessons

2010-06-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of May, Lochlan started going to swim lessons- the "Mom and Tot" class, so I get to paddle around with him. It's pretty much just singing funny songs and making them kick their feet, getting them used to swimming. Fun stuff. He is just finishing up his second month and LOVING it! Lochlan has always loved the water, and living in Florida, I think it is so important the kids learn to swim as soon as possible because there is water EVERYWHERE. We have really enjoyed going to swim lessons twice a week at the Palm Bay Aquatic Center. His favorite part by far is the free time at the end when he can go down the slide. On Wednesday, the instructor and one of the lifeguards there took pictures of all the little ones as they went under water. I think this shot is so funny because most kids keep their eyes open...but Lochlan closes his eyes and holds his breath before he goes all the way under! Always so aware of his surroundings. So here is a picture of Lochlan paddling around in the pool.

My Contribution to Sugar Doodle

2010-06-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

I should start out by saying that most of my adult life has been spent serving in YW. A calling that I am most happy to fulfill. I LOVE serving in YW. Over the years, I have borrowed many handout ideas from Sugardoodle.net. So, this past week, when my advisor went out of town for her anniversary and didn't get back until Saturday, I told her that I would love to teach so she could enjoy her week and not have to worry about the lesson. I know, I'm super nice that way! As I read through the lesson on Missionary Work, I myself came up with MY OWN cute handout idea, so I just had to share it and will be sharing it with the readers of Sugardoodle. I read a one-liner quote, "Be ye fishers of men...you catch them, he'll clean them" and was inspired. I loved this quote so I attached it to a bag of sweedish fish, tied it closed with fishing line, and made a hook out of jewelry wire. The girls loved it! Here is how thy turned out. Let me know what you think!

Happy Dad's Day

2010-06-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, being Father's Day, I wanted to wake up and make Greg a fabulous breakfast in bed...then I remembered that he gets up super early for meetings before church. Scratch that idea, I got up and made him fabulous Pillsbury Orange Rolls! I know, I really went out of my way on this (I thought is was kinda funny and sad, so I took a picture, which makes it even more sad). Greg appreciated that I even got up at 6 something to pop those in the oven. But the day was just beginning. I surprised him with a new tie and some other gifts- I made Lochlan and Greg matching ties for church. Special, right? I am so glad that I have a husband that humors me with my little creations-it obviously not being the type of high quality ties that he is so used to. Still, he wore it happily and matched our little boy for church!
So today I thought I would write about what a great guy I have. I love that my husband can make me laugh, sometimes when I don't feel like laughing. I do love and am so grateful for the fact that I have a craft room and still my stuff seems to trickle out and find itself all over the house and he's ok with it! I love that he gets up everyday to go to a job to take care of us, even though he'd probably rather be at the beach. I love that he comes home, changes from his khakis and polo into some play clothes and runs around with our son, wearing him out for the evening. And I especially love that at the very end of the day, when all the madness has settled, he grabs my hand, says a prayer, and tells me he loves me. I love you, Greg. Thanks for being a great dad and wonderful husband!!
It was also a special day because it was Lochlan's first day of nursery...which he didn't really enjoy. We'll have to work on it.

Finally, a post!

2010-06-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have completely come to the realization that I suck at blogging now. It's true. As my sister-in-law, Kim, put it, "Stephanie, your blog is just sad." So I am finally making time to post. Lochlan is in bed, Greg is at a softball game, and I have time. Yay, for me! So...here's my catch up, my baby is going to be 18 months tomorrow!! I cannot believe how time has flown, it makes me so happy and kinda sad...he'll be leaving on his mission in no time! Crazy. I have loved every second of being this little boy's mom. Here's a little info about Lochlan now that he's 1 1/2:

Lochlan LOVES to swim-we take swimming lessons, the "mom and tot" class is his favorite part of the day.

Lochlan is not a big talker. Or at least he hasn't been. At 12 months he was saying all kinds of things, like, mama, dada, uh-oh, thank you, light, chicken-yes, he said chicken. Then he kinda lost interest. The past few days though, he has been repeating everything and talking up a storm. It has been so enjoyable. I love his babbling, with the occasional word that I understand. Yesterday, (and this is one of the reasons I HAD to blog) he even said "mama, I love you"! (of course, there was some coaching involved, but all the same it was Awesome!)

Lochlan loves to hug and give big kisses. This, I LOVE. He is always so willing to lean over and give his dad or mom a big kiss.

Lochlan loves sports...just like dad. He already has an incredible arm on him. The other week he picked up something in church and chucked it a good three pews back...of course he hit someone square in the forehead which was not good, but all the same, we're pretty proud of his pitching skills and look forward to him taking care of us in our old age on his MLB salary.

Lochlan loves to say prayers at the end of the night. We announce that it's bedtime and he takes both Greg and I by the hand, walks into his room, plops down in front of his bed and folds his arms for prayer. So cute! My testimony grows every night just seeing this. It's like when he points to a painting in our house and tries to say Jesus. It's just amazing, how does a little 18 month KNOW this!!

What an incredible little boy we have!

Check Up and No Tears

2009-06-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Lochlan's 6 month check up with his pediatrician, who is wonderful. This time, Greg got to come along, it being his day off. Here's what we found out.

Height- 29 inches (he has grown 2 1/2 inches in 2 months!)

Weight- 16 lbs 6 ozs

Conclusion: Still super long and super lean! We have a little basketball player on our hands. Greg fondly refers to him as our little "Yao Ming".

Then it was shot time. I had been prepping Greg all week about how sad it is when they have to Lochlan his shots, because he of course cries after the shots until you pick him up. So the nurse comes in and the first shot goes in the first leg...not a peep from Lochlan. What?? The second shot goes in the second leg...a little whimper and then nothing. The third shot...nothing! Unbelievable!!! Not one tear after three shots! Lochlan made a liar out of mommy. I Was happy there were no tears, but Greg now thinks I exaggerated the first couple times. What can you do?

6 Months-I Can't Believe It!

2009-06-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Our little man is six months today! Crazy, where does all the time go. A few things about Lochlan. His favorite food by far is peaches with oatmeal. He also loves to finish dinner with a little mango for dessert-he's like his mom, loves his dessert! Least favorite food to date, green beans-he started gagging the second he got a spoonful. Lochlan loves playing in his jumper and on his play mat, rolling around and grabbing anything insight. He is very good and grabbing anything and everything-favorite thing to grab is the remote when mom and dad are watching a show and he starts pressing buttons. He also like pounding on the computer while I am holding him, trying to blog. I guess he wants to help. He loves to laugh, his ticklish spot is on his side, same as his dad's. He smiles for everyone, he is a very happy kid, unless he is tired, then he is pretty cranky, but aren't we all. Lochlan is very observant, he pays attention to anything and everything going on around him-he loves watching Sting'em run around the house like a crazy dog after a bath. He thinks Sting'em is pretty funny stuff. Sting'em likes him too, he always trying to snuggle up to Lochlan. When he's tired, he likes to look at books while I read to him, calms him down almost immediately. When he sleeps he likes to bunch up in a ball on his stomach with his knees tucked under, holding tight to his favorite blanket. He loves to talk when he's playing and see how loud he can get. He loves his mom and dad, and always has the biggest and best smiles for us. We are so happy we have this amazing little boy!

Recruited for Camp

2009-06-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

I was recruited for Girl's Camp this year for the craft committee. How great is that?? Crafting with the YW and then I get to leave camp, I don't have to spend the night? I'll take it! So today I headed out to the Deseret Ranch to the campgrounds to go crafting for the day. My mom watched Lochlan so he wouldn't have to endure the heat. Thanks, mom. First was the crafty service project. The service project this year was making thank you cards for our troops and packing them with packs of kool-aid, ahh a taste from home. So after I shared a little spiritual thought on freedom and how we have everything because there are wonderful people willing to fight for our country, we got to the card making. What a great service project!! It was so wonderful to see the girls get into it and talk about all the freedoms they have in this life.

Here is Rebecca (our ward's camp leader) helping the girls out with the cards, she's very crafty with the card making.

Then it was free time/craft time. The theme this year was "Daughter of a King- Quest for the Best". It was all very princessy. So I made tons of vinyl letters in all jewel tones (ya know, for the princesses) to make these adorable little tiles. The girls LOVED them. So glad I could be of service to the wonderful YW organization again, even if it was just for a very hot day.

OH NO! Preview

2009-06-11T20:25:00.000-07:00

So I am getting a small taste of what I have to look forward to in the near future. Lochlan, as I have said is quite the little mover. He knows how to get from point A to point B. I am catching him pulling on blinds and tearing at magazines. Geez, what a little boy he is, getting into everything already. Better hide the china!!!

Oh my little troublemaker caught in the act of making a mess!!!

Goodbye Alimentum

2009-06-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Alimentum, hello regular formula. At two weeks old we learned that Lochlan had an allergy to cow's milk. At three weeks we had to start supplementing with formula and that's when we learned the hard way that Lochlan also had an intolerance for soy. A very violent intolerance for soy! Oy. So we had to supplement with Alimentum, which is so very expensive. Good thing it was just to supplement. His pediatrician said that we could try switching him over to regular formula at six months and see what happens. Lochlan is not quite six months, but I figured, what was a week going to do? So I am happy to report that we used the rest of our last can of Alimentum and he is now on regular formula and seems to be doing fine. Thank goodness!!! The Alimentum was a whopping $25 for a small can. I am thankful that it was so good to his poor little tummy for the first months of his life, but I am just glad his tummy can handle the cow's milk protein now. Unfortunately, he still can't take any soy. Mix up with his cousin's bottle the other week, Lochlan barely got any, I noticed it before I thought it could do any damage, but apparently not soon enough and....not good. Maybe he'll grow out of that by 1.

Pavlova

2009-06-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is a dessert that I have been dying to try making. So last night when Heather and Matt and their little ones came over for the Magic game, I tried it out on them, since I always try desserts on other people. Not exactly basketball watching food like the nachos we also ate, but still fabulous just the same. YUM! Everyone loved it, including my picky eater husband. The best part, low in calories. Does this mean I can have 2 pieces???

Stake Conference

2009-06-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

We had Stake Conference today. What a spiritual boost! The talks were so amazing and uplifting. Sister Jacobsen from the Ranch gave a wonderful talk about being a parent. She talked about how parents are the ones that need to fasten the armor of God onto their children before they go out into this world. And how we as parents need to constantly be strengthening that armor. So good! The entire conference was amazing and it ended with the Primary children standing and singing "If the Savior stood beside me"then the congregation joining in after the first verse. There is nothing that brings the spirit in more strongly than Primary children singing. Love it! I feel rejuvenated. (I think my mom does too, because she was released as a Stake Relief Society Counselor, so yeah, a little rejuvenation her way too.)

Chris and America and a Trip to the South

2009-05-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

My brother, Chris and his beautful wife, America, have moved back to Florida so Chris can start PA school. We could not be happier. Especially since they have a little baby girl on the way. Even if they are 2 1/2 hours away from us, we are still ecstatic about having them close by.

We went down to Ft Lauderdale to help them get situated in their new place. They have a cute place very close to Chris' school. We even took America to her first IKEA visit, a little crowded and overwhelming, but always a good time.

While we were down there, Greg and I got to see our friends Shaody and Juan. They were so gracious to put us all up for the night, me, Greg, Lochlan, AND Sting'em. Thanks guys!!!! Their puppy and cat wore Sting'em out, he slept for an entire day when we got home.

Here is Chris, not wanting to pose for any pictures.And here is America, showing off her tiny little baby bump! (while holding Sting'em)

Highchair and Sippy Cups

2009-05-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

Lochlan has been eating solids for sometime now, so we finally purchased a highchair for him, which I love!!! Lochlan's not the best eater, he is very easily distracted by everything around him and would rather be moving around and playing. Now he can focus on eating. YAY!!!

The other night he kept trying to grab my mom's cup from her when she was holding him. When he would get it, he would put it right up to his mouth and try to dump it's contents out into his mouth. Crazy baby, already trying to drink out of cups and straws. So, of course we have moved to the sippy cups for juice. He is getting too big too fast.

Bed Head

2009-05-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Lochlan has turned into quite the mover while sleeping, rolling from one side of the crib to the other, then bunching up into a ball, and then stretching back out. This is what he looks like every morning.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

Today was my first official Mother's Day. I remember last year, it was on Mother's Day that we made the announcement that I was pregnant to our close friends and family. Today started out perfect, breakfast in bed with a card (even signed by Lochlan-Greg put a pen in his hand and he scribbled on the card) and a gift from my two favorite guys. Then off to church, Greg spoke in sacrament about the importance of womanhood and mothers. After church was dinner at the Berger's with my mom and our close friends. It was a great day. I love being a mother. I love being Lochlan's mother. I love that when Lochlan wakes up in the morning, he rolls over with a huge smile on his face. As soon as I pick him up, he gives me a giant hug-arms wrapped around, holding on tight with his head snug on my neck and shoulder. How can it be a bad day after that? I love that he is so curious about everything, so ready to use his tiny body, but still trying to figure it all out. I love that he is always on the go, never sits still, which explains why he is such a lean kid. I love that at night he wants to snuggle and be held by me (it's hard sometimes to get a break, but I secretly love it!). I love that he calms down when I sing "I am a child of God" or "I'm trying to be like Jesus", even though I am the worst singer! I love that he is tall, like his parents. I love his blue eyes, they remind me of his father. And I especially love his tiny dimple, reminds me of me. I don't know how we were happy without him in our lives. I am so glad he is here and that I am his mom.

Desserts!!!

2009-05-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

So, most Sunday dinners are spent at our good friends the Berger's house. Kathy and Keith Berger were like second parent to us Tarpein kids growing up, so it's nice to spend days like today with them, days that we appreciate those we love most. So to chip in, since our families are all getting bigger and everyone comes to enjoy a nice Sunday meal, I was in charge of dessert today. Since today was a special day, I decided to go all out and tackle a good cheesecake, after all, I LOVE cheesecake. This was really my first time making a big cheesecake, so I was a little nervous with how everything would turn out. I don't know why I try new things and recipes out on unsuspecting others. That's just the way I do it. So I made 2 cheesecakes- 1 with lots of fruit and 1 chocolate marble- and 1 giant chocolate cake, just in case some didn't share in my love for the cheesecake. I have to say, they turned out pretty good! I was very pleased and very satisfied with the end result. Oh yeah, everyone else liked them too. The cupcakes I made for my Sunday School Class, to celebrate my birthday. (I am actually trying to buy their love with food as I am new to this calling! Just kidding!)

Surprise Birthday Dinner

2009-05-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

Last night Greg took me out for my birthday. We decided to head over to Orlando, to eat at PF Changs. Little did I know that Greg invited our friends from our old ward, Missy and Jonathan, and of course their adorable kids who are getting so big, and Ashlea and Randy and their new little girl, Perian, who of course is just as beautiful as their two older kids. I should have known something was up when Greg insisted on being there around 6:30- he prides himself on always having fantastic gifts and surprises for me. So I should have seen something coming. It was so great to see our friends and have a yummy meal, followed by the "Great Wall of Chocolate" to go for dessert, mmmm. Lochlan had great time talking to Britton (baby talk) and flirting with the ladies. It was great. Thanks Greg for the wonderful surprise, and thanks Missy, Jonathan, Ashlea and Randy for coming!

Favorite PJs

2009-05-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick pic to show everyone what Lochlan looks like now, almost 5 months old!! Wow I am super behind on posting. Our little boy is getting so big. He loves to smile at everyone and laugh. He is long and lean, standing at almost 27 inches! He is always talking, making some new sound, it's pretty entertaining for us. He is constantly on the move, always rolling and never still, trying to figure new things out. His latest task is trying to figure out how to sit up on his own. He is the happiest baby and such a blessing to our family. I will post more to come as soon as I get my tons of pictures downloaded from the past few months. But here is Lochlan in his favorite PJs (well my favorite PJs, baseballs all over them).

Way Behind!!!

2009-05-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

So, I am obviously way behind on my blogging. Our family has gone through many changes in the past few months. New baby, new job, new city...everything! Right after Lochlan was born, we had to move due to Greg's new job. We lived in our old condo for about 2 months with no internet (so no blogging) then moved to a beautiful home near Greg's work. Then we finally sold the condo. So, life has been settling down again and I have decided that I had put off blogging for long enough. I have a lot to catch up on. So, I apologize for the many posts to come.

LOCHLAN EVERETT!

2008-12-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

I am really behind on my posting, but there was no waiting with this one. Our little boy finally arrived Tuesday morning at 1:22 AM! It was a very long day, the excitement started at 8 AM Monday and didn't end until the next morning, but he finally decided to join us weighing in at 8 lbs, 14 ozs and measuring 21 inches. He is perfect in every way and I may be a bit on the biased side, but I would say he is one of the prettiest babies ever! Sorry for the delay on the post, we were a little exhausted yesterday after the previous day and night. But here is our little guy...
More pictures to come!!!

Going to the World Series!

2008-10-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! The Rays did it! We stayed up late last night to watch Game 7 between the Red Sox (BLAH) and the Rays. Unfortunately, they let it come down to Game 7, one last chance. Greg couldn't keep still the entire game, pacing around the living room. We were all very nervous to watch, but sure enough they pulled it out with their very new pitcher, David Price (Greg's new hero). It was so late at night, I knew I was going to have to get out of bed super early to go to work, but I didn't care. I couldn't have slept if I wanted to. It was all worth it to see Greg that excited. Greg doesn't get excited about many things, he's pretty laid back and kinda like "whatever," but he was excited! His mom, even made a comment about how she had never seen him that excited. Greg has been a fan since day one of the Rays franchise, always cheering them on even when they were dreadful and in last place, which was every season leading up to this one. I became a fan when we were dating, not really too much into the sports thing growing up. My first Rays game was the day after Greg proposed. And I have been a fan ever since. It was so fantastic to see our team do so wonderful this season and win the ALCS and go onto the World Series! Go Rays!

We ate the cake that night!

Photos to come

Baby Shower #1

2008-10-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

My sister and mom threw me a baby shower, with the help of some very wonderful friends, in Palm Bay where I grew up. My mother-in-law, Carol, and sister-in-law, Kim, also flew down for the shower. We left Greg bright and early to head to the shower, while he spent the day watching football (big surprise!). The shower was at the Berger's house (very close friends, practically family). We had a great time playing the fun little shower games and just laughing and hanging out. It was so great to see everyone. I do have to say that I LOVED playing the yarn game. You know, where everyone tries to guess how round you are. I usually hate playing this game and on most occasions refuse to participate, always afraid of being way off and offending someone. But it's not so bad on the other side of the game, having everyone guess. It was a pretty funny sight to see when Andrea Jarvis shoved a pillow up her shirt to try to get an accurate measure-Andrea is a very very tiny teenager, it was quite the sight to see.

I have to talk about the adorable cake my sister ordered for me. Since the Rays are in the playoffs ( as seen from my previous posts), she decided to have the cake shop make a Rays cake. In the middle of the cake was a little blond, blue eyed baby with a Rays shirt on! So cute. I took the middle of the cake home to show Greg. He got a kick out of it but said it didn't want to eat it until they beat the Red Sox, hopefully tonight.

I am so thankful to have such great friends and feel so loved. To know that even though I don't live there anymore, people are still excited for us. Thanks to everyone that came and all the beautiful gifts, and especially to sister Heather, my wonderful mom, and Kathy and Rebekah, and everyone else that helped, for throwing me an amazing shower. (I feel like I am giving a speech) Thanks ladies, I love you guys!

Photos to come!!

General Conference

2008-10-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

I always look forward to Conference. This Conference was especially important to Greg and I, with some trials that we have had lately. I was so grateful to hear the words of our leaders. They were truly such a comfort to me during this time of uncertainty. I enjoyed all the talks. I especially loved the words of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, learn to laugh. Over the recent years I have learned more and more to put my trust in Heavenly Father. More so in the recent weeks. I love that I know that He is always there for us and we can go to Him with our worries and concerns and He can truly make them easier to bear. I don't know what I would do without this knowledge. Especially now. We just have to learn to be happy no matter what comes. I am so grateful for this wonderful Gospel in my life!

29 Week Peek

2008-10-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Greg and I went to have our thrid ultrasound today. I guess at 20 weeks, our little guy was looking like he was going to have a short leg problem. His legs were measuring a little smaller than they should have been. This really didn't worry us too much, we figured it was either a bad angle OR that he would have his father's legs...Greg has short legs and an extremely long torso. So we weren't too worried, but my doctor still wanted to check. We didn't complain, another chance to see Lochlan, sure I'll do it. Plus being 29 weeks along, the ultrasound tech was able to flip on the 4D ultrasound to try to get a good pic. Unfortunately, we have a pretty active little guy and weren't able to get a perfect picture, but here's the one we got of his face.

Party

2008-09-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

Heather, my lovely sister, threw a board party for me to sell some of the boards that I have been working on. Here are some pictures of them.

Cute Family Home Evening Boards!

These are my favorite! Adorable magnet boards for the home. These were my mom's favorite too!

Cute Fall Boards! I love the Halloween ones, but there are some beautful Fall/Thankgving sayings And here is the stacker I made for Heather for throwing the party for me. This is for Mattie's room with words from her very favorite Primary song!

Worst to First

2008-09-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

The Rays have gone from the worst to the first! They have had an amazing season. On Sept 20 (the same day we went to the Tech game in Georgia) the Rays won their way into the playoffs. Their first postseason trip in franchise history! And then tonight, Sept 26th they clinched the division title, beating out the power houses of baseball, the Red Sox and the Yankees, in the hardest division. Now, we await the playoffs! Go Rays!

Afternoon Treat? Maybe not!

2008-09-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

So, I love indulging in a little afternoon treat at work sometimes. I try to bring little chocolate snack packs (pudding) with me, a tasty treat. But sometimes I forget or don't have one. At that point, I make my way to the cafeteria/deli at work and see what I can find. A few months ago, I tried the pudding they had. Chocolate with whipped cream and crushed oreos on top. Sounds good right? Well, as I enjoyed my chocolate snack, I took a bite and found a pasta/noodle. Ewww, something must have happened in the kitchen and a piece of pasta fell into the pudding. The pudding I was eating! Well, needless to say, I stopped buying pudding downstairs and if I didn't bring my own snack, I went without. That was months ago. Today while at lunch with my work friends, Retta and Lawree, Retta decided to buy some pudding for us to all share. The chocolate pudding with whipped cream and oreos from the cafeteria. I was nervous as she handed me a spoon. We all laughed about the noodle and I decided that there was no way that could happen to me AGAIN. So I took a bite. The very first bite I took of that chocolate pudding I found something. No, not a noodle...this time it was a BLACK OLIVE! Yes, that's right! An olive in my pudding. Of all the people and the chances it happened to me. You can imagine the combination of pudding and olives, not very tasty. Lawree, Retta, and I laughed hysterically as I spit the olive out into my napkin. Seriously, what are the chances! Never again will I attempt to consume the chocolate pudding with the whipped cream and oreos. NEVER!

Ramblin' Wreck

2008-09-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend Greg and I were able to take our annual trip to Georgia for a Georgia Tech game. Greg's dad graduated from Georgia Tech, so needless to say, Greg has been quite the fan for a long time. I was delighted to wake up on game day to beautiful weather in the 60s. It felt like Fall, so Greg got me a Pumpkin Spice frappuccino to sip down while enjoying the cool air. Yum! Then we headed to downtown Atlanta for the noon game, me praying it wouldn't get hot. Me, not so lucky. It heated up and by the fourth quarter, it no longer felt like Fall. Sad. But that's okay, because Tech controlled the game from the start. We had great seats, although my back didn't agree, and enjoyed watching our favorite college team dominate. I do love going to the games. Perhaps my favorite part of the day is before the game even starts. They play a video on the scoreboard, showing the history of the Tech football team to get everyone excited. I love watching about the history of the school. They hold the record for the highest score, the most lopsided score, in the history of college football. Very cool. Greg is already planning on sending our kids there...I guess we will have a bunch of little engineers running around!
Greg's dad's old hang out spot, his frat house at Georgia Tech

Cooling off in the shade before going into the stadium for the game. Yeah, not in the 60s anymore!Final score! Poor Mississippi. It was a great game, domination from the moment it started! Everytime they scored they played the Ramblin' Wreck fight song, which amazingly made Lochlan dance around in my tummy! Maybe he will go to Tech!

After Tech won the game, we headed to the Varsity, also a tradition of ours. Greg LOVES the Varsity-which is the largest drive-in fast food restaurant in the world! Greg's dad used to go there while in college. When you walk up to the long counter, all you here the workers yelling out is "what'll ya have!" It is quite the experience! Greg loves the chili dogs and I love their onion rings (I usually don't eat them anywhere else, that's how tasty they are) and the yummy Frosted Orange Shake! And then, after a great day of football and food, we got in the car and headed back home. It was such a great weekend. I love the trips we get to go on!

September Birthdays

2008-09-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

My wonderful brother, Chris, celebrated his birthday on the 4th. He is out in Utah with his wife, finishing up at BYU and hopefully, we pray, moving back to sunny Florida. My brother has to be one of the greatest guys ever, and I am not just saying that because we are related. I love my brother and hope he had the best birthday!

Another birthday to celebrate this month was my too adorable niece, Mattie "MoMo" Menzie. She had her 3 yr old birthday party on Saturday and I was able to drive over and catch the last part of the Dora the Explorer extravaganza! There were many 3 year old running around, hyped up on candy and cupcakes. It was quite the sight! I was impressed with the lengths my sister and her husband had gone to creating a Dora themed party. Complete with a "map" leading to the cake and each child left with a purple "backpack" goody bag. Very cute. I got to spend the rest of the afternoon with my family. It was such a great day, and then I headed back home to my husband.I did miss the groundbreaking for our new church building, deciding to spend the day with Mattie and family, giving all the focus on her until she is joined by a new brother and cousin at the end of the year. But Greg was able to attend the groundbreaking and he filled me in on all the details. Greg stayed behind for the groundbreaking and of course to watch college football for the rest of the afternoon. He was in heaven-just him and our dog watching football from 12 until I got home around 8. Nice day.

Katrina, Gustav, and Beignets

2008-09-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

Three years ago Greg and I were planning a trip to visit my Grandmother in Biloxi, Mississippi-Greg had never met my wonderful Grandmother and I was going to take him to New Orleans, which he had never been to-when we heard news that our trip would have to be postponed, or rather officially cancelled. There was a monster storm heading for the gulf coast. We spoke with my Grandma on the phone and convinced her to head to her church for shelter. My Grandmother lived by herself, my Grandfather and my Uncle having passed a few years before. Thankfully some ward members picked her up and took her to church where they would all spend the next week. The last minute that horrible storm turned toward Biloxi and reeked havoc on the Mississippi coast. My Grandmother's home, where she and her family had lived for years and we had spent many Christmas', was destroyed from the 20 foot surge. She lost everything but the few things she had taken with her. As horrible as this storm was, it was truly a great blessing for our family. With no home to go back to, my "stubborn limey" grandmother was forced to make the move to Florida. A move my mother has been asking her to make since my uncle, who helped take care of her, had died. Shortly after her move down here she was diagnosed with cancer and we were able to spend the last year of her life with her. I guess I will always be thankful for that terrible storm that devastated so many other lives, because I got that last year with her.

Today another storm is slamming into the Gulf Coast-Gustav- which had me reflecting back a few years, although not directly hitting Biloxi this time. Nobody heard too much about Biloxi last time, even though landfall and the worst of the storm happened there. I did get the chance to revisit the area when we went to my Grandmother's funeral over a year after Katrina had hit. It was not the same Mississippi Coast I remembered spending so many holidays at. I pray for everyone along the Gulf Coast in the path of Gustav. For my grandmother's old ward and great friends who took care of her when no family lived close by, for the people in Louisiana. I have many fond memories of days spent in Mississippi with my family, learning to cook seafood like my Grandfather and of New Orleans-of the French Quarter and the Cafe' Du Monde and of course, the fabulous Cajun food we Tarpeins love so much.

So in honor of the Gulf Coast-Mississippi and Louisiana- I made Greg some Beignets this morning for breakfast. Beignets are served everyday, all day at the Cafe du' Monde in New Orleans. Anyone that visits has to stop by there and get these amazing french doughnuts with chocolate milk. Greg still hasn't had the chance to visit New Orleans, so I thought I would bring the breakfast to him. They were absolutely delicious!

Sting'em is in the Band

2008-08-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ah, Rock Band. I was first introduced to this game on the Road Trip with the YW. Now Daniel Nunes has brought it into our home and Greg and he have been playing it in the evenings. Daniel is on the guitar while Greg is on drums. Greg was really getting into the whole band thing and pounding furiously on the drums. Sting'em, I'm sure enjoying the racket, I mean sweet music as much as I was, starting barking and howling. I guess he had become the lead singer for their little band, as Greg called out, "Sting'em's part of the band now!" This cracked Daniel up to the point where he couldn't continue playing. After that they even named their band "Sting' em". The sight of Sting'em on his hind legs, dancing and barking trying to join in the fun was too funny. I wish I had taken a picture of it. I am sure that I will be subject to this again, I'll take a picture next time.

College Football Season

2008-08-29T15:25:00.000-07:00

It has officially begun! Yes, that's right, the start of college football season. What does this mean to me? Well, it means that I know what I am doing everyday Saturday from now until December. I know this because Greg plans our Saturdays around when the games begin. And I can expect an upcoming trip to Atlanta for a Georgia Tech game. So last night Greg watched the first Georgia Tech football via internet-it wasn't showing on TV. And on Saturday, he will attend the first UCF game with Randy White. I do enjoy a good Georgia Tech-our team of choice-game every now and then, but not every single game they show on Saturday! Too much. I am just grateful that I have so many wonderful friends whose husbands obsess over football season too. We will get through the season together as our husbands tune out everything around them but the football!

Here comes the sun

2008-08-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

Fay has to be one of the storms we will never forget. No one would've ever thought this storm would have created the damage that it did, as it spun across Florida, affecting, I think, every county in the state making it's mark in history as being the storm that made landfall a record 4 times in Florida-with all the exiting and re-entering the state. All the time refusing to weaken. In fact, it strengthened over land. Very unlike anything I have ever seen. Days and days of nonstop rain, as it halted over central Florida. My mother, sister and her family were in the middle of it. We didn't get nearly as much as they did. In Brevard it rained from Tuesday until Friday, nonstop. I called my mom often to check on her and the family. We joked about how miserable Noah must have been, because it was hard to for us to even handle a few days on torrential downpour with not seeing the sun. Floridians need sun. After days of being drenched by Tropical Storm Fay, we were able to make it over to our condo in Cocoa Beach to check out the damage. We had heard all week about Brevard being pounded by the underestimated storm and reports were that Cocoa Beach had received 24 inches of rain. Needless to say, we were pretty worried about how much water would be in our condo that sits on the first floor. As we made our drive to the coast, the worst possible scenario in my mind, the sun began to finally peek out from the clouds. Yeah, sun! Finally! We final reached our condo and to our amazement, there was not one puddle of water in our place! Incredible! I am so grateful and feel like the luckiest person in the state of Florida. I know many, many others did not fare nearly as well as we did. After we left our condo, we drove just a little ways down A1A to where Greg lived when he first moved to Florida. Sure enough, there was about 1 ft of standing water in the road and around the homes there. Again, I felt amazingly blessed. Here are the pics from the road we were on. My heart goes out to all those with damage from this storm. I know people are still suffering from rising waters from rivers and lakes.

Move your hand

2008-08-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling our little guy move around quite a bit and now it was Greg's turn. Last night, our little baby was on move, due to the juice I had consumed earlier that evening, so I told Greg to put his hand in the spot with the most activity. Of course as soon as Greg placed his hand on my tummy, the movement ceased. Greg removed his hand and sure enough the somersaults started again. So Greg put his hand there again, and again movement stopped. This time Greg decided to rub my tummy, slightly pushing on the area. Well, this got a big THWACK right back where Greg's hand was. Greg kinda jumped. It was pretty funny. Either our little boy was giving his dad a high five or saying don't touch me! I am glad that Greg was able to feel the nudge and experience a little of what I have been able to feel!

Half Way Through and It's a Boy!!!

2008-08-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

I hit my 2o week mark this week (I can't believe I am half way there already) and it was time for our ultrasound. We did have one four weeks before, but our tiny baby was a little on the modest side and wasn't giving too much away, although the tech thought we might be having a boy, we still weren't 100% sure. We were very excited to see our baby again and I just hoped that our he/she was healthy and growing. Greg's parents were in town and my mom drove over for the appointment, so they could meet their new grandchild. We all packed into the tiny room waiting in anticipation. The first shot we got was the money shot, there is no doubt we are having a boy! There was our baby, in all his glory, showing his stuff off for the audience that had gathered around the little monitor. No longer the shy baby we saw just 4 weeks ago. I blame it on the apple juice I downed right before my appointment to get him dancing-he was a little sugared up! Or maybe he knew he had an audience and wanted to shake it for everyone! He was squirming during the entire ultrasound. But we got lots of good shots and our wonderful tech was nice enough to print them all off for us. So here he is...little Lochlan Paxton (for those who don't know, Greg served his mission in Scotland and we picked out a very Scottish name for our first son a few years back...we are still negotiating on the middle name).

Mini Lobster Season 2008

2008-08-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

It was time for our annual Mini Lobster Season trip to the Keys. Having camped every year due to a college student's budget, we were especially looking forward to this year staying at the Coral Lagoon Resort in Marathon, which we had booked about 11 months ago. Greg's parents came down from Ohio, along with his friend since 6th grade, Adam. The McGraths also were able to join us for our adventure. The resort was gorgeous and the weather was perfect for our two day excursion. We rented a boat and the guys were put to the task of capturing our 6 lobster per person per day limit. The whole process can be tricky if you don't find a good spot. You have to tickle the lobster out from underneath their hiding places (rocks) with a tickle stick and then catch them in your net before they escape. They are pretty fast if they get past you too. We didn't catch nearly as many spiny lobster as we would've like to have caught, but we still had a blast. Greg even captured the monster lobster of the trip and a crab. We had a great time and what made it even better was returning to a resort with showers and a nice bed as opposed to a tent and campsite showers...constantly sweating. Ewww. I don't think we will ever go back to camping after our perfect resort stay. I am looking forward to next year and hopefully catching more lobster. I only hope our little baby will be half as good as Macie McGrath. She was quite the trooper and possibly the best baby ever. We had such an amazing time. Thanks Bob, Carol, and Adam for coming down from Ohio for the week. And thanks Katelyn, Michael and Macie for joining us on our trip. Can't wait until next Mini Lobster Season!

4 Year Anniversary

2008-07-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Four years ago today, Greg and I were married in the Orlando Temple. The time has flown by. I am so grateful for my husband and look forward to my next big adventure with him in the coming year...parenthood. I am grateful for the time we had to grow together in these past years and can't wait for the future with him.

Cumberland Island

2008-07-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

Greg and the YM took their annual camping trip to Cumberland Island this year-which is an underdeveloped barrier island off the coast of Georgia. Besides the rain, I think they had a good time. Here are the pictures Greg took.

Greg said the island was beautiful, complete with wild horses and ruins of historic mansions. I would love to go there sometime with him...but no camping please, I can do without the ticks! (Thanks goodness Greg didn't come home with any.)

Snip=Bad Weekend

2008-07-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Sting'em had a very hard weekend after his little surgery on Friday-Greg finally agreed to get him snipped, taking away "his manhood"-only it was scheduled for a weekend when Greg was out of town, so I was the bad guy! How convenient for Greg. I picked poor little Sting'em up Friday afternoon and we spent all evening on the sofa, him not wanting to move anywhere and he certainly didn't want me to go anywhere. The vet gave me a lamp shade thing to put on him to try to keep him from licking his wound. But with his nose and his body being so long, he was still able to reach around to his stitches. The only thing I could think of was to doctor up some kind of little diaper/cover up out of an ace bandage to cover the bottom half of him, so he wouldn't be able to pull out his stitches and undo what the vet had done. So here was Sting'em with a lamp shade on his head with an ace bandage diaper around his rear...sad. My poor little puppy looked so pathetic. He had a rough night, I think I only got 3 hours of sleep because Sting'em could not get comfortable and every time he moved he cried. He recovered quickly though, when Greg returned home on Monday, he was back to normal and Greg joked that I had exaggerated about Sting'em's condition. If he only knew.

Hubby Tag

2008-07-17T06:17:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my sis-in-law America. This is a cute tag. So here we go.
1. What is his name? Gregory Clifford Paxton
2. Who eats more? That's easy, he does. He usually finishes what I don't eat.
3. Who said "I love you" first? Greg, after working up the courage to do so. He was smitten at first sight though. :)
4. Who is taller? Depends on the day and the shoes we're wearing. Barefoot, Greg is barely taller than I am.
5. Who is smarter? Hmmm...on what the topic? Greg is a pretty smart guy.
6. Who is more sensitive? Uh, me.
7. Who does the laundry? I sort and usually wash, Greg will fold though. It's a joint effort.
8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? When in bed, I sleep on the right. I love my side of the bed. It's so comfy.
9. Who pays the bills? We both do, for now.
10. Who cooks more? I absolutely do. I can't eat hot dogs every night. If Greg gets home before me, sometimes he'll start dinner and then I'll finish.
11. What meals do you cook together? Hmm...joint nights are usually taco nights.
12. Who is more stubborn? I think we both can be. We take turns.
13. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Again, we take turns.
14. Who has more siblings? Greg does. He has two sisters and one brother. I have one brother and one sister.
15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? We both try to fit-it's kinda a tight squeeze. Just kidding. We do try to keep things pretty even.
16. What do you like to do together? Anything and everything. Just being with each other makes us happy, no matter what we're doing. I like to go to movies and he likes to go to sports games-we try to go to each for each other and usually both have a blast going.
17. Who eats more sweets? I would say I do, but Greg does have a major sweet tooth too-he likes his Snickers Ice Cream bars.
18. His guilty pleasures? Anything on the lake-wakeboarding, wakeskating. SPORTS!! Anyone who knows my husband knows he LOVES sports. Any and every sport! And at night he does turn on the XBox 360 when I head for bed early-always a sports game.
19. How did you meet? Greg and his friend moved from Ohio to Cocoa Beach July of 2003-to live the beach lifestyle, he was a bit of a beach bum when not in class. We met the following week at church and were married July of 2004.
20. Who asked out who first? Greg...it took me awhile to say yes, I was always busy-he kept asking me out Thursday night and I, uh, already would have plans for the weekend. He finally got the hint and called me earlier in the week to snag me up for the weekend before anyone else did. We were pretty inseparable once we started dating.
21. Who kissed who first? Greg did, after seeing the movie Elf-funny movie. It took him awhile to do it that night. I knew he wanted to and was working up the courage to. It was cute. He's cute.
22. Who proposed? Greg did. We went for a walk on the beach around sunset. He had written in the sand, "Stephanie I love you." There were roses lying on the sand. Greg knelt down to hand me the roses and buried underneath the roses was a little box with a beautiful ring in it. (Don't worry, his brother was hiding near by in the sea oats keeping an eye on the ring until we got close enough.) How can you say no to that?
23. His best features? His blue-green eyes and his smile. I love the way he walks too. It's pretty cute.
24. What is his greatest quality? There are so many! I love that he can always make me laugh. Even when I have had a bad day and am determined that I can't be happy that day, he always brings a smile to my face. I love that!

Hmmm...who to tag. I tag Ashlea and Missy

Bump in the Night

2008-07-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Everyone is starting to notice my ever growing baby bump. I, myself, have felt that I have had one for awhile now, but that's just me noticing every change. It is very exciting seeing and feeling all the changes and knowing that I am almost halfway there. Crazy! I have been wondering when I would start to feel the little "flutter." There are lots of things going on down there that I take notice of, I might've felt something already, but just couldn't be certain that what I was feeling was our baby. Well, last night while lying in bed, very still in the middle on the night, trying to get comfortable, I felt a bump. Movement! How Exciting! I felt our little baby move for the first time. I thought it best not to wake Greg up seeing how it was 2 AM, he was very excited the next day to hear the news. He is so wonderful and is really enjoying seeing all the changes too. (Sometimes I think he is more excited than I am.) I do think it is a funny thought that our child is so small and not even born and is already keeping me up at night!

Happy Birthday Greg!

2008-07-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Greg's birthday. He is getting to be an old man! (Just kidding, he is only 10 months older than me.) We got to celebrate with his family this past weekend, but we still plan on having a little dinner of our own. I just wanted to say that I am so grateful for Greg. He is an amazing man-everything that I could ever ask for. A little more sports than expected, but still wonderful. He has been such an incredible husband to me for the past almost four years and I really look forward to the rest with him. He is so caring and always keeps me laughing. He has been especially great with me being pregnant-running to get any food I might be craving, rubbing my back when I feel tired, and putting up with all the hormonal mood swings! He is so patient with me. I know that he will be the best father to our children. I love this man and it makes me so happy to think that I have him for eternity. I couldn't ask for more in my life. Happy Birthday Greg!

Ohio for the 4th

2008-07-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

This year for the fourth, we were able to go to Ohio for a short visit with Greg's family. We flew out Thursday night after work-thanks so much to Jonathan and Missy for taking us to the airport- arriving around midnight. The flight was horrible, absolutely no leg space for tall people, we were so glad to get off that plane. It was so wonderful to see Greg's family. Alysia (Greg's sister) and her kids-Savannah and the triplets, Will, Paxton, and JD-were visiting from Utah while Mark (Alysia's husband) was on a fising trip in Alaska. Greg's grandpa was also visiting, so everyone was there, except Mark.

The triplets-Will(Greg's lil'twin), Paxton, and sweet Jd

We had a little 4th of July party on Friday evening with the whole family. After our yummy meal we made our way to the Maumee River with the boat to watch the fireworks. (Carol and Bob stayed back with the triplets.) The fireworks were amazing. It was a spectacular sight to see all the boats piled in to celebrate our country. I feel so blessed to live in this country and have the freedom that we have. I am so grateful for that and I love this holiday.Greg and I enjoyed the chilly evening on the Maumee River
Alysia with the girls-Savannah, Vannessa, and Isabella

Kim, Rita, and Jeff waiting for the fireworks to get startedSaturday we had a little celebration for all the birthdays around this time of year. Grandpa Penzien (June birthday), and Savannah (turns six at the end of this month), and of course my favorite person in the world, my wonderful husband (birthday on the 10th). The triplets must have felt a little left out with all the present opening, as they insisted on helping their older sister tear her gifts open. Sunday afternoon we had to fly back home. The flight was much more pleasant-lots of long leg space, but it was sad to leave everyone after such a short trip. We love them all very much and are so grateful for each and everyone of them. Hope to see them soon!

The Birthday Bunch-Grandpa Penzien, Savannah (with her new guitar), and Greg

Saying goodbye to Savannah and the boys-next time we see them, they will have a new cousin!

(And thanks to my family for watching our little Sting'em for the weekend-he hates to fly!)

Baby's First Photo

2008-07-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today was my 16 week check up. My Dr's office decided to run some tests-due to some slight pain that I have been feeling. Luckily everything came back perfect and our baby's heartbeat sounded great, but they still wanted to do an ultrasound, just to make sure. In the afternoon Greg met up with me for an ultrasound and we got the first glimpse at our beautiful baby. It was the most amazing thing ever. When the tech started, we could only see the top of the baby's head. But then our baby turned and for the rest of the appointment it was like he/she was staring right at us. So here are the images of our baby, looking right at us. Greg was a little freaked out at first because the baby looks like a skeleton, but the tech explained to him that is what babies look like at 16 weeks. The tech was also convinced that we are having a boy-she got a few glimpses of something, even though our baby made it difficult to see-our child is already modest and shy. She was still convinced the it was little boy Paxton. We will double check when we have our 20 week ultrasound.

A Year with Sting'em

2008-06-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a year since we made a wonderful addition to little growing family-Sting'em. So I thought I would just share a list of Sting'em's Top Ten Favorite things. So here we go:
10. Any kind of bone late at night
9. Sitting on our shoulders during car rides-the only way he can get a good look out the window
8. His Georgia Tech blanket-do not use, he will try to take it away from you if you do
7. Sitting outside in the backyard-watching the golfers and chasing birds and bugs
6. Anything that squeaks-he attacks
5. Sleeping in between Greg and I under the covers-on his back with his feet sticking straight up
4. His food-or any food
3. Clifford the Big Red Dog
2. Tennis Balls-there are at least five bouncing around our house
1. Long walks around our neighborhood-chasing leaves, saying hi to passing dogs, and taking a run on the golf course after hours
Of course, his all time favorite is just being with us, no matter what we're doing. He is just happy and content when we are home with him. Sting'em is the sweetest little dog ever and we are thankful everyday that he is part of our tiny family.

Road Trip

2008-06-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

It was time for the annual YW road trip for our ward for the Mia Maids and Laurels. Sort of, a high adventure, and I was able to join them. Debbie (our amazing YW Pres) and I took 5 wonderful girls to the road-Melissa, Jordan, Nashua, Sarah, and Megan. We didn't head too far away, to St Augustine. We left Monday to return Friday evening, for a week of packed full adventures, all planned by Debbie, who is absolutely amazing...I think I might have her plan all of my vacations since she is so good at it. So, here is a break down of our fun week.

MONDAY-Met at the Carter's. Packed (and I mean, really JAM PACKED) the car full of all our gear. Hit the road for our smashed together 2 hour ride to Debbie's brother's house in St. Augustine.
TUESDAY-Shopping in Jacksonville at Avondale. We walked around to check out the cute little shops. The girls found the Green Alligator- an incredibly cute toy shop. Right away, Sarah found these amazing little "plasma bikes." She was riding around the entire store insisting that everyone try one out. So, I did, all 5 feet 11 inches of me squished on this tiny little bike. It was a blast! So then we got Debbie on one and we took over riding them around the store. It was tons of fun. I think I would've taken one home, if only there was more room in the car to take it back. Hmmm...maybe next time.

Then we headed over to the Cummer Museum and took a tour, learning about the many collections of art they had. My favorite had to be the Garden, right on the river. It was absolutely beautiful. After the tour we headed up the the "Art Connection"-the more interactive part of the museum. The girls instantly found a huge screen to dance in front of and spent the rest of their time in the little room, dancing and singing at the top of their lungs. It was pretty entertaining. The girls all decided that they would want a colorful screen like that in their own homes. It was hard to tear them away when it was time to go.

WEDNESDAY-All about Flagler. We headed over to Flagler College and learned about Henry Flagler. It was a great Florida History lesson, Henry Flagler had a huge role in the development of Florida. We were able to go on a tour of the beautiful campus, which was originally Mr. Flagler's luxurious hotel, now made into a private College. What an amazing experience it must be to go to school there.

THURSDAY-After the girls woke up at 10 (exhausted from late night of partying in the pool), we headed out to Jacksonville Landing. We took a relaxing ferry boat ride around the river and then, as suggested by the lady at the tourist office, we set off to find the trolley to take us around town. I don't think that lady had ever ridden on the trolley before, if she had, she would certainly not recommend it. After driving around for about 30 minutes looking for a safe place to escape to or waiting for the driver to take us back to the Landing, the driver informed us that we were on the "homeless trolley". Sure lady! "Take the Trolley!" It was not a huge surprise for us to hear, we pretty much could tell after many people loaded on. Our girls were a bit shaken up, but had a good outlook on it. They said "maybe we were supposed to ride that so we can appreciate what we have." I love our girls!

Later that evening Debbie's brother, John, was nice enough to take us to the driving range to teach us a few things about golf. I, having been to the driving range before with Greg, so I knew full well how I would do. Let's just say I had some decent shots with the 6 iron I was using, but nothing consistent. I am going to go with the excuse that my tiny growing baby bump, as the girls so often pointed out to me during the week, got in the way. I usually rock at golf! Yeah, I will go with that. After about an hour and a half of trying to hit the balls, we called in a night. Of course, there was some pool time afterward for some of the girls.

FRIDAY-The big day! Nashua so kindly and patiently did my hair and painted my nails the night before. I have no patience for my hair anymore, seeing how it has gotten curlier over the past few years-but Nashua, the flat iron master that she is got my hair perfectly straight. I don't even think my stylist gets it that silky, smooth. Amazing. So, Friday morning we all got dressed up and headed to Sephora so the girls could get their make-up done for our big lunch. They all looked so beautiful! (But they always do.) With sometime to shop before we needed to head to lunch, Nashua and I hit every baby/maternity store in the mall. She, I think, will be my baby's stylist, whether I have a boy or a girl. So, I know that with the YW's help, I don't have to worry about babysitters or my baby not being fashionable. Lots to look forward to!We drove out to Amelia Island, a beautiful island right off the coast, with really not much on it. It was gorgeous. We went to Cafe 4750 at the Ritz and had a scrumptios meal. After two hours of talking and laughing, we were stuffed and completely satisfied. I know I was. I had the most delicious King Crab Cake Sandwich in the world. YUM! (I thought of my wonderful grandmother, who would've loved it.) We had such an amazing time, it was the perfect way to end a fabulous week!

Drove back to pack up the car and get on the road. Our road trip came to an end when we pulled back into the Carters later that night. I had such a wonderful week with the girls and Debbie. I absolutely adore each and every one of them. I loved going on this trip with Debbie, she is so wonderful and researched every little thing we did (the trolley was where we strayed from her plan, but that was due to poor advice from the not so informed tourist shop lady). I just feel so lucky that I get the oppurtunity to serve with her in YW. She's great. And I love all our girls. It was such a blessing to see them and spend time with them all week long. They are each strong girls with beautiful testimonies. I am very grateful that I was able to go on the trip with them. As wonderful as it was to feel young again, staying up all night and going and going nonstop all day long...I have to say, it was amazing to go home to my loving husband and cute little dog, who missed me terribly, and sleep in my own bed Friday night. So much to be thankful for!!!Thanks Debbie and girls for the fantastic week!!!

Girls Camp

2008-06-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

This week our YW went to Girls Camp. Although I didn't get to go out to spend the entire week with them, camping under the stars, I did get to go out there for a few nights after work. Our ward color was orange-for Choice and Accountability. Thursday night was skit night and our girls won "Most Original"-totally appropriate for their skit. Although, we as leaders we a little biased, we thought our girls deserved "Best Overall". But, I guess since they won it last year, they couldn't give it to them again, you know. I mean, how would the other wards feel. Our girls did a great job and made it through camp. It brought back so many memories of my camp years, camping in the Florida heat with the bugs and occassional Summer showers-which happened every day for these girls this year. It can be brutal. So, good job girls! I love these girls so much and it was fun to spend a few nights with them.

The Eustis girl's first day of camp dressed in our ward's camp color.
Bad bug bites lead to a good game of dot to dot."Most Original" Skit. Although I think we could've won every single award they were giving out.

Good Saturday

2008-06-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

Saturday started early for us. We woke up early to drive to the temple to meet up with my mom, Heather and Matt, and the entire Berger clan-Kathy and Keith, Rebekah and Phillip Jarvis, Beth Galbraith, Travis and Valerie, Adam, Jared Burgoon, and Alex and Erin. Keith has recently become a sealer and Kathy thought it would be a great idea to take a Saturday and do lots of work. It was wonderful. We spent over 2 hours doing work for large families. The feeling was incredible. It was so fantastic to spend that kind of time with family and friends. And it was so great to do all that work for all those families. It was just a incredible morning. It made me feel so grateful for the blessing that I have in my life. For this gospel in my life. I was really overwhelmed with joy the entire day. I am so grateful for my family and for the Bergers (practically family), and especially my husband-I love them all so much. Greg is such a good man, he is a good husband and will be the best father. It is such a good feeling to do work for those that can't do it for themselves, especially when you can truly feel that they want it so badly and have been waiting for that moment. And it was so great to see the temple buzzing with people, that makes me happy.

After the temple, we all headed to Panera for lunch. We parted ways at that point. Greg and I headed to Chipotle (he didn't want a sandwich from Panera so we had to go get him a burrito). We walked around the Florida mall for just a bit and headed down to Cocoa Beach to get ready for a wedding. Unfortunately, Greg forgot that keys to the condo and we had to break in to get dressed. Ssshhh, don't tel anyone. It was our place, so we figured we could. We headed down to Melbourne for Shoady and Juan's wedding and reception.

Shoady and I became friends shortly after I got home from college. She is an amazing person. We have had so much fun together over the years. Even if it has been months since we have spoken, we can pick up the phone and just pick up where we left off. She is a great friend and I love her so much. So she married the wonderful Juan, who is just the perfect fit for her. He is a great guy. We were so happy to share in their day together and wish them all the happiness. We love you guys!

Heartbeat

2008-06-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was the day that we had been waiting for, our 12 week visit to the doctor. I really didn't know what to expect, everyone seems to tell you something different. I have been very anxious for quite sometime for this appointment. After going over my medical history once again and a physical exam, they brought Greg back in the room with me. The nurse pulled out the little Doppler and placed it on me. The first spot she placed it, there was nothing, just a whooshing sound. That doesn't sound like a beat, oh please let her find this little person, let everything be okay. Then she found it. A heartbeat. It was the most amazing sound I have ever heard, 16o beats per minute. We sat there and listened for a few minutes. The nurse said the baby sounded absolutely perfect. I think it has truly, 100% hit me that there is a little person growing inside me. That it won't be long until he or she is here. That is the most wonderful and scary feeling. I am so excited! This will be an incredible year.

New Smyrna

2008-05-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Beach Party! Saturday was our ward beach party at New Smyrna beach. We drove over Friday evening with the Whites and spent the night at their condo. They even let us bring Sting'em, which was really fun because we are not allowed to take him to our condo in Cocoa Beach. He had fun chasing Grace and Gavin around that night. The next day we drove over to the beach, making a stop at some beach shops and at a french deli to pick up some pretty amazing subs for lunch (Yum! They were so good!!!). We got to the beach and met up with the rest of the ward. The sand was blazing, so we spent most of the time by the water. I was little too chicken to wander too far out into the waves. As we were wading out into the water, Greg reminded me that New Smyrna was one of top the hot spots for shark attacks. Yeah, I stayed close to the shore at that point. (Thanks husband.) Afterwards we all headed back to the White's condo to hit the pool. It was an amazingly fun weekend. That was actually our first time at New Smyrna Beach. Thanks Gail for the fun ward party! And thanks so much to Randy, Ashlea, Grace, and Gavin for letting us tag along and stay at your condo! We had a blast! We had fun playing with Grace in the waves. She is so cute!

Ashlea and Grace.

Cute Gavin playing in the sand. All our beautiful YW that came. I love these girsl! Bishop Berge was worn out by the end of the day.

Bizarro Baseball and Ice Cream Hats

2008-05-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right! Amazingly, the Tampa Bay Rays are #1! Greg and I have been going to games since we were engaged. Greg, of course, has been a devout fan much longer than I have (seeing how I never used to watch sports before there was Greg). The first game I ever went to was four years ago, opening day, against the Yankees, the day after we officially got engaged. They won that night but had a disappointing season, not unlike every other season they have had. Now, four years later they are playing amazingly well. Ahead of the Red Sox and the Overpaid Yankees. How great is that? They even graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, the first ever comic book cover. Very cool. The most enjoyable part of this season is seeing how excited Greg is. He, like I said, has been a truly committed fan since day one. Cheering every season even though they didn't stand a chance against the big powerhouses they go up against in their division-The Yankees and the Red Sox.
Greg and I don't get to go to every game (Greg wishes), but we get to St Pete as often as we can. Saturday, we met the Lugo family over there for Rays vs Orioles. The Lugos spent the entire day in St Pete. Unfortunately we couldn't, I have been easily exhausted these past few weeks and I thought it would be too hard go all day and stay awake for the evening game. So we met them at Tropicana Field. It was a packed game. The Rays pulled ahead at the beginning of the game, and it was pretty much over. It was still a lot of fun. I love hanging out with the Lugos. They are such a great family. We got ice cream towards the end of the game. Mmmmm...chocolate with hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles. Don't judge, I had a craving (that's my excuse and will be until December)! Nashua and I got our ice cream in the little souvenir Rays hats. I promised her and Nellie that I would post a picture of Lil Sting'em wearing the ice cream hat in honor of the Rays kickin' booty this year. (It is only fair that I live up to my promise since they have kept their end of the bargain and posted pictures of their Choco wearing one too.) So here is Sting'em, in tribute to the Rays who are surprising everyone except their constant and dedicated fans-we've know they would be great for awhile!

(It is a good thing this dog absolutely adores us and lets us dress him up. Well, let's me dress him up.)

David vs David

2008-05-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

We just finished watching the American Idol showdown-I love this show (I "forced" Greg to watch it...sure). It hasn't been the most exciting season for me, with the Dolly Parton, Mariah Carey, and Neil Diamond weeks (sorry Melody, I know you love Neil). But this final two has been amazing. Finally, the two most deserving made it to the finals. That usually doesn't happen, there's usually an upset. I am a huge Archie fan, and have been since day one! Even when he forgot his words, he was still adorable. I have been worried about him these past few weeks, but tonight, he totally brought it. I know that Cook fans would argue with me. But listen to Simon, the man. He knows what he is talking about! So, I am sitting here now voting, for the first time this season, with house phone in one hand and cell phone in the other. It's going to be a close one! I can admit that David C has gotten much better since day one, but I still wouldn't label myself as a fan. He seems nice and all, and less cocky than before...but I just don't think he as "original" as people praise him to be. Sorry Cook fans. "Hello" and "Billie Jean" were not his arrangements, and those were by far the best songs of the season. Plus, I really don't get all the Archie haters. He seems like a really young, nice kid, and people don't like him for being nice and innocent? I don't get it. I think he has a phenomenal voice and I love listening to him every time he sings. We'll see what happens. No matter what the turn out, I think they'll both do great. (Although, I would totally buy David A's CD, and not so much David C, Sorry.)

Happy Birthday to Me!!! (...and Mother's Day!!!)

2008-05-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

So Sunday, yesterday, I turned 27! Crazy, huh? To be perfectly honest, I was not looking forward to this birthday. I have been dreading it since Jan 1st. The older I got the more depressing it was becoming that we were not able to have children yet. And for this birthday, falling right on Mother's day...it was not a day I was looking forward to. For those who don't know, we have been struggling to get pregnant for quite sometime now. I think getting pregnant is something that many people take for granted. Some don't realize just what struggle it can truly be. I know I didn't until I was placed in that situation. Greg and I have been married for almost four years and many people have continually asked us when we were going to start trying. Little did they realize, we had...for awhile. I don't blame them. But it was still hard to hear. Well...after seeing a few different doctors, one finally decided to help us. On the evening of April 3rd, we found out that I am PREGNANT!!!! Exciting, huh? I don't think it has fully hit us yet. It has been something that we have wanted for so long now, and it almost seems unreal that it is finally happening. We decided to keep it quiet for awhile, just in case. But yesterday, on my birthday and Mother's day, we finally announced it to our very close friends, the Bergers, who are like family to me. Some other people have already guessed because I have been a little sick and tired. But since the Bergers know now and I am further along, we think it is time to tell everyone else. So that is our announcement, I am pregnant and should be due around 12/17! Greg and I are very excited and nervous to be parents. So it was a great Birthday/Mother's day this year. I am so happy that our prayers and the prayers of our families have been answered. You almost forget all the heartache and pain that you felt for so long because it really doesn't matter anymore. It hasn't been easy, but completely worth the wait. I know that Greg will be a wonderful father. I hope I will be a good Mom!

Saturday at Epcot

2008-05-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Since my birthday fell on Sunday this year, we wanted to do something fun on Saturday. So we decided to go to Epcot. I haven't been there since I was in 7th grade and Greg had never been there at all. We went with my mom, Heather, Mattie, and Matt met us there in the afternoon. It was a fun, long, very hot day. I was so tired by the end of the day, so much walking from country to country. Epcot is not like other Disney parks, where you walk a short distance to the next ride or show and get to sit down for a bit. There is so much to see before the day is over. My favorite part was the gardens. For springtime, they have beautiful gardens everywhere. There was even an amazing butterfly garden. Mattie was so fun to watch as she chased the butterflies around trying to get them to land on her finger. I kept thinking of our friend Dieter, who is not a huge fan of buterflies. He would have hated it in there. We had a lot of fun. It was a good day.
(This pic was taken at the end of the day-not my best...like I said very tired and hot!)

WICKED

2008-05-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday night my mom, my sister-Heather, Theresa-Heather's mother-in-law, and I went to see Wicked in Orlando! (Greg wouldn't go see it with me unless I forced him to.) We got the tickets back in December and have been waiting patiently to finally see it. It was absolutely phenomenal. I tried reading the book beforehand, but had to stop. It was a little dark. The musical was so much better than the book. The singers/actors were amazing! I can't wait until it comes back to town so I can see it again. We all had a blast. It was totally worth getting home at midnight for.

Happy Birthday Sting'em!

2008-04-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, lil' Sting'em was born. We, of course didn't get him until 8 weeks later, but we wanted to celebrate his birthday. For some history, when we moved out of the beach condo (we were not allowed to have pets in the condo) the first thing I wanted to do was buy a puppy. A chocolate mini dachshund to be exact. It did take some convincing with Greg, but since we hadn't been blessed with children, he gave in. I needed a little something to take care of. So I started searching for a breeder, I finally found one close by and on June 26th we picked our little Sting'em up. He was eight weeks old, so tiny and adorable. A little timid at first being away from his brother, but now he runs the house. He has been so wonderful to have in our home and absolutely was the best addition that we could make to our family at the time. We love him very much and he is so much fun to have around. A little hyper and ill mannered at times, but a lot of fun. I know that people think we're a little crazy about him, especially for celebrating his birthday with a cake and presents...but what can ya do, we still love him. Happy Birthday Sting'em!!!

Oh, and Greg, who was a little reluctant at first, absolutely fell in love with him. Ssshhh, he would never admit to that though!

Sting'em liked his peanut butter "pupcake." When he was done he had frosting all over his nose. And then he got some new toys. Which, of course, he loves.

Chris and America

2008-04-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

Chris and America were able to fly in for a very short visit-America's sister had a baby, so they came to see her. While they were here, we got to snag a few hours with them. We drove down to Palm Bay on Saturday to see them. Chris, America, Greg, and I went to the Melbourne Art Festival and then met up with my mom, Heather, and lil' Mattie for lunch. Matt, unfortunately, was on reserve to fly that day and couldn't join us. Poor Matt. We had a nice time. Mattie was a little wild in the restaurant. She kept saying very loudly, "I want NOOOODLES." She's so cute. Then we had to drive back home and get ready for Sunday. It was a short visit, but it was so great seeing them!

Rays at Disney

2008-04-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last night we were able to go to another Rays game. They were playing three games at Disney's Wide World of Sports against the Toronto Blue Jays. Whenever the Rays play in Orlando, we like to take advantage of that and go to as many games as we can...shorter drive. So last night we met up with the Lugos and headed down to Disney. The Lugos are our new baseball buddies. Jose is a huge baseball fan and it's nice for Greg to have a guy to talk with about the game...or about every game. And it's nice for me to have Frances to talk to about how crazy our husbands are about sports. We have a lot of fun with them. I love going to the Wide World of Sports stadium, because no matter where you sit, you have great seats. It was a good game. We had a blast. Greg, of course was cracking me up the entire night. For those of you that think my husband is very quiet, you have never seen him at a sporting event. He is standing up and yelling, cheering, sometimes happy, sometimes angry. It's a pretty funny, sometimes embarrassing, sight. Don't feel too bad for me, I knew he was like that from our first date, which was to a Magic game. So, I have known from the beginning how he really is. Anyways, we were sitting at the game, it was the bottom of the 6th, and Toronto brought in a new pitcher...Shawn Camp. Shawn Camp was previously a pitcher for our Rays...he's really not the best (that's being nice). In his past with the Rays, he messed up many, many games with his awful pitching. But, luckily he is now part of the Blue Jays. Well, when they announced his name, Greg's ears perked up and he started laughing. Then, as the crowd quieted down...it was really quite...Greg stands and yells, "Shawn Camp, you suck sooo bad!"(while pointing his finger toward the pitching mound). Well, needless to say,everyone in our section and the neighboring sections heard him and turned. I, of course, had my hands over my face, half mortified and half laughing. Greg sat down shaking his head and turned to us, very seriously, and said, "He has caused me so much heartache." HA! My poor, tormented husband. He was yelling all night. I think he threw Shawn Camp off because he only last 2 innings before his team took him out. Poor guy. I was giggling the rest of the night. TheRays went on to win 6-4, we were happy. Go Rays!

Sting'em's Sting

2008-04-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

So, I am sorry that we talk about our dog all the time, but it is what it is. He's our little guy. Sting'em, like many dogs, is fascinated with anything with wings. He likes to chase butterflies and bark at birds, he's a curious little guy. Well, he was outside playing in the afternoon near some little flowers. I looked out our back door just as he has was pawing at a small bee. I knew that this was bound to end up bad and before I could do anything, poor Sting'em let out a little bark and he came running into our house. That tiny bee stung him! We couldn't find the stinger, but the damage was done. He had a rough hour or so. His front paw was very swollen and he just laid there in his bed, completely miserable. It's tough to be a dog. He did let us put ice on it for a few minutes to help the swelling. Luckily, that was as bad as it got. It was hard to see our little guy so hurt...but he was back to being the little stinker that he is by the evening.

YAPA

2008-04-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

How exciting! In November I started tinkering around with making vinyl signs. As my husband would say, it's always something new with me. It's true. There is always a new craft that I am trying to teach myself-thanks Greg for putting up with my many experiments. Well, needless to say, everyone in the family got a beautiful vinyl sign for Christmas. Even my nieces. Mattie's read "My Prince did come, his name is Daddy'-in the Walt Disney font, of course. I think they were a big hit. So, I kinda fell in love with the vinyl sign thing and bought my own cutter. Well, this weekend I sold a few of the signs to our friend Robyn, for her store, YAPA. YAPA is this incredible store in downtown Melbourne. YAPA means "a little something extra." And that's what the store has in it. All these cute cool things for your home or whatever. Well, Robyn and I are hoping that my signs do very well and if so, she will definitely continue to sell them. She loved them. Greg and I were trying to come up with a name for my little "signing business." Any suggestions???

Lunchtime with Greg

2008-04-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

Lunchtime has become my favorite time of my work day. Now that Greg is at his new job, he is much closer, and we get to eat lunch together. He meets me at work (since he gets the longer lunch break) and we get to spend even more time with each other. The ladies at my office all think he is so cute and funny! And they all say how lucky I am because my husband actually wants to spend his lunch break with me. Well, of course he would! So, I am loving this new job location and my lunchtime breaks!!

(He also gets home 30 min earlier at the end of the day than he used to. Sometimes he even beats me home! Maybe he should start dinner on those day...hmmm.)

TAG!!!

2008-04-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

10 years ago I was:
I was a junior in High School, getting ready for my summer break before starting my senior year. Planning to go to Ringling School of Art and Design and become a Disney Animator…what happened?

5 things on my to do list today:
1. Go to work, blah
2. Check my blog
3. Go to Dr’s appt
4. Walk my dog
5. Relax!!! (had a busy weekend)

Things I would do if I became a billionaire:
Hmmm…what to do with all that money?
1. Buy a house on a lake, maybe a little house in the Keys too, for Greg (he loves the Keys)
2. Pay off Greg’s student loan
3. Invest the rest and take care of our parents

Places I've lived:
1. Palm Bay, FL
2. Cocoa Beach, FL
3. Sorrento, FL

Jobs I've had (in random order):
1. Marketing Assistant
2. Medical Receptionist
3. Dental Receptionist
4. Hospital Registration

Things most people don't know about me:
1. I have become a snooze button hitter, I like to hit it twice some days (I was always anti-snooze button until recently)
2. If I could stay at home and do art, vinyl signs, soap, jewelry, scrapbooking, or any craft, I would. (Most people probably know that though)
3. I am terrified of heights!!!
4. I absolutely HATE scary movies...I want to sleep peacefully!

Okay, so I tag:
1. Heather
2. America
3. Christi
4. Melissa

Take me out to the Ball Game...Wait! No Sting'em Dog??

2008-04-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ah, Baseball Season! Yesterday we took our yearly trip over to Tampa for opening day at Tropicana Field. We have gone every year for the past four years. The Rays were playing the Mariners for their first home game of the season. I was looking forward to it all day. We met up with the wonderful Lugos, friends from our ward, and started out on the long drive to Tampa. Anxious to get there to see our team, and especially craving a "Sting'em dog"....For a little history, the "Sting'em dog" is a chili dog they started serving last season. And it happens to be what we named our little puppy after. When we decided to get a puppy, we wanted to give him a name no other dog has. Since he is a "wiener" dog, we had to give him a "wiener" name. Oscar or Meyer would not do, so I came up with Sting'em...after a chili dog. Everyone asks us where we got that name, so there is the story of how our Sting'em dog came to be. So, this brings us back to yesterday. I was craving a Sting'em dog all day, to eat in honor of our little guy. To my shock and disappointment, Tropicana Field has stopped serving the popular Sting'em dog! I was upset. I pretty much save all my hot dog consumption for the entire year just for baseball games. I had to settle for a regular old hot dog with mustard, nothing fancy or exciting. It was still tasty though, it's funny how hot dogs seem to taste better when you are at a baseball game.

So, the absence of the Sting'em dog was the first upset of the night. The Rays losing the game was the second upset (I think there were some bad calls). We still had a great time. And even though they don't serve that delicious chili dog anymore, we'll still keep going.

Phlox and Blossoms

2008-04-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I love Springtime. Greg and I have been very blessed to live in some beautiful places since we have been married. For the first three years of our marriage we lived on the beach in our condo. We loved hearing the ocean waves at night and first thing in the morning. Truly one of my favorite things. The one thing that I didn't particularly care for was springtime on the beach. Not that it wasn't beautiful...it was just so busy. All those Springbreakers from the north. They just made life a little...noisy. Moving to our new place, opposite of the beach, the country I guess you would say. I have learned to enjoy springtime again. Not only is it quiet, but it is gorgeous. On the side of the road, these beautiful little purple flowers have sprung up. I have been told that they are called "phlox"-I don't know too much about plants, I generally kill any plant I try to take care of. These are just so pretty. There is a field not too far from us that is covered in these little flowers. Driving by it, it looks like a purplish-pinkish field. Very colorful. So here are some pictures, to enjoy what we get to see everyday. Another one of our little delights is smelling the lovely orange blossoms. We have many orange groves around us...yum. And they smell delicious!

We do miss our ocean view, but love all of the colors of Springtime we get to enjoy over here.

Last Day

2008-04-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Greg's last day at Pershing (the finance company for The Bank of New York). This was Greg's first job out of college. He starts his new job next week. We are very excited for this new opportunity for our family.

Windy Walk

2008-03-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

Just a moment I wanted to share. Everyday when I come home from work, the first thing I do is take little Sting'em for a short walk down the street. We walk in front of a big tree just down the way from us. There are usually many leaves laying on the ground and on the road that have fallen from this tree. Sting'em usually likes to pick a leaf or two up and carry his new found possession back to our door. Yesterday, when I came home from church, it was very windy. Well, poor Sting'em didn't know what to do with himself , as there were many, many leaves blowing around him in the wind. He was chasing them frantically down the street, trying the catch them. He would capture one and drop it to chase another. I found myself laughing out loud. It was a pretty funny sight. I am glad that we have Sting'em, the little joy that he is.

80 Degrees and Beautiful

2008-03-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying the beautiful weather here in Florida. For the past few days it's been around 80 and just gorgeous outside. Our family, who has been on vacation, left the beach early to spend their last day with us before heading back to cold Ohio. We had a great day...a busy day. After lunch we all headed out on the boat to Lake Dalhousie. Lake Dalhousie is a lake near our house that we always go wakeboarding on. It is spring feed and at certain points you can see the bottom pretty clearly. We try to go as often as we can and it usually isn't too hard to find more than willing friends to go with us...the boat may even be the reason we have friends. Just kidding. Sting'em even loves to go out on the boat. He loves to lay there and bask in the sun- a true Florida dog. I had to cut the trip short to go home and start cooking for the missionaries. So Sting'em (who was ready to go back home and take a nap) and I headed back home while everyone else got to stay a play a little longer in the sun.

If it was up to our little dog, Sting'em, he would spend all day outside enjoying the sun.

After the boat and feeding the hungry Elders, we took the family over to see some of our friends, the Shofkoms, in our ward who own horses. Vanessa and Isabella, our nieces, had never ridden horses before, or at least not since they were very little. And us, now living in the "country" part of Florida, there are many horses around. So we finished out the evening riding their horses Logan, Sugar, and Dollar.

It was a wonderful day. We were very thankful that Jeff, Rita, Vanessa, and Bella were able to spend the day with us before heading back home to chilly Ohio...brrrrr.

Burning Hut

2008-03-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

My wonderful visiting teacher-Debbie C.- came by last night to share her monthly message. I am so grateful for her. She is a wonderful person and I have the great privilege of serving with her in the YW presidency. She shared this poster from this month's Ensign. I just love this picture. I think sometimes we forget how much we are loved and looked after- I know that I am guilty of this. It just so happens that earlier that day,I received an email from my friend Melissa with a pretty amazing message. It was:

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
The Moral of This Story:It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground.

I must have really needed to hear this message, and I am so grateful for it. Life is very hard sometimes. We all go through trials and it is hard to understand why. A few weeks ago, I was having a very ruff week. I felt so horrible and wondered if I had been forgotten. Sometimes I dwell too much on what is lacking in my life and fail to see all the wonderful things that I am continually blessed with. I have an amazing and wonderful husband, who is my best friend in every way. There is really no one that I would rather spend my days with. I have the gospel in my life. I have an amazing family-both mine and my husband's. We have a beautiful home and all the comforts we could possibly ever need. I have a great calling that is so fun and brings me great joy- I love all my YW and I get to serve with great women. Plus, I get to work with my husband in church, since he is the YM president and I am the 1st counsellor in YW-we get to go to activities together, and I love that. Not to mention the cutest little puppy that loves to give little kisses when we get home from work. I have great friends. I am truly blessed. I just wanted to write this down...

Opening Day

2008-03-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

Just a quick story I would like to share. My husband is basically obsessed with sports. He LOVES sports. Especially College Football and Baseball...but he'll pretty much watch anything. One time I was actually forced to watch a Curling Event. I know, weird. But anyways, today was officially Opening Day for MLB. Yes, very exciting for everyone. So last night, he was actually contemplating whether to wake up early to watch the first game at 6 AM (It was in Tokyo) or not! He probably would have if it was anyone other than the Red Sox-not really Greg's favorite team (he hates them with a passion). Well...he decided to not get up to watch the game when it started. But, sure enough when he got up at 7, the game was on. This is my life until October. Enjoy.

(I do love baseball too, Go Rays...but never at 6 AM)

Rainy Saturday

2008-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we drove down to Palm Bay, where I grew up, to attend the annual Berger Family Easter Egg hunt. Of course praying that the rain would hold off for the hunt! (It was looking to be a dreary day). This has been going on every year since I was a kid. So we went down to see my family and good friends, and of course my niece, Mattie. She's two and a half and just about the funniest little person there ever was. It was so much fun. We got to dye eggs with the kids. And then we had the Easter Egg hunt. My friend Alex Berger (we grew up together) and I were put in charge of hiding the "Golden Egg" for the kids that are eight and older. The Golden Egg is what all the kids try their hardest to find beacuse it has money in it. We'll...we're pretty sneaky and decided to hide the egg at the bottom of the pool. Hey, don't think that we are cruel. When I was a kid I totally would have dove to the bottom of the pool for some money! Plus, we got permission from their parents. Anyways, it had to be one of the funniest things ever as Spencer and Adam Jarvis jumped into the pool at the same time, fighting for the Golden Egg!! Spencer was victorious! Poor Adam, he dove to the bottom to come up empty handed. All and all we had a great time. Sting'em even came along and swiped a few eggs from the kids. The kids had a blast with him and pretty much wore him out for the rest of the day.

We then drove up to Viera to meet up with Greg's family, who is in town this week for their Spring Break from Ohio. It was Greg's brother, Jeff, his wife Rita, and their two beautiful daughters (our wonderful nieces) Vanessa and Bella. Viera is where the Washington Nationals have Spring training. So we got to go to one of the last Spring training games before the season starts. They played the Braves. Of course we rooted for the Braves. Too bad they lost. Sad day. We still had a great time and it was good to see family. Lucklily for us the rain at least held off until the game was over. Even though the Braves lost it was still a great day. We even got to see a few players after the game as they came out. We got a pic of Chipper Jones. Can't wait for the seaon to start. Go Braves and Tampa Bay Rays!!!

Silly Puppy

2008-03-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

So here we are. We have finally started a blog like everyone else in the world...we're a little late. Greg and I don't have any kids, it's "Just Us" for now. We do have a little mini dachshund. For now, he is the closest thing we have to a child. He does keep us on our toes. It's amazing how much like a kid he is. Sometimes when we go on walks he will stop and whine at me until I pick him up and carry him the rest of the way. He is perfectly content on being carried down the street back to our house. But the latest thing he has been doing is being a picky little eater. We have been trying to change his food from puppy food to adult food, seeing how he is almost 1. Well, at first he liked the new food. We are talking about top of the line dog food for this little guy. Only the best. Well, then he started to get picky. When I would give him his food in the morning and at night, he would walk over to it, sniff it, take some, then spit it out! Seriuosly spit it out onto the floor! Silly Sting'em. So today I had to go to the pet store to get him his old food. As soon as he saw that bag he started going crazy. Needless to say, he is finally eating again. I know, we're a little bit nuts about our little guy, but hey, when you don't have kids...