8 Years.

8 years.

1 dog.

4 places of residence.

7 vehicles.

2 degrees obtained with one (still) in progress.

9 jobs held.

1 trip to France.

1 surgery.

1 infertility diagnosis.

1 trip to Maui.

1 successful round of IVF.

6 freezer babies.

1 baby girl on the way!

We Are Blessed.

It dawned on me the other day, that I most definitely would not be where I am today without this guy.  I'm not saying that I wouldn't be a functioning member of society (okay maybe), but I most definitely would not have been able to battle infertility and achieve one of my life-long goals of becoming a mother by my lonesome.  I'm specifically referring to my Mr. D - because together we were able to heal from our diagnosis, make a plan of achieving our goal, and will see parenthood come to fruition in the very-near future.  That's a huge thing to get through!  It had to be him . . . we've come a long way together . . I can't wait to see what the next year holds!

You Think So, Huh?

You think that because you . . .

-Are measuring 19 weeks along (big) and receive A+ ultrasounds every other week and . . .

-Just turned 30 two weeks ago (Hello! New decade!) and . . .

-Had the best birthday surprise that any 30-year old girl could dream of by having her husband and best friend plan the sneakiest stay-cation (apparently was in the works since July - literally had no clue!) and  . . .

-Were 3 weeks behind on your missionary brother's blog . . .

                entitles you to not making updates on your own blog?!

'Tis true.  I've been really bad at blogging.  Not that I don't have anything to blog about . . . I just haven't been feeling it.  My creative juices just haven't been flowing.  I chalk it up to pregnancy brain, pregnancy lack of motivation, and too much Dawson's Creek (oops! I really just admitted that). . .

On pregnancy:

-Thank you, second trimester!  You are a beautiful thing!

-I started feeling baby move over my birthday weekend (16 weeks) after finding smoke-free relief in our car.  Mind you, I don't frequent Fremont Street all that often, but with guests in town. . . I suppose it's a right of passage . . . one we all agreed could easily be forgotten.

-The ultrasound tech seems to think we are having a girl.  We should get the confirmation today at our 19 week anatomy scan.  This may sound bad, but I get horrible anxiety right before our ultrasounds.  I fear the worst  e v e r y time and things are usually just fine.

-I've been having the worst dreams about baby.  Usually the dreams end up with me having no baby in the end.  Odd, super odd dreams.  I guess a bout of infertility will burn those types of fears into your subconscious.  No fun.

-My boobs are huge.  I don't know why they decided to show up, but they are here.  Yikes!

On being 30:

-Steven reminded me over and over that I can never go back to my twenties.  They are done and over with.  That chapter has ended.  He made me feel like a part of me was dying.  I then reminded him that he is with a woman in her thirties, and I wanted to know what that felt like to someone in their twenties.     Personally, I wouldn't know.

-So far, I believe that my thirties might just be the greatest decade.  I hope to look back at this time in my life as a concrete time frame as to when we were able to start our own little family.  Nothing to prove - just to ourselves, moving at our own pace, and watching our little people grow . . . causing us to grow as well.  It will be a lot of hard work, sure . . . but probably the most fulfilling thing to boot.

Service Auction Social

Last Fall, I was called to be in the Relief Society Activities Committee/Service Representative for the Ward.  Which is basically awesome, because I get to help plan the social events.  If you know me . . . I love me some social time!  At the beginning of the year, we mapped out what activities we would be doing throughout the year and who would be officiating based on their duties.  Since I am the "Service Representative" for the Ward, I wanted to do something really fun that stirred up excitement over service.  Let's be honest, sometimes service projects are the last thing on our list of 'to-dos'.  So, thanks to my trusty sources (Pinterest), I found an awesome blogpost on throwing a 'Service Auction' and by golly! . . . it looked amazingly FUN!  Blog post found here.  I tweaked some things to accommodate our ward/budget/time-frame, but this was a fabulous source.

Our set up . . . we had a sign-in table, future acts of service/baked goods/handmade goodies table with bidding bags behind the items, and a survey-on-clipboards table.  Our auction was a "silent auction". . . with our time-frame we figured that this was the best option.  Oh, and I should mention the fabulous girls on our committee . . . oh! I could not have done it without our RS women!!

This activity really allowed for us to see the talents and energies of the women in our Ward.  I'm still in awe.  There was much laughter and a whole lot of friendly competition!  Michelle's (remember Michelle?!) 'made-to-order Bouchon cake' was a hot ticket item as well as the gluten-free brownies I brought for all of our gluten-intolerant women . . . one of our sister missionaries included.  Kinda fun watching them battle it out.  I scored some wonderful homemade bath salts and scrubs as well as some much-needed dog-walking for Bear.

We threw in a birthday cake for the treat, because March is the Relief Society's official birthday month.  Happy 171st Birthday, Relief Society . . . you've come a long way after all these years!

Such a great activity and so much fun! If they keep me in there, we'll do it again . . . hopefully bigger next time!

**************

Remember how I said that one of my goals for the year was to do more service?  So far, feeling pretty good on this one although, there is always room for more growth.  I said it during my closing words at the activity, but I cannot even express the joy felt when doing something for others.  It's helped me grow as an individual and has been a huge blessing in my life.

Saying Our Goodbyes

This weekend was a whirlwind.  Saturday morning, I made the drive up to Utah (solo) to say my final "goodbyes" to my youngest brother, Christopher.  Kinda boring driving by yourself . . . but thanks to The Killers and Imagine Dragons on replay, my drive was rather pleasant.  

My weekend was full of friend visits (many of which I did not get to see but look forward to seeing again, soon!) and quality family time with my parents, brother, and family friends; the Ellsworths (basically family and always a good time).  We left behind some really really great people in Utah, so it's always a treat to go back and visit.

Christopher is my first brother to go on a mission, and so it was such a cool feeling being able to experience this weekend's festivities.  It's pretty surreal!  I love him and I know that he will do great things for the people of Norway.

  

Of course we had to take our token MTC farewell photos.  It's kind of a right of passage . . . wouldn't you say?

It's times like these, where I think about where I fit in my family and the role that I get to play.  I am so grateful to be the oldest and the only sister among three brothers.  I feel very protective of each of them and am grateful that I get to be there to support them in all that they do.  I am blessed and grateful for the relationships that I have with them. 

I love you, Christopher James!

Farewell Elder CJ Holden!

 Last fall, I had mentioned that my immediate Holden family had some very BIG news!  Most of you know via Facebook and Instagram that my youngest brother, Christopher, will be serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He will be serving in the Oslo, Norway mission where he will be speaking Norwegian! So cool!

Back in October, when my parents were here for my Mom's birthday weekend, we were able to Skype with my brother as he opened his call.  Lots of tears of joy were shed because we have a long line of Norwegian ancestry.  As my dad put it, "You get to go back home!"

Now, I realize that I probably should have formally announced this awhile ago because it has been an exciting process the whole way through, but I wanted to post about it when the time was right.  Since I am about to embark on my journey (solo - wish me luck!), up to Utah for my final farewells before he enters the Provo MTC; I have so many mixed emotions - many of which are pure peace and joy.  I know he will do great things!

Christopher is the type of guy who - when he sets goals for himself, he achieves them . . . almost effortlessly.  He is kind, supportive, easy to be around.  He is one of the good ones.

At 22 years old (older than most departing missionaries), I am confident that he will be great!  He achieved his college degree and knows that this is the next step that he needs to take in order to become the kind of person that he wants to be.  As the oldest and his only sister, I am beyond proud.

Last night (back in Rockford), after my brother was set-apart as a missionary (he's official!), my family and some friends got together for a final send-off.  Christopher won't get to see our sweet little niece for two years. She will be so big by the time he gets back! And maybe, just maybe . . . . he will have a new niece or nephew to add to the clan!

I want him to have a keepsake of the photos, letters, and memories that he collects over the next two years . . . so I started a Smash Book for him!  I tried to go with the most masculine one there was to be found.  I love the idea of being able to collect all of your little treasures along the way, and figured that this was the best way to go about it.

If you'd like to read weekly updates from Elder Holden's mission, he and I have started a blog about his experiences:

ElderHoldenNorway.blogspot.com

New Year, New Ambitions.

I realize that the new year began a week and a day ago, but I wanted to post about our Christmas with my family; and I also wanted to truly ponder my wishes for the new year.

I have been composing a list for the past couple of weeks and this is what I came up with . . .

1. Complete IVF with Success  - Big surprise that this is my #1, right?!  It still breaks my heart that this is our path to parenthood, but I am working through it being a despair.  My wise and very kind counselor told me that it's a grieving process that requires to take time and heal.  She's right, and it's becoming much easier as life goes on.

2.  Get Organized - You know how we all pin our little hearts out with the best of intentions?  I do.  In fact, I have a board labeled "Organize My Life".  This year, I'm really doing it.  I'm not just saying that, because I've actually started.  PS - The garage looks daunting.

3.  Do More, Worry Less - This one falls under the organize category.  Confession:  I have OCD.  Not like, "Oh, hahaha, that was so OCD of me".  Like literally . . . I worry so much about perfection that I often procrastinate.  I get so overwhelmed and I don't end up accomplishing what I'd like to finish.  My powder room is a prime example. . .

4.  Create - I find myself happiest when I am creating.  Whether it be in the kitchen, crafting, writing; I am at my happiest . . . and who doesn't want to be happy?

5.  Serve - My church calling allows me to encourage service in our ward, but has also helped me to consciously think about serving others on my own.  I find myself focusing on the needs of others and not so much about qualms or issues that I may have.  The act of serving others, brings to mind, my favorite line in Les Miserables:

"To love another is to see the face of God"

Couldn't we all use a better relationship with God?  I would like to make it a personal goal to find more opportunities to serve.

6.  Read.  In French. - I am in desperate need of honing my French speaking skills.  What better way, then to read in the language?  Novels that were purchased during last year's trip to France are staring me in the face.

As you all know, we our hoping (and praying!) that this will be 'our year'.

So, cheers to 2013! May it bring to us all - health (maybe wealth, too?!!) and happiness!

Christmas Break 2012

Our 'Winter Break' has come to an end . . . back to work/school tomorrow.  I could really use another week, which is probably due to the fact I've been moving at a snail's pace over these last two weeks.  I would feel guilty, but I think it was well deserved!

Holden Family Holiday Adventures:

-1 Buche de Noel - marzipan details included - courtesy of myself, my mom, and brother
-1 completed puzzle of scenic Norway
-Numerous nights spent by a roaring fire
-A couple trips to Stockholm Inn for Swedish pancakes and the like . . .
-A much needed visit with one of my best friends and her cute family!
-2 movies that were both fantastic but very different from one another - Les Miserables & This is 40
-French nursery rhymes on repeat with Baby Elise - ahh les crocrocro! might just be stuck in my head until next year. . .
-Hours and hours of frustration over Ticket to Ride  wink, wink!

-Lots of quality family time - doesn't get any better than that!

Homemade Hot Chocolate and Some 'Elf'

Sorry for the delay in posts!  We were having too much fun with my little brother in town!

Friday night particularly stands out, because we enjoyed homemade hot chocolate, a little Sequence, and our premier viewing (this season) of 'Elf'.  

Always a good laugh!

**I would omit the vanilla extract next time . . . definitely add whipped cream and a candy cane for extra goodness!**

Pooker's in Town!

Sunday night, my little brother came into town for a week's stay.  Initially, it was going to be a surprise for Steven's birthday, but Steven started feeling neglected by my brother (they have a sort of bromance) due to the fact that he will be gone for two years; (deserves its own post) and so we ended up telling him a week after the tickets were booked.  Needless to say, Steven was excited!

Monday and Tuesday night were spent:
 -making cinnamon rolls --something about Christopher and Steven together calls for cinnamon rolls.  Tradition maybe?
-I started reading the book, "Christmas Jars" by Jason F. Wright . . . so far, very sweet
-My brother and I attempted to watch "I'll Be Home for Christmas" . . .terrible/awful but full of holiday cheer, I suppose!
-Hanging out and spending some good quality time together

We love having him here!

Treat Bags, Photos & Our Christmas Cards

We started to get our act together around here Sunday afternoon . . .

I made this Peppermint Crunch Puppy Chow as gifts for the women that I visit teach.  They were a warm up for the big holiday baking day that I have planned for next week!  You better believe that I'm going to have an evening dedicated to Christmas treats!

We also took some pictures for our Christmas card.  Isn't this pup a gem? The red bow just kills me!  

I'm a little excited to get my printed cards back.  This year I ordered from Invitation Box . . . I snagged a good deal on Groupon and am anticipating their arrival!  I'm hoping to send them out SOON!

BTW . . . I LOVE this time of year due to all of the Christmas cards received.  I've enjoyed every single one . . keep them coming!

I Can Finally Breathe

At last, I can say that the Ward Christmas Party is over and that I am now able to focus on the holidays for our own family.  It took up A LOT of time.  I think my neighbor/committee's coordinator/friend Michelle can say the same!  I heard it went well, unfortunately I have been taking a technology course on Saturday mornings and because it was a breakfast ('A Cozy Christmas Morning' - to be exact) . . . I missed out.

Friday night:  I did, in fact, focus on holiday cheer by finishing up last minute breakfast dish RSVPs and finished cutting and tying yarn on Christmas ornaments for the kids.  Dang! I really wish that I had seen how everything turned out!

Saturday:  Steven and I composed our Christmas list for family and friends.  Thank goodness for Target and Amazon.  My family's gifts will be shipped directly to my parents' house and then I get the task of wrapping presents Christmas Eve . . . sure beats extra luggage!

*************

Last night, Steven, Megan, Austin, and I headed down to Metro Pizza  close to UNLV's campus.  It's pizza heaven.  Best I've had in this town. . . hands down!

Pizza Joy!

I needed to end the night by doing something festive and because Austin's house is a yard full of holiday wonder . . . we had to check out the Christmas collection!

As you can see, it did not disappoint!

A Birthday and a Treat

December 5th's festivities focused on Steven's birthday rather than the holidays.  I'm a little sad that his birthday falls in December . . .

1.  Boys are hard to shop for.

2.  Gifts and surprises need to be split up throughout the year.

Mr. D finally caught up to me age-wise!  And he made it know that it was a great birthday indeed, so I'm pretty happy with that. 

Originally, I did not know how I would feel about this ice cream.  I like peppermint in small doses, usually with lots and lots of chocolate.  However, I went with the seasonal option.  I'm glad I did!  It's so creamy and it's only 100 calories per 1/2 cup . . . very little guilt there!  BUT I really wanted this to be even better . . .a brownie possibly?  So, in lieu of Steven's birthday, his mom made brownies and I took one home to eat with my Peppermint Ice Cream.  Just what I've been craving and oh so perfect!

A VERY Happy 29th Birthday to my sweet huz!

Christmas Card Keepsakes

This evening, I was in the mood to wrap, trim, and tie ribbons because tomorrow is Steven's birthday!  He's finally catching up to me.  Don't worry, he's made these last two months well-known that I'm older!

Tonight's project came from an idea I found a while back on Pinterest (of course!).  I can't part with Christmas card photos, because I love to see how much our friends and family have changed over the years.  I needed something to keep the cards organized and out for viewing.

And this is what came to be!

Materials needed:

1" Book Rings

Hole Punch

Scissors

Various pieces of ribbon of different sizes and textures (depending on what you like)

Perfect for a coffee table or for keeping under the tree!

Christmas Shopping

I made a good little jump start to my Christmas shopping!  The Vegas outlets are fabulous and with the great prices PLUS coupons, they can't be beat.  So yay for some progress in the Christmas shopping department!

I also wanted to share that our Christmas decor is up and running! Besides the fact that we need a normal size tree . . . we'll wait until the good ones go on clearance; things are pretty merry around here!

On Replay

And so it is the time of year where we fall asleep to "The Holiday".  That's exactly what we did Sunday night.  It's a favorite of ours . . . Cameron Diaz is a bit obnoxious but I absolutely adore Jude Law! Such a doll.

I think a lot of it is the cottage in England.  Simply charming to the point that I wish that, I too, was there.

Speaking of other media on replay . . .

I love LOVE this song from Cider Sky! 

25 Days Until Christmas

I've decided to do something fun in order to gear up for the Christmas holidays.  My blog has been slacking and because I loved doing "30 Days of Gratitude" (it made me feel more festive) I am doing "Capturing December" via Instagram AS WELL AS my own "25 Days Until Christmas" via the blog.

What does this entail?  Well, everyday until Christmas, I am going to do a little something to celebrate the season.  It may be a holiday movie, a craft, holiday baking, choosing festive flavors at restaurants/cafes, or doing something out in the community.  An 'interactive advent calendar' per say.  Excited to participate and excited to share . . . I have some fun ideas!

This weekend we have our good friends Matt and Loral visiting us from Vancouver, Washington.  We haven't seen them since the day we moved from UT -- over two years ago.  It's just like where we left off.  We miss them immensely, but are grateful to have them here for the weekend!  I'll share what we have been up to later this week.

Matt and Loral are foodies . . . aka my kind of people.  So they wanted to be able to enjoy the variety of chains that are good but not on every corner . . .  ie. Cafe Rio, Yogurtland, and some other places that are unique to this city.

We had a late night craving for frozen yogurt and so we took them to Yogurtland (my favorite!) where I enjoyed December 1st's day of being festive.

I ordered . . . White Chocolate Macadamia, Peppermint Hot Chocolate sprinkled with Andes Mints, and Andes Peppermint Crunch!

Delicious!

Yet, Again!

Thanksgiving weekend was fabulous!  It's so wonderful to be able to celebrate a day of gratitude for all of the many blessings in your life, and then to have a few days off in order to gear up for the holidays.

In a lot of ways, this has been one of the hardest years of my life (maybe even hardest?) but I have grown so much; and what I do have . . .has manifested itself ten-fold.  It may sound ridiculous, but I am so happy that I consistently posted onto my "30 Days of Thanksgiving" via Instagram.  It has helped me identify the things that I do have, rather than dwell on the things that I don't have.  There have been several occasions, where I have been brought to tears with complete joy and gratitude.  I don't think that in all of my existence, I have had a Thanksgiving season quite like this one.

Life is good.

I am blessed.

I actually signed onto this little blog thinking that I would just post about one of my weekend's projects, but it just seemed fitting to express my most recent thoughts.

So yes, I made another yarn wreath.  The last one was so fun that I thought that I would try my luck at it again . . . and with a felt poinsettia tutorial on Pinterest, why not make a Christmas one?!

Any fun holiday crafting in the works for you?

With a "crafting bug" that has hit me so hard . . . I have a list full!

7 Years.

7 years.

1 dog.

4 places of residence.

7 vehicles (ridiculous).

2 degrees obtained with one in progress.

9 jobs held.

1 trip to France.

1 surgery.

1 infertility diagnosis.

1 trip to Maui.

No "itch"!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Due to the fact that our anniversary fell on a Monday, we decided to celebrate this past weekend.  It was fantastic, simple, and so Francais!  We dined at Pamplemousse   . . . vintage Vegas at it's finest.  It's been around since 1976 and is one of Vegas's finest treasures!  You rarely find that kind of history in this town.

Election Party

This year's election was quite the hype, I must say!  I voted early and felt optimistic . . .

However, despite tonight's disappointment . . . yes, for us it was a disappointment.  I guess I don't really care how old-fashioned/untrendy/simple-minded my political opinions are; I go by what I feel is right.  I am sulking just a tad.

On a brighter note, we had an election party this evening! Any reason to get together and socialize, is good for me.  We had a good little turnout!

"American" fare -- galore!  We munched, mingled, and watched the polls come in.  It was so much fun, we might just have to make this a tradition!

Mom's Birthday Weekend in Vegas!

I need to play catch-up!  We have had a busy two weeks, with lots to talk about. . . 

Last Thursday, my parents got into town for my mom's birthday weekend.  Despite my bout with the stomach flu, we were able to celebrate our hearts out! 

Some of the weekend's events included:

-KA Cirque du Soleil - Friday night

-My Mom's favorite chocolate cake

-Two golf dates for the boys

-One hike up Lone Mountain (my Dad, Steven, Bear)

-Jazz and Dinner out at Lake Las Vegas

-Lots and lots of good conversation with my Mom (as always!)

And my family got some really great news, that deserves its very own post . . .