Monday, December 31, 2012

New Year

Last year, Jace and I could not have been more DONE with 2011.

He had had kidney stones 3 times.
Our apartment had been infested with roaches for 6 months (right after we resigned our lease for 6 months)
Our electricity had blown, we lost all of our food, and had to live with my family for about 4 days.
I had quit my job at the salon. Jace didn't love working as a insurance agent.
We lost one of our cars and had to think about a new one.
Jace's family (parents and siblings and cousin) were moving ALL the time.
My family was having surgeries or breaking things left and right (Joe, Mom, Dad, Randy)
We still didn't have a baby.
...
and the list could go on.

So when 2012 rolled on in, we were ecstatic! 
and 2012 has been good to us, it really has.

Jace got a job he LOVES at Wells Fargo.
and then turned around and got a PROMOTION!!
We are jumping for joy because Wells Fargo will help pay for school AND it has great medical benefits.
I found a job at Gunnell's that was and still is a blessing.
We found a new apartment, that is definitely our HOME.
We bought our first ever, new car!
We had a niece, Jane, born at the end of 2011--so it was so fun having a baby around in 2012.
We had our sister-in-law Jamie announce that she was pregnant with TWINS in 2012--
they are getting due any day now!
Jace's brother and his wife are trying to adopt again.
Jace's parents are on their mission and prospering.
My baby brother got his Eagle, Driver's License  and when they announced the age change of missionaries he was jumping up and down with excitement.
and well, while we still don't have a baby--we are hoping and praying that 2013 will be our year.

So while I'm actually a little sad to see 2012 disappear in the blink of an eye,
I'm so very much looking forward to 2013.


Happy New Year everyone. Be safe!



Christmas 2012

This year, Christmas was great, for a few reasons.

1. Jace's Mom and Dad had the chance to come for a whole week from their mission. We haven''t seen them (other than a few Skypes) in over a year---it was good seeing them. It almost felt like they had never left!

2. Jace's Hunt grandparents and sister Jen and her husband Ken came for Christmas. Talk about a full house! Mindy and Jeff played host to almost everyone for a week and then all of us for the festivities.

3. This is the first Christmas in 4 years where I have not been sick! Normally at this time I have a sore throat, lose my voice, horrible cough, and as a result of the horrible cough I re-tear the lining of muscle around my ribs. Its painful, and I'm ecstatic to not have gone through that again...yet. 

i worked alot and was tired and grumpy more than i wished i was. i also was worried about spending time with jace's family and mine. that's always hard for me--i would like to please everyone, but i cant. so i'm working on how to please myself and jace first and everyone else second. 

we were blessed to be around family. and to remember our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

and we were also blessed with the wonderful gifts our families gave us!

Jeff and Mindy gave us a Blu-ray player and movie (Jace has been dancing for joy about that Blu-ray player)



Mom and Pop gave us a dream catcher (they are missionaries on the reservation after all! ) home-made beaded earrings for me (from one of the Lakota women), and then a season of a TV show. We aren't fans of that show so we were able to get a longer HDMI cable for the Blu-ray player to work. So big thank you!!!

Jeff and Melanie gave us a new board game to try and also a DISNEYLAND savings fund jar!!! I'm in love.



Joe gave us a BEAUTIFUL framed picture--one of my favorites that I've been pinning for (for over 4 years!)



Randy gave us a new board game and a book for me!--Jace is excited to try out the game and i'm already done with the book! It was that good.

Mom and Dad gave us a much needed ladder, a dolly, emergency candles and lanterns (for our 72 hour kits), a new electric razor for Jace that hes been dying for!, new curling irons for me--so i can do more bridal hair/up-dos for dances, a new book (so cute!), Mom made me subway art "family rules", one for Christmas and one for Halloween! they are adorable! 
and of course our shoe money--which is always greatly appreciated!!


(jaces shoe money + grandparent money purchase)


WOW! So blessed. I tell you what.

My brother Jeff also organized a surprise for my parents! About 
 months ago their outside fridge died. and their inside fridge isn't too big. So he found a fridge for sale and bought it and had all of us pitch in and make the surprise work.
And it did. And they are grateful!



also, Jamie had a scare with the twins and on Christmas Eve was in the ER...turns out shes just SUPER pregnant with twins and has been over doing it---so thankful that everything is okay with all 3 of them and that in less than a month we'll have 2 super beautiful babies to snuggle!

Blessed. Blessed. Blessed.


Sunday, December 30, 2012

Time

I have to just keep reminding myself:

my time will come.

My time will come to be a mommy.
My time will come where i have my own house.
My time will come where i don't have to work and can just stay home.

someday.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

and finally our 12th date of Christmas

Our 12th date was BOXING day!

We got up that morning after laying in bed for awhile,
and went to Walmart and Target to exchange a couple of things we got for Christmas, 
as well as get a new HDMI cable for our new... Blu-ray player! 
(Thanks Jeff and Mindy!)

While we were at Target,
Jace found a pair of fancy gaming headphones (can you believe I don't know the technical term?! ::sarcasm::)
That were put in the wrong place.
We always get $50 each in grandparent money for Christmas. He also had $20 in shoe money from my parents. That equaled JUST enough to get a present that he was giddy about.
So he got $100 headphones for $60. 
and he was pretty stoked.



Since we were at Tempe Market Place, I wanted to go to Barnes and Noble...
I had just found out a series i love had a book come out awhile ago that i didn't know about!
So I went to pick it up, and guess what?! They aren't selling that book in stores--only online!
Talk about LAME!
However, the guy there ordered it for me so I don't have to pay shipping...and that was pretty cool.

We made a quick stop over at Michael's while we were there to pick up something for my friends bridal shower on Saturday!! (we are FINALLY getting closer to her wedding!)

And then we moseyed on over to the park where Jace's family was hanging out with their kiddos. His mom and dad were leaving that afternoon to go back out on their mission.

Then we went home, ate dinner, set up the Blu-ray, watched a movie, and played a game on the Xbox.
All in all, a great 12th date. 

Monday, December 24, 2012

11th date of Christmas

is happening tonight.

Both of us work today.

So we are counting our family visits as our 11th date.

We'll start off with good food and lots of visitors on the hunt side (mom and pop, grandma and grandpa hunt, and jen and ken are here!) as well as their annual crepe paper ball program. (i'll take pictures and then explain after christmas)

Then we'll mosey on over to my parents house for our Christmas program.

and go home and drink hot chocolate, eat cookies, and probably watch a He-Man She-Ra Christmas. There is NO better way to welcome Santi-Claus into our home :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

10th date of Christmas

Temple Lights!

We normally go with our friends Bryan and Megan, but things are crazy this year!

Jace's parents were able to come home from their mission for a week,
and Kara agreed to sing with her old singing group at the Temple.

We went and heard her sing and then looked at all of the gorgeous lights.
The display just keeps getting better and BETTER!

No pictures because:
#1. i forgot my camera in the car
and
#2. it was too insane there to try and go back for it.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

9th date of Christmas

Tonight what we are doing is going out to dinner and leaving a nice big tip for our server. 
Nothing like a little extra cash for the holiday (as well as the fact that they are having to work 
and people are going a little crazy right now.

Also, we are buying stocking stuffer's for each other.
We bought a combined Christmas gift this year and have been 
enjoying it  IMMENSELY!!!
(the TV hutch)


8th date of Christmas

Our 8th date was simple.

I went over to color and cut my Mother-in-law's hair (they made it from South Dakota!)
and when I got home,
Jace and I ordered Matta's,
Went to Walmart for OUR LAST GIFT!,
and then played video games.

Its the simple things. Also, we didn't die at midnight.
Good deal.





7th date of Christmas

I went Betty Crocker crazy last night.

I don't know what it was for sure, 
but after I made dinner and cleaned that up,
I felt like I should bake some cookies.

We have alot of family stuff going to go on in the next couple of days, 
so I thought that i could bring cookies to them.

Jace's favorite is Oatmeal Chocolate Chip...and I really don't like those...
and so they don't get made very often. 

So my first batch last night was oatmeal choc. chip, and Jace was happy.

I cleaned my Bosch and got set for batch #2.
Snickerdoodles.
My mom's recipe is TO. DIE. FOR.
delicious.

Cleaned the Bosch one more time for batch #3.
My mom's chocolate chip cookies.
I have PERFECTED this recipe.
It is my favorite.

Jace was there...but playing Halo. 
(hes had a rough week, so i let it slide that this was supposed to be a DATE lol)


6th Date of Christmas

Goodie delivering to ward members!!

I spent all afternoon baking banana bread and cookies

so that when Jace got home from work

we would be ready to go!

I didn't realize how many stops we had! (and neither did Jace who grew increasingly more impatient!)

But I'm happy to report that all was delivered and it helped get me in the holiday spirit for sure!!


5th date of Christmas

Designing our Christmas cards!

We bought new clothes...

A dress that doesn't make me look like i weight a ton (literally),
Jace got a new 2 piece suit.

We made a sickly Joe take a picture of us.

And then that night we picked out a card and voila!

1 hour photo at Walgreens saves the day!

We (I) spent the next two nights addressing them
while Jace kept me company watching TV shows.


(bad picture! it says: Jace is working for Wells Fargo and I'm doing hair at home. 
We are so blessed! Our love to you! Jace and Andrea)

4th date of Christmas

Wrapping the presents!

Jace is actually quite terrible at wrapping, so he always has me
do everyone's...but we do it together!


Friday, December 21, 2012

2nd and 3rd dates of Christmas

2nd date of Christmas!
Putting up and decorating the tree!



3rd date of Christmas!
Putting up Christmas lights at our home for the first time since we've been married!
There is even a contest going on to see who is the most festive. 
Too bad they aren't judging the inside of our apartment!







A Christmas good deed opportunity.

Feeling like I need to reach out to someone who needs help,
and what do I find on a blog I love?
An opportunity to do just that.
Help a family going through a hard time, with a hard thing.
Maybe you can do the same?

Click the link and check it out.



Mom, the Intern: A Christmas good deed opportunity.: I have a friend named Jessica. She is one of my dearest friends and I know she would do just about anything for me. I can always count on he...

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Twins

Both sides of my family (Wights, and Gunnells/Farnsworths) have sets of twins in them. 

My cousin Becky had twins 5 years ago...and Jace's cousin Tawny had twins a little over a year ago.

I always thought it would be fun to have twins.

Yeah, I know. I'm nuts. And I'm sure I wouldn't think it would be as much fun if I actually had twins.

But I love them.

And its in my blood.

And seeing as I'm going to have to do fertility treatments, its quite possible that I could end up with multiples.

BUT the twins I'm talking about today are not from MY family, but JACE'S!

His brother Josh and his wife are having twins---both boys. 

I'm so excited!

They are technically due in January (Jamie is hoping to keep them cooking for as long as possible), but they could be here as soon as Christmas or the New Year! 

I may be so excited...that I bought them Christmas presents.

And one came yesterday.

And I may or may not have squealed with delight and jumped around the house.

Sweet.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

on Fast Forward.

Does life seem to be ZOOMING by, like we are on fast forward?

I feel like I blinked and it went from November to Dec 15th. Christmas is in 10 days.

10 DAYS.

((oh. and also, the world is going to end for the 2nd time in just 6 days.))
just a little FYI.


Things have been chaotic and kind of a pain here on my end of things...
but I've been going back to my November days of Gratitude and reading...and then re-reading...
and then days like yesterday happen. 
Where poor, innocent, and lovely children are victims of horrible, heinous crimes. 
Where parents, siblings, grandparents, extended families, and friends are 
mourning the loss of family members. 

Puts things in perspective. And you always hope it doesn't take something like this to realize how blessed you are, but it always seems to hit me like a ton of bricks. 
I'm not a mom, but I am an aunt. To beautiful, vibrant, enthusiastic children. 
I am a sister, daughter, and wife.

And I am just so grateful for who and what I have---I could just burst.

I feel sorrow for the families who mourn...but I know that the Lord has taken those who were lost, up into his arms and is loving them and keeping them safe. They are away from all bad, horrible, and heinous things.
So, be sad that you don't have them, but be grateful that they are in such good hands.
Love and prayers to all.

Friday, December 14, 2012

"Poking the Bear"

Jace and I watched a movie one time and there was a quote in it, that just seemed to STICK.

It was from a wife, who just found out shes pregnant, talking to her husband who is
 antagonizing and annoying her...

"Really? You want to poke momma bear right now? That seems like a GOOD idea to you?"

Aw, so sweet right?

Until you start messing with it!

AND that's how we now describe ME 
when i'm super annoyed...at ANYTHING!

True story.

So without further ado...things at the moment where people are poking this momma bear without realizing the consequences of what their actions may cause:

1. The pipe burst in our apartment and how long it took me to get a hold of "emergency maintenance" and the fact that the office management NEVER once returned my phone calls about it.

2. Drywall has STILL not been fixed. After I call everyday and they PROMISE it will be done the next day...I am STILL not able to put my house back together after "the wreckage".

3. I lost ALOT of precious pictures that I don't have copies/originals/negatives of.

4. I missed all the rain last night...but the worst part is somehow the rain shorted ALL of our Christmas lights (that i have spent DAYS putting up and $$) and now the socket out on our patio isn't even working.

5. I called the management office about THAT last night and was promised a call TODAY and NOTHING! so far.

6. My stomach is having issues and I feel sick--all the time. 

7. I'm still super self-conscious after that lady congratulated me on my non-existent  pregnancy.


This now concludes my Friday gripe session.
Thank you.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

a Truth for Tuesday (TMI)

Let me tell you a little about me--in case you don't already know me.

I have PCOS.

In case you don't know what that is: Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome.

It is different in EVERY person who has it.

Basically though, i have cysts covering my ovaries making it hard to get pregnant.

My cycle has NEVER been regulated.

And with these cysts comes different symptoms.

of PREGNANCY.  

I get hot flashes...actually I just feel like a furnace ALL the time.

My feet swell up.

My nose picks up smells that they shouldn't be able to.

I get nauseous easily.

I've gained 50 pounds since Jace and I got married (my syndrome activated when I had sex for the first time)
I'm healthier now, then I was 3 years ago. 
I eat more fruits and veggies, I make most of my food--eating out is not as much, I drink more water, and I exercise way more.

Nothing changes my weight because its CHEMICAL.

AND to top all of it off, I cant get pregnant on my own because my body THINKS its already pregnant.

So, when I have people come up and ask me when I'm "due" or congratulate me on my "pregnancy"--I know I shouldn't be mad at them, but COME ON. 
Its not my fault I look the way I do---and I already am sad and depressed by it.
I don't need others pointing out the fact that I'm fat,
but its "okay" because I'm "pregnant"---oh wait.
NO I'M NOT.

Do me a favor--anyone who reads this--DO NOT ask someone if they are pregnant. Period. DO NOT ask when they are due. DO NOT put your hand on someone else stomach (oh yeah..that happened). 
Just DON'T. End of Story.

Monday, December 10, 2012

The Wreckage

My own version of the Titanic happened Friday night around 1130 PM.

I heard running water.

From, I knew not where.

I went to sleep.

At 2:30 AM Saturday morning...

I was awakened.

I stepped onto our carpet.

Heard a squish, and was standing in a little puddle of water.

I opened our closet.

And it was RAINING.

A pipe had burst and was quickly filling our closet and working its way out into the middle of the room.

Sleep was gone.

We sprung into action clearing that closet out.

Countless things were water-logged and ruined. 

The items that suffered the most damage were my pictures and frames :(

The clothes will dry.

The shoes will dry.  

The laptop speakers? Not so much.

I was up for a solid 27 hours by the time I finished waiting for 1. emergency maintenance and 2. the carpet guy.

There is a giant hole in our closet now...awaiting drywall.

We have had to sleep out on our couches for the last 3 days while a giant, loud fan was drying our carpet and filling our apartment with the aroma of mildew. 

yum.

It could've been way worse...it didn't ruin any of our furniture or go beyond our bedroom. 

But what a freaking pain in the behind. 

Seriously.


Friday, December 7, 2012

1st Date of Christmas!


Jace and I have had an abnormally busy start to our Christmas season...

We hurried and did all of our shopping at the end of November so we could more 
fully enjoy the month of December...

We've had a trip out of town (Jace), 2 weeks without a day off (me), a HUGE Relief Society Christmas Program (me..and Jace to help pack my stuff back up in two cars), a Christmas Party for my parents ward (I babysat Randy), putting up Christmas lights at the parents (me), and doing our Christmas lights for the 1st time! (there is a contest at our complex...and I really want to win that $100).

I haven't even had time in my days or room in my brain to think about when we'd start doing our 12 dates of Christmas. Luckily we've finally started!

As per tradition, our 1st date of Christmas is picking out our special ornaments for this year! My parents always did this for us kids growing up and those are the ornaments that we got to take with us when we moved out, so if we put up a tree we had enough to decorate it!
(our first Christmas, my ornaments from all those years growing up are all we used!)

Jace LOVES this tradition now. He's excited to do it when we have kids too. So--what we do, is we each get to pick an ornament that represents "us"--what we love, what we've done, whatever! and then we get a couple ornament--something that symbolizes what we did together that year. 2 years ago we went to Montana to visit my family. We found 2 great ornaments to remember that trip. Last year, we saw more movies in theaters (i swear!) so we found an "admit one ticket stub" ornament.
This year our big thing was our first trip to Disneyland for my birthday!

Without further ado--our ornaments for the year 2012!



(These two are mine! I got them for 50% off and the total only came to $5 for both!--the blue glass reminds me of an ornament my grandma had, and i love penguins!)


(Jace decided 3 Christmas' ago that he wanted to get a Super-hero army on our tree...yeah. So one year he got Spiderman and Yoda, last year I got him Batman, and this year was Wolverine.)


(And I ordered this HUGE beauty off of Disney's website! Its perfect to remember going to Disneyland for the first time as husband and wife!)





Monday, December 3, 2012

Insta-dump

The last instagram dumping was in SEPTEMBER...so I wont post all pictures...
just the highlights of the last few months.
Enjoy.

OCTOBER:
Alyssandra turns 3!

We babysat Jane for 3 days.



Our 3rd anniversary up at the cabin.

My Boss' birthday on National Boss' Day.


Halloween decorations at our house!


NOVEMBER:
Election time. Beyond sad Romney lost.

Went to Time Out For Women for the 2nd year in a row! It was wonderful!



Started listing my blessings...one a day for November.








DECEMBER: (so far)

The tree went up first...

Then we bought our Christmas present...

Then came the lights...



All the presents are wrapped in my new fun wrapping paper!

My ornament wreath was resurrected after it died a horrible death last year...

And we have had 1 fire so far. 80 degrees is still too hot for fires.


Saturday, December 1, 2012

WINTER UPDO SPECIAL!

ATTENTION ALL LADIES!!!

WITH THE HOLIDAY PARTIES COMING UP, 

FAMILY GATHERINGS, 

AND FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS--WINTER FORMAL...

ITS TIME TO GET THAT HAIR DONE!


and because of that, i'm offering a special on updo's!!!

$10 off any updo!

Comment, Message, or Call to make an appointment!
Let's get you ready to hit the town!