It's been a fun week

Christmas has come and gone already. We had a good time celebrating Larry's 25th birthday on the 24th. Larry wanted to go snowboarding but I suggested that we go sledding to save money. -I felt bad about this because I really wanted to spoil him on his birthday. We went to flat iron mesa where it was freezing and there was nothing but ice and patches of grass. Any of you who are familiar with flat iron would understand that we were wise to not attempt sledding on this. (FYI for the Balsmeiers, the hill is really steep.) Of course, the snow we could have used would come in abundance on Christmas instead...We then drove around to find a place where Larry could get the sushi I promised him. But, being Christmas eve, they were all closed. We went home, ordered pizza, and watched movies instead. Larry reminded me frequently that I should have let him go snowboarding. It was a nice guilt trip. I promised him he could go soon.

I got Larry a birthday cake and tried to find the right one. I knew he wanted butter cream frosting and yellow cake. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a selection. I chose a cake that had a plastic thing in it that said "Happy Holidays" and had snow flakes on it. To reduce my guilt for buying him a cake that really wasn't a b-day cake, I had them take the holiday thing off and write "Happy Birthday Larry." He wasn't fooled and reminded me several times that I did not get him a real birthday cake. (He's kidding really, but likes to point out the joys of being a Christmas Eve baby.) Okay, I'll be honest. I had reminded myself for months that I would do a really good job on getting him a good b-day cake. However, it was midnight the day before his b-day when it suddenly came to me that I hadn't gotten his cake or made the arrangements I wanted to...oops. This will be held over my head for approximately seven years.

Anyway, I got Larry an art set with a bunch of art supplies. But his favorite present was the one I bought on a whim: a balloon art kit. Since then our house has been taken over by balloon animals. On Christmas I also gave him a balloon architecture kit and some new clothes and stuff. Larry surprised me with real pearls. My name means pearl so I thought that was cute. He gave me a necklace, bracelet, and earrings. This explains why Larry took me to the mall a couple weeks ago to get my ears pierced. Yes-I'm 20 years old and finally got around to it. Our dogs seemed to enjoy Christmas too. They ran into the living room and shredded their presents open like little kids.

We visited Amy, Benson, and Jinx on Christmas. We were their only visitors because, due to the snow filled roads, the others couldn't make it. Larry enjoyed driving through the snow just fine as other cars and trucks were stuck in the snow. We then visited with Jenny and my Dad. And later we had some friends over for dinner. On Saturday we headed over to my moms house for a get together with the Landvatters. Larry entertained the kids by making balloon animals on demand.

This post is getting really long so I'll wrap it up. I hope you all had a merry Christmas and that you have a very happy new year! By the way, we wanted to say congratulations to Sterling for getting baptized. And happy birthday to Jonas on the 29th.

Here are some pictures of Larry's works of art...
Horsey

Flowers

Penguin-Larry made this one up all by himself :D

2 horses in the Parthenon

dragon fly

Larry, I'll do anything for you

Isn't this adorable?! Larry wanted this on our blog for all of you to enjoy! :D

Christmas is coming

Well, it's already that time of year again. Christmas is coming up quick...and that means Larry's birthday is coming too. I can't believe he's going to be 25! Surprisingly, I'm ready for both his b-day (on Christmas Eve) and Christmas. I'm surprised how excited I am; not because I want presents, but because I can't wait to give Larry his presents. He's fun and easy to shop for. This is our first Christmas together as a married couple, but we spent last Christmas together too. Anyway, of course Christmas is not about presents. It's about Christ. Yesterday in church our Bishop spoke and talked about this little present that was under their tree every year. When he was young he was disappointed because it was supposed to be the best present and all it had in it was a little piece of paper that said "the greatest gift of all." Later in life he realized its significance. The greatest gift of all that we've been given is the gift of Eternal Life, from Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for my Savior and I know He lives and loves all of us. I'm grateful that our Heavenly Father was willing to send His Son as a sacrifice for us.

sick of being sick

I'd just like to say that I'm always sick at the most inconvenient times. I've been sick with strep throat and the flu and I'm not happy about it. To make matters worse, it's the last week of school and I haven't been able to go. (I've been missing work too) I hate missing school! We all know I'm a nerd like that. I just like knowing what's going on. And of all the days to miss I had to miss today. Why is that a big deal you ask?? Because Elder Russell M. Nelson spoke at the devotional today. LDSBC is a small school so it's a lot more personal. I had been looking forward to being there for an address by an apostle for a long time. It was also a big deal because Elder Nelson announced that John (Larry) Richards is replacing President Stephen Woodhouse as the new President of the college. I have a lot of LDSBC Pride in me and I was so disappointed to miss that. All because I'm sick. I'll stop complaining because I have a lot of blessings and I know better than to complain...

Sick Buddies

So apparently, Larry and I get sick a lot. Since Larry has Chrone's Disease, I don't think he likes when I get sick too. He thinks I'm stealing his thunder. On Thursday I had chest pain and felt really weird/sick. I had to go to the ER at St. Marks. They did an EKG, X-rays, IV, Ultrasound, and whatever else they could to figure out what my problem is. They couldn't figure it out because I'm always difficult like that. So, tomorrow I'm going to the doctor. They'll probably refer me to a gastroenterolist (like Larry's people...again, I'm just stealing his thunder.) The ER doctor thinks it might be something with my esophagus. I guess I had some sort of esophageal spasm. They gave me a nitro glycerin tab to make it chill out. Larry stayed with me for all 6 hours in the ER. We were entertained by eavesdropping on other people's conversations. Let's just say someone probably doesn't have to tell the nurse everything about aunt Judy's problems. Meanwhile, I was hooked up to a bunch of monitering machines/oxygen and wanted desperately to escape to use the bathroom like 10 times-like you all wanted to know that--they gave me a whole bag of fluids via IV really really fast. Speaking of the IV-when I got x-rays I had to put my hands above my head. When I did, the cap on my IV came off and the fluids were pouring onto the floor-only to be followed by my blood which proceeded to pour onto the floor. I moved to avoid it and the radiologist pointed out that I moved. I was like-yeah, well I could bleed to death if we don't reattach these tubes pretty soon. Haha. I'm okay. It was quite an adventurous day. I'm feeling pretty sick still. Larry hasn't been feeling well lately-with Chrone's Disease. And I'm still covered in nasty sores from getting eaten by who knows what. That was last weeks deal with the doctors. I had a major rash and hypersensitive reaction to some sort of bites. We took the dogs to the vet to get them treated for mites or fleas or whatever. Of course, people aren't supposed to catch the dog mite-but lucky me...Hopefully you'll all still by my friends...

Our house now a days

I figured I'd post some pics of our house these days. It's changed a bit since we first moved in-It has more furniture and stuff. We're hoping to get a new couch, new carpet, and curtains instead of the messed up blinds...someday (Larry says Stella has to find a new home first--and we probably need money..I can dream can't I) Anyway, here it is for now...

I thought we were robbed!

I think we need to renaim this blog Kodi and Kassidy Balsmeier. Lately they're the only one's on it. I promise I'll be good and start posting about us soon...but not today. Hehe. This is what I came home to tonight. I seriously thought someone broke in for a second there because the house looked like it had been rummaged through and there were check books and bank statements all over the floor. Upon further examination I also found that the dog's toybasket had been pulled out. The pup was isolated in our room and the cat was in the guestroom. It could only be one dog: Kodi. Not sure why he wanted to look through bills and bank statements. It's not like they taste good. Maybe he wrote a few checks and subscribed to Dog Fancy magazine. Who knows. Here are the pics for your amusement...maybe it only amuses me.

Kodi has issues I think

Kassie checkin it out

It wasn't me! (looking guilty with a receipt in her mouth)

Kodi got the toys out for the pup, how nice.

Nothin' but Trouble

I realize that you are probably all tired of reading about dogs...but that's okay. A post about dogs is better than no post at all right? I had a funny video of Kassidy being her usual misbehaving self. But it wouldn't work...so here's a short one. It's not as funny but you may think it's cute. I don't think it's all that cute..in fact my leg is bleeding right now because she bit me and treated me like a tug toy.
Let's see if the other video will work now. Warning: You will need Dramamine to safely watch this.

dark, snowy, and cold...

I'm not sure where Fall went. Apparently it's completely over. I guess that always happens in November (weather wise in Utah) but it came so quick. It snowed all day yesterday. Most of it melted and mixed with the leaves on the floor so it's all mushy and weird outside. (We have huge trees outside that make a big 'ol mess of leaves.) So anyway, it's cold outside and that makes me sad. It doesn't help that Larry turns the air conditioner and fan on instead of the heat. I'm freezing at night! And Larry won't let me get near him for warmth because apparently he needs his space and isn't the cuddling type. Of course I take this personally. Then I go to sleep cold and mad and have bad dreams about Larry being mean to me. It couldn't be good for our relationship! Because of day light savings and the season it gets dark really early, which makes me all depressed. It's a good thing I have Kodi and now Kassidy to distract me from being all mopey. Larry should distract me from being mopey but my mind is still frustrated from being cold and mad while I sleep. Note: I still love you Larry! But turn the heat up will ya...and get used to sharing!! This post sounds so negative! You see what snow, cold, and darkness do to me?? In case any of you are also moping around because it's cold and dark outside, here are some more pics of our puppy...maybe that'll cheer you up.

What Were We Thinking?

So today I had plans to do just a couple things: go vote, yeah I did that, return a car battery to walmart, yup did that too, and finish my homework-done...So what's there to do when you get everything done? Apparently the right thing to do is reward yourself by going out and buying a puppy. That's right, Larry and I added a new addition to the Balsmeier family. She's an adorable 8-week-old Cocker Spaniel puppy. We overlooked the fact that I'm already a hypocrite by finding new homes for my bunny and cat...and that I work for the animal shelter and encourage everyone to adopt. We're happy with our new puppy though. I guess it's just meant to be...or that's what we'll tell ourselves. Kodi gets along with her and doesn't seem too jealous...not yet anyway. We just thought he needed a friend that's all. Our new puppy is yet to be named but we'll keep you all posted. By the way, she seems to really love Larry, (and Larry seems to like her too) it's really cute. She follows him around and climbs up on him to sleep in his lap. Well, here are some pictures of our new pup! :)
*Update* We've named the puppy Kassidy (Kassie for short).

Six Months of Marriage

Yup, we've made it that far, can you believe it?! A whole half a year. Here's a picture to remind you of what a perfect day April 22, 2008 was...

Larry and I are happily married...but lets be honest, it hasn't always been wedded bliss. Marriage can be quite a challenge, but it's also a great blessing. There are those moments where I look at Larry and feel the deepest love for him...and there are those moments where I realize God must really want me to learn patience and humility. I'm happy that Larry accepts me for all my quirks. He takes good care of me and I love him more than anything.
To celebrate tonight, we went to the cheesecake factory. I'd never been there before. Larry was patient with how I got all excited about how cute the butter was (in pretty gold foil too!) and how I asked him to take it home just because it's cute...I am officially way too easily amused. Anyway, we're excited for the journey we still have ahead of us. We're just youngin's...

You are so busted...

This is what I came home to this evening...

Who could have done this??? Was it Stella?

I don't think so --here's where the culprit brought in his antagonist to make her look guilty as he fled the scene...

Of course...It was Kodi (Thus explaining why Kodi was not translated...see below post)

Note to self: Never leave the house with out putting the garbage can where Kodi can't get to it. Larry is quick to point out that we shouldn't have to hide the garbage can...I agree. I don't know what to say...Kodi is very lucky that I got home from work before Larry did. He's not as forgiving as I am when it comes to trash can violations.

He's a really good dog...

For a second there I thought Kodi was going to be translated...

Update: **To find out why Kodi wasn't translated see above post**

I feel like a hypocrite...

It's been a while since I've posted anything on our blog. I guess I just haven't been in the blogging mood. Actually, I think it's just that nothing too terribly exciting has been going on. Anyway, we are in fact still alive and doing well. The latest in the Balsmeier house: the pet dilemma. Anyone that knows me knows that I spoil my pets and treat them well...Sometimes Larry gets jealous of them. And anyone knows that when I get a pet I keep it for life. Well, after many discussions with Larry we've decided to find new homes for our cat Stella and our bunny Hank. I cringe as I write this. How could I?! Don’t let my peeps at the animal shelter find out about this. If you've met my cat Stella you know that she loves attention more than anything else in this world (well, maybe besides food). We think she deserves a home where she'll get the attention she so desires. And Hank is just lonely because his best buddy Toby passed away last month. So if anyone knows someone looking for a new pet who will give them a really good home let me know! I'm doing this for you Larry!

To view Stella's ad: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=4507507&cat=112&lpid=

To view Hank's ad: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=4507009&cat=111&lpid=

Red means stop...unless you're driving my car

In addition to the stresses of school I had to deal with car problems. Ok, there wasn't much stress involved with that, just a few moments of panic. I noticed my breaks were barely working, but I failed to mention this to Larry apparently. Then yesterday I was driving home and my breaks failed completely; I swerved out of the lane to avoid rear ending someone and coasted down the middle yellow lane-luckily it was there. As I drove down the lane, unable to stop, I passed a police man and smiled as I nonchalantly yanked on my emergency break, which also failed...He didn't seem to care and he and others appeared to question my driving abilities. I signaled to get back in the lane and made it home safely-somehow. We took my car in today and paid a nice chunk of money to have the car fixed. The report was funny: "pedal goes to the floor..car doesn't stop..tried the E-brake, doesn't work either...advise full replacement..." Now we're in tip top shape and my car actually stops on command!

Back to School

It's been a while since we've posted because we haven't had our computer. But now we're back in business! Life has been very busy (and stressful) this past week. I went back to school at LDS Business College for Fall semester. (LDSBC-what we call 'the biscuit.') I'm taking five classes on top of working and I'm overwhelmed with having a ton of homework. But hey, that's life! I love that school and I'm so grateful to go there. However that doesn't mean every class is my favorite. I keep whining about my history class because I don't like the format. But Larry doesn't let me whine and tells me that I'm lucky I get to go to school. Actually he tells me to quit whining or quit school. My response is that I won't quit school or whining because I'm not a quitter. Meanwhile I find myself spending hours on homework while I jealously watch Larry relax. Luckily Larry has been helping out a lot lately so I'm not as stressed out about things like keeping the house clean. So that's the latest with me. Larry and I don't really have any thing exciting going on except for enduring to the end. Yay! Ok, I'll be more positive...we're happy that we have each other and keep each other entertained with an assortment of quirks. Hopefully we'll be able to go do stuff like drives in the canyon. I love fall, it's so pretty! Since Larry was pretty sick over the summer we didn't get to do much. He's been feeling better lately but it would be great if you could keep in your prayers. :) He's been getting remicade treatments at the hospital. Can we say "good thing we have insurance?" Without it the treatments would cost $10,000 each! Alrighty, well I'm done jumping around talking about random things...

We'll miss you Sister Campbell!

Today we said goodbye to my sister Heidi for the next 18 months. We'll miss her a ton but we know she will be a great missionary and will change many lives for good in San Bernardino California. It was a busy week leading up to her departure. Last Saturday I had the privilege of being Heidi's escort for her endowment in the Jordan River Temple. And on Sunday, we hosted the open house following her farewell talk. Who knew you could fit 35 people in our living room?! Today was, as they say, bittersweet. Heidi is such an amazing person and she's such a good example of someone who humbly follows the Lord and not the world. She's been such a good big sister and an example to me. We've been very close through out our lives and it'll be so weird to not be able to call her up to talk about nothing and laugh about every thing. I loved the Spirit I felt when we went with Heidi to the MTC. It was so cool to see my mom pin the official missionary tag on Heidi. It sounds cheesy, but it was a proud moment for me. We then went to the family/missionary departure thingy. That's when every one gets really emotional. When the moment arrived to say good bye I gave Heidi a big hug and said nice stuff to her but I don't think she could tell what I said because I kept making weird snorting noises through the bawling. After every one said goodbye I was able to steal the last hug (another one) from Sister Campbell. And then she was off. We're happy that not only will Heidi be blessed for her service, but so will her family. We could use the blessings! It'll be great to welcome her home when that time comes, but in the mean time, we wish her the best and know that her mission will be awesome!

Hubby Tag

My sister Emily tagged me to do this post about Larry, so here it is...

1. What is his name? Larry

2. Who eats more? That would be me, hands down. When we went to IHOP a few weeks back, we had ordered the same thing, and when the waitress came around she said "she's beating you." (meaning I'd eaten a lot more than he had, not that I'm abusive :D)

3. Who said "I love you" first? Hmm, I'd have to check my journal for that one, but it must have been him. Somehow I can't remember when I first said I love you.

4. Who is taller? Larry

5. Who is smarter? Larry. I'm a nerd in school but Larry just seems to know a lot about stuff. But not everything, I don't want it to go to his head.

6. Who is more sensitive? Larry's definately sensitive, it's one of the things I really liked about him early on. I think I'm sensitive too but Larry says I'm dead inside because I don't cry at sad movies. (I only cry if I'm alone during movies, not sure why)

7. Who does the laundry? Me. Larry would do it if I asked or if it needed to be done; it's one of those things I like to do because I have a "system." I'm especially particular about folding.

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Larry

9. Who pays the bills? That's Larry for sure. I always here this crazy cash register noise and that's when I know he's paying bills and updating his quickbooks (his pride & joy)

10. Who cooks more? I'm afraid it's definately Larry. He's a great cook and always has some new recipe to try out. He treasures our cookbooks and I've even seen him hug our kitchen aid mixer. I cook too, but it seems Larry always ends up teaching me "proper cooking methods" Like how to properly cut vegetables with out becoming an amputee. He even printed a calender of our meal plans for the whole month. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about that...

11. What meals do you cook together? Anything really. We each have our specialities, like my carrots (covered in butter, that's how I grew up) and his mashed potatoes. We like doing our chicken cordon bleu together.

12. Who is more stubborn? If you look up stubborn in the dictionary there's a picture of Larry. See..

13. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Oh no, you don't understand, Larry is never wrong. (so the answer is me)

14. Who has more siblings? It's a tie. 7 kids in both families. I have 5 sisters and 1 brother and Larry has 4 brothers and 2 sisters.

15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? We both wear pants!

16. What do you like to do together? Watch G and PG movies, sing (something he's good at and I'm not-though he tells me I am...I think he doesn't want to hurt my feelers) Yard work, snowboarding.

17. Who eats more sweets? Probably Larry, I haven't really noticed.

18. Guilty pleasures? Hitting the snooze button every 5 minutes for 2 hours before I actually get up. Larry loves me for this.

19. How did you meet? We were in a class of four people in Brother Barrus' Doctrines of the Gospel class at the Sandy Institute. And every week he would say "it's Megan right?" But he never remembered any one else's names. Remember there were only like 2 other people in the class.

20. Who asked out who first? Larry asked me out. I remember as I stood up to walk out of the class room I felt like I should hold back for a minute. I did and then Larry walked with me down the hall and said "so what's there to do in Utah" and I thought for a long time and said "pretty much nothing, but I like it" And then we got outside and I figured out what he was up to. I remember how he said it "maybe we could go out some time, like Saturday?" Our first date was at Boondocks.

21. Who kissed who first? We just kissed each other, I don't know. But I can tell you it was a couple months after we started dating...righteous :D

22. Who proposed? Larry. We were all alone at Temple Square and he was saying cute nice things to me like he always does there. He had me look at the temple and said "it's forever right?" and I said "yeah" and when I looked back at him he was on his knee and said "will you marry me?" It sounds so cheezy, but I liked it.

23. His best features? I love his smile and his hair when it's all messed up in the morning. Oh and his Balsmeier trademark blue eyes.

24. What is his greatest quality? He has such a good Spirit and he's so giving and caring. He always wants to help people.

Now I tag my sisters in law JJ & Clara and my other sisters who haven't done their tag thing yet.

Three Months Ago Today...

It was exactly 3 months ago today that I married Larry, my best friend and might I add, very cute eternal companion. We've been married for a quarter of a year...wow, that's not very long. And we have forever ahead of us. I'm happy that I made the decision to marry him. He's very good to me and keeps my laughing. Sometimes he's 'fun' to put up with, but hey, so am I! I love you Larry :)

Hmm...looks like Larry was here...

I'm hesitant to tell Larry if there are any problems with our condo because I've realized what the outcome is.
First there was the leaky ceiling in the bathroom.
Here are a couple pictures of Larry at work. What you don't see is the rubble all over the floor. Look at that concentration...this guy means business, why else would he do home repairs in a nicely pressed collared shirt?


Then there was the leaky door. Larry had only taken a look at it for two seconds when I found him with tools in hand, tearing it apart. Oh the horror...

Then last night Larry found a couple ants in the bathroom. I imagine the words that came to his mind were "Ants? In my bathroom? This must stop!" This is the scene I found minutes later...

I have to admit though, he is quite the handyman. Check out the beautifully finished ceiling..oh but notice the towel rod is gone, that got ripped apart because it was 'defective.'

Oh well, I gotta love him! He just like's to fix things...which is...nice ;) I'd just prefer to not see the destructive process.

Baby news from the Jaten's and Bidwell's

Well, they may have made the news a little while ago, but I thought I should share it. :) My oldest sister Amy and her husband Benson are due to become parents on February 17, 2009. (I think that's the date, let me know Amy) And Larry's oldest sister Jennifer, aka JJ, and her husband Rob are due to add another baby to their crew February 24, 2009. Though we're saddened that our baby won't come on February 23, 2009 as expected, we look forward to having new nephews/nieces and wish the Jaten's and Bidwell's the very best. We're so excited for you guys!

Somebody cracked the code...

We got a card for our openhouse with the following enclosed. Larry couldn't agree more that I'm fluent in this language...

9 Words Women Use

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4. Go Ahead This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5. Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but it is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.

6. That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome.

8. Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying forget you, get lost, etc!

9. Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3.

Aren't we all a little familiar with those 'words'? :D

Thanks for putting up with me Larry!

Our Wedding Photos

We finally got our wedding photos! It took them 10 weeks to get them to us and the CD was labeled "Mandy & Larry" But we assure you these are pictures of Megan & Larry's wedding. You can click on the slideshow on the side panel to view the pictures larger. In light of our loss, it's been comforting to look at them and be reminded that we have been sealed for all eternity and any children that come to us will always be ours.

We trust in His will

Larry and I recently experienced a difficult loss. I had some complications and went to the doctor. They did an ultrasound and said that the chances for miscarriage were more than 50/50. Larry gave me a blessing and we prayed. It is difficult to hope for what I want, and at the same time, be willing to accept what God wants for me. While I was praying I told Heavenly Father that I was willing to lose the baby if it was His will. That was very difficult to pray for. I felt if only a small taste of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son. It was a profound realization that if we will submit to His will, it's easier to find peace. The pain and trials may still come, but God will always fulfill His promises to us. I didn't want to accept it but I knew that He was going to take our baby back. Later that day, June 30th, I had a miscarriage. It was a difficult experience but we trust that God's wisdom is perfect; That this trial will help us grow and that it has a purpose with our happiness in mind. Though it's hard to comprehend, we know that this difficult trial is a blessing to us. Larry and I are drawing closer to God and to each other through this experience. We've also been able to reavaluate our priorities and outlook on things. We understand the sadness that comes with anticipating a baby and then having everything come to a halt. Even though I wasn't too far along and we never met the baby, it doesn't minimize the loss. Though we don't know when the Spirit enters a baby, we still cared for him or her as a being with a Spirit. I guess I'm okay with not knowing how it works, but I like to think that this baby was a special Spirit that Heavenly Father needed to keep; or at least for now. Perhaps this baby is meant to be our gaurdian angel that will always watch over us. We have felt peace that everything will be okay. When the time is right, Heavenly Father will send us another baby. But we won't forget this one as our first. As we cope with this loss we think of the words found in Mosiah 24:15 "...the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."

Cute Little Booties for Father's Day

Alright everyone, it's the news you've all been waiting for....for like two seconds. Apparently we have a trend going on. First, get engaged and wait two months to get married. Then wait two months to have a baby! That's right, I'm pregnant....already. Larry and I are very excited to have a little baby. We had prayed about starting a family and felt that Heavenly Father wanted us to leave it in His hands. It looks like our temple sealer was right, we would have kids sooner than we think. We look forward to the precious babies that Heavenly Father will entrust us with. The baby is due some time around February 23, 2009.

So here's the story of how I found out. I had just read my Patriarchal Blessing and was thinking about our future kids. Then I was praying and mentioned some things about it and it came to my mind that I should take a pregnancy test. Nothing profound, just really mild. Well I got off my knees and took the test and lo and behold, it said I was pregnant! I guess that explains why I've been so rediculously tired lately.

When Larry and I were dating he use to joke about how we would have really cute babies someday and they'd wear cute little booties. He said the bootie thing really cute and I thought it was funny, so I determined that someday that's how I'd tell him. After we were married I bought some baby booties and hid them in a shoe box in the guest room closet. So, after finding out, I went and grabbed the walmart bag containing the booties and made a beeline for our room where Larry was trying to go to sleep. I handed him the bag and said "I got you a present." He looked really confused, opened the bag, and suddenly looked really shocked. All I could say was "Happy Father's Day, you're going to be a dad." I had him look at the test to prove it to him. I took another test just to be sure and it was positive too. So, that's our new and exciting news! Oh, and I got pink booties because I decided the baby is girl, maybe twins, who knows! (apparently I prophetically know these things) jk :D

Hand Surgery

Below you can read Larry's explanation of his hand surgery. I have to admit, it looks pretty gross. Luckily it's bandaged up nice and pretty-Even though I only have experience bandaging up pets, Larry let me practice my on him. I didn't get any pictures of his arm in a big cast after surgery, but here are some of it with and without the splint. He hasn't been difficult to deal with, but he was a little cranky waking up from anesthesia.


WARNING: DUE TO THE GRAPHIC NATURE OF THIS CONTENT, VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED

Sorry for sharing this with you...

Bowling anyone?

I thought I would give everyone a little update about what is going on. I want to start by saying that I have, without a doubt, played the most expensive game of bowling ever. You're probably reading this saying, "Good for you. Who cares!" Well, I do. Let me explain... Back in November of 2006 I went bowling with my extended family. I went to bowl and got my middle finger caught when I threw the ball and twisted it around. It hurt really bad. My Aunt thought that she could fix it and yanked on it and there was a nice *pop* sound. My hand grew to about twice it's size and hurt. Eventually the swelling went down and about a month later went to the doctor because I still couldn't move it as well. That doctor said nothing was wrong so I let it be. Then February 2007 came and it was still hurting. I decided to go see an orthopedic surgeon who looked at it and said that I tore a tendon in it. So I got surgery on it and all was well. I still had some issues with it, but that doctor just suggested to go see someone else. Well, I lived with it for a while until last week. As I was working on our house fixing the bathroom ceiling (That's another story) I put some sheetrock away and heard a *pop* and the next day my hand was swollen and hurting. I went to see a hand surgeon who said that back when I hurt it in 2006 I tore some ligaments in my hand and that he would have to do surgery. Well, the 3rd came around and I had surgery done. My hand is swollen like a balloon and has two pins sticking out of the top, holding my finger in place. I have a cut about 3 inches long down my hand. According to Megan the doctor said that the ligament wasn't even attached to my hand and it was mushy in there. The ligament was basically gone, nonexistant. The doctor had to make an incision in my wrist and remove a tendon that ran from my palm down to about 2 inches above my elbow. My arm is really sore and swollen. He took the tendon and attached it in my hand to my finger and such and fixed it all up. So I'm without my right hand for the next month or two while it heals and I have a really nasty cut and pins in my hand. Megan has been really nice and sweet taking care of me and putting up with me on pain killers. She has put up with me through it all. She's a great girl. I just hope I don't driver her crazy. Needless to say I have been banned from bowling for life, except on the Wii. My bowling game in November has now cost close to 4 thousand dollars. Told you it was the most expensive.

The rest of the story...

I'm not too sure why I am even taking the time to put anything up here, but after a few weeks of having a blog I finally caved. I avoided it, mainly because I think they are a little silly, another reason is since I have a blog I now have to notify my employer since I am licensed to sell securities I am required to tell them about it. Anyway, I decided that the truth about some of Megan's previous posts must come forward. Everyone must know the truth, I cannot be silenced any longer. So here is the real story about Megan's kittens and how they came to our home...
I was at work one day and received a call from my lovely wife. It went something like, " Hi hun. What would you think about getting a cat to foster?" I wondered about this question for a little bit. I asked if she was asking because she wanted to get one or if she had already made that decision and done so. She then proceeded to tell me about this cat that had come to the shelter and she wanted to foster it and had volunteered to take it. I reluctantly told her she could do it since she had already volunteered. I didn't want to make her a liar to the people she works with. Well, the kitten she was going to take was placed with a mother cat and Megan didn't get to take it home. She was pretty sad the next day when she found out that the kitten had died. So, the next day while at work I receive another call from her sayiong that they had another kitten that needed a foster or it would be put down. Well, we ended upm with little Winston. He has since been adopted and is gone from our house!!! Ok, so he was kinda cute. He was by far my favorite of the three we've had. So just a little bit later I receive another call at work from Megan. It started out, "It was an accident I didn't mean to get another kitten." I was like are you kidding me. We already have 2 bunnies, 1 dog and now 3 cats in our home. I live in a zoo! So after some begging I gave in yet again to another kitten, Sadie. We talked that night about our little zoo that we had going on and we agreed no more foster cats. Well, some how this apparently didn't apply to our third foster Milo. Same thing happened. She gave me some sob story about how she was innocently sitting at work and had to, for some reason, go to the back where they keep the animals. Well, there was a little pitiful looking cat that Megan swears, she was prompted by the spirit to take home. I think she likes to use that excuse to get whatever she wants. Who am I to argue, she is more spiritual than I am. Well, we ended up with this little kitten, who I think resembles those rat things in the princess bride. If you don't believe me just listen to that video Megan posted and then watch the movie. You will be haunted by it for weeks. Anyway, to wrap it up. Apparantly, Megan thinks that 1 foster cat means 3 and that it is ok to go against what we discuss. Oh, well. I suppose it's ok. She doesn't make me take care of them. So, if nothing else it allows me to have something to bargain with. Maybe a motorcycle? Who knows. One other thing... Never post a blog with Megan sitting here reading as you go. She criticizes it, especially the english. So if there are any errors...It's her fault!

As if I don't look young enough already...

Looking young is a good thing when you're older, but for me, it can be a little awkward. I got braces on today (for the second time). So now I definately look like I belong in high school. I can't complain though, because Dr. Dana has done all my work for free. But still, I just know I'm going to answer the door and it'll be the UPS guy asking if my mom or dad is home. Oh well...I look forward to the payoff when I'm done with them-which should help me look a little older. Meanwhile I'll just have to put up with Larry calling me "train tracks." :)

Our Home

Hey Everyone, here are the pictures of our house. Most of it anyway...Larry is doing some renovations to the bathroom so I'll add pictures later. We're pretty much settled in. We're just kind of lacking in things like decorations for the shelves and stuff. But it came together nicely! We're grateful to have been able to buy a house right off the bat. Thanks goes to the support of family members on both my side of the family and Larry's as well. My sister Amy was our dedicated real estate agent and our brother in law Brett (my sister Emily's hubby) did a great job on our loan. Larry's mom also helped us to be able to get the house. Thank you so much for your help you guys!

Click on the slideshow to read captions

Coming Soon

Okay, so everyone wants to see pictures of the condo. We'll get around to that soon, but not today, it's Sunday, and Larry is getting mad at me for being on the blog...and he says I care about the blog more than him...now I feel guilty. :) K that was a really long run on sentence. I'm a nerd so I had to point that out. Anyway, just thought I'd let you all know! So check back soon for pictures.

kitten with a pacifier

I highly doubt you've seen something like this before....Let's just say that there is legitimate proof that I'm nuts. This is Milo, one of our little foster kittens. The thing cries all the time and I finally found something to make him happy. That's right, he has a pacifier, a kitty binky. He's making some interesting noises, I don't know what that's about. Usually he just purrs. But it's pretty funny!

How did this happen?

Never in a million years did I think I would get married at 19. But what can say, I couldn't resist Larry's good looks. I knew he was up to no good when he asked me over a year ago, "So how set are you on going on a mission?" Well, I don't think they'll let me go on a mission now, because on April 22, 2008 we were married in the Salt Lake Temple. We'll have to go on a mission together later. Larry and I met at the Sandy Institute in Doctrines of the Gospel class. I had taken our teacher, Brother Barrus' classes for a year and loved them. So I always signed up for his class. He's an awesome teacher but for some reason no one takes his class. So Larry and I met in a class of four people. So it was easy to bond! He asked me out on March 22 2007. We went on our first date to boondocks, where I beat him at miniature golf *he let me win of course* and I soaked him on bumper boats. He wasn't too happy. On May 22, we decided to date seriously. I guess I failed to realize decisions like that may likely lead to marriage. On February 27, 2008 Larry proposed to me at Temple Square, the same place he asked me how set I was on that mission thing. I said yes, of course, and two seconds later we were married on April 22, 2008. You'll notice everything happened on the 22nd. We decided to be married on the 22nd for that reason. Larry switched it up a bit by proposing on the 27th. I liked it though because it was a meaningful date for both of us. Larry's dad's birthday is February 27th, and I got my Patriarchal Blessing in 2005 on February 27th. Well, that's the gist of it. And now here we are. I'll post later about our wedding day, which was awesome, and pictures, when we get them. I'm thinking I'm coming off as crazy on this blog thing. Oh well. I'll get Larry aka Allen, to post stuff on here too. He probably has more normal things to talk about. Our blog probably isn't as exciting as those with cute little kids on it, but that's down the road. In the mean time, I thought it would be good, especially for Larry's family in Kansas to keep in touch and see what's up with us.

Who says you need to have kids to have a blog?

Okay, so we just got married on April 22, 2008. You really can't expect us to have kids that fast. We do however, have kittens. That's right kittens. If you ever thought Megan Campbell-oh wait, Megan Balsmeier, was a crazy cat lady, well stop thinking that, it hurts my feelings. (I'm just making sarcastic remarks.) However, you would be correct in that assumption.-Larry added that last line. Here's the deal. Ever since I was like twelve years old I was taking cats home and fostering them. I quit doing that for a couple years, while I was sane. I used to be a vet tech, but then I stepped away from working with animals for a while. Well, I made the mistake of getting a job working for Salt Lake County Animal Services. And Larry made the mistake of giving me permission to foster a kitten. It didn't take too long before an orphan kitten was brought over to me in my little cubicle land. I named him Winston. When I brought him home Larry pretended to be totally uninterested. Of course, I knew that it was just a cover. I have pictures to prove it. Larry already made threatening remarks that he claims will be carried out if I post pictures. Like that's gonna stop me! Later I got another orphan kitten. I didn't mean too. I swear! Larry named her Sadie and seemed to like her. After two kittens I wasn't looking for more....but I *accidentally* ended up with another one...Milo. That's where I draw the line I promise! We'll only have them temporarily and then they'll be adopted. Milo is only 2 weeks old and being bottlefed so we'll have him longer. I think i remember why I stopped fostering. I have that crazy cat lady thing in the back of my mind. I'm not one to want a lot of pets believe it or not. I only want our one cat and one dog. Pretty soon, Larry will be converted to being a proud cat owner. He's not too proud yet...but he will be. So, that's how our married life is going so far. We're raising little kittens as practice babies. I'll post cute pictures so you can all side with me. If you don't think they're cute I'm afraid something might be wrong with you...