Our baby is wiggly.

Recently, I purchased a fetal doppler from ebay. I know, you probably think I'm an idiot and you want to know who would buy a cheap piece of medical equipment that is certainly going to stop working as soon as I leave some positive feedback? Well, I do. It's my first kid. I'm allowed to do irrational things. (I find that Steve lets me get away with them all the time lately).

Anywhoo, tonight, I was entertaining myself listening to our little guy's (I think it's a little guy) heartbeat and all of the sudden, I hear this weird noise. It was like a wooshing, but not like baby heartbeat wooshing, but like my-kid-is-going-nuts-in-there wooshing. (I know, you think it's just my cheap doppler acting up. You're wrong.) So I hold really still to make sure that I'm not the one making noise, and every minute or so, I would hear this little woosh noise. It was the cutest thing! I imagine him (or her) swinging his (or her) umbilical cord around and around because he (or she) is so bored in there.

According to my fetal growth week by week emails, my baby is kicking and moving like a maniac in there, and even though I won't be able to feel it for another few weeks, there's definitely something going on! It's so fun to listen in to our little baby moving its little limbs and to hear its strong heartbeat. June is forever away!

Just a quick note, my great grandfather's wife passed away a few days ago, which was a sad piece of news for us to get. We're grateful for the companionship that she gave to my grandpa all these years and we're happy that she is finally able to rest from the ailments she had in this life. We also are keeping a prayer in our hearts for my grandpa, who is such a sweet man, and who must be having a difficult time with this. We are grateful for all the support he has from his ward and his neighbors and we are, of course, so grateful for Heavenly Father's plan of happiness for us that allows us to be with the people who have gone on before us. Liz, thank you for taking care of our grandpa! May you rest in peace.

We've kept it quiet long enough...

...we're expecting!

I am 10.5 weeks pregnant and due on June 27th, 2010! We are, of course, so thrilled. (Is it just me, or does time stop when you're pregnant?) I have just LOVED (hear the sarcasm through the computer screen...) the constant headaches, the ALL DAY sickness, (the term, "morning sickness" was so invented by a man.) and the mind blowing fatigue. But, of course, if it means that this little baby is taking the moxie out of me because it's growing healthy and strong, then so be it.

Steve and I were able to see the baby at 7 weeks via ultra sound and it was such a neat thing to see that little life inside of me. We also heard the heartbeat last week and it was going like a little humming bird at 180 beats per minute. I loved hearing that and decided that we need a fetal doppler, so I found one on ebay and bought it! It should be here in the next couple of days, and I'm so excited to hear it again! I can record it onto my computer, so if I can figure out how to post the recording onto my blog, I will.

I've been a little bit apprehensive through this pregnancy, as all moms to be are, I'm sure. But we actually first got pregnant in August and I miscarried at 5 weeks. It was something that was very difficult for us, but we took a lot of comfort in the knowledge that everything is in the Lord's hands and that He has a plan for all of us. We were blessed enough to be able to get a green light from my doctor to start trying right away to get pregnant and although we weren't planning on getting pregnant right away, I was pregnant two weeks after my miscarriage.

With my first pregnancy, I wasn't sick at all, and my hCG levels were very low, so it was very possible that although a sac developed, there was never any yolk to form a baby. With this pregnancy, I have been sick since I've been 3 weeks pregnant! Now that I'm almost 11 weeks, I am hoping that the nausea will let up soon. I have had about 2 good days in a row, with the exception of splitting headaches, so that's a good sign, right?

Anywho, we are naturally so excited and we can't wait to see what we're having. I think it's a boy, my mom thinks it's a girl, Steve won't say what he thinks it is, but I just think that's because he's hoping it's a boy and doesn't want to jinx it. I'll set up a poll and you should take it! If it's a boy, it looks like we will name him Thomas Robert. Thomas is for my great-grandfather and for Steve's paternal grandfather, who he never met, but who was an amazing man. Robert is for my grandfather, great-grandfather, and for Steve's father. If it is a girl, this is still being discussed, but we will probably name her Daisy Kathleen. Daisy is for my grandmother and Kathleen is for Steve's mother. Steve and I decided that we have so many fantastic people in our lives, that most likely, our children will all be named after people who have made a difference in our lives. Of course, once we see our little one and hold him or her, we may decide that they need to have a completely different name. We'll just have to see.

So now that the cat is out of the bag, I'll add a nifty counter so that we can all track the baby's growth together. Oh, and let's just hope that time goes by a little faster as I get fatter...

Well, my apologies...

I have not blogged in MONTHS!! No good excuse just laziness. I'll do just a bullet point update on what we've been doing this last summer.

-April: Went to St. George for my great-grandfather's birthday party. He's such a great man and it was so fun to be with my family, even just for a few days. We took my parents to Cafe Rio! My dad got the lamest thing on the menu (the pasta) and now he is so mad that we ever took him there. Any one who has eaten at this glorious eatery: if you run into my father PLEASE convince him that Cafe Rio is the best thing to happen to Utah. Ever.

May: I don't remember much from this month. I did go visit my family in Corona for just a few days. It was nice to spend some time with them. Also, the jewelry store I work for, Losee Jewelers, announced that they would be closing after 53 years of business. It's kind of sad, since they've been around for so long, but the owners are ready to retire and spend time with one another! There is a possibility that I may continue to work for whoever takes over, but we'll just have to see.

June: I had a great birthday! Steve was so sweet and put together our elusive wedding footage into a slide show. I cried all the way through it! Thanks to his older brother, Jeff, who was kind enough to film at our wedding. It was perfect!
I went, again, to Corona for Amanda's graduation. Crazy that I graduated four years ago. I'm also convinced that I am not getting older. Other people born after me are just getting younger.
Some time in here, Steve got a new job with a company called EcoSure. It was started by the same person who owned Moxie Pest Control, the company we worked for. Steve is pretty much doing the same thing for EcoSure as he was for Icon- bookkeeping and finance stuff that I don't understand. He likes it so far and we're glad that he is, once again, working with great people. That is always wonderful.

The highlight of June was a mini-family reunion with Steve's family up in Shelley, ID where his sister, Jana lives in a gorgeous house. They were gracious enough to let us bring the puppies up, which was nice, because I miss them when we leave them behind! We went fishing, 4-wheeling, and just hung out. It was great. Here is a picture with some of the Eliason grandkids and us at the ranch we rode at:
We also had a little accident this month. Little Daphne broke her little foot when she wiggled out of Steve's hands. 6 weeks in a cast and hundreds of dollars later, she's great, but it was one the worst experiences for her mommy!


July: The highlight for us in July was the Barker Family Reunion in Big Bear, CA. My grandparents were kind enough to rent out a great cabin for the entire family for a few days so that we could all get together. Steve and I left the puppies with my friend, Arthur and we spent some time in some fresh mountain air! It was a lot of fun, and as always, great to spend time with my family. I need some pictures from this trip! Thanks again, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Daisy for another great reunion!

August: We celebrated our 3 year anniversary! I can't believe the time has gone by so fast. We spent the day at 7 Peaks water park, where we were rained out, (sad) but it was still a fun memory. Here's to the next three, and the three after that, and the three after that, and you get the idea... :)
We took another trip to Corona! This time, though, Steve and the puppies came! It was such a relaxing week. The puppies did well in a new place, and despite our best efforts, they are not pool lovers, but we had such a great time just RELAXING!
Steve also started his last semester of college at the end of August. He'll be graduating with a degree in accounting, and I, for one, am SO EXCITED to have a college graduate in our home, even if it's not me. :) Steve has worked so hard in school while we've been married and he makes me so proud. I know he is destined for great things.
Finally, Amanda moved up to Provo to go to BYU. My entire family stayed in our little duplex for a few days and it was crowded to say the least, but it was soooo fun! It's been great to have her up here.

September: Other than Steve studying like a mad man and trying to balance work, school, and a wife that always wants his attention, we took a trip to St. George for a Ventura Reunion. Steve grew up in Ventura and a few of his friends met in St. George to spend the weekend together. It was so fun to see everyone and relax for a few days. Steve's parents were kind enough to offer up their home there so we could all have a place to stay and party! :)

October: More business with school and work. We finally got some family pictures done, which was all I wanted for my birthday. My favorite is currently our picture on our blog, but my fav of just Steve and me is this one:


And Daphne (8.5 months, 6.5 lbs)
And Rupert (10.5 months, 4.5 lbs)
The last thing on this very long list is one of the most exciting things going on in our life right now. We put an offer on a home here in Provo and it was accepted! We close on Nov 12th. We are so excited to have a little nest egg, and despite my father's whining that this means we're going to be permanently planted in Provo, we have every intention of making some small upgrades to the house, then selling it and moving back to somewhere close to my family and warmer weather! We will be able to get the first time home buyer tax credit as well as getting an awesome 5.0% interest rate, so we feel like we have really been blessed to be able to take advantage of the current market. We're really sad to leave our little duplex, but we're kinda growing out of it, and the puppies keep telling us that they want a fenced backyard to play in, so what were we suppose to do? Anyway, here's a picture, we love it. :)

Well, we'll keep you all posted about our move and we'll put up pictures of the inside of the house.

We hope that as the holiday season kicks off, we truly remember the things we are grateful for in our lives and also for the real reason we celebrate the season. We are so grateful, especially in the last couple of months, for the love that we have felt from our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have come to have an even a better understanding of the love They both have for us and for our Father's plan for us. It is our prayer that you are all able to feel His love throughout the Christmas season and as always, throughout the year. Please have a safe season, and thanks for reading, if you actually got this far!! :)

Lime Rikki Modest Swimsuits

I've found very few modest bathing suits that are both flattering and cute, but I saw a billboard for these guys and I think they're super fun and they have a lot of fun separates. They're also pretty well priced, which, in this economy, is what everyone could use some more of. Check them out at www.limerikki.com.

Go Miss California!

Last night on the Miss America pageant, Miss California was asked the following question by celebrity judge Perez Hilton, an openly gay celebrity gossip blogger, during the Q&A segment:

Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XMvviFbkf0&feature=related

“Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit?”

Her answer:
"We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."

Miss California was the first runner up in the contest and I have no doubt that her honest answer cost her the crown. (The winner, Miss NC, was asked whether or not big companies deserved bailouts. Her answer, "No, they do not," was met with audience whooping and tremendous applause) Shame on Perez Hilton for trying to advance his political agenda at the cost of a beautiful young woman's future!

Miss California stands by her answer, despite the negative publicity she has been sideswiped with. She also believes that her answer "did cost me my crown. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself and that's all I can do. It is a very touchy subject and he [Perez] is a homosexual and I see where he was coming from and I see the audience would've wanted me to be more politically correct. But I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything." Hats off to you, sister!

Perez Hilton posted a video blog last night where he called Miss California a "dumb b****." He apologized shortly after and offered to take her out for coffee, however, he later retracted his apology. Stay classy, Perez...

I'm proud of people in this country, especially women, who stand by their values and beliefs regardless of political correctness or fear of ridicule. I believe that if only the women of the United States of America would hold fast to the values our great nation was built on, we would be able to raise better, more educated children that would be able to one day lead this nation back to greatness. It might take the Second Coming to actually see it happen, but I'd like to think that maybe even a few of us to start with might be able to get the ball rolling.

Thank you, Miss California, for being an example of integrity to people all over the United States. You're a winner to us!

Puppy X

We still haven't decided on a name for our new little girl, but we got her this morning and took some pictures. She is so rolly poley (how do you spell that?) compared to Rupert!! But so far, they get along great and we're so glad to have her!

This is their first meeting:
This is her next to Steve's shoe. :)

My favorite picture!! Such a cute little face!

Her new toy, a pink Octopus.

Steve is adorable. Last night, he took all of her toys and lined them up next to her kennel. I can't wait until he has a real baby to get ready for. :)

Her little part of the house

We're going to be parents again!

On Friday night, Steve and I went out to look at puppies. We have our little Rupert, who is 16 weeks old, 3 lbs, and such a little joy to have around, but we've been wanting a little girl for quite some time. So we've been scouring KSL for a little female yorkie. On Friday, an ad caught our eye and we called the owners. She was still available and we set up an appointment to see her. After visiting with the owners and getting to know the puppy's parents (daddy is 3 lbs, mommy is 5.5, so she'll be big enough to breed in case we know enough people that will give them good homes) for about 45 minutes, we stepped outside for a few minutes to talk it over and after seeing the look on Steve's face, I realized we were getting another puppy. She isn't ready for another week, so we'll bring her home on Saturday, the 21st-she'll be 8 weeks then. We're so excited to have another puppy running around! These pictures are of her and her brothers. We're not sure which one she is out of these, but she is in the one with Steve. She's so teenie! I can't believe that she'll be old enough for us in only 6 days! We'll keep you posted!

It's late, and I haven't blogged in a while. This is my sorry excuse for a blog.

Esta semestre, tengo una clase de espanol. This semester, I have a Spanish class. It's my only on campus class. I did this thinking that it would give me more time to do independent study classes, which TOTALLY appealed to me because I hate sitting in a classroom. But as it turns out, I seem to have misplaced my motivation. It's no where to be found. I'm pretty sure Rupert has hidden it somewhere-or eaten it. I can't decide which. But all I want to do when I have time to do my IS classes is play with Rupert!! He's too adorable. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that I wasn't born to work or go to school (even though I think that everyone who has the opportunity to get an education should, and I'm proud of the degree that I'll have one day...) BUT instead, I was born to be a stay at home mom slash be retired. So I am going to start a jewelry line, then sell it for a few million dollars in a few years and retire and spend the rest of my life on a beach with my kids and my yorkies. I have it all planned out, but my ideas are so brilliant that you would all want to steal them, so I'm keeping them under wraps. People with money: if you want something to invest in, come talk to me. I'll make you rich.

We are new parents!

No, we're not pregnant. :)

A couple of months ago, Steve's company, Icon Security, merged with a larger security company, Pinnacle. Pinnacle offered Steve basically the same position, but since Pinnacle is such a large company, it would take him a lot longer to move up to where he might have ended up at Icon. We just don't know how long we'll be in Utah, so he decided that going with Pinnacle might not have been the right place for him to be.

So, he is staying with Icon to help them with their transition until April and then he will go back to school full time and finish in December of 2009 instead of December of 2010, which is when it would have been had he stayed on full time with Pinnacle.

Needless to say, we are thrilled that Steve will be done with school in such a short amount of time. The only down side of this is that we were thinking we might try to get pregnant in August of this year. Steve would have been working full time and making enough to easily support us without me having to work at all. I would have continued going to school and graduating right before the baby would have been due. But now that Steve is headed back to school and we won't be living off of a full time salary, I will need to continue to work through December.

On Jan 27th, I decided that I might go crazy unless I had something to take care of, so we started talking about getting a puppy. We started looking online at adoptions and breeders in our area. We went from talking about getting a malti-poo to talking about a mini dachshund, but finally, we realized that what we had always wanted was a yorkie. They are a bit more expensive, but we fell in love with our friends, Phil and Erin's yorkie named Dasher. We figured if we were going to get a puppy and if it was going to be in our lives for the next 10-15 years, we better make sure we like it!

I found an ad on KSL's (local new station website) classified section advertising a sweet male yorkie that was 8 weeks old. This was the picture they had posted:

I fell in love immediately. We went to see him on Friday night (remember that we had started talking about this on Tuesday). He was the only puppy left from a litter of three, apparently, his sisters were a lot more valuable since their puppies can be sold for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. But we spent about 1/2 an hour with him, and even though we didn't bring cash or our checkbook with us so that we would be forced to think about it overnight, I was already sold.

We called back the next day and arranged with the breeder to pick him up the next Monday night. I could not wait!! We spent all day Sat buying puppy things and puppy proofing our house. Steve was making fun of me because I was totally nesting. :)





We brought him home Monday night and he instantly stole our hearts. It took us a little while to figure out a name for him, because we had originally thought we'd honor our love for BYU football and call him Fui after the BYU running back, or Bronco after the head coach. But after we got to know him, we realized that he's too sweet to be named after a big Tongan running back and ultra serious/stoic Bronco Mendenhall. We decided we liked Rupert Wellesley after spending a couple of days with him. Rupert is a name that we have always thought was kind of silly. Wellesley is the street Steve lived on when we met, so it's kind of sentimental. Also, since he's a snotty English dog, we thought he deserved a snotty English name.



His temperment is so perfect. He is playful and fun during the day, and really sweet and mellow and GREAT at snuggling with his mommy in the evenings when it's time to wind down. I take him on every short errand I run, and I even got a cute cream and leopard dog carrier for him. :)



Potty training has proved to be a bit of a challenge, but as soon as we realized that puppy pads were just not doing it for him and started taking him outside, he's been great. He's also great in his little kennel at night. He sleeps about 7 1/2 hours, but stays quiet until we come to get him. We're still working with him on biting, but it's been tough because he's teething. It doesn't hurt at all, but we want to break any bad habits before he gets too big.



We have already trained him to sit on command and go in his crate when we point to it and say, "crate." When I told the vet this, he was sooo impressed because he was so young. Apparently, our little boy is a genius. :)

Anyhoo, we love our little guy and he has brought so much joy to our little family already. We're sad to see him growing up so fast. (He learned to go upstairs already and it breaks my heart!) He is a big hit with all of our friends and family so far. We have even had someone ask to clone him. It costs a mere 150,000, but he's totally worth it. (I think they might have been joking when they asked, but I wouldn't have been surprised if they were serious.) We'd love for everyone to meet him sometime, and I'm sure you'll all fall in love with him just as much as we have. :)

Our Christmas Break in Corona

Wow, it has been forever since I have taken the time to blog! Since a lot of things have happened since Christmas and since no one likes to read a big long entry, I'm going to break it up. FIRST: Christmas break in Corona!!
We left the Sat morning after Christmas and stayed the night in St. George with Steve's parents and sister, Emily. We had such a blast and there is just something about St. George that is RELAXING. We left the next morning for Corona. The drive was a NIGHTMARE! Traffic was absolutely horrendous (Welcome to Southern California). It took us eight hours just to get from St. George to Corona. How miserable! We got in much later when we would have liked, but at least we got in safe.
The week went way too fast as always, but we had a great time with my family. We went to Rainforest Cafe with my parents, had lunch with my grandparents, went to Miguel's Jr. a couple of times, hit up BJ's a couple of times, and played a ton of Rock Band with the Fam Bam. I was also able to meet some old friends for lunch and breakfast. It was so much fun to see them. Here are some pictures from the trip. Can't wait to go back once the pool is warm enough to swim in!

Dad is trying to master the guitar on Rock Band
Getting ready for the count down to New Years!
LOTS of Rock Band playing.
My parents at Rainforest Cafe.
Rainforest Cafe. This picture makes me realize that after living in Utah for so long, I could use a tan.
BJ's Pizza: Someday, I'm going to franchise this place in Utah and become a millionaire.

Christmas was wonderful!!

We had a fantastic Christmas this year! We started it on Christmas Eve with a great dinner at Steve's parent's house. His nieces and nephews are the greatest and acted out a great nativity scene. Afterward, Steve's brother gave us a gift card to Cafe Rio and a 100 hour candle, which will go great with our new 72-hr kit. (Steve's family rotates between who they give gifts to since there are so many of them.) Afterward, we stayed up with Steve's sister Emily and watched one of my new favorite shows, Reaper. It's hilarious. We were exhausted pretty early (we blamed it on the turkey) so we went home around 11, which for the three of us, is VERY unusual. :)

The next morning, we woke up at around 9:15 and got ready before we opened presents. We had set a $25 budget for each other so that we could "save for a cruise" that we want to take next year. At least this is what I had told him. Steve did a great job with his budget, even if he did go a few dollars over. :) He gave me a pink golf glove, a car charger for my iPod, a BYU flag for my car, and a safety kit for my car. He also packed my stocking full of my favorite candy. :) I got him some silly little stocking stuffers from the 99 cent store, and for his big gift, I got him a print of a painting of LaVelle Edwards Stadium. It'll look great in his office.

After we finished up at our place, we headed to Steve's parents to give them their gifts. Santa is always really generous at the Eliasons, and it's so fun to be there to see everything they've gotten. Steve's parents gave us a gorgeous leather bound set of "History of the Church" by Joseph Smith. It will be something we'll have forever and we love it. Steve's mom also gave us some adorable Christmas pillow cases and it will be a fun tradition to bring them out each year. Emily knows us all to well and gave us a Cafe Rio gift card and a YoZone gift card. AWESOME.

After we opened presents, we went to Steve's oldest brother, Jeff's house. Jeff and Steve's dad made us an incredible breakfast and we hung out with his family until about four that afternoon. We played Guitar Hero, World Tour forever with Steve's nephews, Jordan and Jeffrey. I took a nap and played with Jeffrey's adorable little baby, David. I love babies. :)


After we left, I realized that I didn't have anything for dinner that night, so I called I think every grocery store in Provo and could not find one that was open. What do the Jews in Provo do on Christmas day??? Next, I called about every restaurant in Provo hoping to find one that would be open, but the only one that was open was Denny's and IHOP. So, yes, we spent Christmas dinner at Denny's. Amazing. :) When we were there, I casually told Steve that I had a present for him that I had forgotten about and I had told him that he'd have to open it when he got home. I think he probably thought it was another car care gadget from the dollar store. :)

(He had just opened his remote and was staring at it) :-D

We got home and I ran up to get his present. I had wrapped the remote for his 52" Sharp LCD TV. He was so funny when he opened it up! At first, he thought it was a universal remote (also from the dollar store) and kind of stared at me for a second, then he looked at the bottom of the remote and said, "This is for an LCD TV." I couldn't stop giggling and said, "Do you want to go look at it? It's at Whitney's." I had Whitney's house key and skipped across the street (very carefully because we've had about a foot of snow), opened the door, and turned on the light while I got my camera ready. I love love love his reaction. He could not believe that he would get to watch football games on this thing. :)

(He's just figuring out what's going on) :)

(This is him seeing his TV and realizing that we're probably going to have to get a new entertainment center for this bad boy)

(Hahaha!! I love this picture. You can see the size of our old TV in our entertainment center now. It's quite the upgrade.)

We spent the rest of the night watching a movie and double checking to see that Halo really was as awesome in HD as everyone said it would be. It was. :) We had a wonderful Christmas and we are so grateful for our wonderful marriage and for the wonderful families that we have been blessed with. We are especially grateful for the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and for the sacrifice He made for us all. I love this time of year and I'm really sad that it's over, but I am SO excited for what this new year has in store for us. We hope that you are all doing well and we hope that you have a happy and blessed year in 2009.

Today I feel like bragging about my husband.

Everyone knows that Steve is just wonderful. He's smart, kind, intuitive, has gorgeous blue eyes that'll make you forget what it was you were just thinking about, he's a pretty good Halo player, and in case you didn't know, he is a very talented wood-worker. (Is that what you call them? Wood workers? Carpenters? Whatever, you know what I'm talking about.)

Last year in June, Steve decided that, for our anniversary, he wanted to build me a jewelry box since I had accumulated so much jewelry at my job at a fine jewelry store. (Send in your friends, kids, I'll get 'em a deal.) He spent forever on the design and finally went to work on it. We were moving to Hawaii in August, so Steve was under the gun a little bit and was working late each night trying to finish it in time before we left. Sadly enough, time ran out and we had to leave it behind.

We got back from Hawaii last December and once the weather permitted, he was back in his shed every night working to finish my first anniversary gift. Because he had been trying to finish it so quickly before we left, he had taken some shortcuts on the design and structure and decided that since he had the time to put into it, he would make it exactly like what he had pictured all along.

I had told Steve a little bit of what I wanted slash needed. I needed a ring drawer with ample room for what I had as well as any additions in the future. I also told him that I liked the idea of having it lined with hot pink. Other than that, he pretty much did everything on his own. I'm not sure how many total hours he put into this, but I do know that more often than not, he would go straight from work to his shed so that he could work on it for as much time as possible.

Steve was hoping to have my jewelry box finished before the first snowfall, but since it had been a year and a half since he had started it, I wasn't really in any hurry to get it and I figured that I'd probably find it under the Christmas tree. But one night in mid October, I went upstairs to take a shower and get ready for bed and I came out of the bathroom to see rose pedals leading downstairs. Steve had the lights dimmed and candles all over the table and there was my jewelry box with a blanket over it. When I uncovered it, I saw that it was better than anything I had imagined. I knew Steve was talented, but I had no idea what his real capabilities were. Almost a year and a half later, I got my first anniversary gift and it was absolutely worth the wait.

So I wanted to post pictures of it so that you could all see it. It's just sitting on my floor right now, but one day we'll have a place where it can be displayed properly. (Please ignore the mess that's going on in my hallway. Unfortunately, I decided to take pictures the same day I decided to clean out our upstairs.) I have already received numerous requests for a jewelry box just like mine, but with his parents wanting a china cabinet, my parents wanting new kitchen cabinets, various requests from his 9 brothers and sisters, and of course the toy chest I want for our future baby, (which, if he starts now, might be finished by the time we have one) Steve is booked solid for the next 57 years, but please let me know if you'd like your name on the waiting list. Anyway, here it is. Eat your heart out. :)

The skeleton is made of mahogany and the drawers are made of birds eye maple. People see these pictures and say, "Now you just need to fill it up." I do have to say that I had only put half of my rings and only a few of my necklaces, so now that my jewelry is all in there, it's a bit crowded, but when it comes to jewelry, you can't have enough, right?? :)

These panels slide out so that we could make the most out of the space inside. This panel is made out of pink mesh so that my earrings can go through it.
Magnets keep the doors closed and Steve put gold leafing over the magnet so that it's prettier. :)
Little pegs on the panels hold necklaces.




Side view
Top drawer

Bottom drawer

My ring drawer!

Thanks baby, it's perfect and I'll love it forever! (Just like you.) ;)

We need some more happy things in this world.

I decided yesterday that I needed to notice the happy things in life more often. Immediately, I thought that it would be a good idea for me to write down one good thing that I noticed that day, or just something that made me grateful for something. I think in this world it is way to easy to accentuate the negative and I've noticed that it has started to affect how I have viewed and reacted to every day situations. SO, in an effort to be a better person and make my own little world just a little bit happier, I am going to post something (hopefully) every day or two (or three).

Yesterday's (12/10/08) Thought: I was sitting in my English 292 class, a class in which a am currently struggling in, and my teacher made an interesting comment. She said that the women of my generation are very lucky because we are one of the first generations to have had women who are experts in practically every field and who have paved the way for women of the future to make their marks in the world. While I don't have any far reaching hopes and dreams (raise a family, teach high school, coach basketball-nothing that hasn't been done before) I was so grateful for the women who had gone before me and realized how important education and learning were to not only men, but women as well. Now is truly the best time in the history of the world to be alive.

Today's Thought: As I walk walking down the steps just south of campus, a young man was walking up them with a big smile on his face, saying "Merry Christmas" to everyone he passed. This touched me so deeply. Here was a person who, the week before finals, when I am ready to rip the head off of anyone who looks at me cross-eyed, made an effort to greet every person he passed. In doing so, he was reminding us of the special time of year this is and reminding us what is really important. So, what he said was, "Merry Christmas." What I heard was, "Good news! We have a Savior of the world and we're celebrating His birthday this month. Life is good!" My GPA is going to be less than impressive this semester, and I'm tearing my hair out with finals coming up next week. I want to do well, but really, it's not all that important. My life is still fantastic no matter how I do. I'm not going to flunk out of BYU, and will most likely walk out of here someday with a degree from this great university. I will still go home at the end of each day to the wonderful man I married. I will still have the support of a great family. I have my God, I have my health, I have my freedom. Life is good. I wish I would remind people more often of that too.

Some guy stole a Rolex from Losee's...

...but he got caught!! About three weeks ago, I was showing a Rolex to a guy that looked, well, let's just say "not like a Rolex customer." He was total white trash, cat fur on his dirty jacket, unkempt goatee, I could go on. But of course, I would never refuse service to a customer just because they looked like they may or may not have slept in the gutter the night before. Anyway, after talking to him for about fifteen or twenty minutes, he was looking at a two-toned Oyster Perpetual Date Just that retailed for about 10,500. With the watch in his hand, he said, "Well, thanks," and began to walk out the door. Trying to assume the best, I said, "Excuse me, sir," thinking that maybe he just forgot that he had the watch in his hand. But as soon as I spoke, he picked his step up and bolted out the door and down the street to a getaway car. The cops came, they did some fingerprinting, took our statements, and we at Losee's started to think about filing the insurance claim.
On Tuesday afternoon, I got a phone call from a coworker who told me that an Provo police officer had just walked in with our stolen watch! It was in perfect condition. The poor idiot who stole it had given it to his girlfriend (who was driving the getaway car) and told her to take it to a pawn shop. She took it to a "Jumping Jack's" or something like that. Apparently, this place is pretty legit and they obviously know what kind of clientele they've got coming through their doors. They told her that they would give her $2,000 for the watch after 30 days of holding it to make sure that everything was on the up and up before it left their store. They also took a copy of her license and fingerprints. Haha!!! Now, in another life, in another universe, if I had chosen to be a criminal, I don't think I would be a stupid one. What thief in their right mind hands out their information like that?!? Would you also like to swab my cheek?
After a watch is taken in from a pawn shop, it is suppose to be registered by the serial number on a website so that people who are looking for their stolen watches can keep an eye out for them. Lucky for us, the Boys in Blue at Provo PD were looking for our watch. They saw it on the site, immediately went to the pawn shop, got the watch and the information of the poor girl who had sold it and went to her house in Santaquin or Genola or some other shady place south of the BYU testing center. She sang like a canary and she and her Clampit boyfriend (who, by the way, is naturally out of prison on parole) and they're going to jail. Woo hoo!! You don't mess with Losee Jewelers. We're pretty much Bad A's. Ok, fine, the cops are, but still.

I have been sucked in.

I am blogging. hehehe. I feel like such a nerd when I say that. But since it seems like ALL of my friends have blogs, and NONE (well, hardly any) of my family has Facebook, it would be only natural that this is how I am going to have to keep up with family and friends. So anyways, I guess this is where I update you guys on what is going on with Steve and me. Steve and I are both still in school and I feel somehow that we'll be here forever. The feeling makes me want to vomit. But life has been extremely good to us and we are very blessed. It's just that I am sick of going to school all the time. I don't know how doctors do it for like ten years or however long it is...but I digress.
So, yes, we are still in school. Steve is doing accounting at UVU and working full time for Pinnacle Security (it was Icon, but Pinnacle bought them out last month). He loves his job and it's kinda nice to have one of us with a "real" job. I'm still working at Losee Jewelers in Provo and that keeps me busy along with an English major. We will both probably finish in April of '10. I know it will fly by fast, but not fast enough. I want to make a daddy out of Steve and I can't do that without my degree! :) (Although, the idea of getting knocked up to get out of school has crossed my mind more than once or twice or seven thousand times.)
That's about it for now, I guess I'll just update this in case anything exciting happens? Is that how it's suppose to work? Advice would be appreciated if anyone is a blogging expert. Hehehe. Nerd.