2014 in Review

It's time for the annual New Year quiz! If you'd like to reread the reviews from previous years, go to the 2013 review and the links to the other years can be found there. (I'm lazy, ha) I should get a cookie though, because I finally fixed the stupid formatting for this stupid entry! (if you look at the previous years you'll notice the font looks wonky compared to everything else on the blog)

1. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

In 2013 we started making a theme for the year rather than do resolutions and I think it's a tradition I'd like to keep. Last year's was "Let virtue garnish thy thought unceasingly". We haven't had a chance to come up with a new one for 2015, but trust me, we will. 

2. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Uh yeah, about as close as you can get! Me!

3. Did anyone close to you die?

The family has made it through another year unscathed. Though I just recently started watching Downton Abbey and in the last episode one of the characters was killed and I am still livid from it.

4. What countries did you visit?

Hawaii really needs to be considered its own country because it's kind of depressing to visit this gorgeous tropical island and then realize you're still in the Amurica.

5. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?

Anything that we were lacking this past year, we will have in 2015. We've bought a house and had a baby. Maybe I would like to develop some closer friendships. We came to GP knowing very few people, but we were able to make friends and now I would like to develop those friendships further. 

6. What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory and why?

December 9th, Astrid's birthday! As well as April 1st, that's the day I found out I was pregnant.

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I hate to be a broken record, but having a baby was a pretty big deal. I think another one though was that I had a real grown-up job this year working at the physiotherapy clinic.

8. What was your biggest failure?

I don't think I failed at anything this year. It was a good year.

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Being pregnant wasn't always sunshine and butterflies. It kept me from playing rugby this year and that was a real bummer.

10. What was the best thing someone bought you?

A house. Joe is so good to me  

11. Where did most of your money go?

Into our house. And I'm sure only more of it will go there next year...

12. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Any time we went back home to visit. My convocation. Going to Hawaii. And having a baby.

13. What song will always remind you of 2014?

Let It Go. I was going to list other songs as well, but really, that one just blew up so much that nothing really came close.

14. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier.

b) fatter or skinnier? Fatter, sigh.

c) richer or poorer? Poorer. Thanks, house.

15. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Rugby. I missed it. And yoga. I started doing it late in the pregnancy game and I wish I'd gotten into it sooner.

16. What do you wish you'd done less of?

I regret nothing.

17. Did you fall in love in 2014?

Yes. I'd say I'm quite smitten with Astrid. She's pretty stinking cute.

18. What was your favourite TV program?

Fringe (still). Downton Abbey has been pretty good (I like watching it while I feed the baby)

19. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No.  

20. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I am pretty lame, musically. I've been stuck on the same stuff for years. Maybe this year I will venture out and try to find new things.  

21. What was your favourite film of this year?

Joe and I just watched Hercules and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. Ooh, and Xmen: Days of Future Past was pretty freaking amazing. I'd say that was my favourite.

22. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?

I turned 24. Joe and I went out for dinner at a new place in town called the Sawmill and we were disappointed.

23. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Being more social.

24. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?

Flowy shirts and stretchy pants (in other words: maternity wear).

25. What kept you sane?

Work, Joe, facetime and yoga.

26. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Rhett and Link from Good Mythical Morning and the Fine Bros were my entertainment of choice this year.  

27. Who do you miss?

I still miss the friends and family I have back home, but it doesn't hurt so much when I think of them any more.

28. Who was the best new person you met?

Brandi and Oaklan were two awesome people we met while up in GP and we were quite sad when they moved away. We've been able to make new friends since they left, but no one loves Settlers as much as they do!

29. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:

Don't slack off when it comes to living the gospel. Say your personal prayers and read your scriptures everyday.

The Birth Story

In case you haven't heard, I'm a mom now. Our little Astrid was born on Tuesday, December 9th at 6:19 pm. I've been asked if it feels weird being a mom, but the weird thing is that it doesn't feel weird. It feels totally natural. Of course, I do pinch myself every once in a while because I can't believe I'm in this stage of life already, but I am happy and that's all that matters.

Astrid certainly took her time coming into the world. Her due date was set for December 6th, but in true Polynesian style, she wasn't too concerned about being punctual.

My contractions started on Monday the 8th at 2:30 in the morning. It was exciting and scary to think that by the end of the day I'd have a baby and be a mom (that thought turned out to be wrong). The contractions continued all day long, but they never became consistent. I checked in with my doula periodically throughout the day and she reassured me that even though things were going slow, that it was okay and I should try to go about my day as normally as possible. So me and my mom ran some errands in the morning and then Joe and I went to sign some papers for our mortgage at noon (oh yeah, we bought a house. I'll have to share more on that later). I had a nap in the afternoon and after dinner I had a bath and watched Sleepless in Seattle by my doula's recommendation to enjoy my final hours before becoming a mom. When I went to bed that night, I had come to terms with the fact that baby wouldn't be arriving until the 9th and decided to try and get as much rest as possible to prepare for what lay ahead.

At 11:30 pm, my contrations started to pick up in intensity so that I couldn't lay in bed any more when they came. I got my doula to come over around 2 am and we all worked together as the contractions slowly started becoming stronger and more consistent. (we had Fringe playing in the background the entire time. Thank you, Netflix). Finally at 6:30 am, Tuesday morning, I decided to head over to the hospital and hopefully be admitted in. When they checked me at 7:00, I was 4 cm dilated, but they weren't sure they were going to let me stay so they put in a call to my doctor. Because I was positive for strep B, they ended up keeping me and took me to the my room where I would eventually deliver.

After 5 gruelling hours, my conctractions were 1-2 minutes apart and had become quite unbearable. I had gone in with the resolve to give birth without any drugs, and so far I hadn't had anything for pain. At noon they checked me again and rather than tell me I was 7 or 8 or even 9 cms dilated they told me I was STILL 4 cm. My heart sank when I heard this. I was so tired and in so much pain and I had a whole 6 centimeters to go still. At that point I didn't care about going without drugs. There was no way I could last until 10 cms and have any strength to push without getting any rest.

The first thing I asked for was the gas because I had heard such good things about it from other women. I got it, but all it did was make me feel dizzy. Instead of wasting time with the small stuff like morphine or fentanyl, I went straight for the epidural. When I was making my birth plan, getting an epidural was out of the question. I was going to labour without pain killers, but if things really sucked, maybe I'd take some morphine. Little did I know I would be in labour for 36 hours before I would be told I was still only dilated at 4 cms.

By 2 pm I was hooked up to the epidural and numb from the stomach down. I hated the feeling that my butt was asleep, but I loved the fact that I no longer felt like I was dying, so I didn't complain too much about my tingling bum. I scarfed down the lunch that had been waiting for me since 12:30 and then I promptly barfed it all back up. I had forgotten that I was still nauseous from the gas I'd had earlier. I had a granola bar instead and then fell asleep for several hours. I woke up after 5 pm because I had started feeling some contractions again. I told my nurse and I was allowed to have another shot of the good stuff.

Things continued to ramp up and I could really feel the pressure increasing in my abdomen. At 5:30 I felt like I had to take a huge poop. I told my nurse and she got things ready for me to start pushing. I started pushing at 5:50 and the nurse told me I'd probably be pushing for an hour before baby arrived. In my head I saw this as a challenge and so I pushed with all my might. I ended up pushing for 29 minutes and at 6:19 I became a mom.

The hospital policy was that I could only have two people in the delivery room with me when I had my baby. But I had Joe, my mom and my doula all with me. Joe and mom held my legs and my doula was at my head coaching me along. I was later told that the nurse let everyone stay because we made such a great team and she didn't want to break us up. It was really great to have such great support. I am so glad I got a doula because she was able to coach us all along and she helped Joe and my mom to know how best to help me. Even though the birth didn't go exactly as I would have liked, the experience was the best that it could be. And in the end I got a little girl like I wanted! 

And now, pictures!

Just a day old in the hospital

Bindi being Astrid's guard dog 

All smiles while getting burped!

Confessions of a Pregnant Girl - Final chapter???

*Note: I don't know why I didn't post this when I wrote it. Was going through my drafts and found this one unpublished, but finished! Let's blame the baby brain.

Well, it's down to the final stretch. (literally!!)

I hit 37 weeks this weekend and that means the little Bean is a full term baby. It can come any day without causing too much stress. Other than the standard, "holy crap you just pooped out a human, now what?" stress. omg, can someone pleeeaaaase make me a card that says that? Cassandra. I vote you.

Overall, I feel like pregnancy has been kind to me. Although I feel big, by everyone else's standards I am quite small. I can still squat down with relative ease. I've learned how to pee in a cup without getting it on my hands. My energy levels are pretty normal. And I've only had fat ankles once after a car ride home from Edmonton (knock on wood!).

To be honest, when I first found out I was pregnant, I think I was filled mostly with dread. Yes, Joe and I were trying to conceive a child, but I still wasn't quite ready to give up my life as I knew it. So when I saw the little blue lines that told me I was pregnant, I was scared to move on into the next big phase of my life that would last 18+ years. But as the baby has grown, so has my excitement to meet the little one. I can say I'm not dreading it any more. I do worry that I'll be overwhelmed and scared and exhausted, but I know that with God on my side, I can do this. We can do this.

Along with turning 37 weeks this weekend, I also went to my prenatal course which was basically all about what to expect when you're in labour and what to do with a newborn. While I was there I learned a fact that blew my mind. Did you know that when babies are born their stomachs are the size of a marble?? I had no idea their stomachs were so small. And then I realized something: My boobs have grown nearly twice their size in order to feed a tummy the size of a MARBLE!!?? How is that fair! And apparently my milk hasn't even come in so that means they're going to get EVEN BIGGER!! To feed a MARBLE!!! In what world does that make sense?? How on earth were my previously sized boobs not large enough to hold enough milk to fill a marble-sized stomach? Gah. Life is unfair.

Following through

I almost forgot!

In my last post I promised to post a picture of my Halloween costume that I wore for the party this past weekend. So here it is:

I went as Buddha. 

I knew I wanted to incorporate my pregnant belly into my costume seeing as I may not have it for another Halloween depending on when I get pregnant with my future babies. So I thought of a lot of different round things before I settled on this one. 

Here's the breakdown of my costume:

- red chinese silk robe (already had this, found at Catholic Charities years ago)

- flowy brown maternity capris (inherited from sister-in-law)

- nude coloured t-shirt (this was the only thing I had to buy! Value Village for 5$)

- gold silky sash (bought at Catholic Charities a while ago as a scarf)

- beady necklace (from Reitmans)

- big wooden hoopy earrrings (gift from a friend so I have no idea where they're from)

A few of my other ideas were a disco ball, the death star from star wars, and an M&M. I think I made the right decision. What do you think??

Confessions of a Pregnant Girl, part III

I am quite overdue for an update!

• I hit the 33 week mark today. For those who don't speak in weeks, that's about 7 and a half months. 
• I am definitely showing, but strangers still don't ask or touch unless I say something. I am getting more and more uncomfortable as I fight for space with my tiny human. While it's scary to think I have so little time left, I can't wait for it to be over so I can have my body back. 
• I found my first stretch marks a little over a month ago. At first there were just a few faint pink marks under my belly, but they are multiplying in number and getting darker. Oi. I'm sure they'll get even better by the end. 
• I used to think baby brain wasn't a real thing and that it was just an excuse for pregnant women to be airheads, but OH MY GOSH. It is real and it is awful. I feel so stupid sometimes! The other day, Joe needed the car for work, so he gave me a ride. On the way there I realized (or at least I thought I realized) I forgot to grab my phone on the way out. So I put the number for the clinic in Joe's phone in case he needed to get a hold of me. Then, the next morning I remembered I still needed to find my phone, so I called it. And where did I find it? In my work bag!! I had it with me all along!! I've been forgetful in the past, but it's so bad these days that every single time I go into another room to do something, I have to stop and think to remember what it was I went in there for. 
• I'm going to a Halloween party tonight and I am so excited for my costume. It's something I can only pull off because I'm pregnant so I'm pretty stoked about it. For the sake of keeping it a surprise, I'll post a picture of my costume tomorrow, but trust me, it's pretty stinking clever. 
• I have mastered the art of peeing in a cup and I must say, it makes my doctor visits so much smoother. Except my last one. I went in to collect my sample and I totally forgot to do it. I just did my business and got out. So I chugged my water bottle and had to collect it 10 minutes later. The nurse wasn't even mad because apparently, it happens all the time. Pregnant ladies are pathetic! Gah! Stupid baby brain... 
• Living in a city where people are just barely starting to get to know me has been nice while being pregnant. I've had like, zero people fondle my belly since I've started showing. But last weekend I went home for Thanksgiving and hands were everywhere! Obviously my family all wanted to cop a feel, but then there was church where all the ladies who raised me wanted to feel too. It wasn't too bad actually. It was fun to have my little sister feel when the baby was moving because I don't think she's ever gotten to feel a baby move while it's still inside. 
• Speaking of feeling the baby move - at my last doctor's appointment she told me I needed to start counting kicks and that I should feel baby move at least 10 times in an hour. That has not been a problem for this child at all! Sometimes I can get 10 kicks in 5 minutes! This is definitely a squrimer. It's still pretty funny when I'm trying to get Joseph to feel or see it move because he always looks away at the wrong moment. Last night he poked my belly and told baby to "Move!" and for some reason, he immediately looked away right after he poked it and baby made a big movement the second his eyes were off. When he turned back to look, he poked again and could feel that baby had shifted positions, but he'd totally missed it happening. 

Cari

(prompt: Start a story with the line "Everyone whispered about _______, but no one had the courage to talk to her.")

Everyone whispered about Cari, but no one had the courage to talk to her. The poor dear had chosen to wear a pretty white dress of all things.

Nathan had noticed it first; she'd gotten up to sharpen her pencil and that's when he saw it. It was small at first, but by the second period it had grown to the size of her hand.

Of course Nathan was your typical immature, grade 7 boy and while the female body had become quite attractive to him, its functions remained a dirty joke. As soon as he saw the tiny red flag he immediately pointed it out to the two boys he sat with who gasped and made their own crude comments about the little accident.

Only 5 minutes of class remained at that point, but Nathan and his gang easily spread the word to two-thirds of their classmates. Cari sat at the back with the other special kids so it was easy for her to miss the heated whispers flying around the room.

I was in the other third of the class, but I sat next to Nathan in second period so it wasn't long before I, too, was informed. I had yet to receive my first "gift", so I had no idea what Cari was going through. I wouldn't get to experience that part of a woman's life until the next year in grade 8. Thankfully I didn't have any incidents happen that were made public to my entire grade.

I wish the "gifted" girls would have sympathized with Cari, but alas, middle schoolers are cruel. Besides, Cari was not the kind of girl you made friends with. She was the kind of girl you pitied and joked about behind her back - or to her face if you were one of those kids.

So in second period when I was informed of Cari's incident, I did nothing. I just kept looking back at her table like Nathan and his buddies, waiting to see what would happen.

I saw the moment when she found the spot. At that point it had grown, so she had to bundle the once-white fabric in her hand as she went to the front of the room to ask the teacher's permission to go to the bathroom. At first she was told, "No. Class just started, you should have gone during break." But Cari then whispered the situation to the teacher at which point she was allowed to leave.

As soon as Cari left the room, the kids in the room who knew all started to giggle and fill in the others about what was going on. I don't remember what we learned that day in science class, but I do remember the awful feeling I had as the day continued.

The next time we saw Cari, we were returning to home room after second period. She was in a new set of clothes and sat at the foot of her locker with her arms wrapped around her knees. As we came into the hallway she lowered her head to hide her tears. Everyone avoided her as we walked by in the hall.

By the end of the day the whole grade 7 wing knew about what happened to Cari. One creative group of girls replaced Cari's name in the Bloody Mary chant saying that if you spun 3 times in front of a mirror repeating "Bloody Cari", when you stopped and looked in the mirror you would get your period.

Since I was an eye witness to the events, I told my side of the story to the friends not in my class. Eventually the whole thing blew over, but if Cari had any chance of escaping the social rejects group, it died along with her white dress that day.

Every once in a while I think of Cari and wonder what happened to her. I always feel bad for the way she was treated and even though I never did or said anything to her, I feel shame that I didn't show her some kindness. I often wish I'd had to courage to be a friend to kids like Cari. I wish I wasn't so worried about what the cool kids thought of me and I wish I'd done the right thing more often.

So to all the Caris out there, I'm sorry. While I wasn't the one who actually bullied you, I didn't do anything to stop it which is just as bad. I'm sorry I didn't have the courage to do the right thing and I'm sorry that my cowardice didn't make your life any brighter. I promise to teach my children to be kind and more importantly to stand up for others. It may not change what happened to the Caris of my generation, but hopefully my future kid can make someone's life a little brighter by being a friend to them and doing the right thing instead of the cool thing.

24

Yesterday was the 24th anniversary of the day I escaped my mother's womb.

Yes, I am 24 now.

It doesn't seem too different from 23. Especially since I spent most of my 23rd year thinking I was 24 anyway.

Seriously, I'm pretty sure almost every time someone asked how old I was, "24" always wanted to be my first response. Then I would correct myself and say, "oh wait, no, I'm 23"

My day yesterday was pretty good. Joe had to get up at 6 for work, so he got me up about 10 minutes later so he could give me my present. Apparently his gift wasn't to let me sleep in, but he got me some awesome books instead.

One book is called "642 Things to Write" which will be quite useful in getting me to get back to blogging about more than being pregnant (not that I've done a ton of that anyway!). And the other is a Q&A journal where everyday it asks you a question and you have a few lines to answer that question. What Joe didn't realize was that this was a couples journal where we both get to answer the question. He's not big into journalling so this shall be an interesting experience, ha. I made him answer yesterday's question at the breakfast table since it was such an appropriate question for how I've been feeling lately. The question was, "Do you feel at home in your body?"

Now, had you asked me that question 7 months ago I would have said, "yes! I love my body!". But these days it's difficult to say you're at home in your body when you have to battle with a tiny human for control of your bladder. Or when picking up an object off the ground requires a wide, awkward squat instead of a simple bennnd and snap! 

Sorry, I've gotten off track. This post isn't about being pregnant, it's about my birthday.

My day at work was good. My co-workers gave me an ice cream cake and a card and this cake is the most delicious ice cream cake I have ever had the pleasure of eating. I don't normally like ice cream cakes because they usually come from Dairy Queen and have way too much vanilla ice cream and not enough chocolate ice cream and cookie stuff. But this ice cream cake is awesome. It's made of two layers of actual cake lovingly sandwiching a middle layer of ice cream. The ice cream to cake ratio is perfect! Plus the cake part is chocolate so that's great.

After work Joe and I went to a new restaurant in town called The Sawmill. Just a heads up, if you plan on going to the Sawmill for your birthday to get a free birthday dessert, this is not the place to go. It's a nice restaurant, but it was definitely not worth the price. Joe's plate cost 30 bucks and he was still hungry after finishing it. I couldn't finish my meal, but even though I didn't really have a lot left, I couldn't justify not packing it up because we were going to be paying so much for it anyway. As for the free dessert, you have to have a loyalty card to get one and even if we had opted to get one that night, we still couldn't have gotten a free dessert. I thought it was pretty stingy of them. I ended up getting dessert anyway just because I had saved room for it by not stuffing myself with the last remaining bites of my entrée so, dangit, I was going to have dessert! I opted for one of the cheaper dessert items since it wasn't going to be free and it was delicious. I had the lemon tart with cream and fresh berries on the side.

Even though the Sawmill was disappointing, I got to go to dinner with my favourite guy and I didn't have to make my own meal or wash my dishes at the end of the night, so I was happy.

Confessions of a Pregnant Girl, Part II

So far being in the second trimester has been exciting and frustrating all together.

• What's been the most exciting is that I definitely know I've been feeling baby move. I mentioned in the last confession that I thought I might have felt the baby move, but now I definitely know that those little gas bubbles were indeed baby. The movements have been getting more and more distinct and I even notice them while I'm at work too. Which is nice but it can be so distracting... How am I supposed to concentrate at work when I have a small alien tickling me from the inside???
• At work, with a client, explaining an exercise to them
• Me: "So yeah all you do is you move this way -" *punch* 
• "uh huh, just like that. And then you -" *punch, punch* 
• "yeah, you've got it!" *wiggle, wiggle, punch*
• Recently, I've discovered that baby's movements are now strong enough to be felt from the outside too! I was sitting on the couch and I felt like some of the punches were really strong so I placed my hand on my tummy and sure enough, I could feel the movements under my hand! I was so sad Joe couldn't be there, but I texted him right away to tell him. At least by the time he gets home I'm sure the movements will have gotten stronger so he should have no problem feeling them! 
• Something that is both frustrating and exciting is the fact that I am finally starting to show! Sort of. I am 23 weeks along today (or 5 months for those of you who don't measure time in weeks) and it only really shows when I let my stomach muscles totally relax. Otherwise, when I've got my core engaged, it just looks like I'm starting to get fat. 

"Psst, is that girl pregnant or is she just getting fat?"

"Aw what a cute pregnant girl! And the faces she makes are totally adorable! She will have a cute child."

• I have finally made the switch to maternity pants at work, thanks to my sister-in-law and OH MY LANTA WHAT WAS I WAITING FOR! They are so comfortable. I really like the ones that have the super stretchy tummies just cause they feel more secure and don't emphasize the fact that I have a billion layers going on around my stomach in the summertime. Now that I have a good variety of pants for work, now I just need to collect a few more maternity tops and I should be set!
• I think I would like to check out some prenatal yoga classes soon. I've been able to find out about a class the happens here in GP so now I just need to make a commitment to go. This will be my first time venturing into a fitness group outside of school that doesn't involve rugby people, so wish me luck! If I had a pregnant friend to bring along that would be great (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, to a certain pregnant girl who moved back south just before I found out I was pregnant!)
• Okay, this one's a bit of a rant but... One thing that annoys me about being pregnant is how everyone who knows I'm pregnant wants to treat me like I'm made of glass, or they think I need to be extra careful while I'm doing things. Like the other day when I was standing on a stool to fix the dryer vent a co-worker said, "Be careful! If anyone here needs to avoid falling it's you!" And then another time when another co-worker was struggling to move a big heavy box into another room, I just stepped in and pushed it as I've been taught to push anything in rugby and she was all worried that I might hurt myself. I just don't understand how my body can all of a sudden become this frail, delicate thing when all my life it has been strong and reliable! I just wish people would trust that I know my body and I know how to listen to it when it needs a break. As I've been playing touch rugby with a group of people from church, I have definitely noticed that I can't cut and run like I used to (not that I was much of a runner before), but I don't push it! I take breaks when I need to and I stop when I've had enough. My biggest pet peeve is when someone doesn't think I can do something just because I'm a girl and I feel like a lot of people underestimate my abilities just because I'm pregnant! I'm carrying a child, not a disease. I'm not dying. Calm down, everyone.  **DISCLAIMER: I am in no way saying that pregnant girls should ignore restrictions placed on them and go out and push their bodies to the max. I am saying you should listen to your body and do only what feels comfortable. Pregnancy is no time to be trying to break any world records**

The kind of post my mom would scold me for

It is after 10 pm and I have to be at work for 9 tomorrow. But here I am blogging because I am an adult and I pay rent so I do what I want.

I saw someone post an article earlier today that said something like "15 things couples do when they leave the honeymoon phase". I skimmed it and it made me think of the days when Joe and I were in the honeymoon phase, but more specifically it made me think of the day we left the honeymoon phase. (and just to clarify, I'm defining the honeymoon phase as that time in a new relationship when the couple still feels the need to put on their best selves around each other. Not the literal honeymoon phase where the couple has just gotten married and is still enjoying the perks of - well, you know...)

Anyway, sorry for the long parentheses. Where were we? Oh yes.

The day Joe and I left the honeymoon phase, or in other words: the day we broke the fart barrier. Everybody knows that when the fart barrier is broken, all other walls come tumbling down. It's impossible to go back to the honeymoon phase once gas has been passed between two lovers.

I can say with a mix of pride and shame that I was the one to break the barrier, but it was Joe's fault that it happened.

I think we'd only been dating a month or a month and a half when it happened. Joe was over at my house and we were just messing around in the living room. Somehow we started steam-rolling each other. Then Joe got the bright idea to turn himself so that he was steam-rollering me from top to bottom instead of side to side. As he did so, I said "No don't! I'm really gassy!" (which in itself, was a first in the relationship for one of us to even admit we had gas). But instead of respecting my womanly dignity of not farting in front of men, Joe just got this look in his eye that said "Oh really??" and he began to focus his steam-rolling efforts around my abdominal region (I was lying face-down, btw, otherwise that would have really hurt).

He didn't have to try for long before the demon was released. At first it was funny because of the noise it made and the fact that when I laughed, it came out in time with my laughs. But then Joe got a whiff of the monster and jumped across the room so fast you'd have thought someone released a stink bomb - oh wait...

I was rather embarrassed and worried that it might have been a deal breaker, but thankfully Joseph was able to see past my stench and he learned to love me for who I really am: a smart, talented girl whose farts should be taken seriously. Honestly, I'm pretty sure he only did it so that he would finally be allowed to fart around me. I later found out that until that point, his stomach used to hurt so bad from holding in the gas when he was with me too long.

So if there's a lesson to be learned here, it's that you should break the fart barrier as early as you can in a relationship in case there could be health risks associated with holding in your gas for too long. If you truly cared about your loved ones, you'd let them fart around you.

Hawaii 2014 - the rest

I am not the kind of person to go on a holiday and have every day scheduled down to the minute of things to do. So before we left, Joe and I made a to-do list of all the things we'd like to do while we were there. Then as each day came we'd look at the list and see what we could check off that day.

14/25, not bad! Had to save some things for next time ;)

I think we did a pretty good job with our list! The first half of the vacation was really go, go, go for us and we did a lot of things. But for the last half we started winding down and did simple things like exploring along the beach or exploring the areas around the turtle bay resort. Nice and relaxing, I wouldn't have had it any other way. 

As you saw in the Day 1 post, L&L was the first thing we crossed off the list. After that, we crossed off Shark's cove - which I didn't expect to happen right away. The first morning we were there, we went to Kuilima beach at Turtle Bay Resort to explore. While we were exploring we actually bumped into a friend of Joe's! After chatting for a bit, he told us he was going to go to Shark's cove that afternoon and invited us to come along. We borrowed two pairs of flippers from him and had a great time. We even saw a sea turtle!

Hooray for underwater cameras!

The last thing we crossed off our list was to visit Junior Ah You and eat at his restaurant, Tita's Grill. Junior was my parents' bishop when they were in Hawaii and us kids got to meet him when our vacation rental flooded and we needed a place to stay. He's a super cool guy, plus he played for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL! And the food at his restaurant is delicious! 

Ah You hungry?

My favourite item to cross off the list was the hike up Diamond head crater. It's a pretty easy hike, but the most difficult thing about it was definitely the heat. Joe and I were smart though and we brought ourselves lots of water as well as a papaya to eat at the top of the crater. When we got to the top though, it was pretty crowded with people, so we took some photos, enjoyed the breeze and made our way back down. We didn't have our papaya until the end and it was soooo worth it. The only thing that could have made it better was if we could have kept the papaya cold in Joe's backpack. Oh well. 

Here we are at the start of the trail!

The trail in all it's glory.

I love how you can see Joe up ahead like, "Are you coming??"

At the top! So sweaty... 

I've considered making a video for this trip like the one I made for my Australia trip back in 2010. If I do, it probably won't be for another month or two... For now, just enjoy the pictures!

Confessions of a Pregnant Girl, Part 1

I'm not gonna lie, being pregnant isn't as exciting as I thought it would be. I'm supposed to be getting all amped up for the little person I'll be bringing into the world soon, but it's hard to get excited when you hardly feel like anything's happening. Mind you, that may change once I actually start to show and the whole world can see I'm pregnant too, so that's why this is "part 1" of my pregnancy confessions...

• I don't think I've ever had to pee in a cup more in my entire life than I have since I've been pregnant. And I'm pretty sure all ladies can agree with the fact that peeing in a cup SUCKS. For some reason you can never figure out where the pee is coming from and so you inevitably pee on your hand every. single. time. And then there's the walk of shame as you carry your sample out to the collection site in the warm cup. Speaking of pee, I may as well get the rest of my bodily functions out there too...
• Holy gas, Batman! Not only do I get gas more frequently, but it is deadlier than it has ever been before. There have been a couple days where I just end up crop dusting my entire workplace and make the patients and therapists gag. My mother would be so proud.
• This is gross, but I have dry skin all over my stomach and boobs! It's so bad that when I take my shirt off at the end of the day, I have a small shower of flakes fall out. So attractive. 
• At 16 weeks, I have reached the point where my belly makes it uncomfortable to crouch for long periods of time (which I do a lot at work). It's made my work pants start to feel a little snug in the waist, but I can still wear my jeans. Sort of. As long as I go without a belt I'm fine because as soon as I sit down it will dig into my tummy. Unfortunately, my pants can't stay up on their own, so I just end up looking like a slob when I try to wear something fancier than yoga pants or sweats. 
• I have had several moments where I've thought I felt the baby move. But then I realize it's just gas. There has been one instance that was different from the others though! So I wrote it down in my journal saying "If a kicking baby feels like a muscle twitch deep in my lower abdomen, then I think I felt the baby move. If that is not what a kicking baby feels like, then disregard this note."
• Pregnant girls have to drink so much water! At my first prenatal appointment my doctor pointed out that I needed to be drinking more water. So for the next month I was hydrating like crazy. And on the day of my second appointment I made sure I drank lots. But she still told me that my urine sample said I'm not drinking enough! I feel like I'm going to need to carry around a camelback water bottle just to meet the doctor's orders. 
• Normally, I hate putting additional sauce on anything I eat. Joseph does this all the time - he'll douse his plate with ranch or siracha or BBQ sauce and it always makes me so mad because it's like he doesn't like my cooking. But lately, I've been adding ketchup or BBQ sauce to everything. Not that there was any question, but I think this proves that I am definitely carrying his child. 
• I have discovered a couple perks to being pregnant and that is that I'm able to get Joe to do a few more of the little things for me. Like if we're watching a movie and I want a drink, but I left my cup on the kitchen counter, he'll go get it for me. Even when I'm closer. Sometimes when we're both in bed and I realize I left my phone in the living room, he'll go get that for me too. I'll have to be careful as I test how far he's willing to go though so I don't lose his co-operation before I get the midnight munchies for 7-11 potato wedges during a snow storm. That will be the big test if he makes it that far... 

Pregnancy FAQs

Since I started telling people about the little human I'm growing, I've noticed there are some popular questions that everyone loves to ask a pregnant girl. So to save myself a little trouble, here are my answers before you even ask!

1. When did you find out?

- April Fool's Day of all days. For the past week or two something in my body didn't feel quite right. I don't think I felt like there was anything wrong, I just felt different. So on April 1st I summoned up my courage, dug out the pregnancy test a friend had given me when I got married, and peed on a stick that would change my life. It was a bad idea to take the test before work, because after that I could barely concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing but instead on the fact that "Holy crap I'm pregnant!" and  "I can't be though, that test is expired so it's probably wrong, don't freak out." and then "But what if I am?? Holy crap!"

2. When are you due?/How far along are you?

- December 6th. An almost Christmas baby - joy. As of now I am sitting at 15 weeks pregnant.

3. Are you going to find out the sex?

- No. And I can't tell you how satisfying it is to frustrate so many people by making them wait to find out what my baby is going to be. I'm almost tempted to find out what it is and then not tell anyone, just to spite them all, mwahahaha.

4. How have you been feeling?

- Physically, I thankfully haven't been feeling too bad! In the first month or two, I was suuuper tired all the time. Sometimes I went to bed as early as 9 pm! As I've entered the second trimester, I've perked up a little, but I still do enjoy my beauty sleep. I haven't been all that sick. The worst I would get is a little nausea whenever I got hungry and it only got worse the hungrier I got. I just had to learn to bring snacks with me to work and anywhere else I go.

- Emotionally, it's been interesting. It's not that I've been extra sensitive, but I did have trouble coming to terms with the fact that my life as I know it is ending. All of a sudden my body isn't just my body any more, there's another occupant now and to realize that everything I put into my body is going to affect it somehow is really exhausting. Every time I eat I question myself if it's something good for the baby and it is so annoying when I'm used to eating whatever I want! Thank goodness I don't drink or smoke because that would just be more to give up for the sake of making a healthy baby. And that's just how pregnancy is affecting me now! Thinking about life down the road with baby brings a lot of questions and worries to mind that I won't even get into.

Hawaii 2014 - Day 1

We arrived in Honolulu on Friday, May 16th at 2:30 pm. We were exhausted and hungry. Unlike the other airports we'd been in earlier that day, this one was partly indoor, partly outdoor and it was hot and humid. By the time we made it out to the shuttle area, we were already sweating buckets. We both regretted wearing pants for our arrival.

Our first photo in HI! We hadn't even left the airport yet! 

At the car rental place Joe decided to take the $5/day upgrade to a mustang convertible. I was not pleased. Once we had the keys to our car, we started to make our way out of the city towards the north end of the island where our vacation rental was. Holy cow is traffic ever horrible on the H1 highway in Honolulu.

Driving through central Oahu

After we finally made it out of the city and were able to drive the speed limit, our tummies started suggesting we find a place to eat. I knew I wanted L&L. I'd been craving it ever since we started making our vacation plans. So we found the L&L in Wahiawa and pulled in to give Joe his first taste of Hawaii. Mmmm, it was so good.

We got into the vacation rental around 5 and unloaded our stuff. We wanted to hit the beach right away, but we also needed to stock up on food, so off to the grocery store we went. The last time I was in Hawaii with my family, we couldn't visit the grocery store without running into one of my parents' old friends. So it was different to go and wonder if someone knew my parents but having no way of knowing without carrying around a giant picture of them.  

Once the fridge was stocked, the sun had gone down and so instead of going to the beach we decided to go to one of the pools we had access to around the complex. We couldn't get our key to work for the gates and so since no one was around we hopped the fence. We were such rebels. 

After a relaxing dip in the pool we went home, changed into some dry clothes and immediately fell asleep. 

Hey!

Has it only been a month since I last posted? I thought it'd been longer so now I don't feel so bad.

Many excitements have been happening in my world lately. My lil brother is now a missionary and currently working hard in St John, New Brunswick. Joe and I went to Hawaii and had a marvellous time (which I plan to write a separate post for). After our Hawaii trip, before we went back to GP, we spent 4 days at home with the family for my convocation! I finally graduated from the U of L and it was a lovely day.

Here's me and the pronghorn!

Here's me and my mama!

Here's me and Joe!

Aaand here's me dealing with the lovely wind.

And if all that's not exciting enough, there's one more thing...

On April 1st, I found out that I am pregnant.

Ho-ly crap. 

Don't worry, more on that later...

Dear mom,

Thank you for all you do for me and the siblings. You've taught me so much and I am grateful for the example you've been for me. I don't think I realized how much I looked up to you until I moved away, which only makes me miss you more. You know I hate being mushy so I'm just going to make a list of my favourite memories I have with you.

• Thanks for always making sure we spent lots of time outside whether you were kicking us out to play at the park or you were taking us on an outing to explore the outdoors. Whenever we went to a park and there was a plaque to read, you always read it to us so that we could learn something about the area we were in. 
• Remember when we used to sleep in the living room on Sunday nights and watch Star Wars? The goal was to watch them all, but us kids always fell asleep before the first one was over. You probably did too, but no one can prove it. 
• Thank you for making us macaroni with mushroom soup and tuna. Best. Thing. Ever. 
• Even though I was in swimming lessons, I don't think I would have learned half the stuff I did without you. I remember when you taught me how to dive and I was so proud when I finally got it. You also taught me how to kick both legs at a time like a mermaid when I swim. That was pretty much my favourite thing.
• I miss going horseback riding with you. I love all the memories we have of the rides we went on with Carla's horses. Remember the time when Tuffy bolted and I fell off?? And then you made me get right back on? I think I earned my Real Horseman status that day. 
• Thanks for trusting me. In high school when I asked if I could do something or go somewhere with my friends you always said yes. I figured out this wasn't normal when I saw how strict some of my friends' parents could be. Because of that trust, I never did anything to break it. 

As I've gotten older and moved out of the house (and back in and then back out again), I've enjoyed spending time with you more and more. I didn't realize how much I've grown to be like you until I came to GP for the first time. There were so many moments when something would come out of my mouth and I would say, "woah, that's my mother speaking". But it's okay that I've turned out like you, because you are a level headed, practical woman who is always willing to help someone in need. Thanks for being a great example for me. I hope that when my turn comes that I can be as good a mother as you have been. 

Feeling Guilty.

Hey kiddos!

Another month has gone by without a word from me, so let's share a little update, shall we?

Things have been busy and exciting around here as the days are getting longer and the snow has been finally MELTING!!! I am so glad that winter is over. Yes, I realize that we can still get a snowfall or two, but hey, the worst is behind us.

What have I been up to? You know what, let's just make this easy and make a list!

1. Work. I am love, love, loving my job. My main role is to create exercise programs for patients that the physiotherapists send my way. But they can also send patients to me for Ultrasound or IFC which are different modalities we use to calm muscles down or reduce inflammation. I also get to do pre-employment testing for 2 big companies (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say who due to confidentiality stuff and blah blah blah). They both usually send a couple people my way each week to run them through some basic fitness testing to make sure they can handle the physical demands of their job. Not only that but I am also trained as a physio aid, so I know how to use the computer system and book people in or charge them, and I can also take them back to a bed, clean the beds, do the laundry and basically keep the clinic running smoothly. So of all those things I do, my day is usually a little bit a of a mix of everything. I seriously don't think I can ever be bored doing what I do.

2. Rugby. On Mondays and Wednesdays I coach the high school girls. They are a fun group of girls and after our first tournament we learned that we have a lot to work on, but they are all determined as ever.

3. Visiting family. Last weekend Joe and I drove down to Lethbridge to spend two days with my family for my brother's mission farewell. On Tuesday the 7th he will be leaving to serve a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Halifax, Nova Scotia mission. It was so good to see the family again. On Saturday we had a surprise party for my mom while everyone (AKA: me and Joe, my dad and my brother) was in town . It was perfect because it gave Joe and I the opportunity to see some of our friends without sacrificing time with our family. On Sunday was my brother's farewell and he spoke in church and I sang a song with my sister and sister-in-law and then after church we had the whole extended family over for food and in the evening we had an open house for everyone else to swing by and show their support for my bro (and of course, there was more food). And then Monday we had to pull ourselves out from our food comas and make the long drive back to GP. But of course we had to stop and see Joe's family on the way. We played with the kids, went to dinner and then were on our way again.

4. We bought a bike! For me. I had one before, but it was old and decrepit and Joe has been threatening to throw it away for a long time now. So now I have a beautiful bike that I can ride to work now that the snow is gone. I attached a bell all by myself (with Joe laughing at me as I did) and now all that's left is to give it a name.

And that's pretty much it! Joe and I are getting all excited for our big trip to Hawaii in a couple of weeks and things are coming together. The big expenses are out of the way: flights, vacation rental and rental car. Now we just need to buy a few last minute items and get packing. Wish us luck!

Sasquatch

I love it when I hear girls complain about their hairy legs. 

Or when I'm with a girl wearing shorts and I love when she's all "Ugh, don't look at my legs. I haven't shaved today." So naturally, I look. And 9 times out of 10, I laugh and say, "Oh honey, you're cute." And then I proceed to show her my legs. 

See, I'm not very big on the whole let's-remove-every-inch-of-hair-on-your-body-because-you're-a-girl-and-girls-shouldn't-have-hair thing. It's not that I don't like the way my legs feel and look when they are hairless, it's just that I am so dang lazy. Seriously. 

For me, the average length of time that passes between leg shavings is 2 months. The longest I've gone (that I can remember) is 5 months. In the summer, I will shave as often as once a month. I know, high maintenance, right?

And I know what all my lady friends are thinking, "Ew! Girl! Aren't you concerned that someone will see your disgusting fuzz stumps and be totally disgusted by you and your inhygienic ways?!"

Ladies, allow me to let you in on a secret: 

Most people are not observant enough to notice when my legs are hairy! (And yours too, probably)

Trust me, if I can wear a knee length skirt to church without making anyone throw up with legs like this: 

 

Then I'm pretty sure you can get away with shorts and a week of stubble.

What's new?

Hello my darlings!

With my triumphant return to the blogosphere I have decided to give you all a special treat. (AKA: I feel bad for abandoning you so to make it up I'm forcing you to read the random crap that comes out my brain)

I have been getting lots of fan mail from my adoring fans asking me to give an update about my amazing, exciting life. (AKA: my mom has been asking why I haven't written anything recently)

So to quell the endless outpourings of love and adoration from my followers (AKA: 1 text from my mom), I present to you:

The Top 5 New Things In My Life Right Now

1. I am now a full grown, working woman. I got a job at the same clinic I volunteered with over the summer. I love it so, so much. I get to do exercises with people everyday and I have great co-workers. 

2. My collection of dress pants has grown from 2 pairs to 4. As a result of my new job, naturally. I'm sure it will continue to expand as time goes by. My favourite pair is the red ones I got from Anthropologie for 7$. A steal of a deal! 

3. I am volunteering as a coach for the rugby team at one of the local high schools here in GP. The group of girls I'm working with are really fun, but most of them are also very new to the sport which is certainly a bit of a challenge!

4. Joe and I have booked tickets to go to Hawaii in May! We are very excited about it and can't wait to go. When we get back, we will also go down to Lethbridge for... 

5. My convocation! I got my letter in the mail telling me that I have enough credits to graduate! It was a very exciting day at the mailbox for me.

Be sure to stay tuned for the next week to a month for my next exciting update! 

Overkill

When people of the world love something they certainly love to love the crap out of it.

I think around this time last year was when the Harlem Shake phase was going around and at first it was amusing, but then it started to get old. Real old. But people still kept posting the videos. And it went on and on and on until eventually, it finally faded away.

This year the new craze is Let It Go, the hit song from Frozen. Yes, it was a good movie. Yes I understand how progressive it was of Disney to do all the things they did in that movie. Yes, I even understand that Let It Go has become an anthem to anyone who has ever felt like they've had something to hide from the world. But for goodness sakes, does everyone need to keep making all these different "amazing" or "inspiring" versions of the same dang song???

It's a good song and everyone is ruining it for me! Gah! Let go of Let It Go!

Let It NO. credit.