If You Really Knew Me: {1st Edition}

You would know that I love to read. But I don't get to do it very often. Not too mention it usually puts me to sleep.

You would know that Diet Coke is a daily ritual for me. And you would know that I am ashamed of it.

You would know that my sole purpose of exercise is so that I can eat good food. Yes, the sole purpose.

You would know that I have an obsession with sweats. I can rarely make it the entire day in real clothes.

You would know that I was overweight in my early teenage years. It was an extremely difficult on me. My friends became insulting and rude and the summer before high school I lost all but one of my friends. Starting high school with no friends sucked.

You would know that I shy away from social situations. You would know that I never go to "girls night" and that if I am around friends, I prefer it to be just the two of us. I have not always been this way. But girls are too dramatic and it stresses me out.

You would know that I love to sing.

You would know that I would rather hang out with Mike than anyone in the world. Every.single.time.

What I Got: {Tagged}

Well, I normally try not to post on Sunday. You know, family day and all, plus just a wonderful day to enjoy doing nothing. But, plain and simple....I'm bored. Mike is studying. And I was tagged in a post....so I figure I could take a moment to answer a couple questions....


{I was tagged by Brielle over at Him and Her}

1- what was your favorite thing that happened today?

I taught Sharing Time today in Primary. I asked the Jr. Primary what we have been learning about this month. I said, "It starts with an A...". A boy answered, "Agency." "Good Connor." Adorable Mathias raises his hand. "I know another one! Ahmergency {emergency was what he was going for}"

I love kiddos.

2- what did you always want to be "when you grew up?"

Oh man. Well I kinda just always wanted to be famous. Singer, actress, you know, whatever got me that fame! But strangely, I was also a very shy child. I did have a small stint of wanting to be a "scientist". But that definitely didn't last very long.

3- how would you describe love in one sentence?

Love is the most consequential choice that one can make but you decide whether those consequences are good or bad. 

4- what is your favorite color of nail polish?

Red. Red. Red.

5- who is your favorite band or artist?

A question, that unfortunately, is nearly impossible for me to answer. Depends on the decade. Depends on the style of music. But Elton John is definitely at the top of the list.

6- short or long hair? why?

Long. Because it's been long nearly all my life. And its prettier long. And Mike likes it long. And it makes my face look thinner. And on and on and on.

7- how many kids do you have/want to have?

We want to have as many as we can that we can afford to raise. But really, its not about what we want, its about what we are lucky enough to receive.

8- what is the ideal date?

Hmmm, that depends on location. But here in Oklahoma, I would say October 15. Because Fall is my favorite season and October is the perfect combination of the warm Summer air and the cool Fall crisp.

9- why do you blog?

I blog because I love it. I love writing down things that happen to me. I love giving family and friends the opportunity to read about the things that I do on a regular basis. I love knowing that people are reading because it gives me the push I need to write things down.

10- what is your dream car?

Volvo.

11- what is the last thing you said aloud?

"I don't need to focus."

12- are you more of a morning person or a night owl?

Definitely a morning person. I can barely stay awake until 9pm. And on the weekends we're up by 7:30am at the latest.

Changes

Well things are changing up in these here parts. This blog has always been an outlet for things going on in my life, and up until a week or so ago, it was private. But now, I'm changing things up. I will continue to post things about my life, but incorporated will be my creative side. {Recipes, crafts....ya know, the typical}, along with any other random inspirations that I may have. This is definitely a work in progress {that for some strange reason I have decided to embark upon during the crazy holiday season} so please bear with me as we go through some changes.

Yahoo

Yahoo{.com} insight for the day...

10 Things Not To Say to Your Childfree Friends


Parenting can have a huge impact on friendships. But you can maintain your bond -- with some insight into the childfree point of view.

By Jillian Mackenzie
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/10-things-not-to-say-to-your-childfree-friends-2595394/

My boyfriend and I don't know yet if we're going to have children -- but over the last few years, the majority of our friends have taken the plunge. During that time, I've learned a few things about how to keep friendships strong when you don't have parenthood in common. Here are 10 things not to say to your friends who don't have children.

1. "When will you finally have kids?"

Once you have offspring, you want your friends to share the experience. But please don't loudly ask this question across the table at Thanksgiving dinner or at a baby shower. Although many people are happy to be childfree or waiting, the situation may be more complicated. A friend could be facing infertility, in the agonizing position of having a spouse who doesn't want children, or otherwise in a complex struggle over the issue. Bring it up privately with close friends, or wait for them to share with you.

2. "We always wanted to have a family."

If you use the expression "have a family" to mean "have children," you inadvertently send a message that people without kids are... family-less. Family comes in many forms: significant others, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbors -- happily, the list goes on!

3. "I only invited other parents."

Having children is the norm, and people who are childfree can sometimes feel isolated or excluded. So invite us to birthday parties! Sure, there are some people who just don't like kids and have no desire to spend an afternoon surrounded by them. They can decline the invitation, and the rest of us will cheer when the birthday boy takes his first bite of cupcake.

4. "Are you hung-over?"

If you had kids when you were on the younger side, you may have transitioned abruptly from staying out bar-hopping to night feedings and Yo Gabba Gabba -- and years later, you may assume that we're still acting like our crazy twentysomething selves. But just because we don't have kids doesn't mean we aren't growing up.

5. "You're so lucky you get to sleep in/shop/travel."

We understand that you give up a lot to be the amazing parent you are -- and we do appreciate our extra cash and free time, and god, yes, the sleep. But too many offhand comments like this make us feel like you assume the reason we don't have children is that we're lazy, selfish, or shallow. The decision is never that simple.

6. "This must be birth control for you."

Parents often make this joke when their kid is being loud or persistent, and we understand it's because you're worried the situation is bugging the hell out of everyone around you. Don't stress -- a good friend understands that your kid is going to have a meltdown once in a while. We can take it. And, of course, a crying toddler is not actually a tipping point in our decision to have kids. We're not that shortsighted.

7. "Your dog/cat/parakeet is your baby."

Pets are a huge part of many people's lives, whether or not those people have children. But it feels like a consolation prize when you put it like this. That said, ask about my cat; I'm happy to pull up my latest photo of her adorableness.

8. "I can't die; I'm a mom."

During a recent brief terrorism scare in New York City, a friend said to me, "I have to get out -- I can't die; I'm a mom." We know you have someone depending on you in an unprecedented way, but there are people who love and depend on us, too.

9. "I'm sorry it's taken forever for me to call/email/text you back."

Don't start every correspondence with an apology. Your life is insane and letting us know you want to make time for us is appreciated. But don't stress so much: My life is busy too, and more often than not, I didn't even notice a lag.

10. "You wouldn't understand."

We know there are many things about parenting you will turn to your mom friends to talk about. And, honestly, with anyone other than a close friend, that's probably best -- I lose interest fast when someone I don't know well talks too much about their kids. But when we're real friends, don't let our relationship fade because you're afraid of boring us with parenting stuff. Just like we used to listen to you talk about your ex, we want to hear about what's important in your life now. And we hope you'll do the same for us.

Peace

Last night, we had some serious pillow talk.

The conversation went something like this.

Abby: {holding up fingers} Why does this mean 'peace'?

Mike: Because there are two.

Abby: What does that mean?

Mike: You'll figure it out when you're older.


Yep. This is my husband, Mike. He likes to make stuff up, even if it makes no sense. Either way, he gave me a good laugh.

TX

Headin' down to Dallas for the big game this weekend. So happy to have some time away. I could use some one on one with the hubby. Its supposed to be a sweaty 90 degrees down there this weekend. {Not that that's any different than what it has been around Oklahoma these days.....and Utah is getting SNOW!}

I promise pictures of our travels and some yummy food when I get back. Hope ya'll {bringin' in the Texas talk already} have as good as weekend as I'm gonna!

Peace and Love.

Good

Two things.....


Modern Family One Hour Season Premiere.....tonight!


The inlaws come to town tomorrow.....so excited!


Oh happy day!

Dodge

We are a little disappointed at Dodge. We spent 6 hours today looking for the Dodge Journey that was hidden in western Oklahoma. Now, obviously we didn't find it. We would like to say we were quite misled by the clues that we were provided. If you send out a email to those who exclusively signed up to receive those special emails, and in the email give a destination and say that the car is "close" to that point, you should probably explain what you mean by close. Because 45 miles away, is not, by any means, close. Hence, somebody found the car, so somebody took the information the way I suppose it was intended to be taken. But we had a good time together, Mike and I, making memories, starving ourselves, nearly running out of gas on some dirt road in Texola, OK. I make it sound bad, but it was actually quite wonderful. {Winning would have made it a little better though} Experiences like this are all about the journey, anyway. Which I am positive, is the reason they did this search for the Dodge Journey.


But we don't plan on buying a Dodge any time soon.

{If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, go here http://www.youtube.com/dodge}

Journeys

Happy weekend everyone! We're going to search for a Dodge Journey this weekend.....and if we have time, we'll hopefully watch our dear Sooners beat Florida State.

And Hallelujah kids.....its raining outside!!

Flip Side

I understand that I haven't blogged in a bit, but I have been busy. With what, you ask? Dinners and movies and shopping and cuddling and watching The Bachelorette and lots and lots of wonderful family time. Oh yeah, and I guess I am still working 40 hours a week. Our time in Utah is dwindling so we're trying to get it all in. I can't believe it's time to go back. Part of me feels like the Summer flew by too quickly, and another part of me is ready to go back. I am definitely not prepared to go back to 112 degree weather. I may melt like the wicked witch. Anyway, there probably won't be much blogging going on between now and when we get back to Oklahoma. See ya on the flip side. 

Happy

So much happiness going on!

I won tickets on the radio to Brad Paisley at the Stadium of Fire! Then my sister got jealous so I kept trying and then I won her some! All I can say is I should definitely do radio contests more often.

My dear friend had her sweet baby girl! I am so excited for her, even though it will be another month and a half until I actually get to meet her! Congrats dear!

It's a holiday weekend! Hip hip!

Mike's sister and her family are going to be sealed for eternity in the temple tomorrow! What a beautiful day it will be! We can't wait to share this special event with you!

My niece will be baptized on Saturday!

(I got a cute new dress to celebrate both occasions!)

We went to a parade a couple weeks ago. These are all our nieces and nephew and my side. Love them!

Mike got arrested by his brother (who is in the police academy). Bummer dude.....(so funny to watch though).

My niece is learning to write, and she is very into copying words. She has no idea what she is writing. She copied one of Mike's magazines. And then I love how she signed it. So precious.

We went hiking with Mike's folks! Hooray!

Zooin'

We went to the zoo with some of the clan! Happy, happy day!

Friends

Get together with high school friends!

Thanks Ladies! Good to see you all!

Royalness

OH MY GOSH! I loved the Royal Wedding! Was it not absolutely spectacular?! Yep folks, I was up, 3 AM. I blew up the air mattress the night before and slept in my bed for a few hours and then headed out to the living room where I proceeded to watch four and a half hours of wedding coverage (Note: I probably would have watched more, had I not had to go to work.) while snuggled up on the air mattress eating a big bowl of ice cream.  IT WAS FABULOUS. Mike actually did come out and join me at 5 AM for the actual wedding ceremony.

And I loved Catherine's (she is a princess, so I feel like I need to call her by her full name) dress. But I'm not going to lie, I loved Pippa's (her sister and Maid of Honor) dress quite possibly just as much, if not more. Oh, and their mother? Her dress was so pretty too. It was perfect!

I was so happy that I woke up and watched it. It was totally worth losing sleep over. And I really had so much fun watching it. I don't really know how you can call watching TV "fun", but it really was! I wish there was a Royal Wedding every day! I'm really kinda sad that it is over....

Night

I woke up last night, not gonna lie, a little terrified. I had a dream I was in the middle of a tornado. Not the most fun dream I have ever had. It was strange too because I was running out of a building, to my car, for some reason thinking that my car was more safe than a building. And I remember running against the tornadic winds (yes, tornadic is a word), and thinking that I would never reach my car. And then as soon as I got to my car, I realized that that was probably the most unsafe place for me to be, but it was so difficult to get there, that I didn't think that I would be able to make it back to the building in time. So I laid down on the seat in my car as the windows all broke in around me. And then I woke up. And it was thundering outside (yes, thundering is also a word). Which made my dream all the more scary.

And then I started thinking about the Royal Wedding. Yep. Random. Because at 3 AM on Friday morning, I will be sitting on my couch eating snacks and wearing a tiara (even if it does say St. Patrick's Day on it...). ALL BY MYSELF. I did invite Mike to join me, I even told him he could wear a tiara too. But its the same answer as always...."It's finals, and that would screw up my whole studying schedule." But this is something I think that I would rather do on my own. No lame commentary from a man who would criticize more then compliment. I have even tried to convince myself that its totally lame and that I should just stay in bed since I do have to work the next day. But I decided that even if I make the decision to not watch it, my internal alarm clock will go off at approximately 2:45, telling me that the Royal Wedding is about to start. And then I would just be laying in bed awake thinking about it anyway, unable to fall back asleep. So at that point, why not just get up and actually enjoy it. Anybody else as into this as me? I look forward to watching the Today Show every morning as I get ready and ABC World News every evening while I run, just to see what new details they have about the wedding, which is mostly all just speculation. Either way, I can't hear about it enough. Which is very surprising. Normally, I can't stand when they talk about the same story over and over again.Maybe its just because this is a happy story. Or maybe its because I think being a Princess would be pretty nice. (I know, I know, as women, we are all Princesses.....but let's be honest......we really aren't.) (Sarah, I can't help but think this is something we totally would have done together back in the day!)

And I have already told Mike I want a Princess Kate/Princess Di ring. Gorgeous.

Oh and we should all start using the words lovely and dreadful. Because that's what British people say. And because they are just super awesome words.

Cheers!

Baby Showering

Saturday was a fun-filled day of baby showering, girlfriend chattering, and yummy treats! My friend Kelsi (the blonde in the picture below) and I threw a baby shower for our friend Shelly (the other pregnant chica in the pictures below). Just to clear all questions, NO, I am not pregnant! The side shot was purely for some kicks and giggles. And I was really trying to push my belly out! Didn't really work....

Anyway, Shelly's baby girl isn't due until July, but Kelsi is having her baby boy next week (I know, she is pretty much super woman throwing a baby shower ONE week before she has her own baby!) and with me leaving town in May, we had to throw the baby shower pretty early.

Thanks for such a fun filled day, Ladies! (There is a picture of the 3 of us together on someone's camera, so if you have that, please email it to me!)

White Shirt Fall Down

I worked my butt off all week so that I could take a half day off on Friday. We started our super fun filled weekend stopping by the Norman Renaissance Fair. We wandered and ate and wandered. I don't really know what the appeal is for us since we don't really do much there. It could be the people watching. A lot of people dress up all crazy and let it all hang out....sometimes literally.

Then we made our way to Dallas where we met Mike's brother and his family for the weekend. This is our 3rd General Conference in a row that we pack up and head to Dallas to hang out with them. It's an official tradition! We shopped and ate and shopped and ate, but most importantly, we went to our very first Rangers game! It was very important to me that we find Rangers t-shirts to wear to the Rangers game, so we searched and searched for some cheap t-shirts and we found them. And now I am obsessed.

The kids were as crazy and super cute as always, and we really enjoy getting to see them a couple times a year! And just look at this face! I took four different pictures and each of them produced a different cheesy smile.

Oh I love these kiddos.

It's getting really hot here now. Yesterday my car said it was 93 degrees outside! This is when I love living in Oklahoma. Because there is 8 inches of snow on my parents deck right now. Yuck. Things better clear up though. Because I'm coming!

41 days 'til Utah!

Michael Murphy's

Ever been to a piano bar? Well I can officially say that I have, and it rocked my socks off! Some friends of ours had gone and told us how much fun it was, and we couldn't pass it up. People pay money to request songs, the pianists play and sing and are absolutely hysterical, while the crowd gets completely wasted! Not us of course, as we sit right in front sipping on our Sprite's. We had such a good time, and my friend and I even went up on stage one time to dance! Mike took video, which will not be seen by anyone else except us, considering how dumb we look. So here is a couple pictures to show the good times! It will definitely be something we do a little more regularly!

On another note, great GREAT news!! We are officially headed back to Utah for the Summer! My work has been more than wonderful in accomodating me working remotely for 3 months. So it'll still be a busy Summer working full time out of my parents house, but it'll be absolutely awesome! We'll be there on May 15, and I can not wait!

Oh and I have made it back to the gym, for all those who were worried. Worked out 5 days last week! Started some High Intensity Interval Training, thanks to a dear sweet friend who keeps me super motivated!

Headed to Dallas this weekend to see the fam, super excited!

And thats about it!

Random-ish

Still haven't been to the gym. I'm in a funk. Yesterday I told Mike that I was on the road to recovery. Step 1: Pack gym bag. Step 1.5: Actually bring gym bag in from the car to the office so I can change after work (I don't like changing at the gym). I reached both Step 1 and 1.5 yesterday. Now, since my gym bag was already packed from yesterday, Step 1 was accomplished today without any effort. I haven't yet reached Step 1.5 because I usually bring my gym bag in during lunch, so I have a few hours to accomplish this. Now assuming that I am successful in Step 1.5, I will move on to Step 2: Actually changing into my gym clothes. And then from there, assuming all goes well, I will move on to Step 2.5: Going to the gym. And then the final step, Step 3: Have a full and complete run. I really am hoping to make it to Step 3 today. This week is Spring Break, so its especially hard knowing that Mike is at home not studying super crazy, like normal. He hasn't had much opportunity to study this week, with work and two dentist appointments and working for a firm in Utah through email. Its been crazy. These poor law students cram so much in during Spring Break because things are just a little lighter than normal. It makes it not so much a break.

We're almost done with year 2 though! I just can't believe it! April is going to fly by because of all that I have already planned to do, and Mike will be studying like crazy. I was going to do this super duper cool race in Texas with a friend in April, and when we went to register for it, it was completely full! Do you know how many people it takes to fill this race up? This particular race is in waves. The waves are every 30 minutes, the entire day, and each wave is up to 500 people. Do you know how many people that is?! We were going to register a month before the race and it was full. FULL! I was so so disappointed. There is another one in Texas in November that we are going to shoot for. And this race is not just any race, which is why I am so disappointed. This race is only 3.24 miles, but it has obstacles. Jumping over fire, crawling under barbed wire, running down a river, tires, swimming across a swamp....and on and on. Isn't that cool? We are so disappointed. My friend and I were going to run it together and then our husbands were going to run it together in a different wave. So fun, but it will have to be delayed.

But speaking of Texas, we got our hotels booked last night for the first weekend in April to meet Mike's brother and family in Dallas! Its become our tradition to meet them in Dallas (they live in Houston) every conference weekend. We don't watch much conference, but we get a lot of fun family time in, and then we'll watch/listen/read the talks later. Not quite sure what we're doing while we're there, but its always an adventure. We're super excited!

Oh and I filled out my bracket this morning. Go DUKE!

My new favorite word thats not really a word is -ish. I love it. I say it all the time. Mike and I spent the entire time driving to Walmart last night talking about this word. It all started with me saying something and then pausing for a moment and then saying -ish. -Ish signifies that what you said is pretty much true but it very possibly might not be true at the same time. You should have seen the look on Mike's face when I said it. He was so confused. So I explained to him the meaning of -ish, and he proceeded to tell me that what I said makes absolutely no sense. Here is an example of a short conversation that I would very possibly end in -ish:

Mike: "When are you going to be leaving work?"

Me: "In about 10 to 15 minutes......-ish."

It makes no sense to Mike, but for some reason, I have picked up this word and now use it in everyday conversation.

All I have had today is two pieces of cake and a cupcake.....oh and a glass of water. Mike says I need something hearty. All I can think of is chili. That really is the first thing I think of when I think "hearty".

Oh and its St. Patrick's Day. And yes, I still feel the same way. I hate it. Because if you wear green, people comment on the fact that your cliche and your wearing green on St. Patrick's Day. But if you don't wear green then people comment on the fact the its St. Patrick's Day and your not wearing green.....sinner. So today, I chose a floral shirt, which includes little leaves. Which are green. So I am wearing green. And yes, I have already had one comment today about where my green was. Yes, I did point to the little leaves on my shirt. So dumb.

And here is a picture. Because a friend of mine told me that blogs need pictures. And I haven't taken any lately. So I stole this off my sisters facebook. This is a picture of my sister and my niece. Gotta love them.

Precious

Do I have absolutely the greatest friends in the world, or what?