Well, it is the 25th, which means July is almost over. And THAT means that Mike is coming home soon. yay!! He is coming home in two more days, Thursday night actually. And I am excited! Even though I did just see him this past weekend. Its lonely being home alone.

I have been reading the new Harry Potter, but I am only on chapter 10....about 450 more pages to go. :) Maybe I'll finish by this weekend.

My trip to Utah was really fun. We spent time with Rachel and Ed, and the rest of the fam. We went to Bear Lake on Saturday and met some of Mike's family there as well. I didn't get to ride on the wakeboard, but Rachel and I rode on the tube. She likes to go really really slow, just like me. So we had a good time. Oh....except for the part where I got heat stroke. Yup....Heat stroke. Lets just say it isn't pleasant. I thought at first I had food poisoning from my Taco Time...but turns out I stayed out in the sun a little too long that day. Ohwell. Live and learn. Mike still has the camera, so I will post some pics of my exciting tube ride when he gets back.

I have been doing a little scrapbooking too. These are the pages I did for my July section of the pregnancy journal/scrapbook I have been keeping. I might go in and add some more info...but its a start.

On my way...almost

I am just trying to get everything ready to go today, because I am leaving for my little "mini vacation" early tomorrow morning. I finally get to go back to Utah and visit my sweet husband, who has been gone the last three weeks, and the rest of my family. Wahoo!!!

We are going to Bear Lake on Saturday and going boating. I tried to convice my mom and Mike it was still okay if I went wakeboarding, but I was over-ruled. They said I can ride on the tube with the little kids. (thanks a lot) I am still going to try and convince them though. We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, I have been working on a few more scrapbook pages, so I thought I would post a few for your viewing pleasure. Can't take too much credit, as they are mostly quick-pages, but I did add a few things here and there. And the GREAT news is...I am almost finished with the roommate album I have been working on for 6 months. Can't wait to get these printed.

inspiration

Well, I am starting to feel scrapbooking inspired! And I found that all I needed to do was go spend some $$ on new kits. Because ofcourse, then I had to USE them! :) I still needed a little help, so I admit, I "cheated" a little. I have been slowly working on an album for my college roommate. It sort of became a tradition when somone moved out and got married, I made them a scrapbook to commemorate our good times. She got married, and I have been working on this since, oh.....February! (technically I have a year to give it to her, right?) Anyway, I figured a little "help" was in order. So I bought some cute quickpages to help me get my mojo back.

The above page is from our roommate cruise to the West Caribbean. We are on the deck and pulling out of the Miami Port.

For anyone who may not know, quickpages are scrapbook pages that are pretty much already created. All you have to do is drop in your pictures. (which is why I say I cheated a little). :) But Hallelujiah for these things! It is definitely helping me catch the scrapbook bug again. And helping me to knock out several pages very quickly. At this point I need all the help I can get. Besides, she'll never know, right?

I am still making some small changes to each of the quickpages. For instance, I didn't like what the pink and green tags originally said, so I "erased" the words, and added my own, etc. I also bought the kits that coordinate with the quickpages, so I can go in and add more elements later if I want to.

This album is for Janeal, my cute blonde friend in the picture above. She was the last one to get married, so I am adding pics of all of us at eachothers weddings as well. This is also a quick page, and I added pics of my own wedding. (obviously).

The great thing to me about digi-scrapbooking is that now that these pages are created, I can print a copy for Janeal, for myself, and my other roommates to add to the scrapbooks I already made for them. Presto! Just like that. Easy, Peasy.

I still have tonz of pages to go, but hey, I should be able to knock them out before dinner at the rate I'm going. But even better, I have my mojo back! Scrapping here I come!

not a lot to say

Well, things sure have slowed down at my hosue since Mike left. One thing is for sure.....I am B-O-R-E-D!! I spent all day Saturday cleaning the house. Now, it definitely needed to be done. But it wasn't the most fun I have ever had on a Saturday. I vacuumed the house top to bottom, dusted, swept and mopped, cleaned all my windows inside and out (yes in the 115 degree heat), washed the screens, dusted the blinds, swept the front and back porch, got all the cobwebs off well....pretty much EVERYTHING, mowed the lawn, adjusted the sprinklers, caught up on the laundry (including all the towels, rags, area rugs, and sheets on the beds) and filed a huge stack of paperwork that has been pilling up. Whew!

So, now that I finished all my chores on Saturday, I don't have anything left to do. I should have been a little smarter about this and spread them out. I have a lot of scrapbooking and "fun things" I could catch up on. But isn't it funny that I am always saying I just don't have time to do things like that, and when I do have time, I'm not really "in the mood" to be all crafty. hmmm. Maybe its like my chores. If is just get started, I'll get the scrapbooking bug, and want to finish. Alright, I'm going to give it a try. I"ll post my creations later if it works out.

Oh, and sorry no pictures. Maybe next time!

Well, today is the 4th of July, and I think my co-workers are just so LUCKY! I made these cupcakes this morning, and I think they turned out really cute! I am having a good time making these cute treats!

just a little sad

The day finally came for Mike to leave for his first rotation. He left yesterday around 9:30 or so. I tried to be brave, but it was still pretty sad. But he said he would call me everyday, and so far, he has. (All 2 days) :) So thats good.

Anyway, if anyone ever wants to give me a call, I'm sure I could use the company! I do have my Marlee...but she's not a complete substitute for human interaction.

On a brighter note, I am going to make some delicious 4th of July cupcakes to take to work. So I will take some pictures of those too. Anything to keep me busy!

I had a little "creative project" to do today. I baked and decorated a cake for a co-workers birthday. And I must say, It was really fun!

Don't look too closely at the cake, because its not that great. But I am getting a little better. I am still learning how to smooth out the frosting on the sides of the cake. Its a lot harder than you would think it would be! Anyway, here are a couple pics of how it turned out.

Its a double layer chocolate cake (only 6' rounds) with buttercream frosting. I used the star tip #21 to do the rosettes on top, and also the stars along the bottom. It was really fast to make.

This is a view from the top of the cake. I started running out of frosting, so the roesettes on the top actually didn't look as nice as the ones on the bottom, unfortunately. But thats alright. It was still fun to do. I was going to write "Happy Birthday" on the sides of the cake, but my writing skills still need a LOT of improvement before I attempt it on an actual cake!

I took the Wilton cake decorating class course #1 back in February, and I think next month I might sign up for the Fondant and tiered cakes course. Since Mike is going to beone the whole month, I figure it will give me something to do. And I love the look of fondant cakes. I think it would be really cool to know how to do that. Anyway, those are my plans. I had such a great time practicing my "techniques", I think I might make some cupcakes with cool designs on them next week. I'll definitely post pictures if I do.

look what showed up!

I was brought to the realization yesterday that I do , infact, now look pregnant. Mike was lying on the couch and put his hand on my stomach and said:

"Woah! Its getting big! It was flat for so long, and now this week, all of a sudden, it just popped right out!"

Yes, Yes...Thank you for that. And thank you for noticing.

Anyway, I figured now would be a good time to take a few unflattering pictures because hey, thats what a pregnancy is all about.

So without further ado.....The baby bump.

I am now 22.5 weeks. I started to realize that October isn't as far away as it felt originally. It is kind of sneaking up on me. SCARY! I still haven't found any bedding for the crib that I REALLY want. Here are a few options.

This is Mike's pick. I like it too, but I can't decide if I like light colors like this, or bright colors like the next ones. (This one is also the cheapest. Possibly the reason Mike likes it so much!)

I think this one MIGHT be my favorite. I really like the brighter colors, and it was actually cuter in person. Plus the primary colors make it easy to find other decorations that match.I like this one as well. It has more yellows and reds, like the rest of my house, so it kind of goes with everything else. I also like the animals and letters, because again, its easy to find matching decorations. This one is the most expensive, so definitely does not get Mike's vote.

Anyway...I still don't know. Opinions are always welcome! I guess I'll just keep my eyes open.

We also went and test drove some bigger SUVs today. Too bad we can't actually afford the ones we drove! We went and tried out the new Toyota Highlander and the new Honda Pilot. I liked them both, ofcourse with the leather, and moon roof, and navigation...etc. Its fun to dream. We will probably end up getting an old version of the highlander at an auction sometime this summer. That will have to tide me over. But its no wonder people are in debt up to their eyeballs! I loved the cars so much, I started bargaining with myself. "I could give up my cable TV and Tivo, I won't go shopping anymore, or go out to eat, and I'll get dial-up internet instead of high-speed. Then I could afford this car payment for the really really really nice car of my dreams." Good think I had Mike with me to pop my dream car bubble and bring me back into reality. Ohwell. Someday.

atlast!

Congratulations are definitely in order for my sweet husband Mike. As of Sunday at 4:06 pm, Mike is officially finished with his first two years of Medical School!!!

WAHOOOO!!!!!

He has been studying his brains out, getting ready to take his boards. He took one on Friday and his last one on Sunday, and now he is finished!

This picture pretty much shows where he has been for the last two months. He didn't know I was sneaking up on him with the camera (notice his earphones). He has just spent so much time in that chair, at that desk, I thought I at least needed a picture.

Anyway, he starts his rotations in July. His first rotation is a rural family medicine. He will be staying with his dad at Bryce Canyon for a month. I know, rough huh. And he will be working in a family practice clinic right outside the canyon. He is really excited, and I scheduled a long weekend off to go and visit.

So, Good Job Mike. I am so proud of you!!!

Now... I also have to thank Rachel for introducing me to TJ Maxx!! I went in there last Friday to look for some baby clothes, and I found the cutest outfits. So ofcourse, I had to take pictures and post them on here.

I thought they were all really cute, and only $10.00 (each) but still, thats less than I paid for the outfit I bought at Sams Club, and these are CUTER!

So Thanks Rachel, for helping me find cute clothes! I think I am going to make it a tradition to go to TJ Maxx now on Fridays to go shopping. Oh, and Mike thanks you too. (Well, not exactly)

Funny thing about Mike. So, I have a total of about 7 baby outfits now. One for 3 months, 4 for 6 months (the ones I just bought), and one newborn onesie. When I came home with these four outfits, Mike said "That's it! no more baby clothes. He has enough!"

Seriously??? he has enough? I guess our baby is only allowed one outfit every three months to wear 24 hours a day. hmmmmm...... interesting.

Anyway, this is the three month outfit I bought at Old Navy. I loved the camo shorts. They are so little!

And last but certainly not least...the only onesie I own. I'm sure you can tell who bought it for me. :)
(Thanks Mom)

My mom said she went to Carters and bought some more outfits that she is sending, so I'll post those when they come. I guess its alright if Mike doesn't want me to buy anymore outfits, because my Mom will keep me in supply! Thats what Grandmas are for.

For Kristi...

One whole post, just for you Kristi!

The book I bought my dad was caleld "Pioneering the West: 1846 to 1878. Major Howard Egan's Diary. " It also has "thrilling experiences of prefrontier life," and something about living with the Indians in the title. Here is a picture (albeit a small one) of what the book looks like.

If you want to take a peek at whats inside, just follow this link. It will take you to the byu library family history site, and a copy of the book they have scanned in electronically. Read as much or as little as you want. My personal favorite story is section #31, entitled "A Fearful Fall" on pages 190-192. I recommend reading that one for sure!


http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/FH5&CISOPTR=25726&REC=1

Here is another link that will take you to a google search page which has also scanned in the book.
http://books.google.com/books?id=CK9JrVpAoooC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=pioneering+the+west&source=web&ots=fzKX3pzNtC&sig=Rv3NrNDs7Y1OLkT3cQ2XjIdTInc#PPA1,M1


I bought mine at Ken Sanders Rare Books in SLC. It was a first edition and was originally marked about $200. but I happened to go the week of a sale and got it for $125 or $150. I don't really remember which. I know they have a website http://www.kensandersbooks.com/ and keep a list of books they have on hand. You could check them out. Or, look up rare book stores in your area (maybe cedar city or St George would be the closest) and give them a call to see if they have it.

Here is a link to a store in Providence, UT that says they have the book
http://www.osbooks.com/Inventory%20Lists/lds-new%20acquisitions.htm
its #63 on the list. You could call and ask about the condition, etc.

I know the book was printed twice. Once in 1917 (the first editions) and again in the 50s. If you got a 2nd edition printing, they are cheaper.

And just for history's sake...here he is, in all his glory. Major Howard Egan






By the way...did you know Major Egan was the first man on trial for murder in the territory of Utah? The story is pretty interesting. But maybe I'll save that for another day! :)

And just because you asked for it, here is a picture of my belly:

Ha Ha Ha!! Sometimes I am just so funny!