Here's the latest.

We just got back last night from a quick weekend trip to....

Rexburg, Idaho.

You're thinking, Alyssa, that's super lame but guess what? It was just what we wanted after a hectic week. We had a Marriott discount and didn't want to travel more than 4 hours. That left three choices: Logan, UT, Vernal, UT or Rexburg, ID. Considering our goal was to "get out of Utah more often", Rexburg won.

We forgot our camera. Mike's phone takes great pictures but died within the first 3 hours of the trip and mine is ghetto... so we are pictureless. We ate at Maddox on our way up to Idaho, got delicious snow cones, found ourselves lost in Idaho due to my overconfidence and need for no directions, spent some time in the Rexburg temple, visited some friends and family, loved the hotel's king size bed with plush bedding, saw my first college apartment and such.

The only picture we have from the weekend. Taken about 5 minutes before the phone died. 

Snow cones have been my first pregnancy "demand".

We've resolved to leave SLC/Bountiful for the weekend as many times as possible over the next few months, before baby comes in late Fall. I'm less worried right now about getting this ready for this baby and more concerned with getting in lots of quality time, just the two of us. We'll get more time together come Thursday; we're headed to Texas for a long weekend.

I'm really looking forward to June. No travel plans but we will be celebrating our third anniversary and finding out if we're having a boy or a girl! Ah! Crazy, right? Next month we will know! I'm thinking of throwing a gender reveal party and finding out with my family and friends... thoughts?

Today is my first day wearing maternity pants. Not the kind with a big stretchy panel around the waist but a cute pair of skinny black pants. I love them. They feel like yoga pants and I will wear them every single day of the work week until they no longer fit. Just a minute ago- at 16 weeks- I got my first "that baby's starting to show"  type of comment. Actually, that's exactly what she said. "That baby is starting to show!" I have now entered the fat-or-pregnant? stage. I'm sure all the attorneys who haven't caught word that I'm expecting think that I need to dial down on all the snacks in the kitchen. I can't wait until I have a super obvious baby bump and people don't have to wonder anymore. At this rate... that should be in another 2 weeks or so. Seriously.

It's really happening!

The time has come to finally blog it. WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!

          We found out in March (crazy story actually.. I'll save it for another post) and Mike wanted to shout it out to the world... but I told him we needed to wait a little bit. Waiting is the worst. Then again, I have another 6 months of waiting on this little one so I better get used to it! Honestly, I knew I'd be writing a post like this someday, it's just so surreal to actually be typing these words now. I'm 3 months along and beginning the second trimester. We feel so lucky to be parents and begin adding to our little family.

          Let me cover the basics here: My due date is November 6th. I'm pretty excited about this due date because I'll have a newborn to snuggle during the holidays, I'll have a long Christmas wish list for Baby this year, and by the time summer 2013 rolls around, I'll have a 7 month old who can actually enjoy being outside! I'm choosing to focus on the positives, rather than the fact that Baby will be born at the beginning of RSV season and that we'll spend the entire winter inside. About a month after deciding that I wanted to be pregnant sometime this year, I got pregnant. This is in no way meant to be a statement of bragging. It happened faster than we ever could've guessed and at first I was in shock, but now I've come to realize that the Lord's timing is much better than my timing. I've been really sick, especially in the morning. I mean really, really sick.(i.e.: I bow to the porcelain god every time I wake up/open the fridge door/walk into a public restroom/take a shower). The only thing I crave is fruit. Namely oranges and pineapple. I am yet to have Mike make a midnight run to the grocery store for produce... but he knows his time is coming. We heard the heartbeat at 9 weeks and I was told it was a little faster than what is normal. Then I heard the heartbeat again today and it's perfectly normal. Even my doctor couldn't stop smiling and nodding and saying "perfect. it's perfect." Mike is so giddy and wants to talk to the baby every.single.night. It's weird for me, but I'm trying to lighten up. I have NO clue what's in store for me.... I don't know anything about diapers, strollers, maternity clothes, sleep schedules, breastfeeding, etc. You guys, I'm a little scared. All tips/opinions welcome. I cry over EVERYTHING. I cried when I couldn't find my favorite pajamas pants. I cried watching The Voice, Restaurant: Impossible and Dateline. It's really pathetic. My current bedtime is anywhere from 8:30 to 10pm. I just can't stay up late for the life of me.

Things are changin' people! I'm having a baby and I'm going to be a mom soon... a MOM. This is just crazy.

Easter weekend.

Last weekend was such a perfect weekend.

I recapped everything we did with my mom just yesterday and she said,

"You two have such a fun life". It's true, we do.

For now, it's just the two of us with minimal responsibilities and it's pretty nice.

Friday night we went to Red Robin with the Leishmans.

I don't know what's wrong with me but I obsess over Red Robin's steak fries and campfire sauce.

They are all you can eat and addictive. Here's the catch: you can't get them on their own.

So I ordered the cheapest thing the fries come with, a chicken sandwich.

I ignored the sandwich and stuffed myself with fries and sauce. Totally unhealthy but no regrets.

Saturday we met up with my sister and her boyfriend for lunch.

Do you love garlic burgers? Do you love bar food? (No, that's not a weird question... I love bar food.)

Go to Busy Bee Bar on State Street and 21st south. Their burgers are delicious

and I'd been raving about them since Kelsey was too young to go.

She's been 21 for several months but we finally made a lunch date.

Again, they did not disappoint.

After lunch, Mike and I ran some errands and then picked up the Kirks for a Real game.

I'll be honest though... The guys watched the game but Jade and I didn't.

I hadn't seen her for 7 weeks (who's counting?) while they were basically living in Hawaii

so we had lots to catch up on.

I normally LOVE watching the games so missing both the goals scored

was not a proud moment for me.

Easter Sunday was fantastic!

Church could not have been better. We listened to two amazing speakers and then President Eyring decided to fill the last 10 minutes of the meeting. I found myself crying 5 or 6 times at church on Sunday. That's just not right! Actually, who am I kidding? It's pretty right on. I've always been emotional. But the messages delivered on Easter Sunday are especially touching. The holiday has a way of reminding me of the obvious.
I have a Savior who loves me enough to suffer for my sins. He died that I might turned to live with my Father in Heaven and all those I love. I know there was no other way and for that -- I'm completely indebted to Him.

After church, we went to my grandparent's house for an Easter egg hunt and dinner.

It's great to have weekends where we can do whatever we'd like and enjoy each other's company.

We live for the weekends because we know it won't be like this forever.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!

t-minus ten.

TEN minutes until I shut everything down and bust out of this joint.

Today feels like it has been the longest day to end the long week of my life.

Not sure why. Nothing tramatic, pressing or stressful has happened this week.

... it just crawled.

I made a discovery about myself today.

I'm pretty obsessive over checking our online bank account about, oh... fifteen times a day.

Anyone else have this problem? Checking it once a day is good. It's healthy... but fifteen?!

I've got to get a hold of myself.

I don't know why I feel the need to log into wellsfargo.com, like the second (or thirteenth)

time won't reflect the same balance. I think that, subconciously, I'm hoping that the next time

I log in I'm going to see an unpected $500 dollars deposited for no reason at all.

I don't know... I must be expecting some change in what I see, to be checking it so neurotically.

It's a good thing I sit in front of a computer for 9+ hours a day, huh?

Anyway, I'm excited for this weekend. A grilling sesh with some good friends, cheering on a

family friend in the national wagon race tomorrow, annual green dinner with the Nelsons,

a goodbye party for the Stephens and a relaxing Sunday. All is how it should be.

Happy Friday, everyone!

grateful.

To say I'm grateful for the abundance of great women around me would be an understatement.

I am beyond grateful. The past couple weeks I have taken a good, hard look at my life; namely people I have let into it. I cannot believe my "luck" in the women I have come to associate with throughout my life, especially recently.

           Thanks to two good friends- Jade and Kylee -who both individually blogged about their daily experiences with gratitude, I have decided to take on the challenge. For the month of March I will focus daily on a specific thing that God has blessed my life with and to thank Him for it. With every passing day I have had no trouble coming up with a different blessing to express gratitiude for. What I thought of this morning has struck a chord and I feel the need to share it. I am so grateful for the many wonderful women I am lucky to call friends/family. I may not have the pleasure of seeing most of them on a regular basis. I may never have expressed my admiration and thankfulness to them aloud. I may have known them since childhood, met them in Gamma, at church, in class at the U or on a plane. (Okay, maybe not a plane.)

          Thanks to those of you who have commented here at one time or another, I know that nearly every wonderful woman that comes to mind reads my blog. Those women who have influenced me are smart, considerate, educated, funny, opinionated, talkative, driven and giving. I think the qualities that you all embody says something about the woman that I want to be. I surround myself, as I think most people do, with those already possess qualities that I want to develop. I don't mean to leave anyone out of the following comments but these are the quick examples that come to mind: No one makes me laugh and enjoy life quite like Breauna or Candace. Amy, Sammy and Christine are women I look up to as beautiful, bright mothers(or soon-to-be) who are unwavering in what is right. I stalk Jade and Kylee's blogs on the daily because they are such beautiful writers and deep-thinkers. Bekah and Liz are ambitiuous and opinionated women. Hannah listens to me, really listens. Casey, Amanda and Sarah (individually) are pure entertainment for me with some much witt and personality, those ladies. Missy and Kelsey are probably my soulmates. When I'm with Meagan, Meli, Ashley, Chelsey or Kimberly it's like no time has passed and we could talk forever.

           I am so grateful for you ladies, the ones I publicly recognized attributes of and those whom I have yet to. I feel like I barely touched the surface here. Each one of you makes me better and how can I not somehow acknowledge that? If you're interested, I would encourage you to take this gratitude challenge!  It has helped me to envy less, compare less and feel so overwhelmingly loved by our Lord and Savior. I needed this and I'm just disappointed that I didn't do it earlier.

Our Eats.

This post is devoted to our favorite SLC hole-in-the-wall. Tasty Thai.

I mean, just look at how happy Mike is right here! It has nothing to do with sitting across from the love of his life -after a long work day- and being able to stare into her dark green eyes for endless hours.

No, it's because we just ordered our usual (except, they still don't recognize us

so we can't just say "We'll have our usual.") which is the Pad-Kee-Mow and Gang-Dang.

and daaaang, it is good!

If you love spicy food, sweet curries, sticky rice and veggies... THIS IS THE PLACE.

Seriously, it's some of the best thai food we've ever had...and we've tried thai food in nearly a dozen cities.

This  most recent trip ended with dessert (we never get dessert there!)

and now we will always end our meals with dessert.  Always.

This is the fresh coconut ice cream with peanut topping.

I die.

This stuff is the best. I give it 6 out of 5 stars! Yes, six! It was that good.

Tasty Thai is located in the Liberty Park area, probably one of our favorite parts of SLC.

It's right by Park Cafe (great breakfast joint with beautiful wall art by a new friend of ours),

paddle boating, Cummings Chocolates and Emily Jayne consignment.

Okay, so we wouldn't buy a home in the area because it can be a little sketch.

(note: "sketch" areas in Salt Lake City are not like "sketch" places in, say, the Bronx.

Basically, there are a lot of chain link fences and unkempt yards.)

Five or six blocks east in the Harvard/Yale/13th East area wouldn't be too shabby though.

I've gotta say, from the moment I moved to SLC I told myself I wouldn't be here very long.

But with every year, I love it here more and more. This city offers so much.

We're not considering putting down roots soon. But when we do, this city is on the list now.

Funny how time changes everything, huh?

Picture taken from Tasty Thai parking lot.

Goodbye October. Yes, October.

We got rid of the pumpkin. Finally.

If you came over to our place any time in the past 5 months, you'll know what I'm talking about.

At the beginning of October, my grandma and grandpa hosted a halloween/fall party.

The guys decorated pumpkins. Mike got a little creative and ended up with Jesus on his pumpkin.

We referred to it as the "Jesus pumpkin" from there on out.

(Blasphemous? I hope not. Then again, that would be in true Mike fashion.)

The pumpkin sat on our porch from October thru February.

Disgusting. I know. But that's how little we open our side door.

Finally, after a little nagging on my part(hello! I wasn't going to do it.),

Mike rid us of the pumpkin. Yes, it was nasty and Mike was screaming in agony the whole time.

I tried to take a good picture but he was running to the trash can. Fast.

I coaxed him to stop for 5 seconds so I could snap this.

You're probably not even looking at the pumpkin. Sexy morning hair, huh?

Glad that's gone. I'm thinking of making a wreath to adorn our porch.

But it will have to fit both spring and summer... because we know it'll be there for at least 5 months.