The Woes and Triumphs...So Far

We just made the big announcement so by now, everyone knows that Shelby and I are expecting our first baby! My due date is on June 6, 2014 and we couldn't be more excited! This puts me in week 14 so I'm just at the beginning of the second trimester.

Since I've never been pregnant before and I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing, I have really been trying to prepare for this baby and the pregnancy by reading articles, open forums, and asking advice from other moms. What should I expect this week? What works best for this? What do I need to prepare for this trimester?...And so on. The one thing that I have learned is that every woman is different and every pregnancy is different. If I could guess at what a really rough pregnancy looks like (bed rest, throwing up EVERY DAY, any sort of complication, etc.), I'd say I've had a fairly easy pregnancy. But, like I said, everyone is different. What may be easy for me is hard for others and vice versa. Here are some of the woes and triumphs so far in my first pregnancy.

Woes 

1.  I won't eat meat. On a normal basis, I love meat but if you put a steak or a piece of chicken in front of me right now, I won't eat it...lame. My one craving has been Italian food. I'm always in the mood for a good pizza, or pasta!
2. I'm always soooo tired! Normally, I get enough sleep to last me the whole day without feeling tired. Now I can barely get out of bed, let alone last through the day without needing a nap or just going to bed at 8 PM.
3. If there is one feeling I hate, it's nausea. I cannot stand the feeling like I'm going to throw up!
4. My clothes don't fit anymore...A lot of people know that I've spent a lot of time and effort loosing weight (almost 30 lbs.). It's really hard to watch your body get thinner and leaner only to see it get bigger. I have to remind myself that this is good weight gain.
5. I am far more sensitive to things people say or do. I feel like I anger quickly and take offense more easily now than I ever have before. If you talk to my older brother, he will tell you that he stopped teasing me when we were younger because I wouldn't get worked up and mad. Now if he said something to me, I think I'd have a freaking fit!
6. I cry...a lot...even over dumb things. I went on a Disney movie kick the other day (yeah...still love Disney) and cried at the part in Robin Hood when the rooster sings the song when basically the whole town is thrown in jail. WHO CRIES OVER THAT?!
7. I have almost no motivation to do anything. It takes everything I've got just to clean or make something for dinner...even then I don't do it half the time.

Let's move on to happier things.

Triumphs:

1. We heard the heartbeat! I cried (see woe #6).
2. In the last 13 weeks, I've only really gotten sick a handful of times! I said how much I hate nausea, but I hate actually throwing up even more. To only have that happen a few times is a total blessing.
3. I lost 2 lbs in my first trimester! Even though my stomach got a little bigger, I still lost weight!
4. I never wanted to be one of those women who stopped moving and going to the gym because I'm pregnant (sorry ladies, it's a bad excuse). Fortunately, with the help of a couple of good friends, I have still been exercising on a regular basis. This will be a huge benefit after I have the baby. Easier recovery and easier post-baby weight loss.

According to this, there are far more woes than triumphs but as far as I'm concerned, I would say that the triumphs greatly outweigh some of the woes (except for being tired...that just sucks). I would definitely say that this pregnancy has been pretty easy compared to what I think a hard pregnancy is but don't get me wrong, there are definitely things on this list that have been really hard for me. I just want to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy because I'm just so excited to start a family!

A Time Travelling Missionary

Well she's off! Sister Merrill is now in the beautiful land of New Zealand. It was hard saying goodbye to my best friend yesterday at the airport, but she is doing something that is very important so I couldn't be happier for her.

I spoke with my mom at lunch today. She was telling me that Emily was landing in about 30 minutes (from the time we were talking) and I asked, "Well what is she going to do until tomorrow when she needs to report to the MTC?" My mom then told me that it already is tomorrow there! New Zealand is 19 hours ahead of us so it is currently Thursday, November 7th. My mind was blown! It only took one night for her to get there and she completely skipped Wednesday...WHAT?! She is proof that time travel is real! Crazy stuff. I'm so excited for her though. We got an email from her and she was just telling us how tired she was from the trip but that she got there safe and sound.

I couldn't be more proud of a sister! Good luck Sister Merrill!

Proud Sister

Proud sister moment...This last Sunday, my brother and sister had their missionary farewell talks (most know that we are members of the LDS church or Mormons). Both talks were so beautiful, thought-out, and very well-written. Emily spoke about faith and related it to stories in the scriptures and to her own process of finding herself. It took a lot of controlled breathing to keep it together. In....out....in....out. Thankfully I made it through with only shedding a couple of tears. By the time Hunter started talking, I lost it. Between me and my older brother, Niagra Falls was going on in our pew. Hunter spoke about repentance and the important "tool" it is in our lives. He related it to his own journey of choosing to serve a mission. He shared a beautiful scripture that I'm sure all of us can relate to;

"Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust."

I'm so proud of the choices that these two have made to go serve a mission. I can't believe that they are both leaving so soon. Emily will be on a plane to New Zealand in 6 days! It's amazing how fast time goes by. I'm excited to see how they grow and who they are serving. I think that is definitely something to be proud of. May the Lord bless them and their efforts and keep them safe for the next 2 years.

2013 Update So Far...

Okay, it's official. I'm awful at remembering to update my blog. Oh well...we are all human right? This year has just been one big whirlwind of awesome! So much has happened and it's really amazing how fast the time has gone by.

Shelby and I have really settled into our new life together. It's amazing how much you don't know a person until you are married. I've known Shelby since we were six years old but now I feel like I'm really getting to know him; his habits, personality, moods, etc. They say that the first year of marriage is always the hardest and I can see why.  This isn't the same as living with roommates in college, where you can share but really what's yours is yours. This is learning that nothing is yours, everything is OURS; our things, our cars, our money, our house. There have been some bumps but I feel like we have truly embraced OUR life. I also can't believe that it has almost been a year since we were married! One month away from our first anniversary, which I am stoked for! One year down, an eternity of happiness to go.

 As many know, I went to school at BYU-Idaho for about 4 semesters a few years ago, but I never finished any degree. I decided earlier this year that that needed to change. Of course, I couldn't move to Idaho again because our jobs are here and the military is here (Shelby is in the National Guard), but I could take my remaining 8 credits online to finish up my Associate's Degree. So I did. It was probably the hardest semester of my life but I'm glad that I suffered through it to accomplish this. Now I can continue to work towards my history degree at UVU. Not only am I proud of myself, but I am so proud of Shelby for getting into school. This is his first year of college and I am so happy for him. He has so many goals that he wants to reach. Couple that with his strong determination and I'd say that is a recipe for success! On top of going to school full-time, he is also working full-time. He is so busy but I know that he will do some great things.

More things to mention...

1. My brother got his mission call to Ghana, Africa! He is leaving in exactly one month from today.
2. My sister also got her mission call to Auckland, New Zealand. She leaves a week before my brother!
3. My oldest brother just got married a couple of weeks ago! I'm so excited for them. His wife is just the cutest and funniest girl!
4. The Brown Family Reunion! This year we took an eventful road trip to Indiana to go stay at some lake-side condos at Raccoon Lake. That is a very long drive (24 hours) and I can now say that I've had a cop point a gun at me (that's a story for another time). Boats, tubes, wake boards, card games, multiple games of Settlers of Catan...could it get better than that? I don't think so! It was a good thing that we went to this reunion because it was the last time that I would see my grandpa. He just passed the other day and we are very sad about it. However, we are grateful and happy to know that he is no longer suffering from his illnesses and is with our Father in Heaven. We will see him again. The Brown's are coming here for his funeral this Saturday.

This year has been such a happy year so far. I can't wait to see what is to come.

Your Guardian Angel Cover

My cousin told me about these two guys, Michael Henry and Justin Robinett. They are so amazing, I had to share.

A Small Tribute

I don't know if this news has made it to the national level but tragedy has struck the Spanish Fork area. Last Saturday night 3 girls, Savannah and Kelsea Webster, and Essa Ricker 13, 15, and 15, were hit by a train up Spanish Fork Canyon. Kelsea and Essa died instantly, while Savannah was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Savannah died last Tuesday. It has been a hard time for many people in our community, especially the families of these girls. They will be greatly missed.

2011 Update

Okay, I'm sorry that I'm really bad at updating my blog. I do have a legit excuse though. I have been at school for the last 7 months in Idaho. I was so busy with classes and research and papers. These last couple of semesters have just been nuts! But I have been having a lot of fun too. There have been a few adventures and I'll catch up on them. So.....here it goes.

Before I left for school this year, I went with my dad, Hunter, Emily, and two of Hunters friends to the Canyons resort for a snowboarding trip. I was SO sore after that. I'm not really a snowboarder or a skier, I usually stick to hockey but I thought it would be a good time to try it again after the disaster trip I had when I was 8 years old or so. The family took a lesson and I got so frustrated that I told the instructor to shut up and get away from me. Yeah...not exactly my finest moment. This trip was a lot better as far as attitudes were concerned. It was still hard though. I fell a lot but by the 3rd run, I was starting to get it. It also makes it hard that I board goofy instead of regular which is what everyone else boards. I always had to sit funny on the lift so my board didn't kill anyone that was on the lift with me.I would definitely go again! It was really fun!



These are some pictures from the 4th of July trip to Wyoming. So much fun! I was at school at the time so I had to meet up with my family at my aunt's house. Thankfully it was only an hour and a half drive for me which is really nice. We did so much stuff! A parade, horseback riding, rodeo, fourwheelers...I had an absolute blast!! Especially at the end of the semester, it was a great way to just relax before final test and papers were due.






This was my most recent adventure. I was able to go with Nicole, Jonica, and Katie from my team way up the canyon in American Fork to go "true" camping at Pittsburg Lake. We pretty much went off-roading to get to the trail head where we parked the car. Then we hiked 1500 feet up a mountain in a mile and a half, each of us being weighed down by 30-50 lb packs on our backs. And let me tell you, that was a freakin' steep climb!! We were all the way up by the snow line. We can now say that we went swimming and built a snowman in the same day. Pretty cool huh? I thought so. So these are some of the pictures from that trip. It was so fun! And I'm thinking dry-land training for the team...anyone? Anyone? Haha!









I know this looks like a strange picture but Jonica decided to stretch a little bit and didn't realize that Nicole was going to take a picture. I just decided to go with it.





I can't believe that so much has happened over the last year. Time has just flown by! I just need to go find some more adventures now!

BYU-Idaho 20th Ward

This video is probably the greatest thing ever! Thanks to Sam Humpherys, the beginning is completely epic! His move is called "Spreading the Sheets". Awesome!

Wyoming Trip

Well, we are coming to the end of the semester. Finals week is here and we have to be moved out of our apartments by Saturday. There is so much to do and the stress has set in. Me, Natalia and Kellie thought that it would be fun to take a trip before finals started. Last weekend, we all piled in the car and drove to Afton, Wyoming to stay with my aunt Lisa and her family. We had so much fun! Friday night we went and got Mexican food at Juan's and went and saw Toy Story 3. It was so funny!! We also rode the horses and went bridge jumping at Gover Bridge. The water was freezing, and Natalia is terrified of heights but we had a blast doing it!! All of this plus a nasty sunburn on my arms but totally worth it! Here are some pictures that we took while we were there.

Don't do it Natalia!!

Kellie and Natalia, so cute!

Sorro was such a good horse. We rode for a few hours, it was really cool!

It was funny watching Natalia (5'1") get up on that horse! Love ya girl!

Probably the most redneck thing that you can do in Wyoming but so fun!

Our little Russian druggy...hahaha! Mascara will get you every time.

That water was sooooo COLD!!

Natalia, Me, and Kellie!

Wow! That was such a fun trip and I'm happy that I could spend it with Kellie and Natalia! They are such amazing friends and I'll miss them A LOT when I go back to Utah. But, no worries, we will be roommates in the winter semester when I get back! Yay!
Thanks a lot sistas! You have made my semester so much more enjoyable!

Sand Dune Jumping

For FHE, our whole ward took a trip out to the sand dunes for BBQ, bonfire, and games. We had a blast!! I made some new friends and I've been converted to sand dune jumping...it has changed my life! Here are some pictures from it.

Me and Natalia, chillin' on the car, waiting for the rest of the ward to get there.

This was our "Boy Band" picture. Kellie, Me and Natalia.

Making the leap of faith.

All of the girls laid down and the guys jumped over us. Scary!! Those guys can get pretty high and really far.

Me and Natalia after the landing...Natalia almost took a tumble down the rest of the dune.

I look like I'm riding a sand wave...pretty cool!

This was so fun!! We are pretty sure that we are going to go back a couple of times before the semester is over (possibly with a date?). Good friends, good times.