Date Night : Jan. 21st

For the first time in....FOREVER... Lance was not scheduled to work on Friday. We decided to take advantage of this rare occasion and make it a "date night". Lance told me several days in advance that it was completely up to me. He wanted me to plan everything. He and I both hate choosing what to do and making decisions. We tend to fall into the same routines and find ourselves doing the same things when we have time together. I was determined to come up with something new and different that we usually don't do.

My first ideas were: dinner, movie, bowling, laser tag, etc...but none of those were new or different. Then I decided I wanted to set up some sort of scavenger hunt type thing. For some reason, my creative half of my brain decided to go on vacation last week. I struggled coming up with places to go, things to do, anything! I even looked for ideas online, but nothing was sounding quite right. Frustrating! Thursday morning at work, I was trying desperately to come up with an idea but still not having much success. Then lo and behold, channel 2 news was doing their traveling section and they were in Logan. They were showcasing this place called Hardware Ranch. It is a wildlife management area.

To keep elk from wandering into the city, they put hay out each day to attract the elk. Over the years, the elk have learned that that is the place to go during the winter. During the winter months, the Ranch offers sleigh rides to go out on a ride through the elk. My first thoughts were, that's kind of weird....and different. PERFECT. So once Lance was done with classes, we hurried up the canyon to go on this sleigh ride. He had no idea what we were doing, so he was pretty confused and curious as to why we were heading up the canyon. During the ride up and down the canyon, we spotted between about 40-50 deer.

There were so many just hanging out by the road. I am never driving through that canyon in the dark! The sleigh ride took us out through the field by the elk. We stopped several times along the way for pictures and for the driver to give a little bit of information. It was actually pretty interesting and a fun activity. I had hot chocolate waiting for us in the car when we got through with the ride. I realized once we got up there that I had left my camera at home. It was packed and waiting by the door, but I guess I just forgot. So the few pictures I have are from my phone.

After we got back into Logan, we went out to dinner. After much discussion and debate, we decided to try a new place. We ate dinner at El Sol, it's a Mexican restaurant pretty close to our place. I got a chicken burrito, cheese enchilada, rice, and beans while Lance got a large shredded beef burrito with rice and beans. The chips and salsa were pretty good and I got pretty filled on those. The food was just ok for me. Lance seemed to like it and said he would go back, but I don't think I would. I ended up eating way too much, and my stomach hated me for the next few hours. It didn't help matters that we went to Cold Stone later that night after we watched a movie. Again, I decided to try something new. I got the Cake n' Shake. It honestly tasted like I was drinking cold cake batter. Seeing as I love cake batter, the shake was heaven. (Especially since I'm not supposed to eat cake batter while pregnant.) My stomach was still full from dinner, but the shake was so good, I drank more than I probably should have. I put the rest of it in the freezer for later. I had to work the grave that night, and I spend the whole night really uncomfortable...most likely from eating too much. I don't think it was the food that made me sick, just the amount of it. Overall, it was a very successful evening and one that I quite enjoyed.

On to the Next Stage in Life

 USU Graduate

I am have a Bachelor's Degree from Utah State University. It is official...well, kind of. I still haven't received my diploma in the mail, but they said that would take several months. But I am not longer a student. Because of some budget issues at USU, they are no longer having a commencement every semester. So if I want to walk, then I can this Spring. The date is set for May 8th. Seeing as that is about one week after my due date, I am not sure if I will be walking. If he decides he wants to come a few weeks early (which I have no objections), then I would probably consider walking. Guess we'll have to wait and see. I have really mixed feelings about graduating. Most people tell me how jealous they are and how they can't wait until they are done. However, graduating to me simple means...no more basketball games or other sporting events, no more using school facilities like the pools or gym, no more school activities, no more meeting new people and seeing old friends on campus, no more constantly being in a learning environment, etc, etc, etc.  Then again, graduating also means....no more classes, no more studying for tests, no more stressing about grades, no more dealing with the annoying professors (for the most part I had very good professors, but there were a few that could use some help), no more expensive textbooks, etc. So obviously there are many pros and and cons.

        I think, overall, that I would rather be a student. My work schedule is such that I sit home alone most of the day, and I have quickly run out of things to do. But I realize that there are many circumstances that make this graduation experience slightly different. The first obvious one is that I am pregnant. If we were not having a baby, things would be totally different. I would either be considering going to grad school, or I would be out looking for a real job. But because the baby will be here so soon and I don't plan on working immediately afterward, it would be pointless to go find a new job right now. Alas, I am working odd hours and spending most of my days bored at home. Don't get me wrong, I would much rather be spending my days bored at home, waiting for my son to get here than out finding a "real" job. I just need to find some way to spend my time to help the days go my faster. I cannot wait until April! So if anyone has any ideas of some craft ideas, hobby ideas, or things to do during the day, PLEASE let me know. Until I find something better to do, I am trying to enjoy being bored, and taking advantage of my spare time as I know I will want it back here in a few months.

(Below are some pics we took for a graduation announcement. I wanted a pic
in a cap and gown, but no one seemed to have one that I could borrow. My neighbor said

she had a navy blue one from Snow I could use. I realized after we took the pictures

that USU's are actually black. Solution = black and white pics.)

24 Weeks!

24 Weeks!

      As of yesterday, I am in my 24th week of pregnancy. We had a doctors appointment and everything is good. I have been a little bit worried because I'm still not feeling him move much at all. There are times when I feel...something...in my stomach, but it's easy to confuse with other normal stomach movements. I'm starting to guess that it more likely that it's him moving. When I told my doctor that I haven't really felt him, he seemed surprised, and said, "Let's check the heartbeat to make sure everything is ok." As if I wasn't already nervous, that sent my heart racing. I can't describe the relief I feel every appointment when I get to hear the sound of that quick little heart beat. My doctor assured me that all was well. He even said he had a patient once that never felt one movement from her baby the entire pregnancy! I really hope that isn't the case because I would like to feel him, but it gives me comfort to know that lack of movement isn't always bad.

    Most babies weigh around one pound at this point, and are about 12 inches long. His brain is growing quickly, and his taste buds are developing. He should start to plump up here pretty soon.

     Things are still going smoothly. I got a gym membership to Planet Fitness today so I can walk and try to be somewhat healthy. It was one of my New Year's resolutions to go for a walk at least 3 times a week. It's not that fun walking out in Logan's freezing temperatures, so off to the gym it is!

     I finally found a food aversion. I made enchiladas the other night, and the smell of them really bothered me. I was able to eat one, but I had a little stomach ache afterward. I had to make Lance wash the pan the next day because the smell bothered me so bad. Other than that, things have felt pretty normal for me. I've been having fun doing crafts and decorating the baby's room. I'll post some pictures here within the next few weeks.