Guilty Pleasure

Ah, how TV binds us together. My sister introduced me to, "Say Yes, to the Dress." Come to find out a few of my sister in laws also watch it, on both sides. Gotta love Netflix. That is not the embarrassing point of the post, the embarrassing point, is it makes me think about my wedding dress purchase.
First off, I thought I was spending a fortune on the dress, but boy in comparison, my mom bought both my sister and I's dresses for less than half of a cheap dress on the show.
Second, I was with my sister when she was trying on dresses, and it was fun, I'm glad I was there, I still remember, it was all quite fun. Her experience was much more like the show than mine. I didn't have a sales woman pick and pull dresses for me. But hers was super fun experience, but I'm not quite sure the story is best suited for my blog.

Mine was slightly lonely, she was not at mine, and I didn't think any thing of it, she was on the other part of the country. My mom flew out to look with me, I wanted her to, and it was just her and me. Except was it, she was only out for a weekend and I didn't want to miss a moment, so I took my fiancée shopping before she came out, so I could narrow down what I liked. None of my friends showed any interest in being with me, (its kind of hard to get married at 20). But our small college town had a few wedding boutiques and so I took my fiancée, whether he liked it or not. I didn't care about tradition, or superstition. The first dress I tried on I knew I really liked.
Once my mom came, I made her travel around the entire northern part of the state with me going to bridal stores. (Unfortunately I never went to Peg's on State Street in Orem, come on y'all remember the scary manacain in the sky). After traveling the whole state, I found the dress I first tried on in another store. It was the dress I wanted, so we went back to my college town and bought it, they gave us a slight discount. I loved it, and I still love it even if I sold it. When I watch the show, all the dresses I like have similar characteristics; I just love minimal ruching. I also loved the small amount lace on mine,

and that it was underbustled. I've also learned something, I thought my sister and I had ball gowns, turns out we had A lines.

I've been wedding dresses shopping three times, myself, my sister and one of my sister in laws who got married two months after me.  I feel honored she picked me but I'm sure it had more to do with location than anything else. But still honored it was just me and her. (Sorry I have no pictures from her wedding.) I'm sure I'll never be wedding dress shopping again until one of my daughters get married. And even though when I first started watching the show I felt bad I didn't have friends to go shopping with me, now I realize after watching the show, friends are usually not helpful.

P.S. Nothing like being sick and having nothing to do other than nap, watch Pride and Prejudice and Say Yes to the Dress.

A year

A year is so short and so long at the same time.  Right now (at least when I first started typing this post) my husband was taking his last final of this semester.  The end is very close, he only has one more required class, he has two semesters.  We are nearing the end, but last year at this time we had barely just begun.  Last year at this time we had just finished a very hard semester, last year at this time we were just weeks away from one of the hardest periods of my life.
I'm a visual person, and remember every house I've lived in with my husband by specific memories.  Now that I bring all this up, I wonder if my strongest memory of this place will be starting at the wall, knowing that is not normal, but not caring enough about anything to stop sitting and staring.  It was a defining moment when I realized I had slipped into depression again.  Many days last winter I drove past LDS Social Services wondering if I needed to see a therapist.  I live close to it, by the way I didn't go out of my way to drive past it, its unavoidable for me.  Eventually I realized I would have to see talk to my Bishop (my ecclesiastical leader) to go to LDS social services first, and although my Bishop is a good man, I didn't want to go tell him my problems.  So  forced myself to snap out of it, like the last time.  I know that doesn't work for everyone, and it was hardly a split decision.  A lot went into snapping out of it, and a lot months of work, exercise, sunlight, scripture reading, nutritional eating, supplements.  But I overcame.
But I'm off topic, I was going to talk about how much I like this year or the last.  Once I finally started to feel like myself, I've really like this year.  I like this age, I feel like I'm out of the hyperness of teenage adoslence, and its a relief.  I really relate to A A Milne quote that I have on my blog, "By the time it came to the edge of the Forest, the stream had grown up, so that it was almost a river, and, being grown-up, it did not run and jump and sparkle along as it used to do when it was younger... For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself, 'There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.'"
Its a relief to know where I am, where I have been and where I am going.  I like plans I have loose plans and firm plans. Specifically I don't know where we will go, but I do know next fall is my turn.  I am taking a Spanish 1 class, because why not?  My husband wants to travel to Latin American countries why not to try to  remember the Spanish I was taught from 3rd-8th grade.  Plus it will be good for him to stay at home with the kids and put them to bed without me.

Pillowcases and More

My kids got pillowcases from grammy, and it pretty much made their lives complete. The case are now on pillows not their feet.

J makes these types of things in preschool at least once a week. I'm pretty sure all the parents hate them. There is nothing worse than trying to get these stupid things home, let me assure you do not stay on the plate. He wants to save them forever as decorations, I tell him they are food and he must eat them.

Nan is super girly. Fairy Wings, baby doll, tutu, and high heals. This picture we taken a few days ago, but today she is an a fluffy pink church dress, because its the only think she would agree to wear. I'm not quite sure were she came from, because I don't think I ever liked wearing dresses.  Although when I was pregnant with her I wore them more often than just to church.  It was weird.

Eventhough it was winter she thought this was great evening wear, so she went out on the patio and did a few twirls for the neighbors.

Bank

Even-though we pay my husband's tuition instead of putting money in my son's savings account, he got a savings account as a baby. Nan on the other hand... well she still didn't have one on her second birthday. So I made a conscious effort to not spend a lot on her birthday so I would set up an account for her. For months I thought about her savings account. I decided she really did not need much this year for her 2nd birthday, first off she would never remember her birthday. She already has a tricycle, a toy kitchen (as seen behind), a scooter, and a whole box full of babies. So I made her a present, made and bought her an $8 book, and paid for the present that J got her. It was a frugal birthday. So Monday morning, I congratulated my self control went online to set up her account. I told he I was setting her up a bank account. She got all excited. I asked do you even know what I'm doing? She said huh! and ran away, she came back with her piggy bank.

Apparently she did, she was so excited.

Losing Old Bunny

Sunday night the Brent and I were busy helping his mom with something that required two computers and one cell phone. The children were left to their own devices which either means two things, fighting or best friends. They were best friends Sunday night, they did something required a lot of running between their bed room and ours, laughter and crumbs in my bed. Bedtime came and J freaked out because we couldn't find old Bunny. We searched, he told us the last time he had it he was sitting in the rocking chair so we searched the LaZboy and every other chair and bed. We told him to pray. He did, then 10 minutes later he found a large old dirty coin from a foreign country. Instead of searching he told me all about his big penny. In a moment of inspiration I said ok, is that good enough to go to sleep with? He said yes, and with that bed was found. An answer to my prayer. The next morning he got ready for school fine and pleasant, until we walked out the door, the minute we got in the car he started yelling and crying about everything. It took me a half an hour to drop him off at preschool because he was mad and wouldn't stop crying. Luckily his preschool teacher is a paid professional so I eventually got out of there. Nan and I came home and started looking again for old bunny, I didn't know how long "the big penny" was going to work. But I gave up, because I was running out of places to look. When Nan came over fussing about Mr. Potato Head, she couldn't get his back to open. When I went to help her, I spied a miracle. Nan had saved the day. She was so happy that she was the one that found old Bunny. We took her picture. She proudly took it to her brother at the end of Preschool.

After preschool was over, I said maybe we shouldn't hid old bunny anymore. We always lose him when you put him in a hiding place. J responsed with, I'll just always remember his hiding place next time. (yeah, I'm not holding my breath on that.) J also said he missed old bunny so much he wanted to take him to the aquarium that afternoon. I said no, I don't want to lose him again. He said I'll never lose him again. We were home, a short 30 minutes later, J came crying he couldn't find old bunny. I said well start looking. Ten minutes later Nan was victorious again, she once again had found old bunny and proudly carried him to her brother. Now everytime she sees old bunny alone, she picks him up, shouts hooray and brings it to J. Unforuntately for her, he hasn't been lost again.

This all reminds me of the time, that I was pregnant with Nan, Brent was on a business trip and we lost Valentine's Bear.  I search the house house literally, I moved couches and everything, something I wasn't suppose to do be of my preterm contractions. I spent two hours looking for it.  I never did find it but eventually unloaded a whole toy box of stuff animals in his bed instead.  It worked if you count 10 pm a normal bedtime. It was almost more than my little hormonal pregnant body and mind could handle.  It was really quite terrible, we never did find that bear, not even when we moved, I think we must of left it at church at some point. Thank goodness old bunny wasn't gone forever, which is why old bunny is rarely allowed out of the house, and when he is allowed out he isn't allowed out of the car.

What they are up to

Do you ever wonder what my children are up to when we are having a birthday part bigger than our apartment?
Well the boy usually hiding some place or hiding something some place.

The girl is usually accessorizing. 

Updates for my family

First off, I want to share to any of my siblings who read my blog and my parents that our musical number in church on sunday was someone singing, "Lord of the Dance" although they had it titled "Bethlehem Dance" and of course there was no brass accompaniment, bells, actual dancing or swinging cloth.  In all my life would have never expected to hear it in church, but it was actually very nice. She did a very good job, had perfect pauses and accents to make it meaningful.

Second for all you who might read this but are not on facebook, both of my younger female cousins are engaged as of the last few days.  I have a female cousin on both my father and my mother side and they are now facebook official. I always hate to be late on the gossip so I thought I would share.
The only other info I know is, one is planning on March in the Mesa Temple, and the other one a few weeks ago told me in a very vague this is not official, but one day in the distant future I plan on going home to the DC temple. You know it was one of those conversations, where I wanted to say, ohh, bouncing up and down, when do you think you will get engaged?!!! But decided to refrain myself, because I was a very strict I AM NOT engaged until my boyfriend officially asks me and gives me a ring.  I refuse to make plans, and do not call him my fiancée. Don't even ask me if I plan on marrying him unless you are my parents or sistser.
I just wanted to share their good news with the rest of my family, because I've very happy for both of them, but know they are not calling all of their cousins, because I did not call all mine, I don't think I called any for that matter, does that mean I'm a bad cousin?  I sent invitations to them!