A Work of Art

I got a cross stitch kit of Greg Olsen's "Light of the World" painting for Christmas of 2009.  I worked on it during summers and holiday breaks because I was always too busy during school.  I finally finished it this September.  That is a little over three and a half years.  After putting so much time and effort into this 11 x 13 picture that is almost continuous stitching, I decided to get it framed.  Without further ado, here are pictures of the finished, framed product that I spent 3 1/2 years of my life working on.

If you want to see it in person, it is now hanging in my living room. 

Also, a shout out goes to my mother for teaching me how to cross stitch when I was a young girl.  She fostered my love of the craft and has always supported me in my favorite hobby.  Happy Birthday today!!!

My Birthday

My birthday was last Friday.  It was great.  Mark had the day off and we both got to sleep in together (as opposed to me sleeping in by myself...).  My former roommate Kim Allred came and picked me up for lunch.  We went to a little Mexican restaurant in Logan and had a good time catching up.  Then we had a little excitement in the parking lot when Kim and another driver backed into each other.  There was hardly any damage, but we had to wait for the police to come and check it because the other guy wanted to get a police report.  So a police officer came and assessed the damage and then just told us the insurance companies would have to sort it out.  It was my first ever car accident.  Luckily for me, it was barely a fender bender and I wasn't driving.  Interestingly, there was another car accident at the same time in the same parking lot, and I saw two other accidents that day. 

After Kim dropped me off, Mark and I went to Michaels.  I have been working on a cross stitch of Greg Olsen's painting "Light of the World" for almost four years.  It is finally finished, and after all the work I put into it, I wanted to get it professionally framed.  We went with some coupons, but it ended up being pretty expensive anyway.  When we get it back, I'll be sure to post a picture of the completed project.

We went out to dinner at Angie's, (where the locals eat).  It was pretty fun and delicious.  After dinner, we stopped at home and grabbed our swimming suits and headed over the mountains to Crystal Hot Springs.  It was kind of chilly that night, so it was fun to be in the hot water.  It was awesome to go swimming with my pregnant belly being so big.  Since I've gotten into my third trimester, I get severe pain in my pubic bone after I do a lot of swing dancing.  I had been dancing the three nights before my birthday, and it hurt really bad just to walk around.  With the water helping me hold up my big belly my pubic bone didn't hurt at all.  The freedom from the pain was amazing.  When they were closing, I didn't want to get out of the water.

Mark made me a tatting pin because I've been tatting up a storm lately (hair clips and bookmarks).  A tatting pin is like half a crotchet hook at the end of a long necklace.  He was so excited to give it to me he wanted me to stay up until midnight the night before my birthday.  He's such a cutie.  I had a great day on Friday.  It's weird to think that on my next birthday I will have a child.  I'm looking forward to it though.

Swing Team

As many of you know, Mark and I met swing dancing.  We still dance, and with the beginning of the school year, we are coaching a team again.  Mark was coaching a team when we met, and has been ever since.  This will be the fifth team he has coached, and my third.  Last year, we coached the competition team for USU (Swingcopation), and our team took 2nd place at the Intercollegiate Swing Battle.  Because of my pregnancy and the pending new life of parenthood, we decided to step down and coach the performing team (Swing Set) again.  After a summer of completely nothing to do, it is refreshing for me to have some responsibility.  This year, however, coaching feels really different.  Several of my dancers are freshman, and I don't really have too much in common with them.  I am 5 years older than them, graduated, married, and about to have a kid.  Regardless of these differences in life, I am quite excited to be teaching again and to see what we can get out of these dancers.  Even though dancing hurts my big, pregnant belly, I'm excited to actually be doing something with my life again. 

Bianca has an Announcement!

Bianca would like to share the gender of her new sibling.  I just couldn't choose which picture I like the most, so enjoy!

2 Years Down, Eternity to Go

On Sunday, Mark and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary.  It's pretty crazy to think that we have already been married for that long.  It only feels like it's been a couple of months.  We spent the day together on Thursday and bought me a couple pairs of maternity pants and a few shirts (Wahoo for $2 shirts at D.I.).  Then we headed up to the mountains that night.  We got to the huckleberry campground late and we were lucky that Mark's sister had set up a tent for her boys a day early because we didn't have to set our tent up in the dark.  We spent some time huckleberry picking on Friday and just hanging out with Mark's siblings and their kids.  On Saturday we spent a lot of time picking huckleberries.  We ended up with two and a half gallons!! Plus, the huckleberries were huge this year.  It was great pickings.  Perhaps we'll have to donate some berries to an ice cream maker...   Mark gave me a necklace for our anniversary.  A couple of weeks ago I had to take my wedding ring off because of swelling from the heat and the baby.  He got me a beautiful chain to wear my wedding ring on so that I can still have it with me. 

Sorry for the rambling.  I am truly blessed in my marriage.  I could not have chosen a better partner.  Mark is so perfect for me.  I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us this third year of marriage. 

Worried Momma

This mother-to-be is a worry-wort.  Among other things, I worry about how I'm going to take care of this baby in a tiny apartment that isn't heated well.  I worry about how we're going to pay all the medical bills that this delivery is going to bring.  I worry about how we'll afford the basic things that a baby needs.  It really stresses me out.  It makes me feel like "I've made a huge mistake."  But I had a little inspiration come to me the other night.  Starting the Book of Mormon over again, I finally got to chapter 3.  You all know the famous, scripture mastery verse "Go and Do."  I got past that part, and read about how when Laman got chased off he and Lemuel wanted to go home. Nephi in effect said they were going to stay and keep the Lord's commandments.  Then I reread the go and do verse (1 Nephi 3:7) and was struck with a thought.  Having this baby is a commandment.  We are commanded to multiply and replenish the earth.  Reading Nephi's testimony that the Lord will help us to fulfill His commandments gave me the comfort I needed to realize the everything will be ok.  At this moment, I cannot see how everything will work out. But I know that I am in the Lord's care, and so I know it will all work out.

Feeling Lonely

With no job and only my dog to keep me company for 13 hours straight, I am feeling really lonely.  I have some happy news that I found out yesterday.  If you would like to know, I would like you to contact me.  Call me, text me, email me, chat with me on Facebook...  I just need to know that the people I love care about me.