Chillin in the Burg

My First Rant

2011-05-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

I am not generally a controversial person (mom is probably laughing right now). I do not generally rant. So today I feel somewhat justified in expressing a few feelings.

Stop comparing kids.

I have enjoyed, for the most part, my time in Rexburg. I like my ward, have a few friends, and am finishing my schooling within the next year. However, it seems to me that Rexburg (and I could probably say, any area with young parents) has a flaw (besides its winters)--every new parent, or newlywed, or single-person-who-obviously-knows-how-to-raise-a-child-better-than-you feels the need to give you advice, or compare your child with another child. Sometimes I feel like we're comparing pogs or baseball cards; what weight your child is, when they got teeth, how soon they walked--any statistic can be utilized. I fear saying anything about my child because I KNOW I will end up hearing "well, my child walked when she was 6 months old, but don't worry, your child will figure it out eventually". Congrats--your child is a freaking ANOMALY. Or better yet, the "are you a good parent who is giving your child every option in life" conversation. There is a fairly good chance that my children will grow up eating hot dog casserole and fish stick sandwiches on white bread. Sometimes, I don't serve vegetables AT ALL. It's because I hate green beans. Occasionally, I let my child watch Scooby Doo, because it keeps her entertained, and is most likely rotting her brain. She may never wear shoes in the Summer (or Spring, Winter, or Fall), and will wear plenty of hand-me-downs (thank you, sister and sister-in-laws!). Despite all of this, I get the distinct feeling that my kid will turn out just fine. And I'm ok with that. Here are some pictures of my kid eating goldfish crackers. Because they are good.

Things to think about

2011-02-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

I recognize that my normal posts consist mainly of pictures and a quick paragraph about how life is good; however, I have recently had some other thoughts on my mind that I'd like to expound on (David calls this "questing"). For one of my classes I read the talk "Now is the Time", by President Monson. In it he states: "because life is fragile and death is inevitable, we must make the most of each day". Death is not something I enjoy thinking about; for a while, nothing frightened me more. I am grateful for the Gospel, which helps me to recognize that death is not the end-all--merely another necessary step in our eternal progression. We recognize that we will one day live again through the power of the Atonement. While these thoughts bring me comfort, I also recognize that we don't know the who or the when. There is no way to really know when someone is going to pass away, or who that person may be. Because life is fragile and death is inevitable, we must make the most of each day. We must find joy in the journey. We must remember to tell those we love that we love them--help them to know. We must not take people for granted.

So today let someone know you love them; do something to bring joy to your life, and to the lives of those around you; look up someone you've forgotten in the rush of life and have a conversation; don't wish for tomorrow today--in the words of Harold Hill: "you pile up enough tomorrows, and you will find that you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering". These are pretty great ideas to read or to hear about, but putting them into action is what makes them truly have meaning. I love you all--don't forget it.

6 Months and Counting!

2011-01-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

Not even kidding, this is what Riley looks like when football is on; we tried giving her toys and she just ignored them.

Today my little girl is six months old! It's amazing how time flies; Riley has grown up so much!! She loves to stand and play in her bouncy (sadly, that means her chunky legs are thinning out), and she smiles and giggles all the time. Our favorite new trick: she growls! We always growl at her because it makes her smile; then one day she growled back! Imagine how surprised we were! She's learning what foods she likes--she doesn't eat much, just rice cereal mixed with some fruity stuffs, but so far she hates pear, tolerates apple, and loves banana. Even when she's being a grump, she's a pretty easy kid to have.

The past six months have been a learning experience for David and I! With David beginning a new job, and school starting for both of us, we're learning how to be parents and juggle everything. While it is sometimes crazy, neither of us would change a thing--life really is good! We love our little Riley-girl a ton, and being parents is the greatest. We wouldn't have it any other way!

Christmas and Other Stuff

2010-12-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

First Plane Ride!

Uncle Casey and Addie; the nieces sure love their uncle!

Temple Square! Part of our Delta Adventure :-D

Chubby Riley Legs! :-D

Lounging...

First Cereal! She was uncertain...

Christmas this year was both fun and eventful!!! :-D We had some travel issues, but we got home in time for Christmas, and got back to Rexburg just fine. It was great seeing the family, and we even got to visit SLC for a bit, and see the lights. Any blurry pics are probably my doing :-D Love you all!

To Uncle Casey

2010-10-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes she likes to pretend to be Roman.
Hobbes, her faithful companion

Hi!

I recognize that I haven't posted much; truth be told, it's not even because I'm busy, or even lazy. I just hate getting one comment per post-that-takes-up-time-and-energy-to-make. But as I was reminded, not all of my siblings have facebook, and can see the pictures that David and I put up every now and then. Therefore, this blog is dedicated to my big brother, Casey.

Dear Casey;

Hi! We miss you a ton here, and can't wait to see you at Christmas! I think Riley especially is excited; because you haven't met yet, I like to tell her about her Uncle Casey, and how he'll have to teach her cool things like math, soccer, and how to flip an omelet. She can't talk yet (just makes funny little noises, so we know she's trying!), but I can tell she can't wait. So you'll recognize her when you see her: so far, Riley has dark hair, but you can see hints of red every now and then. She has big blue-green eyes with long lashes, and she smiles, but only when she wants to, and on her own terms. Riley is growing like crazy--she's around 12-14 lbs, and close to 27 inches long.

When you come home, you'll have to play with her. She's learning how to stand (usually on her dad), and she loves it when you make faces at her. David has recently started teaching her how to stick out her tongue--it's hilarious! Because she already is showing a VERY strong personality, we decided she needed a good companion; enter, Hobbes. Hobbes is her Tiger. He is currently the only toy she plays with; I feel for her kindergarten teacher.

David and I are both well; David is working a ton lately, and we both start school in January. We have three semesters left each, and then I student teach, and he goes on to whatever schooling he decides to go on to. We're both extremely excited to be done! But in the meantime, we like to cook a lot and watch movies--Robin Hood has been our favorite so far, but we also liked Prince of Persia and the A-Team. I keep trying different recipes; I'll send you some of the ones that have turned out well!

I've put up some pictures so you can see your niece! Casey, we love you so much--I hope everything is going well for you. I can't wait to see you;

Love,

Abby, David, and Riley

P.S.--I tried making potato gnocchi again; epic fail. One day, we will succeed!

Life in General

2010-08-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk entitled "Joy in the Journey" in which he said "I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistant future when you have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey--now".

Every night before bed I like to ask my husband what his "joy in the journey" was for that day. It started out as kind of a silly thing, but now I really look forward to the answer. Sometimes he's really tired and his answer makes no sense, but I still love him :-). Especially now, we have a lot of joy in our lives--here's some of mine:

--Riley. She has to be first because watching her each day is my joy. She's getting so chubby and beautiful, and I swear she's getting smarter every day. Being a mom has helped me to see that sometimes the grossest things--poopy diapers and big burps--can be considered joy. I love watching her grow and figure things out.

--David. Now that he's working full time I don't get to see him often, so that makes mornings, lunchtime, and afterwork extra special. We try to make the most of those times, which means my morning, lunch hour, and afterwork time are great! He makes me happier than I ever imagined; I love spending as much time with him as possible. David is such a great husband and father; I couldn't ask for anything better.

--Cooking and Cleaning. Call me old fashioned, but I love making my house neat and tidy, and having food on the table for my honey when he comes home. I was really worried about giving up working fulltime when Riley came, but now, having worked fulltime, it's kind of nice to just clean house and make meals like I couldn't before.

--Walks. We like to go for walks! Sometimes it's too stormy (those generally end up being movie nights), but there is nothing more fun than going for a nice walk outside in the sunshine.

--My ward. So, our ward is really intense. REALLY. But I really don't mind--I'm starting to like it! One of my joys each day are the sweet relief society women who stop by with meals, or just to say hi. I've enjoyed getting to know many of the people in the ward; they are such good people! I'm excited to have the opportunity to serve and make new friends here.

--My family. I think I've talked more to my family in the past couple weeks than I have in a while. Just chatting with them has been one of my joys in the journey. I love hearing about their lives and their kids, what they're doing, and how everything is going (hint, hint...). It reminds me how grateful I am to have such a good family.

Those are just a few of the things that bring me joy every day--they aren't something I have to wait for "someday"; they're things that happen EVERY day. So what's your joy in the journey?

I love you all!

More Pics!

2010-07-27T16:44:00.000-07:00

Meet Miss Riley!

2010-07-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

We had our baby!!!

Riley Colleen Kunz was born July 26th, 2010, at 3:07am. She weighed 6 lbs, 12 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long. I keep wondering where to start--there is so much to say about her!!! She's just amazing, and her daddy and I are completely smitten.

About 5:15pm on Sunday, David and I were relaxing on the couch, getting ready for our Sunday Food Network marathon. We were both looking forward to just relaxing for the next little while--mom, dad, and Whitney had all come up the day before, and we had a blast (pics to follow)! So Sunday was going to be our sit-and-do-nothing day...until my water broke. Kind of took us by surprise! David was very calm (albeit a little pale!), and got my bag and pillow and the car seat and started packing up the car while I worked on not freaking out completely. We got checked into the hospital, were they checked and told us that, yes, my water had indeed broken, and that I was about 5 cm dialated already--woo!!!

They got us into a delivery room, and hooked me up to all kinds of fun machines, and then my nurse (who was phenominal!!!) came in and told me that the strep B test I took the week before at my last dr. appointment came back positive! So they hooked up the penicillin, and let me chill for the next 7 or so hours. Once that was done, I was still only about 7 cm dialated, so they hooked up the ptosin (sp?) drip! It wasn't that bad, especially once I got some nice pain killers to "take off the edge". A little after 2am on the 26th the drugs wore off (sadly), and the nurse came in and told me to start pushing! about 40 minutes later, Riley was born! (I won't go into the more gorey details). I got to hold her a little before the nurses took her to be cleaned and weighed, but she was just beautiful, even covered in gunk.

They took her to the NICU nursery because she was about three weeks earlier than she was supposed to be, and she's doing great! David and I get to see her often (we're hoping to take her home once she gets the hang of eating more), and she absolutley amazes me every time I see her. She's still hooked up to a bunch of moniters and an IV, but she's such a beautiful little girl still! Overall, we're all doing great. I'm feeling good (albeit sore...), and David is an excellent daddy! You can tell he's crazy about her--we both are!

Our moms came up, and we've had so many calls, texts, and visits from family and friends--thank you all for your love and support! It means so much to us, and we're looking forward to introducing Miss Riley to you all! Love you!

Nasty Green Noodles

2010-06-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

So, David and I have been trying to be healthy. We don't eat bad--we just eat less good than we should :-). On Saturdays, David works at the pool till eight, so I try to have dinner made for him when he gets done. We've had some spinach in the fridge for a while and I decided to use it to make some "healthy" pasta sauce--something like a pesto sauce. The result? Goopy, nasty, toxic green sauce. But it was healthy, so we were going to try it!

The result? Epic Face Painting and a Noodle War, because the color of the sauce was too revolting for me to consume.

Love you all! :-)

Graduation and Baby Shower

2010-06-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

My family! We got to go back to Caldwell for my baby shower, and my little brother's graduation (congrats Bug!!!). It was a blast! We got to spend a ton of time with our family, and just enjoyed relaxing away from Rexburg for a few days :-). My baby shower was AMAZING--thank you so much, Whitney! My sister put it together, and it was great (sorry, no pics, but Whit has some on her blog!). Thanks to all my friends and family for the support and love--it was great seeing everyone, and we can't wait to see you again (or, for the first time, in Baby's case!). Love you all!

House!

2010-06-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

Our house! Granted, not a whole lot of pictures, but you can kind of see what we're going for. Or maybe you should just visit. That would be cool too. :-)

Oregon!

2010-06-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to figure out this whole "blogging" thing! I haven't posted in a while, but life is great!! David and I have been busy like crazy, but work and school are going well. Baby Kunz is growing well (2 1/2 months!!!!); we're still working on a name so she's not just "baby"--so far we like Mara and Lily. I don't know where to start; the pictures are mostly from our last trip to Oregon with David's family; it was a blast!! We enjoyed hanging out with the family, and did some really fun things. Below we have some pictures from our dinner at La Fiesta, the AMAZING kitties at the Big Cat Show, and a picture from Glacier Lake (which was gorgeous! I highly recommend taking a trip there--worth it!) We love you guys!

The Baby!

2010-04-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

Her profile!

Shaking her fists at us...

One hand!

Foot...

Toes! I think she has my stubby toes :-)

I know, it's been a while :-) David, Baby, and I are doing great! School is almost done for the semester (YES!!), and we'll be moving soon! Work is going well; David has been recognized as a "leader" at work, which is AWESOME! I think he likes it, so far. We recently had a very eventful weekend; before going to Utah to see my beautiful little neice get blessed (Harry, Erin, and Penny, we had a blast! And we miss you guys a ton!), we got to go to the doctor to find out just exactly what we were having. It's a Girl!!! We are both excited; she's strong and healthy, albeit little (I don't mind that part too much). They gave us some pictures to put up, so here they are!

Babies!!

2010-01-31T09:15:00.000-08:00

Good Morning My Family!

Well, a lot has happened since the last post! David and I are settling into our cozy apartment (pics to follow if my camera ever works again), and work is constantly interesting! I am learning a lot though; humans are interesting creatures, that's for certain! David recently got hired at Mela on the Spanish line (FINALLY!!), and he starts training on the 8th. School is going well--David's doing great, and most of my classes are pretty lenient this semester.

Now the GOOD stuff!

We're having a baby!!!

The most common questions we get are:

--Are you excited?

--How are you feeling?

--You've been married for how long? And how far along are you?

--So is this a "woops" thing?

--Have you thought about names?

In answer to those questions: Yes, we are VERY excited! This is a big step, but both of us are looking forward to being parents :-). I am feeling fine--tired, a little sick every day, but hopefully that will be getting better soon. We've been married for a little over three months now, and we're about 11 weeks. This is NOT a "woops" thing (this is my favorite question--it makes me laugh!); we didn't try or not try. We have thought a little bit about names--for a boy I like James Gordon, although that is subject to change. For a girl we have been leaning towards Isabelle; she will NOT be called Bella, and this is NOT a Twilight reference.

So those are the basics. We've already started planning how to turn the spare room into a cute little baby room, and David has been amazing, cleaning it out and organizing it while I've been at work. It's amazing how much there is to do now!! But I'm enjoying every second of it.

Well that's about all! Thanks to everyone for being supportive and helpful through this! Both David's family and mine. We love you all!

My Husband, or, The First Week of Marriage

2009-11-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

I'm married! :-D

Similar to the first month of engagement, David and my first week of marriage has been...interesting. Just before the wedding day, my immune system gave up on me and I got grossly sick; closely following, my sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and dad all got ridiculously sick. We all managed to get through the wedding just fine though.

-----Brief Pause for Gratitude------

-Mom; the wedding was BEAUTIFUL, and everything turned out perfectly--I couldn't have asked for more. You are amazing in every way; thank you, and I love you.
-Dad; I know you felt absolutely miserable the entire time, but thank you for being there for me, despite that. I couldn't have had the perfect day without my dad--thank you, and I love you.
-Whitney; that cake ROCKED. For those of you who don't know, I was incredibly neutral about my cake until Whitney showed me a picture of a cake online. I loved the cake, and Whit said she would do her best. The big day arrived, and, despite being sick, having sick family, and everything being hectic, the cake turned out picture-PERFECT. It was absolutley flawless, and tasted excellent :-D You are amazing; thank you, and I love you!
-Trevy and Chantal; despite the fact that my sister-in-law is on the very brink of popping out a beautiful little girl, she and Trevy both found time to talk with me before the wedding, and show their love and support. Thank you both, and I love you! (And little Baby Dougal).
-Casey; Casey was one of the first to find out I was engaged, and one of the first to check on (inadvertantly) and threaten David. I miss you Casey, and I love you--thanks, and I'll be checking in on you (inadvertantly) to see how everything is going.
-Harry and Erin; despite the fact that my other sister-in-law is also going to be having a beautiful baby girl, she and Harry both were able to make the trip up to Caldwell to support (and threaten, in spanish--HARRISON) and show their love for David and I. Thank you, and I love you!
-Bug--I'm not going anywhere. Thank you for the little brother time ("younger", I know). The knife rocks--I'll keep it on me at all times. Thank you for being amazing, and I love you a ton.
(David adds, "Hey there, bunkmate...")
-My New Family; Thank you all, for your support, love, and especially for welcoming me into the family. The wedding was beautiful, and I was so excited to see you all there! Thank you!

--And to all my other friends and family; my family, adopted family, and friends are far too numerous to mention by name, but I want you all to know how much I love and appreciate you all. Thank you for the support, the love, the hugs, and EVERYTHING!! You are all amazing.

----Brief Pause Over----

So, after David and I got back to the Burg (pictures to follow), we started settling into our apartment...and quickly after, both got sick. David is currently recovering from Swine Flu (oink...), and I'm recovering from something. It makes me cough. Regardless, from trials come blessings. My husband is AMAZING. I couldn't ask for a better man to share life with. Being sick means we get to baby each other, which can be fun. After a long day of work, I came home to homemade chicken noodle soup (it was delicious!), and, though I hope we will not spend all our lives sick, I know from those simple acts that I've got a good one.

Here's looking forward to the rest of life!

I love you all!

Me

Love, Marriage, and Wrecking Cars

2009-09-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a while! In my defense, I've had an eventful past three months. I'm engaged!!! Didn't think that would happen for a while, but David talked me into it (although, if you ask him he will tell you it's the other way around). We met via Katie--he worked with her as a lifeguard, and after TWO YEARS of knowing him, she finally invites him over one Sunday. We flirted, hit it off quite well--and then the guy I was seeing at the time came over.

OUCH.

So we got to know each other as friends--sometimes annoying friends--but still friends. And I stopped seeing the other guy, and continued seeing David. Until I decided he was too attatched, and gave him the boot. That annoyed him a bit. Needless to say, we were not very good friends for a few weeks, until I got food poisoning. He texted: "I just ate amazing food at my favorite restaraunt!" I responded: "Oh good. I'm throwing up." And, being the sweetheart that he is, he texted me all night, while I was feeling miserable. And we continued texting (Ah, techno romance...) until he told me if I wasn't a chicken I'd call him and just talk. So I did, and we started dating. And things just worked out pretty well from there :-D

We are now engaged to be married, October 24th, in the Boise, ID Temple! I'm hoping everyone can come--I'm excited to see my family, and David's excited to be added to the family. That is, if we make it to the wedding! We've had a series of unfortunant events unfold in the one week since we've been engaged--a ticket, hitting a deer and wrecking his car (in his defense, he was going the speed limit, and the deer had a death wish), and most recently, rolling my mom's car on the freeway as we drove back up to school. We are both fine, albeit a little sore, but the poor car is no more.

R.I.P. Mom's Car.

Moment of Silence.

The car hydroplaned on a puddle of water (it had been raining pretty hard), and we swerved across the freeway to the shoulder, where the car, going 75 MPH, hit mud and rolled a few times into a ditch. Pictures of the car above! Like I said, everyone is fine--and very, very grateful that it turned out the way it did. The police officer and paramedics were all suprised, and expressed their shock that we weren't more hurt than we were. I know I've got a few people to thank for their prayers--we needed them! And the officers, people who stopped, and medics where speedy and helpful, so there's another blessing!

I guess that's all for now--I love you all!!! Wear your seatbelts please.

Singles Ads and English...

2009-07-14T13:30:00.001-07:00

Have you ever been doing something really important, only to find yourself being sucked into something really unimportant? Yes, me too. I love being an english major, almost more than I love Nachos (which says a lot, if you know my deep relationship with nachos). One of the best parts of being an english major is having the ability to enter into a classroom and know that if you bring up Hawthorne's recurring theme of redemtion in "The Scarlet Letter", no one looks at you as if you have something grotesque in your teeth. Or that you can meet them at any given time and discuss the marxist theory of analysis and not have to explain who or what that is. Ahhh--english. My one true love (I'm sorry, Nachos and Cristiano Ronaldo). Well, into every relationship there must fall some rain. And for english, that rain comes in the form of writing
Résumés.

The résumé is a unique form of writing, created by dry, caustic business men who obviously have red personalities. In writing a sample résumé, one must first find a job listing to write in accordance with. As I looked through craigslist.com to find the "perfect" job for me, I stumbled upon something that has changed life as I know it. I speak of the Singles Ads.

"Lookin to have some fun!!! --33"

Hey, i'm a nice guy, lookin for a nice girl, and if you are a nice girl we should hang out!!! i love to be outdoors, and i'm a gamer but don't let that get you down! i'm not one of those nerdy gamers. i'm in shape--about 5'11, 185 lbs, and i like to be active. i'm looking for someone whos pretty, active, in shape, has a sense of humor, and likes to be outdoors too! i have a picture, so send me an email w/pics and i'll write back!!

Ah. The desperation and poor grammar of it all, the mystery! Is Mr. "i" really 5'11"? Does he have WOW permanently displayed on his home computer? You can almost smell the denial reeking forth from the misspellings and overuse of exclamation points.

But amidst my ravagings of grammar and caustic mockery of each hopeless post, I felt a little twinge in my heart. Why shouldn't Mr. "i" and Ms. "Fisically Fit" be happily coupled? Why do they not deserve a little lovin? I was overwhelmed at the thought. Someone should review the "men looking for women" and "women looking for men" listings and do a little matchmaking.

In the end, did I find a job listing? No, and that really sucks. But I found some humanity, and that's what counts. Good job, all you desperate singles--good job.

2009-06-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

I recognize that I haven't written lately. The fact is, my life is utterly boring. And my camera is broken. Life has been incredibly routine of late. I do the essentials: run, homework, work, and eat. Intermixed with that are soccer, MMA, Latin dancing, and temple trips. And lots and lots of english.
The following are pictures of my weekly routine. Enjoy!

While I'm dreaming, this is my boyfriend, Cristiano Ronaldo. HOT.

This is BYU-I in the summer; it constantly suprises me that more people don't attend.

This just made me laugh. Hehe. :-D

This is essentially me at MMA--with someone cowering with fear on the ground!!!

Yeah--I slay vampires in my spare time. (Side Note: This movie is HILARIOUS.)

This is me, Latin Dancing. I'm pretty good. :-D

I kind of look like that when I play soccer. Minus latin and male.

I love you all!!!

-Me

Bees, and Why We Loathe Them.

2009-05-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Nasty little creatures, are they not? Though I do appreciate the magnificent tasks that these tiny creatures do, such as making honey and pollentating trees, I cannot remove the vendetta I seem to have against them.

Why is this, you ask? How could anyone dislike such an honest, hardworking, attractive insect?

Two words: unprovoked attack.

I was enjoying the first beautiful summer day here in the Burg; had accomplished a lot, went out to Monkey Rock to enjoy the sunshine. The day was perfect--almost comparable to Milton's idea of Eden in "Paradise Lost." Little did I know, my blissful summer world was about to be destroyed. An invader swooped in through the open car window, running straight into my arm--yet no damage. This blip on my unusually great day seemed inconsequencial, and I brushed off the corpse of the once active bee. Lo and behold, to my great suprise , a painful stinging began. Not in my arm, as I would have supposed it, but in my upper thigh! The hateful bee had ejected his stinger into my unprotected leg, injecting venom as a last, vindictive measure.

Being the brave, long-suffering sort of person I am, I hurriedly pulled the stinger out, and sent it out the window to join it's launcher. The wound was miniscule--hardly worth fussing over--so I iced it, and Katie and I had a good laugh.

The next day, however, it seemed the horrid little vermin had left his mark; my leg was itchy and swollen to the point of making movement uncomfortable. Forging onward, I continued my daily duties and once again iced the sting. The next day was torture. I couldn't sleep; ice wasn't helping; the swelling and itching had moved down and aroung me leg. Walking was no longer an option. So I took some pain killers, and my new buddy Benadryl, and cut class. It did help me sleep. But that's about it. Under the loving instructions of my dear mother I went to the healthcare center here on campus--fifteen minutes later, the eccentric (but very nice) doctor told me "looks like you're mildly allegic! If you'd have been really allergic, you'd probably be dead!"

Thanks, doc.

There is one upside to this newfound allergy--I now know the contents of our freezer better than anyone ever should, and have made educated decisions as to which frozen foods are best for icing a mountainous leg.

I prefer the frozen pumpkin in square tupperware.

The bottom line?

Bees are not my buddy right now.

Life in General

2009-05-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Life in general is good. Or, as old Brother Cheney would say: "I just never had it so good". School is going well. I'm having to adjust a lot--upper level classes are hard!!! I'm taking spanish, a couple english classes, my first ed class, and old Testament; no favorites yet, they're all good! My professors rock--I can't say enough good about them!

I will post some more pictures...when my camera starts working again!

Ummmm.....ok! My newest favorite things to do include: MMA, homework, engaging in lively debates, and salsa dancing. MMA IS AMAZING. I love it; there aren't many people in the club right now, but everyone is really good at fighting and we have some serious good times! I'm finally learning to keep my guard up, and I'm getting better at grappling. Mildly. :-D Homework is fun....ish.....and very educational. That is good. Or, as we say at work, "that is neat." The latest of lively debates have included, but have not been limited to: marriage, feminism, the commandment to multiply and replenish the Earth, Shakespeare, and anything remotely literature related.
Salsa is my Friday Event. Down main street, in a creepy, rundown, old building in some back alleyway there is a creepy metal staircase. This leads to a door. Behind that door is a a huge, dimly lit, unfinished ballroom--and the greatest time you can have in Rexburg! A bunch of the latin kids hang out there, they play lots of great music, and we dance like crazy! I'm still pretty new at it, but my buddies Shazer, Aleks, and Elite say I'm getting better :-D Trevor, I will match my latin buddies up against your ballroom team any day!!
Our donut/scones/cinnamon roll night was a success--Jumbalaya night to follow! Casey, your recipe is a huge favorite with our ward, and, more especially, among the southerners. Thank you! :-D

K....not much more to say!!! Sun is coming to the Burg! Everyone please keep your fingers crossed that it stays. And gets much hotter.

I love you all!!

BABIES!!!!!

2009-03-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

NIECE #3 HAS GRACED US WITH HER PRESENCE!!! :-D :-D :-D :-D

So, my new niece was born last night; I'm so excited!!! From the pictures, she looks adorable--from the fact that she is family, I KNOW she's beautiful :-D She was 7 lbs 14 oz, and basically super amazing. Congrats to Whitney and Spency and My Girls--I love you all!!! And I'm so exited to come home and see you all!

So, that was pretty much the only thing in the blog about babies. Just a good title. Although I could tell you about the sudden influx of babies in Rexburg--in the past month alone, I know 4 couples who have had babies; within the next 2-3 months, 5 more people are due. It's baby time in the Burg!

Onward-->So most of you know I want to serve a mission. There have been many different reactions to that idea, but for the most part I've gotten a lot of support; thank you!! However, even if the opportunity to serve a mission at this point does not come up, I'm happy at the changes in my life while I've been preparing for one. Recently, I was asked on a date by a young man who lives up here; the date was planned around a movie we both wanted to see. Upon further inspection, however, I found out that the movie was Rated R. But it was rated R for blood and things like that, so it's not really that bad, I rationalized. And I didn't want to tell him that I felt uncomfortable, because I didn't want to be rude or lose this guy's interest. But I knew that if I wanted to continue saying that I wanted to serve a mission, I could not make exceptions. I debated this for two days, till I finally came to the conclusion that if the guy lost respect for me, well, that's his problem--he must have a skewed idea of respect. And I could not put man's respect above that of my Father. So, I sent him a quick text, explaining shortly and asking if we could pick a different movie. He agreed, and didn't give me a bad time about it! This was really the first time up here that I've had to make a stand like that--and I'm eternally grateful I did. Thanks, mom and dad, for giving me the ability, the strength, and the knowledge to say "no" when I need to.

That's about it for this blog--Life is Good.

I love you all!

Asoutherngrace

2009-03-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hamburgers...way too fun!!

Ben--he's pretty much a stud :-D

Rose! ....and creepy Ben in the back...

I'm so gangsta

GIANT PIDGEON.

ROCKIN.

I have a favorite blog that I keep updated on; http://asoutherngrace.blogspot.com/

Basically one of my favorites--Grace, the lady who writes it, is hilarious! She just about cracks me up everytime, and her recipes are easy and yummy. So last night, in a characteristic burst of confidence, I thought I would email Grace and tell her how much I enjoy her blog.

AND SHE TOTALLY WROTE ME BACK!!!!!

It was probably the highlight of my hour. Not even kidding.

Though it was almost topped by the GIANT PIDGEON sitting outside our apartment today! SO AWESOME!

Love you all!

HOLY CRAP

2009-03-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

So......funny story.

The last time I posted was when I was still enjoying the snow; needless to say, that was quite a while ago. SPRING HAS COME TO THE BURG!!!! Today was gorgeous! I was very excited; it was amazing! Life has been good; pretty much the same old thang!
--> Work is going well; last month I was the #1 associate, so this month I'm trying to stay in the Top 5 at least; the bonus check is quite nice :-D I am now also Services Support certified, so I get to help all the technically challenged people (Like bringing coal to Newcastle...).
A typical conversation goes something like this:

Me: Thank you for calling Melaleuca! The Wellness Company. My Name is Abby, in Services Support; may I begin by getting your customer ID or ten-digit phone number?
Person: Um, Yeah, I'm really having trouble with my online order...do I still need to give you my number?
Me: Yes, that would be perfect.
Person: ##########
Me: Awesome! Now what can I do for you today?
Person: Well, I'm online and I want to use my free dollars on my order, but I don't know how.
Me: Ok, I'm going to look into your account online and see what I can do....have you tried checking the little box next to the item, labeled 'Loyalty Shopping $'?
Person: No....what box?
--->Generally, this conversation carries on for another five to ten minutes till I decide to just do it for them and then tell them to refresh their page. You would be suprised how many people do not know how to refresh their page.

--->School rocks. My teachers are all really neat, I'm learning a lot--yay school.
--->Church is the coolest EVER. My ward is fun (mostly, but then we can't all be this near perfection), my Bishopric is AMAZING--truly some of the greatest men I know. All in all, can't complain!
--->Everything other than that; AWESOME.

.............Yeah, I don't know what else to say! Life is good. In all complete honesty, life is good.

SNOW

2008-12-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

Trees!

This is my artistic photo...what lonely swings...

Footsteps meeting in the snow!

Pure, White Snow

Awww......

All bundled up!

The Park

Footsteps...

Hi everyone!!!

I have not posted in a short while here; if you want to see any updated pictures, go to my facebook page! :-D Life is good! I miss everyone, but I'm very excited to see the WHOLE family in just a couple of weeks!!! Guess what?!?! It snowed!! I'm so excited! So today I went out for a walk and took some awesome pictures...here you go!

Tagged!

2008-11-24T20:31:00.000-08:00

The rules are you have to answer each question but with only one word

1. Where is your cell phone? Hand
2. Where is your significant other? nonexistent
3. Your hair color? Auburn
4. Your mother? Fantastic
5. Your father? Amazing
6. Your favorite thing? SOCCER
7. Your dream last night? School
8. Your dream/goal? Mission
9. The room you're in? Living
10. Your hobby? Cooking
11. Your fear? Unsuccessful
12. Where do you want to be in six years? ALIVE!
13. Where were you last night? Chillin
14. What you're not? Blonde
15. One of your wish list items? Books...
16. Where you grew up? C-Town
17. The last thing you did? Texted
18. What are you wearing? Sweats
19. Your TV? foodnetwork
20. Your pet? Landon? :-D
21. Your computer? Laptop
22. Your mood? Happy
23. Missing someone? Yes
24. Your car? None?
25. Something you're not wearing? ring :-D
26. Favorite store? Wet Seal
27. Your summer? WARM
28. Love someone? MUCHO!
29. Favorite color? All
30. Last time you laughed? Moments
31. Last time you cried? Forgot?

Your turn!!!

2008-11-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

I know, it's sideways. This is my work doodle--thank you monthend, for helping me to improve my doodle skills.

Seriously, I might just attempt to repost these rightside-up--they are cool! This was my church doodle :-D

Long time gone...

2008-10-28T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is my anology for life. Sometimes life feels like a deadend, unfinished sidewalk with a ridiculously slow speed posted next to it. In which case, we should choose to run past the edge, ignore the deadend, run on the grass, and spit on the speed limit. Go Life!

Me and momma, chillin during mothers week!

Barbie Party!! We rocked the Rexburg World that night.

I left work early because I was not feeling well, and was greatly rewarded.

This is under a tree, trying to get to the sunset before it left. It's my background on my new laptop.

So, it's been a while! I can't say I've been up to much; just lots and lots of delightful boy drama :-D Work is going well; I'm STILL waiting for my raise and backpay to come through, which is frustrating--but I'm learning some important lessons, such as patience and long-suffering! All in all, life is good! The following are some random pictures of stuff. Enjoy!

Me!

2008-08-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

Haircut!!!
The most amazing cupcakes in the history of the world--thank you Whitney!!!!!!!!

Hi Everybody!

2008-08-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hola!

It seems it is time for me to actually write something; although they do say a picture is worth a thousand words--I must have an entire novel on my blog! :-D Life in the Burg is good; I really do love it here, even though sometimes it gets SOOOOO BORING when people aren't there! I'm super stoked for school to start, but not as stoked as I am about coming home in two and a half weeks!!!!!!

The average day here goes something like this: Wake up, small breakfast, hit the gym, shower, run errands or clean, go to the library (this happens about once every few days, depending), eat lunch, watch a movie/go for a walk/play soccer in the park, then go to work! After work I usually eat dinner, read/watch tv/chill with my buddies. All in all, I really can't complain. And today at work I got recognized! For having a 400 (a perfect score) on my scorecard. The scorecard is the system Melaleuca uses to rate it's employees--they judge by call scores, the amount of personal time you take off the phones, after-call work time, call time, hold time, and a few other things. This may not sound difficult, but putting it all together makes it pretty tough! So I was really excited when my supervisor announced that I had a 400--woo! It almost makes customer service worth it. Almost. :-D

Well, I love you all!!!!! And I'm super excited to see you in a few short weeks!!!

2008-08-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Clay (C-Bass)--what a stud
Spraypaint?

2008-08-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

My favorite place to walk!
The new construction--it's HUGE!
Rexburg, ID

I just thought this one was cool

2008-08-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

The lake early morning
Having fun!
Washoes. Strangely addicting
Bishop Mickelson and Brother Hoopes; what studs!
Cirlce volleyball?

2008-07-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

The Lake!
Everyone waiting for dinner...
Dustin liked this hammock so much he slept in it!
Starting to get chilly
Aw! Bright and early in the morning :-D

2008-07-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

Mom and her boys
Shoe shopping!

Addie helping Pop Pop

2008-07-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

Whitney and Spencer <3

Me. Me in a hat. Me Chillin.

The Birthday Girls!!! Suz's was the day after mine

2008-07-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Harry and Erin's first hug
Hahahaha...straightjacketing my niece :-D
REUNITED! And it feels so good!
Playing Barbies!
The cutest couple in the whold world

2008-07-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

Harry and Craig! This is when Harry was still disoriented, fresh off the plane! Aren't they cute?

Hi Everybody!

2008-07-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

So....I was feeling pretty left out of the little "family blog circle," and facebook just isn't as good a place to post lots of awesome family pictures, so here I am!!!!

-School is amazing, and BYU-I kicks all of the other schools ' trash.
-You should all come visit me. I will cook for you.

That's it! Pics to follow

Love-me