The art of cooking

So recently I became very interested in cooking. I love experimenting and trying new things, and of course watching cooking shows for tips and techniques. It's becoming a new hobby of mine. The other night I prepared a delicious meal that is quick and easy, yet fun to make. Seasoned chicken herbed with oregano and parsley with rice and steamed broccoli and carrots.

It's a girl!

After a long time of waiting and wondering, I had my second ultrasound yesterday to find out the gender of our precious baby. I really didn't have an idea what it would be but CJ has always felt like it was a girl and to my surprise...it was! I was absolutely ecstatic. I'm so excited to be having a baby girl! I've always wanted a girl but I would have been completely happy with a boy too. I just want a healthy baby, that's all I care about. The name we decided on is Brier Michelle, after me.

I love watching my baby during the ultrasounds. When I see her on the screen I melt. It conforms that it's real. Sometimes I can't believe I'm having a baby. Pregnancy truly is the most amazing thing I've ever experienced, and I know motherhood will be the same way. I've grown spiritually and emotionally. It's a feeling I never knew until now.

Baby Brier, 28 weeks

We're going to have a baby!

Baby at 17 weeks

Back in June I found out I was pregnant! Such a wonderful surprise. I'm completely ready for this and I can't wait to be a mom. I know I will absolutely love it. I've been wanting this for quite some time. I am now 26 weeks. I know I haven't blogged in a while but sometimes I feel like i'm just talking to myself- I don't know who even reads this, but I'm going to try to do better on updating my life. There's a lot going on right now; it's a very exciting time for CJ and I. We went for an ultrasound at 17 weeks hoping to find out what we're having but it was too early to tell. We go back for another ultrasound on thursday to find out and I can't wait! It will be nice knowing who is in there- Briar or Jett. Then I can really start preparing. I'm due february 5 so i'm going to have a winter baby!

In august we moved from Kansas to Iowa for CJ to attend school for wind turbine technology. We're really liking it here so far, minus the cold winter weather ahead of us. I am also in school this semester, working on my AA degree for elementary education. I'm taking children's literature, developmental psychology, sociology, and music appreciation. This is my last semester to really be able to concentrate on school so i'm really enjoying it and it's going so well. CJ is a member of the wind club and is president of the photography club that he just started here at Iowa Lakes, which i am a member of. We also joined TRIO and recently had the opportunity to take a trip to Iowa State University where CJ was able to explore educational and career options.

We've met some wonderful people here. For Halloween we had our friend Brian over and we had a blast handing out candy. Prada really enjoyed watching for trick or treaters.

I've actually had a pretty easy pregnancy so far. At the beginning I was tired a lot and lossed my appitite but I didn't get morning sickness. My second trimester was amazing! I felt better than I have ever felt before, physically and emotionally. But I can definitely feel that slipping away as my third trimester approaches. I'm more tired and feel less energetic and i'm becoming increasingly uncomfortable with my growing belly and body changes. But every time I feel my baby's movement I know it's all worth it. I've already become insanely attached to this child. I will miss being pregnant and feeling my baby's movement but I can't wait until I am finally able to hold my baby in my arms.

Little ballerina's!

So I'm teaching my little neices ballet. They are SO adorable in their leatards. Right now they're working on all the positions, turn out, and they LOVE pirouette's. It's a lot of fun, and it gets me into it again. I haven't done ballet in a while, I really miss it... I did ballet on and off since I was nine, but I danced all through high school. Mostly lyrical, but ballet has always been my greater strength. I'm hoping to get into it again.

Bangs

So I decided I like my look better with bangs so I cut them myself the other day. I absolutely love them! I just love hair and makeup, and creating new looks.

Lately...

I finally got around to uploading photos from recent activities and outings. Early this winter CJ and I had a great opportunity to go to Mexico for a month during Chrstmas time. We went with CJ's sister Crystal, brother-in-law Ali, and their three lovely girls, Elisia, Breanna, and Isabelle. We flew into San Diego California, where I fell in love with the nice warm weather. For December, 70 degrees was absolutely amazing. Someday I NEED to live somewhere sunny all the time, I get so depressed in the winter. From there, we drove through the boarder to Tijuanna and stayed for a few days with Ali's sister. Then we stayed the rest of the time in Ensenada with his parents along the baja. We spent Chrsitmas day and New Years on the beautiful beach. That was the best.

I really enjoyed playing at the beach. The ocean is one of my favorite things in the world. I absolutely loved riding horses on the beach with my love. <3

While enjoying the beautiful sunset I decided to do some yoga and ballet poses on the beach while CJ photographed me.

Mexico is definitely a different place. I had never had the desire to travel before and now I don't understand why. I absolutely love traveling, and after this trip it made me appreciate the diversity of all parts in the world. I can't wait to visit other places like Europe, Italy, and Austrailia someday.

It was sad seeing the poor side of town. It made me appreciate everything I have and realise how truely blessed I am.

It was interesting watching how these people lived their lives though. It's just a way of life for them...

This trip was such a great experience for me, because I had never been out of the country before this. And it was good for CJ and I. We grew as a couple.

When we got home it was cold and snowy so we went sledding one day! It was tons of fun.

Prada's hair was so long! She had a good time playing in the snow.

We celebrated her first birthday February 10.

I can't believe she's already one year old. It seems like just yesterday she was still a puppy...:(

And last but not least, I had the best Valentines ever...ice cream and chick-flicks. Two of my most favorite things. CJ got me "The time Travelers Wife" which I had been dieing to see. It was really sad, I cried through most of it. Rachel McAdams is one of my favorite actresses. She was perfect as Clair. I'd really like to read the book now.

So thats whats been happening lately...I'll try to keep my blog more up to date. This semester of school at a university has taken most of my time. I'll be glad to be done! School isn't really my thing, but i'd really like to teach kindergarten. I love children and I love helping people.

Best Friends

So I just wanted to write a short post dedicated to my best friend Kelly and share some photos from our recent photoshoot. We have been friends since third grade! Thats like 13 years. And I know we'll be friends for life. All other friends just seem to come and go. It's sad. So anyway, she is an aspiring photographer and I love to model so we set up this shoot last time I went for a visit. We live in different states now. :( But here they are...

Happiness

There is a beautiful quote by Helen Keller that reads, "Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for the other fellow and then for ourselves." Lately I've been pondering what it means to be truly happy. And i've found, that it is not through others that we find true happiness, it is within ourselves. No other person is responsible for my own happiness...I am. I've struggled with this for a while, relying on others to fill an empty void inside me completely. I had to do it on my own. And now i'm happier than ever.

The people and things we love can build onto the happiness we create. I think it's important to spend time with those we love and do the things that fulfill us in order to be happy. And also, remember that the trials we face that bring us down are not here to destroy us, they're only obsticles to get through along the way. They're here to test us and to make us stronger. I love the saying, "life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." I absolutely love that! Some days when all I can do is cry, heavenly father is the one I always turn to. He is my strenth, and the one who never fails to be there when noone else is when tragedy approaches. He is my best friend.

Nothing makes me more happy than being with my husband CJ. He's been working a lot lately but we went to the theatre thursday night and saw the classic "philadelphia story" together. It was a fantastic night, we had a lot of fun. The Granada theatre was lovely. Saturday night we went out to eat at Olive Garden with CJ's brother and sister-in-law. I absolutely love that restaurant! It's my favorite. I enjoy the simple things in life. Dinner with friends, a walk in the park, listening to my favorite song, watching chick flicks...

I'm so happy with the way things turned out. There was a short time in my life filled with confusion and uncertainty. But through that experience as painful as it was, I learned a lot about myself. I grew stronger as a person and figured out what was most important to me. Sometimes I wish that time didn't exist but I think it's what brought me where I am today.

I cannot change the past, but the future is mine. It's important to remember that it's perfectly natural to make mistakes. The tragedy in the mistake is not the mistake itself, it's failing to learn from the mistake. I really believe that. Holding onto the past can prevent one from having true happiness in life. Just let go, learn from it, and move on. When you fall, pick yourself back up. You can't change it, all you can do is move forward and make the most out of your future.

One more thing I've really learned recently, is I tend to let things get to me too easily and make arguments out of nothing. Life is too short to spend it always mad at someone or letting people put you down. Some things just don't matter. There's so many more important things in life to worry about.

Live, laugh, love.