Memorial Day Weekend

Monday Zach and I attended Zach’s cousin’s funeral.

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I have been thinking of this family constantly since we found out Susan passed away. Even though I didn’t know Susan very well, her husband and five children that have been left without her have consumed my thoughts.  Still praying for all of them and wishing Tessa the speediest recovery possible.

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Well…we sold my car.  In five days.  Bless you, KSL.  Who knew that I would miss my Mazdarati so much?  Silvie has been a great car these past six years.  I teared up when I handed over the keys to a very excited high-school kid.  Who asked me how old I was, by the way.  He was very confused that I was the owner.  It didn’t help that I had my gym clothes on, no make-up, and wearing my retainer…

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SO much has been happening with work projects lately.  I haven’t been very good at keeping up with their progress, but it has been so fun to see my design projects be put into production.  Warrior HERS stick packs were made this past week…

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Along with updates on a very cute project I am helping some peeps out with.  They will be selling kids pillows and textiles.  Can’t wait to post more!  [I will be ordering a few products for our babe’s nursery here pretty soon, hopefully!]…

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On Wednesday Zach and I had an appointment to find out the gender of our little nugget.  It [I hate calling it an IT, for the record] was being super bashful and they sent us home with inconclusive results.  We were both so bummed we couldn’t find out that we drowned our sorrows at Coldstone.  For the record, my first time at Coldstone since I got knocked up.  This is a record for me.  We rescheduled our gender appointment until Saturday, but more on that later.

Saturday morning we rushed off to brunch at Eggs in the City to try and beat the crowd.  We weren’t early enough apparently, because the line was out the door.  Luckily our party of two got a spot by the window fairly quickly and enjoyed our feast.

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Later that evening we enjoyed sushi [a California roll for myself] and a movie.

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I treat Diet Coke more like a splurge these days.  I try to limit my intake, but on weekends I celebrate.  I decided to sneak in an ice cold can under my arm.  I felt so clever, until I realized the guy next to me was sneaking in a full-on chicken kabob.  It was super pungent [blame it on my supersonic senses that have been even MORE heightened] and nobody even gave him a second glance.  I guess my sneakiness was for nothing…

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Everyone knows I am not a Disney fan, but the Million Dollar Arm was such a cute show.  Definitely worth a matinee, at least.

Sunday after church Zach and I had made plans to do hobo dinners and s’mores up Millcreek Canyon.  The first two items on our summer list – completed!  I tried something new:  cooking the contents of the meal in a pie tin.  Spoiler alert!:  It is a life changer.  So much more moist and flavorful.  We are already planning on doing this again…really soon.

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Zach ate one s’more and was comatose.  I could have enjoyed 10 by myself…

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Monday morning we met my fam at IHOP for a Memorial Day breakfast.  We all had pancakes, waffles, bacon, etc.  Blake decided to get a Macaroni and Bacon Cheeseburger.  At 10:30 in the morning…

Brittany’s face says it all, really.

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We also attended several family BBQ’s this weekend [which I documented really well with pictures, obviously] and had such a great time catching up with so many people.

As for baby news – my Amazon deal jackpot showed up this week!  I still can’t believe I got the stroller I have been pining for [but was too cheap to buy at full price] for over $200 off!  It pays to check daily deal websites, I guess.  We had a great time setting it up together.  The weight limit almost cover’s Zach, too.  So…

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And I crossed another week off!  Celebrating up Millcreek, we took my weekly pic.  14 weeks have come and gone [technically as I type this I am 15 weeks, but we aren’t being literal here]…

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Boston 2014

I have been begging Zach to go to Boston for years.  Literally years.  He surprised me recently when he told me we were going to go to Boston and that it was going to be “for Mother’s Day”.  Little did I know that the Boston Bruins had made it to the playoffs and happened to be in Boston playing the EXACT same week Zach picked for us to go.  I really didn’t mind, however, because going to Boston for anything meant that I got to go to Boston.

We arrived in town Wednesday afternoon around 4:00.  I made Zach walk around and look at all the gorgeous Brownstones until we made it to our hotel.

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We checked in, Zach bought two tickets to the game on Stub Hub, and we were off to the TD Garden.  We didn’t even have time for dinner.  We ate at the stadium – popcorn for Zach and a giant soft pretzel for myself.  I about died laughing when I walked passed the Bruin Babes in all their glory.  Pregnant and chowing on my soft pretzel, I decided to get a picture.  Because it was too funny to pass up.

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The game was completely sold out – and not only was it packed, but the noise level was unlike any other sporting event I had ever experienced.  It was baptism by fire for me for my first hockey playoff game…

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Unfortunately the Bruins lost, but we still had such a great time!

The next morning I had all planned out.  We would walk the Freedom Trail on the North End and eat at Regina Pizzeria for lunch.  Before we had left I debated whether or not schedule a guided tour for us.  Last minute I decided we would do it on our own.  Call me a cheapskate, but a $2 app on my phone and the ability to go at our own pace sounded a lot better than listening to a man dressed in knickers for three hours.  We were both so happy we decided to brave it on our own.

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We went from place to place and then decided to have a lunch break.  The famous pizza place did not disappoint.  Zach killed his entire pepperoni pizza [this is pretty monumental considering he doesn’t eat that much normally] and I stuffed as much of my margherita pizza in my mouth as I possibly could.

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We then continued along the Freedom Trail, but not without a few distractions.  Zach got sucked into the Pinkberry tractor beam and I popped in a local Italian bakery for some French macarons and an ice cold can of Diet Coke.  We sat at a little table in the corner and ate our treats while listening to the little old Italian men chattering behind us.  We found out later one of them was the owner.

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After making our way to each stop on the Freedom Trail we had to head on over to our dinner reservation at Hillstone.  It was a restaurant owned by a chain of a place we went to in Chicago called Bandera.  I loved Bandera so much, when I found out their sister restaurant was in Boston, I made Zach go.  We also had a friend recommend it, so I was sold.  Hands down the best chicken I have ever had.  Zach enjoyed a giant steak and let me indulge in a brownie sundae for dessert.  We walked off our meal at a nearby market before making our way back to our hotel for the night.

Our second full day in the city we took the subway to Beacon Hill.  Probably the most picturesque bunch of streets I have ever laid eyes on.  We walked in and out of shops, ate brunch at the Paramount, and stopped by Acorn Street.  The tiny little street still has gas lamp posts and cobblestones – adorned with American flags.

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After we walked some more we had to run back to our hotel to get our rain gear.  It was supposed to rain the majority of the day on Friday, which was when we had planned to go to a Red Sox game at Fenway.  We put on our rain jackets and boots and took the subway to a little Italian restaurant two blocks away from the stadium.  The restaurant was so tiny [less than 10 tables] and had a view right into the kitchen.  We ordered our meals and got to watch a very robust Italian man make our dinner.  I have heard phenomenal things about Boston’s Italian food.  This place killed it.

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We ate our dinner and Zach purchased our game tickets [on his phone, 20 minutes before the game started] and then we walked to Fenway.  I have been wanting to visit Fenway Stadium pretty much my whole life.  It has been on my theoretical bucket list for as long as I can remember.  Zach had also never been and we couldn’t believe the character of the whole place.  Maybe it was the ancient stadium, maybe it was the whole vibe from all the fans, but whatever it was – it was the highlight of our whole trip!  We got some Sox gear and rushed into the crowd to get our seats.  Say what you will about Zach [I say he is an absolute procrastinator] but when it comes to game tickets, this guy has a fool-proof strategy.  Our tickets were incredible – no obstructions and under the pavilion above.  This was really important because when it started to rain between the second and third inning, we were completely dry and comfortable.

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I also made a new friend, Chuck, who insisted we pose together for a photo.  We had thought the game would get rained out, but after a prolonged intermission, they were back at it.  My favorite was Sweet Caroline during the 8th inning.  Super cheesy, but so iconic of Fenway.  We rode the subway home with all the bummed fans [we lost to the Tigers by 1] but Zach and I were completely happy to have experienced historic Fenway.

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Saturday was our last full day and was spent in Cambridge.  We rode the red line all the way to Harvard.  We walked around Harvard Yard, which was literally blossoming, and Zach got a Pinkberry to go while we roamed around.  We ate lunch at Shake Shack [bless you Cambridge…I have been craving a good burger for months now and am counting down the months until Shake Shack comes to Vegas] and made our way over to the river to watch the rowers do their drills.  I have always wanted to go to Cambridge in the fall, but spring was just as gorgeous.  The whole place was buzzing.  Students were moving out of the dormitories, parents were visiting.  It made me miss college life.  For about 10 full seconds.

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Later we took the subway to Newbury Street to do some shopping.  My biggest score was my new mom bag AKA diaper bag!  We hit up several stores while the sun was shining.  We felt so lucky were were blessed with such great weather.  All of our teams lost, but the weather was perfection.  Zach braved more stores with me until it was time to make our way back to Cambridge for our dinner reservation.  We had a late meal at Commonwealth.  I also feel like we had great luck with food this whole trip.  We ordered their amazing macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, and trout.  We liked our entrees so much we ordered dessert – another brownie sundae for me and Juan Pedro [JP loves brownie sundaes, they are his favorite] and a plain jane scoop of vanilla ice cream for his father.

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Sunday our flight left early in the afternoon and we didn’t have much time in the city before we left.  We decided to go back to Faneuil Hall and the market buildings for some browsing and lunch.  When Zach saw there was a Wagamama in Quincy Market, we both agreed we would dine there.  We had been several times in London and love their…everything.

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Homemade chicken ramen and a rice bowl concluded our trip.  Basically we ate the entire time and loved every second of it.  We both hated the ride to the airport.  Traveling to new places for us is always a treat.  Just when we think we have settled on our favorite city to travel to…we go to Boston.  The food, the character of the buildings, the history.  This place has made our Top 5 permanently.

Also, I am officially in my second trimester.  Weeks 12 and 13 have completely flown by.  Along with getting my “mom bag” I bought a stroller.  I know it’s really early for this kind of stuff, but the one I have had my eye on went on sale on Amazon and I couldn’t resist.  Slowly, but surely, we are checking off our baby gear one item at a time.

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13 weeks

 

Ocho de Mayo // Mother’s Day

Monday was Zach’s very first ice hockey game of the season.  We both have been looking forward to it for weeks.  It was at the ACORD center in West Valley and as if it couldn’t have gotten any better…they had Mike & Ike’s in one of the vending machines.  All was peaceful.  Zach’s team was winning 5 to 0 and it wasn’t until the 3rd period that the opposing team started to get flustered.  One of the members of their team got frustrated and took a whack at Zach [literally] with his stick.  I yelled “Calm down, 22.  This isn’t the Olympics!”  He looked straight up at me from down on the ice and used some very choice gestures.  I couldn’t stop laughing.  Zach’s ice hockey games are such a great source of entertainment for me.  30-year-old men playing in a rec league – acting like it is for the Stanley Cup!  I just kept on eating my Mike & Ike’s…

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This week I also took on a little project I have been scheming up.  I have been wanting to make a travel map for Zach and I for months, but couldn’t figure out how I wanted to do it.  I wanted something unique so I bought a few supplies.  First I painted a 8’x4′ sanded plywood board in my garage.

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Once it dried I applied a giant vinyl sticker of a map I found on Etsy.  It was 7′ wide and took a lot of patience, but it looked great after it has been adhered to the board.

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After hanging it above the staircase [the most difficult part] I began to mark all the places we had traveled with small wire nails.

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The most time consuming part was connecting all the wire nails with embroidery floss to represent all the flights we have taken from home.  I thought a “flight” travel map would be the perfect way to display our love of travel and Zach’s love of aviation.

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I was so excited about how it turned out!

I also made some Ocho de Mayo decorations.  My friend Kristina’s birthday is on May 8th and she is Mexican, so we celebrate Ocho de Mayo instead of Cinco de Mayo.  I wanted romantic cantina lighting, so I made candle votives out of glass bottles.

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We all ordered take-out from Red Iguana and enjoyed each other’s company whilst eating out of metal containers.

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My friends indulge my stupid ideas and kept strictly to theme:  Whit brought Mexican Coke and Sprite in bottles and Whitney Allen brought fried ice cream for dessert!

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We love you Kristina!  I hope you had the best birthday possible.  You are by far my favorite Mexcian!

Saturday morning I got to babysit some of my nieces and nephew at their house while their mom and dad were at work.  I am trying to get as much practice in as possible before Juan Pedro comes…

These little faces are easy to love.

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Saturday night Zach and I had our date night at Tepanyaki and had La Bonne Vie macarons for dessert.  The new lemon flavor is off the CHAIN!  I took them into our late night movie at the Gateway.  MUCH better than popcorn if you ask me…

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Sunday Zach and I slept in and relaxed all morning.  A few hours later Zach gave me my very first Mother’s Day gift.  I honestly didn’t expect anything and wouldn’t have been disappointed if he would have completely forgot, but he never forgets.  Bless his mother for teaching him to be so thoughtful.  Jeanene, you have made your son such a wonderful husband and I couldn’t be more grateful.  Just one of many reasons I adore my mother-in-law.  I was totally blown away by my husband’s sweet gesture.

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Sunday for Relief Society I was asked to bear my testimony about a specific topic and decided to tie in my testimony about my Mom.  I have been working on a journal for her as a Mother’s Day gift and have been writing in it every Sunday for the past few months.  I shared some of my favorite memories of my mom and couldn’t have been more grateful for her at that moment.

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Mother’s Day means something different to me now and celebrating my first one with my husband and family was the best gift I could have been given.  I can’t wait to celebrate with my mother-in-law and Zach’s family this week to honor them for Mother’s Day.  We’ll keep the good times coming as long as we can…

Our Little Skeletor

Zach and I had been so looking forward to this week.  We had fun weekend plans with friends [which involved two movies and dinner at From Scratch…and lemon, raspberry, and salted caramel macarons].  But the highlight was our 11 week appointment.

But first we made headbands for Activity Days.  These girls definitely keep me on my toes.  Now if I only had a fraction of their energy…
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My mom, grandma, and soon-to-be sister-in-law all got pedicures at a local Day Spa for my Grandma’s 80th birthday.  80 years old and it was her very first pedicure.  I’m not sure what she thought of it, but we all had a great time together.  We let Gram pick where she wanted to go for dinner afterwards and her top choice was Red Robin.

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Mid-week I also conned my friend Angie into visiting the new Swig in Bountiful to get a sugar cookie.  Glad I have someone that appreciates their baked goods as much as I do.  Putting a Swig 6-8 minutes from my house was the most inconsiderate and marvelous thing that has happened to me.

Wednesday I had my viability check up with my doctor.  Zach came along in hopes to hear our babe’s heartbeat.  If I am being completely honest, I had been pretty anxious up to this appointment.  I haven’t been sick, and truly haven’t felt very different these past few months.  Some days I would wonder if I still was pregnant, or if this whole thing really was for real.  Once we arrived my doctor tried to find the heartbeat, but had no luck with this knobby thing she was jabbing into my midsection.  Also, she brought in a resident to join her.  He was from Egypt and reminded me of Sayid from LOST.  It’s true when they say there is zero privacy for a pregnant chick.

When the knobby thing couldn’t pick up a heartbeat, my doc decided to pop me into the ultrasound room to give the monitor a try.  She just used the other little knobby thing with a camera on the outside of my stomach.  There on the monitor was our little [blurry] nugget.  She verified the heart beat and we were on our way.  Right after her and Sayid (I realize this is not his name, but it’s all I’ve got) let the room, she popped back in before I could change back into my clothes.  She said, “If you want to stay undressed, Dr. Peterson happens to be here today and is willing to do your more in-depth ultrasound that was scheduled for later at the hospital right now.  Is that ok with you?”  Zach and I were both elated.  Dr. Peterson came in and did a more invasive ultrasound.  As soon as I saw the baby up on the monitor I had tears streaming down my face.  He gave us a quick glimpse and then did a bunch of mumbo jumbo measurements before going back to baby.  I think the most shocking thing was how much the babe was moving!  It’s little appendages were squirming around and was seriously break dancing inside of me.  Doc kept laughing at it, saying it was “jogging” with a heart rate of 202!  It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.  At one point, the babe looked right at us (more at the wand thingy) so we could see his entire face on the monitor.  Two dark spots for eyes, staring right at us.  Even though he looks like skeletor right now on the monitor, he is our little skeletor.  Oh, and also…I am calling it a he.  Saying “it” makes me feel weird.  Zach kept saying over and over again how incredible it was to see him moving around.  I am glad the doc let us take a couple of pictures home, because my entire view of the monitor was blurred with flooded eyes.

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After changing I came out into the hallway to see my husband staring at the photos, smiling.  I think this whole experience made it real for both of us, but especially for him.

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And he totally ruined the tender moment for me when he asked me if I wanted to go to Arby’s for lunch with him afterwards.  Upon our arrival he made me take the ultrasound pictures into Arby’s so he could study them more in depth.  Classy place to take your knocked-up wife and unborn baby.

It was the perfect way to kick-off our weekend.

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Yes, the ultrasound pic is upside down… I’m new at this, alright?

We ended the weekend with my brother and Brittany over at our place Sunday night for a pasta dinner and brownie sundaes.  Because brownies make everything better…