WE'RE PREGNANT!

So some of you might be thinking, "You're just barely announcing this?" While others might be thinking, " WHAT! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER!" The truth is I didn't want to prematurely announce anything until I was out of my first trimester.

Brandon and I are very excited and on May 4th we get to find out if it is a boy or a girl! As soon as we know, we will make sure YOU know!

Right now it all seems pretty surreal. I haven't felt the baby kick or move, but sure enough the heart is beating at every doctor's appointment. I don't think it has REALLY occurred to me that there is a little human in there. Perhaps this will change once he/she starts kicking and moving.

That's all for now. We'll keep you posted in four short weeks with our exciting news!

GRANDPA'S FUNERAL

The above pictures are: All of the grandkids, and the burial of my grandfather Karl West. I would be lying to you if I said that he isn't better off now. My grandpa was in bad health when he died. His death has caused me alot of reflection. Am I who I want to be? If not, what am I doing to change that TODAY. See, sometimes we live under the false pretense that we will always have tomorrow to make things better, to improve, to be come better, to mend a broken relationship. This simply isn't true. We don't own tomorrow. We don't know what the future has in store for us. All we do know is that we have the moment we are in right now. It is up to us to determine how that moment is spent. What do you want to change?

I can tell you right now what I want to change. My health, my testimony and spirtuality, and the strength of my relationships. The trick now is to live each day like it could be your last. Keeping that kind of passion in your day-to-day living can be tricky. Somehow, I do think it is possible.

TWO SWELL BOYS

Debbie, let me just say ahead of time, "I'm sorry." I will openly admit that I might have "borrowed" some of the pictures from your blog. :)

This entry is more or less a bragging session. I feel so grateful to know some pretty AMAZING boys!

One of them is my father. I LOVE my dad. He is one of my best friends. I owe a lot of who I am and who I am becoming to him. Thanks Dad!


The other ADORABLE little boy is my nephew Michael. He is SO stinkin' cute. I had the opportunity to see him about a week ago and also at New Year's. Now....I realize that I might be partial because he is family, but I swear he is the cutest little chubster! I am sure that my sister Debbie couldn't be prouder!

This is a picture of my father and my nephew together. This is the first time that my dad met his grandson. What an opportunity!

My "Love Affair" With Exercise

This is a lovely picture depicting my "love affair" with exercise. As you can see, the treadmill and stability ball are in the background. I think they have been in that position for about a week. The smile that you see in this inspiring photograph is genuine. Don't fool yourself...I am simply ecstatic about exercise.

Okay...honestly...I wish I didn't hate exercise so much. Then again, maybe I wouldn't hate exercise so much if I was in better shape and it didn't kick my butt to run a mile or lift some weights.

Just Put Five

So, some of you might be wondering why I am holding up five fingers. I can promise you that before you finish reading this entry...you will find out!

Today was testimony meeting at church. Honestly, I wasn't feeling extremely "in tune" today, but one testimony stood out to me. Garrett Coles.

He reminded me of how important it is to include the Lord in my day-to-day life. He shared an experience he had during finals week at BYU. He had studied 4 to 5 hours for a final, which included memorizing various equations.

He got to the test having said multiple prayers for help that he would retain the equations he had memorized. He felt confident about all of the questions on the test, except for one. He couldn't recall which equation to use to solve the problem. He prayed and one of the equations came to mind. He tried using it, but an hour later determined that it wasn't the correct equation. He prayed 2 or 3 more times, with similar experiences.

He stated his last prayer went something like this: "Heavenly Father, I have done the best that I can. I have studied for this test. I have listened to your promptings. Please help me know which equation to use to solve this problem." That's when he felt prompted to: "Just put five."

By "just putting five" he could mark the answer as option five. As he exited the testing center, he got the answer to that problem correct. The answer was option five.

I guess I needed a reminder that the Lord cares. I needed to hear that he wants to be involved in my life, and that through prayer he can influence my life for the better.

BRACES!!!

This morning, in an attempt to straighten my bottom teeth, I decided to take the plunge and get braces! I only needed braces on my bottom teeth, and I should have them for only 3 to 4 months. Despite the short time, I feel like I am back in middle school. (I had braces from 8th through 11th grade). They feel really awkward in my mouth. In fact, I think I speak with a slight lisp now. You'll have to let me know the next time you talk with me! :)

REAL SOCCER GAME

So, for those of you who know me...you know that I am by no means a sports fan. I have no idea when BYU is playing and who they are playing. I could care less who wins, and who has made it to the playoffs. My family didn't grow up watching sports. Having said that, I decided to expand my horizons. Brandon has a way of getting me to try new things, even when I really don't want to.

Anyhow, I won some REAL soccer tickets and decided to put them to good use. We attended the game against FC DALLAS a week or so ago. I was quite impressed. Not only was it exciting and fun, but Brandon got to teach me all about soccer. We won (3 to 1) and towards the end I found myself jumping out of my seat everytime we scored a goal. I would definitely go again!