Flying, not so simple anymore

So on Monday December 21, 2009 I boarded a delta plan in Salt Lake city on my way to Cincinnati.
Even though my plan didn't leave the airport till 9:45 I still wanted to get there nice and early. So I had my friend Ben drop me off around 6:30 in the morning. Looking back I could have probably slept in just a tad bit longer. I have realized that flying has now become a bit of a pain.
First off, I went through the self check in. I was all proud of myself because it went pretty quick and was easy (the line for the actual counter was really long). When I got up to check in my bags he told me that my ticket didn't show any checked bags...AHHHHHH...time to head back to the machine. With a little help they added the bag, so back to the counter I went again.
Now my suitcase wasn't that big, if I had wanted to I could have taken it as my carry on luggage, but noooooo. Instead I had to pay the price of $20 for my bag. Gone are the days when you can take luggage for free.

Next it was time to head through security. Gone are the days when all you had to do was walk through the metal detectors, nope not any more.
I should have known better than to wear boots that needed to be laced up, since now you have to take off your shoes, and I was wearing a light sweater jacket over my shirt and I had to remove that as well. I mean come on people what's next, full on strip search? And then not only that when I got home and opened my luggage I had a note on the inside from the TSA, talking about how my luggage had been inspected.
Do I look like a terrorist? I don't think so, just somebody wanting to get home for the holidays.

I finally got to the gate, but I still had a good two hours before take off. The Burger King I had just bought was no longer appealing to me, and I had lost my appetite. I sat there listening to my i-pod, reading my "What to expect when expecting" book and watching the travelers go by. I also watched as the seating area at our gate became standing room only, this kinda worried me as when checking it there was a little note that popped up that said, "Your flight has been overbooked, talk to a agent about switching flights". There was no way in the world after getting there at 6:30 in the morning was I going to change my flight! But as I looked around I started thinking, "maybe taking a later flight isn't such a bad idea" but I quickly got that notion out of my head. I also looked around at the many parents traveling with young babies and children and I realized that if Vincent and I ever flew again that would be us.
Around 9:15 they started boarding the plane, and that is when I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom, twice! Lucky for me I was in zone 4 and the bathroom was right there. I finally made it to my seat and got all buckled in and then waited for take off. It was a pretty smooth flight, my only complaint was the guy behind me was so tall that his knees were in the back of my chair and when I wanted to lay back and go to sleep, I couldn't =( . And not only that, I only made one trip to the bathroom on a 3 1/2 hour flight, which for me right now is kinda good for me.
We got into Atlanta right on time, and it gave me just a little over an hour to get to my next gate. Now last time I was at the Atlanta airport the trains had broken down and my mom and I almost missed our flight. So thanks to that I was a bit worried, what happens if I miss my flight...standby? I had no issue getting to my next gate, well I did have one. They moved the gate on me. Instead of looking at the screens to see what gates the plans were taking off, I was going by my boarding pass. So when I got to the gate my boarding pass said, it said flight**** Seattle Washington....SEATTLE!! That isn't where I wanted to go, so I checked the screen and noticed that I had even walked right past the new gate and didn't even notice. Well went back to the correct gate, waited about 30mins then boarded the plane and had a safe, smooth flight to Dayton. After it was all said and done I was very happy to be done with the airports, and be heading back to my parents house.

A Day At Temple Square...Salt Lake City.

Since moving to Utah Vincent and I haven't had much time to explore the state or nearby cities. Well we decided to change that and take a trip to the "big city". It was quite an adventure in itself getting to SLC. Vincent arranged a ride to Brigham City where we would catch the Ogden bus. Now the Ogden bus runs every hour, because of this we missed the 8am bus and had to wait around for the 9:00 bus. Since the bus stop was right outside 7Elven it wasn't that bad. Our breakfast consisted of chili cheese dogs (mine didn't have the chili and cheese) and a Gatorade. After waiting around 45mins we were finally able to board the bus. Now the only problem that we now faced was the front runner leaves the station at 9:46, and what time does our bus pull in but 9:46!! We asked the bus driver what we should do, she dropped us off kinda at the corner and all we had to do was run for it. I tried running, even though my shoes weren't meant for running and I was freezing cold and carrying a backpack full of stuff. We missed the train by 15secs!
But I was able to get this awesome picture.



After about 15/20 mins we were able to catch the next train to SLC and we were back on our way.



Our next leg of the trip was to take the traxs to Temple Square, lucky for me we didn't need to run to catch that. Before you knew there we were, at Temple Square. It was amazing to look up and see that beautiful temple and remember what the saints went through to get to Utah. We started at the south visitor's center, greeted by wonderful sister missionaries. From there we went across the street to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Inside was beautiful, of course it was filled with the smell of the Nauvoo Cafe.

From there we headed out towards the church head quaters, I got a chance to snap some awesome pictures of the Temple.




Inside the church head quarters we came across the amazing painting, that took up a whole wall. We saw where the church archives are, it's amazing to know that all the church records are held right there behind those doors.





After that we made our way to the Lion House Pantry. Being on a budget and saving ourselves for a later meal we had a roll and a drink. I do plan on going back for a real meal. From there we made our way back towards the Tabernacle and the north visitor center.





Our last two stops were across the street. The Family History Center (which took our breath away) and the Church History Museum







It was a great day, cold, but a totally awesome day. I recommend it as one of those places you just have to go.

A Joyous Season...

I came across this short video and it brought a tear to my eye as I watched it. I would ask that before I go one with my "rant" that you please watch the video.

The Christmas Spirit

In this video there are three things going on.

First, you have the parents discussing their financial situation. Talking about how this Christmas will have to be scaled back some.

Secondly, you have the two older children discussing what they want for Christmas, and making their list.

Thirdly, you have the young girl going back and forth trying to find things that she can use. You're not quite sure as to what she is up to, but finally the catches the attention of her family. As they follow her down the hallway you can see Christmas decorations all over the floor, and then a box lights plugged in and a string leading into her room. The little girl leads them to the garage, where she can be seen reaching under the shelving for something. Not sure what she is trying to get the father helps her. The father is successful and hands the little girl the item, and her face lights up as she says "thank you" and walks away.
The family then follows the little girl into her room where she has set up a small nativity scene. It was in her room that they are reminded of what Christmas is about.

Sadly, this is not uncommon. Families get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, that they forget the reason why we celebrate. This Christmas season I urge you as you go about your holiday traditions, shopping and traveling that you remember the reason for this holiday season.

9w1d = 7 more months to go...pregnancy as seen through my eys.

Feelings and thoughts on my pregnancy:

When I think that I have 7 months to go....HOLY COW! I wonder to myself how am I going to do it, it seems so long. But I am sure that they time will fly, and that July 10, 2010 will be here sooner than I think.

Who knew that in just a little over 9 weeks, that I could become so attached to someone that I hadn't even met yet.

It has taken some time to realize that my body is no longer mine, but belongs to the little bitty baby inside me. What this means is that I can't beat my body up the way I used to. No more skipping meals, eating crap junk food, or not taking my vitamins. It also means I that I need to be more aware of what I am putting into my body, my surroundings, and how I maintain my body.

I find that now when I am shopping I spend more time looking at baby clothes and such, and less at clothes for me. I suspect that in the very near future when my clothes don't fit right, that will change.

Concerns that I have, unfounded or not:

I do worry that I may do something to lose my baby. Or that I am not taking care of myself the way I should be, which in turn may hurt my baby.

Will I be a good mom and will I be able to handle the 3am feedings, the crying, etc.

Will my child love me and Vincent (even when we tell them no)

What if I have a boy and I want a girl or vice versa, will I be able to handle that

Symptoms my little one has blessed me with to remind me of his/her presence

Tiredness...no matter how much sleep I get, it never feels like enough

Hunger...I find myself more hungry throughout the day, then I used to be. And I have the biggest urge to grab the closet snack, healthy or not, and eat and eat. And then there is the waking up in the middle of the night starving.

Using the bathroom more... Sometimes that can be rather annoying, cause I may not be able to get to the bathroom right away.


Nausea...Can't say that it has been bad, or that I have actually thrown anything up. It's just some smells make me sick to my stomach.

Breast tenderness...I swear they have grown already (and Vincent agrees to it). I look down and think, "NO PLEASE NO". Not to mention they feel a bit heavier than normal, and I can't lay certain ways cause it's uncomfortable.

So there you have my little rant, my thoughts, my concerns, and my symptoms.Hope you enjoyed.

Winter is Here!

After several days of having temperatures below zero (-9 one morning: yes, Fahrenheit), we received our first semi-significant snowfall of the year to date. 3" has fallen so far, coating everything. However there is no "OMG THE WHITE DEATH!!! GET MILK!!!!" hysteria here: it is merely a dusting to Logan residents. Schools are open, buses running: it's very refreshing. Looking forward to a few feet of snow to do some sledding and skiing!

Message of Salvation during Saturday Football: by Vincent

One of the great things about working at Comcast is that we have access to TVs interspersed between every 2nd row of cubicles. I am blessed to be seated right next to the one showing the Florida-Alabama SEC Championship. During a closeup of Tim Tebow in a losing effort, I noticed that he had used a fine point Sharpie or paint pen to scrawl John 16:33 into the black anti-glare strips underneath his eyes.



While Tim Tebow will be remembered as one of the greatest collegiate quarterbacks of this generation, he will equally be remembered as an unabashed emissary of Jesus Christ and his plan of happiness. In press conferences, in his daily life, in living by example, even in a miniscule set of lettering in an eye smudge: How many of the faithful make that kind of effort on a daily basis? How many seek to be emissaries and not just advertisers, broken record players pointing toward generalities of faith without application? It took a 21-year old college kid to remind me of such a simple message that can relieve so many:

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

A baby on the way!!

So today was my first doctor's appointment. Despite being a bit nervous and not sure what to expect, all is well. Matter of fact, we did the first ultrasound. Now, if you were going by my lmp I would be around 11-12 weeks, but boy did I have the doctor fooled. The ultrasound showed that I am only 6 1/2 weeks along, which is what I suspected. So far, things have been good health wise. I haven't gotten sick yet (knock on wood), the only thing is that I am more tired and spending more time in the bathroom than I would like.