An update and 100 other things

Well the saga of the A/C unit has come to an end. My parents decided as their baby gift to us they were going to have the unit replaced and all the other damage that was found as well. There was major water damage in the attic due to the previous unit not being installed correctly. the ducts were not installed correctly and have major air flow issues which is why the east side of the house never cools down. All the electrical that was installed and fixed by the previous owner is not safe and needs to be replaced. There was something else too that I can't even remember now. But bottom line is a lot of money and an increased thankfulness for my parents.

The other bad news this week is that our cable and Internet went out (I'm at my parents typing this) and after 2 hours on the phone with cox Monday they couldn't figure out what was wrong so they had to schedule a tech to come out and work on it, but they couldn't get anyone out to us until Friday night at 7pm! Holy cow that's some crazy wait time in my opinion. And when we asked if they would be crediting our bill for 5 days without service we were told that since they don't know who's fault it is that the systems aren't working they won't be giving us a credit without an investigation. Um well we turned on the TV and it worked, then we tried to turn on the TV6 hours later and it was a black screen. I'm thinking the cats aren't smart enough to damage the cable and we didn't do it so that leaves Cox.

Finally I entered my 10th week of pregnancy today and bought my first maternity clothes. I've been having wicked headaches and lots of crazy back pain, but otherwise I'm still feeling pretty normal. Here's praying this will be the pattern of this adventure.

OK I saw this on my friend Jesika's blog and thought I'd see if I could come up with 100 things about myself. If you're brave read on my friends. See ya next week.

1. I'm LDS.

2. I met my husband in high school....

3. while dating his best friend....

4. who remains one of both of our best friends to this day.

5. I am 18 months older then DJ.

6. Which means I was a college freshmen girl dating a high school senior, lol.

7. DJ proposed to me twice before he graduated and I turned him down.

8. He officially proposed to me one week after he graduated high school in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle in the middle of the fireworks show.

9. But we were the only people who knew what had just happened cause he asked by whispering in my ear.

10. To this day Disneyland is my favorite place to vacation and I would turn down a trip to Hawaii to spend a week in the magic kingdom.

11. I'm a California native.

12. I spent my formative years 30 miles east of San Francisco but never rode a cable car until I was 21.

13. By the time I was 25 I had moved 10 times.

14. All in the State of CA.

15. My favorite drink is ice cold root beer.

16. I worked in a vet hospital from age 14 to age 19 as a tech assistant.

17. therefore I have x-rayed a snake, pulled blood from a lizard, helped examine a spider monkey, as well as all the normal cats, dogs & birds.

18. I also got to volunteer at the Oakland Zoo...

19. where I bottle fed a 3 week old elephant.


20. When I was 15 I spent a day shadowing a dolphin and whale trainer at Marine World where I spent the day learning how to train dolphins.


21. I am an only child.


22. I only have 8 cousins, total on both sides of the family.


23. I LOVE Chinese food and could eat it every night...


24. But, I can't eat it now that I'm pregnant....


25. because I'm an insulin dependent diabetic and have to keep my sugars in perfect order.


26. I'm the only girl in my family.


27. I'm terrified of bees.


28. I can't sleep in a moving car.


29. I have been in two major car accidents that I shouldn't have walked away from....


30. neither of which were my fault.


31. I have never spent more than 1 night alone in my entire life.


32. I love to grocery shop and have spent many hours just wandering the aisles for fun.


33. I love reality TV.


34. I love getting my nails done.


35. I love to cook and bake.


36. I use to work in a diner and a bakery.


37. For three years I got up at 2am 7 days a week to throw over 400 news papers.


38. I still cry every time Mustafa dies in Lion King and when Shelby dies in Steel Magnolias.


39. I have seen What Lies Beneath hundreds of times and I still need to turn on all my lights when I watch it.


40. I know every word to Ice Ice Baby.


41. I have never seen E.T, Goonies or Jaws.


42. My favorite food is my homemade lasagna.


43. I love making homemade pasta and sauces!


44. I love to bake and can make any pie thrown at me.


45. I hold a B.A. in English Literature....


46. but I can't spell to save my life.


47. I love, love, love like my freckles.


48. I have never lived without a cat!


49. I'm very much a 'time' person....


50. I hate it when I'm late!!!!


51. I have a photographic memory with numbers.


52. When I was younger, I wanted to have an accent.


53. I use to ice skate competitively.


54. And dance hip hop competitively.


55. I hate American Idol.


56. When I was a kid I loved to drink sweet pickle juice and my mother always caught me sneaking juice from the jar.


57. I have only camped outside twice in my life.


58. I have been photographing weddings for over 10 years.....


59. I worked as a studio photographer for over three years.....


60. and I've never had formal training in photography.


61. I love the smell of fall spices and frequently bake with extra cloves in my fall recipes just so I can smell the goodness cooking.


62. I'm better at getting up early then staying up late.


63. Halloween is my favorite day of the entire year.

64. It is also my favorite time of the year to go to Disneyland and pretty much the only time of year I will go to the park.

65. I love candles and often in the fall and winter never turn on the lights at night just so I can light all my candles.

66. I don’t really like jewelry and hardly wear anything but my wedding ring.

67. Christmas tree shopping was my favorite day to spend with my hunny during the entire year. We made hot chocolate and homemade cinnamon rolls and bundled up for the loverly 40 degree weather to go scour the lots for the perfect tree. Then came home and decorated the entire house…..

68. but we own (against my will) a fake tree now so the day has lost a bit of its vigor in my mind.

69. I can’t stand when people’s Christmas lights are not in sync on their houses (you know one strand blinks and the others don’t) or when there are noticeable lights burnt out, and I have been known to say something to neighbors about their lights.

70. I hate playing completive sports and would chew my own leg off to get out of one.

71. Wal-mart is my favorite place to go wander when I’m depressed or sad.

72. I was 16 when my maternal great-grandparents passed away.

73. I don't like Arizona heat.

74. I love to cross stitch and once cross stitched an entire baby blanket for my best friend in CA.

75. I’m a sucker for a good movie on a rainy day with hot apple cider.

76. I really don’t like talking on the phone cause I have a very hard time hearing people when they are on the phone, yet I’ve had my hearing checked and there is nothing wrong.

77. I'm shy.

78. I have never broken a bone.

79. I have dislocated both of my knees (at different times)

80. I have only been to 7 states in my entire life. (CA, HI, UT, AZ, WY, PA, VA)

81. I have no nieces or nephews.

82. I’m terrified about being a mom…..

83. and completely excited to see DJ as a dad.

84. I have the best girlfriends on the entire planet.

85. Before joining the Church I only had 2 girlfriends.

86. I love rocking out to very loud music.

87. I really, really, really miss rainy foggy CA winters.

88. My husband and I love to carve pumpkins and we usually carve about 10 of them while watching scary movies.

89. I'm very insecure about my “talents”….

90. but, I want to be the best so badly I’ve never given up even thought I constantly say I am going to.

91. I love a good thunderstorm!

92. I desperately want to be able to stay home when this baby joins us.

93. I love playing board games.

94. I love my hubby so much that I learned how to play World of Warcraft so we could play together and now I’m addicted too.

95. I love hanging out with my parents (as long as we don’t have to live together).

96. DJ and I have never been able to celebrate a single anniversary together.

97. The scent of grapefruit is my favorite smell on the planet.

98. I’m petrified of water where I can’t see the bottom and refuse to get in it ever.

99. I LOVE to give gifts!

100. I still have most of my stuffed animals from when I was a kid in the garage in a Tupperware box.

Well don't that just suck! ***edited***

So we found out today why our energy bills are so high, we need a new A/C unit. Yep and last year when we had the system go out and the home warranty company came out to look at it and told us that it was just a leak and filled the freon and fixed the leak and told us the system is in great condition for it's age and we are really lucky - they lied. The guy today said there is no way the problems in the unit were not visible last year and he said that the unit shouldn't have passed inspection. So now we're trying how to come up with $5000 dollars (ironically the same amount we just spent on the floors and I had a little voice in my head the whole time saying don't do it, but we needed to for my health since I do so enjoy breathing, but the voice kept saying don't do it) to put in the new unit. We can't afford to put it on a credit card so now we're really in a pickle. I had $2000 to pay off the car in August which was going to be a huge blessing cause we will need some extra money when I go on maternity leave since you only get 60% of your pay and then I need to come up with day care money right after that and losing that car payment is the only way it will work out. Ugh I'm so tired of this constant money crap!
I know people say that making more money won't solve our problems but I'd sure like to try it. DJ is still only making $24k a year before taxes but working 50+ hours a week making a second job impossible and with that kind of pay we can't afford for him to go back to school. There is no chance of him getting a raise and the drive to metro has caused $100 more a month in gas. He's got 3 years management experience and tons of customer service experience and tons of cash handling experience but no other jobs will even look at him since he has no degree. It's so frustrating. I know he hates what he's doing. He comes home bummed out and feeling like he's failing and try really hard to pump him back up but frankly it's starting to get to me too. And in this economy I'm not sure what to do really. Leaving this job could be a huge mistake cause then he'd be the new man on the totem pole and if there was a problem the first to be let go. If anyone knows of a good job out there please let us know cause we sure need a break soon before this ship sinks. Or if you happen to have a brand new A/C unit sitting in your garage and you have been thinking hey we should just donate this to charity give me a call. Or if you need a strapping young man to come clean your house for say $5k I've got the man for you. And if you have any tricks on how to carry a child for say 24 months so we could get the cash for day care lined up again pass that bad boy along too.

***to add insult to injury today DJ's car died - engine blown - died. My biggest fear has completely come true. I have looked at our budget the past few weeks and was continually amazed that things were going to work out once this baby got here, they would be really tight trying to live on $50 a week for groceries and diapers but we were going to make it. I'm really tired of living in a snow globe that is shaken violently every time we just get things put back together after the previous shake up. I knew that the trials wouldn't stop after we got to the Temple, but I thought the blessings would help balance it all out...............and hopefully they will whenever they finally get here.***

What a weekend!

Well this has been an amazing weekend for sure.

Friday night I hosted our little scrappy addiction group. We had a great night talking and laughing and making pretty pages. We got to talk lots of baby stuff since Jenna & Casey Lu are also preggers! It was lots of fun to just unwind and relax and get a few creative juices flowing. I'm really starting to like the work I'm producing and I think I'm finally finding my own style. Thanks for the fun girls.

Then the next morning Toni, Amie, Chris and I drove out to Mesa and we did a Temple session together. It was awesome to share that with my girls. The previous Saturday was so busy I didn't get to sit with them and really experience the moment. I loved getting to feel more relaxed and really feel the spirit without any stress. It was a great way to start the day and a wonderful bonding time with my Sista's. Love you ladies to pieces =)

Then today at church two amazing wonderful incredible rocking ladies told me they were pregnant!!!!!!!! Oh my word the water here really is chock full of the pregnant mojo. I'm am so excited for these ladies to be mom's cause they are going to be absolutely amazing at the calling! Congrats a million times over ladies. (ask me and I'll tell ya who)

And speaking of callings I have found myself in a new one as of this weekend. I was released from my Relief Society calling and called to be the 2nd counselor in the new Primary Presidency. I'm excited and terrified all at the same time. I have some amazing shoes to fill and I pray that I will be able to serve these children in the way that my Heavenly Father needs me to. I love this opportunity to serve and grow closer to the children in this ward. I love seeing their eyes light up and nothing makes my heart fuller then having one of them run up and give me a hug. Today during Sacrament Amie's son Ethan sat with us and was too cute when he laid his head in my lap and started humming a primary song. And then Heather's youngest Lizzie ran over and wanted to sit with us for the second half of Sacrament and she crawled into my lap and wanted to know when we could have a girls day where we could bake and garden together, smile how I do love these kids around me. So I feel a little overwhelmed right now and I'm sure it will take me a bit to get into the real swing of things, but with these amazing youth around I can only imagine that they will help build me up to someone worthy of leading them.

I need prayers

**Edit - Got my new insulin pump at about 2pm. Got everything set up and it seems to be working alright. I ended up having to give myself about 10 shots to keep my sugars in range, ouch. Most moms can only pull out the labor stories, I'm totally pulling out the endless needles story. Thanks for the prayers. **

My insulin pump stopped working at midnight. The company said it would take 15 hours at the earliest to get me a replacement. My sugars could soar dangerously high by then. I'm terrified right now. Please pray that the baby and I will be ok and the pump will get here as soon as possible.

Camping.......oh it was camping all right

So since January or February Amie, Toni and myself had planned this camping excursion. Yep that's right Amie-just-pull-off-the-side-of-the-road-and-pitch-a-tent talked me into the terrifying idea of sleeping with bugs and peeing in the woods/cactus. And my girl Toni was right there to bribe me with tantalizing recipes and the prospect of cooler temperatures. So I gave in and my husband was so excited. Then I had to go and create a miracle, a medical marvel as this little baby has been called. And when asking if I could forgo some of my medically necessary items I was told absolutely not as it could raise my blood pressure and it wasn't worth the risk. So we all packed it in and camped luxury style at casa de Lowry.

I must saw it was very relaxing. I was super early along so hardly anyone knew about the baby therefore being around a bunch of people who did know gave me an opportunity to gush and swoon about the little miracle.

We had a great time, scrapping, watching movies, gabbing about babies, cooking for each other, playing at the lake, talking about the impending Temple trip and just bonding with my bestest buds. It really was a fun weekend. So enjoy a few photos from the weekend I made possible =)

Can you see the face?

great times, awesome friends, and a comfy bed = a wonderful weekend! And yes Amie I will gladly camp with a newborn =) but given the fact I'm due in January lets say May after the high country is not still frozen in snow.

The Perfect Day

A wonderful drive to the Temple just DJ & I and our amazing friends Shawn & Luke. Great conversation and spiritual stories.

An amazing experience and a new eternal family.

Friends who truly love us and boy-howdy do we love them right back.

Having a talk with my husband once we got home that I will remember forever.

Hanging out out with out of town friends.

A fun dinner and a little Kung-Fu Panda.

Snuggling with my hunny.

But hands down best part of the day - I got to really truly actually meet my Husband, see him through our Heavenly Father's eyes and fall in love deeper then I could have ever dreamed was possible.

Whew am I ready for bed!

Buyer Beware - Home Depot --- And a baby update

I currently hate Home Depot. The molding between the new wood floors and the baseboards did not look like I thought it should have based on what the lady at Home Depot had described to us. So when the installation company called to see how things were going and if I was happy with the floors I ha to be honest. I told them that I loved the floors but the molding did not appear to match the description of what the lady had said. We talked and I soon found out that the lady at Home Depot was completely wrong and in fact had failed to go over the additional flooring options with us, one of which was to have the flooring meet the white baseboards without additional molding, which is what I would have picked hands down. So I talk to the installer about options that could be taken care of at a later date that I may like better and how they could do the job whenever we were ready and we could talk prices then too, if we decided to go that route. Then Tim the installer tells me to give Home Depot a call and let them know that I was made aware of the other options that should have been presented and tell them you are unhappy with their lack of communication. He says this is happening a lot lately and see if they will credit you back the cost of the moulding that you obviously would not have bought. Good idea I decide, thank Tim and call Home Depot.

They tell me they would need to contact the installer to discuss how the work order was written up. I get a call back about an hour later and Paul from Home Depot informs me that Tim, my buddy, tells him that he gave DJ the option on Monday morning to install new white baseboards and DJ said to just install it the way the work order reads so therefore Home Depot is off the hook. Well poor Paul failed to realize how fired up an irritable pregnant woman who just paid $6000 for a floor that she is not fully happy with can get. I keep him on the cell phone and call from my desk phone my husband and confirm he did not have that option an then confirm with Tim that he never gave him that option, rather he told DJ that should have been an option Home Depot presented.

So I talk to the Assistant Store Manager Jeff (AKA worlds largest butt-head) who tells me that there is nothing he's gonna do but investigate with the store clerk who wrote up the order then call me back sometime tomorrow afternoon. I inform Jeff that the idea of an installer who has no product to sell giving DJ the option to change a work order to reflect new baseboards is asinine and we both know that's a lame call on Home Depot's behalf. I tell him I'm not looking for anything free, I'm actually telling you that had the option been given for new white baseboards I would have taken it - and that's the more expensive option! Jeff cops attitude with me then says he will call back tomorrow. I'm miffed but dealing with the thoughts of not perfect but at least a ton better then before floors are just fine for now.

I get home to find out that the installers didn't finish the job. They packed up and left without any of the rooms finished because Home Depot called and told them I said to stop! I was in disbelief and started crying - I have 6 people coming into town this weekend and 3-4 of them were going to stay with us, and my house is torn apart and the floors aren't finished. I call Home Depot and inquire why the job was stopped unfinished and am told that they have no idea what I'm talking about. So I kindly (not really) tell them that the installers told us they were instructed to stop working. Finally the guy - Jeff - AKA jerky - tells us that they obviously stopped the job because why would they have the installers put down product they were going to have to rip up? So I convey to them that I never gave a stop work order, I never said I expected them to come in and do the floors differently because I knew I couldn't afford that right now, and why would anyone want their floors left undone?

So he has no answers. I have blue tape and unfinished edges, a kitchen and guest bathroom full of my furniture and other stuff that I can't put away because the floors aren't done so they might shift with too much use until the molding is attached. And I have guests coming into town in 48 hours. The installers book a few weeks out so best bet is end of June. $6000 apparently gets you treated poorly and unfinished work at Home Depot!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy cow - and to make things worse I can't really get to my kitchen all that well to cook. A normal person could just order a pizza and cry into cheesy toppings, not me I have to watch every little thing I eat so this is actually really a huge deal in my little world. Grrrrrrrrrrr

It almost takes the smile off my face that was put there earlier when I went to my ultrasound and got to see the little baby and his/her little fluttering heartbeat going about 141 beats per minute. Oh and the relief that there was just one heartbeat. So I'm officially measuring at 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I'm officially due (as of right now) January 20th - 2 days before my birthday =) The Dr said things look great so even thought stupid Home Depot tried they couldn't totally destroy my day. But whoa nelly did I see how crazy emotional I can me with these hormones running through my body - yikes.

3 more days - until eternity - and our forever family!!!!!!!!!!!!

Smells like updog in here......

Well not really, actually it smells like new wood floors. And aside from one finishing aspect of the floors that I'm not really fond of (the rest of my family loves them and says I'm just touchy right now, hrmph, whatever) I do love them so, we really shall be best of friends I can tell.


I can't wait to show you the final products. I would take pictures but aside from my bed and this one computer all my stuff, including my camera, is shoved into the dinning room behind all the furniture that usually occupies my house. Oh but the floors are so yummy and my house is really becoming my house.


So other then that not much is going on. I have my next ultrasound tomorrow, yikes. I get very nervous about these. This one is to determine the due date and rule out twins (my dad is a twin and there are several twins in the family line so we have been told)-----(Amie stop chanting twins, twins, twins). I'll fill ya all in tomorrow night.


I'm getting super excited for the big day on Saturday! I tried on my beautiful, amazing & much anticipated temple dress last week and it fit perfectly ----up to the new and quite expanded chest area. Sigh. I'm of course totally ok with that given the miracle that cause my uppers to grow, but that dress was so perfect to be sealed in, c'est la via.


So for right now I'm just enjoying my new house, trying not to freak out that I will have guests here on Friday night and nothing will be put back into place, and praying hourly that tomorrow I will get to see a little tiny fluttering fetal heartbeat.


Oh and just so you don't have to read a picture less post, here are some recent photos from a shoot with a co-workers daughter and niece. I really can't wait to learn photoshop so I can enhance these for real. All I've been able to do so far is mess with the fill lighting and a bit of the color saturation. Yes the eyes on Nevaeh are for real and they are that color blue, all I did was lighten the photo. She is just the most precious baby around, very snugly.