January PLEASE be OVER!!

I cannot wait to wake up tomorrow and have the calendar say we are in February.  

January 2012 has not been good to me and I am ready to say goodbye to it and need to vent! 

I just need something to go our way in February,  I feel like all I have done in January is get crappy news.  My Mom finally got a diagnosis,  and while I am happy we finally know what the issue is.  It's still crappy to hear.  We are a strong close family and we will get through this,  I know my Mom and my family will be okay but that doesn't stop me from feeling crappy right now.  My parents are amazing people and two of my best friends and there struggles make me love them even more.   My mom might be struggling,  but to me she is the same amazing mother and friend I have always had. But for their sake we need a year where they both feel good ,  so please February be kind to us. 

We found out this week our first round of IUI did not work,  I am not surprised I have just felt all month that it was the wrong day to implant and that it wouldn't work.  Mentally I have been preparing myself all month that it would be a No and to start looking towards our 2nd IUI in February.  Seeing the No and starting your cycle don't take away from the pain though. It hurts. It's a rejection like when that guy you really liked in high school just flat out rejected you and you thought your world was over.  That's how it feels.  Not to mention your on fertility drugs so your hormones are already all over the place and it leads to alot of crying to my mom, Ryan and my friends.  I'll get over it in a day or two and move on to the next cycle.  But for these two days I'm sulking because I honestly never thought having a baby would be this hard but we have faith the Lord will provide. My patriartical blessing talks about my sons and daughters so I know they are up there just waiting for the right time,  I know I am meant to be a mom.  I also know I am not patient :)  I'm hopeful for February,  it's a good month for Ryan and I. We got engaged two years ago Feb 18th, and our half anniversary falls on Valentines Day,  so I have a few special things planned for this month and hopefully in a few months I'll be able to say that February is also the month where we finally got our baby!

If that wasn't enough,  Ryan got some news today that was kinda crappy about PT School.   I feel so bad. He has worked so hard to be able to get into PT School so we can begin the next part of our lives and his career and any little setback sucks.   I have faith in Ryan and I know he will not give up,  I know that when the time comes for us to make a decision on where to go and what to do for school that will be best for our family,  we will make the right one and we will be okay.  But today since I am already sulking about not being pregnant I'm going to throw this in there and sulk about this too!  :)

I don't want to sound like a total whiner though,  there are so many things I am so thankful for and there are so many blessings Ryan and I have received over the last few years.  I know that everything we are going through is just one chapter in our life story.  And I know that while some trials are rough on marriages,  ours have had the opposite affect and we are closer than ever.   We are each other's rocks and we rely on each other and on our Heavenly Father to make it through each hurdle we encounter. 

So I will continue to have faith,  look forward and trust in the Lord's plan for us. 
I'm just hoping Lord that means a good February :)

Mobile Drop

Time to clean out some of my pictures on my phone and document what we have been up to. I need a new small digital camera because I love my big Nikon but hate dragging it around everywhere.

In no particular order because I am uploading from my phone and have no control how they load :)

The D I made for my momma.
A packed house at the UNLV game!
A night out with my hunny
My new table...love it!
My latest nail design. Mary rocks.
Our New Years Eve dinner in the cute town of Cambria.
My small bedroom that my new king size bed takes up the whole wall. Dang this economy that I can't get a new house.
My first attempt at a diaper cake for my friend Stacey.

In other news I'm getting excited for Valentines Day. I'm in charge this year since Ryan planned last year. I love that we switch years so every year one of us is surprised. This year I have a few tricks up my sleeve. :) Can't wait to be able to post pics of all the little things I am doing for Ryan and our friends and family. One thing i can say is the cherry chocolate kisses ive been making for home/visiting teaching are good! Once again, thanks Pinterest for making me look good.

Stay tuned!

WhaT We aRe uP 2!

I feel like it's taken me a while after the holiday's to get back in to the groove.  I went back to work on the 3rd and it's been SO busy.  This last week I have worked until 7pm or later every night,  Ryan has made me dinner all week and our dogs are very needy because they are by themselves so much.   Ryan started back to school this week and since he is only taking a few classes he has been able to combine them to just two days of school Tuesday and Thursday,  which is great except for he has class until 6:45pm on both those days and isn't home until 7:30pm.  We have had alot of cereal this week to say the least,  hopefully next week we will be better and we can get into a new routine.

Last weekend Ryan and I both had a three day weekend. Friday night we were able to go out to dinner and a movie with Ethan and Megan, friends of ours from our ward.   We met them at Max Brenner's in the Forum shops and had dinner and dessert.  They have some good desserts there!  After dinner we looked at each other and decided to go to a movie,  only problem was it was already 10pm and the movie was at 10:15pm at Aliante Station :) Ryan and Ethan drove like crazy and we made it only 5 minutes late.  Then on Saturday night we went out to dinner with my family to celebrate my mom's birthday.  Her birthday was on Thursday the 12th but I wasn't feeling well that day, I was down all day so we didn't do much that day and decided to go to on of our families favorite restaurants on Saturday night,  Mushashi's.  It's tepanyaki and it is delicious,   Ive known the owner for a few years so it's always a fun time. Monday,  I made Ryan take me out to Henderson to West Elm,  we needed a new dining room table that was bigger and Ive had my eye on one for a while.  Ryan wanted to see if first before I bought it so it worked out great they had it in stock and he was able to bring it home and set it up for me.  We got a bench to go along with it but we had to order that and it won't be in until next week.   We gave our old table to our friends Rachel and Jacob,   they had a small 4 person table and are about to be a family of 5,  I knew it matched her color scheme and I really wanted the table to go to someone who would love it as much as I do.   She is so creative,  she turned her old table into a bench and the table looks awesome at her house!    They came over around 4pm to pick it up and we ordered some pizza and just sat around and talked.  We love their boys,  and even though we have no kid toys are our house,  we have two dogs and Disney movies that definitely entertain them ;)

This weekend since work has been so crazy and Ryan is just getting used to his new school schedule we decided to make it a night in on Friday.  We rented a few red box movies and just chilled in our pajamas all night.   If you get a chance one of the movies we rented was called Courageous and it is a Christian movie from like ABC family or something.   It was a cute movie with such a good message.  Saturday night we were invited to go to dinner and the Rebel game with my boss and his girlfriend. He is on the board of the UNLV Foundation and so we were able to actually sit in the President's suite.   I've been to games and the NFR in suites before but never the President's suite.   We basically talked to the Vice President of UNLV all night.  Since it just so happens my husband is waiting to hear if he got accepted into UNLV's Physical Therapy program it was nice for him to be able to talk,  the VP gave him his card and told him to call him so we will see!   Besides that positive,  the Rebels rock this year.  The games are amazing,  the atmosphere is like in the 90's when Reggie Theus, Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson played.  The stadium is packed and it is just so fun.  We had a great night with John and Hil,  he has been my boss for 11 years and is like a 2nd father to me.

Today was a sad day for me at church,  I got released from my calling in the Primary Presidency.  The whole Presidency got released.   I have really enjoyed this calling,  I love the women I work with and I love the kids.   I finally got to where I know most of there names after 6 months.  I will definitely miss it :)  I am hoping at some point I will be able to work with the kids again.   For right now though my new calling is as a Single Adult Representative,  I really have no idea yet what that entails.  But I think I will be planning some group FHE's in the future!  Luckily I am able to be in the calling with the other Sis.  Stuart whom I served in the primary with.  She is a amazing woman and I am excited for our new adventure.

I'm going to try to be better about posting weekly,  this is a sort of journal for me that I will print out and keep and so when I go lengths of time without posting I know I am missing alot.  I will also post a picture of my new table next weekend when I get the bench. 

Well I am off to watch the 49ers game (who Ryan loves)  I have already promised him that if the 49ers make it to the Superbowl we will have a party at our house :)

Confession..

My name is Amanda and I am addicted to Pinterest! 

Seriously insead of searching all different websites I can go one website (and spend HOURS) and tag all different things I like and it basically bokmarks them for me.

Some of the things I love about it are:

 I love design but am not really a make it at home kinda girl,  if I can buy it I normally do.  It has made me make more homemade crafts for around the house and for presents.  I made homemade gifts for my mom,  mother in law,  sister in law and best friend for Christmas.   I have made a few different projects,  my next project is a wreath made with book pages I got at the D.I. for my front windows.

I also have made 4-5 of the dinner's I found and a few of the desserts.  I love to cook and when we were in California over the holidays I decided I was going to make things I had never made before since I had 6 mouths to feed.   The only thing that didn't turn out were a breakfast pocket because the dough didn't turn out right I was having issues with the oven temp.  But I went to plan B and made a casserole with all the ingredients and it turned out good. 

 The party idea's are amazing too.  People are so creative and come up with these ideas for parties or date nights and I am not above copying.  If someone comes to one of my parties and has a great time even if I have "borrowed" some of the ideas from others that's all the matters :)

Some of the things I dont' love about Pinterest.

Ok there is only one....

I can't stop eating desserts...they look too good and I must make!  Half the food I pin is desserts. :) I need to make them and deliver them to neighbor' and friends after one bite.

So if anyone is not on Pinterest.  Stop what you are doing and JOIN..

In other catch up new's Ryan and I missed the annual Dalton Family Christmas party this weekend,  my first time ever I think.  I was really sad but we had a primary activity that I was needed at since I am in the presidency. So duty called. It did make it so Ryan and I could have a date night which we haven't been able to do since before Christmas and it made me able to De-Christmas my house.   I LOVE CHRISTMAS.  I put up my decorations in November happily as I am watching Christmas movies or listening to Christmas music,  but taking it down is a whole other story.  There was no Christmas joy just a rush to get my house back to normal.  Thankfully it didn't take long and now the house is clean and organized again and ready for the next holiday.

Ryan and I bought a new bed, a KING!  Soooo Happy. We got a great price on New Year's weekend that is being delivered next weekend and the platform bed we bought to go along with it will take 4-6 weeks and so will be here sometime in February hopefully.

Isn't it a beauty...

We needed more storage so the baskets are the best part!!

I also convinced Ryan to get a new dining table,  our's is too small and every time we have our families over we have no room for everyone.   We normally have my parents and brother's and Ryan's parents over together every month or so and the 8 of us are a TIGHT squeeze.   We have $3200 left to pay on the Tahoe and then we are done!  So we will use a few months of the Tahoe payments once it is paid off.  I am BEYOND excited.  My table is awesome but it is almost 8 years old and has defintely been loved.  For any of my friends reading this I'll be looking to give my table to a new home if you know anyone.

Here is the table I convinced Ryan of.  We are only getting the table and bench for right now and keeping the chairs we have the other chairs are too expensive I will look on etsy, ebay and other places to find something cheaper.

Side note the table is named Emmerson,  it's fate!  One day I will have a daughter named Emmerson :)

Faith..

Being in Primary makes you miss out on the Relief Society  (RS) lessons.   Not that I don't love being in primary but I hear or give the same two sharing time's every week and sometimes feel like I am not being spiritually fed enough.   Luckily our RS emails out a newsletter every week and gives a overview of the lesson, announcements, activities, etc. for the coming week.   I noticed in the first newsletter of the year that our RS is doing the Book of Mormon challenge again,  which is perfect for me because that was one of my 2012 goals to read it from cover to cover again.   Attached to the newsletter was a daily guide for January's reading scheduling to keep you on track, in the past depending on my daily schedule I would follow along or if I had extra time would read longer or if I was short on time would only read a few versus,  the thing I liked most about this particular schedule was for every section of reading for that day it has a link to a talk given on a topic that relates to that particular section.  Since we are just starting off we are in 1 Nephi and to be honest it is one of my least favorite sections to read, only because for years  I would never make it all the way through the Book of Mormon and so it would be one of the only sections I would read all the way through.  I guess it makes me think about that and so all I want to do is keep reading and get past Nephi and onto Jacob.  

 When I pray and don't receive a answer I get frustrated, sad or hurt and sometimes feel that is when my faith falters a little.  I know this is wrong but sometimes it is how I feel.  I have been struggling lately because Ryan and I are having such a hard time getting pregnant.  I feel punished and as much as I try to stay positive and keep the faith I just am having such a hard time with why it's not happening.  I just wish one thing in my life in could be easy right now my dad has cancer,  my mom has some health issues of her own going on and now this.  Ryan and I pray every day for us to be blessed with a baby,  and let me tell you when you can't have something you want it even more and it's everywhere!  I try not to let it affect me, but sometimes I just want to scream "Quit complaining, at least you can have a baby!" But I don't :)

Today on my lunch hour as I was reading the highlighted talk from Richard G. Scott that corresponded to 1 Nephi 3, I was really glad I didn't just gloss over 1 Nephi to get to Jacob. Elder Scott talked about prayer's and learning to recognize the answer's. 

 Elder Scott said "When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth. We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act."

  I loved this next part in Elder Scott's talk.  "Most often what we have chosen to do is right. He will confirm the correctness of our choices His way. That confirmation generally comes through packets of help found along the way. We discover them by being spiritually sensitive. They are like notes from a loving Father as evidence of His approval. If, in trust, we begin something which is not right, He will let us know before we have gone too far. We sense that help by recognizing troubled or uneasy feelings."

I needed to hear this,  we are acting and I needed that extra reassurance that we are on the right path!   I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, and I know that if I have faith and if Ryan and I are obedient and keep the faith in Him that we will be parents.   It might come soon,  it might not. It might come in ways we weren't originally planning on, but one way or the other it will happen I know it.



2011 Wrap up Part II

Monday, December 26th we loaded up the car with 3 people and 2 dogs,  asked a neighbor from our ward to watch our house and headed out to Morro Bay, California.   I have been to Southern Cali and Northern Cali but never really to Central Cali and my parents asked that our whole family spend Christmas vacation together.  2011 has been a little rough for our family and we wanted to end it on a high note.

Central California is beautiful,  my parents rented a house 100 yards from the beach and even though it was too cold to swim without a wet suit it was amazing just to walk along the beach and listen to the sound.  The house was great and I would recommend it to anyone,  it was a 3 bedroom house with a pull out couch, 2 bathrooms, and  a fully stocked kitchen. We had 6 people and 3 dogs and fit very comfortably.  The amenities were better than a hotel,  a hot tub, firepit (I LOVE SMORES!!) ping pong, Foosball table and big TV's with extended cable..there was never a dull moment.

Some of the highlights from the trip were:

1.  Going to Hearst Castle.  William Randolph Hearst had too much money and it was burning a hole in his pocket.  He commissioned a small house to be on the top of the ranch he owned and it ended up being a 38 bedroom, 42 bathroom mausoleum. 

Crazy huh!

The house is not my style it is very gothic,  it reminded me of alot of the castles I had seen in Spain and Italy  which is what Hearst wanted it to look like.  But I recognize the beauty of it and I was in awe.

Not a bad view either..

2.  Taking my dog's to the beach....they LOVED it!

3. Whale watching...

We took a tour on Saturday, I should have taken a picture of the "boat" we were on... It was a pontoon boat that had benches on it that could seat 20 or so, with open metal gates all around.  The captain stood at the back to drive.  There were 13 in our group.  We drove out about 6-7 miles out into the ocean in this small "boat" it took forever,  but man once we got out there and spotted whales it was so cool.  After you see the whales for a while you forget you have like a 45minute ride back to the dock,  that part is not fun.  But we got pretty close to the whales and it was worth it.

MORRO ROCK

4. Day trip to San Francisco with my brothers.

Thursday while my mom and dad were hanging with my aunt and uncle, Josh, Matt, Ryan and I got up early and drove the 3.5 hours to San Fran.  We had a blast.  Ryan and I had both been to Alcatraz before but my brothers hadn't so after a drive down Lombard we headed over. They loved it.  We checked out the Pier after did a little shopping caught a early dinner and headed back to Morro Bay.  It was a long day but I am glad we spent the day their.



Did I mention how foggy it was...not great for taking pictures, so I really didn't.  I like the picture of the fog rolling over the bridge though.

5.  Spending time with my family.  

We were able to make meals together every day,  go sightseeing together and just enjoy each other's company.  There is nothing I like more than hanging out with my 5 favorite people in the world.   Everyone had a great time and it was definitely a trip I will remember.  We tried to take a family picture but with 6 people and 3 dogs they didn't turn out very well and I think I might get in trouble if I post it.  :)

Thanks so much to my parents for arranging and paying for everything.  They are my peeps for life!

Oh and because I love food so much can I just say Morro Bay, Cambria and San Simeon have some AMAZING food.   We checked out a few fish markets and there is nothing better than fresh fish.  We also were able to eat a Olallieberry pie from Linn's (featured on The Best Thing I ever Ate by Marc Summers)  Olallieberry anything is amazing,  Linn's happens to be the nicest restaurant in this little town called Cambria that reminds me of Mayberry.  Ryan and I made a reservation for New Year's Eve and it didn't disappoint the food is cooked with love.  If you are ever in the area check it out!  We had a relaxing meal where we were able to just sit and talk about everything we have loved or didn't love about 2011 and make our family and personal goals for 2012.

Some of which are:

1.  Work out 2-3 times a week together.  We are really going to focus on our health and weight loss.  2011 had us both gaining weight

2.  Temple attendance -  We used to go monthly and we got away from that in the latter part of the year.  I love the feeling I have when we go together.

3.  Expand our family - through whatever means and at whatever cost Ryan and I want to be parents in 2012 we pray everyday for it. 

4. Continue to Date - We made it a priority in 2011 to not stop dating.  I would plan some and Ryan would plan some.  He is not just my husband, he is my boyfriend and my best friend and I love the time out we dedicate to each other.

I also want to read the Book of Mormon again and as always loose 15lbs. :)

Let's Hear it for 2012!

It's officially 2012.  It's hard for me to even enjoy it yet I have been so busy.  I didn't even make to 12pm on New Year's Eve,  no one in the house did.  We celebrated Utah time and went to bed ;) 

The last few weeks have been a blur with Christmas, vacation, New Year's and getting ready to go back to work.  So I am playing catch up and condensing the last few weeks in one post.  WARNING...it might be long.

We had a great Christmas,  we were able to have both of our parents and my brothers over to our hous for Christmas Eve.  We had such a fun night.   We had church at 9am the next morning just for sacrament and I coudn't help myself I woke Ryan up at 6:45am to open presents.  Yes I know I am adult but I LOVE CHRISTMAS!  Some of my favorite gifts from my hunny were a meat tenderizer,  my favorite perfume,  a navy blue church dress he ordered from a store I love and the bracelets I want.   I love the fact that Ryan listens to me throughout the year and knows exactly what to get me.   Even better for me is seeing Ryan open his gifts.  I got him a weight bench he has been wanting,   some new church shoes, a watch, cologne and some shirts.  We definitely spoiled each other this year but we are hoping this is our last Christmas without a baby to spoil so we went a little crazy.

  We met my parents and brother at our church and attended sacrament which was a musical program.  It was so amazing listening to all the songs and filling the spirit on such a special day.  There was one song in particular that had some of the younger girls in our ward playing harps, violins and flutes.  The spirit was so strong and at the end of the song people clapped...for anyone that is been to a sacrament you don't clap.  But it was definitely deserved and I am glad they did ;)

After Sacrament we went over to my parents house and had breakfast and opened presents there.  A few of my favorite gifts were a new makeup bag from my brother Josh,  a set of Kiehls lotions a letter my parents wrote to me and these:

My 2011 nativity set from my parents.  I LOVE nativities and this one is so unique.

A Christmas book that had audio,  you open it up and its my parents voice's every page they rotated  so one page is my dad and the next page is my mom.  It is amazing and I instantly started crying when I opened it.  My mom and dad are the most thoughtful people and know that I would rather have gifts like that then gifts that cost alot.

We then went over to Ryan's parents for dinner and to open presents.   We were able to Skype with his whole family (after about 30 minutes of computer gliches) It was so cute to see the boys and girls show us what they got or Christmas.   Ryan's mom made us one of my favorite gifts of the holiday,  it is a present bag for the family.  I am thinking we will use it to put our "family gift" every year and let the kids rotate opening it.

Ryan and I called it a night after that long day...we had to get up at 7am the next day to head out for vacation.

Okay I was trying to make it one post with our vacation but I rang long and Ryan is yelling at me to come make dinner so I'll be back for our vacation post and my goals for 2012 :)