so much to say, so much to say

did you ever write yourself a letter in school that you were supposed to seal and not look at for about ten or twenty years? but then did you take it home for about two months until you found it again, ripped it open, realized how stupid the contents were and threw it away? (thus denying yourself the joy of reading it ten or twenty years later.)

i think i did that about a dozen times. and sometimes that's how i feel about my blog -- like it's this weird letter to myself that i am embarrassed to look at a few months after it's gone up. this time i am trying not to destroy sections i don't like. i think i (or jesse, or the little one(s)) might like to see it later.

so, here is a new time-capsule letter to capture how wonderful i feel today.

dear boo,

i feel that i have so very much to say, but so little of it may be of interest. maybe it's the pregnancy hormones, or maybe it's just a sliver of understanding of how much i am really blessed, but this thanksgiving was a blissful occasion.

last weekend, jesse spoke in stake conference with a general authority -- a member of the quorum of the twelve apostles to be exact. it was, in short, wonderful. he was given very little time to prepare, because apparently elder nelson wanted to see all the proposed speakers and take their names to the temple before any could be approached about speaking. nonetheless, jesse was perfect. he made me sob through the entire five minutes. (again, blaming the hormones here.)

we recently got the latest letter from st. jude children's research hospital asking for our donations. we love st. jude's and try to give when/how we can, but it has been much closer to home since my dear friend's little daughter, emma, has spent the last year getting some intensive treatment there for neuroblastoma, a pretty wicked cancer. when we opened the letter, we were so excited to see emma's little face (we know her!) peering back at us above a short description of her story. you had better believe that will sucker us into a better donation this christmas. i hope that my friends would consider the same. (yep, stepping out of letter speak there.) i am a huge fan of modern medicine and consider it nothing less than a miracle. it saves my life every day, and i know it has saved emma's four-year-old life a few times now.

last week at work, my boss pulled me into her office (generally a sign i'm getting a buttload -- that's a real term -- of work coming my way). i was shocked and delighted to find that instead of a huge project, i got an award for "working hard" and "running myself ragged" and "not sucking." and it came with a bonus! A BONUS! i didn't even know that those existed! it's not much, but i think it might be enough to buy myself fruit snacks for the rest of my pregnancy.

oh, and did i mention that we had three thanksgiving dinners this year? pie + elastic maternity pants = oh crap, i'm blaming that weight gain on the baby.

finally, the swell season concert jesse took me to for a late anniversary gift was phenomenal. seriously brilliant. but if they have hyperlinks in the future, and you have about thirty minutes, you can just watch this video and remember. see? didn't you love it?

anyway, i hope things are going well for you now. i also hope that they have finally developed the hovercraft and an easy way to remove all stretch marks.

love,

boo

another year over, a new one just begun

it seems i get mushy about my husband fairly regularly on here lately, but i feel justified today. three years ago, the dashing jesse jones (unwittingly) married awkward little me. i am still shocked and thrilled about it. the last three years have been the most wonderful adventure of my life. i can't wait for the next three (and the three after that).

jesse: i'll eat you up, i love you so.

busy times call for busy photos

full heart

ovember is one of my favorite months. it is a wonderful season for reflection -- an opportunity to be grateful for things we have been blessed with (and boy, have we ever been blessed!). and though i know there is so much i already have to be grateful for, i am overwhelmed by the cool opportunities ahead of us that keep me so very optimistic about the several weeks ahead.

on our schedule:

seeing these guys in concert in a couple of weeks.

a well-earned thanksgiving break for the mister.

our third wedding anniversary.

gestating the little one and enjoying all the little squirms and not-so-little jabs in the ribs. (it seems like this opportunity would be blessing enough.)

jesse acting as opening speaker for this guy at an upcoming stake conference (a super cool story i will have to share in more detail later).

with so much excitement on the horizon, you would think that i wouldn't need anything else these days. really, i don't need anything else. but with the most wonderful friends in the world, i have gotten TWO packages in the mail this week. you read that right. Dos. Zwei. Deux. (and i even stole the idea for the lovely drop cap at the beginning of this post from one of the lovely ladies. it's shameless, really.)

so, i really could try to make this post a bit more witty or interesting, but my heart is just too full. i am grateful for that. and i can't wait to find ways to share it with other people. until next time, may your november be merry and bright.

oh, this husband of mine...

he keeps me in stitches.

you know those days where you get all bent out of shape by the fact that you can't really bend over like a normal person, and you grunt like a hippo when you try to get that second leg into your pants in the morning? and then you remember it's just going to get worse over the next three and a half months? no? i do. all the time.

sidetrack: somedays i am amazed that even though i really wanted to be pregnant, and i dreamt of it and prayed for it, i still act like i'm going through a ridiculous and unexpected second puberty. "what?!? my body does what?!? but i don't want to get zitty! i don't want my butt to get bigger! i don't like leg cramps! i don't want to get the worst haircut of all time!" (though the last one isn't attributed to my baby, i am blaming my stylist's pregnancy. so it is all related.) someone in this house tends to act like a baby. and it tends to be the person carrying the baby.

back on track: jesse shrugs it off. and sometimes it is irritating. but tonight, after a dinner where i complain for about 30 minutes, jesse says, "let's make like the germans and get the french out of here. I JUST MADE THAT UP! that was completely unfunny but hilarious! let's see who can think of the worst way to say we should leave..." (we do this kind of "let's see who can make the least funny joke possible" competition on a fairly regular basis.)

then all the way out to the car, i hear a rambling that consists of the following:

let's make like the operator of a sewage treatment plant and get the crap out of here.

let's make like the lakers and get the jazz out of here.

let's make like an exorcist and get the hell out of here. (he was getting quite excited by this point in time.)

let's make like ex-lax and...

you get the idea. for ten minutes. and of course, i had nothing. i am not that quick anymore, and i -- continuing the pity party -- say to the husband, "i can't do this, honey. the word games are not so easy for me these days. i'm just not that smart."

"that's not true," he replies. "you are very good at math!"

and that's when i remembered one of the many reasons i married him. you need someone who can make you laugh at yourself. and he does it for me all the time.

(demonstration of jesse cracking me up at our engagement photo shoot)

what a blessing. i hope it never changes.