I'm Randomly out of things to blog about...

...so here's a post of random things! I've read a lot of "random" posts/facebook notes lately and they seemed like fun so I thought I'd give it a try. Let's see if I can think of 20...

(1) I scratch my head when I get nervous. I scratch my head and play with my hair if I get nervous in front of a large group of people. I scratch my head and purse my lips if I get nervous while driving.

(2) I've never owned a dog. I actually don't care for dogs that much. I like other people's dogs but have never really wanted one myself.

(3) I could make my mom's recipe for Macaroni and Cheese every night for the rest of my life and be happy. S is nice enough to eat it when I make it, though I'm not sure it's his favorite.

(4) My jetta just turned over 60K. A graduation gift to myself from myself, I or S have driven all but 23 of those miles. I have also commited to drive this car for at least another 6 years (I've had 4 different cars in the last 10 years and it would be nice to keep the same one for awhile!)

(5) I am overly critical of myself and others. I tend to expect nothing but perfection from myself and feel let down if I/others don't meet my expectations. I'm trying to change this, though, and just go with the flow of things and accept myself and everyone else for who they are.

(6) I am a reality TV junkie. Name the show, I've probably recorded it...and watched it. I can't help it, though. While drama shows seem to go in circles, at least reality shows end at some point.

(7) Speaking of drama, I hate it. I hate it so much that, in efforts to avoid it, I often find myself right in the middle of it. I'm learning that high school may have ended almost 10 years ago for me, but the high school mentality lives on forever!

(8) In the quest to find more appropriate means of exercise, I have embarked on the journey of yoga...and am learning that I am definately no yogi. S joined me for a practice once and we kept laughing so hard that I never did regain my drishti (or whatever it's called.)

(9) I can be quoted as saying, "Whoever says that the first year of marriage is bliss needs to be shot." Growing up in a Marriage is Bliss society like I have definately gave me (and many others, as I've learned) unrealistic expectations. But I am happy to say that marriage gets better with time and that I've never been as happy as I am now. So Marriage is Bliss, it just takes time and effort!

(10) I have well over 1,000 pieces of scrapbook paper neatly organized by type and color. I also have a couple hundred sheets of stickers (nearly 100 of them being alphabet). And even though I am on some kind of scrapbooking hiatus, I still go to the scrapbook store every other week and buy more. It's an addiction.

(11) I always thought that my habitual organization, neat-freak-freakishness and OCD tendencies made me an oddball...until I started working where I do and met the people I work with. Now I realize that all aforementioned items should be part of the job description. We are all nuts... (no offense!)

(12) I would rather stay home on a weekend by myself and pull out some cross-stich, applique, or other sewing project (S calls these my 60-year-old-person-hobbies) or spend time gardening than go out and party with friends. I relish peace and quiet and am very comfortable being alone (a very beneficial trait for the wife of someone who works long hours...though I equally love vegging with S when he is home!)

(13) I've never been off of the North American continent (unless Hawaii counts.) I don't have a passport. I would like to change that sooner than later. I have, however, traveled to 35 of the 50 States (expect the largest one...go figure.) My parents were/are big RV road-trip people. That's the main reason I prefer flying trips to driving ones.

(14) I have done more adventurous things the older I've gotten. Which is funny because I am the world's biggest wuss. It helps to be married to someone who is outgoing, courageous, and encourages me to have more faith in my abilities!

(15) I believe that other people's cooking always tastes better...even if it's the exact same recipe made with the exact same ingredients in the exact same kitchen. I rarely ever love anything I cook (except Mac 'n Cheese, of course!)

(16) I hate cold weather. Cold Weather=Depressing. I like being outdoors and you can't do that if it keeps snowing! Haha, I take after my dad in that regard. He is antsy from the first snowfall in November to the last snowfall in March (or April or May) to get back outside and work in his garden.

(17) Pregnancy really doesn't make me as nervous as I thought it would. In fact, I find myself hardly thinking about it sometimes. Is that weird? I'm sure as the due-date approaches all of the horror stories I've heard or witnessed will come flooding back to mind, though!

(18) I like having checklists so I can cross things off as I do them. This goes for erasing them off of the whiteboard too. It's like a fresh start everytime I complete a task!

(19) S did better in Physical Science than the time I did. (Okay, both times--I repeated it as an "easy" way to improve my GPA. It didn't work.) It's embarrassing, especially for a science major. And S reminds me of it all of the time: Well, if you'd paid attention in Physical Science, maybe you would already know that! Maybe if I'd actually gone to class I would have done better...

(20) My favorite movies are the ones that make me choke up a little. I am, however, embarrassed to be seen crying during a movie so I usually try to hide it as best as I can. This is especially easy if I'm already fighting a cold or something.

So there you have it. Hopefully you feel a little more enriched having read this. Ha! Totally joking there. But thanks for reading anyway!

Is it SPRING yet?!

I've had this picture I took last year set as my desktop background at work for the last couple of weeks.It seems torturous at times to look at it (especially after the horrible early spring snowstorms that come every year in Utah). It does give me hope, though, that winter eventually ends and it won't be long before I'm back outside in my element.

I guess you could say I'm just plain Anxious.

Anxious for these little shoots popping up in my garden to turn into Crocuses, Narcissus, Daffodills, Tulips...

Anxious to trade in my winter coat for my spring jacket.

Anxious to find out what gender this little thing I'm carrying around is (according to the poll on my other blog, it's dead even right now. I still think--and hope--that it's a boy, despite the fact that my coworkers and majority of my family think it's a girl.) When we find out, there will be no stopping us. S has major plans for the nursery and I can't wait to start buying all of that fun stuff!

Anxious for S to finish up his year of probation (7 shifts to go!) so that he can be a "real" firefighter now. Not that he hasn't been up to this point :)

Anxious for our trip up the California/Oregon coast next month...the ocean is calling my name!

I guess you could say I'm not the most patient person in the world. And this time of year doesn't help, either! But with the weather forecast as perfect as could be for the upcoming week, I plan to get my hands dirty (literally) and start planting my early crops in our garden. It won't be long until we have green peas and onions growing and NOTHING beats a homegrown vegetable! Who doesn't LOVE spring?!

Surprise!

I'm p-p-pregnant!

Yes, it's true. I'm due late August (this summer will be a blast I'm sure.) I told family and coworkers about a month ago so it hasn't been super secret, but it IS nice to finally get it out in the open. I wanted to make sure things looked okay at my 2nd appointment before I said anything. They did so I am.

This is my first pregnancy so those of you working on your second (or third...or even fourth) might find me a bit naive, but it has been totally different than I had expected it would be. I thought I would sum up the great things and not so great things.

Not-so-great:

• I've had maybe 5 nights where I haven't had to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I am accepting that my nights of uninterrupted, sound sleep are over.
• I felt relatively decent up until a month ago. Until that point I had slight nauseau and malaise but nothing I couldn't deal with. Telling people how great I was feeling and that, essentially, this is going to be cake was a big mistake cause I have had eat my words since then. I keep hoping I'm on the brink of feeling better. When I start to feel discouraged, though, I tell myself that, one way or another, this will be over come August.
• I've developed weird aversions to people/things, not food. The most unfortunate thing is scrapbooking. I can't bring myself to even sit down at my crafting desk without feeling ill. The weirdest thing are those Paige Davis commercials for R.C. Willey. She makes me want to vomit (actually, most annoying people do...has anyone else ever had this problem?!)
• I expected I'd be showing at least a little at this point so it's a little unnerving sometimes as I worry if everything is okay. I even lost about an inch on my waist over the course of a week. I've gained the appropriate weight (not sure where it all is right now) and my doctor's appointment went well, so I'm just trying to relax. I'm sure there will be some point where I would give anything to be where I am right now!
• Where has all of my energy gone?! I suspected almost immediately that I might be pregnant when I was on the treadmill a few months ago and had an incredibly difficult time finishing my run. I used to get up early and get my day going before I had to go to work. Now I can't get up before 9! I changed my hours at work to come in earlier, hoping that by having a reason to be somewhere, I might be able to get into somewhat of a routine again!
• I have what are appropriately called "Emily" moments. I've always had them, but they seem to have increased exponentially. It's pretty bad when I don't remember how I arrived somewhere or I do something REALLY stupid at work within 3 hours of being named "Employee of the Month." (True story.)

Great:

• Obviously, we are SO EXCITED! This has been a long time coming. Due to unnormal circumstances, we had to have the timing exactly right and miraculously, everything has worked out better than I could have hoped!
• In one word (or letter): S. He has been amazing (now the older post about him taking over a lot of what I normally do might make a little more sense.) I couldn't ask for a better, more supportive husband. (Even though he kicked me out of the kitchen. Literally!) He's going to make a great father!
• If things go as we hope, I'll still be able to work most of my hours at work, therefore preserving somewhat of a social life. And the income. That doesn't hurt, either. That's the great thing about having a husband who only works 9-10 days a month. And the days that he's at work I'll be able to stay home. I suspect that in the future our kid(s) will be more excited for it to be a "daddy-only" day rather than a "mommy-only" day. The days I'm home will probably consist of chores and homework. The days that S is home will probably consist of trips to the park and the zoo.
• I hear horror stories of how some women turn into emotional messes when they are pregnant and, according to S, I haven't been bad at all. I've cried, like, twice and felt like I was insane only once. If anything, I've been more irritable, but at annoying or stupid things that would drive anyone crazy.
• I didn't expect that I would fill up so quickly when I ate. This has caused me to take better inventory of the things that I eat. Consequently, I am eating more fruits and vegetables than I ever have before in my life. Oh, and cheese. I LOVE cheese!
• It's forcing me to slow down a little and be more aware of how I am treating my body. I usually rush through everything and overwork myself. Being physically unable to do that is a blessing. I've come to appreciate having an excuse to take naps and let someone else help me when I need help (a very humbling experience...I hate asking for help.)

So, that's pregnancy so far according to Emily. By the way, I've decided to create a new blog. This blog is still my primary blog and I will continue posting on it. Also, I will still update the pregnancy on here, but I'm weird about giving too many details in a public blog, especially when it involves a new baby. The new blog is private but I am more than happy to add you if you want to read! Not that my blog is soooo exciting, but the other one will probably be more of a travel-log, facts only. That kind of stuff. So if you are interested, send me your email address via a comment on here, email, or facebook and I'll add you to the list!