Homes...

Post-Thanksgiving Dinner:

This week I've been thinking about homes. I had the home I grew up in. I had my "home" in Logan......multiple apartments, but Logan in general is a home. I feel at home in Maryland....the whole mission boundaries. My family has moved multiple times in the past five years, and none of those places are home to me. I had a second home growing up, our cabin at Bear Lake. We no longer have it, but now just being at Bear Lake feels like a home. That's something like 4-5 homes before marriage I think. (Pmc has 3 I think....the home he grew up in, his cabin in Weber Canyon, and the Maryland Baltimore mission.) While living in those homes, not once have I ever thought, I'm ready to move on, I need a new home. Now pmc and I have our home. I like our home, it feels like home to me. Sometimes I feel more at home than I ever have anywhere else. But I am ready for a new home for us, we are cramped and going to get more cramped soon.

I think this Thanksgiving weekend brought this "home" pondering on. Earlier this week pmc opened his phone to call his parents to find out what time Thanksgiving dinner would be. Our phone started ringing, he had selected in his phone the number that dialed "home." I started laughing, but I was glad that he still felt like that was a home for him. For me, my former homes are no longer actually places I can call. I can't go to my first home or our cabin. Logan, Maryland, and Bear Lake are places I can go, but I don't have any actual homes to go to besides this one here! We were at Bear Lake this weekend at my mom's new cabin. Pmc didn't really want to drive all the way to Bear Lake for one night, but to me 5 seconds at the lake is like coming home.

We started our own Thanksgiving tradition of taking a walk as a family, and talking about the things we are grateful for. Instead of just stating them, we talk about them, and why we're grateful for them. It was so nice for me that we took our walk along the shore of Bear Lake, because I'm so grateful for Bear Lake, and my own family to share it with. It's a beautiful place, winter or summer, and I feel that it brought me and my siblings together more than any other thing. There we were removed from friends, homework, work, general contention, and could just play! I hope to have a similar place for our own family!

We're gonna make it after all!

Unfortunately, there's nothing too special to report on this week. So maybe I'll just write a little about some usual happenings that we usually don't mention.

This semester we've been enrolled in an institute class up at the U on Church History from 1830-1900. It's taught by Brother Case who pmc had at OHS Seminary. We really love it, and look forward to going each week. The wonderful thing is that Brother Case doesn't shy away from things... he's not afraid to tackle the controversy. This week he taught about Mountain Meadows. It is a sad part of church history, but I'm so glad to have my understanding improved on the matter.

I'm also happy to be entering the home-stretch for having braces. This has been a bit of a challenge for me for the past 11 months. I wish I'd just had them when I was a teenager, but that's not how it worked out. I am nevertheless very grateful for my parents' kindness in paying for them. Although I don't love the pain when they get tightened, it will be nice to look in the mirror and see straight teeth for the first time in my life. (And I'm sure atec is looking forward to their removal also!)We did have some fun this week going to see the Jazz on Monday night. It was kind of boring because Sacramento isn't very good, but at least it was a win, if not an exciting one. And it was fun to be there with friends. This week was also our turn to host pmc's married high school friends, so Friday night we enjoyed Navajo tacos and pizzookies, along with a mildly contentious game of Monopoly (husband and wife teams don't always see eye to eye... can you believe it?) We also made time for the Utes last home football game and are hoping for another thriller this weekend. Also wanted to mention our profound joy that Utah State finally won a game! After the U game we had the pmc's brother's family over to finish of the Navajo tacos....rvc and tlc REALLY enjoyed spinning around on our office chair. It was a great Saturday!

All in all it's been a good week. atec is certainly pregnant. Morning sickness (and occasional tension headaches) has not only arrived, but stays throughout the day and often into the night and it's taking its toll on both of us. Poor atec is feeling it, and I'm constantly trying to help her not feel it. We're hoping that this will improve after a couple more weeks and we can make it through the tough part.

We're looking forward to Thanksgiving with family all over, and to some time off from work and school. We certainly have much to be thankful for.

Atec here: Pmc was typing the blog with his black cowboy hat on. I just want to tell you that since high school I have always thought that these make guys look super hot....and I'm not sure if he knew we would get married at the time, but he bought this one while we were dating! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.....and HIM OF COURSE TOO!!!!

The University of Utah

As most of you know, pmc attends the UofU, and is a die-hard fan. I even attended the U for a semester, though I am still a True Aggie and my degree is from USU. Well, we got a double dose of the U this week, as we decided on a doctor from the University Sugarhouse Clinic, and attended a Ute football game. (by the way, this will be by just me this week, as pmc is in the shower!)

So let's start with the doctor's appointment from Monday. Everything went well, and both pmc and I felt entirely pleased with Dr. Kiraly. However, all she really did was talk with us, and then send me for blood tests.....6 full tubes of my blood! I think I made the lady nervous though because I have no problem watching the needle and everything. She did a fine job mostly, but I've never bruised before, not even after donating the full bag of blood for blood drives.....and this time I did. Ugh! Anyway, she said she'll check me out next month, and we'll probably hear the heart beat! The biggest news is that I've started feeling sick.....so I guess that means the baby's doing well right?

The football game was so fun, other than my nausea. It finally went away in the last bit of the third quarter, seems like salty products help settle my stomach. Anyway, we spent the first half sitting with pmc's family, and the second half sitting with my family. It's so fun that both our families are fans and live close by. This year's pictures didn't quite match the quality of last year's, where we had the whole Cundick family together.....but I was proud of myself for really dressing for the occasion. I had a red shirt, red jacket, a red ribbon, and Ute earrings.

We forgot to mention my new job last week! A few weeks ago I was driving home past a little shopping center near our house, when I decided it was high time I see what stores were in there. Then as I started driving past each store, I started wondering if there was a place that I could work in there (since my nanny family will be moving soon). Well, just then I saw a sign in the window of a little children's clothing store that said they were hiring. I called the number and she asked me to come in that afternoon to talk with her. So I did, and she said I can just take Friday's (my day off of nannying) for now, and start more days later! The best news is that the clothes are absolutely adorable, AND I get 20% off.....perfect for a new baby! So if any of you are interested in children's clothes, check out ONEiTY. I work on Friday's so you can come in then!!! I think the coolest part about the store is that it's designed specifically to help third-world countries, everything in the store comes from little ladies all over the world who hand-make everything. So it's helping our economy and theirs! The prices are very reasonable as well, kind of between Old Navy and Gap.

Last thing, my sisters and I finally have our String Quartet set up. We registered as an official business entity this week, with a tax number, bank account and all. We are the Millcreek String Quartet. We are still working on a good website, but for now you can look at the one we have. We've been playing for some weddings here and there, and really enjoy playing together! Pmc has been working hard on creating a logo for us too! I don't know how he finds the time amidst studying and work, but the good news is his grades are fantastic right now, and he's still loving all his classes. I love seeing him so happy with school!

And That's The Way It Is!

So, we've had a number of positive remarks these past few days regarding our announcement, and we'd like to declare that WE ARE SO EXCITED for us too! Tomorrow is our first appointment with the doctor, so we'll hope that we have more good news to share soon!

Atec here....for those of you who have known me for a long time, you may know that I've been wanting to have my own children pretty much forever, so you can probably imagine my excitement as well! I captured some cute moments this week nannying, the girls just started walking! It has been so fun to see their personalities develop, Gabriella is laid back, while Isabella wants to do whatever Gabriella is doing (including playing with her toy even if she has the exact same toy in her own hands)! Their new favorite activity, other than going on a walk on the sidewalk where they don't mind falling hard on their knees, is brushing their teeth!

We sure are excited that the Fall weather has arrived... it helps to keep our apartment cool, and the briskness in the morning feels so nice. We appreciated seeing a beautiful sky on Thursday afternoon, that reminded us of the beautiful skies of Maryland. Here is the sky in Salt Lake on Thursday on the Left, and a picture I took of the sky in MD a few months before I came home.

Skies like these happen far more often in Maryland than in Salt Lake!

While I'm thinking about the outdoors, I'd like to note (more for myself and for the journal-keeping aspect of this blog) that atec and I have found that taking a walk when we have a difference to work out is absolutely wonderful. Something about the bodies' physical movement helps to keep us thinking clearly and positively. I'm grateful to have a wife who has taught me to enjoy taking a walk. I also have found that I feel better physically when I make time to take a walk, even without a problem necessitating the action.

So last night we went bowling with atec's sister chelsia and husband sam, and little sister serenity. We grabbed one fun picture, and pretty much goofed off the whole night! We love Bonwood Bowl! Today atec made a fun salad with dinner, it was so colorful, full of all the autumn fruits!

Trick or Treat?

Last night for Halloween pmc dressed as a doctor/nurse and atec dressed as a pregnant woman. But was she telling us something?

The truth is pmc was the trick and atec was the treat. She's in her 8th week of pregnancy, not very far along.

So we just wanted to share this news with you!

And if you're reading this part of the post we apologize, atec forgot to bring her camera connector to post the picture we took. But we promise to post it, so check back later!