La Joie de Vivre

Diary of a Mad Prego Woman

2010-09-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm not really mad...at least, not right now. Just wait until those hormones start raging and I start yelling at the top of my lungs for no apparent reason. Well, I'm exaggerating. While my poor husband (bless his heart) has been witness to my moodiness, I don't think the rest of the world has (if you have, SORRY!). But so far, I really have little to complain about as far as pregnancy goes. In fact, I've really been enjoying it. I've had zero morning sickness or food aversions, which has been very nice, but at the same time, if I keep everything I am eating down, I'll weigh 400 pounds by the time the (hopefully) little guy or gal comes out. Cuz I am hungry ALL THE TIME! Pasta. That's what this baby seems to like.

So anyway, my point in this post and perhaps others to follow, is to keep a kind of pregnancy journal so I can keep a record of the crazy things that happen when you're pregnant that people don't tell you about. I'm learning about things I hadn't the slightest clue about, and I am beginning to think there's a secret club where all the members are women who have had babies and part of being a member requires not telling anyone else about these things. My sisters were going to write a book about funny pregnancy moments, but I guess they decided not to for fear they'd be kicked out of the club.

So far, nothing funny or crazy or unusual has happened, but I still have quite a ways to go. One thing I learned is when you're pregnant, you should ALWAYS hold your stomach when you cough. Otherwise, the cough is followed by a very painful—but thankfully, brief—cramp. Also, getting up too quickly will get you lightheaded and crampy as well. Oh, and of course the dreams are very strange and apparently I am talking in my sleep a lot more—a few nights ago I said something about a hat holder or something....

Anyway, we're both super excited about this awesome time in our lives! :)

"Bonjour Cannes!" Part I

2009-10-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

So I am WAY excited that I've been able to go to France for work. Every year, the company goes in October and April. This year, I get to go and I have to say it is SO BEAUTIFUL here in Cannes. The Palais, where the trade show is going to take place, is right on the beach and the area is known as Cote d'Azur, which means azure coast. It's beautiful and the weather has been very nice. It has been in the 70s!

Yesterday, after 18 hours of flying, we went straight to the Palais to set up. My sister, Tammy, said it is best to just stay awake and go to bed at a normal hour in France. So I went to bed at about 10:30 PM and I feel fine now. Maybe a little tired, but nothing more than usual. After we set up at the Palais, we went to La Pizza, which my boss said has the best pizza in the world. He was right! The pizza was AMAZING! It was very cheesy and extremely DELICIOUS! The trick is that they use 1/2 mozzarella and 1/2 swiss. It gives it a really unique flavor. Then they cook it in a wood-burning stove. So if you are ever in Cannes, make sure to check the place out. You won't be disappointed.

Today we went to Carrefour, a Walmart-like store that is HUGE. To give you an idea of how big, they have 73 cashiers. And ALL were working! We got some food, some of which I will eat and some I will likely pass on. I told Gil that I would TRY a BITE of rabbit and I might try skate (stingray), but he got me some steak and a frozen pizza to eat on those days. I also had to get a hair straightener because the transformer I brought did NOT work for it. I plugged it in and went upstairs to get dressed and when I came back, the ceramic plates on it had melted off the device! So I had to buy a European-friendly one for like $58. At least I'll have one for next time I'm here!

Our Anniversary

2009-05-24T15:58:00.000-07:00

This has been the best weekend so far -- not only cuz it's a 3-day weekend, but because Johnny and I decided to take advantage of the long weekend and celebrate our anniversary one night. So last night, we saw Star Trek (I was VERY impressed and I'm not a Star Trek fan, nor do I have any knowledge of it at all) and ate at Main Street Pizza Noodle in Park City. We got a king suite at the Stein Ericksen lodge and OHMIGOSH! It was AWESOME! We were thinking King suite meant king bed, nice accommodations, etc., but we had no idea!

The place came with a full-size kitchen and living area, 2 fireplaces (one in the living room and one in the bedroom), a dining area, 2 bathrooms, and our very own private balcony and hot tub! And we got the 5-star treatment the whole time we were there. I definitely recommend staying there if you get a chance. I'm sure you'll love it as much as we did!

The "Eliminate the Weight" Plan

2009-05-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

So Johnny and I have been inspired to start eating right and exercising to lose weight. Why? Well, for a number of reasons. First, we're doing a weight-loss challenge with some of his buddies at work and, well, we like to win. :) Also, we watched an episode of the Early Show that boasted a plan that would help you lose 20 pounds in 4 weeks. The nutritionist they had on the show gave some recommendations as far as what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They didn't say anything about exercise, but I can only assume that this plan would and should include it. Now, I know losing 5 pounds a week can be difficult, but I think we can do it. I figure, you can do ANYTHING for 4 weeks, right? Worst case scenario, we'd lose less, but we'd still be adopting a healthier lifestyle! So we went to the store today and bought a lot of healthy (BUT YUMMY) foods and we're going to give it our best shot. So today we had some non-fat vanilla yogurt with some banana and triple-berry granola for breakfast. Our picnic lunch today is going to consist of whole-wheat pitas filled with veggies and grilled chicken strips with some low-fat vinaigrette and some watermelon to munch on. We also got some Crystal Light Green Tea take-along packs (that you just put in your water bottle). In my research online, I've found that Green Tea can really help with weight loss, so why not try it? Dinner tonight is going to be grilled chicken, brown rice, and veggies.

As far as workouts, we plan on doing our new P90X every morning and I'd like to go to some classes (Zumba, Power Yoga, Rock-Hard Abs) at the gym on some nights. Wish us luck! We'll keep you posted on our progress.

SNL Humor

2009-04-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

SNL is funny again! :)

Here Comes the REVOLUTION!

2009-04-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Johnny is officially a baller (holla, holla!) again! He and his brother, Roger, are on the Wasatch Revolution semi-pro team. The team is in the Rocky Mountain football league and they just played their first game last Saturday. It was awesome to see John working it out on the field. At one point, I saw him push 2 guys off at the same time! :) The team even has their own dancers and they did an awesome job cheering the boys (or should I say MEN) on. I can't wait for Mother Nature to finally start cooperating and giving us good weather every Saturday for their games. Look at this guy! Would you mess with him? I dare say you would not! If you want more info on upcoming games, let me know. We'd love to see you there!

New hair

2009-04-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that I FINALLY was able to go in and get a haircut! It had been a long time coming! I was a little nervous about going darker, but I'm warming up to it and I think I like it better than the red highlights I had before. The only thing I wish is that my hair would look everyday the way it looked when I walked out of the salon. I told my stylist that I would like her to do my hair everyday before I go to work. Perhaps it's time I learned how to do hair...

Monkeying Around

2009-03-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

Monkeys can be cute sometimes and sometimes they're obnoxious. My mom once worked with a guy who had a monkey. She said the monkey was really annoying because he would always steal her pencils. Heehee. But John found this video of the CUTEST MONKEY IN THE WORLD! It makes me want one. If y'all are wondering what I want for my birthday, this is it. John is going to clean up the poop. I'm just going to play with him. :)

Check it out here (sorry, it wouldn't let me create a link, so you'll have to do the ol' cut and paste): http://www.comcast.net/data/fan/html/popup.html?v=1070792212

2009-03-20T18:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome, Spring! It's been so long,
We were beginning to think we'd said something wrong.
We thought maybe you didn't love us anymore,
but, alas, here you are and you've come back for more.
Stick around and stay awhile,
bring the sun and make us smile.
Winter's welcome has long passed.
We're ready for it to leave, and fast!
Screw you, Mother Nature, "It's Spring!" we say.
We're glad Spring's sticking around another day.

Lovin Pandora

2009-03-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of you have heard of and used Pandora, but I have to say it is freaking awesome! I had heard about it before but didn't decide to try it until today. If you don't know what it is, it's an internet radio station. You create an account (for free) and enter the names of all the artists you like. I just went through my iPod and put 'em all in. Pandora will play songs from the artists you list and also songs from different artists that fall under the same genre. For every song, you can mark thumbs up or thumbs down. If you mark thumbs down, it will never play that song again. You can also bookmark artists or songs that you like and can purchase them on iTunes.

If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. It's cool cuz you can log in no matter where you are and get the tunes you like. :) Speaking of great music, I'm excited that Depeche Mode is coming to Utah at the end of August! Sweeeeet! "I Just Can't Get Enough"!

Spring Gardening Tips

2009-03-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

New Job & Yummy Sandwiches

2009-03-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

I started my new job last week and am loving it so far. I work at Koan in Park City as the Director of Acquisitions. Basically, I look for movies that need U.S. and/or international distribution and contact the producers to see if they would like us to distribute their film(s) for them. The fun part is that I get to talk to producers and even attend film festivals around the world. I also get to screen movies that come in to see if we'd be willing to distribute them. Some are great and some are NOT so great. :) Brent and Kellie can attest to that! The commute is definitely better than the commute for my last job and I love working in Park City. The only hard part will be trying to refrain from going to the outlet malls every day on my lunch break!

Johnny and I just found an awesome little sandwich place in American Fork. If you're ever in the area and craving a sandwich to munch on, I recommend going to Jimmy John's over by WalMart. I got the turkey sandwich on french bread (add the provolone and dijon) and it was SO YUMMY! Johnny got the tuna on french bread and it was also delicious. You can order online too, or even go through the drive-thru if you're in a hurry. Then, for dessert, make sure to stop by Smart Cookie by the Century Theaters. Their sugar cookies are to die for and I find myself craving them everyday! It's a good thing they're far enough away that I can't just jump in the car every time the craving hits. Their regular sugar cookies and their cinnamon sugar cookies (think cinnamon bun in the form of a cookie) are SOOOOO GOOD!

2009-03-14T19:09:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!!

We are BACK!!!!

Stay tuned for more EXCITING updates!

Florida Pics and Harley

2008-01-31T19:27:00.000-08:00

Erin floating in The Gulf of Mexico

Sunset in Sarasota, FL

John floating in the Gulf of Mexico

What can I say??

Damn Dog

Holy Guacamole!!!

2008-01-29T19:39:00.000-08:00

At the request of my awesome sister-in-law in Minnesota (Hey, Becky), here is my Guacamole recipe. Please keep in mind that I have never measured the ingredients, but here is the gist of it:

3 Avocados

1/3 of a yellow onion, chopped

1/4 cup fresh salsa (add more as needed)

1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp. lime juice (add to taste if needed)

dash of salt and pepper

Tabasco sauce to taste

sprinkle of garlic powder to taste

Serve with Tostitos Gold chips (they don't break when you dip)

Hope everybody has a great Super Bowl Sunday!! Go Pats!!

Down Time & Resolutions

2008-01-14T20:36:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhh...this weekend was HEAVENLY! I used a spa gift certificate that John got me for Christmas at the Spa Club in Fort Union. I got an hour swedish massage and joined the spa club to receive future discounts. All I can say is WOW! It was Ahhhhh-mazing!! She massaged my back, neck, arms, hands, feet, and scalp. I'm thinking I'll make this a monthly thing. This will be my monthly pamper-myself session!

Also, I recently finished the Twilight books. I know, they're so "teenage girl," but they were AWESOME! I finished all three in the span of a week. I was addicted! They start shooting the first movie next month and I am so excited! I have to say that Edward Cullen is by far the hottest, sexiest vampire EVER! Those who have read the books will know exactly what I mean. Those of you who haven't should definitely read them!

2008 snuck up on us very quickly! But we HAVE made our New Year's resolutions. Ours is to lose weight--I know, BORING, but definitely needed! My other resolution is to start writing more. I've been thinking about writing the insides of cards. Kellie Holley, a friend of mine, is a fantastic artist and we once talked about making cards together--she'd do the art and I'd do the poems. We'll see how that goes. John's other resolutions are to learn CPR and take guitar lessons. Then he can serenade me every night. Haha!

I am WAY excited for summer now that winter is officially halfway over. We are tentatively planning on going to Italy (I hope we can afford it!). If we can, we'll spend 2 weeks taking in the beautiful sites and eating delicious food! We want to visit Bellagio (Lake Como), Venice, Rome, Florence, and the Amalfi Coast (another reason to lose weight--swimsuits!!). We figure the trip (with airfare) will cost about $5,000. Eeeeesh! So we'll see how kind Uncle Sam is to us when we get our return!! If we don't go to Italy, we'll stick with our old standby--Florida. It's cheap, we know our way around, and there's plenty to do! And we'll be wearing swimsuits there, too, so we better get cracking on the losing weight resolution! I guess it doesn't help that I just made chocolate chip cookies. But mark my words--come summer, I am going to feel good sporting a swimsuit! Good luck to all of you with your resolutions!

Blog time!

2007-12-16T17:24:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally decided to start a blog. We figured since our friends and family were all jumping on the Blog bandwagon, maybe we should do the same. After all, it is the 21st century! Plus, we've found blogs are a great way to stay in touch with friends and family and to let everyone know what's going on in our lives.

And there's a lot going on! John has one more semester in school and has just gotten his COMMERCIAL PILOT'S LICENSE! Yea! It's been a long time coming, but it's so worth the wait. It's like they say--nothing ever worth getting has been easy! In the spring, John is going to start applying to some airlines. The smaller, regional airlines that he could work for with the hours he has built up so far are mostly back east, so we might be moving in the not-too-distant future! Ahhh, back to my roots...

I just finished my MBA program through the University of Phoenix FINALLY! I now have an MBA in Marketing, which I hope to use to get my dad's tour business going. Things are also crazy at work with the holidays coming up. I'm excited for a 4-day weekend, though!

With the holidays just around the corner, we're excited about what the new year has in store for us and wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!