Life Lately: Fall Catch-up Edition

A lot a lot a lot(!!!) has happened since my last post. For that, I sincerely apologize! Now to business (For those of you that follow my Instagram, probably none of this will be news...hahaha!):

NUMBER ONE: I have a tiny female human living inside me, ready to burst out in approximately 3 months! And she's doing a happy dance right at this moment. Boy was it hard to concentrate on the lessons in church today! She's the Energizer Bunny! [[While we have a particular name picked out, we want to have a backup, just in case. This is most certainly an invitation to share your ideas if you're ok with the possibility of me using them. ;) ]]

#2. We spent the 7-week summer break in Arizona with our awesome families and had a blast! We went camping, hung out with awesome friends, ate at Joe's BBQ...everything we've been missing about home! My sweet sister-in-law got our moms together and the three of them put on a beautiful baby shower! They are the greatest!! We're home now, along with a bunch of storage stuff that we'd been missing desperately. (Welcome home, Pyrex Casserole Dish!!) Over the last week, we've scrubbed the place clean and organized everything. And I mean everything!! We knew that with school starting and baby coming, it was now or never. What a relief to have it done! (Sorry for my reveling, but housework really rocks when everything has its place!)

Numero Tres: I switched my major and career goals. While I loved music to death, I lack the confidence. And though I probably would've loved photography as more than a hobby, I realized my ultimate potential before that could take off. Sometime in the next few years, I will become a certified DVM! Animals have always been my passion, and I just know that being able to make them happy will make me really happy! With one child on her way, there are bound to be more, so I'm keeping my timeline ultra flexible. Right now, I'm focusing on finishing my Bachelor's degree, then I can play it by ear after that.

4) I'm an Auntie!!! My sister had her beautiful baby boy: Xander Kane! We were so happy we could be there for his birth. He is such a special little spirit! And how cool is it that he gets a little cousin so close to his age?? When we're back in Arizona, our little ones will have playdates galore!

#FIVE: Daniel and I celebrated our first anniversary this summer! We stayed a couple nights in Logan, UT, went to the temple to do sealings (and didn't make it through a whole one before I nearly passed out... -.-), and got to see my family for a little mini-reunion down in Cedar Hills! My mom took some incredible pictures for us up in the canyon. Yes, I just barely got around to editing them...hahaha!

(What a hunk!! Am I right??)

Well, I think that just about sums up what we've been up to for the past....5...months.... Gosh guys, I really am sorry! I'll do better, I promise!! I'm only taking one class this semester, so I should have plenty of time before the baby comes to make crafts and record memories and stuff. Speaking of crafts, if y'all have any ideas of something cute you'd like to see on here as a tutorial, tell me about it and--if it isn't too hard--I'll be happy to figure it out and post!
'Til next time! (Which won't be 5 months from now, I promise!)

The Best Day Ever

Two days ago, my husband let slip that he had a secret date planned. Rookie mistake: you don't tell me you have a secret date for later, because I'll be so giddy that you'll be forced to take me the very next day. Which is exactly what he did. ;) 

First surprise: Unbeknownst to me, Sydney, Nebraska is home to the very first Cabela's. The very. first. one. How cool is that?? We only live about 40 minutes away from Sydney, so what a fun date! We got ourselves some fudge, Dan held his dream gun (tricolored .45 1911), and we had a grand old time!

Some people like Bass Pro better, but to us...they're both great. Stick me in a room with real live taxidermied animals, and I'm happy as a bear! (Pun intended) I was, however, slightly disappointed that there wasn't a huge pond full of game fish. But, hey, the elephant made up for it!

Second surprise: A few weeks ago, I heard a commercial on the radio for a restaurant called Perkins. There was such a restaurant near my neighborhood when I was really young, but it went out of business over a decade ago. I still associate it with fond memories with my family. Hearing that they still exist got me real excited, and I had to tell my sweet husband all about it, to which he replied, "Perkins, who?" 

The dear man remembered my excitement, looked up the address, and took me for lunch. <3 It was just as delicious as I (was too young to actually) remember.

Third, very unexpected. surprise: As we pulled into Cabela's, after Dan pointed out our lunch destination, and as I gazed toward the half-frozen urban lake, I screamed. There, in the grass, on the lake, on the sidewalks, were hundreds of Canada geese! As a child, these were my favorite bird and I always dreamed of meeting one up close. 

Though they outnumbered me, they had reservations about my intended up-close meeting. As they fled faster, I knew what I had to do. The feeling of a hundred geese flying all around you is exhilarating! They certainly didn't want to, but they flew.

And so did I.

It was a day that couldn't be dampened by work calls, rent payments, or cold weather. As the chilling Nebraska wind froze my face, I couldn't stop telling my husband, "You are the best! You're seriously the coolest! I love you so much! Did you know that?? Do you know how much I love you?? I can't believe it! This is the best day ever!" I meant it.

My husband, everybody. Man of the Year. <3

Bits 'n Pieces: Life is Swell

1. The mice are back with a vengeance. Their scurrying around freaks me out at night, and I hate finding their crap all over! Killing them with traps is making me nauseated...I wish we could just fumigate.

2. On Wednesday, I had a RS Christmas Kickoff party! So fun! When I got home, Dan had prepared a delicious meal of enchiladas and spanish rice. He's so wonderful!

3. I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done! Which is a pretty big miracle, considering there are no shopping malls within an hour and a half of here. Amazon is the best!

4. Last night, I had a "Taken" related dream. (It wasn't scary or anything, I was helping Liam Neeson find her.) But I woke up really wanting to watch that movie. I now have a renewed sense of gratitude for my dad, who I know would kill 1000 Albanian pimp lords to save me. Love you, Dad!

5. It's been about a week since it last snowed, and now it is sooooo nice and warm! I'm still mourning the death of our snowman, though.

6. Daniel and I have embarked on a top secret project! It'll probably be a long time in the making, but I absolutely love that we have something to dream up and laugh about together. It's so much fun and we're letting our creative energy flow. I have the best Partner in Crime!

7. Happiness is...a fully checked off chore list.

8. My latest reads: "Book of a Thousand Days" by Shannon Hale, and "The Lost Hero" by Rick Riordan. I read both in one day each this week--not in a row though. Hahaha! I just couldn't put them down! Shannon Hale always amazes me with he captivating stories. And I can't wait to continue the Heroes of Olympus series (kind of a continuation of the Percy Jackson books). Reading is my fave. When they say that the activities you enjoyed as a ten year old are things you'll still love...they were absolutely right!

9. Tomorrow, I'm singing in the ward choir in Sacrament meeting; it's the special Thanksgiving musical number. I'm so thankful to be a part of a choir at the moment, and can't wait for the opportunity to participate in a chorus in college! I've missed it so much!

10. It's exactly 28 days until the move. Wow! Please someone kick me in the behind so I start packing!

Monday Musings

Being a wife means I get to brag about my husband. Brace yourself for the feelings of overwhelming jealousy. ;)

1. Yesterday, he cooked all the food. Was I sick or otherwise incapacitated? Nope. He just did it! Pancakes and fried potatoes for brunch + grilled chicken cheese sandwiches for dinner = best husband ever!

2. He passed his midterm with a B last week, without even studying! His final will be a piece of cake!

3. We are in the process of revamping the dog house outside, and what a stud! He pulled out all the rotting wood on the floor, tore out the carpet, built a door for it, and it's all coming together because of his hard work and vision.

4. Saturday, while I was at a Relief Society function, he built a rolling dog gate so we don't have to climb over small walls just to get to the bathroom. It's seriously genius!

5. We had a philosophical discussion about a WW2 shoot-em-up movie.

6. He recently admitted that our dog is the cutest puppy in the world and that he likes him a lot. What's better than a hot man with a puppy??

I'm so grateful for my husband! What would I do without him?? It's difficult for me to imagine what my life would've been like with someone else. But I do know that I couldn't have possibly made a better choice than my Daniel.
Next week is the anniversary of when we officially started dating. I can't believe it's been a year already! Time has flown by, and he's changed me for the better along the way.