The Clintons

Confessions (and some complaining)

2012-01-31T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here it is, the last day of the first month of the new year, and I'm finally getting back to my blog. Hooray, me!

Pause: A special shout-out to my cousin Allison . . . it's her 16th birthday today! Happy, happy birthday, Ally! You're growing up too fast. Flashback: I remember you were the first baby I ever really connected with. I'm not a baby person, so until I had my own baby, you were the only one I can remember that I really enjoyed playing with. Love you, Ally. :)

Okay, so it's a new year, and like most people, I've set some goals. Except so far, I've been super lazy and unmotivated, and I really don't feel like doing much of anything. Good thing Henry and the beagles keep me on the move, because otherwise, I may just as well become a permanent fixture of my couch.

Venting moment: Taylor drives my Civic to work every day, and the Camaro sits in the garage, uninsured. Why? Because it doesn't get good gas mileage. Why else? Because it has a busted passenger-side mirror. Why else else? Because it's terrible in the ice and snow. Why else to the third power? Because I don't know how to drive it anyway. It just makes me angry. So now, I have nothing to drive, so Henry and I sit at home, day after day, and I'm tired of it. I'm so used to always having my own car. Call me spoiled, I know. I would go for walks outside, but then I remember that we live in a frozen tundra, and a walk just ends up being a test of my winter survival skills—a fight to ward off frostbite, if you will.

Poor me.

Okay, I'm done. So what am I doing about it? Well, with all the couch-sitting I do, I may as well enjoy some TV, so I watch a lot of Food Network (don't judge me just yet) because I really enjoy learning about food and cooking techniques and getting inspiration for new recipes. The other day, I made a spaghetti casserole, and Taylor LOVED it! It's quite simple, really. Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it for yourself:

* * * * *

Simple Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients:
1 lb. angel hair pasta
1½ lb. ground beef
24 oz. jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 can (10.75 oz.) cream of mushroom or chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella or your favorite)

Prep:
1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until just soft (extra al dente).
3. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef in a large skillet and drain excess fat. Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, and heat through on low heat. (I mashed the stewed tomatoes until they were just small pieces.)
4. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cream soup, sour cream, and parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Assemble:
In one 13×9" casserole dish (or two 8" square dishes), begin layering:
    a. Pour in half of the meat sauce so it covers the bottom of the pan.
    b. Use your fingers to place half of the pasta on top of the meat sauce (if it's super sticky, sprinkle a bit of water on it so it's easier to manage).
    c. Spoon half the cream mixture on top of the pasta and incorporate it into the pasta a bit.
    d. Sprinkle cheese on top of pasta and cream mixture.
    e. Repeat layers and top with extra cheese.

Bake:
Cover and bake at 350º for about an hour or until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly. The 13×9" makes about 6, large servings or 9 "polite" servings.

Tips:
∙ Use angel hair pasta for casseroles; it holds together well because of its tendency to stick to itself. And you need to undercook it (hence the "extra al dente" direction), because it cooks more in the oven, and you don't want to overcook it when boiling it, lest it turn to mush in the casserole.
∙ You can use 1 lb. of ground beef and ½ lb. of ground sausage for extra flavor.
∙ If you use two 8" square dishes, you can bake one now and freeze the other for a future dinner. Just be sure to thaw the frozen one overnight before you bake it the next day.
∙ You can add whatever you want to the meat mixture, including chopped mushrooms, sauteed peppers and onions, garlic, etc.

* * * * *

Yumminess. I've done a lot of experimenting in the kitchen lately. I feel like one of those chefs on Chopped in which they're given a couple of random ingredients, and they have to come up with something brilliant in a limited amount of time. I do a lot of that, and—usually—I come up with something pretty good. Tay's a good sport and eats whatever, as long as it's not chicken.

I've also been doing little things around the house so I enjoy being in it more. I got some fabric and made a simple headboard for our bed. Tay calls it our "headfoam," because I took a twin-size piece of extra egg crate foam I had and covered it with some fabric and stuck it to the wall. I'm still working on ideas for how to fasten it to the wall (we're making do with some thumb tacks right now), but it works.

We had an extra nightstand in our crawlspace, so I brought that up and turned it into an end table by our couch in the family room. I put a lamp on it so it looks official. It makes the room feel more like a family room and less like the place where the couch and TV are.

And since all of my pretty trees died last year, I would like to get at least one fake one for our dining room area. Birthday present, maybe?

So I'm liking how my house looks, and it makes me feel better about always being home. And to Tay's credit, he's good about coming home early on days when I can't take it anymore and letting me take the car somewhere, even if it's just to pick up some more baby food for Henry.

Last night, we went grocery shopping, and we don't go as often as we used to, so now it's fun! Especially now that Henry can sit in the cart and enjoy riding around, looking at everything.

And after grocery shopping, we got Wendy's for dinner!

Confession: I love Wendy's. They've improved their menu in the last year, and it's gone from being somewhere I went for the occasional Frosty to my new favorite fast food place. I love everything there now: hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, fries, Frosty parfaits. Mmm. Sometimes, when I can't decide between getting a hamburger or a chicken sandwich, I just order some of their 99¢ items and have both! Mmm again.

Good thing we don't eat out much, or I might need some new pants. Hey, that reminds me . . .

Another confession: I want some of these.

Don't deny it, you want some too. I mean, I wear pajamas all day anyhow; might as well dress it up a bit. And hey, when I actually do go somewhere, I won't have to go upstairs and change. Brilliant, I say. (Another birthday present?)

You know what else I want for my birthday?

Confession the third: This.

That's Olive Garden's Black Tie Mousse Cake, kids. My friend Season turned me onto this delectable dessert over a decade ago. (Wow, that makes us sound old! Sorry, Seaz.) It's just so ridiculously good. And no, I will not share. And I will not apologize.

Shoot, just looking at that picture makes me drool. Good thing I have some ice cream sandwiches in the freezer to take the edge off my Black Tie cravings . . .

Last confession: I sometimes eat ice cream in the middle of the day, and sometimes instead of lunch.

But only sometimes.

Well it feels good to get some of those things off my chest. Thanks for reading. Now I'm gonna go get me an ice cream sandwich. Mmm again!

Henry visits Santa

2011-12-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

"Ho ho ho, hello there! And what's your name?"

"Henry."

"And what would you like for Christmas, little one?"

"Your wallet."

Looks like we'll have our hands full (and pockets empty) raising this one. :)

Merry Christmas!

12 Days Till Christmas!

2011-12-13T14:21:00.001-08:00

Goodness, I can't believe Christmas is almost here.
But you know what's more unbelievable?

THIS!

No snow. It's December . . . in Rexburg. And there's no snow on the ground. Let's just sit back and savor this moment together.

. . . savoring . . .

Thank you for your participation. There are several things that I loathe about living here, but number one on my list is snow! It just sucks. (Spoken like a true Vegas girl.)

So guess what? I was doing really well updating my blog at least every month this year, and then October and November totally passed me by! (And I barely got a post in for September, and aren't you glad I sneaked that one in? Yummy.)

I'm going to try and make it up to you, though. Akin to many bloggers I know, I'm just going to have to do a bit of catching up.

October

On Monday, October 3, after spending the weekend with Ashtyn in Orem, my mom drove up to Rexburg to visit us for the week! Yay!

Then my dad flew up on Thursday afternoon to spend the weekend with us before they drove back down to Vegas together. When we picked my dad up on Thursday, a lovely blizzard greeted him. "Welcome to Rexburg, Dad!" Thankfully, that snow melted after a few days.

Taylor and I decided, since my parents were driving all the way back down to Vegas anyway, that I should go with them. Tay planned to do a lot of hunting in the mornings and weekends—on top of working the rest of the time—during October, so instead of me and Henry having lots of lonely days and weekends, I packed everybody up (including the beagles), and we had a little caravan all the way down to Vegas on Sunday, October 9.

We had a quick—but lovely—visit with Ashtyn on the way down. I'm pretty sure she's one of Henry's favorite aunts. (The other being Aunt Lindsay, of course.)

And so, while in Vegas, we spent our days hanging out with Grammy and Grampy, eating chocolate pudding, visiting (and being visited by) extended family members, and enjoying the beautiful weather.

This little kid loves bath time.

Especially when there are lots of bubbles involved!

Of course, I had to pay a bit of attention to the beagles, too.

They enjoy snuggle time almost as much as Henry enjoys bath time.

He can almost sit up!

Uncle Wes was in town and came to visit.

Henry always has a big smile for this uncle.

And he sure loves his Aunt Fae the Great!

We and the Bundersons did some pumpkin carving with the missionaries in our ward, and I took a stab (no pun intended) at carving Henry's face! Cute, huh? (And a bit creepy, I'll admit.)

I just love this little Boo.

My mom did a wonderful job making our costumes this year.

Our little family was a s'more, and Henry was the marshmallow!

Taylor flew into Vegas on Thursday, October 26, and we celebrated our 5th anniversary a little late. We went to Bahama Breeze for dinner and stayed at the Riviera while my parents babysat. It was a wonderful evening! I have the best husband!

On Friday, October 28, we went to the Durango Ward Trunk-or-Treat.

Don't we look tasty?

On Saturday, October 30, we drove up to Springville to spend Halloween weekend with the Clintons! Yay! And look at these cute skeleton jammies from Grammy Kelly. Love!

Nice to meet you, Aunt Kerri!

Kade sure knew how to make Henry laugh and laugh!

The mayor of Springville hands out candy bars to all the trick-or-treaters every year, so they line up outside of City Hall, and the line wraps all the way around by the fire station where Hank is the fire chief.

Here we are again in all our s'morey glory.

On Halloween evening, Byron and Tracy Garvin invited us over for dinner, and Henry and Carston got to meet for the first time! Carston was born June 21. What a cutie!

November

On Tuesday, November 1, we stuffed ourselves in my little Civic and made the trip back up to Rexburg. We did some sightseeing on the way.

It's nice to be home, back into the normal routine.

Tay has gotten lots of ducks this year!

Henry LOVES his cereal.

We started him with cereal at the beginning of October while we were at my parents' house.

Oh no! Not snow! (Don't worry. It didn't stick.)

On Sunday, November 20, Henry had his first plane ride down to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. As soon as the engines revved up, Henry fell right to sleep—and he stayed asleep from liftoff to touchdown. What an awesome baby!

Tay couldn't come because he had to work, but I was grateful he let us go down there without him. I hadn't been back down to Vegas for Thanksgiving for four years! We had a great time.

We decorated gingerbread houses, ate lots of good food, and Henry had a nice little nap with Aunt Karin after his own Thanksgiving dinner.

On Sunday, we celebrated my mom's second, 26th birthday!

Can you tell whose feet belong to whom?

December

On Thursday, December 1, Henry and I packed up and flew back to Rexburg. It was so good to be reunited with Daddy and the doggies. And it was SO wonderful to come back to a perfectly clean house. Tay did a lot of work around the house while I was gone, and I really appreciated that. He even bathed the beagles for our return!

I got together with a few of my good friends from the BYU–Idaho Registration Office on Friday, December 2, and enjoyed a nice time eating yummy food and visiting. Three of us have new babies! It was so fun to watch them on the floor. Here's Henry at six months, Leah at four months (bottom right), and Addison at two months old (top). A lot of cuteness in this picture. That was such a fun evening. Thanks to Allison for hosting it! I love you guys.

Later that night, Henry and I visited Taylor at his company's new store in Rigby. They now sell TV's, projectors, furniture, Apple products, etc. Taylor will still do door-to-door sales, though, since they have hired other people to manage the store.

Taylor's been doing well with sales, and I'm enjoying being a full-time mom. Henry loves to eat, play, roll, scoot, babble, watch the beagles, and touch new things. And we have yet to find a food that he doesn't like. He likes everything we've given him so far!

He wants to eat everything we're eating. I don't think he's going to be a picky eater.

He's sprouted two bottom teeth since November 19.

The second one popped up on December 3. They don't seem to bother him too much.

Henry can sit up now. He doesn't have the best balance yet, but he'll sit up for a long time before he gets back on his tummy to scoot around.

We celebrated Taylor's 27th birthday at Olive Garden. So yummy!

And since he doesn't like regular cake, I got him a little, baby cheesecake.

This past weekend, Grammy and Grampy Clinton came to visit us! They drove up here from Springville on Friday, December 9, and spent the weekend with us until Sunday morning. It was such a treat to have them here!

They brought the best cake money can buy. A red velvet, Nothing Bundt cake for Tay's birthday. This cake deserved all 27 candles. Thank you, Clintons, and happy birthday, Taylor!

And of course they got some new things for Henry, including these cute new jammies and a little bumblebee toy that lights up and makes sounds. Those grandmas and grandpas sure know how to spoil this grandkid (and their kids!).

We wished the Clintons good-bye on Sunday morning and went to church. Then we played and, of course, I took more pictures.

Well, I think we're all caught up now. We are sure enjoying the holidays as a new family of three. Henry is just amazing. He is the cutest, sweetest, most challenging little bundle of joy we could have ever hoped for. We love him so much.

Come back for my Christmas post! I promise it will include more pictures than prose. :)

Blowout

2011-09-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

My mom laid me down in my gym to play,
Because that's precisely what I wanted to do.
I stretched my legs and batted toys away
While I grunted and shouted, "Goo goo!"

It wasn't long before I decided to roll
Onto my tummy where I like to be.
I propped myself up with great self-control
And gave a big grin to my proud mommy.

A few minutes later I felt a deep rumble
Way down low in my little tummy.
I started to squirm and fuss and mumble
Because I was really feeling quite crummy.

But then, something happened, a sense of relief
Overcame me and I felt much better.
I also noticed that the results of my grief
Left my pants feeling a little bit wetter.

I continued to play and scoot myself around,
Trying to ignore what I felt in my pants.
But it was too stinky, so I made a sad sound
So my mom would come take a quick glance.

She examined me closely and gasped with surprise
When she finished giving my pants a review,
Because, to her dismay, all over my thighs
Was a thick, stinky layer of poo.

And it wasn't just on my thighs and bum,
It had even made its way to my head.
A bit by my eye, up my back, on my thumb,
This stuff really knew how to spread.

My mom picked me up very carefully
And took me upstairs to the tub.
She stripped me down and quite cheerfully
Started to give me a really good scrub.

In a few minutes, I was all fresh and clean
And Mommy snuggled me up in a towel.
She laughed and said, "You made quite a scene!"
The whole thing was disgusting and foul.

And so goes the story of my first blowout;
I hope it doesn't happen again.
But if it does (and it will, no doubt),
We'll make Daddy do all the cleaning then!

Nobody makes me laugh like "Mayhem"

2011-08-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

So I've always loved the Allstate "Mayhem" commercials since they started airing a few years ago. Y'know, the ones with that guy who progressively looks more beat up in every commercial? He's been a teenage girl, snow, a tree branch in a storm, an un-updated GPS system, etc. But the other day, I saw a new one that made me laugh harder than I've laughed in a LONG time! I must share . . .

"I've already had, like, four babies." — my favorite line.

Thank you, Allstate and Dean Winters, for making commercials that I actually look forward to watching.

10 weeks!

2011-08-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

My, how time flies. I can't believe it's been over two months since Henry made his earthly debut. Since birth, he has grown almost four inches taller and has put on over four pounds. What a champ! And we're happy to report that after almost seven weeks of icky thrush on his tongue, it's gone! Yay! It seemed to disappear shortly after his immunizations and the baby Tylenol I gave him to help with the aching from the 2-month shots.

At over two months old, my little guy now eats an average of 4 to 5 ounces of formula every 4 or 5 hours, but sometimes more (especially if Dad's feeding him). And for the last week or so, he has been zonking out at around 9 or 10 p.m., and he wakes up at around 3 or 4 a.m. to eat a bit and goes right back to sleep until 7 or 8 a.m. That's five- and six-hour stretches, people! Hallelujah. Let's hope this trend continues.

Here are some pictures of Henry each week since his birth. He's growing fast!

Week 0: June 2

Week 1: June 14

Week 2: June 19

Week 3: June 26

Week 4: July 5

Week 5: July 9

Week 6: July 16

Week 7: July 20

Week 8: July 27

Week 9: August 5

Week 10: August 11

He's just a happy little guy these days.

I'm feeling great! My incision is healing beautifully, and I finally wore some normal (non-maternity) jeans this week now that my scar isn't so sore. And all my new mom anxieties are subsiding, especially after our road trip down to Springville and Vegas a few weeks ago. That trip helped me conquer all my worries about traveling with Henry. It's nice feeling like I'm finally in a routine and having more confidence as a mommy.

Taylor has been all over the place these last two months. He'll spend about a week at a time in different cities knocking doors. Here are the cities he's been to so far:

Missoula, Montana (July 10–July 23)

Dillon, Montana (July 25–July 29)

Driggs/Idaho Falls, Idaho (beginning of August)

Burley, Idaho (August 8–currently)

He loves his job and is such a hard worker. I'm so proud of him!

I look forward to when Tay comes home from Burley this weekend; we miss him! But at least Burley is only about two hours away, so the drive won't be too long for him.

While he's gone, I try to catch up on little projects around the house, keep up with chores, and discipline myself to take Henry and the dogs for a long walk every day. Now that Henry's awake more during the day, he enjoys getting out and exploring everything outside. And we're working on getting Rocco and Willy to be good walkers and not pull Mom everywhere! They're getting better . . .

As I'm thinking about it, I'd just like to list all my favorite songs I sing to Henry so I can remember:

"Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz
"Winnie the Pooh"
"Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid
"I Am a Child of God"
"A Child's Prayer"
"I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus"
"I Love to See the Temple"
"Families Can Be Together Forever"
"Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"
"I Wiggle"
"Do As I'm Doing"
"Fun to Do"
"Once There Was a Snowman" (except I substitute snowman with Henry)
"Popcorn Popping"

I sing other songs, too, but I have to look up the lyrics. At least I have all these ones memorized. Do you have any favorite songs you sing to your children or that your mom sang to you? Please share!

We'll catch ya later!

BYE!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day, everyone! We got festive and donned red, white, and blue. How cute are we?

Henry's cuter, though, so here's a bunch of pictures of him.

Isn't he darling? I'm not biased or anything. ;)

Rocco makes a good horsey! (He was a very good sport.)

Dad decided Henry needed to cool off, so he stuck him right under the fan. (Of course, that freaked me out! Tay just laughs.)

Watching a little TV. This is one of my favorite pictures of Henry! Good job capturing this one, Tay!

Tay tried sharing some popcorn with Henry, but I don't think Henry really liked it. I mean, he doesn't even have teeth to enjoy it yet. Ha ha! Goofy Daddy.

Henry was quite fussy during most of the 4th. Poor baby. He sure looked cute, though.

First ride in the stroller . . . but just out the front door.

Hello, outside world! (He did a lot of squinting, not that I blame him.)

To fend off some of his fussiness, we gave him a bath, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Then he fell right to sleep, still wrapped up in his towel.


Happy baby makes a happy daddy.

Our little guy is just over a month old now! These past few weeks have gone by really fast for me. We've definitely had to adjust to our new life with a baby, but every sweet moment spent with Henry is absolutely cherished by his daddy and me.

Here's a list of some of the things we LOVE about Henry so far:

All his crazy faces! He's a very animated little guy.
The "happy" sounds and sighs he makes while drinking from his bottle.
The back and forth motion he does with his head when we're trying to give him his bottle, with his mouth wide open, like he's trying to find the bottle. SO cute.
His big, bright eyes. All Daddy's.
Taylor loves when he gets startled and stretches his arms out. He calls it the "Jesus pose."
I love all the grunting and grumbling he does while he's sleeping.
We love that he is such a good eater. He hardly ever spits up, much less vomits. He's over 9 pounds now.
We also love, with the exception of today, that he is also a good sleeper. Since birth, he's been on a three- to four-hour schedule. So I can go to bed at midnight after he's fallen asleep and know that I only need to get up again around 3 or 4 a.m. for a feeding, and then again at 7 or 8 a.m. Not too bad. I do try to get in an early afternoon nap, though, after his noon feeding. I'm not normally a napper, but I'm left with no choice if I want to feel somewhat rested.

Here's a list of our challenges with Henry:

He hates pooping! Not every time, but at least once a day he'll strain and fuss, sometimes for an hour, before he gets any relief.
We've had a few nights where he's up every two hours or so. Those are very hard on us, as I'm sure all you other moms and dads can relate to.
Thrush on his tongue! Ick. The doctor gave us some medicine (Nystatin) to put on his tongue, but he vomits every time I give it to him. No more medicine for him, so I'm just hoping it clears up on its own soon.

We are just in love with our baby son. Taylor is such an amazing dad and so helpful. As soon as he comes home from work, he says, "Give me that bee-bee!" I love that he calls Henry his "tiny, little bee-bee." I also love when Taylor is changing his diaper, he'll hold up the new diaper and say, "Look, tiny-tiny bee-bee! It's your new diaper!"

I enjoy singing Primary songs to him, although I throw in a Creed song every now and then, too. (You know, the uplifting ones like "Higher" and "With Arms Wide Open." We're holding off on Metallica songs for now.) I also sing a short little song I made up for him every time he starts a bottle that includes something like, "My little Hen-ry is HUNG-ry!" I crack myself up.

We're so blessed to have such a happy, healthy baby in our lives, and I am looking forward to getting to know him and his personality as he grows and develops. It's an amazing feeling being a mommy, and I'm enjoying my new role more and more every day. Thanks to all our friends and family for your support and interest. It's fun sharing pictures on Facebook with you every day!

Happy 4th, everyone!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T16:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Taylor (a.k.a. Daddy),

Henry and I would like to wish you a happy Father's Day! We just think you're the best dad ever, even when you blow raspberries on our necks and make us squirm. And even when you refuse to call us by our real names. :) You take good care of us, and we are so proud of you.

Love,
Britt & Henry (a.k.a. "Beeps" and "Petey")

* * *

Dear Daddy (a.k.a. Grandpa Clay) and Dad (a.k.a. Grandpa Hank),

Taylor, Henry, and I would like to wish you both a happy Father's Day, too! Except you now get to celebrate as grandfathers! We sure love you and admire you. You are such amazing fathers and examples to us, and we love that we could be so proud to name our son after both of you.

Love you!
Taylor, Brittany & Henry Clay

Introducing...

2011-06-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

Henry Clay Clinton

Born June 1, 2011, at 8:02 a.m., 6 lbs., 12 oz., 19" long.

Our little angel is finally here! Henry Clay Clinton was born on a beautiful spring, Wednesday morning. It's hard to believe it, but the sun shined all day that day and there was no wind. We don't get very many of those days in Rexburg, but June 1 was a special day and the weather knew it. :)

Birth Story

On Tuesday, May 31, Taylor and I went in to the doctor (Dr. Robert Meredith at Seasons Medical) at 4:00 p.m. to check on my progress. On the previous Tuesday, May 24, I was dilated to a 2 and about 50% effaced. On this May 31 checkup, I was dilated to a 3 and about 60% effaced. We talked to the doctor about inducing, because I didn't want to go much past my due date, and Taylor wanted me to have plenty of time to recover before we moved to Montana for the summer, so we tentatively planned for an inducement on Monday, June 6.

We left the doctor's office and went to the grocery to pick up a few things, and while at the grocery store, I felt quite a bit of pain way down low in my abdomen. Then it went away after about thirty seconds. I just figured it was a result of the exam I just had or perhaps more Braxton Hicks contractions. However, those pains started reoccurring after we got home, but only once about every hour, so I wasn't very concerned.

By about 7:30 p.m., though, I decided to start keeping a log of the pains, which felt like menstrual cramps, because, unlike the Braxton Hicks contractions, I couldn't just sit down or readjust my position to make the pain go away. That was my first clue that this might be the real deal.

The contractions started to come much closer together by about 11:30 p.m. That's when we decided to call our parents and let them know. My parents had been ready for the past week or so to just hop in the car and make the long drive up to Rexburg from Las Vegas (about 11 hours). They made me promise to tell them when I was going into labor, even if it was the middle of the night!

Taylor's mom recommended that we go to the hospital once my contractions were less than seven or eight minutes apart. We took her advice and headed down the street to Madison Memorial Hospital just after midnight. (How nice to have a hospital less than ten minutes away!)

We had preregistered at the hospital a few weeks prior, so check-in was fast and easy. They checked my progress and determined I was dilated to a 4 and around 70% effaced. They called Dr. Meredith and he told them to go ahead and admit me. Yay! (I was always worried that we'd get down to the hospital only to have them tell us to go back home and wait it out longer.)

In the meantime, the contractions continued to be about 4–5 minutes apart, but they still only felt like bad menstrual cramps that lasted up to a minute each. I was surprised that the nurse gave me the option of having an epidural as soon as I wanted one. I decided to hold off on that for a few more hours, since the pain was tolerable, and I'd rather not feel numb and immobile until absolutely necessary.

The nurses took us into a lovely, home-decorated birthing room where they hooked me up to all kinds of monitors and some penicillin. (I tested positive for Strep B at about 37 weeks along, so I needed to have penicillin pumped through me before delivery to protect the baby from getting sick.) Ironically, the worst pain I endured throughout the entire labor wasn't the contractions, but was a poorly placed IV in my left arm where they had started the penicillin drip. After about 5 minutes, my arm felt like it was on fire, so the nurse came in and wrapped it in a warm blanket, assuring me that was normal—that penicillin can burn like that.

After about 20 minutes, my arm went from feeling like it was on fire to feeling like it was being crushed. It was excruciating! At this point, I was thinking, "What contractions? Someone needs to come in and just cut my arm off!"

I called the nurse in and told her I just couldn't handle the pain anymore, and I think she thought I was being a baby about the "burning sensation" she had told me was normal. But then, she removed the blanket from my arm and let out an, "Oh, that's not right."

My arm, from my elbow to my knuckles, was completely swollen. I looked like Popeye! The other nurse who had placed the IV had missed the vein, and the penicillin was pumping straight into my arm. UGH! So after several apologies, my nurse replaced the IV into my right arm with no problem, and the sheer throbbing in my left arm started to diminish after an hour or so. It took several hours for the swelling to go down altogether, and all the while my contractions, which I had almost forgotten about, had steadily progressed to about 3–4 minutes apart.

Taylor and I watched TV for the next few hours—I think he even fell asleep for a while curled up in a semi-comfortable–looking chair. We did quite a bit of texting with our parents during that time. My parents hit the road at about 1:00 in the morning.

By 5:00 a.m., the contractions had started to become longer and more painful, so I requested the epidural at that point. We waited until the new anesthesiologist's shift began at 6:00 a.m., and he came in at around 6:30 and administered the epidural. Ahhh! I had heard horror stories about getting the epidural shot and how long the needle was and how much it hurt, etc., etc. Well in my experience, it was just a little prick in my back, not unlike a little prick in your arm when nurses are collecting a blood sample, and the pain from the contractions almost instantly went away. So worth it. For the next few minutes, it was fun to ask Taylor if I was having a contraction (he could see my contractions peak on a monitor behind me), because all I could feel was a tiny bit of pressure from them below my ribs. Otherwise, I felt nothin'!

As soon as they laid me back down after the epidural, my water broke. I believe this was around 7:00 a.m., because not long after that, Dr. Meredith came in at around 7:15 to check my progress. At that point, I was dilated to a 5 and 80% effaced. When he was about done with the exam, I heard him say, "Oh, I just felt his nose."

The expression on the doctor's face went from friendly and excited to alarmed and concerned, as did all the nurses' faces.

He proceeded to explain that the baby is what they call "face presentation," which means instead of his forehead or the back of his head getting ready to come through the birthing canal, his little face was basically stuck in my cervix. Dr. Meredith told me I could try to deliver him vaginally, but the risk of spinal or neck injury to the baby was pretty high. He recommended a cesarean section, especially since my water had broken and they also saw meconium come out with my water, and they worried that the baby might inhale it.

Once Taylor and I had consented to do the c-section, the nurses immediately started preparing me for surgery. The doctor indicated that they were going to bump a scheduled c-section back to get me in first. "Oh, we're going to do this right now," I said, with feelings of shock and surprise running through me. I had anticipated several more hours of labor, but now I was going to have this baby within a few minutes!

The sweet, anesthesiologist lady numbed me up, ensuring I couldn't feel a thing from the waist down, and then they wheeled me into the operating room. They had Taylor put on all the hospital garb: hat, mask, gown, booties, etc., and in a few minutes, he was at my side as they began the operation.

Taylor watched the whole thing, filling me in with only some of the details (I certainly didn't want a play-by-play on everything going on behind the curtain). I think it was only about 10 minutes before little Henry Clay greeted the world, swollen and crying, at 8:02 a.m. Because of the meconium aspiration risk, the nurses immediately took him out of the room to check him and clean him up a little.

After a few minutes, Taylor had him in his arms, and I got to see him for the first time.

It felt more surreal than anything, looking at my sweet baby just minutes after he was born. I remember feeling so relieved that he was okay, and it was especially reassuring to hear him cry—the doctor and nurses were very pleased about that.

After that, the nurses took Henry for some more clean-up and inspection and announced his weight and length: 6 lbs., 12 oz., 19" long. I was surprised that he wasn't at least 7 pounds! But I was so relieved that he was healthy and perfect. Taylor was able to accompany the nurses and watch them put "goo" in his eyes and bathe him.

In the meantime, Dr. Meredith continued to clean me out and sew me up. I still can't believe how small the scar is from the incision. He was able to do internal sutures (I'm not sure what the actual term is), so I had no stitches or staples on the outside—just a small roll of skin about eight inches long. Amazing!

Hospital Stay & Recovery

Once they were finished with me in the operating room, they wheeled me into a recovery room where we stayed for just a few hours. After the surgery, I had the shakes really bad. It was a strange feeling not to be able to control my whole body from shaking, even when I tried to concentrate really hard and take deep breaths. The shaking subsided after about an hour or two.

It felt like an eternity before I saw Taylor and Henry again. While in the recovery room, there was one nurse by my side the whole time taking down notes and filling out paperwork. After a while, another nurse poked her head in and asked whether I was ready to see my baby. Of course I was! And I swear, I think it was another twenty minutes to a half hour before they finally wheeled Henry into my room with Taylor behind.

Although it was difficult having plastic bracelets up one arm and an IV in the other, I finally got to hold my baby boy for the first time. Even since birth, he was much less swollen than when I had first seen him. I couldn't get over how perfect (and little!) he was. He was also wide-eyed and alert for moments at a time. He definitely looks like Taylor through the eyes, I decided. But he has my little lips!

Here's our first family photo together. I was quite swollen from all the IV fluids they had pumping through me, but thank goodness for those pain killers. After being reunited as a family, we were all relocated to a larger, comfier room that included a pull-out couch bed for Taylor to sleep on during our stay at the hospital.

My mom and dad made it to Rexburg later that afternoon; it was so fun to see them and their reaction to their new grandson!

Ashtyn was able to come up from Orem, Utah, on Thursday, and she took lots of pictures with her fancy camera. Yay!

On Thursday morning, the nurses removed my catheter and IV and had me get up and walk around a bit. Later that morning, I was ready to take a shower and freshen up. Taylor helped me to remove the bandage on my incision and wash my legs. As I was about finished, I suddenly felt very light-headed and told Taylor how I was feeling, and he told me not to lock my knees. I remember bending my knees, and then the next thing I knew, I was lying in the tub with Taylor and nurses all around me. I had fainted!

Thank goodness that Tay was right there when it happened, because after he had told me not to lock my knees, he looked up and noticed that my head fell forward (I was leaning up against the wall), and even though my eyes were still open and I was still holding onto the shower head sprayer, he realized what was happening. He put his forehead up against mine to hold my head up and proceeded to lay me down into the tub. He twisted his back pretty good in the process, poor guy. He pulled the emergency cord in the shower to alert the nurses. However, as soon as he elevated my legs, I woke up.

For a few seconds, I felt quite panicked, thinking I had fallen asleep in the bathtub at home while still pregnant. Then I saw the nurses gathered around and realized I wasn't pregnant anymore and that I must have fainted because they were all asking me if I had hit my head. Taylor reassured them that he had caught me and I was just fine. The combination of the hot water and standing too long probably triggered the fainting spell, and I'm so grateful that Taylor was there to save me.

They laid me back down in bed, and after about an hour, I was feeling much better. With the exception of the fainting spell, I was fortunate never to feel nauseous during the delivery or recovery and was able to eat regular foods during my stay at the hospital.

Ashtyn continued to take some wonderful pictures on Thursday, June 2:

We had a few visitors while in the hospital, including Mark Albrecht, one of Taylor's co-workers, Mike Cook, a good friend of Taylor's from his farming days, and two of my co-workers, Allison Johnson and Lindsay De La Cerda.

We also received some beautiful flower arrangements from the owners of Taylor's company, one from all the Clintons, and one from my BYU–Idaho Student Records and Registration Office. We truly felt so loved and cared for during our entire hospital experience, not only by friends and family, but especially by the doctors and nurses who took such good care of us. I was very impressed with how attentive and genuine my nursing care was. The nurses were so helpful trying to help me feed Henry and ensure that I was comfortable and not hurting too much.

Aside from not being able to readjust my position in bed very easily, I was quite comfortable most of the time. I didn't like having to wear automatic compression boots on my legs to prevent blood clots. They made my legs hot and itchy, and I had to wear them whenever I was in bed. Taylor got tired of hearing them as they would compress my legs every few seconds. It was a relief to be able to get up and move around and not have to wear those things.

On Thursday night, we had a very sweet nurse volunteer to take care of Henry while we got a good night's sleep, since we were going home the next morning. It was so nice to get some extra hours of sleep!

Friday morning, we got up and got ready to go. We waited around for the pediatrician to do a final check-up, and once he finally came, we were able to go home. Yay!

We were so excited to get out of the hospital and begin our new adventure at home. It has been such a pleasure and a challenge being new parents, but we are loving it! And we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our little Henry Clay.

More pictures to come . . .

And I thought May would never come...

2011-05-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

Yet here we are, it's the end of May, and our little boo-boo is officially due on June 4—in just two weeks! These last six months have really flown by. I have felt really good since about week 15 (just before Christmas), and I have been tremendously blessed throughout this pregnancy. With the exception of weeks 8 through 14 and the gestational diabetes scare (a diagnosis that I have since disregarded), I have had an exceptionally easy, relatively symptom-free pregnancy. To remind myself in a few years when we decide to have a second baby (because at this point, Taylor's not so sure, lol!), I'm going to list all of my "pregnancy blessings" thus far:

I've had basically no hormonal changes during the entire pregnancy. No ups, no downs . . . just the same old me. (Maybe with a little extra road rage, but I blame that on the unbelievably ignorant, oblivious drivers here in Idaho.)
Even though I felt pretty sick most days during weeks 8 through 14, I was so lucky to feel most sick in the evenings, and I only had to miss one day of work during that time. (And I'm not going to lie about loving the fact that I am now about 10–15 pounds thinner because of it!)
I am now much more knowledgeable about healthy food, portion-control, and sugar intake as a result of my gestational diabetes scare.
I've been super blessed, even now, not to experience any swelling or back pain.
I've never had heartburn.
I can still paint my toenails.
I'm not even to the point where I have to "waddle" yet. Sure, I've had to slow down my normal pace (i.e., I can't keep up with Tay at his regular pace like I normally can), but I'm sure I still walk faster than Ashtyn! (Hee hee, no offense Ashie, but you know what I'm talking about!)
I have been able to sleep comfortably and soundly almost every night, and I only have one extra bathroom trip around 3 a.m. each night.
And even though the last three weeks have included extra soreness, stiffness, itchiness, painful Braxton Hicks contractions, and difficulty getting in and out of the car and off the couch, I was still able to curl my hair, put on a little extra makeup and perfume, and have a fun (and what may be our last before the baby is born) date last night with my Lovie!


Friday night date, May 20

Just this past Monday, a Buffalo Wild Wings opened up in Idaho Falls, so we went there for dinner last night and split 18 wings (sweet for Tay and honey BBQ for me) and a basket of fries. Oh, and I definitely recommend their huckleberry lemonade—very tasty!

After that, we went and saw Thor in 3D. I saw it last weekend in 2D with my friend Deanna, and we loved it! So I took Tay-Tay last night, and he loved it too, and I thought it was great in 3D! I think it's super entertaining, without any sex or gore, and I especially loved the depiction of Asgard, the "realm" of Thor, that (to me) is reminiscent of places like Rivendell in Lord of the Rings or Naboo from Star Wars (and yes, I am a totally fantasy/science fiction geek). I love spending time with my Tay.


38 weeks

So here's me at 38 weeks. My maternity jeans could be one size bigger now, but I still pull them on anyway. (I'm not about to relent to sweats or pj's in public.)

I'm hoping to still feel good during these last few weeks (if that), and we are so excited to meet our son! (Okay, excited is probably the wrong word for Tay, because he's just downright anxious and impatient, ha ha!) But I'm excited, and if I don't blog before then, I look forward to revamping my whole blog design and posting pictures of Henry Clay! Woo hoo!

An Aloha Baby Shower

2011-05-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

I work in the BEST place, and I LOVE my job and my coworkers. The past (almost) three years working at BYU–Idaho's Student Records and Registration Office have been some of the best years of my life. I couldn't ask for a better experience as I make the transition into full-time motherhood. But it is still a bittersweet transition, to be sure, because I will sure miss my coworkers and the friendships I have made.

There are several of us in my office right now who are expecting babies (and one who just had a baby), so my coworkers threw a spectacular "Aloha!"-themed baby shower for all of us on Thursday, May 19 (aloha being the perfect term in that it means both "hello" to our babies and "good-bye" to the two of us who won't be returning after our babies are born). We had Hawaiian haystacks for lunch, lots of awesome Hawaiian decorations (thanks to Allison), a couple of fun baby shower games (thanks to Lauri), and plenty of gifts to go around (thanks to everyone!).

I walked into the office on Thursday morning to find my desk all decorated with all these Hawaiian decorations!

I can't believe Allison had a couple of life-sized surfboard cut-outs, on which were taped little suns that included heartfelt, thoughtful messages from several of my coworkers to me.

When we visit Hawaii in a couple of years, you know what Henry will be wearing. :)

Here is Alex's surfboard! (She is due with her first baby boy on June 8.)

Our reception desk needed some Hawaiian flair.

Hawaiian flair everywhere!

This was one of the games Lauri did. She took the labels off twelve jars of baby food, and we all had to guess (based on color and texture) what they were! (I only got about four out of twelve correct, ha ha!) We also had a game where we had to guess where each person in the office was born, and a game where you had to try and toss the most marshmallows (out of ten tries) into little baby cups about 6 feet away. There were also some baby bottles full of different kinds of candy, and we had to guess how many pieces of candy were in each. Oh, and we also had to mark down our guesses for how much our babies will weigh, how long they'll be, and the dates and times for when they'll be born. (Of course those results will be revealed in the next few weeks.) So fun!

Here's Miss Allison Johnson (Scheduling Specialist), the provider of all the decorations, looking super festive herself!

Lots of gifts!

Travis Yost (Transfer Evaluation Specialist) was a good sport in his Aloha gear. He and his wife, Ashley, just had their first baby boy, Benson, last week on May 12!

Sandy Titera (student employee), Lauri Arensmeyer (Registration Manager), Kacey Andersen (my student employee), Lindsay De La Cerda (Scheduling Specialist), Kristy Linford (Transfer Evaluation Specialist) holding baby Benson, and Nicole Huckbody (my student employee).

Jeremy Mathis (student employee), Kyle Valentine (one of my former student employees), Alicia Anderson (Degree Audit Specialist), Heather Harper (Petition Specialist), and Trent Hampton (student employee).


Hawaiian haystacks and some super yummy punch that Lauri made, which included Sprite, pineapple juice, crushed bananas, sugar, and other ingredients. Mmm!


Getting ready to open my gifts.


Me with all three of my amazing student employees this semester: Nicole Huckbody (who is expecting a baby in November), Meghan Nelson (who just got married this past December), and Kacey Andersen (who is expecting a baby girl around August 20).


Alex Kent (Degree Audit Specialist) and me with our big bellies at 37 weeks!

I just love all these people, and I had so much fun at our office baby shower!

Ashtyn is a college graduate!

2011-05-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

I am SO proud of my brilliant little sister! Ashtyn graduated on May 7, 2011, from Utah State University in Logan, Utah, with a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication. Congratulations, Ash! What an incredible accomplishment.

I was so glad to have been able to go. My friend Lindsay De La Cerda was also traveling down to Logan for Mother's Day weekend, so I was able to caravan with her and put everyone's mind at ease about me traveling at 8 months pregnant! Thanks again, Linds!


I love my little Aggies graduate.


We were so glad that Aunt Karin could be there to celebrate with us! We love you, Karin!


And here, of course, are the proud parents of our USU grad.

Ashtyn was kind enough to take some time away from all of "her" attention and capture these photos of me at 36 weeks pregnant:

She is such a talented photographer. Thank you for these pictures, Ash! They are definitely my favorite "pregnancy" pictures. I love you, and congratulations on your graduation!

Making Room

2011-04-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

I'm 35 weeks now, and I am running out of room! It may not look like it, but this little guy is maxing me out!

I am loving me the cocoa butter these days. Fortunately, though, I am not swelling at all. I'm feeling quite stretched and sore these past few weeks, but otherwise, I really have nothing to complain about.

I've also "undiagnosed" myself from having gestational diabetes, because although I'm still being a "good girl" and checking my blood, my blood glucose levels are very normal, thank goodness.

So while I'm trying to "make room" for our growing baby boy, Taylor and his buddy, Mike Cook, have been helping me make the baby's room.

Last weekend, Taylor and Mike spent a few hours assembling the crib and matching changing station we bought. (We got a great deal on this set at Walmart.)

Once assembled, Tay decided to have a test run on the changing table. Poor Rocco.

This weekend, I worked on arranging the furniture and decorating a bit.

It's looking pretty cute, if I do say so myself. I don't have anything up on the walls yet, but I'll save that for another weekend.

Tay bought us a rocking chair from the Cracker Barrel Restaurant last weekend while we were down in Springville with his family for Easter. I LOVE it! Thanks, Lovie!


Apparently, the beagles have found their new "favorite" spot. I had hardly gotten this rug laid out and straightened before they had both snuggled up on it together.

So I have a bit more to do with the room, and I also need to wash all the clothes, blankets, and other clothing items we received before the baby arrives. Hopefully he keeps cooking for a few more weeks so I can get everything done in time! Wish me luck. :)

Vegas, Baby! Shower

2011-04-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

I love the title of this post. Wheel of Fortune could totally use it as one of their "before and after" phrases.

On Friday, April 15, I flew down to Vegas to attend my baby shower, which we held on Saturday, April 16, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. It was great to see so many family members and friends! My mom hosted it and did some amazing decorations and food, and my Aunt Lisa and Aunt Karin brought some fabulous desserts. Of course, Ashtyn did all the photography, for which I am so grateful.

33 weeks!

Ashtyn & Lindsay, the two aunties-to-be!

Me & Nana

Aunt Christy & Nana

Aunt Corey, Lindsey (my cousin), and Lindsey's niece Logynn

Fabulous food

Cute baby shoes from Aunt Lisa

Taylor's grandmothers, Grandma Opal and Grandma Clinton


Grandmas-to-be, Tay's mom and my mom

"h" for Henry, from my mom

Heather, Aunt Fae, and Allison

A sleepy Jerry, Grandma Clinton's husband. (He was such a good sport among all of us ladies!)

Cousin Kaley, Aunt Carey, and Lindsey

Cute cake from Aunt Karin! No one cut into it because it was too cute.

Aunt Karin brought these yummy cupcakes, too.

Aunt Lisa was my "scribe" for all the gifts.

Aunt Lisa actually made these "baby" cupcakes. Now that's talent. They tasted as good as they look!

My cousin Erin and Logynn

Sweet McKinley and her mom, Kirsten Creel

My dad ordered these Oh Henry! bars, which were shipped from the East Coast.

My mom made this beautiful rag quilt. I also received other handmade quilts and blankets from Sharlyn Reid, Diane Ireland, and my aunt Christy. Thanks to you all!


My mom really outdid herself with the decorations and food.

I can't thank everyone enough for coming to my baby shower, especially to those of you who traveled for many hours. And thank you all for the wonderful, thoughtful gifts. Our little guy is fully equipped with everything he could possibly need---and more!

I give special thanks to my mom for hosting this shower and spending countless hours making decorations and food. You are truly one of the most gifted and talented people I know, Mom. You know how to make any occasion truly special.

And thank you to my mom-in-law, Kelly, for hauling and storing all of the gifts I received! I was so grateful you were able to take everything up to Springville with you, and I am even more grateful to have gotten to spend Easter with you and the family. We had such a fun Easter this year!

Note to Dad: I will never forget our Sunday (April 17) together, just you and me, while Mom, Ash, and Karin traveled back up to Logan. It was such a treat to just hang out and watch you (the rib master) prepare some of the best BBQ ribs I have ever had! Seriously, those things were yummy.

I can't forget to thank Uncle Shane, Aunt Fae, and James for taking me back to the airport on Monday so I could (reluctantly) fly back to Rexburg. I love you guys!

Taylor and I are truly blessed to have such loving, generous friends and family. We are getting very excited to welcome little Henry Clay into the world in a few short weeks.

Thanks again to everyone! We love you.

30 weeks!

2011-03-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

30 weeks! (Hey, what's that little goofball doing down there?)

Little Henry Clay will be here soon! (Well, not too soon; let's give it at least 7 more weeks.) I think the reality of having our very own little boy is finally starting to hit me. (Or maybe I should say it's starting to "kick" me, especially now that he's constantly kicking me and rolling around all day, hee hee.)

So I've finally started to do a bit of shopping around and figuring out what we need, what we want, etc. I've decided to do a Winnie the Pooh theme for the nursery, because I LOVE Winnie the Pooh. Always have. Always will. And Henry will like it, too. (He doesn't have a choice in the matter.)

Here's a peak at the Pooh set I'm going to get (of course this isn't our room, but it'll look something like this):

Cute, huh? I love all the blue. And my nursery has green walls halfway up, so I think the green accents in this set will work nicely with that.

And then . . . there are the baby shoes. Not just any baby shoes. Globe and Vans baby shoes. (Okay, so it's kind of early to be looking at baby shoes, but he'll need them eventually.)

Taylor is a Globe guy and I'm a Vans girl. This kid will inevitably have a few pairs of both brands:


Serious cuteness.


And you thought the Vans were cute.


You've got to be kidding me. Baby Reefs, too? I could just die.

This baby stuff is just too much fun.

Elk. It's what's for dinner.

2011-03-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Or maybe I should say, "Deer. The other red meat." Or how about, "Got Moose?"

Yes, I got moose. And deer. And elk. And yes, they are what's for dinner.

Elk Warning: Crossing your dinner table for the next few nights.

My friend Kacey gladly imparted some elk and moose meat to us last week, and one of Taylor's buddies gave us some deer meat just last night. Now I'm an adventurous eater, but I'm a bit overwhelmed! Frankly, I'm not sure what to do with all this game meat!

Only once have I ever had elk, but it was ground up into a burger, so I didn't even realize it wasn't beef.

Otherwise, I've never had moose or venison before. And most of the meat we've received is steaks, so you have to be careful how you cook it because it's so lean (i.e., it cooks really fast, and if you overcook it, it becomes tough and has that gamy, more earthy flavor that's not always appealing).

So I need some suggestions from any of you out there that have had any experience cooking "game" steaks. I think I'll cut up my elk steak tonight into strips and make fajitas (thanks to the suggestion of my friend Auslinn), but after that, I got nothin'.

Any ideas or cooking tips would be splendid. Thanks!

For the love of my Reese's Minis...

2011-03-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

I am on the threshold of my third trimester (28 weeks tomorrow), and just yesterday, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

"Really?" I asked the doctor, after my blood glucose tolerance (GTT) test results came back.

"Well," says the doctor, "your fasting glucose level is abnormally high [114 mg/dL], even though your other numbers are only borderline."

"Bummer."

But in my head, I was thinking, "NOOOOOOO! How am I supposed to survive without sugar and refined carbs? They're all I know. They're a part of all the yummy things I love!"

So I guess those Reese's Minis won't be the end of my waistline after all—now that I'm not supposed to eat them. Or Pop-Tarts. Or Frosted Flakes. Or Cheetos. Or mint chocolate chip ice cream. Or anything else!

Okay, okay, so I have to adjust my diet a bit. Okay, fine, I need to majorly adjust my diet. But let's talk first about the healthy habits I already practice . . .

"Healthy Habits Already in Place" List

1. I drink water. No soda. Rarely ever any juice. Perhaps the occasional lemonade or Kool-Aid. But I drink water probably 98% of the time. This is good.

2. Whole wheat bread. Taylor and I have always purchased whole wheat bread, so I won't have to wean myself off of the white, fluffy stuff.

3. I like raw fruits and vegetables. Even though I don't eat the recommended 3–4 servings per day, this should be a simple adjustment for me. I usually eat at least two pieces of fruit and some kind of vegetable every day anyway. I'll just "up" this one a few notches and call it good.

4. Walking the beagles every day is a joy for me—especially now that the snow is melting! So I can get back into that habit now that I don't have to worry about ice on the sidewalks. Yay for exercise!

5. Hmm, I can't think of a number 5. How sad.

I guess that means we're now moving on to the . . .

"Unhealthy Habits I Must Now Abandon" List

Warning: This list might get long and contain entirely too much sugar.

Sensitive readers may feel the need to floss as they read.

1. Cereal. I'm not talking Grape Nuts and Shredded Wheat. I'm talking Honeycombs, Froot Loops, Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, Corn Pops . . . if it's a kids' cereal and it's full of sugar, I love it! Just ask Taylor. He's surprised I've thrived this long on all the sugary cereal I've consumed over the years. Oh, and the whole milk I pour onto all that sugary goodness. Yeah, well, I guess that doesn't help either.

2. Whole milk. I'm supposed to switch from whole to skim? Just like that? Ugh. To me, skim milk is just milky water. It's see-through, for goodness sake! This could be rough. Might as well pour water onto my unsweetened Shredded Wheat. Yum.

3. Chocolate. I think I'm a chocolate addict. Seriously. I'm feeling a little shaky now just thinking about it. Gotta limit that, too.

4. Candy and baked goods. Be it Skittles, M&M's, Twinkies, or a chocolate chip cookie, I usually tantalize my taste buds with some sort of sweet every day. Not anymore.

5. Cheesy snacks. I love cheesy potatoes, quesadillas, Cheetos, Doritos, and Goldfish crackers. Who doesn't?

6. Fast food and Olive Garden. Enough said. (I think anything from the Olive Garden menu could be dangerous.)

* * *

Okay, so my list isn't that long. Everything in moderation, right?

Let me tell you about this online tool I discovered today. It's called MyFoodDiary.com. (Yes, there's a monthly subscription, but it's not outrageous.) I can search for any food (including brand, flavor, quantity, etc.), add it to my daily food log, and it will calculate all the calories, carbs, fats, proteins, etc., that I'm consuming each day. At the end of the day, it calculates how I did with little smiley faces for things I did right and frowny faces for things I need to improve (or eliminate). Here's a screen shot of my results for today:

(I did well today, so this is a good example . . . no frowny faces.)

Cool, huh! And this is just the summary. There are other, more detailed reports that break everything down for each meal and each food. It's a great tool. So when I meet with my nutritionist, I can just print out these reports and show her how I'm doing, and she can recommend adjustments as necessary.

Who knew keeping track of your food could be so fun? (It's all about the green smiley faces.)

So I'm going to nip this gestational diabetes in the bud! No sweat. Who says you can't fight genetics? (And yes, the doctor believes my gestational diabetes is genetic. Otherwise, my blood pressure is normal, my weight gain is good, my iron levels are sufficient, etc. They suspect my mom may have had "undiagnosed" gestational diabetes because my sister and I were such big babies! I was 9 lb. 8 oz., and Ashtyn was 9 lb. 10 oz.! Who knew?)

I bid you adieu, Reese's and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Until we meet again.

For the love of my waistline...

2011-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

(Yes, I still have a waistline. For now.)

Who decided these were a good idea? I mean, honestly. Reese's cups that you don't even have to unwrap? C'mon, I burn at least a calorie or two unwrapping the whole thing and then peeling the little paper cup off. But with these, you can just grab a whole handful of them and pop them into your mouth! No effort . . . none whatsoever.

I'm doomed.

Happenings

2011-02-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

Isn't that the title of some M. Night Shyamalan movie? Oh yeah, it's The Happening. Never saw it. I don't think he will ever top The Sixth Sense. Although I did like Signs. His other movies should include descriptions like "a load of silliness" or "too-far-fetched" in their titles.

Enough about M. Night, you're here to read about me and Tay, right? Yes, of course you are. Well without further ado, I believe I have some catching up to do.

Baby

The little tyke in my tummy has had a lot of attention in this blog lately. And I guess that's as it should be. Poor guy. He's not even born yet, and he's already being showered with attention. Good grief!

Well I'm happy to report that he is doing well, growing right on schedule and kicking me harder every day. Taylor and I were sitting in sacrament meeting this past Sunday, and during one of the songs, I about jolted because the little boo-boo kicked me so hard! Tay and I decided he probably didn't like that song very much. He continued to kick me throughout the meeting, and Tay decided that the baby must not like sacrament very much either.

"It's too boring and he wants out!"

I said, "I think he's feeling the spirit and is gettin' excited!"

We had a good laugh, needless to say.

We are very excited for little Henry Clay to arrive in a few short months. I'm 24 weeks this week and feeling really good. No sickness since about week 15, and I'm just enjoying the fact that my belly is not very big yet.

February 12, 2011: 24 weeks

Tay

Taylor is doing great! We decided that it's most important for him to focus on his career right now with the baby coming, so I dropped him from his classes. Who knows? Maybe he'll pick it back up in a few years. Maybe not. He really hates school, but he did want to try and at least get an associate's degree. Ah well. College just isn't for everyone. He only has about 33 credits anyway.

He's a manager for a company called Digital Satellite, and they are dealers for both Dish Network and DirecTV. The company is based out of Ucon, but they knock doors all over Idaho and neighboring states. He's really taken off with it, and his goal is to be a regional manager next year.

This upcoming summer (after the baby is born), the plan is for us to move out to Denver, Colorado, from July'ish through Thanksgiving so he can manage an office there for the season. He's already recruited several guys this month, so his goal is to be able to take 20+ guys with him to Denver. I'm really proud of him for all the progress he's made, especially in the last few weeks.

I'm sure some of you heard about the weird blood clot that sent him to the hospital at the beginning of December. He was in Boise for business, and he started having appendicitis-like symptoms on the weekend of December 5. So he went into the emergency room on Monday, December 6, they did some tests and a CT scan, and found a blood clot in the bottom-right region of his abdomen near his liver and intestines. The blood clot was cutting off circulation to his intestines, which was what gave him the appendicitis-like pain. Because blood clots are highly unusual in a person as young as Taylor is, they admitted him to the hospital for evaluation.

Somehow, the hat just seems a little out of place with the rest of his getup.

He was admitted Monday afternoon, and, despite his wishes, I got off work early, packed up a few things, and made the four-hour journey to Boise to be with him. I know I'm glad I was there, and he was too, because they ended up keeping him until Thursday! So we celebrated his birthday in the hospital, then on Friday, we packed up everything and moved him and his guys back to Ucon/Rexburg.

Wednesday, December 8: 26th Birthday in a Boise hospital

Thanks for the cookie bouquet, Creels!

Doesn't look too sick, does he?

The doctors decided his blood clot was most likely due to the impact of his truck's airbag a week earlier when he slid on some black ice and hit a guardrail out on the highway. They've ruled out any kind of blood disease or clotting disorder, so that's good. But for the next six months, they want him on Coumadin (a blood thinner) to ensure that his blood is thin enough for the clot to break up and go away. So he has to get his blood checked regularly to ensure it's not too thin or too thick. Ugh.

After that whole ordeal, I decided he could have a 2011 Camaro, which we purchased on December 14. That made him a very happy guy.

So I'm glad to report that Taylor's health is good, his career in sales is looking bright, and his Camaro is very, very fast.

Britt

As I mentioned above, I am feeling good! Thank goodness, too. During weeks 8 through 14, I was really sick and lost over 15 pounds. Fortunately, I could still function and go to work, but the nights were the worst. There were a few times (usually on weekends) where I just couldn't keep anything down for days at a time. I just wanted to lie down and die! Ugh.

Since then, though, life is good. Work is good. I love my job. I'm still the Registration Specialist at BYU–Idaho's Student Records and Registration Office, and it feels more like a church calling than a job. It's especially wonderful because of who I get to work with. My supervisor, Lauri Arensmeyer, the Registration Manager, is the greatest lady, and I admire her so much! She is a great example to me of someone who can balance professionalism with spirituality. And she's a wonderful friend, as well.

Most of the other specialists I work with in the office are ladies my age, so working with people I have a lot in common with is super fun. There's a whole group of us who work in a large space in the back of the office, and I think we sometimes have too much fun chatting and giggling. But we get our work done, too.

Me and two of our favorite student employees, Kacey and Celeste. (I stole this picture from Allison's blog. Thanks, Allison!)

We went to Red Robin on February 3 for Kacey's birthday.

Lindsay, Allison (Scheduling Specialists) and Alex (one of our Graduation Specialists): my favorite "blondes"in the office.

I will miss those ladies and everyone else at that office so much when I leave in May. Because I'm going to Denver with Taylor, I won't be able to go back to my job. Besides, I'll have little Henry Clay to take care of, and there's nothing I want more than to be a stay-at-home mommy. I hope my transition from full-time employee to full-time mom will be easier than I expect it will be. I'm also glad that Taylor is such a hard-working man and plans to have (and has already had) much success in his new career in sales. That should make it easier for me to get out of the "breadwinner" mentality.

Rocco & Willy

The baby isn't here yet, so these guys still get all my attention. Rocco has "fluffed" up quite a bit this winter, so we're cutting back his food portions and looking forward to some nicer weather when I can go back to walking them every day.

Just hangin' out while I sit at my computer.

Willy is still super skinny, so I basically have to force him to eat while I'm around so I know he's receiving some kind of sustenance. Otherwise, he is the sweetest, most affectionate little beagle. He's "my" dog and Rocco is "Tay's" dog, because Willy is too much of a weenie for Taylor.

They love when Dad plays with them.

Those silly little beagles bring me so much joy. I love watching them play together, snarf down treats, snuggle with me at night, and bay at strangers walking by the window. I can't help but crack up when Willy insists on playing with Rocco, and Rocco's just lying on the floor ignoring him. Eventually, Willy will just start barking at Rocco, and Rocco may or may not let out a little annoyed growl.

* * *

Well that's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading!

For the Grandmamas

2011-01-08T23:19:00.000-08:00

Here are the ultrasound pictures we got from my appointment last week. Unfortunately, he wouldn't hold still for most of the ultrasound, so we were lucky to get these shots:


I'd say there's no question there.

He would not stay still, so we only got one good picture of a foot.

Can you believe they're able to zoom in to all the different organs? This is the heart and his heart beat.


Flexing his bicep. He already thinks he's super cool.

Here's me on Christmas at 17 weeks.

We're having a BOY!

2011-01-06T17:10:00.000-08:00


Tay is beaming.

We're very, very excited. I had no idea that the ultrasound technician looks at every organ and every limb and takes lots and lots of pictures! According to the technician and the doctor, the baby looks great!

The little guy wouldn't stop moving during almost the whole ultrasound (about 20 minutes), and then right when we wanted a good look at his face, he decided he was tuckered out and curled up for a nap. Little stinker.

But he's about 5 inches long right now and weighs about 10 ounces. He's in the 56th percentile for measurements, so right in the normal range. Yay!

For now (and for quite some time), we've decided to call our first boy Henry Clay Clinton, after both his grandfathers and after Tay.

My dad is Clay, and Tay is "Henry Taylor" and Tay's dad is "Henry Louis." We call my dad Clay, Tay's dad Hank, and Tay is, well, Tay, so I plan to call the baby Henry.

Tay plans to call him Pete.
Don't ask.

Whatever we call him, I know we're just going to love him to pieces. Thanks for all the votes, everyone!

Cast Your Vote!

2011-01-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

Happy new year, everyone! I hope your Christmas and New Year holidays were just as wonderful as mine were. Taylor and I were able to split up the time between his family in Springville, Utah, and my family in Las Vegas. It was perfect.

I'll have to catch up in a later post, but for now, let's get down to business. Baby business, that is. Taylor and I are going to my 18-week appointment tomorrow at ~~2:00 (Wed., January 5)~~, and we're hoping to find out the gender of "squishy baby," as my mom-in-law lovingly calls it.

So cast your vote (in the left column of this page), and we'll see who's right!

Amendment: Due to some silliness at the doctor's office, there was no ultrasound technician there today, so I'm going back in tomorrow, Thurs., January 6, at 4:00. Keep voting!

Making Amends

2010-11-23T21:36:00.000-08:00

I think food and I are going to get along this Thanksgiving. Maybe not perfectly... there's still a bit of awkwardness between us, but we're patching things up.

As for the baby, s/he is doing very well! I had my twelve-week appointment today, and Taylor was able to go, and we were lucky enough to have another ultrasound. (The doctor tried doing a doppler ultrasound where you just hear the heartbeat of the baby, but they couldn't find it, so they rolled the standard ultrasound machine in.) I was very happy about that.

And apparently, baby was happy about that, because as soon as s/he came onscreen, s/he jumped up (hiccuped, I assume) and then waved at us. It was the cutest thing! So the doc got a picture of the baby with its hand by its head:

Fun, huh?

Well happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I know I have a lot to be thankful for this year.

I never thought I'd say this, but...

2010-10-26T18:43:00.000-07:00

I simply abhor food right now. Despise it. Utterly detest it. I regard food with extreme repugnance and aversion. Food is NOT my friend, and I don't even want it near me. But then the words from an old U2 song pop into my head:

"I can't live with or without you."

This phrase about sums up my relationship with food. I know I need it, so I stuff it down—reluctantly and with much demurring. And then I just hope to goodness that is stays down. But it doesn't always. And when that happens, I just want to end my relationship with food altogether. I mean, it certainly doesn't seem to like me much either.

But I hope to patch things up soon. Maybe by Thanksgiving. That would be a very convenient time to get back together. Until then, I guess we'll just have to tolerate each other. -Sigh-

Sorry, food. I just need some space right now. Thanks.

Um, wait, it's Fall already?

2010-10-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

Swan Valley, November 2008

Sheesh! The summer has just flown right on by. I can't believe it's October today. Time just needs to chill out for a sec . . .

Well, let me give you some updates:

Taylor is doing well with his door-to-door Dish Network/DirecTV sales. He is a co-manager and is trying to round up recruits to take out to Boise this month. I don't think he's been too successful with finding recruits, but at least he's making sales. He got six sales in one day a few weeks ago! Yay Tay!

My job at the BYU–Idaho Student Records and Registration Office is going splendidly for me. We've finally gotten through all the major hurdles with our new software, so our day-to-day operations feel like they did in 2008 before we switched to a new system. Hallelujah!

Taylor got a new iPhone 4 this summer—loves it! He also got some new custom Nike ID shoes, which he won as a result of a "challenge" between him and his co-manager.

Tay has also got a 2011 Camaro arriving in a few weeks. A "company car," if you will, but it's pretty much his. The deal is that he has to meet a certain sales quota every month (e.g., 30+ sales/month), and his company will make the payments. Talk about motivation!

So yeah, he's like a little kid who can't sleep because he's so excited that Santa is coming in the morning. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with him when the car arrives. I'll just have to remind him that I'm still a major portion of his life, I guess. ;)

The doggies are pretty good now that they're eating their own food, but we're still struggling to fatten up Willy and slim down Rocco. We just can't win with those two and their weights. But they're sure good buddies now that Willy is older and doesn't have sharp little puppy-teeth and puppy-claws. Willy has actually ended up a little taller than Rocco, which was unexpected. So they're both classified as 15" beagles. We just love our little "Pip-pip" and "Lee-lerd."

Enjoying some rawhides, October 1, 2010

These two are going to have to learn to share the attention they've been getting from us, because that's all going to change sometime in June. Taylor and I just found out this last Tuesday, September 28, that I am pregnant! Yay! So if all goes well, we will be welcoming a new addition to our family around June 4, 2011. We are very excited.

Of course I'm only about 4 weeks along so far, so it's still very early, and I don't have very many symptoms yet. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get lucky like my mom was and experience only slight morning sickness, if any. We shall see . . .

Wish us luck on our new adventure! I'll keep you posted.

Bob Vila & Betty Crocker

2010-08-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

Taylor is quite the handyman. Did you know that? He can fix any kind of plumbing problem, do electrical wiring, tackle auto repairs and maintenance, and—apparently—construct simple woodworking projects:

Introducing Rocco and Willy's new digs:

The dogs have been sleeping in our laundry room, which also houses our pantry, and we're tired of coming home every other day to some new catastrophe: various boxes of food torn open and spilled, including rice, pasta, spaghetti mix; cans of soup on the floor with labels chewed off; jar of peanut butter now a jar of, "I think there used to be peanut butter in there."

And so, with the beautiful weather we're having, it's time that our doggies had a place of their own—outside! And what a nice, simple little place it is. (We plan to weatherproof it more, and I will add some crafty little touches so it looks more like these.)

It's got a hinge on the top, so we can open it and access their bedding more easily, should we need to throw it in the laundry.

Yeesh, it looks like a coffin from this angle.

Our little guys fit right in there, all nice and snug.

Taylor finished building and painting the doghouse on Friday, and with a little coaxing, Rocco and Willy decided it would be okay to sleep in it for the first time on Friday night. Besides, their friend Carl the Corgi was over for the weekend, and he seemed to like it just fine. (I didn't get any pictures of Carl in the house, but here's just a solo shot of him:)

He is my coworker Lindsay's pup, and we babysit him once in a while when she and her husband, Joseph, go out of town. Willy and Carl LOVE to play and chase each other for hours!

Okay, now that I've displayed some of Taylor's skills, it would behoove me to show you some of mine. So you remember those strawberry-rhubarb-but-mostly-strawberry-because-the-rhubarb-wasn't-so-ripe pies I made last Sunday? Well you can forget about those because today . . . today I made an all-American apple pie from scratch!

Oh, and that's not all. I also made the most delicious . . . wait for it . . . homemade vanilla ice cream to go with it.

Two words: So yummy!

With tummies full and church meetings long since over, we spent the rest of our leisurely Sunday napping, surfing the Web, blogging (no, really?), talking to family, etc. It's nice to just relax and do whatever we want to do.

Willy's all tuckered out from playing with Carl all weekend.

Rocco is watching Willy nap, dumbfounded that the pup is capable of such peacefulness.

Here's a picture of Tay's fish tank from today. Looking pretty nifty.

And here's one last picture for your viewing pleasure:

Must be a beagle thing.

Just Popping In

2010-08-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

I think I have more fun designing my blog than actually blogging. I just spent the last three hours deciding on a background, creating a header, changing colors, html'ing, etc., etc. And now that I've finished all the fluff, I'm ready to submit a bit of substance, but it's almost midnight! I really need to get my blogging priorities sorted out . . .

Anyhoo, our summer is going well. Well, better than well. It's really been quite splendid. Taylor and I both got promotions at work last month, the weather is beautiful, and the beagles haven't destroyed anything lately. Positively peachiness.

Speaking of peaches, have you ever tried a white (a.k.a. white meat) peach? Oh boy, they are yummy.

Well I'd better get some pictures on here to make this post worth your while:

Happy Fourth of July, 2010!

(I had gotten pretty sunburned this weekend, so I cropped this picture quite a bit.)

We shot off fireworks in front of our townhouse, and earlier in the day, I went to the Rexburg parade on Main Street with my supervisor, Lauri, and her best friend, Marla. The night before, I went with them to a Rexburg rodeo, too. We had a great time! (Taylor was working most of the weekend, so I was glad to spend time with Lauri and Marla.)

As you can see, Willy has gotten big!

(Although he still weighs half as much as my poor, chubby Rocco.)

Tay and I went to the Blue Angels Air Show for Pioneer Day Weekend. These are some of the P-51 Mustangs.

We think we're super cool in our matching Arnettes.

On August 3, I had an office party at a place called Mack's Inn in Island Park, Idaho. They do dinner shows, and when we went, they were playing "Robin Hood: The Tale of Rotting Ham." Very cute show; we loved it. The "Deep Fat Friar" was our favorite character.

The deep fat cinnamon rolls were pretty good, too.

This is a picture from earlier today. Tay was flexing his muscles and singing, "Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig: Does whatever a Spider-Pig does," as he raised Rocco up to the ceiling. (A little humiliating for the pudgy little guy, but I don't think it will cause permanent damage.)

Willy wanted a turn, like any little brother does.

I attempted a strawberry-rhubarb-crumb pie (x2) today. They turned out okay. Our rhubarb wasn't especially ripe, so they're mostly just strawberry pies.

I got a couple of "snake" plants at Home Depot this weekend to fill in some empty corners. They were a good deal: $8.88 each!

Taylor's plants from Hawaii are doing great! We replanted them into some new, bigger pots that we bought while at Home Depot. The plumeria in the middle is my favorite (it smells so good!). Then there's a bamboo on the left and a macadamia nut plant on the right.

And here's my last random picture. I've never read any of these chronicles, so I decided to give them a whirl. I finished the first two books, and although the story (to me) is not as complex (nor as exciting) as The Lord of the Rings, it's an easy read. It's entertaining. Pure and simple. Heck, I may even read the Harry Potter books next. Why not?

So long for now.

Mahjong Solitaire

2010-06-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Ahh, Mahjong Solitaire. One of the many, mindless computer games I enjoy. It's just a simple matching game, really. But the satisfaction I get from freeing all those trapped little tiles feels oh, so good.

One night, I had just started a game, but I was interrupted when Rocco indicated that he needed some dinner. (He does so by not-very-subtly dragging his metal food bowl across the floor, which makes this clanky, like nails-on-the-chalkboard sound that rings in my ears.) So I went downstairs to assuage the chubby little guy's hunger with a scoop of his favorite diet dog food.

I must have gotten distracted by something else for a few minutes, because when I came back upstairs, Taylor was sitting at my computer, and not only that . . . he was playing Mahjong. Well, he was attempting to play, at least. And his attempt proved rather hilarious. As I sat and watched him, I couldn't help but laugh at the things he would say when he'd get frustrated:

"I don't get it. Why can't I just match the East tile with the West tile? They're both directions!"

"We should have a movement. These tiles should have their rights liberated so they can be free."

"Britt, why do you play this game? You're not Chinese, so you don't need to be playing this game."

"All of these tiles should be on the same level . . . or they should at least have better shadowing."

"I'm barely hanging on to my match-making abilities."

"I feel like I'm Special Ed trying to learn this game."

"I hate this game."

And after a few lost games, he was done. And probably for good. I'm pretty sure the aggravation he experienced has turned him off to the game forever. Such a shame. [sigh]

He will never know the joy.

2:38 a.m.

2010-06-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

"Britt! Hey, Bri-iiitt!"

[Doorbell rings at least once.]

"Brittany!"

It's the middle of the night on Friday, May 28. I jolt awake to someone calling my name and ringing the doorbell. But it only takes a few seconds for me to process what was happening . . .

TAY IS HOME!

I fumble frantically for my glasses on my nightstand and struggle to put them on my face as I run downstairs to find a very tan, thin, sleepy husband peeking at me from the front door.

"What the . . . what are you doing here?" I ask as I run and hug him.

Of course he didn't need to answer that question. I knew he was coming home from South Carolina soon, but I didn't know it would be this soon! He told me that he left Columbia on Thursday around noon, and here he was, thirty-something hours later back at home in Rexburg. (No, he hardly stopped nor slept on his trip across the country!)

Needless to say, I was very relieved to have him home, safe and sound, and I was very surprised. It was a happy reunion, though we were both a bit delirious. Oh, and you should have seen Rocco's reaction---so cute! He had been a bit down since Tay left, and that little dog about wagged his tail off upon seeing him again. Willy was excited too, but mostly because Rocco was excited.

Taylor wasn't finding much success with APX Alarm. He made about six sales in the seven weeks he was out there, and he would have had more if not for all the potential customers who had low credit scores and didn't qualify. Frustrating.

This week he's trying sales with a local company selling Dish Network/Direct TV while he waits for the farming season to start. I'm just so glad that he comes home to me at night. Yay!

So we enjoyed our reunion last weekend, which was nice because it was Memorial Day weekend and I had Monday off. We actually had a short little camping trip Sunday night through Monday morning at a camp site about 20 minutes south of Rexburg in Archer, Idaho. We had a lot of fun, even though it was just the two of us.

Pretty place! And the weather was perfect.

Aww, together again.

Tay got quite tan and lost about 25 pounds while knocking doors all day in South Carolina. Don't worry, though; he's gained some back since he's been home. Anyway, there's our little campsite.

Tay whittled a hotdog/marshmallow stick for me. (Any excuse to impress me with his superb knife skills.)

He enjoyed many, many mouthfuls of BBQ sunflower seeds. He's gone through about three bags since he's been home.

I enjoyed a couple of campfire hot dogs.

Taylor had some Dinty Moore beef stew for dinner, which he became fond of while living in Columbia.

And no camping experience is worth having without s'mores. Lots and lots of them. (They're basically my favorite thing next to ice cream and #18 Port of Subs sandwiches on wheat with extra mayo.)

I should have taken pictures of our tent in the daylight, but it looks like any other tent.

It even has a doggy door! (Or whatever this is. If anyone knows what it really is, let me know.)

I'm so glad my Tay is home!

We pretty much froze that night, but it was still fun. Next time, we'll bring some extra blankets.

Since then, I've been really sick. I woke up with the flu on Tuesday morning, which turned into a bacterial sinus infection this weekend, so I'm glad we had some fun before I became worthless. But I got some antibiotics yesterday, so this thing should clear up soon.

You know what tastes so good when you're sick? Reed's Dairy's "Mom's Recipe" ice cream. (Okay, it also tastes good when you're not sick, but I had to make a transition somewhere.) It is like, seriously, like, the best ice cream I've, like, ever had. Like, wow. Chocolate ice cream with caramel and marshmallow swirls, Oreo cookies, and peanut butter cups. Oh man.

And since Tay has been home, not only has he been munching on all those BBQ sunflower seeds, but also on Krusteaz Crumb Cake. He LOVES it!

And while we're talking about food, I guess I should give an honorable mention to the newest restaurant in town, Pickett's Bambino. I tried it for dinner yesterday, and it was pretty good! They make these little scone/hot pocket sandwiches ("bambinos") with different fillings. They're a good deal, so I expect to stop by there every once in a while. I especially enjoyed their shaker salad, which was much yummier (and bigger) than I expected, since you can either get that or french fries with your bambino.

Pickett's Bambino replaced our beloved The Backyard restaurant, which was torn down last year. We were very saddened when that came down, because our cruises down Main Street would never be the same again. Good times.

Um, so I'm going to continue talking about food, if that's all right with you......

Guess what!?! They're building a Panda Express in Idaho Falls! This news just makes me tingle with joy. This along with the addition of Cafe Rio, Jimmy John's, and Red Robin have made living here, all-in-all, not so bad.

Now we just need some In-N-Out Burgers. If we get one of those up here, we just may stick around for longer than we planned...... we shall see.

No more snow!

2010-03-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Spring* is here. We can finally trade out our really puffy, woolly coats for just the sort-of-puffy ones.

*Note: The definition for Spring in Rexburg goes something like this:

spring [spring] –noun : the season between winter and summer, characterized by the melting of all or most snow; only a 50% chance of icy windshields in the mornings; the budding and growth of only those plants brave enough (and stupid enough) to bloom when there may yet be another, albeit unexpected, snowstorm or two; and a lot of potholes that need to be filled.

We are glad for the warmer weather. It got up to 45 degrees today (after it stopped raining), and we were ready to pack a picnic lunch! My, my, I've lived here too long already.

Okay, now you've had the weather report, so let's move on to the headline news:

Taylor is moving away. Far away for the summer (April 10–September 1, approximately) to do APX Alarm sales in Columbia, South Carolina.

His goal? To make lots of money.

My goal? To stay here in Rexburg and keep working at my job in case he doesn't make lots of money.

What does this mean? Well, it means Tay is going to finish out his current (Winter) semester, and then he's going to pack up his trusty little Saturn and drive across the country to Columbia. Once there, he plans to spend the next 4+ months knocking on doors for 6+ hours a day, 6 days a week, selling alarm systems.

But why? you ask. Well, like I mentioned above, he wants to try it out and, if successful, he has the potential to make a lot of money. It's hard work (a lot like missionary work), but the payout is great for salesmen who have a knack for it and stay busy.

And you're letting him just move out there for four months while you stay behind in Rexburg? Yep. I figure if it's something he really wants to try, then he needs to go do it. Especially now, since we don't have any kiddos yet. It also simplifies things at home for me to be here, since I can continue to work at my job and take care of the house, dogs, fish tanks, etc.

Why South Carolina? Taylor was recruited to APX Alarm by a buddy in one of his classes. This buddy is now one of his managers, and his managers' assigned "area" is Columbia, South Carolina, this year:

Will you ever see each other? I'll fly out there a time or two to visit him, hopefully. And we'll Skype. Heck, maybe we'll even start up some IM conversations like we had in the good ol' days. Phone calls are always an option, too.

It will be tough to be apart for the whole summer, but at least we'll both be busy. I'm hoping the time will go by fast. And who says I have to sulk around all summer? I plan to cook food I like, watch movies I enjoy, take long bubble baths, and just be kind of selfish for a few months. A girl's allowed to do that, right? And at least I have the beagle boys to keep me company. Taylor will have a couple of roommates/fellow salesmen living with him in Columbia, so I'm glad for that.

So wish him luck if you get a chance to talk to him! He'll be heading out at the end of next week. –Britt makes a sad face.–

In other news . . .

–Britt's face is still sad.– My uncle Curt Creel just passed away on Friday, March 26. He is my dad's older brother, and he died in his sleep from heart failure. He was only 52. He had been having heart trouble for a while, and he was actually going in for a doctor's appointment on Friday. While his wife, Ronaele, was getting ready to go with him to the appointment that morning, he had fallen asleep in a chair from which he never awoke. He was already cold when she found him there.

My dad and his parents and siblings will be flying out to Washington, D.C., (where Curt and Ronaele have lived for the past few years) for the funeral on April 10. Although I hardly knew Uncle Curt, I am saddened by his sudden death, and my heart goes out to Ronaele and his son Rhett and daughter Rachel. You're in my thoughts and prayers. Love to you all.

Rest in peace, Uncle Curt.

And now for sports:

Well, I don't play any sports right now. And no, I'm not really even following March Madness. But I did take up Tae Bo again, and it feels good! For those of you who have ever done Tae Bo for a while, you know what I mean. You do it for a couple of weeks and this wave of confidence sweeps over you. You truly feel that, if placed in a risky situation, you could really kick some butt. A couple of front jabs, then maybe an uppercut followed by a roundhouse kick. I'm untouchable right now. Thanks, Billy Blanks!

Let's move on to our special report:

Because I really don't have anything special to report, let's talk about Pop-Tarts, because, let's be honest: they are a special part of my every morning.

I don't know what it is, but I am totally loving my strawberry and/or s'mores Pop-Tarts each morning for the past several weeks. For my birthday, my very thoughtful co-worker Lindsay bought me a family pack of each flavor! One word: heaven!

Mmm. Ooey-gooey and hot out of the toaster. Not very much nutritional value, really. In fact, Pop-Tarts' new slogan is "Made for Fun." Enough said.

Well, that wraps up the Clinton family news for now. Thank you for reading. And for commenting, should you feel so inclined. This is Britt and Tay's blog, and I'm Brittany Clinton. You stay classy, San Diego.

Beginning of 2010

2010-03-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of fun with our doggies these past few months. Willy's growing so fast! Here he is at the beginning of February.
They just love napping in the sunshine.

Taylor agreed to "pose" for this picture. What a couple of stud-muffins.

Tay's saltwater fish tank is getting more and more colorful. He just LOVES that thing! And I love that he loves it.

Rocco and Willy enjoy a good game of tug-o-war every now and then. They especially love all of their pink toys. Weird.

For my birthday, I bought myself some house plants . . . er, trees, rather. The big one in the corner was on sale at Home Depot, and the others were on sale at Wal-Mart. Woo hoo! I'm really digging the whole feng shui feel.

And if you're not into fung shui, maybe you're into Jimmy John's . . . and the fact that they just opened up a new store in Rexburg!!! (Britt inadvertently lets out a shriek of joy.)

There is hope for Rexburg. And there's hope for this gangly little fellow. I just took this picture today. He is sixteen weeks old and super uncoordinated. I love when he tries to jump up onto something but just falls over backwards instead.

This picture is from the beginning of February.
Notice how dark Willy's head is.

And then today, a month later, notice how brown ("tan") he is. Eventually, he'll be as tan as Rocco is.

And, since I noticed there were no previous pictures of me on this post, I decided to publish this lovely photo. As you can see, this is the twenty-five-year-old version of me. In all previous posts, I was 24. Such a difference, I know. Like Willy and Rocco, my hair used to be black. (No, not really.)

Welcome, Willy!

2010-01-08T21:55:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas and New Year's this year! Taylor and I were able to fly down to Vegas and stay for almost two weeks: December 23 through January 3. I just love that we're able to be with both of our families for the holidays.

Unfortunately, we had to leave our dear little Rocco behind, but at least he was able to stay with one of my coworkers who has a dachshund he could be buddies with.

However, when we got back to Rexburg and picked up Rocco, we were sad that he wouldn't have a buddy anymore. Now for the last two years, we've discussed the possibility of getting another dog, but I would always get hung up on the negatives of having two dogs. Two dogs = more poop, pee, hair, time and attention, food bills, vet bills, etc. But, after some contemplation (and after we saw an ad online for beagle puppies available in Sugar City just five miles north of Rexburg), we decided to go for it! So here is puppy #2:

This is Willy!

Isn't he the most precious thing you've ever seen? And I don't think I'm biased, because c'mon. How can anything be cuter than that little face? And he and Rocco get along beautifully. Rocco is the sweetest big brother ever. When they play (and they play hard), Rocco is super gentle, letting Willy bite at his ears and tail, only to bite back ever-so-softly.

Willy likes to follow Rocco around, copying what Rocco does or wanting what Rocco has. When Rocco is chewing on something, for example, Willy gets right up in Rocco's face and tries to chew on the same thing at the same time. Of course, Rocco wants nothing to do with that and runs away, but Willy chases after him (or kind of hops after him, rather). They're so cute to watch.

I just love my beagle boys.

The Birthday Boy

2009-12-08T21:06:00.001-08:00

.There he is! The old man. Twenty-five years old today. (As you can see, he even got two cakes this year!)

This cake came in the mail today from his mom and dad. It's a marble Nothing-Bundt-Cake. One bite of this captivating confection and you're hooked. You will never go back to Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines. It's the best! (Thank you, Kelly and Hank!)

This was just a simple little cheesecake I made for him. I crumbled up some of my homemade chocolate chip cookies and used them as the crust. Not bad!

After I graced his ear with a lovely "Happy Birthday" solo, Taylor blew out his candles.

Here he is earlier today, sitting in the new fishing raft he got in the mail from his dad. That thing is sweet! He loves it and can't wait to go fishing again.

He also got a book from his parents called The Military and Police Sniper. Y'know, a little light reading.

While he read his book, Rocco and I posed for this picture. Sort of.

Then he resumed his nightly blanket-sucking ritual.

My folks sent him this birthday card. It says, "I wish I weren't an old man." Poof! [He turns into an old woman.] "Son-of-a . . ."

Then inside the card it says, "Be careful what you wish for." Gotta love cards like that. Sometimes you just get tired of the sappy ones.

And talk about sappy, here's a sweet little picture of us.

For Tay's birthday dinner, we went to this place down in Idaho Falls called the Cheeseburger Factory. It just opened a few weeks ago, and they cook up some yummy burgers and fries---Tay's favorite!

Happy birthday, Lovie!

Thanksgiving Thoughts of Thankfulness

2009-11-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my Tay. He always manages to make my day brighter. I love watching Scrubs or The Colbert Report with him, because when he laughs, I laugh. And he's so helpful around the house. I mean, he's just an all-around amazing, handsome, lovable guy, what can I say? Here's a picture of us at Thanksgiving six years ago:

I am thankful for my mom and dad. They are wonderful examples to me of love, charity, responsibility, and spirituality. I love them so much, and I can't wait to go home for Christmas!

I can't forget my little Ashie. I am so grateful for her and her friendship. I am so proud of what she's accomplished this past year, both spiritually and academically. Way to go, Ash! Keep up the good work.

I am lucky to have an amazing extended family as well. It's such a treat to be able to see both sides of my family during the holidays, since so many of them live in Las Vegas.

And I can't forget my thought of thankfulness towards my family-in-law. Talk about lucky, I couldn't have asked for better parents- and siblings-in-law. They're just so . . . normal! I always feel so loved and comfortable around them. Makes me proud to be a Clinton.

There are so many other things I'm thankful for, let's see:

I am very thankful for my new house that I get to decorate for Christmas for the first time. So excited.

I'm grateful that Taylor and I both have jobs. What a blessing that he's able to work year-round, switching between his summer/fall farming job and his winter/spring Petsmart job. Pretty cool, I say. Not to mention my job---the job that I still love. I can't say that I've ever woken up one morning and not wanted to go to work. Not many people can say that!

I'm thankful for all the things I take for granted every day, like the fact that we have food, water, and clothes. That we have a home with heat, running water, and updated appliances. That we have cars that run well and get us to where we need to go. So many things that so many people don't have.

And not many people can say they have a sweet, affectionate, loving little beagle that manages to put a smile on your face every time you see him:

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. I hope you remember to think some thoughts of thankfulness this year, too.

A Cast of Characters

2009-10-22T14:45:00.001-07:00

The cast and crew that make up my normal, day-to-day work life had to be temporarily replaced this week. You see, I haven't been able to go to work this week. And believe me, I wanted to go. I enjoy my job. I look forward to getting things done. Helping people out. Socially interacting. Making a difference.
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But no, not this week. I was held hostage at home, in bed, by a nasty little bug. His name is Flu.

Flu doesn't like to have his picture taken. He's quite camera shy, actually. But his effect on those with whom he comes into contact can clearly be seen. Allow me to introduce you to the first member of the Flu Crew. Meet . . .
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The Victim
Otherwise known as me, except not me, because this is just a version of me. A miserable version of me.

The real me puts makeup on. The real me enjoys the light of day. The real me can taste mouthwash!

But like I said before, this is a temporary character for this week. A stand-in. But even stand-ins deserve credit where credit is due. Like this character . . .

The "Other" Bed There's no denying that I love my real bed. But when you're only a version of your real self, it just wouldn't be right to sleep in your real bed. (Or to infect the real husband that sleeps right next to you in your real bed.)

And when the bed gets tired of you, it's time to move yourself somewhere else. (Do beds get tired? Maybe just in the daytime.)

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Where the Comfy Things Are

The couch. The blanket. The pillow.

Such lovely things that are normally taken for granted.

They have each played an important role in my life this week, and they will soon be individually disinfected as a token for their dedicated, dutiful services.
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And here we have two other key players.

The Connection to the Outside World

The Disconnection from the Real World

.And when my eyes became glazed over after watching entirely too much The Colbert Report, or when I just couldn't bear the thought of Bilbo having to trek another day closer to the dreaded Smaug, I turned to this character:

The Craft
One day you're at Michael's and you decide to buy paint and stars, even though you have no idea what you want to use them for. A few weeks later, you become extremely ill, and then it hits you: make Christmas ornaments! And lo and behold, you get all artsy fartsy and end up with these. So pretty.
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Crafting can be tiresome, especially when you're sick and haven't eaten much all week. But when you do eat, this character steps in:

The Sustenance

Toast really is a wonderful thing. It tastes good even when you can't taste it at all.

And when it's hearty and delicious, you just can't go wrong.

Here's to you, toast!

And we can't forget to name our three heroes of the week.

The Goalie

I've played many a game of soccer in my life, and if the goalies in those games were anything like the tissues I've used this week, nothing would have gotten past them.

The Freedom Fighter

This character will crash through any barrier to get you back to breathing---at least through your nose.

The Bodyguards

They may prefer to go unnoticed, working behind the scenes, but they know a thing or two about defense. Day or night, they are there for you. Then there's this little guy:

The Best FriendAlthough he may be terribly confused as to why you've been home all day, every day, for the last several days, he nevertheless stands by you, ready to clean your plate of all those pesky little toast crumbs. And he doesn't mind if you want to nap all day either. He'll take precious time out of his otherwise busy day just to nap with you. What a pal!

And last, but certainly not least, is this character . . .

The Onlooker
And boy, is he a looker, if I do say so myself.
Although he had to stay clear of me this week, he was there whenever I needed him (even if he had to be over there).
Now by next week, all of these characters will be forgotten, just like a bad pilot episode. But at least they've served a purpose, and they've all been acknowledged accordingly.

There is one more character that I would like to acknowledge, although he did not play a role in my life this week. (If he had, none of these other characters would have made it to this blog.)

The Preventer

Like all soaps and hand sanitizers, use them well, and use them often. I thought I was good about using them regularly, but clearly, I need to use them even more so.

As I continue to recover from the dreaded flu, I wish you all the best in avoiding it this season.

Take care!

3 Years

2009-10-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

We got married three years ago today!

And look, we're still so happy to be together.

Taylor got me these beautiful roses. Awww!

Rocco felt left out, so here's his cameo.

I love my sweet Tay! Happy anniversary to us!

Missing Vegas

2009-10-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes change is good. You start a new life in a new place. You feel independent. Free.

But then you're reminded of the good times in your past. The family you miss. The friends you hardly talk to anymore. And the weather.

Currently in Rexburg:

And currently in Vegas?

Sometimes change is good. And sometimes, you just want to go home.

Aloha!

2009-09-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

Maui was so beautiful. (A bit hot this time of year, but we got used to it. I mean, we are Vegas kids.)

Here are a few pictures of the trip:

Aloha, Maui. Until next time.

The Countdown

2009-08-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hey! Happy Friday! I hold a special place in my heart for Friday evenings. It's the one time of the week when I don't feel guilty for doing absolutely nothing.

And yet I still find myself blogging. Is blogging in the "doing absolutely nothing" category? Maybe I should qualify my previous statement: Friday evening is the one time of the week when I don't feel guilty for doing whatever I feel like doing, which may or may not include doing absolutely nothing. There.

Let's see, what's the point of this post? Oh yeah! The countdown . . .

It's been a few years since Taylor and I took a vacation, and now we're a week away from our week away . . . in Maui! Yeah, baby!

We are very excited. Our last week-long vacation was back in September 2007 with my parents in Carlsbad, California. Ahhh. Good times. We played a lot of Wii Sports during that trip.

This year, we're going to Hawaii with Taylor's parents and siblings. It's been a while since all the Clintons had a vacation together, so it'll be fun now that everyone's grown up. And it will probably be our last vacation for another couple of years, so I'm gonna soak up as much as I can.

For those of you who have been to Maui, do you have any recommendations for stuff to do, things to see, or places to eat? When Taylor and I were last there on our honeymoon, it rained most of the week, so we missed out on lots of things. We didn't even get to relax on the beach! Keep your fingers crossed that we'll have clear weather.

So we'll be there September 5th at 5:00 p.m. That's 7 days, 9 hours, 27 minutes, and 32 seconds. 31, 30, 29 . . .

Get Reefs or Get Out

2009-08-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

There are few things I love more than a comfortable pair of flip-flops. Especially nowadays, since I'm supposed to wear pantyhose and heels to work every day. It's so nice to be able to come home after a long day, change into my jeans, and throw on some flip-flops. And not just any flip-flops, my friends. Reefs.

These are the Reefs I've been sporting for the last few years:

Simple. Black. Little white pinstripe. Comfortable.

Yes. These have contributed to the greater good of my walking pleasure for the past three years or so.

But not all relationships last forever. As devoted as I am to my Fanning style, men's size 8's, I decided I needed to move on. Get a different color, perhaps. (Get a women's style, perhaps.)

And the result?
Fanning style, women's size 9's. And they're white with little silver sparklies!

I know, I didn't deviate too far from what I had before, but seriously . . . you can't go wrong with Reef's Fanning style. Believe me.

So if you're tired of your $2 flip-flops from Old Navy, invest a few bucks more (like $45 bucks more) and get yourself some Reef Fannings. They last forever. You won't regret it. Go get some. Like, now. Go!

-Sigh- I love my Reefs.

Hair

2009-07-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

"I'm aware that some stare at my hair.
In fact, to be fair,
Some really despair of my hair,
But I don't care,
'Cause they're not aware,
Nor are they debonaire.
In fact, they're just square.

"They see hair down to there,
Say, "Beware!" and go off in a tear!
I say, "No fair!"
A head that's bare is really nowhere.
So be like a bear,
Be fair with your hair!
Show it you care.
Wear it to there.
Or to there.
Or to there, if you dare!

"My wife bought some hair at a fair to use as a spare.

Did I care?
Au contraire!
Spare hair is fair!
In fact, hair can be rare.
Fred Astair got no hair,
Nor does a chair,
Nor a chocolate eclair,
And where's the hair on a pear?
Nowhere, mon frere!

"So now that I've shared this affair of the hair,

I'm going to repair to my lair and use Nair,
Do you care?"

"Hair Poem," by George Carlin.
(My dad knows it by heart.)

Settle down, now.

2009-07-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I know . . . it's been what, two months since I last blogged? Eh, that's not so bad. At least I have an excuse. Sort of. Y'know, the whole moving to a new place excuse? Yeah! Let me tell you about it.

So we had a plumbing fiasco at our rental house, hence our decision to get out of there and buy a townhome, which we officially moved into on June 3 (the day we closed on it). We didn't waste any time getting out of the shouldn't-use-any-running-water-for-fear-of-the-sewer-backing-up-in-the-basement house.

We took our sweet time (about two weeks) to move everything over, which was nice. Actually, we did the bulk of the moving within the first three days (with help from Ashtyn and from some of Taylor's buddies), while we spent the rest of the time sanding and staining furniture* in the garage of the rental house.

*Note: DO NOT attempt to refinish furniture unless you enjoy spending hours and hours . . . and more hours sanding it down in preparation for staining and varnishing. NOT fun. NOT smart. But it all turned out well in the end.

It was such a good feeling when we were completely moved out and done with the rental house. I didn't realize that it's kind of stressful to have your stuff in two different places for a while. I didn't like that at all.

Needless to say, we're loving our new place. It has taken some getting used to for me, but it's beginning to feel like home. Rocco had some adjustment issues, too. He'll tell you about those in his blog.

We haven't quite unpacked everything yet, but we're getting close. I think I'd better add a few pictures of the place, even though the house is a bit messy right now. I know you're just oozing with curiosity:

Ah yes, the front of the house. Isn't it cute? We sit right in the middle of a row of five townhomes. That means our power bill is lower because of the extra insulation on both sides of us. Also, when it's super windy outside (and believe me, it gets windy here in Rexburg), we don't hear it! I like being wedged in the middle.

The view from our front door. We actually have a large grassy area (I call it the green belt) in front of our house. It's fun to watch all the little kids in the neighborhood run around in the grass and drive their little Barbie Jeeps and baby Hummers up and down the sidewalks. .
.Oh wow, this is a terrible picture. At least the Triscuit on TV looks good. But here's our bay window that faces the front yard.

You can't get a new house without getting some new furniture, right? So we splurged on a new sectional and matching recliner. Yes, they are as comfy as they look.

No dining room is complete without an 80-gallon, saltwater fish tank. I mean, who needs a china hutch when you can have a few cubic feet of ocean staring at you from across the room?

Here's our cute little kitchen. The appliances are all black, and they're all new! So nice. I'm not sure about that red paint, though. I might have to change that. What are your thoughts?

Yay! A downstairs bathroom that won't back up with sewage, and it has a sink! You know, as much as you try, you just can't get used to a basement closet with a toilet in it.

And here's the upstairs, full bathroom. Double-sinks? Check. Shower/tub combo? Check. Huge linen closet behind the door? Check. Yeah, this works for us.

Here's our guest bedroom with all the bedroom furniture I grew up with. A little squishy, but it works. This used to be a little girl's room, as you'll notice by the painted butterflies on the walls and the cutesy, yellow curtains.

This is the office right next to the guest room. Yes, I still have my green office chair. I just love that thing. So you can picture me in that chair, in this room, blogging my little heart away.

The bedroom. Our big bed fits! Whew! Those windows face the front yard, which puts this room right above the family room downstairs.

And to the left, we have another red wall that I may or may not change. I'm just not sold on it.

And to the right are our closets. It's deceiving, but the closet extends the whole length of that wall (i.e. there's not split in the middle). Nice and big. Just what I need.

This is our little patio, looking down from the office window. This patio is between the house and our garage, which is what that door in the top right corner leads to. (There was no way we were going to purchase a house without a garage. The winters are just too snowy up here not to have a garage to make life 100% easier.)

So there's a quick tour for ya. And if you're like me, you'll wanna see the floorplan to better picture where everything is:

Our house, in the middle of our row.

Our house, where the sewage does not flow.

Our house, that is where we like to sleep.

Our house, where we have a dog named "Peep."

Our house, in the middle of our row . . .

Dear little brick house . . .

2009-05-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

The time has come in which we must leave you now. You've been good to us these past few months. That is, until your plumbing sprung a leak. A big leak that would cost over $14,000 to fix. And no, you are not going to be fixed any time soon. Perhaps some new owners will buy you at an auction in a few months and fix your condemned, 70-year-old plumbing system then. So I'm sorry to say that your current owners are abandoning you, and we, your renters, are moving on.

But look what we're moving on to:

It's a lovely, three-bedroom townhome just up the street. We won't even have to deal with a yard there, woo hoo! (No offense, little brick house, but your yard was hard to maintain.)

See now, aren't you happy for us? And Rocco won't poop in your yard anymore, so that's good news for you!

So our relationship will officially end by June 3rd when we close on our new townhome. But if you don't mind, we're going to take our time moving to our new place. You won't mind hanging on to some of our stuff for the next few weeks while we move, will you? Gee, thanks! Such a good little brick house.

Our basement is a biohazard.

2009-04-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

You do not want to go down there. Believe me. You will get swine flu.

Ok, well, maybe not swine flu, but you might get cooties!

Yes, our basement is a disaster zone right now. Monday night, I went down there just before midnight to finish up some laundry when, to my shock and horror (GASP!), there was water everywhere!

Ok, not everywhere, but there was lots of water in and around the toilet down there. (I need to ease up on the drama.)

The toilet had overflowed at some point that night, leaking water under the walls into the adjacent bedroom, out into the hall, past the stairs, and clear down to the entry by the laundry room.

Here are some fuzzy pictures of the situation (my camera battery must have been dying):

Bummer, right? But wait . . . how could the toilet overflow when we never use the toilet down there? Hmmm.

Hey, look! There's water backed up into the basement sink, too! Now what could cause all this water to back up into the basement? Good question.

And who do you call at 11:30 at night for answers? My dad. He knows everything.

He told Tay that it was probably a sewer backup causing the flooding, so we needed to call a plumber first thing in the morning to get it fixed. Until then, try not to flush the upstairs toilet or run any other water, because any of that will just make the situation worse downstairs.

Wait, hold on, did you say sewer backup. Sick!

And that's what the plumber confirmed the next morning. The sewer main connecting the city lines to the house had clogged, causing the backup through the basement toilet.

Oh, great. So it's not just water. It's pee. And poop. And lots of other unmentionables. (And swine flu, I'm tellin' ya!)

So I got the pleasure of breaking the news to the home owners who live clear down in Arizona. They're working it out with their home owner's insurance right now to see if they can get covered for the deep cleaning and recarpeting that will be necessary to rid the basement of its current biohazardousness.

In the meantime, the cleaning guys have come in, sucked up the water, ripped up all the carpet, shampooed and bleached everything else, and left some seriously big (and loud) fans to dry it all.

And dang it, those stupid fans keep tripping the circuit breaker in the basement. Ugh. I swear, I've flipped that breaker back on four times in the last two hours. Better get some extension cords and get some of those fans plugged into different circuits.

Anyhoo, at least it's clean now. But I'll let Tay be the judge of that. He's pretty phobic about germs and fungus. So the next time I see him eat a Skittle off the basement floor, we'll know it's safe.

A Couple of Fun Weekends

2009-04-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? We were actually social---two weekends in a row! Don't worry . . . we've got pictures to prove it.
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Taylor drove down to Provo on the Friday of General Conference weekend for a mission reunion. He met up with a few of his old companions, including Nephi Scott and Bryan Mora---two of his favorites. The reunion was short and sweet, and before we knew it, he was on his way back up to Rexburg on Saturday morning. But he didn't come back alone.
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His little sis, Lindsay, and friends he met on his mission in Indiana, Steele Myers and Brooke Klingler, followed Taylor up to Rexburg to visit us for the weekend. And let me tell ya . . . that weekend was all about food.

As soon as they got here Saturday afternoon, we ordered a couple of pizzas and plenty of breadsticks. (You wouldn't believe how many breadsticks Taylor and Steele can go through.) And you've gotta go with Pizza Hut, of course. Be sure to take advantage of the "buy a large, get a medium for a penny" deal---if it's still on.
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So we all ate our fill of pizza and watched the first two sessions of conference. Here is a picture of our cute little Lindsay, taking notes while watching conference:

After conference, we decided that Lindsay and Brooke needed a tour of Rexburg. (Steele was up here during the Fall 2008 Semester, so he knows his way around.) We all piled into our truck and took ten minutes to drive up by the temple, the BYU-I campus, and down to Broulim's on Main Street. (We took a quick tour of my office on campus. It was recently remodeled, so I'm proud to show it off.)

And you can't go to Rexburg without experiencing Broulim's, a local grocery store. Not that it's a major tourist attraction, or anything, but y'know. There's only so much to see and do in this small town. We needed to pick up some things for dinner anyway.

We got back home and started on our elaborate dinner menu: smoked steaks, chicken fettuccine alfredo with broccoli, Rhodes rolls, fruit salad, and Taylor's favorite . . . funeral potatoes.

Here's Tay and Steele (and Rocco) sippin' Coke, watchin' the smoker:

And look at the size of those steaks. For real.

Lindsay and Brooke wanted some little steaks,

so here's the size comparison (Brooke and Steele):

As big as those steaks were, those boys did work on `em. I think they both got through most of their steaks, as well as most of the funeral potatoes. Taylor also delved into some of my fettuccine alfredo. (He must still be growing---upwards, I hope.) We all did some serious eating that night. And if I remember right, we all went to bed pretty soon afterwards.

Sunday morning, we started the food thing all over again with several dozen homemade crêpes (with Nutella, strawberries, bananas, and whipped cream) and probably a couple dozen pieces of bacon. (No, this was not a low-cal weekend.) And, seriously, as soon as we were done cleaning up breakfast/brunch, we were already starting on dinner. Taylor put a roast in the crockpot to make BBQ beef sandwiches later so we could feed the kids before they had to drive back down to Provo.

It was a very fun weekend. I enjoy cooking, and so does Tay, so it's a treat to cook for people other than ourselves.

The next weekend was Easter. Yay! As I mentioned in my last blog, Taylor went down to Vegas to be with the Longmire family, and Ashtyn drove up from Logan to be with me.

Ash hadn't been up to Rexburg since November, so I thought it was important to take her for a cruise down Main Street. Rocco went too, of course:

We were going to go to Applebee's for dinner, but it had been stormy that weekend, and the restuarant had a power surge not too long before we showed up, so no one was getting their food. We didn't want to wait for an hour just to get a table, so I took her to the good ol' Backyard where we got some excellent sandwiches.

After dinner, I decided to make chocolate cream pies in preparation for Easter the next day. We each made a pie, and we called them our "insta-pies."

"Instant" chocolate cream pies include the following ingredients:

2 graham cracker shells
2 tubs of chocolate pudding (you can find them by the yogurt at the grocery store)
2 cans/tubs of Cool Whip

Directions:

Spread pudding into graham cracker shells. Spray/spread Cool Whip on top. Done.

*Optional: grab a Hershey's Kiss, or the like, and a cheese grater and grate bits of chocolate on top.

I think it took us a whole three minutes to make our pies. Ah-mazing.

For Sunday dinner, I heated up a little baby ham with some homemade glaze, tossed together a green salad with fresh Ranch, mixed up a fruit salad, and baked some Rhodes rolls.

Ashtyn decorated Easter eggs while I made dinner:

Taylor made it back up to Rexburg just in time for Easter dinner, so I was glad we three could eat together. It helped it feel more like a holiday. We still missed being with our families for Easter, though. It's hard living so far away from home. But we still made it a happy Easter.

One semester down, seven more to go.

2009-04-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

Aahhhh, Friday! I am so glad it's Friday, and I'm so glad Taylor's first semester is over. All in all, I'd say he handled it pretty well. He's definitely been a trooper. Thirteen credits (five classes) and 35-hour work weeks have definitely taken their toll on him. But he's not one to complain . . . he just does what he has to do. Let's just hope he passed his American Foundations class. (Actually, let's pray that he passed.)

These last few weeks have been pretty hectic for me, too. BYU-Idaho is undergoing lots of changes in the upcoming year, and we're having to work through those changes as we lose full-time staff members . . . that we can't replace! The Church has issued a hiring freeze right now, so any staff who leave aren't going to be replaced. We have two of our specialists leaving this year, which means the rest of us have to absorb the responsibilities of their positions. Yikes!

Good thing we are able to hire student employees. That's where my focus has been these last few weeks, because I was recently authorized to supervise three student employees to assist me. Woo hoo! But that meant I also had to interview and hire them. Not so woo hoo.

So about twenty-something résumés later, I narrowed my picks down to five students that I wanted to interview. (One of my assistants is already working for us, so starting in the Spring Semester, she'll officially be my assistant.) So I only had two students to hire. And of those five interviews, it was easy to pick the two students I wanted---they were clear standouts, which made the process much easier for me. It was still stressful, though. I hadn't conducted hiring interviews before, so it was a good learning experience. (And I had to remember to spit out my gum beforehand, because that wouldn't be professional, would it?)

I'm excited for the new semester. I think it'll be easier for Taylor, now that he knows what to expect. It'll be easier for me, since I'll have extra help from my assistants every day, and there won't be all the horrible snow to deal with. YAY!

It was sure a beautiful day outside today. A cool, crisp, 53 degrees, I believe. A nice way to end a week. Yet I wish this week had been a happier week for us, because it has actually been a very sad week . . .

Taylor traveled home to Vegas today to support one of his very best friends, Ian Longmire, who is mourning the sudden death of his little brother, Parker, who took his own life on Monday night.

Everyone was completely shocked at the news, and I know my Tay is very torn up about it. He grew up with the Longmires. Ian and Parker have always been very close, just like Ashtyn and I are very close, so when Taylor hung out with Ian, very often, Parker hung out with them too. Parker was such a sweet boy, and he will be missed dearly. My heart goes out to Ian and to the Longmire family. Please pray for them at this time.

While I'm glad that Taylor is able to be with Ian right now, I'm sad that we won't have Easter together this year. So it's a good thing my sweet little sis is coming up this weekend! Ashtyn will be here tomorrow (Saturday) night, so we'll have to go buy ourselves a little baby ham and enjoy a "Seaster Easter." (Say that out loud, in case you don't get it.) I am definitely looking forward to spending the weekend with her. Let the Easter egg coloring (and lots of chocolate eating) begin!

Animal House

2009-03-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

I have always been an animal lover. In 2nd and 3rd grade, I wrote reports on all kinds of different animals in the rainforest or from the ocean. I remember in junior high, I would stay up late at night to watch Wild Discovery on the Discovery Channel. In college, I even wrote a paper (after my childhood dog, Max, died) about how animals will be resurrected and will live among us in heaven (check out D&C 77:1–4). Animals fascinate me, and I enjoy learning about them.

Now learning about and studying animals is one thing. But then there's the actual living with and taking care of animals thing—which is a whole different ballgame. And that's where I switch my focus over to Taylor. The chicken genius. The Petsmart guru. The ultimate animal lover.
.

Taylor has lived with animals his whole life. Growing up, his family had dogs, at least one cat, turtles (tortoises), snakes, lizards, fish, hamsters, etc. Having animals around was just a way of life for him. And that way of life has creeped its way into our lives together. Here, let me show you:

This is our animal room. It's actually our storage room, but it has recently been converted into a bonafide petting zoo. (I wouldn't recommend petting the carpenter ants, though.)

Of course, Rocco was the first animal to join our lives back on November 23, 2006, when he was just an 8-week-old pup. Taylor surprised me with him the day before Thanksgiving that year. I just love beagles. Rocco is the animal I take care of. He's my buddy.

In the spring of 2007, we got a 10-gallon fish tank . . . which soon turned into a 55-gallon fish tank. When we moved to Rexburg, we couldn't take that huge tank and all the fish up here with us, so my dad volunteered to take it off our hands. He really didn't seem to mind. In fact, he sort of insisted that he take that tank and the fish. (Yes, thanks to Taylor, my dad is now a fish lover.) So that worked out well. Now my dad has a fun hobby!

We also had a baby tortoise for a while. Taylor rescued Charleston Salmonella one Sunday in early 2008 when he spotted him crawling down Charleston Blvd., a large, busy street in Las Vegas (hence his name). What we didn't realize was that baby tortoises (with shells shorter than 4 inches) can carry Salmonella on their skin (hence his middle name), and the stupid thing made Taylor really sick! So we didn't touch him anymore. But poor Charleston died in the summer of 2008 from a Vitamin A deficiency that we didn't catch soon enough.

About six months elapsed before we adopted another reptile into our home. Oh, wait, make that two more reptiles. In February, Taylor was talking to a guy in Petsmart about these horned lizards, and the guy wasn't interested in taking care of them anymore. So of course, Taylor stepped up to the plate, and now we have Don Vito and Little Jimmy. (Gotta love the Italian mafia names, right?)

They're the ones who eat all the icky things that I pointed out in my animal room picture. Like the mealworms (so gross!) and the crickets and the carpenter ants.

Bleh!

Also, for my birthday this year, Taylor decided it would be funny to get me a crawdad, which turned into a few more crawdads, a catfish, and some snails. (Don't they eat all those things down in New Orleans?)

And now to introduce you to our latest animal addition: meet Gambino, the Leopard Gecko.

He also eats all of the above-mentioned icky things. And he's nocturnal, so he only comes out at night—while we're sleeping! He's boring. At least we gave him a cool name.

Yes, we love animals. I prefer the mammalian type, while Taylor seems to have a liking for the reptilian and aquatic varieties. Now we just need some amphibians, a couple of birds, and an ark.

Cruisin' down Main Street

2009-03-14T17:55:00.001-07:00

Yes, friends. It's that time again.

Time to go cruisin' down Main Street!

And there it is. Look how excited we are:

Even Rocco gets to go. Now in order to successfully cruise down Main Street, you need to make sure you meet the following criteria:

1. You must cruise down Main Street in a 1997 Chevy pickup. (Honda Civics and Saturn SL2's just won't do.)

2. Make sure you don't forget the dog. You wouldn't want to hurt his feelings. He likes to cruise, too.

3. You cannot go cruisin' down Main Street without being super hungry. (I mean, cruising is fun, but cruising for food is even more fun!)

Ok, all the criteria have been met. So we all hop in the truck, coax the dog to get in the backseat, pull out of the driveway, and head down the street.

Ten seconds from the driveway, we make it to Main Street. Whew. Finally!

But before we make our way down Main Street, we cross over it and continue down 2nd West where we find this place:

Mmm, a hamburger and a hotdog place. What could be better? This place makes both of us happy. Tay gets his hamburger, I get my hotdog, and we continue on our merry little way. (Oh, and don't forget to get several containers of fry sauce; that stuff is the best!)

After our pit stop at The Backyard (remember, we're super hungry), we turn around and go back to Main Street. Then we cruise! Woo hoo! Here we go . . .

. . . 47 seconds later, it's over.

Main Street isn't a very long street. But it makes for a good cruise.

And so we make our way down 2nd East where we find a McDonald's. Now I know what you're thinking . . . yes, we just visited The Backyard about 78 seconds ago. But their fries are not so great. You can't get an excellent hamburger and an excellent hotdog without getting excellent fries, too! (And remember, we got all that excellent fry sauce to use.)

And where do you find excellent fries? At McDonald's, of course. (And their fries are about the only excellent thing they have.)

So we gather all of our yummy food and we go back home to eat it. All in all, the cruise was a great success.

We get home, plead with the dog to jump out of the truck (he's used to our smaller cars; leaping from a tall truck is scary for him), go inside, grab some drinks, and plop ourselves in front of the TV for some quality, family-togetherness time.

(I hope you got enough fry sauce there, buddy.)

Until next time, may all of your cruising adventures be just as fun---and just as yummy---as ours are!

Fickleness Frustrates the Fun of Fixing Food

2009-03-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

Say that fives times fast. (I just love alliteration.)

So I find myself asking Taylor the same question every day: "What do you want for dinner?" And every day, what is his reply?

"I don't care."

or

"I don't know."

Why, then, do I keep asking this question? You'd think that I would have learned by now, after knowing this guy for almost a decade and being married to him for two-and-a-half years, that I need to come up with an alternative method of determining what to make for dinner. But no. I catch myself asking day after day. But really. It's got to stop, and I'll tell you why.

When you ask a guy like Taylor what he wants for dinner, more often than not, he isn't going to give you a direct answer. Why is that? Is it because he fears that if he does give a specific answer that I'm not going to like it?

I don't know. Maybe I wouldn't like it. It's hard to say. Probably depends on my mood that day.

Or maybe it's simply because he truly---really truly---doesn't care. But you know what? I think he does care.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"I don't care."

"How about spaghetti?"

"Nah."

"Well, we've got hamburger and potatoes. How about shepherd's pie?"

"You don't like shepherd's pie."

"But you do, and I'm willing to make it for you."

"Nah."

"Uh, cheeseburgers?"

"I'm tired of cheeseburgers."

"Dang it, Tay! You said you didn't care."

"Make whatever you want, then."

"Ugh! Now I don't want to make anything."

. . . This is why you don't ask. Because then you know what happens? Then you end up not making anything, and about half-an-hour later, you find your husband in the kitchen eating this:
Bacon. Really, Tay? Just bacon?

"You know, we have some lettuce and a tomato in the fridge. You could make a BLT?"

"Nah."

Ok, so maybe I'm not being totally fair. Tay does tell me every now and then what he would like.

"Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?"

"Cookies! Two batches of chocolate chip cookies."

[Britt rolls her eyes.] "If that's what you want."

And that's what he got:

Lots and lots of cookies.

This is why you don't ask.

Rexburg, a.k.a. "Iceburg"

2009-03-01T22:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my new Blog. My name is Brittany Clinton, and I will be your host. I hope to have something interesting to say once in a while, so stay tuned as I update this blog with stories and experiences about our life.

If my stories are too boring, you can refer to my dog's blog, http://roccoclinton.blogspot.com/, because his perspective on life might be a bit more entertaining. (There he is ->)

As you can see in this picture of our backyard, we live in a chilly place called Rexburg, Idaho. We trudge around in several feet of snow, and we also have to look out for huge icicles. (Sometimes we break off the icicles from the house and give them to Rocco---he loves chewing them up!)

Except for the cold winters, Rexburg is a nice place to live. The summers are beautiful, and the people are very friendly. It's a town of about 30,000 people, most of whom are students at BYU-Idaho, which is why we're here.

Taylor started attending BYU-Idaho in January, and he is pursuing a degree in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Health Science. After that, he plans on going to graduate school to earn a DPT and begin a career as a physical therapist. Cool, huh?

He is also working part-time at Petsmart down in Idaho Falls (a bigger town about 25 miles south of Rexburg), and he loves it. He's their fish expert.

I got a job at BYU-Idaho in August with the Student Records & Registration Office (a.k.a. the Registrar's Office). They call me the Registration Specialist, which puts me in charge of helping students and faculty with class registration, primarily. I also process all student name changes (due to marriages, divorces, etc.), address changes, and I keep the National Student Clearinghouse records up-t0-date. It's a great job. There is so much teamwork involved, and everybody gets along really well. No complaints.

We miss Las Vegas, especially since living in Rexburg puts us so far away from our family. Yeah, we can make the drive to Vegas in about ten hours, but that's still a pretty long trip . . . especially if there's ice and snow involved.

Here's another picture looking down our sidewalk to the west from the front yard. You can see Rocco, which gives you some perspective of how high the snow gets (it's taller than he is). The snow and ice are finally starting to melt a bit these past couple of days, so we're happy about that!

Here's a funny story . . .

My coworker Deanna and I were complaining to each other one day about how cold it was outside (it gets below 0 degrees Fahrenheit up here), so we decided to look up temperatures in other places around the world to find somewhere colder than Rexburg---just to make ourselves feel better.

So we started with nearby cities like Butte, Montana, and Cedar City, Utah. Those are cold places. But not colder than Rexburg.

How about New York City? That's pretty cold. But not colder than Rexburg.
And on and on we searched until we were looking up cities in Alaska and Russia! (Mind you, these are inhabited cities.) Nope. Not colder than Rexburg.

I finally typed Antarctica in the search bar. C'mon now, there's gotta be a place in Antarctica that's colder than Rexburg. But no. (And granted, it is summer in Antarctica right now, but it's still Antarctica!)

And so you know why the locals refer to Rexburg as "Iceburg." It is arguably among one of the coldest places to live on the planet. And we get to live here. Lucky us!