Heather, David & William

Just a quick picture

2012-01-19T11:04:00.001-05:00

Cute Little William at four months. I love his cute little look in this picture.

William's First Christmas

2011-12-28T11:50:00.003-05:00

I don't know how anyone with a baby blogs!!! I am so busy taking care of William that I hardly have a minute to spare! But I did want to take the time to put up some pictures of William's First Christmas! I love my little love! It was so fun to have him with us this year :)

Life

2011-10-19T09:37:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since I last posted. I have been busy taking care of little William and trying to figure out my new life. It has been a lot harder for me than I ever thought it would be to become a stay at home mom. I feel like I don't know what to do. Do I play with my baby enough? Why isn't he on a schedule yet? He doesn't smile that much? HE cry's a lot. All I can think of is what am I doing wrong? I thought motherhood would be easy for me. Boy was I wrong. I feel so overwhelmed. I feel like I can't accomplish anything now. I can't clean the house like I want and, I can't cook dinner like I want to yet because of my unpredictable schedule. I feel like my life is over and I am trying to start a new life. I feel like I felt each time I have moved. In a few months I will be fine, once I have adjusted to this new life but for now I have to take it day by day. I hope Will will smile and be happy and turn out OK. I love him so much. He is so cute and cuddly. I live for the day when he will sleep through the night. Sleep deprivation is so hard!!! David is letting us get Busch Gardens passes so that I can go with my sister and the girls in the ward during the day. I am thankful for that. I am also thankful that the holidays are coming. I hope they help me feel happier.

Next week is Halloween! We have a bunch of parties to go to. It's the one thing helping me be happy right now. We bought Will the cutest little costume and a onsie that says "My First Halloween" We are taking him trick r treating with Maya, Georgia and Ethan. That will be fun! My next post should be more positive and filled with pictures of the little ones from Halloween!!

William 5 weeks

2011-09-28T16:10:00.002-04:00

William turned 5 weeks old yesterday. I took him to the doctor on Monday for his one month check-up. He is growing really well. He is now 9 pounds 2 ounces and 21.25 inches long. I can't believe my little tiny baby is getting so big. He has now grown out of his newborn clothes. I am sad to put them away they are so cute. I had him wear his little car outfit yesterday for the picture in this post. I love William. He is so cute. I am so thankful to have him in my life and look forward to the holidays with him and to seeing him grow.

My new job!

2011-09-27T20:18:00.003-04:00

I quit my job on September 6th! Surprisingly this was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom but my life took a detour before that goal was possible. I went to college and became a paralegal. I graduated in 2002 and started working as a paralegal immediately. I have worked long and hard and loved my job. I was so excited when I learned that David made enough money that I could quit and stay home and raise our son. I have worked at the same firm for almost 6 years. The people I work with have become like a second family. I have seen them day in and day out for years. I miss my attorneys and the others I worked with. I know that I have quit for the best of reasons and when I doubt my decisions I look at the adorable little face looking up at me and know that no matter how hard it was to quit and no matter how lost I now feel, I did the right thing. I know this because I am able to devote myself to being a mother to William and a wife to David. I hope that one day I can be as successful and confident in my homemaker position as I was as a legal assistant.

Pictures from Heather

2011-09-23T08:47:00.001-04:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

A Month Early!! William makes his arrival!

2011-09-02T16:58:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday, August 23 at 5:00 a.m. I got up to go to the bathroom for the millionth time. On my way to the bathroom I felt a pop and something start coming out between my legs. I made it to the toilet in time to watch a bunch of water start gushing out of me. My water broke!! At 35 weeks and 3 days! I couldn't believe it!! I was scared and excited! I took a shower, hey who knows how long my labor would last? Called my mom to let her know and then woke up David! We went to Tampa General and were admitted. At my last appointment my baby had been breach, but the doctors didn't worry because I still had 6 weeks to go. I told the nurse in the hospital and an ultrasound was ordered. Sure enough William was still breach so a C-Section was put into progress.

At 10:15 a.m on August 23, 2011 our little son William was born weighing 6 pounds 3 ounces and measuring in at 19 inches long. He is so cute!! He looks just like David! I love him so much and am so happy he's here!!

I am also glad that even though he was a whole month early he was able to come home with us. I love him so much. It is so amazing to me how much more I love David as well. I never thought that I could love David more than I did, but having a child with him has deepened my love for him. I am so thankful for my little family.

David and William I love you both!

This is Hard Work!!

2011-08-16T13:22:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to write a post on my feelings about pregnancy. It is hard! It is wonderful to be able to make a child but it is much harder than I ever anticipated. Being pregnant makes me really appreciate my mom and all moms everywhere. All people everywhere need to love their mothers no matter how messed up they may be. That woman sacrificed her body, her comfort and her health to bring you to this earth. I know it drives my husband crazy that things with babies are so mother focused but I have to agree a mother gives everything she has for her child in a way a man can never understand. Don't get me wrong Dads are great and also have special connections to their children, but a mother physically sacrifices more.

Now more than ever I am actually in a tiny little way thankful for the fact that it has been so difficult for me to concieve this child. It was a process of 3 years, Endometriosis, surgery, fertility doctors, wondering if I could get pregnant and then if I could if I would. I said lots of prayers and did a lot of begging to my Heavenly Father. It is truley a miracle that I was able to get pregnant on my own with out medical intervention. I think if I hadn't gone through all the heartache and all the waiting this pregnancy would have been a lot harder for me to bear. It has not been a bad pregnancy. It has been a good one. Sure I was sick a little longer than most women and I have gained a ton of weight even though I can hardly eat anything and now in the last month or so I am having issues with my legs swelling up to my thighs that makes it painful to walk and do a lot of things, but anything that I have to sacrifice to get my little baby boy safely here will be worth it in the end.

I keep telling myself, I have 5 weeks and 2 days left (if William is stubborn and comes late than it is 6 weeks and 2 days). So in just over a month I will have my little William in my arms and I will start to forget about the pains of pregnancy. I won't be swollen anymore. I will be able to start slimming down and I will have a little bundle of joy to care for!

34 weeks!! Finally in the home stretch!

2011-08-12T09:58:00.003-04:00

Today I am 34 weeks along!! Yay! If William is born now he will survive!! :)

I can't believe how much bigger my belly has gotten in the past month! It is amazing! I have 6 weeks to go, I wonder just how big I will be in the end.

I had a family baby shower last week. It was so much fun. I had all my Florida family members in attendance. All my sweet nieces were there. It was fun to have the little girls there. Maya, Kelera and Georgia are all growing up so fast. Elsie and Etasa were both hilarious! They helped me open literally every present. When it was time for them to give me their present they just started pulling everything out of the bag. They were so excited! They were like oh this is for William and this is for William. They gave me some cute little blankets and one of the twins, said "oh cute blankets"

We all had a really good time. I want to thank my mom and my mother-in-law for hosting such a nice shower. I want to thank my sister, sister-in-laws and my sister's in laws for all the amazing gifts the gave us. We got a lot of really nice things. William is a lucky little guy!

I will post some pictures of the shower soon.

NKOTBSB!!!

2011-07-27T15:57:00.002-04:00

Last week my sister and I went to the New Kids and Backstreet Boys concert in Orlando. It was our last sister get away before I become a mother. Her last before she becomes a mother of five. It took us a lot of fast talking and a lot of begging and finally just buying tickets to get our hubbies to allow us to go. I am so glad we got our way and went. We have been to see both bands before.

We went in 1990 to see the New Kids on the Block. I was 12 and Tiffany was 9. The whole scenario was totally different yet totally the same. We went to see them at the Marriott Center in Provo Utah with our cousins Brooke and Kellie. I was the oldest in the group and our parents actually dropped us off at the concert and picked us up 4 hours later. My oh my how times have changed! We were both in love with Jordan Knight and were convinced that he was singing to us the whole concert. LOL

In 2000 we went to see Backstreet Boys. It was my sister and I and 2 girls we worked with. I was 22 and my sister was 19. We loved them!! And this time the boys were actually our age not way older! This time we had to do a lot of begging to Mudu so Tiff could go! This concert was at the Ice Palace in Tampa, Florida. Nick Carter was my favorite backstreet boy and I can't remember who Tiff's favorite was.

Now flash forward to 2011. You have two sisters. Both pregnant. We are now 30 and 33. We see a once in a lifetime opportunity to see our favorite boy bands!! We grab it and we go. Keep in mind I bought the tickets when I was 4 months pregnant. This is my first pregnancy. I had no idea how uncomfortable I would be at 7 months along! But even with all my discomfort I still had the time of my life! Tiffany got a ton of amazing pictures! When she sends me them I will post them. This time was the most fun of all. It was two sisters! We were adults and we could buy whatever souvenirs we wanted and we had the best time!! We even made it to Orlando in the rain and back without incident. (Our husbands didn't know if we could drive alone to Orlando.) This time we agreed Nick is our favorite of both the bands. Don't worry Mudu and David you are both hotter and we love you more!! :)

The concert was amazing!! Backstreet preformed extra long because we were in their home town and they even had a surprise appearance by none other than Boys II Men! It was amazing!! I am so glad Tiffany and I could go!!

Pictures to follow in photo only post!!

Pro's & Con's of Pregnancy

2011-07-15T09:58:00.002-04:00

I am 30 weeks pregnant today. I have made it through two trimesters and am in my third and final trimester. What do I like about being pregnant and what could I do without.

First, let me say that I am extremely grateful that I had been able to spend the past seven years with David and be just a couple. In hindsight I am grateful that I didn't get pregnant as soon as I wanted to. I am glad that I am finally able to have my first baby but I am also glad that the Lord made me wait for his timing. David and I will be going on our "baby moon" this weekend. It is our last little vacation as just a couple. I am glad that we have been able to visit all the places that we have and that we have been able to grow and bond together.

Now for pregnancy, let me do a list. I will do my least favorite things about being pregnant and then I will list my favorite things about being pregnant.

The Cons:

1. Feeling sick. The hardest thing about being pregnant is not feeling good.

2. Sleepless nights. I haven't slept through the night since I was 18 weeks pregnant. I keep getting frustrated because I know once my baby arrives that is not going to change for months.

3. Driving in a car. I work 26 miles from where I live so it takes me an hour in rush hour traffic to get to work and an hour or a little more to get home from work. I would say that driving home is my biggest challenge of all. My baby likes to kick his feet in my ribs the whole time I am driving and I feel like my organs are being squished the entire time too.

4. Swollen hands and feet. Because I work in an office my feet are swollen by the time I leave. If I push on my ankles the indentation from where I push will stay for like ten minutes. Also, in the morning my fingers are swollen so I can't wear my wedding ring until the afternoon.

5. Last but not least, gaining weight. I think gaining weight is one of the hardest things about being pregnant.

Now for the Pros:

1. I am creating a person!! It is amazing to me that my body is creating a little human being. I love reading about how my baby changes each week, how big he is getting and just about him in general. I love being a partner with the Lord in bring this little miracle into life!

2. I love feeling my baby move. There is nothing that is quite like feeling the little kicks and punches of a little baby in your abdomen. It is amazing and I am so glad that I can experience it.

3. I love how fast and thick my hair and nails grow. My hair is growing so fast and I love it!!

4. Having an excuse as to why I am so fat. Gaining is both a pro and a con. It's hard to gain weight but it is also comforting to know that this big stomach of mine is not fat but home to a baby.

5. Drinking chocolate milk. I have started to drink chocolate milk to help me up my calcium intake. I love it!! It is so satisfying.

6. People being nice to you just because you are pregnant!

7. Finally, I love knowing that I am carrying my husband's child and that this baby is a creation of our marriage and our love. I love knowing that he will be mine forever. My baby is not even here yet but I already think about him more than myself. Shopping trips have turned to shopping for my baby not me. I love knowing that soon David and I will have a son and that he is ours. That feeling makes all the discomfort worth it.

The Bump- 28 weeks

2011-06-30T09:23:00.003-04:00

Here are the most recent pictures of my baby bump. My oh my! It sure is growing. Technically I am 27 weeks and 6 days pregnant -- close enough to 28 weeks that I am sure by tomorrow I will still be the same size.

I can't believe I only have 12 weeks left of my pregnancy!! The time has flown by. Something cute that happened yesterday was I was at my desk at work and wanted something sweet so I ate a little fun size pack of sweet tarts. I don't think that my baby liked them or maybe they were too sour for him because after I ate a few, I got these really startled kicks from him. It was so funny. It was like he just tasted the sour taste and didn't like it. So cute!

Another cute thing that happened recently was that on Friday night we went to the movies with my family and when David and I were in line to get our treats there was a family in front of us in line. They had a little girl maybe 4 years of age. Well as we stood there, the little girl turned around and looked at me and then she touched my tummy and said "Oh! There's a baby in there!" It was so cute. I was so glad that she could tell I was pregnant and not just fat!!

Today is officially my last day of my Second Trimester! Tonight I will enter into my Third and final trimester!! How exciting!!

1 week and 2 days left of my Second Trimester

2011-06-22T16:00:00.003-04:00

Wow!! I will be 27 weeks pregnant on Friday!! I can't believe it. At 28 weeks I will enter my third trimester! I can't believe I only have 3 months left of pregnancy. This trimester flew by. David and I took a tour of the hospital a couple weeks ago. It was nice to see where we would have our baby and to get a general idea of what happens there. I am scared for the actual delivery. I hope it goes smoothly. I have no idea what to expect!

A couple weeks ago David and I also went to see his dad receive an award at MOSI. After the awards ceremony we were able to go and look at the exhibit they have on display at MOSI. It was about the human life cycle. I was so interested in the pregnancy and baby portions of this cycle. They had one part of the exhibit that actually showed little fetuses in tubes, you could see how big they were. The last one they showed was at 27 weeks, which is where I will be Friday. I was so amazed at how big the baby was!! I didn't even get that the babies were real. I thought they were dolls just showing the size. It was amazing!

I am getting really excited to meet my baby! I can't wait to see what he looks like? Will he look more like me or more like David? Will he have hair? I have been suffering terrible heart burn the last few weeks. It has been so bad that it has been keeping me up at night. I heard an old wives tale that if you have bad heartburn in pregnancy your baby will have a lot of hair. I hope that it's true, though I doubt it.

We will post a belly pic soon. I am so much bigger than I was a few weeks ago!! It is amazing. The only thing that helps me not completely freak out at being so big is thinking that there is actually a baby inside me, that it's not just fat. Thank Heavens!!

Memorial Day Weekend!

2011-06-07T11:45:00.003-04:00

Over Memorial Day weekend David and I went to Maryland to visit his family. David's grandma turned 90 on May 12th and his aunts and uncle and dad threw a big party for her. So in a way it was also a family reunion. It was a lot of fun. The party was beautiful and it was fun to hang out with David's family. We had a lot of family dinners and time on the farm, as well as, a trip to see the Washington DC temple. I saw fireflies for the first time. They are so amazing! I loved seeing them twinkle in the tree tops! One of the coolest things about the party was that the birthday cake was made by The Ace of Cakes. It was awesome!! Even the fondant was delicious! Also on the last night at the farm David's aunts got Valerie and I started on quilts for our babies. It was a lot of fun! I am glad that David and I could go and celebrate with his family over Memorial Day. Check out some pictures below.

David and I in front of the DC Temple. Check out the reflection in the pond.

David in front of the tractor that just happens to share his name.

The cake! Believe it or not the flowers are made of frosting!

Cox's and Meyers pose for a family photo!

A close up view.

The Bump at 22 Weeks!

2011-05-20T10:22:00.003-04:00

Ok so here it is a picture of me at 22 weeks pregnant! It's not the best picture but it's a picture! I think that I look so big!! David thinks I look too small! Maybe I look just right who knows. I have only gained 12 pounds so far, I think that is pretty good for being half way there! Guess we will see how much bigger I get by September!

My baby moves!!

2011-05-18T15:20:00.002-04:00

I started to be able to feel Will move last week right before I reached 21 weeks!! Every day I feel him more and more. He is moving now as I type this entry. This morning David and I decided to try to carpooling to work to see if we can cut our massive gas bill. David hooked up his iphone to my stereo and started playing "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters. As soon as the music got going my baby started moving and moving. It was almost as if he was having a party in there. The song ended and a Katy Perry song came on and the baby stopped moving. David turned it back to Foo Fighters and the baby started moving again. I thought that was the cutest thing! It appears that our baby likes alternative rock compared to pop. Just like his daddy!!

It is so cool to feel him move!! Finally I feel pregnant! I can feel life inside of me! I can't wait until he is big enough for David to be able to feel him move. That should be soon! I will be 22 weeks on Friday! 5 1/2 months!! Wow! I can't believe that time is going so fast!! Before we know it we will be meeting this little baby!!

Glimpses of Personality

2011-05-12T14:29:00.000-04:00

A few weeks back I posted a post called "Our Little Character". When I blogged about finding out that my baby is a boy I totally ran out of room to blog about what a little stinker he was during the ultrasound exam.

My second semester ultrasound took over an hour to capture all the pictures they needed to capture. The reason was my little active baby boy! Apparently he is more active than most babies. The first thing we saw when we could see the screen were two little fists punching. As the ultrasound went on William kept kicking and somersaulting and moving and of course punching. He frustrated the Ultrasound tech because he was so active.

It will be interesting to see what William is like once he is here in the flesh. I know my sister- in -law said that her little boy Ethan was super calm in her ultrasounds. Ethan is such a good and calm little boy, that it almost makes me think that my theory is correct.

I guess we will find out in the next few months what exactly my baby's personality will be like. I can't wait!! I have been waiting so long for a child I am so excited to finally meet my first baby in September!

Half way Point!! 5 months!

2011-05-06T09:57:00.003-04:00

Today is my halfway point in my pregnancy!! I can't believe it! In 4 more months we will have a little tiny baby! I have yet to feel my baby move. I can't wait until I finally feel him move. Sometimes I feel like it will never happen and that makes me sad. The doctors say that I have an anterior placenta which means the placenta is front of the baby. They say that is why I can't feel him move yet, because it blocks the punching and kicking until he gets bigger. Sometimes I think that my surgery in 2008 cut a nerve and that is the real reason I can't feel him. The doctors say that isn't so but I still wonder about it.

David and I went shopping again last night. We got some cute little pajamas for William and some bottles and diapers. So far I have bought him 3 packages of diapers. I don't know how long that will last but I am trying to stockpile them so that when I am off on maternity leave and my income is cut in half, at least we won't have to buy diapers. :)

I can't wait to meet my son. I can't wait to see his little face! I wonder what he will look like. I am guessing that he will look just like David. I hope that he has a little bit of me in there too. Maybe he will have curly hair like me. I guess we will find out in September!

William Everard Cox

2011-04-26T13:34:00.002-04:00

I thought I would never be able to get my wife pregnant many times in past couple years. We have had our names for our first boy and our first girl for years now. If it were a boy we would name him William Everard Cox. If it were a girl we would name her Elizabeth Anne Cox. Well, four and half months ago I was finally able to get my wife pregnant after all the complications (tests, a surgery, and more tests) ! Heather's body was finally ready for getting pregnant and I got her pregnant! Before yesterday, I kept thinking to myself, I don't care if it is either a boy or a girl, I just want it to be healthy. Yesterday, I found out I got my wife pregnant for the first time and it is a boy! When I found it out I was so excited and happy! I know Heather really wanted a girl, but, I am glad it is a boy the first time around. Assuming we can afford to have another baby in the future I would still like to be able to have a girl as well. Not to sound proud or arrogant or anything, but, I think all the babies we produce will all be really good looking and I can't wait to see how they will develop over their maturing. But what am I saying? I am taking all the attention away from my boy! I can't wait to see Will when he is born! I can't wait to be daddy and see my boy grow, walk, sleep, eat, talk, and develop his talents as he matures. Someday I hope to see him smile and love his parents, Heather and I. I am anxiously awaiting his arrival! I love you Heather! I love you, my son, Will! :)

Baby Cox is a Boy!!

2011-04-26T09:28:00.002-04:00

A little foot!

Will's face

Profile

And the most anticipated picture of all, It's a Boy!

Yesterday I had my mid pregnancy ultrasound. David and I were so excited!! This is the ultrasound where you can find out the sex of the baby!! I have been dying to know what my baby will be!! I can't wait to go shopping and buy things it will actually need or wear! So we went to the Ultrasound. I had really been hoping for a girl. I am the most girly person out there and was so hoping to be able to have a daughter and dress her up like a little princess!! I kept looking at little baby girl clothes but that was not to be. It appears that my first child will be a son!

I am happy to have a son. I am sure he will be the cutest little thing of all time!! I mean he has to be right! David was the cutest little boy ever and the little boys in our family are adorable! I know one thing he will be well dressed!! I might not have as many options of clothing as I would have if he was a girl but that doesn't mean I can't make sure he looks adorable!!

David is beside himself with joy!! He actually made me mad in the ultrasound because as soon as we found out what the baby was he posted it on facebook. I didn't even know!! I wanted to to actually tell people before I announced it to the world but I guess it all works out in the end.

David and I can't wait to meet our little boy in 4 months!! We are planning on naming him William Everard Cox. William because we love that name and it sounds so royal!! And Everard because it is a Cox tradition to give your first son the middle name of Everard.

We are going to call him Will for short!! I can't wait to meet him!! I have heard from a lot of mothers that they love their sons in a special way! I can't wait to experience that love!!

David will be posting his version of events shortly!!

18 weeks Belly Shot!

2011-04-22T09:25:00.002-04:00

Here you go! My first blog belly shot. I am 18 weeks pregnant today!! We find out on Monday whether we are having a boy or a girl. I really really want a girl but will be fine if it is a boy. I am still sick!! What happened to 12 weeks and the morning sickness is over. Oh well, maybe that means I am having a boy. Guess we will find out on Monday!!

My Purple Bed!!

2011-04-18T20:16:00.002-04:00

For my birthday this year one of the presents I got was a gift card to Target!!! I love Target and my checking account proves this!! Tonight I went and spent my gift card!! I put it toward a new bed spread!! It is PURPLE!!!

Purple is my all time favorite color and David finally agreed to let me have a purple bed!!! Check it out above!

I love it!!!

Our little character

2011-04-08T15:19:00.002-04:00

Today I had a doctor's appointment. It was pretty routine. I went and got weighed and my blood pressure taken and then it was time for the doctor and the machine that let's you hear the baby's heart beat. Last month at my appointment the doctor told me that my baby kept kicking the place where she put the wand and this month the doctor had to keep moving the wand around because my baby was "running away" from the wand. It totally cracked me up to think that my little baby is swimming away from the machine and kicking it. What a little character we are sure to have. But then again what should we expect with a mother like me and a father like David. This child is bound to be entertaining! The question is are we ready to handle it?

My First Diaper Bag!

2011-04-06T12:00:00.003-04:00

I did it!! I finally got a Ju-Ju Be diaper bag!! Well it is a mini bag so it will be for trips to the mall and maybe going to see the grandparents or going on airplanes and such. But I got it! My cousin Kellie told me about this awesome website called Baby Steals. Everyday this website puts up two "steals" and it is first come first serve. They have botique type items for 50% off!

They have Ju-Ju-Be diaper bags once in a while. These diaper bags are amazing and they are also a little pricey so when I checked todays steal and saw that it was a Ju-Ju-Be mini I had to get it!! I even found a bag that is somewhat gender neutral since I still don't know what Baby Cox is. Here is a picture of my soon to be mini bag!

David got a new car!!

2011-04-04T09:36:00.003-04:00

We are no longer a one car family!! We went this weekend and bought David a new car!! This was David's first time to actually get to pick out a car! It was a lot of fun. We love his new car! It is a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe, Limited and has a lot of awesome features, including a sun roof and XM radio!! It has black leather interior and rides very smooth!

David loves his car! It will be nice to take road trips in and go to the beach in. It will be nice to ride in on weekends! It will be awesome when we have our baby!

Congratulations David!!

We are a one car family . . . for now

2011-03-31T13:16:00.002-04:00

Last week, David was in a car accident. A lady rear ended him as he was driving to work. His car was damaged but it really didn't look that damaged. He took his car in to the insurance place on Wednesday to have it fixed and later that day we got a call that they were totaling his car! This morning we went and picked up the check paying us for David's car. This is a bittersweet event. It was so nice having two cars that were paid off. I guess that is no longer an option for us. As I was driving David to work this morning he said that maybe we shouldn't get another car. While it is nice to ride to work together I cannot deal with being a one car family again. We only had one car for the first 3 years of our marriage and it is so much more convenient having 2 cars. Especially with a baby on the way. There is no way that I am going to be stuck at home for 2 months with my baby. No way. So looks like we will be going car shopping this weekend!

My lucky little brother!

2011-03-24T15:39:00.007-04:00

This is Sean's first car, it's a Honda Del Sol and...

And this is is Second Car, a 2007 VW GTI Fahrenheit!

What a lucky guy! Keep in mind Sean is only 16 and has had this luck with cars in his first year of driving! This is what happens when you are Stacy Smith's only son. My dad loves cars! He has had more cars than anyone I know! When he was in high school he would have three to four cars at a time. Now for those of you who don't know this, I am 16 years older than my brother. He was born when I was in high school. My dad who had only had two daughters (before my brother came along) always longed for a son and frequently told us that boys need cars and girls do not and that if we had been boys he would have bought us cars but we were girls so we didn't need them. I knew that when my brother was born he would strike it rich in the car department. Not only was he the only son of a car lover he was born late in life to enjoy the spoils of my dad's hard work.

It is really cool to see my dad and my brother and the bond that they have with each other and with cars. Sean you are a lucky man!! Enjoy your awesome new car!! Oh, but Sean try not to speed too much I know it's a temptation to have a turbo but take a lesson from your older sister... speeding tickets stink!!

The Zoo

2011-03-21T20:52:00.004-04:00

This weekend Tiffany and Mudu went out of town. My mom and I took the kids to the Zoo. It was a lot of fun. The twins loved it! The especially loved the monkeys. When we first saw the monkeys Etasa pointed to one of the monkeys that was with a baby monkey and said "There's my mommy!" I said no that is a mommy monkey but not your mommy." She said "NO that is my mommy and there's my daddy!" She pointed to two different monkeys. It was hilarious!! I am sure Tiff and Mudu love being compared to monkeys!!

Kerela and Maikeli had fun too. They got to ride a roller coaster and the much anticipated water ride. We had an excellent day! When we got home I was totally exhausted!! I was in bed by 9:00 pm and didn't wake up until 8:00 in the morning!!

For those of you who know me that must come as a total surprise!! Pregnancy is eating up my energy!! I seriously have never been that tired from going to the zoo!

Our first baby purchase!

2011-03-19T09:16:00.002-04:00

Last weekend David and I finally bought something for our baby! We bought the only thing you can buy that isn't gender specific, DIAPERS and wipes! I have been dying to go shopping for our little baby but everytime I do I can't buy anything because everything is so gender specific. So we decided that once I hit 12 weeks we would start stocking up on diapers, that way when I am on maternity leave we won't have to buy any diapers. We bought a package of newborn pampers and some huggies wipes. I have talked with several moms and they have all agreed that pampers are the best... guess I will find out in 5 months if they're right :).

Cox Baby at 12 weeks & 4 days!

2011-03-15T09:46:00.004-04:00

I had my first trimester screen today. It is the ultrasound and bloodwork to test for downs syndrome. I was excited to get the test because it gave us another look at our little baby!! Here are the pictures from this morning!!

It is so amazing that this is finally happening for us! I am so thankful for it!

Blessing in Disguise

2011-03-14T15:49:00.003-04:00

The earthquake and Tsnaumi that happend in Japan on Friday are devastating!! I have been watching videos and reading articles about those events. My heart goes out to the people in Japan. I hope that we as a world can somehow help ease their suffering.

I feel a special connection with the Japanese people. This all started when I fell in love with David. As many of you know David taught himself Japanese when he was 12 years old and went on an exchange for a summer to Matsue, Japan when he was 16. He has an incredible connection with the culture and people of Japan and through him I have learned to love this amazing culture as well.

Three years ago David applied for a job in Japan. He made it through the last string of interviews and was in the end rejected due to the fact that the company would have to support a couple instead of a single person. When he didn't make it we were floored. He speaks Japanese fluently and has lived there before. It was disappointing for us.

Now three years later we are counting our blessings that he didn't get that job. We could have been caught up in this horrible diasaster but by the grace of God we were spared. Now what was once a disappointment is a blessing. How thankful I am that David's future didn't involve moving to Japan 3 years ago!!

I Stand Corrected

2011-03-09T10:33:00.002-05:00

My whole life I have thought that the first trimester of pregnancy ended at 12 weeks. Yesterday I learned that it actually ends at 14 weeks. So it appears that I have 2 weeks left of my first trimester as of Friday. Oh well 12 weeks is the most critical time and if you make it past 12 weeks your chances for miscarriage drop a lot.

So 12 weeks is still a milestone in my opinion and I have heard that a lot of women's morning sickness starts to decrease once they reach 12 weeks. I really really hope that is true for me!! If it is true for me then I only have 2 days left to feel queasy all day long. That would be awesome!!!

I must note that I am very thankful that my morning sickness has mostly consisted of feeling nauseous and not actually throwing up, I only had one horrible day of that so far (knock on wood). Thanks to a blessing from David, my dad and my uncle and Zophram. Throwing up is something I hardly ever do and I have been so scared how my body would handle being pregnant. I must praise the Lord that it handled it fairly well (so far.) Thank you!!!! Now I am anxious to be able to feel good in a couple days or a couple weeks, either way at least I know that there is an end in site and feeling bad has a great big reward of a baby!!

New Clothes!

2011-03-07T09:42:00.001-05:00

This weekend I went early birthday shopping for maternity clothes. Okay so I am not showing yet and have only gained one pound so far but I will be 3 months pregnant on Friday and the clothes I have are bugging me. They just aren't that comfortable anymore. I recently learned that maternity clothes "grow" with you and after you have the baby they shrink back down so you can still wear them.

We went to a store called "A Pea in the Pod" in International Mall and went shopping!! I love this store! It has the most stylish maternity clothes I have ever seen!! All the brands that I love from Anthropologie are carried there! My clothes are so pretty!! I am so happy with them!!

I am so excited to have finally got some things other than crackers and ginger ale and zophram towards my pregnancy!! It makes it feel so much more real!! 4 more days to go until the 2nd trimester!!! Next Tuesday I have my next ultrasound!! I am excited for it!!

Diet Coke Cupcakes!!

2011-03-03T11:50:00.003-05:00

A couple years ago I use to make Diet Coke cupcakes all the time!! We were going through a time where we were addicted to Lost and would meet with David's family and watch Lost at his parents' house and I would make these cupcakes!!

Valerie just asked me for the recipe and so I decided to post on here so I will remember to make them!! They are an awesome alternative to the real thing and really low in points!!

Here is the recipe if anyone is interested! They rock!! They taste really good when topped with whipped cream or ready whip!!

Diet Coke Cake Cupcakes

Servings 24 / POINTS® values per serving 1

Ingredients

1 box any Deep Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix;

1 can diet Coke or Pepsi;

1/4 cup Eggbeaters

Empty cake mix into large bowl, breaking up any large lumps.
Add can of Coke/Pepsi and stir until mix is thoroughly moistened. Add Eggbeaters and stir vigorously until VERY smooth. Pour into 9X13 rectangular baking pan (sprayed w. Pam and floured) and bake according to package directions.

Enjoy topped with a spoonful of Light or FF Cool Whip...mmm Delish!

We're Expecting!!!

2011-02-24T14:55:00.003-05:00

After TWO years of disappointments I am finally pregnant!! It truly is a miracle. I am so very thankful that I got pregnant on my own. In November we decided to go back to the fertility doctor and try and get pregnant with medical help again. IT didn't work the first time and I had to try on my own for awhile before I would start spending tons of money trying to conceive. I called the clinic and made an appointment for January 4th. We went to the appointment and David did some tests and we decided to start trying to conceive with IUI in February. It would cost $800 a shot and we decided to postpone our London vacation in order to pay for it.

After our appointment our life really started rocking and rolling. My Grandpa who came to visit us for the holidays from Utah got sick and the doctors told him that he needed to move in with my parents. So on January 19 my parents and I went to Utah to pack up his house. While we were out there he got renal failure and I got back to Tampa in time to say goodbye to him right before he passed away. Then it was another whirlwind trip to Salt Lake. With all of this going on my period was late. Two weeks late but for the first time in two years, I wasn't excited. I had been late like this 4 times before and taking a pregnancy test to me was torture because they always turned up negative. Well once we got to Utah I was really grouchy and I started feeling sick. My sister told me to take a test and I refused for a few days not wanting to waste my money.

We went to the viewing and I felt so sick so I finally took a pregnancy test and it was POSITIVE!! David and I were so excited!!! It was awesome because I got to tell my whole side of the family the news in person!!

I am so thankful that I got pregnant without medical intervention and can now save the money for actually taking care of our baby.

It is still early. I am 10 weeks along and am due on September 24, 2011!!!

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

2011-02-24T12:38:00.000-05:00

Check out our blog tomorrow for a major announcement!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2011-02-14T11:06:00.005-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!! I wanted to write about my favorite Valentine's Day.

My favorite Valentine's Day was in 2004! David and I had gotten engaged in January of 2004 and I had picked out my ring shortly thereafter. However, my fingers are really small so the ring had to be sized down and would not be ready for a few weeks.

On Valentine's Day David had me over for dinner. When I got to his house Italian music was playing and his dining room table was decorated with all sorts of beautiful crystal and flowers. David had ordered take out from Carraba's and Sarah was all dressed up as our server. The dinner was so good and so romantic. At the end of the dinner David gave me my presents. The first present was amazing. David bought me a star! He had framed the star and the certificate in two beautiful frames. The second present was the best present I have ever received! It was my ring!! It was sooooo pretty and so sparkly!! As I look down at my pretty ring it still sparkles and it is so amazing to think that today I have been wearing my ring for 7 years!!

I will always cherish Valentine's Day 2004 as our first and most romantic Valentine's Day!!

I love you David!!! Here is to Valentine's Day number 8!!!

Smart Phones

2011-02-09T09:44:00.002-05:00

Last night David and I went shopping for our Valentine's presents. We got each other I-Phone 4's for Valentines!! They are so awesome!! We are so happy to finally have a phone that does more than just talk and text.

I am so rough on phones that I made sure to get the strongest case there is. So we both ended up with Otterbox cases. Mine is pink and David's is black. We have spent hours on our phones. We are like kids on Christmas morning!

Happy Valentine's Day to us!! :)

Back to Normal

2011-02-07T15:30:00.003-05:00

My parents are back in the state of Florida!!! Finally!! They have been away for almost 3 weeks!! That means I have not slept in my bed for that long! Our journey over the past 3 weeks has been life changing!!

First we went to Utah to move my Grandpa back to Florida and a little bit of fun!! Then as soon as I got back to Florida my Grandpa died and all of us ended up back in Salt Lake for 6 days for the funeral. We also go in a ton of cousin visits!! We also found out some really big news!! More on that news in another post.

We came back to Florida last week and have been taking care of Dusty and Sean. Tiffany turned 30 Wednesday!! So we partied with her Friday night! David's grandparents came down for his cousin's 3rd birthday and his Grandma ended up in the hospital so we visited her. She is out and well now :)

Yesterday we had a Superbowl party with Sean and Zach. We ate pizza and chips and queso and candy! Well I ate a little bit! I can't eat that much right now!! It is crazy!! When my parents roll into Odessa tonight our life will finally be back to normal!! Or as normal as it can possibly be!!

R.I.P. Grandpa

2011-01-25T14:40:00.003-05:00

My sweet little Grandpa passed away peacefully on Sunday morning. David, Sean, Tiffany and I were able to spend a few hours with him at the hospital on Saturday night. He passed away from Renal Failure which my father-in-law said is a peaceful way to go. We miss him. I am glad that he got to spend the final three months of his life with us in Florida.

We will be flying out to Utah for his funeral. We miss you Grandpa!

Surprise!!

2011-01-18T20:41:00.002-05:00

I am coming to Utah tomorrow!!! I am coming to help my parents clean out my Grandpa's condo and to visit my cousins and Angela for a couple days, literally I will only be in SLC for 3 1/2 days. I am so excited to come out to Salt Lake! I have been missing my cousins and their cute baby girls! It will be so fun to see the family!!

David and Sean are staying behind. I will miss David!! However, I am so thankful that he is letting me have this last minute trip to Utah!! Thank you David!!

Brooke, Kellie, Heidi, Linda, Diane and Angela ---- I will see you soon!!!

P.S. SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL!!!!! Whew hew!!

Happy New Year

2011-01-04T23:40:00.002-05:00

Happy 2011! I can't believe that another year has gone!! I am thankful that 2010 is over and am ready to move on and in to 2011! My favorite things about last year were the fact that David got a job!!! That literally made my year! I am also thankful for my three wonderful vacations and my calling in Young Women's! Being in Young Women's has helped me in so many ways! I love the girls and women in Young Women's. I love serving with and for them! It has helped me deal with my infertility in ways that I cannot describe.

I am so thankful for David! I am thankful for the man he is becoming and proud that he is my husband! I look forward to spending 2011 with him watching him as he grows in his career.

I am thankful for three of my best friends, Angela, Lovelyn and Jahae! We are all suffering a similar trial in our lives and I love being able to talk with each of them and know that I am not the only girl in the world going through this trial!

I look forward to loosing weight this year! My hope is that I can get back down to 130 pounds and stay there until I get pregnant --if I ever get pregnant that is.

David and I don't have any vacations planned this year yet. We were going to go to London in April but have cancelled our trip to invest our money in another avenue in our lives. If and when that investment is successful I will totally blog about it! Wish us luck!!

I wish all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

A Photo Journal of Cox Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T22:47:00.010-05:00

Me. Bonnie & Charles

Ginger and Jon

Julia & Georgia

Maya

David and I

Sarah and David

Ethan

Tiffany and her girls

Me and my mom

Etasa and Elsie on their rocking horses

Dad, Sean and Mudu

Maikeli and his Marshmallow Gun

David all Diesled out!

Grandpa's 91st Christmas

Mom's Christmas Goodies

Below are some artistic photos of our Christmas Tree.

Merry Christmas from Florida!!

2010-12-25T09:30:00.001-05:00

I want to wish all my friends and family a Merry Christmas! This year has been good to David and I! We are so thankful for all of our blessings and even for our challenges. We had an amazing Christmas Eve yesterday. We went and visited the Tuinakauvadras and David's parents. I absolutely love Christmas in Florida! We were able to go to St. Pete Beach and walk on the beach. The weather was beautiful! It was so nice~ While we were walking on the beach we saw a "sandman." A sandman is just like the snowman from up north only it is made of sand! Check out the picture below!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

The Twins are Three!

2010-12-21T20:06:00.004-05:00

My favorite little twin nieces are three!! I can't believe that it has been three years since they arrived in this world!! I love them to pieces! They are the cutest little things!

Check them out below!!

David's Work Christmas Party

2010-12-08T21:20:00.007-05:00

Check out our shoes!

David's are the latest tread in dressy shoes for men

and mine are totally me! I love the bow on the toe!!!

Me in my party dress

David and I before the party

On Saturday we went to David's work Christmas Party. It was so much fun! It was held at a beautiful home on the beach!! There was food, dancing and fun! Mike and Jonathan also work with David so Sarah and I had a blast getting ready for the party!! We went shopping for dresses, shoes and hair things! It was really fun!! David and I bought 7 raffle tickets to the raffle that night and we won 6 prizes!! It was so cool!! Above our a few pictures of David and I in our party clothes!

It was also awesome because a few of David's co-workers were very complimentary to us. One girl even came up to me and told me that I looked gorgeous!! That totally made my night! I have been struggling with my looks and weight and have been working very hard to loose weight and I felt so happy to hear that a total stranger thought I was pretty!! It really added to my night of feeling like a glamour queen!! One of his co-workers came up to us and told us what an amazing looking couple we were so that made both our nights! It is amazing how a few compliments can totally make our day!! So my advise on that is if you think that someone looks good, tell them and it will brighten their day!

Our Christmas Tree!!

2010-11-30T22:52:00.004-05:00

Tealight Trio

Red Ornament tea light holder

Tea light Holder with pine cones and berries

Our Tree 2010

Well one Partylite show and a trip to Target later and David and I are ready for Christmas or at least our Condo is ready for Christmas. Above are a few pictures of our Holiday decor!

Enjoy!!!

Thanksgiving Pictures

2010-11-26T12:31:00.006-05:00

Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-26T12:21:00.002-05:00

I can't believe another Thanksgiving has come and gone. This is the first time in 2 years that we had Thanksgiving in Tampa. We had dinner with my family and we had dessert with David's family. We had a good day. I wanted to take a minute to list all the blessings that I am thankful this year. This year has been a challenging year for us however amidst the challenges there have been blessings. We have each been on three awesome vacations. We went on cruise to the Bahamas which was awesome and we went to Atlanta and had a great time. David went deer hunting in January and I went to visit my family in Utah in June. One of the best blessings of our year has been David getting a job!! I am so happy that he is working and he is even happier! It is so nice to have both of us working! I am so much happier now. Also I have finally started loosing weight!! So far I have lost 11 pounds. That is the most I have lost at one time in the last two years. I am also very thankful for my calling in Young Women's. I love being in Young Women's it really is a blessing in my life. I am also eternally grateful for my husband. I love David and am so thankful to have a loving husband who is always there for me. I am thankful that I have my family around me and that I can visit with them often.

Halloween & Coca Cola

2010-11-09T07:20:00.001-05:00

Jahae and Mick

Me as Rosalie

David as Edward

David in front of the Coke bottles from the 1996 Olympics

David and I in front of the World of Coca Cola

On October 30th David and I went to Atlanta to visit Jahae and Mick for the weekend! We got great deals on flights and an awesome deal on a hotel. The first thing we did when we got to Atlanta was eat at a Malaysian place with Jahae. Later that afternoon we went to the World of Coca Cola. It was really fun! We had a tour through the Coke factory and learned a bit about the history of Coke. We watched a 4D movie and got to sample 170 different beverages from all over the world.

That night we went to a costume party. It was a lot of fun. I went as Rosalie from Twilight and David went as Edward also from Twilight. I totally felt like I was back in College. First of all because I was hanging our with Jahae and second we were at a party. It was so fun!! I am so glad that we got to visit Jahae and Mick. We had an awesome time. Atlanta is a beautiful city!

Twin Fairies!

2010-10-29T23:35:00.001-04:00

Fall Festival 2010

2010-10-29T23:16:00.003-04:00

Last night we went to the Fall Festival at Kelera and Maikeli's school. It was a lot of fun. Kelera was a vampire bride and Maikeli was a ninja. They looked so cute. Above are some pictures of our night. One of the cutest things that happened last night was the Haunted Trail. I thought the twins would be scared but I was wrong. I went through the trail with Elsie and she was hilarious. Every time she would see a person that was there to scare us she would point and say "Look a person." There were plastic skeletons hanging from the trees and she was so cute because when she saw the skeletons she was happy and said "Look! The monkeys!" This stems from some little stretchy skeletons I bought the kids. Both Elsie and Tasa were calling the toy skeletons "monkeys/" Finally, there were glow sticks and glow rings all around in the bushes and some in the water and Elsie would point to them and say "Look! Necklaces."

I am glad that David and I could go and celebrate a part of Halloween with our nieces and nephew!

Happy Halloween!! There will be a big Halloween post coming the first part of next week! So stay tuned!

Pumpkin Festival

2010-10-24T21:53:00.003-04:00

On Saturday we went with Jon, Ginger and the girls to a Pumpkin Festival in Bradenton. It was a lot of fun. There were a ton of pumpkins there. There were also a ton of other activities, a craft fair and a corn maze. We all had a blast! We did the corn maze in 15 minutes instead of the posted 30 minutes. We watched a frog jumping contest which was pretty entertaining. We had a lot of fun visiting with Maya and Georgia and Jon and Ginger. Above our some pictures of the festival.

My Handy Man!

2010-10-20T21:41:00.003-04:00

The Finished Product!

Getting the drill ready!

Measuring the wall for placement

David starting his project.

Tonight David was a real handy man! He went to Home Depot and got a towel ring for our guest bathroom and then he came home and installed it all on his own!! I put pictures of the process above but they are in ascending order. So start at the bottom and work your way up to see the finished product!

I love the fact that thanks to my lovely husband we now have a place to hang our hand towels!

Thank you David!! I also love the Home Depot handy belt that David is wearing!! :)

Columbus Day

2010-10-16T10:41:00.003-04:00

I had Columbus Day off work as a floating Holiday. It was the first time in THREE years that I had a day off and David had to work! It was awesome because I hung out with Sarah and Ethan. We had Marco's Pizza and then we talked and played with Ethan and then we went to Honeymoon Island. Ethan was so cute! He loves cars and was so fun in the car ride to the beach. He would point at the school buses that would drive by us and say bus. On the way back from the beach we stopped at McDonald's and got fries but he would not eat them until we started driving because he wanted to get out of the car. I had a really fun time with Sarah and Ethan! I tried to take some pictures here the two best shots I got!

The Undertow!!

2010-10-16T10:32:00.002-04:00

I have blogged recently about our new beach hangout "The Under Tow." I finally found my camera and have uploaded some pictures of David and I at the Under Tow! Enjoy!

Fall is in the air

2010-10-04T16:25:00.001-04:00

Finally!! It is in the 80's!! It feels so nice outside!! I can't wait to go walking tonight with David!! The weather is so beautiful!! I am so ready for fall! It is my all time favorite season! I have decorated our condo for the season! We have purple twinkle lights above our kitchen cabinets and my partylite candle holders all over as well as my upper case living things. This weekend we bought black and orange towels to use this month!

On another note, David and I will be going to Atlanta to visit our friends Jahae and Mick at the end of the month! We got excellent deals on airfare!! I got my ticket for free with skymiles and David's was super cheap!! We are so excited to visit Jahae and Mick! It should be a lot of fun!!

I haven't posted many pictures lately because our camera is M.I.A. I haven't really cared about finding it because I don't really like it. I want a Cannon. I guess I need to bite the bullet and find the camera so we can post some more photos.

That's all for now. Until next time. Adios!

David, me & life.

2010-09-15T21:09:00.006-04:00

I have some great news! David has an internship!! We are so excited! He is working with Jonathan and learning how to optimize websites and also learning about graphic design. He also working with Todd Williams and learning from him as well. I am so happy for him! I am so glad that he has this opportunity. I think that given David's aptitude for languages and his artist talent he should really excel in this field! I can't believe how much happier I feel each day as I go to work knowing that my husband is also going to work. For the past year I have had no desire to cook or truly put my mind to loosing weight.

Since David started his internship I feel all my desire to cook and be a homemaker returning to me. I also feel ready to really try and loose weight now. I think that I have been so stressed that I have been unable to stay on track because let's face it I am an emotional eater. When I feel bad, bored, stressed and hopeless I eat. We also have been eating out all the time which is not good for my waistline. I am proud to say that we have eaten at home 3 of the past 4 nights! That is a record.

I have also been really busy with Young Women's. I absolutely love my calling!! I love the young women in our ward! They are awesome!! I love getting to know them and being able to be involved with the youth. It is so fun!! David and I were chaperone's at a Regional Dance last month. It was so fun!! We love dancing and so we danced out on the floor as we chaperoned. Afterwards we all got shakes! My mom and dad were there too because my mom was representing the Stake and then of course Sean was there. So it was quite the family affair.

Well that is all the news for now. Until next time. :) Enjoy the picture of the sunset above. It is the beach at The Undertow (our new favorite Beach spot.)

Today

2010-09-01T21:58:00.002-04:00

Well I wanted to blog about today. I was totally having a bad day until David came downtown and had lunch with me. I love my husband! I never realized how much he means to me until I saw him at noon after being totally stressed out. Thanks David for coming down and brightening up my day today. It was so nice to eat lunch with you and see your handsome face! I am also glad that I got to go to Young Women's tonight. It was so nice to go partake of the Spirit and to feel the love that exists in the Odessa Branch. I am so grateful to be a part of Young Women's!!

Twins

2010-08-19T11:38:00.002-04:00

We have been spending a lot of time babysitting Tiff's kids lately. I love tending them! The twins are so cute!! They are potty trained now!! I am so proud of my sister for potty training two little girls at the same time!! She is amazing!! It only took a few days!! The twins are also talking up a storm! They are so cute!! I am glad to be able to spend so much time with them :)

Recent Events

2010-08-09T13:52:00.002-04:00

Well, I just wanted to post on some recent events in our lives. Well as my last post advised we went to the Dave Matthews Band concert in July. It was really fun and really hot! We were really lucky because the concert was outside and it didn't rain!! Yay!

We have been going to the beach a lot this summer. We were recently introduced to a place called "The Undertow" by Mudu. It is a restaurant on the beach! They have the best chicken wings on earth there! They also have a private beach which is beautiful!!

I have been the Mia Maid advisor for the past two months and have really enjoyed being in Young Women's. It is so fun to teach the girls and get to know them. Sunday I was released as the Mia Maid advisor and put in as the Second Counselor in the Young Women's Presidency. I will miss my Mia Maids but am excited to be in the presidency and look forward to getting to know the Beehives!! I feel so lucky to have this calling. I really love working with the young women!

One last note, Sean got his driver's license last week!! I can't believe that my baby brother can now drive on his own!! My dad bought him the coolest car! I can't wait to take a ride in it on the Veterans!!

That is all the recent happenings in our life. Until next time.

Our First Concert!

2010-07-28T09:40:00.002-04:00

David and I are going to our first concert together tonight! After being together for 7 years there aren't a lot of firsts left for us. Can you believe that in all this time we have never been to a concert together? We have traveled to China and back yet never sat in a crowd listening to a band! Tonight we are going to see The Dave Matthews Band. I will write a post after the concert and let you know how it is. :)

Happy 6th Anniversary!!

2010-07-16T09:14:00.005-04:00

HAPPY 6th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!!!!

Today is David and my 6th anniversary!! I am so happy that I am married to David. I love him with every fiber of my being. I have enjoyed being his wife for the past six years and look forward to our life together. Today we are going to get massages and then go to dinner at Shepard's on Clearwater Beach. I love you David! We have had an amazing 6 years together and I look forward to the adventures that await us. I look forward to the places we'll go and cherish the places we've been. I love you David!! Thank you for being my husband!! You truly are an amazing man!

Happy Anniversary my love!!!

Utah Pictures

2010-06-29T21:43:00.009-04:00

Stephen

Brooke, Travis & Emma after their sealing

Me & Diane

Tiff, Alli, Brooke & Emma

Grandpa & Tiff

Travis, Brooke & Emma

Me, Kellie, Kara & Tiffany

Utah!!

2010-06-29T09:32:00.004-04:00

I'm back! I had a blast in Utah. I am so glad that I was able to go and visit my family and friends. It is always so refreshing to be around those who have known and loved me my entire life. I love my family. I love my cousins and aunts and uncle and grandpa! I got to meet my cousins' babies. They were the cutest little girls! I loved seeing them. Tiff and I got three great visits with our Grandpa. He is 90 years old and doing really good! We had a really fun time talking with our cousin Stephen who returned from his mission 6 months ago! He is so fun! Both of us really had fun hearing about his mission and talking with him. Of course we had lots of fun talking to Brooke, Kellie, Alli, Linda and Diane. It is so fun to have girl time!! I miss living by my Utah family so much.

On Monday all of the girls went shopping in Park City! We spent an hour in the Coach Factory Store. I found three purses I wanted but amazingly I didn't buy them. David really didn't want me buying them so I knew that if I bought them it would just result in a fight with David and I. I really really wanted them but I am glad that I resisted the temptation to buy them.

Monday evening Tiffany and I went to dinner at The Mayan with a couple of our best friends, Angela and Kristy. We talked with Kristy and Angela until 3:30 in the morning!! It was so fun to catch up with our friends.

On Father's Day Brooke and Travis blessed their baby Emma. It was so nice to be there and partake of the spirit of their special day.

On Tuesday Brooke and Travis got sealed to Emma. It was such an beautiful experience. I felt the Spirit so strong as I saw Brooke and Travis get sealed to their little girl that they waited so long for. The Sealing Room was so beautiful. It was so neat to be at the Salt Lake Temple with so many of my family. After the sealing we ate dinner at an awesome Chinese Restaurant. Then it was back to the Tuttles for our goodbye talks.

Wednesday, Tiffany and I flew back to Tampa. We had a really good time on our Sisters vacation. Thank you David and Mudu for letting us go!! See pictures from our trip in my next post.

Here we go!

2010-06-17T16:37:00.003-04:00

Salt Lake City here we come!! By "we" I mean My sister, Tiffany, and I. We are going to Salt Lake to attend the sealing of Brooke and Travis to their daughter Emma. We are very excited to see our cousins and aunts and uncles and other family members. We will miss our husbands dearly :) Yep, you heard that right. David and Mudu won't be joining us on our trip. For anyone in Florida feel free to invite David over and hang out with him. I am sure he will be lonely while I am gone. I know David is not looking forward to being alone but I think he will enjoy time to himself and he will be able to watch guy movies and eat Asian food! I will miss my lovely husband but as they say "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" I love you David! Thanks for letting me go to Utah with my sister to visit the cousins :)

Facebook Vacation

2010-06-08T13:31:00.003-04:00

I am writing this post to explain my hiatus from Facebook. I may not ever come back, we will see at the end of my "hiatus". My decision came when I read an article in the Ensign by David Bedner. It is entitled "Things as They Really Are." The article is very good and very blunt and confirmed the feelings I have been having about Facebook and the internet in general. A few months ago I quit all my Facebook games. I found that they were too time consuming and causing conflict in my marriage. I am so glad that I quit them. I feel so free. I don't have any "fake" crops to harvest. I can pay attention to what is real and living in my life.

After reading the article mentioned above, David and I decided to go on a hiatus from Facebook for the Summer. It was a hard decision for me. I love looking at everyone's pictures but as I thought about it I started thinking about all the problems Facebook has caused in the lives of people I quickly stuck to my decision.

Facebook seems like a good idea. A place to connect with your family and friends that don't live near you. A place to share tidbits about your life. I loved it at first. As time has gone on I have become more and more sucked into Facebook and more and more irritated by it.

What you see on Facebook is not real. Looking at my own page it looks as if all David and I do is travel and have fun. We do travel and have fun but we also work really hard. I have learned things about people on Facebook that I would rather not have known. Ignorance is bliss. I don't want to know everyone's dirty secrets or how they feel at every minute of every day. Sometimes after being on Facebook I come away feeling dissatisfied with my life. When I am not on Facebook I feel more satisfied with my life and am less likely to compare myself to others.

Another thing that is irritating about Facebook to me is the fact that I have found out life events on it. I would much rather hear about something on the phone or in person than by a generic post to hundreds of people. My sister found out that one of her relatives was having a baby girl via Facebook. What happened to the person to person communication? If you are engaged or pregnant that is something to tell people face to face or over the phone. Events like that are once in a lifetime and exciting! They are things to tell people not post as your status. I feel sad for the next generation and the social issues this site and others like it will cause them.

I will post a post about my life without Facebook in a couple months. I will let you know if I have decided to delete my account altogether or keep it for the sake of looking at pictures.

Our new look

2010-05-27T22:38:00.005-04:00

On Monday night David and I went shopping for sheets! I can't believe that we have been married long enough to replace our sheets but we have! We first went to Bed, Bath & Beyond. We were looking for bamboo sheets and found out that Bed, Bath & Beyond has quit carrying them. After finding that out we decided to go to TJ Maxx. We went to TJ's and found the perfect sheets. The only thing wrong with them was that they were Navy Blue.

What's wrong with Navy Blue?? Nothing except the fact that our room is decorated with a beautiful red bedspread and Navy just doesn't mesh well with the shade of red our bedspread was. Well we decided that we are sick of red. Our room had been red for 5 years! So we found a new bed set and it is in shades of blue and green. It looks pretty! Very relaxing. I miss my satiny red bed spread set but love the blue one too. Thankfully our guest room is set up so now our pretty red set is on the guest bed. Take a look and see what you think of our new look!

Pictures of our Bahamas Trip

2010-05-22T09:59:00.003-04:00

BAHAMAS!!

2010-05-21T09:06:00.002-04:00

Last week David and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas for his birthday! It was the most relaxing vacation we have ever been on! It was so fun! The Bahamas are beautiful! I wanted to stay there forever! Amazingly David DID NOT get sunburned on our tropical get away! Finally! It was so awesome! I hope we can go back someday. I will post pictures this weekend.

Angel Road Animals

2010-05-12T15:13:00.004-04:00

Every time Heather and I drive to our church building we go down a road called Angel Road. And, every time we go down this road we drive past these animals. Every time we go down this road and see these animals I have always wanted to have my camera in the car so I could take pictures of them. Well, today I decided to go and finally take some pictures of these Angel Road animals. Here they are. There are goats and horses on both sides of the road. Luckily the road is not that far from where we live. Again, here they are.

Alligator Morning

2010-05-12T14:25:00.003-04:00

Heather has been looking at our lakes a lot lately in order to spot an alligator. This morning we were almost late getting Heather to work because she spotted one this morning. This is one picture of many she took this morning. Unfortunately, we were unable to get a picture of its whole body sticking out of the water, but, we did get this snazzy picture of its head popping out of the water. I think it could see us taking pictures of it. Every time we saw its whole body out of the water and run to the spot on our patio to take a picture of it it would sink its body down into the water so that we couldn't get a picture of its whole body. Maybe it was scared? Or, maybe it was just playing? Or, maybe it was just trying to tick us off? Who knows? Oh well... It was an interesting morning to say the least..

Happy Birthday Sean!!

2010-05-10T09:38:00.003-04:00

Sixteen years ago today my brother was born! I can't believe that my baby brother is now 16 years old! I remember the day that Sean was born. It was a Tuesday and we were at home getting ready for dinner. My mom didn't know she was in labor and kept complaining about gas pains. My dad finally convinced Mom to go to the hospital and 30 minutes after they arrived Sean was born. Tiffany and I were so excited! We had our grandparents drive us to LDS Hospital to meet our new little brother! I have had so much fun with my brother! I loved him so much when he was a baby! He was so little and so cute! I loved going shopping for him and buying him toys and designer clothes. Sean was seriously the best dressed little boy ever!

When I was 19 my family moved to Florida. I moved with them but then moved back to Utah six months later to continue going to the University of Utah. I missed Sean so much! He was only 3 years old but I kept in contact with him by sending him letters and talking on the phone to him. I moved back to Florida after 2 years and got to live with my little brother again! When Sean was 6 my mom had to get a job and so my mom and I worked out our schedules so that I would watch Sean while she worked. That summer I took Sean on many outings. We went to Honeymoon Island and to Clearwater Beach. I took him to Busch Gardens and Islands of Adventure. It was a fun summer to spend with my little brother.

A few years later when Sean was 9 I met David. At first Sean loved David but then as time went on Sean didn't like the attention that I gave to David and got jealous. I remember when I first got married Sean told me that he now "liked Tiffany more than me because she was kind of like a mom" I burst out laughing and said well "She should be like a mom because she is one" Sean has since gotten over his jealousy of David and now the two of the are great friends.

I can't believe what an amazing young man Sean is. He has a very strong testimony and is very mature for his age. I am excited that he can finally get his driver's license and start to date. I can't wait to take a ride in his new car and actually be able to see him go the speed limit or beyond in his little sports car!

Happy Birthday Sean!!

I lost my 5%!

2010-05-07T09:52:00.001-04:00

I joined Weight Watchers Online 2 months ago and today I reached my 5% goal! I am so happy to have finally reached this goal! It has been a struggle for me to realize how chubby I have become and to change my eating habits. I have now lost 8.3 pounds. I finally feel like I will be my skinny self again soon. Now I will focus on my next 5%. I still feel chubby but at least I know that my efforts are paying off. Maybe in a couple more months I will reach my next goal! I recently started exercising again. I feel so much better when I exercise. It is nice to live so close to the Suncoast Trail and to have a Gym at our complex. Thanks David for helping me workout and pretending to love my "healthy" food. I am glad that I have lost a little bit of weight because next week I will be in the Bahamas! I can't wait to have 3 days on the ship and one day on the island!! I can't wait to get tan and get natural highlights in my hair! I am going to try and eat healthy on my cruise too. I will let you know how that goes :)

Guess who's speaking Sunday?

2010-05-04T14:46:00.003-04:00

David and I.

I love giving talks in church! I always have and now it is finally our turn. This is the first time in the history of my life that I don't want to speak in church! It's not that I don't want to speak it's just that this Sunday is Mother's Day and Mother's Day is a really hard day for me right now. I want to be a mother and it feels like that day will never come. Sunday morning as we were getting ready for church I told David that next week (Mother's Day) we were going to skip church and go out of town. I was seriously starting to plan where we could go. We finished getting ready and went to church. We got to church a few minutes early and as soon as we walked into the chapel a member of the bishopric approached us and asked us to speak in church next week on Mothers and Faith. Of course we accepted and we will cheerfully give our talks on Sunday.

I find it interesting how the Lord works. Looks like we will be ditching our plans to go to the beach and be at church and speak about mothers and faith which if you ask me those topics go hand in hand. It has been the biggest test of my faith to become a mother. I am smack dab in the middle of this test. I am trying to let my anxiety about when I will become a mother go and just enjoy my life and all the free time and vacations and dates that David and I have gone on and continue to go on. I hope that maybe by Mother's Day 2011 to be on my way to being a mother. Maybe the Lord will bless me for having the courage to speak about mothers on Mother's Day when he knows the heartache I have felt for the past year and a half. That's my hope and my prayer.

5 Languages

2010-04-28T15:01:00.002-04:00

我需要一份工作。
(Wǒ xūyào yī fèn gōngzuò.)

私は仕事が必要です。
(Watashi wa shigoto ga hitsuyō desu.)

J'ai besoin d'un emploi.

Necesito un trabajo.

I need a job.

St. Pete Times

2010-04-28T13:48:00.002-04:00

Hey everybody who reads our blog. I just thought I would let you all know that I was in the St. Pete Times news on Monday the 26th. I was in there because of my being unemployed during these rough economic times. I went to a career fair at USF in Tampa and was interviewed a little while back. The article addressed other recent grads like myself who have been struggling to get a career after graduating from college. Interestingly, another reporter from the St. Pete Times became interested in me and contacted me yesterday about getting an interview with me this morning at a Starbuck's nearby where I live. This morning I met with Michael Kruse, the reporter, and we discussed several things about me concerning my job search. We talked from around 10:30 am to about 11:50 ish am. It was great to tell someone my story. So far, I have been getting some contacts from the writer who did the first article. Hopefully those contacts will bring something good to fruition, like a good job soon. Hopefully something will come of all this involvement with the St. Pete Times staff. I suppose we'll see.

We have a Guest Room!

2010-04-27T15:47:00.002-04:00

Yesterday David and I got some new (used) furniture. One of Charles' employees, Savya was moving and he gave us a bed and a sofa. It was so nice to get a nicer couch and an extra bed. The bed we got was only two years old so we put our old bed into our extra bedroom. I just happened to have an extra comforter set and sheets so we now officially have a guest room! If any of you want to come and stay with us let us know. Our guest room has a private bathroom off of it and the bed is a King size bed.

It is amazing how much better it feels to have a bed in our second bedroom! It feels great to have a newer couch too. Our old couch was so pathetic that the Goodwill refused it when David, Sean and Zach tried to drop it off. Can you believe that! I didn't think it was that bad. I also didn't know that the Goodwill rejected donations.

I am thankful for Savya for giving us the furniture and I am thankful for Zach for letting us use his truck and helping us move the furniture. Thanks to Dad, David and Sean for moving and setting up the furniture last night!

I will post pictures soon.

My Dad's Poem for Me

2010-04-21T16:52:00.002-04:00

While cleaning today I came across a poem my father had written a few years ago and it really touched my heart. I thought I would share what he wrote on mine and Heather's blog. It's called David. I don't remember when exactly he wrote for me but it had to be after 2004 because that was the year Heather and I were married and this is written as though I am already married. So, with that said, here is the poem I found today during my cleaning day.

DAVID

Child beloved oh pleasant one

Trusting, loving and caring son

Beauty of youth beheld by all

Fragile feelings both great and small

Talents protean are given thee

Intense desire to set them free

Fractured feelings from jealousy

Encrypt thy mind voraciously

With flights of fantasy and theories rife

The ups and downs are filled with strife

O blessed Savior from yonder realm

Bestows heavens blessings that overwhelm

As son and brother to father, mother, sister, brother

Finds sight of love for one another

He takes new shape in Family

With spouse and lover for eternity

Oh what has future got in store

For beloved David on distant shore?

No time is better, nor love greater

For those who fill his theater

With love sincere and hope Devine

He is my joy this son of mine.

DAVID

Getting ready for our cruise!

2010-04-19T22:49:00.004-04:00

The time is fast approaching when David and I will be on a Cruise!! I am so excited!! I have only lost 7 pounds of the 20 that I wanted to loose but oh well, it will still be awesome to relax on the cruise ship and soak in the sun. We are going to the Bahamas! I can't wait to go! I have always wanted to go to the Bahamas! Ever since I watched "Cocktail" when I was a little girl and the Beach Boys song Kokomo was popular. So I guess that means that I have wanted to go to the Bahamas since I was 10 years old!! I can't wait to celebrate David's birthday on the Caribbean Sea!!

All I have to say is WHEW HEW!!

It's back!!!

2010-04-11T15:40:00.002-04:00

As many of you know David and I have an alligator in the pond in front of our apartment. It is a little gator. Every time I go anywhere I look for the gator. I think it is so cool to have one live so close to us. I have lived in Florida for 13 years and until this past year I have rarely seen any alligators. When the winter came we didn't see the gator for a few months. I thought he must have moved away and then . . . I saw him yesterday!! I was like "There you are!!" I said this out loud and the gator retreated into the water. I saw him again this morning! I love this alligator!! I love living in Odessa. I love the wildlife that surrounds us.

Spring birds

2010-04-09T19:08:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple pictures of some birds that live behind our condo. They are pretty birds. They are always in pairs or trios. They make the prettiest sound when they sing. A couple weeks ago I looked out side and saw two of the birds with 2 little babies. How cute! I love spring!

Scriptures that I love

2010-04-06T13:18:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to post some good scriptures I've read lately that have helped me. Hopefully whoever reads this will not be offended and will be able to appreciate these scriptures as well. If you continue to read, thanks and God bless you.

The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Psalms 145:9)

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou has known my soul in adversities. (Psalms 31:7)

I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name. (Alma 32:22 (Book of Mormon))

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7)

Some of you are guilty before me, but I will be merciful unto your weakness. (D&C 38:14 (Doctrine and Covenants..LDS scripture))

Have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and cleanse from all unrighteousness. (Alma 7:14 (Book of Mormon))

He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. (2 Nephi 26:24 (Book of Mormon))

For with God nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37)

With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:27)

All things shall work together for your good. (D&C 105:40 (Doctrine and Covenants..LDS scripture))

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to the who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment..know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good. (D&C 121:7; 122:7)

Verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me. (D&C 38:7)

Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. (Alma 26:37 (Book of Mormon))

I want to share my testimony to whoever has read this far down my post. I believe in God. He is our Holy Father in Heaven. I believe in his Holiest Son, Jesus. I believe he was born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. Throughout his life he taught many and healed many. He defended the unrighteous that they would not be stoned by the prideful and self-righteous. He calmed storms and walked on water. He had much lovingkindness. He suffered and bled for us in the Garden of Gethsemane. His back was lashed. His head was pierced with a cruel crown of thorns. His wrists, hands, and feet were nailed to a large wooden crucifix. His side was pierced. He went through all of this pain because of his lovingkindness for all of us who are imperfect. It was the greatest event in all history. They laid his body in a tomb. Today the tomb is empty. I believe it is empty because he has risen from the dead and is alive. He has been with me through everything. And, dressed in white robes and with his shepherd's staff he walks with me and protects me. He is with us all. I am a disciple of Christ and I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I bear you this in the name of the Son, even Jesus the Anointed Christ. Amen.

2010-04-06T12:38:00.002-04:00

WALK WITH ME

“Walk with me,” I heard him say,
“Walk with me awhile today. ”

“Talk with me,” I heard him speak,
“Talk with me of the things you think.”

Share with me the things you feel,
Share with me so you can heal.

Cry with me through your heartbreaks,
Cry with me when your soul aches.

Look with me, a new sunrise!
Look with me through opened eyes.

See with me the world anew,
See with me my point of view.

Laugh with me in pure delight,
Laugh with me it’s all alright!

Sing with me as we stroll along,
Sing with me I love your song.

Learn with me your wondrous story,
Learn with me your prior glory.

Know with me just who you are,
Know with me we’ve traveled far.

Create with me and dreams come true,
Create with me I create through you!

Walk with me on Heaven’s shore,
Walk with me forever more!

Greg Olsen - 2007

R.I.P. Farmville

2010-04-06T10:25:00.001-04:00

Breaking News Alert!! Heather Cox Deleted her Farmville Account.

Yes, you heard it right! I, Heather Cox have officially deleted my Farmville Account. This may come as a surprise to many of you. It certainly was to me. I loved Farmville. I had spent countless hours working on my farm. I had a bunch of houses and cottages and animals and trees. Every night this year before I went to bed I had to "harvest" my crops. Farmville started out as a casual game. David and I started at the exact same time. For a couple of months David was ahead of me. Being the competivie creature that I am, I naturually played Farmville until I reached and then far surpassed David. Once that happened I started to enjoy Farmville even more. I loved earning coins and decorating my farm. However, David resented my "addiction" to Farmville. I didn't care and continued to play.

Sunday morning, I woke up and read a passage from a book. While I was reading it dawned on me what a waste of time my playing Farmville was. I played an hour a night. There is so much more I could do in that hour. I could talk with David, read a book, watch a movie or even read the scriptures. At that moment I decided to delete my Farmville account. I knew I had to delete it immediately or I would rationalize my way out of doing so. I left my bedroom and turned on the computer and deleted my Farmville account.

I then came in the bedroom and told David what I had done. He was so happy! "You really do love me!" David exclaimed. I felt so happy that I had done something so small to make my husband feel so happy. I am happy to have my extra hour back in my day.

I do miss my farm and playing Farmville but I know that I made the right choice and that makes me happy.

Purple Flowers

2010-03-31T22:51:00.001-04:00

Today I decided to post a couple pictures David took of the flowers he bought me for Valentine's day. I LOVE the bottom picture of the purple rose. I want to paint it! It looks like the perfect picture to paint. When I was in Art school I use to look for pretty pictures of flowers or tropical plants for inspiration. I loved painting something and adding passion to the painting. The picture of the Purple rose looks like something I could really have fun with!! If only I had the time to actually paint! One day I will be able to use my talents again. Anyways, enough rambling for one post! Enjoy the photos!

The Beach

2010-03-24T19:24:00.004-04:00

We finally went to the beach! I know that we live very close to the beaches but somehow we don't get to the beach as often as we want. Somehow life gets in the way and with the cold winter that we had this year it has been too cold to go to the beach. It has finally started to warm up! I think Spring is finally here! David's cousin Daniel and his wife Valerie came to Tampa for Spring Break and we decided to go to the beach with them. We went to North Fort Desoto Beach. All these years I have heard people say that Fort Desoto is known for its beaches and when I have gone in the past I have to say I haven't been that impressed by what I have seen. So when Valerie wanted to go to Fort Desoto we went but I wasn't expecting it to be that pretty. To my amazement it was beautiful!! We finally found the pretty part of Fort Desoto! We will definitely be coming back. Check out the pictures above!

Wonderland

2010-03-13T12:07:00.001-05:00

Euphoric wonderland, I cannot leave

Intoxicating fumes like a thick fog

Intensifying sensations

Pebbles and dirt like diamonds and glitter

Purple lilies and glowing lotuses

Weeping willows shedding green tears of joy

Shooting ruby red stars in the neon blue sky

Rainbows jumping out of waterfalls’ mists

People floating around in golden flaked robes

With white eyes and glossy lips

I look up and see a halo over my head

I can’t get this grin off my face and I don’t care

Euphoria inside my brain and in every nerve cell

Where is this wonderland? I’ll never tell…

Our Grand Am

2010-03-11T23:19:00.002-05:00

Today was a wonderful day! Today I paid off our Grand Am!! It felt so good to pay off our car! We now solely own our car!! I love my car! It is sporty and nice! I am so glad that it is now mine! David and I are so blessed to have two cars and have them both paid for!

The Moller M200G Flying Car

2010-03-11T08:37:00.005-05:00

Ever since I was a little kid and saw Back to the Future 2 I have always wanted a flying car. I also became intrigued by them when I saw them in Star Wars and when I saw pictures of supposed UFOs. Turns out, people other than me were fascinated with this concept too and so they took the hover craft to the next level. These are pictures of the Moller M200X and M200G. They can glide above any surface as high as 10 feet. I hope some day I might get to ride in something like these. I find these hover crafts/flying cars insanely awesome and inspiring. Perhaps we will all be driving/flying these in the not so distant future. I can only hope so. They look so cool to me. I can't believe it when I look at these pictures. It makes me wonder if they were photo shopped, but, they weren't. They are real flying cars. I think maybe more people should invest in Moller. The guy who makes these must be pretty smart.

Places to Go Other Than Disney World in Florida

2010-03-10T17:13:00.002-05:00

Morikami Japanese Garden and Museum; Delray Beach, FL
Clearwater Beach; Clearwater, FL
Bok Tower; Mt. Dora, FL
St. John's Pass; Madiera Beach, FL
South Beach; Miami, FL
Universal Studios; Orlando, FL
MGM Studios; Orlando, FL
Skate Park of Tampa; Tampa, FL
Salvador Dali Art Museum; St. Petersburg, FL
St. Pete Beach; St. Petersburg, FL
Sanibel Island, FL
Captiva Island, FL
Key Largo, FL
Hard Rock Cafe; Key West, FL
Hard Rock Cafe; Orlando, FL
Hard Rock Seminole Casino; Tampa, FL
Bern's Steakhouse; Tampa, FL
Wire Grass Mall; Wesley Chapel, FL
Citrus Park Mall; Tampa, FL
International Plaza Mall; Tampa, FL
Westshore Mall; Tampa, FL
AMC Veterans Movie Theater; Tampa, FL

Coolness

2010-03-10T09:26:00.004-05:00

I think the scientists and engineers and whoever else is at Area 51 must be getting their ideas from reverse engineering Alien Technology. I mean come on. Look at this Stealth Bomber plane. Looks a little alien like if you ask me. Down on earth whenever you look up you can't even see the plane. It has such advanced technology built into it that it can be rendered completely invisible. It has a special coating on the outside of the plane that if it wants to it can copy whatever image is above it on the bottom of the plane and whatever is below it appears on top of the plane. It goes so fast I don't even know how fast it goes. But seriously, this plane is at the top of coolness in my opinion. I wonder if this plane was created in Area 51? For real!

Reflecting on the Basic Principles

2010-03-08T11:33:00.002-05:00

Often times I get boggled by thinking about deep doctrine questions and my testimony and faith begin to waver. Recently though, I have been trying to just focus on the basic principles that my church teaches. Those basic principles are truth, integrity, self-discipline, and love. Thinking about just these basic principles has helped me a lot. Contemplating the truth that light is important in many ways has helped me see things in new and different perspectives. Practicing integrity has helped me feel better about my self. Self-discipline has helped me learn new things, keep me healthy, and helped me remain calm, patient, and focused when times have gotten hectic or rough. Loving has helped me with so many things. Loving my self has helped me overcome some but not all of my confidence problems. Loving my parents has kept me alive many years. Loving my wife has helped me in so many ways. She has taught me charity, forgiveness, faith, and hope. I am so grateful for her and her love and what she has been teaching me all the years we've been together. I love you Heather.

Reflecting on Good Times

2010-03-03T12:21:00.002-05:00

Things that have made me feel good or confident were times when I was in Japan and people commented on how good my Japanese was. That made me feel good. It has also made me feel good when people recognize my Chinese character writing ability and said I was good at writing Chinese characters. I also like it when people recognize my Spanish speaking ability. I'll start speaking Spanish out of nowhere and people will be like, "I didn't think you spoke Spanish." I like getting complements on my language abilities, basically. I love going to Japanese gardens. I love going to any garden that is well planned out, period. I love going to the beach to watch the waves move back and forth on the seashore. It's so relaxing to hear the ocean and see it moving. I was so happy the day I got married and especially right after the reception. I loved my honeymoon. I love hugging and loving my wife. I love making people smile and laugh. I love holding my wife's hand. I love the smell of a clean home and clean laundry. I love the smell of rain and the smell of a beach. I love seeing a rainbow or a waterfall. I love hearing a stream pass over its rocks. I love going on cruises. I love it when I get money too.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-16T09:39:00.005-05:00

David and I had the best Valentine's Weekend this year!

We celebrated all weekend. We started out by going to our Branch Valentine's Dance. It was fun to dress up and go somewhere and dance with my husband! On Saturday we babysat Tiffany's kids while she was at work. We had a Valentine's Party with Kelera and Maikeli. On Sunday evening David took me to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse where we enjoyed a really good dinner. Monday was the day we really celebrated! I had the day off work for President's Day and booked us a couple's massage.

We got to the massage place and they took us to a beautiful room with rose petals on the floor and pretty pictures on the wall, music playing and candles burning. Then for one hour they gave each of us a full body massage. It was so relaxing! It was the perfect Valentine gift. After our massages we went and ate lunch at Catina Laredo at Wire Grass Mall. It was the best Mexican food I have ever had!! We then went to Barnes N' Nobles and bought Godiva chocolate! After that we went and saw the movie "Valentine's Day" and then we had Cold Stone for dessert.

We had an amazing weekend!! It was so nice to just pamper and enjoy ourselves for a couple days.

I hope all you also had a good Valentine's Day.

Gasparilla 2010

2010-01-30T21:54:00.005-05:00

David keep our ponchos safe

A pretty South Tampa house with a pirate flag!

The Davis Island bridge! I love the water!

Latoya

Latoya and I!

People holding up a sign of the Ten Commandments. David and I burst out laughing when we saw this sign because we were talking about them last night with my family and none of us could recite all ten of them. We had to look them up in the Book of Mormon. Who knew we would learn about them at Gasparilla! LOL

A police tank!

David and I

Me handsome pirate!

Today, David, LaToya and I went to Gasparilla! We had a really great time! We walked down Bayshore for 2 hours. LaToya and I got pirate hats! David got a shirt. Gasparilla was crowded and wet and fun! We saw a lot of interesting people. We saw a bunch of church groups protesting and warning people not to mock God. We were laughing at the protesters because somehow it seemed ridiculous that they were preaching to people at a festival for pirates. The rain wasn't bad until about 1:30 and then it started coming down, so we hiked back to the car and headed over to Tijuana Flats to chow down! Below are a few pictures from our Gasparilla Adventure! Amazingly, David is the only one who got beads. David also had people high five him and one chick even smacked him on the butt. I was right there. Can you believe that! Then when we were almost to our car we saw a guy peeing in the middle of someone's lawn. He wasn't even hiding or anything. That's all for Gasparilla 2010!

New Year New Focus

2010-01-29T10:07:00.002-05:00

It's a new year and a new decade! It's the time of year to make resolutions and to begin a new life. Last year was an exciting but stressful year for us. David graduated from college!! That was awesome! We moved to a bigger and nicer condo! We had a nice vacation up North. The biggest stress of last year was David trying to find a job (which he still hasn't found and is diligently looking for), dealing with infertility and gaining weight.

Needless to say we are ready for 2010! So far it has been a great year! I have finally begin to loose weight again! I got a raise at work and our car will be paid off in TWO months!! Then I can take that money and pay off the other bills that we have!! I am praying that David will find a good job and finally be able to use his talents to take care of us. There has got to be a something out there for him. Hopefully he will find his niche soon.

I have decided that this year I am not going to try to get pregnant or focus on it and I am not going to go to a single infertility doctor! I am taking a year off. I have decided to loose weight and enjoy the now. Last night David and I booked a cruise to the Bahamas! We will be going in May! I am now focusing on that vacation and getting ready for it!! I want to look good in the pictures!! Wish me luck! I know I can do it!

The Holidays!

2010-01-05T10:23:00.000-05:00

Another Christmas has come and gone. I will have to say that for the first time ever I am glad!! This year was the absolute hardest Christmas I have ever had. It seems that everyone around me is pregnant or has just had a baby. Every single adult female on both sides of my family either has a baby or is pregnant. I am happy for all of you! I am especially happy for my cousins who finally have their baby girls after years of trying. I love my neices and nephews and am glad to have them in my life. This year the void of being married for 5 1/2 years with no baby in sight was a bit to much for me to bear.

Let's face it the Holidays are all about family. I love my family but I feel so alone. I want to be a mother and I feel like that it is taking an awful long time to come to pass. I love my husband and know he feels the same way. It was really hard because I wrapped all the presents for my nieces and nephews. It seemed to just make me more upset because I didn't have a baby of my own to wrap presents for.

Christmas wasn't all bad. I did get an amazingly cute Coach purse!! It is awesome! And David bought me a Bare Minerals Holiday Makeup collection! So I got good presents. I thankful to my family for being understanding this season.

This year if I am still not pregnant by Christmas then David and I have decided that we will be either going on a cruise or going somewhere tropical!!

Our Christmas Tree

2009-12-13T18:28:00.003-05:00

David and I put up our Christmas tree 2 weeks ago. This year I wanted a traditional theme. I decorated my tree with little nutcrackers and various ornaments as well as red bows and snowflakes. It is really funny because our tree fit so perfect in our old apartment but it looks so tiny in our new one! We were laughing about how small it looks, but we still love it!

Thanksgiving with The Borgos!

2009-11-29T20:39:00.003-05:00

The Dickens Village

Mick, Jahae, Me and David

David's Parents

Susan and Ed Borgo

David and I had a really nice Thanksgiving this year. We went up to Suwanee, GA to have Thanksgiving with Sue and Ed Borgo. David's parents came with us. David, his mom and dad and I drove up to Suwanee(which is just outside of Atlanta) on Wednesday. We had a nice drive. We arrived at the Borgos' house and I met them for the first time. Ed and Sue were so nice! They had a warm meal waiting for us and a birthday cake and presents for Charles since it was his birthday that day. We talked and ate and then they showed us to our rooms. It was really cool because Ed put up their Dickens Christmas Village for Bonnie! I have included a picture of the village! Sue and Ed have an amazingly beautiful house! It was so fun to share Thanksgiving with them. I feel very blessed that they invited us into their home. I know that all four of us had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It was so fun to stay in a nice house with beautiful views of the hills and to have cold weather for Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the Borgos for making our Thanksgiving so nice. While we were up in Suwanee, Jahae and Mick came up from Atlanta and had dinner with David and I. We had a great time visiting with them! I am thankful that we could see Jahae and Mick! I am thankful for Bonnie and Charles and David. I am thankful for my mom and dad too. This year I am so very thankful for all of my family! I love you all! I love my condo and my job and I am thankful that David' is done with school. I know that somehow someday soon David will have a job! I am thankful for all of the opportunities I have had to travel this month and all the people I have gotten to know better on my way.