KATYCONFESSIONAL

Terrarium Tutorial

2011-11-17T23:08:00.001-08:00

Hello friends! Have you ever considered making a terrarium? Well.. if you have, this is your lucky day! I am going to teach you how to make one.

I suddenly became OBSESSED with terrariums over the last few weeks, and I have been dying to make a few. I did a ton of research before starting, because I didn't want this project to fail. (disclaimer.. as I write this, my terrariums are less than a week old, so there is still potential for failure here...)

What mainly inspired me was finding these really cool old glass jugs in my basement. One was an A&W rootbeer jug from who-knows-when, and the other is an old vinegar jug. My grandmother had kept them for some reason, and they are too cool not to re-purpose somehow. When I started doing my research, I found some really great inspiration on google images. I also found some great websites on how to build a terrarium here:

http://www.ehow.com/video_9374_make-terrarium.html
http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/
http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/terrarium-basics.htm
http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/terrarium-plants.htm

My other resource was a section of ebay that I think was called the reference section? They had a lot of helpful information too, which I will share with you now!

Open Air Terrarium

Closed System Terrarium

First of all, there are two kinds of terrariums; open air terrariums and closed system terrariums.

Both are low-maintenance when constructed correctly, but the closed system kind are especially low maintenance. You only have to add water once a month or so. This is because the water goes through a little mini water cycle! So cool!

The only problem with the closed system ones is that they often get pretty misty on the glass (mine are already doing this), so you can't always see the plants really clearly. If you don't mind that, then go for it! I decided to try both types, since I already had the containers and enough supplies for three of them total.

Materials:

- One glass container of the desired size and shape
- Pea gravel (fish tank gravel is perfect)
- Loose activated charcoal (can be found at any pet store)
- Sterile bagged potting soil (from any garden center)
- Live terrarium plants, moss, or seeds that you like
- Decorative elements if desired (rocks, figurines, sticks, etc.)
- Tools to reach inside of narrow neck containers if needed
- Water

Selecting a container:

Your container should preferably be made of glass. This is the best material because water adheres to it very well and creates a great "rain" effect when the water builds up on the inside. Not to mention that it is much prettier in my opinion. It should also be clear or very lightly colored glass. Dark glass, such as most wine bottles are much too dark to allow the plants enough light to survive. If you want a challenge, then choose a narrow-neck bottle. I am serious when I say that it is a challenge, but if you are up to it, go ahead. If you want something easy and quick, I would go for something that has a mouth that is wide enough to fit your hand through.

My two closed system jugs were sweet finds in my grandmother's basement, but you might be able to find something similar in a thrift shop. They hold one gallon each. I also know that Hobby Lobby has really awesome glass containers that has very intricate lids in which you could create a closed system without the trouble of a narrow neck.

My open-air container was purchased about a year ago at the Ross in Orem, UT. It has a itty bitty chip in the rim, and so they gave me 25% off :) It holds about three gallons. I used to keep a beta fish in it, but it died the day before Evie was born :( RIP Boris!

*Note: If you like the look of the narrow neck containers but don't want to go to all of the trouble of dealing with planting things in them, consider starting your plants from seed. Seeds are much easier to put into the soil in a narrow-neck bottle than full grown plants.*

Selecting plants:

I was pretty stumped on where to buy plants, since it is now essentially winter time in Utah. Most of the nurseries here have closed down for the season, and I knew I certainly wasn't going to find what I needed at Home Depot or Lowes. I looked on Ebay and Amazon, and there are a surprising amount of live plants for sale there, if you are feeling both daring and patient. I decided not to order them online unless I really couldn't find something locally. I called a favorite aquarium store of mine in Draper (http://theaquariumutah.com/), and they said they only sell fully aquatic plants. Boo. They do sell fantastic fish and fish supplies, though. And their store is pretty much just as beautiful and impressive as the Living Planet Aquarium across the street from them.

I went to Petsmart on my lunch break on early this week to get the activated charcoal for the soil layering (more on that later), and I thought I'd just see what they had. They had quite a few "semi-aquatic" plants that are perfect for moist terrarium environments. They only had a few varieties to choose from and they were a little pricey ($4-8 each), but they looked like they were in pretty good condition. I chose these three varieties:

Peacock Fern (7 in.)
Gold Ribbon Plant (4 in.)
Umbrella plant (4 in.)

The good thing about purchasing this way is that there are several plants in each container, so you can split them up between several terrariums if you want.

Petsmart also carried what is called "Terrarium Moss". It is technically "Frog Moss", but it is the coolest thing ever! It comes completely dry sealed in a plastic bag, and when you plant it and water it, it comes back to life! It is so neat! It was already starting to soften up and look lively only an hour or so after its first watering. Amazing.

I also went to IKEA the same day for something completely unrelated, and decided to browse their plant section. They have quite a few plants labeled as "Assorted Himalayan Tropicals", all of which looked hearty. I selected one (who knows what the actual species is..) for my open-air terrarium. They also have a great selection of succulents and cacti if you wanted to do a desert terrarium. That might be one of my next projects :)

Just know that if you are doing a closed system terrarium, you should chose plants that tolerate moisture well. Semi-aquatic plants are good, tropicals are good, and so are carnivorous plants. I actually ordered some Venus fly trap seeds on Amazon for my next carnivorous terrarium. A good rule of thumb is to keep like plants together. If you are going to do cacti & succulents, go ALL cacti & succulents. If you are going ALL tropical, use only tropical plants.

One other tip: if you are using a narrow-neck aquarium delicate or floppy plants, like my peacock fern, were really really hard to plant. The gold ribbon plant was the easiest one to put in because it is much more stiff.

Process:

Once you have gathered all of your materials, you are ready to start!

Step 1:
Wash your container in hot soapy water.

Clean containers

Step 2:

Layer about 1 inch of pea gravel in the bottom of the container. Using a piece of newspaper as a funnel helps to guide all of your soil layers in.

Newspaper Funnel

1 inch pea gravel layer

Step 3:

Layer about 1/2 inch of activated charcoal on top of the gravel, trying your best not to mix the two together. You can purchase this in the water filtering section of any pet store. It is used in aquarium filters, and a large carton of it was about $12. This whole carton was more than enough for my three rather large terrariums. The purpose of the charcoal is to purify the water as it cycles through your terrarium. Using this will improve your odds of having a successful system.

1/2 inch activated charcoal layer

Step 4:

Add the potting soil layer, making it about 2-3 inches deep.

Soil Layers

Using tools that you make out of wire or chopsticks can help you reach inside of a narrow-neck bottle. I cut up a wire hanger and bent the ends. I also used a long piece of bamboo.

Wire and bamboo tools

Step 5:

Add your plants or seeds to your terrarium.

Step 6:

After your plants are in place, add about 1/4- 1/2 cup of water to your terrarium. Make sure that you do not add too much water because it will cause your plants to rot. If you add too much water, leave the lid off of your container for 24 hours so that some of the water can evaporate out. You do want it to be a little steamy in there, though, especially if you are using tropical plants.

For an open air container, you need to monitor the moisture of your soil. It needs to be damp, but make sure it doesn't get too wet or too dry either.

Step 7:

If you want to, decorate your terrarium with rocks, figurines, or pretty little sticks. These weren't my first choice of figurines, but it was all I could find that was small enough. I really wanted a tiny garden gnome - but that was pretty hard to find. I may switch them out in the future if I come up with something better.

Yay! You are done!

Whose message is louder?

2011-11-13T20:08:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about song lyrics lately. At my job, my students are constantly asking if I can play their favorite songs while they are working on assignments. I sometimes do, although usually I just play music that I like (this often overlaps with what they like too, to some regard). Because of the standards of our school (and of common professional society for the most part), I have to be very aware of the lyrics of songs. Content must be completely clean to be played in our school. No bad language, drugs, sex, violence, etc.

Because of this, I think I have become hyper-aware of the messages that popular songs seem to be glorifying lately.

I must say though, I am generally pretty open minded about music. The presets on my radio are 3 top-40 stations, 2 country stations, one oldies station, and I frequently dial surf for anything that sounds good at the moment. Lately I have spent most of my time on the oldies and country stations because I am offended by the messages publicized by the top-40 stations. Take for example the lyrics to this song by Hot Chelle Rae:

Let’s get it on, yeah, y’all can come along

Everybody drinks on me, buy out the bar
Just to feel like I’m a star, now I’m thanking the academy
Missed my ride home, lost my iPhone
I wouldn’t have it any other way
If you’re with me let me hear you say

I like it like that!
Hey windows down, chillin’ with the radio on
I like it like that!
Damn, the sun’s so hot, make the girls take it all off
I like it like that!
Yeah, one more time, I can never get enough of everybody
Sing it right back, I like it like that!
(I like it like that, I like it like that)

Till the break of the dawn, yeah, party on my lawn
Whistle as the girls walk by if the cops roll up (so what?)
Pour the cops a cup cause everybody’s here tonight
Call a taxi, pack the back seat
I wouldn’t have it any other way
If you’re with me let me hear you say

I like it like that!
Hey windows down, chillin’ with the radio on
I like it like that!
Damn, the sun’s so hot, make the girls take it all off
I like it like that!
Yeah, one more time, I can never get enough of everybody
Sing it right back, I like it like that!

(for other examples like this one see: Katy Perry "Last Friday Night", LMFAO "Party Rock Anthem")

After working with teens who have gotten into trouble for exactly this kind of behavior; to you I say: are we surprised that some kids think that this is normal behavior? That this is what happiness is? This is not an isolated example. I bet you that at least 75% of all of the top-40 songs right now have at least some of these party-lifestyle-glorifying messages in them. So many of the kids that I have worked with really think this is the way teenagers and young adults are supposed to act. The popular media that has so much influence on youth is preaching that this is fun. This is normal. This is acceptable. Expected even.

Well, I can say that I work every day with the reasons why this type of life is NOT a good idea. I see the consequences, the heartache, the tears, the scars, the brain damage.

I have been thinking so much about how extremely influential the media is, especially to teens. Now that I am a parent, I am constantly hoping and praying that my influence and my message will be louder than popular media. I want MY standards to be the most influential upon my children. I know this is possible, and I pray every day that I can do it.

I am no expert, but I do believe that involved parents with a loving, kind, nurturing and protecting influence can help kids believe that this type of lifestyle is not one of happiness. It is one of sadness and darkness. Kids don't know that yet - they haven't lived long enough or experienced enough to understand. You have to teach them. Teach them the right way from the very beginning. Teach them in love, and be there for them to help them grow and understand the way things REALLY are. Consequences and all.

Trust me, there are consequences for all of our actions. Hopefully we can learn from the experiences of others before we have to make the same mistakes.

I know with the help of God I can be that type of parent. That is my greatest wish in life; to be the kind of parent that will teach my children the right way - and that they will believe me.

Are you surprised that I have been spending so much time on the oldies station? I'm not. This is just one example of the type of messages I hear in those songs:

James Taylor: Devoted to You

Darling you can count on me
'Till the sun dries up the sea
Until then I'll always be
Devoted to you

I'll be yours 'till endless time
I'll adore your charms sublime
Guess by now you know that I'm
Devoted to you

I'll never hurt you
I'll never lie
I'll never be untrue
I'll never give you reason to cry
I'd be unhappy if you were blue
Through the years our love will grow
Like a river it will flow
It can't die because I'm so
Devoted to you

Okay. #offmysoapboxnow

Making Goals

2011-10-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Nathan and I sat down to make some goals. We had some things we wanted to improve, and so we put them on paper. Mine are:

1. Read scriptures daily for at least 10 minutes, and use my scripture journal.

2. Do one household chore each day. (at least).

3. Lose 3 inches from my waist by our wedding anniversary. (March 13th).

I think writing things down makes you accountable. So, even though I wrote them in my journal, I thought it would be cool to share them on here and give you updates on how I am doing with them. Yay!

Evie in the Johnny-Jump-Up.
She falls over without the blankets.

So far, I have done great with the chore one. I was feeling really crappy after going back to work that the house was looking like a disaster, and when I came home from work exhausted I didn't want to clean it. Now, when I have the 1 chore goal, if I get just one thing done I feel so much better. The best part is, if i do one thing, I usually do at least one other chore and things don't get so out of hand. I also don't spend all day Saturday doing a major overhaul cleaning. Yay.

As for scriptures, I have done pretty well.. I have missed only a couple of days so far. I really like using a scripture journal. I just decided to start at Mosiah (one of my favorite books), and read straight through. Each day I would read a chapter, and then summarize in a short journal entry what I felt there was to be learned from that chapter and how I can apply it to my life. It is simple, only takes about 15 minutes, but also keeps me feeling engaged in the scriptures. It keeps the things I need to be thinking about and working on daily fresh in my mind. I love it.

Baby Evie and I go for a walk in the crisp autumn air.

I want my stomach to be flatter again like it was before the baby. One of Nathan's goals was to get a six pack. He said he has always wanted one. So, without making our lives to complicated with diet restrictions, we decided that we would just stop keeping junk food in the house and not have any treats after dinner. We also decided we would try to avoid fast food at all costs. We did make exceptions to this... like when we are out with friends or with family we decided we can still eat treats, but that we should limit ourselves to a small portion, choose the healthiest option, or share one serving. Just from doing this one change, I have already lost more than 1/2 inch! Yay! A pair of pants that were tighter after the baby are already fitting me more loosely. That was my happy moment yesterday :)

I am also currently in bed (and on the bathroom floor) with a horrible (and I mean H O R R I B L E) stomach bug. Not that I would recommend losing weight this way, but I may be a little smaller after this week of misery is over. Nathan's taking me to the instacare today. Hopefully they get it under control.

I will keep you posted on how our goals continue!

Return to Work

2011-10-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,

Monday I returned to work. It is definitely not as nice as staying home with my sweetie, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Evie is spending Monday and Wednesday each week with Nathan's mom, Sharon. Then, Nathan has her for Tuesday and Thursday when he doesn't have classes, with the exception of a one-hour class on Thursday morning. During that time My mom takes a break from work on campus and has a little Grandma-Evie walk time. Fridays, I don't work (usually), and so I take care of her. It is working out perfectly this semester. Hopefully Nathan's schedule doesn't change too much next semester so that it can work out just as well.

The boys took great care of the fish tank
while I was gone.

It is so nice that she is with family that I trust, and that we didn't have to find a daycare. It would have been so much harder to go back to work if I wasn't leaving her with my loved ones.

Shenanigans

I went back to a great group of students, too. I was so happy that they missed me so much, and we have been having fun all week doing all kinds of shenanigans.. (and by shenanigans, I mean learning.) Most of my boys who used to cause me the most stress left our program while I was away, and so now I am reaping the rewards of that. We did get lots of new boys, too, and so I am having fun getting to know them. All of them seem like nice kids, or at least manageable ones!

(A funny side story, I was talking to a casual acquaintance the other day who didn't know that I teach at an all-boys school. She asked me how I was feeling about going back to work and I said something about how all of the boys had missed me. That caused some raised eyebrows until I explained that I only had boy students.. haha.)

In other news, Evelyn had her 2 month checkup last week, and she continues to be in the 90th percentile for everything. She is currently 25 inches long, head circumference is 16.25 inches, and weighs in at 14 pounds and 7.5 ounces. Wooh! Big girl! The doc says she is very healthy and strong, too. Good news all around. The shots were not nice, though. She cried a lot through that. :(

Also, the unanticipated return of the crimson tide surprised me a few weeks ago, only to surprise me again only 16 days later. WHAT? At least that gives me an explanation for why I had a couple days aboard the PMS train. Ugh.. poor Nathan. He certainly didn't miss that for the last 9 months.

I hope everything is going well where you are too! Enjoy these adorable pictures of Evelyn in her Halloween costume. I giggled for about 5 minutes after putting her in it. She is just so squishy and cute.

This Morning.

2011-09-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is what my life looked like this morning at 10 am. Lazy mornings with my little lady look wonderful, don't you agree?

Evelyn at 4 weeks old.

2011-08-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Evie tries out the Bumbo for the first time. Success!

A tribute to a very special lady.

2011-08-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my special little Grandma passed away. She had just turned 98 years old on Tuesday.

Grandma and I at my wedding, March 13th, 2009.

She is one fantastic person. She has always been so generous and giving towards all of her family members, and has helped Nathan and I out A LOT since we've been married. She payed off my car for me when I bought the beetle, and I make payments directly to her so that I wouldn't have to pay interest to the bank. I still have a balance to pay...which I still will. She is a patient person.

She has also let us live in her adorable house for the last year, rent free. She bought Evelyn a brand new beautiful crib just about a month ago when she heard that we were going to put her in an old, outdated, and "unsafe" one.

These are just three of the recent things she has done for us, but there has been so much more.

Just after moving in to her house last August, I found a box in the basement of all of the drawings and crafts that I had made for her growing up. She had saved every one! She had also saved programs from every single production, recital, and concert that I had performed in. On each program, she had written a little note to me, saying what a wonderful job I had done, and how proud she was to be my Grandma. She didn't show these notes to me, but obviously intended me to find them later. I was so touched, and I cried as I read each one.

I spent a lot of time at Grandma's house as a kid. I grew up a block away from them, and would ride my bike up to her house almost daily. She put up with a lot of my silly quirks. For instance, I remember that every single time the power would go out in the neighborhood, I would call her on the phone to see if her power was out, and then marvel with her that the phone was still working while the power was not. Shocking! :)

I remember eating parsnips and ramen noodles (not at the same time) while sitting at her pull-out breadboard in the kitchen. I remember her washing my dirty little bare feet in her big bathroom sink that she referred to as "the basin".

Things I never want to forget about her:

- Her perfect hair that she had done every single Thursday for as long as I've known her.

- Her little neck pillow that she slept on to protect her hair from being smooshed at night.

- The trail of kleenexes that she left behind her everywhere.

- The way she would always tell me "Ohhh, don't get old Katy, don't get old."

- Canned peaches and pears.

- Onion and butter sandwiches.

- The smell of baby powder that followed her everywhere.

- Her plastic wind bonnet, to again, protect her hair.

- Pizzelles on Valentine's Day.

- Her perfect sense of propriety and perfect grammar.

- The way she would underline every important word in her birthday cards.

- Her love and devotion to every single one of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She knew all of their names and birthdays, and never missed a single one!

I love you, Grandma! You are one of the classiest ladies I know!

Birth Story: Evelyn

2011-08-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Dear Friends,

Many of you have been asking me to share my experience with Evelyn's birth. It was an exciting one, I can assure you of that! I have been meaning to write about it ever since she arrived, and now that she is almost two weeks old, I am finally going to do it.

On Thursday, July 21st, we were scheduled to come in to be induced at 9pm. I was planning to go in for my last day of work that day (exactly one week past due.. yes I know I am probably crazy..), but when I woke up that morning I was spotting blood and I was starting to have some contractions. I called in and said I couldn't make it. I thought to myself, "Yay! I won't have to be induced after all!" Alas, by the time the hospital called at about 8:15 pm, my contractions were still only 6-7 minutes apart. When we got there, they ended up inducing me anyway.

Nathan stayed home with me all day that Thursday, and it was such a wonderful last day with just the two of us. We ate Thai take-out, cleaned up the house, took a few home movies, and just lied around the house together.

When we got to the hospital, I was expecting to have dilated a bit more than I had at my last doctors appointment, but I was still just shy of 2 cm. That was a little disheartening.

So, the doctor decided that they would go ahead and induce with a lovely little pill that they put up by your cervix called "cytotec" which was essentially supposed to thin out the cervix and cause it to dilate. They gave me the first dose at about 10 pm.

Shortly after the cytotec was administered, my contractions started coming on pretty hard and fast. I felt absolutely horrible. Labor sucks. I guess that one of the side-effects of the cytotec is that you have lots of contractions with very small (or no) breaks in between. Exhausting! I tried to wait it out, but gave in to an epidural at about 2:30 in the morning.

The doctor that gave me the epidural was very interesting... he was from India, and I could hardly understand his English. He kept saying "Curl up like a mad cat.... like a mad cat... like a mad cat..." It took them quite a bit of time to get the epidural in because I kept having contractions. Honestly, as much relief as the epidural brought, it was really scary getting it. Ugh.

After the epidural I rested a bit easier, and by about 8 am, they said I was dilated to about a 8 or 9. My water hadn't broken, so they brought the doctor in to break it. When he broke the water, they discovered that the baby was floating around in meconium. If you don't know what that is, it basically means that the baby pooped in-utero, and is floating around in it's own feces. This can be very dangerous if the baby breathes it in, swallows it, etc. So, when they discovered the meconium, things started to get a little tense. They were watching me much more closely.

Once the water was broken, the baby's heart rate kept dropping. One minute it would be a healthy 150 bpm, and it would drop down to 60, then 30, etc. It was so frightening! They nurses would come running in, and they would turn me over to try and take pressure off of the baby. Eventually, they actually tried filled my uterus back up with fluid to try and take pressure off of the baby. It wasn't working. The contractions were also coming too close together, and this was stressing out the baby, too. They gave me a couple of shots to try and slow down the contractions. This barely slowed them down at all. I went from having about 4 contractions in 5 minutes to having 3 contractions in 5 minutes.

When they checked me for dilation again at about 10 am, I was back down to only 5 or 6 cm. This was the worst news ever. Not only was my baby in danger, but she was regressing! The doctor said that the amniotic sac, before it was broken, was forcing the cervix open. So once the bag was broken, the cervix was relaxing back. Plus, if I moved from laying 1/4 turn on my right side, the baby's heart rate would drop again. I stayed in that one position for hours.

Finally, after the baby's heart rate started slipping again, I said to the nurse, "I am done. Get this baby out of me. I don't care what you have to do."

She went and found the doctor, and then came running back in with her arms full of stuff. She threw a white jumpsuit and Nathan, started prepping me for surgery, and called the anesthesiologist. He came in (a different doctor now, mr. mad-cat was off duty, thank goodness) and juiced up my epidural. This whole time I had been able to still move my legs a bit and feel a tingling/light pain every now and then, but he pretty much killed off my lower body. I was grateful.

They wheeled me quickly in to the operating room. The efficiency of the whole medical team was amazing. They had my completely dead-weight body on the table in a snap, they strapped me down spread-eagle, set up a partition so that I couldn't see them cutting into me, and got Nathan a stool to sit on by my head.

I was so scared I was going to feel them cutting me open. My sister-in-law had had an emergency c-section as well, and they didn't get her epidural completely working in time, and she said she felt a lot of pain. I told this to Dr. Lind, the anesthesiologist, and he promised me that if I felt anything, he would knock me out. I started shaking uncontrollably (I'm not sure if this was an emotional reaction or a reaction to the drugs), and lovely Dr. Lind gave me something to calm me down. Ahhh... the good drugs :)

Just before they started cutting, the nurse realized I had never signed a consent form for the surgery, and so she asked me "Can we do this c-section on you?" I wanted to say "Are you serious????!!!", but instead I said "yep". They also informed me that the NICU team was standing by to make sure the baby was okay.

Nathan was right there holding my hand and petting my hair while they started the surgery. As soon as the cutting started though, his head disappeared to the other side of the curtain (he wasn't grossed out at all... amazing), and Dr. Lind (who I swear will be sainted someday) kept me informed of what was going on. He also put this warm balloon thing around me that was filled with hot air to help keep away the shivers. He also kept patting my head in a fatherly, comforting way. I love you, Dr. Lind.

It took them about 10 minutes or so to get in to the uterus, and as soon as they pulled the baby out, Dr. Lind told me that the cord was wrapped tightly around her neck. The doctors and nurses counted out loud together as they unwound the cord "1...2...3...4 times around!!" You would think it was some kind of strange tradition. It was 10:50 am.

The baby didn't cry. They rushed her away, and Nathan went with her. Dr. Lind said the NICU team was working on her in the other room. I didn't know what was going on... and at that point I was either so hopped up on drugs or so emotionally exhausted, I couldn't even react. I just lied there and snoozed. A really sweet PCT that had been with me all through the night stood by my head and held my hand while they stitched me up.

At one point, I said to the PCT, "I am just laying here completely naked right now, aren't I?" She said yes, and we laughed a little bit.

NICU team working on Evelyn.

I asked another nurse to find my parents, I knew they would be somewhere in the hospital waiting. I knew that Nathan would be with the baby, and I wanted my mom and dad in the recovery room. I must have dozed off, because when they wheeled me out of the operating room it was 12:15 pm. They had been sewing me up for over an hour!

Someone had found my mom and dad, and they were waiting back in my room for me. I began shaking uncontrollably again, and the nurses told me it was a normal reaction to the drugs. I was shaking so much I couldn't speak and my jaw cramped up. Someone got a hold of Nathan, and he updated us on Evelyn.

She had been admitted to the NICU because she had indeed breathed in the meconium as we had feared, and she was having a lot of trouble breathing. They had her on a ventilator that went down her trachea, as well as numerous other needles and tubes. They also had her sedated. I wouldn't be able to see her until after I was out of recovery and back down in mother/baby on the floor below. We also found out that she was 9 lbs. 3 oz., and 22 inches long!! Big baby!!

Evelyn on the ventilator.

Finally, at about 6 pm, I was able to go see my baby. Nathan, his parents, and my parents had all been able to see her already, and finally they were letting me go. When I saw her for the first time I was very emotional and still really drugged. She looked so sick! The other sad news was that as long as she was on the ventilator and had IV's in her arteries, we wouldn't be able to hold her.

Meeting Evie for the first time.

Thankfully, she was only on the ventilator for just over 24 hours, and they had her breathing on her own. They had sucked meconium out of her lungs, her stomach, and her sinuses. Then they gave her a ton of antibiotics to fight off any infection caused by the meconium. Then they gave her probiotics to build her good bacteria back up. By Sunday, they took out the artery line and allowed me to hold her and breast feed her for the first time.

Holding our girl for the very first time.

The nurse said that if we could wean her off of the IV by the next day by breast feeding her every 3 hours, she might be able to go home with me. Nathan and I stayed up all night Sunday night making trip after trip to the NICU to feed little Evelyn. It worked! She bounced back, her blood sugar was looking good, and she was cleared to go home on Monday afternoon.

Evelyn's identification sticker.

The nurses in mother/baby and the NICU at UVRMC were fantastic. They were so kind, loving, and considerate. I don't know what I would have done without them! I love them so much! They did everything they could to make us feel taken care of while we were there. I won't ever go anywhere else to have my babies in the future.

Evie's nurse Heather who took such great care of her.

Since leaving the hospital, both Evelyn and myself have been doing great. My recovery has been very easy. I didn't even need to fill the prescription for pain medication that they sent me home with, and I am already starting to fit back into most of my normal clothes again. As of her 6-day check up, Evie had put on 4 oz. and grown a whole 1.5 inches! She is a healthy girl! She sleeps pretty well too, so that keeps me happy :)

Evelyn, the most beautiful baby ever born ;)

Thank you everyone for your love, support, and concern. We have felt so much love from friends and family through this whole ordeal, and don't know what we would have done without you!

Happy, healthy girl.

Late.

2011-07-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

(It seems like nothing I do is going to help get this baby out any faster. Including cartwheels.)

Well folks, it is July 16th. One day after my official due date. Unfortunately, I didn't get very good news at the doctor's office yesterday.

Apparently, the baby's head is about 4 centimeters higher than it should be right now, which is leading my doctor to believe that this baby has gotten too big to fit through my pelvis. This could mean a c-section on Friday. I blame it on the Ives family curse: Huge heads.

Nathan has the largest head of anyone I know. He has never been able to find a hat that fits him. Even adjustable baseball hats are too small for him on the largest setting. We were at Cabella's a few weeks ago, and Nathan tried on one hat of pretty much every style... still nothing.

Also, all but one of the Ives grandchildren has had to be delivered by c-section. They come out like little bobble-head dolls. Since I myself do not carry Ives blood (nor the Ives' other curse, the dreaded septated uterus), I thought myself free and clear. But, it's not looking that way. It appears that Nathan's genes have dominance in this case.

The plan is to induce on Thursday night over night, and then assess what happens by Friday morning. If things are not going well and the baby still hasn't dropped, they will do a c-section. Awesome. (not)

Yesterday when they told me, I went out to my car, called my sister-in-law Renae, and bawled like a baby. She had the exact same thing happen to her with her first baby. I am not scared to have a c-section, I am just really disappointed that things might not go as I imagined them to. I know it is a little silly, but I've always dreamed of giving birth the normal way, with Nathan beside me coaching me and experiencing the miracle that is the whole process of childbirth. Now, I feel a little robbed that I might not be able to have that.

There is still a chance that everything will go fine, but I'm not holding my breath. I hate having my hopes dashed twice.

Either way, as long as I have a healthy baby to show for it, that is what matters. How she gets here is pretty irrelevant in the whole scheme of things, I guess. I just need to adjust my expectations. And, it looks like I am going to have a whole extra week to do so.

Yippee.

Purse Food

2011-07-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

Purse Food: Any food that can be easily stored in a zip lock bag or other small container, and will not spoil if it is carried around for several hours. Nothing too messy either, and best if it can be eaten with your hands.

Examples: pretzels, chex mix, fruit, yogurt (& plastic spoon), granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, string cheese, jerky.

Purse food is a staple, and always has been since I started college. It is my way of trying to avoid buying fast food, and I have to say that it works quite well.

My shopping list always has "purse food" written on it, and Nathan even knows what that means... hunt around until you find something portable, buy it, bag it, and then grab it when I have to head out the door.

I love you, purse food.

The 40th Week

2011-07-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

I have been a very fortunate woman. This pregnancy has been relatively easy, compared with the stories I hear from friends, or about friends of friends, etc. I never got very ill, I didn't require bed rest, and my stats have been extremely average for this entire time.

A coworker asked me today when I was going to start my maternity leave, and I told him that I would start it when I had the baby. He asked me when my due date was, and I said "three days from now". His jaw pretty much dropped to the floor...

Am I that unusual? I know I have been very blessed, but seriously, I feel worse when I have a head cold than I do right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sore when I move, I don't sleep well, I'm hot a lot of the time, and I feel fat as a whale. However, I still feel completely capable, especially to work.

As of now, I don't FEEL like I could go into labor at any moment, although I wish I would! I can't wait for my little girl to arrive!

This is how life is sometimes...

2011-07-05T12:18:00.001-07:00

I found this lovely cartoon on a friend's blog, and I couldn't help but repost it. It struck a chord with me because Nathan and I seem to have this conversation at least once a month. At least. I really need to start taking my pug friend seriously. I think this is something every girl could stand to hear, though.

Lets stop being so critical of ourselves.. you and me both. Ok? Somebody (and probably lots of somebodies) think you are the most beautiful creature they have ever met.

38 Weeks

2011-07-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

Hello there...

Here is a picture of my ever-growing belly at 38 weeks:

Today I went to the OB, and it was a good visit.

I am currently dilated to 1 cm, and 60% effaced.

My blood pressure was excellent (thank goodness) at 112/62.

Total weight gain since beginning of pregnancy: 25 lbs. (So proud of this.)

Favorite quote from my 70+ year-old doctor:

"What got you into this mess initially may very well be the thing that gets you out of it."

Excuse me... I have to go find my husband now :)

What I Did Yesterday...

2011-06-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

The majority of Fridays I don't have to work. It is awesome being a teacher, and having a 4-day work week :) Friday is generally my "get things done" day, where I run errands, go to the doctor, etc.

Yesterday's productive Friday:

1. Bridal/Groomal photo shoot early in the AM up above Vivian Park in Provo Canyon

2. Shower (this should have come first... oh well...)

3. Doctor's Appointment: Currently dilated .5 cm. She said it could still be 2 weeks or so.

4. Shopped for nursing bras. Thank you Motherhood Maternity for measuring me :) I love the customer service at that store. They make you feel like you have a personal shopper!

5. Shopped for nursing undies at the distribution center. Also very helpful customer service :)

6. Shopped for nightgown to wear in the hospital. I totally got a granny mu mu that makes me feel like it's 1950.

7. Shopped for a diaper bag so that I could pack all of Evelyn's essentials for coming home from the hospital.

8. Made dinner for Nathan. Tuna Noodle Casserole.

9. Attended a bridal shower for my friend Nikki. My good friends Charissa and Chalena (sisters) came with me.

10. Came home at 10 pm to find that Nathan had been sleeping for the last 3 hours... nice nap before bedtime I guess?

11. Medicated Nathan for his allergies, and then crashed in bed.

I woke up this morning VERY sore. I'm sure it was from all of that walking when I was shopping. Oh well! This is one of my last productive Fridays to do these things! Only a Friday or two more until I have this baby. Yahoooooooo!

Ooh la la...

2011-06-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

You know I'm already in line! ;)

Nathan was the best man at his friend Ben's wedding this weekend. It was such a fun wedding! It was a carnival themed reception, and along with a complete sugar rush from all of the treats, I had a ton of fun. I'll post more pictures soon!

Thank you, Foreign Aid.

2011-06-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a wonderful day. After suffering for a year without air conditioning in my car, I finally got it fixed. I have been dreading the cost of AC repair, as I was once quoted $700 for a new AC compressor. UGH! Can you see why I stuck it out and waited a whole year? I probably would have waited even longer, except:

a) I am off of work this week, leaving me some free time to get some much needed things done.

b) I really don't want to make my newborn baby suffer the stifling heat of my car in mid-July and August.

So, I called around and ended up taking my little beetle to Foreign Aid in Orem. I dropped it off at about 9:30 in the morning, and around noon they called me to give me the news. Apparently, the compressor was just all full of gunk and needed to be cleaned out and oiled. Also, I had blown a little fuse.

Total cost of parts/labor: $130.

I cannot tell you how happy I was! That is a seriously cheap car repair! Plus, it was ready for me to pick up right away. SO FAST!

The best part is, when I went to pick it up and pay for the repair, they ended up only charging me $95! I even pointed it out to them that they had told me a higher price on the phone, and they had indeed made an error by charging me lower. However, they didn't correct it, and let me have it at the lower price. Wow!

Anyway, I would highly recommend them, and if I need more repairs in the future I will definitely go to them. Happy day! I don't have to sweat my guts out any more!!!

34 Weeks...

2011-06-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here I am at 34 weeks pregnant. Evelyn is getting more and more cramped in her comfy uterus home.. and I am getting more and more anxious to get her out!

A few things:

- The nursery is coming along GREAT. I will post pictures as soon as it is complete :)

- I found out that I will be delivering at UVRMC in Provo. This makes me a little anxious about going into labor at work in SLC...

- I'm on a two week break from work while the boys do their high-adventure trips. I hope they are having as much fun as I am!

- Tonight I am cooking baked potatoes and roasted asparagus. Yum.

I hope life is as good for you as it is for me right now :)

27 Weeks Along

2011-04-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

Starting to get a bit uncomfortable...

Announcement

2011-04-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

Anniversary + Belly

2011-03-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I had a wonderful weekend celebrating our 2nd anniversary. We went up to Pictureline and bought a gorgeous new DLSR camera (Nikon D7000). Then, we went up to temple square and took some pictures with the awesome new camera.

Later that night we went to the Mayan for dinner. I used to think it was mostly for kids, but surprisingly, the show was very Las Vegas. There were cliff divers, fire dancers, arealists on trapezes and fabric hanging from the ceiling, and lots of fake thunder and lightening :) The food was pretty good Mexican food, but the expensive prices definitely go to the show, not the food. Although, the flan was probably the best I've ever had... I am a sucker for flan! It is definitely not a historically accurate portrayal of Mayan customs and food, but it was a really fun atmosphere that reminded me of the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland.

There was a "chief" kind of guy in a big head dress and loin cloth walking around from table to table speaking in gibberish, and he had the scariest nipple piercings I have ever seen. Nathan couldn't stop commenting on them... haha. Think large grape-sized steel balls hanging from each little nipple... OUCH. Hahah :P

Anyway, we ended up coming home and watching a couple more episodes of LOST. We've been doing a lot of that lately, but it was what we felt like doing... even if it didn't seem that out of the ordinary or special.

Anyway, Nathan took this picture of me up at temple square illustrating the baby bump at the moment. 23 weeks along!

Clint and I also snapped some pictures this weekend for our graduation announcements. Clint and I are both walking in April, and thought it would be fun to send out joint brother/sister announcements to those who know us both. I look surprisingly NOT pregnant in most of these (yay). However, I didn't turn to the side for a reason! Don't get me wrong, I can see a little prego-chub starting to appear in my face, but I don't think it is that obvious yet.

Watch your mailbox for the real deal!

Update

2011-03-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

A week from today is our two year anniversary. Amazing! Two years already... Even though it feels like it has gone quickly, I still feel like it was a million years ago that I didn't have Nathan around to take care of me :P He really does spoil me, too.

..Especially now that I can pull the "You're going to make your pregnant wife (insert undesired task here)?" Hee hee. Usually this involves taking the trash can out to the street on a rainy night, getting the oil changed in the car, etc. He definitely spoils me.

The pregnancy is going great. I'm starting to feel our little girl kick more and more each day. We have also decided on a name:

Evelyn.

I love it. We've known the name all along, and now that we've been calling her Evelyn it is really starting to make it real.

In other exciting news, I am nearly 22 weeks, and I've only gained 7 and 1/2 pounds. Very excited about this. I am hoping to keep my weight gain under 30 lbs. total, but we will see. I'm not doing anything unhealthy to keep it down, just eating and living and working out as normal.

Also, I've invested some $$ in some staple wardrobe maternity pieces, like a maternity denim skirt, black maternity leggings, a brown knit skirt (super comfy), extra long camisoles, and a few other things. They are proving to be totally worth the money. Having maternity clothes really makes a huge difference comfort-wise. I don't feel quite so much like a fat kid in undersized clothing! Heck, I even feel a little sexy in the denim skirt... first time in a little while!

Symptoms I am not sorry to see go:

I'm no longer completely controlled by cravings.

My aversion to salad seems to be easing a bit (my aversion to ground beef has not).

The constant stomach aches are easing a bit as well

Symptoms that I am not minding quite so much:

Looking a little more like a prego, and less like I started hanging out a Krispy Kreme.

Taking a nap after school, and still being able to sleep 8+ hours at night

Feeling the little one moving around in there (very comforting)

Having an excuse to go shopping, and actually having money to do so ;)

Other fun things that happened in the last month:

We bought our first real TV a few weeks ago. A flat screen! The one we were using before whistled really loudly when you turned it on, and sometimes would whistle for 15 minutes - sometimes 2 hours. Needless to say, we never watched TV before. It would be a month or more between uses. Now, we have a really nice TV and have started watching all of the seasons of LOST - one of my new favorites. We just started season 2, so don't ruin anything for me by telling me any secrets!

I've started clipping coupons the savvyshopperdeals.com way, and I am really getting into it! It is a really cool way to save money and stock up on food storage stuff. My sister-in-law Renae got me into it, and my mother-in-law Sharon and I are doing the clipping and organizing together. Yay!

Well, have a fantastic week! More updates to come!

Two HUGE announcements....

2011-02-26T12:52:00.003-08:00

Friday was a seriously AWESOME day. First, we found out that we are having a lovely little....

Girl :)

Also, Nathan found out that he got into BYU! He will be starting their engineering program during the summer, and we are soooo excited. One more step towards being done done done with school. Only four more years to go... heh. It's okay. I can wait.

Announcement

2011-02-15T12:07:00.000-08:00

So, I realized I haven't officially announced my pregnancy here on my blog, so.....

I'm pregnant :)

I announced it on facebook a while ago, but I figured if you don't have a FB you might not know.

Today is a day of mixed emotions. Today is the due date of this baby. It would be much more difficult to deal with, I think, if I wasn't pregnant again.

I lost the first baby back in July, and was able to conceive again in October - as quickly as possible, according to my doctor. After a couple of bleeding scares and an emergency ultrasound back in November, things are going much more smoothly now. I am currently about 19 weeks, and next week we find out the gender of the baby.

To be honest, I am very excited to find out whether we will be expecting a boy or a girl, but I am also worried that they will find something wrong at that appointment. Last week I taught my biology students about genetic disorders, and ever since then I have had all of those swimming around in my mind.

Kleinfelters?

Downs?

Turners?

Cri-du-chat?

The possibilities are endless! Ah!

I know I must have faith that all will work out for our good.... I do really believe that. I just think about the worst possible scenario I guess...

This is a picture of me at about 16 weeks. I have more pictures, I just haven't uploaded them yet....but I will! My baby bump is definitely more obvious now.

Stay tuned for more updates!

New job!!

2010-12-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I know it has been SO LONG since I last posted, but you know... school always takes priority over all of my other hobbies, including this one.

So, I graduate this semester! My student teaching was complete on Dec. 7th, and I am now a certified teacher.

Other major announcement - I GOT A JOB!! I will be working here.

It is a privately owned in-patient treatment facility for at-risk teenage boys. I will be teaching Biology, Integrated Science, Chemistry, and Physics. Talk about INSANITY! I hope I can live up to their standards and what they are asking of me! I have to pursue my chemistry endorsement now... (SHOOT ME), but I will do it. Having a math science endorsement will pretty much guarantee me a job for the rest of my life. It will be hard though.

We are talking about the girl who baked herself a cake when she finished math forever (ha.. if she could see me now...), and had to spend almost every waking moment with a tutor to get a good grade in her college chemistry class. Thankfully instead of going to the tutoring lab, I have a brilliant husband who can help me this time.

The best part of all of this - I will only have a maximum of 6 kids per class, and I only teach 4 days per week! I have Fridays off! AWESOME! Also, they are offering me several thousand more per year than I would make in the public sector, with both health and dental benefits. How could I say no?!

I start January 3rd. Stay tuned for more excitement and adventure!

I wish EVERYDAY was test day!

2010-09-16T13:07:00.001-07:00

I've been having some power struggles with my students this week. On Tuesday, I felt like:

"I HATE THIS!!"

Wednesday was a bit better...

....and today, my students are angels.

Why you ask? I gave them a big test. That is right, a big, fat, unit exam. They have looked like this all day:

No, these are not actually my students,

I would DIE if I had that many students in each class!

I mean... I do have almost 40 kids per class, but this would be ridiculous ;)

This is a really really big deal for me, because they usually look like this:

These aren't my students either, thank goodness.

I have big enough problems of my own.

Oh, and my students aren't this nicely dressed, either.

Monday is the first day that I am being evaluated by my university supervisor in health. Wish me luck! We are starting lessons on Self-Esteem next week.

Love Letter: Happy Birthday to My Sweetheart.

2010-09-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

Today is my sweetie Nathan's birthday.

He is the most wonderful thing in my life, and I am so happy every day to be married to him. He always tells me how much he loves me, and always shows me by doing so many things for me. He is a wonderful man who does dishes, cleans house, and builds beautiful things for me. Who could ask for more?? He also is on the same page with me about all of the important things.

He reads books with me. He watches old episodes of Star Trek with me. He doesn't play video games. He is so sensitive to my feelings, and he thinks it is cute when I call him "hunny bunny". He tells me I am beautiful all of the time, and goes out of his way to make sure I am safe. He sends me texts during the day asking how I am and telling me how much he loves me and how much fun he had the night before...

I love him more and more every day.

He shared this video with me last week, and we watched it together and I cried a little. It is so touching. Since we watched it together, he has been leaving me little love notes every now and then. It is so sweet.

..... today I left a love note for him.

To live a retro life.

2010-09-06T19:26:00.001-07:00

Nathan started compiling a verbal list yesterday of how we live like it is still the 50's and 60's. You all know I love all things retro, but seriously... I think I'm trying to time travel or something.

1. We live in an old house built in the 30's.

2. We do not watch television. (we own one, it is just not plugged in.)

3. Although we don't watch television, we do go to the movies.

4. I ride around my home town on a green cruiser bike with a basket. While wearing a dress.

5. I drive a Volkswagen beetle.

6. I only wear pants 1 or 2 days out of the week.. and rarely are they jeans. Skirts and dresses are the way to go.

7. We are high school sweethearts who went to the senior prom together. (doesn't that just scream "Back to the Future 1"?)

8. Often we go down to the local fishing hole when we have a spare minute or two.

9. I always wear a really frilly apron when I cook.

10. We use terms such as "ice box" and "cold pantry".

11. I bake my own bread

12. I listen to the news on the radio, not in my car, but in my living room.

13. I often sew my own clothes and household items.

14. Nathan and I make each other gifts. For instance, he made my rolling pin and dining room table, and I made him several ties and a case for the bass guitar he hand crafted

15. We wash our dishes by hand (Nathan HATES this. He will stand in front of the dirty dishes in the sink and whimper for a few minutes before he digs in.)

16. All of the veggies we eat in the summer are home grown.

17. I had a dream last night about raising our own pigs, and then seriously considered it when I awoke.

Etc.

Take my life:

Add a little sepia-tone:

What year is it again?

_______________________________________________

On a completely unrelated subject (kind of), Nathan and I have been going to bed really early lately. Like 9:30 or 10:00. This is because I've been getting up at 5 to make it to school on time, but it has actually been a nice change. I have always been a night owl, and used to stay up until 12 or 1 am quite frequently. We were known to go to the grocery store at 11 o'clock at night, or start a game or movie shortly before midnight. Those days are officially over.

One night last week, we found ourselves sitting in bed reading at about 9:30 pm. We were all ready for bed, and were just enjoying our respective books, when Nathan turns to me and says,

"This is really nice".

Then we went back to reading. When I told Mary about this experience, she said,

"You are now officially old."

And maybe I agree, because my body woke me up without an alarm at about 5:30 Sunday morning. Only old people's bodies wake them up on time without an alarm. Oh well, I like this change.

I also like watching the sun rise over the Salt Lake valley as I drive over the point of the mountain. Gorgeous.

A word or two about negative energy.

2010-08-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

A polite letter to Negative Energy:

Dear Negativity,

I would really appreciate if you could get out of my life. Okay? Thanks.

....Oh, and one more thing, Negative Energy...

I would appreciate if you would get out of the lives of my students too.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Miz I

House progress

2010-08-25T11:30:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to blog these photos for a while, but I keep having other things to say. We have moved into the house, and the painting is finished AT LAST.

I will take a video tour of the house once everything is in it's place, and then you'll get to see what we've done. Our mismatched furniture certainly won't do the place justice, but whatever... It's alright with me.

Here is how things looked as of about a week ago....

Mary the Masking Tape Queen:

First Day Teacher

2010-08-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

I started my student teaching on Monday at Hillcrest High School in Midvale. Things are going well, I am slowly becoming more comfortable, and getting to know my fellow teachers. I love it that I have already been mistaken for a student several times, both by teachers AND the student council. Hilarious. The SBO's (student body officers) snapped my picture on the way into school, just like I was a student. They are getting me an ID badge to prevent this from happening in the future. I can't have hall monitors running me down!

My dearest friend Mary graciously woke up to take this picture of me at 6am on my way out the door. She was sleeping over due to homeless week at BYU**. She also generously allowed me to borrow that cute pink top.

Enjoy!

**Homeless week is a strange, annual phenomenon that occurs when the summer student housing contracts end a week before the fall ones begin. Many innocent students are forced to find a place to store not only themselves, but also everything they own for a week of being homeless. Highly inconvenient... Especially if you are from out of town.**

Rockin' Vegas

2010-08-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my first out-of-state wedding shoot down in Las Vegas. My business partner and dear friend, the beautiful Jessica Bateman and I made the (quick) trip together. We left Friday morning in my shiny rental car, and arrived at about 5 pm.

We checked into our hotel, the Fitzgerald on Fremont Street in downtown Vegas. It is a pretty standard old-time vegas-y hotel with a giant smelly casino inside, a couple of theaters showing child star has-beens, a buffet, bar, and steakhouse on the second floor, and about 38 floors of rooms (not including the 13th floor. Don't go looking for it. There isn't one.)

If you aren't familiar with Fremont street, it is a pedestrian-only street that is completely covered by a giant canopy-thing that lights up with a neon light show three times each night. They call it the "Fremont Experience". Unfortunately, we hadn't turned our clocks back an hour, so when we went out for the show, it never started. After heading back to our room with intentions of going out later, we promptly fell asleep. Wow, we really know how to rock a Friday night in Vegas ;)

Fremont street holds some pretty interesting memories for me, though. It was on Fremont street, at the tender age of 14, when I saw my first staggering, blubbering, bottle-in-paper-bag-holding drunk. We were in town for my cousin Beverly's wedding, and my dad HAD to see the light show. I believe he had seen it on some travel channel, and after the reception he drug us out there for the 11:15 pm showing. I remember my mom being horrified by the gentlemen's club adverts, but I don't remember anything except the drunk guy. I remember him so clearly, I can even recall what he was wearing. (big, worn green flannel jacket, dirty dirty jeans, brown shoes, black hat.)

Nine years later, Fremont street hasn't changed much. Still full of people staggering around with drinks in their hands, and still smelling very strongly of cigarette smoke. It was still pretty fun, though. We treated ourselves to a nice dinner at a steakhouse in a neighboring hotel, and perused the offerings in the shops. Really though, if you are poor, don't gamble, and don't drink, there really isn't much to do in Vegas. We took a few cheesy snap-shots, held tight to our purses, and lost a few weirdos in the crowds.

I felt a little bit like I was in a Where's Waldo page, though. You know what I mean? Every where you look there are strange characters doing strange things. If walking Fremont street were a Where's Waldo page you could have fun looking for:

1. A show girl dressed entirely in feathers shoving an old man's face into her cleavage

2. Two girls in basketball shorts and wifebeaters fightly loudly over who used the other girl's razor and shampoo (complete with shouting posse)

3. A man staggering around zombie-style dressed up as dead Elvis

4. An Austin Powers impersonator sneaking into other people's photos

5. A large group of sorority sisters walking in a line, loudly singing Katy Perry songs

6. Much much much more.... every where you turn.

Enjoy a few pictures of our adventure:

that showgirl is totally posing, and I was pretending not to notice. ha ha.

Well, I must go. My honey is waiting for me in bed.

I definitely do not want to keep him waiting :)

Lots going on....

2010-08-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been a little bit of an inconsistent blogger, but we have been very busy. Things we've been doing:

1. Paint paint paint paint... AND MORE PAINTING

2. Photographing a wedding in Las Vegas

3. Looking like a weirdo walking around Vegas in modest clothing (and liking it).

I also have lots of pictures showing the work we've been doing on the house. It is coming along nicely. I FINALLY finished the cabinets, and now we are moving on to the other rooms. Hooray! I think now that the cabinets are done, things will be moving along muuuuch more quickly. Check back for photos. I have to go to work now, but I promise to post some soon.

We are moving and I'm excited about it.

2010-08-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

Most newly weds (us included) can be compared to gypsies. Every so often, you pack up what little you own and attempt to make a new home in another place. We have been married for a year and a half and this will be our third move. I am definitely the most excited about this one, though!

Look at the beautiful house we are moving into!

Here is the Kitchen:

We are going to paint the upper cabinets yellow, and the beadboard inlays in both upper and lower cabinets will be a creamy white. The walls in the kitchen and the wainscoting in the breakfast room will also be the same creamy white. The walls in the breakfast room will be the same yellow as the cabinets. It's going to be adorable! Here is a closer look at the breakfast room:

Isn't that little built-in adorable? That is a little mirror on the bottom shelf! So cute! Also, hello little adorable BUILT IN FRIDGE! So retro, I can hardly stand it.

Below is the little hallway. I like to call it "The Vestibule". It is just way way too cool to be called a boring old hallway. Pfffft. It has a built-in dresser and cupboard, as well as a little built-in table for the telephone to sit on (I didn't get a picture of it though. Next time.) It also has the little trap door for the laundry shoot down to the basement, where the washer and dryer are. Genius!!!

The Vestibule will be painted a beautiful pale blue. It will really brighten up the space, considering it is in the center of the house and does not have the generous natural lighting like the rest of the house. P.s. aren't the lighting fixtures in this house THE BOMB?! Totally art deco. I'm in love.

Here is the Master bedroom. My cousins put in nice new carpet, so that is definitely a plus. We are painting the walls a lovely robin's egg blue. I think it will look fantastic with our dark wood and iron bedroom set. Also, of course some new window coverings are in order.

The bathroom needs some serious TLC, but unfortunately, we don't have the $$ to do an overhaul. Plus the original tile is so charming. (Why don't our new homes have this much personality anymore?!). The walls above the tile will be a light green to set off the tile better, and I think I will get a black shower curtain to bring in the black tiles as well. The toilet doesn't match the sink and toilet, but oh well.

Here is the office/idontknowwhat room. My grandparents used it as TV room, but I want our couch to be in the front room, and I cannot bear to separate the TV from the couch. Sorry. We like to cuddle when we watch movies.

The walls in here will be a lovely milky white (same as the kitchen). The carpet is also coming up, and you can see the wood floor beauties!! Wah wah wah!

Here is the front room. These pictures really don't do it justice. It has a beautiful vaulted ceiling, and yes it is covered in gaudy wallpaper, but you can only ask so much of poor college students. The wallpaper is staying for now, but we will see what happens next spring ;) The old old old carpet is coming up as well, allowing the wood floors to really shine! I don't think the wallpaper won't be so bad if it is not contrasting against the green. Also the ceiling in this room is wallpapered GOLD. It looks like gold leaf. I will have to get pictures for you next time. Also, please note the little music room off to the left. My grandma's grand piano used to be there.. but now I don't know what to do there. Suggestions anybody?

Last on our little tour is the dining room. It is in between the kitchen and the front room. It also has the wallpaper still, but again, the carpet is going. Hurrah.

There is also a HUGE basement, but it is in pretty bad condition, so maybe I will take some pictures once we move in and we've organized a bit. It still has a lot of my grandma's stuff down there, but I hope to organize it better and consolidate it into a smaller area. A list of the other rooms downstairs:

1. Bedroom #1 (where Nathan's band will practice. It also has a mideval mural of a princess and knight on the walls right now. My cousin's kids slept down there, and we're contemplating keeping it. It's actually quite cute, and adds a little interest to a dark basement room :)

2. Bathroom (not in working order.)

3. Kitchen (not in working order.)

4. Laundry room

5. Large food storage pantry with built-in cupboards and shelves.

6. Large furnace room (my grandma had a clothesline in here when I was a kid.)

7. Coal room, now used as a holiday decoration storage room. Yes, this house is that old that it has a coal room. You know, to store the coal to heat the house? Of course, sillies.

8. Large family room with fireplace.

9. Bedroom #2 just off of the family room.

This is simply the most charming house I have ever seen, and I am thrilled to be moving in! They really don't build houses like they used to. There are so many cool little features and so much personality!

Although, the man that built this house was such a perfectionist that he did commit suicide after it was finished.

Dang.

Yes, this house is that cool.

Sunday Picture of the Day

2010-08-01T14:05:00.001-07:00

Taken by my nephew on the 4th of July 2009 at the Pleasant Grove City fireworks show.

So this will stop hurting... when?

2010-07-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

Tough day today. I thought a lot about my baby. In heaven.

A few days ago, I said to Nathan while I was doing the dishes, "I don't think I am ready to have kids after all. My emotional reserve is used up."

I really felt that way, too. Too much anxiety, so much stress.. so many tears.. (not to mention all of the medical bills starting to flow in. Hello $250 pap smear.) I felt like I needed a break. And maybe a box of trojans. I felt like I was trying to move on and let things go.

Today I feel differently. I sat in church and looked at the beautiful babes being cuddled and kissed by their mothers. I looked at the little girls perched on their daddy's knees, the obvious looks of love on those daddy's faces. When a little blondie babe waved my way, I nearly lost it. I even longed to take the screaming child behind me into my arms.

Later this evening we went to a family birthday party for Nathan's sister. My beautiful niece who is a year and a half cheerfully toddled around the room, giggling and hugging everyone. I tried repeatedly to get her to come to me and let me cuddle her and kiss her rosy cheeks, but she cried and squirmed every time I tried. My heart broke. Not even my own baby stuck around to let me cuddle and kiss it, let alone this little one.

Nathan's sister is 37 weeks pregnant and glowing. She is expecting a boy. I am trying so very very hard to be happy for her. In fact, I am extremely happy for her, but it is also a very sad reminder of what I have lost.

Don't get me wrong, I have faith that we will get pregnant again... but that doesn't lessen the sting of loss. At least not yet.

Nathan took me to my parent's house on the way home from the birthday party. I crawled into bed with my mom and cried my eyes out. I cried so hard I nearly choked. My mom also lost her first baby, and she held me tight and handed me tissues while I cried.

My mom talked a lot about the atonement of Jesus Christ, too. She said that I need to let him take this pain away. I need to give it to him and let him help me carry the load. I know this is true, and I know that Christ can relieve any pain. Life is full suffering. The responsibility of bringing children into this world is a difficult task... not only physically, but especially emotionally. Christ has already experienced my suffering, and I know if I turn to him I can receive the peace I need to try again. Even now when I feel my emotional well is dry, He is there to fill it up again.... to fill it to overflowing.

Sunday Picture of the Day

2010-07-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

In honor of my beautiful wedding ring, currently vacationing at the jeweler for a broken prong. Ouch!

Haven't seen my photography site? Check it out! www.katyivesphotography.blogspot.com

I am a fan of Cjane.

2010-07-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read Cjane's blog? She is a very very inspirational woman, and I adore reading about her madcap vintage life. She amazes me and makes me want to wear a dress and high heels whilst campaigning for my favorite local politicians every day. She also has adorable kids, and an incredible life story. If you haven't read Cjane, you should check her out here. Then, make sure you come back here afterwards ;)

Cjane introduced me to this awesome new group called "The Lower Lights". They performed at their family's annual independence day gala, and after watching this video, I was very impressed! When they release an album, it will be mine. I will play it in my car and be spiritually edified.

Enjoy!

The Lower Lights // A Hymn Revival from The Lower Lights on Vimeo.

I have a crush....

2010-07-21T10:04:00.001-07:00

...on Leonard Nimoy. I'm not even joking.

Normally I am not a trekkie kind of girl, but we've been watching the first season of the original Star Trek from the 60's. All I have to say is... I think I am attracted to highly logical men. (I married one after all).

Maybe I like logical men because I am a highly emotional woman. Opposites attract, right? Yes, Leonard Nimoy did a few pretty embarrassing things, like making a music video about hobbits and releasing an album of Star Trek related songs.. but I still like him even if he is a little bit silly sometimes. Never call Spock silly, though. He is definitely not silly.

Sunday Picture of the Day

2010-07-18T20:44:00.001-07:00

...Because a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Taken March 13th, 2010 at the Draper, Utah Temple. Our 1st Anniversary.

Meet My Bike

2010-07-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

I made this little purchase a few months ago, and already I have gotten some great mileage out of her. Isn't she beautiful? I haven't had a bike since I had a paper route in Jr. High, and so it was so much fun to hop on and discover that I can still ride like a pro. It also helps to have a cushy seat and pink rims. Come on now, who wouldn't love a bike that looks like a watermelon?!

**If you are wondering what that boxy thing is on my shoulder, it is a plant press. I used it in my wildflower botany class.**

Laugh or Cry (or Both!)

2010-07-16T18:56:00.001-07:00

Time for a funny story. Enough with this depressing stuff.

An hour or so ago, I decided to take a nice hot soak in the bath. I stripped down naked and got the water running, and turned around to find a disgusting, squirming, enormous earwig writhing in my bathwater.

Now tell me, what would any sane, normal woman do? Of course. Scream repeatedly until their husband comes and kills it. Duh.

I even threw in a pretty melodramatically fake puking noise.

When Nathan didn't come to assist his damsel in distress, of course I went to find him. I popped out of the bathroom to find Nathan at the front door with our elderly neighbor, Mrs. B, who was holding a large, beautiful pie.

Yes, our front door is in direct sight of our bathroom door.

I yelped and popped back into the bathroom immediately, but not before poor Mrs. B. got an eyeful of the jiggly, disgusting, bloody mess that I am. Poor poor Mrs. B.!

Mrs. B. then called out kindly "Are you alright?" (Yes, she heard my screams and puking sounds), and I just popped my head out and reported that there was an earwig. I hid in the bathroom and sat there mortified until she left.

Nathan came to find me and laughed at me while I cried about it. I cried.... until I started laughing at how silly the whole situation was and how Mrs. B. was probably equally as embarrassed as I was.

I called her after I had composed myself and after saying that she "barely saw anything", she reported that she giggled all of the way home. What an awesome old lady.

Then I thoroughly enjoyed her delicious pie.

Lemon Meringue.

Convalescence

2010-07-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

The dam that once was my preggy uterus finally broke yesterday. Both me and my poor uterus were puking our guts out. The pain was so bad that I thought Mr. Uterus was going to completely jump ship, but thankfully we both weathered the worst of it. Talk about scary amounts of blood and puke. Sorry, didn't want to get too graphic there.

Really though, the vomiting is probably my own fault. The pain was so bad from the cramps that Nathan suggested I take one of his Oxycodon pills from his hand accident last fall. (Please don't sick the doctor police on me.)

Well, I'm not sure if I have ever taken that kind of insanely ABSURD pain medication before, but my body didn't not like it. Not one little bit. My mom and dad came and peeled me off of my couch and took me home with them (making only one emergency road side puke stop). I spent the rest of the day while Nathan was at work rolling around in agony in my parents recliner/bathroom. Lovely.

Still cramping today, but nothing like yesterday. I am trying to talk my way out of having to take my ballroom dance final tonight. (yeah, fabulous timing, right?). I am pretty sure I will be able to avoid it and still get a decent grade. My teacher seems like an understanding type of person.

Mentally I am doing much much better. Tuesday was the worst day, full of lots of self pity, grieving, and wallowing in my own misery, but I am doing better. I still cry, but not all of the time. Thank you to all of my wonderful friends and family for all of your kind emails, comments, phone calls, texts, visits, trips to the store, fast food runs, and prayers. Even if I haven't gotten back to you (I'm still having a hard time talking about it), I still very much appreciate all of your kindness.

So in summary, even though my body feels like this:

... Wait... that is still too cute. Let's try again.

So even though my body feels like this:

...yes that is much more accurate.

My mind is beginning to feel a bit more like this:

No Baby.

2010-07-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

Not anymore.

Update: Bedrest Day 2

2010-07-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Nathan woke me this morning at 11 am when he was leaving for church. I reluctantly crawled out of bed, feeling like a creature from the bottom of Utah lake. Feeling a bit more motivated then yesterday, I braved a shower. It felt awesome. I even went to the trouble of shaving and exfoliating my legs, and I feel like a new woman.

After standing for nearly 30 minutes, I ordered myself back to the couch with a bowl of cinnimon toast crunch and bananas. Yum.

The pain is not as intense this morning, especially easing in my lower back. Hooray! The last 24 hours I have passed nothing of as great significance as Friday night. Just small traces of tiny old blood clots, and yesterday morning, a microscopic spot of red blood. The doctor said if things were going well, that is what would happen - more brown stuff and maybe a little bit of blood. A bit of the tenderness in my chest had returned by yesterday evening, making me feel a little bit more pregnant again. I am starting to hope for the best again, rather than brace myself for the worst.

Nathan spent the day spoiling me yesterday. He is such a wonderful man. Seriously, how did I get so lucky?! He cleaned the house, started the laundry, and went to the grocery store. He bought me my favorite Burt's Bee's Pomegranate chap stick, and even a cute box of tissues to catch my tears. He also returned with two different flavors of ice cream (yes I sampled both. It is a special circumstance, ok?). He even went over to my parents house and hunted around until he found my childhood Super Nintendo. If you know me well, you know I am pretty anti-video games. We have agreed that we don't want to have any in our house when our children are growing up, but I suddenly needed my Super Nintendo to keep my mind off of things. I haven't played it in YEARS. I guess Super Mario World will always have a soft spot in my heart. That kept me distracted for a few hours, which was great. I can still kick butt at it too. My muscle memory is pretty great, I guess. He also returned with my favorite Chinese takeout for dinner, which slightly tempted me to eat something. Delish. We also played a epically long game of Scrabble. he kept trying to use words like "Gullboat"... whatever that is. He kept me giggling by doing his Betty Boop impression over and over. You should really ask to see it sometime. It is nothing like Betty Boop (whom he hates), but it is still hilarious.

One of my very dearest friends since childhood came over yesterday too. Knowing how much I was missing my mommy, she brought her mommy with her, who was like a second mother to me while we were kids. They cheered me up so much. Her mom has had many miscarriages, and it was such a comfort to talk to someone who knows what I am feeling. She talked me through it and helped me feel very calm. Seriously, those two were heaven sent, I have no doubt. After they left, my spirits were lifted and my heart was very calm.... in a way that a Betty Boop impression can never make you feel.

My dear brother Clint also came by last night and gave me a priesthood blessing with Nathan. It was very comforting. Nathan gave me a blessing on Friday night in the middle of the night, but it was nice to have another one. Clint is the best brother in the world. He held me and made me feel like I can cry and act like I am 5 again. Best big brother ever. Then he went on his way to take one of my dear friends on a 2nd date ;) I set them up, and I am dying to hear how it went.

Well, that is how things are going. My mom and dad's ship arrives tonight in British Columbia, and they will have cell service. They fly home tomorrow. It has been a long 2 weeks filled with too much drama. I can't wait to hear from them.

Don't know what else to do.

2010-07-10T09:26:00.001-07:00

I probably have the worst timing in the world. I probably should not have announced my pregnancy.

Last night at about 12:30 I noticed I was passing some tissue, and it made me very scared. I had a strange pain all day yesterday that wouldn't go away, and so I wasn't really surprised that something might be wrong. I called the after hours line for my OB, and got to talk to the doctor. He said that it might be fine, but it might not. I am supposed to be on bed rest for the next couple of days and see what happens. I haven't seen any bright red blood, so that is a good sign.

I did not sleep well, and to make matters worse, my other pregnancy symptoms have dissappeared this morning.

I am sitting here just sick with worry, and all I want is my mom. Who is on a cruise in Alaska and out of cell phone range.

My Educational Philosophy

2010-04-13T23:21:00.000-07:00

Ok folks,

I know this might be boring for some of you to read, but I felt pretty good after writing this. I had to write my educational philosophy for my Health Teaching Methods class, and it made me really reflect on WHY I want to be a teacher. (Yes, I still want to be one, sillies. ;)

BTW, I find out where I am going to student teach sometime in the next two weeks! Here is hoping I get someplace fabulous! (my secret fear is being placed with a burley old coach who uses old film clips and overheads! Heaven FORBID!)

Ok.. now the philosophy, followed by Goofy's teaching philosophy, as illustrated in a classic Disney cartoon entitled "Teachers Are People". Brace yourself for controversial references to bombs and guns.. yikes!

Educational Philosophy

April 2010

I feel so blessed to be part of a profession that values learning. Raised by parents who are both educators, my passion for learning is second only to God and family. I am excited every day at the possibility of sharing that same passion for learning and intellectual growth with my students.

In order for students to love learning, I believe that creating opportunities for them to succeed is essential. I want to be a teacher who challenges students, but also serves as a guide and a resource for them to arise to the challenge. By getting to know my students personally and understanding their strengths and weaknesses, I am able to better meet their individual learning needs.

I believe that good student-teacher relationships are essential to a productive classroom, but relationships must be maintained with clear expectations of behavior and respect. I will strive to create a safe environment in my classroom through trusting student-teacher and student-student relationships, where students feel safe and able to discuss controversial, sensitive, or emotionally-charged issues.

When discipline is required, I feel it is very important to control emotions and strive to think before you speak. I want the result of discipline to be long-term improved behavior and improved learning experiences for everyone. I believe that a good discipline system is based around prevention and understanding of expectations. I believe that the students should be a part of defining fair consequences for misbehavior, so that they feel ownership for their behavior in the classroom. As an educator, I will not take it personally when a student misbehaves. I will try to maintain a positive student-teacher relationship to help prevent harming a student's educational experience.

I believe that gaining an understanding of health and science enriches lives. These two subjects go hand-in-hand when discovering the human potential. The continually changing disciplines of science and health are intimately intertwined, and an understanding of both enhances the human experience. I feel that our students are at a critical time in their lives where possessing the right information can help them make important choices, potentially changing the course of the rest of their lives. I feel strongly that by engaging them in active learning experiences in both health and science, they will better understand the significance of their decisions regarding their personal health and relationships. They will be armed with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

I feel it is necessary to remain up-to-date with the most current research in the fluid fields of health and science. I strive to continually investigate, learn, and grow using new information from credible resources and professional organizations. I wish to provide my students accurate information, and also to present it to them in a technology-friendly way that the teenagers of today can appreciate.

Lastly, in this world of turmoil, I want to be a force for good. I want to be an example of someone who is happy and satisfied with my life, and daily strives to live it in a way that complements the material that I am teaching. I want to give my students a glimpse of the bright and hopeful future that can be theirs, and give them a piece of the roadmap to get there. I know that by teaching each student the immense value of their life and contribution to society, they will flourish and bloom into the beautiful, brilliant people they have the potential to become.

P.s. I know I am a greenie with next to no experience under my belt, but if you want to read what a REAL veteran teacher has to say, take a peek at this blog post. Love what he has to say, and makes me excited to get into the classroom and teach.

http://gravityandlevity.blogspot.com/2009/04/passon-is-way-street.html

Brace Yourself

2010-02-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

If you have seen me around town, you may have noticed that I was wearing braces on my hands. For the last year or so.

People ask me almost every single day why I am wearing them, and I'm pretty tired of answering, actually. I really appreciate it when people don't ask or notice. As I put it to my coworker and friend, Shawna, "These braces are really cramping my style."

However, because I am writing this post ABOUT said braces, let me explain that I wear these braces because I have carpal tunnel syndrome. And yes, I have it pretty dang bad.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is an inflammation of the tissues surrounding the nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel (a passageway of sorts) in between all of those little bones in the wrist. It can be caused by several different things, such as repetitive, non-ergonomic motion, or even vitamin deficiencies in your body. When your nerve is surrounded by these inflamed tissues, it "chokes" the nerve of good blood supply and proper nerve conduction, and ultimately with time can cause permanent nerve death.

Symptoms of this horrible condition include painful burning numbness in the hand (especially while lying down), weakness in the wrist and hand, shooting pains in the arm, stiffness in the fingers, etc.

Further complicating the issue, Nathan and I do not currently have health insurance. This is a source of constant, intense worry for me. Plus, the most common treatment for this condition is to have surgery. Surgery is very very expensive, and it also seems so drastic.

Now, before you leave me lots of comments about how your mother-in-law's high school boyfriend had the surgery and it totally worked, or how your college professor had it too, and it didn't work at all for him... let me tell you, I've heard it all. Literally, I have heard so many carpal tunnel stories I could probably write a book.

Because I wanted surgery to be a last resort, I chose to seek an alternative method of treatment. (One that I could afford). I went to see a highly recommended Chiropractor in Provo named Dr. Brady. He really is awesome, and he offers a student discount! I've been seeing him twice a week, once a week, and now every other week since November 6th of last year. I have seen a big improvement, that is for sure. The feeling has returned to the tips of my fingers (hooray! no more burning or cutting my fingers without realizing it!), but it is in no way cured. I don't think that I will ever get my wrists back to normal without pursuing more drastic treatment.

I came to this conclusion at about 4:30 am last Saturday morning after having only slept two hours. All symptoms of CTS are worse when lying down, and often I cannot find relief unless I am sitting upright. Sometimes, I sit upright most of the night, dozing pathetically in the blue light of the television. I thought to myself in the wee hours of the morning,

"I'm done. I cannot do this anymore."

I talked to Dr. Brady today, and he agreed that perhaps it is time to get the surgery. I don't feel that my 4 months with Dr. Brady have been in vain though.. He probably saved the nerves in my fingers from permanent damage.

We do have enough in savings to pay for the surgery outright, but it is still going to be VERY expensive, especially for two young married kids who work part time. If I get both wrists done, it could be as much as $8,000.

Ugh. It makes my stomach turn just thinking about that enormous number.

I called the surgeon today to set up my first $200-300 consultation appointment. (I'm a little bitter that it will cost me almost a whole paycheck just to have this important person grace me with his presence for a few minutes of his day). I was relieved when I was put on hold due to "a high volume of calls" as the pleasant-voiced, pre-recorded woman informed me.

I hung up.

Maybe tomorrow I will have the courage to follow through. I would appreciate it if you included us in your prayers while we are making this big decision.

Love is the answer.

2010-02-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

I have discovered a new radio station that has really caught my interest. Maybe you have already heard of it? It is called KLOVE, and here in Utah Valley it broadcasts on the signal 90.5 FM. It is basically a Christian alternative rock station. As far as I can tell they are non-denominational Christians, broadcasting from somewhere in the Carolinas, and possibly sometimes Texas? Anyway, After investigating their "Beliefs" section of their website, I agree with almost every point of their ideology... and after becoming a pretty regular listener during my commute, I have learned to appreciate their whole "let's get together and pray for everybody" kind of attitude.

The majority of my readers will already know that am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormon). For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Mormonism, we are Christian, and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. We believe that it is through His atoning sacrifice that we may be redeemed. I also want to make a note that we strongly believe in prayer and strive to pray several times daily. I am not always perfect at this, but I try my best and am hopefully always progressing forward. We also believe that the Bible is the true word of God, and we do study it continually as part of our worship services, and also in our personal study.

....These are just a few of many things I believe that I have in common with the most of the KLOVE listeners.

I must admit that at first I wasn't so sure about this Christian alternative station... After listening to it with Nathan several times, I asked him how he felt about it. He said that he felt it was a little bit irreverent sometimes. I thought about it more over the next few days, and I could see a little bit of what he meant. In our church we are taught to use the words "thee" and "thou" instead of "you" when addressing our Heavenly Father. We believe that using the thee/thou terminology is a way of showing respect to God when addressing Him directly. Many of these musicians and radio DJ's opt to use the more casual "you" in this situation.

As I thought more about this, I realized that it didn't really bother me very much. Sure, I myself would not use these casual terms, but these people believe differently than I do in this regard. This does not discredit their testimonies. I believe Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are a powerful force in these musicians lives, and I really like that. It is nice to hear something uplifting coming from the radio, isn't it?

I like what this radio station does for me. It helps me to remember to think about Jesus Christ more frequently during my day, and to take comfort in remembering my real purpose here on earth.

Below is a video of a song that really brought me peace today on my commute home from work. Often my brain feels fatigued and cranky on my way home, and too often I bring this attitude back to Nathan, and that is not very nice. I always try to mentally fight it so that I'm not such a downer when I walk through the door, and today this song about Love really made me turn my mental attitude around. It filled my heart with peace and made me feel good about what I am doing with my life. Take a listen, and be inspired :)

P.s. If you are wondering more about Mormonism, please visit Mormon.org

An Apple A Day Handmades

2010-02-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Good Day Friends...

My friend Allie asked me to do a little guest recipe post over at An Apple A Day Handmades.

So now this is your cue to mosey over there and check me out! No seriously.... go check me out. :)

(p.s. I made the apple a day banner too... so check it out!)

I love you my dear

2010-02-03T12:10:00.000-08:00

This month is a month of VALENTINES! My friend Allie posted this on her blog, and I couldn't help but share. Click the picture to see this adorable esty shop.

I adore February.

p.s. Nathan is suddenly on an art kick. He's drawing a lot, and yesterday we decided to get re-invested in painting again. This time, together. I'm excited. I'll keep you posted.

Vultures

2010-01-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

This song meant a lot to me this morning. Heavenly Father knows what I needed to hear... he must be manipulating my iPod's shuffle function.

Vultures
John Mayer

Some of us, we're hardly even here 
The rest of us, we're born to disappear 
How do I stop myself from being just a number 
How will I hold my head to keep from going under? 

Down to the wire 
I wanted water 
But I'll walk through the fire 
If this is what it takes 
To take me even higher 
Then I'll come through 
Like I do, when the world keeps 
Testing me, testing me, testing me 

How did they find me here? 
What do they want from me?
All of these vultures hanging 
Right outside my door 
I hear them whisperin' 
They're tryin to ride it out 
They've never gone this long 
Without a kill before 

Down to the wire 
I wanted water 
But I'll walk through the fire 
If this is what it takes 
To take me even higher 
Then I'll come through 
Like I do, when the world keeps 
Testing me, testing me, testing me

Wheels up 
I got to leave this evening 
I can't seem to keep these vultures 
Out of my trail
Powers is made, by power being taken 
So, I keep on running to protect my situation 

Down to the wire 
I wanted water 
But I'll walk through the fire 
If this is what it takes 
To take me even higher 
Then I'll come through 
Like I do, when the world keeps 
Testing me, testing me, testing me 

Oooooh
Oooooh 
Oooooh
Oooooh 
Whatcha gonna do about it 
Whatcha gonna do about it 
Whatcha gonna do about it

Don't give up, give up
Don't give up, give up, give up
Don't give up, give up
Don't give up, give up, give up

And to you Mr. Vulture,
It is people like you that make me want to be better... to make the world a better place.
...To give kids hope in life.  Don't even try to bring me down.

Jackie & Eleanor

2010-01-13T21:41:00.001-08:00

Introducing Jackie Kennedy and Eleanor Roosevelt
The first ladies of the Ives House

Nathan gave me these little ladies for Christmas, and we've been hard and work training and socializing them. I am very happy to report they are almost completely litter box trained! What smart little ratties :)

Give Thanks

2009-11-26T22:51:00.000-08:00

Today was one of the greatest Thanksgivings I have probably ever had. My parents and brother went over to my in-laws house, and there was a pretty big crowd. Everyone that was there (and their relationship to us):

Mom (MaryJane)
Dad (Sterling)
Clint (my brother)
Nathan (mine ;)
Me (duh)
Sharon (Nathan's mom)
Eldon (Nathan's Dad)
Renae (Nathan's Sister)
Josh (Renae's husband)
Lillian (Renae and Josh's baby)
Kevin (Josh's cousin)
Rebecca (Nathan's sister)
MJ aka Mitch (Rebecca's fiance)
Emil (Mitch's dad)
Deborah (Mitch's mom)
Jack (Rebecca's son)
MaryEllen (Renae's best friend)
Eric (Ives family friend)
Linda (Ives family friend, Eric's wife)
Laura (Ives family friend, Eric's mom)
Rachel (Nathan's sister)
Brian (Rachel's husband)
Camilla (Rachel & Brian's daughter)
Eli (Rachel & Brian's son)

Wow, that's 24!! It was so great though. The food was fabulous, everybody had a great time, and it was so great to visit with everybody. MJ's parents came into town from Denver, and they'd come over the summer too, so we had already had a chance to get to know them. Emil, MJ's dad, is the executive chef at a restaurant at a fancy shmancy hotel in Denver, and I was so so flattered when he said my rolls looked beautiful! I was so happy! It's pretty intimidating to cook for a chef, I'm telling you! I had made 3 different kinds of rolls, and they had turned out SO GOOD! Everybody thought I had bought them... they were Knotted Sesame Parmesan Rolls, Crescent Rolls, and Pull-Apart Blossoming Rolls. Under the direction of my mom (aka the bread master) I have really mastered the bread thing! Love it! (Just so you know, my mom wasn't always the bread master. She attended a presentation by Pantry Secrets and it pretty much changed our whole bread lives.)

Anyway, on to what this post is really supposed to be about; giving thanks. I have so very much to be grateful for, making a list really wouldn't suffice. There are a few things that I must mention, though... First, I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father who gave me the opportunity to come to earth and experience this wonderful, beautiful life. He knows me better than anyone, and he has blessed me with a generous dose of emotion.

Sometimes in comparison to Nathan I feel that I am experiencing life times 10. Maybe it just comes along with being a woman, but often my emotions feel so intense I just have to express them, or possibly blow up. Sometimes this isn't' so nice and I have a meltdown, but other times I am so full of joy that I have to dance or sing or hug someone. What a beautiful life this is! What a wonderful body I have been given, through which I can feel these divine emotions. It doesn't matter to me what triggers them (I cry at every Jiff peanut butter commercial ever made).. I just love to feel them. Maybe this is why I always related to Anne of Green Gables so well.... hmmmm.

I am also grateful for Nathan. I sit here with almost no words to express how I feel about him. He is everything to me... how I caught such a wonderful man, I will never know. He is much more mature, intelligent, and thoughtful than I am. Let me share just one of the more recent sweet things he has done for me. Last Tuesday, I was having a pretty crappy day. I won't go into any details, but trust me, it was bad. After work, I came home to find that the house was clean, the laundry was in progress, the dishes were done, there was a bunch of beautiful flowers on the table, as well as a big present with a card. I don't think he will mind if I share what he wrote, so inside the card it said,

" Katy, I know that you have had a hard day. I can't stop thinking about you. I love you so much. Know that I will always be here to support you and cheer you up! Love, Nathan"

This alone turned me into a mushy puddle, but inside the bag were some of my favorite comfort items. Revealing the contents of this bag to you will probably reveal a lot about me and probably convince you I'm pretty strange.... Oh well, here goes:

Katy's Emergency Meltdown Kit:
1 bag of Salt & Vinegar kettle chips (Made with malt vinegar)
1 bag peppermint lifesavers
1 mamba fruit chews
1 tropical starburst
1 shiny new planner for 2010 with a dachshund theme.. a brand new adorable dachshund
picture every week!! Talk about melting my heart!!

Need I say anything more to convince you that Nathan is the most wonderful man alive? This amazing man went into petco (PETCO!) just to find something with adorable puppies on it. He went in and brought to the check-out a single little dachshund planner. Most men shudder to think of completing this task... but is Nathan embarrassed to go and buy a cute little puppy planner to surprise his #1 girl? Nope. I love him so much.

I love Nathan so much that I even talk about it in my sleep! The other night Nathan stayed up reading in bed for a little while . I had fallen asleep long before him, but when he went to turn off the light, I snuggled up to him and said "Soooooooo much. Sooooooooooooooo much. Baby, you are the best baby ever." Well, I guess that translates to mean I love him. Sooooooooooo much ;)

I am also grateful to have such a great brother. My brother Clint is probably best described by a compliment that was paid to him recently. My friend Mary's older brother Sam is extremely intellectual, and he said, "Clinton is an Israelite in whom there is no guile". It is so true. He is completely without guile. He has absolutely no ulterior motives. He doesn't have a single self-serving bone in his whole body. If you were down to your last dime, he would give you all he had and more. He will drop everything he's doing to help you if you ask. He is such a wonderful example of what I need to be, and Heavenly Father blessed my life so much when he let me be Clint's little sister. We are so different in so many ways, but nearly identical in others, like how we both do this little wheezy thing right before we laugh. He has been my #1 friend since birth. I love you, Clint :)
(p.s. When I say 'I love you' to Clint over the phone, he always says it back. Even if I call him at work. He also occasionally kisses me on the cheek, which melts my heart like butter in the microwave.)

I don't think I will go any further tonight mentioning specific individuals who have touched my life. I've already done plenty of sentimental crying at my keyboard over this post. As refreshing as it is, I think I must stop now. Next time I feel like having a good sentimental cry, I will write you a mile-long post about my mom and dad, aka the best people in the whole world.

Let me leave you with a music video of a song that I heard in the car the other day on the way home from work. The lyrics really spoke to me at that particular moment. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

P.s. I love you too, reader.

Hungry yet? Oh, you will be.

2009-10-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

Prepare yourself, this is going to be a loooooong post, and it is all about FOOD! I'm talkin' the good, the bad, and the just plain UGLY of the food at my house. If you read further, you will get a delicious recipe for a perfect easy-to-make fall soup, a great new way to make pumpkin seeds, updates on how the caramel apples turned out, and the monster that came from the back of the fridge! Are you excited?!

You

Should

Be!!!

Let's get right to the good stuff. Yesterday afternoon I decided we were in need of a warm and easy pick-me-up dinner. Nathan and I spent saturday afternoon cleaning up the yard in the cold, drizzly weather. So, at about 3:30pm, I put together this crockpot delight using whatever was in my kitchen. You should try it! It is DELICIOUS!!

Katy's Chicken Vegetable Crockpot Soup

Ingredients:

1 or 2 medium size chicken breasts
4 large-ish red skinned potatoes
3 medium size carrots
2 or 3 small white onions
1 can cream of chicken soup
water
Paprika
Parsley flakes
Seasoned Salt
Salt
Pepper

1. Turn on your crock pot and put in your chicken whole. (I stuck my chicken breasts in whole and frozen, but if you're not in such a hurry as I was, you can cook and cut it if you want.)

2. Chop up the potatoes, onions, and carrots and throw them in the pot with the chicken.

3. Add in the can of cream-of-chicken soup, along with two cans of hot water using the cream-0f-chicken can. Stir until blended.

4. Add a generous dash of the parsley flakes, the seasoned salt, paprika, and pepper. Stir until blended.

5. Let the crockpot cook on high for about 2 hours, or (I am guessing on this) on low for about 4 hours.

6. Check the chicken after the time has passed, and if it is done, fish it out and cut it up into bite sized pieces. Also, make sure that your carrots are tender and done.

7.Stir the chicken back into the pot. Taste the broth and see if it needs any more salt, and if so, salt to taste.

8. Serve with a side of crusty sourdough toast! YUM!!

Makes about 4 hearty servings.

You know you want some ;)

CARAMEL APPLE UPDATE!

The caramel apples I made were a complete success!! Upon Nathan's doubting request, I actually made 2 kinds of caramel apples for our halloween party. I made the honey organic ones that I included the recipe for in my last post, as well as a standard corn-syrup processed sugar and butter kind of caramel that Nathan said he knew he would like. Both turned out really well!!
The only thing about the honey caramel was that it was a little more finicky to make in the pot. I think I cooked it a little too long and didn't stir it enough, and so it got a little dark. This actually ended up being really delicious however! It added a more molassessy, nutty taste the the caramel, which was DELICIOUS! Below, you can see the difference between the processed sugar caramel and the lovely organic honey kind:

(by the way, Nathan finally admitted that the honey caramel was just as delicious, if not better than the other one.)

After I dipped the apples, I rolled most of them in crumbled up oreos or in crumbled up peanutbutter cookies. I copied this idea from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory caramel apples, which are OUT OF THIS WORLD! They are totally worth the high price, at least once a year anyway.

Anyway, these apples turned out GREAT! I'm going to make more today for our great hometeachers. You should too!

Parmesan Pumpkin Seeds

So, even though I posted some other delicious looking recipes in my last post, when it came down to it I just made up my own. Hee hee. I did steal a few ideas from those recipes, but I really loved what I came up with!

Ingredients:

About 4 cups of pumpkin seeds
2 Egg whites
Parsley Flakes
Sugar
Seasoned Salt
Grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & Water

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and throw in your seeds. Set your timer for about 10 minutes and let those babies get nice and salty. This also cleans off all that pumpkin goop, so don't stress if you haven't been able to get them really clean.

2. Dump the seeds in to a strainer and shake as much of the water off of them as you can.

3. In a bowl, add two egg whites to your pumpkin seeds and stir generously. Then add in a couple of shakes of parsley flakes, about 1/4 cup sugar, and a couple of dashes of seasoned salt (be careful though, you already salted them pretty good with the water, so go easy.) Stir until it is well blended.

4. Lay the seeds out on a greased cookie sheet in as close as you can get to a single layer. Sprinkle them with the parmesan cheese and a little more of the parsley flakes (if you are obsessed with parsley flakes like I am, I think they make everything look so much prettier.)

5. Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes. Watch them very closely though.. don't just let them go the whole 10 minutes without checking them a couple of times. When they are getting lightly brown, take them out of the oven and stir them around. Get them back into line with their single layer and pop them back into the oven for a few more minutes. When they are getting brown again, yank them out!

6. I like my pumpkin seeds on the chewy side, so at this point they are done! However, if you like yours on the nuttier crunchy side, stick them back in for a few more minutes until the desired brown-ness has been attained.

7. Enjoy! (I kn0w we did!)

I don't want to ruin your appetite or anything, but it is Halloween....

Yesterday, as Nathan and I were cleaning out the fridge, we found this little monster who had been lurking behind the milk for who knows how long. It was so freakish, we had to have a photoshoot....

I think we counted 5 different kinds of moldy creatures in there. Oh the humanity.

Harvest Projects:

2009-10-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

Friday night we are having a harvest pumkin carving party, and so tomorrow afternoon I am going to make this recipe with the apples Sharon & Eldon grew:

(Recipe compliments of 101 Cookbooks)

Caramel Apples Recipe

October 15, 2008 | 97 Comments

Placerville, California is apple country. This time of year, apple farms line nearby country roads and all manner of apple products are sold - apple pies, dumplings, fritter, ciders, doughnuts, sauces, cookies, and of course...caramel apples. On our drive from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe last weekend Wayne, Jennifer, and I pulled over in Placerville to have a picnic lunch at one of the local wineries nestled in the Sierra foothills. On our round-about way back to the highway we also visited a couple of the local apple-centric attractions. It was just the reminder I needed. For years I've wanted to do a new caramel apple recipe for my site. I thought I might be able to do a version using apples, honey, cream, and salt. That's it. No white sugar, no corn syrup, and no melting of Kraft caramel squares.

I also wanted to avoid a few of the caramel apple pitfalls that have tripped me up in the past. For example, I needed the caramel to stay on the apple. Lots of people, myself included, have had trouble with caramel not setting on their apples. I decided to use the technique I use to make my favorite caramels - the honey-sweetened caramel gives the apples a beautiful, opaque, golden coat and tastes rich, chewy, and decadent.

A few things you should know before you start. You need a candy thermometer. I have one from Whole Foods Market that cost me about $4 - works fine. But I'm going to admit, this time around I used my infrared thermometer gun. Either way, a thermometer is important because the key to this caramel recipe is achieving a good set, you want your caramel to be able to hold a shape once it cools. To make this happen you need to heat the ingredients to a very specific temperature. I know it all sounds precise and fussy, and to a certain extent it is, but really all you're doing here is putting a very short list of ingredients together in a pot, and bringing the temperature up, up, up into what is considered "hard ball" territory 255F - 260F degrees. If you don't heat the caramel enough, it will likely run off the apple, but alternately if you go too hot the caramel will be difficult to bite into, and will have more of a tendency to peel off the apple.

Caramel Apple Recipe

Please be careful when making caramel apples, you will be working with dangerously hot, sticky, ingredients - I always put on an apron and make sure I have a closed-toed pair of shoes on when making candy. Be extra, extra careful if you have kids around. On the ingredient front, I typically go for a mild clover honey when making caramels.

6 - 8 small apples, unwaxed, cold
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup honey

Special equipment: candy thermometer, and lollipop sticks

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Push a lollipop or popsicle stick deep into each apple - in through the stem.
Fill a large bowl 1/2 full with ice water and set aside.

In a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan heat the cream and salt until tiny bubbles start forming where the milk touches the pan - just before a simmer. Stir in the honey. Bring the mixture to a boil. Now reduce the heat to an active simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 15-20 minutes minutes or until the mixture reaches about 255-260F degrees. To stop the caramel from cooking, very, very carefully set the bottom of the saucepan in the bowl of cold water you prepared earlier - taking special care not to get any of the water in the caramel mixture. Stir until caramel begins to thicken up - you want the caramel to be thin enough that it will easily coat your apples, but not so thin that it will run right off. If the caramel thickens too much simply put the pot back over the burner for 10 seconds or so to heat it up a bit.

I tilt my sauce pan so all the caramel forms a pool on one side, and use my other hand to dunk and twirl each apple until it is thoroughly coated with caramel. Place each apple on the parchment lined baking sheets and allow the caramel to cool and set.

Makes 6 - 8 caramel apples.

And again from 101 Cookbooks, I am going to make this with our sweet pumpkin guts:

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

There are a couple of ways to go about toasting pumpkin seeds. I should mention, that in addition to the way I make them, there is also an extended cooking technique as well. If you have more time and patience, you can boil the seeds in salted water for roughly 10 minutes before draining and proceeding with the rest of the instructions (scale back on the salt called for in the individual recipes). Your seeds will have a nice crunch to them, and more balanced salt distribution. That being said, I usually skip this step (particularly if I'm at a pumpkin carving party and people are excited about sampling the seeds of their labor). If you're interested in this approach, be sure to check out Elise's Simply Recipes site if you want the play-by-play on this method.

Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

1 egg white
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grained sea salt
1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg white, sugar, cayenne and salt. Add the pumpkin seeds and toss well. Drain off any excess egg white (using a strainer) and place seeds in a single layer across a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until seeds are golden. Sprinkle with a bit more sugar and cayenne pepper when they come out of the oven. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Makes one cup.

Curried Pumpkin Seeds

1 egg white
2 teaspoon curry powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grained sea salt
1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg white, curry powder and salt. Add the pumpkin seeds and toss well. Drain off any excess egg white (using a strainer) and place seeds in a single layer across a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until seeds are golden. Sprinkle with a bit more curry powder when they come out of the oven. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

Makes one cup.

I will let you know how these turn out!!

The great painting caper begins!

2009-10-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

We are systematically taking on the task of fixing and painting the walls in our apartment. When we moved in, there were LOTS of holes in the walls, and so it needed to be done really badly. We worked it out with our landlords to figure the cost into our rent, which is great because I can make things look the way I want them to. Muah ha ha! The first room I did about a month ago was the bathroom. You can't tell in this picture all that well, but in addition to the holes in the walls, the paint job was a badly done feux finish in a very repulsive mauve color. Bleh! I'd say our blue is a very big improvement!

BEFORE

AFTER

We painted the living room this weekend, and it looks fabulous! Pictures to come!

The long awaited tour...

2009-10-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends! I am so sorry for my lengthy absence... School has been all-consuming to say the least. However, I did promise a tour of our new place, and so even though we've made a few changes since these pictures were taken, I thought you'd like to take a peek! Please disregard
the mess, I took these the week that we moved in, and things were still EVERYWHERE.

This is the living room:

Kitchen:

Hallway:

Harry Potter Closet:

Bathroom:

Very messing laundry room: (by the way, we have a washer and dryer in here now!)

Large storage/furnace room (aka, room full of empty moving boxes):

Nathan's music room where he jams and teaches lessons:

Bedroom:

Isn't this place awesome?!! We are so happy to be living here, and to actually have a little more room to breath and stretch out. I think we will be sticking around for a long time!

Introducing Boris Karloff

2009-09-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Boris Karloff is the newest member of our family.

No, not this guy!

This little guy!!

I know he looks like he's frowning, but he's actually happy to be here. We rescued him from a dirty little cup at walmart. We would have rescued them all... but apparently, if you put more than one beta in a bowl together, they will kill each other. Greaaaaat. So, Boris is the lucky one. I hope he's grateful ;)

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

2009-09-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Yes everyone... At long long last......

WE HAVE THE INTERNET AT OUR APARTMENT!! FIRST TIME SINCE WE'VE BEEN MARRIED!!!! (That's six months, guys. six flippin' months.)

HOORAY!! Let's celebrate by posting more blog posts? I say yes.

Rabbit Hole and Barn House

2009-09-04T10:21:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

I am so happy to say that we no longer live in a rabbit hole! Hooray! ...as much as I adored our first place, I must admit that it was incredibly tiny.

So here's the story (pay close attention, it's a little confusing)-

Our home teacher, Sam S., belongs to an extended family in our ward who own a lot of property in the area. What they don't live in, they rent. I would say at least 1/4 of our ward is probably owned by someone of the S. family. When Sam S. Came to visit us, he saw what a tiny little place we were living in and told us about a house owned by Sam S. sister (we will call her C.S.). C.S. lives far away, and so Sam S. and his wife take care of the house for her. It also so happens that Sam S. and C.S. also have another sister who lives in Nathan's parent's ward. This other sister has known Nathan forever, and recommended to Sam S. that we would be great tenants and would take good care of the place. (which we have already begun doing and are loving it). So, we worked very hard and sold our lease to the Rabbit Hole, and moved into the lovely and spacious basement of C.S. house (aka Barn House, due to the barn-like shape of the roof) - right around the corner from said Rabbit Hole. WE LOVE IT!! IT IS HUGE!! AND ONLY $50 MORE PER MONTH!!! Best thing is, we get to stay within our fabulous ward that we have fallen madly in love with.

There is another member of the S. family, a cute single BYU girl and her cute BYU friend living in the top half of the house, and things are getting along swimmingly. Our responsibilities include taking care of the yard and making minor repairs around the place, should the need arise. I actually mowed the lawn last night and attempted to thwart some of the weeds that are slowly taking over the yard (NOT FOR LONG!). Heh heh heh.

We are also going to paint apartment and repair some serious holes in the walls, and any cost of improvements we make will be taken off the top of our rent/deposit. Sweet huh? I love to paint and I am SO excited! Hooray!

So you say you want to come visit? Please do! We have plenty of room, and even a sofa bed to accommodate! You can make friends with our newest addition, Boris Karloff the Beta.

Well, that is all. I need to go to Vertebrate Zoology now. Hooray for hagfish and lampreys.

Oh p.s. pictures to come :)

New cell number!

2009-08-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

I thought I would just let you know that I got a new cell phone.. it is an awesome one indeed! (See below) However, in order to get this cool cell phone, I had to give up my awesome number. Sad day. So, please update your phone books now: Katy W. Ives 801.836.6246

Thanks!

Sandy Midnight Moon Run 5k

2009-08-08T13:25:00.001-07:00

Last night (or really this morning at 12:00 am) we ran the the Sandy Midnight Moon Run 5k. It was so fun! The course was really hilly, but I beat my former fastest time by a whole 7 minutes! Yahooo! This was my first race ever, and it was way better than I thought it would be! Hooray!

Everybody who ran: Nathan's mission buddy Ben Coles, Nate's sis. Rachel, Me, Rachel's sister-in-law Shannon, and Allison.

Nathan & Clint came to support us, which was great :)

July the 4th.. aka Indepedence Day

2009-07-11T18:44:00.001-07:00

The forth of July turned out to be a Fabulous, patriotic day!

The day started out with a lovely picnic with Clint & Allison at Nielson's Grove....

...and Clint made a DELICIOUS apple pie! How American!

After a delicious barbecue at the Ives' house, some of us went to the Pleasant Grove City Fireworks, which were FANTASTIC this year... I am telling you.. having a full-time fire department makes a difference on the forth of July. No more lame fireworks!

This is Nate, me, and our nieces Camilla & Peyton, and hovering in the background is our nephew Parker...

Then we met back up with Dad, Clint & Allison for a few driveway fireworks....

Happy Independence Day!

P.s. If you are out there, reading my blog right now, please take a moment to shoot me a comment! I want to know that someone is reading this stuff!

Summer So Far...

2009-07-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Summer has been good to the Ives so far. Here are some of the magical things we have done so far....

Sam & Darla got married....

...and Nathan was the Best Man.

There was a memorial day hike up to Battle Creek Falls....
Pictured L to R Kathy Strode, Allyssa Monson, Josh Monson, Renae Monson, Nathan & Me

...and we visited the cemetery.

Clint & Allison met our niece, baby Lillian Monson...

...and Lily loved Clint :)

I came home one night to find Nathan washing dishes like this, the dear....

We went to the Strawberry Days Rodeo...

...and Allie discovered the beauty of Strawberries & Cream

The old roommates got together because my BFF Mary came home from her mission...

...and some of us took a tour of the conference center on that Sunday afternoon.

I've decided to do the 4th of July in it's own post, so tune in next time for more summertime adventures!

A Blissful Morning of Biking

2009-06-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Erin, Doug, and I spent the morning biking from Provo Canyon down to Utah Lake via the Provo River Trail. It is a marvelous bike ride of about 15 miles. I highly recommend it, and will be doing it again soon! My brother Clint let me borrow his fabulous dutch personal bike - straight from The Netherlands, to my delight. My conclusion is that the dutch really know what they are doing when it comes to bicycles.

Erin's dad kindly dropped us at the top in his big red truck, and my adorable Nathan picked us up during his lunch break at the bottom in his dad's big white truck. No wonder I love him ;)

Obviously I didn't take this lovely photo of the Provo River Trail... but Matt Clayton did.

Sunny afternoons... beautiful.

2009-05-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

I love where we live, even if it is only a single room. It's lovely, isn't it?

Katy's Banana Bread

2009-05-28T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody...
Have you ever bought a large amount of bananas following a high-consumption banana week? Well, we have. We went through a phase of eating bananas in our cereal, which prompted us to buy a very large bunch of bananas, and then promptly stop eating them this way. So, I decided to make banana bread. I found a recipe online, but have modified it to meet my tastes and also to make it healthier, so I am calling it 'Katy's Banana Bread'. Feel free to try it and let me know what you think!!

Katy's Banana Bread

Ingredients:

-4 well-ripened bananas (lots of spots will do, they don't have to be black or anything)

-1 1/2 cups bread flour (original recipe called for all-purpose, so I am sure that would work too.)

-3/4 cup white sugar (original recipe called for 1 c. but I thought it was sweet enough with less.)

-2 tablespoons softened butter

-1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

-1 teaspoon baking powder

-1 egg

-2 generous tablespoons of applesauce

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (I love when recipes remind me to do this at the very beginning!)

1.Mash bananas in a mixing bowl. I did this with a potato masher, and left the bananas a little bit on the chunky side.

2. Add all of the other ingredients and mix well. I just mixed it by hand with a spatula, but a hand mixer on a low speed would also probably work great.

3. Pour mixture into 1 lightly greased loaf pan.

4. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 60 minutes, or until a fork or toothpick comes out clean in the center of the loaf.

Pretty simple, right?!

The reason I liked this recipe better than some others I have tried (and I have tried several), is that it is VERY banana-y! Most recipes I have tried called for an astonishingly small number of bananas in proportion to the other ingredients, I thought. Also, because my bananas were not extremely overly-ripe, they still had a little tang left in them. When combined with the applesauce, it left a very surprising and satisfying tang to the bread! Lovely! If this is not in your taste, I would recommend using the full 1 c. of sugar, rather than the 3/4 cup. Another lovely feature; because I left the bananas slightly on the chunky side, the bread was filled with pockets of sweet, delicious banana goodness! Yes!!
Also, if you like to use nuts in your banana bread, feel free to throw some in. I always choose to leave them out because I am allergic to nuts. Not so delicious. However, if you feel that banana bread is naked without some type of toxic nut inside, go ahead and add it in. I'm just sayin' that it tastes just fine without. Something else I'd like to throw in sometime would be a handful of craisins. I bet that would be delicious.

Anyway, Let me know how yours turns out!

P.s. Is it pathetic that cooking has become one of the more exciting topics of my life these days? (at least of topics that are socially respectable to talk about...) ;)

Ives Go Green

2009-05-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

Nathan had a desire to be good to the environment and get a few of those reusable grocery bags. Great, I say! ...Except, every time we see them for sale in the grocery store, they seem so incredibly small! You could barely fit your milk and bread in there! ..until... we discovered the BUY LOW MARKET! We thought everything in there was pretty good for a discount grocery store.. but their bags are HUGE! Look! You can fit about 15% of me in one! Yahooo for going green!

Next step for going green, remember the bags when you go to the store. That is the real trick.

Have You Seen My Photo Blog?

2009-05-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, many of you know, I have a small photography business.

Before now I have not published any of my photos publicly. This is because I keep as busy as I want to be from word-of-mouth advertisement.. but I wanted a place for clients to see a sneak preview of their photos in the works.

If you too want to see what my recent/current projects are, hop on over to:

http://katyivesphotography.blogspot.com/

Ta ta!

Our Recent Project

2009-05-24T21:08:00.001-07:00

So, we needed a new chair, and so I went to D.I. and found this lovely baby... except she didn't look as great as she does now... she was upholstered with the most hideous, barf-stained, mismatched sad excuse for fabric than I have ever seen. However, I looked down deep inside her beautiful form, and saw.... THIS!

Nathan and I pulled it all apart, and using the tools in his dad's woodshop, we uphostered it! It was so fun! I want to upholster more furniture in the future... but unfortunately, we don't have room in our apartment for anything else right now... sigh...

By the way, have I shown you around our little apartment? How about a little tour?

Well, that is about it really..... Hahaha.....

It IS all one room, and the bed does fold out of the wall..

And when you turn around you see this (the front door is directly to the right of the camera).

Sorry that this one is sideways...ooops!

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner nook. Cute :)

Tiniest bathroom EVER!

The shower is directly to the right in this photo, and that's about it!

I will have to take a few more recent pictures, we have hung up some artwork and clocks, hung some curtains, got a few plants, etc. It is really homey! We are loving it!

Happy Days

2009-04-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

This cute girl is Allison. She tagged me in the following post, but before I get to that, Let me show you the cutest pictures I discovered on the cute girl's blog.

So this is the story... This cute girl is my brother's girlfriend. A couple of weeks ago they took a quick trip to San Diego, where her family lives. Look at the beautiful fun they had....

Look at my handsome brother, and how happy they are! Adorable! It warms my heart!

What a gorgeous picture... it makes me long for the ocean. Curse our landlocked state.

And now... on to what this is really supposed to be about! This questionnaire about my beloved :)

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
A movie, probably.. or if he is at his parents house it is probably cartoons. How embarrassing.. haha.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?
Probably ranch.

3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Olives.

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order?
Probably a fruity-type of lemonade.

5. Where did he go to high school?
PGHS.. go vikes!

6. What size shoe does he wear?
10.5 on average.

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Guitars.. or just random musical instruments ...or maybe just music in general.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich?
The Urban Cowboy from Gandy's.

9. What would this person eat every day if he could?
Chocolate. He is a serious chocoholic. Way worse than any menstruating woman than I have ever met.

10. What is his favorite cereal?
Right now it is fruity pebbles. (or the generic off-brand.) I am a huge advocate of healthy cereal, but I indulged him the last time we went to the store, and how he has me eating them. Curses! Curse their deliciousness!

11. What would he never wear?
I actually asked him this, and he said "sweatbands". How odd!

12. What is his favorite sports team?
He is unbiased in the sports arena i think..

13. Who did he vote for?
He didn't vote. Voting was a couple of days after he came back into the country for the first time in 2 years.

14. Who is his best friend?
ME! :)

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Overreact... or ask him stupid questions I already know the answer to, like "do you like my hair?? Are you being honest??" That bugs him. Haha.

16. What is his heritage?
Big healthy German.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake?
Triple fudgey chocolately goodness.

18. Did he play sports in high school?
Does skateboarding count?

19. What could he spend hours doing?
Reading books about languages. He mumbles aloud in strange languages while he does this... then he laughs and tries to tell me why it is funny, and it's not very funny at all.

20. What is one unique talent he has?
He is talented in science, math, art, and music too.. he's very well-rounded.

Out of the Box Blogpost

2009-04-15T10:40:00.001-07:00

For my instructional media class, I had to make this powerpoint blogpost...and it was so cute I wanted to share :)

Wedding Day!

2009-03-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! So, I don’t have any pictures from the photographer yet, and nobody in the wedding party was taking photos. But, my adorable Aunt Barbie sent me these that she took of the wedding day, and I was so excited!! I still haven’t seen any pictures besides these… and it was so nice to actually see these. It made me feel excited all over again :) It was such a wonderful, beautiful day.
When I get some photos from the photographer I will post them , too!
Loves!

Coming out of the temple:

Mom and I outside the temple…. I love my cute mommy :)

Happy day!

Love him!!

The New Improved, Wadley Family! :)

My beautiful family at the beautiful reception:

Me and my cousin’s little girl, Haley:

Clint and his girlfriend, Allison:

Really Quick...

2009-03-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

I am here at my parent's house using their internet because...

DUM DUM DUM....

My new apartment doesn't have any! Bah! Who knew how completely dependent I am on the internet?? Not only is it pretty much essential to see what people are up to (blogs and facebook), it is nearly impossible to do the vast majority of my homework for the education program. Interestingly, most of my classes have at least a portion of their assignments as blog posts and our teachers subscribe to them. If you have ever been bored enough to see that I have several other blogs, or if you have ever been bored enough to actually try and read them, I commend you. These are what those blogs are for. Sometime if you want to be put to sleep, feel free to read a couple :P

Anyway, I am currently printing out a paper I wrote on Hugo Chaves vs. Myself. I wrote an autobiography on myself, and then I wrote a biography on Hugo, and now I am printing out the paper that I wrote where I compare myself to Hugo. Surprisingly, despite my lack of communist views, we have quite a bit in common. In fact, in some respects he is a half decent guy. Let me repeat IN SOME RESPECTS. When I voiced this opinion to my mother, she openly called him Satan.. so I hope my very mellow asian teacher doesn't openly oppose my paper as much as my mom. Considering it is a multicultural education class, I have a feeling she will probably be open minded.

Well, I am sure you want an update on how married life is going. It is FABULOUS!! I LOVE IT!! Being married is so fun! Our little apartment is adorable and much cuter than I remembered before. I believe this was because when we actually viewed the apartment first it was filthy dirty and overcrowded with big furniture. However, now we have made it very cute and homey. I have pictures on my camera to post here, which I will eventually get to... Next time the internet and my camera are in the same place at once.

I also want to tell you loads about our fabulous honeymoon, but I again will wait until I have my camera because I want to share the pictures with you then.

Well lovelies... life and love are wonderful :)
Have a wonderful day!

Planning a wedding is.... Challenging.

2009-03-04T23:50:00.001-08:00

Especially during the middle of the semester.

Tonight at about 9:30pm, I found myself wandering around in a stressed-out tizzy in Kohls... (which is usually a mess, although devoid of the people who made the mess...strange...) I'm clinging half-heartedly to the hand of my sweetheart as he is cheerfully trying to calm my frazzled nerves.

Our quest: One classy looking shirt for a very very pregnant bridesmaid (matron?) at a (hopefully very) reasonable price.

Mom had visited one store earlier, only to report that she couldn't find anything reasonably priced, nor nearly dressy enough. (go figure... pregnant ladies only like to wear hoodies and t-shirts apparently. Honestly, I don't blame them.)

...So, giving up on this particular job, my mom passed this quest into my [hopefully] capable hands...(although this is questionable at this point, since it feels as if I might be juggling about 10 ticking alarm clocks in a room full of sleeping hungry lions.)

Good: We find the shirt.

Bad: It is really quite expensive.

So I call to consult mom. She instructs me to perhaps consider looking elsewhere. As I begin to have a minor break-down in the middle of a (thankfully) empty Kohls, she says, "Maybe ask for a discount? Or put it on hold until we try to find something better?"

The thoughts in my head are this: The wedding is 8 days away. I am FRANTICALLY trying to get not only everything for the wedding ready (which there is still LOADS to do), but also every scrap of homework that is not only due this week, but also next week, and also the week I will be gone on my honeymoon. The report on Hugo Chavez I haven't even begun to think about HAS to be written tonight, despite the quickly advancing clock. I am supposed to have gathered all of my photos for the wedding video to give to the videographer tomorrow.. but haven't even begun to look for pictures. (by the way, the homework I did tonight is due tomorrow morning, so I really haven't gotten ahead. Like, at all.) So in conclusion, where in this big blue earth would I find time to look for more shirts????

(Nathan is gently patting my hair and holding a maternity shirt in the middle of Kohls while I have a slight mental break down right now.)

So, rejected, and not brave enough to ask for a discount while I look like a crazy woman, we walk back to put the shirt back on the rack.

But wait! Behold! A sale sign we missed before! This particular shirt has been discounted to only 26.50! ... still a little more than I was hoping for, but perhaps within a reasonable price range.. so we decide to get it, if only for the sake of just checking it off the to-do list.

Feeling slightly better, we stroll back over to the register lady, who seems to be only one of 2 employees in the whole store at this late hour. She rings up the shirt and...

BEHOLD!!

$10.00! How did this happen!? ....I say aloud, "Wow! Wow!! That is a lot less than I thought!"
Jubilation! The first spring-time sprout of relief I have felt all day! This particular shirt (the perfect one, might I add) is marked down to less than a 4th of the original price!

As we walk out of the store, Nathan says "Heavenly Father really loves you."

And I know. Because He shows me every day. And, only He would know what it would mean to oh-so-NOT-pregnant Katy to get a great deal on a maternity shirt. Only He could ever know that.

--------------------------------------------------------

So, as Nathan and I ate dinner watching the ten o'clock news (this is becoming a sadly common occurance as of late), I counted my blessings. They were showing footage of the funeral of a Utah soldier who was killed in Iraq. His wife and babies stood at his graveside weeping ....and I was flooded with gratitude to have what is really important, sitting by my side, warm blooded and healthy, eating cold-ish leftover spaghetti.

So many others would so much rather be me right now, to have my trivial little troubles. How dare I complain for having too much to do for my beautiful wedding and my wonderful future career and my exceptional future family.

I know these feelings of pressure are real and legitimate, but it certainly does help to look at things a little more in perspective.

Forget about reality checks. I am living in reality, it's right in my face. It's crowding my view. I think I will take a few more frequent perspective checks. That will certainly be therapeutic over the next 8 days... and probably for forever. Because, after all, 8 days from now is only the beginning of forever :)

Photos at last....and other news

2009-02-19T00:23:00.000-08:00

I hope your computer is fast at loading... here are a select few of our engagement photos! Enjoy!

In other news:

-Today I survived a company-wide layoff where I work. I am counting my blessings every moment that I still have a job.

-The family bridal shower last Saturday was amazing, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who came! I love you all so so so much!

-The spring script that my friend Erin and I are writing for the LDC tour show in May is coming along well. Estimated completion date is March 2nd, which is less than 2 weeks away. I am hoping we make it!

-I go to the temple to receive my endowments on March 4th, and I am SO EXCITED! :) Only two weeks from today! Crazy how time flies!!

-Pretty much everything is done for the wedding, except for what everyone is wearing.. heh heh, uh oh. Even the dress isn't even close to being done. HELP! ...well, I trust that everything will get done.. *gulp..*

-Besides the disgusting barfing side effects of my BC, the 'sometimes reported' side effect of weight loss seems to be taking affect! Happy surprise! .. and perfect timing, since getting to the gym with my hectic schedule has been pretty sporadic lately. It seems odd to me that I ran seven miles every day last summer to get to where I am at right now, and I all I had to do was take the pill for a week and a half, and presto! ...wow... Wasn't expecting that one... Oh well, I'm not complaining.

-I am beginning to think about packing up my stuff. We are going to move into our apartment the day we get back from our honeymoon, the 19th of March. Since we aren't moving in beforehand, I really want to be just ready to stuff the car full and move on in when we get back.

-I am in love with my wedding dress design. It is going to look amazing.

-I am still desperately trying to find a buyer for my car. My beloved, most wonderful green volkswagen beetle needs to sell! ... most preferably before the wedding! If you know of anyone in need of a wonderful, adorable, reliable car.. I am asking 5,500 for it, but that is negotiable. Please keep your eyes open for someone. I really really need to sell it, even if it is my baby.

-The LDC choir I am in has been asked to present the annual church-wide Ensign music submission contest. If you haven't heard of it, you can read about it HERE. Yeah, I know there isn't much information there, but it really is a really really big deal, and a great honor to be asked. I am being featured as a soloist, singing a piece written by Michael Moody. I am very very excited. If you are going to be available, and love to know what is up-and-coming in church music, please come!

Well friends, that is just a quick update on what is going on in my life. I hope all is well with you and your families. I hope to see you all at the wedding on March 13th!!

NOTE: PLEASE POST YOUR ADDRESS IN A COMMENT FOLLOWING THIS MESSAGE IF I HAVEN'T ASKED YOU FOR YOUR ADDRESS YET! I WANT TO SEND EACH OF YOU AN INVITATION! THANKS!

Engagement Preview

2009-02-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

Hi friends :)
We had our engagement pictures taken last weekend by my dear friend, Jessica Bateman. Not all of the pictures are ready, but I thought I would give you a little preview, and then show you more later when they are done!
ENJOY!

A tribute to my dad.

2009-01-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

Dad & Katy, Nauvoo Pageant Workshops 2005

Last Thursday, as I was walking out of the doctor's clinic at UVU after my mandatory marital examination *cough*, I was reminded of how fabulous my daddy is. What an odd time to think about your dad, you say? Well, let me tell you why.

I had just been stuck several times unsuccessfully trying to get a blood sample out of me.. and finally they just gave up and told me to come back on Monday.
This reminded me of my first year of college when I spontaneously decided to get licensed as a phlebotomist. In case you're not sure what this is, it's that person that pretty much everybody hates in hospitals or at blood drives or at plasma centers that sticks sharp needles deep into your veins. I give you permission to become extremely paranoid when I tell you that it only takes 4 classes to become one of these dreaded people. Maybe that is why most of them hurt you so bad? I'm not sure.
I was pretty good at it though... but that is beside the point.

Anyway, this class was a little scary.... They handed us needles the first day and had us sticking each other before the class was over. Two days into it, we had to bring volunteers to class, (probably because all of our veins were bruised and nearly useless at this time...seriously, we all looked like heroin addicts.)

Do you know how difficult it is to get someone to volunteer to come and have a bunch of terrified needle stickers poke you over and over?? -I must say it is terrifying the first several times you do it. The sensation of a needle pushing through flesh is rather disgusting, in addition to the pain of the patient. Overall, not a very pleasant experience.

So... let's just say, nobody was pounding my door down for the opportunity. However, my dad agreed to come and do it without hesitation. What an awesome guy :)

When we got to class, he really got thrown to the dogs. After I stuck him once or twice, the scary, possibly not-all-there, slightly un-hygienic guy in the class had a go at him..(only because no one else would let this scary person near them.) I'm all about treating people nicely and everything, but when it comes to pain and major bleeding, I am a bit more selective. After the encounter, he tried to sell my dad his homemade calendars he was also trying to push off on his fellow classmates....

Well all lived though, slightly bruised, but noone got hepatitis :)

So as my darling dad was voluntarily looking up the prices of my birth control prescription online, and when all of my car windows were scraped of ice and snow when I woke up this morning, I thought of all of the things my dad has done for me. He has done so much, ranging from terrifying to expensive to heroic to thoughtful to sweet... he is the best dad ever.

Two Peas in a Pod

2009-01-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, it is a good thing these two weirdies are getting married...

He's goofy & I love it :)

Planning a Wedding is Fun!

2009-01-06T23:51:00.000-08:00

Only about 2 more months to go until the big day, and I actually feel like some things are getting done! Hooray! Starting this weekend, I have been actually doing things to prepare! Imagine that!

The theme for our wedding is a 1950's-60's updated retro springtime theme. It is going to be adorable!

The first thing my mom and I did this weekend was pick a quilt pattern and buy the material. This quilt isn't exactly like mine, but it does have the same basic block called the "Ohio Star". I love it because it looks so antique-y. I think it is darling. We are making it out of delicate florals, stripes and plaids in light greens, salmons, blues, oranges, browns, ivories, and yellows. It is going to be adorable :)

My second mastermind plan came from a Martha Stewart wedding magazine that I am currently tagging and ripping to shreds. I saw two silhouettes (much simpler ones than this one) of the bride and groom cut out in paper of their wedding colors and simply framed in white frames. I loved it the moment I saw it! ... I also thought 'I could make that! Easy!'
So, tonight I took side-view pictures of Nathan and bought white frames. Love it!

Tonight mom and I also met with the woman who is making the wedding cake. I found out about this extremely talented lady because she made Nathan's sister, Renae's wedding cake last summer. It was the most extravagant and beautiful cake I had ever seen! Mine is much much simpler, so I knew she'd be up to the task. She is such a dear, too. After meeting with her, I couldn't help but just love her!
I took the picture below with me, along with paint chips in my wedding colors, and she said she could easily do the whole thing. She is even going to make the blossoms out of sugar! She is amazing! She even has the hexagon pans! Hooray!
The only thing different we are doing from the picture below is we are only having 4 layers, and none of the blossoms will be dark colored like the ones on the bottom layer.
The top layer, )which we are supposed to save for a year I guess), is going to be double-fudge milk chocolate. The bottom layer is going to be cherry-chip flavor, and the two middle layers are going to be rice crispy treat! I thought that would be a great idea, considering I wanted a tall cake, but didn't want to have to deal with all of that cake afterwards. My mom's favorite treat is rice crispy treats too, so we can leave a layer for my parents to eat (which I am sure they will love).
This cute lady also said she would put a 'surprise' inside the top one of the rice crispy treat layers for Nathan to find (I know what it is, but in case he is reading this, I don't want to give it away!)

We also ordered the bridesmaid shirts this weekend. We got them from one of my very favorite stores in the mall, Charlotte Russe. I know it looks white here, but they are actually ivory in person. I think they are just retro enough to look vintage, but also sophisticated enough to not look too casual. I love them! Mom is making the skirts out of a light robins egg blue material. Adorable!

Because our theme is springtime, I wanted to also include a very subtle bird motif throughout the wedding. I think that bird designs look so adorable and retro, and so I think it would be fun to incorporate it.
So, in addition to a bird or two printed or displayed on things, we are going to have a couple of these little darlings in a cage at our reception. (probably by the book or something) They are white zebra finches! They are tiny little birdies, only about 2-3 inches long. Aren't they adorable?

In keeping with the subtle springtime bird motif, the bridesmaid jewelry will also match accordingly. These are the necklace pendants I am looking to either order (through etsy) or contract a friend to make. They don't look very difficult, but I love how darling they are! The earings would then just be something small with pearls involved. Not quite sure on that one though.
I do not have a picture of the dress, because it has not been made yet (hee hee). My mom is making it, but it has been designed and the fabric will be ordered this week. It is going to be made out of Chinese Dupioni Silk. It is going to be mid-calf length with long sleeves (since it will probably still be pretty cold outside), and have gentle scallops along the bottom hem. It will also have a low surplus cris-cross front, and a bow tied on the side on the lower left waist. It is hard to describe, but it will be blissfully, classically retro inspired! I am going to wear my great-great grandmother's jewelry for the day too, which will be something borrowed & something old :) It is gorgeous. I can't wait to wear it!

Today I ordered the shoes to go with my dress They look pretty retro, so I am happy with them. They are really really tall though. That is a 4 1/2" heel! We will see if they are going to work. I am not sure yet. With a shorter dress, I don't really have the option of taking them off. Oh well, I have a while yet to break them in. ( & I love the sassy pink soles too!)

Well, school starts tomorrow! Time to sleep! Happy New Year!

2008-12-21T23:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!
My dad passed this video onto me, and I thought I'd share it with you too. It was produced by BYU, and it's beautiful!

I also thought I would share something silly that I thought of.. but in spanish, the word "mas" means "more"... soooo, lately I have been thinking of ChristMas as meaning More Christ, or a reminder to myself to think of Christ More. I have challenged myself this Christmas to think of Christ more with this reminder. This silly little explaination has helped me remember to think of him with every 'Merry Christmas' I see and hear. If it helps you to get into the real spirit of the season too, I hope you remember ChristMore as well :) Merry ChristMore!!

A Season for Angels

2008-12-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!
As many of you know, I am in a performance choir called Latter-Day Celebration Choir at the Orem Institute of Religion. This weekend we are performing our annual Christmas show, which is the story of Christ's birth, presented in pageant format. The music is beautiful, and the entire program is very uplifting! It is the perfect thing to get you in the spirit of Christmas!

We have two shows tonight, one at 6pm and one at 8pm, and then two tomorrow (Sunday), also at 6 & 8pm. It is located at the Orem Institute of Religion on UVU campus in Orem.

If you can, please come and share in the Christmas season with us!

WE'RE ENGAGED!!

2008-11-21T07:20:00.000-08:00

Nathan Proposed last night!

It was so cute, He set up a gorgeous candle-lit dinner at his house (with the help of his mom and sisters, I might add.. props, guys!) When I got there, I wasn't expecting anything, but as soon as I saw the whole set up, I had a pretty good guess what he was up to! Surprisingly, I got pretty nervous when I realized that he was actually going to propose.. and so soon! However, when he didn't do it during dinner, I was getting a little bit impatient...

After dinner, he suggested we go on a walk. So, we bundled up and went for a walk up to the Timpanogos Temple. He lives about a 20-30 minute walk from the temple, and we often walk there together.

When we got to the temple, we were sitting there and talking, and I was expecting him to drop to his knee at any moment.. However, after only sitting there for maybe five minutes, he said "Well, are you ready to go?"

...at this point I'm so confused! And a little impatient!
We walked around to the north side of the temple, and he stopped me and kissed me. Then he started being goofy, putting his hat on me and taking pictures with his cell phone (I was even more confused at this point because he was acting so goofy!) But then, after a minute, he said "Katy, I have a question for you." Then he dropped to one knee, and pulled out the most GORGEOUS ring ever! I started crying (Of course, that is SO me.) And when he said "Will you marry me?" Of course I said "Yes yes yes yes!!!" Then he asked me if he could put the ring on my finger because I was just standing there blubbering. It took a couple of minutes to actually hit me that WE ARE ENGAGED!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!! We were both smiling and skipping and saying "We're getting MARRIED!!"

Nathan called the Salt Lake temple today, and we already have the date: March 13th! This happens to be Friday the thirteenth, which was absolutely a coincidence since we decided to get married on the Friday before spring break. When we opened up the calendar, low and behold.. Friday the Thirteenth. I'm not scared though. Take that, Superstition!! :)

Mark your calendars! I want you all there!

The Best Week of my Life So Far!

2008-10-30T23:43:00.000-07:00

That's right! Nathan is home! He got home on the 28th (Tuesday), and ever since then I have been meaning to blog.. but for some strange reason I have been verrrry busy lately ;) haha!

So here is how it all happened!
Tuesday, I worked pretty late (on purpose. I needed to keep my mind occupied). When I got home, I fixed myself up cute, and waited for the phone to ring. Nathan and I had agreed that we'd see each other after he was released, and without other people around. I thought I would be embarrassed with everyone watching me get emotional, or if people had expectations and it was awkward, I didn't want to have witnesses.

But it didn't happen that way...

Nathan's mom called me around 8:30pm and said that his appointment to be released had been pushed back to 9pm, and Nate was wondering if I wanted to come to the release.. but that it would be okay if I didn't too... just whatever I felt like. I just said it was up to him (even though I was dying to just jump in the car and race over there). He said he was fine either way, but that it would be really nice if I were there... So I jumped in the car and raced over there! Haha.

When I saw him for the first time, it was everything that I thought I didn't want. He wasn't released, so I couldn't hug him, and we had an audience of probably 10 people just staring at us. However, it wasn't embarrassing and horrific like I thought it would be! It was wonderful! It was hilarious! It really helped break the ice, actually! We were just kinda standing two or three feet apart and I was smiling and crying and he was smiling and not saying anything... and everyone was laughing! Then we shook hands for a few minutes (no really, we were shaking them!) as I continued to cry a little while the Ives' family friend Eric fed us lines like "Oh Nathan, it is so good to see you!" "I am so glad you are here!" etc. It was very funny, and perfect. I am so glad it happened the way that it did.

We went over to the stake center next and he was released, and it was great. It seemed so anti-climactic though, when the stake president was just like "well, okay then... you can take off your name tag. You're now released." I felt like there should be some big ta-do.. but after ALL of that time and service, it is just like "well, there ya go! You're done!" haha.. Of course he interviewed him for a while and talked to him more besides that.. but it was nice anyway.
The stake president gave him permission to hug me as we left the office, which was pretty funny (but awesome)... and ever since it's been perfect ;)

We went and saw my parents later that night too, which was so nice. I made Nathan ride in my bug with me to try and convert him to how awesome it is. He's always said he hated bugs so much, but I couldn't resist getting one when I needed a new car! I think it is growing on him because he has never really complained, even though I've given him a hard time about it ;)

The next night we carved pumpkins at his sister Rachel's house, which was really fun. I was all but dying at work all day to see him.. and I managed to control myself to just calling him once that afternoon.

Today I took the day off of work and we spent the whole day together. I only have one class on Thursdays and he came with me. We also went shopping for some MUCH NEEDED new clothes, which he let me pick out to my liking (yes it was SO fun, and he looks SO handsome). We then went to my Latter-Day Celebration Choir Halloween Party at my choir director's house. We dressed up as Samoans with our real Samoan clothes! I wore my Puletasi that he sent me the fabric for on my birthday. He said it was the most beautiful puletasi he has seen! (Hee hee.. I think he's probably a little biased, but it did turn out REALLY great.)

I am so happy he is home! I feel like smiling at every single person I pass in the hall or on the street. Everything is so much better than I ever let myself hope they would be! I was so afraid to let my hopes get too high before I knew what would actually happen.. but I never could have dreamed it could be this good!

I really wish I had brought my camera with me the night he came home! I forgot it as I flew out the door, but I've taken several pictures since for your enjoyment!

Here we are in our traditional Samoan Clothing:

Carving pumpkins at Rachel's house:

His new instrument of choice, the Ukulele:

Some of Nate's new clothes:

Here is a cute cute video I took of Nathan playing his Ukulele for me on Wednesday night:

666.. but not the beast!

2008-10-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

This was a tag from my Cousin Bethany. You pick the 6th pic out of your 6th file and post it. Then tag 6 of your friends to do the same!

Here's Mine:
This is Cara and Caitlin.. two sisters and my fabulous friends! Caitlin and I lived together in Provo for about 8 months. Caitlin and I drove to Santa Cruz, CA in the summer of 2007 to stay with her family for a week, and this picture was taken on Sunday, right before we went to church. That was probably one of the most fun vacations I have ever been on! Not only did we just bum around the gorgeous beaches of Santa Cruz, we also got to go up to San Francisco, which was amazing. I love these girls!

I am tagging Ellen, Beverly, Tara, Jenny, Gina, and Chelesta

In other news, Nathan comes home on Tuesday! That's four days! Ahhh!!! I am so so so giddy about it. -Don't worry, I will blog about it after ;)

So Cute!!

2008-10-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, I absolutely LOVE this commercial. I had to post it. Enjoy!

Good Ol' Fashioned Love Song

2008-10-14T01:49:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about love songs lately. Why are there so many of them? Why are they all so different, and yet all so very alike? I know that I have my favorite love songs, but I wanted to know what other people considered to be a 'good love song'. So, I cast my net wide on facebook, looking for lots of different recommendations for other people's favorite love songs. I was quite surprised that I got a windfall of responses! For several days, people have been sending me literally LISTS of their favorites. I decided to compile some of these into a playlist HERE on my blog!

If you look to the right, you will see my playlist ------------->
(Sorry if it is a little difficult to scroll through. You can make the list scroll by clicking on the song at the bottom of the list, thus moving it to the top and scrolling in the process!)

I took at least one or two suggestions from each person, and made what I think is a really fun selection of eclectic love songs! Have fun browsing through them, and if you would like to share your favorites too, leave me a comment and I might add them to the playlist!

Almost too good to be true...

2008-10-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, I was hanging out at my brother's apartment in Provo when a calendar was left at their door. You know the kind.. teeny tiny calendar surrounded by perforated coupons. We've all gotten them before. I was mindlessly flipping through the thing when I came across a coupon from Goldsmith Company Jewelers. It said "Free Pearl Necklace" on it, followed underneath by 'no purchase necessary'. I thought, "This is too good to be true!" but I punched it out of the calendar and stuck it in my wallet anyway.

Today, a friend from work needed a lift home, so I offered to drop her off. She happened to live near Goldsmith jewelers, so I asked her if she wouldn't mind popping in there with me to see if it was legit. So we both went in, and I walked up to the counter and said doubtfully, "Hi, I was just wondering... is this real?" as I showed him the coupon. The guy assured me that it definitely IS real, and then he offered a free strand to my friend Tiffany too! He just asked for our name and address (probably to send a mailer or something, but that is okay because I love looking and jewelry.), and then he tied some clasps onto two strands. He put them in these cute little silky bags too! So so cute!! They are completely real too! You can tell by gently scraping the pearl against your teeth, and if it is grainy, it is real. If it is smooth, it is fake. These are most definitely real! He even cleaned Tiffany's wedding ring for her and it looked as good as new! He also said that we are now 'preferred customers' in their system too, so we can qualify to get any future purchases at 40% off!

He also let me try on some of the engagement rings in the case (come on, you all know you've faked it before to just try on the rings!) and I completely absolutely fell in love with one. However, we all know the need for that is a little while off still. (but we will see..)

I asked him how in the world they were able to give any average girl off the street free pearls, and he explained it all to me. He said that they decided that instead of spending a lot of money on ineffective advertising, they were doing very little printing of advertising (luring you in with the pearls..) and spending the rest on the bait (the necklaces, obviously). He said it's been working great because they get A LOT more people to actually come into the store and see what else they have to offer. Heck, they've already practically sold me that gorgeous ring! It sounds like a pretty smart business strategy to me. Especially because they handed out all of those calendars in college apartments, full of young people just dying to get married.. it is just brilliant I think.

I told my mom about it, and she said that my dad got her wedding ring from Goldsmith Jewelers back when they were ring shopping. That is pretty cool, huh? She also is very excited about the free pearls, and she is taking all of the girls from the costume shop down there tomorrow to get their free strands.

So, ladies, go and get your free 16 inch pearl necklaces! He told me to send in all of my friends for some, and you don't even need the coupon. He didn't take mine from me at all. They were all so so nice. It was a really fun experience.

The address is:

Goldsmith Co. Jewelers
120 N. University Ave.
Provo, UT 84601

So, go for it! It is 100% legit and super fun too!

Oh, by the way... only 24 more days until Nate comes home!

I'm 21 now!

2008-09-22T22:47:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday, and I've been such a lucky girl to celebrate it all weekend long! I've had so much fun and have pictures to prove it, and so I'll give you all the play-by-play:

Thursday night a friend set me up on a blind date to see the Alicia Keys concert in Salt Lake. It was an unexpected surprise! I didn't know I was going until the day-of. It was fun though, and the guy was really nice, and we had a great time. Alicia Keys is seriously super talented.. I do wonder, do you think 'Keys' is a stage name? It just seems so cliche that she is such a piano whiz and has the name 'Keys'. Who knows though, right? It was a fantastic concert!

Friday I had the day off of work, which was SO nice. The company I work for is so generous with paid time off. In addition to the amazing amount of PTO we get a year, you get your birthday off paid! (or any day you choose to have off, since I picked Friday instead of today.)
I got to have lunch with my dear friend Morgan, who recently got married. I got to check out their cute newly wed apartment, and catching up with her since the wedding was SO fun.

Friday afternoon, my friend Dan, his brother Ryan, and their friend Luke took me to the Little Sahara Sand Dunes for a weekend of four-wheeling! It was a blast! We camped there Friday night, and then spent all day Saturday four-wheeling. Here a few pictures of our adventures!

Luke, Ryan, Dan, and our redneck rig:

The boys taught me how to use a little scout water to get a good fire going:

Some fun off of the four-wheelers as well!! Here we are doing some dune jumping:

Utah really IS a desert.. I mean seriously, this looks like a different continent!

One of Dan's totally awesome four-wheelers.
This is where I spent most of my time (only seated, of course.)
You can't turn 21 without having a little fun, right?

Haha... Just kidding. It's only Huckleberry Soda :)

On the way home, even though we were dead tired, we stopped off at the most redneck place for dinner to top off our redneck weekend. There is a place called "Porters" on main street in Lehi that is about as redneck as you can get. It is a restaurant dedicated completely to Orrin Porter Rockwell. It's really interesting... you go inside and there is some kind of player piano music rambling in the background, and there are saws, mallets, whips, spurs, guns, and really old western portraits all over the walls. The stools at the bar were made from old tractor seats, and in the back of the place is a real log cabin, (which coincidentally belonged to Luke's great great grandfather.) The food was pretty good (really heavy, but good).. and the boys topped it off with my first 'beer' as a legal drinker... Haha. It's just pretend though, it was just Huckleberry soda. No worries!

Sunday we celebrated as a family and had Grandma Wadley over for dinner. We opened gifts and had cake and ice cream, and it was so fun! I FINALLY got to open my birthday present from Nathan, which I had gotten in the mail last Wednesday. I had been trying to save it for my birthday, but decided to open it with my family's gifts. Inside was lots and lots and lots of gorgeous traditional samoan fabric to make a traditional female Samoan costume out of! (pictures to come!) I am very excited to have something to work on now until he gets home in 34 days! He also had a couple of letters inside, as well as some new pictures. I scanned them in so you can see too. Doesn't he look handsome?! Of course I think so :)
In the last one, he is wearing the shirt I sent him for his birthday! It says "It's Uke and Me, Baby" on it... heh heh :)

Tonight mom, dad, Clint, and I went out to my favorite Thai place for dinner. The food was amazing as always. If you are into Thai food, I highly recommend this place. It is called "Spicey Thai", and is located on North University Avenue in Provo, right next to Magelby's Fresh. It's to die for!

Later tonight I went over to the Ives' house to show Nathan's parents the gift he had sent me. When I got there they surprised me with a bouquet of balloons and flowers and chocolate. They are so incredibly thoughtful! I just love them :)

So as you can see, it has been a fantastic marathon birthday weekend!! Thank you everybody for making it such a great one! I love you all!

Blog Tag!

2008-09-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Becca

Rules:
Link the person who tagged you. Mention the rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them.
Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs
letting them know they have been tagged.

Quirk #1: Drinking Fountains

I am not a germ-a-phobe, but I am VERY particular about drinking fountains. It has to be a clean-looking drinking fountain for me to really drink out of it.. Or else a time-tested drinking fountain that I am familiar with and know has good water. It also has to be a very cold drinking fountain, and it has to put out a lot of water at once. I hate those little spitty ones. Usually I'd rather go thirsty than drink out of a questionable drinking fountain.
My favorite drinking fountains: There is one on the main floor of the Richards Building at BYU just inside the North door that is perfect. My other favorites are backstage at the Conference Center Theater, and also the one in my home stake center just outside of the Stake Offices. Yumm :)

Quirk #2: Disney Makes Me Cry
Okay, so Disneyland and Disneyworld are supposedly the most magical places on earth. Well, after our vacation to Walt Disney World this past Christmas, I totally believe it. My parents raised us on Disney movies, and we made frequent trips to Disneyland.. but this was my first time back to a Disney park as an adult. Standing outside of the Magic Kingdom's gates and watching the opening ceremony they have.. I started getting really emotional!! I am even feeling a little emotional right now thinking about it! I don't know how to describe it except it kinda felt like I was feeling the spirit! I think it had to do with so many familiar happy childhood memories flooding back.. and all of the little kids around us who were so excited they were unable to even control themselves.. It was just so touching! I was a little weirded out about it though, and when I talked to my Dad about it, he said he was feeling a little moved himself (and that is shocking, actually!) He said to me "If the Gospel wasn't true, Disney's got it pretty good." Ha ha... that made me laugh pretty hard :)

Quirk #3: Sniffing Milk

I am scared of the smell of spoiled milk, and if it is even a day or two before the expiration date, I pretty much stay away from it. If someone else is in the room, I will make them sniff it for me. If no one else is around, I avoid the milk and find something else to eat.

Quirk #4:Babies, Puppies, and Cute-ness in General
Whenever I see cute babies or puppies or darling baby animals, I get so excited that I experience what I call a 'Cute Overload.' Nathan teases me about this because I squeal and barely control myself, really. I just love cute things, okay?

Quirk #5: The Silent Treatment

I do not think that this is really all that quirky, actually. I know plenty of people who don't like the silent treatment, but I REALLY do not like it. It is not productive, doesn't solve any problems, and basically is outright childish. That's all I have to say about that. Just so you know, I will never give you the silent treatment.

Quirk #6: Nature, Music, and Color Euphoria

Whenever I am out in nature, or I see a painting that I really connect to, or hear a song that really moves me, I feel this deep swelling in my chest, and I feel a pleasant spinny dizziness in my head! I know that may sound weird, but the only thing I can really think of is maybe I am getting some kind of natural high? I don't know, but I think this strong reaction to what I consider beauty fuels my passion for these three things. I always have to shut my eyes and breath in deeply whenever this happens. I'm not sure, but am I high on life?

I am tagging:
Ellen
Tara
Jana
Kim
Jenny
Hillary

School again!

2008-09-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hi All - I am back in school again, and have been for almost 2 weeks. My classes are going pretty well, and shouldn't be too hard.
I am especially excited for my Environmental Health class. I know I'm a health nerd and it might sound pretty boring to all of you, but we discuss all sorts of awesome illnesses and health threats from anything like groundwater contamination to restaurant sanitation and beyond. Its a good discussion class too, which I thrive in. My professor is an adjunct professor that is a health inspector for the Utah County Health department for his 9 to 5 job.. and I can just tell I'm going to get a lot out of this semester.

Tonight was the worldwide CES Broadcast with Elder Holland, and I got to be part of the choir that sang for it. The Orem Institute (where I do the Latter-Day Celebration Choir) put together the choir and it had about 400 people! It was such great music.

If you missed it, you can check it out HERE!

Apparently from what people tell me I got quite a bit of face time on camera, but of course I haven't seen it so I don't really know.

Nathan's mom called me today and told me that she got his travel itinerary in her email last night! He is arriving around 7pm on October 28th. I am SO excited! 49 more days! Well, life is going alright for now! Love you all!

Happy Katy!

2008-08-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

Two letters today! Happy Katy Happy Katy!! 60 more days...