WE'RE MOVING AGAIN!

We are moving  again, to Paige's mom and dads house. Turns out they need a house sitter for 1-2 years while the are in London for business... This post is boring, but I bet if it gets enough comments and/or views I could get Paige to spice it up and add all the fun bloggy stuff that she does. so... comment away!

and a picture for good measure. (ever blog post has to have a picture right?)

-Colton out!

We Moved!

So, I know my last post said we weren't moving until December... but SURPRISE! We moved about 3 weeks ago :) Here's the background of it all...

So one delightful day Colton and I were driving around Provo. I DESPISE fall/winter traffic in Provo. There's just WAY too many people for my liking. So I said to Colton "We have GOT to get out of Provo!!!" Well, not even 2 minutes later Colton's phone rang, and it was the guy who owns the apartment we moved into, telling us it was opening up early! Needless to say, we were very excited about it :) 

So, we hurried and sold our contract to the apartment we were in, packed up all our crap, and moved to American Fork! It's all put together except pictures on the walls... so I'm not going to take any pictures until that is done. But really, it's a great apartment. HUGE, really.

The best part about this move?

1. I got to quit work. (It's a long drive to Spanish Fork from here... not really worth it. Plus, kind of a stressful job for a pregnant lady. Plus, I'm doing a bit of babysitting for our landlord... and it would've interfered with work)
2. I GET TO START DECORATING A NURSERY!!!!! WAHOOOOO! 

Here's what we've purchased thus far:

 This lovely dresser....

 Along with this one. This is what we'll use as the changing table.

 This mosquito net/ Canopy. I've always wanted to put one over the crib :)

And we have yet to purchase this... but at least I know which one I want!! The lovely crib :) 

Oh, and all is well with our little baby girl :) I get super freaked out when I don't feel much kicking (which is pretty much always, since I'm only 25 weeks), but she kicks just enough that I know she's there! Love her already :) 

It's a....

{GIRL!}

We decided to pay the extra money for the early detection at 16 weeks, and while we realize waiting until 20 weeks would be more accurate... the ultrasound tech was pretty darn confident that we're having a baby girl. (Baby girl was very open with us.... so... we're pretty sure, too ;) 

Since we've found out, all I do is think about decorating a nursery. I even had a dream about it last night. I just can't help it. Too bad we're moving right before baby girl is born so I won't actually HAVE a nursery to decorate for awhile... but until then, I'll plan :) 

Here is what I have been thinking... grey and yellow.

This, with a cute yellow flower. Also, I'm obsessed with chevron.

A chevron patterned bumper, and RUFFLES. LOVE.

 This is just cute and girly, and can't be TOO hard to make :)

 Maybe I'll make some cute pillows...

 Or a wreath.

 Or maybe this wreath.

 This nursery will DEFINITELY have some ruffles going on somewhere.

I LOVE the chevron wall. And I'm also loving the bits of coral and blue....

I love the pom-poms above the crib!

 CHEVRON!

 And I am a huge fan of how the name is done here. Only, our cute baby girls will say LILLIA :) 

So... grey, yellow, white... and should I add in some coral? Blue?

Pregnancy

Well, now that everyone knows I'm {pregnant}... it's a lot of fun :) I am now 14 weeks (yay for being done with the first trimester!!), and have high hopes of getting back my energy one of these days.

For the longest time all Colton and I could think of were girl names. And all that I'm drawn to is girl clothes. Because of this we have basically decided we are destined to have a boy, which is great :) I guess we'll find out in a few weeks, though. I can't wait!! I just want to start shopping for this cute baby!!

Also, for those of you that have asked... I am {due January 5th}, and no my pants don't really fit anymore :)

Everyone Says it's Worth it....

I guess we'll find out this coming January...

 Our little grape at the ultrasound last week :)

 P.S... you're welcome, Mom, now you can talk to people about it :)

Long Time No Blog

Blogging is really hard for me. It's not because I'm lacking in time, or even in stuff to blog about. I just struggle (probably with more than just blogging).

With that disclaimer out of the way, here's a little update on us...

Colton is still going to school and working at Mr. Mac. Need a new suit? Go see him! (I feel no shame in my advertising for him ;) He is still the primary chorister in our ward, and he does SUCH a good job at it. The kids all LOVE him. Now that I have finally convinced him that we need food storage he is all sorts of into preparedness stuff. We filled his car full of food storage last week...

 

Colton was kind enough to give up his bedroom (aka our spare bedroom...aka his gaming room....) to house our food storage. He's a good guy :)

I'm still working at New Haven. Lots of new adventures every single day. I've learned to expect the unexpected, that's for sure. I have so many crazy stories I could share... but I don't even know where to begin. Lets just say that if there is a hold/ restraint that needs to go down, odds are I'm right there involved in it. Now the question is... does this mean I'm a good staff? Or that I'm doing something wrong to always have holds going on around me? Hmmmmm... who knows.

I'm still in primary, but I'm now the 1st counselor. It's a fun new change--and yet I get to stay right in primary where I am comfortable. Our poor primary chorister keeps trying to get me to release him... but I personally enjoy having him in primary where I can keep an eye on him ;)

Ok, so maybe our lives are kinda boring... and there is nothing really new to report on... but now none of you can complain to me about my lack of blogging! :)

Also, I love this....

And this....

I think I really have a thing for Uchtdorf's talks.....

Finally.

The day has finally come. Tomorrow I get to see "The Vow." I hope you are all jealous right about now, because you probably should be :)

Ok, not true. I'm VERY happily married. But this made me laugh when I saw it :)

I will let you know if it was worth the insane amount of money to see it in theaters on the weekend. Colton is skeptical--but I'm sure I'll love it. It better not disappoint!

The Little Things

It is important for me to remember the good little things at work in order to forget the big bad things. This became evident to me awhile back, but especially today.

Background?

One of the girls at work (we'll call her C) has been driving me absolutely mad. Too the point of telling her therapist that he had to choose between me and her, because I just could not deal with her anymore. He has been working with me to better understand C and what is going on with her, which in turn has helped me to better work with her and hold boundaries with her.

So C is normally incredibly hard to get out of bed in the mornings. When I say hard, I mean "Get up, or I'll help you get up" type of hard.

So today?

She got up, with very little prompting (Just a quick "Hey girls it's time to get up"), and came out and handed me a birthday present that she had made for me. She was so excited to give it to me, and according to other staff had spent a majority of her weekend working on it. SO thoughtful.

It's these little moments that help me (somewhat) keep my sanity while at work.

Must. See. This.

As I was sitting in the theater today waiting to watch  Breaking Dawn (don't judge... I didn't have to pay for any of it and all I did was make fun of it), this lovely little trailer was shown.
I MUST SEE THIS MOVIE. It looks ADORABLE. 

  

And I just had to post it here so that when it finally comes out I won't have forgotten about it :)

Also, the highlights of Breaking Dawn:

• Bella only smiles when she sees Jacob.. so why not marry him?
• The werewolves. They had this awesome conversation... so captivating.
• Truly inspiring graphics when Bella finally changes to a vampire.

And, the list could go on... but I'll try not to bore you. And on that note I'll leave you with this:

(Just in case you thought I was actually serious about those highlights.)

Time

Today while sitting at work I've had a lot of time to think (yes, it's only been 2 hours of sitting... but I still have 8 more to go! Lots of thinking time!). Here are a few of my thoughts:

• I wish people could just be happy all the time. No up's and down's. Just smiles on faces.
• While I was talking to my visiting teacher yesterday, she reinforced the whole "be an example" idea. I wish people, including myself, were better examples to everyone around.
• I am thankful for the examples I have had in my life to get me to this point.
• Pinterest is taking over my life. Especially on days like today.
• Money. It's a terrible thing. I hate that it's so necessary for survival. I've seen what a lot, and a little, can do to people--I don't envy either case.
• No matter how much I complain about school or work, I've got a pretty good setup going. A wonderful husband who loves me more than anything, a good job that I learn from everyday, an education, and so much more.

And, those are just a few of my thoughts as of 8:50am. It's amazing how much time you have to think when you have to be to work by 7am :)

One of THOSE Days.

Yup. It was one of those days. Or should I say it's been one of those months? Maybe 2 months? Lets just say... work is totally giving me ulcers. Ok, maybe not ULCERS, but it is nothing less than stressful.

Between girls kicking holes in the wall, having to put girls holds, girls breaking things (on purpose), obnoxious parents, and straight up craziness, I am in need of a BREAK.

This is what work does to me. Oye.

Want to hear something great? Jamie (my cousin.. for those of you who aren't related and read this blog) is now working with me! And she is wonderful enough to work for me on Friday so I can have a MUCH needed break. Yeah, family does rock :)

Jamie, Jason, me, and Leah in Chile.

Even though work stresses me out... it is also a great experience for me. While some girls are still having some pretty extreme problems, others have made huge changes since I have been there. Seeing that growth and the happiness in their eyes is what keeps me going.

Everyday I become more and more grateful for my family, and more specifically my parents. They raised me right, simple as that. I owe who I am and where I am today to them.

My parents. Don't know what I'd do without them!

Watch This. No, Really, Do It.

My best friends mom posted this on Facebook. I'm now obsessed. Watch it from start to finish--you won't regret it.

2 months before Chris Medina and his fiance were supposed to get married she got in a terrible accident that caused brain damage. He still, to this day, takes care of her. Such an amazing song. There really are good people in this crazy world :)

Not many music videos have actually made me cry. This one did the trick. I love it. Lots.

Yes, this really happened.

Colton learned how to crochet at the Wilkey Family Reunion. Thanks to Grandma Burgener for being such a wonderful teacher :)

Best part about this? "I Do What I Like" (on the back of his hat)... while crocheting.

Yes. I love my husband. He's so domestic :)

Winnie The Pooh

Hilarious. And yes, it's Colton that showed me this clip and is dying to see the movie. Oh, how I love my awesome husband :)

Oh, How I LOVE My Job. I think.

Work today was awesome. I got to sprint after a run-away girl for about a mile, and then got to squat for about 20 minutes while I had her in a hold. Really, does it get any better than that? Too bad all I have to show for my awesomeness is some claw marks and some sore thighs.

So pretty much we've been having some problems with one of the girls, and she has had to be put in multiple holds over the past several weeks. Some how I've always avoided being involved in these holds, but today was pay back for missing out on all of the previous ones.

To start things off, though, I just have to tell you a tender mercy that happened. I normally wear flip flops to work, because I'm a flip flop girl. For some reason, though, this morning I decided to wear some different shoes (Bob's... they are knock-off Tom's. They rock). Honestly, I think the Lord knew that today I would need different shoes, and that's why the thought came to wear them.

So anyways... Back to today. So I was following this girl around outside and I knew something was up. I called to have another staff come out and help. Needless to say, this girl took off into a dead sprint. There was no way we could catch her. She ran to an incredibly busy highway and started running out into the lanes. Luckily, she didn't get hurt. We finally were able to catch her and somehow got her into a hold (Not one that they had taught us. We definitely made it up--but it worked. haha) We had her on her stomach.. me on one side, the other staff on the other, and her therapist on her legs (Her therapist had shown up in a vehicle by this point). We were still having a hard time keeping her down, but luckily a random guy pulled over and helped us. During this time it was hot, we were on a busy and dangerous road, and I got some awesome claw marks. Remember that during this entire hold I was squatting. Talk about PAINFUL. It was about a 20 minute hold before another staff got there to relieve me of it.

Needless to say, I am tired. My legs hurt. And I learned I really need to start working out.

1 Year!

Yup, that's right. Colton and I have already been married for an entire year! A lot of stuff has happened during the past year. Mostly we have learned a lot about each other. Here is what I have learned about my husband:

• He is the most patient man I know. (You'd have to be to put up with me 24/7)
• He has a strong testimony.
• He is loving.
• He is kind.
• He is a hard worker.
• He wants nothing more than for me to be happy--always.
• He can cook. (Way better than I can.)
• He speaks an amazingly sexy language. (Who doesn't love Italian?)
• He is forgiving.
• He is understanding.
• He makes my shopping habit worse. (Because he always wants me to buy the stuff I try on--I love it. haha)
• He yells at the TV while watching sports.
• He is unselfish.
• He likes to crochet.
• He loves my family.
• He has an amazing family.
  
• He is amazing.
  
• He is perfect for me.

Plus, I'm sure so much more. It's amazing what you can learn in a year. I can't wait to see what else there is to learn during the rest of forever. I love you, Colton! Happy 1 year!

WE DID IT! ;)

Do you....

Ever feel like this?
That's how I'm feeling right now.

Remember that new job? They offered me a promotion.

Why the stress? I'm completely under qualified. I've only been there a month. I still ask question after question. But, apparently they see something in there that made them offer me the promotion.

So, thank you New Haven for believing in me. Next step? Making myself believe that I can do it.

Oh, but I promise my life isn't completely full of stress.
See? Nothing stressful about this :) This was taken at my friends reception.

Tay Bev (One of my besties from high school) got married. She was a beautiful bride!
Friends from HS. So fun being together again!


Congrats Tay Bev! So excited for the 2 of you! I can't wait to come and visit you and get to know Robb!

My Husband

My husband is a good sport.

He puts up with watching shows like:

{Project Runway}

{So You Think You Can Dance}

{16 & Pregnant}

{Teen Mom}

{Sister Wives--Yes, I admit it. I watch this. And I like it.}

However, just because he puts up with my shows doesn't mean I don't put up with a lot of his shows.
Just to name a few:
{Anything and EVERYTHING on ESPN. Even Golf. No, really. Ask me a sports question, I just might know the answer.}

{The Walking Dead. It's a zombie show. It's disgusting.}
{Teen Wolf. What is it with guys and demony type things? I don't understand.}

So you see, I put up with a lot of shows as well. However, most recently I have made Colton put up with the worst of the worst shows. I truly believe I have. Now, it's not a show that I have ever watched before, nor do I watch entire episodes. I just find the best parts of the episode and make Colton watch it. What is this show?

{The Bachelorette. I know. Gross.}

But really, do you not find Bentley terribly lame, annoying, and rude? While others might be hating this season because of him, he happens to be the ultimate draw for me. What a little gem.

Isn't my husband such a good sport to put up with all of my lame TV shows? :)

New Job/ Internship!

I spent what felt like {FOREVER} searching for an internship that would be {PERFECT} for me. After numerous interviews, turning offers down, and being selfish by wanting a paid internship, I FOUND ONE!

I have now been working for a couple of weeks at an
{adolescent girls treatment center!}

What do I do there? Hang out with the girls. Whatever they are doing (watching a movie, swimming, sitting and chatting, etc...) I do. So really, I get paid to hangout.

This job/internship is nothing short of an adventure from day to day. Here are a few things that I have gotten to experience in my short time at the center...

• Girl ripping chunks of hair out.
• Girl going missing.
• Being told I'm "not making friends" because I told girls to go to bed... 15 minutes after they were supposed to.
  
• Being told I should become a regular staff so I can be there more often. (Wahoo! I think they like me!)
  
• Learning I am grateful for enjoying my teenage years.
• Getting to learn how to put girls in holds/restrain them.
• Strip searches
  
• And the list could go on........................
  

While most of the stuff should terrify me/make me freak out/make me want to quit.... It actually makes me enjoy the job more, because I know that
{I can make a difference.}

Finals

Finals are usually terrible, and completely exhausting. However this semester seems to be, dare I say it, enjoyable?

Ok, not all my finals. Just one.

I took a "Moral Foundations of the Family" class this semester. Everything I learned was stuff I felt like I already knew, but hearing it put into words brought it all to life for me.

Everything about the class was so simple, yet life changing.

For the final we were instructed to pick a topic, any topic (finances, parenting, communication, etc.) and develop a lesson plan for that topic that implements ideas from a moral theorist point of view. This assignment (and class) has captivated me.

Summary of my final? Parents talking to their adolescents about substance abuse.
Moral of the story? Parents, be good people and an example to your children.
They DO look up to you.

In thinking up my lesson plan, I came up with a few examples of this:

Jeffrey And I

Ava and I

Mace-Moo and I
Hailey and I

Kaylee and I -- Look Beth! I found one with one of your kids! :)

While I am not a parent to any of them, I can still be an example to them. Kids need examples in their lives.

Be the person you want your children to be.
Can you even begin to imagine what a better place the world would be if everyone took this idea to heart?