Saturday, February 23, 2008

It's about time...

Can someone convince Ryan that even if our baby boy (no, we don't know for sure) didn't know he were sleeping in a girly nursery, it still matters?? Being Mr. Practical, he doesn't think it's going to make a difference either way...


And by the way, if you haven't already heard...we're having a baby! Our little cutie will be coming around August 15th, and we are elated! I'm about 15 weeks along and have been feeling great. I feel so lucky because I had the smoothest first trimester I could have hoped for.

I actually haven't indulged in too much online baby shopping yet...but today I decided it was time to get some ideas. (And I can't resist sharing my favorites with you.) Now all I have to do is convince Ryan that the baby really does need a crib and cute bedding. He's quite untraditional. (He gets it from his dad.) :)




The Chinese lunar calendar says it's going to be a girl, but the heartbeat suggests it could be a boy...Any guesses? Ryan's pretty sure it's a boy. Go figure. He likes to call the baby "Sebastian" just to bug me, I think.
Last but not least, we wanted to leave you with this quick video clip. Listen close, and enjoy!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Once upon a winter


One morning our apartment filled with snow...Well okay, maybe it was just our sliding glass door that filled with snow. Nonetheless, that answered our questions about the serious draft coming in through that door!

On the upside, we've seen the sun much more frequently in the last couple of weeks (even if is is 8 degrees out)! And I'm very grateful for that.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

I'll Miss You Grandpa Mitt


I feel like Mitt Romney is my Grandpa. In fact, every time I see him speak (and believe me, I've seen just about all of his videos online), I seriously wish he were a member of my family!

If you haven't already seen his CPAC speech in which he withdraws from the race, you should definitely watch it here: http://realclearpolitics.com/video_log/

His speech is full of solutions, real ideas about how to handle the issues we face. He is brilliant, undeniably. He was valedictorian at BYU, and he graduated in the top of his class from Harvard, with both a law degree and an MBA. He founded Bain Capital, and after serving as VP of Bain & Company, he was asked to return and revive the company, which he did.

I love this statement, from his last speech: "Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportunity. Dependency is a culture-killing drug—we have got to fight it like the poison it is!"

And I love his boldness in this statement: "The attack on faith and religion is no less relentless. And tolerance for pornography—even celebration of it—and sexual promiscuity, combined with the twisted incentives of government welfare programs have led to today’s grim realities: 68% of African American children are born out-of-wedlock, 45% of Hispanic children, and 25% of White children. How much harder it is for these children to succeed in school—and in life. A nation built on the principles of the founding fathers cannot long stand when its children are raised without fathers in the home."

How many other candidates would dare to speak out against the pornography industry? He is not afraid to say what he believes, whether about pornography, the state of the family, or his religion.

One of my favorite video clips of Mitt Romney is a rather obscure one that Ryan and his brother came across one night. When a reporter asked him what the strangest thing about his religion was, he--with a dead straight face--said something this effect: "The strangest belief of my religion is that we believe that God commanded a man to build a big boat and put two of every kind of animal on it, and through this all humanity would be saved." When you think about it, Noah's ark is kind of weird(!), but all Christians believe it, so what's so crazy about modern-day prophets??

Anyway, I'm going to miss him...though I am glad to see more of my husband lately. :) The good news (and bad news since I'll lose my hubby again) is that it looks pretty likely that he'll run again in 2012. Until then, Mitt!

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Yay!

I love working out! I finally signed up for a gym out here, and it feels so good to be working out regularly. It's funny how when you're not exercising frequently, you secretly think, "Ahhh. It's so nice not having to go to the gym." (At least I do.) But when you're finally back into it, you remember how it's even more satisfying to be going. What's your exercise of choice? And if you work out at a gym, what's your routine?

*Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the ipod birthday gift! It makes the biggest difference!