Friday, November 28, 2008

Happy Birthday Emily!


You are finally a teenager! Yay! You are growing up so fast. Weren't you just 2 years old?

We celebrated at Color-Me-Mine, from which I painted a christmas tree cookie plate (and think I ruined it), and then we made little mini pizzas and had Emily's requested "Donut Cake" which my mom kept thinking was a cake made out of donuts... but, found that Emily was referring to the "bundt" cake I had made last week and it looked like a donut. lol

Hope you had a good birthday Em. You are officially, no longer a kid.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!



A short summary of our day, stayed up all night last night and watch season 4 of The Office and then woke up early to finish watching it. Made 3 green bean casseroles for the 3 Thanksgiving dinners we went to. We started off at noon at Humpherys, 2:00 at the Green's and then 4:30 over to the Terry's. We tried to be miniscule on how much we ate at each place as to not over do it, but we failed. We are so full that we are miserable. I don't recommend or wish this misery on anyone. The dogs were spoiled at each place we went and now they are sick and "stinky" if ya know what I mean. I think the baby is even sick he stopped moving when I did. lol Now we are home early, being sick, and it looks like a lonnnggg night of recovery. I hope everyone else had a plentiful Thanksgiving too!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

It's A Girl!


Gotchya... No, I'm not talking about me.

Jenya, one of my BFFs that has gone through almost the whole pregnancy with me just had her baby today. We went and saw her new little one tonight and it made me soooooooo much more excited for our little baby. Jenya was 5 weeks ahead of me and almost a week overdue and I'm hoping to be 3 weeks early. ha haaa. I can't believe that in just a few weeks we will have a new addition to our family. Whoa! I wish I had a pic of her baby to put on here because she is so freakin' cute. She was 7lbs 11oz (surprisingly the same exact weight that her and her husband were when they were born) and 19 inches. After a long labor and a last minute c-section, baby Avery and mom are doing wonderful.

I have been so determined to NOT forget the crappy parts of pregnancy, but I can see after holding Jen's little baby girl how you don't even care how crappy it is. I already secretly signed up for the next kid (not any time soon), but maybe in the next year or so.

Congratulations Jen & Pres! Avery's boyfriend is on his way soon.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Sappy Moments by Tara

I'm sorry that I'm posting yet another sappy blog post, but I can't seem to help myself. I feel like I sound like an old, sappy, mormon mom. Yikes.

Last night I finally got to read Jeremy's Patriarchal blessing. He hasn't been able to find it since I've known him and his mom found it the other night at her house as she was going through her stuff, along with finding all of his old mission letters, pictures, etc. I was so excited to read it. I actually made it through reading it with out crying, but only with a large headache to follow because I was holding back the tears. I know that P blessings are very private, so I won't go into details, but I will say that it is the BEST feeling in the whole world to know:
1. You are in love with your husband, AND, he is equally in love with you
2. You are, with out a doubt, with the person you are supposed to be with for the rest of eternity
3. You can trust your own feelings when making large decisions and that they are re-confirmed through a blessings (his and mine)
4. You are starting a family at the best time of your life and bringing your children into a loving environment and that they parents that are willing to give them everything and more
5. You are blessed with a testimony of the gospel and the opportunity to have it as a guiding foundation in your life along with a husband that has a strong testimony and faith and is willing to lead your family with the priesthood.

I couldn't ask for anything more.

Twilight Follow Up

Ok, Ok... so a few of you have asked me what my thoughts are on Twilight now that I've watched the movie and had no interest in the books. I have to admit that I really liked the movie. It has slightly intrigued me to read the first book. Jeremy asked me if I thought Edward was cute at the beginning of the movie and I said, "not really...". At the end of the movie I said, "Actually, I take that back. He's pretty hot!" lol

So, there ya have it.

And the winner is...


So many of you wonder what Jeremy does at work and because Jeremy starts to "geek talk" when you ask him, no one gets it any more at the end of the conversation than they did at the beginning. I listened to him for over an hour so that I could come up with the "dumbed down" version when people asked me. So, here it is. :)

First off, Jeremy works for Symantec. It is the 3rd largest software company in the world next to Microsoft and Oracle. Symantec is a security company, hence, you've heard of Norton Anti-Virus which is one of the hundreds of products they put out. Instead of coming up with new security products, Symantec usually just buys other security software companies and keeps them running as usual, but with the "Symantec" name behind it. All the companies that Symantec works with have security measures that they must abide by legally to protect customer information, right? So, these companies are constantly programming, re-programming, fixing errors, and updating their policies and needs for the software that Symantec provides them. This is where Jeremy comes in.

Jeremy is a Level 2 Support Engineer and is a personal rep to some of their larger clients. One of Jeremy's clients is Visa. Therfore when Visa has problems with any of their security policies, they contact Jeremy (which is like everyday, all day on conference calls). Jeremy does the programming and scripting for whatever it is they need fixed and tests errors, follows through on it if its something that a level 1 can do and so forth. So, to sum it up, Jeremy fixes the programming of the internal database that executes queries for visa and follows through and tracks what changes they've made. Does that make sense?

Jeremy, I'm so proud of you babe. You have been doing so awesome at work and it's paying off. Good Job! It's nice to see and hear how awesome you are doing during this rough economy and I'm grateful for your job.
*As a side note, Symantec just laid off 4.5% of their work force (which I think is about 25,000 worldwide). We feel lucky that Jeremy is still there.

Jeremy has once again been nominated by another one of his co-workers and has won an award for "Trust". Yay... more gift cards. :)

Message to recipient winner: Jeremy, thanks for going out of your way to always be there for myself and the Level 1 folks. Your constant availability and willingness to help out means a lot. This has built a definite environment of trust that the Level 2 team will be there to support the frontline teams. Thanks!

Further comments to Jeremy's manager: Jeremy is contstantly asking if I or anyone on L1 needs help. He is proactive in examining ongoing cases that L1 is working and contacting them proactively if he has an idea of what might help. He does not shy away from taking on tough cases and views them as a challenge.

Letters to Teagan

After the 50th anniversary party, Jeremy and I wanted to write a letter to Teagan. After all the family discussions tonight, we were feeling overwhelmed with happiness and anticipation to see him and meet him and tell him how much he is loved already. He has already brought so much joy to the family and we feel so blessed.

What made me start thinking about it was something as simple as my grandma telling me how excited they are to see him and to tell us that they pray for him and his health each day. Jeremy and I pray for him everyday and I know my mom has told me that and so has my Grandma and Grandpa Grover. My dad told me that tells everyone he's going to be a grandpa next month and Grandma Lona can't wait to have a baby around again and his Aunt Kiley talks to him in my belly every time she sees me. Aside from all of his real aunts and uncles, he has all of his adopted aunts and uncles from those that are closest to Jeremy and I that can't wait to see him and watch him. This little guy already has a fan club and has already affected people's lives and he's not even here yet.

Maybe it's because I am in the latter stages of pregnancy that I'm even MORE emotional and touched by everything or maybe the holiday spirit is all around me. Maybe I'm more in tune now with the 'bigger picture' or maybe I choose to see the good and stay optimistic. Either way I have felt humbled and blessed this last year. For once I don't feel like I'm trying to live for the future, but am finally on track to take in "the present".

I will spare everyone of my long, typed posts lately and not type up our letters, but I wanted to express how excited we are (once again).

The Golden 50!



Last night we celebrated my Grandma and Grandpa Humpherys 50th Anniversary. The whole family surprised them with dinner waiting for them at my unlce Scott's house. Scott decorated his place with beautiful flowers, balloons, and 50th anniversary decorations. My dad compiled a dvd of all the old videos and pictures my grandma and grandpa had when they grew up and recorded them talking about each of them in the background. Then he put another dvd together, put to music, with all the Humpherys kids growing up. It was fun to watch with everyone and hear everyone's comments. We all got to know grandma and grandpa a little bit better. My grandma was so modest in thinking that we'd all be bored to death watching a video about her or wanting to hear from them and their stories, but it was their special night.

My grandma's tears brought tears to my eyes as it hit me... THIS is what life is all about, Family! And maybe it is more real to me because we're about to start a family of our own, but I know that looking at my family tonight and listening to my aunt, uncle and dad laugh about all their child hood experiences and the good memories they had growing up... that my life is JUST starting. I couldn't have progressed any more in my life with out getting married and beginning a family. Just as God progresses through his children, so do we. I can't wait to build those memories for and with my family; to begin new traditions. I can't imagine how my life would be with out those things in it long term. There would be no sense of fulfillment, no progression or personal growth with out learning to live and grow with a companion.

I am thankful for all of my grandparents and the sacrafices they have made to bring us good memories and build a happy life for their posterity. I'm grateful for their examples and feel lucky that I was blessed with the foundation they worked hard to lay. I'm grateful that when there is nothing else but hard times, we always have our families.

Happy 50th Golden Anniversary!

Then:

Now:

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Turkey Farm




I forgot to post that last weekend we went to the Turkey Farm in Moroni, UT with Jeremy's parents and aunts and uncles. If you ever get a chance to go, you should. Their turkey is YUMMY, fresh, and cheaper than you can get it in the stores! We came home with so many turkeys for friends and family, it was crazy. My friend Jenya personally recommends the SweetHeart turkey, which I haven't had the chance to try yet. But she said you don't have to season or flavor it and you cook it right in the bag and it comes out perfectly moist and flavored. I personally recommend their gold deli turkey. It has the best flavor and tastes almost like ham. Plus it is crazy cheap from buying it in the store. $25 for 9.5 lbs vx. $10/lb in the store. It is crazy good. (Have I said "crazy" enough yet?)

If anyone wants some for Christmas, I think we're making another trip out there and I'd be happy to pick some turkey up for you.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Taken


Since I'm on the subject of movies, I will put on here that I did just watch this movie and it is freaking awesome! It is only released in Europe right now in the theatres and doesn't come out in US theatres until January or February 2009. Let's just say that I have some talented people around me that made it possible to watch in the comfort of my own home right now. ;)

Anyway, I give this move 5 stars and want to see it in theatres when it starts showing. It is suspenseful through the whole thing. I had so much anxiety while watching it that I thought I was going to put myself into labor.

Click HERE to watch a trailer of the movie "Taken".

Twilight


Ok. So, since this movie has come out, all my girlfriends keep asking me if I've read the books and telling me that I need to. But to tell you the truth, I actually have no desire to read them. The only thing that has made me wonder if I should read them at all is the fact that everyone is so crazy about it.

My 17 year old sister was the first person to tell me about them and from my first interaction about them, I thought it sounded corny. Plus something that was so enticing to my younger sister in high school and all her friends kind of made me think that it was probably written for teens. No offense... cause I'm sure there are lots of things that interest me that the teenage group has interest in as well.

I have one friend that absolutely loved it and the passion of young love she said is what made it exciting. I have one friend that read the first one and part of the second one and didn't want to read it anymore. She said that the love scenes in the book drover her bonkers. And then I have another friend that only read the first one and doesn't care to read more of them, and happened to mention the love scenes driving her bonkers as well.

I read a lot when I was younger, but now I seem to only read if I go on trips because it's the only time I feel non-distracted from "getting stuff done" on all the projects I start. I guess that is the 'red' personality in me.

Anyway, I am in fact going to see the movie tomorrow because the previews looked good. We'll see if it peaks my interest to read the books...

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Nancy

My friend Nancy Alaura who I used to work closely with when I worked at ForeverGreen passed away about a week ago. You can click on her link on the right side of my blog if you haven't before and read her story. She has been battling all sorts of health problems for a long while now. She always amazed me at how positive she was through it all and was an inspiring person. I know that she has been in a tremendous amount of pain and has missed her mother that passed away earlier this year. I'm glad that she is better now and can see her parents again. I will miss her great spirit and reading her updates. I send her family my condolences and love. They are in my thoughts and prayers.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Car Seat Class

So... we went to yet another 'baby' class. But this time it was just me and Jenya that went. We weren't really sure what to expect, but they said in our pre-natal class that a whopping 90% of people buckle their kids in incorrectly to their car seats and that you could schedule a safety check with your health and safety department. 90% is a large # and we didn't want to be a part of that statistic... So, we tried to schedule our safety check and ended up getting roped in to an hour long class and then an additional 30 min car seat safety check.

Yesterday we went to the class and found that there was actually some good info that I would've never known otherwise (because I'm still quite children illiterate). Overall I would say that it just made me more aware of what to look for in car seats as well as being more aware of the labels and car seat info criteria and what all the different options were. It's probably good to go to once.

Football Banquet

Last night was Jeremy's football teams dinner/awards banquet. Shane and Sheri did a good job planning it and making it fun. They even reserved a room at one of the local hotels to show a highlight video while all the parents could eat and mingle. Then Shane, Jeremy's brother and head coach, said a little something about each of the boys and gave them all a medal. Then all the other coaches, including Jeremy, gave out awards and said a little somthing as well. What a fun night. I can't wait til I get to go to stuff like that for our kids.

Dr. Visit: Week 33

It is the end of my 33rd week. I actually start into week 34 today, so that means I will be full term in only 3 weeks. Can you believe it? Crazy! I have one more 2 week appointment and then I go every week after that until this little guy comes.

The Dr visit went well today. My blood pressure was checked and it is officially really low. So, I don't need to worry about toxemia. Fewwww! Everything has been checked normal and healthy. The baby is very active and growing at a normal rate. So, everything is still on schedule.

If I could choose a day to have the baby it would be on Dec 20th or 21st so that we could have him here early enough for Christmas and still have a few days before to allow recovery time. Unfortunatley I don't get to choose that for the first baby. They told me they will never induce me for the first one. (even though one of the dr's said they could... it doesn't look like they will) They are going to be scheduling my induction date on my next appointment if I happen to go a week over due, which would be somewhere around January 9th. Ugh! If I truly go that long, I might have to shoot myself.

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. My whole life is completely different than it was last November. Jeremy and I had just barely gone on our first date and weren't even officially together by this time last year. And then everything changed in a whirlwind. I guess you never know what's in store for yourself.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Dinner with the Listers

Last night we had dinner with the Listers. And although Jimmy is my uncle, he's always been more of an older brother to me. Maybe that's cause he's only 2 years older than me and his wife, my aunt, is my same age. :) And because he always beat up on me growing up. ...like pinning me down and hitting me while pinching my nose shut and putting his hand over my mouth so I couldn't breath. Jerk! ha ha

Jeremy and I brought over some homemade cookin' ...pot roast with potatoes/carrots, mashed potatoes/gravy, rolls and caramel popcorn. Shanda made cheesecake and brownies and the mysterious, invisible kool-aid. Yum! It was a feast. :) And it made me feel good that Ashlynn kept saying how yummy it was. Your parents have taught you well. ;) Jeremy and I got a kick out of watching their kids run around and being silly since we are just around the corner to having that ourselves. Thanks for having us over!

Friday, November 07, 2008

PreNatal Class#2

So, I had this post named, "Breastfeeding Class" but it looks weird to have that up there in big, bold letters. lol So, I changed it.

Last night we went to our breastfeeding class and it was actually very informative and helpful. I guess there is a lot more that goes into it than you would ever think. My overall perception of it after is that most women that have problems breastfeeding just don't have enough information to try different things. Of course there is exceptions to this, but I almost feel overwhelmed that you finish being pregnant and then have this next uncomfortable assignment for however long you decide to do it. And yes, there was the awesome breastfeeding video that we couldn't WAIT to see but I would definitely recommend going to both the prenatal and breastfeeding class. I've even gotten good advice on things that people have told me to do one thing but the classes give you a good reason to do something else. Of course everything is a personal decision, but it makes it easier to choose when you have a larger view of information. The class was taught by a lactation specialist and I'm grateful that my good friend Angie's mom is also a lactation specialist and that she is willing to help out when needed. Ange! I will probably be calling your mom up. :)

Monday, November 03, 2008

PreNatal Class

3 words:
a) Anxiety
b) Traumatizing
c) "Informative"

Jeremy and I went to an all day Saturday, Pre-Natal class at the AF Hospital with Jenya and Preston this last Saturday. It was taught by one of their Labor and Delivery nurses who was 38 weeks along.

I had JUST starting feeling good about going through labor and giving birth and then we watched... 'the birthing video'. It was terrible. If I had any questions, I definitley don't now. I hope I never watch another video like that again. It was the same feeling you get when you're in elementary school and have to watch the puberty videos.

On the flip side, I DID like that we learned a little bit about what to expect, although I think it made me somewhat paranoid about all the problems that could potentially occur.

And also, on that note... as an update to my "toxemia". I don't think I need to worry about it. I think I must've been having a stressful day or something cause my blood pressure has been extremely low every day this week. Plus when I wrote that, it was after we'd been sitting for 7 hrs in the pre-natal class, just allowing me to swell up like a balloon. I've found that its no good for you to sit for that long when you're pregnant. We go back again next Friday for our next appointment. So, we'll see what the Doc says.

PS. Cross your fingers that our "Breastfeeding Class" on Thursday is not as traumatizing as the Birthing Video. What in the world is Jeremy supposed to go the the Breastfeeding class for? I have no clue. I'm sure he is just THRILLED to go. I have a feeling that another amazing video is going to be shown in that class too.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Invisible Mother

This was a post on my friend Amber's blog, but I stole it because I love it. It's something that we all try to aspire to and I know my mom plays this role daily with me.

ODE TO ALL MOMS!
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?

Obviously, not.

No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.

It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table. That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.

And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.