I love my face!

As you know, I am an Independent Mary Kay Beauty Consultant -- that means I determine how much work/effort I put in and how much money I make. I LOVE Mary Kay products, I'm serious when I say that my skin has never looked better. Those of you who knew me in college probably remember my constant breakouts and makeup smudges from me touching my face all the time because I was so self-conscious about my acne so I would pick at it.... Yuck. I'm glad those days are behind me! As an example... here is a picture of me (with my Jesse of course) when we were dating.

I was on a date so I probably had more than enough makeup on! But look how it comes through! Ugh. So that was two years ago -- I started using Mary Kay just last October (2011) and here's what my skin looks like now!

You might have to click on them to notice the difference. Both pictures were impromptu so I didn't do anything extra special. So what I'm trying to say is that I love my Mary Kay skin!

Emotional to say the least....

Yesterday was the day from Hades for me. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed (it's funny because I actually did get out on Jesse's side). I was grumpy the entire day. I had so many things to do -- fun things, decorating and fixing things -- things I like doing! But I couldn't shake the grumpiness. At the hardware store the lady behind the counter said to me, "I was going to ask if you needed help but it looked like you knew what you were doing." Really, I think I just had "STAY AWAY FROM ME OR I WILL CHEW YOU TO PIECES" written on my forehead and she feared for her life. :)

When Jesse got home from work we went to Walmart so I could buy some glitter for a project. Glitter always makes me happy. Just like saying "confetti" -- it just makes me smile! We also bought a vinyl sticker thing of a tree for the baby room. Here's a picture!

Looks cute in the room. We still need to get furniture, but it's painted, I installed the blinds and we're starting to buy little things here and there. We're excited for our little one to come! 

Back to my bad day.... I cried multiple times for no reason whatsoever! This has been my first dose of sobbing hormones my entire pregnancy. Jesse has never seen me sob until yesterday. Of course he has seen me cry, but never like this I don't think. I was doing the dishes and he was trying to help, trying to take over but I was determined to be grumpy and do it myself. Then he came and gave me a hug and that's when I let go and cried my eyes out... I kept saying, "Nothing is even wrong!" between sobs. He was, as ever, gentle and kind trying to soothe me. I just love him so much. I was still sad/grumpy the rest of the day/night. But today is looking better.

I'm finally going to finish putting my craft room together (hopefully), finish the bathroom and clean our bedroom. It's funny how when I concentrate on one room, the other rooms in the house suffer. Oh and I swear this house generates dirt. I will clean and scrub and a couple hours later it's dirty again. The joys of owning an old house. I often think, "We don't even have a baby yet and I still can't keep up with the mess!" Ok, our house is not messy at all, it's just disorganized and seems chaotic which I call messy.

Birthday Greetings

Today is my 27th birthday! I talked to my dad on the phone today and he asked, "You're 27?! When did that happen?!" I joked around and said, "Today!" He laughed then asked, "Is that how old I am?!" And that was a perfect set up for my reply, "No silly, you're older than me!" Oh Dad, you make me laugh.

I was awakened at 5:30am to sweet kisses and a "happy birthday" from my Jesse (he was leaving for work.) I went back to sleep after he left and woke up at 9:30 because I was dreaming of a rotisserie chicken. Yep, I'm pregnant alright. I was SO tempted to just go to TOPS (our grocery store) and get a chicken but I decided I would make my traditional pink pancakes for myself instead.

I spent about 15 minutes looking for the blasted food coloring and still couldn't find it! I KNOW we have some somewhere, but I was starving and I really wanted them to be pink so I mixed a little raspberry Jello (powder) and chocolate chips. Of course they were topped off with pink sugar crystals...Yummy! They turned out so yummy! (I'm sorry I don't have pictures...I just wasn't thinking about taking pictures of my food, I was more concerned about feeding my growling stomach!) I saved some pancakes for Andrew (my little brother has been staying with us since Sunday. It's becoming tradition! He stayed with us last year on my birthday too.)

I had big plans of finishing the bathroom today (Andrew and I painted it yesterday, the white on the woodwork just needed a second coat). I wanted to paint the final coat, hang the blinds and put the new shower rod up but instead I took a shower because I was so stinking hot (I tried blowing up the kiddie pool that we got but it was HUGE so I gave up and returned it). After my shower I woke Andrew up (it was then 11:30am --- he usually doesn't wake up until 2pm) and we went to St. Marys (town 40 minutes away with a Walmart). We bought an air conditioner and one of those double fan window things. I am determined to not sweat while I sleep anymore. :)

Then I had my midwife appointment. Tomorrow I am officially in my 28th week. Hello, third trimester!! Andrew came back with me and got to hear the baby's heartbeat. I think he really liked it. He's sometimes hard to read because he tries to act all tough and stuff, but inside he has a soft, nougat center. :)

Jesse brought me flowers and a romantic card for my birthday. On vacation he bought me some Oakley sunglasses. Pictured here:
I told him that's what I wanted for my birthday. They're really pretty. He told me at dinner that he was going to take me to Warren to buy an air conditioner but I had beaten him to it. :)

Well, that about wraps up my day! Oh, for dinner I made Chicken Supreme! Also becoming a tradition as I made them last year too! (You thought I was going to get a rotisserie chicken, didn't you?) :)

It was a great birthday!

2 Years....Wow, time flies!

I don't know if I ever told anyone but Jesse this, but when we first met in NYC on a temple trip, we were in the same group and walked around the city together. After dinner he offered to carry my gigantic slice of cheesecake and jokingly I refused (fearing he might eat it), but let him carry it but slyly put my arm in his to "keep an eye on the cheesecake." ;) The moment I touched him, could smell him (he smelled great), I KNEW that I was falling in love with him. It was magical, literally. I had never felt so comfortable with a man before. A couple weeks later we tied for the tacky sweater contest and "won" a date with each other (he told me he was going to ask me out anyway.) Two weeks later we had our first date. We kissed. Two weeks later he told me he loved me, and I told him I love him. The next week he asked me (in a very round about way) to marry him. Five months later we were sealed for "time and all eternity" in the Washington, D.C. temple. We are each others best friend, we've cried on each others shoulders, we've laughed at each others silly jokes, we've traveled thousands of miles together, we confide in each other, we trust each other, and in 3 months, we'll have our first child together! Marriage is the greatest thing in the world!! Happy two years my sweetest Jesse! I love you more than I can ever say!

Home Again

Thursday morning we had to check out and head home. But before we left we had to get crepes. Mmmmm. We had such a great time on our vacation!! It was nice because Jesse didn't take his phone with him to the beach so we talked more and really enjoyed being together. Not that we don't talk and love being together any other time, but sometimes things just get in the way. Computers, TV, phones.... they're all good, but I like my hubby better without them. :) I love you, Jesse!!

So.... after four days of awesome vacation, we shook out as much sand from our towels, swim suits and bags as we could and headed home. On the way home we stopped at a Wawa in Lancaster for some fuel... Jesse got a cheesesteak and I got a mashed potato bowl with chicken tenders. Grossest thing I've ever eaten. Blah! It was nothing like KFC! I was severely disappointed. Sheetz is so much better than Wawa -- just sayin'.
 

When we got home there were several packages waiting for us! Jesse of course had gun parts and I got some lovely peanut butter meltaways from a dear friend! I love my friends. :) 

Vacation Day 4!

Wednesday morning was bright and sunny but a little chilly. We decided to go to the beach anyway. We got there and the ocean was really brown. I commented this to Jesse but he didn't seem to notice. When we got up close the waves were huge (huge for the east coast) and really powerful. The wind was so harsh that it sent the sand flying like little knives across our legs. It really hurt! All of the umbrellas on the beach were set up close to the ground to provide shelter from the wind and sand.

We set up our spot and Jesse decided to go in. I was hesitant so I stayed behind and watched. After a little while I got brave and went in to my knees but the waves were so powerful and there were tiny pebbles where I was standing that it hurt like the dickens so I gave up after a little bit. I kept an eye on Jesse though and kept praying that he would be okay out there. I watched him go under a couple times but he came right back up -- I'm a worrier by nature and kept muttering under my breath, "come out now, Jess. Come out." But after an hour he was still out. I couldn't take it so I read a Montessori magazine and every once in a while looked up to see where he was.

Oh, side note. There were three older ladies sitting on the beach in front of me -- closer to the ocean -- and once when they weren't paying attention a big wave came up on them and took their flip flops! It was soooo funny because it was so unexpected and they were giggling and screaming. I went and helped them get their flip flops back -- luckily they came back. It was just so funny. :) It happened to them a second time so they kept moving back. So funny.

So. Finally Jesse came back to our spot. Safe and sound! Except he told me that he couldn't find me, he forgot where our spot was and was looking for me for about 5 minutes. I must have been reading because I didn't see him get out. And he said about 2 minutes before he got out he thought "I should get out now." But didn't and a big wave surprised him and took him under. He didn't know which way was up and waves kept coming down on him and he thought he broke his neck - he was whipped around so much. Gosh. I'm so glad I kept saying little prayers for him and that Heavenly Father heard my prayers! I don't know what I would do without my Jesse!! His poor eyes were all red and he had bruises on his elbow and legs from falling over. So needless to say, he was done. And we went back to the motel.

For lunch we went to a sandwich shop (can't remember what it's called) but their specialty is "the Bobbie" which is basically Thanksgiving dinner on a bun -- turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mayo. I got that and Jesse got something with coleslaw on. Mine was good, but there was a gigantic bone and lots of gristle. Unappetizing. 

We went back to the motel and were about to get in the pool but when Jesse put his trunks on I saw that his back was burnt. So no more sun for the pasty white boy. I, on the other hand, didn't get burned at all -- just a delightfully dark tan! I love my Mary Kay sunscreen! (Jesse didn't want to use it and instead used other stuff, same SPF 30 but it didn't work so well.)

For dinner we went to a seafood place so Jesse could get lobster. I got BBQ chicken. I don't know what I was thinking....I don't even like BBQ! It was gross. I regretted it. And Jesse didn't really care for his lobster either. He said he probably won't get one again. 

So we finished the day by watching the Food Network (I'm obsessed) and Pawn Stars (Jesse is obsessed.) We were glad to go to bed after a somewhat rough day.

Vacation Day 3!

Tuesday was kind of a yucky day. It rained the entire day so we went in town and went to see "Snow White and the Huntsman." It was a pretty good movie! Kind of a mixture between Stardust and Lord of the Rings.

After the movie we decided to find Lowes and shop for things for our home. We wanted to go to a Lowes because we don't have a Home Depot nearby if we needed to return anything. We used Jesse's iPhone to find directions -- we followed them and after about 20 minutes it took us to a corn field. We drove around and searched for directions again. Took us another 10 minutes to another round about part of the field. Frustrating! So we searched for Home Depot. On the way guess what we found, Lowes. Nowhere near the corn field! We laughed it off and went there. We found some ceiling fans (one for Jesse's gun room and one for the baby's room), an overhead light for the upstairs hallway, blinds for the baby's room and bathroom and rail hanging thingymajig for Jesse's room. We spent a lot of money, but hey, we were on vacation! It was to be expected. :) We didn't buy junky touristy nicknacks. Haha.

For dinner we went to a Chinese restaurant just down the alley by the motel. It was SO good! Afterwards it had stopped raining so we went to the boardwalk and played a bunch of games in an arcade. Jesse played shooting games and I played a million rounds of skeeball. I also found some tickets so with my tickets I got a bunch... and I mean A BUNCH of tootsie rolls. :) Oh, and a Dora the Explorer pencil. I hate those cheap little plastic toys that you can get. I think I made good choices. :) By the end of the night we were sick of tootsie rolls. We ended up throwing a lot away. Sad, I could go for some now.

We finished the day with ice cream from this little shop that had outrageous flavors from "Booger" and "Bacon" to "Cereal Killer" and "Junk In the Trunk" --- Jesse tried "Crack" and I tried "Peach Melba" and "Third Trimester." I don't usually care for ice cream, but these were yummy. Check out their site: Ice Cream And we went for a walk down on the beach. Beautiful ending to a not-so-awesome (weather-wise) day.

Vacation Day 2!

We woke up really late for us (10am) Monday morning, got ready and headed to the beach! Of course I can't last very long without food so we had to stop and get breakfast first. Jesse took me to this AMAZING authentic crepe cafe. I have always loved crepes and this one was superb. I got strawberries, Nutella and whipped creme in mine. Jesse got Nutella and bananas. Mmmmmm! I could go for one now.

After breakfast we bought a beach umbrella for $50. We got the best one (good thing too!! we saw so many of the cheaper ones in the trashcans on the beach that the wind had destroyed) -- it's a nice teal color. We'll use it for many years to come. I had brought my beach chair along and Jesse just laid out on a towel.

We spent many hours jumping waves (we were up to our necks!) and hanging out. We left our stuff on the beach and walked the boardwalk; ate Thrasher's french fries; Hawaiian Shaved Ice (my personal favorite!!); Grotto Pizza (yummy!) and of course I couldn't resist the Fisher's Popcorn. :) We didn't eat this all at once....it was throughout the day. :)

We were so tired that afternoon that we went back to the motel and took a nap. :) For dinner that night we went to a restaurant right across the street, The Stoney Lonen. It was an Irish place and I had Shepherds Pie, Jesse had some sort of fish I can't remember. My pie had lamb in it - it was good but there was TOO much lamb for me - very meaty and there was ALOT of it! The waitress was very concerned because I didn't eat it all that I didn't like it...I told her I did but there was just too much!

After dinner we played a round of mini golf on the rooftop of an arcade. And a miracle happened....I WON my first game of mini-golf ever!! Jesse was really sad, but I was nice and didn't rub it in. :)

We finished the day by walking around the boardwalk and a nice walk along the beach.

Beach Vacation!

A couple weeks ago Jesse came home from work and said, "If we want to take a vacation, we have to go soon." Because some of his coworkers were taking vacation and we can't travel too close to my due date so that night we decided to go to the beach 2 weeks later!

When Jesse was younger his family used to go to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for vacations and he really wanted to show me around. We found a good mid-week special (June 10-14th) at the Oceanus Motel. Yes, a motel. After being spoiled rotten with the fine hotels we've stayed in the last 2 years (Garden Inn by Hilton, The Harborside Hotel, The Renaissance, and many others....the week before we left: The Omnishoram) the Oceanus left something to be desired. My nose has always been rather sensitive and being pregnant has made it EXTRA sensitive (Jesse says it could be my superpower.) Anyway, the room smelled very strongly of a mixture of smells, it was hard at first but I got used to it. The room had two full-sized beds. We're used to a queen so needless to say that with me, Jesse and Snoogle it was a bit crowded -- the first morning Jesse even went and slept on the other bed. :)

Sunday evening we went swimming in the motel pool. I felt bad because growing up Mom would never let us swim on the Sabbath but when I talked to her on the phone the next day she was like, "well, you probably weren't splashing around playing like an 8 year old." :) It was a beautiful evening for a swim. There was an elderly couple sitting at a table by the pool -- they watched us and smiled.

We also went for a romantic walk on the beach that evening. It was so lovely. I love going to the beach, something about the wind and the sound of the crashing waves relaxes me. I took my camera but guess what. I forgot to charge the battery before we left and didn't bring the charger!!! I was so upset. So, I'm sorry but we don't have any pictures of our trip.

Side note: it's 11:05 pm -- I'm sitting in the baby's room with the windows open and can hear a blasted BIRD in the park making some sort of noise. It's very annoying. At least I think it's a bird. Aghhhhhh it's driving me nuts!!!!!

I love to see the temple

Jesse and I are in DC for a few days. Jesse is presenting a poster at the International Forest Products Society Convention at the OmniShorham hotel and resort. The convention is Sunday-Tuesday but we came down Saturday afternoon and had a chance to go to the temple -- such a beautiful day!! I'll take pictures of the hotel tomorrow while Jesse is at the convention. :)

 

I love this picture :)