Seeking Help!

I've been debating for awhile If I wanted to post about this topic, but since this is what's been going on in our lives I decided I should.

James and I have officially been married for one year, which I didn't even write about so I guess I should say something about that first. We didn't end up doing a whole lot because I wasn't feeling that good so we just went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and then came home. We were going to go to a movie but my parents had a pipe break in our front yard, so James helped my brother in-law take care of that.

Anyways so back to what I originally was going to write about, since we have been married for a year and we've been trying to have a baby for that long and nothing's happened, we decided it was time to seek help. So first was my appointment at the OBGYN's which went really good considering what we there for. I had my first pap smear which I definitely didn't enjoy but honestly who does? I was very hesitant to go to this doctor because I didn't know of anyone who had been to him, but I'm really glad I found him because I really like him. He prescribed Clomid to me, which is what all doctor's start with I've been told, but at the same time he told me to schedule an HSG to check if my fallopian tubes were blocked. I had this test today and I'm not going to lie it's definitely not painless, it wasn't the worst thing in the world but I had some seriously horrible cramps for most of the day:( Thank goodness I got the good news that nothing's wrong and my tubes are wide open! Now we seek help for James.

James had his first appointment about a week ago and that went pretty good, we really like his doctor also and he's already got a plan in place! James was told he needed to have an ultrasound the next day(I'm not going to go into any details here, but let's just say there is something wrong with him), that came and went and about a week later we got the results.....James needs surgery which they say should take care of our problems. His surgery is in two weeks and I'll update after that. My doctor wants me to take clomid for three months and then if nothing he said we'll talk about our other options. I'm not thinking anything else will be necessary because between my test(which is supposed to make you really fertile) and James' surgery(which will take care of our big problem) I think I could possibly be pregnant within the next few months.

Although we weren't given the good news that not a thing was wrong with either of us and it will just happen when it's the right time, I'm just relieved to know what's wrong and that it can be resolved rather easily! I'm not so worried about trying to get pregnant anymore, after James gets surgery I think we'll just wait and see what happens, because I definitely don't want to go back to the hospital for anymore tests anytime soon:) Sorry this is such a long post it's just that I've waited awhile to post anything because I didn't know what I wanted to say, so now there's so much to say.

The other thing that's happened in the last couple weeks is that James got a raise, not only is he going to be making an hourly wage but now he'll be receiving commission for the cars he does full details, paint protectors, or undercoats on. This is going to help us extremely because he'll be making much more than he does now and we can possibly move out again! Well that's about all and this post is already too long so I'll try to write more often.

It's been so long

I just noticed how long it's been since I've posted anything, and quite a bit of things have happened in our life, so I thought I should give an update!

First we no longer are living in our apartment, we moved back in with my parents. There are a few different reasons, one being that James got a new job and they offer health insurance but it costs an arm and a leg for it. Moving back was the last thing I wanted to do, but it actually hasn't been that bad. My sister and her family moved out about a month ago so the house isn't so crowded, and for some odd reason my mom and I are actually getting along. We aren't downstairs anymore so we have two bedrooms upstairs we can use, and we were finally able to get a really nice bedroom set. I haven't had a nice bed for as long as I can remember I've been sleeping on a futon:( Our bed is so comfortable I don't want to get up in the morning and sometimes I find myself falling asleep as early as 8 because I'm so relaxed!

Another thing that's happened is James got a new job, which he absolutely loves! He's working at Murdock Hyundai as a Lot Attendant, basically he details cars, shuttles customers, and whatever else needs to be done. He loves to do anything that has to do with cars, and in fact he hopes to someday be a mechanic for Hyundai. His boss tells him how much he likes him and how good of a job he's doing quite often and James just really likes this job, which makes me so happy. The best part about this job is we get health insurance, although it's really expensive, it's definitely worth it. The other bonus is we've been able to get work done on our car because the head mechanic use to work for Mitsubishi, they didn't even charge us for our brakes:) I love being married to someone who knows a lot about cars because James can do much of the labor by himself, which saves us a lot of money!

A couple weekends ago my family took a trip to Yellowstone, which was a lot of fun! James had never been there and he really enjoyed it. We saw a buffalo in the middle of the road, elk throughout the park and my nephew also spotted a wolf amongst the trees. Old Faithful was also really cool, I've been there before but since James hadn't he expected a lot more from it and after it went off he said "Is that all?" He cracks me up! On our way home from yellowstone we stopped at Bear World, now that was cool. My niece and nephew just loved it because they had never been there and my nephew absolutely loves bears! We didn't have any crazy stories to tell like some people who have had bears climb on their cars or in the back of their truck, but in a way i'm glad that wasn't our story:)

Well that's about all that's been going on i'll try to post more often!

I just need to vent!!

It seems like ever since we've moved into our own place we've had one problem after another, and I'm fed up with it. First it was our fridge, one night we realized it wasn't keeping any of our food cold and ended up having to throw away EVERYTHING, which was quite a bit of food. Luckily it was fixed the next day and it's been fine since then. In order to fix the fridge we had to completely defrost our freezer, in the process losing all the food that was in our freezer too:( By this time I was pretty upset because we had wasted tons of food and money, in my opinion it was just like throwing money down the toilet! The problems didn't stop there, next we noticed that my car is making some really loud grinding/squeaking/rattling noise, and we can't drive it now. My brother in-law thinks that my brakes need to be replaced, my alignment needs to be straightened and one of my tires is bald due to the alignment. I'm seriously so fed up with car/fridge problems it seems like they never end. To make matters worse my car is due for inspection this month and I'm sure it won't pass because of all the problems, and we definitely don't have enough money to fix it right now. My parents have been really good to let us borrow their cars and my sister has been shuttling us around lately, but still I'm just ready for things to stop breaking and start working properly. The good thing is we live right across the street from a grocery store and many things are within walking distance from our house, so a car isn't exactly necessary right now. Just when you thought I was going to stop there nope I've got more frustrations, we've been married now for nine months which means we've been trying to have a baby for nine months and still NOTHING! I'm hoping now that we have our own place and our situation is better money-wise that it will happen soon, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Our anniversary is just a little over 2 months away and if I'm not pregnant by then I'll make an appt. with a doctor, but still i'm getting discouraged. People have been giving me a lot of grief about wanting a baby so young and so soon after getting married, but they don't understand that it's mine and James' decision when and no one else's. I read in a book about getting pregnant something that sums up my feelings exactly, it said your concern is welcome, but your advice and comments are not. Well that's about all for now, hopefully next time I'll be able to write about something a little more uplifting:)

Moving!!!

I just wanted to update and let everyone know that we got the apartment and we're moving out tomorrow! I'm so excited I just can't believe it's finally happening, I've been waiting for this for 8 months now. This apartment has everything we've been looking for in an apartment. It has a playground, swimming pool, gym, pool table, basketball court, and even a redbox so we don't even have to leave our apartment to rent a movie. It truly is amazing, at first I told James I wouldn't move into an apartment that didn't include a washer and dryer in every apartment because I don't like laundry facilities, but this one is awesome and I don't mind it at all. The last few months it seems like we've been tested over and over again with everything, and I can finally say that things are starting to look up for us. We're so excited to finally have a place of our own and especially our own ward, don't get me wrong I love the people in my family ward but I grew up in this ward and I want a fresh start where nobody knows our age or anything about us. Sometimes I've felt like I was judged by people in my ward because I got married young, so I think it will be nice to go there knowing nobody and to finally be the "new" people in a ward:)Well I better get back to packing, I'll post some pictures once we get everything all put together.

Easter weekend and I'm sick:(

Friday I was able to get together with my friend Sarah which was a lot of fun, I always enjoy spending time with her! That night my family went out to dinner to celerbrate James' birthday a little early since his actual birthday is today. We went to this wonderful restaurant out in Bountiful, I know kind of far but it's totally worth it. I loved the food and we all had a great time, but as soon as I got home my stomach started to hurt. At first I thought it was nothing because for the past week every night when I get ready for bed I feel like I'm going to throw up but then I just fall asleep. Well this turned into a full-on stomachache that would not go away at all and I knew I had caught the stomach flu:( Let's just say I got very little sleep that night and that's a night I want to forget!

Saturday I woke up still feeling quite nauseous and to my surprise found my little niece felt the same way. I felt so bad for Natalie because it's bad enough when an adult is sick, but when it's a child and they're really so helpless it's just so sad. She was a trooper and got through it with flying colors, she didn't complain or cry at all. Since I was so sick yesterday I just stayed home all day, sleeping most of the time. Natalie and I watched a few movies together since we were both stuck home, first it was Enchanted which I'd never seen but I thought it was super cute! Then we watched Look Who's Talking, that movie is a classic to me. And last was Sleeping Beauty which I don't think I've seen but I thought it was cute. Last night James and I were going to dye some eggs together but I think I fell asleep so he did them by himself. I really don't remember what happened I just know I was extremely tired and still didn't feel the best, so I think I dozed off:) Well I fell asleep really early last night and was able to get a good night's sleep considering the night before I got no sleep, and today I woke up refreshed and feeling much, much better.

This is a really long post but there's one more part of this weekend and that's today. Today is a very special day, because not only are we celebrating the resurrection of the Savior, but it's my hubby's birthday also! Today James is 20 and officially no longer a teenager:) I can't believe how fast time has gone by, we were both 16 (James was almost 17) when we met and here we are almost 4 years later married, it's so crazy. Today we've been married for 8 months which has completely flown by I still can't believe it's been that long! So my mom's making a special dinner today for easter and my uncle's coming over, and I'm going to make "Better Than Anything Cake" also known as "Better Than Sex Cake," but I feel uncomfortable calling it that around my family, so to me it's better than anything cake! James' present this year was our little dog Bruiser that we got a few weeks ago, he also got some money from my parents and his, and my sister bought him some church shoes that he was in desperate need of. I just want James to know how much I love him and I couldn't imagine my life without him. Happy Birthday babe I love you!! I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend:)

A little update!

So James got the job that I talked about in my previous post YAY!! He's going to be working at West Valley Auto Plaza, which is right across the street from the apartment that we're hoping to move into. We're still waiting to hear from the apartment about how our credit check went, and then if everything works out we're scheduled to move in on the 15th. We're so excited and I'm thinking James was meant to get this job because when he first called them they just said to come in on Monday at 9, and the next thing you know he's calling me like five minutes after nine saying he got the job! I think he was meant to get this job and we're meant to move into these apartments because everything has happened so quickly and things just seem to be working out. Well I'll keep you posted about the apartment!!

Changes

In the past month we have had many changes in our life and I neglected to write about them in previous posts, so I figured I'd update! James lost his job about a month ago and things have been quite stressful since then. Luckily I'm still watching kids so that's brought in enough money, and with living at my parents we don't have a rent payment which is good. He's been looking for quite sometime and finally we've got some promising news, he has an interview on Monday and it sounds like he's already got the job so I'm crossing my fingers! We've also been looking for an apartment and I think we've found the perfect one, the rent's not bad and it's got all the things we would want and need. I'm just praying that everything works out with this job and apartment because I don't want to go through another disappointment like we previously did. If we get this apartment we're hoping to move in just after James' birthday probably around the 15th, I'm so excited and ready to move out it's definitely time! I'm still watching Jerzi and I'm loving having a baby around, it's been a sheer joy. My sister's family isn't moving to Las Vegas now so I'll be watching Tyson and Natalie for now. I'm glad since they've been living with us for the past two years it would be really hard to only see them occasionally.

In other news we got a puppy, he's a pug and we named him Bruiser. He was an early birthday present for James, he turns 20 on Easter. We already have a dog that I've had since before James and I got married, he's a shih tzu and his name is Bandit, but James wanted his own dog. Although I consider both Bruiser and Bandit to be ours. James has loved taking care of Bruiser and he just adores him, he even calls him his baby. That tells me that James is really anxious for us to have kids! I asked James what he wants for his birthday, besides Bruiser and he said he would love it if I told him I was pregnant. I think that would be great but unfortunately that's not up to me, someone else has to make that decision and maybe he thinks we're not ready yet:( On that same note which I'm sure you've already guessed it I'm not pregnant, at least that I know of. We've been trying now for about 8 months and still nothing. I'm getting kind of concerned because I was told by a doctor a couple years ago that due to something he found in an MRI I might have a hard time getting pregnant and that the sooner it happened the better. Well that decision is in God's hands and I trust him to know what's best for me!! That's about it I'll post some pictures of the apartment if we get it and of Bruiser as soon as I can.

Life Is Good

Yesterday I started watching my sister's friend's little girl, her name is Jerzi and she's almost four months. It's been quite awhile since we've had a baby in our house so she's definitely getting spoiled! I'm still tending my niece Natalie and nephew Tyson, and now with Jerzi it's very tiring. Although it's very tiring watching all three kids, it's also very rewarding. I absolutely love kids and can't wait to have my own so i'm really enjoying this. Yesterday I really felt like a mother to three because we were all at Walmart and I had Jerzi in her car seat on top of the cart, Natalie wanted to hold my hand so I was holding her hand and with my other trying to steer the cart. My sister had to go get my nephew from school because we weren't done checking out yet, and while my sister was gone Jerzi started crying since it was getting to be time for her to eat again. It was overwhelming to say the least I definitely don't know how women can take all their kids to the store with them and keep their sanity! Anyways it's sure a joy to have Jerzi around and the other two sure make life fun.

With watching Jerzi we're one step closer to moving out on our own since I'm now getting more money. We're hoping to be out of my parents by the beginning of summer If all goes well. I can't wait to have my own place especially since i'm now watching three kids and I think it's just too much for my mom to handle. We've been married 7 months already and it's time to be on our own!! Living with my parents we have a little kitchen area downstairs but it's not very big and we can't fit all our stuff in it. We got soo much kitchen utensils and everything else for our wedding that we definitely can't fit it all here and it will be so nice to have a place for all of it soon. Well that's about all that's going on in our lives right now, I'll try to post more regularly once we move out, but for now it's going to be sporadic because by the time Jerzi goes home i'm ready to go to bed!

Tragedy Strikes

Thursday night I lost my aunt and uncle along with my cousin's wife due to a horrible car accident. My cousin, his wife, three of their kids and my aunt and uncle were driving to Wyoming to see their daughter's basketball game. It was windy and snowy they hit some black ice and the car rolled several times. My uncle was thrown from the car and pronounced dead at the scene, my cousin's wife was also killed at the scene. My aunt was taken to a local hospital with injuries and later died Friday morning from a heart attack. This was such a tragic and unfortunate event I'm still kind of in shock not quite sure how to wrap my mind arround this. It's hard enough when one person dies but to lose three all at once, it's almost unbearable.

I was over at my cousins house a few days ago and I saw a really good quote on her fridge, I can't remember all of it but I think the most important part said "If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it." I think that's very comforting to someone who is grieving over the loss of a loved one, and I think the knowledge that we have as members of the LDS church that we will see all those who have passed on again someday is the only thing that can get someone through such a loss. We will miss them terribly but everyday it will get a little bit better and the pain will eventually go away. We'll learn to cope and life will go on. I keep thinking how my cousin's five children will go on without their mom and it just breaks my heart, but somehow someway they will and they know they will see her again. I know they are in a better place, god be with them until we meet again:)

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Since James and I have been married I have been on a mission to find healthy yet yummy recipes, because we have both decided we need to lose some weight. Well I haven't been too successful considering my husband is quite the picky eater, which I didn't know while we were dating because he would eat anything and everything I cooked but now things have changed! So I think I'm headed in the right direction now because I found a website of a well known dietitian named Zonya Foco which I knew about before I got married, in fact she has inspired me to pursue a career in dietetics and hopefully become a dietitian. Most of her recipes are normal foods people eat but she just tweaked them to be healthier by using low-fat and reduced-fat products. Anyways for dinner last night I tried her recipe for Creamy Chicken Enchiladas and I'd have to say it's better than most enchilada recipes I've tried and so much more creamy and healthy. If you're looking for a yummy but healthy recipe to cook for dinner try this one and I don't think you'll be disappointed:)

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

6 (4 oz.) each boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 can(4 0z.) chopped green chilies
1 cup light sour cream
1 can(10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup(Campbell's Healthy Request)
1 can(10 3/4 oz.) evaporated skim milk
1 can(2 1/4 oz.) sliced black olives
1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese(I used the Weight Watcher's mexican cheese instead)
10 6-inch flour tortillas

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Brown chicken turning frequently. Add chilies during last 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, mix together sour cream, cream of chicken soup,and evaporated milk then heat over medium-low heat.

Spread 1/2 cup of soup mixture over bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Lay 5 tortillas on a clean countertop. Put 1 Tablespoon soup mixture in a line down the center of each. Follow with: 2 T chicken, 1 T cheese and 1 tsp olives. Roll up and place in dish. Repeat with remaining 5 tortillas. Pour remaining soup mixture over tortilla rolls. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place in oven and set timer for 20 minutes. Serve and Enjoy:)

Six Months!!

I still can't believe that James and I have been married for six months already, it seems like just yesterday we got married! Time has flown by so fast:) I am so happy to have such an amazing husband, he means the world to me. I love you James!!!!

Caramel Brownies:)

I got this recipe out of a cookbook that a friend let me borrow, and I decided to give it a try. I made it on Sunday and by Monday night it was pretty much gone! My family absolutely loved it and I think it's now one of my favorite desserts. It's better than regular brownies because they're so much more moist and gooey, so if you need a good dessert give these a whirl you won't regret it. WARNING: these are addicting!!! DO NOT TRY IF ATTEMPTING TO LOSE WEIGHT!

Caramel Brownies

1 cup caramel topping(recipe follows)
1 package German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup walnuts(I used almonds and it was just as good)
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine cake mix, butter, and milk. Spread 1/2 mixture in greased and floured 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Pour caramel sauce over mixture. Top with remaining dough. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool. ENJOY:)

Caramel Sauce

1 cup brown sugar
7 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, syrup, butter and milk in saucepan. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Lower to medium heat and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Life In General

I just realized it's been awhile since I've posted anything so i'm going to give an update on our life!

James is still working for Salt Lake Valley Protective Agency and he absolutely loves it, it works out great because he wants to become a cop so he'll have a lot of experience in that type of field. I'm still watching my niece and nephew during the day but only for a few more months because they will be moving to Las Vegas. We're living with my parents right now so we've been trying to fix up the basement like we want it. It's not the best arrangement but we have two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen area so it's not that bad. I'll post some pictures when I can!

We're still trying for a baby and although it's only been about six months i'm getting very anxious:) It seems like ever since we got married i've thought I was pregnant every month I even get all the symptoms, so that's been very frustrating. On February 8th James and I will be celebrating six months of marriage already and I can't believe how fast time flies it just seems like yesterday we got married. Life is going really good for us and we're definitely hoping to add to our family soon!!

Looking Back!

So today James and I have officially been together for 3 years. January 8, 2006 we went on our first date and 3 years later we're married. It's crazy to think we've been together that long it seems like just yesterday we met. I love James so much and I feel so blessed to have him in my life, he truly is my best friend. We were planning on getting married on our third anniversary, and it's crazy to think we've already been married for four and a half months! I just wanted to let James know how much I love him and how grateful I am for him!! It's been a very fun three years and I hope we have many many more to come:)

It's Time!

So James and I have officially decided that we are going to start trying to have a baby. We had tossed the idea around for awhile but now it is for sure. We know that we are both still young and we haven't been married for very long, but we definitely feel that it is the right thing for us right now! James and I dated for about two and a half years before we got married so we've had "our" time and it's now time for a family. Well I'll keep you posted on what happens:)

On the lighter side of life!

I was just reading through all my posts and I just realized how negative I sound in all of them. I want everyone to know my life really isn't that bad, I think when bad things are happening in your life it's hard to look at the good things you have to be grateful for! I do have many things to be grateful for and I would just like to let everyone know what and who they are!

1. First of all my husband James is the most amazing man I have ever known and he strengthens me everyday. He knows how to humble me when I think everything in life is going wrong! I love him so much and I appreciate everything he has done and continues to do for me. Hopefully he can put up with me for eternity:)
2. Also I have a wonderful family who supports me in all my decisions and is there for me when I make mistakes. They are my strength and I don't know what I'd do without them.
3. I want to personally thank my friend Sarah and tell her how grateful I am for our friendship. We lost touch with eachother for a few years but we were able to get together this last year and I am so thankful for that. I couldn't ask for a better friend and I don't know what I'd do without her friendship. We have so much in common and just have a blast together!
4. I have many other amazing friends who I am so grateful for and all the wonderful people in my ward, who are simply amazing!
5. I have good health, a house to live in, food to eat, clothes to wear and a wonderful husband and family, and that's more than some people so I feel that I am extremely blessed.

I think with last year just finishing out with the christmas season I was thinking alot about how much I have and I realized how much I take for granted! I truly believe the saying "you don't realize what you have until it's gone," I know that's how life is and I've seen that happen in my life and others lives. I was talking with my dad a little bit ago and he was saying how negative my blog was, and I decided that he was right so I've decided one of my many new year's resolutions is to try to see the good in life rather than the bad! I don't want all of you to think I'm a negative person because I'm really not. Well hopefully this year will bring many new and exciting things into all of our lives:)

Happy New Year!

First off I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year's and I hope everyone's Christmas was great! I'm a little late on the whole Christmas thing, it's just been kind of crazy around here so I haven't had the chance to sit down and blog. I sure hope this new year brings better things than last year! You know how everyone says In a marriage you're bound to have at least one bad year, well I definitely agree with that. Although we were'nt even married for a year, we had a rough first four months of marriage. Not because we fought all the time it was mainly financial problems and just the first parts of being married and all the responsibility it brings!

To start with many people thought that we were crazy to be getting married so young. So the whole wedding was a very stressful thing, but the wedding day was totally amazing! After the wedding my husband and I both had to find new jobs, and just let me say I'd rather go to the dentist and get a root canal then to do the whole looking for a job process, and to make things worse my husband makes me fill out all his applications I guess I have better handwriting:) Anyways eventually we found jobs that we both love thank goodness, but then was the issue of where to live. We lived with my sister and her husband for about a week and it didn't work out so we moved in with my parents. That was better but it's kind of stressful for all of us because we have my sister and her family living here too.

We've had some bad things happen to my family this year and there has definitely been disappointments, so I just hope this next year brings better things! I definitely think marriage is hard but it's so worth it. You have to work at it constantly and that is what I'm learning more and more each day. Well I hope everyone had a good year and here's to a new and better one!!