The Big Reveal!!

I had a lot of surprises up my sleeve today for TJ's birthday!

The first one involved obtaining an iPad 3 for him. I knew how badly he wanted this little gadget, so I had to be sneaky and ask one of his best friends, Heath, to buy it for me and then cash the check I paid him back with after April 16th. He was nice enough to go out of his way to do that to help me surprise Teeje - and he even threw in a Smart Cover as a bonus gift! Why did I have to go this route, you may ask? Because TJ is very on top of our finances and monthly expenses (he uses mint.com to track our transactions) - I knew he'd be too suspicious if he saw a big withdrawal from Apple. My sneakiness paid off. TJ was completely surprised when he got his iPad! 

My second surprise was the one I had been most excited for. I moved the date of our second trimester ultrasound from April 27th to today! TJ thought it was at the end of this month because that's what I'd been telling him for the last few weeks. Little did he know, the doctor gave me the go-ahead to have it anywhere between weeks 18 and 22. I told TJ last night to get ready early this morning because we were going to a secret location. The suspense nearly drove him crazy! It was so much fun for me to watch him squirm and keep asking, "Where are we going?!?!" :) I refused to tell him anything as we drove along to the clinic, so he just kept guessing based on the businesses he saw along the road. "Are we going to play laser tag? Are we going to breakfast? Are we going on a hike? Are we going bowling? Are we going to a vending machine at the U of U?" Even when we pulled right into the parking lot and saw the big sign that said "Millcreek Imaging Center", TJ said, "I'm still confused. Are we getting a family photo?" Haha! Oh, Teeje. When I finally told him we were going to find out the gender of our baby, he was thrilled and completely surprised. 

So, what will we be having?

Meet Baby Boy Nicholes!! 

Coming September 2012. :) We couldn't be happier. Isn't this a cool image? They used a 3D ultrasound to capture our little baby's face, arms, and legs. He's just so precious. I can't wait to hold him for the first time. Everything looks healthy and perfect - he's even measuring a few days ahead of schedule! It's incredible what happens to the love you feel when you see that little baby moving around during the screening. I think mine and TJ's hearts tripled in size. Oh, and he is such a wiggly little guy! He was bouncing all over the place. Just when the nice ultrasound technician tried to take a picture, he'd wiggle out of the way. Looks like someone inherited my camera-shyness... :)

Speaking of which, let me just get this out of the way and post some bump pictures (exposure therapy!). I look huge because I usually take these pictures at night - after I've eaten dinner. Since my stomach has nowhere to go but out when I eat, I look bigger than I really am right now. I've decided to just embrace it. Oh, and I'm usually either in my pajamas or workout clothes. Super attractive, right? :)

16 weeks

18 weeks

In addition to the surprises for TJ's birthday, I made him his favorite dinner - beef tenderloin steak with cilantro lime butter, creamy mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus. He was very sweet and said it was better than a restaurant (but I doubt it). 

Oh, and here are some fun pictures of me and TJ grabbing a late night Kong cone from Macey's. I'd never had one, and TJ insisted on taking me there after work one day. They are enormous!! But delicious. Notice how we're showing off our Synergy pride by wearing our jackets. :) 

It doesn't matter what TJ and I do, he always makes it a fun adventure. And speaking of adventures...

We will be vacationing in Kauai this summer for a whole week! By that point, people will probably be mistaking me for a beached whale in my swimsuit, but I don't care. I can't wait for a tropical escape!! It seems like we're making Hawaii a yearly summer tradition in our family. Oh, and did I mention we're going for free? :) More on that fun trick later!

Wish us luck with this little boy! We just couldn't be happier or more excited for this little guy to join our happy family. What an incredible blessing. 

Slideshow for TJ's Birthday

I made this slideshow for TJ's birthday by gathering lots of pictures from friends and family. It's long and a little cheesy at the end, but check it out if you're interested. :) 

Planetarium Date

Well, little baby Nicholes is making great strides as I almost wrap up the first trimester. And I'm excited for it to be over... not that I don't love being pregnant, but the nausea and exhaustion are less than fun sometimes. We go in for our second ultrasound tomorrow and I can't wait! Hearing and seeing the heartbeat makes it all the more real. That, and the baby should look more like a baby rather than just a little lump.

As far as cravings go, I haven't really had anything out of the ordinary. The nausea has been really annoying. I'll think that I want to eat something, prepare it, take one bite, and then decide that's not what I want after all. Kind of frustrating! Still, I've not thrown up, so that's very lucky. I am excited for when my appetite will finally return.

This weekend, TJ took me on a surprise date to the Planetarium! We're nerdy like that. :) We had fun wandering around the exhibits and learning more about the universe. They had these fun stages in one exhibit where you could feel what it was like to walk on the moon or Mars. TJ couldn't resist jumping in and posing for me. He then took a couple pictures of me, but I looked at them later and decided the world didn't need them - delete! Teeje got really mad at me for doing that. He hates my camera shyness. Hopefully, I'll get over it soon enough so I can take some baby bump pictures.

TJ playing "golf" with the astronauts.

No words for this one. Haha! He must be looking at an alien.

We were lucky enough to have dinner with MiLinh and her fiance Tyler last night. She made the most delectable meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn! So delicious. I wish I had taken a picture!! Just know that it looked something like this:

So yummy!! Thanks MiLinh for an amazing meal. She's also in pharmacy school and pretty much one of the smartest people on earth. We can't all be so lucky :) Tyler and MiLinh are an awesome match. Can't wait for their wedding!

Anniversary #2, Valentine's Day, & A Special Announcement...

Hi friends!

TJ and I have had the most wonderful few months since my last post. Thanksgiving in Bear Lake, Christmas in Seattle, our second wedding anniversary, and a lovely Valentine's day. We can't stop smiling about how great it is to be back in Utah. Sometimes we think back to how stressful our lives were in Oakland and count our many blessings that we are in Salt Lake City.

Christmas in Seattle was fantastic. TJ and I were spoiled by his cute parents and had a blast catching up with everyone. We didn't realize how much we missed Jamie, Brandon, Easton, Mandy, and Mom and Dad Nicholes. Mandy got engaged to her dream-man, Chad, who also spent the holiday with the Nicholes/Smith clan! He'll love being a part of this family, that's for sure. TJ and I also got to meet baby Bennett for the first time! What a little sweetheart. He is such a mild baby that he gave me more confidence in myself - not all babies cry when I hold them! ;) I have the cutest nephews on earth! Here is a cute pic of them with their grandma and grandpa (I hope Jamie is ok with me using these pictures!).


And here is TJ practicing being a daddy :)

For New Year's Eve, TJ and I drove up to Mountain Green to be with his grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins. When we go to the Smedley's, we play board games, board games, board games! It was so fun. I was a little sad that after 7 hours of playing I hadn't won a single game... but hey, I'm playing with pros over here! I put my competitive side to rest and just enjoyed being with family. :)

On Valentine's day, TJ surprised me at home with roses, chocolates, and sparkling peach cider. I'm one lucky girl! He took time out of his VERY busy work day to do this for me. I was already spoiled over the weekend and this put it over the top.



Speaking of the weekend, TJ and I celebrated our anniversary at The Roof for dinner and then Anniversary Inn for a little retreat. It was so fun! I can't believe two years have already flown by with my cutie. I still remember the first time we met like it was yesterday. Here's one of my favorite pictures of us on our wedding day.


Two years later, I think we're even happier.
Why, you may ask? Well, TJ and I are expecting our first little baby in September! We can hardly wait to meet him/her. TJ is so excited to be a dad! I am excited but anxious... will I be a good mom or will I screw up my poor kids?? All I know is I'm steadily accumulating an entire library on pregnancy, babies, parenting, etc. Hopefully I'll be ready when the time comes (although I hear you are NEVER really "ready" to be a mom!)

Wish us luck on this next phase of life! We'll need it! :)

Halloween Festivities

I just love Fall. The crisp weather, colorful leaves, apple cider, pumpkin bars... it's just magical! I missed seeing the four seasons in Oakland, so it's fun to be back in a city that has them all (yes, even winter). TJ and I celebrated Halloween a little early by carving pumpkins and watching scary movies/shows. I decorated our apartment with spider webs, pumpkins, and candy-filled treat bowls. I didn't even care that he and I were the only ones to really enjoy it! I need to start practicing so our future kids can have memories of their mom decorating the house for the holidays. :)

Here are our pumpkins. TJ's is an angry bird and mine is the headless horseman thing from the Ichabod Crane story.

We're so talented, huh? Mine looks pretty creepy, I must say...

We also watched an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark. Do you remember that show? Classic. I can't belive it used to scare me so much. Ok, well, it IS pretty frightening for a 12 year old. After that, we (very unwisely) watched The Shining (don't worry - a clean version). Why why why why why why did I do this? TJ was pretty unphased. I, on the other hand, proceeded to have nightmares showcasing the following:

Such a creepy movie. More psychologically frightening than anything else. Don't watch it if you scare easily like me.

I've also been baking and cooking up a storm - anything and everything pumpkin! Especially pumpkin gooey butter cakes. These are, without a doubt, the most sinfully delicious pumpkin treats ever concocted. You can find the recipe here.

Hooray for Fall!

Hawaii!

TJ and I used our AAdvantage Points to cash in on a (practically) free trip to Hawaii! Thanks to Brandon and Jamie's tutelage, we learned how to also get a free room upgrade at our hotel. Hello, double deluxe ocean view room! Seven days of pure paradise.


We had such a wonderfully relaxing vacation. We weren't idle though - we completely explored the island. We hiked a TON, explored all the beaches, and had shave ice every single day. :) Can I go back?

Here are some pics. I wish I could live in Hawaii.

Pali Lookout - Super windy!

He's so cute. :)

North Shore at sunset. As we drove back to the hotel, we freaked ourselves out by reading about shark attacks. Not a good idea...

We're silly.

TJ's sandcastle - modeled after "Helm's Deep"

My sandcastle. I win. :)

So long, O-town! (and I'm not talking about the cheesy boy band)

Where am I, you may wonder? Read on to find out....

Hello friends! Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged. Probably because TJ and I have been busier than ever with work, apartment managing, and school. Wonderful things have happened to us recently, though! TJ received a job offer from American Express...in Salt Lake City! I was so happy when I heard about it from him and immediately knew we were supposed to take it. Things like this don't just happen by accident! I would no longer have to fly back and forth to Utah for school! I could do my internship somewhere I didn't feel scared for my life! :) After planning and packing for about a month, we hauled ourselves over the Sierra Nevadas and over into good ol' Utah. It feels great to be back. I know, I know... a lot of people wonder why we would be excited to come back to Utah when so many are desperate to flee it. TJ and I compiled a list of reasons for these people....

1. No traffic

2. No graffiti

3. No $4 gas

4. Happy Meals

5. Lower taxes

6. Inexpensive housing

7. Non-corrupt governators

8. Hires Big H

9. Fewer hobos (this may sound cruel... but you'd agree with me if you, like me, had seen a homeless man literally pooping on the sidewalk in broad daylight and/or were harassed by the same sky-high bum every day on the way to work. Ok, I'm heartless.)

10. Fewer dropout factories

There are more, I suppose. And I do love parts of California, don't get me wrong! TJ and I agree that if we had lots of money, we'd like it better (Palo Alto and Walnut Creek are super nice). And yes, we lived in not exactly the best city to live in.... I'll admit it. But still, while we traveled near and far and had a lot of fun memories, we just think Utah is better. So sue us.

The hardest part about leaving California was saying goodbye to all the friends we've made. From my Synergy Besties (Rachel and Kim, you know who you are!), to the absolutely amazing saints in the Oakland 9th ward, we love you all and are better people for having known you. As for Jamie, Brandon, and little E, we will miss you like crazy!

Wish us luck on the next chapter in our lives! Let's hope it brings fewer 16-hour days and more time for fun!

This makes me smile!

TJ's in North Carolina for a while on business...and I really miss him when he's gone. I stumbled across this photo tonight and just had to post it. Happiest day of my life. :) Hurry home, Teeje!

Hi, Friend(s)

I put the "s" in parentheses because I can only assume more than one person reads this blog :)

Someone's been a huge slacker in the blog department lately... namely, yours truly. However, I feel justified in my slacking because I believe I can safely say that TJ and I have never been busier or more stressed in our lives. My poor husband has had exactly 8 hours of sleep in the last four days. I'm so proud of him and his work ethic... but also worried he's going to drop dead soon. :( He's been so swamped at work lately. Poor TJ! I hope this stupid audit ends soon.

I'm not much less busy myself these days. I am currently flying to Utah once a week to finish up my masters degree this semester. Everyone always says the same thing: "Wow, that is expensive!" However, math is on my side, believe it or not! California tuition has skyrocketed in the last few years (even for residents), and even if I did transfer, they would only accept 6 or 12 of my 30-something credits. So, I'd end up being in school for another couple years, taking courses I've already taken, and paying out-of-state tuition (which roughly equals the GDP of a small country). So! Now you can see how my "crazy" plan isn't so crazy after all :)

On top of that, I still have my old job, volunteer at an inner-city school in Oakland (ever seen the movie "Lean on Me" with Morgan Freeman? It's like that - minus Morgan Freeman), and TJ and I apartment manage to get free rent. Somewhere in between, I fit in homework and manage to not fail (yet!). Sometimes, I wonder if we've officially bitten off more than we can chew... but it's amazing what one can do when in survival mode. I know we'll thank ourselves later. :)

So, my friend(s), wish us luck during this next phase of our lives. We will need it. It will be nice to take a little break tomorrow to see our good friends Kevin and Kyla tie the knot!! I think it will remind us what matters most - our marriage. :)

Highlights and Lowlights of 2010

This post was inspired by TJ. For Christmas, he spoiled me with presents (including a spa package and a box of my favorite chocolates), but I have to say my favorite gift was his note to me. TJ writes the most wonderfully funny and heartfelt notes I've ever read. He has a true gift! Since he is so considerably talented with words, I will include excerpts from his note in this post.

Lowlights:

1. Car Broken Into. In TJ's words, "Ash, you're the one who always leaves your GPS sitting out in the open for the whole world to see, and MY car is the one that gets broken into, ironic. Who would have thought!? Maybe the guy who did it had a pregnant wife who needed him at the hospital immediately and he didn't know how to get there so he had to bust my window and steal my GPS. We really don't know the situation. Jokes on him though -- it was a Magellan. I just wish he would have also taken the Book of Mormon sitting in the backseat. If he/she/it was feeling guilty for what he did to me, he could have read about how Nephi stole the brass plates from Laban :)"
2. Oakland "Pet Store". Again, as TJ said, "I know you love dogs. I CAN'T tell you how excited I was to surprise you and take you to the one and only place in Oakland that sells dogs. Now, I've been to pet stores before....that was not a pet store. That place was like a maximum security prison for canines. I had a bad feeling (in my nose) the second we walked in. Wow. Sorry, Ash, Teeje really blew that one. I owe you a new pet store trip." Haha - it really was an interesting pet store.... Only in Oakland. I still loved the surprise though.
3. Chris Kimball Book Signing. Me: "Mr. Kimball, I'm your biggest fan!"
Chris Kimball: [sarcastically and without smiling] "...greeeeat."
Enough said. He really is one of my heroes. We went all the way out there and waited in line for that? :(

Highlights
1. Getting Married. Obviously. :)
2. SF Half Marathon. Have I swapped running for the eliptical since? Yes. Do I regret racing? No way. What a great race. TJ was so proud. :)
3. TJ's Excellent Work Reviews. TJ has really shone at work this past year. I know he had a hard time at first and the firm still works him to death, but TJ has risen to the challenge time and again and has exceeded all expectations. He gets great ratings on his audits and works so hard to ensure that he does a good job. I'm so pleased with him!! What I love most is how humble he is about any and all compliments. If you were to ask him about his job and how he is at it, he'd say, "Nahhhh, I suck. Seriously. I'm the smelly kid in class."

We had such a great year last year. I'm so glad that we have and will continue to grow together as a couple. I'm so glad we got to spend a relaxing Christmas with my family in Utah - and see the TJ's family on New Year's Eve.

Bring it on, 2011!

The Best Part of Halloween

I love Halloween and carving pumpkins! I always thought I was pretty good at it until I met a young man named TJ. He made it look like my pumpkin had been hacked at by a toddler. Oh well! We still had so much fun. We drank hot cocoa and watched Simpsons Treehouse of Horror clips all night. Here are our pictures! TJ's pumpkin says "hungy" below it, with the ghoul pointing towards its mouth :) Mine is the owl below that.
I just love the holiday season! The chill in the air and the turning leaves make me feel like curling up next to a cozy fire to drink hot chocolate while reading a great book. I almost bought a huge bag of Halloween candy for our trick-or-treaters....only I couldn't justify it because I am almost certain we will have no one come. The entrance to our home is very tricky to find, even for us :) Oh, well! It doesn't stop me from making all kinds of yummy Halloween treats. Next post will include said treats along with their corresponding recipes.

I'd also like to give a quick shout-out to my sweet husband TJ for working so diligently. He's been pulling a lot of late nights and early mornings these days for his job. Poor guy :( He doesn't even complain. Such a trooper. I'm really lucky to be married to such a hard worker!

Campout!

A few weeks ago, TJ and I went on a really fun campout with Jamie and Brandon, his sister and her husband (along with little Easton, my nephew). We had a blast! If there is anyone who knows how to prepare for an amazing time, it's Jamie. She packed all kinds of treats for us to snack on around the campfire. I loved watching TJ try to start a fire - only he would develop an elaborately designed system of layered twigs and toilet paper to get the flames going. It worked, though! I loved sitting around and sharing stories with everyone. What a blast! Thanks Jamie for a great time! This is the area where we camped. I'd include pictures of us if I had any (my photo-phobia is rearing its ugly head...)

Happenings...

I've gotten lazy about the blog - bottom line. For those of you who may be interested, however, here is what we have been up to lately.

1. We got a Vitamix! It's a pretty glorious machine, I must admit. TJ wanted to make smoothies that were "Jamba" caliber. I think we're almost there! As long as we don't include the dirty-sock-smelling Greek yogurt purchased at Costco. I got it when they didn't have the Activia yogurt we usually get. Since I discovered that it tastes like armpits on its own, I thought I would try to sneak it into his smoothies - allowing the other flavors to mask it. No dice. He could tell. :( TJ's not a waster.... so I guess I'll be choking this stuff down for the next few weeks. Gah.
2. We have raccoons that set off our motion lights on the porch. TJ's new home-improvement project: do it yourself raccoon traps. I guess we'll see what happens there.. :)
3. Jack London Square - we went for their International Food Festival. It was fun! We got Sisig (Filipino) tacos, chocolate gobs, Mexican grilled corn, and Falafel. Then all the different ethnicities in our stomachs waged war on each other...ouchie.
4. Saw Inception. Amazing!
5. I finished the Hunger Games trilogy. Super lame towards the end. Sorry for those of you that liked it :)
6. Met up with old friends - Heath, Kelsie, and Ricky. Good times! Sorry about the Mariners, Heath :( they lost to the A's over labor day weekend.
7. I'm PREGNANT! ............. ok, not really. Just wanted something to sound exciting in this list!

Winchester Mystery House

This place was creepy! Check it out at www.winchestermysteryhouse.com. Doors to nowhere, stairs to nowhere, ghosts (allegedly).... We had a great time touring the house. I had to delete my original post because it was messing up my blog - if only I could rewrite HTML code :)

Anyway, here are our pics again. I thought Sepia was appropriate :)

Ashley: 1, San Francisco Half Marathon: 0

Today was the day of the San Francisco Marathon. I never thought I'd say this after 13.1 miles, but I had a blast! Our day started off less than spectacular, though. Permit me to explain.

I set my alarm for 4:30 am, just so I could get up, get ready, make sure I knew my Bart stop, etc. Well, I wake up on my own after seeing some sunlight slip in between our shades. My alarm hadn't gone off! I woke TJ up in a panic, telling him it was 5:50 and we had to go in five min. He rushes around, grabbing an apple and a yogurt for me to eat while I pull my hair back and get my running outfit on. We make it to the Bart station with plenty of time to spare, thank goodness! However, I run to the door of the station...and it's locked. Someone tells me that the Bart doesn't open until 8:00 on Sundays! I turn to see if TJ's left yet, and sure enough, I saw his little Chevy six blocks down. I started to panic. Weighing my options, I realize that, since I chose to leave my phone behind (having nowhere to put it), I have no choice but to run the mile and a half home. I start going, trying to pace myself so I don't blow all my energy before the race, and was halfway home when I saw TJ's car going back to find me! I wave my arms to stop him, but he passed right by. Poor TJ - he was so worried when he realized the Bart station wasn't open until eight. I ran the rest of the way home, waiting by the house for TJ, praying he'd come back to find me. About five min later, he pulled up and started apologizing profusely. He took me all the way to Golden Gate Park, not trusting the shuttles that were supposed to get me there. He said he wouldn't be satisfied until he saw me at the starting line. Haha - oh Teeje!
I had plenty of time to relax and warm up before the race. TJ needed to go home and pack, since his flight back to Cleveland was at 2:00 pm. My goal for the race was to just have fun and start slow. I really wanted to have negative splits, since my first marathon experience was horrendous - I ran nine min miles for the first five and petered out at mile eight - with 18 miles to go. So dumb. This go-around, I wanted to do it right. The weather was perfect and the course gorgeous. I started off slow, watching people pass me and thinking "I'll see you at mile 8..."

I felt so great the whole way! I picked up my pace at about mile eight, as I had thought I would, and did indeed see people who had passed me earlier - tatoo guy, dreadlocks guy, etc. I only really started to "feel it" at mile eleven. I still gave it everything I had. Turns out my last two miles were my fastest. I accomplished my goal of running negative splits! My time was 2:12, which is a ten min mile the whole way. Considering I thought I'd finish in 2:30, I was very pleased. What was even better (although the free Jamba Juice at the end was awesome) was celebrating with TJ. He was so proud of me. :) I really feel that I gave it all I had. I could barely walk afterward, but in an odd way, it's a really satisfying feeling.

Here are a few pictures of us at the expo! This was on Saturday. The expo is where all the runners get their bibs and fill their goody bags with all kinds of free treats. It was really fun. TJ's wearing a Giant's headband in one of our pictures ;) After the expo, we got fish tacos at a place called Gott's. It was great! What a fun weekend. :)