6 Quirks

Here are six quirky things about Matt and I. Hope you learn something new, and if you can think of anything I left out, let me know. I don't know if I'm really normal or just in denial, but it was so hard for me to come up with these! Thanks, Crystal, for giving me a reason to blog.

Matt
1. Matt has never changed a diaper. Boy is he in for a treat.
2. Matt hates using coupons or getting any kind of discount. He is extremely embarrassed by my little hobby.
3. He refuses to complain about poor service at restaurants or other businesses. That’s okay, though, because I do enough for both of us.
4. Matt thinks it’s gross to use the same bath towel for a week. Is it?
5. When we were dating, he would always go along with whatever I wanted to do, preferring to please me rather than get his way. I used to get mad at him and tell him to stick up for himself. Why, oh why did I do that?
6. Matt refuses to go to the doctor when he's sick. He’s been once, maybe twice, in the four years that I’ve known him.

Marci
1. I love coupons and sales. I am a master bargain shopper and getting a good deal brings me more joy than (almost) anything else.
2. I secretly played with Barbie dolls until I was probably 13 or 14. Cheri and I used to make up the most dramatic plot lines, like Barbie and Ken were shipwrecked and they had to fashion clothes out of the ship’s sails. We had great imaginations!
3. Mushrooms make me want to die. Once I unsuspectingly took a bite of what I thought was pureed beans. When I realized that it was actually a mushroom puree, I started violently dry heaving and almost tossed my cookies during the dinner prayer (Sorry about that, Jane. I’m sure it was really delicious).
4. I say the word “hate” way too much. It’s not like I really feel that strongly about everything. It’s just one of those things I say without thinking. Matt’s trying to help me stop because he’s worried about what I might teach our son.
5. I am a major procrastinator. Anything that can be put off til later, will be.
6. I consider myself an expert in many things though I am, in fact, an expert in nothing.

What am I so afraid of?

I was trying to explain to some dear friends last night why I have put off blogging about my pregnancy for so long.  For heavens sakes, I am eight months!  It's about time, right?  The thing is, I'm a really private person.  It's hard for me to publish my most intimate details on the interweb.  Another thing is that I don't want people to be interested in me for only that reason.  It happened when I got engaged; all people could talk about was my wedding.  And it's 10 times worse now that we have a baby on the way.  It's sweet, I suppose, that everyone is so concerned about my well-being, but sometimes I just want to talk about something else!  I hope I'm not sounding bitter, because I certainly don't feel that way.  Pregnancy is the most amazing, miraculous, beautiful thing.  Really.  As I am sitting here, my little baby is rolling around in my belly, reminding me that there is a little person in there who can't wait to come out (just under 2 months left).  It's so incredible.  But I guess I should start from the beginning.

(Note: if you don't want all the gritty details, please skip to the last paragraph for the good stuff)

Last September, while Matt and I were minding our own business, a baby decided to take up a home in my uterus.  How dare he (or she)!  Didn't he know that we weren't ready?  It wasn't in our plan for at least a couple more years.  I remember being so incredulous after taking a home pregnancy test, that I made Matt shuttle me to the urgent care clinic by our house, just so they could reassure me that it was a false positive.  But no, that was not to be.  When the doctor came back to congratulate me, I broke down into hysterics.  Poor guy!  He was so confused, and he and Matt kept looking at each other like "huh?"  I guess he'd never had a reaction quite like that before.  He even asked if we were married, and told me about my "options" (you know, adoption, abortion, etc.).  I couldn't explain why I was so upset, I just wanted to go home.  He made us go to the hospital for an ultrasound first, but it was too early to see anything.  After we left the hospital, I just laid down and cried for the rest of the day.  I feel bad now, because I think Matt wanted to be excited but was afraid of me! We broke the bad news to our families pretty soon, and I started making the necessary arrangements.  I scheduled doctor's appointments, talked to my insurance agency, etc.  It felt more like a funeral than a pregnancy. A few weeks after finding out, I started having some pain.  We went to the hospital for another ultrasound, and this time they found a heartbeat.  They showed us our little bean of a baby and even printed off a screenshot for us to keep as a souvenir.  While I was laying there on the table, cold slime sliding over my abdomen, something clicked.  I looked over at Matt and we both had tears in our eyes.  That was our baby!  From that point on, I was happy as a clam.  I started making a list of baby names, dreaming up nursery color schemes, shopping for baby clothes.  I even made the big announcement at work, sending a copy of that first ultrasound picture to everyone in the office.  You can imagine my terror, then, when I noticed spotting accompanied by severe back pain.  Matt rushed me to my doctor's office, who did an ultrasound and informed us that, with my symptoms, chances of carrying the baby to term were about 50/50.  We left the office, stunned, and on the way home I felt the worst pain imaginable.  It was almost out of body, I could hear myself moaning but didn't feel like I was really there.  I tried to sleep but couldn't, I took some Tylenol, and we called our home teacher to help give me a priesthood blessing.  A short time after he left I feel asleep.  When I woke up, I went to the bathroom and that was it.  I miscarried.  Immediately the pain was gone.  It was such a relief at that point that I didn't feel any sadness.  Until the next day, when I went to the doctor and he confirmed it.  I was devastated.  I felt numb for weeks.  

Fast forward to May of this year.  When my friend suggested that maybe the pain in my side wasn't just a cramp, but pregnancy, I was terrified.  I came home and took a test, and sure enough, it was positive.  Shaking and crying, I called Matt into the room and showed him the stick.  I thought for sure it was going to be another miscarriage, or worse, a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy.  I was afraid to be happy about it, knowing that I wasn't ready to suffer like that again.  My sweet husband just held me while I cried and he promised that everything was going to be okay.  We went to the doctor the next day and the ultrasound showed that I was about 6 weeks pregnant.  I held my breath for the next month and a half, knowing that if I could just make it to the second trimester, everything would be okay.  This time, I knew I was ready.  The timing felt right, Matt and I were happy, we were more financially stable, and it just made sense.  We told our immediate families right away, but kept mum with everyone else until about the end of June, when a few close friends realized what was going on.  Once I reached 12 weeks, we decided it would be okay to share the happy news with our loved ones.  What a joy it was to tell everyone, knowing that we were out of the "danger zone".  I was still too paranoid to make many plans, always fearing that something would go wrong.  But time passed, visits with the doctor came and went, and everything was normal.  We went to the 20 week ultrasound in the middle of August, nervous and excited to find out the sex of our baby and find out if it was developing properly.  I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face the whole time I was laying there, and when the doctor pronounced that everything seemed to be in working order and that we were having a boy, I felt a rush of relief, joy, love.  I was going to be a mother.  For real, this time!  There haven't been many new developments since then.  He's just swimming around, growing bigger and stronger every day, and we're preparing ourselves to bring home a baby in 58 days.  Sometimes when I think about him, I feel a tiny fraction of the maternal love that I imagine I will feel when he finally arrives.  I talk to my belly and tell him that I can't wait to see him, but to kindly stay in there until he's well done.  

I apologize if you started reading this entry 20,000 years ago and are bored to tears, but I warned you, didn't I?

I almost forgot

I also made my own applesauce!  A couple weekends ago, I went with my family to pick apples at this cute little farm in Draper.  We brought home 3 bushels of red and golden delicious apples for a really reasonable price, and the best part is that the farm doesn't spray with pesticide, so the applesauce is totally safe for my baby to eat (what's that you say?  I still haven't blogged about the baby?  Patience, little ones).  We decided that last Saturday during conference would be the perfect time to cook, process, and bottle our creation.  Bad idea, by the way.  Never plan a large scale cooking or craft project during conference if you had planned on listening to it.  Don't even worry, we also made that mistake during the Relief Society general meeting.  Anyway, back to the story.  So my mom and my sister and I gathered together and what we made was pure magic.  It was so easy, you just have to have the right equipment- like a special strainer that separates the stem, seeds, and peel from the flesh of the apple.  It was a bit messy, so hopefully my mom won't remember that next year when it's time to bottle applesauce again!  I feel so domestic these days.

I battled the pot roast...

...And I won!  I've been wanting to branch out and try new methods of cooking for a while, but have been a little skiddish.  Until now.  Matt bought this awesome cookbook for me that's all about braising, so I thought I'd give the pot roast recipe a try.  Nothing like a 4 pound slab of slow-cooked beef to usher in the fall, right?  Yummy!  I didn't have all of the fancy cookware the recipe specified, like a Le Creuset enameled dutch oven, but I figured my good old stock pot would do the trick.  I also had to make lots of substitutions, because I didn't have some of the ingredients (like beer), so by the time I put it in the oven I was pretty nervous about how it would turn out (especially since we were serving it to company).  I spent the whole afternoon session of conference fretting about whether or not I should turn over the meat halfway through cooking, if I should baste it, and if it was going to be cooked all the way through in time for our guests' arrival.  Well, worry no more my friends!  That was the best hunk of meat I've had in a long time. It had a tomato based sauce, which was kind of different for a pot roast, but it was seriously so delicious.  Perfectly tender and flavorful, not too much fat.  If anybody wants a killer pot roast recipe, let me know.  I'd make it for everybody if I could, but that sucker was expensive.  It's going to have to be a special occasion thing, I think.

New Job

So, I got a job running cameras and prompter at ABC4 for the news. It's a lot of fun, and a great learning opportunity.

Book review

Some of you may know that I am an avid reader and I keep a list of books that I want to read. Once I complete a book, I write down the date I finished it and my thoughts about it.  Today I thought I would share some feelings with you about my latest reads.

The first book I want to talk about is Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage.  This book was chosen by my book club, but it was not one that I wanted to read at all.  A true story of Sir  Ernest Shackleton's expedition to cross Antarctica by land in 1914, it was written by Alfred Lansing, who got his material from diaries and interviews of the men on the ship. It quickly became a book I couldn't put down. I was so addicted, I would bring it to work with me every day (which was no small feat, as it's closer to the size of an encyclopedia than a normal paperback), read during my breaks and any downtime I had during the day.  If people tried to talk to me while I was reading at lunch, I would shush them.  Seriously! The action starts on page one, and doesn't end until page 288.  It tells a tale of courage, heroism, forgiveness, and most of all endurance.  I would say this is one of my top three favorites.  Highly recommended!

Coming down off the high I got from reading Endurance, I decided to pick up Atonement by Ian McEwan.  Atonement is a book that's been on my list for over a year, and probably the one out of 130-something titles that I was most looking forward to.  I was so excited after reading all of the reviews of the book that I went ahead and bought it, assuming I would want a copy to keep.  Wrongo!  My first issue with this book is the language.  There are a couple incredibly risque scenes in the beginning, and I should have known that it wouldn't be getting any better.  All of that could have been made up for by a good ending, but I'm sorry to say that didn't happen.  Maybe if I had stopped 40 pages from the end, I would have read a story of redemption and forgiveness, of the resilient human spirit triumphing over all.  Instead, because I was foolish enough to actually finish the book, I read a story of cowardice and hate.  Sorry if this is a spoiler, but I had to warn you all: DO NOT read this book, even if your life depends on it.   If you don't heed my warning, at least do one thing for me- put it down before you get to the epilogue!  Just trust me on this one.

Finally, we come to C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters.  Oft quoted by prophets and general authorities, I have always wanted to read this book.  I actually tried once before, when I was about 15.  It was a little over my head then, so I dropped it after about 10 pages.  Now that I'm in charge of the book club, I thought I should give this one a try again.  As long as you understand what the story is about before you start, it is a lot of fun to read.  The narrator of the book is Screwtape, a senior tempter who is writing letters to his nephew Wormwood, instructing him on how to properly manipulate humans into turning away from "The Enemy" (God).  It's almost like reverse psychology; everything Screwtape suggests to Wormwood, you want to do the very opposite thing.  I'm not quite finished, but so far it's fabulous.  It's easy to get so caught up in it, that you don't even realize how much you've read.  It helps that the letters are only a few pages each, so even if you don't have much time you can still get through at a nice clip.

Phew!  If you actually read this whole post, congratulations!  If you have read or plan to read any of these books, let me know what you think.  If you disagree with me, don't be afraid- I welcome dissent!

First things first

After a vacation, our house is usually a disaster.  We have luggage, laundry, souvenirs, etc. laying out all over the house.  Seriously, I am not exaggerating.  We've been trying to get our home back in order slowly since we got back, but it's been hard because things have been really busy.  So what did I come home to discover Tuesday night after a looong day at work?  My darling husband had not only done (read: completed, as in washed, dried, and folded) several loads of laundry, but he had also done the dishes, vacuumed the house, and completely rearranged two rooms of furniture!  I had mentioned in passing that I wanted to mix it up, but wasn't expecting to have it done the next day!!!  I wish I had a "before" picture, but I don't.  So try to imagine Matt moving the piano and the 400 pound bookcase all by himself.  Thanks honey!

I am a slacker!

Sorry friends. If you ever check my blog, you are sure to be disappointed, as I never update. But I promise a change is comin'. There are so many things to update from the summer that I get a little overwhelmed, but I am spending the weekend solo - Matt is going to Vegas with the boys :( - so I plan on boring you with all the details of our lives!

Teach Me to Climb

Well, we are going to soon be launching a slick new website called "Teach Me to Climb", which will feature instructional videos on rock climbing safety and techniques, all presented by professional rock climbers. Feel free to visit our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teach-Me-To-Climb/23139816174 and if you like what you see, become a fan!

We will be launching the site soon, and will keep everyone posted!

David's Anthem

Well, you'll have to deal with the video quality on this one, but it sounds great for being an on-camera mic. Great job Marci!!!

Random pictures I love

70 Fascinating Things About ME!

So, I actually did have 100 things to say, but after an ordeal with copying and pasting I was left with only 70.  Enjoy!

1. I always start things, like books, clubs, movies, magazines, jobs, classes, projects, etc. and I can't seem to finish them. 

2. I am amazed and proud of myself for sticking with the most important things in my life, like Matt, college, church, friends and family!

3. I have the most incredible friends a gal could ask for. 

4. I have been in four car accidents, but only one was my fault.

5. I have actually touched the pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

6. My favorite cooking apparatus is the crock pot.

7. I am in love with reading, but I don’t do it often enough.

8. I have a list that started out as the 100 books that I wanted to read in my lifetime.  That number has grown to about 139, I think.

9. I am in the middle of three books right now (Endurance by Alfred Lansing, Little Women by Luisa May Alcott, and The Peacegiver by James Farrell), and they’re all fantastic!

10. I am so in love with my husband!

11. We have so much fun when we’re together.

12. Sometimes I feel guilty for being so happy.

13. He is always the first one to apologize-even when I’m wrong.  

14. He majorly outshines me in all things artistic and beautiful.  It’s shameful, really.

15. I don’t tell him often enough how much I appreciate him.

16. In my eyes, I am a great gourmet chef.  I am not sure if this is an illusion or reality.

17. Cooking, collecting recipes and cookbooks, and watching cooking shows are some of my very favorite pastimes.

18. I am quite thrifty, but sometimes I forget myself and spend money like it’s going out of style.

19. I really, really love my job and my coworkers.  I have never felt better about myself or the work I’m doing!

20. My degree is actually very useful.  Not only do I need it for my job, but I use little tidbits that I learned in school all the time to understand people and relationships better.

21. I aspire to be a Marriage & Family Counselor or a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  Or a restaurateur.

22. Most of the things that I want to do professionally require post-graduate education.  And I really don’t want to go back to school right now.

23. I was beautiful as a little girl, and I modeled for some local company that I can’t remember.

24. I was not so beautiful once I hit junior high and high school.

25. I had braces until I was 19.

26. I love that I can reinvent myself a little bit every time I start a new job or make new friends.  I like to think that I become a better version of myself each time.

27. I usually pride myself on never getting sick.  This year, however, I have been severely ill at least six times.  I think I’m dying!

28. I didn’t get a real honeymoon, so for my first anniversary Matt and I took a five-day vacation to New York City .  On day two, we both got the flu and didn’t leave the hotel room until we had to go to the airport.

29. Traveling is another of my favorite things.  I have been to 16 foreign countries.

30. Before Matt and I got married in February of 2006, we had initially set the date for December of 2005.  We changed the wedding date, but we already had a Hawaii vacation planned with his family, so we went anyway.  Matt and I had to share a family suite (with two separate bedrooms, and doors that LOCK!) while his parents took the room that would have been ours.  Don’t worry, we got married in the temple, but sharing a room unsupervised for a week, while unmarried, is NOT easy. 

31. I broke up with Matt three or four times before we got married, and he likes to remind me of this fact often.

32. I am definitely the clingy one now.

33. I was pregnant and had a miscarriage last year.

34. Being pregnant is not very comfortable.

35. Having a miscarriage feels even worse.

36. I have a nine month old nephew, and a ten year old half-niece-in-law. 

37. I am pretty much always tired.  I never get enough sleep.

38. I can be really disgusting at times.  Like today, I ate a rotisserie chicken with my hands, because it was easier than using a fork and knife, and because nobody was watching.

39. I have a puppy.  He’s a beagle, and he’s crazy, but he’s probably the cutest dog in the whole country, if not the continent.

40. When I was younger, I wanted to be a history teacher.  Nevermind that history is not my best subject.

41. I also wanted to be an astronaut.

42. Or a flutist in the symphony.

43. Or a mathematician.

44. Or a chef (well, I still dream about that).

45. Or a lawyer.

46. Or an Olympic gymnast.

47. I dream big!

48. I have a really cool sister.  She knows everything about everything.  If I want to get an answer to a random question fast, then I call her.

49. I was extremely shy when I was little.

50. My first apartment was known as the Boo Shack, and I lived there with Shannon and Megan, the best roomies ever!  It was 0.4 miles away from my parent’s house, but I loved it!

51. Some of the best times of my young adult life happened there.  It’s where I first kissed my husband.

52. My next apartment was a cute townhouse in Cottonwood Heights .  It was three miles from my parent’s house. 

53. Those were not the best times, but I dearly love my roommates from that place.

54. One of my pet peeves is when people take food out of the microwave before the time is up, and they don’t clear the remaining minutes off the clock.  It haunts me.

55. I hate running, but I ran the Bryce Canyon ½ marathon a couple of years ago, and I’m going to try again this year. 

56. I always imagined that I’d marry a short, dark-haired man.  Instead, my hubby is blonde and 6’3”, and I love every inch of him! (sorry if that sounded gross…it wasn’t meant to be!)

57. I’ve always felt more mature than my age, and yet I still can’t believe how old I am and that I’m married.  It’s so weird!  Sometimes I miss being a kid.

58. I love music.  My favorite artists right now are Joss Stone, Corrine Bailey Rae, Yael Naim, Coralie Clement, Belle & Sebastian, Goldfrapp, and Ingrid Michaelson.  Ask me next week and I guarantee it will be completely different!

59.Traditions are really important to me.  I absolutely have to do things like making a gingerbread house for Christmas.  Or making heart-shaped cookies on Valentine’s Day.   

60. I really love watching basketball.  No, I mean I really, really, love it.  My first date with Matt was a Jazz game, and we have gone to almost every home game this season.  We even went to a basketball game once while we were in New York City .

61. I become a different person when I’m watching basketball.  It’s kind of scary how into it I get.

62. I am so uncoordinated.  I could not hit, bounce, or throw a ball if my life depended on it.

63. I always said that I wouldn’t be one of those girls that “let themselves go” when I got married. 

64. I think I have gained about twenty pounds since I got married.  Poor Matt.

65.I have never used a lawn mower in my WHOLE life.  Does that make me lazy?

66. I am certain that I was destined to be a nursery leader.  I love those little people!

67. I love going on walks, especially when it’s nice and warm.

68. When I get scared, or nervous, or surprised, I feel a stinging sensation in my armpits, and I start sweating. 

69. I have a *tiny* crush on the pharmacist at my neighborhood Harmons.  I told my husband about it once, and he always brings it up when we go there.

70. I started this list two weeks ago, and it’s taken me this long to find 70 somewhat interesting things to say about myself.

I Need My Toy!!!

So, thanks to my awesome sister, April, I found this amazing blog that gives the inside scoop on what's new and cool in SLC. It's called Your Heart Out, and you can find it at http://yourheartout.com/. They even tell you where you can get discounts just for reading their blog. I love it! Who's up for some shopping?!?