The Adventures of Kailey and Caleb

Lucas' Birth Story

2011-11-15T19:14:00.001-08:00

Lucas' birth is already getting fuzzy and I'm starting to forget things! We are so happy to have our little guy here, but I want to remember the whole process...well some things I would like to forget! But here goes nothing. Be warned this is a long post!

On October 31 (Halloween) I woke up at 4am with contractions. I had been wondering and asking people how I would know when I was going into labor, and they always replied, "oh you will know when it's time." I knew that these just weren't cramps and that they indicated that labor was on it's way. I was excited and anxious. I went back to bed and tried to get some more sleep. I resisted waking Caleb to tell him, I knew he would probably need some sleep too! We woke up later, and I told Caleb that we would probably be having a baby soon. He was super excited, and we really didn't know what we should be doing next! I called my Mom and let her know as I wanted her to be at the birth. I told her we still probably had a lot of time, so she said she would get ready, pack, and then be on her way up. Caleb and I timed my contractions on my handy contraction app on my phone. I called my midwife when I had one every 5 minutes, and it had been going on for an hour. She reassured me that we probably still had quite a ways to go, and to call her back in a couple of hours. I did just that, and our midwife Wendy said she was in the area and would stop by to check on me. My mom arrived right after Wendy did. Wendy took me in the bedroom and did an internal check....not comfortable! She seemed suprised to learn that I was 4cm dilated and said i had been doing some good work.

She gave us the option of going to the hospital, or staying home and laboring for a bit longer. We chose to stay at home. She advised us to go take a long walk, and then come home and have a nap as i needed to get some rest as well. It was around supper time, so we went to Wendy's to eat. I had a spicy chicken. :) I remember feeling slightly embarassed having to close my eyes every so often as I had a contraction. I felt like everyone was staring at me, but I really don't think anyone noticed. There I was in labor eating at Wendy's. :)

After that Caleb took us to Nose Hill Park for our walk. Our walk turned into more of long hike! It was for me anyways. I would have to stop and lean on caleb every time i had a contraction. They were getting closer together and more intense. It was windy and cold, and i was done walking long before we were actually done. Caleb was a bit ambitious and took us further than we probably should have gone. Getting back to the car was such a relief!

When we got home I took wendy's advice to have a nap...although I didn't think I would be able to at that point and I was right....I did rest, but couldn't sleep through the contractions. A little while later I hit a turning point. I told Caleb that if I didn't go to the hospital then...I didn't think I would. I knew I could have the baby safely at home with our midwives, but the hospital was our plan and felt we should stick to it. We called our midwife Wendy, and she said if that's what we wanted it wasn't a problem. I have no idea what time we left for the hospital, but it was sometime in the evening.

We got there, Wendy was there as well as a midwifery student Babil. After we got settled Wendy suggested that I go for a walk around the unit. We walked out the door and turned right...inside the room that was there we heard a woman literally screaming her head off! It sounded like she was getting murdered! My midwife quickly redirected us, but caleb and i were both a little freaked out! ha. She checked me when we got back and I was at 6cm. So things were progressing.

The next 12 hours were not fun...although I was not screaming like that lady! My contractions were very intense. Wendy and Babil were great and really helped me through them. I tried to breathe and relax as best I could, but sometimes it was just too much. I think the worst part of the contractions was actually the break in between and anticipating the next one. That's not where my mind probably should have been...but for me the anticipation was the worst! I got in the tub for a while and labored in there...it was nice to be in the warm water for a bit. Caleb and my Mom were also a huge support. They were probably both exhausted too! but stuck with me through the whole thing. My mind had started wandering through this process to pain relief. It was never my intention to use any drugs, and i really wanted a natural birth...but after 24 hours...my mind was definitely going there.

At 4am...after 24 hours of labor, Wendy checked me again. I was hoping for some good news...unfortunately it wasn't. She said "you haven't progressed very much." I asked her how much? She again said, "you haven't progressed very much." I knew she didn't want to tell me. I was still at 6cm. I had been at a 6 for 12 hours. That was so discouraging...and on my mind was just wanting some relief for the pain. I asked her what my options were. She said there was laughing gas, which would not make the pain any less, but I wouldn't care as much about it...so pretty much I wouldn't be all there...and then there was an epidural. Neither of those options sounded ideal to me. Wendy told me that an epidural would allow me to get some rest, because I still needed strength when it came time to push. Wendy didn't push an epidural on me, but I could tell she didn't think it was a bad idea. I talked to Caleb about it for a while. I asked him if he would be dissapointed in me if I got one, he said he wouldn't, but he asked if I would be dissapointed in myself. He didn't want me to regret my decision. I knew it's not ideally what I wanted, but I didn't know if I could do much more without some kind of relief. After going back and forth for a while, I decided to get one. I was scared of the needle, but everything went well. After Wendy said to me "Kailey, when a midwife tells you to get an epidural, you get an epidural." That helped me feel a bit better about my choice, but at that point I was still just so out of it.

After the epidural, the midwives advised me to start on oxytocin, but the very lowest dose to help me dialate. This had already turned into the slippery slope I was fearing, but we did the oxytocin, as it was a very minimal dose of it. For the next while I was able to sleep and get some rest which was so nice. We sent my Mom home to sleep as well. The midwives reassured her that we would let her know when it was time to push and that she would definitely make it in time. One of the other midwives Luba showed up to relieve wendy and babil for a bit. She was my favorite midwife so I was glad she was there. She just has such a gentleness about her, and i always felt most comfortable around her. After a while my epidural had started to wear off and I was feeling contractions again. I got another internal check probably around 1 or 2pm and I was fully dialated! Which meant time to push. At this point I was feeling everything, so I didn't need coaching about when to push as I could feel my contractions, and was also feeling a bit of pressure. We tried a bunch of different pushing positions. At one point they even had a bar set up at the end of the bed so i could squat, it was pretty crazy. They checked where the baby was, and it seemed that the midwives had a hard time figuring out exactly what position his head was in. Pushing was exhausting! I was so so tired, and so I finally asked how long I had been pushing for...two and a half hours. I didn't think it was that long! But my body did...I was so tired.

At this point the midwives told me that they were going to have the OB come in to check the baby's position, as he was not coming down. I agreed, and in came a very young female doctor...i don't know why it suprised me so much! but then an older doctor came in and checked as well. He checked and said he was going to try and turn the baby's head as it was not in the right spot. Again, at this point I could feel everything and this was not very comfortable! He tried and he said the baby's head would slip right back after he turned it. He said that forceps or vaccum could have been an option, but that the baby wasn't low enough for him to do that. I was grateful, and I really did not feel comfortable with either of those. The doctor's left to consult, and at this point I felt myself almost losing control...I was in so much pain and so uncomfortable, I felt like screaming "someone needs to help me now!" But i was able to hold back, and the doctor's fortunately didn't leave for very long. They came back and said that they were going to recommend a c-section. I was upset and dissapointed, but to be honest at this point I just wanted the baby out, and I wanted everything to be over. Caleb was really upset as well..more for me than him as he knew I was so scared of the surgery, and it's not at all what I wanted.
We both were able to pull it together and knew as long as our baby came to us healthy, that was the best thing. It wasn't long before I was crying. I asked my midwife Luba "is this my fault because I got an epidural?" She was so understanding and reassured me that none of this was my fault, that sometimes births don't take the course we want them to, and that the most important thing was getting our baby to us. She said that it was ok to cry, and that it needed to be part of my process, and it was good I was doing it then and not holding it in and holding onto the guilt. She was so reassuring and really helped me work through the whole thing.

The doctor's explained everything to us, I signed some forms and within a few minutes we were in the operating room. throughout this whole thing everyone was so kind and so nice. The anesthesiologist was from Scotland, and his accent was so nice and calming, as my grandparents were from there. He was so kind and helped me through the process. While they were operating on me he would rub my head every once in a while and make sure i was ok...he was just so nice!

We got into the OR, Caleb was with me, and my mom was able to watch through a window...her dream come true! She loves watching surgeries! I was so afraid I was going to be able to feel what they were doing, but I couldn't. I could feel pressure, but no pain. I will have to give Caleb's account of the next part, as I was just laying there on the table. The anesthesiologist told Caleb if he wanted he would tell him when to stand up so that he could watch them take the baby out. Caleb told him that he wanted to watch. A bit later he told Caleb to stand up. The doctor was in the way with her back towards Caleb, and the anesthesiologist told caleb that she would move out of the way when they took him out. Caleb says that he was trying to figure out what she was doing, and that it looked like she was trying to open a jar of something as all of her back muscles were strained. After a bit she gasped and said "I can't do it." They doctors all quickly switched positions and Caleb said that things felt a little bit frantic. They warned us that the doctor's would probably be talking about golf....but this wasn't the case at all. Caleb said that at this point the two female doctors were putting all their body weight pushing on my stomach (i felt like my back was going to break!) and the doctor was trying to pull the baby out. Caleb said all this muscles were shaking. The male doctor couldn't get him out either, and they quickly moved to the vacuum. Caleb said he was vacuumed out by his head and it looked crazy, because the baby looked so big coming out of my stomach, it didn't look like he could have possibly all fit!

They finally had him out. We're still not sure why it was such a struggle for him to come out. I think he must have been stuck somehow in their as his position was off and i was pushing for so long. Also the cord was wrapped around his neck, which might have had something to do as to why he wasn't moving down when I was pushing. But everyone we've talked to has never heard of them using a vacuum for a c-section. He must have been really happy in there! He sure didn't want to come out.

I heard him cry and instantly started crying myself. When they got him out I heard everyone talking about how big he was and Caleb told me that he had lots of dark hair, which I couldn't believe! They weighed him, 9 pounds 8 oz! I heard someone say while they were checking him "he has two eyes, and two chins, two ears..." it was pretty cute. They gave him to Caleb when they were done and Caleb brought him over. What a surreal moment to be able to see my beautiful baby boy. He looked so swollen! But I really couldn't believe he was actually here, and ours. I couldn't wait to hold him. Also at this point caleb said they took out my uterus and it was on my stomach..crazy! They stitched me up and brought me to a little waiting room. They brought in Lucas and Wendy let him breastfeed for a little bit. Still everything was so surreal!

They brought us to our room...we were lucky enough to get a private room! The next afternoon and evening were a blur. I was so exhausted. My Mom left a few hours later, and Caleb stayed and held the baby while I slept on and off. I remember I kept apologizing, and I felt like I should be up with the baby too but I just couldn't help it. Caleb wasn't able to stay over, but I had a fantastic nurse that night. She said they were going to keep him in the nursery overnight, which I remember being a bit sad about, but looking back I'm so grateful they did. I was not with it enough to take care of him. They gave me a shot in my arm that night, and i only know that because of the bruise on my arm! No recollection at all. I do remember throwing up...a lot. Actually throughout my labor i was throwing up until I had nothing left. It just added to the experience. :) They gave me something before the surgery that tasted like concentrated Eno (it`s an antacid if you've never had it) to keep me from throwing up during the surgery...i thought I don't need this, there is nothing left in me! A few hours after the surgery I threw that nasty stuff up...thanks a lot! I felt naseous for quite a while afterwards.

I got a good night's sleep that night though, and they kept us another night. All of our nurses were fantastic...with the exception of one really weird/awful one. They were so helpful and kind. But I really wanted to get out of there and get home. They had a list of tasks I had to do before they'd release me, so I made sure I did them. I had to pee a certain amount, go for a walk around the unit, etc. The doctors stopped by the next morning and cleared us to go home. The next couple hours Caleb and I battled with picking out our baby's name. He was still nameless. We each had a name we were leaning towards, and it was so hard to pick one! We both wanted the other one to be happy, but at the same time were still hanging onto the name we liked best. In the end I won....Lucas. :)

His full name is Lucas Caleb Wilson Lee. Caleb has two middle names, so we wanted to make a tradition and give him two middle names as well.

It was a crazy adventure. When it was all over I told Caleb that Lucas will be an only child. Going through that once was enough! But my midwives reassured me that my next labor and delivery will go much more smoothly. I hope they are right!

I am so grateful that Lucas arrived to us healthy and safely. I am so grateful for a husband who was there and present with me the whole time. Luba commented what an amazing job he did, that most husbands would be passed out sleeping at that point. Luba had to forcefully tell him to go get something to eat after i got the epidural, because he didn't want to leave me. He did such an amazing job and was such a support. I'm also so grateful to my Mom who was there for me as well. I think a lot of the time she was in the corner crying. :) It was hard for her to see me go through everything I did, but I am so thankful she was there and I think it brought us a lot closer.

It was a crazy ride, but well worth it. We sure love our little Lucas and he was worth every second of everything I went through. He is such a good baby and I feel so lucky to be his mother.

Just after we got to the hospital.

Working through a contraction.

This was obviously after my epidural. :)

After the epidural...

But still feeling contractions!

After we were told about the c-section. Oh man we look rough here! It captures pretty well how we were feeling I think!

Caleb ready for the OR

Meeting little Lucas for the first time. I love this picture. I love how it includes my Mom in the background as well. She was so excited. :)

I love you little Lucas...you were worth every second.

Lethbridge Baby Shower

2011-10-21T13:25:00.001-07:00

Just playing a bit of catch up here! Last month my sister threw me a baby shower at my Mom's house in Lethbridge. It was so much fun, and I got so many great presents for baby. People were so generous and we are so grateful for everyone's support. My parents bought us a carseat and stroller system, which we were needing and are so happy to have!
Some of my favorite gifts were the homemade ones. Of course my Grandma Porter made baby something. She made him a beautiful sweater, blanket, and the cutest little hat with bunny ears! i can't wait to put it on him! My Mom also made me a baby quilt, and my sister made a beautiful blanket for me as well. I appreciate all the gifts, but those are ones i will always treasure.

We ate delicious cake, and it was so fun to visit with everyone.

Cheryl has already had her baby boy! Jealous! Hopefully I'm up to have mine soon. Only four days until my official due date. I have the feeling I am going to be overdue, so I'm not holding my breath for him to come very soon!

My friend Ashley and some of my Mom's friend stayed later and we just chatted and I have to say it was so fun!

A big thank you to my Mom and sister and Thank you to everyone who came!

oh baby

2011-09-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

I think a lot about what our baby will look like. I'm pretty sure he's going to inherit Caleb's blonde hair...I'm pretty sure he will be bald, (sorry baby!) I always envision him as skinny too...maybe just a mini caleb? :)

But one thing I'm hoping he'll inherit of mine is the nose I had when I was a baby, and maybe my juicy lips. Just take a look at that nose and tell me it's not adorable.

(I'm second from the left)

Whatever you look like baby you are sure to be absolutely adorable!

Scott and Stacey

2011-09-04T19:42:00.001-07:00

It's official, my little brother is married. Scott married his sweetheart Stacey on September 2, 2011. It was a perfect day. And although everyone is so happy for him, it seems a little sad to have the baby of the family married off already. It seems like he just got home from his mission! But I know him and Stacey are going to be so happy.

The morning of their wedding was overcast and rainy, but by the time they came out of the temple the weather was perfect. The ceremony was beautiful and so special as Stacey's Grandmpa sealed them. I was pretty emotional throughout the whole thing...these pregnancy hormones didn't help! Stacey was teary through most of it, so everytime I looked at her I couldn't help but cry! it was too much for me.

It was such a special day! We are so excited to have a new member of our family. We love you both!

Stacey's dress was gorgeous! I loved it!

Much love to you both!

30 weeks

2011-08-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

It's getting a little painful for me to post these belly pics! i made caleb take like twenty pictures of me and still didn't have one i liked...so here you go!

Things are still going well. My feet and ankles if you can tell are getting very swollen. It doesn't really hurt, but they just feel tight a lot of the time. This is one reason I'm grateful to be pregnant during the summer...flip flops and sandals! I'm not sure my feet would fit into anything else at this point.

Only a couple of months left to go and we get to meet our baby! I will be done work in about four weeks hopefully. It will be nice to have a bit of a break because I haven't been sleeping very well lately.

It has been becoming a bit more real to me. I am feeling the baby move all the time now, and sometimes I feel like I can pick out body parts. I will feel a little foot or knee pushing on me, and if we push back he will start to push against our hand. That has been so fun! It makes it seem a lot more real, there is actually a little person in there!

His room is coming along slowly but surely. Our sister in law generously gave us a change table, which we have been painting white. We actually found the crib that I was wanting to get in the states at walmart up here! It's of course $40.00 more, but still pretty reasonable. I'm excited to have everything set up and ready to go!

I think I'm getting to the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy. I am feeling new aches and pains and I'm feeling huge. But it is more than worth it!

Only a couple more months to go!

Brother's Adventure

2011-08-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

Bear tracks.

Baby Update

2011-08-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is me at 27 weeks...a 30 week picture will be coming soon!
My face is looking awfully puffy in this pic!

Yesterday morning Caleb and I went to our appointment with our midwife. We did all the usual stuff, she measured my belly and my measurement is right on. Hooray! One thing I love about my midwives is they never weigh me. :) I guess I should be happy that they aren't too concerned about my weight. Our midwife (Carol) found the baby's head and he is head down with his back against my back. I'm relieved to know he's at least head down because I can not tell at all what position he is in! I thought for the longest time that he was sideways. Turns out he must just have long arms and legs because I get kicked from all angles. She told Caleb where to put his hands to feel the head, and then she let me do it, but I was too freaked out to push too hard! I didn't want to hurt his little head...so i didn't feel too much. But Caleb said that it felt like a bubble.

I was anxiously waiting for my gestational diabetes results. I went in for the test a couple weeks ago. The drink was not as bad as everyone said it was going to be, but I did feel nauseous and so tired soon after I drank it. When the nurse was taking my blood she asked if I had low blood pressure, i said no i didn't, but that I might pass out! I am not a fan of having my blood taken as I get pretty queasy, but this is the closest I have ever been to passing out during it. I was able to go home and get in a really quick nap before I went back to work which helped a bit. I got the results yesterday and I passed! I was so nervous about it, because I didn't know if I could handle a second test, and have to fast for it. So that was a big relief. I also still don't have syphilis! ha! They are making everyone retest for it....not sure why. Pretty sure if I had syphilis I would know...and I would have to do some explaining to Caleb. :)

We listened to baby's heartbeat and everything sounded great. She asked about us taking prenatal classes and we told her that we had been doing hypnobirthing. Carol said that is perfect as a prenatal class and she has had clients in the past use it and do very well in their labour. She said that our mind and thoughts have a lot to do with how labour goes and progresses, everything else is pretty much out of our control. So if we can control our minds, it sometimes helps things go a lot more smoothly. Here's hoping it will work for me! I feel i need a lot more practice with it.

Apparently I have "white coat syndrome". Carol said when I'm there my blood pressure goes up a bit. Hopefully I can get over that for the birth!

All in all things are going great. I can't believe I only have 10 weeks left! The time is flying by!! We still have some work to do on the nursery...we still need a crib! Any Moms have recommendations for things that we will need? I know baby's don't need much, but I'm lost as to what I should be getting ready ahead of time. I'm hoping to end work at the end of September to have some time to get the house ready, make freezer meals, and get some sleep in before it's too late!

We can't wait to meet you baby!

Wicked

2011-08-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

Quite a few months ago Caleb and I bought tickets to go see the broadway show Wicked. A friend of mine got a giant group of people together to buy tickets so we could get the group rate. I had to get in on it. I haven't read the book...i really wanted to before we went! But Caleb has, and i had heard such great things about the show.

Beforehand we went for dinner at a french restaraunt called Saint Germain. I had a groupon for it, so it was a great chance to use it up. Caleb had duck, i had a steak...i admit i was bad and had it pretty rare, but it was so delicious i couldn't send it back...i just kept eating. We also had fries and mayo to share. It was a fantastic and delicious dinner.

The show was amazing! We had great seats, and the show went by so quickly, it was over before i knew it. The woman that played Glinda was hilarious! We were laughing throughout the whole show. Only complaint is that the theatre was super hot for some reason! Which was not fun for this pregnant lady.

Although it's difficult for me to post the following pictures, i'm going to swallow my pride and do it. I am looking just a tiny bit more chubby than ususal. :)

It was a fantastic date night!

27 weeks!

2011-07-26T18:43:00.001-07:00

I am 27 weeks pregnant today. 7 months, and only three left to go! I would take a belly picture, but Caleb is away in vernon still...maybe tomorrow? I realized I haven't documented too much about my pregnancy, and thought that i should in case some day I want to look back and remember all this!

I can't believe how fast the time has flown. It is hard to imagine that in three months we will have a little baby...really how do you wrap your head around that? I am feeling this little guy move so much lately. From the first time I felt him move it has always been very strong kicks, he's got some muscles! His movements have been so strong that sometimes they startle me and make me jump! I love laying in bed with caleb with his hand on my belly and having him feel the baby move...not much is better than that. He is much more active when i want to sleep! But I hear that's pretty normal.

A few weeks ago I have started to get some pain in my upper ribs. I am convinced it's not him kicking me because the pain is up so high, I think it must be things in my body shifting around. the pain is worse if i'm sitting down for long periods of time, which has made work a bit difficult. My feet and ankles have also started swelling! they look awful!! Hopefully it's not permanent!

Probably the craziest thing has been seeing my belly button change. I have always had a very deep innie, and to actually be able to see the bottom of my belly button has been so strange! I seriously comment on it all the time and I think Caleb must think I'm crazy.

I have gained quite a bit of weight...i've stopped weighing myself because I don't think I need the unecessary psychological damage of seeing the number on the scale. I have to admit i probably have been eating a lot more than I need to. Gaining the weight has probably been one of the most difficult parts for me, but definitely is worth it, and I have to keep telling myself that I can loose the weight after...so i need to stop worrying about it! Right?

Caleb has been amazing. So supportive and helpful. Always picking things up off the floor for me, :) getting me glasses of water, and taking over a lot of the housework. I appreciate his help so much. He never complains about it either. He is always talking to the baby and rubbing my belly. When he goes away he says that he will miss me, but he'll also miss the baby. I love that he's already so involved.

Caleb and I also decided to take hypnobirthing courses. I have wanting been researching the positives to a natural childbirth long before I was pregnant, and it's something I feel will be best for me. These courses have helped me to feel more confident in my ability to do so. For more info check out this link.
Caleb says it has been really helpful for him in feeling less fearful about the experience of birth, and it has been great for me as well. It's refreshing to be able to talk about childbirth, and take out the idea of fear, and not having to hear all the horror stories that people love to share. I still have a lot of practice to do with my relaxation techniques, but i'm hoping the course will help me through the birthing process.

Overall, this has been such an amazing experience. I can't quite wrap my head around the idea that there is actually a little baby in my stomach! I already love him so much, and am getting so excited to meet him!
We love you baby!

Babymoon

2011-07-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Caleb and I both love to travel.
His job has given us many amazing opportunities to do so. With me being pregnant and all, we will probably have less chances to get away as just the two of us in the near future. While I was still at work part-time, it worked us for us to do a last minute get away. We went to a resort in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. I went to the MTC there, but had never gotten to experience the beaches! It was our first time doing all inclusive, and it was well worth it! It was such a relaxing trip, not having to worry about anything. The weather was hot and perfect, and it was so nice to get away and relax. Babymoon success!

Windsurfing was actually one of the free activities at the resort. I didn't go obviously, but Caleb got a lesson and although he said it was really difficult I thought he did pretty well!

Most of our time was spent between the pool and the beach. We had to wake up early to get spots by the pool in the shade, but it was well worth it as we would have burnt to a crisp without them! Our main activities were reading, swimming, and going to the grill by the buffet for delicious chicken!

We usually went to this bar while waiting to get into whichever restaurant we had chosen that night. They had a buffet and four different restaurants, french, asian, american steakhouse, and italian, and they didn't do reservations for them so we usually we waiting for a bit if we didn't get there early. We had the same server who would make us these delcious non-alcoholic drinks because I told her I was pregnant. Yum!!

Us at the asian restaurant.

We also spent a lot of time eating Mangoes! We had to get them early, because later in the day they would all be gone. Soooooooo delicious!

Taking out the catamarans was also free. I was a little freaked out to take it out, but felt reassured when we went out and the water stayed very shallow. It was so fun! I guess we only had half an hour, which they failed to tell us, so we brought it back late. Oops!!

We had an amazing time! Only complaint is that I wish it was longer! Thanks baby for giving us a reason to go on vacation!

Pink or Blue?

2011-07-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

Excuse me while I catch up!
We had our first ultrasound at 13 weeks, and then another scheduled for 18 weeks. At 18 weeks they are able to predict the sex of the baby, and I had known from the start that I wanted to know. I don't think I could have handled not knowing the whole time! Caleb was happy with whatever I decided and jumped on board.
We had a really cute plan for how we wanted to find out. A friend of ours told us about this great idea. She knew a couple who had the ultrasound tech write down the sex on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope for them. They then went shopping and picked out a girl outfit and a boy outfit, without looking in the envelope. They took both outfits to the till and asked the clerk to look in the envelope and wrap up the appropriate outfit without telling them. They then went to dinner and opened the outfit together to find out what they were having.
When I heard this story I have to admit I cried! And I thought it would be so fun for us to do.

On Friday morning we headed to the hospital for our ultrasound. It was a long one as the tech was checking everything, and was taking a lot of pictures...which did worry me a bit, but what doesn't! So at the end she asks us if we want to know the sex, and we say yes but i asked her if she could write it down for us. Well our dreams were crushed when she told us that legally she wasn't able to! So our plan B was just to have her tell us. Our baby wasn't shy and she told us "as you can see, it's clearly a boy." It was not at all clear to us! But we trusted she knew what she was looking at, and I still do worry that maybe she didn't and she was wrong! Please someone reassure me!! Although people always have stories for me where the tech was wrong!!

I was a bit shocked to hear it was a boy. Everyone in both our families guessed girl...except for my Mom when she changed her mind right before we told her. She's always right. :) I did have my heart set on making little bows and flowers for a girl, but now I am so excited to be having a little boy!

Here's me the day of our ultrasound at 18 weeks.

And we did go shopping afterwards anyways! We also had a delcious lunch at Moxie's to celebrate. Here are the adorable purchases.

We can't wait to meet you baby!!

Post-edit

I forgot to add that Caleb had a gift to give me after our first ultrasound. What an amazing thoughtful husband I have! I had told Caleb about a children's book I wanted to find a while back. It was a book I never actually owned as a child, but checked out of the library over and over. I looked for it online, but found out it was out of print. I found a couple used copies for sale, but forgot then kind of forgot about it.

After the ultrasound Caleb gave me this book:

It brought back so many memories! And it's even funnier than I remember. The hampster's name is Mustapha Biscuit...hilarious! My Dad still brings up this book and whenever we are eating Biscuits it comes up. This book took me right back to my childhood and I can't wait to share it with our child!

Where it all Began

2011-07-03T17:11:00.001-07:00

I thought I would blog about this before it all slips my mind.
Here's where it all began...with these two little tests.

Actually it all began in May of last year. We were on a trip to Utah visiting one of my best friends/former mission companion. We had decided to start trying a month prior to the trip, and I was pretty sure my period was late. I had already taken a test before the trip that came out negative, and left me pretty sad. Caleb was hesitant to have me take another one, as I was so sad after the previous test. I convinced him and at a trip to target we picked one up. We waited until we were back at Rachelle's sisters house to take it later that evening. I took it, set it on the counter and remember just sitting there staring at it. A second line appeared, and i have to admit I was pretty shocked! Only a month of trying and we were pregnant! I told Caleb to come into the bathroom and told him. We were both so excited and anxious at the same time. We told our friend Rachelle and we all celebrated the good news.

I went to the doctor to have the pregnancy confirmed when we got home, and after that called our families to share the news. Our baby was due December 27th, 2010. A few weeks later on a visit to Lethbridge I had started spotting and cramping. I looked up miscarriage symptoms in the book I got at the Doctors, and was getting pretty scared. I told my Mom and my sister and they reassured me that some spotting could be normal. I tried to reassure myself that everything would be ok, and we headed out on our drive home. I was still cramping pretty badly on the way home, but tried not to think about it. One part of this drive will always stick out in my mind. We stopped halfway to get something to eat at A&W. It was raining, and we ate in the car. Caleb and I were laughing and talking. Caleb looked at me and said "this is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life." I felt so much love from him in that moment and I will never forget it.

Once we got home, my bleeding got heavier and I instantly broke down. I knew in that moment what was happening. I called health link and the nurse advised me to go to the emergency room. Our experience at the ER was less than ideal. We spent a total of 16 hours there...overnight. They put an IV in my arm which was so painful, took a lot of blood, and took my blood pressure a lot. I would try to lay down and sleep for a bit on the chairs in the waiting room just to get called back again, and to again have no progress made in my diagnosis. We saw a million different nurses, a couple doctors, all of whom kept asking me the same questions over and over. It was such a horrible experience. They eventually sent us home for three hours to sleep, and then told us to come back early in the morning for an ultrasound.

We went back, waiting around again for the ultrasound. I remember laying there on that bed trying to look at the screen and trying to figure out what was going on. They sent us back to wait again and were finally seen by a doctor. He was actually , very sympathetic, and broke us the sad news. We had lost the baby. It was Mother's Day.

I was lucky enough to take the next couple weeks off work, and really barely left the house. The healing process was difficult and seemed to take forever. It was so hard on both me and Caleb. It's still hard, and I still often think and wonder about that little baby I lost.

We were advised to wait a bit before trying again. We waited a couple months, and I knew the best thing for me would to be pregnant again as soon as possible. I hadn't expected it to be anything but easy, because it only took us a month last time.

Month after month went by...and I started to get more and more worried. I worried myself crazy and was so depressed and couldn't understand why I wasn't getting pregnant. 8 months went by, and with them came a lot of negative pregnancy tests, and a lot of tears. I was tracking my cycles religiously, so if i was at all late i knew it.

I wasn't quite late, but it was the first day I could take a pregnancy test...and it was on my mind...as it was all the time of late. I waited until the morning to take it. I was scheduled to work late that day, and Caleb was already at school. I took the test and didn't look at it for a while, fearing the worst. I went back and saw one line...and then one other faint line. I instantly broke into tears...and then I figured it must be wrong. It was so light...it had to be wrong. I googled myself silly, and came to the conclusion that false positives are rare and almost never happen. I put the test in a ziplock bag and it might sound crazy, but i took it to work with me. I kept it in my desk drawer and had to look at it every 15 minutes. I just couldn't believe it was real...and at this point I really didn't believe it. I had to work my whole shift until I could get home and tell Caleb what was going on.

I came home, and asked him to come look at something. I gave him the pregnancy test...he studied it for a minute, and then looked at me and said "you're not pregnant." He wasn't as well versed in pregnancy tests as I was. :) I told him it meant that I was...at least I thought I was. We hugged and I cried, but were still hesitant. I felt robbed of the whole experience this time. I wanted so badly just to be so excited and not worry...but the worst case scenerio just lingered in the back of my mind. Caleb was hesitant too.

I took another test in the morning and it looked similar. We told our family a few days later. My Mom instantly broke into tears...and so did I. She was so happy....and so I was, but I was still so anxious. I went to the doctor a few weeks later to have it confirmed.

It took a while for it to all sink in, and it finally did. I was still so worried, and was so anxious for our first ultrasound at 13 weeks. I was preparing for the worst. It was so relieving and amazing to see that little baby on the screen, and when the tech finally showed us the heartbeat i was able to relax a bit. It all became more real and more exciting. I was really sick this time, which was horrible, but reassuring as well.

We actually bought a doppler second hand, which was the best purchase ever. It really put my mind at ease to be able to hear that little heartbeat each night before I went to bed. I think the moment when i was able to truly relax and enjoy this pregnancy and when I was able to feel him move. I absolutely love feeling him kick and move around, and it often brings me to tears.

Although we went through some sorrow to get to this point, I feel like it has really helped me be so grateful to be a mother. I have never taken this experience for granted, and have tried my best not to complain, because I know there are so many others who would do anything to trade places with me. I still have anxieties and fears, but for now I am trying my best just to enjoy this experience while I have it. I love having this sweet little baby growing inside me, and I am getting so excited to meet him! I honestly can not wait. I know that motherhood comes with many challenges, but I feel like I will be able to face them with confidence, knowing that I wanted this so badly. I know that the greater the pain we experience, the greater our capacity to feel joy. I know I will feel such joy when I get to meet this sweet little person face to face that I already love so much.

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him."
1 Samuel 1:27

We are so blessed, and I will never forget it.

Back in the Day

2011-06-26T21:00:00.001-07:00

I have heard many different people say over the years that they would never want to go back to high school because they hated it so much. I am always puzzled when people say such things, because I loved high school....and I have to admit if given the chance I would go back to relive it in a second.

The reason my high school experience was so wonderful was largely in part to one thing...choir.
Now I always feel I need to defend myself, because it sounds so dorky! But believe me when I say my high school had amazing choirs, and it was definitely a big deal to be a part of them. My older sister went through high school before me, and being the amazing singer she is, spent her three years performing in the choirs. After seeing her experiences I knew I wanted to be a part of it too, but I had to audition and be selected to be a part of it first.

During my second auditions for chamber choir, which were group auditions, I stood close by my best friend Lyndsey who was with me. It was during those auditions that we met two other girls from a different junior high who stood right behind us. Now these auditions can be cut throat, but I clearly remember to this day these two girls encouraging us and saying "good job" every time we had to sing. I guess it was meant to be that the four of us became best friends. Kailey, Lyndsey, Allison, and Natalie, became the KLAN. And that we were. It was also because of these three girls that my high school experience was so great. We are still good friends to this day, and I suspect we always will be. And we are still encouraging each other and cheering each other on. These girls were, and still remain my true friends.

One more person that made my high school experience so special was our choir conductor...Mr. Gnandt. I was talking with Lyndsey the other day, and looking back we thought we were so funny and cool...but really we must have just been annoying! Mr G put up with a lot, but what made him so fun was his laid back attitude....which he must have really needed! He made us work hard. I spent three years of having rehersals at lunch and after school. And because of this hard work we had amazing choirs. I was able to travel to Europe and Japan with my best friends...such amazing opportunities.

There were rumours going around that Mr G was retiring this year. So a couple of former students decided to get an alumni choir together to surprise him at his final choir concert.

About 100 plus former students showed up to rehearse, and then perform at the concert. I have to admit I felt a little old, but all of us represented 30 years of students that Mr Gnandt has influenced. It was quite amazing to see.

I thought for sure we wouldn't have been able to keep this a secret, but he and his accompanist Mrs Dyck, who is also an amazing lady, were genuinely surprised. Mr G conducted us in singing two songs, and I have to tell you for how little we rehearsed they sounded amazing.

It was such a special experience for me to be a part of this choir one last time, and to have my husband Caleb experience a little bit of what my high school experience was like. I was also able to stand next to my sister and sing with her. Something we were never able to do, because as soon as she graduated I entered high school

I will forever be grateful for the amazing experience I had, and for the best friends i don't think I would have made otherwise.

Thank you Mr G. You will be missed.

You can hear a recording here:

http://www.wyoungproductions.com/wyoungproductions.com/Media/Pages/LCI_Alumni_Tribute.html

Calaway Park!

2011-06-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Time to update the blog! it's been a while! I have lots more updates to come.

Last month we went on our anual Calaway Park trip! It's so much fun to go with our nieces and nephews. It feels like yesterday that Mom and Dad were taking us when we were kids.

Here's Caleb and I. You can tell that the sun is in our eyes!

The always adorable Stratton. He's such a sweetheart. Caleb was actually on call this day and got called out like an hour after we got there. I was pretty upset about it, and Stratton saying nothing, just came over and gave me a hug. Such an attentive, sensitive little guy.

Ayla on the carousel. One of the only rides i could go on that day.

Egg ride! The second and last ride for me of the day.

Oh my this picture is so funny. But poor stratton! he was pretty brave when it came to rides, but he sure did not like getting wet on the log ride!

Can't wait until we go again!

Important Update :)

2011-05-02T11:40:00.001-07:00

So I have an excuse for being such a neglectful blogger lately....

Something has been making me very sick, and very tired...

Here it is!!!

I'm pregnant! And we couldn't be happier or more excited. It's estimated arrival is October 25th, 2011. Caleb and I are both October babies, so I think this will just be perfect...assuming it doesn't make us wait until November! I am now 15 weeks along.

We have our next ultrasound at the end of May when we will hopefully be finding out the gender!

More details to come!

2011-04-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

one more night in maui

2011-02-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

we had a two day whirlwind trip to Maui...you heard me...two days!

we had planned on being in Maui for four, but as flights on saturday began to book up, it was looking like we wouldn't get out of Maui until Tuesday...i know, what's the problem?! It sucks having grown up responsibilities sometimes. We decided it was safer to come back home, but that's not to say it wasn't terribly sad...like tears welling up in your eyes sad.

but we will be back Maui, don't you worry.

Classic Caleb, studying on the beach.

We went to Whaler's village our first day, which has an amazing snorkeling spot. Snorkeling with me is quite the ordeal. I love it, but I have to admit that it freaks me out. I actually scream everytime I see a fish...it's true.

We also saw a HUGE sea turtle! We we just swimming, and this family comes up to me saying that there's a turtle right under me. I start screaming and freaking out! Then the Mom proceeded to pinch my legs and telling it was the turtle. It was hilarious, but I was horrified!

Caleb ran and got our masks so we could see him. I did warm up to him once I realized he did not really even notice me, or care that I was there. He was so cute!!

We followed this little bird down the sidewalk. He was so funny. He would walk, look in the bushes, then walk, look in the bushes. We saw him grab about three lizards and eat them right up. Pretty quick little guy!

We went back to one of our favorite places. Cheeseburger in Paradise! I got my usual...cheeseburger with pineapple and avocado, and Caleb did as well. So delicous!

The burgers are gigantic! Just to give you an attractive reference here is me trying to fit it in my mouth.

Our second day we rented boogie boards for the day, and the shop owner directed us to a fun boogie boarding beach. It was my first time ever doing it, and it was so much fun!

The waves were a bit intimidating, but it was worth it.

The best was when Caleb and i would catch a wave at the exact same time, and ride it out right beside each other, looking at each other and laughing and screaming the whole time...i might have been the only one screaming...caleb was just laughing. :)

Would it seem weird if I said it is difficult to find good Hawaian BBQ in Hawaii? We asked a shop owner in the town we were staying, and he promptly directed us to a restaraunt like two steps away. First he said he didn't eat out much so he didn't know, and then told us to go "right there, it's good." Ummm...we didn't fall for it.

Caleb had seen a place in Lahaina, so we drove back for dinner.

I have to say i was disappointed. It was more like bad chinese food. And they did also sell chinese food...so maybe that had something to do with it. As we were driving out our last day, we saw a fast food BBQ place that looked like a chain...exactly what we were looking for! Next time!

I forgot to mention that there are farmer's markets everywhere there. So we stocked up on sweet, delicious, pineapple...some were a dollar each! Bananas: I'm a banana snob, i won't eat them in Canada anymore since my mission, they don't taste so great after you've had them in countries where they grow them, and also apple bananas...if you have no tried these, they are a must!!

I'm not sure why we are making this face.

But I love the lady's expression in the background.

On our sad journey back home...

Until next time Maui...and there will be a next time...just you wait.

And the winner is...

2011-02-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

Maui!

We are off to Maui in the morning! Hopefully we get back in time for Monday for me to go back to work!

Wish us luck and lots of sun!

V-Day

2011-02-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

Some people think Valentines Day is overrated, just a way for chocolate companies to make money, etc, etc. B

But I have to say, I quite like Valentines Day! Not just because I get spoiled by my adorable husband, but because it gives us an excuse to go out and do something fun together! What could be better than that?

Caleb had actually planned a super fun evening for us. The evening was a geographical trip through our relationship....I don't know how to explain that any better! But hopefully you will understand after you see what we did.

First on the agenda: Fish and chips! In commemoration of living in Halifax.

This place was actually super seedy, and kind of a dive. Just what Caleb was going for! :) We were the only ones in the whole place. Although it was a bit scary, I have to admit the fish and chips were pretty good, and you could order about 7 different types of fish.

We went back home, and I gave Caleb a gift...which was a rollover Christmas present! I may really regret this gift in the near future, but Caleb was super excited....

A deep fryer! Hopefully I don't gain 50 pounds from having this new kitchen appliance.

Next up on our geographical locations is Alberta, which is represented here by the little rose bush Caleb gave me. He said I'm his wild alberta rose!

He also got me my favorite magazine, and was going to get me a subscription to it, but it turns out you can only get one if you live in the states. Boo!

Last up, chocolate melting cake!

Caleb and I went on a cruise for our honeymoon, which I was sick on the entire time.

Each night at dinner they had a chocolate melting cake on the menu for dessert. The ladies at our table with us would get it every night. I never got to try it because I felt so sick! It was sorbet for me everynight! Pretty sad story if you ask me.

So Caleb got the carnival cruise recipe off the internet and suprised me with it!

Delicious!

I heart Valentines Day!

Hope yours was full of love as well!

vernon is delicious

2011-02-15T07:43:00.000-08:00

this weekend we went out to Vernon to visit new baby Oliver, who is so adorable! We had a fantastic time visiting family, and hitting up silverstar for some snowboarding!

Caleb's brother Jared flew out with us. He called us about three hours before our flight from Lethbridge asking if he could come...we said yes...if you come right now!! I didn't think he was going to make it in time to catch the flight, but miraculously he did!

This was my first time up a T bar ever! I don't know how i've avoided it for so long! Dad Lee was ahead of me, and then I had to follow to get back to the village. I look calm and collected here, but when you zoom in on my face it's a different story! It went a lot faster at the beginning and it was quite the surprise!

After the day was over, we went to Caleb's parents "little house" and got in the hot tub, soaking our tired snowboarding muscles. We couldn't miss the fireworks though!

Caleb took me to his favorite, very classy, store in downtown Vernon...just look at the treasures we found!

After a fun filled weekend, sadly it was time to go home. We are always flying standby which sometimes makes things a bit stressful. We got to the counter at the airport to check in and the man working there pretty much laughed in our face at our attempt to get to Calgary. Apparently there had been an avalanch in Revelstoke and the flights were totally full due to people driving back to Kelowna and getting on planes to fly to Calgary.

Caleb being the smooth talker that he is, worked his magic, and changed our flights. We went through Victoria, then to Calgary.
But since our flight didn't leave until later, Mom and Dad drove us to costco for some Poutine!!

What a delicious way to end a trip.

our saturday

2011-02-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

My sister and her husband made a last minute trip to Calgary with their kids. They stayed at a hotel with waterslides, so Caleb and I went over Saturday evening to swim.

We had a blast! Stratton was on the slides non-stop! He never took a break, which meant we took shifts with him. But I think Caleb and Aaron had the longest shifts! Skye and I sat in the kiddie pool with Ayla and chatted for a good portion of the time.
Sunday Caleb had to work, but Skye and Aaron came to church with me, then we got some lunch and they hit the road.
We had such a fun weekend! Come up again soon!!

(the following pictures of me are not that flattering!! It was post swimming, but they were so cute of the kids I posted them anyway. And my sister might kill me for putting up this picture of her! Love you!! haha)

friday night date night

2011-02-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

this friday we had a free evening to ourselves.

Our first stop on our date night....drum roll please....Canadian Tire!

Caleb has been faithfully waking up WAY too early to do P90X, and decided that for each week he completes he is going to reward himself.

His two rewards for the first two weeks were an herb garden, and winter boots. Pretty exciting stuff! ha, but really he's been obssessing over growing delicious fresh herbs for us to cook with, and we finally have a window with enough light to do it in. So hopefully it works out.

we then went to an iconic Calgary drive-in, Peters!

We got milkshakes, i got pina colada and caleb got rum and butter, and a box of fries to share. Their milkshakes are huge! It was so delicious.

We went and "parked" (ha ha) at a spot overlooking the city and drank our milkshakes. Living in Calgary drives me crazy at times, but I have to say the city did look beautiful that night.

Horray for date night!

ignorance=bliss

2011-02-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

Before I miscarried my first pregnancy, and then have been waiting and waiting to get pregnant....I was ignorant to a lot of things, which I'm sure a lot of people are if they never have trouble getting pregnant.

Things I didn't know:

-how much fertility treatments can cost. They are not cheap people! Currently the Alberta government does not cover these costs. In calgary it can take up to six months to even get into the fertility clinic, and although we haven't started being tested for anything, I have read that there is test after test after test to go through beforehand.

-adoption is expensive! Even through LDS family services there is still a cost. I don't know about Canada, but in the US the adoption fees are from $,4000 to $10,000. (I read this on the LDS family services website) Private and international adoption cost much more than that.

-adoptions can fall through. I have been reading and reading on the Internet about other people's experiences...hence why I feel a little less ignorant. A lot of couples that try to adopt have it fall through as the birth mother changes her mind sometimes. I even read one story of a couple who brought their adopted baby home for a few days before the mother had terminated her rights, and she ended up changing her mind and taking the baby back. I can only imagine how heartbreaking that would be.

- women who struggle with fertility have depression rates similar to terminally ill cancer patients.

-that so many women struggle with miscarriages and infertility. It seems there are a lot, and you would never know because it's not something a lot of people are open with.

Although we're not sure what the future holds for us, these past 11 months have really opened my eyes to things that i was completely ignorant of. Although many other women struggle for years and years to get pregnant, I have had a small taste of what it feels like...and it doesn't feel good. It's actually heart breaking. When you have grown up with the idea that you will get married, get pregnant and have children and that doesn't happen for you, it's terribly difficult.

When you are 27 years old in the church and some of your friends are finished having their families, it makes you feel terribly left out, and alone.

When people at church say things like, "I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father trusted me with his children." You wonder why children are born into unfit families all the time...but not yours. You wonder why people have to struggle through this and others don't....and you wonder why you do.

You wonder why some people have 5 or more miscarriages in their lifetime...and many people never have one. It makes life seem cruel and unfair.

But I am actually really grateful that I am no longer completely ignorant to what other women go through. It means that the rest of my life I will be there to help others, and I will be careful what I say around other women. So many things people say can be cruel and hurtful, just because they are not aware of what you are going through, or they are not aware that other people's situations are different than theirs. I have had many ignorant things said to me that have been so hurtful, and have come home crying to Caleb on many occasions...but I just have to remember that they don't understand, and at one time I didn't either.

This is just the reason I am wanting to be more open with our struggles. Because so many women suffer alone, thinking they are the only ones. I have come across blogs and articles by women who have been open with their experience that have helped me immensely, and I want to pay it forward i suppose, in just being open and honest.

I might not be able to have babies right now, but this is one thing I can do.

So I'm kind of famous

2011-02-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

Bet you didn't know that I'm kind of famous. This may be a couple years late, but if you google in google images Kailey Wilson moon bride, this is what you will find...

Me! I'm the moon bride!

In this picture is me, My Mom, and my photographer, who was taking my bridals a couple weeks before our wedding. It just so happened that there was a photographer from our local newspaper out in the coulees that night trying to get some shots of the full moon, when he saw us there and decided to include us in the shot.

He came up and spoke with us after to get our names etc.
Then the next day my picture was in the paper! You know you've made it big when your picture is in the Lethbridge Herald.
The next day my mother in law called us saying that someone from New York was trying to get ahold of me, and she gave them my number.
About half an hour later I recieved a call from a nice lady in New York from the Good Morning America show saying that they do a photo of the day segment and were thinking of including my photo. I was on my way to super stardom!

She asked me some questions, and as it turns out they didn't choose my photo afterall, but I still hung on to the fact that I was a little bit famous.

We ordered a print from our local newspaper...which they charged an arm and a leg for! But I'm glad to have it tucked away in my scrapbook so I can remember this experience.

I still think I'm maybe just a little bit famous?

*edit - Caleb just told me that they did in fact put it on Good Morning America! how could I have forgotten that??

On a Sunday

2011-01-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

i desperately want to start our family and have little babies, but that is not happening for us in the way we had hoped quite yet. I am trying so hard to be patient, but it is constantly on my mind and it's something I can't seem to escape. The pregnant lady in the grocery store, friends posting ultrasound pictures on facebook and blogs, the young mothers in the mall shopping together and pushing their tiny babies in strollers, and church...don't even get me started on church, all seem to remind me that I am not a part of this exclusive club. The optimist in me wants to keep a smile on my face knowing that one day soon I will join the club, but then there are so many stories of infertility, recurring miscarriages, that sometime make me wonder if I should be expecting the worst. I'm not sure which is better in the end.

But every once in a while I am reminded of how wonderful my life is and how I should just enjoy every second of it right now. Caleb's cousins live in Calgary, and one of them is actually our hometeacher. He came over last week to drop off something for us and came in a chatted for a bit. I was kind of embarassed because it was 6pm in the evening, we were already in our pyjamas, we had our tv tables out and were eating pizza while watching our tv shows.

His wife told me that when he got home that night he said, "I went over and they were in their pj's watching TV and eating pizza. I would give anything to do that right now!" (they have three young children)I didn't feel so embarassed after she told me that!

So here is to sleeping in, tv trays, spontaneous get aways, pizza, pyjamas, shopping together at the mall for hours, snowboarding, tv, movies, and spending time together pretty much every day of the week.

Today, life is good.

Why i love my life

2011-01-26T18:50:00.000-08:00

Reading Week = Hawaii, Florida perhaps, or whichever sun-filled destination west jet will fly us to

This summer = Europe????!?! Eeeeee!! (that's actually how I really feel)

I love my husband...I also love his perk filled job that has allowed us to travel as much as we have. This Europe idea has been a recent development. Caleb served his mission in Brussels Belgium and so naturally we have been wanting to go back, but it has been hard to find the time and also the funds we need.

I now have an amazing job, which from what i hear from co-workers, will allow me to take leave without pay for the trip if I don't have enough vacation time built up by then. We figure this summer will be the perfect time. I want to say it may be the last chance we are able before we have kids...but I have tried to refrain from making plans in that department, as it seems as plans don't work out like we want them to, and we are just going to have to be patient. But aside from that, I really hope our plans to go work out! Our plans are not set in stone, but something to maybe look forward to! Our main predicament is that we want to see every country.

Our list so far:
Belguim
France
Spain
Italy (mainly I want to take Caleb to Venice...what I think is the most romantic city ever! Something me and my KLAN girls will never forget! :)
Holland

Wish us luck with our plans!

2011

2011-01-23T15:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already a new year. Caleb and I recently celebrated our second anniversary.
I sadly have no pictures, but we had a "staycation." We rented a room at the Marriot, went to dinner, swam in the pool and ate chocolates in bed. It was fantastic.

With the new year usually comes new resolutions, I have made a few. One of them being to blog more. I am starting with this resolution right now! I am currently putting the past two years of this blog into a book, and it brought a smile to my face going through all the wonderful memories of our two years together.

Looking back I realize how blessed I have been.It has made me realize that this really is our journal, a way to document the events in our life, good and not so good. So in my attempt to blog more, I will be blogging about our everyday occurances, and being a bit more open about things that are going on in our lives....whether they be good....

or not so good.....

I was really inspired by this post by a blogger I like to read.

So this is my attempt to write it all down, so I can look back and remember the thoughts and feelings i have at this point in my life....so someday I can look back and hopefully smile in the remembrance of how our trials eventually became blessings. That is my sincere hope.

2011 here we come.

Halloween!

2011-01-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

This Halloween was actually the first one that Caleb and I have spent together.

One thing i love about Caleb is his love of Halloween! It is one of my favorite holidays as well, and this might have to do something with the fact that we are both October babies. Fall is my favorite time of year.

Caleb's cousins have an anual Halloween party that is always tons of fun. This year we were Kurt Cobain and Courney Love. We are rebels without a cause.

Our first pumpkin carving together! This guy was Caleb's idea and I have to say I loved how he turned out.

We handed out candy to all the adorable neighborhood children, ate more of the candy that was meant for them than maybe we should have, and then we watched Nightmare Before Christmas because I had never seen it! And also because I can't handle any kind of remotely scary movie.

Happy Halloween!! :)

Calaway Park!

2011-01-02T22:02:00.001-08:00

We did our annual Calaway Park trip this summer with Skye and Aaron, and Mom and Dad. It was a ton of fun as usual! But I always end up feeling sick and then convinced to go on more rides. Can't wait until next year to do it again!

Caleb won this bear! I was so proud!

We gave it to Ayla who loves everything stuffed. Such a sweetie!

Me and my sweetheart!

Oregon Coast

2011-01-02T21:28:00.000-08:00

This is me still catching up!
Here are some pics of the Hill family reunion at the Oregon Coast. We spent a whole week there and it was so much fun and so relaxing! None of us had packed for the weather...a bit colder than we had expected! We rented a huge house right on the beach...the view was amazing. I had such a great time. I couldn't have asked for a better family in law!

Caleb and I at the tide pools

There was a lot of sand castle building going on. The boys masterpiece!

Two Kaileys, two Jareds, two Jocelyns and two Zachs!

More sandcastles!

A little hike we did up to that point.

Caleb flying Matt's kite. I'm suprised it didn't pick him up off the ground! it was a windy day!

The Hill sisters!

Cousins!

Bonfire the last night we were there.

Thanks Mom and Dad Lee for the fun trip!

Montreal!

2010-10-31T15:06:00.001-07:00

Well hello everyone! It has been a while! We have been busy moving, working, and settling into our new home. So now I have to play catch up on a few of these posts!
We went to Montreal this summer...that is how long it`s been!
We had a long weekend, and thought we should go somewhere. Our friends Dave and Marie live in Montreal, and I had never been, so off we went!

We spent some time exploring Old Montreal. It was beautiful!

I love this picture. It looks like me and Dave are together! ha. Marie had a course that weekend so we didn`t see much of her. That`s their little boy Asher. He`s adorable.

This very fuzzy picture is us at the International Jazz Festival that just happened to be going on that weekend. We watched a few shows and wandered around.

Us on the subway!

We went to see the Basilica. Lots of steps to get up there! We saw a couple people doing it on their knees! That is dedication. It was huge inside.

Caleb with Peter, James and John I think.

Us with all the candles. It was so hot in this room! There were hundreds of lit candles!

So the highlight of the trip was probably our dinner at Schwart`s. There was a line up a ways down the street to get in. Once you get in they put you at a table usually with other people. It was cramped and pretty ghetto in there! We ordered the smoked meat sandwiches of course...to die for!

This pic of the pickle is for you Lynz!

Yummy!!!

Montreal has a little thing called Bixie Bikes. They have all these bike stations down town, and you can rent them. You take one out, can use it for half an hour, and if you return it to another station within that time, it won`t charge you and you can take out another bike. We rented them one day and rode them all over downtown Montreal. It was really fun!

Us and the Bixi Bikes!

So the Bixi Bikes were really fun until Caleb had the great idea of riding them through a park. Caleb looked on a map that said there was a bike station half way through the park so we would be good to go. Well we rode and rode our bikes...up a giant hill for like an hour! Then we got midway and searched for the bike station...no where to be found. At that point it was getting dark out, so we had to ride our bikes down hill in the dark! It was so scary! I was not happy...as expressed in this picture.

This was our view at the top. Worth it? mmmm...not really.

But we did have a fantastic time. Montreal is such a cool place, and we are grateful to wonderful friends who let us stay with them!

STAMPEDE!!

2010-08-11T19:57:00.001-07:00

This year was my first time attending the Calgary Stampede!
Can you believe it?
We kicked off stampede week with the parade.
It was way longer than we thought it would be!
It was actually quite impressive.

And this was Caleb's favorite part. (I love my nerdy husband)

Later that week we made our way down to the stampede grounds decked out in our cowboy shirts. Next year we will have to invest in some cowboy hats. I swear we were the only ones there without one!

We checked out the art exhibition, and also the BMO centre where they sell all the things off infomercials. It might have been one of my favorite parts.

We watched these people ride giant horses around this arena for a while, and never did quite figure out exactly what we were watching.

The masked pony!!
My most favorite part was seeing the ponies. I love them.
We even watched the ponies in a pony competition where they jumped over fences. It was cute and hilarious, just like ponies.
We also saw the world sheep dog competition, where the dogs round up sheep into a corral.
Caleb really got into it!
It was fun.
Ok...time for my confession....but it's not all my fault!
Caleb LOVES fair food. Which is weird because he does not love junk food. But for some reason he loves greasy, deep fried, breaded fair food.
Here's the confession...while at the stampede we might have eaten:

a corn dog
beef on a bun
deep friend oreos
mini donuts
deep friend snickers,
and we topped it all off with chili cheese fries.

Did you throw up in your mouth a little bit?
Although seeing that list makes me want to do 100 sit ups before i go to bed tonight, because I'm sure I am still working that off! I have to admit, it was delicious!
And it's all part of the experience right?
And we went halvies on all of it.
So it's only half the calories.

Until next year deep fried snickers....I mean, stampede.

Oh Canada!

2010-07-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

I got the day off of work for Canada Day.
We decided to head down to Lethbridge to have a fun-filled day with my family.
We started out at the Raymond Parade! It was a blast.
We went with my Mom and Skye and Aaron and their kids.
Ayla and Stratton loved the candy, but Stratton for some reason was not into going out in the street to pick any of it up. Being the good aunt I am :) I went out in the street and got it for him for the duration of the parade. I must have looked a little crazy racing with all the little kids to get to the candy first! But Stratton was happy.

We got to see Dad in the parade! He was in it with the Lethbridge Pipe Band. So fun!

After the parade we hung out at Mom and Dad's for a while.
Stratton skinned his knee and had a bit of a freak out! Poor guy!

The adorable Ayla B!
I don't know what it is about Caleb, but Skye's kids are absolutely in love with him. Ayla was his shadow for the day and could not get enough of him. I took some pics of them hanging out together. I got a little picture happy. So adorable.

Later in the day we went over to the Varty's for a delicious BBQ.
Caleb got some pictures of the momma Robin and her babies living under their deck.

We had such a fun day! Thanks to my amazing family!

Viva Las Vegas!!

2010-07-15T17:42:00.001-07:00

The month of June this year left Caleb and I with some unexpected time off work. Time off work for us usually equals a trip somewhere. It was a toss us between Los Angeles, San Fransisco, and Las Vegas. Vegas actually won our vote even though we had been there before. We were looking to go somewhere hot and relaxing. Vegas is definitely hot, and I don't think there's any place more convenient than Vegas. No need to rent a car, or even leave your hotel for that matter!

Our days were spent lounging by the pool and relaxing, in the evenings we ate delicious food and had all the fun vegas has to offer! It was a great trip and I think we made the perfect choice.

Caleb playing the penny slots and winning big! Ha, just kidding. He didn't win...he actually lost 30 bucks at a craps lesson he went to while I was at the pool. Expensive free lesson! ha.

We decided (after much debate) to go to the Shark Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. I have to say it was worth it. We especially loved the hats.

I had never checked out the gardens at the Bellagio. I think that their fountain show is my favorite part of Vegas. I could watch it forever! We decided to go in this time and check out the gardens.

We stayed at the Excalibur and loved it. It was cheap, we had a renovated room, and the pools were great.

We checked out a restaurant called Hash House a Go Go. I saw it on the Vegas channel and was obssessed with going to it! They have a sharing fee because everything they serve there is so gigantic! It was delicious. They started us off with these giant biscuits and I think I was full off of them before our meal even came.

We ordered the chicken and waffles! The waffles had strips of bacon in them and the fried chicken was amazing!! It's ok to eat yourself silly on vacation right? I won't mention the fact that we had a McDonalds in our hotel and we might have eaten breakfast there more than we we should have. Ok...I mentioned it.

They have all kind of people dressed up on the strip who will take a picture with you for a tip. This guy was my favorite. He looked just like Gene Simmons!

We went to see the Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian. Neither of us had seen it before. As we were walking into the theatre we got pulled aside by a lady who was working with a film crew to do a promotional video for the show. She asked us if we would meet her back there after the show so she could ask us some questions about how it was. Of course we said yes! We went back, and she was waiting there for us. They had a make-up lady who put make up on Caleb and fixed mine up. She also hairsprayed my bangs until they were rock hard! They put us in front of this giant camera and asked us questions about the show. It was kind of nerve racking! They are going to use the video on their website and hopefully TV! So I hope we made the cut!

We love Vegas! I'm sure we will be back sometime soon!

Bachelors

2010-06-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

On June 3rd 2010 I officially graduated from University! I received my Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences (Addictions Counselling). It is about time that I graduated! I am sure my parent's agree. I could not have done this without them. I am so grateful for their support...and their money! :) Thanks Mom and Dad!
I floundered through University for a few years not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I took a risk and applied to the addictions counselling program, which had always been in the back on my mind. I haven't looked back since and I know I made the right choice.
I am also so lucky to have secured a job right out of school.

My parents and Caleb came to the convocation ceremony and were troupers to sit through the long affair. It was a sunny day, but soooo windy! Typical Lethbridge. They make you start in University Hall and then walk up the hill lead by a bagpiper. Kind of a cool experience, but pair a bunch of girls in heels with the Lethbridge wind and it's not agood combo! We almost fell over!

Caleb thought it was cute how when my program got up to get our degrees we all clapped and cheered for each other. That's what you get when a bunch of counsellor's get together. Unconditional regard!

But the whole thing was a great experience.
So I have one degree under my belt. Caleb is working on his third.
I told him I need to at least get one more degree so I can keep up. Not really for me, but I just picture out future children wondering why Dad has three degrees and I only have one!
Ha!
We will see what the future holds!

My amazing parents!
My amazing husband!

Me and the lovely Shira.

Me and the beautiful Rachael.

Mothers and Fathers

2010-06-19T20:16:00.001-07:00

I've been debating if I should post about an event that occurred in our lives recently, or if I shouldn't.
I've decided that I feel I should, so here goes.
About a month ago, I had a miscarriage. I was about 7 weeks pregnant.
It's been one of the most difficult things I have been through, and I'm sure some people want to only tell those close to them, because it is personal, but I found that when it happened I wanted to talk to everyone and anyone about it.
I started to get really confused about the unwritten rule, of not telling people you're pregnant until you are farther along in your pregnancy. We hadn't told a lot of people we were expecting, but when I miscarried I needed support and told friends and others who had no idea I was pregnant. This was difficult because they never got the chance to be happy for us, and to share our excitement...they only got the sad news.
I am also posting this because this is not an uncommon occurrence for women, but it seems less common because no one talks about it. I needed to know I wasn't alone, and as I talked with people I found out that this has happened to more people than I had thought. I just wish we could talk about it more freely so that we don't have to feel alone in our pain. So that we know others have been where we have been. I hope I can be that person for other women. And that is one of the main reasons I am posting this.

One thing about having a miscarriage is when you do tell people, they sometime say all the wrong things. Sometimes hurtful things, even though they don't mean to. I'm sure I have said some pretty stupid things to other people in the past when they have been in this situation.
This happens I believe because people don't know what to say.
They also want to make things better, and want to help.
But my advice to others is the best thing you can say is "I am so sorry for your loss. Is there anything I can do?"
We have this instinct to try to make people happy, and fix things, but in my experience I just wanted to be sad about it, and I wanted other people to acknowledge that I was allowed to be sad.
I also think that the father's need more support too. It quickly became all about me, and not many people asked how Caleb was doing. It is hard on him too. But he has been such a strength to me and has been so amazing.
And I still am sad.
I still think about it everyday.
It is so devastating to be so excited about having a baby and then all of sudden you're not anymore. You feel so out of control...and you are.
It hurts to have lost your baby that you already loved so much.

But, we have faith and hope that things will get better, and that one day we will have a healthy, beautiful family together.

I am also so thankful for amazing friends and family who have supported us and shown us so much love. A few days after it happened my Mom and my sister came up to Calgary to just be with me. It was nice to have them here because I finally got out of the house. We went to the mall, played with Skye's kids and had a great time.

I posted some pictures of that day below.
These pictures also remind me how much I love Caleb, and that he is going to be such an amazing Dad. Stratton just absolutely loves Caleb and for good reason. He is so good with him, so patient and kind and fun. I have never doubted the fact that Caleb will be a great Father.
So a big Happy Father's Day to my own Dad, I love you!!
And also to Caleb, my sweet husband.

My Cousin's Wedding

2010-06-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

On the Mother's Day weekend we went down to Lethbridge to my cousin Mary's wedding, and to celebrate Mother's Day with my dear Mother of course! (I love you Mom!)

The following are pics I took at the wedding.
Mary looked absolutely beautiful!
The food at the reception was absolutely delicious! (We ate a ton!)
And we had an absolutely amazing time with family and dancing it up!

The Beautiful Bride and her Groom.

The following are pics taken with our stolen camera. Ha!

Caleb started taking pictures of me. This is my model pose for him.
Skye, Aaron, and Jay with Grandma Porter. The best Grandma in the world!!

Then of course Aaron and I danced it up!
We always have so much fun dancing together, he is hilarious. At first the family sat and watched and also videotaped us dancing, but then they joined in! We had such a great time.

Congrats Mary!
Thanks for having such a fun wedding!!

I love to see the Temple

2010-06-06T21:03:00.001-07:00

In April we had the wonderful opportunity of attending the dedication of the temple in Langley British Columbia. It was so neat to feel the excitement of everyone to have the first temple built in their province. We also had connections, which made the weekend even more exciting. Caleb's Mom was conducting the choir for the cornerstone ceremony and we were able to sing in the choir. Caleb and I may have not known all the words to the songs, but we made up for it in spirit!

It was such an amazing experience. We were so close to the prophet and Elder Uchdorf. We were also able to get into one of the dedication sessions, pretty much by the skin of our teeth! The evening prior we attended a cultural event put on by youth in the province and it was pretty amazing. They danced and sang and it was all incredible. The prophet loved it and even wore a flashing Canadian pin! He sure loves Canada.

Me and Britt in the choir stands.

Dad Lee and I getting ready to sing!

So Mom Lee was pretty much a celebrity this weekend. She got to lay some of the mortar in the cornerstone ceremony. President Monson asked the lady in the green dress to come help, because that's his favorite color. Good choice of dress!

And later she was also interviewed by Salt Lake press. She did a great job conducting the choir.

We had such a great weekend and it was so much fun to see everybody!

This Is The Place

2010-05-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

So we had planned to go down to Utah for conference, but due to our luxurious life of standby travel, we didn't make it on the flights because they were full. I had a week off before I started my full-time job so we decided to take the trip then because we had already paid for tickets with Delta. I'm so glad we went, even though it was a bit stressful trying to get back for Caleb to get to work in time. We had a blast!
My former mission companion and forever friend Rachelle spend the weekend with us driving us around and planning fun things for us to do. Her sister Susie let us stay at her house in Sandy. It was so nice of her and we felt so welcome in her home. Such a fun family!
Although the majority of our time was spent shopping, we did do some other fun things as well!
Rachelle and her friend Russ took us to a climbing wall one night. This climbing centre was huge!

Looking super cute in our harnesses!
A shot of my butt, going up the wall!
We also ate A LOT on this trip! America is the land of delicious food! We took a trip to In N' Out. It was Caleb's first time so we of course had to get the paper hats. I think this is the only fast food place that doesn't make us feel sick after we eat it. Probably because everything is fresh. Sooo delicious!

Our last day there we went to the This is the Place monument. I haven't been there since I was little. It was interesting the people they chose to put on the monument. It turns out Provo is named after Etienne Provot who was a French Canadian trapper, who made his way to Utah. Crazy!

We also got to see my friend Natalie, and I sadly have no pictures! Her kids are getting so big and they are adorable!
We LOVE UTAH!!

Kefi

2010-04-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

It's official! I am done my University degree!
It hasn't really kicked in yet, doesn't quite seem real.
To celebrate my wonderful husband took me out for dinner.

We ended up going to a new Greek restaurant that was recommended to us by my brother. It's called Kefi and it's on Macloed Trail. We were not disapointed!
It seemed like it was owned by a Greek family, and everyone that worked there was related! I don't know if they were, but it sure seemed like it. They were all so friendly, and the service although a bit slow because it was busy, was still really great.

Everything was painted white and it was so bright and clean.

We ended up with a ton of food! We had tzaziki and pita bread to start, the bread was to die for!
Caleb ordered lamb, lemon potatoes and we had a order of this fried egg plant pictured below.
Wow was it ever good!!

I ordered a lamb stew that was cooked in what looked like a bag, it came with rice as well.
A LOT of food!!
Oh, and here's the best part of this place!
They have a dance floor!
Periodically the music will get really loud and the servers will go and dance.
Talk about an exhausting job!
These two guys were pretty amazing.
They also invite people to break plates on the dance floor every so often.
OPA!!

I had a wonderful night with my husband, and I would highly recommend this place.
So if you're in Calgary you should give it a try!

I'M DONE!!!

The Beginning of the End

2010-04-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

It is true.
Tomorrow I will be finished my undergrad career forever.
It's about time!! I'm sure my parents agree.

I started out my University career at 17 years old, not really sure what I wanted to do, and confused about the choices I had to make.
I chose to go into the education program, but after three years....maybe more...eek, of floating through the program, then taking a break to serve a mission, I finally decided it wasn't for me.
With encouragement from Caleb, who was then my "secret friend", I followed my heart, and applied to the Addictions Counselling program...I had always thought about this program, but never had the guts to do it.

It was one of the best choices I could have made.
Through my classes and my practicums I have developed a passion for helping those struggling with addiction. They are all tougher, more resilient, and more courageous than I ever could be.
I learn so much from them.

I have also had the wonderful opportunity of meeting so many friends in this program, and I hope we will stay friends after we part ways, and start competing against each other for jobs! :)
We went out last night to celebrate a Birthday and our upcoming graduation. It was a blast, and I am going to miss these ladies so much. It will be sad not seeing their beautiful faces in my classes everyday. We started out together, and now we are going to finish together.
I love you girls!

So this is my friend Jamie. Here she is harassing the manager of the restaurant. ha!
She is beautiful, has such a kind heart, and is always good for a party! As you can tell. You can also tell her anything and she is always willing to listen.
My dear Jamie again.
This is Rachael. I used to highland dance with her sister! She is so smart, so passionate about what she does, and is the mother in the group. She also blurted out in front of our whole class before we were about to do a presentation, "Kailey, I need you to get a bun in your oven!"
She is also hilarious!
Carrie and Nicole are in this picture. Nicole and I started out together in the same lab. She helped me out by being my friend! She is smart, funny, and I will miss her! Also here is Carrie, one of the sweetest people I know!
And here is the group. Sadly I cannot do write ups on everyone! But they are all such wonderful girls, and I will miss them all so much!
Thank you for making school so much fun!!

The Big Blue Store

2010-04-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

I love my sister.
We did not always get along when we were younger, but thankfully we grew out of it and are now good friends.

I also love her husband Aaron. We drive my sister crazy sometimes because when we get together we can be pretty...well....crazy! We were both born October 1st so maybe that has something to do with it!

I also love her children. She has an adorable girl and boy and they are both precious.
Her boy Stratton is always so happy to see us, and a common phrase of his is "I wub you Taiwee" or "Taiwee, you so funny!" Melts my heart. They are so much fun.

They came up for a quick visit this weekend. We went to Ikea and the to the always delicious McDonalds for lunch. It was so nice to see them and have a visit.

The adorable/hilarious Stratton.

We love you guys! Come see us again soon!

At it Again

2010-04-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

I am a woman obsessed so I am posting some more of my projects!

I inherited this dresser from my Mom. You can tell it's not the newest of dressers but I love the lines of it and it reminds me of my childhood! So I decided one day that I was going to paint it. Well the process was a lot longer/more tedious/more difficult than I had thought! But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

First we invested in a sander. We got a little hand one and it worked well, except that for the next month we had brown dust all over everything in our place! Sanding was by far the toughest part. It had quite the finish on it that was difficult to get off. So the dresser took up space in our living room for quite a while.

I primed it and painted it white. I love the new look of it, but I'm not sure I love the hardware on it. I've been having the hardest time finding hardware I like/that's affordable. I would love to find some of those antique looking glass knobs, but I haven't been able to locate any. Anyone know where I can find them?? Let me know if you do!

So this next project was tons of fun and very easy!!

(That's Caleb's cute note for me. Isn't he adorable??)
I bought this frame from the thrift store, took out the picture and the glass. I picked up some chalk board spray paint from Canadian Tire. Chalk board spray paint just might be the greatest invention ever.
I replaced the glass with a piece of cardboard that I had spray painted, hung it by our door, and now we have a place to leave messages to each other!
I can't decide of I want to leave this frame as it is or spray paint it a fun color...or maybe white?
Any suggestions?
What would you do?

I also covered this bulletin board for my desk/craft area.
I picked the bulletin board up from Ikea, got a fat quarter from a fabric store, and then used craft glue to glue it on. I also spraypainted the frame. I love how it turned out! It adds some color to our living area.

Can you guess where I bought this little owl??

Ok, have you guessed yet?

He's from the dollar store!
I was pretty impressed with myself for finding him! He was not this pretty when I found him though. He was brown and green and very 70's looking. But I fixed him up with some white spray paint and I love him!

This is my little craft area I've been working on. I have yet to thread the sewing machine! But I am wanting to learn how to use it. The last time I sewed I was probably 12 years old. I think my little area has come together nicely!
Thanks for humoring me and letting me shamelessly write about me and all my amazing projects! haha!

Turtle Turtle

2010-04-08T12:29:00.001-07:00

Meet "the turtle".

I never could have imagined that my married life would include a 20 year old turtle. And yes, he goes by Turtle. When Caleb was in grade three he got two little pet turtles. If any of you have seen baby turtles you know how small and cute they are!

He named them Rafael and Michelangelo of course! What else would you name turtles?
Well one of them died not long after, and it's almost impossible to tell turtles apart, so from then on he became "the turtle". Some people think it's sad he has no real name, but I think it works!

He has lived at Caleb's parents for the majority of his life, and I thought they were joking when they said we were going to take him after we got married. We went to Halifax for a year and that got us out of turtle duty for a while. But literally the minute we got to Calgary, he was ours....and I was horrified!! I couldn't imagine making space in our already tiny place for this thing!

But we made it work and I have to admit that he's grown on me. Both me and Caleb often find ourselves just looking at him, and when I do I usually call to Caleb, "come look what the turtle is doing!" Even if he's just taking a nap...he looks so cute! One of Caleb's main phrases since we got him is "that would be great for the turtle", or "we should buy that for the turtle." A few weeks ago we bought him turtle lotion for his turtle skin condition. Turtle lotion?!? Who knew that even existed.

"I feel like the turtle is bored" is also a common one for us to say.

If having this guy is any indication of the kind of parents we will be I would say the word that would best describe us would be paranoid. I panic and think the turtle is dead probably about once a week. When we go on vacation, you will hear the phrase "I'm worried about the turtle" probably once a day. When we were in Mexico we even made our landlords go check on him because we were so worried about him! So i have to admit I do like having him around.

He's already 21 I think, and I checked online the lifespan of these guys, and let me tell you he might be around for a lot longer! But I'm not sure I'll mind so much anymore. :)

(Caleb also would like me to clarify that we don't keep him in this plastic box. He has a much larger tank, but we do feed him in this thing.)

She's Crafty

2010-04-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I am slightly (maybe VERY) obsessed with crafty/home decor/diy blogs these days. I waste much more time on them than I would like to, but time just passes so quickly when looking at them.
If any of you are in the same boat as me I'm sure you know how it goes.
You see a cute blog,
Start looking through it,
See a cute idea linked on it from someone else's blog,
Check our their blog,
And that's where the viscous cycle starts!
BUT, I have gotten some great ideas, and have been doing some crafting/home decorating myself. So it can't be all bad right??
Here are just a couple things I've been up to.

We have two Ikea Billy bookcases that we love. I have been wanting to paint them white, but after I refinished our dresser, it started to look like more work than I had anticipated. I have been wanting to do something with the backs of them though. I was thinking wallpaper, but weirdly enough, cute wallpaper is hard to come by these days! Or maybe I'm just too cheap to have any of the cute stuff!
So the other week I found some wrapping paper at Superstore I liked and I picked up two rolls.
I got myself some double sided tape and went to work!

The width fit the bookshelves perfectly. The paper is a little short, but I just filled in the shelves on the bottom and you can't even tell.
It was tough to try and get it to lay flat while smoothing all the bubbles out. And I knew that it wouldn't look perfect once I was done...because it's wrapping paper! But I'm pretty happy with the results.

Sorry for the blurriness!
I have also seen many cute ideas for jewlery holders and have been wanting to make one for a while. I went to a thrift store and picked up a frame for $1.00! Lucky me!
I painted it kind of an antiquey blue, and for the back I picked up this plastic from walmart, which i think is meant for embroidery or cross-stiching for kids.
I cut it to fit, and it works amazingly.

I screwed in some hooks at the bottom for necklaces, and it's done!
I have some other things I've done to be posted soon!

So tell me...are any of you obssessed with crafty blogs?

Our Easter Weekend

2010-04-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

With the perks of Caleb's job, sometimes comes disappointment.
We had planned since December on going to Utah for conference this April.
My former mission companion (once in the MTC, once in the field after persistently letting my mission president know that it was God's will for us to companions more than once....he eventually gave in. :) he also said he could never say no to sisters so I took advantage of it. ) lives in Salt Lake City and is finished her schooling, so she may not be there for much longer.
She was not only my mission companion, but we are now forever friends. I have been down to Utah for every conference (except the two when we were in Halifax) since my mission, she also has driven up to Canada twice to see me. Once for Christmas, and once to be in my bridesmaid for my wedding. Can you tell we love each other?

So it was our plan to go down and visit her, have fun and go shopping, but Delta airlines crushed those dreams.
We got passes to fly with them, but the flights were all full. We thought about driving,
but it seemed better if we went down in a couple weeks instead with less school to worry about, and more time to have fun! So hopefully all goes well for us to go down soon.

I was pretty disappointed we didn't get to go, but our weekend ended up being super fun anyways! I love our life, with just me and Caleb able to plan fun things at a moments notice.

We ended up going snowboarding for the day at Norquay, which is close to Banff. It was a fun little hill, and had some fun runs for me to go on. I feel like I am improving my snowboarding skills, but I get frustrated because I don't feel like i'm improving fast enough!
Caleb is so good and patient with me.
He reminds me that he doesn't want to go snowboarding with me because of my amazing skills
but because it's something fun to do with me, and he wants to spend time with me.
I love him.
So sadly below is the only picture of the day.

Nice huh? Next time I will get some better shots!

Today we woke up to a hunt for treats from the Easter Bunny! I thought Caleb forgot, so I "reminded" him last night that the Easter Bunny was coming tomorrow. He always does remember though, so I don't know why I always feel the need to remind him of things.

Today, Easter Sunday, I made my first Easter Dinner!
We had ham, funeral potatoes, and frog eye salad. If any of you haven't tried this delicious salad, I will give you the recipe!
For some strange reason though we couldn't find the acime de pepe we needed, so we ended up substituting cous cous. Which I fought Caleb tooth and nail on! I didn't want to use it!
It ended up being ok, but I'll have to pick some of the real stuff up in Lethbridge.

Here's my handsome husband carving the ham! Or trying to kill me, I can't quite decide.

We had a wonderul Easter together! Our first one actually together, so it was extra special.
Hope yours was extra special too!

Viva Mexico!

2010-02-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

Caleb and I had been wanting to get away somewhere for reading week. We figure our chances to get away together as a couple will be more difficult to come by as things start changing in our lives, so we are taking advantage while we can! We basically want to live it up before we have kids! Although we knew we wanted to go somewhere, our decision to where we were going had to be pretty last minute. We fly standby and all the flights were filling up fast! We wanted to go to Mexico because I have never been there, and it looked like Cancun was our best bet. I researched online and it seemed like Cancun is a crazy party town, so we decided to go a bit south to the city of Playa Del Carmen. It was still pretty crazy and touristy! But we loved it. We could walk to everything and the beach was so close. We went for three days and four nights. I am missing the beach already!

\We took a bus to Tulum to see the ancient Mayan ruins. It was pretty cool, but I have to say Caleb was a lot more interested in everything than I was! Maybe I'm just uncultured, or Caleb just gets excited about everything! It was definitely a neat experience though.

Caleb had an exam he was super stressed about on the Monday after we got home. He took advantage of our beach time by reading and studying. Very impressive!!

Well I just now I should write about our accommodations. Caleb and I think of ourselves as hostel people. I don't mind staying in something less fancy for way cheaper. Who spends time in their hotel room on vacation anyways? So I found some hostels online and we booked one. I should have been a bit more wary of booking a hostel in Mexico, but it was only three years old and the pictures looked nice. Well when we showed up there after a long day of flying...I have to say it was not really what the pictures looked like! It seemed ok clean, but our room had no window making it look more like a closet, it had a weird musty smell...which is to be expected in the climate...but still didn't help things, and the sheets they had on the bed were a faded beige color with some kind of pattern on it making it look like stains everywhere! not a great choice for sheets!! So after a few tears shed on my part, we walked a few blocks to the wal-mart, bought some cheap new sheets, a mattress protector, AND pillows. Turns out I am not the hostel traveller I once was. So I thought things were ok, but it turns out that there was a night club literally on the roof of the hostel! Good thing we brought ear plugs. Even with them you could still hear the loud thumping. Needless to say I did not have a very good sleep. I started psyching myself out thinking that there were bedbugs and other things going on in the room! When we woke up the next morning, we were not very well rested and decided to look for a new place. We found a brand new hotel advertising for a cheap rate because they had just opened. They were right on the beach and it was a beautiful place, so we made the move down the street. It was worth it I think! At least we got some sleep!

We had a great time eating tacos, shopping, and enjoying the warm weather. But the best part was that I got to spend some quality time with my sweetie. I love you Caleb! Thanks for the fun reading week!

Update

2010-02-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

So I noticed that on the side of my blog it says that we are still in Halifax! And although we clearly have moved, I thought I'd write a quick update about our current lives. We moved to Calgary in September for Caleb to start on his PhD at the University of Calgary. I have to admit that I was hoping to move to Edmonton, but Calgary has been great so far. We came back for a family reunion last summer and basically had a day to look at places to rent. Caleb's Aunt Jolayne told us about someone in their ward who was renting out their basement so we went and took a look at it. After some prayers we decided it was the place for us to be. It's in a great location and also close to Caleb's family here which is nice. It is not the biggest basement suite, but it works for us for now and we love it. It's cozy!

Caleb has been working away on his PhD and is doing his last year of classes. Horray! After this will be three years of working on a dissertation. He works so hard and I am so proud of him. He is also still working part-time at WestJet. He's kept this job for three years now, and it was only supposed to be a temporary job while he took a year off school. I know it can be an inconvience for him, but I really appreciate the extra money and also the cheap flights! It has been amazing for us to be able to do some travelling together while we are still newlyweds. We love it!

Last semester I did my senior practicum here in Calgary at the "former" AADAC. I had the most amazing supervisor. She is close to my age and went through my same program. She taught me so much, and allowed me to learn at my own pace but also pushed me out of my comfort zone. Everyone I worked with there were so nice and helpful. I loved it and I miss working with all those amazing people! Too bad they are now under Alberta Health Services and on a hiring freeze! I went there at the wrong time! But I am hopeful something will open up in the future. It would be an amazing job!

This semester has got to be hands down our craziest yet! And we've had some pretty crazy times! I have three classes left and I am commuting to Lethbridge to do them. So in a typical week I will be gone to Lethbridge from Tuesday until Friday. I am grateful for loving parents who let me stay with them! I also got a part time job working night shifts at a women's residence. The amazing thing about them is that I get to sleep! Getting paid to sleep is never a bad thing. So I work there Saturday and Sunday nights. The shifts are also 17 hours long so two shifts equals to about full time hours. But that means a lot less time with Caleb! So we basically only have two nights a week together, and that is if he's not off working. I am going to be very happy when this is all over! It hasn't been as horrible as I thought it would have been, but actually living with my husband would be nice!

Caleb got called as the second counsellor in the young mens a few months ago, and I got called as the Beehives advisor. We have been having a lot of fun in our callings so far and are still getting to know everyone in our ward.

I'm sure many more adventures will be coming our way when this semester is over! When we look back at this crazy time in our life, we will know that we can handle anything!!

Across the country

2010-02-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Caleb and I went on a cross country ski trip with the Young Men and Young Women in our ward. It was my first experience cross country skiing, and I fell a few more times than I would like to admit. There were quite a few hills to go down, and I have no idea how to control those things when you're flying down a hill!! We stayed at the end of the group and ended up skiing with our little friend Emily the whole way. I teach her in Beehives. Even though we were behind everyone else, and she had a difficult time getting the hang of it, she kept up a positive attitude the entire way. And I think it may have had something to do with this guy....
Caleb was so encouraging and so patient, and made the trip so much fun. All through the trip I could hear "way to go!" and "good job!" He was so willing to help her learn, and I think because of it she had a really good experience. Even though we were behind everyone with little Emily, we had a great time!

After the trip, we all went to the hot springs to warm up and relax our sore muscles! It was my first time going to the hot springs in Banff and I never thought it would be with a bunch of teenage kids! But we had a great time, and I'm glad we got to go!

What a trooper! :)

Anniversary Surprise!

2009-12-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

This is what Caleb woke up to for our anniversary! And you can tell he just woke up, and he's also very surprised! i got up early to make him breakfast, which was eggs, sausage, toast, and cinnamon buns! It was delicious.

Then Caleb had a surprise of his own for me. He booked us a hotel room in Banff and also a reservation at the Grizzly House for dinner. It's a steak/fondue house and it was so fun! We had a few courses to eat. They start you off with a salad and then bring out a cheese fondue with bread which was quite strong, but Caleb loved it! Then they bring you the main course. You get a got rock which our server told us was 650 degrees! It was hot! You cook your meat on it and they give you a bunch of different sauces to dip it in. We ate beef, buffalo, caribou, wild boar, and venison. The meat was amazing! Then they bring you a chocolate fondue with fruit for desert. It was quite the experience and it's a very busy place!

The next day we went and explored downtown for a bit. Banff is so beautiful! I'm so glad we live close by. Here are a couple amazing shots to finish off this post!

Thank you Caleb! I had an amazing time!

Oh Christmas Tree!

2009-12-21T19:59:00.001-08:00

This year I got my very first Christmas tree! I started asking Caleb when he thought Christmas trees went on sale in probably mid November. I was a bit excited! We always had a real tree growing up, and I just love how it smells and it just makes everything feel so homey and Christmassy. We went to home depot and found this perfect little tree.

We went to super store and picked up buttertarts, hot chocolate, and santa gummies, and enjoyed our treats while we decorated the tree.
And here is the finished product! It was so much fun, and I don't think I'll want to take it down when Christmas is over!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

2009-12-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that yesterday Caleb and I celebrated our one year anniversary. It seems like yesterday that we were planning our wedding while being on opposite sides of the country, dealing with my numerous melt-downs, planning everything while we were both in school full-time and were both working part-time, flying back and forth from Calgary to Halifax on red-eyes to see each other for the weekend, figuring out how to set up a false ceiling in the gym and staying up all night trying to put it together, making tissue paper pom poms, stamping candy bags, stressing over the wedding date, and freezing to death on the day of!

After planning and all the pressures we both had mounting on us, our wedding day went perfectly. I honestly can't think of one thing that went wrong! It was the perfect day, even though it was probably one of the coldest days of the winter!

It's hard to believe it's already been a year, and I think it's because Caleb makes marriage so fun and easy. I am so lucky to have found him. He makes me laugh every single day, and works so hard for us at school and at his job. He is considerate and thoughtful and generous. If the first year of marriage is the toughest, then I think things will be smooth sailing from here! Caleb truly is my best friend, and what could be funner than living with your best friend?

I love you Caleb! Happy Anniversary!

The Birthday That Keeps on Giving

2009-11-17T17:31:00.000-08:00

So I know I'm a terrible blogger! But here is a bit of an update for you! We are both busy with school and I finish my practicum in about two weeks! It has been an amazing learning experience and I have loved every minute of it. Too bad Alberta Health Services is cutting funding to everything which means I won't be able to get a job there anytime soon! Bad timing for me I guess. But hopefully I'll be able to find something else here in Calgary. I am keeping my fingers crossed that someone will want me! Then I have three classes left to do and I am FINALLY done school! Caleb has been very busy with his PhD program as well and at the moment is quite sick. But he's a trooper and no matter how hard I try to get him to stay home he's still at it with his classes. I just hope he doesn't have H1N1 and infect everyone! Here are a few pics for you!

For Halloween we went over to Caleb's cousins house on the Friday night. Good thing I had these outfits from Japan kicking around! We had a fun time. We also dressed up as Ketchup and Mustard for our mutual activity that week. We made cones out of poster board for our hats. Pretty funny! Sadly I have no picture of it.

And I can't get these stupid pictures rotated! But I finally got my Birthday present from Caleb this week! A new Burton Feelgood snowboard! I am so excited, and slightly nervous because it means we have to get a lot of boarding done this season. But I love it!! And I love it that it's something we can do together, even if I do complain sometimes. :)

Wrong order of pics! Here's me with the box before I opened it looking kind of rough!

This little guy is the rabbit that lives in our front yard. He comes and goes but usually sits himself in front of this tree. He's so cute and it's fun to see his fur change. There's lots of rabbits around and also squirrels. Fun things about Calgary!

Happy Birthday To Us!

2009-10-14T20:22:00.001-07:00

October is like another Christmas for us, since my Birthday is on the 1st and Caleb's is on the 4th. We had a great Birthday week and ate a ton! After work on the 1st I came home to a decorated house! There was streamers and balloon everywhere. It was so sweet of Caleb, and so thoughtful. That evening Caleb took me out to a fantastic Italian restaurant. Neither of us had been there before and we were impressed by the food, and also by the four waiters we had! Someone new kept coming by our table every 10 minutes. After dinner we went back to our place to eat some cookie dough blizzard ice cream cake! Sooo good! Caleb knows me too well. He was going to take me to see Fame afterwards but it was late and 6am was seeming pretty early. So he promised to take me another night. It was a wonderful Birthday! Oh, and I have not yet received my present from him! Apparently it's being UPS'ed here, and it's still on it's way. It's taking forever!! I will let you know what it is when it finally gets here.

So I'm now in the second half of my twenties, and I have to say it doesn't feel too good. I keep telling people I'm 25 by accident! I may have to keep it up though so I don't feel so old!

My delicious cake!

So I should have rotated these beforehand. I'm too lazy to go back and do it so you'll just have to deal!

The morning of Caleb's Birthday I took him out to a Belgian Pattiserre. I looked it up online and just crossed my fingers that it was good! We Ordered Belgian waffles and they were delicious. They had all kinds of bread and pastries that looked amazing as well. Such a cute place, I'm sure we will be back.

After breakfast we came back to our house and watched conference. For dinner we went to an AMAZING place downtown called Blink. I again found it online and just hoped it was ok! When we pulled up Caleb said he had wanted to go there, so I guess I did ok. They serve all organic/local food and it was the most amazing food I have ever tasted! I had Bison ribs, and Caleb ordered rabbit. It was a bit pricey, but totally worth it. Oh, and the Lethbridge Pork appetizer...to die for! Have you ever had fluffy pork? We hadn't, until we went to Blink. Crazy good!

So we had a fantastic Birthday, and spent a bit more money that we should have, but it's ok to indulge on your Birthdays right?

Mom and Dad Lee do Halifax!

2009-09-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here you go with another super old post! Caleb's parents came out to Halifax to visit for a few days and we had so much fun! It gave us the chance to have a car, :) and also to do all the touristy things we wanted to do before we left. We had a blast and ate a ton..mainly fish and chips! Oh how I miss them!

Here we are out in Peggy's Cove. It's a lighthouse outside of Halifax that is pretty famous and photographed a ton. There are tons of signs telling you to stay off the dark rocks because people have been swept away by the ocean there! We stayed far away! We also learned the legend of Peggy, which is where it got it's name...pretty funny stuff. Peggys!

Caleb's Parents!
We also took a day trip out to PEI. It was a long drive, but it was totally worth it. We got to drive over a giant bridge to get there. I had no idea it existed! PEI was beautiful and I would recommend it as a vacation spot. They had adorable cottages all over that you can rent out during the summer.
Isn't Caleb beautiful?

Where we started our tour of all the Anne of Green Gables sites. We just had to. I believe the author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, lived here for a while.

On a PEI beach.

We did a lot of museums while they were in Halifax. This was the Museum of the Atlantic?

Driving a tug boat!

Beaver Tails! We had these a couple times while they were there. SOOOO Goood!
This was the harbour hopper tour. I wish we got a better picture of the vehicle we were on. it's an amphibious war vehicle that they used in Vietnam. Which means it goes on land and in water! So it does a tour around downtown Halifax and then takes you in the harbor. It was kind of freaky! I thought it was going to be way to heavy to float, but it did! It was quite loud though. There's a reason we look so sombre in this picture! Our impression of the Harbor Hopper explosion...ha.
Lobster Traps!

This picture makes me miss it! So beautiful.
We did get to the beach in Halifax before we left. We took our kids there a lot for boys and girls club and they loved the waves. But they stayed in the freezing cold water a little longer than I could handle! The water's cold, but we had hot weather so it was a great day.

I miss Halifax!!

Wilson Reunion

2009-09-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

I realize I am totally behind in my posts, but better late than never right?
Over the August long weekend we took a flight to Calgary, and then a roadtrip down to Glacier National Park in Montana for the Wilson family reunion. We actually had a blast driving down there, because we usually only fly places now so driving through Montana was so much fun. It was so beautiful, the weather was great, and it was so much fun seeing everyone. We hit up the waterslides, went shopping, and played some fun games. Here are some pics of the trip.

I Love gophers! This was at Logan's Pass. These little guys would eat right out of your hand. So cute!

A melting glacier we found on the way home.

The view of Logan's Pass. We drove over it on the way home, mainly because Caleb had never driven it before. I hate doing it! It's beautiful, but so scary!! I get so nervous.

Best Burger Ever! Skye and Aaron told us about this place in Kalispell. It's called five guys, and it was delicious! Everything tastes homemade, and they give you so much food!

The adorable Ayla Brieann!

This little guy was in my parents shower at the cabin they were staying in. We put him outside and Caleb took some pictures of him. Stratton helped!

The two mountain goats sliding down the side of the hill. I think Caleb was down at the bottom in like 5 seconds. Not even kidding. He's crazy!

The Varty Party!

We can't wait for the next reunion. We had a blast!

I am a Lazy Blooooger!

2009-07-27T04:35:00.000-07:00

Here is my attempt at catching up on our blog! I have been so awful lately, and the longer I put it off the less I want to post anything because so much has been happening! We have had a fanstastic summer here in Halifax, and we've also been able to travel quite a bit as well. We only have two weeks left here and it is starting to get quite sad. It will be hard to leave the place where we started our lives together as a married couple. Sad to leave it all behind, and all the memories we have here.
But we will be beginning a new adventure in Calgary. And I'm sure we will love it there, just like we have here.

So here are a few pictures of what we have been up to.

This was Canada Day up at Citadel Hill. They shot off Canons for like 20 minutes it seemed like! Very loud...all the babies were crying.

Canada Day with a giant whale...Caleb made me get in this picture. I don't know why.

Us at the harbor front.

This is us on the ferry going over to Darmouth for the Highland Games.

We saw Cabers being tossed...

A lot heavier than it looks! And those people in the picture are our friends...yes we have friends in Halifax. At least two anyways.

I don't know what this is called, but it weighed 50 pounds and the men competing were throwing them around like they were nothing.

Us at the harbor front again for the Tall Ships Festival. Halifax is the land of festivals! There were 50 giant sail boat in the harbor that were racing all over the world.

Dolphins on Parade!!

Love this guy...

The Tall Ships Parade, leaving the Halifax harbor.

This is a shot of the wonderful farmer's market they have here on Saturday mornings. This day we went to get potatoes, carrots, and peas to make a summer stew! It is the most delicious summer meal. I'm not sure I made it as good as my mom does though. We also get fantastic cinimon buns here. We eat them for breakfast and then always feel sick afterwards. But we always go back for more!

We also attended the Halifax Pride Parade! It was not as risque as I thought it would be, or hoped it would be..:) mostly just tons of businesses and government leaders supporting pride week. It was crazy! You would never see this in Alberta. Even the Marriott here was in the parade....

Another float in the parade. Mostly everyone in it looked like these people. Not what I was expecting!

We have more pictures and adventures to post coming up soon!!

Decepticons!

2009-07-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hey this is Caleb (Kailey usually posts). We went to see transformers 2 last night. And lets just say that unless you like giant fighting robots there is not much that movie has to offer. Luckily for me, I love giant fighting robots so I was thrilled. Kailey for some reason I can't understand is not impressed by giant fighting robots so she fell asleep around half way in to it. Eventhough the movie was pretty stupid I had a great time and although I know she was asleep it was so nice to have her there "watching" it with me. I guess the only thing better than giant robots blowing each other up is watching it with the ones you love. Thanks for being there with me honey, I love you.

More Vacation!

2009-06-17T05:57:00.000-07:00

We are taking advantage of my two months off this summer, and it has been wonderful so far. We are off again for two whole weeks! Our first stop is Vernon, BC, Caleb's hometown. We are going to stay with his parents, and my plan is to lay by their pool all day in the much needed warm weather, while Caleb works away on his thesis. I love going to Vernon, it's always so much fun. We're also hopefully going to meet up with some friends of ours there as well. This pic above is us in Vernon almost a whole year ago! Crazy.

Then we will fly to exotic Lethbridge Alberta! Our dear friend (also my ex-boyfriend, and Caleb's best friend...maybe I'll share that story later!) is getting married next weekend! We couldn't be happier for him. I'm also looking forward to seeing my family, and a trip to Calaway Park!

I so wish I could take every summer off.

I

Love

It!

More blogging to come in a couple weeks!

Free Vacation!

2009-06-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

We essentially got a free trip last month to Ottawa. Caleb went to a Philosophy Conference, and commented on a paper at one of the sessions. He got a travel grant from his department to go. I was debating whether I should go or not because Caleb was going to be gone most of the day, and what was I going to do? I am so happy I decided to go! It turned out to be wonderful. I slept in, watched some morning TV, then went shopping and exploring downtown Ottawa. The city is beautiful, and totally bilingual. There were probably more people speaking French than English. We had a fantastic time there. We went and saw the sights, got to relax, and ate some delicious food! I love free trips!!

We went and checked out the Legislative buildings. These pictures are deceiving because we had mostly rainy weather while we were there. We just can't get away from the rain! We had a great time though. A community band set up right in front of the buildings while we were there and played a few songs. It was great.
Caleb, looking stylish with my purse. He puts all his stuff in it, so I think it's fair to make him carry it once in a while! Don't you?

This is my fave picture of the trip.

I just threw in this picture of Caleb, because I love it and I think he's so cute!

We took a tour of the Canadian Mint, and it actually was super interesting! Did you know we make coins for like 30 other countries! Many of which I have been to. I had no idea.

We also visited the National Art Gallery. It was huge, but we stuck mainly with the modern/abstract art sections. That's what we like best. It's just a lot more interesting to look at. They had a lot of really cool stuff there.

So it was a fantastic trip, and I highly recommend visiting!

Puerto Rico - La Isla de Encanta!

2009-06-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

Puerto Rico isn't called the Enchanted Island for nothing! A few weeks ago Caleb and I traveled back to my mission, and had an amazing time. We are taking advantage of our travel benefits while we can! We got an inter-airline deal and were able to fly to Puerto Rico with Jet Blue. I honestly didn't know when or how I was able to go back to my mission, but marrying Caleb has paid off! haha. It was such a great trip, and it was so much fun showing Caleb around the island. It was different going back as a "tourist" and not a missionary. When it got to be late at night, I always felt like we needed to go back to the hotel, because we weren't allowed to be out late!

It was fun speaking Spanish, and hearing Caleb's spanish as well! I've posted a few pics below of our adventures!

2009-06-04T12:18:00.001-07:00

When we went to pick up our rental car, it wasn't done being cleaned, so they offered us this baby for $2.00 more/day. So we did it, and I felt much safer driving there in the chaos in this thing! It worked out well for us, and we didn't do any damage to it, even though we kind of wanted to to make the insurance worth our while! We did have an incident of locking the keys in the car on the other side of the Island in almost the middle of nowhere. We were visiting a beach and there is a nearby there is a light house. We went and talked to security there asking for a phone so we could call someone. The man responded to our question with a question of his own.."do you guys have a machete?" Ummm..no. But he did, like every other Puerto Rican. Turns out machetes make perfect door unlocking tools. He pushed the window in for us while Caleb unlocked the door with a giant machete. He really saved us! These are the cliffs near the light house. Beautiful.

Caleb surfing in Luquillo! I went out with him the day before, and I have to say that surfing is a lot harder, and a lot scarier than it looks!! Caleb was in love though.

This is us on the ferry on our way to a smaller island called Culebra. It has one of the best 10 beaches in the world. When we go to the island, we had the shadiest little bus take us to the beach! I could see the road under my feet and I thought our seats were going to fall through the bottom! It was freaky! But well worth it.

We spent part of a day hiking in the national rainforest. It was beautiful, and yes...it did rain. We hiked to this waterfall and Caleb had to really convince me to get in. The water was freezing!!! Due to all of our tropical vacations, we have really become water babies.

We spent a day in Old San Juan exploring the city. We were looking for a place to eat later in the day, and this creepy looking guy comes up to and asks us what we're looking for, because he knows the city like the back of his hand. I said we were looking for somewhere to eat...and I could tell Caleb was freaked out that I even responded to him. He has had situations similar to this where the person has led him to an alley, tried to take his money..etc. But me being super naive kept talking to the guy. It was true that he did know the city! He told us about a new place that we should check out and that he would take us there. So I follow him..meanwhile Caleb is probably so annoyed with me, and freaked out! So he did eventually take us to a cute new place, where we went and ate some delicious authentic Puerto Rican cuisine. Rice and beans, amarillos (fried sweet plaintains), and flan! So good! So the crazy guy didn't end up killing us, and we saw him in the restaurant later...we figured he was working for them trying to promote the place. Maybe they should pick someone a little less creepy next time!

The People

2009-06-04T12:06:00.001-07:00

The highlight of this trip was being able to see some of the people I knew and loved on my mission. This is President Rivera. He has been the branch President of one of my areas for years, and it's not looking like he will get released anytime soon. They have very little Priesthood, and it's a tiny branch. He is pretty much running the show by himself. He loved the sister missionaries and helped us out so much. He would do visits with us every Tuesday night, and then buy us delicious burritos...every single week. He has so much faith and dedication. His goal when I was there as a missionary was to have 60 people in church, and it's still his goal now. He was telling me all about it with so much excitement and so much faith. You think he would get down not seeing much success, but he is still so optimistic. I look up to him so much, and hope that I can follow his example in the callings I do, and give it everything I have like he does.
Oh wow...my favorite person in the world right here. Augustine Castillo. He's probably in his late 70's now, and was someone I was blessed to see baptized in Luquillo. He is from Cuba, was a Jehova's Witness for most of his life, and stole his wife from a convent who was a nun at the time. He had some crazy stories! He was such a blessing to me in my mission. He has the greatest laugh in the world, and is so dedicated to the church. I was afraid he wouldn't recognize me because it's been a few years, but he sure did. The first thing he told me was that he went to the temple (the closest one is the Dominican Republic, and he got there wheelchair and all) and that he was able to do the work for his wife, who died 20 years ago, and that he was able to be sealed to her. Well tears instantly were rolling down my cheeks. I felt so much joy for him. He was always talking about his wife, and now he can be with her forever. It was so amazing to see him.
This little chica is Amanda! She was my first baptism in the mission.She was so excited to see me and was so funny! She just couldn't believe I was actually there. She is a chatty one and talked a lot! She took us out to this great little place for Mofongo..delicious! It was so great to see her and how much she has grown up! She bought me some little gifts which was so cute, and wrote me a card. In the card she told me that she is planning on going on a mission! How amazing. She is going to be the best little missionary ever! I just love her.

This is Martin, and his god son Freddy. Martin was a miracle baptism of my mission. He came at a time where things couldn't be worse in our area, and I was getting down about it. And my Grandpa had just died the week before as well, things were not going well. We found him trackting...which is crazy, he was ready the moment we found him. He hadn't had any former contact with the church, but he did every single thing we asked him to do, and followed through with every commitment he made, which was amazing for us to see! It rarely happens. I don't know how he was prepared for the gospel, but he was. It was an amazing experience. He is still going strong in the church, and was so happy to see us. We were able to chat, and I learned a lot of things about him that I didn't know before. It was super fun.

Going back was an amazing experience, and I hope to repeat it very soon!

Ottawa Here We Come

2009-05-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Sorry for the lack of blogging! I don't really have an excuse, and I promise to put up pictures of Puerto Rico soon! But they are all posted on facebook as well. It looks like we are off to Ottawa tomorrow. Caleb has a philosophy conference there, and as for me...well I have no excuse for myself. I've been a sad little person this past week. For one, I can not find a job. I had to bring myself to what I thought to be pretty low and drop off a resume at Blockbuster, to some girl who looked about 19...and still no phonecall. I have been looking everywhere, and I sometimes think to myself..."who wouldn't want to hire me? I am the greatest!" But it seems like everyone else disagrees. Caleb keeps reminding me that this city is chock full of students, about 100,000 to be exact, so I shouldn't get too upset. But I feel like a free-loading wife.

The second best thing that has happened since we've been home is I decided to give my fading hair a little touch-up. I should have just gone back to the same lady, but i tried to save a little money and go to someone else. I must have been on crazy pills looking back at everything now. I ended up spending the same amount of money, but also coming out with super dark red/purply hair...which I have been crying over for the past two days. The stylist (if you can call her that) filled it which makes it worse to get out, and she thought it would be best to inform me after the fact that going back to blonde is going to be "very difficult". But I told you I didn't want it much darker than it already was!!!! I told this girl also not to cut the sides of my hair, which don't grow as fast as the rest. I swear I grow a natural mullet. I have been trying so hard for the past year to get them to grow out, and they finally are catching up with the rest of my hair. But guess what happens when she cuts my hair, my sides get cut into bangs.....bangs!!!!! I am almost in tears just thinking about it now. I had worked so hard not to bleach my hair, to get my sides to grow out, and now all my hard work is ruined!! I know, I probably sound a bit ridiculous...but why don't stylists listen to you, and why do they think you're retarded in what you're asking from them? Anyways, I am definitely not staying this color, but I do have a plan...and I will let you know that later.

That's my rant for the day.

We are off to Ottawa.

Me and my purple hair.

Nos Vemos Amigos!

2009-04-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

I came home from my mission to Puerto Rico, almost three years ago now! It was such an amazing experience, and when I left Puerto Rico at the end of my mission, I felt like I was leaving my home. I didn't know when I would have the opportunity to go back, but the day has finally come! Caleb and I are leaving to Puerto Rico tomorrow morning!! I am anxious and excited and nervous all at the same time. I have such a wonderful husband who is so excited to see my mission and where I served for a year and a half. Hopefully we don't get much rain, as we are almost in May and it's the rainiest month there! But we figured we need to do stuff like this while we still can. So I won't be blogging for a while, but many pictures and hopefully good stories to follow! Adios!

My Husband..the genuis!

2009-04-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

I am really excited to share our fantastic news with you! We just found out! A couple of months ago Caleb submitted a paper to a competition that his school holds yearly. The paper topic, was Good Conduct. Caleb spend tons of time working on his paper, and it took a lot for us to actually get it in on time! They told him he would hear back by April 15th...and since that date has come and gone he just assumed he hadn't won it, and to be honest...not that I don't think my husband is brilliant...i wasn't really expecting him to.

But a couple of hours ago, Caleb called me in from the kitchen and said "you should come look at this e-mail." We got an e-mail saying he won!! And guess what the prize is...$4000 big ones!!! I am soooo proud of him! And the extra money will be nice for us starving students! He goes to an awards ceremony next month, and he'll share some of his paper with the committee. We couldn't be more excited!!! Congrats Caleb!!

The View From Our Apartment

2009-04-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

Oh Halifax, you are definitely not Alberta.

La Conferencia General

2009-04-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was fantastic. We had a lazy weekend watching conference and sleeping in. We are three hours ahead of Utah here, so it was nice to sleep in late! We enjoyed the talks so much, and I especially liked Elder Uchtdorf's talk. Saturday morning we ventured down the street to a little pastry shop I have been dying to try out.

It's a European pastry shop that sells delicious cakes, breads, and of course pastries! I had a hot chocolate, and a chocolate croissant...(chocolate overload) and Caleb had his fave, a hot-cross bun. It was adorable, and so yummy! I'm sure we will be back.

And this is what the rest of our weekend looked like...

We love Conference!

I Hate Good-Byes

2009-04-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

I began my University career many years ago as a naive 17 year old. Looking back now it is hard to imagine that I had the slightest clue of what I wanted to do in life...and really I didn't. It took 3 years of being a "pre-ed" student with a major in English to finally realize that I did not love what I was doing...in fact I didn't even like it...you could even go as far to say that I hated it. I had no passion for it, I was miserable. After returning home from my mission I had a semester where I had no idea what I was doing, and no idea where I was going. I had always however been interested in one field of study that I had pushed aside...how could I change my major where I had gone so far in my degree already? But how could I get a degree that I really had no interest in? It took a lot of thinking to come to a conclusion. I also had the support of my then "secret friend", now husband, to chase my dreams. How thankful I am for his help, because without him I'm not sure I would have had the courage to make a change. But I did, I applied to the school of health sciences, with a major in addictions counseling. I was accepted into the program and since then I have never looked back. I have absolutely loved the program, it is different than any other type of schooling I've had. Caleb calls it really expensive therapy. I never thought I would find something I love so much.

For the past 12 weeks I have been working at a mens residence for individuals who suffer with addiction. It has been part of my junior practicum, and next week it is coming to an end. Throughout this experience I have had many challenges, which have mainly been the staff I have to work with...I was hoping to learn more from them, instead I find myself critisizing them more than anything else. But what I never expected is how much I would learn from the men that I work with.

From my first very nervous, awkward day, they have been nothing but kind and welcoming. They are always there to chat with, to joke around with, and I have found myself on more than one occasion, in awe at their strength and courage. In their eyes these men are the lowest of the low, they have made so many mistakes, that have led to such catastrofic consequences for them. They keep making the same mistakes over and over, they feel that they have nothing to offer. But I have watched these men over the past few months grow and change, and to me what they are doing is so courageous. I don't know if I could be in their position and be as strong as they are. They are giving themselves a new life, another chance to make reconciliations and become better. They are all such genuinely kind people. After I do group sessions with them, they always thank me for the class I put on, and tell me how much they enjoyed it...it never fails. They will never know how much that means to a student who is struggling to "get it right". They have come to talk to me personally with their biggest issues and challenges. At times it has been scary for me, and sometimes I don't know what to say, but I am humbled to know that they would seek me out...to have confidence in me, which I most of the time am lacking myself.

I have grown to love these men. I never thought I would. As I think about my final week, I can't help but get emotional. I have to leave and cut all my ties with them. It will be hard not to know how they are doing, and if they're making progress, if they've relapsed, what's happening in their lives. One thing is for sure I will never forget them, and I don't think they'll ever know how much worth they truly have, and how much they have touched my life.

Good-bye for now Alcare Place, I will miss you.

Welcome to Halifax!

2009-04-03T11:31:00.000-07:00

This is what our life has looked like for the past three months...

And it just keeps on coming. We returned home from our visit to Alberta with a big snow storm waiting for us in Halifax. Typical. I am so sick of the weather here! The snow has cleared up, but it's been raining and dreary all day today...it makes me depressed!

Caleb now says that we should never clear up any preconceived notion that people have of Canada. Yes, it's freezing cold here...all the time, we basically live in igloos, and if we owned a dog sled it would probably actually be the best mode of transportation for us at this moment.

O CANADA!

Alberta...the land of Sunshine!

2009-04-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Caleb and I returned back to Lethbridge this past weekend. I had to do a presentation for school, which went OK, I'm mostly just happy to have it over and done! I kept telling Caleb that we needed to take a lot of pictures on the weekend, but I think we ended up with only four...oops! We flew into Calgary and picked up the car at the hanger, and we found this little surprise still on our car from our wedding!

Our car got decorated after our reception with the pompoms we so lovingly hand made! This little guy held on for dear life! I can't bear to take it off, so there it stays! It used to be red, now it's more of a pinky white!

We got out to a movie while we were in town with Caleb's sister Britt, her "friend" Ian, and newly engaged Sam and Melissa!! We are so excited for them! We all went to see Monsters vs Aliens in 3D and it was SO funny! I highly recommend it. It was a lot better than I had expected it to be. I'm usually not that into cartoons, but this one was hilarious.

We had a fun weekend visiting with family and friends. And we decided that we will never complain about Alberta again. We couldn't believe how sunny and beautiful the weather was there. We had a great time and we miss you all so much!!

My New Hair!

2009-03-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I went for it, and here are the pics! Are realize they are super cheesy self-takes...but Caleb was away, so what can I say?! I'm pretty happy with the results. What do you think?

Something New?

2009-03-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have had my hair every color under the sun...well almost. But over the past year my hair color has stayed relatively close to the same. I asked Caleb the other day if I should go for a new change. He said yes...but then said, "are you actually going to change it? or are you just going to say that you are and then when you come home it's going to be the same?" I always tell Caleb when I go to get my hair done that I'm undergoing some drastic change, and in defense it looks different to me! But he never notices the change. Maybe that's men? or maybe it's me just wimping out! So my new change might be something like this...

Now I have been red before...but not by choice! I had really dark brown hair and decided I wanted to be blonde. So after hours in the salon, and my hair not cooperating, my hair turned out a very coppery, orangy red. Everyone tried to convince me it was strawberry blonde! But it actually turned out to be not too bad. So what do you all think? Should I go for it and actually go for a REAL change?

Saturday Date Night

2009-03-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

We had the funnest date Saturday night. We recently got $50 for participating in a study for "romantic couples" at dal. So we decided to use the money for something fun. The day was spent sleeping in, reading, working on homework. That night we tried out a new restaurant, Salty's. It overlooks the harbor so it had a beautiful view and the food was DELICIOUS! It was a fancier place and it was filled with senior citizens! We were by far the youngest people there. After dinner we went to our favorite place, The Old Triangle, (where we went for valentines day) and ordered our usual gingerbread cake. It is heaven! Afterwards we went to the historic movie theatre here and watched Slumdog Millionaire. So good! I highly recommend it. Our $50 was well spent!

What I've been up to...

2009-03-09T12:04:00.001-07:00

So lately I've been obsessed with all these "crafty" blogs, and have a list of little projects I want to do. Here's what i've been doing so far. (I can't get this picture to save straight!) Anyways, I've been making these little glass tile necklaces. Super fun and super easy! I've been wondering if I sold them, to some boutiques out here...would they sell? What do you think?

Oh...and I may have just given away some b-day presents I've been meaning to send out! I just couldn't wait to post them!

Have you Ever had a SECRET pair of pants?

2009-02-28T06:31:00.001-08:00

Well Caleb has. He is away for the weekend which leaves me at home lonely and bored...so naturally a lot of cleaning gets done. I found a gap bag hidden away in our front closet, so I pulled it out, looked inside, and saw a pair of gray men's dress pants. My first thoughts were:

1. Caleb bought these pants, put them here, and forgot about them OR

2. Caleb is hiding these secret pants from me!

So I got them out and checked the date on the receipt, they were bought Feb 13th...day before Valentine's Day. So now I had a better idea of what might be going on. He went out shopping for me, found something for himself, and then felt bad about it.

So he called later on that night and I straight up asked him..."Caleb, do you have a pair of secret pants?!" his reply? "Yes!! Yes I totally do!" Turns out he did feel bad about buying himself something. He couldn't tell me on Valentines day, so he was waiting for the opportune time, and the longer he waited...the more he realized that he did have a secret pair of pants! and it would be weirder and weirder to bring it up.

I laughed so hard I cried.

I love my husband! I love that he makes me laugh...really laugh....everyday.

I miss you Caleb!