2011 goals

I'm excited for the new year and what it may have in store for us.
Here are a few goals I have for myself:

Get my colitis into remission and keep it there
Find a workout routine that doesn't require the gym (my membership expired)
Learn new recipes that promote a healthy colon and still taste good
Make sure David is happy and healthy
Study the scriptures more with David
Make at least 1 new family tradition


What are some 2011 goals that you have?

Just one of those days

Today is one of those days when I need to get things off my chest.

Life is rough!


My medication isn't fun

David got sick and hasn't been able to sleep well so he is tired at practice.

I'm now sick and haven't been sleeping well.

David's team lost a couple depressing games leaving people to continue to walk out on them.

The check engine light came on in our truck... its a fuel injection issue.

David isn't 25 pounds heavier, he isn't making the strides his coach was expecting and I feel partly to blame.  I'm making his food and I'm his #1 fan.

I have hospital bills to pay and our internet bill just went up.

David is going to be gone Thurs-Sun this week, Thurs-Sat next week, and all of Christmas week.

I can't drink egg nog.


Seriously I can keep going but I don't want to start crying at work.


Here, I'll throw in a few positives so you don't feel too worried about me and so I can know that things aren't so bad.


I have a job that treats me well which I would take over a job that pays me well.

I get paid on Friday.

We have a comfortable apartment with a nice big bed that fits the both of us.

We were blessed to have both of our families with us last week.  Didn't want that to end!

David has a full-ride scholarship so we don't have to worry about school or rent payments.

At least my whole colon isn't inflamed.

We have wonderfully supportive family and friends.


I could go on, but I feel better and I should get back to work.

Game tonight... Go David!!

Diagnosed!

Pretty sure anyone that has read my blog for the last little while knows that there is something wrong inside of me.  Yesterday I had a colonoscopy.  I was dreading the prep!  Honestly, it wasn't very fun but if you think that it is just going to be so horrible, it doesn't turn out so bad.  I was SO hungry though.  2 days with only liquids with laxatives is rough.  I was out for the entire procedure then when I was awake the doctor came in to give me the prognosis.  I was seriously hoping so bad that maybe I had a couple things that could have been fixed then and there and just heal.  Nope.  It turns out I have minor ulcerative colitis.

What is that, you say?

Well, part of my colon is inflamed and that is why I have all these stomach and bathroom issues.  It is an incurable disease, but we can get it in to remission and keep it there.  It is a good thing mine is the "minor" colitis because those that have it full on have huge health issues.  To the point where their whole colon is inflamed and sometimes requires heavy duty surgery.  I will have some medication everyday for the next 4-6 weeks then we check to see if it has gone in to remission or not.  We're hoping it does because if it doesn't I may need more medication that may effect my future pregnancies.  So if you could send me your good thoughts and prayers that would be greatly appreciated!!  They sure got me through the days of prep.

I'm eating again and it feels so nice!  Even though I have to take it easy for the next day or so, even a little bit tastes so good.

Thank you all for your support, I've been feeling the love!

Happy 6 months!

Our 6th month anniversary has come and gone. It is crazy how fast time flies! We have had so many learning experiences already and we're excited for the road ahead.

Here is a recap of the last 6 months:
May
3 receptions (WOW) and moving in to our apartment
June
David going back to summer school and I'm job searching.
Also still moving in to the apartment.
I'm enjoying making new recipes.
Tried to sell the car
July
Sold the car
Still job searching
Walking around everywhere since we're down to just the truck and David takes it to school
Scrapbooking
Successful job interview!
August
New job!
Strange sickness going on inside me
David starts fall semester
September
Learn how to balance work and having dinner ready when we're both home from our days.
Sickness gets worse
David and I both get callings in our ward
October
One more month until health insurance!
I go on medication when sickness gets scary bad
David starts fall training and has troubles with his left knee
We get a couple days to spend with family in St George and get our awesome new bed frame that David's dad made
We decide not to buy another car
We decide not to spend the money to have me to go Hawaii for Christmas with him
November
Health insurance!
I have a meeting with a specialist and learn I have to get a colonoscopy on Nov 18th
David gets a PRP shot in his left knee to strengthen the tendons
I get a raise!
We go to Rodizio to celebrate our 6 month, my raise, David's knee getting better, and a few other things
David plays his first season game and does awesome!

Okay now you're caught up!

Now I should probably take a shower and get ready for our busy day. Thanks for following and keeping me in your prayers. I really feel the love and i'm SO SO thankful! Hopefully we figure out what is going on and i'll let you know.

Happy Saturday!

Here are a couple photos from our honeymoon (we only have 4 since my battery died on the second day and we didn't think to get a disposable)

We loved Bubba Gumps in Monterey!

This is at a novelty store in Solvang.  I know I look scary!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!

Now give me your email if you want to keep viewing my blog or accept my blog request if you have already. I've sent a request to everyone that asked for one. Let me know if you need me to send it again.

I'm going private on Wednesday people!!!

No pictures-- David was out of town and I'm not a very decorative person in apartment living. I'll try harder when we have a house someday.

My extent of decorating-- I printed out an image of a Christmas tree and taped it on our wall and put the Christmas gifts we've received under it. Woohoo!

EMAILS-- give 'em!

Milestone compromise #2

Well, here I go again, talking about another accomplishment we've made together. This one is another finance one.

David and team are going to be in Hawaii for a tournament over Christmas break. They actually have a game ON Christmas. Well, as this is our first Christmas and I've never been to Hawaii we were doing all we could to figure out how to get me there. We found the same flight that the team was on for $825 round trip. We talked to his uncle about possible donating some frequent flier miles for the trip. He was willing to help. So the flight wasn't going to be much of an issue.

On to the hotel...

I just found out yesterday where they're going to be staying. For security reasons I'm not going to list the hotel but I will say that it is REALLY nice. And WAY WAY WAY out of our price range if I were going to stay at the same place. You'd think I could stay on someone's couch right? SO against team policy.

Then to add in other costs:
rental car
food
memorabilia

Flight: $825
Hotel for 6 nights (if I stayed at the same place and got the most basic room): $2880
Rental Car: $366
Food: approx $200
Memorabilia: approx $100
Grand Total: $4371

Yep, that would have drained us of ALL our money. Needless to say we decided last night that our Christmas this year is going to be Dec 27th.

Making a decision together to forgo luxuries and preserve sanity: priceless

It is going to be a HARD week without him on Christmas, but after knowing we can get through this, we can get through that too!

Thanks Babe!!

David has been so awesome while I've been a bit down and out with whatever is going on inside me. He's made dinners, cleaned the apartment, tells me everyday how beautiful I am. Isn't he great??

Right now since I don't have insurance yet (Nov 1st) I'm on a prescription for a parasite. If it works, we know it was a parasite. If it doesn't, then more testing needs to be done. Lets hope it is a parasite so this is the last thing I have to do before I'm well.

I'm doing OKAY today and we're taking advantage of it :)

Special Shout out to my Sis and her family-- Thanks for coming over last night and making dinner and cleaning the apartment and going grocery shopping for us. We love you MUCHO!!!

Don't ever...

Don't ever get a parasite in your system 3 months before your health insurance starts. I don't recommend it.

3 months later and it has only gotten worse.

Sorry I'm not sociable but this thing has basically taken over my life. I'm just trying to stay alive and sane at this point.

Check ya later!

Quick Request

Hey All,

With basketball season coming up and likely new fans for David, I'm going to be making our blog private.

I will do that in the next couple weeks or so. Please send me your info so I can add you to the special list. :)

Thanks!!

Milestone compromise #1

Well I think David and I have hit a milestone recently. We have been down to 1 car for many reasons, most of all budgetary. We were planning on getting a second car sometime around next month (mid-October) so David wouldn't have to ride the bus or trax everywhere with me getting the privilege of driving the truck. With some unexpected hitches coming up in our plan, we had to start looking around again at what we wanted. If you have met David or know how long his legs are I'm sure will understand that we can't just have any car. After looking through available cars that we were interested in I started worrying a lot about expenses and when that happens I tend to get emotional. David is still learning how to cope with me when I'm like this.

Anyway, yesterday David told me that he doesn't think we need another car. He said he was okay with riding the bus and trax. He knows the schedule down pat and he would rather save the money and avoid the stress. He said that we can look again in a year and see what our situation is like. I had to really ask him if he meant it and it wasn't just a response to my emotions, he was sincere.

When he said that, it was like I had a screw in my head that was pulled out and it was so relieving. I think this is a big milestone for us. We're learning how to make big decisions together and give and get until we are at an understanding. I could tell that this experience only made the love between us grow. We had one of the best nights just being stress free.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty happy right now.

Things are changing

I'm not quite sure how to start this post so I think I am going to have to wing it.

I'm not 20 years old anymore playing water polo in college, burning over 3-4k calories a day because I'm working out at least 4 hours. I have to keep telling myself this.

I'm 25 years old, I work 8-5 at a great job that is very busy making me very tired by the time 5pm rolls around. I don't have the motivation and time like I used to to go to the gym. I've never been a health freak, and even more now that I am feeding a very large man who finds it hard to keep weight on, it is hard to cook low-calorie with him around. Needless to say, my body is changing. Sometimes I look at myself and think... I probably won't look much different if I was 3-4 months pregnant. Some things I don't mind... well maybe just one... with the changes. The other things get to me sometimes.

You're probably wondering where this post even came from. Well, I was walking around work today and I walked past the conference room which always shows a reflection of me. All I could think was... it could be worse. I really don't look so bad.

This post is so unfocused...

Sometimes I worry... what if David does get into the NBA, a business notorious for infidelity and immorality. He's going to have girls trying to flirt with him that have seemingly more attractive physical characteristics than me, even if they do know he is married. This is just an insecurity that gets to me now and then, but I have to realize... he married me for a reason and it isn't just my physicality. I need to give him more credit.

Anyway... here is to confidence, happiness, health, and love! Today I don't think I look big!

Oh man...

A gift for myself and my husband

Many of you don't know this, but I have been getting laser hair removal on my under arms. I absolutely HATE shaving and especially under there. So after I got a large discount after putting my name into a drawing at a bridal expo in January, I went in to see how much it costs. If you play your cards right and get discounts when they happen, it is really not so bad considering benefits you get from not having to shave. I've had 5 appointments now since then (they have to be at least 6 weeks apart) and boy does it work! I don't think anyone ever taught me how to shave my pits so, while this is embarrassing for me to admit, I had a huge area of dark and thick underarm hair. Before yesterday's appointment I had just spots here and there of very thin hair. I'm excited to see what the growth will be like after this last session. It is supposed to be virtually gone after the 6th session.

Now to why I'm writing this...

Yesterday there was a new girl helping me and she was way peppy and super nice. We had some really fun conversation and she offered me a HUGE discount. She gave me her friend's and family discount (like 50%) off plus a buy one get one deal. Well, I took it!
David absolutely HATES my leg hair because it grows so stinkin' fast and so stinkin' thick. So for him and for my peace of mind, I'm now getting my legs (above the knee down to the ankles), bikini line, and inner legs (very sensitive area I hate shaving) done. And all of this for half the price of a typical hair removal for just the legs. We did my first session right then and there.

The appointments are a bit drawn out but in about 7 months I won't have to shave... at max maybe about once a month. I think that is completely worth it.

If you're interested, I can totally refer you to some really cool girls that I go to!

FYI- apparently I am a perfect candidate... really light skin with dark hair. If you're that combo then you will have the best results

Yo Wassapp!!

Hey everyone!!

I promise I'm still here! I've been training at work for the first two weeks and today was my third day on my own. I love it! The company is so much fun even though there is SO much to do everyday; which I also love because 5pm comes so fast! Thank goodness for Pandora!

Life has been great. We're pretty much all moved in. I haven't put up any of our pictures yet but that will come... hopefully. I've worked on the scrapbook. I did about 18 pages in one day and stopped. That was enough for awhile. I'm not super intricate about the pages but I still like them.

How are you?? I feel like I don't talk to many people outside of church, family (sometimes even then), and work. And of course David. Tell me what is going on!

Love ya!

Britta

My thought for today

So here are some thoughts I have been having recently with the growing turmoil in this country/world. I'm not sure how many people will read this, but please respect my opinion as it is mine, and it is delivered out of belief and not emotion.

Have we noticed how gray this world is becoming? We are taught that there is a necessary opposition in all things. There is a reason why we are made male and female. There is a reason why our bodies are the way they are. We are given the right/task to have a posterity of children and raise them in righteousness. We are supposed to teach our children to have respect and not selfish entitlement and to have a mind of their own.

We are also taught to love one another. This commandment continues to show its face every day as a trial to some in the world. There are some instances where you may only be able to love from a distance, as long as it is not hate then it is acceptable. While definitions of love, hate, marriage, equality, virtue, morals, etc seem to be changing based on what is trendy; I believe that if you hold strong to your beliefs and do what you can to be a stalwart human being preserving that which is one of the greatest gifts of God-- life, and to go further-- creating life; when we all meet our maker we will be able to say that we have done all we can do and we kept the faith. After then we will be blessed with a happiness that we can not possibly understand as mortals.

I hope that I can still make people smile regardless of what may be going on in their life. I only wish people would do the same for everyone else. While I see this is not completely possible given human nature to have conflicting opinions, I will stand up for my beliefs because they are exactly that-- they are the principles that outline the way I choose to live my life and hope to raise my children around. They have not failed me, I have a wonderful life, I would not take back any of my experiences, opinions, or belief because if I did I would not be me.

I hope my children will be able to make decisions on their own based on what they feel is right from their bosom and not because it is trendy and the celebrities/media portrays it to be right. I hope they will value hard work and friendships. I hope they will respect their leaders and understand the wisdom and knowledge that their leaders have when their leadership is exercised correctly. I hope I will be able to raise them in a way that gives them the motivation to work for what they want, knowing that they can get it, rather than expecting it to be given to them.

As I stated above, these are my own opinions. I just felt like they were spilling out of my brain today and I had to vent it out. Please forgive any grammatical errors, I was trying to type as fast as my mind was thinking.

Time to make dinner!

And so it begins...

This weekend I get a taste of what the basketball season will be like. I said goodbye to David this morning and sent him on his way to the basketball team retreat. He won't be back until Sunday afternoon.

So I'm heading down to my sister's house this weekend to keep myself busy tomorrow. Hopefully this weekend passes quickly and my husband comes home safe and sound.

Wish me luck and sanity!

My craving will end today!

I can't get rid of my college memories of Killer Bunnies. One of the craziest card games ever. I have decided to put an end to the craving, bite the bullet, and buy the game today. I found a local game store that has it and I am so excited!

For those interested in learning more about the game here is a page on their website describing it.

New wedding photo

After stuffing each other with cake we still loved each other enough to give a frosting covered kiss :)

Well... things always change faster than you think

The car got sold... yes, we sold it for a few hundred less than we planned, but at least we don't have to be the ones to deal with the new issue. I got that thing off my hands for a decent value and I'm so happy! David was able to squeeze an extra $100 at the end of the sale... what a man!

To my lovely friends who read the last post and responded. I'm glad I can look to you for advice or even just common stories. It is so nice to know I have friends that care, have gone through similar situations, and are still thriving and happy.

Specific responses:
Jackie-- my birth control really doesn't effect me physically or mentally much, its just known to be incredibly unpredictable and take awhile to get pregnant, so I need to get on something that is a little more easy to plan around. Let's hope I have good luck with that one too!

Amy-- I'll get health insurance through my new job, but that doesn't start for a month and there is a probation period. So I just have to be careful for a few more months. Thanks for wanting to help out, that is awesome you have that power!

Today was a better day. My wonderful husband has been so kind and understanding. Totally the MVP at the end. We're going to a Bee's game today, it will be a great way to end this trial with some fun.

Glad to be myself again...

Can life ever be really happy?

I had a great day last monday... I found out I got a job! But that job isn't going to start for another month. Its still good news.

Then life was pretty boring for the next few days.

Bring it to a week later...

I've been trying to sell my car for the last month with no success. David and I can't afford 2 cars and he doesn't fit in mine so the choice was simple. The car has been running really well while no one has been interested.

Then today someone came to check it out. It decided to be funny and make noises and smells that I had never heard or seen before. I walked into my apartment, dropped the price by $500 online and now i'm waiting. I just want this car to be gone! It has given me so much grief and its starting to overshadow the lovely fact that in a few weeks I get to have a job.

Can life ever be smooth?

I'm learning so much patience but I'd like for this trial to just be gone. I've dealt with it for a month already. Come on!

I wish I could just fast forward to 2 years from now. Hopefully by then the following will happen:
David graduates and gets drafted
We have a baby
Current car is gone and we have more of a "mommy" car
The job worked out and gave us a saving to get by
David and I (and baby) are all healthy

What we have now:
David is gone all day at basketball/school
I am stuck at home stressing over a car and waiting for work to start
Birth control makes you gain weight
We are living off of a small savings
I don't have health insurance
We can't get student grants

What is good that we have now:
We have a roof and a comfortable apartment
We have supportive family and friends
We are healthy
We have food
We have each other
We have the Lord

It's hard to not let the bad overshadow the good. I'm struggling with that right now.

P.s. if you want to be generous and buy my car or refer it to someone who wants a car that will get them around just fine. Here are the links to the ads on ksl and craigslist:
ksl
craigslist

Anyone have a life remote with a fast forward button?

Favorite wedding photo of the day/week

I love looking so much shorter!

A little 4th of July fun!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Thank you

David and I are in our apartment, it is all set up and it feels like home. I can't help but look back and think of all the wonderful people who were so supportive of us during these super important days we've had. I couldn't have done it without

my family. It was the first time that we were all in the temple together. What a special experience! There was so much love and happiness in the temple as I saw all my siblings and their spouses with them. Thank you guys!

David's family. His whole family has been so loving and inviting to me, I really feel like I am a part of their lives now. They take an eager interest in making sure we are happy and taken care of. His grandma came... I have grandparents again! They have just been absolutely so supportive of us. Thank you guys!

Kim and Curtis. They drove out from Utah to get into Hollister at 3 am the day before our wedding. What great friends! After learning that my friends closest to me weren't coming and even that Kim and Curtis weren't going to be able to make it, I was relieved and so happy to learn that they were going to make the trek after all. Thank you guys!

Jenna and Allana. We would plan our weddings together in our cute little apartment in college. It was wonderful to have them smiling across from me in the temple. They are such lovely and supportive friends that will always be close to my heart. Thanks guys!


It really takes a big event like a wedding to show who in your life is dedicated and caring enough to make sure your big day is as happy as it can be. Lots of tears and a grunts were had over learning of those I thought were close friends didn't make the extra effort to come but in the end the most important person was there

and we were married in the most important place


Thank you to those friends who told me ahead of time you were not going to be able to make it. I know you were there in spirit.

Prelim photos

Here are some photos from family members that you can munch on until I post the professional ones. Unfortunately I don't have any with David's family but those will come soon!


My husband is so GQ :)



I chopped my hair on the honeymoon!








The nieces are so cute!!

Welcome to the new blog!

We needed a new name and I didn't want to lose any readers by blind-sighting them and changing the link so I started a new one! This one will now track the Foster Family from wedding day to eternity!
(Also, if you didn't get a chance to check out the old blog it is still at http://foxyfreckles.blogspot.com/)

Right now we're setting up house and getting our ducks in a row before we get back down to business. I haven't had time to update about the wedding day, honeymoon, or receptions but I promise I will find time. I'm also hesitant to post about them until I get more photos.

Its been a fun 3 weeks since being married and it keeps getting better!

Playing house is the best :)