Big things are happening in our house. We're having a baby! The due date is February 19, but I tend to just say that the due date is in February so as not to get attached to a certain date that the baby is coming on. As everyone knows, babies come when babies come. For those who are curious, we both would be happy with either a boy or a girl (since I'm 12 weeks along, it'll be a little while before we find out the gender), but Ashton thinks (not to be confused with "hopes") it's a girl, and I think it's a boy. No real rhyme or reason to our thinking.
We're very excited about having a baby, although, I was less thrilled about the morning sickness part. The sickness has been subsiding though and I got to enjoy sick free days for the most part this week. Hallelujah! I'm still expecting to have a few days where I feel horrible, the whole "it gets worse before it's better" thing.
So yesterday, I had my first appointment with the midwife. Ashton came along with me, which was nice. Most of the appointment was spent filling out paperwork and talking, but then we got to do the more fun things. The most exciting part was that we heard the baby's heartbeat! It definitely brought a smile to our faces. It took a minute to find the little guy and when the midwife found him/her, baby decided to disappear for a few seconds. Not to worry, we found baby again and got to listen to the heartbeat. There's nothing like hearing that your baby's heartbeat is strong and fast. Of course, I did enjoy hearing the midwife comment on how good my ab muscles were.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Book Recommendation
So a few posts ago, I mentioned that I was working on reading a couple of books. Well, I finally finished one of them, I had gotten a bit distracted by the World Cup. Yesterday, I finished Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie.
It was one of those books that I had thought to read for a long time, but had just never gotten around to it. I'm actually really glad that I waited, because when I bought it and received it, I was really excited and ready to read it. It was no longer a book that people had been merely recommending, it was a book that I wanted to read. I needed it.
People always say that a certain book changed their life, and they say it for a variety of reasons. Perhaps that book opened their eyes to reading, a certain style of writing or genre, to politics, or to how they saw the world. This book changed how I, not only see the world, but how I see myself. There are finally reasons for the way I do certain things and even reasons for why I think the way I do. Those reasons aren't necessarily pretty; I admit I got a little depressed when I read the characteristics of a codependent and realized how many applied to me. What is pretty about those reasons that I do certain things, and the book itself, is that there are practical solutions. I have a lot to work on, but who doesn't?
I would highly recommend this book to everyone. Even if you don't think you have a problem with codependency, you should still read it. I think we all have at least a touch of codependency in us.
It was one of those books that I had thought to read for a long time, but had just never gotten around to it. I'm actually really glad that I waited, because when I bought it and received it, I was really excited and ready to read it. It was no longer a book that people had been merely recommending, it was a book that I wanted to read. I needed it.
People always say that a certain book changed their life, and they say it for a variety of reasons. Perhaps that book opened their eyes to reading, a certain style of writing or genre, to politics, or to how they saw the world. This book changed how I, not only see the world, but how I see myself. There are finally reasons for the way I do certain things and even reasons for why I think the way I do. Those reasons aren't necessarily pretty; I admit I got a little depressed when I read the characteristics of a codependent and realized how many applied to me. What is pretty about those reasons that I do certain things, and the book itself, is that there are practical solutions. I have a lot to work on, but who doesn't?
I would highly recommend this book to everyone. Even if you don't think you have a problem with codependency, you should still read it. I think we all have at least a touch of codependency in us.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Concert
Last night, Ashton and I had the opportunity to go to a James Taylor and Carole King concert with his company. We ate dinner with his company. I got to meet a lot of the people that he works with, obviously, and talks about. It's nice to put names to faces. After dinner, which was in the Pepsi Center, the same place as the concert, we went into the concert.
I can't say that I knew who James Taylor or Carole King were before this concert. Ashton didn't either, so that made me feel better. We had gotten a CD of some of their songs with the invite to attend the concert from his company, but we didn't listen to it. I figured that if I didn't like the music, I didn't want to know until I got there. So, I was surprised when I started hearing their songs how many I recognized and could sing along to. Ashton knew a few as well. That made the experience all the better.
The performance was also amazing. For being as old as they are, they were doing a whole lot of jumping, kicking, and dancing. It was entertaining to watch to say the least. It was also fun to watch other people really get into the songs.
So although we stayed up way late and today we're suffering from that, we had a good time!
I can't say that I knew who James Taylor or Carole King were before this concert. Ashton didn't either, so that made me feel better. We had gotten a CD of some of their songs with the invite to attend the concert from his company, but we didn't listen to it. I figured that if I didn't like the music, I didn't want to know until I got there. So, I was surprised when I started hearing their songs how many I recognized and could sing along to. Ashton knew a few as well. That made the experience all the better.
The performance was also amazing. For being as old as they are, they were doing a whole lot of jumping, kicking, and dancing. It was entertaining to watch to say the least. It was also fun to watch other people really get into the songs.
So although we stayed up way late and today we're suffering from that, we had a good time!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Why Can't We All Get Along?
If there's one thing that bothers me, and there are plenty of things that bother me, it's people demanding tolerance while showing intolerance. What I mean by this is that there are people out there who want, even demand, that people accept them and their beliefs. There is nothing wrong with that, except for maybe the demanding part. There's no sense in demanding that people accept you because you can't control what other people think or do.
What is wrong with this is these same people who want to be accepted, immediately point a finger and announce "racist" or "discrimination" to those who disagree. Certainly, not everyone is like that. There are plenty of people who will be respectful of others' beliefs no matter how different those beliefs are from their own. It seems to be a growing trend though to point fingers and react violently toward people who aren't "forward thinking" enough.
What's wrong about this way of thinking and action should be obvious, but apparently it isn't. The best way of describing why pointing fingers and being intolerant of others while demanding tolerance from them is by asking this question, "Why would you expect people to respect you and your beliefs if you don't respect what other people believe?" We each have the right to express our views, especially when they differ. No one has the right to force their opinions on someone else or rather no one has the right to make someone else believe the same thing as another.
What is wrong with this is these same people who want to be accepted, immediately point a finger and announce "racist" or "discrimination" to those who disagree. Certainly, not everyone is like that. There are plenty of people who will be respectful of others' beliefs no matter how different those beliefs are from their own. It seems to be a growing trend though to point fingers and react violently toward people who aren't "forward thinking" enough.
What's wrong about this way of thinking and action should be obvious, but apparently it isn't. The best way of describing why pointing fingers and being intolerant of others while demanding tolerance from them is by asking this question, "Why would you expect people to respect you and your beliefs if you don't respect what other people believe?" We each have the right to express our views, especially when they differ. No one has the right to force their opinions on someone else or rather no one has the right to make someone else believe the same thing as another.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Great Book!
When I read books, I read a lot of books. I have currently 5 books that I've started reading and have yet to finish. That's not including reading General Conference talks and the scriptures. There are some of those 5 books that I haven't picked up in months. The reason for so many books is that most of the books that I'm reading are informational books so they're a little harder to get through in one sitting. There's also the fact that there are just so many good books that I want to read so I try to, at the same time. I wanted to mention one in particular that I just picked up again. It's called, Just and Holy Principles: Latter-Day Saint Readings on America and the Constitution.
This book was actually a required book for my American Heritage class at BYU. I kept the book after the class was over, because I thought that it'd be a good book to keep. I saw it in my bin of books that my mom brought with her when she visited. I've been thinking a lot lately about the Constitution and was really excited to read what prophets, apostles, and other church authorities have said about America and the Constitution.
I've only made it to the prologue, because it's amazing. I kept reading parts to Ashton yesterday and we'd talk about it. Then we switched books and he read parts to me from Ezra Taft Benson, Wilford Woodruff, Dallin H. Oaks, and others. I couldn't believe how right on they were about what we'd be facing, or what we were facing and what we continue to face. It really shouldn't amaze me, because these are inspired men, but it was like they were here and, of course, some of them are, like Elders Dallin H. Oaks and Jeffrey R. Holland. They talk about communism, socialism, the separation of church and state, the Constitution, and other topics.
There are so many good quotes that I could pull out from the book. There are so many that I want to share because they address problems that we are facing. One of the sections that impressed me was President Ezra Taft Benson's talks. Among other things, President Benson talked about 5 principles that are basic to understanding the Constitution. He talked about the principle of agency. We have the right to choose for ourselves and not be forced into "government guaranteed security programs" (117, 119-120). The next principle is the proper role of government in which he quotes Doctrine and Covenants section 134 verses 1-2 and 5. The third principle is the source of human rights. God gave us our rights, not the government. It even says so in our Declaration of Independence. The next two principles go hand in hand and I want to quote them.
"The fourth basic principle we must understand is that people are superior to the governments they form. Since God created people with certain inalienable rights, and they, in turn, created government to help secure and safeguard those rights, it follow that the people are superior to the creature they created.
The fifth and final principle that is basic to our understanding of the Constitution is that governments should have only limited powers. The important thing to keep in mind is that the people who have created their government can give to that government only such powers as they, themselves, have in the first place. Obviously, the cannot give that which they do not possess.
By deriving its just powers from the governed, government becomes primarily a mechanism for defense against bodily harm, theft, and involuntary servitude. It cannot claim the power to redistribute money or property nor to force reluctant citizens to perform acts of charity against their will. Government is created by the people. No individual possesses the power to take another's wealth or to force others to do good, so no government has the right to do such things either. The creature cannot exceed the creator (120-121)."
(These principles came from President Benson's talk The Constitution - A Heavenly Banner on September 16, 1986).
I think the role of government has gotten way too big. It's a big problem when the government is creating more jobs than the private sector, not to mention spending way more money than we have. We're paying for those government jobs, bailouts, and everything else the government does. The creature, the government, is exceeding the creator, us, and that needs to stop.
This book was actually a required book for my American Heritage class at BYU. I kept the book after the class was over, because I thought that it'd be a good book to keep. I saw it in my bin of books that my mom brought with her when she visited. I've been thinking a lot lately about the Constitution and was really excited to read what prophets, apostles, and other church authorities have said about America and the Constitution.
I've only made it to the prologue, because it's amazing. I kept reading parts to Ashton yesterday and we'd talk about it. Then we switched books and he read parts to me from Ezra Taft Benson, Wilford Woodruff, Dallin H. Oaks, and others. I couldn't believe how right on they were about what we'd be facing, or what we were facing and what we continue to face. It really shouldn't amaze me, because these are inspired men, but it was like they were here and, of course, some of them are, like Elders Dallin H. Oaks and Jeffrey R. Holland. They talk about communism, socialism, the separation of church and state, the Constitution, and other topics.
There are so many good quotes that I could pull out from the book. There are so many that I want to share because they address problems that we are facing. One of the sections that impressed me was President Ezra Taft Benson's talks. Among other things, President Benson talked about 5 principles that are basic to understanding the Constitution. He talked about the principle of agency. We have the right to choose for ourselves and not be forced into "government guaranteed security programs" (117, 119-120). The next principle is the proper role of government in which he quotes Doctrine and Covenants section 134 verses 1-2 and 5. The third principle is the source of human rights. God gave us our rights, not the government. It even says so in our Declaration of Independence. The next two principles go hand in hand and I want to quote them.
"The fourth basic principle we must understand is that people are superior to the governments they form. Since God created people with certain inalienable rights, and they, in turn, created government to help secure and safeguard those rights, it follow that the people are superior to the creature they created.
The fifth and final principle that is basic to our understanding of the Constitution is that governments should have only limited powers. The important thing to keep in mind is that the people who have created their government can give to that government only such powers as they, themselves, have in the first place. Obviously, the cannot give that which they do not possess.
By deriving its just powers from the governed, government becomes primarily a mechanism for defense against bodily harm, theft, and involuntary servitude. It cannot claim the power to redistribute money or property nor to force reluctant citizens to perform acts of charity against their will. Government is created by the people. No individual possesses the power to take another's wealth or to force others to do good, so no government has the right to do such things either. The creature cannot exceed the creator (120-121)."
(These principles came from President Benson's talk The Constitution - A Heavenly Banner on September 16, 1986).
I think the role of government has gotten way too big. It's a big problem when the government is creating more jobs than the private sector, not to mention spending way more money than we have. We're paying for those government jobs, bailouts, and everything else the government does. The creature, the government, is exceeding the creator, us, and that needs to stop.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Weekend Full of Fun
It was a long weekend, but a fun one. We started by celebrating my birthday on Saturday. I realized Saturday that this is my last year of early twenties. Then Ashton pointed out that this was his last year of twenties. That made me feel better. Ashton did a good job of picking out my presents and I only guessed one of them so he was pretty happy about that. It doesn't get much better than a Spain World Cup jersey and two music books for the piano, especially since it was the music for Phantom of the Opera and Wicked. We got to spend some time with his family too since they were up for the weekend and the Bolder Boulder which was yesterday. We finished off the day with dinner at Red Robin and watching soccer at home. While we were at Red Robin, Ashton asked me if he should tell the server why we were there. Thankfully, the server wasn't there to overhear. I had to remind Ashton that if he did that, his birthday was next and that I'd have no problem telling the people at whatever restaurant that we went to that it was his birthday. He really does not like it when people at restaurants sing to him. He looked a little sad after that and said that sometimes he wished that his birthday was first. I'm not. He didn't tell anyone that it was my birthday so I didn't have to sit through people singing to me. Ashton did sing to me later so that was fun.
Sunday was just nice day at church and then at home. I actually got to see some people from Maine, too! That was a surprise for both of us. They were in Colorado visiting family and their family happened to be in my ward! It was fun to see them and catch up a bit.
Yesterday, we spent most of the day up at Ashton's aunt's house hanging out with family. They allowed us to bring Dusty with us so she got to participate in the festivities too! The kids loved her, although they were a little scared at first. Dusty was very good with them although I'm sure she would have liked them better if they had fed her. It was fun to see everyone and hang out.
Today is our 3 year anniversary! We probably won't do anything too special for it since Ashton actually has to make up the hours he got off yesterday. That was kind of a lame deal since the building was probably closed for Memorial Day so he couldn't work (and didn't really want to), but he didn't qualify to get holiday pay. In any case, I'm glad that he's such a hard worker and willing to make up the hours so we don't have to take the hit in pay. I love my hubby and so happy that we've been married for 3 years. Here's to many more!
Sunday was just nice day at church and then at home. I actually got to see some people from Maine, too! That was a surprise for both of us. They were in Colorado visiting family and their family happened to be in my ward! It was fun to see them and catch up a bit.
Yesterday, we spent most of the day up at Ashton's aunt's house hanging out with family. They allowed us to bring Dusty with us so she got to participate in the festivities too! The kids loved her, although they were a little scared at first. Dusty was very good with them although I'm sure she would have liked them better if they had fed her. It was fun to see everyone and hang out.
Today is our 3 year anniversary! We probably won't do anything too special for it since Ashton actually has to make up the hours he got off yesterday. That was kind of a lame deal since the building was probably closed for Memorial Day so he couldn't work (and didn't really want to), but he didn't qualify to get holiday pay. In any case, I'm glad that he's such a hard worker and willing to make up the hours so we don't have to take the hit in pay. I love my hubby and so happy that we've been married for 3 years. Here's to many more!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Hope and Gratitude
This morning I was reading blogs. In my sister-in-law's blog, she talked about a woman named Stephanie who had been in a plane crash and suffered severe burns. My sister-in-law also included a video of Stephanie's story and it was a huge inspiration to me.
There are many days that I struggle with the challenges I face. Those challenges vary from day to day and some are as simple as struggling to find stuff to occupy my time so that I feel like I've been productive or trying to reassure myself that it's alright to have a day where I just read. Some are more extreme like trying to deal with an abuse that happened years ago and not being able to have kids.
As I watched Stephanie's story, I was impressed with her courage, faith, and optimism. I felt hope for my life and gratitude. I felt a reassurance that every day does not have to go perfectly for things to be alright. I don't have to be perfect for me to be alright. There is always room for improvement, but that improvement does not have to happen all at once or even in a short period of time. I felt that things would work out even when it doesn't seem like it ever will.
Some days, I struggle with all of these trials, but other days I only struggle with a few. I'm grateful for the days that I don't struggle so much; for the days that I feel great and can conquer the world. I'm even grateful for the days that I really struggled to do anything, including getting out of bed. I'm grateful for those days because they've helped me get to this point where most days, I feel good. Through all of this, I was reminded of this quote (I need a plaque with this quote on it so that I can read it every day):
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." -Melody Beattie
There are many days that I struggle with the challenges I face. Those challenges vary from day to day and some are as simple as struggling to find stuff to occupy my time so that I feel like I've been productive or trying to reassure myself that it's alright to have a day where I just read. Some are more extreme like trying to deal with an abuse that happened years ago and not being able to have kids.
As I watched Stephanie's story, I was impressed with her courage, faith, and optimism. I felt hope for my life and gratitude. I felt a reassurance that every day does not have to go perfectly for things to be alright. I don't have to be perfect for me to be alright. There is always room for improvement, but that improvement does not have to happen all at once or even in a short period of time. I felt that things would work out even when it doesn't seem like it ever will.
Some days, I struggle with all of these trials, but other days I only struggle with a few. I'm grateful for the days that I don't struggle so much; for the days that I feel great and can conquer the world. I'm even grateful for the days that I really struggled to do anything, including getting out of bed. I'm grateful for those days because they've helped me get to this point where most days, I feel good. Through all of this, I was reminded of this quote (I need a plaque with this quote on it so that I can read it every day):
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." -Melody Beattie
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