Goodbye 2013.. Hello 2014!

I know I'm late on posting this, but I wanted to do a post where I could reflect on the past year & go back down memory lane & lets face it start blogging again, so I thought New Years Eve would be the perfect time to start back up again... But like always I put it off so here I am writing today January 3, 2014. I guess since it's still the same week as December 31, 2013 I don't feel so bad for posting late. Anyway here is a flashback from 2013!

In December 2013 Dee & I found out we were expecting... So all of January I had morning sickness we didn't really take any pictures during January. But that was a big moment during 2013 that we were expecting a baby August 2013.

In February we found out we had a miscarriage. It was a really rough time for us (mostly it was a rough time for me, Dee is always good at thinking optimistically so while it did affect him he was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel sooner than I did. Which is a good thing, because he was able to help me threw this trial of ours. I truly believe it strengthened our marriage & we grew closer as a couple!)

Shortly after the miscarriage Dee & I agreed to go on a trip to Havasupai with my cousin Brandon & his wife Nicole during spring break in March. We started going on a lot of hikes during February to prepare for the big adventure. Even though it was a sad time/ hard time for me I'm glad Dee & I had this extra time together before we got pregnant again. I think all the little trips & adventures we went on helped strengthen our marriage & we definitely grew closer as a couple! I am thankful we had the opportunity to start hiking together!

Our first hike together (:

In March (like I said above) we went to Havasupai with my cousin & his wife! It was an amazing experience!! It was hard, but I would recommend everyone to go at least once (maybe ride the mules down or at least have them take your pack if you don't want to be hardcore like we were ;) if we ever go again we definitely are having the mules take our packs down.. haha Oh & we met Monica & Brad from Survivor while we were there! Kind of cool!) I really enjoyed bedtime while we were there since we usually didn't know what time it was we would just go to bed when the sun went down & woke up when the sun came up. Before Dee & I went to bed each night we would turn my phone on just long enough to read the scriptures together. It was one of those moments I will always remember. I know that's weird, but it was nice just laying next to your husband on the cold hard ground, in a tent, out in nature & reading the scriptures together, it makes you realize how thankful you are for all the things you have! 

St. Patrick's day 2013. Dee & I used to go on a lot of Sunday drives! I really enjoyed them! I don't know why we don't go on drives anymore.. haha Maybe we will go on more drives during 2014!

March 24 we went & camped at Zion National park! We were celebrating our engagement day! I hope this year we can do the same! Or maybe just visit! That would be fun!

Then in April we barely took any pictures... probably because we were focusing a lot on school since April was the last month of school. 

The end of April we had a scary/crazy experience right in the middle of finals. After my miscarriage in February I just kept bleeding for 8 weeks straight. I would see the doctor regularly to get my blood drawn, the HCG levels were going down & everything seemed normal except I was still bleeding. The doctor kept saying it would stop soon, but after 8 weeks we decided enough was enough! So he suggested I take this pill I guess it was a lot like birth control. So after I started taking that everything was "back to normal" until the last week of pills I had to take. I started getting really bad "cramps". I thought that was probably normal so I tried not to think much about it. It was weird though because each "cramp" was about 5 or 6 minutes apart. Pretty much like a contraction I guess you could say. I remember it was a Sunday & Dee & I went to church. It was really uncomfortable to me but I kept telling myself just deal with it! You've had cramps before this can't be much worse. They went away later that night so I just assumed everything was fun. So the next day Dee & I went in to take our nutrition final. Half way through the "cramps" started again. This time they felt worse. I felt dizzy, nauseous, & shaky. I started just picking random answers for the rest of my test which resulted in 42/100 I didn't care! I just wanted to get out of there. So I ran out of the testing center & ran to the car to wait for Dee. Luckily he came out not to long after I had. He took me to the ER & we found out that I had to get a D&C the placenta had not discharged during my miscarriage. Later they told me my body was going into labor because it wanted to push the placenta out. I pretty much experience labor pains. It was definitely a scary/crazy experience! Oh & my teacher let me retake the test & I got 75/100 at least that's better than 42..

 In May Dee & I hiked Angels Landing in Zion National Park! In my opinion it was harder than hiking Havasupai!!

We also visited my Dad! (Missing Malachi, Kayleeh, Megan, & Conrad).

We also had the opportunity to go to Sequioa National Park in May! Such a neat experience! I would definitely like to go back! (:

OH! & Dee's first time in San Francisco! (:

 Dee & I celebrated our 1 year Anniversary in June! (I can't believe this year we will be celebrating 2 years! It still feels like we just got married yesterday...)

Dee's Family reunion was in Bryce Canyon National Park, so we had the opportunity to go there in June! (:

& the end of June we found out we were pregnant!! (:

We celebrated Dee's 30th birthday in July (: I made homemade rainbow chip cake (Dee's favorite!) & I got him a RGIII jersey! (:

We went to our first Doctor appt. in July & saw our cutie for the first time! (: I guess technically this is from the 2nd visit. Dee & I thought I was having another miscarriage so we went in the week before our scheduled 1st appt. to make sure it wasn't another miscarriage. Luckily it wasn't! (: The nurses probably thought I was a crazy because I couldn't stop crying & I wanted nothing to do with the ultrasound thing. Just because last time it was the enemy! (That's how I found out about the incomplete miscarriage I had in February). I cried for no reason because everything was fine with our baby!

We went & visited my mom the end of July. We ended up telling everyone there that we were expecting because I was sick every second we were there. So they knew something was up. I didn't want to tell anyone until after 12 weeks because that's how far along I was when we had the miscarriage.

While we were in Idaho, Dee got to see one of his mission companions! (:

We went to the county fair in August! (:

I started to show in the beginning of September (:

We went to Arches National Park in September (:

In October I got to go to General Conference for the first time!! (: So glad we were able to make it! I knew that the October conference would be my last opportunity to go for awhile! (Since we are having a baby in March & the next one is in April...)

We also found out we are having a baby girl October 8, 2013(:

We celebrated my 22nd birthday in November! Dee got me a cookies in cream ice cream cake & he got me all 7 Harry potter books in hard back! (:

Megan & I took this pictures a couple weeks before she had Ben (my Nephew) (: our Due dates were about 12 weeks apart. Maybe our baby will come two weeks early like Ben did & they will still be 12 weeks apart! The second picture is from Thanksgiving(:

It snowed in St. George for the first time in over 20 years! (I mean the kind of snow that stays for weeks!) Church got cancelled on the first sunday after it snowed! (December 8) & Dee & I decided to go on a walk! I'm so glad we did. Even though I absolutely hate snow, it was a fun day! The walking definitely wore me out though I think I took a 3 hour nap that day! haha The snow looked so beautiful on the Red rocks!

We went & visited my dad for Christmas this year, December 23-December27. I definitely don't want to travel 10 hours in a car when I'm 30 weeks pregnant ever again! It was a good trip though! & It was nice to get away before the baby comes!

These are all the temples we visited this year:

We went to the Oquirrh Mountain temple in March, & we went to the Oakland Temple in May.

We went to the Salt Lake City Temple in August! (:

We went to the Monticello Temple in September.

We went to the Fresno Temple in December!(:

We went to the LA temple & the Redlands Temple in December as well! We now have been to ALL seven LDS temples in California! (: we have two states crossed off (the other being Nevada)... our next goal is Idaho and/or Montana. Since we are moving to Montana during the summer we hope we will be able to attend the Billings temple at least once this year.. As for Idaho we just have to go to the Rexburg & Idaho Falls temple. & Lucky for us Rexburg is the closest temple to Butte (about 3 hours away).

Next temples to go to:

• Billings, Montana
• Rexburg, Idaho
• Idaho Falls, Idaho

Good luck to us! (:

Well even though 2013 had it's ups & it's downs... The good times out weighed the bad & I've realized that we are so blessed! What a great year! Now here are some goals for 2014 (besides the temples):

1. After I have this baby it is time for me to get back into running & working out like I used to. No more go one week then stop going for 3 months...
2. Maybe take a sewing class!
3. Do more Family history work! (Lindsey & I are taking a family History class at the institute! So hopefully that will help motivate me!)
4. Try to attend the temple weekly! (Even though Dee & I made this a goal when we first got married.. we sort of got out of the habit somewhere along the lines.. & now we are lucky if we go twice a month).
5. Finish my "dating" scrapbook & finish "our first year" scrapbook! (I'm starting to get way far behind!!)
6. Go to Zion National Park before we move to Butte!
7. Finish the Work & the Glory book series!

I don't really make "New years resolutions"... because lets face it! I never start them. So these are just Goals.

 

Anyway I hope 2014 brings great things! Can't wait to see what this year has in store for me... I'm thinking there might be a baby involved, but I'm not sure ;)