Jonathan, Adrienne & William

Month 3

2012-01-26T20:04:00.000-08:00

What a fun month!

It is so amazing to see this little boy grow and develop.

Will is chunking up and growing taller. He is still in 6-9 month clothes, but he is filling them out and will probably be moving on to the next size within the next couple of weeks.
He is very particular about when he eats and how much. And if the milk runs out and he wasn't finished, watch out. He typically eats about 4-6 ounces of milk every 3 hours. But he is developing a sleep stretch at night of about 5-6 hours. The longest he has gone is 10 hours between feedings (but that was from 5pm-3am, so he's not quite making it through the night.) He still wakes up between 5-6 am every morning.
He has become so playful. He is now conversationally cooing and will make noises to get your attention if you're not looking at him. He can blow his lips (and will sometimes make little bubbles) and has recently starting sucking on his lower lip to make a popping noise.
He is getting better at rolling from side to side. He also likes it when you help him sit up and stand. And he is still working on controlling his neck and holding up his head.
He is starting to really like taking baths and recently realized he can kick in the bath too, which of course splashes right on mom.
He still is not a big fan of his car seat or car rides. He will typically last about 10-15 minutes before fussing and will likely sleep if I hold his pacifier, otherwise he would just spit it out. Gone are the days when he would sleep for hours in his car seat.
He still loves hands. His hands, my hands, your hands...doesn't matter. He loves to look at, suck on, and hold hands.
He still likes his play mat and loves laying on the ground after eating so he can kick and wiggle out all his pent up energy.
We have started reading books before bedtime each night and they actually hold his attention while we read. He also loves it when you sing to him.
His hair is getting a curl to it, which is fun to see. Jono and I have stick straight hair, but curls run in both our families. He has two lengths of hair--the set he was born with and the new stuff coming in. It looks a little silly sometimes and I think of cutting it, but I still think its adorable.
He does an amazing trick. At bedtime we swaddle him and put him in his pack n play. Then when Jono and I go in a couple hours later to go to bed his body is turned 90 degrees, blankets perfectly still on him. The first couple of times we scratched our heads and tried to remember which way we put him down. Then we realized it was him. It's quite funny.
He loves being put in his Baby Bjorn when we go places. Forget the stroller, he likes the mom-mobile.
This next month I am going to start sleep training, wish me luck! Tips and advice are always welcome!

As you can see, he is developing quite the personality.

And we are loving it.

Carver Christmas 2011

2012-01-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

This past Christmas was a good one. We spend it with the Carver side and everyone was there. We went down for the weekend of Christmas plus the week after. We had so much fun and are sad all the festivities are over. Here are the pictures from the events we captured on camera.

Opening Secret Santa presents on Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning in our jammies

Jono got a "chocolate in my sippy"...

so he could throw it back with Connor

Playing with Gaga on his new play mat

Buzz!

Sam figured out the safest place was under the Christmas tree.

Connor playing with his trains

A delicious aebleskiver breakfast after Church

Visited the Castletons in the afternoon

Monday the 26th we went to Irvine Park and rode the train

Connor and Jaxson ready to go

Will had a great time too

Then after we walked around the park

Dad fetching Connor

The boys had fun throwing rocks into the lake

Riding the pony

Auntie D and Will

Connor likes to snuggle with Sam. So we added Will to make it a party.

Fetching Connor, again. This was his favorite game.

On New Years Eve we headed to Central Park in RSM to play on the playground and jump houses.

RSM City Hall

Love it.

Then we came home and lit sparklers

Kicks and Giggles

2012-01-17T16:34:00.000-08:00

Love this little boy.

Month 2

2012-01-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

On Christmas day Will turned 2 months.

Will is getting to be so much fun. He recognizes both Jono and me and greets us with a big smile. He is cooing more and converses with whoever talks to him. He wiggles all over the place when you lay him on the ground and shifts himself around in different directions. He got a play mat from Aunt Claire for Christmas and he loves to lay on it and stare/play with the toys.

He is in 6-9 month clothes and size 2 diapers. He still wakes up 2-3 times during the night and wakes up by 5:40 am on the dot every morning, which is very tiring.

Our arms and backs are getting a workout and its nearly impossible to hold him with one arm anymore. He's getting better at holding his head up and can almost hold it up on his own. On December 26th during tummy time he rolled himself onto his back for the first time. I'm pretty sure it was an early one-time thing because he hasn't done it since but I still wanted to document it.

He has recently discovered his hands. When he's wiggling around he spots it out of the corner of his eye and he'll stop what he's doing to intently stare at his hand. It's quite cute.

We were at the mall last week and I looked down and saw this.

At his doctor appointment he got 3 shots and 1 oral medicine. The first shot surprised him a little and by the 3rd shot he was in tears. Thankfully it was nap time so I turned out the lights, we cuddled and he fell right asleep.

Here are his 2 month stats:

Weight: 14 lbs 10 ounces--97th percentile

Height: 24.5 inches--97th percentile

Head Circumference: 41 cm--90th percentile

We are loving watching our little man grow and discover new things.

Cousins

2011-12-26T20:58:00.000-08:00

Will.Jaxson.Connor.

The boys in their Christmas jammies.

Grandma is in heaven.

Will Believes

2011-12-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

With Love,

The Castletons

December Activities

2011-12-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

We are very much enjoying the month of December.

We've been attending Christmas parties, participating in Christmas celebrations, Internet Christmas shopping (you don't even have to leave the house!) and spending time together as a family before Jono starts his 4th busy season in January.

Christmas is only 6 days away and we couldn't be more excited to spend it with family and friends.

December 2: Ernst & Young Christmas Party at the Pacific Club in Newport.

December 3: Stake Primary Event--"The Road to Bethlehem"

Jono was a shepherd and Will played baby Jesus. They both did great.

This guy was tied up outside the Stake Center and greeted everyone with a "baaahhhhh."

He was awesome.

December 4: Follow the Star

Saturday, December 10: Our ward Christmas party.

Sunday, December 11: After church I went to my parents house in RSM to help make Christmas cookies. Later that night my mom, Will and I attended to Sing Noel. The performance was amazing and really invited the Christmas Spirit.

This past weekend we also went to Disneyland with my Utah cousins and went to Club 33 for a late dinner. Will wasn't too excited about being at the happiest place on earth. Jono and I spent 2 hours in the Gerber Room before dinner trying to get Will to sleep and keep him warm while he napped. Thankfully he slept through all of dinner.

We have a lot more fun activities planned while my sister and her family are here and we couldn't be more excited to have everyone together!

Hope you all have a Happy Christmas!!

Blessing

2011-12-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday Jono blessed our baby boy in church.

It was such a special day. The Spirit was in my heart as I listened to Jono give the blessing. I'm so glad I have a husband who is worthy to hold the priesthood and perform blessings and sacred ordinances for our family. We were blessed to have many friends and family who were with us. And we know there were many who wanted to come to give their love in person.

I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has given me the chance to be a mother. My days are now filled with selfless service as I take care of Will, and I love it. You truly do love those you serve.

I've come to a better understanding of the love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ has for each of us.

It's amazing how much parenthood teaches you.

Will has such a sweet spirit and I love seeing his personality shine through more and more each day.

Month 1

2011-11-30T11:23:00.000-08:00

On the 25th my little Will turned one month.

One month of snuggles.

One month of kisses.

One month of waking up multiple times a night.
One month of diaper changes.

One month of rocking, singing, shushing, and baby snores.

One month of absolute and complete love.

My little man is chunking up and seeing clearer.
He is beginning to coo when he looks at you.

His M.O. changes on a daily basis and it keeps Jono and I on our toes.

He's been smiling for a while now and it makes my heart melt.

The other morning Jono handed him to me after feeding him and he looked right into my eyes and gave me the biggest smile.
It was the perfect start to my day.

Will is no longer my newborn. He quickly grew out of his newborn clothes and diapers.
Sometimes when I am rocking him I just want to freeze time so I can forever remember what this feels like and how much I love him because I know it goes by too quickly.

Loving my boy.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving turned out to be a great weekend. We arrived at the Castleton's house Wednesday night and stayed through Saturday evening.

Our weekend consisted of a turkey football tournament, a delicious turkey dinner, lots football games, movies on tv, a couple dinners with the Carvers and of course, lots of snuggles with Will. Jono's parents were great and helped us out with Will so we were able to get a few more hours of sleep at night.

Holidays with family are the best.

We are so very thankful for our happy and healthy little family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Christina Came to Visit

2011-11-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my dear friend and college roommate (but we go back to middle school), Christina, came to visit us. Unfortunately the plans got a bit complicated because I ended up getting sick the day she flew out, which included me going to Urgent Care every day during the weekend. But we still had fun and relaxed while I recovered during the weekend. Christina got to meet and spend time with Will. She was awesome and even took some shifts with Will during the nights.
What a trooper.

On Sunday afternoon the Chamberlin's came to visit for a few hours. Their son, Luke, is adorable and loved to pat Will's head and chase the kitty.

And we ended the weekend with a little photobooth...

Thanks for coming to visit us Stina!

We sure had fun, come back soon!

Carver Family Pictures

2011-11-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

On October 20 my family had pictures taken by the wonderful Jill Facer at Irvine Park. This past Father's Day all the dads got matching ties for them and their sons. We were hoping Will would come on or before his due date so he could be in pictures when my sister and her family were down. But unfortunately that didn't happen, so I'm 40.5 weeks pregnant in these pictures and we had to improvise with Will's tie. As always Jill did a great job and they turned out super cute!

The Family

Will's Tie

Mom and Dad

Jeppson Family

Love this picture. Oh, and these two weren't posing.

Mendenhall Family

And one last goofy shot...

Thank you Jill, we had fun!

Week One

2011-11-01T23:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe baby boy Will is already one week old today. This past week has flown by! But it has been a great week and I have loved it all. I never thought I could have so much love for someone like I do for my little man. Nor did I think I would be so happy with so little sleep and throw up on my shirt.

The first night together at our apartment was a rough one. So we pulled from the bullpen and called my mother. She came and helped us last weekend and she was amazing! We loved having her with us.

Jono has been lucky enough to take a two week paternity leave. I love that we get to spend every day together with our son to set up and establish our new little family. He has been the biggest help and is such a great father.

Just me and my two boys.

I am the luckiest girl in the world.

The beautiful blanket was made by my sweet sister, Danielle.

Brand New

2011-11-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

Baby boy is finally here! I don't even know where to start with this post or how to describe the past week. My heart is so full and its incredible the amount of love I feel for both my husband and my brand new son.

Here's the birth story if you are interested. I tried to keep it short.

As you know I was scheduled to be induced on October 25 at 12:01 am at Mission Hospital. I had a doctor appointment during the day Monday and my doctor scraped my membranes to hopefully get something started. Jono and I stayed at my parent's that night because it's closer to the hospital and so I could try and sleep before we went in. I actually started having contractions at 8 pm and Jono and I spent the next couple hours timing them but decided to wait to go until we had originally planned. How's that for timing?? We got ready and left for the hospital at 11:30 pm. We checked into the hospital and got to our room.

My nurse checked me when we got there and I was dilated to 3.5 cm and 70% effaced. She was happy my body had started labor on its own because it would make the labor a lot easier. I got my epidural at 1 am and then started the pitocin. My doctor approved an Ambien so I was able to sleep through most of the labor and by 2:15 am I was asleep. At 4:30 am the nurse came in to check me and I was dilated to 6 cm and 100% effaced. I was able to go back to sleep and when she checked me again at 6:30 am I was dilated to 10 cm and 100% effaced! I was ready to go! My doctor came in and broke my water and I started pushing by 7:15 am. There wasn't much progress for the first 45 minutes so my doctor decided to take a break and let the baby labor down. I started pushing again at 9 am and pushed and pushed and pushed.

William Jonathan Castleton was born at 10:51 am and was 8 lbs 5 oz and 20 inches long.

I was so exhausted from pushing, but the moment my son was born it felt like my heart burst open and I was filled with so much love. My baby was finally born and I just started crying.

I feel so blessed to have had such a great labor and delivery and to have Jono by my side the whole way.

I never imagined it would feel like this, but I love it.

Our son is perfect and healthy and I am so glad he is with us.

My love.

Baby Update

2011-10-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still pregnant.

My due date of October 16 came and went with no baby arrival. How uneventful.

I had a doctor appointment yesterday and I am dilated 2-3 cm and 50% effaced. Still no contractions.

If baby boy does not come on his own I am getting induced on the 24th at midnight.

I cried while driving home after my appointment. Of course every pregnant woman would like to think her baby will arrive early, and I thought mine would too. I had been mentally preparing myself that I would have a newborn by now, but I guess Heavenly Father and baby have another plan.

The days seem longer and the nights even longer while constantly wondering "Will it happen tonight?"

After a while it starts playing with your mind. Is this kid ever going to come out??

At every little "ouch" Jono excitedly asks "Contraction??"

And I say no.

Then he gives baby a little pep talk telling him to come on out.

It's cute. I can tell he's excited.

I'm so lucky to have him.

Hopefully the next 5 days go by quickly.

And if baby wants to come before then, that's okay too.

We'll keep you posted...

Julian

2011-10-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today Jono and I went to Julian for the afternoon.

I grew up going here with my family every summer and enjoying the apple cider, apple pies and candy shops. Perhaps it was a little nostalgic because I grew up going there and have so many memories. But we had a really great time.

It was such a treat to go back after not having gone for so many years. I have also been wanting to take Jono there for a while so we thought one last getaway before baby comes would be perfect. (And just in case we packed all our hospital bags in the car.)

We had lunch at a BBQ cafe, bought some sweet treats at the Julian Cider Mill and bought some delicious apple pies at Mom's Pies.

On the way out of town we stopped at Calico Ranch Apple Orchard where we bought a paper bag for $10 and got to go into the apple orchards and pick our own apples and pears, which we loved!

Temple Pictures

2011-10-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Jono and I had taken more pictures with my camera while we were at the temple, but I could not find my camera cord when I wrote the post for our date night. Today Jono found it, horray! Apparently I had put it in the drawer in the bathroom where my hair dryer goes (wow, really??). Some days I think I am starting it.

I wanted to share some more lovely pictures of the temple...and some 38.5 week bump pics.

Huntington Beach Target Team Build

2011-10-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

On Monday, September 26 all the managers at my Target store went on what we call a "Team Build." There are 7 department managers and the store manager. We all work until noon and then we do something fun to raise morale, bond with each other and have a mini work meeting.

We decided to go to Huntington Beach. We had lunch at Ruby's on the Pier, played games, laid on the beach and had a bonfire. It was a very fun day, and it would have been even better had I not got a parking ticket...thank you city of Huntington Beach.

Date Night

2011-10-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

Last night Jono and I had a date night at the temple. We realized it would probably be a while before we got back once baby comes so we wanted to squeeze in one last trip.

I ended up sitting next to another pregnant girl. After I told her I was 38.5 weeks, she told me I was brave for coming. Fortunately and unfortunately I had been to the doctor earlier in the day and knew I probably wasn't going to have a baby that night.

My last day of work was Friday. It's nice to be on maternity leave and be able to relax and get some stuff done around the apartment. I think my body knew I was done too because its starting to ache more and if I stay in one position for too long I get uncomfortable.

I only have 11 days left until my due date. I remember when I had 11 weeks left! Time is flying by and I'm trying to prepare myself mentally and emotionally for when baby comes.

I can already start to see baby's personality. He is super active all day long, which I love but it also hurts after a while. He gets the hiccups at least once, usually twice a day. And he definitely has a mind of his own. If there is a foot poking me in the side, I'll poke it back in, to which his response is to kick back even harder or kick me somewhere else.

I still haven't had any contractions...at all. I'm trying to think positive labor thoughts, but for now it's a waiting game. So come on out baby, we're ready for you!!

Maternity Shots

2011-08-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

A very sweet woman in my ward offered to take my maternity pictures.

So yesterday we went to Old Town Orange and snapped some photos.

I love how they turned out.

Here are a few of my favorites.

(I'll post more on facebook)

I'm 33 weeks, only 7 more to go!

Happy 4

2011-08-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 4 year anniversary!

After we got off work we went to dinner at Lazy Dog Cafe.

(One of our favorites.)

It was simple.

It was sweet.

And it was our last anniversary with just the two of us.

For the last 4 years it's just been us.

We've traveled to many places.

Seen numerous movies.

Enjoyed quiet time alone in our home.

Did whatever we wanted when we wanted to.

That's about to all change.

And we can't wait.

It's hard to believe it's been 4 whole years.

It's gone by way too fast and we know when baby boy comes it's only going to go faster.

I'm so lucky to have my best friend by my side.

I'm looking forward to making many more happy memories together as a family of three.

Nesting

2011-08-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

In the middle of July Jono and I walked out of our apartment one day and saw this up above in the roof. We got very excited and every time we would go in and out of our apartment mama bird would fly away. We waited patiently as she finished making her nest and wondered how long it would be before she laid her eggs.

Building the nest

About a week ago while I was inside the apartment, I heard little chirps coming from outside. I got excited and ran to the window to look outside and sure enough, the little birds hatched and mama bird was busy feeding her little ones. I called Jono and told him the news and then I tried snapping a few pictures through the window. We counted 4 baby birds in the nest.

The white stripe is from our blinds.

I took these pictures today. You can see 3 of the 4 little fuzzy heads.

They're getting bigger!

I read that a couple weeks after the birds hatch they take flight and make their way into the world. So right now we are enjoying their chirps and presence outside our door.

I was hoping that while mama bird was nesting it would give me a little inspiration and motivation to do the same. Jono and I have started cleaning things and throwing things away to make room for baby boy and all his things, but we still have a long way to go. Hopefully that instinct will kick in soon cause baby will be here in 8 weeks!!

Palm Desert

2011-07-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

June 18-20, Saturday to Monday, Jono and I went to Palm Desert for a much needed getaway. Between both of our work schedules, church callings, family events, and cancelled United Airlines flights, it took a LOT of planning and re-planning. And after Jono drove for 6 hours in the middle of the night to get home from San Francisco the night before and finally arriving at 4 am the day we left, it finally all came together.

We arrived at the JW Marriott on Saturday afternoon, explored the hotel, ate a late lunch, and enjoyed the pool. That night we got all fancied up and went to Morton's Steakhouse to celebrate Jono's birthday.

Entrance of resort/view from our room/mini golf course

Hotel Lounge

Backside of the hotel/pool area

One of the three pools

Quick bump shot at 23 weeks

Sunday we went to church at his cousin's ward and then came back to the hotel pool and relaxed the rest of the day.

Monday morning we golfed at the mini golf course right outside our room. We golfed 18 holes, complete with sand pits and water streams. At least Jono can say he went golfing while we were there :)

The belly makes golfing a little difficult...

There were birds in the hotel lobby that would say hi to people passing by.

After golfing we packed up our stuff from the room and then went to the pool for a couple more hours. Then we drove to Jono's cousin's house and hung out for a couple hours before driving back home.

Quick trip, but I loved having Jono all to myself for those three days.

Graduation

2011-06-27T11:13:00.000-07:00

Even though I finished school way back in December, I decided to go back and walk on Saturday, June 11. All of my business college friends from the past two years were graduating as well and I didn't want to ever regret not walking across that stage and getting my one second of glory. Plus it was fun to have my family go to Cal Poly and see where I went to school for the past 2 years.

It's kind of bitter-sweet that I started at BYU and ended at Cal Poly. It was a great experience and I still consider myself a cougar. Two years at BYU and two years at Cal Poly. I'm so glad I have finally finished college and can put it behind me and move on to bigger and better things to come.

We didn't get a group shot with everyone. Jono, my parents, my sister Claire and my in-laws were all there.

Afterwards we all went to Lazy Dog Cafe in Tustin to celebrate.

FYI....their french toast is to. die. for.

Lovely Lady Bump

2011-06-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Within the past couple weeks baby has been growing and my baby belly has made its appearance. Whenever I see people at work or church they comment at how much more my belly "bumps" since the last time they saw me.

Mother's Day
May 8

17 weeks

Jono was so sweet. The day before Mother's Day he took me to See's Candies at the mall and told me to pick out whatever I wanted for my gift. Just to make him squirm a bit I started looking at the $100 box of chocolates :) But in the end I chose my favorites, little bite size butterscotch candies and some chocolate toffee squares. He even gave me a "mommy-to-be" mother's day card.

May 24

About 19.5 weeks

June 5

21 weeks

The past 5 months have gone by so fast! Jono and I have both been really busy and the blogging gets put at the end of my list of to-do's. I'm feeling good overall. It seems like I'm constantly hungry and drinking tons of water, especially during work. A few of my coworkers wore those step counters things during a shift at work and they walked about 7-8 miles in one day around the store. My doctor was happy when I told her that.

Here are a few events to remember so far.

After my first trimester screening I got the phone call saying the baby looks good, however I tested positive of being a carrier for cystic fibrosis. WHAT??

Because both parents have to be a carrier for the baby to have it we got Jono tested. We talked with both sides of the family to find out more information. We found out cystic fibrosis ran in Jono's family and at that point I thought for sure we were going to get more bad news. Jono and I had many conversations about baby and talking about all the what-ifs. After about a week of waiting I woke up randomly in the middle of the night and had the thought, "Baby is going to be ok," and then I went back to bed.

After a doctor's appointment and another week of waiting I got the phone call while I was at work. My heart started racing when the doctor was talking to me and the second after she said Jono is not a carrier I felt a huge weight lift from me. We feel so blessed to know our baby is healthy.

I felt the baby move for the first time on May 17. I was laying in bed late and I felt a small poke. My heart started racing as I thought to myself, was that the real thing? I waited, put my hand on my stomach and about 20 seconds later baby moved again and this time I felt it from the inside and outside (weird, I know...but so amazing). Since it was so late I didn't want to wake my exhausted, sleeping husband.

The next morning I got up before Jono to get ready for work. I was hoping he would wake up before I left so I could tell him. He finally opened one eyelid to look at me (maybe I was making too much noise? :) ) And I said, "Good, you're awake! Guess what?" I told him what happened and he tiredly said, "Yay hunny!" and then fell back asleep.

That night after we both got home from work I asked him if he remembered what I told him that morning. He smiled because he knew I had told him something important but he couldn't remember what it was. I told him again and he said "Oooohhhh yeahhh!" :)

Jono felt the baby move last week while we were watching tv at night. Baby was moving a ton and I put his hand on my stomach. After waiting a little bit baby finally moved again and he felt it.

He was excited.

Pictures of baby from our second trimester ultrasound.

And the last bit of news, which some of you already know...

Baby is a BOY!!

We both were convinced it was a girl. But last week at the ultrasound the doctor said it was definitely a boy.

Jono was able to get my reaction on film.

Coming this October.

2011-04-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

Most of you already know this, but we will be three in October!

I'm 13.5 weeks right now and so far pregnancy has been an adventure, something no one could have prepared me for. I started work at Target on February 14 and took a pregnancy test after work on February 17. My jaw literally dropped when that second little blue line appeared. I just sat and stared at the test for about 10 minutes before saying to myself, "Well ok!"

Jono was scheduled to work late that night and I called him and asked him to come home early. He asked why and I said I would send him a picture. I took a picture of the positive pregnancy test and sent it to him. After he got it his team at work asked what had happened, and he told them the picture didn't come through. :) He managed to come home around 7:40 pm and it was good to spend the rest of the night with him and talk about what's to come.

For the most part I've been feeling really good. The worst of it was during weeks 5 and 6, with a trip to the emergency room, throwing up and fainting. But by week 7 I was feeling a LOT better. I've just been really tired, and working 50 hours a week definitely adds to it. I didn't really have morning sickness, just food aversions--mostly with meat and soda. Yes, I said soda. I am happy to say that I have't had a soda for 2 months! But now that I'm in the second trimester eating has pretty much gone back to normal, which has been nice. Foods I've been loving are all fruits, popsicles, and Nutty Bars (the chocolate and peanut butter bar of goodness).

Jono has been the best husband so far. I have been so blessed to have him and could not ask for anything more. He hasn't had to make any late night trips to the store yet, which I know he has been grateful for :) But he has been very supportive, patient and giving. And the full body massages after the long days of standing for 10 hours has been bliss too. We have fun reading books together, talking about names as well as our plans for our future once baby gets here. Before we got pregnant we had discussed not finding out the sex beforehand. Now Jono is set on it and I'm wavering a little. We'll let you know what we decide :)

We are just trying to take things one day at a time.

We are so grateful Heavenly Father has allowed us to have this experience. We know now more than ever that everything is in the Lord's timing and we just need to have faith it will all work out.

Since I don't really have a baby belly yet I wanted to share a picture of the little one.
My official due date is October 16.

(In case you can't tell it's a profile shot and baby's head is on the right.)

What do you think? Boy or Girl?

January Utah Trip

2011-04-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Back in the middle of January I decided to go on a littly road trip by myself up to Utah. I was a little nervous because I had never made the drive by myself before and usually when Jono and I drive it together I end up sleeping most of the time. I left January 17 at 8:20 am and I got to Lehi around 7 pm. The first night I stayed with Jono's sister, Sarah, and her family. They recently bought a house in Utah so it was fun to see it and spend time with them.

The next afternoon I met up with our friends, the Villarreals, who just moved to Bluffdale. It was so good to see them and their two adorable kids. We ate lunch at Carl's Jr. and after we went back to their apartment and hung out and talked.

Then I drove down to Provo and met up with my good friend and college roommate, Christina. She served a mission in New York for the past year and a half and this was my first time seeing her since she got back in November. It was so good to see her and catch up, just like old times. We grabbed some dinner and then I watched her intramural inner tube water polo game at the Smith Field House. We stayed at her sister's apartment that night.

The next morning we went to the Provo temple to do a session and then got some lunch after. We watched the Time Traveler's Wife and then went bowling that night.

Thursday morning I had breakfast with Liese Rodger at Magelby's Fresh, which was delicious! It was nice to talk and catch up with her as well.

I then drove up to Salt Lake and had lunch with my brother-in-law, Jeremiah, at Cheesecake Factory. When I was almost there, driving on State Street I noticed a truck that was driving to my left. I looked at the driver and my mouth dropped. It was my Uncle Doyle! It was so random and I started honking hoping to get his attention. He finally looked over and I waved. I'm sure it took him a second to realize who I was since he was probably not expecting to see me in Utah. We pulled over to a parking lot and talked for a couple minutes. It was so good to see him and was totally random at the same time. Lunch with Jer was delicious and the conversation was good as well.

From there I drove up to Ogden where my sister and her family recently moved. I hung out with Danielle and her son Connor until Brad came home and we went to Chili's for dinner. Towards the end Connor started to get a little fussy, so we started dancing/swaying to the music hoping to distract him and he liked our moves so much he decided to copy them. It was so funny, we were all cracking up. The video was too large to upload.

The next day we ate breakfast and then got dressed to go sledding! We had to drive up into the hills and it took some time to find the perfect spot. But we found it! Everyone except Connor had fun, poor guy. But he was pretty cute in his snow suit.

He wanted down...

So she put him down...

Awesome...

And down he goes.

That night we rented Robin Hood from Red Box and watched it. It was actually really good! We stayed up way too late watching it. The next morning I got up and drove back to California. The drive wasn't too bad until I hit a car accident on the 91 freeway about 15 minutes from home. It literally took me another hour to get home. Ridiculous. But I had a great trip and I was able to see so many people I love!

Life in the Fast Lane

2011-03-10T20:34:00.000-08:00

I've been working almost a month now and its going pretty well. Working 40 hours a week not only leaves me with little time to do anything else (like blogging), but it also taxing physically, mentally and emotionally. Jono is still in busy season and has been getting home between 10 and 12 pm every night. I try to stay awake for him if I can so we can spend what little time we have together before we spend the next 6-8 hours unconscious next to each other. Our morning schedules occasionally coincide, which is both nice and obnoxious since it usually leaves one waiting for the other to get out of the shower or finish using the sink, but at least we get a little more time together. Some days it feels like we high-five each other as we pass by, but we try to make the best of it.

Since the last blog post we have had some changes. Number 1 is we moved. Since I got a full-time job I was no longer able to manage the apartments in Orange. We really liked our ward and it was the right location for both our jobs. We were able to find a small one bedroom just a couple miles away. We are technically still in Orange but now we are just off Imperial Hwy and it is in our ward boundaries, which we love. We still have boxes everywhere and are trying to squish our two-bedroom size belongings into a one bedroom. We have had a ton of help from family and friends in the ward which we really appreciate.

Number 2 is we got a kitty! We actually found him at our old apartment right before we moved. I was inside the apartment and I heard meowing coming from outside. I started walking around trying to find him to make sure he was ok and I found him up on a 6 foot high wall. I started petting him and he started purring instantly. I asked the man who lived there if it was his cat and he said it was born under his trailer and that I should take it. He literally took the cat down and put him in my arms. What am I supposed to do now?? I told him I would have to talk to my husband about it and he said if Jono didn't want him then just bring him back. So I took him home and he's still with us. At first we couldn't decide on a name and for fear I would get attached and then have to give him back I just called him Kitty. After we decided to keep him we finally decided on Rafiki but he has a lot of nicknames like Rafi, Kiki, Rafiki-kiki, Kit-Kat, and I mostly still call him Kitty. He is such a cuddle-bug (almost to an annoying state, especially when you're trying to sleep and he wants to lay on your face) and anytime he cuddles he is purring (which can also deter you from falling asleep). The only down-side is I am actually allergic to cats, so we put him in the bathroom at night to sleep. After a while I got more used to him so I'm not sneezing and itching all the time. Don't be fooled by his cuddly side though, this cat also loves to pounce/attack, bite and scratch if he's in one of his moods. We are still trying to teach him not to bite so we'll see if it catches on. We've enjoyed having him with us and its nice to have him around when Jono works late nights.

Well thats all the updates for now. We are looking forward to whats to come in our future with all the changes that have been happening. I'm very excited for summer to come. Maybe its because I work in retail and we are selling summer stuff right now, but I can't wait for days at the beach/pool, tan skin and bbqs. Summers in California are the best.

Zumba

2011-02-09T17:19:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up and drove to the Stake Center in Orange. A woman in the stake offers free Zumba classes and she gets a pretty large turn out. I thought I would see what all the excitement was about since I have some time before I start work next week.

I met up with the Bishop's wife, Lori, and she had an extra jingly-skirt thing and told me I had to wear it to get the full experience. So I obliged.

For the next hour I proceeded to shake my tail feather, shake my bon bon, shake my groove thang and everything else. I was fire, a salsa dancer, a flamingo, and Beyonce.

I have to say it was quite fun and it is a good workout. After the initial embarrassment you realize everyone looks like a fool, so you might as well get into it and enjoy it.

I'll be going back Friday. Anyone want come with me?

Beginning the Next Chapter

2011-02-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

After finishing school in December it looks like the next chapter of my life has already begun. Although I didn't see it coming, it feels so right and I know its what I am supposed to be doing.

I got a job.

No I didn't have any intentions of getting a full-time job after graduation. I had just planned on continuing managing the apartments until the next big thing came along.

To make a not-so-long story even shorter, some class requirements lead me to the interview process and it all happened fairly quickly. I had concerns with getting a full time job, but like I told Jono, I was going to follow it until it lead to something or died out. And turns out it lead to something.

So where will I be working?

Yep. Target.

Quite possibly my number one favorite place to shop. I never saw Target as a potential employer, but turns out they have a very good management program.

To be honest I am a little nervous. To be done with school and working 40-55 hours a week seems a little scary. But I am excited and I know Target has a lot to teach me.

So bring on the red and khaki. In two weeks those colors will be dominating my wardrobe.

Oh, and I got a calling. I am now the Relief Society Secretary. After putting together my big binder of all the information and materials I turned to Jono and said, "I have officially become my mother."
But as I'm finding out, that's not so bad.

Castle[20]ten Christmas

2011-01-04T22:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was celebrated at the Castletons.

All of Jono's siblings were able to come down and we had so much fun spending time together.

I wrote a poem about our Christmas activities.

Enjoy.

We have reason to celebrate this time of year

A graduation, new homes, loved ones dear

A new kitchen, health and jobs old and new

We came together of thirteen crew

Christmas Eve for Simon was a little bit rough

He split open his lip, but boy was he tough

Don’t forget Miss Janie so quiet and small

We hope someday soon she learns how to crawl

Then there is Powell, aka “Mr Steal Your Girl”

Who could resist those adorable curls?

You watch sports on TV and point at the ball

But you can’t use a smartphone without making a call

Christmas Eve night was at the home of Aunt Lyn

Where the Castletons came together with all of their kin

We ate, talked and acted the Nativity story

And sang of Christ’s birth and all of His glory

Christmas morning came and was full of delight

Santa had come and brought presents in the night

Packages and bags were unwrapped with joy

And the kids were delighted with all of their toys

Mimi could not join us due to her aging condition

But watched Christmas morning through Internet transmission

She loved the chaos and all the action

As she witnessed the unwrapping and saw our reactions

There was another present given that day

The giver left it and then slipped away

On the stairs was found pajamas all filled with poo

Come to find out it was left by lil’ Miss Ru

Lets not forget the real reason we all came together

For on that cold night, the 25^th of December

Wise men and shepherds went to witness Christ’s birth

He was born and fulfilled His mission on earth

Hope you all had a good Christmas!

Happy New Year!

A little too close to home.

2011-01-04T18:44:00.000-08:00

I tried to go to Vons today at a shopping center by our apartment and there were policemen everywhere and it was taped off. I heard from someone there was a robbery so I decided to look it up on OC Register online. Here's what I found.

Bomb squad disables device at Orange bank

By SEAN EMERY

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ORANGE — – The bomb squad was called to a bank in Orange after a robber left a possible explosive on Tuesday afternoon, police said. The device was "rendered safe," by the bomb squad, Orange police Sgt. Dan Adams said. Authorities aren't yet certain whether it actually contained any explosive material.

The incident began at the Bank of America branch at 2680 N. Tustin Street about 2:45 p.m., when a man entered the business and asked an employee about opening an account, Adams said.

The employee sat down with the man, who opened a black folder similar to a day planner that contained an object that "looked like a bomb," Adams said. It reportedly contained two cylinder-type objects that looked like dynamite or flares, wiring and an electronic component such as a battery.

"He made some sort of statement that made the employee believe it could be a bomb," Adams said.

The man left the bank on foot after demanding and leaving with a "large" amount of cash, Adams said, leaving the suspicious object behind. It wasn't immediately clear whether he displayed any other weapons during the robbery.

The Orange County Sheriff's bomb squad arrived at the bank just before 4 p.m., Adams said.

The parking lot of the shopping center at Tustin and Lincoln Avenue was closed until 5:45 p.m., as they sent a robot into the bank building to inspect the suspicious object.

Authorities described the man as a man in his 40's, about 5 feet, 5 inches, 190 pounds, who was wearing a green sweatshirt at the time of the robbery.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T15:07:00.000-08:00

I read this article in this month's issue of the Ensign and I loved it so much I wanted to share.

The Gift
by Joan M. Olenycz

"One of my favorite Christmas carols is “For unto Us a Child Is Born” from Handel’s Messiah. It is a reminder of what Christmas is all about. I often wonder what Mary felt when she was told by the angel Gabriel, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1:28).

Mary was troubled by this, and the angel continued:

“Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.

“He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

“And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:30–33).

What a wondrous experience this must have been! Mary’s promised son was to be Heavenly Father’s Only Begotten Son in the flesh. She had been chosen to bring into the world the greatest gift of all: our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father gave this gift to all of us, young or old, rich or poor. We did not have to search the shops for it. It did not cost us a single penny. It did not come wrapped in shiny wrapping paper. The most treasured gift of all was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. It was sent to all of us with love from our Heavenly Father."

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope we can all remember the greatest gift we have all been given--Jesus Christ.

Love you all.

Cal Poly Pomona Campus

2010-12-16T23:35:00.000-08:00

During my last week of school I took some pictures of Cal Poly's campus.

Partly so I could remember how beautiful it is.

And partly to compare what it looked like now when I go back in 20 years to visit.

Cal Poly is known for their majors in agriculture and architecture, which are portrayed very well in the campus.

The campus is so beautiful during the fall season.

You can kind of tell where I am on campus in some of these pictures relative to the CLA building (the pointy triangle building).

I loved driving the roads into campus. The long stretch of trees and the horse fields are so unique and beautiful.

Here are the buildings I spent most of my time either looking at or learning in:

(from left to right, top to bottom)

Bronco Student Center, Library, the College of Business Administration building, the original Kellogg horse stables, the CLA building and the library again.

One of my favorite places to walk through every day from the parking lot to my classes was the Japanese garden. It provided beautiful scenery for the 30 seconds I spent walking through it.

Another one of my favorite places to walk through was the rose garden.

Watch out for the bees though!

While I didn't see this pond everyday it was one of my favorites. Any time you go you will always see ducks and turtles. One time while I was sitting I counted over 50 turtles around the pond!

Don't know why but it makes me happy.

(I took this pic with my phone while sitting here one day. This reminds me of Dr. Seuss' "Yertle the Turtle.")

Other beautiful scenery and plants around campus.

Here is the new College of Business Administration buildings that are being built right now. I wanted to document how far along it was when I finished school. Its supposed to be pretty fancy and will be done in 2012.

Thanks for taking the tour!

I love this.

2010-12-16T00:23:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I came home to this beautiful sunset. I couldn't help but snap a few pictures.

So amazing.

EY Christmas Party

2010-12-15T23:37:00.000-08:00

December 3rd was Ernst & Young's Christmas Party. This year it was at the Ritz in Dana Point.

The food was delicious and it was fun to party it up with fellow EY friends!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-12-15T23:32:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend was a lot of fun! We enjoyed the weekend with my family and Jono's parents.

Wednesday

Went to Disneyland with my sister, Connor and the Smiths (Christine, Matt and Braden).

Thursday

We ate Thanksgiving Dinner.

The Buffet Line.

The people.

Walked around RSM Lake to burn off dinner.

Played football.

Loved the scenery.

Dressed up the kiddos in their Christmas pjs.

Friday

Ate lunch with my family and saw Harry Potter in the theater.

Went to the Spectrum and ate dinner at Dave and Busters

Had an early Graduation Party with my family and the Castletons.

(So my sister and brother-in-law could help celebrate before they move to Utah)

Saturday

Watched movies in the morning.

Went to see Santa at the mall while the boys watched the BYU game.
The kiddos weren't very fond of Santa.

Thanksgiving never disappoints.

We have much to be thankful for and we loved that got to spend the weekend with people we love.

Last Day of School

2010-12-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

Today is my last day of school, and I could not be more excited. Although its bitter/sweet really. This past week it really hit me that I will officially be a college graduate and I will no longer be going to school. I am closing this chapter of my life and starting another. To be honest, I'm a little apprehensive, just because I don't know what's next.

It seems like just yesterday I started my college education at BYU the summer of 2006 with my best friend and roommate, Christina. Summer semester was amazing--full of steak nights, parties with friends, and other girly things.

Then I met Jono fall semester and we started dating. Our studies got put aside while we enjoyed fun date nights and getting to know each other. We got married and went back to BYU for one more year so Jono could finish his masters and I prepared to transfer to a CA school.

Over two years ago I transferred to Cal Poly Pomona. At first I was a little shocked as a result from transferring from BYU. But looking back now, it turned out ok. I've had some really great teachers, actually chose a major that I like, learned a lot, and made some friends along the way.

So what did I do on my last day of school ever?

All of my favorite things around campus.

Sat in my favorite area in the library and watched my tv shows
Sold my last book back for some cash
Walked around the bookstore and looked at all the stuff I wanted to buy, but didn't
Ate lunch at Panda Express
Walked around and visited all my favorite spots on campus
Sat in Starbucks to study (the smell of coffee with Norah singing in the backgroung is delightful)

Now back to studying for my last final ever starting in 50 minutes.

Carver Family Pictures

2010-11-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago my family got together to take family pictures at the RSM Lake.

Jill Facer did an amazing job and we all love how they turned out!

Stop It!

2010-11-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

Jono just informed me another friend-couple is moving.

This is the 3rd couple that's moving out of state.

And they are all moving at the end of the year.

Anyone else who is thinking of moving away needs to STOP!

Stop it now.

Everyone knows that making friends when you're married is difficult.

It's like dating all over again, only more complicated.

Because not only do you have to like the girl but your husband has to like the guy.

Everyone has to enjoy each other's company and contribute something to the relationship.

While this post may sound angry, its just because we love you all and we don't want to see you go.

We've made great friends. I don't want to make new friends.

I'll just keep the old ones, thanks.

Bottom Line:

We think our friends are pretty great.

So I guess this post is going out to all our friend-couples who are moving.
(Even if you're family, you are still friends)
We love you.

And even though we are already planning trips to come visit you,

we are sad you are leaving.

Disneyland Pass

2010-10-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

I finally got a Disneyland pass at the end of September (I just got the cheapest Monday-Friday pass) and I've gone a couple times already. My sister Claire and I just went last Thursday to go on all the big-kid rides we can't go on when we have the babies with us. In 2 hours we hit Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones, Soarin' Over California, and California Screamin'. The longest line was not longer than 15 minutes and the weather was perfect. I'm looking forward to many more days like this at Disneyland! Anyone else have a pass and wanna go??

Pumpkin City

2010-10-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of October my mom, sisters, the babies and I went to Pumpkin City by Laguna Hills Mall after General Conference on Saturday. It was filled with pumpkins, pony rides, and the petting zoo. And then after we went to dinner at El Torito. Here are some pictures.

Connor's Birthday

2010-10-31T14:20:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, October 23, my nephew Connor turned 1!

I went with my sister a couple weeks earlier to take Connor's 1 year portraits. We were having a hard time getting him to smile. After a bottle, some snacks, jumping around and playing peek-a-boo we finally got this gap-toothed delight. I love it. Maybe I'm a little partial because I had the same gap when I was a kid. Makes me smile every time I look at it.

On Connor's Birthday Jono and I drove up to El Segundo and met everyone at a nearby park. We played for about 40 minutes and then walked back to my sister's apartment where we had dinner, watched the Phillies/Giants game, ate cake and opened presents. It was a fun dinosaur themed birthday party and it was fun to see friends and family there to help Connor celebrate.

He was hesitant at first, but after tasting it he dove right in.

Best picture.

Opening presents

Reading the card Jono and I got for him.
Thanks Brad for making it look like the greatest card a kid could ever receive :)

And of course the new toys got broke in by the attending guests.

I've been bit.

2010-10-20T23:38:00.000-07:00

By the crafting bug.

And it came just in time for Halloween.

Stay tuned for the finished projects...

Oh.

And I just picked this baby up. $60 from Craig's List.

Can't wait to try her out.

Anyone want to teach me how to sew??

Sigh.

2010-10-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is my life right now.

Shall we play I Spy?

1. Mine and Jono's Halloween costumes 2 years back

2. For Rent banners that need putting away

3. Hand vac that was a wedding gift but never worked

This is our second bedroom in our apartment.

Last week Jono and I decided it would be a good idea to pull everything out of the closet and go through it all. We'll call it our fall cleaning.

And the rest of my apartment doesn't look much better.

Between work, school, church, babysitting, and Jono-time the cleanliness of my apartment has gone downhill. I feel so bad every time I look around and make mental notes of what needs to be done.

Jono sure is a trooper.

I feel like I'm running around nonstop.

There are so many things I need to do and even a longer list of things I want to do...arts and crafts wise.

I literally look down at my toes twice a day and think to myself I should really get around to re-painting my toes...but I just don't have the time.

So there you have it. That's life.

Now back to work.

Snip Snip

2010-10-10T23:51:00.000-07:00

If you have not seen me in the last week...I cut my hair!!

10 inches to be donated to Locks of Love.

People have been asking me if it was hard to cut it all off.

My answer is no.

For some reason I like it long in the summer and short in the winter.

Maybe because I like wearing jackets and sweatshirts in the winter and its harder to deal with long hair.

Or maybe its because after a while I itch for change in my life.

I started this cut and re-grow process my freshman year in college and have done it almost every year since.

I love the long and short and I like to experience both.

My hair feels so fresh and healthy now. I love it!

Big shout out to my wonderful hairdresser, my sister Claire.

She is having awesome specials right now and I have some $40 off coupons to give out.

If you're interested let me know or email her at clairedoeshair@gmail.com.

iPod touch for sale!

2010-09-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

We are selling a 8 GB iPod touch 3rd Generation for $195.00.

Brand new, never been opened.

Comes with earphones and USB cable.

Let me know if you or someone you know is interested! Thanks!

Fall 2010

2010-09-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some things that have been going on. I realized that I often just post activities we do rather than the day to day events and happenings.

First off, school started. I am taking 4 classes and have to take a test to pass off a political science class I got partial credit for from BYU. I am excited to say this will be my last quarter at Cal Poly and I will graduate in December! It is a little weird to me to think back to my acceptance to BYU and transferring after two years. I always thought I would graduate from BYU, but I know the Lord always surprises us with the unexpected but needful. After I'm done I'll continue to manage the apartments and watch my nephew Connor until I feel there should be a change.

Jono started his 3rd year at Ernst and Young. He is now a Senior which means he will take the leader role in performing audits. Although this means he'll be working harder and longer, I am excited for him and I know he'll do a great job!

We got home from our two week trip to Hawaii about a week ago. It was amazing! When we first got there 2 weeks seemed like forever. It did go by quick but we have lots of new memories to keep us going until our next adventure. I will be posting more on the trip later.

As I mentioned before I have been managing apartments where we live in Orange. I have learned a lot and the job has stretched and molded me in a lot of ways. It has definitely been more taxing emotionally and physically than I ever thought it would. But we feel very blessed to have gotten this opportunity and its giving me the hands-on experience that compliments what I am learning in the classroom.

Saturday Jono and I bought and picked up our first washer and dryer! (Thank you Craigslist.) Hopefully now I will be more motivated to do laundry since we won't have to share the washer and dryer with 3 other units and we don't have to shell out $2.50 for every load. Wish me luck.

We are loving our ward. I really could not ask for greater people. We have felt so welcome since the first Sunday we were there and have met great people. The ward is a little older in age, but they are still young at heart. Jono received a calling as the Stake Young Men's Secretary and he's been doing that for about a month and likes it. Fortunately it doesn't take up too much time, so far only Sunday meetings.

I have to say I am quite excited for General Conference this weekend. I love sitting on the couch in comfortable clothes hearing what the speakers felt impressed to talk about to the entire church. About a year ago we started a new tradition. After every conference we get the Ensign in the mail and order an extra so we each have one and before the next conference we try to have all the talks read. It's a good primer for the upcoming conference and I love being able to read the talks since things can be missed when you are just listening. I went to the Relief Society general broadcast Saturday night and loved it. All the talks were good but I especially love President Monson's talk. During the beginning of his talk I couldn't help but think that while he is a prophet of God, he is also a man. He has his own struggles, concerns and limitations. He has experienced a lot throughout his life and he is a "man of memories." I gained a greater appreciation for who he is and for his service in the church.

And lastly, what is up with this weather? We barely had a summer and then BAM! I am ready to say goodbye to the 115 degree weather and hello to pants and warm coats for the winter. I always love the turn of the seasons, even if it is California seasons :)

Well thats all for now! I hope everyone is doing well! I love reading all of your blogs and staying updated with all your life events. Thanks for reading!

3rd St Promenade

2010-08-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Jono and I drove up to the 3rd St Promenade in Santa Monica. My sister, Danielle, and her son, Connor, met us there and we walked up and down looking in shops and watching the street performers. We got to the mall at the end of the street and bought some snacks at Wetzels Pretzels.

Danielle and Connor

This guy was pretty funny and talented.

For a dollar I got to shake the monkeys hand.

How could I pass that up?

On our way back to our cars we passed a group of people so we stopped to see what was going on. It was a group of people discussing religion...well arguing rather, over the concept of there being one God. A crowd quickly gathered to listen to what was being said. We heard many different religion's beliefs over the matter as well as scientific data. We were listening to only a small group of people. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by it and unsure of who was right and wrong.

While I was listening my thoughts turned to Joseph Smith.

I thought about the passage in Joseph Smith History and I tried to think what it would have been like to live during that time.

"Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, "Lo, here!" and others, "Lo, there!" Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist."

"....For a scene of great confusion and bad feeling ensued--priest contending against priest, and convert against convert; so that all their good feelings one for another, if they ever had any, were entirely lost in a strife of words and a contest about opinions."

"During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness...but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong."

"In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?"--JSH 1: 5-10

After reading James 1:5 Joseph prayed and God and Jesus Christ appeared to him. He received his answer that none of the churches were true and that he had a great work to do.

How grateful I am to be a beneficiary of the blessings of the restored gospel on the earth. I am grateful Joseph Smith had the faith to pray and the courage to act.

I am glad I have the gospel in my life and that I know it is true.

Cheers to Three.

2010-08-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Jono and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary! Has it really been 3 years?

Seems like yesterday I was sealed to him in the temple.

Most of our day was filled with work and school. Jono made reservations to eat at Agora in Irvine, where we exchanged cards and love notes.

The food was absolutely delicious! It's similar to Tucanos for those of you who are familiar with Utah.

After dinner we came home and watched two episodes of a show we are currently watching on Netflix, Veronica Mars.

It was a simple day but special to us. He's my best friend.
I love this man.

The 16th Floor

2010-08-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

Last week Jono had to work in San Diego and I got to go down and spend a couple nights there. It was a good break from school and jobs. Jono ended up getting upgraded to a room on the 16th floor at the Hyatt.

Oooohhhhhhhh. The 16th floor!

Not just anyone can go up there. It's a restricted floor so you have to insert your room key and then push the button in the elevator...Anyway, it made us feel special and we left as happy customers.

When Jono got off work Wednesday night he picked me up and we drove to Del Mar for dinner. We parked and walked down the street to find a restaurant but we didn't like anything we saw so we went to a market and bought a sandwich, soup, fruit and some drinks and then walked down to the beach to enjoy our dinner together.

I love spontaneity.

Orange County Fair

2010-08-07T23:26:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 6, Jono and I went to the OC Fair with the Villarreals--Eric, Trisha, Natalia, and Peyton. We had so much fun and always enjoy and night out with friends! Our night consisted of:

The Petting Zoo

Fun Rides

Conquering Fears...

I have always wanted to do this but been too afraid. Thanks to a little coaxing and a hug from Natalia I finally got strapped in. Whenever the guy got close to me I squealed "Don't touch me!" because I didn't want him to launch me, but he did in the end...and it was fun :) (Make sure you have your volume on)

Here's Jono:

And Trisha:

Playing Games

Winning Prizes

Yummy Food

Throw in some dancing

The Finished Product (at 11:30 pm):

happy, full, and tired

Thanks for a fun night Villarreals!

Fourth of July Weekend and Camping

2010-08-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Jono and I are loving summer right now! The weather is warm and we are planning our vacations and activities for the summer. I've been working on this post ever since we got back from our 4th of July vacation and it has taken me this long to add all the pictures from various cameras that were used by everyone.

On WEDNESDAY, June 31 Jono and I went to an Angel game with his coworker Jason and his girlfriend Allie. Jason got the tickets from his dad and they were amazing! The game is so much better when you are up close and can actually see the ball when it's hit. Our seats were closer to home on the first base side and were about 8 rows from the field. The Hoppies were sitting on the front row right in front of us. Unfortunately Jono ate a bad meatball sandwich for lunch and he ended up throwing it up in the bathroom at Angel stadium but was a champ and stuck it out until the end of the game, which we lost. He was sick the rest of the night too :(

THURSDAY we had planned on leaving for Utah but I had to go to the Santa Ana courthouse for JURY DUTY. After sitting and reading my book for 4 hours we got released because the defendant plead out. When we were told the whole room cheered, haha. So I hurried home and assisted my sick and weak husband and finished packing the car, grabbed some Jack in the Box and hopped on the 91 East. We got to Jono's brother's house around 12:30 am, talked for a little bit and then went to bed.

FRIDAY morning we slept in and Jono's sister, Sarah, came over and we got to meet baby Janie for the first time! She was adorable. Jono and Jer left to go golfing and Sarah and Janie left to meet up with the rest of her family at Hogle Zoo. I got ready and drove to Fashion Place mall and enjoyed some shopping. At 3 I met up with my Utah cousins and my sisters to get our nails done! We laughed and giggled while getting our feet scrubbed cause we are tickleish. And I swear my guy tickled me on purpose... :) Then I went shopping with my cousins DesiRee and DeAndre and we all got our rings cleaned at the jewelry store. After I picked up Jono and we met up with the whole entire family at a Thai restaurant for dinner. My sister Claire passed out really cute picture books of the many adventures of the cousins over the year, and it was very cute! I went home with my cousin Noelle and had a sleepover with cousin Erica and her baby Stella.

pedis at the mall

Reeve Family Dinner at the Thai Restaurant

Looking at the cute cousin books Claire made for everyone

SATURDAY morning at 9:30 all the cousins met at Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. We enjoyed looking at the elephants, gorillas, birds, and monkeys. It was a lot of fun and since we went in the morning it wasn't too hot yet. After two hours we decided it was lunch time so we went back to my cousin LaRisse's in-law's house for a very delicious lunch of deli sandwiches, chips, and a spinach strawberry salad (and I don't usually like spinach salads but this was DELICIOUS!) some of the cousins sat and talked after lunch while others had to go and put their babies down for naps.

All the cousins (and the added kin) minus one at the zoo

Mama and Baby elephants

The previous elephant made noises that scared poor Jaxson

In the afternoon my sister Danielle, her son Connor, and cousin Noelle went on a hike up Mill Creek. The first 20 minutes was hard because it was all uphill and very steep, but once we got to the top the view at the end of the trail was so beautiful. Definitely worth the hard work to the top. When we got back to Noelle's house the rest of the cousins were there and we had a BBQ for dinner with hamburgers, hot dogs, salad and vegetables. After Jono and I went back to Jer's house and watched Batman Begins.

SUNDAY morning we woke up early to drive to Sundance for the Foundry Grill Brunch. It was fun to be back there again and see some familiar faces. The food was very good and we enjoyed spending time with family and friends. Then Jono and I visited with Sarah, Kevin, Simon and Janie. I took a little nap and then cuddled with Simon cause he wasn't feeling well.

Later in the evening Jono and I drove to my aunt's house in American Fork for a Carver family dinner. It was a yummy dinner and we ate outside and played with babies and my cousin's new puppy. Then we left to drive to Provo for Jono's cousin's family BBQ and we continued to eat lots of delicious food and desserts made by the Sweet Tooth Fairy herself. It was fun to see Jono's family and play games with them.

The Carver grandsons: Jaxson, Craig and Connor

Mom (Grandma) and Jaxson

Getting revenge on the puppy after he knocked Jaxson over.

Danielle, Connor and Ranger

Granda Carver and Connor

Dad, Jaxson and Jono

MONDAY I met up with Noelle, Claire, Erica, and Jason to attend an exercise session with Noelle's personal trainer. I must say I miss the drills from volleyball and softball in high school so I had a lot of fun! I think the best way for me to work out is when someone is there pushing me. I was sooo sore the next couple days, but it felt good. Later that day the whole Reeve side (my mothers siblings) got together at my Uncle Ross' house for another BBQ. It was good to hang out with family and just relax and enjoy the company. Uncle Ross made yummy hamburgers, hot dogs and salads and Uncle Doyle made homemade cherry, lemon and chocolate pies. Uncle Doyle's pies are the best! My Aunt Allene made all the girls adorable heart necklaces by hand and each girl got a different color.

TUESDAY afternoon I went to lunch with the fabulous Liese Rodger and we went to Kneaders, one of my Utah favorites! It was soo good to see her again and catch up on each others lives. After I went to BYU campus and walked around the Bookstore, one of my favorite things to do while I was there. And I also enjoy the craft and floral store in the downstairs of the Wilk. I had to constrain myself many times to not but anything...I then picked up Jono and took him to his Aunt's house in Orem where he took off with his cousin Kit to go fishing on the Provo River while I went to University Mall and did a little shopping :) After, I picked Jono back up and we headed back to Salt Lake. We picked up Wendy's and went over to cousin Noelle's house to eat it. Her husband Matt had just gotten back from Washington so it was fun to see him and we chatted and watched TV. After we went back to Jer's house and crashed.

WEDNESDAY morning we did a load of laundry, got everything pack up and went to lunch with Jer before we drove 4 hours to Bryce Canyon National Park. We got there around 7, picked out a lot and set up camp. We had dinner at a fast food lodge outside the park that was wayyy overpriced and then picked up some groceries from the store. We finished off the night reading in our two-man tent with a flashlight.

THURSDAY morning we woke up and left for the slot canyons in Escalante. Once we got to Escalante we had to drive about 29 miles on a dirt road. We didn't realize that it wasn't just a dirt road, but it was literally off-roading...and we were in the Camry! There were many times we thought we should go back, but we had made it so far to give up before we even got to experience the slot canyons, so we kept going. We finally reached the "parking lot" (not really a parking lot, just a place people parked their cars that was free of bushes) and packed our bag full of snacks and water and started our way. We hiked down a very steep ravine and then proceeded to walk a couple of miles in a dried up river bed so there was loose sand and rocks everywhere.

The only trail markers were stacked rocks that looked a little something like this...They came in all shapes and sizes. I made some of my own along the way as well.

This slot was too narrow for me to get through, so we had to turn back.

This reminded me of the burning bush :)

So after walking in the blazing sun and trying to stay in the shad we made it to the slot canyon! (Unfortunately we didn't follow close enough attention to the directions we were given so we didn't make it to the one we wanted to go to, but we were just excited to see something other than the river bed...) We met up with other people who had been ahead of us on the trail and they told us this was not a loop trail through the slot canyons. It was so neat walking through the slots and it was nice and cold because the sun doesn't shine in so it felt very good! I went ahead of Jono and we went exploring. After an extremely tight and dark passageway it opened up into a very cool cave-like hole. We explored around and then tried to go further into the slot canyon, but it got too narrow for us so we had to turn back.

Don't know how to change the video the right way. So just tilt your head to the left :)

I must admit at that point the thought of turning back and re-walking what we had just done did not sound fun to me. It was now around 2 in the afternoon and the sun was right above our heads so there was little shade and it was so so hot. At the end we had to ration our water and saw other people on the trail and our only focus was to get back to the car where we knew we had dozens of water bottles and it was sand-free. The hike back up the ravine was so hard and I kept thinking the car would be right at the top of the next hill, but it wasn't. I was so relieved when I finally saw the car....heaven. Our shoes were filled with sand and we were so sweaty and I told myself I would never ever do that again. We made it back to the camp site and I washed up a little in the bathrooms and we cooked up some hot dogs and Smores! Very delicious!

The next day we packed everything up and made one last stop at a hiking location in Bryce Canyon. When we parked and walked over to the start of the trail we were shocked at the view. We didn't know this was what Bryce Canyon looked like, it was so beautiful! We wanted to do the Navajo and Wall Street Loops, but Wall Street was closed due to fallen rocks on the trail. Instead we just hiked Navajo down to the bottom and then just came back up.

After we finished our hike we started our drive back to CA. We had borrowed my mom's GPS and apparently the "fastest route" took us right through Zion's National Park. I pulled up to the entrance booth and asked "Do we have to pay the $25 entrance fee if we are just trying to get to the 15?" He then asked me if I was from southern California. A little shocked, I replied yes. He said he could tell because I said "the" in front of 15. (Although it does distinguish us Southern Californian's from the rest of the world, I fail to see why it makes a difference...you understand what I am trying to say.) I gave a little chuckle (jerk) and he told us yes, we do have to pay. He then proceeded to give us different options of purchasing the nation-wide national park pass, not purchasing the pass and using our credit to then purchase a pass, or just pay the $25 to get to "the" 15. We decided we just wanted to get home. At this point we had been holding up the line for a couple of minutes so we quickly tried to fumble through wallets to collect the cash and as a result elbows were flying into heads (I will not say who clocked who, but let's just say I had a headache for the next couple of hours) and cash was going everywhere. We finally threw the money at him and zoomed off only to find a long line of cars waiting at a stop light. Ughhhh.....Here is what we did to entertain ourselves...

Who wouldn't want to go on a road trip with us after watching these??

New Spice: Study Like A Scholar, Scholar

2010-07-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Jono just sent this to me and it's too good not to share with everyone. Oh how I miss that place.

Summer Sunday BBQ

2010-06-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday my sisters and their families came over to have a Sunday bbq. Jono got a new grill for his birthday and we wanted to try it out. Jono grilled carne asada and I made homemade guacamole and salsa for fajitas. It was delicious and we loved having the family together. I didn't take many pictures, but here's the ones I have.

The Mendenhalls: My sister Claire, her husband Sterling and their son Jaxson. Jaxson was having fun hitting his dad's face with a plastic spoon. They have way too much fun playing together :)

The Jeppsons: My sister Danielle, her husband Brad and their son Connor. Connor loves to eat and wants so badly to walk on his own.

Thanks family for coming up and hanging out with us! I love summer.

Girls Night

2010-06-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Friday night, June 11, was girls night out with my sisters and mom. We met at my mom's work in Irvine and went to a restaurant in her building called Bistango, which was delicious! I got their special, which was clam chowder soup, fillet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus, and a slice of cheesecake. Because my mom knew the owner we got treated with two complimentary desserts, moulton lava cake and creme brulee...mmmm! That's what you get when four cute blondes sit at a table! :) After dinner we went to Orange County Performing Arts Center to see THE LION KING! My mom was the only one who had seen it and my sisters and I were so excited! And we LOVED it! The costumes, music and actors were all amazing. Definitely want to see it again someday. Thanks for the fun night girls!

Jono's Celebrations

2010-06-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

This post is to give an update on the rest of Jono's birthday celebrations. When Jono came back to the hotel on Wednesday from work I was ready and we went to BJ's for dinner. We shared a pizza, chips and salsa, calamari, and a side salad. To top it all off we got a half chocolate chip and oreo cookie Pizookie. It was delicious and we left very full. We went back to the hotel and watched Four Christmases on tv and then I left to go back home because I had work the next morning.

The view from our room. I enjoyed laying out for a couple hours and reading by the pool while Jono was at work.

Jono and the Pizookie

Dinner at BJ's. It's a little blurry so I left it smaller.

Then on Saturday we met up with my family in Newport to go to the Crab Cooker. We hadn't been there before and Jono wanted to try it out. I'm not all that into seafood but it was pretty good! Our table was full of clam chowder, shrimp and Alaskan King Crab legs.

After dinner we went to On Target to shoot my brother-in-law's new hand gun and my dad's old shotgun. It was Jono and me, my siblings and their husbands and my dad also went. Grandma was kind enough to stay home and watch the grand-kids. It was fun and we enjoyed it! Here's a few pictures.

And here's a little video showing my sister and her first experience shooting a .9 mm.

Birthday Boy

2010-06-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to this hunk-of-a-man!

Unfortunately Jono has to spend his 28th birthday working in San Diego for training this week so I came down last night and we went to dinner with Ian Miller at Miami Grille. This morning we went to breakfast downstairs in the Hyatt, watched the beginning the the Spain World Cup game and then left for work. Tonight we are going out to eat, but not sure where yet, and then I'll drive back home later tonight. Fun and quick trip, but we always enjoy San Diego.

Jono I hope you have a great birthday, you deserve it! And I hope you know how much you are loved by everyone around you. Thank you for working so hard and doing what you know is right, even if it is hard. I love you so much and I am honored to share my life with you!

Camp Pendleton Mud Run 2010

2010-06-12T21:47:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning Jono ran in the Camp Pendleton Mud Run. We slept over at Jono's parent's house the night before because we had to meet up with some people from EY at Target on Alicia in Mission Viejo. We drove down to Camp Pendleton with Kim Tobler, his son Chris, and Cason and Marie Green. When we got there the mud-runners got checked in, safety-pinned their numbers on their shirts and stretched for the run.

The Mud Run is a 10K run with hills, tire obstacles, river crossings, two 5-foot walls with mud on both sides, tunnel crawl, a slippery hill climb and a final 30-foot mud pit where they had to army crawl their way through the mud. As you can see from the pictures everyone got muddy.

Here is a video of the start of the race. As you can see from the video there were TONS of people running and some teams who decided to dress up. The Wizard of Oz crew was my favorite. There is also a green dragon in the crowd, see if you can spot it!

And the big finish!

It was a fun experience and I am proud Jono wanted to do it and that he finished. Good job babe!

Back to Youth Conference

2010-06-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Jono and I were the "parents" for our youth conference family. Our stake, Anaheim East, combined with Placentia and Orange stakes to do one big youth conference. It was quite an experience.
Friday night we divided into families and played get-to-know-you games and ate some snacks. Then we went into the cultural hall to play "minute-to-win-it" games competing against other families and we cheered on our players.

Saturday morning we met at a stake center and had a morning devotional and then split up into cars to go to our service activities. We went to three houses of people in the stakes to do a service project. At the first house we cleaned up and planted some plants on their back hill. At the second house we cleaned the outside of the house and at the third location we cleaned out a ditch at the bottom of the house.

Next was Wild Rivers! I had been wanting to go for a while and I was so excited when I found out we were going! We got there around 1:30, went on the rides and when the park closed at 4 we got to stay. We changed, ate dinner and then the dance started. We may or may not have danced that night :) We had a lot of fun and it felt like we were back in high school.

It was definitely a different experience being on this side of the youth conference, and I have to say it was pretty nice. We enjoyed the youth conference experience but with a little more freedom. We loved everyone in our "family" and we learned so much. After being a leader you begin to understand the leaders you had when you were in the youth program. You can see the potential in all of tthe youth and you want them so badly to just make good choices. But that's not how it works. I can't imagine how Heavenly Father feels when his children makes mistakes and wander from the truth.

It was such a fun experience and we are glad we got to be a part of it...even if I did get mixed up as a youth on more than one occassion :)

Memorial Weekend

2010-06-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

Jono and I had so much fun over Memorial weekend and enjoyed a nice break from work and school to spend time together with family and friends.

Thursday night after Jono got home from work we went to a golfing green to hit some golf balls. I had gotten Jono some golf clubs from a garage sale for a steal a couple months back so we had fun. I had only been to a driving range once before with my dad and sister, but that was about 7 years ago. I had fun and thought I was doing a good job, until I saw how far Jono could hit that ball. I just wanted to give up right then. But we had fun and I watched other people and asked questions on what to do. (I thought hitting the golf ball with a larger club would make it go farther, but I was wrong. I just stuck with a 7 iron for most of the night.) I also rescured a lady-bug that almost got squished by the ball. Then afterwards we tried out a Chinese food restaurant at the Village shopping mall right by our apartment. It was pretty good.

Friday Jono didn't have work so we got up and went running in Peter's Canyon in Irvine. We had run there once before and did the easy trail so this time we decided to run a few hills to see how that would go. There was one VERY steep hill that I got about half way up and had to walk the rest of the way. The rest of the time we ran (or maybe walked) the hills and enjoyed the view. When we got back we hung out and Jono checked some items off his "to-do" list. At 6 we picked up our friends, the Villarreals, and raced to make the 6:30 pm temple session at Newport Beach. After we went to dinner at Tutto Fresco and then Jono and I watched "Message in a Bottle" and stayed up way too late.

Saturday we met up with my sister and her husband at Knotts Berry Farm! We hadn't been there in a long time and I really wanted to go and had been planning it for a couple weeks. We got there right when it opened and hit all the good rides first with hardly no lines. After the 4th ride we were all feeling a little woosy so we ate lunch at Johnny Rockets. Then we continued to go on rides including Big Foot Rapids because it was soooo hot! Jono and I got burned and now have some mad tan lines. Great.

Sunday we went to church and then headed down to the Castleton's house for dinner, watched "Leap Year" and slept over. It was good to spend time with them.

Monday morning we woke up and went running around the neighborhood and enjoyed a very delicious breakfast. We met my family at Solana Park to enjoy some lunch and snacks, played in the sandbox and then went to the pool. That evening we had a BBQ and Jono's parents came over to eat with us.

It was a a very fun and long weekend full of fun activities, some homework, but we loved every minute.

We can't wait for our summer break.

Almost there...

2010-05-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

I just finished registering for my LAST quarter at Cal Poly. Can't believe I will be a college graduate in December.
It has been a long journey and the end is almost here.

So happy.

"Why not?"

2010-05-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the year I was going over my school schedule and mapping out the classes I had left to take. I was starting my 5th quarter at Cal Poly and I had 17-18 classes left to take. Even though I was a senior I wouldn't be graduating in the spring and I was ready to be done. There were so many unanswered questions and "maybes" in scheduling my classes I had left to take. I was hoping for the best, but aware that it might not happen how I wanted it to. I was talking with Jono and told him, "It would take a miracle for me to finish by December."

In March we got our Ensign but I was too busy with finishing school and packing to read it. After we moved to Orange and got somewhat settled I opened it up and started reading before bed at night. I got to an article titled "What Mothers Can Learn from the Savior" by Amy M. Morgan. I thought it looked interesting so I started reading. I loved how the author made such a strong connection between mothers and Jesus Christ.

Then I got to this quote by President Boyd K. Packer: "If you are helpless, he is not. If you are lost, he is not. If you don't know what to do next, he knows. It would take a miracle, you say? Well, if it takes a miracle, why not?"

My eyes immediately began to tear. I felt like President Packer was speaking right to me, and I was so grateful Heavenly Father answered my prayers and gave me a little boost. This was my tender mercy.

Today in Relief Society we talked about the scriptures. The teacher asked if we had a favorite scripture we would like to share. I thought for a minute, flipped to Isaiah 41: 10 and rose my hand: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

"Why not?"

Life in Loa

2010-05-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

I was just going through my old blog posts and realized I never published our Loa trip post from last summer! Eeek! The trip was a good one and I wanted to share it all with you. Better late than never!

Our trip to Loa, Utah was a blast! Jono and I enjoyed the quiet escape and feeling of Loa. It was fun to visit Sarah, Kevin and of course, Simon. We started the drive on Friday at about 7 am and got to Loa around 4:30 pm, just in time for dinner. We went to a fun little family owned restaurant and the food was delicious! They had mozarella sticks and scones with yummy honey butter. And afterwards we got a couple slices of homemade pie to eat at home. We spent the rest of the night talking and laughing.

Saturday we woke up and went to Capitol Reef National Park. We hiked about half way up to Chimney Rock (right before we got to the switch-backs) and then turned around and came back. We could see it from the ground...plus my back was on the rebound and it was starting to yell at me. So we left and drove to see some cool Petroglyphs on the side of mountains and visited Holt Orchards. We put a couple dollars in the box and we got to pick some apples and pears...which were delicious!! I love fruit (seriously, it's my candy) and I absolutely loved getting to pick it right off the tree. The location is also a no-hunting ground so there were lots of deer roaming around and coming up close to us.

After we went to the visitor's center and walked around. Then we went back to the house to put Simon down for a nap.

Sunday I wasn't feeling very well so Kevin, Sarah, Simon and Jono went to church and I stayed home to rest while smelling the delicious pot roast Sarah was cooking. It was oh-so delicious! After we watched The Soloist, which we liked.

Monday we went to Fish Lake and walked around a bit. It smelled pretty bad down by the water/shore so we retreated back to the Lodge and looked around. The lake was beautiful though. My mom told me it was my Grandma Alda's favorite place to fish (they lived in Fillmore, Utah) and I thought that was cool. After we had lunch at a nearby restaurant and went back to the house.

Tuesday we went into town and looked at some of the art gallerys and little fun shops. Then we grabbed some ice cream shakes. Later that night Kevin was at work and Sarah went to her first mutual (she just got called to be the secretary in the Young Women's) so Jono and I watched Simon. We had a blast.

Jono and Kevin got to go fly fishing. Kevin's friend took them out and they loved it. I tagged along as well and enjoyed exploring and got a bloody nose from the altitude. Good thing I am prepared and had tissues in my backpack! Phew!

Later we all went over to Sarah's friend's house to watch the BYU football game, which we won, had a BBQ, and played with the kids and their dog. It was fun visiting with them and their house was adorable.

We loved getting to see Loa, Utah and visit Kevin, Sarah and Simon. We had a lot of fun learning what life is like in Loa.

Well, there you go. Only a couple of months late :) Love you Curtis'!

I love this game.

2010-04-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

Last night Jono and I went to an Angels game! We were invited by my bosses, Sandy and Bruce, and we were so excited to go. I managed to leave class a little early and rush home to meet Jono at our apartment who was able to get off work on time and we threw on some warm clothes and left for the stadium. It now takes us 10 minutes to get to Angel Stadium and we love it! This was Jono's second game of the season and my first game, and oh how it feels good to be back! We ate hot dogs, sipped hot chocolate and cheered the Angels on. We were sitting about 19 rows back on the first base side, the perfect area for foul balls. There were about 5 foul balls hit in our area and Jono wanted to catch one but they were always landed about 5 feet away from us. Definitely kept us on our toes! We had so much fun and ended up leaving a little early because of the cold and it was getting a little late. The Angels beat Detriot 6-5, go Angels! Thanks Sandy and Bruce for the fun night!

2010-04-19T19:25:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging. Jono and I do not have internet in our apartment as of yet, but we are working to get that fixed. Got to have internet if I can't have cable! We are almost done unpacking, we just have the "not important" stuff that you can't decide whether to throw away or shove in the back of the closet. So far the apartment looks good. It's always a challenge to rearrange things to a new setting when you move. It's nice to be in a two-bedroom and have a little more space. Right now our extra bedroom is serving as our (mostly mine) office for doing all the work and storing all the "not important" items mentioned above. Here are some things we have learned/experience at our apartment:

Every night we can hear Disneyland's fireworks at 9:30 pm sharp. The first couple nights we lived here I was by myself because Jono was working in San Diego (see below) and when I heard them I got scared. I finally induced the loud bangs outside were fireworks, and probably from Disneyland. We can also hear Angel Stadium's Big Bang Friday fireworks as well. I haven't been able to see them from our windows but Jono and I are planning a date on our roof to see if we can spot them. We saw some Disneyland fireworks yesterday while driving home on the freeway close to our apartment, so we know they are out there!
It gets VERY windy in Orange. Especially at night. Our windows are very thin and you can hear everything that goes on outside and when it gets windy it wakes us up at night. One night I thought the wind was actually thunder. From where we lay in our bedroom we can look out the window and see one single palm tree that is about 100 ft tall. We can tell if it's windy or not by how far the palm tree is swaying.
Speaking of thin windows, last night we were woken up by two cats that were hissing and growling (more like high pitched screams) at each other from outside. And we are on the 2^nd floor! They continued to banter all night long and woke us up a couple times throughout the night. Ya, thanks.
Parking is very scarce around these parts. We get the one assigned managers parking spot next to our building but have to hunt down a spot for the other car. Usually whoever gets home first gets this lovely assignment to find a parking spot. This isn't a problem for Jono, the parallel parking king (I swear he can park into any size spot). However, I am not a parallel parking driver. I will park half a mile down the street just so I can comfortably fit into a spot.
We get lots of visitors knocking on our door on Saturdays. Within three hours there were 3 knocks on our door from people trying to give us religion pamphlets or to buy movie ticket packages. Saturday night while Jono and I were eating dinner at our table we hard a faint knock on the door. I couldn't tell if it came from our door or our next door neighbors (our doors are right next to each other). When I looked at the door I saw two eyes staring at us through our mail slot and I squealed a little. (This is another feature of our apartment that makes me nervous. Anyone from the outside can open our mail slot and look inside. And this experience confirmed my nervous feelings.) A little boy was at our door and asked "If that boy could come play." We told him he didn't live here anymore and he said ok and left. Kind of cute, but kind of creepy at the same time.

Jono continues to work hard. He is done with busy season (well, supposed to be but the client he is on now closes their books later than most companies so he's been working late). He worked in San Diego a couple weeks ago so I got to go down for a couple days to relax and be with him. We got to visit the newly remodeled Mormon Battalion history center which was pretty cool. Definitely a better learning experience than it was before.

I started school and am now in my 4^th week of spring quarter. I have 3 midterms this week with 2 more to follow in the upcoming weeks. Time flies on the quarter schedule and I love it. Although because quarters last only 10 weeks long I often find myself in the last 2-3 weeks of the quarter scrambling to get all of my papers and assignments done, like some of my previous posts talk about. My classes are going well so far. There are some I like and some I don't like. But the good news is after this quarter I'll only have 6 more classes until I graduate! I am trying not to let myself slack and get "senioritis" but I am finding that will be more challenging that I expect it to be. I am so ready to be done with school. Four years of college is more than enough for me.

Well that's all for the update for now. We'll keep you posted with our life events!

We made it!

2010-03-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yes! We made it to the end of March! I am so glad to be done with last quarter. Jono is finishing up busy season and its nice to get back to regular(ish) working hours.We are moved into our new place in Orange and I am enjoying my week off before I start school again on the 29th. We are still setting up house and getting everything put together buts its going along. Thank you to those who helped us with the move, your help was greatly needed and appreciated! We are excited to start this new journey in Orange together and can't wait to see what life brings us next!

I can see the light...

2010-03-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

I am so close to finishing this quarter and I am so relieved! I have gotten so much work done with school and packing with Jono that I finally took the night off last night (which was badly needed). But I am kind of regretting it today because I have a test, a research paper, a job analysis paper, an appendix portfolio, and a quiz all due tomorrow and I'm feeling the little pressure to get it all done today while I babysit. But good news is after tomorrow I'll only have 2 tests, a history paper and one last homework assignment and then I am DONE!

And then let's not forget the packing. I am actually very pleased with the progress Jono and I have made so far. But I will say it's a little hard to live on plastic plates, an ever-decreasing food supply in the pantry, and boxes all around the apartment.

One day my life will be put back together again. Until then, it's study time.

Family

2010-03-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

Friday morning we woke up at 4:45 am and went to the airport to go to Utah. Jono's uncle had just recently passed away and we decided to go to the funeral. It was great to see family and friends and the funeral was very nice. During times like this you think about the ones closest to you and ways you can be better. I am so grateful to know that I will see people who have passed on, like Uncle Ron, again and that families are forever. Our hearts go out to those who have been affected and we are so glad we had the opportunity to go to the funeral.

We love you Norris Family

Fast Forward

2010-02-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

I have four and a half weeks of school left and I feel like I am drowning in all the work I have to do before then.

1000 word essay for my History of California class
8-10 page paper for my Plants and Civilization class
20+ page paper plus powerpoint presentation for my Organizational Behavior class
15+ page paper for my MHR Career class
Let's not forget all the assignments, quizzes, tests, and finals due before the end of the quarter as well.

And to add to the list of things to do....our lease is up and we are moving in 4 weeks.

Can I just push the fast forward button to the end of March?

Surprise Video

2010-02-12T12:10:00.000-08:00

So it took me a while to post this but here is the video from my surprise birthday. The part where I am poking Jono in the chest I am saying "I knew something was going on!!"

Haha. It was a fun night.