She's Having a Baby!!

Can you believe that my due date is 2 weeks away? Exactly 2 weeks away people!! I really REALLY didn't feel very prepared until today. For some reason, my shower wasn't very fruitful. I mean, I love the stuff I got, and I appreciate everything I was given, but not to many people came. So I really didn't get even the BASIC things that I needed.

I looked on Holly's registry (Holly is my VT companion) and I saw that she got like EVERYTHING she registered for. I was going to get her something, but she's got everything already!! (I'll just end up getting her a gift card, and let her get the stuff she needs but didn't KNOW she needed before the baby came). Anyway, I was just so shocked that she got so much off her registry. I got maybe TWO things and so I just figured that's they way things roll with registries here in Utah.

Well, so as you all know, I'm just so freaking worried about my house selling. I won't go into the nighttime sleep teeth grinding (yes, it's happening every night. I wake up with my teeth noticeably sore) or the bloody noses from the stress. Anyway, because, I know that many of you know that I'm just not really into baby time.

Not that I'm not SUPER excited about the baby, but I just feel like it can't come until the home sells. But this baby is coming weather I'm ready for it or not. And today, I'm a little more ready for it. Andy why is that? Because I have a TOTALLY amazing friend named Reagan.

I'm not kidding when I say that Reagan has given me about 1 million dollars of free stuff. We are talking a crib, stroller, Boppy, swing, TWO baby carriers, books, clothes. . . Should I go on? Seriously, hundreds and hundreds of dollars of stuff. And most of it she just GAVE to me!! Like she's planning on never having a kid again, or something!

The other reason that I'm feeling a little more calm today is because we went to Target and got all the stuff that I didn't get from my shower. Who knew that $100 of stuff would bring me such a calm mind? If I had known that, I would've done this weeks ago!!

Anyway, so some people are wondering how the pregnancy is coming and how I'm feeling. I'm doing well. The baby is kicking REALLY hard these days. Sometimes in the same place for a long time. I actually thought they were contractions until I talked to Reagan and my doctor and they both said the TIGHTNESS would be all over, not just on one side.

So on Monday, I'm going to the doctor for my next to last visit (before my due date, that is) and he'll check me again DOWN THERE. I think now is the time to get a bikini wax if I ever were to get one. But we don't have the money to do it, and I'm too lazy to call around and find the cheapest place to do it. But he'll check me and I'll let you know how it's all coming along.

Wanna know something sad? I REALLY wanted this post to be interesting, and like a baby update and info about that. But it's just boring!! I'm boring myself as I type it! LAAAAME!! I think it's because I don't really have any baby info to report. Not dilated, not effaced, no contractions, no nothing. I wish I had something more interesting to report on the baby scene.

As far as work news goes, I am VERY excited to realize that I only have 1 week (5 work days) to go!! I wonder if they will go slow or fast. I thought this last week would go slowly, but it actually went fast. I think that it's going fast because of the house thing (not to beat a dead horse). So every day it doesn't sell, makes me more nervous and more nervous for the next day to end without an offer. But I only have 5 days to go until I'm free. Poor Jamie, she's trapped. (just like they want it)

And finally, Lynn forwarded this to me. I laughed and immediately thought of Judd. So this is for her. Oh, and I'm going to share one of Judd's "dirty little secrets": SHE'S OBSESSED WITH THE SHOW GOLDEN GIRLS. Loves it forever, and will always love it. Has the whole series on DVD. We are talking serious devotion for a show that went of the air when she was 12 years old.

The day after she got home from her mission, I called her to chat and I said, "how are you, are you still freaked out about being home and it all being so weird?" and she said, "oh my gosh, Bing, it was heaven. Sleeping in my own bed, watching Golden Girls until I fell asleep and then not having to wear shoes in the shower the next morning"

See how cool she is? The first thing that she does when she gets home is catch an episode of GG's. I guess as far as secrets go, liking a wholesome show like Golden Girls isn't as dirty and tawdry as others. Sorry I told your secret, Judd!! I love you! And so does Betty White. Rose loves everyone. Except those who give her S**T. OHHHH!! What if I named my baby girl Rose? That would rock.

The Watch Story and a Lesson in Making out

That wedding blog got so many comments!! I should've done it a long time ago!! But I think the reason that it got so many is because all the people who read and comment on my blog were IN those pictures. Do you notice how Reagan didn't and wasn't in the pictures? She was actually going to be bridesmaid #9, but she couldn't make it. She had a family/personal emergency. Ok, wanna know the truth? She heard that Judd was going to be there and she didn't want to see her I'M KIDDING!!!! She didn't even know Judd back then Anyway Judd is right. I don't know if you all read her comments on my wedding blog. But here's what she said:

"I came back to your page to admire your beautifulness again when i remembered something else (with Frankie's help). you wore your plastic blue and black ecua watch to your sealing! for those of you who missed this tiny detail, check out Ali'sannouncement picture. it appears there, too! that is one important and celestial watch. do you think it is sealed to you both? like, it was worn under the covenant? not trying to be sacreligious here, but that was phenomenal"

So here is the story of the watch. While in the MTC I needed a watch. Well, seeing is how there are about a million boys and only a few sisters, you can imagine the type of selection they had there. I opted for this blue/silver monstrosity that was digital and also had a stop watch!! The wrist strap was made of the most synthetic rubber/plastic you can imagine, and the thing beeped when you set the alarm. Let me tell you, this was the best option available. Plus, it was like a "throw away" watch. I planned on using it up and then throwing it out. (I say this even as I KNOW that I wore it in my wedding)

Anyway, because I wore it everyday, the wrist strap (which was that hard plastic) eventually broke. It was time to get another one. Well, that wasn't as easy as it sounds because of the engineering of the straps. I eventually found one, courtesy of Tommy Hilfiger. That's right, the old TH band was the only one that fit. It was blue band with a white and red square on each side. You know, the Hilfiger trademark. Anyway, that one lasted till the end of my mission.

When I went back to Ecuador the first time I noticed that the band was falling apart, so I got another one while I was down there. Apparently I ONLY get watch bands in Ecuador. And Judd is right: I DID wear it in my engagement photos. And I wore it in the Temple to get married. Here's the thing: Lee got me sleeping and bathing in my watch. (Lee is Hermana Lee, my last companion). But she totally got me doing it. So on the day of my wedding I did everything like normal: shower, dry hair, get married. I just forgot to take off the watch.

And here's the thing, I had a REALLY pretty silver Fossil watch to wear on my wedding day. But in all the marriage wedding fiasco, I totally forgot all about it. And I wore it in the sealing, and then walked out to take pictures with it. So in the first roll and a half of my pictures, it is all there. Here it is in the group photo. (Click on the photo and it will open in it's own page and you can see the watch on my wrist.) But below, I've done a blown up shot of it so you can really get all of it's glory:


See how yucky it is? AND I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE!! I was just going about my day, merrily taking "kissy" pictures with my husband (as Beth puts it) and worrying about if my bra strap was hanging out my dress.

Anyway, Wanna know who alerted me to the watch? You guessed it!! Judd. Here we are talking to each other, and you can see the watch JUST as the side of the picture cuts off. Well, maybe you can't see it very well But it's there on my wrist. And I think it was RIGHT AFTER this conversation that she was like "WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!!?? Take that nasty thing off!! I can't believe you wore that in the temple to get married."

And I think she took it. All I know is that in the rest of the pictures, it's not there. See, look! No watch on the left wrist.

Well, here's the very suspicious thing. I "mysteriously" lost that watch after my wedding. I can't remember seeing it after that day. I think that Judd took it and threw it away. AND YOU SHOULD ALL THANK HER FOR IT! That watch was NASTY and smelled like Ecua-cheese. If you don't know how bad that is, believe me, you don't want to know.

Anyway, enough talk about my watch. Let's move on to another question that everyone asked me. You all want to know how I was able to make out with Marcelo on a buss that his parents were also riding. Those who have served missions in South America and SPECIFICALLY in Ecuador will know that the "long distance" buses look like Greyhound buses. They have rows and rows of high backed seats. So if your in-laws get on the bus and sit on the third row on the left, and you and your soon to be fiance get on the bus and sit on the 6th row, ALSO on the left, there is no way for them to see you.

And if you happen to have arrived on an airplane at 3 in the afternoon, and then got on your FIRST bus at 5 or so, you only have 1 more hour of light that you have to wait out until you get to make out in darkness. The sun sets at 6 pm in Ecuador (it being the EQUATOR AND ALL) and so you get to learn how to kiss in darkness, in a public place yes, but also in darkness while everyone else is asleep.

I must say, Marcelo and I didn't do ANYTHING except make out for 3 weeks solid. We took naps together and made out. Now before everyone starts to JUDGE me for "sleeping" with Marcelo, I need you all to look at this little map I've created that does a pretty good job of showing the layout of their home. Please note the home is not 100% accurate to scale, but it does a pretty good job showing how things were laid out. Take a look:
Again, click on the picture and it will open up bigger. Well, as you might have guessed, I slept in Lety's room. As you can see, that room is only accessible through the boys' room. They gave me that room becuase it was the only one that had a door on it. But when Mar and I would take naps, we would never sleep there. We would only sleep in the boy's room on the double bed that was visible from the doorway as everyone walks by.

So if we wanted to do anything, we needed to remember that it was going to be visible to everyone passing by. If the thought of your father in law (who is the Stake president) walking by at any moment isn't enough to scare the randy-ness right out of you, I don't know what is. So yes, I did make out the whole time I was there, but it had to be "chaste" making out because it was very public.

Oh, and the square by the back door is their "indoor" laundry. Also known as "big cement block where you hand wash your clothes." Ahh, I love the cement block. I'm sorry, but your clothes just get SOOO much cleaner being beaten against a cement slab. Am I right ladies? You know I am.

And finally, I would like to wish a happy birthday to my little Marcelino. He's 28 years old today. But he's still just like a little kid too!! Like for example, as I type, he's watching the finale of Disney's live action 102 Dalmatians and giggling like a little boy. He thinks that kind of humor is HILARIOUS.. I think I like the fact that he's still young at heart. And he gets joy out of the simple things So baby, this one's for you!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Today I Marry My Best Friend. . .

Remember when that phrase was all the rage on wedding invitations? Ugh!! So trite and generic. The next time you see me, ask me to do my impression of that phrase. It makes me laugh and I almost can't get through the whole phrase because I'm trying to suppress the giggles.

Anyway, today was a hard day. Not because of work, but because of home selling stresses. Marcelo is FINALLY at the point that he is willing to let the price go low, but maybe we've lost all our buyers? It's REALLY stressing me out. I can't sleep most nights. And then I have to wake up and deal with work and hear Jean make racist comments about Marcelo and how he choose the wrong tile color because he's MEXICAN. No joke, she said that, and then quickly corrected herself to say "hispanic."

Do you know what the word hispanic is? It's the latino version of the word "negro." Like how old racist people know that they shouldn't say the "N" word (because that word is generally "frowned upon" in good society), and they replace it with the more PC term "Negro" but it's JUST as offensive and racist. Jean is that racist person. Anyway, I have to deal with that crap all the time, AND I have to do it on very little sleep. Today was one of those days.

So we are really REALLY ready to let our incredible house go for a GREAT deal. If anyone knows someone that wants to buy a home for $30,000 under market value, please let me know.

So like I promised, I am doing a post about my wedding day. Beth calls these "Meme's". How do you pronouce that? Like "Mee-mee?" or like "Meh-Meh"? Please enlighten me(me). But here it is with the FOUND pictures.

1. What date is your anniversary?
August 14th, 2004. That's a nice date because you hit your 6-month anniversary on Valentine's Day!! Not like we DO anything for Valentine's Day, but if we WANTED to, it would be our half anniversary.


2.Where did you get married?
San Diego Temple. People always ask if I'm from there, but I'm not. I wanted to get married there because it was the first temple I got to see the INSIDE of. When I was 13 the temple was complete and dedicated and we went to the open house. I remember putting on the white booties (to protect the carpet) and then walking inside. The room that most stuck in my mind at that young age was this one with a VERY large staircase in a very pretty room with a HUGE chandelier in the middle of the ceiling.

It won't surprise you to know that that's the Celestial Room. And so when I was married, I got to trip up that staircase with my huge dress on and sit just looking at that chandelier. Very pretty, very quiet. Perfect. Also I was currently living in Utah, my best friend and brother lived in AZ and my mom and the rest of my family were in Northern CA. It was about the same distance for everyone to come to San Deigo. So it just seemed fair to make everyone travel the same amount.

Anyway, it was fairly a horrible trip for everyone who came. They ALL had to come a long way. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO TRAVELED SO FAR TO SEE ME MARRY THE LATINO GUY!!

3. Who proposed and how?
This is a ridiculously embarrassing story. So Marcelo and I had talked about this a few times. I was pretty sure that we would be engaged when I came back from Ecuador in May. I considered myself "engaged" for a long time. (I won't tell you how long I considered that. Let's just say it was LOOOONG before I had ever kissed Marcelo) But I considered myself asi even though we really didn't have a complete understanding about everything.

Well, I went back to Ecuador and walked off the plane and Marcelo was nowhere to be found!! I sat down on a bench outside the airport and waited. And waited. And waited. And then far FAR away I see a Marcelo shaped image a long way off walking into the "Departures" wing of the Quito Airport. I hike it over there and back into the airport, and sure enough, there he is, standing around, waiting for me to do all the work. HAR HAR

Anyway, I'm incredibly nervous because, BECAUSE he's decided to bring his PARENTS!! That's right!! It's been 1 year and 2 months since I've seen his face, and he brings his parents 8 hours on a bus to make me feel crazy anxious.

That's right, 8 hours. After having been on a plane for like 4 hours, I get to get on a bus at the Terminal Terrestre in Quito, then on another bus in Santo Domingo, and then a cab to their little suburb from the main part of Quevedo. I was VERY tired already, and then I had that huge trip to deal with. And I was flooded with all these Marcelo feelings. And I was nervous because I had never kissed a boy before. And I was trying to deal with all these things at once. I'm surprised my head didn't explode.

Anyway, we get on a bus, and settle in for a long LONG ride. Where we are making out the ENTIRE TIME. You are probably wondering how we did that with his parents nearby. Not easily, that's for dang sure! But I had been wanting to kiss him for well over a year, and we only had 3 weeks before I had to get on another plane!! We had lost time to make up for! Anyway, after nearly 4 hours of non-stop making out, Marcelo comes up for air and says, "oh I forgot. I have something to ask you." I thought that he forgot to tell me something about the upcoming stake conference, or about maybe traveling to Manabi to visit his family.

But no, he says, "I forgot to ask you: do you want to marry me?" UGGGH!!! I was TOTALLY pissed off!! I told him, "You know what? Forever after this everyone will ask me how you asked me to marry you, and I'll either have to LIE or tell them that you asked me while we were making out. You suck." (By the way, I said that all in Spanish. And I called him a few other choice words too). And I was officially engaged. Bastard.

4. How long were you engaged?
TOO LONG!! A year and a half. Waiting for his Visa to be accepted we just had to wait and wait and wait. I only got to see him once again after we got engaged. And then he arrived in the country and 2 weeks later we were married!!

5. What was the favorite part of your wedding day? (besides who you were marrying, hopefully)
Getting to see Judd, Lee and all my old roommates. And listening to the sealer say great things to us. What were those great things? I have NO idea. I'm sure they were nice and inspiring, but I didn't hear a thing. I was busy translating for Marcelo and feeling anxious that everyone was looking at me all the time.



And I know Beth and Amy were probably too "cultured" to say this, but I'm going to come right out and say it. It was awesome being able to make out with my husband and KEEP GOING without guilt. I know chastity is great and all, but it's REALLY DIFFICULT to stop when you are seriously in love and going to be married in 2 weeks. So I would have to say waiting till your married and then being able to "go all the way" (to use a cheesy 7th grade phrase) without guilt is the best part of ANYONE'S wedding day. Am I right? You know I am!

6. What would you change if you could?
Just a few things, and they were some of the same things that Amy said she would've changed. I would've rented my dress instead of buying. I have this huge wedding dress hanging in my closet that I keep having to move from one place to another. I want to give it to someone else who really wants it and loves it, but I don't know when that will happen. So I just keep it around to use as my weight barometer. I'll be REALLY happy when I can once again fit into that dress.

Second:My engagement pictures. I always SWORE that I wouldn't have my ring visible and I wouldn't have that "one" pose where one person's hands are wrapped around the other. AND IT HAS BOTH!!! Now that I look in my book of engagement photos, there are so many others that I would've chosen. There is this one where Marcelo looks SOO cute, but it's too fuzzy, so that's why we didn't use it. Now I wish that we had. He looks freaking adorable, and I look pretty cute myself.

Third, I would've hung out with Judd and my friends more. That was the last time I got to see Lee, and it was the last time I got to see Judd for a REALLY long time. I feel like I neglected everyone that was there to see me. I feel badly when I look back on it.

Oh, and I would've made sure that my bouquet didn't have a fake gold handle. That was tacky.
But I didn't have a say in the matter. We ordered
the bouquet from some random place, but when we got there to pick it up, it was like a little hut on the side of the road. NO JOKE. I didn't know that I had to say, "no fake gold" to the florist. I was wrong.

7.Wedding colors?
Red and Green baby. Northern California girl all the way. I actually wanted it to be more green than red in the pictures, but I found these great shirts at Banana Republic for crazy cheap. They were the right color and so I bought them for all my bridesmaids. With the black skirts, they just make everything look so CLASSY. I really REALLY lucked out on these shirts.

8.Do you remember anything special from your ceremony? Any good advice? A comical moment?
Like I said previously, I hardly remember anything the sealer said at my wedding. I do remember several things from Judd's wedding. And I will share them here. The Sealer told her and Parmenter to look around the room, and look at all the love and support they had around them. He gave them about 3o seconds to do this. And when he spoke again he said, "Someone over my shoulder got a wink from the bride." And Judd, without missing a beat, says, "Old boyfriend." IN HER SEALING!! LOVE LOVE LOVE HER!

I immediately started crying because I knew that I would not get anymore lessons on quickness and wit from my Judd. Her husband would get all those great comments. She was no longer my best friend, she was now Frank's wife. Bastard Frank, taking away my Judd.

Also the sealer told her and Parmenter that they had all of eternity to look at each other, but he needed them to look at him right now. I bet he said this so that he knew that they were listening to him as he talked. So when I was being sealed, I didn't want to be embarrassed and told the same thing, so I didn't even try to look at Marcelo. Like didn't even try. Later my sister in law Tina told me that was weird, and that he was trying to look at me the whole time. I think that also goes under "what I would change" category. I would definitely look at my husband more on our wedding day while we were being sealed.

And finally, when we were ready to walk out, they didn't send us out the main door where all our family and friends were waiting. They pushed us out this little side door. (This is the first picture the photographer took of us after she found us.) However, our photographer was crazy professional and somehow knew that this would happen. She walked right up to me and was like "Are you Alicia?". Yep, she found us first and had taken a half a roll of film before we were joined by other members of our family. What's up with that? Why did we get the shove out the side door? Was someone more important coming through the front door? Very strange indeed.

9.Were you clean or messy when you cut your wedding cake?
Clean. My mom's good friend said to Marcelo at our reception, "Now, don't you even think about shoving cake in her face." And my dear sweet South American husband said, "why would I do that?" HA! I'm telling you, I love having a husband that doesn't know what's expected of him sometimes. It really makes him easier to "mold" sometimes.

No cake pictures here to show you. I don't have a SINGLE picture from my reception. The "photographer" (AKA, local girl from ward) didn't put a battery in the camera. Every picture came out gray. MENOS EFFICAZ!

10.Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We spent our wedding night in a hotel right across the street from Sea World. The next day (Sunday) we went to Anaheim and then Monday we went to Disneyland. Then ALL DAY TUESDAY we traveled up to my family's cabin. We only had that one night to ourselves because on Wed everyone started arriving for the family reunion. We got kicked out of the cabin and moved a mile down the road to a campsite. I was quite bitter about that. No one else has a family reunion planned right in the middle of their honeymoon. Does one day in Disneyland count as a honeymoon? LAME!!

Anyway, Marcelo did NOT like Disneyland as much as I thought he would. When we saw where our hotel was right by Sea World, I thought we should've gone there. I was right. However, it was too late, so nothing could be done about that. Marcelo didn't like Disneyland because he didn't like the scary rides. I had to trick him to go on a few of them. I am evil.

11.How long have you been married now?
Three years and 9 months. It really goes by fast. I bet it will go by even faster with a baby. But I guess everything is fast when you are with your best friend. . . .BLECH!!!

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this. I'm going to bed now. It's 2 in the morning. But I had to finish this blog. I start to get death threats when people expect a blog from me and they don't get it. SO DEMANDING!!!

Only 8 more days to go till the job is over!! WHOO HOO!!!

Talented

I have many talents. Sometimes I get down on myself and I have a pity party with myself and I feel sorry for myself. But other times, I'm very proud of my life accomplishments and the things I've done in my 27 years. Here are some of my talents:

* I'm a good friend. I'm crazy loyal to those that I love. I would happily give my true friends one my kidneys or even one of my bladders!!
* I'm pretty dang funny sometimes. Often I think that I'm a lot funnier than I really am. But everyone once in a while someone will throw me a bone and laugh at one of my jokes. And then sometimes I'll say something that I only think is moderately funny, and it will make another person howl with laughter until tears come out of their eyes. Go figure!
* I think I'm a good listener. When I'm not distracted that is. Like right now, I'm updating my blog, and Marcelo is watching a MLS game and he keeps trying to ask me questions. I'm CLEARLY not paying attention, and I keep having to ask him to repeat his question. He gets frustrated by that. But I make no promise of attentiveness when I'm CLEARLY preoccupied with things like blogging, or reading or watching TV. Why hasn't he learned this after nearly 4 years? Crazy Latino guy!
And finally, the subject of this blog:
* I'm a FINDER. I cannot REST until I find something that I've lost. Sometimes, if it takes days to find that item, I will have dreams about finding it, and I'll wake up happy until I realize that it was only a dream and then I'll start searching again. I search the same places over and over again, even if I've already looked there and I KNOW they aren't there.

So what did I loose? I lost the CD with ALL my wedding pictures. I had it at the office because I was mailing something from there like more than a year ago, and for some reason, I never took it home. But I finally did a few months ago. So today, I was reading Amy's Blog (I would put a link to it here, but she's one of those "Elitist" bloggers that makes hers invite only. YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON SOME GOOD COMMENTS AMY!! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!! I kid) So on Amy's blog she had posted one of those question and answer posts that she had seen on Beths' blog. (Link here)

Anyway, I decide it might be a fun blog post and so I decide to get my picture CD so I have pictures to put on the blog. I go to our "junk drawer" in our kitchen and look for where I'm SURE I've put it after bringing it home from the office. It's not there. I clean out the drawer, look under everything, still not there. Panic sets in. I know KNOW KNOW that I've brought it home from the office. However, I know that there is nothing written on the CD cover or even on the CD!! What if Marcelo in his cleaning haste has thrown it away because he doesn't know what it is?

Then my mind starts to think, "if I had it in my possession right now, where WOULD I put it?" and then I go look in those places. I did that. And I look in those places 2 or three times. And then I started looking in weird places. I won't tell you all the places I looked, but let's just say my kitchen cabinet with the drinking glasses was covered. Like I said, I get CRAZY when I can't find something.

Krista, Melanie and Carolina will remember the time I HAD to find Carolina's keys that she had accidentally thrown in the dumpster at our place down in Provo. I was in that dumpster for almost 45 minutes looking through people's trash. Carolina actually told me SEVERAL times to give it up, because she didn't want me to catch the clap from the dumpster. But like I said, I'M A FINDER!! I FIND THINGS!!! I wouldn't let it go until I had found them. I knew that they were in there, and I wasn't going to rest until I opened every bag if necessary. (It wasn't' necessary, thank heavens)

Another something that helps me is re-tracing my steps. I also did that this time and said, "Ok, I know it left the office. I know it was in my purse in my car. Did I bring it inside?" When I couldn't answer that question with 100% certainty, I knew that the car was the next place I wanted to look. Luckily we were going to church right then (Yes, we were late for church because I HAD to look for the CD) so I got in the passenger's side of my car so I could look around.

You might have guessed from the light tone of this blog that I did in fact find it. It was in the pocket behind the driver's seat. It was so satisfying to find it. It's like lost and found ZILLS. (if you don't know what Zills is, I'll have to write a blog about it. For now, just know it's a very satisfying feeling deep down in your belly)

But after blogging about my talents as a FINDER, I am FINDING that I don't have time to do that wedding blog post that started this whole thing. I'll do it tomorrow.

Your happy finder here wishes you well this evening!!

I'm back! Let the rejoicing begin!

I know that many of you don't really give a crap that I was out of town for a week. But I know that some of you DO!! And that makes me SOOOO happy. And loved. Know what else made me feel loved when I was gone? Marcelo. He called me all the time. At least once a day, and most times more. Finally on like Tuesday I said, "do you miss me or something?" and he said, "YES! I thought it would be cool having the house to myself. But it's boring being just me and Raya."

He loves me!! He missed me! He missed me so much, he offered to come pick me up from the airport. Reagan was going to come and do it, and I think she was kind of upset that Marcelo was missing me and volunteered to come get me. Anyway, it was nice to be missed.

And what did I do on my vacation? NOTHING!! And that's just how I wanted it to be. I *would* break down what I did day by day, but it was the same every day. And it went like this:

7:00 am -Wake up
8:00 am- Have my first breakfast. Usually consisting of about 3 bowls of cereal.
Lay on couch. Chat with Judd. Laugh hysterically until I cry
11:00 am-Realize I'm sweating horribly and decide it's time for some Tropical Otter Pops. I eat about 12-15 of them. That is the second breakfast.
Go back to laying on couch. Watch her child destroy her house. Watch Barney videos until nap time.
Eat more Otter Pops
1:00 pm-When nap time is over, we go and get food. It most likely involves fries and an Oreo milkshake. It's lovely.
3:00 pm-Back to laying on the couch laughing my guts out. Watching more Barney and watching her child destroy more of the house.
5:30 pm- My naptime. On Judd's bed. I love naps
7:30 pm-Parmenter gets home. He makes no comments about how Judd has let the child destroy the house, and she hasn't done a single dish or washed a single article of clothing. I really REALLY want Marcelo to be that kind and understanding on those "special" days. But I know that won't always be the case. And who knows? Maybe Parmenter was being on his "Good" behavior since I was there. But I don't think so. I'm sure that he's like that always. He's SOOO calm and cool all the time. I bet he could walk in to his house on fire and still just be calm and cool.
7:45 pm- Eat another 45 Otter Pops
8:00 pm-Judd apologizes once again about the fact that we haven't done anything. I tell her again that I don't care
We spend the next few hours talking about the mission, about members and missionaries that were in love with us (ok, mostly with her, but I had one or two here and there) And catching up on our families. It's ridiculous how much we know about the lives of each other. And it was awesome to just have the time to sit and enjoy conversation without having to worry about having to be somewhere in a few minutes.
12:00 am-We finally go to bed. I feel badly because i know that her baby will be up in a few hours.

You need to know that Judd wouldn't let me pick up anything, or pay for anything. She was diligent about making sure that her baby didn't dive bomb me and end up jumping on my head or belly. (Her baby REALLY wanted to be crawling across my belly all the time). She wouldn't let me help her bring in groceries or do her dishes. I felt like I needed to "earn my keep" but she wouldn't let me!!

THAT'S what I'm talking about! I didn't know someone could be so nice to pregnant women. At my office I'm instructed to move desks and carry files and bend over all the time. No one cares that I'm pregnant, and if I were to groan from belly pain, I'm sure I would have someone take it out on me because they were pissed at being reminded again that I'm pregnant. Judd is like the best caretaker anyone could every ask for. She's what my mom SHOULD be. Instead of trying to get me to cut down to 1 egg and 1 piece of toast, she tells me that I should make my value meal a large so I get the big fries. Love love LOVE her.

And Judd is a great mom. Her little girl is suffering some pretty hard urology problems, and she takes 5 days to dote on her friend from out of town. I give Judd some serious credit for keeping her cool with possible Darby surgery on the horizon. (You would too if you knew her meticulous and worrying tendencies). But honestly, she's taking this all in stride and doing so well. With company!! Who does nothing but watch her TV and eat all her Otter Pops.

But we had some freaking great times doing nothing. I really did laugh so hard I cried. And Judd laughed so hard she almost wet her pants. THAT'S what I'm talking about! And I didn't say this to Judd before I left but I was so jealous of how much she and her husband cuddled and snuggled together. I'm not "cuddle" size right now and Marcelo and I can't both fit on the couch. Judd and her husband can fit on ONE couch and they are so freaking cute. Alicia=jealous

Anyway, I loved being able to take naps whenever I wanted and read the book Reagan loaned me, "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy". TANGENT: I find the book informative, but SUPER biased. Like the author says that you should take your time, sleep whenever you want, and why risk doing something that MIGHT hurt your baby? (like exercise) And then she goes off about how dying your hair *probably* wouldn't' do anything. She says the jury is still out on weather the toxins will do anything to your baby. Some say that it will, others say that it won't. But she doesn't care becuase she's not going to give up her weekly dye job. It just seems that she's conservative and cautious when it comes to pregnancy only when it doesn't disturb her vanity. TANGENT OVER

I am glad to be home, but I wish Judd lived closer. Or I lived closer to her. Well, actually it's better because we would probably never get anything done if we lived close to each other. I guess it's just good to go and see your best friends once in a while, and not all the time. You know, so that laundry and dishes can be done SOMETIME!

And finally, I was really happy to get home to Raya and Marcelo. And walk around in my underwear. For some reason Judd and Parmenter always got really uncomfortable when I took off my pants and walked around in just my chones. Seriously, what gives? Just kidding. But I do miss the Otter Pops. I'm going to have to get my own box soon.

I'm back!! Be prepared for frequent hilarity now that I'm here again!

I miss you Judd!

I'm on Vacation!!

I'm officially on vacation. I love being on vacation. Wanna know something? I actually wake up earlier on my vacation days. Like today I was up doing TiVo homework at 6:45 am. I mean, I have to clear my TiVo queue before I go out of town, right? So I HAD to wake up at 6:45 am to get a jump start on things.

It's good though, I really like being able to lay around in my underwear and not be forced to answer any phones. Oh the phones!! I think I hear those phones in my nightmares. But I don't have to answer them for FIVE WHOLE DAYS!! WHOO HOOOO! I'm currently on my couch watching Colbert Report and looking forward taking my dog for a walk. Maybe that will help the swelling in the feet go down

Speaking of swelling feet, I went to my doctor's office yesterday and had a very uncomfortable time. He had me get naked from the waist down and he got a glimpse of my cankles and my pitting edema. (He wasn't concerned when I told him that it goes away every night as I elevate my feet) Anyway, I had to have the bacteria test "DOWN THERE" and that was like a 1 on the scale of un-comfortableness. (I guess maybe the fact that I was naked from the waist down makes it more like a 2). But THEN my doctor checked my cervix. Why didn't anyone tell me how much that would hurt?

Granted, I'm sure that I tightened up the moment he touched me and that made it lots more hurtful. But still!! Holy crap! All that just to learn that my cervix is 100% closed. Actually, I'm quite happy to learn that. That means that I was cleared to go to AZ for my vacation. So I guess that if I had to go through that to get a clear to fly, I would do that again.

Marcelo still gets kinda upset when he knows that people (specifically another man) are sticking their fingers inside me to check things. I think he needs to realize that when I'm in the hospital that act will occur every few hours. And then he needs to realize that everyone is going to get a glimpse of my hooter while I push this baby out. So he needs to get over this really quickly

But the BEST part of the visit to the doctor was when I had to pee in the cup. I hadn't gone pee all morning and so by the time I went to the hospital I was prancing around trying to hold it in. When I finally got into the bathroom, I continued the dancing while I wrote my name and birthday on my cup. (Have you ever tried to write your name on a cup that already has pee on it? You only make that mistake once)

So I FINALLY get to pee in the cup and as I'm looking down, I see something strange on the floor. It looks like someone has spilled something on the floor. I wonder who would've brought a drink into the bathroom, and who would've had it so close to the toilet. And then I realize that it's PEE!!! Someone (maybe more than one person, considering the splash pattern on the floor) has missed the bowl entirely and has peed on the floor.

ORRRRR maybe as they were pulling the cup out from under them they spilled. I think that might be worse because it probably got on their hand in the process and who knows what they touched before they washed their hands again. Needless to say, there was a good amount of dried urine on the floor. I just stared at it, considered it, and laughed.

And then I went out and got weighed, and I wasn't laughing anymore. I actually don't know what my current weight is, because I choose not to look at the scale. I know it's big, but just how big? I don't know. I'll just keep not looking until they tell me that I've broken the scale and they now have to weigh me at the zoo on the elephant scale.

Also, we all met Jake's girlfriend Clarin. She seems nice. I mean, she's kinda got that "savior" mentality. I think that she's trying to be Jake's rescuer/mother and help him get back on track. I think that's all well and good, but you can't make someone change just because you want it. Anyway, she's 21 (Jake just turned 19 a week ago) and she's going to the Bon Losee hair school. I think that she's a nice enough girl.

But. . . . . (you knew there was a but) she has jacked up teeth. Apparently my family is a TEETH family. Judd will remember that was the first comment I made about Renfijo when I learned she was Judd's previous companion. And Nate and Julie had met Clarin before my mom did and they BOTH mentioned the teeth. Why is that? What is our problem? I mean, it's not like we were born with great teeth? We all have them after many painful and expensive years of braces.

And it's not like we can't see past that. I mean I married a guy that CLEARLY doesn't have perfect teeth. (I think now would be a good time to talk about the fact that I basically married the opposite of what I always was attracted to and thought that I would marry. DISCUSS) Anyway, apparently that's the first thing we see. But usually the problem has to be BAD and very noticeable. If it's just a little problem, I easily forget about it when I think about the person.

The thing that really threw me off were the fake nails. I think it says something about a woman that has fake nails and routinely must get them "FILLED". I don't know, I just don't really like the look of fake nails and the women who have them, and I think it says something about them. What is that "something" that it says? I don't know, but that "something" puts me off and I am wary of those girls. What does that say about me? I'm a horrible horrible person. It's ok, you can say it.

I need to go now and eat some breakfast. All I've had to eat today is some Toaster Strudel and a piece of pumpkin pie with cool whip. It was lovely, but not enough. It might be time for some "quality control" Totino's pizza.

I'M ON VACATION!!!

Quality Assured

I primarily eat junk food these days. Well, that's not 100% true. My diet consists of eggs, toast and several bowls of cereal throughout the day. I'll usually make Marcelo a totally separate dinner because when I get home at 5:30 I'm starving and I'll wolf down two bowls of Cheerios. (Cheerios are currently my cereal of choice. Before it was Rice Krispies, and before that it was Corn Flakes. I don't do those sugar cereals. They give me acid) So by the time I roll around to making him dinner at 6:30 or 8:45 (or 10:00 pm like last night) I'm not hungry any more.

That's not my point. My point is that in the last 2 days I've made some crappy food choices. I haven't hit a fast food drive through in probably 6 weeks, so I'm doing better there. But I still can buy crap at the grocery store. Like yesterday I bought a box of donuts and a bag of generic cheese balls. I finished off that bag of cheese balls today. It was lunch. Isn't that disgusting? And then for dinner, I had one of those 99 cent Totino's pizzas.

And that's what my blog is about. Quality. This is the picture that was on my pizza box: What do you think about it? I think I should've been scared when some "food substance" has to ASSURE me of it's quality. First, they don't think that I can discern what is good quality and what isn't? (Actually, they make a good point: The fact that I'm eating $1 pizza might say that I lack some food judgment)

Secondly, the word ASSURED is like one of those purposefully deceitful words. Like the pizza is saying "I swear this won't give you the runs in 8 hours! Trust me!! I'm delicious! Look, the word assured is right there!! You can count on me for a good food experience!!"

However, I am a sucker when it comes to pizza. And here is why: I really haven't had it too much in the past 8 and a half months. The first few months of my pregnancy I suffered from a little lactose intolerance, so I tried to cut out all cheese and milk. So pizza was out. That was sad. And then I just didn't want it. I more craved fries and cereal and salad. I know, weird combo right?

Anyway, recently I tried pizza again and realized that there is a reason I've been avoiding it: my body gets HORRIBLE acid reflux from the tomato sauce. We are talking 2 am being awoken by my whole neck and chest on fire from the inside out. I stumble downstairs and chew up 2 Tums and swallow them quickly so they'll start to work instantly. And then I suck on a third one whilst walking back to bed in a half dead state. To avoid this I have to have pizza with white sauce or eat it at least 6 hours before I go to bet to let the pizza work its way down.

But it's not just pizza, it's all tomato products. I don't like spaghetti with marinara sauce, and I can't eat tomato soup. You should know that before this I was a tomato freak. I hope it comes back after the baby is gone. I will be so sad if I can't stand them after this. Like I said I am a sucker for tomatoes and pizza.

Oh!! Lynn! Remember when I ate pizza like 10 times in those two weeks Marcelo was in Ecuador without me?

TANGENT: Many of you might be asking, "why did Marcelo go to Ecuador without you?" Oh, that's a good story. Here's how it went:

Jean: You can't go on vacation in August. If you want to take two weeks in May, I'll let you go for two whole weeks in May.
Me: No, I need to go in August. All his family will be there. That's when the trip has been planned for more than a year.
Jean: You can't go in August for two whole weeks. I'll only give you 10 days. I can't give you the two full weeks in a row.
Me: Your vacation policy says that I get two weeks. I want to take them together. The policy doesn't say anything about not being able to take all my time at once
Jean: Well, I'll change the policy then.
Me: I don't know what I'm going to do. . .
Jean: Well you can go, but you won't have a job waiting for you when you get back.
Me: You would fire me for taking my vacation when I wanted?
Jean: Absolutely.

And then Jean proceeded to go to every agent in the office and tell them that I walked into her office, and DEMANDED that she give me these days off. She tells them that I said she'd better give me the days off, or I was quitting. I want you to go back and read that conversation. Who threatens WHO with being fired? And then she turns around and says that I was the one that did it!! I guess we aren't surprised, right? Twist the story and make me the enemy, make ME the monster. Typical Miranda Priestly. END OF TANGENT

So when he was gone those two weeks, I slept alone, ate alone, watched lots of TV and ate TONS of pizza. I think I had it about a million times. And it was heavenly. And I came to work and said, "Lynn, what do you think I had to eat for lunch?" and she would say, "Pizza?" and I would say, "YES!!!" and I would relive the experience again in my mind. Good times.

And how does this relate do cheep Totino's pizzas? Because even though they have ASSURED me of their quality, I don't think they use real tomatoes to make their pizza. I think it's a red, salty vegetable based sauce they use between the crispy crust and thin layer of cheese. But I don't think it's technically tomato. So I think that even though I ate one about an hour ago it shouldn't cause any problems tonight. We'll see. I'll let you know. In this case the lack of quality might be to my benefit.

Now, I would like to take some time to state some things I'm thankful to have in my life. I'm thankful for good friends. I have the best friends. Friends that would walk through hell for me. Friends that would drive down from Draper to pick me up or to have lunch with me. Friends that would get a credit card and max it out so they could be at my wedding in Ecuador. Friends that would come pick me up from the airport. (That's how I determine if someone is a good friend: Can I ask them to pick me up or drop me off at the airport? I really only have a few of those people in my life) Friends that would offer to bring me zebra cakes when I'm having a bad day. Friends that back me up and I never have to question their motives or loyalties to me. Like I said, I don't have many of these, but I'm so thankful for the ones I have.

I'm thankful to be pregnant. Reagan says that I'm not a good pregnant person because I don't complain enough. Wanna know a secret? I secretly feel like I should do this pregnancy naturally becuase my pregnancy has been so freaking easy. I mean, what is the worst thing I've dealt with? Nighttime acid maybe only 4 nights and swollen feet? I know how to prevent the acid and if I just walk a little everyday, my feet will go right down. Seriously, I have NOTHING to complain about. Also, why was I so lucky to get pregnant so quickly? I mean, it was like all Marcelo had to do was look at me and I was knocked up. And I never miscarried! I'm actually surprised Marcelo and I weren't pregnant by accident earlier. Turns out the two of us make babies ridiculously easy.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be a mother. I think that it's so sad that some people choose money or possessions or certain lifestyles rather than the total and complete joy of being a parent. I mean, some people actually brag about the fact that they don't have kids and therefore can obtain more physical belongings. Isn't that the saddest thing you've ever heard? I mean, is that diamond bracelet going to hold your hand when you are on your death bed? Will that new ski boat have grandchildren that you can play with? Will your fantastic wardrobe and shoe collection snuggle with you at night when you are cold? And will that car talk to you and ask you how your day was and kiss you when you get home? (If you said yes, you should not be commended for having a rocking car, you should be checked for schizophrenia.)

Finally, I am so SO SO thankful for a husband that believes what I do about the importance of staying at home to raise our child. I think that the only thing sadder than not having children is having children and then giving them to someone else to raise. It's like those people that buy houses only to have someone else clean them for them. I mean, what is the purpose of a child for you? Bragging rights? So you can feel good about yourself? Because you think a kid is this Spring's coolest accessory? Parents who put their own desires and wishes in front of those of their child's are the worst kind. Better to just NOT have a kid than to have one and pass it off.

Take it from someone who knows: Your children can tell INSTANTLY if they are not the most important thing to you. I had one parent that clearly had kids for the wrong reason, and one parent that loves their kids unconditionally. Let's just say that the former really doesn't have a strong relationship with any of their kids. DON'T BE THAT KIND OF PARENT! (Who am I talking to exactly there? I don't know. MAYBE IT'S YOU!!)

Anyway, I am thankful tonight. I am so blessed. I promise my little gusano that I may not make every decision correctly, but as far as parenting goes, they can know that I'm "Quality Assured"

Have a happy Sunday everyone!!