Kate's 2014 and 2015

I know this is early but I thought I would post before I forgot. I am not going to put the "best" moments of 2014, just the most memorable moments. Times were sometimes hard but I look back at this year with fondness and feel happy and content in the present moment. As for 2015, I am going to include goals I have rather than just events that I want to occur.

2014

1. One of the top things I looked forward to this year...Graduation! It feels weird to think I am a college graduate but I would take that weird feeling any day.
2. Taking Ceramics in my final semester. I seriously loved this class and want to find some city classes to take as well. It was a great stress reliever and just something different to explore. 
3. Started working at Young Living. I love this job! It is the right fit for me. I got extremely lucky especially since it was my first "big girl" interview.
4. I lived away from Andy for six weeks while transitioning down to Salt Lake. It was very difficult even though I went up every weekend. I gained much appreciation for him during this time. We hadn't spent a night apart since getting married so it needed to happen sometime. I don't want to go through it again but at least I know I could if we needed to.
5. My grandpa George passed away in June. This wasn't shocking. He has been suffering a lot these past few years, even more so since July of last year. I was emotionally prepared and I did get my goodbye. It is nice to know he is with his son and playing his guitar again.
6. With the new job that meant a move. Logan was good to us and it will hold a special place in my heart. I like the area we are in now, but hopefully we find somewhere as dear to us as Logan. This was the easiest move ever though.
7. Rio (our nephew) being born. This was a crazy weekend when we went to his blessing. But it worked out and I love my in-law family.
8. Going to Comic Con. It is definitely not our scene, but we did have a blast going. Andy got to meet some of his TV/book heroes and I enjoyed looking through all the little booths of stuff.
9. My grandma Cherie passing away in October. This was a shock. She had been fine living in the nursing home for four years. I hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye and this hit me pretty hard. I felt sad because I thought she may have been alone her whole life. She never got remarried. It wasn't until my mom's talk at her funeral that I found peace. I remembered how much she valued and loved the gospel and how she tried to live her life as perfectly as she could. I will remember her example in my life.
10. We made our first Thanksgiving Turkey! and it was delicious. We actually had 4 Thanksgivings total, so there was a lot of gratitude during the month of November.
11. Danny came home! It's weird, but it's good.
12. Because #11 happened, a miracle occurred. I honestly never thought I would see this day. Danny and I had lunch with BOTH sets of parents AND it wasn't awkward, no one yelled, and nobody died. I seriously am still in shock and am eternally grateful to have that memory.
13. There was some good friend moments for me this past year: Last midnight pizza with Alyssa, Red Iguana and Leatherby's, Franny's wedding, Graduation with my classmates and taking silly pictures. I have been blessed to have so many people in my life that make life so enjoyable and wonderful. Thank you ladies for being a big part of that! I love you!
14. Getting pregnant is something that we pray for daily. It is a trial for me. I will be going to a doctor sometime next month to check everything out. However, I am waiting for that "special event" to do so. This is the worst part. I am late right now; almost three weeks. But every test has been negative so far. Maybe I am pregnant but we are unsure right now (so this bullet may change). I have gotten comfort on difficult nights and I am gaining some patience. So, this is not a "moment" but rather something that has taken up a majority of my thoughts. If I could ask, please pray for us as we search for answers.

2015

1. Same goal as last year, I would like to be on the road to starting our family this upcoming year. I hope this is meant to happen soon.
2. No soda in 2015.
3. I want to read more this year, and with that I want to write a little bit. Nothing big, but I want to try my hand at writing.
4. Andy will start school again this next year. Yay!
5. I look forward to seeing one of my projects I have started at work being finished. It will be so cool to hold a final project that I helped create.
6. I want to go on one trip with Andy this year. Even if it is just Southern Utah, this will happen.
7. With the no soda thing, I hope to make improvements in order to be more healthy.
8. The potential of Danny getting married. I am not saying it is going to happen, but I am open to the possibility :)
9. I want to do more crafting. Maybe some ceramics as well. I have discovered this is something I enjoy and I want to expand that.
10. I want to read the scriptures every day. This is a habit I have fallen out of but I know that I could benefit greatly by making it a priority in my life.
11. I look forward to Alyssa's wedding! I am so happy that she has found her person, even if that means she leaves to Texas. (Will someone please tell me why everyone is moving to Texas?)
12. I hope to find the perfect spot for us to live. We probably won't be buying a house but we want to go maybe somewhere cheaper, or maybe this place will feel more like home.
13. I want to horseback ride again. It has been far too long! Last time was before I was married.
14. I want to take more notice of the everyday blessings that happen in my life and be more grateful.
15. I am excited mostly for the new adventures that await us and for spending the time with my husband.

These lists seems pretty lame but I am happy of where things are and we don't have much planned for the new year. I mainly want to focus on improving myself and being happy. Thanks for reading and I can't wait to read your lists as well. Happy New Year!

Time for a Change

Hi girlies!

This was a private message on facebook, but that was getting outrageously long so I thought I'd throw it over here instead.

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WHY I'M GOING TO START EXERCISING

A personal facebook novel written by Annie Hull to her beloved soul sistas.

Okay, so you know how we had talked pregnancy stuff? (Franny, to bring you up to speed, Chelsea's Mike asked about how much more emotional/hormonal he could expect Chelsea to be when pregnancy comes along.) This is just a to-whom-it-may-concern-or-interest follow-up.

I have been UNBELIEVABLY more of a basketcase this pregnancy than last. Emotional, depths of despair, depressed... the nasty stuff. There are many different factors that are likely playing into that, but I'd like to cite one huge one in case you ever want to remember it for the future:  I haven't been exercising the way I did when I was pregnant with Eliza. Especially during the first trimester with Eliza, I was walking A TON. Like miles and miles and miles. This was largely motivated by the adage that walking during pregnancy makes for easier deliveries. (Which I believe in.) I was slightly terrified of labor and figured this was one little aspect of it I could have control over--prepping my body the best that I could.

My mileage slowly decreased through the second and third trimesters as the months got colder. However, during the second trimester and into the third, I was in a Zumba class in college where I worked my tail off twice a week. I also generally did Zumba on my own at home one or two other days during the week and walked every so often.

And, for the record, my nutrition was pretty decent. Not wow-your-socks-off healthy, and Blake and I definitely did a lot of pregnancy craving runs to Panda Express, but I was getting a lot of fruits and vegetables... I guess just a good, balanced diet. That has been considerably less of the case this go around. Less fast food, but also less wholesome, well-balanced food.

I'm not saying it's a cure-all, but I'm definitely feeling motivated to up my exercise in the hopes that I can be more even keel for the next few months. And I feel even more motivated to be active during future pregnancies right from the start. It's kind of hard to *start* being active halfway through a pregnancy... I'm having to start out annoyingly slow and my body would WAY rather just sit on the couch. It's much easier to just be active from the get-go... You don't really have to let-up at all with workout intensity unless you or your doctor feel like you should.

Just thought I'd throw that out there. Might come in handy someday. Also, if anyone is interested, there's a Word of Wisdom health challenge that I think I'm going to be starting shortly. (It's an excel spreadsheet--you get points for eating fruits, vegetables, drinking water, refraining from soda, exercising, etc. Just normal good stuff--nothing extreme.)  If you want to join, I'd welcome the company and group motivation.:)

Hope everything's going well for everybody! Love you!

Blessings from 2013 and Looking forward to 2014

As per Annie's request, here is my list of the best moments of 2013 and what I am looking forward to in 2014. I have had a little more trouble than I did last year coming up with moments that I feel note-worthy. 2013 for me was a bit of a difficult year. However, I don't think I dwell on those lows. There were a lot of simple "happinesses" (I made up that word, just go with it) that really mean the world to me. I think I have grown a lot from last year and these little things are what I will share. I am so grateful for Andy for he really stuck it out with me and we are looking forward to what is to come. Let's make him the first thing of 2013 shall we?...

2013

1. My loving husband. This year has just even more so solidified my love for him. I am not going to say that we have everything figured out but I will say that it just keeps getting better. Just the little moments that we have shared last year have made all the difference.

2. Elder Durham's farewell. It was a little strange seeing little Danny leave on his mission but it has been so neat seeing how his testimony has grown and how strong he is in the gospel. He loves Arkansas.

3. Moving to our own place. We love our little town home. It just holds such a sweet spirit that Andy and I can just focus on us and building our future.

4. We have been lucky with Andy's job. Even though it isn't a permanent place that he wants to stay, he has gained so many skills this past year that I know will help our future family.

5. Making friends in my own major. This is something that was pretty hard for me. I wanted to know people that I was graduating with. Also it is nice to have those few people that have multiple classes with you that understand your complete work load. I am not trying to shun other majors but I feel like I am getting all I can out of my degree now. 

6. We bought a car. Noted I am still a little overly cautious with it but it really has been a blessing to us.

7. Going to Caldwell, ID for Thanksgiving. Andy drove me around town and showed me where he grew up.

8. I got two new nephews and one new niece. One of the nephews and niece were born on the same day.

9. Deciding to put the birth control on hold for now. This was a difficult one but the outcome has been tremendous. I was depressed for a good part of the year and it has been a night and day difference in my emotions. When we do decide to go back on I will have to try something different but for now it is good.

10. My testimony of the Holy Ghost has grown this year. I particular as a comforter. The future holds many trials and I know that he will be right there on my side.

11. Andy using his Priesthood. He is still relatively new to this, but he honors it so well. I am grateful for the blessings he has been able to give me and receive from his family. I also got a little teary eyed seeing him in the circle blessing our nephew. One day he will do that for our children.

12. Reuniting with friends and family after long absences. From our gatherings to seeing my sisters to seeing other friends that have gone away. It is nice to know that I have that connection with so many amazing people.

13. School really has been a blessing, mainly this past semester. I finally feel like it is making sense, that it is falling into place. My new job at the library has really kept me on top of things. I am starting to understand why I was prompted so many years ago to go into Biochemistry.

Onto 2014....

1. Graduation. It is still later than I thought, but it is official. I will graduate May 3, 2014 and I cannot wait.

2. Finding a job in my field. I am a little sick of minimum wage jobs and I just want to do more meaningful work.

3. Moving. With a job we know we will be moving. However, we have no idea where yet. Cache Valley is just not the right place for us so we shall see what happens. (I am a bit nervous about this one).

4. Potentially buying a house. Depending on where we are at location wise and financially. I can't wait to actually nail something into my walls.

5. Temple trips. I want to do more this year. I love the temple.

6. Hopefully getting pregnant this year. Just something that has been at the forefront of our minds and we feel it might be time for our family to grow. (Not pregnant yet ;) )

7. More dates with the husband. We are indoor people for sure but we have both made a pact to get out more and do things together.

8. A new niece/nephew in July.

9. Did I mention graduating? That one deserves two bullet points.

10. Learning more about myself and improving on some shortcomings I have.

11. My sister is adopting two little girls from Ukraine, hopefully this Spring. This is one thing I am extremely excited for and something that has been in talks for a long time.

12. Cecotti Reunion. We think this will happen this year in Washington and honestly, I have not met any of the Cecotti side of Andy's family (other than Dad and sisters). And I have always wanted to see Washington.

13. Continued moments with family. I am really blessed in that area.

14. Watching our marriage grow. Another year down, eternity to go.

Well there you have it. Hopefully it wasn't too boring of a list. It was quite a fun list to compile. Smile, Life's Good