Something New

We are expecting a girl in January.  I just knew it.

We had our ultrasound today and our sweet little one wiggled all around as they tried to get shots.  Of course, she put her hand over her face the whole time.  

I have been preparing myself to be the mom of boys.  Heber came from a family of all boys and I have way more nephews.  But, there was always a little hope that there would be a girl.   Can you just imagine the dance classes and glitter that are going to come to our home?  We are so happy.

A Small Town Evening

It's been a busy week around here.  The kind of days where you're going all day long and yet still don't get everything quite done.  Heb's been working a lot of overtime lately, which means we haven't seen him much.  I had a Virginia Firebirds meeting this weekend (I'm the secretary), which meant quite a bit of computer prep work and meetings. 

So, we're tired.  And feel like we haven't seen each other in ages, with all the chaos happening.

We went out to this quaint little town, Clifton.  I know I've written about it before, but it just blows me away that there's this sweet small town just 15 minutes from the main road.  We ate at the Clifton Cafe, which had the best hot chocolate I've had here, by far.  And then we just wandered.  You know how I feel about wandering.  With all of the busy days, I just want to run away and wander for an evening.

 

This is my favorite thing about living in Virginia.  There are always new neighborhoods to explore that have their own unique flavor and many are hundreds of years old.  There's always something waiting to be discovered, just off the road.   Think all places are like that and I just didn't take the time to explore before? 

 

I grew up in a fairly small town and thought that I wanted to live in a big city.  I didn't want to go back to small town life.  I think I may be changing my mind about that one.  Porches with rocking chairs, rolling grass covered hills, knowing your neighbors...all of these small town things may not be so bad.

Check out this porch.  Don't you just love a front door on an angle?  On my dream home wish list.

Leo, of course, just wanted to run around.

A Park Lover

I know a lot about parks.  Which ones have shade, which ones are always crowded.  The ones best for different ages of kids.  I never thought I'd know this much about parks.  We lived in Logan for 9 years, I can't name more than one playground structure in the whole town.

Oh how life changes when you have kids.

I don't particularly love going to the parks but you know what makes it worth it?  Leo's face.  He lights right up when we're there.  It doesn't even have to be a big impressive one.  There's a structure by our house that is just a slide.  He drags Heber over there every night before he will go to bed.

We went to a new one this last week down in McLean that was so fun.  Leo had his first experience with riding a carousel.  Best time ever.  He laughed and said wow over and over.  It's these little moments that make it all worth it. 

Spotlight

My ward had us fill out a spotlight.  Thought I'd share.

Tell us about your family (husband’s name, kids, etc.)
I am married to Heber.  We met our first semester at Utah State University and fell in love there.  In September, we'll be married eight years.  We have a little boy, Leo (21 mo).

Here's one of Leo waving.

Hometown
I grew up in Grantsville, Utah, the kind of place where people still ride horses down side streets.  Heb and I spent about 9 years in Logan, Utah before moving to Virginia a few years ago.

Education
I have an MS in Instructional Technology from Utah State University.  Instructional Design is a field that's all about helping people to learn and conveying information clearly using technology (websites, graphics, videos).  It's all about looking for ways to make things easier to understand or to be used more efficiently.  Really I am a computer nerd at heart. 


Occupation
I am a full time mom.  I also teach classes at a local bead store and create custom jewelry or glass projects. 

Ward Calling
Relief Society Activities Committee. 

Favorite food/cuisine
Rice.  Pretty much any variety of rice (risotto, ham fried, spanish...).  I also love a good enchilada with chips and salsa.


Favorite Book
I like to read a lot.  My all time favorites that I return to over and over again are Anne of the Island and the Happiness Project.  I also enjoy reading memoirs and creative writing like Nickeled and Dimed.

Favorite Hobby
Flameworking glass is my favorite hobby at the moment.  I make beads and small sculptures from molten glass.  Most weeks I spend Wednesday night in the studio torching hollow beads. 

What’s on your iPod? (What music, radio program or podcast are you currently listening to?)

I really like singer songwriter music with more of an indie or folk music slant.  I think you can tell if the singer means what they are saying.  Lately I've been playing Barnaby Bright (especially her song, "Gravity"), Missy Higgins and Christina Perri.

Best DC Tourist Spot – in your opinion

I can't ever get enough of Eastern Market.  I love to walk around the booths and see the art work that people have created.  Every time I go down there, I come away inspired!  And the food isn't too bad either.


The Library of Congress is also a must see.  Browsing the collection of Jefferson's book collection or admiring the architecture are also favorites.

What are you looking forward to (to do, to see, to go to, to try) this summer?

Going to Outer Banks! 

How would you spend a free Saturday?

Either in the glass studio or out on a small adventure.  I love exploring new places, even if it's in my own backyard.  There's nothing better than hopping in the car and having the day take unexpected turns.  One excursion led us to stay in the oldest operating inn in North America.  Our most recent discovery was the Chatham House down the 95.  It's a beautiful plantation home used during the Civil War by Clara Barton.

What would your mother consider one of your talents?

Being creative, not just in making things (which I like to do), but in finding solutions and solving problems in whatever challenge I face.  I am always looking for ways to improve our home or life.

What do you find uplifting?

Spending time with good people always lifts me up.  I also like to put on conference talks or uplifting music. 

The First Haircut

Leo had his first haircut by a professional on Saturday.  This is pretty much what he did the whole time, poor guy.

 We did treat him to some ice cream to cheer him up a little. 

I'm sad to see his sweet baby hair to go.  He's growing up so fast.

Wisconsin

We were in Wisconsin last week.  I never thought that Wisconsin would be on my vacation wish list but it was.  We went to visit my sis who lives there.  We all had a great time.  Ok, so a bit of a sleep deprived time (Leo doesn't like sleeping in new places), but it was still great.   

Heber went off with the the guys for the first 5 days and took a canoeing trip on the Boundary Channels.  We're talking all the way up and almost into Canada. 

For the most part, we kept it simple.  Which really is what I prefer right now.  We took the kids to the park, to swimming lessons.  On the 24th, we decorated bikes for the ward party.  It's been years since I decorated bikes. 

We ate good food.  Watched good movies and went to a lot of craft stores.  Perfect, right? 

These two are partners in crime.

Leo had a ball playing with his cousins.  He mastered the Barbie car, like learned how to push the pedal and make it go.  He played outside there on the banks of the Mississippi and made me wish for a yard.  It was fun. 

 

The boys with Granny Lori

We even got a date in. Yay!

On a completely unrelated note, my hair loved Wisconsin.  Made me want to move there just so my hair could be so good. 

Leaving a Legacy

Just after the 4th of July, I made a very quick trip home.  My Aunt Starla passed away very unexpectedly.  We had some family visiting us in Virginia at the time (bad timing) so it was just me that traveled out.  It was so incredibly sad but I was thankful that I could make the trip out to be with my family. 

One of the things that really struck me during the trip was the legacy that Aunt Starla left behind.  She was a master scrapbooker, a rememberer.  Her scrapbooks spanned years and were so detailed and beautiful.  She truly left a legacy of her life and it made me want to do the same. 

Life just moves along.  If I don't make an effort  remember, the memories slowly fade.  There are so many good memories, good times that have been lost.  I feel the renewed need to celebrate the happy moments because we all know that there are plenty of hard times to get through.  Let's remember the good to buoy us up and help us to find strength to continue through the challenging ones. 

I'm not sure if I'm going to scrapbook them.  Honestly, I don't really scrapbook but I'll keep writing this blog.  It helps me to remember and to think about our experiences together.

My sisters and mom outside my parent's home in Grantsville

Colonial Beach

We ran away again.  I like to do that every once in a while.  Just me, Heb and Leo out for an adventure.  We went down to Colonial Beach.  One of the closest beaches to us.  It's a beach on the Potomac River, as opposed to the ocean.  I would have preferred an ocean beach but they were all too far away for our taste today.

I have realized (after our trip to Outer Banks last summer), that I really love coasts and beach towns.  I think that it's how you feel when you're there.  No worries, just water and fun.  Heb and I like to look at all of the beach front houses.  I hope someday to have a coastal style home, wherever we end up.

Leo loved the water and beach.  We have a beach fan on our hands still, which is great because we're planning on heading back to OBX again this summer. 

As a side though, Colonial Beach will go down as one of the most disgusting beaches I've been to.  What can I say, it's on a river, not the ocean.  It filled my desire for being in a coast town and water and sand but bleh, I couldn't wait to get home and shower.