Just The Two Of Us

2012-01-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

Please welcome our new addition
Miles Dean

...through the miracle of adoption.

Weighing in at 7 lbs 7oz 19.5"

magnus' diary

2012-01-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary,
Today I ran some errands with my mom.
Whenever I hear her keys come out of her purse I RUN to the door in hopes I can come too.
Sometimes she puts me in my kennel and sometimes she takes me with.
And lucky me....she took me with her today.

After we ran errands I cuddled by her feet for a little nap.

and then I ate the remaining pomegranates from the tree.
I just waste them.
All I like to do is peel them apart and go get another.

And then when my dad got home from Scout Camp he gave me a
much needed bath.
And by the looks of my face you can tell...
I just LOVE bath time.

BUT,
Mom says clean boys are easier to love...
so I have to stay clean.

Love,
Magnus

A Very Merry Christmas!

2012-01-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

Once again Romney had to work on Christmas!
Boo.
But people do call 911 everyday....

So...we celebrated on Christmas Eve morning!

We had fun opening presents.
It's always so exciting to see all the surprises we have had up our sleeves.
We like being sneaky!

Magnus enjoyed being a part of the festivities!

and I enjoyed my new iPad.

After our Christmas eve morning we had to clean up our mess super fast
because the whole Ellsworth clan was coming over for breakfast!
It was a Merry Christmas over here.
I look forward to the new year and have high hopes.
Hopes that next Christmas we will have a little one to add to our party!

sunshine in December

2011-12-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

Only in California would the doors of our candy houses melt in the window sill.

???????

Two Very Exciting Things....

2011-12-14T16:40:00.001-08:00

NO,
none of them revolve around us getting a baby....for those curious ones.

Anyway....

1.) I made whipping Cream.
Yes you read that right, I just whipped up some cream.
I have NEVER turned on my Kitchen Aid for whipping cream and by golly I liked it!

2.) After 4.5 years of living in our house I finally used a Pomegranate from our
Pomegranate tree.
We usually ignore the huge red bulbs on the tree.
This tree just came with our house and we let our friends come and take em.
I found a recipe that called for pomegranates.
It was fun to go out and pick a piece of fruit off our tree and actually use it!

and dang it...
It was delicious.

See I told you,
exciting things over here at our house.

I'm thankful for....

2011-11-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

1.) My sweet HUSBAND.
Oh how I love Romney. He is good to me and works really hard for us!

2.) My cool SISTER!
Alison is pretty boss.
She taught me to dance for my first dance.
If you have seen the movie HITCH then you can picture my first dance lesson.

3.) Being an AUNTIE.
I love all my little babies.

I loved hiking with them daily

and hearing them laugh all week.

4.) MAGNUS' great behavior this past week.
Magnus did awesome on his dogcation.
He was a hit with all the kids.
They never left him alone!

5.) My loving MOM!
I enjoyed hiking the emerald pools trail in Zion with my mom.
All the little ones ran up the mountain and it was nice to walk and laugh with just her
and take in the beauty.

6.) SURVIVING our spelunking excursion with lots of little kids!
we went deep into the bowels of the earth with glow sticks, and neon light rings.

we went into the pitch black holes of a cave. gulp.

we wiggled our way through tiny holes

and some of the kids crawled right through them.
I'm grateful that Romney welcomed me to the other side of the hole cause he was able to
catch my pants before I was really embarrassed.

and,
7.) CHUBBY CHEEKS to kiss all week long.

What a great thanksgiving week in St. George.
We had a blast exploring the red sand everyday.
Everyday we experienced something new.
It was beautiful and we can NOT wait to go back!
We haven't been together in a very long time.
It was so nice to have all my siblings in one room.
It was fun to hear laughter from all ends of the table.

I am grateful for my family
and so grateful I was able to spend a great week with them!
Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

This is one of my F A V O R I T E preschool items!

Romney thought of and created this brilliant little number.

It's just an ice cube tray with little grooves cut out of the sides.
Paper plates weren't cuttin it anymore!
You should make one too.
You'll love it!

BIG PROJECT

2011-11-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

It happens to be raining today.
I took Magnus on a walk in between storms while Romney worked on the garage.
This is our BIG project at the moment.
He is building custom cabinets and things are looking awesome!
Romney loves all the fun tools he "had" to buy for this project.
I like the tool that makes all the tiny holes in the wood,
I just love being able to adjust the height of all the shelves.
Pretty soon there will be a place for everything.
and EVERYTHING will be BEHIND doors.

I even have a CRAFT cabinet now with a pretty counter top out there.
It's glorious.

BAT DOG

2011-10-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

I'm Magnus,
and I was mature enough
to go to the TRUNK or TREAT at my church.
I did soooo good!
I cuddled next to my mamas feet and let kids jump on me and pet me all night.

Little friends were dressed up funny and they took pictures of me and called me
B A T D O G .
I even snuck some candy that my friends dropped on the ground.

I got sick and tired of "sitting" for the photo shoot.
It was getting pretty pathetic around here.
They really need a real baby to dress up.

But, I really love all the attention,
so I won't complain.

Happy Halloween!
love, Magnus

haPpY HaLlOwEeN!!!

2011-10-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween friends!
We had friends over and we laughed all night.

The costumes this year were A W E S O M E !

Everyone up'd their game this year.

Can't wait to see what next year will bring.

There were great wigs,
FUN games,

and yummy food!!

One Big Year Later...

2011-10-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

One Year Ago we brought home Magnus.
It was hard to choose.
There were 7 black great dane puppies running around
and they were adorable!
It was a random day and kind of a random purchase.
We didnt go fill up our gas tank with the intentions of following a man home to see his puppies.
So... we bought Magnus and brought him home in
an adult diaper box.

Magnus is very sweet!
We have worked really hard trying to make him a good dog.
We're all about manners and being pack leaders.
If you don't know what that is ...watch the dog whisper.

Look what one year can do!

Magnus loves kids....
he is getting waaaayyyyy better at not jumping on them!
Yes he has taken out a kid a time or two and
YES,
He gets BUSTED for it!

He loves trying to sit on the couch....trying is the key word.
And he sits on it the way we do.
Just his back side sits on the couch, and its super funny,
but we correct him and off he goes.

He can't relax unless I am relaxed.
He follows me around while I clean.
He goes up every step with me while I vacuum each stair.

He is scared of anything with wheels.
We really have to work with him to NOT be scared.

He has the loudest bark and it makes me jump every time.
He doesn't use his voice very often so when he does, it's a good one.

He thinks every dog is his friend.

He leans all his weight on your legs while you are standing.

He hugs you while on walks.

He gets stopped daily by everyone to be pet while on those walks.

We have thoroughly loved having Magnus.
He is just so sweet.
And I have broken all my promises that I made a year ago ( see here )
I treat him like a kid and I call him baby.
I can't help it.
He is part of the family!

Crafty Time

2011-10-16T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Super Saturday at our Church.
Every year we sign up for crafty things...because that is what girls do.
We like crafts.
Anyway, I am excited for the
countdown for Christmas that I made

and the Family Rules Board.

Ummmm...remember when our moms used to TOLL PAINT EVERYTHING?
Do you think Vinyl is the "new toll painting"?
and our kids will mock it?
Just a thought.

Amazing Race draft # 3

2011-10-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

This year the draft was at Chilis'
We ordered dessert and hashed out this years cast on
T H E A M A Z I N G R A C E.
It was hard because no one is sticking out as
"the winner."

We got to watch the first two episodes to get a feel for the teams.
These are the remaining 9 teams.

We drew numbers off a salad plate...
We got number one BUT we were able to trade with the number two slot.
Thanks Beaulieus.

Beaulieus' got first and eighth pick:
Jeremy and Sandy - dating
Justin and Jennifer -annoying siblings

We got second and seventh pick:
Andy and Tommy-snowboarders
Liz and Marie- twins

Bagleys got third and sixth pick:
Ernie and Cindy-dating
Kaylani and Lisa-showgirls

Williamsons' got fourth and fifth pick:
Marcus and Amani-married
Laurence and Zac- father and son

and lets not leave out the Lauritzens'.
They showed up for dessert and they wanted in...
BUT...
they didn't get to draft, they just got the left over team that
no one wanted.
So our newest draft friends get:
DRUMROLL:
Bill and Cathi-Ma and Pa.

A few disclaimers:
1.) It is stashtober with the fire department and that explains Romney new look.
2.) We didn't dress up for the draft, it was stake conference Saturday night.
3.) I am fully aware that my face is very round.
growing up, I wasn't called me applehead for nothin.

Good luck drafting buddies.

Is there anyone out there voting for our teams?
anyone?

last weekend...

2011-10-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

(please ignore magnus' kennel corner in the background)

We babysat our niece and nephews this past weekend.
It was also General Conference weekend.

And this is what our jammie wearing weekend looked like.

Charliee became a fast friend to magnus...

Magnus did A W E S O M E with the kids!
He didn't even get jealous with the baby....
When usually this is what he wants...

ummmm........

Take a Hike

2011-10-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

Having a dog makes you get out and move!
We love it!
We take Magnus out a few times a week to explore the great out doors.

He LOVES chasing all rabbits and squirrels.
He's totally getting faster and faster.
Someday he'll catch one and not know what to do with it....

He just runs around and his ears flop.

My favorite is calling him from a distance and he SPRINTS back to us.

Yeah it's good exercise but...

we mostly do it because when we get home Magnus sleeps for HOURS!
We're selfish.

What do you do to wear out your dog?

Sand Dunes

2011-10-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Saint George, Utah,
it's beautiful.
We spent a few days up there.
Mom and I spent some time at Tai Pan for new Halloween decorations,
Dad and Romney installed new cabinets in dads office.
One day we rented some fun little gadgets and headed up to the
Sand Dunes.
We had a blast!
It was gorgeous to see red sand all around us.
No one was out there but us.
So fun.

As mom and dad tried to make their way up the hill

they got stuck....

...so mom got out and Romney started helping...

...and they started to D I G...

...then they hooked both rhinos up with rope...

...mom pushed reverse, dad pushed the gas...

...and B A M... they are ready for more fun!

After getting stuck we set up camp and had an A W E S O M E
picnic .
The C O L D fruit and drinks never tasted so good.

After a great day we drove back to town to return our rentals.

We had such a fun day.
Were ready to play again!

Thirty, Flirty and Thriving....

2011-10-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

I am SO behind on blogging.
But it's my goal to catch up by next week.

This summer I turned 30!
I was so busy planning girls camp that it kinda just snuck up on me.
My birthday fell on a Saturday and camp started on that following Monday.
Chaos I tell ya.
Chaos.
But some how Romney got me out of the house...
to take me to a SURPRISE party he had planned.

We had Y U M M Y Y U M M Y food and fun
"minute to win it" games!
These games just NEVER get old.

"the M&M elevator"

"Eat the Oreo with No hands"

It was fun to see friends and take a little break from girls camp.
Thank you Romney for treating me so good.
You're a babe!

Now I am 30!
It's a weird number to see.
I know it's not old but seriously....
30?
Where did time go?
I have NO idea.
I just know it keeps going fast!

Am I where I thought I was going to be at 30?
No, not even close.
But, I wouldn't trade these 30 years for anything!

Thee going away party

2011-10-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

And who is this going away party for?
Oh just my parents.
Yep, my parents who live 3 minutes away...(walking)
Yep, my parents who I see daily and go to dinner with weekly.
Yep, my parents who have lived in the same house for over 20 years.
Yep, my parents have moved.
Where?
Saint George, Utah.
Crazy?
Beyond!
As crazy as this sounds...they are so happy up there.
So that makes it very hard for me to be mad at them!

Anyway, before they left,
we had a going away party for them.

They were able to talk with old friends,

give lots of hugs,

hand out new contact information,

laugh more one time together,

eat delicious food,

and hug some more.

I am sad that my parents have left.
It is N O T the same around here.
I am so glad that I have my brother and his family around the corner.

My parents have promised to visit often.
They have promised that they will come on the drop of a hat if something happens.

And so far...
they have kept their promises.

Well that sucked.
Anyone up for a pity party ice cream run?

Fiji

2011-09-19T15:19:00.001-07:00

Bula Bula!

Greetings from Fiji.
Fun facts:
-there are 300 islands in Fiji
-Fiji is not a third world country but....pretty close
-Those who live there are either Fijian or Indian
and
the fruit is delicious.

Romney loves to sail!
He was so happy with the chance to sail on our
man made island; Denaru.

We could NOT get over how the water felt like warm bath water.

We took a charter boat out to one of the islands in Fiji;
Bounty Island.

On Bounty Island we....

...snorkeled,

and saw BLUE star fish
(awesomely clear water)

and fun colorful fish.

We had a blast kayaking,

they were glass bottom kayaks at that.

we ended up Scuba Diving there too but our under water camera battery died.
We were super bummed.

On our last day we went to the Hindu Temple.

And our taxi cab driver gave us a little tour and showed us around
and explained different things.
Kinda cool.

(We were not allowed to wear shoes)

Fiji was A W E S O M E!
The weather was F A N T A S T I C!
The water was G O R G E O U S!
and the people were L O V E L Y!

til we meet again Fiji,
til we meet again!

Cairns, Australia

2011-08-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

It's pronounced CANS.
Cairns is kind of like our Hawaii.
The scene was fantastic
and their accent
is fun!

One day we walked through the ManGroves.
We were the only ones there and we could hear the mud bubbles popping throughout our walk. It sounded like someone was taking an ax to a tree or maybe even the echo of a hammer hitting nails.

Another day we drove up the coast.
This was our view as we made our way to....

...the CROC farm.
This stop was by far the coolest place.
We learned so much about this interesting creature. They are dangerous and scary and the Australian People take CROCs very seriously.

After the croc farm we walked through the rain forest. We stayed a little too long cause the sun went down and we (I) needed to run back to the car.
Bats were flying and frogs were jumping.
Nasty.

BUT...
Our main reasons for Cairns was to SCUBA DIVE
the Great Barrier Reef.

We went down 60 feet.

The water was warm.

The water was so clear, we could see our boat from 60 feet under.

There were interesting things growing.

It wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be.

I was terrified to do this. But I knew I would regret not doing it.
We did 3 dives and each one got better.
V e r y C o o l ! ! !
I was freaked out that some Great White Shark would come eat us. But we learned that the water there is too warm, and Great Whites live down in Southern Australia where it's colder.
Once we got down there I forgot I was even scared of sharks.

We had a great time in Cairns.
It was beautiful!

Now off to Fiji!

Sydney, Australia

2011-07-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

First stop:
Sydney, Australia.

Sydney is fast pace with busy bodies.
We enjoyed the harbor every day and every night.
We took a boat ride through this awesome body of water.
It was pretty magical.

The harbor bridge ended up being our favorite.

Three weeks out of the year Sydney has light shows on different buildings.
The streets are full of music and entertainment just to celebrate "Sydney."

We didn't really think we'd be that impressed by the Opera House.
WRONG.
Obsessed is more like it.
It was fun to see the sails lit up during their annual light show.

Once we got enough of the city life we headed up to Jamison Valley.
On the way we stopped by the Animal Park where we fed
Kangaroos and Wallabies.
It was kind of gross but kind of cool.

After our little stop with the animals we finally got to our destination.
Our main reason for this day trip was to see the
"three sisters."
We were devastated when we arrived.
We couldn't see a darn thing!
We were so bummed that we weren't going to see the famous SISTERS.

We decided we'd grab lunch and see if the fog would clear.
Within an hour the clouds started to break.

And we were able to see those sisters.
Do you see the three peeks in the back?...There they are.

We were able to ride the steepest railway through the valley once the sun came out.
We were so happy mother nature did her job!

We were so glad that we waited for the sun.
It was worth the wait!
It was just a fabulous day!
There is more to Australia than a harbor, and we didn't even touch the surface of what it has to offer.

Were off to Cairns, Australia where we will scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef.

a little trip

2011-06-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

While we are working on our pictures
you can guess where we just got back from....

hint: P. Sherman Wallaby Way

puppy school

2011-06-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

Magnus graduated Doggy school.
We signed him up at Petco...where the pets go.

He can sit, lay, stay, wait, come...

all for a treat!
He is getting better by the day.
He will be attending the next doggy class...
How cool would he be if he were a therapy dog?
We think he'd be pretty cool if he could go to hospitals or schools to help!
Everyone already loves him and he LOVES everyone, may as well put it to good use.

Diving

2011-06-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Romney really wanted to get scuba dive certified for our upcoming vacation.
I truly had NO interest in it.
The thought of being in the water with sharks...no thank you.
But, I hesitantly said I would certify with him anyway.
Crazy?
Y E S !

We took classes through Sports Chalet.
After the classroom portion we hit their pool.

We stayed in the shallow end the first half of the pool session.

Once we were comfortable at 5 feet we made our way to 15 feet,
and practiced equalizing our ears, and mastered our boyency.
We worked on our breathing and clearing our masks over and over.
We went over every worst case scenario underwater.
We know what to do if we run out of air, hand signals to communicate etc...

After a few pool sessions we had to pass thee final test....
THE OPEN OCEAN.
(This is our class. We are on the right, the middle man is our teacher, on the left is our step bro and sis in law)

Of coarse our ocean dive was a cold day and the sun didn't want to make her debut.
But we got it done.

It was freezing and I am grateful for wetsuits, hoods and gloves.
They really make a difference.
Phew, we lived and I don't have to think about it until our vacation...in a few weeks.
Gulp.
Now we are certified divers!

Ireland

2011-06-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Oh my busy!
Is anyone out there?
Life has been incredibly busy with adoption papers, girls camp, and preschool.
But I am here, to get caught up.

As stated before...we were able to go to Ireland for our Spring Break.
We flew in to Dublin and made our way west.
We rented a car, and drove on the wrong side of road....with NARROW roads.
Scary, I tell ya.
Our favorite little town was DINGLE.
Isn't that a fun word? Dingle.

We loved going to pubs at night to listen to traditional Irish music.

We were able to see castles.
Some were fully intact others were barely hangin on.

Ireland is full of SHEEP!

The bright blue sky and green grass was BEAUTIFUL!

We loved that we brought our rain jackets.
We wore them almost everyday.

We tried different cheese at the cheese shop

... we even tried seaweed cheese....
and liked it.

The fog rolled in, but that didn't stop us from walking
through a farmers pasture to the beehive huts.

These huts were the ancient Irish homes dating back to 3000B.C.

Somedays we're cold and super foggy

and some were warmer with gorgeous colors.

We have so many memories that make us laugh, quote,
smile, and want to return.

It was so different than our other busy Europe trips.
We loved the slower pace and country side.
Ireland is highly recommend!
The green N E V E R got old.

were back.....

2011-04-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Were home.
We loved IRELAND!

We loved sharing 9 days with my parents!

Funny memories were created and beautiful sites were seen.
Give me a couple of days.
AWESOME GREEN coming your way soon.

roller coaster ride...

2011-03-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

Hang on to them hats and glasses cause this here is a wild ride.....

Here we go!
Click here to read about our new journey.

another draft...

2011-02-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

NERD ALERT!
AMAZING RACE starts FEBRUARY 20th!!!!
Remember our last draft?
Well the same four couples got together again to treat last seasons winners
Congratulations to the Beaulieus who picked the doctors.
They got a yummy dinner.
While we got our grub on, we started our second draft and picked new teams!
RULE #1: Nobody got to pick the Cowboys!
RULE #2: 1st pick goes to the couple who went out first- last season
2nd pick goes to the couple who came in third
3rd pick goes to the second team
4th pick goes to the first team
got it?

Who are you cheering for?...besides the cowboys?
That one is obvious.

We're cool now...

2011-02-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

Last fall I was asked to serve as The Girls Camp Director for our Church.
I will be planning a week long camp for 100 girls.
I am super excited but totally feel inadequate for this assignment.
I told Romney I needed a laptop for all my meetings that I would be having.
He is a good man.
SOOOOO........
A really fun package came this weekend!

Could it be that we are ready to be trendy?
Yep.
We are cool now ....finally!

We have a laptop!!
Go ahead and welcome us to 2011...
and wish me luck for Girls Camp....gulp

Cleaning

2011-02-11T13:01:00.001-08:00

Does anyone else enjoy cleaning?
I kinda do.
Wierd?
Yes!
I love a clean house.
I love cleaning products.
I love the smell of clean bathrooms.
I love the look of vacuum lines.
I love sparkling counter tops.
I love freshly mopped floors.
I love polished appliances.
I love dust free furniture.
I love empty laundry baskets.
I love the peace that it brings.
I love it all.

BUT...
the one job I hate; scrubbing the showers.
It's my least favorite job!
However I found thee
BEST CLEANING PRODUCT:

And now....
not so bad.
try it.
I spray the shower and tub first,
let it set while I clean the toilet, sinks, and mirrors
come back, wipe it down, and BAM
sparkling clean!
No muscles needed.
It's awesome.

What is your least favorite job?

the New leash.....

2011-02-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

It's February and the weather is PERFECTO!
We left for the canyon to go on a little hike and test out the new leash...

This is my typical view when Magmoo is in the car.

He was so happy to be out....Magnus was pretty excited too

It took a little bit to realize he had 16 feet of freedom BUT he was loving it!

He ran and ran and ran...

And stopped to watch birds fly away

We all enjoyed the hike and relaxed the minute we got back to the truck.

WOOOHOOOO

2011-02-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

As of tonight
our car is
OFFICIALLY
PAID
OFF
!!!!

can I get what what?

A not so Christmas Morning....

2011-01-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

So there I was...alone on Christmas...

This year was a funny one.
My parents went out of town to hold a new grand baby.
Romney had to work Christmas day.
My brother and his wife were spending the day with her side.
At least Magmoo was here to keep me company.

Romney and I planned to celebrate on Christmas Eve this year due to his work schedule.
But....he was called to work Christmas Eve too.
So there I was alone...on Christmas Eve unexpectedly...
Luckily, we have some very nice friends that had me and Magnus over.

SOOO....we finally were able to celebrate Christmas a few days after.
We had a nice morning munching on pistachios and peanuts,
while opening our presents!

Merry Christmas!!!!

finding the light

2010-12-25T00:36:00.000-08:00

Its a Christmas Miracle....
(click here for my weird "miracle"...)

Magnus got his cone of shame off and his stitches are out.
I think this whole near death experience really opened his eyes.
He has found the light!

As the sunlight moves across the floor....

So does Magnus...
He literally follows the light all throughout the day.

He's so spiritual like that,
What a good boy.

1000.00 dollars later....

2010-12-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

Just like the ziplock bag says...
This is Magnus' rock.

Because of that rock my dog looks like Little Bo Peep.

Oh Magnus.
Where to begin....
I will first start off by saying that I officially LOVE our dog.
It took me 2 months to say it out loud but its true
I LOVE him.
Now with that being said
DANG IT DOG!
The other day we were playing in the back yard having a fun ol' time.
Within 20 minutes he was extra cuddly and tired.
Within an hour of that the throwing up began.
ALL DAY!!!!
He wasn't eating or drinking.
Just puking.
So sad...So smelly.
He was miserable.
Just before closing I decided I better go see the vet.
They checked him for all sorts of things and did some Xrays.
With the Xray we found the problem...
THE ROCK!
The freakin dog ate a rock.
The vet sent us home with an anti vomiting shot
and in hopes he would pass the rock by morning.
No, not even close!
They did a follow up Xray to see if the rock had even moved over night.
again, not even close.
So surgery it was.
He came home hours after and cried all night...not fun.
He's back at the vet today for follow up evaluations and fluids and pain killers.
He will come home again tonight!
We have laughed at people who spend money for surgeries on animals...
We are eating our words.
1000.00 dollars later.
Gulp.
I hugged Romney and said
"Thanks for paying to save our dog"
"you're welcome"
Like he did me the favor....
Yeah right, Romney is in love too.

Travel bug....

2010-12-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again......you know, travel bug time.
We booked our next trip a few months ago as a "heart healing" method.
It's a good method I tell ya.
When our IVF cycle failed we said...
"okay where are we off to next"
and so....
DRUM ROLL PLEASE...........

I R E L A N D ! !

Top of the mornin to ya!
Spring can not come fast enough!!!

Stash-tober

2010-11-12T22:37:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful October is over!
It was STASH-tober at the Fire Department.
One whole month of no shaving.
Yes it was embarrassing when the stranger at the store said
"oh is that your husband with the MUSTACHE?"
(gulp...with a half smile)
"yes he's my husband."

On November 1st that thing came off and I could finally kiss my honey again.

I felt extra sorry for the single guys who were tryin to meet some ladies with that!
Actually its hilarious.

two weeks of puppy...

2010-11-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

Oh this dog!

Where to begin with my love/hate relationship with Magnus...
Magnus is part of my "just be" regiment. (click here for regiment)

Now with a new puppy comes some PROS and some CONS.
We have talked about a dog for about a year but we still were not prepared for puppyhood...

Pros and Cons:
pro: he sits on command
con: he likes to chew
pro: he is learning to lay down on command
con: he eats his poop
pro: he lays on his bed and lets you pet him all night
con: he doesnt sleep in
pro: he runs like a bunny
con: we cant be gone too long..gotta get home to let him go potty.
pro: His ears flop everywhere
PRO: we can still lift him when he refuses to go in his crate
con: he farts
pro: he pees where we want him to pee (95% of the time)
con: we have a Petco membership card
Pro: he has the softest white patch on his chest
con: we shop in the Pet isle now...gulp
Pro: he's lazy and sleeps a lot
con: he thinks he's a lapdog....um NO!
Pro: he has beautiful eyes
con: when he is wired- HE IS WIRED
pro: he doesnt cry at night
con: he thinks every towel is a rag toy
Pro: We hang out with a puppy all day
con: He slops water on my wood floors after he drinks... CRINGE
con:I get NOTHING done!
pro: My mind is completely occupied...

OH Magnus!!

Our new little friend.
Notice I said friend and NOT baby.
I promise we wont be the annoying dog owners that think our dog is a baby.
We wont be calling our parents "grandparents" etc...
I Promise.
He is a dog and we know that.
He is a lot of work though.
I swear all we do all day everyday is PUPPY.
I can not wait for him to get all his shots so he can get out more.
We all need some space around here.

new arrival....

2010-10-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

Introducing our Great Dane: MAGNUS

and he's ADORABLE!

The Amazing Race!

2010-10-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

We had a few fellow Amazing Race family lovers over for FHE the other night.
We really did get a lesson in before the chaos.
Post lesson was the DRAFT!
That's right, you heard it right!!!
OUR FIRST AMAZING RACE DRAFT!

Everyone pretty much liked their first pick....
The second pick???? Not so much
Some got lucky some did not!

(Thanks Scott for being our Vanna White)

These are the teams!!

Williamsons: Nick and Vicki (tattoos)
Thomas and Jill (cute dating )

Ellsworths: Brooke and Claire (watermelon in face girls)
Chad and Stephanie (tinkerbell and jerk)

Beaulieus: Connor and Jonathan (singers)
Nat and Kat (doctors)

Bagleys: Katie and Rachel (volleyball girls)
Gary and Mallory (beauty pageant girl)

Who are you voting for???

Renzo the Police Dog

2010-10-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

(sorry for the small picture)

This is my brother Derek.
He is a police officer.
My brother is a giant.
He is 6 foot 6 inches.
With that height comes a giant personality.
He can make anyone laugh. He is so funny and can make any situation fun.
With a giant personality comes a giant heart too. And his giant heart aches today.
My brothers K-9 police dog, his partner, his buddy died last week.
Renzo became suddenly ill with the major heat wave we had here in Southern California.
Renzo was a good police dog!
He had 15 bites and $50K in drugs seized.
Renzo protected my brother and has saved his life more than once.
Renzo loved my brother and loved his family.
Renzo had one more year to work in the field before he would have to retire, but he didn't quite make it.
My brother loved Renzo, and his giant heart is having a hard time getting over this one.
And I don't blame him, it was his dog, partner and friend.
Derek I love you,
and I'm sorry I never would pet Renzo...I was just too scared.

click here to see a video Dereks friend made for him.

fall

2010-10-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

Fall is here! Fall is here!
Though our air conditioner is on, it's still that time of year!!!

Now can we please talk about how fantastically ugly my Halloween lamp is?
Awesome find!
Awesome clearance!
Awesome hubby who had to fix thee awesome clearanced find!
HaPpY FaLL!

party

2010-09-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

It isn't a successful family gathering if
a window doesn't break.

...So I pretty much think our gathering was a success...

cleaning

2010-09-16T18:33:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a little cleaning

and a little organizing of the closet

and of the face.

My face: OUT OF CONTROL!
Every IVF cycle I break out bad!
BAD.
So it was time that I got back on my high school regiment...Clinique.
What do you use?
And do you swear by it?
...cause I'm loving Clinique...
I am sorry that I ever left you.

some people are just sweet.

2010-09-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Remember my friend Christy?
You know, she sent me the MAGIC ONESIE.
Well she is at it again.
She made me a little button for my fertility blog.
Around of Applause for Christy!!!
Thanks girl.
So now on my side bar you will find a button
with a big ol' face of mine which will link you
to our journey!

NEW BLOG

2010-08-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

I have started another blog!
If I knew how to make a cute button to click on I would, but I can't.
So click on the link, and join me on the ride I took this summer.

http://findingfollicles.blogspot.com

Chicago

2010-08-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Windy City!!
Chicago is the COOLEST city...especially in the summer.
Having a sister who lives there allows to us to visit every season BUT summer wins every time!

We played on Navy Pier

We rode on the Ferris wheel

This was my FIRST time on a Ferris wheel!
I totally handled it like a pro.

It was also our FIRST time eating at
FOGO DE CHAO....

We rode bikes EVERYWHERE this trip!!
It was so fun to go pick up pizza on our bikes,

and ride through the city

and over the bridge to the zoo.

We went back to Navy Pier!
But this time it was so everyone could ride bikes, not ferris wheels.
These girls LOVED it!

We peddled to "taste of Chicago" and ate Chicagos' finest and drank lots of WATER.

and with all that biking we headed home to wash up

what a week!

Infertile fun friend

2010-08-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Taylor.
We met when I was 10.
She moved away when I was 13.
Thanks to the blogging world we reconnected a few years ago.
I looked at her blog and wondered if she was infertile too.
I mean she is Mormon, married for 6 years, and has 2 dogs.
That screams INFERTILE.
I didn't dare ask her over the blog,
so I waited until we were friends on facebook to ask privately.
Low and behold:
ENDOMETRIOSIS!
She has scar tissue surrounding the outer part of her tubes.

We have seen each other a couple of times since our pen pal-ing over facebook
and things have not changed.
No awkward pauses or weird conversations, we're still the same. And dang it...
We're still FUN!

Taylor and her husband Darren came down and stayed with us for a couple of days. One late morning we woke up and all randomly agreed to go to Magic Mountain on a whim.

Romney talked me in to going to the scariest rides. All of which I kept my eyes closed breathing in my nose and out my mouth as calm as I could....YELLING
" I DONT LIKE THIS I DONT LIKE THIS I DONT LIKE THIS"
Oh the things I do for LOVE...

Taylor is so mysterious.....just like her tubes.
At least she is consistent.

The boys navigated us through the park.
There were a couple of rides us girls sat out on.
No thanks guys you go ahead...we'll be in the bathroom puking!

However, we LOVED the ride GOLIATH.
Favorite of the day for sure!!!

Taylor and I never had to worry about the "no expectant mothers" rule on these fun rides.
But one day we're going to be mothers, some how, some way!
and we're still going to be
FUN!
***Lets cheer Taylor on, she had to surgically remove a tube from her last IVF cycle. That darn embryo nuzzled into her tube not her uterus....stubborn little thing***

a little face lift...

2010-08-02T13:59:00.001-07:00

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

Were gettin there! slowly but surely...but were gettin there!

Berlin, Germany

2010-07-26T10:30:00.001-07:00

When we started planning this trip Berlin, Germany was not high on my list. I just didn't have interest in going! Little did I know it would be my highlight. We learned so much and were able to experience a little history. I CANNOT even fathom what happened here just a few short years ago!

We fell in love with this Cathedral and this plaza. The dome is the prettiest I have ever seen. We stood admiring this beautiful building and just years ago stood thousands of NAZIS hailing to HITLER in this exact spot.

Berlin is a very new city because it was bombed and destroyed during WWII. However there are still old buildings like the cathedral that survived. If they survived their statues have missing limbs, and black charcoal is all over it.

We loved the old Berlin but also loved the new too! Like sitting here enjoying our Currywurst while listening to locals cheer on Germany during the World Cup!

**********

We were able to see Check Point Charlie

Go through the American Sector

See and touch the Berlin Wall.

We got kicked off the train(apparently our tickets were no good) in the middle of no where. So we waited on the one and only plat form for another train. But we did finally make it to the tiny town we were looking for...

This is what we were trying to get to!

RAVENSBURCK:

WOMENS and CHILDRENS CONCENTRATION CAMP.

It took us 20 minutes to walk from the train stop to the camp. Our walk was gorgeous, green and peaceful. The town was charming and the cobblestone was perfect.

We kept saying over and over how beautiful it was.

Even the outside of the camp was beautiful.

But just behind that building was horror! Pictures can not show what we witnessed and can not feel what we felt.

The bunkers are no longer there but you can still see the imprints in the gravel from all of them.

The shops were still in tact.

These shops were where the women reported to work everyday!

The prison cell.

Yes. You are seeing that correctly. This is where the women/children were burned.

I tried to imagine what these women/mothers were like. I tried to imagine what they were thinking about before they were led to the gas chamber and then burned here. They did nothing wrong yet were treated in the most horrible way.

It was very hard to picture the horrific scene when the surroundings were so gorgeous.

It was hard to believe that something so inhumane took place there! But it did. And it was all done for nothing! Millions of people lost there lives in Holocaust and my heart aches for every single one of them!

My heart was touched here at Ravensburck and I am thankful for the humbling experience.

This world travel was a great one and I am grateful to of had the opportunity to see more of the world!

St. Petersburg, Russia

2010-07-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

M o t h e r R u s s i a !

This was our longest stop of the cruise and it still wasn't enough time!! Not even close.

In Russia you can not just get off the boat and go play. You HAVE to be in a tour guided group. If you want that freedom to do as you please, you HAVE to have a Russian Visa. If you go to Russia you HAVE to play by their rules!

Russia was the first place that required a passport check in and out of their country, it was kind of intimidating.
but at least we got another stamp in our passport...

Russia was a once in a life time opportunity.
We were so excited for this stop!!
It would only be natural that I got the flu in the middle of the night!
Rom, Scott and Jen toured the Hermitage Museum for 3 hours in our tour group while I sat in a chair sweating breathing in my nose and out my mouth. I kept telling myself "don't throw up here."

Romney was so sweet to let me hang all over him that day...and I did.
And he wasn't even worried about my germs.

I still wasn't feeling up to eating.

and based on these faces...

I didn't miss much...

so I continued to sip on my water.

After lunch I was starting to feel a little better and started to pep up! I actually remember the Peter Paul Fortress and I absolutely LOVED it! I was diggin the gold!

and I 100% remember how cool the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood was.

After a 17 hour day in Russia with the Flu I was ready to get back on the boat. We are holding up our hands to show that its 11:00pm and time for bed!

Russia was our last stop of our cruise.
But our vacation still has one more stop...
We gotta hurry back to Norway to catch our flight to
BERLIN, GERMANY!

Tallin, Estonia

2010-07-15T12:57:00.001-07:00

We recently were told that Disneyland was inspired by ESTONIA. We can see why. It was a fairytale. Everything was so colorful and cheery just like the happiest place on earth. Even the doors were detailed exactly like the doors in Fantasyland. Estonia was my personal favorite stop on the cruise. The chocolate was out of this world, the architecture was beautiful and the company wasn't so bad either.

It was a great day!

These medieval towers welcomed us right in to the old town of Tallin.

...we walked through several fun ally ways...

...to find this tiny chocolate shop that my brother and his wife went to a year ago.
They swore we'd never find it....we did, we conquered and we
LOVED it.
We came across lots of locals dressed up for their festival.
We enjoyed the roasted ginger and pumpkin nuts that we bought from this woman.

WE LOVED our souvenirs!!!!
WOOL WOOL and more WOOL!

...and i cannot get enough of this picture of the boys trying on all the different wool hats...

it makes me belly gut laugh out loud...
Off to St. Petersburg, Russia

Copenhagen, Denmark

2010-07-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Denmark!

This was our shortest day on the cruise which was too bad because there was so much to see.

However we saw the changing of the guard at the Palace.

Of course we squeezed in some time to sample a little hot dog.

Then it is only natural that we worked off the hot dog when we jumped 100 times for the "perfect" jumping shot in front of the main cathedral...

...........

We stumbled upon more naked...except she wasn't a statue...
can you find her?

P.S. This is my friend Jenn! Get used to her and her husband Scotts face because you will see them often. They jumped on the same last minute trip to Europe boat too. They were great travel buddies.

We toured this beautiful castle where jewels and crowns are on display.

A trip to Europe is not a trip unless you hike up all the tiny narrow stairs to the top of the main cathedral.

Which we all did and Romney got to open the little doors to the outside!

And it was worth every step up the those 200 something stairs!

Take me back!
Back to the ship were off to Tallin, Estonia!

OSLO, NORWAY

2010-07-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

Romney and I were ready for our world travel part 2!
We started in Norway where our cruise would begin!
But before we took off we got the opportunity to play in the city for a day and a half.

So we went to a museum where we saw Viking Ships that were found in the Fjords!

we had just enough time to discover a Norwegian Kabob...delish!

We found an old farming community where this all wooden church sits.

We learned how the Norwegian people once lived on the farms and how things worked.

We heard ghost stories that apparently happened within the dark hallway of this Castle.

We ended our day at the park....
the naked park- its not called the naked park...
but see for your self!

The park is beautiful! All the locals were out playing and eating here.
Where there is grass there is PEOPLE!!!
They live for the summer and soak up the sunshine as long as they can
...and this picture was taken at 9:00pm...

(what on earth is going on to our right????)
Off to Denmark tomorrow!

A Round of Applause

2010-06-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

We are home from a great trip!

But before I start blogging about it, I want to give a shout out to:
CELINE DION!

Why the shout out to the muscle flexing, chest pounding amazing singer?
She has conquered INVITRO FERTILIZATION on her 6th try...with TWINS!
She didn't give up after 5 failed cycles!
To her I say :
Kudos!

***and for the record...I totally love Celine Dion and loved her Concert in Vegas! Make fun all you want but I dig her even with her crazy noises she makes on Oprah***

im happy im a girl....

2010-06-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

I love being a girl!!
There are so many fun projects we get to do!

For example:

Recover Chairs...

Make matching pillows....

and make baby gifts for pregnant friends...

It's just fun being a girl...

Petunias.....

2010-05-22T18:39:00.001-07:00

I bought some new Petunias last week
and all the purples ones are looking like this.
Dead.

And the pink ones are looking like this!
Alive and well....

what the?

just one of the perks...

2010-05-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

Having a childless home does have its perks. Sleeping in is one of them. Being able to go back to Europe on a whim is another...
...just because we can...

No rewarding, nor heart mending involved.
We just want to go see new places...just a perk.

new fabrics

2010-03-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Time for a little love in the living room.
Here are my new fabrics I'm bringing in. After setting up and pulling down over and over.
I AM NOT USING THE BROWN AND CREAM ONE. Its just too much/busy. I'm excited!

Off to the sewing machine.

landscaping.....

2010-03-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring!
We're extra excited for Spring this year because it means BACKYARD!
And what backyard doesn't want a tricycle track?
Well ours wanted one.

So they framed it...

and poured some concrete...

And BAM.....a tricycle track!

Now someday some little ones can ride, and skate and push dolly strollers
around and around and around.

And because there are no little ones YET...
it'll just be our landscaping for now.

a little break from the cold

2010-02-20T18:34:00.000-08:00

Nothing is better than family in town. We missed one brother in Texas! Come soon Texas!
The weather was perfect all week for our Chicago visitors. This little hike in the sun was exactly what they needed to defrost from the 10 degree weather back home!
We already miss you Chicago kids!

it worked for her....

2010-02-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

I received the sweetest little package and card in the mail last week. And it made my day!
Thank you Christy!!!

Erin,

Here is a "magic onesie" for the nursery closet. I bought this from a random store in Paris right after I got divorced in 2004. I saw it and thought to myself "someday things will work out and I will have a family." So I bought it and took it home- and it hung in closets in Provo and
San Diego.
I'd get it out and look at it and wonder how I would ever put a real baby in it! After each discouraging loss I would think about the little onesie and get motivated to try again! I never wanted to buy a lot of baby things when I was pregnant for fear that it would backfire...so this was pretty much the lone staple in the closet for a LOOONG time! It was every baby I lost and every baby I wanted so badly! I hope if you hang it in your closet it can be a little reminder of why its worth it to keep trying!!! My pregnancy with Brigitte was an absolute miracle and the hardest 9 months of my life. Bleeding, bed rest, every pregnancy symptom in the book-I endured them all. She was the hardest and best won victory I have ever battled for. Everything was worth it. And now the onesie is clearly getting TOO powerful to live in my closet. Two babies in two years- all to the girl who was told she would chronically miscarry.

So I pass it on to you! I hope it helps you envision the little person who will someday call you "mama."
Oh it will melt your heart!!!

xoxo Christy

another sneak peak...

2010-01-30T16:32:00.000-08:00

These original 1988 faucets were ready to go...

and these ones wanted to move in....

down pour

2010-01-18T13:39:00.001-08:00

It is pouring rain today.
And it is LOUD rain.

The last time I was in a down pour I was in Vatican City!
We walked out of St. Peters greeted by unexpected rain!
But, got the rare opportunity to be the only ones in the plaza.
Pretty amazing!
Look at the lights that reflect on the cobblestone streets. Beautiful.

So when I was making hot chocolate this afternoon I opened my blinds hoping to see reflections in the backyard....
NOPE....
just mud.

another year...another project...

2010-01-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

THE MASTER BATHROOM

Out with the stand only shower pan
and in with the bathtub...
and tile...

Rom stayed up all night last night putting in the floor....

to be short two tiles.
ARGH!!!

she's infertile too....

2010-01-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

Meet my sister Alison.

Meet her darling little family whom I adore!

Anyone who really knows me- KNOWS I am a big fan of my sister.

People who know us, think we are a lot alike. They think we look alike, talk alike, and laugh alike.

All growing up I always wanted to be just like her.

....little did I know I'd get the opportunity...

Alison is infertile.

She has endometriosis!

The problem lies in her fallopian tubes.

I remember being in the hospital recovering from my colonless beginning thinking-

Heavenly Father sure knows what we can handle cause I couldn't handle going through what Alison is going through.

oops. lesson learned.

Alison has done invitro 5 times. Yep 5 times.

Her first three attempts were not successful.

She didn't give up.

She didn't loose hope.

She kept trying.

On her fourth attempt she got one baby. One sweet baby girl.

Her fifth attempt she got twins. Two more sweet little girls.

Yes she had three babies under the age of two....

Alison understands exactly what I am going through.

She understands my frustrations and my tears.

She is the first person I call with good and bad news.

She is the person that says the right thing to make me stop crying.

She is the person that makes me not want to give up.

I look at her family and have hope that one day we will have one too.

Her babies are miracles and there is room for miracles in everyones lives.

Thank you to Romneys brother for that reminder.

I never thought I would be experiencing this.

Didn't I say Heavenly Father knows what we can and cant handle?

Should have kept my mouth shut.

So here I am getting the opportunity to be my sister.

So hopefully our "alikeness" will hold true and

my fourth attempt will be a success too.

a little late.....

2009-12-30T11:51:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning is just such a fun thing. It never gets old. Even as an adult you wonder what is in each box that is wrapped up and you think because it has a bow on it...its the "big" present this year. It's just a fun morning! Santa was good to me this year...as he is every year. He brought practical things that needed replacing and new fun gadgets that will make me a better cook and he brought thoughtful things one of which will allow me to talk with my sister in Chicago even more! Oh that Santa-he's a cute one! Now don't think Santa went home empty handed. He got a GPS which will hopefully direct him to the master bathroom to finish up that darn project! Of course he got new awesome tools to accomplish this minor remodeling task! See I'm thoughtful too...

Merry Christmas!

Third Wheel....

2009-12-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

Well the season is here. We should have had our baby by now. Who really wants a December baby anyway? So instead of wallowing in sadness of what "could've/should've been" we played at Disneyland. And that is ALWAYS FUN

Though we didn't go alone. We brought along with us my nieces FLAT ANNALIESE inspired by the great childrens story FLAT STANLEY. She made her flat Annaliese with her Kindergarten class back in cold Chicago. Hopefully her flat went the farthest distance and did the coolest stuff out of all her class.

The three of us were able to see Mickey
Ride fun rides,

and walk down Main Street holding hands in front of the Christmas Tree.

SO, I am pretty sure

this totally makes us the coolest aunt and uncle ever....

Venice...

2009-11-19T11:56:00.000-08:00

This my friends is St. Marks Chapel. The gold mosaics are indescribable. Every night here in St. Marks square there are 4 orchestras that all play amazing music. On our last night in Venice we stood in this square taking in one last moment of this trip. As we continued to eat our gelato one of the most beautiful songs ever written started to play by one of the orchestras. It is this song that is now playing on my blog that we heard. As the music started, I reflected on our whole experience in Venice.

I wanted to stay a little longer-

just to experience it all one more time...

... I wanted to walk through this arch way one more time to get to our hotel that was orange with green shutters. I wanted to see just how many shirts could hang dry in one day...

...I wanted to to go back to Murano Island to play for an afternoon. How fun to see blown glass, and window shop for things we couldnt afford...

...I wanted to see the reflections one more time...

...I wanted to wear make up in Venice for goodness sake...

...I wanted the chance to see more bright buildings on the water...

...I wanted to see my honey stand by this canal one more time showing off his new jeans...

...I wanted to see one more gondola parked bobbing in the water...

I needed one more sunset in VENICE!

As the song ended so did my wondering mind. I just wanted one more day. One more day of this amazing place. The novelty of Venice didnt disappoint. We loved our stay here. So many great things to see. Hand in hand we left St. Marks square a little sad that the trip was coming to an end but so happy for the opportunity we had to do it.
So we kissed and thanked each other for such a fun adventure...
and promised for more world travels...
lets just hope it isnt for heart mending...

You know your fairytale vacation has come to an end...
when THIS is your luggage:
One bag of clothes and one bag of Souvenirs.
This is our slap of reality...
welcome home!

Florence....

2009-11-14T14:54:00.001-08:00

We should have known better when we saw the bike racks in Florence. I mean every where else had matching bikes in an orderly fashion, but here... not so much!! Every person we talked to RAVED about Florence and to that we say.....blah. blah. blah! Sure it was beautiful and we were in Italy but we didn't love this place. The day started out with some smiles. But behind this smile was an uncomfortable feeling. Paranoid about our luggage that we just left behind for the hotel to babysit while we went site seeing for the day.

We walked down the Renaissance streets of Florence really not into it. We wondered if we made the right choice to visit this place. Yes there is history here and things to see but we weren't diggin it. We did see DAVID (well the fake one) But, this is where he originally stood.

It was about this point of the morning I said to Romney

"can we please go back and get our stuff?"

and my sweet so endearing husband said

"babe it'll be fine"

A few feet further from David was the famous Dumo. Yes it's a lot of green goin on. We stood there took a quick snap shot and moved on. Still not lovin Florence.

I asked again
" can we please go back and get our stuff?"

and my sweet, kind, loving, husband says

"we said a prayer this morning it's going to be fine"

At this point I'm annoyed and nagging "can we please go back and get our stuff"

and my charming sweet heart says

"lets climb the Dumo before the sun goes down and we'll go get our stuff"

I couldn't even enjoy the bridges that Florence has to offer.

Soooo, we climbed the 400 something stairs to the top...

...For the best seats in the house...

This was by far the BEST thing we did that day! It was a hard climb but worth the view.

We loved the view and heard all the different bells ringing from the top of Florence.

very cool.

Once we got to the bottom I said "can we please go back and get our stuff?"

and my sweet husband finally said "YES!!!"

he's a stubborn one that romney.

We walk in the hotel to get our belongings. Right when we walked in my heart fell and there was a pit in my stomach... all we saw was our neck pillow, the big brown tube that held our paintings, and a plastic bag of souvenirs sitting on the couch. Everything else was gone!!! Romney ran out the door to the train station and started searching trash cans for anything that was ours. I sat in the hotel lobby starring at the wall while one little tear fell down my cheek. All of our stuff had been stolen. I felt sick about it! Everything was gone!! ALL NEW Clothes, underwear, socks, makeup, medication, my hair CHI, etc... When Romney returned we tried to work anything out with the hotel people and they were useless. We went to the store that night to buy some toiletries. And for heaven sakes we were in Italy...fashion capitol. Where on earth were we going to get new clothes that we could afford???

H&M was the answer the following morning.

We caught the fastest train out of there.

We left our sadness in Florence telling ourselves "its just stuff"
"all replaceable stuff"

and headed to Venice, excited!

Romney appolgized all night and promised me that I could buy whatever I wanted when we got home....

and I did.

Yes, we had all money, credit cards, passports and camera goods on us.

ROME

2009-10-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

How amazing is Rome? Um, pretty amazing. I promise. So many things and so little time. But I think we were able to squeeze in all the FUN!

The Roman Forum was FANTASTIC! Were talkin 2,000 years old here. Original pillars still stand today and we walked on the same stones that Julius Cesar walked on. We stood where he lived and is buried now.

Julius himself would walk from the forum directly across this street to....

The COLOSSEUM.

In which we were amazed. The Colosseum is unbelievable.
We couldn't get enough of this place (hence the pictures), we loved learning the history of it.
I mean, we have stadiums today because of this place!! So cool.

...and we did learned that where you go in the day you MUST go back at night....

...so we did...
and loved it just as much.

There are churches EVERYWHERE in Rome. If we saw a church somewhere we walked in. And were so glad we did because we would of missed out on things like this:

Though this blue ceiling is breath taking, our favorite church was St. Peters Basilica in

Vatican City.
(St. Peters Dome)

After a nice day in Vatican City we ended it at The Pantheon.

As the sun was setting and the Pantheon was closing we walked out the doors and captured what is now our favorite plaza. This plaza is what I think of when I think about "ROME". All you could see was colorful buildings with colorful shutters, and charming cafes filling up for dinner, you could hear the water fountain splashing, and the little Italian band playing fun music. This is where I fell in love with the city.

This is the place that I imagined Rome to be; romantic.

BUT, no matter where we went in Rome I knew I was safe with my Paramedic.

...say goodbye to our clothes because this is the last stop we were able to wear them...
stay tuned...

Off to Florence.

Brussels....

2009-10-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

THE UNEXPECTED HIGHLIGHT: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM!!!!

We got in kinda late so we went to a cafe for some dinner....

The following day was my FAVORITE DAY!!!!

We didn't know where we wanted to go or what we wanted to see

so, we walked down this charming street!

and found vendors selling all kinds of stuff

and ate the three things Brussels is famous for:

1.) FRENCH FRIES

2.) WAFFLES

...which are nothing like our waffles...

(you eat them with your hands like pizza, they were AMAZING)

3.) Chocolate

mouth watering I tell ya.

All three things were DELICIOUS!!!!!!!
we seriously grazed through the day on these staples.

With bellies full of all healthy foods we stumbled upon the main plaza that...
surrounded us completely by these Gothic style buildings.

The plaza was busy with music and people

celebrating the annual festival.

We aren't quite sure what the festival was for but it was fun to hear the different music and see the different parades that marched by.

One word to describe our day:
PERFECT

We absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED our day. We kept expressing our love for Brussels throughout. We would love to go back but how can you beat that experience? It seriously was untoppable. So we will just have to reflect on the memory.
Now were off to ROME!

Paris

2009-10-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

Each morning was started off with a pastry from the oldest bakery in Paris.

Then we would walk and walk and stop to admire all the amazing architecture!

Arc de' Triomphe being my favorite...

...and the Louvre being Romneys favorite!

Not only was the architecture amazing but also the simple things- like the street lights.

Small day trips were taken. Oh Versailles! Take me back!!

Bells were heard from Norte Dame everyday...

...and night

The Eiffel Tower was beautiful...

and we couldnt get enough of it!

All good things must come to an end....
well not to a complete end...
just Paris...

we are off to Brussels, Belgium on a speed train.
see you in a couple of days.

WE'RE BACK!!!

2009-09-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

We are home! Europe was AMAZING! We loved everyminute of it!

We absolutely loved our backpacks that carried 16 days worth of stuff...

like clothes, hair stuff, make up, camera chargers, medication, UNDERWEAR-the whole works and we hope the new owners love them just as much!!

Who needs clothes anyway?

"when are you two going to have kids?"

2009-09-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

never!

Just kidding.

This is thee number one question I get asked on a weekly basis! Depending on who asks, my answer varies. Sometimes I answer with a snotty remark like..."were saving up for a boat" or "we want to travel more!" Sometimes I answer with "we don't want kids right now", "I'm good" or "I'm content". My sister says I should tell them all about our dirty late night lovin' details and how we are trying....maybe that would shut everyone up. But will it? I didn't think so either.

My tubes are blocked!
There I did it, I said it out loud!

We have been dealing with this for a couple of years. I just cant do it anymore! I feel like I have all these built up emotions and I have no where to put them. I can only battle with it inside for so long and I am at my limit. This is something that is beyond frustrating, beyond the biggest emotional roller coaster that I have ever been on and something that is completely beyond my control. I'm supposed to be a mother. Hello? I'm 28 and Mormon! I am supposed to be a mom by now, I think with 3 or 4 right? Thats what we do- us Mormons. I am supposed to be up right now at 12:50am feeding a baby, not up feeling sorry for myself. Pitty party. Sorry. I'm not ready to physically talk about it so I will blog talk for now. Baby steps. This may be a good outlet for me.

You assume that when you are ready to have kids, you'll just have them. No! You assume that when all your ovulation strips come out negative that your doctor will just put you on CLOMID. Easy fix right? No! You assume that because you have already been through so much there is NO WAY Heavenly Father will make you go through something like this. Nope. That definitely is not how it works.

It is beyond frustrating when both "our" counts and "our" hormone levels are good. The problem is that scar tissue has blocked my tubes and it doesn't allow the eggs to come down. Where did the scar tissue come from? Well that's easy, it's from all my previous abdominal surgeries involving the lovely CROHNS DISEASE. The doctors don't want to do surgery because I have been through so many already and it may or may not help anything. The only way to bypass the tubes is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

7 weeks of IVF treatment does something to you physically, emotionally and hormonally. By week 4-5 you want to give up! Yes, you want to give up even though you are so motivated for a baby. Your body is tired and achy. Some spots are extremely sore and bruised and you cant bare to give yourself one more shot. But you do! As you push the needle into your tender skin you say out loud "it's for a baby! it's for a baby! it's for a baby!" By week 51/2 - 6 you seriously can't do it anymore... so... your ever so darling husband ends up doing everything! Even the easy ones! Why does it hurt less when he does it?

It's frustrating that I have to do these lame shots! And that I have to go under the knife to get my eggs retrieved. Ouch! It's completely out of our control how many eggs fertilize over night and how many will then start to divide and grow properly. Its physically draining having to wait while those little babes grow in a dish! It's true, my babies are conceived in a dish. Oh I really do hope there is romantic music playing in the back ground. Preferably Celine Dion but whatever. While they grow, I wait! Once the babes are ready to be transfered into my uterus the doctor picks the 2 best looking embryos that he feels will do the "best"- as for the rest of the babes-IN THE FREEZER THEY GO. It's a little uncomfortable to be on strict bed rest for 3 days in hopes that these little embryos will find a good spot and stick to mama. After bed rest you "get" to wait 10 L O N G days to find out if this whole process even worked. Its pretty frustrating when you get the phone call you've been waiting for all day; just to get a negative result! We thought for sure it was going to work! Everything was in our favor. No. Not this time.

Aloha! Lets go to Hawaii and forget about it. So we did. Vacations do mend the heart. See?

I thought I experienced frustration enough from the first cycle. No. Not even close. Cycle number 2 wins that prize. I finally got the courage to go for it again. I was excited about it, doctors were going to be more aggressive this round. This is going to work for sure this time! Any infertile friend knows the "it's going to work" phrase all too well. You have to have hope. Right?

Well to our surprise....it did work. I got the dreaded call- oh that's a long day! This time it was a positive result. What? I am? I'm pregnant!! I am pregnant with one baby, how exciting! After the exciting news you mark your calendar for the first ultra sound appointment which will take place in 3 whole weeks! More waiting!

The first ultra sound had finally arrived. We made it! You're extra nervous because the doctor, the nurses, you and hubby are all squished in a tiny room! All of us waiting and wanting to see if there is a heart beat. All eyes were on the screen looking. You are so nervous that you don't look at the monitor- you watch everyone else looking at it. The nurse in the back jumped and said "THERE" and pointed with her pen. She saw it first. We got to see the little flicker heart beat. They all congratulated and patted us on the back. It was yet another hurdle we jumped. What a fun and big secret we had!

A quick week later and it was time for our second ultra sound. Another hurdle to jump ...this time the flicker had slowed down and the baby had not grown over the week. I was told "stop taking your meds tonight". What? Did that seriously just happen? Yes. And it sucked. A little different tone than last week. Somber. You feel a little stupid because the room is full of new Infertility clinic friends and you are crying. Awkward. Tissues are given to you in one hand and your other hand is held by your honey. Unintentionally your mind wonders and you stop listening while the doctor trys to suggest the "next game plan", so, he ends up talking to your husband instead. The sweet nurses give loving hugs and then you leave. You don't want to cry as you leave because you don't want the other patients in the waiting room to lose hope. So you find some sort of balance and walk out with your head up.... well until you get to the car. That car ride home was a fun one. Lots of tears were shed, some jokes were attempted. But it wasn't funny. Round two was going to end in a miscarriage. And it did.

Europe is our get away this time! That is why we are going, to site see our sorrows away. We booked it shortly after our news. This vacation has really taken our minds off the whole situation and it really is giving us something to look forward to.

So...will there be round 3? Yes! We have not given up hope. Actually we have more hope this time because we know it can work. I was able to get pregnant! Progress has been made. When are we going to do it? We don't know. My body has not recovered completely, I still have to wait for Mother Nature to do her thing. It takes a lot of mental prep to commit to doing another IVF cycle, fully knowing what you're about to do. Yuck! But to hear the words "YOU'RE PREGNANT" is worth it. We won't announce when we attempt round 3, it's hard with just a small group knowing our every move. Its hard filling them in on every doctors appointment. I hate answering questions that I don't have answers to. And I don't want more questions like "are you pregnant?" "did it work?" So we'll do this in private ....again.

Oh the things I am trying to learn from all this. Trying is the key word. I don't know why us infertiles have to go through stuff like this. It's no fun. Its humbling. Its made me have feelings I don't think I have ever felt. Its something I think about all the time, it is the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. It is always there. Its frustrating because its completely out of our control! We are so dependent on Heavenly Father.

Now, on the flip side, I have an amazing marriage. We will never get this time back again and I wouldn't trade this time for anything. We have been married for 6 years and its fun just he and I. We are able to do fun things, and be spontaneous still. We stay up late and we sleep in late. We spoil each other. We are having more fun now then ever. We are enjoying our alone time, and take full advantage of it. We know the grass is greener on either side. So we'll relish on our side for now.

There, it's out! I can breathe. Why spill it now? Because one day I'm going to be pregnant. And you won't have to ask if quads run in the family! just kidding. You'll just know that out of desperation we put a gang load of embryos in- hoping one will stick.

...and maybe....

just maybe.....

prayers will be said on our behalf...

There I did it,
I can say it!

Hi, I'm Erin and I'm Infertile.

Santas escape shoot...

2009-09-05T15:39:00.001-07:00

Oh our sweet family room! The place where all gather together. The place where laughter comes from. The place where you chill every night. Its the place where you leave cookies for Santa each year... AND this is what ours looked like when we bought it. So warm and...and....um....and...um special.

Yeah special.

Hummmm......What could it use?

Maybe some paint might help...

and a mantel, that might spice things up...

Yes! That is what it needs...

A mantel.

There thats better.

(we still have to paint around the edges..but you get the idea)

travel bag

2009-08-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting a travel bag that was 1.)pick pocket proof and (and being the key word) 2.) cute. So I went to my mother in law who had a pattern for such a thing and she helped me make one!

-make one long strap and one short strap
- loop the long strap through the short strap and it stays tightly closed

You can make one too. All you need two is different fabrics.... and a mother in law with a pattern. Easy enough. Now it can hold all sorts of traveling goodies!

beautification

2009-08-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Somebody got new gardening gloves.

And they got dirty.

These cheery colors put a smile on my face the second I walk out the door....and that is always fun!

Well he's my hero

2009-08-18T22:47:00.001-07:00

Tonight we went to the movies on a whim. We were in our jammies and decided to clean up and go. The parking lot was packed! On a Tuesday whats up with that? We drove around and around looking for a spot.

While making another turn Romney kinda starting laughing because he saw a boy eat it on his bike. But the boy didn't get up. We saw two men run for him and he still didn't get up. Romney pulled over and got out. I crawled over the seat to continue to find a spot. When I finally found a spot in the way back- by the "not good enough restaurants to be in the actual plaza" I walked kind of fast to see what was going on.

When I approached the scene I saw Romney the medic helping a complete stranger. He was crouched down holding this young boys neck in place. With one hand he was feeling for a pulse and talking in his ear asking questions and keeping him calm. When I made it closer I thought DUDE I'M WITH THAT GUY. By the time I got to the actual location I heard our fire friends coming. Once his buddies got there they had Rom put the neck brace on the boy and he gave them a report of what had happened. Off we went to the movies first stopping by the bathroom to wash his "nasty" hands.

So the boy did eat it on the bike and knocked himself out. I know Romney didn't do CPR and save somebodys life BUT he did step up and take charge on scene, and the fact that he actually knew what to do on a scene, he wasn't nervous to get down and touch his neck and feel the bones down his back. He kept this boy calm and that's totally hot. He's my hero at least.

FYI- We saw Julie and Julia to get us excited about PARIS and all the food. It was DARLING. Lots of funny parts. Very entertaining indeed. That Julia Child is HILARIOUS

Babys first hair cut

2009-08-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

The time has arrived for baby to get a cut

mean while.... Romney is working on his ravish tan

We have a yard!

now on to the back

6 whole years....

2009-08-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

Who would of thought that when we took our first picture together at the San Diego Wild Animal Park the heavens were celebrating that we had FINALLY met our match!

We were married 6 years ago today!

We jumped for joy!

And kissed all day!

What just happened here? Where did the time go? I can not believe how fast life really does go. I swear we just got married. Married life really is awesome. We are having a great time together. We were just saying the other day that we are having more fun now than ever. It just keeps getting better!

In 6 years we have been able to:

not sweat the small stuff
finish our schooling
Go to Chicago lots
budget
Buy our first car together
Get a JOB
deal with several out patient surgeries
Go to Hawaii
learn how to be poor an hour after we've been paid
Buy a house
listen to each others music....kinda
laugh lots
and
keep the romance alive

So here's to LOVE
Happy Anniversary!!!

one year older

2009-07-19T22:25:00.001-07:00

....and wiser too....

It has happened I had another birthday. I'm officially 28 as of the 16th and how much I have changed, don't you think?

Birthdays are highly anticipated as a child, we count down days and we invite friends to our parties and tell everyone about it. At what point do we loose the excitement? I know I'm still a youngin but excitement was out the window for sure this year. 28 really? I'm in my late twenties, what just happened here? I know that the older we get the more experiences we have and more opportunities come up in our lives (i.e. going to Europe). I love telling people that I've been married for almost 6 years but in order to say that and do these things I have to age too. So I guess having a birthday isn't the worst? Good things come with each year, right? So I proudly wear my birthday button to let everyone know its my birfday!!!

well... it was my birfday

well well well what do we have here?

2009-06-23T17:30:00.001-07:00

Its true we got it done today!!!
What a glorious day!!!

SPRINKLERS

2009-06-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

This is what is going on right now on this fine Saturday morning. Sprinklers are in and all the fine tuning is going on as I speak. This is so exciting! We are almost yard people....well just in the front. Thanks Ethan for coming to help today
I personally can't wait for this project to be over
I wont have to sweep or vacuum everyday all the dirt that makes its way in the house

LIFE STINKS...

2009-06-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

over here at our house. Romney says it smells like money. But who cares how bad it smells...sod is coming soon.

As I made my way through the stench of it all to the mail box

I was happy to see that...our passports came today.

it's official were gonna be travelers!

Class of 99'

2009-06-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come....the 10 year reunion invites have arrived!!! Am I really at the stage in my life where reunion invites come in the mail? Where did the time go?

Fortunately, I mean unfortunately (very sarcastic) I will not be able to attend this party. Why?

EUROPE BABY; I WILL BE IN EUROPE!

Dang it.

(again very sarcastic)

I will say that each year I loved high school a little more...

...like boys

football games

friends

sports

student government...

...and with each year I learned a little more...
like learn to sing BINGO in spanish
like how to make lots of friends becuase my teachers would put me in a new seat weekly...I am a talker....

By my senior year I learned all I needed to know....so I thought!

Since my graduation day in June of 99'
I Learned even more...

first and foremost: WAXING of the EYEBROWS

always have and always will have a round face

I dont have to use math everyday

The word PERIOD isnt that embarassing

Moms really dont have eyes in the back of their heads

Keyboarting really dod pay off

Who really cares that I wore longer shorts

Is it really nessessary to shave your legs everyday?

Parents accutally know what they are talking about (dont tell my mom that though)

I was in really good shape

sticking with panio would of been a good idea

My parents "pick one night to go out over the weekend" rule was actually a good rule

fair weather friends...avoid them, thats what mom always said

The boys I thought were cute ....heavens no

Your tastes change
and...
it really is more
important to be nice

...So Here is to Class of 99'...

while I'm basking in the sunlight of Italy

"Well that was kinda impulsive....now what?"

2009-05-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

was what we said the minute after we booked our flight to.....

and.....

Paris and Italy this fall baby!!!!!
(there are amazing deals out there guys, its cheaper to fly to Europe than to go see my sister in Chicago....)

HAPPINESS IS....

2009-05-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

Watching Romney's bulging muscles put up our block wall! It's true we are on our third yard extension with the city code enforcement lady.....

But we are progressing...

SADNESS IS.....

2009-05-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

knowing there isn't any more infamous "Carmel DeLites" left in the cupboard. and why did they change the name Carmel DeLites from Samoas?

WHAT PRIDE???

2009-04-02T11:27:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered what the outside of our house looks like? Or what the actual house itself looks like? There is a reason I have never showed this beauty off. Can you see why? I felt as those I had some pride but now.....what pride?

Here she is in all her glory!!! This my friends is OUR backyard!

This landfill.. I mean, this yard has about everything you can think of; gravel, sand, weeds, concrete blocks, railroad ties, iron fences, chicken wire, tree trunks... But thanks to the tracker (and craigslist...someone actually bought the pool) its almost all gone!!!!
...yeah our hands are full...

a bigger project than I ever thought......

2009-03-07T17:47:00.000-08:00

Can you see why?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2009-02-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY ROMNEY!!!!!

I love you Romney, I hope you have a good day!!!

my LIPOMAless leg

2009-02-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

For the last 7 years I have had a lump in my leg...a LIPOMA! What is a lipoma you ask? Oh it's just fatty tissue all rolled up (like chicken fat). Doesn't that sound delightful? Well, it is. So, I have had this fat lump that overtime has become more annoying and a little more painful. I finally got it taken care of. It has been removed!!! I mean really; what's one more scar? I'm not sure what hurts more, the recovery or the lipoma itself. Now if you examine the picture...you will see a circle! This is where the lump was and yet the actual incision is above the circle. Fairly odd I know. Before the surgery, I stood up and the surgeon and I located the lump and circled it (so he knew where to cut) but, when I laid down the lump would move. I stood up again, and the lump did indeed appear again... in the circle. What??? Weird I know. We've all known for quite sometime now that my body is a weird one. I'm on the mend and am starting to get around way better and have conquered the stairs!

Here's to a lipomaless leg!

Landscape drama

2009-01-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

WE GOT AN EXTENSION!!!

Yes! It is true. We did indeed get an extension. We have an extra month to finish our yard. Which may be a little more do-able...maybe. The yard has been gutted and the debris has made it to the dump. We still have a long way to go. I just want to put up a sign that says
"I HOPE YOU ARE HAPPY!"

I spoke to the officer who cited us the ticket, she was............um......... lovely!

Her: "You have no reason for your yard to look that way after a year! A month maybe; but not a year"

Me: Well if you think the outside is bad you should of seen the inside.

Her: Well....

Me: I'd like to live inside and sleep here not outside, so all our work is happening on the inside. We were truly going to do it this spring.

Her: When is Spring?

Me: March 20th.

Her: Well, I can work with you as long as you are working on it. But, it shouldn't look like that after a year.

She took some notes of our conversation and our personal timeline. She said she'd be back to verify our progress! Oh I just hope EVERYONE IS HAPPY!!!!