It's a Baby!

The news is out and we're excited to be expecting a baby this October! I've been intending to blog about this for a while, but our ultrasound appointment this past week was finally motivation for me to write out our baby story thus far. There is nothing too graphic in here, but if talk of periods and pregnancy tests weirds you out, feel free to stop reading now.

We found out really early in the pregnancy, which means it's kind of dragged on for a while now. I don't mean that it's not been fun, but I had to wait until 10 weeks to get my first ultra sound, and that was 6 weeks after finding out I was pregnant. That was a long 6 weeks in many ways!

The day we found out was kind of a strange one. It was President's Day and Kory and I both had the day off. He was supposed to be in Guatemala, but their trip got pushed back a week, so we got to spend Valentine's Day and a 3 day weekend together. I had an early morning orthodontist appointment and our plan was to go hiking right after that appointment.

We had been trying to get pregnant for a few months now and I had noticed a pattern with holidays. I got my period on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and MLK Day. I just had it in my head that I would start on Valentine's Day also, but I was secretly hoping I could find out I was pregnant that day instead. Friday morning I got up early before work and took a pregnancy test, which was the last one I had. It quickly came back negative so I threw it away and got ready for work. 

Sunday night, Kory and I were at Wal-mart and I decided to pick up some pregnancy tests for the next month since I'd used my last one. It was weird for me to have not started by now since I run on a pretty regular schedule. Monday morning, I woke up thinking I should take another test just so I could quit thinking about it. I decided to read the instructions while I waited for the results since I hadn't done that in a while. It said to wait 3 minutes, which seemed like forever. I grabbed the test and looked at it, expecting a negative result, but just wanting to know for sure so we could enjoy the rest of our day off together. It was positive. The best way to describe my feelings is to say I was shocked. Not like, OH NO! But more like...Wait. What?! For real?! I actually remember looking in the mirror and my mouth hanging open and just trying to let it sink in. I remember praying and thanking God and then realizing I needed to get Kory awake or we were going to be late to my dentist appointment.

About this time I remembered taking a test on Friday. I thought you were supposed to wait 1 minute for results but I had just read to wait 3 instead. I headed back into the bathroom and pulled the first test out of the trash can. It showed two lines, though the second was very faint. It was positive also! I was just not patient enough. I had a positive test 3 days earlier, but had no idea. I feel certain this sort of thing happens in some movie...but I can't remember what movie it is. Have you seen it? Can you help me out?

We had gone back and forth about this hike. It was raining and pretty cold. Kory left for Guatemala the next day and wasn't totally packed. Our house was going on the market soon and we needed to get a few more things in order. I went to wake Kory up and told him, "I think we should hike today." He said, "Ok." I said, "I think we should hike because it's only going to get harder for me to do that in the next 9 months." He sat up in bed and had the same shocked look on his face. We had a few short moments of hugs, kisses, smiles and then I told him he needed to get up and get ready so we could make it to my appointment. We rushed around packing for the hike and got out the door to the dentist.

After my dentist appointment, we headed out of town to the North Umpqua River and went hiking on a trail we hadn't ever hiked before.

About 45 minutes into our hike, we got a call from a realtor wanting to show our house. I was really confused because it wasn't even on the market yet! There was, however, a sign in our yard and I guess that is all it takes. Our realtor encouraged us to let them show the house, even though it wasn't on the market. The problem was that our house was a mess!

We had left in such a hurry that morning that the house was not show ready AT ALL! I had just taken a load of clothes out of the dryer and thrown them on the un-made bed. Kory had been packing and had things strewn around the whole house. Most of all, there were two pregnancy tests sitting out on the counter! We couldn't let them see our house this way. We rushed off the trail, headed back into town and cleaned the house faster than we ever have before.

After cleaning the house, we went to lunch with one of my best friends, Abby, and drove around looking at some houses that were for sale. We spent the evening at home talking about the baby and getting Kory packed to leave for Guatemala the next day. I was pretty bummed that Kory had to leave right after we found out, but their trip delay was absolutely an answer to my prayers. I had prayed so many times that Kory wouldn't be out of the country when I found out I was pregnant. I knew I wouldn't want to tell him over the phone and it would be SO hard to keep it totally to myself for almost two weeks.

We promised each other that we would wait until Kory got home to tell our parents before we told anyone else. It's really hard to keep such a fun secret to yourself! This is getting pretty lengthy, so my next blog will detail the next six weeks of my pregnancy.

March 14 in 2014

1. Eat {more} vegetables.

I did ok this month, but not great. I did try a new vegetable: parsnips. Our friend gave us some from his mom's garden and we used them in smoothies. I intended to roast them also, but I forgot and they were kind of rotten by the time I remembered.

I did have a significant victory in learning to like broccoli! We had it roasted twice and I had it in my yakisoba noodles several times. I feel like I can say with certainty that this vegetable moved out of the dislike category!

2. Learn to drive a stick shift (again).

Check! This happened in March! I would still like to get a little more practice, but I feel confident that I can do this now. There were a few stalling out moments, but it was when someone got behind me and I got so nervous with them waiting on me. To be fair, I was in parking lots the entire time (it was several that join together and I got up to second gear, so it was still good experience), and next time I hope to get some actual street practice. 

3. Read books.

I'm still working on The Signature of All Things. It's been very slow going for me, but not because it's bad writing. I really enjoy it and just need to take more time to read it, preferably NOT when I'm in bed and about to fall asleep.

4. Print and make albums with the pictures I take in the year.

Nothing happened here in March.

5. (Continue to) memorize the book of James.

I am not feeling good about this goal. I feel like I should have picked this goal or #10, but probably not both. I'm just not able to do them both well.

6. Crochet a blanket for Kory

Kory has now decided he doesn't want this blanket. It is understandable as we have quite a few already, and he feels like it would be too much work for me, considering he might not use it a lot.

So it looks like maybe I can turn my crocheting efforts towards baby items at this point.

7. Can 3 foods.

I have been looking through my canning cookbooks I got for Christmas to get some ideas. My current thoughts on what I might can include green beans, tomatoes, and possibly pickles.

8. Do puzzles.

We are getting SO close to finishing this giant! It's continuing to be pretty difficult at this point with so many of the pieces looking the same, but I have no doubt that April will be the month we finally finish this puzzle.

9. Make my blog prettier. 

Nothing this month, but I did get a comment last month with a great idea so I need to check out that website and see what I can do to spruce things up around here. 

10. Read through the entire Bible.

I'm still going, but it's a struggle. One of the main reasons is that I am so tired these days and reading puts me to sleep very quickly. I've tried reading while blow drying my hair, on my lunch break, right when I get home after work...so far, nothing is working really well. I'm giving myself grace and will continue reading when I can.

11. Eat more whole foods and, therefore, less processed foods. 

Hmm...I didn't do a lot of cooking in March. I have been SO exhausted in the evenings after work and Kory has been great about picking up the slack. I'm looking forward to the 2nd trimester energy boost I keep hearing about!

12. Get my braces off.

My most recent appointment brought good and bad news. It looks like I could get my braces off earlier than expected, but it means I have to wear rubber bands again. My new goal is to have my braces off before the baby arrives, so I'm still feeling positive about that happening.

13. Brush up on my Spanish.

I think I only worked on my Spanish one day this past month. I'm not too upset about that because I feel like it was a productive month anyway. Plus, I was really tired, and have lowered my expectations for myself a bit since discovering how worn out I am most days. 

14. Move out of our house.

Well, this is the 2nd biggest news in our lives these days. It's a long story, but we are keeping the house. We took it off the market in March and will continue living here. We do not plan to fix the foundation, but we do plan to do some repairs on the gutters/drainage situation and hopefully fix some of the seasonal settling we're experiencing.

We have a letter from a certified engineer stating that the home is structurally sound and all the damage was done in the first 10 years the home was built, which means it's not getting worse every year, like we originally thought. Finding out we were pregnant was a big part of making this decision. We started listing the things we wanted in a house...quiet neighborhood, big back yard, etc. It didn't take long to realize we already have that house! It's refreshing to not have to think about packing, selling, moving and buying a new house while I'm pregnant. I'm excited to be staying here as I really do love this house.

To someone on the outside, it might seem like we just went in circles for a year. To us, God did incredible work on our hearts and taught us trust and faith in very real and significant ways. The ways God grew us over the past year mean that this was not wasted time. Thanks again for your prayers and support as we dealt with this house situation. We feel like God led us to this house 2 years ago, and we're grateful He's allowing us to keep it now.

This goal will now transition to one I set last year and never really achieved because we found out about the foundation damage: Make our house feel like a home.

February 14 in 2014

1. Eat {more} vegetables.

This month was a huge success in the vegetable department! I have heard over and over that roasting vegetables is the way to go, but I finally had a conversation (via FB) with Alisa from Family Meal Blog that motivated me to actually try it. At her encouragement, I roasted cauliflower with olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and a tiny bit of sugar. I decided to roast some zucchini also because I knew I liked zucchini and if the cauliflower turned out gross, I'd have something to fall back on.

Well, of course, Alisa was right (we all should trust this gal when it comes to food!) and I LOVED the cauliflower and zucchini both. I roasted them at 400 for about 10-12 minutes, until the edges started browning. I actually had the vegetables as my meal that night because I was so focused on that project that I didn't really plan anything else. I did balance it out with some chips and dip though, so don't worry about me getting too healthy over here.

I also tried making Sweet Potato Fries for the first time this month. I put way too much oil on them, so even though I put some corn starch on as Alisa suggested, they were still way too soggy. I also didn't do a great job chopping them to be the same size, so the smaller ones got a little burned, but the thick and chunky ones were quite tasty. I definitely want to try these again!

2. Learn to drive a stick (again).

Not yet. Hopefully soon.

3. Read books.

I'm reading a really big book this month (500 pages) so it's kind of slow going for me. I'm really enjoying it, and it's not a difficult read at all. I just find myself falling asleep so easily when I read that I don't get very far before dozing off.

4. Print and make albums with the pictures I take in the year.

Nothing this month.

5. (Continue to) memorize the book of James.

You know what they say about the best of intentions... I had such a hard time keeping up on my daily Bible reading and that I got nothing accomplished here. The real solution is for me to watch less Netflix, so we'll see if I can make that happen in March.

6. Crochet a blanket for Kory

Nothing yet. 

7. Can 3 foods.

Still waiting for summer...though I'm getting more concerned that I might not have a garden (since I don't know where we'll be living), so I might have to can something from a local farmer's market if that is the case.

8. Do puzzles.

I'm still chipping away at this bad boy. It's going much slower now because SO many pieces look just alike. I wasn't feeling too great about my progress but then I looked at how much I had accomplished in January compared to now, and I'm feeling a little better about how it's coming together. I spent a lot of time working on it when Kory was gone to Guatemala for almost two full weeks.

January:

February:

9. Make my blog prettier. 

I don't really know what I want my blog to look like, which is part of my problem. I did get tired of it being so plain and white, so I added a cute background and updated a few font colors. I am not visually gifted at all, so I will probably need some outside help to get the blog to look really amazing, but the goal was "prettier", so I think I have accomplished that for now, at least.

10. Read through the entire Bible.

I didn't do so well in February. I feel like I spent the whole month playing catch up. About half-way through the month, I realized that it was real work to get through my reading each day and I wasn't really enjoying it at all. Job was quite a chore for me in January, and Exodus was proving to be the same in February. Rather than follow the "rules" of this plan perfectly, I jumped ahead many months to give myself some New Testament reading. My goal is to read the whole Bible in a year's time, so it doesn't really matter to me anymore if I do it in order, as long as I'm reading every day (well, 6 of 7 days a week) and have finished the whole thing come December 31, 2014. 

11. Eat more whole foods and, therefore, less processed foods. 

I had an epiphany recently that the best way to reach this goal was simply to cook from scratch. Duh! I know that might not be surprising to you at all, but it was a light bulb moment for me to realize that there were many things I didn't even know how to make from scratch, because I just always bought them in a can. This was the month to begin the learning. First up, I decided to make beans, as in good old pinto beans. I was going to do them in the crock pot, but then I got too impatient and just made them on the stove. I made a bean and cheese burrito with them and it was really good...homemade beans, hand-grated cheese, now I just need to learn how to make tortillas myself!


This has become one of my go-to foods lately: a Chipotle-inspired burrito bowl topped with Yumm! Sauce.

My favorite version includes chicken, rice/quinoa, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese, avocados and Yumm! sauce. It's definitely a good way for me to get some more vegetables in my diet and eat healthy, whole foods. 

12. Get my braces off.

Another month and another good appointment at the orthodontist. He doesn't plan to have me wear rubber bands anymore (thank goodness!) and he said things are looking good to get them off in the not-too-distant-future. The only other excitement in this area is that they got a new mint green color for bands and I'm really digging it!

13. Brush up on my Spanish.

I'm up to Level 5 on DuoLingo. I have no idea how many levels there are, but since I'm still practicing sentences like, "I read books", I have a feeling there are a LOT of levels to go.

14. Move out of our house.

Well, February was kind of a frustrating month in this department. We had a lock box with the front door key for realtors and a sign up in our yard for weeks, but the house still wasn't for sale officially. We had to wait weeks for the engineer to write us a letter ensuring the house's structural integrity.

Finally, right at the end of the month the house went on the market. We had a great initial response with 7 house showings in 6 days. No offers made yet, but at least people are looking. We'll take that as a win for this month!

Pinterest Reviews #3

It's time for me to share again about some of the recipes and projects I've seen on Pinterest and then attempted to recreate. These have been done over the past year, so don't go thinking I've been amazingly productive recently.

Project: Homemade Pretzel Dough
Link: http://smells-like-home.com/2012/01/soft-pretzel-bites-with-cheese-sauce/
Verdict: Yummy! I took them to an Oscars watching party last year and they were a big hit with the fondue.
Best Part: They were soft and golden brown and just the perfect mix of buttery/salty.
Advice: When the recipe calls for parchment paper, don't ignore the labels and use wax paper instead. There is actually quite a difference between the two.
Next Time: I will use parchment paper so that I don't have to cut the bottom off every pretzel bite that has burned to the wax paper.

Project: Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
Link: http://cincyshopper.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/
Verdict: Easy and tasty!
Best Part: You get delicious taco taste without the added junk you find in a pre-made packet.
Advice: Make a large mix while you have all of the ingredients out and are measuring everything.
Next Time: I will add a little more chili powder and red pepper to give it more of a kick. It tastes good, but I would like it to have a little more of a kick.

Project: Crochet Headband with Flower
Link: The one I used is now blocked...sorry. I can't find it again.
Verdict: Very cute!
Best Part: It's a pretty simple stitch so you can easily create the whole thing in one sitting.
Advice: Try the headband on several times as you go to make sure it's still going to fit your head comfortably.
Next Time: I will make one for myself. I keep making them for other people and really want one for me to wear!

Project: Lasagna Roll-ups
Link: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2012/02/lasagna-roll-ups/
Verdict: So much better than Stouffer's! (And I love Stouffer's!)
Best Part: Single servings make for great and easy left-over storage.
Advice: Follow the recipe writer's advice and grind the beef/onion mixture for better texture.
Next Time: I will get some help so we can assemble these quicker. It took me a long time because there are several steps and I had a hard time juggling the noodles and sauce and meat/cheese to get them all assembled and cooked.

Project: Easter Egg Wreath
Link: http://momandwife.com/2011/03/diy-easter-egg-wreath/
Verdict: I really love it!
Best Part: I got my plastic eggs from Walmart and they were super cheap and had fun designs.
Advice: I left the grass off my wreath, mainly because I thought it would be messy. I think it actually looks cuter without it, so I'd advise you to go with just the eggs also.
Next Time: I really don't know that I'd ever make another one. How many Easter wreaths does one need? One seems plenty for me. If I did, I would roughly plan out the egg placement before getting started.

Project: Date Night Jar
Link: http://theraysofsunshine.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/date-night-in-a-jar/
Verdict: Great in theory...
Best Part: I already had the jar and markers, so I only had to purchase the popsicle sticks.
Advice: Well, I hardly have room to give advice since I made this over one year ago and we have not used it once. I had the best of intentions...
Next Time: I'm sure there won't be a next time since we never use the one I already made.

Project: Valentine's Snack Mix
Link: http://www.glorioustreats.com/2013/01/valentines-snack-mix.html
Verdict: Delicious! Two thumbs up!
Best Part: Melted white chocolate covering everything.
Advice: Use the Ghirardelli white melting wafers you can find in the baking section. They are especially decadent.
Next Time: I will not pour the popcorn out of my paper bag directly into the mix because then the un-popped kernels fall in there and you have to pick them out individually by hand.

Christmas 2013 (The Reactions & Following Week)

So the BIG moment had finally arrived and we were sneaking into Kory's grandparents house to surprise everyone on Christmas morning. One minor problem: the door was locked! I had to trim the video so it would post on here, but all you're missing is me trying the door, finding it was locked, having a minor freak out and then Kory deciding we should ring the door bell. So, Kory rings the door bell and this is what happens next...

I love so many things about this video. First, that it was Grandpa who answered the door as he was the perfect one to not make too big of a fuss so we could still sneak in. Secondly, seeing Kory's older brother, Kent, fist-pumping as we walk in the door reminds me how genuinely excited everyone was that we had arrived. And finally, as predicted, as soon as we hit the dining room where Mom/Grandma/Aunt was, the tears started flowing immediately. 

We spent so long planning this trip and every little detail related to it and this was the perfect way to see it all come together! Our 2 year old niece, Lucy, was pretty scared by all the commotion, but she came around before long when she realized that "Manny and Tory" actually came, just like she'd been telling everyone for weeks! 

All of our presents had been mailed to us previously, and we actually opened them all on the Saturday before (this is now Wednesday), but we had to keep that a secret also. We'd told Kory's family that it looked like their presents wouldn't arrive before Christmas, and so they finally understood when we explained that our plane tickets were our gifts to everyone. When we arrived, we found out that they had only opened stockings and hadn't even got to the actual Christmas presents yet. This turned out to be perfect timing, because it meant that I got to help Lucy open all of her gifts while everyone else opened their own. 

The toughest part of it was that she opened a baby doll about 2 or 3 presents in and then all she wanted to do was play with that doll. I had to bribe/force her to keep opening presents because all she wanted to do was play with her baby. She was so funny because she would open a present and toss it to the side immediately and go for the doll. Looking back, I kind of wonder why I didn't just let her play with the doll, but I think it was because everyone got her all these fun presents and wanted her to enjoy them too. You can see her with the doll below, amidst all the wreckage. 

Speaking of wreckage, let me take this moment to say that a Christmas with the Mereness' is truly unlike any Christmas I've had before. To say there were a TON of presents would be the understatement of the year. The picture below was taken by Kory's oldest brother, Kevin, and I love that you can see the after-math of all the presents. 

We finally got a chance to meet the twins, Molly and Jude, and it was just as wonderful as we had imagined. They were much smaller than I anticipated, but it only made them that much cuddlier! 

Christmas day was filled with delicious food, relaxing, playing with presents and family time, which is exactly how I think it should be spent. After lunch, most people took naps, but I felt sure that a nap for me would mean I wouldn't sleep well that night. So, I pushed through and stayed awake all day after getting just a couple hours of sleep the night before. Adrenaline and excitement can really take you far!

Aunt Johnette asked me to decorate a gingerbread house with her while everyone else napped, so I agreed and it was a great, although trying experience. The icing/glue was not very sticky, so it was pretty difficult, but it was fun getting to spend some one-on-one time with Johnette as I don't get that very often.

The next week was just one of those dream weeks where we didn't set alarm clocks, stayed in our pajamas most of the day, enjoyed the Texas food we miss the most, and spent lots of time with family that we only see a couple times a year. Here are a few highlights:

Sunshine!! It's a big deal when you live in the rainy NW.

Lots of Lucy time! This girl and I were attached at the hip and it was awesome!

Coloring with Lucy and doing the other "everyday" things we don't usually get to do with family.

Lots of baby holding bliss.

Palo Duro Canyon with my parents and little brother, Andy.

We got to do a little hiking and enjoy warmer weather. 

It's been so fun to work on these posts and remember the magic of Christmas 2013. It was better than I could have ever imagined.

The trip home, however, was not quite so perfect. Part 4 of this never-ending saga will detail our long and difficult journey back to Oregon.

Christmas 2013 (The Surprise)

If you missed Part 1 of the story of planning our Christmas surprise, check it out here!

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for this part of the story. We started our journey on Christmas Eve, but first we attended the 2:00 service at Redeemer's. I love that we got the best of both worlds this year as we attended a Christmas Eve service here and then got to be with family for Christmas Day.

When the service was over, we drove to Eugene to catch the first of our 3 flights. We have always flown out of Portland, but decided to fly out of Eugene this time since we were on a time crunch with me working part of the day on Christmas Eve. Plus, this was the only way we would be able to catch a red-eye and arrive in TX on Christmas morning. 

As we waited in the Eugene airport, I began documenting our trip. Kory was already tired of photos, which I knew wasn't going to work since we had many hours ahead of us. I couldn't text any family about the progress of our trip, so pictures were my main entertainment throughout the night.

Who needs Kory to be looking to take a picture together? I can do this on my own!

Much better! This was on our flight from Eugene to Seattle. The flight attendants did an awesome "Night Before Christmas" poem/safety demonstration and then passed out chocolate to all the passengers. We were so excited at this point that it was hard to believe we had to wait over 13 hours before we got to complete the surprise. 

I was really glad Kory gave me this book for Christmas so I had something to read on this trip. I spent about 3 hours in the Seattle airport with Dan Brown and my Reese's pieces. 

There is something that really bonds people together when you're waiting in an airport for hours, especially on a holiday. We watched a lot of little kids play with and admire these Christmas trees while we waited for our next flight. 

Hey, I got a picture with the Super Bowl champions lounge! I didn't know what good luck I was :)

Our flight from Seattle to Dallas arrived about 3:00 a.m. Oregon time, and this picture was as we were landing in Dallas. The plane was SO cold (and the lights were so bright) that I barely slept at all, and I was feeling pretty miserable at this point. This was the one and only time I started to regret this plan and I just wanted to be back in my own bed where it was warm and dark.

The next 3 hours of the trip were spent in the DFW airport. It was pretty deserted, so I thought we might actually get some rest while we waited. 

I think the nerves/adrenaline kicked in for me at this point though, because I wasn't tired at all and was just anxious to get our next flight over with and be in Amarillo. 

Just as Kory started to get comfortable and fall asleep, a woman came up to us and began to vent/complain about United Airlines for the next hour and a half. Granted, she had been stranded in Dallas for the past two days and wasn't getting to be with her son for Christmas like she had planned, but she went on and on and on and we got to hear ALL about it. The only redeeming quality of the conversation was that we got to tell her about our surprise and she was so excited with and for us, that she got us even more pumped for what was about to happen.

We finally got on our flight from Dallas to Amarillo and there were a total of 7 of us on the whole flight! It was a small plane, but that was still a lot of empty seats! We arrived in Amarillo and only had checked luggage, so we went straight to the Enterprise rental counter to pick up our car. The lady at another of the rental car companies let us know there had been a change and Enterprise wouldn't be open until noon. It was now about 10:00 a.m. and there was no way we were going to wait two hours to get a car. We stepped over to the Avis counter and they helped us right away. I asked for the cheapest car they had, which was our only requirement. The result: a convertible Mustang! :) Kory was quite pleased as he had been joking earlier that we needed a really fast sports car to get us to family quicker. It worked!

Even as I type these words, I can feel butterflies in my stomach and can remember so clearly the excitement we felt as we drove to Kory's grandparents house in Panhandle. Kory's mom and dad had each texted us during our flights and we were just flat out ignoring them at this point so we didn't have to lie about where we were or what we were doing. I was so excited to finally have the truth out and no longer hide our plans. 

We arrived in Panhandle and Kory drove through the alley to the back side of the house. We talked quite a bit about the best way to surprise them, and we decided walking into the house would be the best way so we could see their reactions. I'll let the videos walk you through what happened next:

For some reason, Blogger will not upload my second video. Bummer! Maybe it's just adding to the suspense! I'll try to upload it in the final installment of this 3 part series where I detail the reactions to the surprise as well as our week spent in Texas. Oh, and we get to meet our twin niece and nephew for the first time!

14 in 2014: January Update

Well, we're 1/12 of the way through 2014, and I'm pleased with my progress on these goals so far. I don't actually remember all of them, so this monthly check-in will be a good way to remind myself of what I'm trying to do this year.

1. Eat {more} vegetables.

It's safe to say I consumed more veggies in January than in December. I started drinking smoothies again, which is the easiest way for me to get more fruits and vegetables in my diet. I also made a veggie pizza one night, which looked far better than it tasted.

To be fair, it wasn't the vegetables fault...it was the bad crust. I tried a new kind of yeast and should have just stuck with what I knew worked. The real kicker for me this month was that I brought a salad to our monthly staff luncheon so we could have something healthy.

2. Learn to drive a stick (again).

No progress here this month, but it will come.

3. Read books.

I did really well on this goal in January. Granted, two of the books were started in late 2013, but I finished them in 2014, so they go on this month's list. Dear John was a re-read for me, as I was just wanting something really easy and thought-less to get me through a couple days of cold weather where I just wanted to be curled up on the couch. I forgot just how awfully sad it really is and bawled my way through the last 1/3 of it. It's awful. I mean it. Don't read it. But if you keep it on your bookshelf long enough, you'll forget and re-read it a couple years later and be saying all over again that it was the very last time. For real this time.

4. Print and make albums with the pictures I take in the year.

I needed some new pictures for my desk at work, so I printed several (5 I think?) from our Christmas trip to TX. They were all taken with my phone and so they aren't fantastic quality as prints. I've been thinking lately that I should probably either dig out my old camera or buy a new one and start using it to take pictures if I want some in print form. I am sometimes impressed with the quality of photos I can take on my phone, but it is just not great quality for printing. No matter how clear it is on my phone screen, the prints always come out just a little bit blurry.

5. (Continue to) memorize the book of James.

I didn't get any memorizing done in January. I'll try to work on that in February.

6. Crochet a blanket for Kory

I haven't started on the blanket yet. I need to get Kory to pick out the colors so I can get started and that just keeps getting pushed down the to-do list with other, more important things in our immediate future.

7. Can 3 foods.

This will be more of a summer/fall goal for me, so I'm feeling fine that nothing has been done on it yet.

8. Do puzzles.

I've been working a lot on the 2,000 piece puzzle that Kory got me for Christmas. I had no idea how big 2,000 pieces would be. It takes up pretty much the whole table, so I can't even get a lot of pieces out of the box because I'm out of space. It's really coming together though and I've enjoyed some relaxing evenings working on it.

9. Make my blog prettier. 

Not this month.

10. Read through the entire Bible.

This goal is probably my biggest success for this month, which I'm very happy to report. I've kept up with my daily Bible reading plan and am still going. I got behind for a few days, which I expected, but I caught up fairly easily. This is a chronological plan, so I started in Genesis and am now in Job. It's kind of weird for me because I expected Exodus to be next (I just forgot it was chronological), but I'm excited that I've found something I can stick with and enjoy.

11. Eat more whole foods and, therefore, less processed foods. 

This goal is really just about baby steps for us. I have started grating our own cheese instead of buying pre-shredded. It's a really easy step and saves us from eating the chemicals that they put in shredded cheese to keep it from clumping together. Plus, it's cheaper! I also stopped buying low-fat items like sour cream after learning they contain similar chemicals. After a significant amount of research, I've discovered that the full-fat dairy items are actually healthier for you, so I have cleared our fridge of all the low-fat groceries. We also had some really good coupons for organic meat and produce this month, so I was able to purchase that for the same price or cheaper than regular groceries.

12. Get my braces off.

We're on track to meet this goal. My orthodontist said I did a great job wearing the rubber bands (Woohoo! Glad to know the pain paid off!) and so he took them off this month. I might have to have them again later on, but I'm very grateful for the break. 

13. Brush up on my Spanish.

I did really well using the DuoLingo app early on in January, but haven't used it for a couple weeks now. I realized I kind of gave myself a hobby over-load with these goals, and there are just not enough hours in the day to do all of them all the time. I'm ok with that and I'll just try to focus on different goals in different months.

14. Move out of our house.

After almost a year of bad news about our house, God answered our prayers and gave us some really good news! We had a certified engineer come look at our house and he deemed it structurally sound and safe to sell. He will write us a letter stating that it is his professional opinion that all damage done to the foundation was done in the first 10 years the house was built and no further damage is being done. There will always be seasonal changes because of the rainfall and dry weather, but that is nothing too major. We're working with the realtor now and getting estimates for his charges as well as the engineer's so we can put it on the market soon. We hope to spend the next week cleaning things up and getting it ready to sell before Kory goes to Guatemala for 2 weeks. We are still cautious and know there could be a long road ahead, but we're very grateful to have some good options ahead!