the final countdown.

only 99 days left till we break the mold of selfishness and enter the realm of parenthood.

let the final countdown begin.

{thank you to Europe for your lyrics and tight white shorts; both are truly inspirational.}

Mocktail, anyone?

question: what do you call a bunch of Mormons getting together to socialize, dance (kind of), and satisfy the desire for a tasty drink...without the alcohol?

answer: a Mocktail party.

thanks to the wonderful hosts; we had a maaavolous time (i may have had a litte too much to drink...).

cherry update.

yet another saturday passed with me walking away disappointedly from costco.

still no cherries.

p.s. for explanation of this craving insanity, go here.

xoxo highlights

this Valentine's Day was filled with many memorable moments.

1. i woke up to the breathtaking sight of these:

2. i hung out with my loving 5 year old squirts.



3. we exchanged gifts. i heart mine.

4. we ate delicious italian cuisine; one of our faves.



5. M sang to me. (sigh)


6. we smiled. a lot.


7. i was very happy.


thank you Mikey, for making it the most perfect day. i love you forever.

my sister is lovely.

last weekend, my sweet 16 year old sister Mimi went to her first formal dance. she is the loveliest human on earth, don't you agree?

i'd like to think i'm as lovely as her...

love.

i love LOVE, in all of its forms. i think that's why i love today; a whole day to celebrate one of my favorite things; LOVE. you get to tell everyone how you really feel...without feeling corny or bridled. 5 year olds give the cutest little cards they've found to show their love. chocolates are commonplace, roses are a bloom everywhere amidst the bleak winter, and romantic songs dance their way across the radio. (sigh).

i haven't always loved this holiday. i remember in high school having many Valentine disappointments...and i remember thinking to myself, "i hate valentine's day." but now, in my semi-grown-up body, thanks to the man of my dreams, this day of love rejuvenates me, inspires me and makes me feel all romantic inside. in fact, it makes me want to pull out a blanket, snuggle up with my favorite M and some hot ch0colate and watch you've got mail.

i hope all of you feel the LOVE today. tell someone you love them. give them a hug. write them a note. eat chocolates. watch a sappy movie. whatever you do, remember:

love is a many splendored thing
love lifts us up where we belong
all you need is love.

blizzard + eagle mountain = stranded.

it took me about 2 hours and twenty minutes to get home from school yesterday in eagle mountain...a commute which usually takes 30 minutes on the dot. let's just say i had a back-ache when i finally walked through my door.

i'm just grateful i wasn't one of the twenty teachers who got stuck there for the night...

p.s. in december, the snow was magical and brought tidings of the season. now the snow just makes me mad. go home, snow.

life is like a bowl of cherries.

so, i'd say i haven't been all crazy weird when it comes to the "pregnancy cravings" thing. sure, my diet has changed. i mean, i've basically become a pregnant vegetarian- which is bizarre because in my normal body, i absolutely love meat- in all it's forms: chicken, steak, pulled pork, turkey, ham...the list goes on and on. but aside from the weirdness of gagging at the taste of all that hearty protein, i haven't really had severe desires for certain things. that is, until now.

about a month ago, i went on a shopping raid to Costco (always fun...and expensive). we had just gotten back from Christmas break, so our pantry/fridge looked pretty dang bleak. this is my favorite time to go to Costco because you can really "stock up" on all the goods. well, i got the normal stuff like lettuce, granola bars, chicken (for M of course), cereal (blah, blah, blah). And then i saw in the produce section these delectable-looking cherries. now, they were $10 for one of those not-big-enough plastic containers...but they looked so yummy that i could not resist the indulgence. so i bought them. i did not realize then what i was doing to myself.

you see, for the last 4 weekends, i have gone back every Saturday just to buy these cherries. they had this exquisite sweetness to them that not even candy or chocolate could satisfy.

so this past Saturday, i made my now "regular routine Costco stop" for the cherries. now let me make this clear: i did not need anything from Costco this past Saturday. i went to Costco for the sole purpose of buying these cherries.

so i got to Costco, headed straight to the back corner labeled "Produce" and began to search for these delicious bites of goodness. but, NO cherries. i walked around the tiny, square, refrigerated room again- and NO cherries. i went outside and thought maybe they moved these packages of sweetness- yet, NO cherries. i suddenly felt like a little kid whose mom told her that she'd be able to get an ice cream cone at the end of the day if she was good...but then the mom forgets and the ice cream store closes by the time she remembers.

today, i instinctively opened the fridge to grab my daily handful of scrumptious fresh cherries. after i looked around for a while, i remembered, "there are none." i felt a feeling come over me that said, "you must do something to get these cherries." nothing, of course, came to mind. after all, it isn't even cherry season.

this, therefore, is my plight: if anyone knows or sees of a place selling cherries, let me know, ASAP. i'm a crazy woman who would do or pay just about anything for them. i'm afraid this craving is not going to go away until i have a tasty bowl of cherries sitting in front of me.

p.s. maraschinos WON'T do.

trying to be "hot"

who would have known that taking pregnancy pictures would be such a struggle for me?? mike insisted on doing a mini photo shoot today so we can "document the process." well, i laughed through almost the entire thing...and when i wasn't laughing, i was giving the kind of fake smile i'd give the camera in high school when i was trying to be "hot." i can't really be certain why the whole thing was so awkward...other than the fact that i was all alone in a long series of photos...and i was wearing a body that most definitely is NOT mine any more. below you can enjoy (or be tortured) through my silly little shoot.

22 Weeks.

"yeah, i do want to show my tummy...but i'm going to keep my hands here anyway."

"fine. i moved my hands! can you see the bump now?"

"no way. if hilary clinton becomes president i'm moving to costa rica."

"are you kidding me? you still haven't gotten a decent shot?"

"i didn't know this would be so hard. my life is such a struggle."

"finally. do you think we'll have to take 30 shots every time JUST to get one good one?"