ThUs.

Let me start by giving an update of the last week or so.
Last Saturday morning we made the drive from Boise to Rexburg. James had to pull some strings with his company so they would let him work from home for the following week so that we could pack up all of our stuff at our apartment and move it to Boise.
So this last whole week we've been cleaning and packing. It's amazing how much stuff we have! 20 boxes and 15 garbage bags later.. I'm exhausted. Not to mention the deep cleaning! Every nook and cranny dusted and wiped down, every surface scrubbed and some serious chemicals floating around in the air.
Speaking of which... I know this may sound strange.. but I find myself LOviNg the smell of cleaning supplies. I inhale those chemicals with pleasure, people. When really I should be wearing some sort of mask to avoid those toxic fumes. Mmm, but those lemon scented clorox wipes... the blue pine-sol that smells like laundry detergent.. the foaming bathtub cleaner that saturates my nostrils with artificial lemon smell.. and the best, most embarrassing, one... the febreze-scented trash bags that smell like, you guessed it, lemon.
Oh well. My baby's gonna be defected because momma loves her lemony fresh.

We found out on Friday that we couldn't move into our new apartment until Wednesday, when originally we thought we could move in on Saturday. Apparently the previous tenants had completely trashed the place and the managers were replacing the carpet, the bathtub, repainting the kitchen and the upstairs, and redoing the kitchen countertop. This is good/bad news. Awesome news because the complex is pretty old and when we saw what the apartments looked like we thought it looked a little, little, ghetto. Idaho ghetto. Not Arizona ghetto. {shout out to Rachael, who knew exactly what I meant} So with the news that the carpet was being replaced and not just cleaned, and that we would get a new paint job.. we were happy campers and will be living in probably one of the nicest apartments in the complex. Plus, we're paying over $50 less for rent every month than we were at our last place. Aside from that, we're just praying that they won't keep pushing back the move-in date cause we're leaving Friday morning for Christmas in Ohio. And there's no way we can keep the moving truck for another week and a half at $40 a day..

Anyway, now we're back at the lovely Wrights' home for a couple of days. We love being with them and they seem to love being with us. They're extremely generous and are a very loving people. I feel like I haven't portrayed them enough to my family. Their names are Dru and Bridgette Wright, they have four sons, ranging from the ages of 29 to 18. The eldest is married to a lovely gal named Jenna and they one adorable daughter that is almost exactly Logan's age. Dru is a lot like dad in that he has a silly sense of humor and thinks he's funny ;) Bridgette is so genuinely sweet and nice and is always fussing over me to make sure I had enough to eat and that I'm warm enough. She's always doing things for other people. They ordered a cake from their favorite bakery for our anniversary for crying out loud. Just really thoughtful. James grew up in the same ward with them back in Ohio and they love to swap memories. Here's some pictures:

This is Dru and Bridgette with their youngest, Seth.

Obviously at Disneyworld.

So jealous.

P.s.- I know she looks like she could be in her early thirty's but she's almost fifty.

I know.

This picture is a couple years old. Zac, the one holding the dog, is James's age.

I'm loving this glorious holiday season!! A great thing about staying with an established family is they celebrate Christmas like I'm familiar with! Putting up and decorating the tree, playing Christmas music whenever possible, watching Christmas classics, and lots of cookie baking. It makes me a little less homesick.

I'm happy to say that James and I are getting back on our feet financially. It's a real blessing to be able to pay monthly bills without being in the hole or having to borrow money. We're really grateful. Perfect timing too! The Lord has a plan.

Well, that's all for now! I miss my family in Arizona dearly and I'm always believing confidently that we will make it back there one day.

Oh wait. I just realized I forgot to do a baby update. Especially cause if I don't, Rachael will find a way to kill me from a thousand miles away.
So. I had my last doctor's appointment in Rexburg on Thursday and I am diabetes-free!! Yay. Everything's looking good and healthy. Even though I've gained thirty pounds already?? That's just weird to me I guess. But anyway. My bump is getting bigger and HOLY cow-- he moves sooooo so much! I can feel his every move it seems like. It always astonishes me. I just stop what I'm doing and concentrate on feeling his movements. It's so cool. And I'm proud to say that I'm pretty sure he knows whether it's my hand or someone else's hand. He seems to know, anyway. Cause he looooves bumping my hand to say hello :)

Boise and other adventures.

I'm sick of adventures.
I'm ready for some nice, calm, peaceful, old-fashioned predictability.
The last six months have been a whirlwind of change.

• No more school.
• Found out we're having a baby the same day James lost his steady job.
• New job in Boise.
• Going back and forth from Boise and Rexburg (5 hour drive.. not some easy feat.)
• Balancing the thought of getting an apartment here in Boise or waiting for James to get a new job.

^^ That's a funny one there. James applies and has applied to so many jobs that we both feel like a new job offer is right around the corner. But we've been crossing our fingers for about five months now. A little discouraging sometimes?...Maybe.

So here we are in Boise. In a constant stand-still. I try to count my many blessings every day as I sit here and.. wait. And wonder. Will the baby have a nursery? Will we really be in Boise for longer than we hope? How long is it going to be till we are back on our feet? And why.. oh why.. are we here? Why can't we just sell all our stuff, move our butts to AZ, live with my parents, and James's job can be hunting for one every day. That actually sounds wayyyy more peachy to me than our situation right now.
{sound good Mom and Dad?} ;)

Moral of the story: Kids, don't go to college. Clearly it's a waste of time.
Just kidding. I'm just sad right now.

On a happier note, I love being pregnant! I'm exiting the easy second trimester, and starting to merge into the not-so-pleasant third (and last!) trimester. My back is starting to hurt more and more, the areas surrounding my growing tummy are getting more sore, I'm itchy, and I get an uncomfortable, upset stomach randomly. Food is still as tasty as ever though. I thoroughly enjoy cereal (specifically cinnamon Life, Oatmeal Crisp, and Honey Bunches of Oats. Which, in my opinion, aren't the most unhealthy cereals to be craving.), Costco muffins, and whatever dinner meal that comes my way.

I'm 25 weeks now but I don't have an up to date picture. Here's a pic from a couple weeks ago.

P.s. My boobs look really small but trust me... they are NOT.

The day before Halloween, James and I went to a cute lil' pumpkin farm that was close to where we are staying. They had a giant corn maze, hay rides, delicous food, a petting zoo and other various activites. We just went for the hay ride and delicious food :)

In random celebration of my halfway 20 week mark, we went to see a movie and went to a restaurant that I picked. It's called Bar Gernika and I found it because it had been on Diners, Drive In's, and Dives, so it had to be good.. right? Semi-right. I had a lamb dip and James had a pimento pork sandwich. Both were just alright but the rrrrreal goodness were these little croquettas. I'm still not sure what exactly they were but they tasted like battered, deep-fried balls of seasoned mashed potatoes. May not sound very good, but trust me, they were delicious.

Another night, we went to Cost Plus World Market, just to look around. I love that place. And i've passed that love onto James. I need to take a picture of the giraffe mug I got sometime cause it is to  DIE for. 

So James and I were sitting in Sacrament meeting and all of a sudden I spot this boy, a few rows up, that has an uncanny resemblance to Wyatt.

Eh, eh? What do you think Rachael? It was creepy. So James took a couple pictures while the little girls next to us looked at us like we were a bunch of creeps.

Here's little Paris (the Wright's granddaughter) that I was holding during Sunday School. She's the cutest thing.

Well that's all folks.

Not too far off.

Where to start?

Life seems to be standing still yet moving so quickly. James is on the hunt for a job and so many opportunites come up but are diminished because of this or that; not enough experience, someone else snagged the job, or they're not hiring for another few months. We're just holding on, trying our hardest to stay positive, and keep praying.

I'm finally broadcasting my new hair!

I went three shades darker brown, two above black (even though it looks super dark) and then got a vertical slice of red, which is just a type of highlight, but in thicker chunks cause I wanted the red to be obvious.

Rockin' the lazy eye.

Sorry the pictures are kinda blurry.

A lazy sunday afternoon, watching a movie on the love sack. 

Life is good and I'm so happy with James. We're so close to selling the car! We're going to use the extra money to first pay off some credit card debt so that we don't have to pay wasteful interest, and then we're going to get a new car. So exciting! Hopefully when we go to Arizona for Thanksgiving I'll successfully get my license. That sounds so pitiful but ohhh well.

The hugest blessing in our lives right now is......{drumroll please}... being pregooo! I'm 99% positive only family reads this so I feel safe speaking of it :)

It involves a lot of sleeping, eating, and peeing. It's hard to get up in the morning and even harder to sleep peacefully through the night. Luckily my morning (a.k.a. all day) sickness doesn't involve throwing up but it includes long bouts of nausea and sometimes incurable cravings. 

I love knowing that there's a little bean growing inside me; that's what I refer to he/she as often--my little bean. Sometimes when I lay on my stomach or even just push my stomach I can feel things there that weren't there before. It's hard to explain. Like little lumps. Deep inside me.

James is my sweetie-sweetheart. For some reason, I've been calling him crazy pet names lately. Boo boo bear, Booger butt (may not seem affectionate, but it totally is.), Sweetie sweetie sweetie sweetheart. Yeah, I'm grossed out by myself sometimes but it's fun. Moral of the story is, he's super sweet and loves to cater to my every need. Five minute back massages while I'm in bed before he goes to work (when they need him of course), Back massages to help me fall asleep, foot massages while we're watching tv, food outings when I crave, and he has become THE kitchen cleaner. Much like my own father. It's kind of awesome.

We've temporarily moved the TV into the bedroom because I'm much more comfortable there and it's easier for me to fall asleep to a movie. Life is never going to be the same.

We went to our very first ultrasound last week and found out that i'm 10 weeks along (11 tomorrow!). We arrived and were informed that it would be, uh, awkwardly administered (my words, not theirs) because they thought I was only 7 weeks along, instead of on my tummy like the nurse had said it would be. So they gave me a giant napkin to dress in, a cup to pee in, and off to the bathroom I went. After all was said and done, it wasn't as horrifying as I thought it would be. James was holding my hand and we got to see the little bean in my tummy and hear the heartbeat. It was an amazing experience.

Bakin' and Bowlin'

Heyyyyyy thuuurrrrr

I always like to pretend I'm best friends with whoever's reading this.

Update with Grace&James

Today at school, the first half of the day I worked on my doll for my worksheet (two blow-drys; one directional and one round brush. Then I did a shampoo set. In case you wanted to know) And then for the second half of the day the whole school went to the park! The Learning Leaders wanted to reward us for some excellent funraising (yes, they make sure we know it's call funraising, not fundraising). So they barbecued us some yummy hot dogs and hamburgers and everybody brought a side or dessert. Then we played some kickball where the bases were little kiddie pools filled with water. It was pretty sweet and I got a great tan! This week it's finally been consistently warm in Rexburg and even reached 95 today! WoOt.

So the only documented things I've cooked are these:

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk. So good, so easy, and surprisingly tastes exactly like the stuff in the can. I use it a lot more in desserts cause it's so dang irresistible.

Recipe:

4 C. Whole milk 

(I didn't have whole so i used 1% and heavy cream)

1 3/4 C. sugar

In a large (very large) pot, bring the milk and sugar to a boil over medium heat. It's important that it's medium heat so that the ingredients can slowly immerse together. 

Turn the heat down to low and let the mixture simmer, very gently, for two hours. (yeah, I know.)

Give it a stir every 5 minutes or so so that the milk doesn't form a "skin" on top. 

(I was preparing and cooking dinner on the side while it simmered so it wasn't a hassle to stir it every 5 minutes.)

Then remove the pot from heat and let cool. It'll thicken up a lot as it cools.

After that, store in jars in the fridge and it's good to go! It makes about 16oz and it's cheaper to make than buy! 

On our honeymoon cruise to Cabo, there were these delectable chocolate melting cakes on the menu when we went to the fancy, dress up dinners (I know, I'm so classy.) and afterwards I searched online for the recipe and found it. A chef on the Carnival cruises had posted it so I decided to give it a try. Here's the second time I made it:

They may look like regular baked cakes but the inside is delicious ooey gooey goodness. I added the link below. Just a warning though, it says to cook it for 15-20 but don't. you. dare. Or you'll have a fully cooked cake. Bake it for 10-15 TOPS

http://www.ehow.com/how_5205252_make-warm-chocolate-melting-cake.html

        James has put his car up for sale; we love the stylish gas-guzzler to death, but we both know it would save us a lot of money to get a cheaper car with better gas mileage :( He's kind of attached to it so it's been a journey on deciding whether to sell it or not. I kind of promised him that when we're more settled and can afford two cars, we can get him the same car, but the latest, coolest version.

Speaking of the future, I've noticed that it's really fun to dream. I know that sounds funny, but starting out new with the person you love, it's almost as if the possibilities are endless and it's so much fun to imagine all the adventures the two of us are going to embark on together. The current ones are (Just so you know, they're not always exactly...practical. They're just hopeful dreams. Remember that) going to Europe when I graduate, going to Disneyland for our one year anniversary, being able to afford tickets for me to visit Arizona every once and while just for funsies, and having a wee little one as soon as... well I don't know about that one. Anyway, James is set and determined to save up and take us to Europe (mainly Holland and France; our dream places) I want him to experience it like I did! They're such incredible places. And I'll admit Disneyland will most likely not happen this year because we're set on having enough money to go to Ohio for Christmas {fingers double triple quadruple crossed!!} I'm really excited to get to know my in-laws better, as usual.

We're both doing well and James has found other, better job opportunities so we're excited to see how they'll play out.

I was asked to be a model for a photo shoot by one of the girls I go to school with. It's a huge competition and she asked me! I feel super honored and a little surprised. You can be a pretty girl but that don't mean you know how to model.. So I'm a little worried. Also, they were asking girls to try out as models for a huge Paul Mitchell event in Las Vegas where there's a runway fashion show and then the big Paul Mitchell hair guru's cut your hair on stage. So if I'm picked, (They pick 10 out of about 100) they're going to give me a edgy bob... crazy right? In all reality though, I tried out for fun and cause everyone was encouraging *cough, pressuring* me to. I don't expect to be picked.

We went bowling for FHE one night and it was actually a lot of fun. I hadn't been bowling in over a year and  I had a blast with James. Love that guy.

There's no such thing as an angry kiss, right? Wrong.

Just kidding.

And yes, we wore matching shirts we got in D.C that say "Ben's Chili Bowl", so we thought we'd trick people and make them think we're on a bowling team and we're that good.

Home?

Where is home? Lately it's been interesting. I love coming home, here in Rexburg, from a long day at school. But sometimes, when I'm home, I miss home home. I miss Arizona. I miss the stinking, stale heat that swarms you as soon as you step outside. I miss the cloudless sky. I miss walking on pavement that burns your feet. I miss going on nighttime walks where it's still 90 degrees. I miss the city, where there's more than two or three things to do. I even miss, even though I never thought it possible, the dry, brown desert that is Arizona. But most of all, I miss the people there dearly. I mean seriously. I stalk my sisters blog and crave information whenever I call. I miss my papa and mama and sisters and brothers and nephews. They know this and I know they think I'm pitiful--even if they act so nice about it. James is my everything--he's my strength and my rock and I wouldn't trade my relationship with him for anything. But... why can't I have both. I just want both. Is that so wrong? Can't I have everything I want??? Ok... just kidding. I'm not a spoiled brat.. even though sometimes I want to be.

Lovely Lately...

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...
Lately..
It's been great.
Ok,
Most of the time it's great,
so this isn't really news.
But let me just share a bit, eh?

I gave James a haircut! My very first one. It's called a Eurohawk (in case you were wondering, a Mohawk is where everything is shaved except the very defined spikes all the way down. A Fohawk is a milder version of that, stopping at the apex {top of the head}. And a EUROHAWK is the European version of the two combined. It's pretty much a thick fohawk that goes all the way down the head.)  Let's just say I plan to be really talented.

We went to Jackson Hole last weekend with Heather and Erick and had a blaaaast! Heather had never been and the rest of us hadn't been in a long time, so we decided to make the 1 1/2 hour drive to that awesome city. We ate at a gourmet grilled cheese place, where James got the French {caramelized onions, brie, on french bread} and I got the Granny {tomato, pepper jack, applewood smoked bacon on sourdough}, and it was so fetching DELICIOUS. We walked along the board walk and had a lot of fun looking around the shops. We even went to this elegant chocolate shop and I couldn't resist trying one. They were about 2 bucks a pop but, to me, sooo worth it. I got a Saffron Vanilla Bean chocolate and James got a Orange and Sea Salt chocolate. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
At the end of the day, we went for a stagecoach ride and saw a live show in the town square. All in all, a fantastic day.
P.S.- The one thing I wanted was a ring; Not necessarily anything nice, but just a cute ring that would remind me of this day in Jackson Hole. James knows I love turquoise. But because it's so expensive, I've never really had anything real turquoise. He was way more enthusiastic about finding me a turquoise ring than I was. So we looked around the shops and found a couple I fell in love with. One was a vintage one, made in the 50's, and it was adorable, but a nice $70 so I said definately no. We found a different one we loved for half that price and it's beautiful. I love my new ring!

James is a little self conscious about his chest in this one... But I still think he's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Plus he's already lost a couple more pounds since then!

He's graduated! This is all the way back in April, but i'm posting it now! Yay James!

Sometimes we go on walks.

Sometimes we go see Bill Cosby.

I want a puppy dog! This is our friends lil puppy. They invited us over for dinner and I fell in love with their fluffy dog.

Sometimes James grows a beard....cause I request it.

Sometimes we take sneaky pictures in church.
That aren't really flattering to either of us.

We go to the Drive In's pretty much whenever there's new movies because you get a double feature for 6.50! It's a steal. This time we saw Snow White and the Huntsman and Battleship. Snow White was really interesting and I liked it except they didn't develop the Huntsman character enough! Plus James knows I have a secret crush on the Huntsman--he's so fine. But Battleship sucked. Except it had Rihanna in it so that was pretty neat-o.

We've created this perfect method of comfort for watching the movie--through much trial and error. What you see here is about six layers of goodness, with our warmest blanket on top. Plus James is our personal heater. And then we each have two pillows. And those pillows are resting on towel-covered boulders that lend support if cushioned correctly. Aaaaaaand a bottomload of snacks to make our bellies happy.

I love this candid shot for some reason. Even though he kind of looks like a puppy.

Well, I think that's enough for now! More later. 

A few more updates for y'all who care:

- I can start cutting hair officially on Monday. Scary...!

- School's going great. Learning, learning, learning.

-I'm looking forward to family coming up in July. I miss them all dearly!

-We got midnight showing tickets to the new Batman movie in July! I"m SO STOKED I CAN HARDLY CONTAIN IT.

-I've been making some dang delicious dinners and desserts lately... like wow ;) I'll have to do a blog post just about that.

-Tonight, with Heather, I went to my first Zumba work out up at BYU and it was freaking awesome! I'm going to be sore tomorrow. And all it is is dancing your butt off..

Well........... peace.

Home Sweet Home

James and I are have been here in Rexburg for almost six months. Woot woot. We love our little home, our little family, our little life. James is still working at his internship-turned-job and likes it most days. It's a little start up company and there are a lot of drawbacks to working for them. But we won't get into that today! He works with good people and he makes enough money for the two of us, which is a huge blessing. This is my last week of Core (5 week class where you learn EvERYthing there is to know about being a cosmotologist; hair cutting, hair coloring, hair styling, the chemical make up of the hair, Paul Mitchell products {the best in the world..trust me}, manicures, pedicures, facials, styling tools and how to "Be Nice or Else".) and then I move onto Protege for another two weeks and then I get to be out on the floor! So exciting.

James just got a new calling as a district leader in our ward. He basically oversees 5 or 6 families to make sure they're doing well and the men are doing their home teaching. I'm so proud of him and what a great priesthood holder he is and i'm looking forward to supporting him in this calling. I'm still the Fellowship Committee chair and I pretty much need to be the friendliest person in Relief Society and welcome all the new families into the ward. And because this ward is constantly circulating with people moving in and out, it's a nicely sized job.. I'm grateful for the people who help me and a supportive husband.

James and I are trying to be healthier. I mean, I buy whole grain cereals, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, wheat bread, lower fat everything(mostly), brown rice, cheese, I've been baking more with wheat flour, we don't drink a lot of soda, and I've even cut back on baked goodies, but what kills us is the late night snacking. It's like the best time to eat junk food!--it's the end of the day, you can finally relax and snuggle up and to top it off, we always have yummy crap to snack on! Our favorite is taking refrigerated crescents in the tube, unrolling them, putting a good amount of chocolate chips in, then rolling them back up and baking. They're delicious. Like a very americanized version of Pain au chocolat. And we eat them. All.
So, moral of the story, we've stopped eating after 9 o'clock, more veggies than anything else at dinner, James works out every night and I go with him most nights. He's already lost a couple pounds. Go James!

We love our little apartment. It's so fun to have a home! My favorite thing is making dinner and doing laundry. Don't really know why.. it's just so fun! James is probably cleaner than I am. He always makes the bed in the morning, does the dishes after I make dinner, and puts his stuff away in the bathroom. Marriage is great. Anyway.. Shall we go through a virtual tour?


Home.

Welcome!

This is Mildred. She sits atop our T.V. and brings us joy and smiles every time we watch it.

Kitchen.. Sorry for the blurriness

James's weekly flower to me :) He knows I love tulips.

This is our tree. The birds in the cage are our beloved pets, Peter and George (pronounced Peetuhr and shjorrrshj)

I got these at the local craft store for half off. Smokin' deal and sooooo cute!

Now, on to the next!

Bathroom!

This is sadly our only picture of Christ in the house so far..

I love Paree!

I love this curtain print. Found it at Ross for like twelve bucks!

In the bathroom, we have doors that fold to the sides to reveal.. This!

The title speaks for itself..

Now to the bedroom..

I love all these places on the posters.. whether in my dreams or real life.

I love the clothespinned picture idea I got from Pinterest! (if you can't tell)

We got most of our new furniture at amazon for whopping prices. When our new chest of drawers and T.V. wooden stand came in pieces, James was so excited to put it together. He stayed up till 5 finishing it, while I slept on the couch :)

Don't you love my new floral shoes?? I sure do!

Anyway, that's the end of the tour! Hope you enjoyed!

...Happy, Rachael? :)