life as we know it

this blog has obviously been neglected. there are so many times that i want to start writing again, but always put it off. but i guess that ends today :)

so much has happened since my last post, duh. it would be impossible to catch up so instead we'll start from the present. i am currently working at the moran eye center, but have switched roles and now work as a surgical counselor for our refractive department. i have loved working closely with our cornea doctors and refractive patients. they've asked me to dabble in marketing for the new laser center and it's been more fun than i anticipated. who would have thought i'd have a knack for marketing? it was fun to present some ideas to the marketing director and i'm excited to become more involved in that side of things. thanks to kevin's (my brother in law) app brandr and for train rides to and from work that let me put together a few images to present. who knows what will happen, but for now i'm enjoying work and the opportunities that lie ahead.

jowanza is working at a startup called oneclick retail and really enjoying it. it makes a huge difference when you like your job! jowanza continues to work on his personal technical blog which gets alot of attention from others in his field. i'm constantly amazed at how much effort and thought he puts into his work and career. his mind is always thinking about how to progress his skills connections within his profession. 

baby norah is doing well. it's still a little surreal to say that we are expecting a baby girl and that she'll be here in september. in one breath it seems so soon and the next seems so far away. i'm feeling pretty darn good most of the time, so can't complain. silly things like sleeping and eating can still be a challenge, but i feel pretty lucky overall. every single doctors appointment that allows me to see baby or hear her heartbeat is priceless. they keep telling me that everything is low risk and that the baby is doing great, but i have yet to feel her move and am quasi- showing. until my belly really pops or i can feel my baby move frequently i find myself getting nervous. maybe it's the hormones, but i have this overwhelming love and respect for women-- like every woman who's ever had a baby before. it's hard! and this is coming from someone who's only survived half of her pregnancy. i still have childbirth to conquer and then that whole "raising a child" thing to worry about. haha. i know it all comes one day at a time, but i look at others who have done it and continue to do it and i LOVE THEM. like real deep down ugly cry feeling a lot of feelings love them. being a woman is an incredible thing, and what God allows our bodies to do to bring life into this world is wonderful.

we bought a house! and to keep things exciting, we are building. every time i tell people we're building they tell me that we are "brave" and ask if jowanza and i have been fighting over design choices. it's been a really fun process and we haven't fought at all! its been fun for us to create our own space that identifies with both of our styles. it's really exciting knowing that we will be bringing home baby norah to the new space. jowanza is working to make our new place a "smart home". i know i saw a disney movie about that once that didn't end well, but it's been fun for him to get little gadgets that do things that i don't understand, but i'm sure it will be great. and then i can run my whole home from my smart phone. haha (but seriously though)

hoping to keep this updated as we get closer and closer to new home and new baby, two large new chapters we are starting with our little family. that means pictures! i need to be better :)

lifetime

you guys. not that i had anything to do today, but still. we accidentally turned on lifetime and now i've been sitting here for 3 1/2 hours watching weird movies about people that are weird and obsessive and kill people just because they love someone "so much it hurts".
and guess what, i loved every second of it. plus, i was watering the lawn (via sprinkler) while i was watching. i'm all about multi-tasking.
we did hit up a local art market this morning. i love going to those things and love to buy local craftiness. sometimes it's frustrating when i see stuff being sold there- its easy to have the thought process of "i could make that" or "i could make that cuter" or "that is pure ugly and anything i make would be better than that". ok that sounds harsh, and maybe i couldn't really make something cuter. but then i want to get a booth and make stuff and sell it. how do these people start little jewelry businesses (or felt balls or bags or prints or whatever)?!?!?! it can't be that hard, right?
anyway, if you want to start a business with me, give me a jingle. lets do this thing. until then, i'll be watching "the surrogate" on lifetime.

that one time...

that mark came to visit. granted, he was here on business…but he called, and i ditched work. we went out to lunch and he ran a few errands with me. icing on the cake, we went to target and i loaded this hello kitty bag chuck full of hello kitty gear (sophies newest obsession). when i asked mark if he was ok taking it as his carry on, he said "are you kidding? i'm proud. this means i have a daughter that i love!" man alive, he's a good guy. 

things you miss when your power goes out

i haven't had to deal with a power outage in a long time, and guess what? it's the pits. it also made me realize how much i take for granted every day (weird how that works, right?)
let's start with the plugs. i know that seems obvious, but how is one supposed to dry your hair and such if you can't plug them in and have them turn on?
in case you forgot, your kitchen appliances also use plugs. i guess i won't microwave anything, or cook eggs, or make a breakfast smoothie for that matter. hmm.
obviously the tv won't turn on, and even though your computer is completely charged, the internet doesn't work.
it's been cold and rainy the last few days. my house also needs power for the heat to turn on. seriously.
go somewhere where there's power? great idea. i mean grandma only lives 10 minutes away. but my car is parked in the garage, and i've since learned that my garage door doesn't open without power.
lucky for me i had a fully charged cell phone. but what to do when that dies?

basically i learned how dependent i am on electricity, and i get that it's 2014 but it still made me rethink things a bit. what would i do in a natural disaster or emergency? i mean it's great if i have gas in my car, but it doesn't do me much good if it's stuck in the garage. it also made me rethink how i spend my time. my house was really quiet this morning, and that should have been ok. instead i found myself wondering what to do. I'm excited for summer and the idea of being able to be outside more. who knows, i might even take up reading :)

brain wash

i turned down spending time with a boy tonight because "i needed to be by myself and think through some stuff". after claiming to have a bad day (which, let's be honest...i've had better...and worse, but that's beside the point) i really did just want to come home and wear sweat pants and eat ice cream...and continue to stew about the stuff that was bugging me. i know that i'll sleep it off and in the morning, things will be better. until then, i'll tickle your fancy with a few things i've learned about....well, things (ok, me):

1. i'm a people pleaser. i want other people to be happy, even if it means at my expense. its something i'm working to communicate better-- with coworkers, family and friends. believe it or not, i do have boundaries, and they can be pushed, or crossed (and that's when i flip out)

2. i spend alot of time accommodating other people. for the most part, i really enjoy it. i like seeing other people happy and stuff. sometimes i could care less. sometimes i experience a guilt because i'm the one who's most able to accommodate, and i just don't want to.

3. i like the chase. like i used to think it would be nice to have someone who's obsessed with me... but i'm learning that as much as it might seem like a game, i like the chase. about 5 years ago, my dad told me i needed to be more "mysterious" in my dating. i hated that advice, and now i'm realizing i hated it because i didn't understand it (funny how that works, right?). don't get me wrong, i need to be pursued...but there needs to be a little bit of mystery. the intrigue that makes you want to see them again, and vice versa. too much too fast takes the fun out of everything.

4. why is it the boys i dont want to date or cant date are obsessed with me and the boys i can and want to date...well, aren't. i've never been good at test taking, and this test is no different. at this point, i'd rather be sitting in the testing center with a number 2 pencil and a scantron. this real life stuff is the pits.

5. i will forever love the rain. it's soothing. it smells so fresh. everything seems clean. and then add thunder and lightning to the mix, and i'm a happy girl. i could open every window in the house and sit on the porch and sit out a whole storm. even though i stay where it's dry, i still feel that release-- let it go-- feeling, which is sometimes just what i need. thank goodness for rain.

st. geezy

let me start out with my birthday/graduation shout out to my funniest and youngest brother. i still can't believe matthew is moving to provo THIS WEEK. read it and weep, ladies. is he a stud or what?

 this past weekend we met up in st. george for a fun filled weekend with family. we missed the usual (mark's crew and beb on her mission), but still managed to have a good time :)

i am not complaining about this pool time. colby and i both took a long nap in the shade. perfection.

we went on a short little hike...

and then stayed up late watching heavyweights. could life get any better??

church the next day was a struggle to stay awake for some....

these pictures are classic :)

i like these people. thanks for a fun weekend, guys!!

does two "halfs" equal a "full"??

if that's the case, then i've completed a marathon. remember that one time a ran a half marathon? i think that was the same time i said i would never do it again.

as just bieber said...never say never.

cindy and i signed up months ago, with intentions of training. the road to you know where is paved with good intentions. we were still optimistic about the race...can you tell??

packet pick up

we stayed the night at cousin lindseys house, and about 9pm we got a call from a friend that had a free entry to the race. we convinced lindsey to join us...since we hadn't trained either. so early early morning we woke up and headed to the shuttles. this is nervous beth, have you ever met her?

we met up with some other friends in the canyon who were running the race too. obviously all of us were running on little sleep....

and off we went. the route really is beautiful. the weather was perfect. if only they'd had port-o potties every two miles like they'd promised :)

whitney and crew came to cheer us on at two different places on our route. what a welcome sight!! whitney is one that understands what a little cheering on can do for the soul. it was so fun to see them. (i know it's not the easiest or funnest thing in the world to load up your kids several times and then wait on the side of the road for two girls who haven't trained wobble on past. thanks again whit for your support!!!)

 we finished!! it was the best feeling of all time. my hips didn't hurt as much this time around, but i kept getting this weird foot cramp in my right foot that was making my toes curl under like a charlie horse everytime i'd lift my foot off the ground. how do you stretch that out? luckily that happened about the last mile and a half, and only would happen when i was running. 

we hugged. we cried. and then i saw this crew (dfc peeps!!!) what a pleasant surprise!!

nathan and caitie were waiting at the finish line with a cup of ice. i almost wept. so nice of them to come and support, especially since caitie had just finished a 12 hour shift at PCMC. thanks for coming guys!!!

 and here we are. crossed the finish line. with our medals. it really is a sense of accomplishment that i can't really describe. as much as i hated parts of that race, i have to say i'm glad i did it. cindy was a great partner in crime (as usual). she forced me to think of the race as a whole, not pushing myself too hard in the beginning--reminding me that there were still so many miles to go. we talked about boys and jammed to great tunes. needless to say, it was a raging success. 

this time i'm smart enough that i won't say i'll NEVER do this race again. hopefully next time i'll train? just an idea.....

ps. sorry i look so good in all of these pictures (please pick up on this sarcasm). i would normally not post pictures of me looking soooo good, but i decided i don't really care. 

pps. lindsey was a rockstar and made it to mile NINE (long before cindy and i did btw) but was having issues with her ankles from a previous injury. i told her not to push herself and talked her into letting whitney come pick her up. i'm so proud of her!!!!