After our fun in vegas I slept for days, mostly due to the fact that the cramps and morning sickness were so bad that I was drugged. Doctor put me on rest and that's where I have stayed, good ole modified bedrest. The good news is that between the drugs and the rest I feel much better. After about an hour or so of being up it all comes back and sometimes worse. Never realized how much I would miss the simple things. Going a bit insane but trying to stay busy. So I have decided to take up knitting (using the looms). I really wanted to make booties and mittens but have yet to be able to grasp the instructions. But hats are easy. So easy thats it is hats for everyone this year. I am hoping to make a hat for each holiday and these are the ones I have so far.

Viva Las Vegas

More Vegas pictures Unfortunately our camera broke on the first night out after one picture so we had to use my camera phone. Not the best quality

old friends ... boy trouble Eiffel tower and a nice Vegas view from a top Not the career for me Grand Canyon oops too close to the edge And the best was guy with the back pack his shirt said "repent or perish"

Vegas

It just so happened that our 1st anniversary happened at the same time that we found out that we're expecting. So instead of the planned cabin /camping celebration we decided to search internet specials. We found steals on Vegas. So we packed up and headed out for a week to celebrate one last vacation of just the two of us. Good timing and bad timing.

Whitney and I had two different ideas of living it up vegas style.








My idea (sleep ahhh... refreshing) vs. Whitney's (too exhausting)

We saw all the free shows we could and then signed up for players cards to see the bigger show for free. ICE at the riveria was amazing. I was in shock and aw of the things they could do with ice skates on and not flinch at all when a skate by just inches from their face.Extreme magic boggled our minds at how they could make a helicopter appear and the tigers change so quickly.
Taste of the World at Coke Cola world was one of the simplest things we did, and laughed and cried the most at. Simply they give you sixteen drinks from around the world. For the most part they were ok but the last one was the worst. I almost lossed it. What makes it even better is that everyone is just watching and waiting for you to drink it. Aghhhh...





We finished off the week with a trip to Grand Canyon. Amazing and they even had gluten free cookies in the gift shop.

Lessons learned
1. a week in vegas was too long
2. never travel on bus for five hours when pregnant

Whit's New Ride

Things are changing for us here in Grand Forks. We are settling in and feel more at home. Whit is now working excavation. He gets to drive the big boy toys and play in the dirt all day long. His boss is also a farmer and so he is learning tricks from old farmer about planting and working til the sun goes down. Most nights he doesn't get home till 9;30 and is covered from head to toe in mud. Sometimes I wonder what it is he really does mud wrestling with the boys or digging ditches. But he works hard and his much happier than he was at stinky old walmart. I never thought that was a real job anyways and he is glad that I no longer haggle him about it. He is also preparing to get his CDL license. After he gets that his pay will double. Wahooo!!! He makes the money and I spend the money. That's my job, to spend the money. I am doing a pretty good job of it too cause it always gone.

One year down, an Eternity to go!

We celebrated our first anniversary by getting sealed for time and all eternity in the Bismarck temple. We enjoyed sharing the occasion with friends and family. Afterwards the Ricks treated us to lunch at the Golden Coral.
(It was cold and raining so we didn't get any pictures that day so i borrowed this picture)

We're Growing

We are all growing. Me, Whitney, and our little bambino. We are expecting our first baby to grace us around the new year. We are super excited and a little nervous at the same time. I wish that I could say I love being pregnant but unfortunately I have been really sick and tired. I have a new admiration for mothers who seem to be able to do it all. My uterus is tilted backwards, which is why we think I have had so much cramping and pain. But our little one seems to be healthy. Whitney is showing a whee bit more than I, but mostly because I always have him finish my meals for me.

Plunge into lunges

I hate lunges. I feel awkward and stupid doing them, I always seem to lose my balance and fall over. Weighted lunges are even worse. All I need is 15 lbs weights in each hand to make my fall even more painful. And my bum and legs are proof of that. However since lunges are one of the best exercises for defining ones legs and bum, I better learn to endure them if not love them. So I have created a 1000 lunge challenge. Here we go... 1000 to go still.

The stress Diet

So I am on the stress diet. Its an amazing diet that simply defies mathematics. Regardless of how much you eat or exercise, the waistline won't budge. I carefully monitored what I ate and made sure that I burned enough off with exercise that simple mathematics would do the rest. Calories burned - calorie intake= weight loss Wrong! Stress does wonders on my body. And I would swear that more carefully I watch my diet and remove the unhealthy items ( aka rockstars) the more weight comes on. I was diagnosed with ibs in December. I could pass for 5 months pregnant most days. And everyone asks me if I am. Nope just fat and stressed. I am doing the things that should help destress; exercise, journaling, pampering yourself, sleep, cuddling, eating healthy.... Mentally I don't feel stressed but my body feels it.

Addict

Well one poor decision lead to another and I in a weak moment I gave into temptation and downed that rockstar. Well to justify my weakness, I didn't drink the whole thing, I actually drank less than half. But still it is just as bad, right? But it tasted oh so good going down, which is really odd because it smells like nasty cough medicine mixed with orange juice. Now that doesn't sound appealing but a true addict doesn't care. "Hi my name is addict and I am addicted to rockstar." Well since I'm not ready to join RA (rockstar's anonymous) I'll just start again, here we go 12 hours down.

Facing the Truth

In the gym one of the poster you see when weight lifting is, "To become want you want, you have to face the truth". Well the truth is its just now hitting me that I need to get my weight under control. Now this is not to say that I have not been concerned about it or tried to lose weight because that is a constant thought in my head. But facing the truth is that I am only doing it half way. The big part that I am missing is dieting. Why because I hate it. I am already restricted to a gluten free diet and don't really want to limit it more. Also changing one's taste palate is difficult. I love fried salty carbs. I crave them and consume most of my calories thru them. And the rest most likely come from drinking juice. My new addiction since I gave up soda. So my new goal is not to lose wight but to change my taste palate. To drink more water than juice and gave healthy food. If I can't then hopefully they will still have an opening on the biggest loser next season.