Eric and Jillian Ringer

Instagram Dump for the Grandmas

2011-11-23T20:11:00.001-08:00

This is just for you Mom and Melinda!!

I left Ruth for the first time to go to dinner and the Breaking Dawn Part 1 premier with a ton of girls from my ward. Eric did such a good job with Ruth. I was so happy to come home to this sight... even though Ruth took my spot.

Congratulations Ruth!.. You discovered your hand. I always catch her starring at it. One day she will realize she can control it and that it is attached to her body.

Ruth's pictures like this look just like Eric's baby pictures. She is so smiley and it is too much fun. p.s. Ruth loves tummy time now.. She rolled over for the fourth time today.

Thanks for the cute sleeper Aunt Jaclyn!

Thanks for the hoodie cousin Remington and/or Alyssa! We love hand-me-downs.

Ruth loves Daddy.. She doesn't care how he holds her.. she just wants to be close.

Ruth LOVES bath time.. She smiles alot but it's hard to get a picture because the second I put my iphone up to take a pic, she gets really intrigued by it and stares at it. This is the closest i got. She sticks her tongue out, makes toot noises, and bubbles too.

Ruth's first pedicure.

Ruth loves it when dad sings and plays the guitar for her.

This is what happens when Ruth is tired of sitting in her bumbo.

Date night.. out on the town for some famous sandwiches and Bite Right ice cream.

Ruth is 3 months today

2011-11-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

Eric and I have enjoyed our 3 months of parenthood. Ruth has been so good to me. I'm so lucky to have an instant friend all the time while Eric has long school days. Ruth is a very happy/smiley baby. I'll never forget the first time she told me, "I love you." It was when she was almost 8 weeks old.. After a middle-of-the-night feeding, I was holding her, looking down at her, and I said, "I love you." She cooed back.. and that was how she said it. To make sure it was real, I said "I love you" again and she cooed back. That's also the first conversation we had. Here are some updates on my 3-month-old baby girl.

Ruth sleeps through the night!!! She has since she was 9 weeks old...
Ruth has always been a good eater.. she eats at 7:30/8am, 12pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm, and 9:30pm.. I am breast feeding.. but if I want to pump, she takes a bottle.
She takes a few good solid naps (9:30ish-noonish and 2-3:30 and 8:30-9:30) and then some cat naps here and there. (She goes to bed at 11:30 or midnight right now)
Ruth smiles alot!!! It is so much fun.
She talks alot too.. especially after her morning feeding and when daddy comes home at night... But if she's awake.. she'll always talk to you.. you just have to initiate the conversation. Ruth always loves it when someone will talk with her.
Ruth is so strong.. she holds her head up really well.
She can do tummy time (not long because she likes to look around)
She can sit in the bumbo for a bit.
Ruth can sleep many places.. bassinet at night, swing in the day, and now she can sleep on a bed, a couch, and a crib (we discovered the last three when I went home to Vegas where there was no swing. She slept in the crib every night.)
Ruth used to sleep with the sound of the ocean or water or heart beat or rain.... but when I was in Vegas, I got something even better!!! It is "A Child's Prayer: Primary Songs For Bedtime" I usually just do 1 or 2 songs on repeat. Last night, Eric and I thought it was cute when she was singing to "I am like a Star". She cooed with the beat.. it was so cool.
Ruth still LOVES her pacifier and of course.. the swaddle.
Ruth LOVES to look around. She doesn't like to face out when I hold her (unless she's going to sleep) and she likes to be positioned where she can see the most. For the last month, her eyes follow her little fishies that move in a circle above her swing. Recenlty she discovered her hand.. she stares at it as it moves around. When her hand gets close to her face, she goes cross-eyed. It's funny. She also sucks on her fist now when I don't give her the paci.
Ruth is a little more vocal/fussy in the evenings now.. but I'm not complaining because she sleeps for me.
Wondering why she has no clothes on in these pics? Because she just blew out.. She goes through 3 outfits just about everyday... thanks to oxyclean, I can get her mustard yellow poops off even whitest clothes. Anyway, here is our photo session from this after noon. Happy 3 months Ruth!

She does this face alot too..

see..

Vegas Trip

2011-11-04T23:06:00.000-07:00

DAY 1

Clara and Vivi holding Ruth. Vivian's middle name is Ruth, so Britney and I always tell her that I named my baby after her.

DAY 2

My mom and I went on a walk/did visiting teaching for an hour and a half. Grandpa was very nice to watch Ruth for me. When I came back, this is how I found them. It made me laugh.

DAY 3

My mom and I started the day out by doing some shopping. We hit the Nordstrom anniversary sale and I got some jeans and bought some of my makeup that was running out. Then we hit up H&M at the forum shops. We got Ruth some WAY cute outfits.. this being one of them.

Then my parents took me on a date. We saw the movie Moneyball.. it was really good.. minus the two "f" words. Then we went bowling.. I opted out of this one so I could nurse Ruth and then hold her.. but it was still way fun.

Then after the movie and bowling, we went to Outback. Justin and Lily came in to town so they met up with us.

Lily needed a friend because Clara and Vivi don't live here anymore. We had a sleepover. Her daddy didn't pack her PJ's, so we both pulled out my Grandma Vivian's nightgowns and wore those to be matching. We watched Anastasia and then fell asleep. This is the morning after.. we look fabulous when we wake up after our beauty rest. :)DAY 4

Clara Lynn's Baptism.

Daddy time

2011-11-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

So.. The first few times Eric did this I wasn't down with it.. I tried to get him to stop.. but I couldn't. Oh well.. at least it makes her happy and makes her stronger. And for the record, Eric has never dropped her.

My Latest Projects

2011-10-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

I bought this at goodwill for 5 bucks.. it just needed a quick alteration... (Left side is baggy, Right is altered thanks to my serger)Throw pillow makeover 1
Throw pillow makeover 2
Wreath for more door. I sew clothes... so "crafting" is a new thing for me... Everyone thinks I am "crafty" but I am so not. Sewing requires a machine and crafts use glue. I bought my first glue gun to do Ruth's headbands and this wreath. Crafts are good for me because I can actually finish stuff like this... Sewing projects take me way longer and I get sick of them by the end of it.
I finally got paint for the frames that were the wrong color... I just need to hang these up and I will gradually put things in the frames... or not.. I don't feel like I have to but Eric thinks that's weird so I would be doing it to make him happy. I really want a frame that is big enough to frame Ruth's blessing dress. Someday. I have one more DIY project to show you for Ruth's room but I don't have a pic right now.

I made myself a moby wrap... it's good but it could be better if I could find the right fabrication... this one is stretchy but not enough... it needs more spandex in it. It's slim pickin's at my favorite fabric store at 101 Clement... but it's only $1 per yard so you can't beat that. Ruth's strawberry costume and throw pillow makeover #3 behind her.. (sorry you can't really see the pillow.. but Ruth is way more important)

Ruth's Photo From Aunt Katy

2011-10-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

How Ruth likes to sleep

2011-10-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ruth's First Beach Trip

2011-10-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the Baker Beach below my apartment. I went with a few of my good friends. This was Ruth's first time ever going to the beach. It's crazy to think that we will live here long enough for her to run around and play in the sand at this beach.
Anyway, I originally made this swim suit for my niece Avery.. but Avery grew out of it.. and my sister Britney was cute enough to re-gift it back to me for Ruth. I also made my swim suit... which my post-prego body fits better in the upper half and worse in the lower half.. oh well.. work with what you've got right?

Ruth Etta's Blessing

2011-10-09T22:03:00.001-07:00

Ruth's baby blessing day was a great day. Thank you to everyone who came, especially those who drove from Utah.

Mommy and Daddy love you pretty girl!

Ruth and her favorite Grandma Anderson.

Ruth with Grandma and Grandpa Ringer.

Ruth and friends. Pleasant surprise to see Samantha Dawn. Good thing Ruth didn't wear the same dress as Presley.. because that could have been embarrassing.

Thanks for coming Rach and Spence. Also, thanks for spoiling Ruth with cute outfits and helping with her blow outs.

Ruth loves Aunt Britney and her baby fetus cousin.

I don't have the best picture of her dress that I made her because I was in a hurry to get her ready and to church on time.. but thankfully Grandma Ringer took this one or I wouldn't have one at all. Thanks for the blanket Great Grandma Ringer!

I love you Baby Ruth. You are so sweet. You did great for your blessing. You were wide awake and you didn't even make a peep. And daddy didn't even have to use the MAM.

Oakland Temple Trip

2011-10-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today was Ruth's first temple trip. Eric and I did the initiatory/baby swap. Good day.

Ruth's first month of life

2011-09-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures to go with this post. Ruth has grown so much and SO fast!

Ruth is 4 weeks old today. I have enjoyed being a mom. Ruth is a very good baby. Here are some of her favorites.

-She loves mommy's milk. She eats every 3 hours on the dot.

-She LOVES her swing more than any other place... except mommy's arms of course. I just hope she will learn to like her bassinet as much as the swing.

-She loves her MAM pacifier. When she is going to sleep, she cries if it comes out of her mouth. It is tragic... but once she gets if back, she stops crying immediately.

-Ruth loves to be swaddled. She is really good at prying her arms out. Only mom knows how to swaddle her tight enough. Ruth is really squirmy when she isn't swaddled.

-Ruth is really strong. She can already hold her head up.

-Ruth loves to sleep less during the day than in the night. (we are still working on that)

-Ruth loves to sleep on dad's chest in the middle of the night. When I have fed, burped, changed, swaddled her, and played her binki game.. and she still isn't going to sleep, and it's 2am.. and I need a break... that's when daddy steps in.

-Ruth is good at eating. She weighed her birth weight at 1 week, 6lbs 14oz. And at her two week she gained over a pound. The doctor said she would have been happy if she gained 7 oz.

-Ruth loves her godparents Jordan and Ali. (Preface on Jordan..I call Jordan, "Eric's husband" because they study together and they are with each other more than Eric is with me... Scratch that.. Eric is with Jordan ALL DAY EVERY DAY... except Eric sleeps in my bed at night.) Anyway, Jordan established himself as Ruth's Godfather. We accepted.. although I don't think we had a choice. And Ali is my BF.. she is not the Godmother by default.. She earned it and we asked her to be her Godmother. She takes good care of Ruth. She holds her, changes her diaper, changes her clothes, burps her, puts her to sleep, she does it all (except feed her of course).

-And lastly.. I almost forgot about her dolphin grunt. She grunts a lot and it's cute because it really does sound like a dolphin.

Ruth's 1 Week Pics

2011-09-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

I am so glad my friend Gena was willing to do Ruth's newborn pics. If I didn't get these pics I would have cried. Ruth has already grown so much so it was really important to me that we were able to capture this moment. At Ruth's 1 week doctors appointment she weighed her birth weight and at 2 weeks she gained over a pound!! This time is going by way too fast for me. The only part that doesn't go by fast is every night from 10pm to 2am when Ruth doesn't sleep :)

Here are the pictures. http://genasusan.com/blog/

Thanks so much Gena!! You are so talented!

The white blanket was hand crocheted by Grandma Ringer and her headband was made by mommy. :)

Oh ya and p.s. My due date was yesterday! Thank goodness she came earlier.

The Birth

2011-08-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am ready to write my birth story.. let's see if I can keep it short.. nope, I can’t… because it was anything but short.

At Home

It started at 2:30 am. I woke up with my first contraction that I couldn't sleep through, although I attempted to nap in between the contractions that continued to follow every 8 minutes. I started recording how many minutes apart. They were 7 minutes apart by 3am, 6 minutes apart by 4 am, 5 minutes apart by 5 am. In between each contraction, I would pack one thing for the hospital. (I wasn't packed yet because my due date wasn't for another 2 1/2 weeks.) I always hear about first time moms who go to the hospital too soon and I wanted to go when I was really ready. I planned to take it as long as I could before waking Eric up because he already gets little sleep with his busy school schedule and I knew he had a quiz to take that morning. I called the hospital to tell them I was coming and woke up Eric once my contractions were 5 minutes apart. We live close to the hospital, so we were there by 5:30am.

Admitted into the hospital

They checked me and said I was dilated 1 cm.. and told me to walk around for one hour to see how I was progressing. I told Eric to go home and get ready for school so he could take his quiz. I really wanted to have my baby, so I walked around as fast as I could go, only stopping to take the pain of contractions. I even did the stairs! I walked/climbed stairs from 6am to 7 am. I went back to get checked. I went from 1cm to 3cm! The nurse said, you're going to have a baby today! YES!!! Just what I had been wishing and hoping for! (I was SO done being pregnant.. the doctor said I was measuring big anyway, and we both weren't concerned with me having this baby 2 weeks early) They gave me an I.V., got me into a room, and told me I could have an epidural whenever I wanted. I called Eric and told him my status and told him to go to school, take his quiz at 8 am, go home and finish packing for me, and then come over and help me while I get my epidural. While he was doing this, I was totally happy and fine... in between each contraction. He went to school and they told him he could make up the quiz later.. YES!! He went home and packed as fast as he could.. I may not have been packed, but I did have a list.. so he followed that.

Taking the Labor Pains

While I was waiting to get my epidural 9am came and my nurse said, you can have your epidural now, or you'll have to wait 1 hour because the anesthesiologist is about to start a c-section. I really needed Eric to be there, and I wanted him to give me a blessing first, so I passed up the opportunity. When Eric got to the hospital, he helped me wait until 10:30ish. During this time, I used the yoga ball that they had in the room.. that helped a bunch.

Epidural

Now for the epidural.. I am so glad I waited for Eric because he was able to support my feet that otherwise would have been dangling off the side of the bed. He held me while the anesthesiologist did his work and he was a great support. The first time it felt so weird and it really hurt.. but I just got in my zone and took the pain. It was taking longer than I expected. Then he said, we're going to have to do that again. What!!!? I have to do that all over again!! They hunched me over even more and did it for the second time... and guess what? It was no problem! Didn't even hurt that bad! NBD!! I thought, "Oh that's how it's supposed to be." Turns out they were hitting the bone the first time. Epidural in effect by 11:00am.. HEAVEN!! Epidurals are awesome and I am so grateful for them. They broke my water once I was numb.

The Waiting Game

Meanwhile my mom was catching a flight from Vegas. (Thanks mom!!) She was here by 2pm. Then, my birth story became a waiting game. I would ask the nurses, what time do you think I'll have this baby if you had to guess. All those guesses came and went. I was given pitocin to speed things up. By 5:00pm I was dilated to 10 cm!! The nurse said we were going to start pushing and that it could take 1-3 hours. I thought, "I'm gonna do this in an hour." They prepped the room and gave me some instructions on how to push effectively, what position to hold, where to hold my legs, etc.

Pushing

At 5:35pm I began pushing. At the peak of each contraction, I pushed 3 times, each for 10 seconds. Eric and my nurse helped me do this for 2 hours. My doctor came to check me at this point and said she isn’t down far enough to deliver and she is also turned to the side instead of face down. On my next contraction she turned my baby face down. Then she gave me my first ultimatum… She said, “I will let you push for 1 more hour and if she’s not down far enough, we will do a c-section. I did NOT want a c-section, especially after all that hard work!! I pushed with all my strength. I gave it everything I had. The only time I wouldn’t push is when my baby’s heart rate elevated… my nurse would tell me I needed to give her a break on a few of the contractions. By this hour I was running a fever because I was working so hard. Then it was time.. my doctor came in to check me.. I was so nervous about needing a c-section. I didn’t like what I heard at first.. she said, the baby has come down but not that much. Then she said something I liked,. “I will try once with the vacuum and if she doesn’t come, we will do the c-section." I was so glad she didn’t say the “f” word. Forceps scare me because they seem so dangerous. I pushed so hard, they used the vacuum, and then the best thing happened.. my doctor pulled her out!! Ruth was born at 9 pm.

My Baby!

There are no words to describe how I felt at this moment. I raised my arms in the air like I had just won a marathon. I cried, “Yes!! I did it!! I did it!!” and I told my doctor, “Thank you for pulling her out!!!” Then I heard the best sound I have ever heard… my baby’s cry. It was the sweetest sound to hear and it brought me so much joy while my doctor was stitching me up. Pretty soon they put my baby Ruth on me while my doctor continued to stitch. Tears were just streaming down my face and I remember saying, “She’s so pretty” “She’s perfect.” “She’s beautiful.” This was the highest moment of my entire life.

Baby Ruth

2011-08-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

Ruth Etta Ringer was born August 17, 2011 at 9 pm.

6 pounds 14 ounces.
21 inches long.

I love lamp...

2011-08-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

Out here in the Presidio of SF, the housing is really old, so none of our rooms have lights. Now I realize the importance of lamps. I always thought lamps were just "extra lighting"... you know, by a reading nook or the bed side. So, for our baby's nursery, I went to GoodWill to find this lovely lamp and lamp shade. I also went to my favorite local fabric store where they have TONS of trims.. all for 25, 35, and 50 cents per yard... (but mostly 25) it's a steal of a deal. So I turned this into a project and got lots of lace to cover the shade. I took off the inside layer of fabric that was torn up, so light shows through just fine.

Before.. (don't mind my messy project/dining table)

After/day

After/night

36 Weeks

2011-08-08T13:46:00.001-07:00

The belly. I figured if I never took one picture throughout this whole pregnancy, I might regret it after the fact. Hence.. the first prego pic of myself.
New symptom as of late... sausage fingers and baby carrot toes. My hands and feet have been swollen lately. I had to take off my wedding ring a couple days ago.. sadness.

I like turtles....

2011-08-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Don't know why this never fails to make me laugh.

Big Baby

2011-07-29T22:38:00.000-07:00

I met my new doctor this week. I really like her and felt comfortable taking her on as my new doc. I like her because she's Asian.. and when I think of Asian, I think of smart:) She told me some things that justify how I have been feeling lately. I feel GINORMOUS!!!! She said I am measuring bigger than my due date... or I am just going to have a big baby. That makes me happy... big baby=healthy baby:) So, she ordered me an ultrasound to check the size of this girl.

Eric and I went in for the ultrasound today. It was exciting to see our baby again. Before the tech began the ultrasound she said, "When it comes to ultrasounds, the babies don't get cuter the farther along you are." She wasn't kidding.. haha. She did a 3-D ultrasound which kind of creeps me out... you can see bits and pieces of her face, but then the rest is distorted or blacked out. But I will tell you now... she looks nothing like me and very much like Eric. Anyway.. I still have 5 1/2 weeks until my due date and my baby weighs 6 pounds, 8 ounces!!!! Boom baby!

Then the ultrasound tech told me and Eric some things I new already... what parts of my baby are jammed up into my ribs all the time. I knew it was her bum or feet.. turns out, it's both. In my left ribs, her bum is fighting for space, and she likes to kick and shove her feet into my right ribs. It's okay... I let her do it because she's my baby girl. I can't even remember what it's like to slouch... if I do, it hurts my ribs even more.

Alright, so I see my doctor again in less than 2 weeks... that's when we can talk about this ultrasound. I have a feeling she'll just tell me, "you are having a big baby".... but what I wish she would tell me is... "your baby is so big, let's just induce you and have her right now.".... or at least say, "Let's move your due date up a week." Let's do this already!!!

My Wish Came True

2011-07-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

Remember these beauties!!! I got them last night. When I woke up before Eric this morning, he said, "What are you doing?" I said, "I'm just dreaming about those dressers... oh wait, that wasn't a dream." Yup, these are mine forever. I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to my awesome mother-in-law... I don't have to dream about having these because now, they are a reality. Instead of pinching myself, I periodically walk into our second bedroom and just stare at them to make sure they are real.

Good at Being Bad

2011-07-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Eric and I love this video and so do our nieces and nephews. Happy Sunday everybody:)
Here is the link if you want to watch it in better quality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBwWDWIjm9U

My Wish List

2011-07-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been looking on craigs list for furniture under the "free stuff". We need dressers really bad for our second room. Nothing good was ever showing up on the "free stuff" section... and even when something decent showed up, the people would never get back to me. So I decided to look in the "not so free" section, and I found these beauties. I want them so bad... but they are way out of my price range.... especially because my price range right now is $0.00. I made a really super low offer that the owner might laugh at, but I couldn't help but take my sorry chances anyway.

Here is the link.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/fuo/2496280036.html

SF has some super nice things to offer because people who live here are RICH! (I think only the Ringer's can remember how me, Eric, and now Mont, say "RICH")

33 Weeks

2011-07-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

My baby is supposedly the size of a pineapple this week. I have been feeling extra big these last few days.

Bassinet Project

2011-07-18T10:16:00.001-07:00

Here is the finished product of my bassinet project! Thanks Sherry for letting me have your bassinet. I totally love it. Eric tightened all the screws so it is sturdy and good to go now. Thanks Melinda for helping me get the fabric. I had so much fun with this. For this project, I picked apart all the old fabric and used that as my pattern to sew a new cover. I reused all the piping and boning which was a nice and convenient option. I also made velcro closures on both ends so I can take the whole thing off and wash it in the future.

This is the new dust ruffle that ties on to the storage below the bassinet.

This is the fabric I used to cover the little mattress. I made two of them so I can put a new one on while I wash the other one.

Here is the pleated skirt around the bassinet. I know its not a big part of the picture, but all the solid cream you see on the bassinet is this new fabric that I love.. Forget Minky dot fabric, it's all about the Minky Paisley!!! It's so soft and cozy. This fabric is the reason why my project took a month longer than expected. I was just waiting for this fabric order to come into a local quilt shop in Vegas. I just couldn't settle for the white... I had to wait for the cream.

Thanks Sherry for the bassinet. My baby is going to LOVE it!

My New Home

2011-07-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged in a long time. I have a few projects I want to show you guys but most of them are 75% finished and the ones that are... well I don't have pictures of them yet. I have been busy moving and getting back to, or I guess I should say "beginning" real life.

The Fake Life=
living for free.99 at the Ringers!
not having to grocery shop but having endless food
always having family to hang out with
having 2 homes to choose which meal we want each night of the week... or both!
Sunday dinners
a wonderful mother-in-law who let me take over half of her sewing room for 2 months...
... not to mention a sewing/project buddy... oh and did I say shopping buddy?
Blueberry Hills breakfast whenever we want
Eric not working or going to school
Eric gets to go to Honduras on a dental trip
Eric gets to take my ticket to go with my family on their annual Alaska fishing trip
having the best callings in church= substitute primary teachers :)
free internet, tv, and DVR

Real Life=
husband goes to dental school...
...guess that means I have to go to.
moving to San Francisco
living out of boxes and suitcases all over again
moving into a place that has 1/4 of the storage space than our last 2 apartments
(the cupboards are so narrow and shallow that our plates don't even fit!)
don't worry I got creative.. all our dishes are on our old book shelf
oh yes... I should have said the best first... our apartment is actually really nice.
rent that is over 2 grand a month. WHAT!?
no internet because we can't afford it... until we find other people to go in on it with us
(I am at the library! Eric had to use the internet to check some emails from his school, so I came along to use the internet too)

I am adjusting well for the parents who I am sure are wondering.

I have only had one melt down. It was our first day in SF. After Eric moved all our furniture and boxes into our apartment (all by himself because I can't lift anything except the pillows and couch cushions), we decided to go out for lunch. We GPS everything... which we wouldn't survive without. Eric suggested going to Fisherman's Wharf. I was a little hesitant but agreed. To get anywhere... the GPS takes us to the mouth of the Golden Gate bridge to get out of the park. Eric decided to go his own way and we accidentally got back on the golden gate bridge entrance without any exits and only one way to go... across the bridge. When we got across, we turned around to come back. We had to pay a $6.00 toll to get back into the city. I cried. Eric took me to get pizza on Lombard street (not the famous windy part... but the part that is close to where we live.) I didn't want to go to Fisherman's Wharf. I just wanted to go home and cry about how expensive this city is. After crying about the $6.00 wrong turn, parking money to get the over priced pizza, I just went home and took a nap. We haven't eaten out since.

Despite a bad first day.. I have had better days since. Our first Sunday was good. We know another couple out here from BYU and we got to have a Sunday picnic in their apartment with their family (we were going to go to the park but the traffic was too bad.. I loved it and the food was so good) On the 4th of July we met up with 3 other couples from our ward and had a picnic. Another day we walked down to the beach which is really close because we live on the coast.

There are 3 things that have kept me sane through this adventure:

1. ice cream... when we were at the grocery store for the first time... I was sad the whole time we were shopping because I am very familiar with the prices of food in Provo/Vegas and SF food is obviously more expensive. I was unit price shopping, so every purchase was a 1-2 minute decision to make sure we were getting the best price for the most food. We even wrote down prices and went to another store to compare prices. Anyway... during all this I was getting a little down. I passed the ice cream... came out of that aisle with a huge tub of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. When I met up with Eric and the cart, I held up my impulse buys to him and said... "I need this to stay sane."
2. Costco (we went yesterday in Oakland to meet up with my brother Ben (our first visitor in SF!)... and I loved it so much because it is just the same... plus free parking!!!) We didn't have time or money to shop but I hit up all the samples. It made me so happy. Then Ben fed us lunch there... I love lunch at Costco!!!!! Thanks Ben!!!!! He also took us to an A's game which was so much fun.
3. The temple: Because we were in Oakland, we had to make the most of our trip, knowing that we would have to pay a $6 dollar toll to get back into SF. We went to the temple in Oakland. We did initiatory's and an endowment session. There's no better way to make you feel like you are at home than to go to the temple. Just another thing that you know is going to be the exact same when you walk in.

Well... when we are moved in.. I can take some pictures of our apartment. Our room and the kitchen is all moved in... but our baby's room has turned into the box room. It's all boxes of my sewing stuff, projects, clothes that don't fit in our closet, and of course baby stuff. Maybe someday we will really be moved in. Until then....

P.S. Eric starts school tomorrow.

And this is my new home. We live in the Presidio. It is a park that is at the southern entrance to the Golden Gate bridge. It is 3 miles from the school.

Baby Project #1 and 2

2011-06-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

Although I have known for over a month that I am having a girl, I just can't bring myself to spend money on clothes. I went into baby gap last week and the girls stuff if SO CUTE!!! Anyway, here is the first thing I have ever made for my baby.
And this is the second project. My mom gave me this shirt thinking I might be able to wear it as a maternity shirt. It is way too short though. I hope she doesn't mind that I used it to make this play dress.

Graduation

2011-05-16T22:23:00.001-07:00

Our Little Girl

2011-04-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

10 weeks

15 weeks

21 weeks

Eric and I went to Dr. Groom today. We were excited to hear that our baby is a little girl:) Eric knew all along.

My first LOVE

2011-04-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Giving up on Love

December 13, 2004: "I pretty much figured out today that I am over every guy I've ever liked. There's no way any of them would ever work out so every time I like someone, I am wasting my time. Well I am way excited to go to China. I got my passport picture today."

Present: So in my teenager life... this is the day that I gave up on love... at 16 years of age. I had so many crushes in my life up to this day on December 13, 2004.. but every crush I've ever had, ended for one reason or another. 1) my crush will never notice me, 2) my crush likes one of my many bff's, 3) my best friend Rach and I use up all our energy liking the same person and we finally get burned out as they never reciprocate our love haha or 4) my crush shows slight interest in me and I run the other way :) Oh ya, and I love this journal entry, because I change the subject so fast. I simply state that I will never like anyone again... and then say, I am excited to go to China. And the sentence before is about going to the movies with my mom, Sherry, and Brit. I was dramatic for giving up on love at age 16, but the way I wrote it was so not dramatic.

The First Time the Words "Eric Ringer" are ever written in my journal

February 19, 2005: "I know this sounds stupid, but I kinda like Eric Ringer. I feel so stupid because Karly likes him and they kinda had a thing, but I don't know if they still do. I can't tell anyone because I feel so bad. I would never want to make Karly mad at me so I've just kept it bottled up. I feel stupid writing it for some reason (like I'm actually admitting it)"

Present: Man what an inner dilemma I've got. I am so scared to like the same guy my best friend likes (or used to like), that I feel bad even admitting to my journal that "I kinda like him" which really meant, "I have the BIGGEST CRUSH on this boy and I've never crushed so hard before."

My Developing Crush

March 20, 2005: "I really like Eric and it sucks because I can't help it and he likes other girls and pretty much has a girlfriend, and I don't want to be rude to Karly. On Friday he totally ignored me and it bugged the crap out of me because I didn't know why. I pulled an all-nighter with Rach the night before because we had a math project. The whole day I felt like crying and finally after the assembly I went to my car because I had track and just cried. I am so dumb- who cries over a boy that they don't even have in the first place."

Present: Man, I had it bad. Eric and I laugh about this day whenever it comes up. Knowing what I know now... Eric had an inner dilemma himself. This is the day he tried to stop liking me and leading me on because he already had a girl friend. haha But don't worry, his inner battle didn't last long, and I didn't stay sad long either... The journal goes on to say, "That night Eric called me to hang out and it pretty much made my day."

April 12, 2005: After talking about my best friends birthday, the entry says: "In anatomy we are dissecting a pig. Eric named him "G-Roy". Yesterday me and Eric skinned him and today we finished skinning him and we cut around it's head and I scooped the brain out. Brad says he wants to talk to me about something. I think he's going to tell me who likes me because he asked me if I knew of anyone who liked me. I said I didn't and he said, 'if only you knew.' He said he thinks I'll like whoever it is. :) Maybe Ringer, I don't know, but I hope so."

April 13, 2005: "In Anatomy me and Eric took out the spinal cord and intestines of our pig G-Roy."

April 14, 2005: "2nd Period: Me and Eric took the lungs out of G-Roy. Even though I don't do much, Eric said its good bonding time. He let me take the right lung out. Okay how dumb do I sound?"

Present: So if you didn't know me in high school, you may be wondering why these grotesque journal entries are important to me. But if you did know me, you would know that my Anatomy class was clutch in giving me the opportunity to develop my crush on Eric. I would go to Trig/Stats after 2nd period with Rachel and she could always tell if I had a good day or bad day in Anatomy. An example of a bad day would be that I didn't get to talk to Eric, or he wasn't there that day, or if he was having his inner battle of 'do I like this girl or my girlfriend'. An example of a good day would be any day that we dissected our pig together. These were major bonding moments for us and it was really the first time we began to kindle our love :)

Our First "DATE"

I say "date" because it was a last minute thing, it was me going with Eric and two other boys, and the tickets were already paid for (thanks Samantha Dawn).... but nonetheless.

April 16, 2005: "Last night was pretty much the best night of my life. I went to the Killers concert with Eric, Dan, and Brad. I am in love with Eric Ringer. [lots of details about how awesome the Killers are, what they were wearing, how every song was the best, and how I never wanted it to end] Eric stood close behind me most of the time and I felt like I was melting."

Present: I still remember getting the call from Eric to invite me to this concert with him. Remember when I was 16 and still didn't have a cell phone? This made it even more romantic. It was after a volleyball game. Me and a few of my girl friends were driving out of the Western parking lot. One of them got a call and whoever was on the other end was asking for me! I think I got that same melting feeling when I discovered it was Eric.

He Likes me, He Likes Me Not

April 19th, 2005: I'm sick of typing, so I'll just tell you this is the day that Brad finally had that talk with me that he was meaning to ever since April 12. He told me that indeed Eric did like me. Although Eric did a good job of showing me this by asking me out on our first "date", Brad did one better... He also told me that Eric was officially not dating anyone anymore. I think it's funny what I went on to say:

April 19th 2005 cont: "This just makes me happy knowing that Eric feels the same way I do. I don't want to be boyfriend/girlfriend and I don't even need anymore than what we have right now, just as long as I know he likes me, I'm okay with that."

Present: This is the first time in my life that anyone has ever felt the same way I feel about them.... this was a monumental moment in my life... and I think it's funny that just that alone... to like, and be liked in return, was enough for me. :)

<3 <3 <3 To be continued <3 <3 <3

My Name is Mrs. Ringer

2011-04-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

So, everyday when I get home from substitute teaching, I always have a few stories to tell Eric.

1. Like yesterday, I actually witnessed a first grader eating glue!!! No lie, when I spotted this kid, he had his head cocked back, mouth wide open, he was squeezing Elmer's glue with both hands, and a heavy flow of glue was streaming into his mouth. When I told him to stop, I think I startled him, but I was just so shocked! I didn't know that kids really did that. I have also heard of kids eating boogers. I believe that now too. When I was a kid, I was always a roller and flicker.

2. Also, what do you do if you have a really bad second grader in your class that whispers in the other kids ears, different names of the male genitalia? I didn't even know those words when I was his age!!! Oh ya, and he also went up to the student teacher and told her to say a word, and then spell another word, and then when she did, she ended up saying the word, "penis". I don't remember what he asked her to say, I just remember the end result and I felt really sad for this kid and his potty mouth... He's only in second grade!

3. I only had one other student that was hard to deal with. The teacher let me know of her constant behavioral problems ahead of time, so at least I knew what I was getting into. The principal would come in and check on her frequently, so she must be the hardest student in the whole school. That would make me nervous, especially when he would come in and I was trying to get her to get out from this small space in between a cabinet and a bookshelf. She was having a tantrum... but I was able to get her to get out, and take a seat, while the principal was watching me. She is the kind of student, that if you ask her to do whatever the rest of the class was doing, she would have a tantrum. So I had her sit by me and be my helper any chance I could because she loved that. But the only problem was that I didn't need a helper every second of the day, so when she would realize she wasn't getting to help me, the behavior problems would start all over. After a while of catering to her, I thought she would listen this time if I asked her to do what the rest of the class was doing (This time it was learning how to tell the time).... Nope, she had another tantrum. So finally, I gave up and let her work on coloring and writing a story, while the rest of the class learned math. As long as she wasn't distracting other students, I let her do that. A resource teacher came to help and that teacher tried to get her on task but was unsuccessful. She tried to help her one on one in another room and I gave her two options (unlike the rest of the kids) you can do your spelling test (only 5 words) or you can do this worksheet about reading a clock. They were gone for 40 min. When she came back, the teacher was able to get her to write 1 of the 5 words, and they "talked about the worksheet". I felt so bad because it's hard when you want to help, but the girl just refused to be teachable. Anyway, I only had to follow her a couple times through the school because she would leave right in the middle of class. One time I followed her when she left music class and she went all the way back to the classroom and hid in a cubby of the coat closet. I was so scared when I couldn't find her at first because the coat closet leads to the outside of the school. I had to sweet talk her all the way back to music class. She also stole the teachers smiley stamp and stamped another girls face. I was able to get most of it off. Sometimes I just felt so bad for the other students because this girl could be a bully. The last thing I had to deal with was when she cried... but more like had a fit, the last 15 min of school. She wanted to call her mom to come get her and she kept trying to push the call button in the classroom. I just kept telling her, "Your mom is already on her way. You only have x minutes left."

4. I like to leave the room really clean when I leave other teachers rooms because a messy room makes me think of a bad substitute who couldn't control her students. The floors are always the messiest. You can always ask for a couple volunteers to be "human vacuums" and you can also say, "Everyone has to pick up 5 things off the floor" but sometimes this just doesn't cut it. So this is what I do. I tell the students that I picked a magical thing on the floor, and if they get that magical thing that I picked, I will give them a treat. Kids will do anything for a treat, so they all get really into it. I stand by the trash and they show me what is in their hands before they throw it away. When the room looks as good as I want it to, I tell the kids to stop and then reveal what the magical thing was and I give that person a life savor.

5. When I was telling Eric about my day at school yesterday, he asked me a silly question, "Do they call you Mrs. Ringer?" Of course they do. What else would they call me? That was a weird thought for him and guess he never realized that until now. I have been called that throughout student teaching last year, so it's funny he just realized that now. Sometimes when I tell the students my name, I draw a ring on the board + er... So the 6th graders at the school always say, "Hi Mrs. Ring plus er!"

6. Some of you may be thinking, why does she teach elementary school when she is a secondary education teacher? The answer is, I just go where I get the calls. I sub junior high a little bit but schools already have permanent subs and others already have established preferred lists, instead of going through a subfinder system that I was in. I didn't get any calls at first because of this. I was only subbing for teachers I knew and taught for during student teaching and that wasn't often at all. So once I got my first call to this elementary school, they just kept calling me ever since and they keep me busy, so that makes me happy. It's been a fun experience though because I wasn't trained to teach these youngsters, but it was pretty easy to pick up little tricks here and there. When I say "tricks", I mean classroom management tools because that's the most important thing to be able to do this job. The rest is easy. Because I have always taught junior high, high school, and college students, these are the new things I learned.
-first grade is the hardest... by far. you hear it's like babysitting all day... but that's not true. it's harder. you can't liken it to babysitting because babysitting is easy. it's 95% management and 5% content.
-although the students are only one year older, second grade is WAY easier and a lot more fun.
-subbing on April fools day is tiring
-some kids can't say there R's so they call me "Mrs. Winger" minus the r at the end
-the youngest of the first graders call me "teacher"
-kids tattle tail all the time. I tell students I don't listen to tattle tailing and I only want to hear nice things about other students.

7. The other thing I learned is that 1st and 2nd graders are huggers. I don't mind it too much at the end of the day... but when I'm trying to teach or monitor other students during work, that's a different story. I was trying real hard to pry this first grader's arms from me the other day. She was squeezing so hard and it was hurting my tummy. I pried her off and she hung on again even tighter. I finally said, "You're squishing my baby!" haha That did the trick.

8. It's spring break for the schools in Utah this next week, so looks like I am out of a job for a little bit. Then I only have one week left here in Provo. That is crazy to me. I can't believe that I have to pack up this whole apartment.

Bibs

2011-03-15T19:52:00.001-07:00

Little Girls Coat

2011-03-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is the last project I completed. It is a little girls coat. I made it for my sister, Britney, for her birthday. I figured if she has three girls, it will fit one of them (probably Vivian) and the Avery can grow into it. The fabric is corduroy and it is lined on the hem, cuffs, and pockets with a cotton floral print. I used a pattern for this project, but I made a few changes. Thats my favorite thing about knowing how to make patterns (thanks to Dr. Burnham, BYU).... for most things, it takes too long to make a flat pattern because then you usually have to make a muslin mock up and then make some more changes, then alterations, etc. But knowing how to make them helps me follow any pattern really easily. Plus, although you won't find me making a whole pattern from scratch, I do love to make little changes like... changing the collar, bands, cuffs, add more/less flare or gather, etc. For this coat I added a hem band and the gathered cuffs. I contemplated doing bound buttons holes, but then I came up with this rosette/snap idea.

Happiness

2011-03-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

Meesh introduced me to this audition from Happiness. It makes me happy. I secretly love a couple of her dance moves and want to do them myself. I just love it so much because she dance like me.... from the soul!

Sunday

2011-03-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

-I was so proud of Eric today. Every time I looked at what he was doing on this laptop, I saw him working on our family history. Turns out, he was really working on his NCAA tournament brackets.

-I watched some of Matilda on TV today while Eric was taking a nap. You know the part where the family watches tv while eating dinner? Well, I thought... man that's horrible. Families need to sit together at a table, away from the tv, and have some meaningful conversation. Well... Meesh came over for dinner and guess what happened? We ate dinner on our couch because my sewing projects are all over our table (it's the only flat surface in our apartment for me to work) And guess what else? Eric is addicted to watching ESPN so the TV was on. Michele and I tried to get him to turn off the TV but that never happened. Oh well.. for today, we were a dysfunctional family that ate dinner in front of the TV.

-Eric, Michele, and I played Clue. Eric won. We also played Sequence... Eric won again. You know what's sad? Eric and I are so competitive at games, that I would rather have Michele win over Eric... if I didn't have a chance to win of course.

-I have been teaching elementary school lately. I like it... turns out, kids will be really good if you threaten to take away 5 minutes of Heads Up Seven Up, four corners, or a game of silent ball. Ya, whenever we have a 5-10 min gap of extra time, I let them play those games. I'm a pretty cool sub just for that. haha

-Eric and I love to hang out with Rachel and Spencer. Last night, after we watched the BYU game (sad) we went to Diego's Taco Shop. We ended up hanging out there forever just talking... we were there long enough for Eric to have 7 or 8 Dr. Peppers. That was just enough to keep him up til 4 in the morning, with the time change of course.

-Wanna know what else I do to make money besides substitute teach? I was a waitress once at Rachel's reception hall. I will be a live-in nanny for 4 days pretty soon. I will go from having no kids to having 5. The other thing I do is I make baby bibs and burp cloths for sale. I have lots if anyone is interested.

-I guess the only other thing that is new with me is that I am expecting. I had somewhat of an emergency doctors apt this week due to spotting. The Dr. did an ultrasound and checked a bunch of things including the heart beat and placenta. Everything is fine and I got a cool ultrasound pic. from the visit.

-Going to the Dr. made me think of how much emotional baggage an OBGYN would have to deal with everyday. For one, pregnant women are emotional to begin with, and second, if he told me something was wrong with the baby or that I was miscarrying, I would have started crying and he would have had to deal with me right then. For my first ultrasound, when I saw my tiny baby, tears just started rolling down my face...it was a laugh slash cry. I was just so amazed that my pregnancy was real... there really was something growing inside of me and it was mine.... my baby. Okay... so it's hard to explain but I was instantly in love. The baby was moving and kicking so much that Eric said, "It's probably a boy with ADHD."

-One last thing I have been thinking of.. When I have a family of my own, I want to be like my sister Britney. I don't want to become the mom that says no to everything in life.. just because I have a baby. I know that having a child will mean that I have to sacrifice some things (ex- no dental mission to Honduras, no going fishing to Alaska..bc it's too close to my due date) But I am talking about the everyday things like getting out, and seeing family, and going on trips. The best example I can give is my sister Britney: We had an Anderson family reunion a couple summers ago at Marjorie Hinckley Camp... yes camping. Jaren was not able to attend because of work. Britney has four children and 2 (3?) were in diapers, and one just a nursing infant. Most mothers would say "forget about it" and not go... but not Britney. She cannot miss out on family time. She came without Jaren and brought her 4 young children by herself. She had the infant, Avery, strapped to her the whole trip and didn't let anything stop her from being there for that famous trip that we will always remember. I also don't want to become that mom that says "Oh I just started nursing," every time the family is all ready to leave... especially when the event has been planned weeks in advanced. I know this will be hard but if my sister Britney can do it, than so can I... right????

Valentines Day

2011-02-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

Eric and I had a great Valentines Day. He had a test that he had to take so he was on campus studying. That gave me time to make his valentine at home. I used the scraps from making Zach's halloween costume and I am quite pleased with the finished product. I was so excited to give it to Eric. Eric really liked it too... he named him Mr. Monkey.
As for Eric's Valentine to me.... I was telling my friend that I really wanted an ice cream cake for Valentines day, but I didn't want to tell Eric because I knew he already got something and I didn't want him to feel bad if it wasn't an ice cream cake. Eric is on a roll with getting me exactly what I want. For some reason, he started calling me "Jilly-Goat" a few months ago.... even though I didn't like it... but it kinda stuck... oh well.

Serger

2011-01-21T20:34:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Eric totally surprised me and got me a serger. I had no idea it was coming. He did all the research. He even talked to my sewing professors to figure out which was the best one to get. He watched them online and got me a used one on ebay for a great price. Then he had it sent to Vegas. When we were in Vegas, he had it serviced. When he went to pick it up, I thought he was just getting a Christmas present for my parents. So ya... he is totally awesome. I use the serger to sew all the straight seams on the bibs that I sell. I also love using the serger when hemming pants because a zig zag seam finish just doesn't do justice. Here is a little girls coat that I made. I serged all the edges to finish them off and it looks great. Needless to say, after teaching sewing at BYU, I knew that I had to have a serger some day (I just didn't know that day would come so soon!) If you sew, they are so practical because they really speed up the process and give great results.

Happy New Year Family!

2011-01-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks for sewing us super cute aprons Melinda!!!!

Gingerbread making contest on Christmas Eve.

Ginger Bread House!

2010-12-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

Me, Eric, Zach, and Meesh made this creation. It was so much fun. I love Christmas!!!

"Grad-je-ated"

2010-12-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

I did it guys! I just finished my last day of college/student teaching. I am a Family and Consumer Science Teacher! My amazing supervisor Marci said, "You just made it through school so you can go back to school!" She is right! I will be going to schools next semester as a substitute teacher. Then we will be heading out to dental school! I am so proud of Eric. He works so hard to get good grades and stay motivated in his BYU classes, even though he knows he is already accepted to dental school. It is Friday night (finals are next week) and he is studying in the library right now. He has been there all day (minus meal breaks) You go Eric!

The Big One

2010-11-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Zach and the team of professionals (Dad the master guide, big brother Nate the Scoping Specialist, big brother Ben the videographer, and Uncle Jeff Big Horn specialist) on the hunt of the century. Zach got the biggest big horn sheep this earth has ever known. Eric and I are proud of you. We can't wait to see the unvailing of the Big Horn Sheep video that you guys spent 100+ hours on. I can't wait to hear this hunting adventure story retold over and over for the next thirty or more years.
p.s. I have never seen Dad so happy about a hunt and that is saying alot
p.p.s Dad, will you still remember my 3 X narly hunt??

Brandon Flowers Concert in SLC

2010-11-25T19:30:00.000-08:00

A Spooky Halloween

2010-11-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is how my Halloween Saturday went. Zach comes over at 10 am. He makes me and Eric a scrumptious waffle breakfast. Then Zach has plans for me to make his Halloween costume. He wants to be a sock monkey. I thought it was a cool idea so I agreed. We got all the supplies and I went to work. I spent the rest of the afternoon making this puppy!... or should I say monkey.

I am happy how it turned out. Then we get an invite to Clara's halloween/birthday party. The party was at Katy and Justin's and it was a pleasant surprise to find out that all my family/nieces/nephews are in town!!

Eric and I went trick or treating with all the kids and I had a BLAST! I can't wait until I can take my own kids trick or treating. I took Vivi through a haunted house that one house set up in their garage. Props to them... it was awesome... I think I was more scared than Vivi:) I also made Katy, my scaredy cat sister-in-law through. p.s. The gated community by Justin and Katy's home gives out king size candy bars like crazy.

Oh yes, and I can't forget to mention our totally awesome ward Halloween Party. Eric and I didn't dress up because we went straight from his inter mural soccer game. He was a "dirty soccer player." We were thinking about being a deer and hunter, but we are so glad we didn't because there were TWO COUPLES who came as bambi and a hunter. It's just an easy idea when you already have camo. This Halloween was great because last year I was on a hunt so I didn't get to do all the games, parties, pumpkin carving, and other spooky holiday festivities.

Also: Props to pop corn and cotton candy couple at my ward party... props to Obama and Michelle couple at my ward party... they looked legit.... and props to the couple two doors down who finally took the Chucky doll down from their window. I was scared for my life every time I had to walk by it. (My BF's out there know that was like my biggest fear growing up)

Student Teaching at Kearns

2010-10-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

I loved my first experience teaching high school. I taught at Kearns which is west of Salt Lake. I am at my second school and I have missed Kearns so much. All the students were so chill and down to earth. These are some of my students in Adult Roles and Financial Responsibilities. These pictures are during a "Build High Activity" at the beginning of my Career Planning Unit. I gave them a couple minutes to build with construction paper as high as they can, but they couldn't use anything except paper. To determine the winner, the highest and strongest tower won. To test for strength, I blew on their towers. They of course all fell down. The second time I let them use any supports they wanted. They could use tape, paper clips, and glue. They got creative because I said they could use anything to support their towers. Then I likened their first towers to a job and their second stronger towers to a career. The supports they used were an analogy for education and anything that increase human capital. They had fun and so did I:)

I didn't get any pictures from my sewing class but it was one of my favorite classes to teach. They made stuffed animal snakes, equipment bags, pillow cases, and I taught them about textiles before they started their pajama pants. I was really sad to leave before that project.

This is my fashion strategies class. I taught them about the fashion careers and then we had our own "Project Runway" in which each member of the group was assigned a different fashion career. (designer, textile designer, technical illustrator, pattern maker, etc.) I also got to teach them about the elements of design (color, pattern, texture, shape, line) It was a blast.

Oh and I can't forget to mention how grateful I am to have such an amazing cooperating teacher. Her name is Carrie Mollerup and she is so nice. We came to be friends. She was so helpful and she gave me complete control of these classes. It really was a great experience. I miss Kearns!!!

LAKE POWELL

2010-08-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Rhino is for sale... anyone interested?
Mont and Melinda
Luke is a champion water skier!

Wake surfing... Jordan.
Eric
Matt
Blake

I love tubing pictures. These kids faces are awesome. Here is Eric, Kaleb, Luke, and Ollie.
Isaac, Luke, and Ollie. Peace!!
Me and Eric. We were holding on for our lives. Matt rocked us a few times.
Eric and Jordan.
Treasure Hunting!!!!!

Kaleb
Lily looks a little concerned... she is a scardy cat
Not Ollie

This is Lily's goofy face.

Fishing the Provo

2010-08-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

The boys fished the Provo River on the way to Montana and on the way back. They fished the Madison and the Gallatin Rivers and Provo was the best... as always.

Yellow Stone

2010-07-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

So I guess Eric was deprived as a child because he has never been to Yellowstone, so we made this one of our stops. We saw lots of wildlife. Eric got to see Old Faithful and the colorful pools too. I don't have those pics though because they are on Zach's camera.

The first sighting of this deer was while it was squatting. Luckily, it finished it's "business" quick and we took some pictures of it. I never knew that deer squatted like that to poo! ha ha

Big Sky Montana

2010-07-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Near our Resort

Horseback Riding

Oh and yes this was a fishing trip.... but I didn't get pics of the boys fishing everyday because I didn't go with them.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

2010-07-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

On the way to Jackson Hole, we went through Afton, Wyoming where we filled our car with the cheapest gas.
Mountain biking near Jackson Hole.

Rafting the Snake River..... we made it over the white water rapids called THE BIG KAHUNA
At Jackson Hole, we went to the Bar J Wranglers show and we also got to see Annie Get Your Gun.

Teton Mountains (driving from Jackson to Big Sky, Montana)

Nordstrom's Sale

2010-07-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

Melinda, Carrie, Mia Melinda, Jaclyn, and I had a great time at the Nordstrom sale. Here are some of the items that broke my budget this month. I am very excited with what I got and I am set for the Fall. Yeah!!!

ALASKA 2010!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ok so this summer is full of firsts! This year was Eric's first trip to Alaska. We had tons of fun, but I will admit that the fish weren't running as well as they usually do. We did catch our limit though so we are happy.

I caught the first. Here it is.

Biggest catch of the week..... until Zach broke the record near the end of the week!

Desperate times, come for desperate measures..... CHUM fishin'!!

Daddy with a FISH ON

I caught an arctic grayling, when I was hoping for a 40 lbs. salmon. Darn! At least I caught something:)Sitting, waiting, wishing, fishing!

Thanks for taking me and Eric fishing Dad.
The other boat.... Our boat (me, Eric, Justin, and Dad) caught more fish. Probably because my dad is a master guide.
Aint nuthin but a nusha thing!

Fox! Fox! This year there was a fox in our camp! And it was a momma fox! We got her little pups to come out with salmon jerky. When we were desperate to catch fish, we went for the northern pike. We brought 2 back to camp and she stole one while we were inside. We cooked it up... p.s. it's not tasty... and fed the rest to her.

My Second SwimSuit!!!!

2010-06-18T08:07:00.001-07:00

I used a Kwik sew pattern from my first suit. I was just a basic tank one piece suit. For the top, I used a dress form to drape it in lining. Then when I got it to look how I wanted, I cut off the extra, took out the gathers, and used it to cut out in my green fabric. I am really happy how it turned out:)

Here are some better pictures of my first swim suit. On this pattern, I only changed the neckline, leg holes, and added the gathered detail.

My First Swim Suit

2010-05-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

I sewed my first swim suit. I am pretty excited about it. I made a lining mock-up to check the fit and do some last minute alterations so it's a good fit. Yeah! I am starting my second suit now. It will be done in two weeks because I am pretty busy making my tailored coat.

My Identical Twin????

2010-05-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

So Michele found this picture on a Utah Bride blog. I promise I don't know anyone in this photo and I was never at this wedding... but does the girl on the very right look like me? Freaky!

DISNEYLAND

2010-05-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

Eric and I had a blast at Disneyland. We also went to the beach. We didn't get too many pictures because we were too busy running from ride to ride. When we go to Disneyland, we don't stop for anything.... even the kids keep up with us. Anyways, it was a nice break between winter and spring semester. Thanks mom and dad for the AWESOME family trip!!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!! Part 2

2010-05-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

Eric is 23 so we are going to tell you 23 reasons why you are the greatest mom/mother-in-law!!!

(from jillian)
1. When you laugh really hard you get Asian eyes and cry!
2. You are a top-notch seminary teacher.
3. You always have FHE and teach us about the scriptures.
4. You let us live in the basement last summer and fed us amazing meals!
5. You took care of Eric when he was a tired, exhausted, dehydrated, bug boy.
6. You had Eric, so that someday he could be my best friend and husband.
7. You go on walks with me and talk to me about anything I need help with.
8. You cook the most amazing meals.
9. You sew amazing quilts, like the one that hangs over our couch.
10. You are fun to play card games with, even if I lose every time.
11. You are very thoughtful and get us gifts on our birthdays and holidays.
12. You take us to Lake Powell and Pickleville Playhouse, so we can be closer as a family.

(from eric)
12. You make Eric smoothies.
13. Thanks for potty training me.
14. Thanks for taking me to the doctor when I broke my leg.... even if it was a month late.
15. You are good at telling us the stories of Les Mis and Phantom while we were on car trips.
16. Thanks for taking us to Lion King.
17. You make my favorite oatmeal cookies.
18. You are good at forgiving me when I scared you and made you cry when you were having a bad day.
19. Thanks for still being my mom when I came home from school with my chop slips.
20. You bought me my first guitar.
21. You supported me by coming to all my volleyball games.
22. You are the only one I can count on to laugh at my dumbest jokes.
23. You helped me prepare to be a good missionary.

Happy Mother's Day!!! Part 1

2010-05-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you for the wonderful influence you are to me. Hope you had a wonderful mothers day!
I am 22 years old so here is 22 things I am grateful for!

1. Thanks for teaching me the gospel.
2. Thanks for always knowing what is best for me.
3. Thanks for taking me on mother-daughter outings... just you and me.
4. Thanks for teaching me the importance of education.
5. Thanks for teaching me how to clean and work hard.
6. Thanks for introducing me to my favorite hobby... sewing!
7. Thanks for all the Blueberry Hill breakfast outings... even the ones before early morning seminary. (Thanks for waking me up every day for seminary.)
8. Thanks for having one other girl so I could at least have one sister!!!!
9. Thanks for picking out my husband, before I even knew I would love and marry him someday.
10. Thanks for picking me out clothes better than I can pick them out for myself.
11. Thanks for supporting me in all my sports and dance... but mostly sports!!!!
12. Thanks for being the best example of fulfilling church callings.
13. Thanks for curling my hair with your curlers whenever I asked.
14. Thanks for helping me when I was sick.
15. Thanks for teaching me to have good habits, like being early and keeping commitments.
16. Thanks for planning my wedding and helping me get my wedding dress.
17. Thanks for making me my favorite meals growing up.
18. Thanks for supporting me with my schooling at BYU.
19. Thanks for doing my laundry growing up.
20. Thanks for helping me organize my apartment.
21. Thanks for my favorite portrait of Christ... It's hanging up in our living room.
22. Thanks for being the greatest mom anyone could ever ask for!!!!!

Fly Fishing The Green River

2010-05-09T00:34:00.001-07:00

Fishing the Green River was where my dad gave me my first fly fishing lessons. I figured I had to give it a try since it is Eric's new favorite hobby.... In fact, he's pretty much obsessed with it after taking a fly fishing class this last semester. I learned it's not so easy!

Zach and Eric had a fish on at the same time!

We floated down in our blue raft, but this is a picture of when we stopped the raft to fish in a good spot for a while. Nice catch Eric!

I quit fishing by the end because I am not that good at it. Instead, I put myself in charge of netting all Eric's fish, taking the hook out, and attempting to get a picture with his fish. This is the only shot he got of this fish because I am not good at holding them up... They are so slippery! I dropped this one back in the water.

This fish was caught on a dry fly, but I can't tell what kind because it's a fly fisherman's secret that I can't give away.
My dad designated Eric as the target to be the blame for the person that forgot our ice chest of food. My mom packed us lunches and snacks for us to eat, but Eric forgot to put it in the raft so we had to float down the river all day without food. This was my favorite part of that day. I was starving!!!

Ringer Family 2010

2010-02-18T12:12:00.001-08:00

The Grandchildren

Caleb's sad face is too cute.

Cute Parents!!!!!

Our family pic isn't as cool as the others' because we don't have cute kids like them:)

Our Trip to Logan

2010-02-15T12:44:00.000-08:00

This weekend we met up with Mont and Melinda and they took us to one of our favorite restaurants. In Brigham City, on the way to Logan, hitting up Maddocks is a MUST. Along with the food, their rolls and raspberry butter is to die for. Then we made our way up to Grandma Ringers. Eric and I love staying at Grandma Ringer because you can always count on Grandma to rent random movies just for our visit, lots of food, and dessert too. We also got to visit Grandma Kathy. She is always fun to visit with and share an Italian sandwich with. We saw Meesh's in an encore of "The Hanging of El Bandito." She did a great job. I make fun of her because she had to kiss a married man in the play. Meesh is super talented and if you didn't catch Bandito, you have got to see the sequal this summer. It's called "Bandito Rides Again!" ...... I think that's what they called it.

Zach's Annual Tourni

2010-02-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

Eric and I really enjoyed seeing Zach play in the UVU tourni. Ben came down to see the action as well... and he is an annoying spectator. He gets me riled up and together we can become the opposing team's nightmare. We think it's funny to make noises when the other team is serving. Last year when Joe Hillman was serving, me and Ben made him miss. He flipped us the bird. Way to represent, as a former BYU volleyball player/national champoin! It was funny. This year we didn't ruffle any feathers.... except for a bench warmer that offered to meet Eric outside after the game. hahahaha That was a crack up.

My dad was there and we also got to see Kate, Justin, and their adorable kids. Grandpa, Greg, and Ray even made it to one game. We always have a blast at this tourni and we can't wait for next year's.

Fish Research

2009-11-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went with my brother Zach and Eric to help them with their research project. They help Dr. Shiozawa collect brook trout and cuttroat trout. They are studying how the native cutthroat trout is being replaced by the brook trout. They fly fish to do these collections, and sometimes they use an electro-fisher like we did this weekend. We collected 50 brook trout at the Bunker Creek near Panguitch. I had a lot of fun. I was in charge of carrying the eqipment, holding the fish, and keeping count of the fish. Zach, Eric, and I had a blast on this one day adventure. Eric and I signed up for the fly fishing class next semester. We are really excited about that... plus, our T.A. for the class will be ZACH!

It was fun to see the fishing lab where Zach and Eric work. I got to hold and feed there turtle!

My First Hunt

2009-11-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

Justin and I both had mule deer tags in the Ruby Mountains near Wells, Nevada. My dad, Nate and Eric came to help us get our deer. It was a lot of hiking, alot of glassing, but it was worth it. Hiking up to the deer, being sneaky, quiet, and setting up to shoot was exciting. Shooting the deer gave me an adrenaline rush. Nate helped me get set up to shoot. Justin was going to back me up if I missed. I missed my first two shots, but the buck didn't go anywhere so Justin didn't have to back me up. Nate put his coat underneath my gun to steady my shot. I got him on the third shot. It was so thrilling... (and I never thought shooting a deer could be fun) Then right after we got my deer, Justin got his on the same ridge but opposite direction of where my buck was. He got a much bigger buck than me. My dad and brothers said my first two shots were practice because I had never shot that gun before. My deer's left antler has a weird horn and is a bit deformed. I think my deer probably got teased growing up. My dad said "It's good for your first buck" haha Thanks for helping me get my first deer Eric, Dad, Justin, and Nate. I had a great time and now Eric and I have a freezer full of meat. :)

This is my deer. Justin's is the 5x3 and mine is the "3x narly"

I Miss My Little Bro.

2009-11-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

Anzanio Anderson... aka Jerm, is doing well in Italy. His good friend Fabio got baptized and he is now receiving the new convert lessons. Fabio told Jeremy that he is very grateful for the Gift of the Holy Ghost and can feel the strength and blessings of having the Holy Ghost with him at all times.

Summer Projects!!!

2009-07-15T09:31:00.001-07:00

This is the rug that I am braiding. It is getting pretty close to being finished. I'm so happy that my grandma taught me how to braid rugs because it truly is a lost art and now I can always have a bit of Grandma Baugh with me. I originally started this rug with intentions of making it big enough for a whole family to kneel and pray on... we'll see if I can get it that big. If not, at least Eric and I are a small family right now:)

I am also making a dress form. This next semester I will be taking a pattern making class. In this class we will learn how to use a dress form and learn how to drape. I am pretty excited. Dress forms cost over 200 dollars, but my professor showed me how to make a personalized one for the cost of two old t-shirts and a couple rolls of duck tape:)

MacKay Wedding Dance

2009-06-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

Davis and his groomsman choreographed this dance for Becca the night before their wedding. It is hilarious. Congratulations Becca and Davis. We love you. Love the Ringers
p.s. I wasn't able to see the performance because I didn't make it back from Alaska in time. But don't worry, Eric did the dance for me when I got home. It was pretty hilarious to watch him count out the steps and shake his booty. If you see him, ask him to do this dance for you.

GUATAMALA!

2009-06-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Mont took Eric and I on the most amazing trip to Guatamala. "Sonrisas para Guatamala" (Smiles for Guatamala) was a week long medical mission that we were so happy to be apart of. A whole LDS chapel was turned into a work station where different stakes bused in pre-missionaries to get their mission papers ready. It was so fun to work with the Guatamans... they are amazing people... so nice... so humble... so faithful... and SO brave.

Every one that came in got THE WHOLE WORKS DONE! They got their blood work and TB tests, they got a missionary hair cut if needed and then got their photo taken for their mission papers...
They each got to pick two missionary ties.

Eye examinations was their next stop.

Then they went to diagnostics where they got their x-rays and exams to see what dental work needed to be done so they could qualify to go on a mission. These guys are waiting for that exam and showing off their papers.

While waiting for diagnostics, a wonderful lady who doesn't even speak Spanish prepared and memorized a presentation on dental hygiene en espanol! She talked about the importance of taking care of your teeth, having good breath, especially while sharing the gospel, and being a representative of the Lord.

Then the pre-missionaries got their teeth cleaned... I guess some were so built up with plaque that the correct term was "scaling".

Then they went to....
meaning, "dentistry" "or "dental surgery"
....This is where they got their cavities filled. There were also endotontist on the trip to do root canals.
All the pre-dental students shadowed and assisted two different doctors everyday. Eric's favorite person to assist was his friend, Dr. Hale.

Here is Eric and his fellow pre-dental students.

Just messing around.
Dr. Nord, an orthodontist, came on the trip and he made flippers everyday. Flippers are retainers made with fake teeth attached so when worn, front teeth don't appear to be missing.

Then the future missionaries' favorite part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a long, exhausting, time spent getting dental work done, the Guatamalans get to go to oral surgery. See how excited our patient was?

This is Sister Tilley... she was a great help because she spoke some Spanish. Her most important job was to comfort our patients. She helped them through getting the injections and the hardest part was extracting the teeth while they are wide awake.

This is the oral surgery room. There were four stations.

Even with four oral surgeons, the line was always building up. But don't worry, we didn't leave anyone out. We stayed until 10:30pm or later until everyone had their extractions taken care of.

I was fortunate to assist Mont the whole trip because Eric was assisting in all the different areas of dentistry. I went on this trip not really knowing if the blood would bother me... luckily I was ok. Mont trained me on our first patient which was a really nice young man named, Henry. He was actually an RM who was volunteering. He came back a couple days later and presented us with these masks as a thank you gift. We were all so touched that he would spend the little money he had on these gifts. We were very humbled by his generous act.

It was so fun to assist my father-in-law.... especially when I got in the swing of things and when we were able to get into a routine. We bumped our headlights together quite a bit so Mont would tease and say, "You're already butting heads with your father-in-law!"

We always had a pre-dental student assigned to shadow us and translate for us. I started to get the hang of speaking the Spanish I needed to give them their pre-operative questions, and enough comforting phrases to get them through the surgery. It was really cool to communicate non-verbally also. It's amazing how much you can communicate through a smile, high-five, or a silly dance to cheer them up. They probably thought I was crazy sometimes but at least I was able to ease the nervousness.

Other doctors came by periodically to watch us work. Here is a progression of pictures to illustrate.

This is "Williams". He was one of the very few patients who didn't do so well under the knife. He was so scared and was not used to having any tools in his mouth. This made the surgery extremely hard. But we made it through. After Mont extracted his wisdom teeth, Eric comforted him the way he would comfort anyone after a traumatic surgery... lots of jokes, laughing, teasing, and goofing off:)

He wanted a picture with Mont and I after to show that we were still friends:)

I can't forget to include a very important work station that made this trip possible.

Here is our sterilization team.

Missionary fireside.

TIKAL RUINS

Eric got in trouble for climbing up this ruin. They had signs all over that read "NO SUBIR", meaning, "No Climbing". He just pretended that he didn't speak Spanish and Mont and I wouldn't claim him when the worker asked what group he belonged to. It was funny.

I love TEXTILES... so I was very interested in these women hand threading the weft through the stretched warp to make beautiful patterns.

A service project day!! All the doctors and students each were scheduled to go out on different days to participate in a service opportunity. They visited families, hospitals, orphanages, etc. On our day we got to go to a maternity hospital. Because of the "Swine Flew Epidemic Scare" we had to wear masks and had to be brief with the mother's and their newborns. It was still cool to give the mothers baby clothes and other essential items for a new mother to have.

We also got to travel to a little village and attend a sacrament meeting. After the meeting the leader of our group told the little kids that Santa had made a wrong turn and that we had presents for them.

I got to help take their family photos.

This is the leader of Smiles for Guatamala. He is presenting their family photo. It was a really cool experience because these families don't have cameras or family photos in their homes.

I wanted to go home with them, so I jumped in their truck right before they were leaving.

Shopping and bartering:)

Farewell to a few of our patients. I was suprised at how many girls had plans to go on a mission. Many of them already had their calls!

Packing up to leave.

Hiking at the Twisted Forest

2009-05-30T12:18:00.001-07:00

While we were up in Brian Head, we took all the little kids on a four-wheel ride to the top of chair four where we had a little picnic. Then we continued on to the twisted forest were we went on a little hike. It was so much fun.

Do you just love Britney's pose in this one? How about Justin's?

Eric and Andrew through this off the cliff where there was a waterfall. I guess that's what boys to for fun. :)

Room Makeover

2009-05-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

This was my first project of the summer.... my room. It was definitely needed. Now it is clean, clutter free, organized, and my sister-in-law, Jaclyn, can stay in there while Ben is away working.

BEFORE
AFTER

Pesky Shoes

2009-05-18T14:21:00.000-07:00

These are Eric's church shoes that he wore on his mission. As you can see, he put way too many miles on them. Melinda and I have been trying to get him to throw them away. The other day I was cleaning our apartment and I came across them. I put them in the trash after taking a picture of them so that Eric wouldn't have a hard time departing with them. I was taking out the trash when Eric was just returning from class. I asked him to throw it in the dumpster just to humor myself. He asked why I was laughing and I told him how I just got him to throw away his own shoes.

Our Reception

2009-02-17T16:53:00.000-08:00

Our Sealing

2009-02-12T16:20:00.000-08:00

CABO SAN LUCAS!!!!!

2009-01-25T21:37:00.000-08:00

Ok guys, Here are some pictures from the most awesome honeymoon ever!! Eric and I really enjoyed Cabo. I secretly want to quit school and go back and vacation.

So, here is the first thing you should know about our trip. If you were to see us at any given point, our profiles would look like these two pictures. Eric and I had a massive amount of PINA COLADAS. We actually learned how to order them so that they don't have alcohol in them. The correct term is "PINADAS" and not "Pina coladas." We only had to send them back once before learning this. haha

We had some awesome meals too. This was just a pizza at the resturant at our resort. It is right on the beach. I like this picture because you can see my new cool sweater that Eric and I bartered for.

This is a picture of our dinner one night. Our waiter in the picture asked us, "Do you like our authentic mexican party?" He was sweet. He gave us complementary beers or alcohol of some sort which we kindly had to send back.

Here is a picture of our sweet resort called "Fiestamericana" which we love and miss to the fullest.
One day our main activity was to swim with dolphins. This was my favorite for sure. We got to swim with them and as our consierge would say, "You can toouch them, and keese them, and they will yump over you." Our dolphin's name was Osiris. Osiris kissed me for twenty seconds, no lie... and then came back for another kiss. It was funny.

(Eric and I watched the dolphins while waiting to get suited up.

We also got to go on a sail boat ride that took us snorkeling. This was Eric's favorite activity. We saw tons of fish and the water wasn't even that cold. Eric chased the fish and went down deep and I watched him from the top.

We also spent a lot of time on the beach.

On New Years Eve, I fell asleep at 9:30.. haha! I was so tired from all that days activities. Eric woke me up at midnight to look at the fire works outside our balcony. They were seriously as good as Stadium of Fire!! I went right back to sleep after watching. haha

The morning after New Years Eve we woke up to go fishing at 7AM. I figured it was something I had to do in honor of my fisherman dad. Our bobbers or indicators were water bottles. Our sinkers were rocks from the beach, and our bate was frozen squid. With the tide going out, we didn't catch a thing but it was still a funny experience and we were just happy to do something silly together.

We also went ATVing which was a fun adventure. Some guy in our group rolled his and messed up the handle bars. Me and Eric kept it real because we didn't want to get insurance on our ATV. We stopped by the beach and took some pictures.

Our resort holds regular activities and games everyday. We entered into a ping pong contest. I lost to an 80 yr old lady named Virginia. Eric beat the really good mexican guy running the tourni and he also beat Virginia to be the champion.

We spent some time our resorts pools too. They had pool side bars that we took advantage of too. We love Pinadas!!!

On the last day, we were chillin at out resort waiting to leave. It was sad but in that time to kill I fed this bird my cookie crumbs and it got way close to me.

YEAH FOR CABO!!!

Marital Status

2009-01-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

For my nutrition class I had to fill out a survey about my feeling toward food and eating as well as my eating habits. At the end of the survey I came across this question.
This is the first time I have ever checked "married" and I felt so cool. haha Eric and I are studying in the library right now so I guess I will get back to my Nutrition book.

Yeah for Bridals!!

2009-01-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

Ok family. I am not afraid to show you my dress now that you have all seen it now. I am going to update you guys on the last couple months now. Engagement.. check. Here are bridals... check. Then I will get our honeymoon pictures from Eric. I won't get any wedding pictures for a few weeks so this is a start.

16 Days, and 1 hour, and 45 Minutes!!!!

2008-12-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Eric and I can't believe how close our wedding date is. We both don't feel like it's real but we're thinking once we get through finals it will seem less surreal. We are also so excited about Christmas. We are already planning a gingerbread house making challenge. I held a center where me and my preschoolers made gingerbread houses. I should have taken a picture of what these four year olds did... it was amazing. Anyway, I have extra materials that Eric and I can use. I also want to watch the Grinch 50 times and Elf 52 times to catch up to me and Rachel Orr's rate from last holiday season. Well, I am so excited about everything that is going to happen in the next three weeks. It's mind blowing... I am going to be married? In two weeks? I'll have a husband!! Crazy Crazy!

Engagement Pictures!

2008-11-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, guys, I'm giving in... I didn't want you to see our engagement pictures until they came out in our invitations but I am having trouble choosing the best one. Help me out!!! I need your input.
#1.
#2 #3 #4
On a more serious note... Thank you so much for taking our pictures Mom and Kate. Thanks for working with Eric and I, even though we are goofballs and we aren't always the best at cooperating. We love you and thank you for all your time to help us out.

THANK YOU!!!

2008-11-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

I also have to remember to give a special thanks to Michele. She feeds Eric and I Subway with her dining plus all the time. We are so grateful for her looking out for us. She always thinks of us when going to eat on campus. We always enjoy this time spent with her and her good friend Sarah. They are so fun to be around. Thanks Meesh! Love, Eric and Jillian

Hello Friends!

2008-11-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

So, it's been too long since I've done two things. The first is blog... the second, and most important thing I have neglected to do, is to say hi and catch up with some of my very best friends. I have been playing phone tag with some of you. As silly as this sounds, sometimes even a missed call from any of you makes my day because I knew you were thinking of me. I just have to say that I love you girls so much and I am so grateful for how you have touched me. All of you have made me so happy as I have felt your love and support throughout the past decade or more. I want you girls to realize how grateful I am for you even though we all live in different places and play phone tag. I can't wait to see my best friends again soon!

School, Study, Planning: Love the Combo

2008-10-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Eric and I. I just had to put something else on my blog because I feel so bad that I have had NO time to update it. Eric and I are having a blast going to school together. We live in the library, go to class, and plan the wedding here and there. We are so excited because everything that is coming along so well... thanks to my wonderful mom. We love her and appreciate her so much. We are also grateful for everyone else and their help. This picture is in Brian Head. I can't let you see any others because they are potential engagement pictures. ha ha! We were lucky to have a little break in Brian Head for the weekend... even if we had to balance play and homework.... plus, there was a surprise trip to Vegas on Saturday to get fitted for my dress. We are busy but it's fun because we are together.

I'm ENGAGED!

2008-09-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

A Day at the Beach

2008-08-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

Hunnington Beach, CA

Ollie and Lily wanted to be burried too!

Eric made sand castles with Lily...

...While I took a nap.

WICKED FUN

2008-08-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

My mom, Eric, and I got into the evening show the Saturday we were in California. It was so good and even more fun to see it with Eric.... the last three times I had to go without him. haha Wicked is my favorite musical by far.

August Weddings

2008-08-25T20:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to CA for my good friend's wedding. Katie was gorgeousand she and Cameron looked so happy. Congratulations!

Rachel was one of the bridesmaid with me and I hadn't seen her since her reception. It was nice to see her there with her HUSBAND!? Congrats to you guys as well. I love you.

"Wizawd Fun"

2008-08-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

I went to Lake Powell with the Ringer's and had a blast. Eric and I went lizard hunting a few times because I think it is such a big thrill to catch them. (They are so FAST!) We brought them back to the house boat and dug a huge hole to make a home for our lizards. Luke, Isaac, and Noah got to play with them and then I brought them home for Lily and Ollie. Lily says, "The wizawds r so coot!" She broke the tail off the baby one and every day since she says, "I cut the tail... I'm so saw-we Jill." haha She loves them even more than Ollie surprisingly.

Team Edward

2008-08-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Eric was nice enough to go to Borders with me at midnight to buy a copy of Breaking Dawn from the Twilight series. I was so excited to read it right then but I knew I shouldn't because Eric and I only have an hour or two to hang out everyday because of our work. He could tell how ancy I was so he agreed to read it to me aloud, despite the fact that he says "It takes away from his manhood." What guy is willing to read a vampire chick flick aloud to his girl? I consider myself extremely lucky. Since then, Eric and I have formed a routine where he reads me a few pages everyday. Secretly I think he is into it now because he won't let me read it without him. No one tell me the ending because we still have the last 1/3 left to read. p.s. I think I'm on team Edward, but secretly I wish Jacob got his share of Bella too.. haha!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JERM

2008-08-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

For Jeremy's birthday we went on a triple date to Carrabbas and then we saw Jersey Boys at the Palazzo. The singing was so awesome and so fun but I don't recommend the show to anyone because the language was horrible.

Tuesday=Lake Day

2008-07-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

I didn't go to work today. I went to the Lake with all the bug boys! We went wakeboarding and did some serious cliff jumping.

In this picture I am falling... I'm trying to catch up with my shadow.

This next one is of Eric and my brother Justin. They are crazy!!! Eric looks like a monkey.

The one after that is the highest jump of the day. Eric and Justin look ant-size up there. I was scared for them.

The last picture is Eric falling because he jumped from a higher spot then me. "WE'RE CRAZY PEOPLE!"

Biking in Brian Head

2008-07-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Biking Bunker Creek Trail was insane. I fell off my bike and Eric made a couple sweet dismounts himself. Jeremy thinks he's the next Lance Armstrong. He says he wants some spandex with butt pads in them for his birthday coming up. My dad is a trooper... he never lagged behind and he is the only one who didn't fall off his bike at anytime of the 13 mile mountain bike adventure.

Fancy Date

2008-07-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Eric was sweet to remember a promise he made to me in a letter almost two years ago. He promised to take me to Hugo's Cellar when he got back from his mission. This restaurant is significant to us because we went there as our last date before he left for Wisconsin. Now it is the place of our first date since he's been back.

Independence Day

2008-07-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

FISH ON! FISH ON!!!

2008-06-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, I had so much fun on our Alaska adventure this year. My dad takes me and my brothers fishing every June to catch the salmon run on the Nushagak. I love this trip because each year I am able to see how much my dad cares about family togetherness. I know my dad doesn't plan this trip annually for himself. I know this because for the last ten years I've been, I have never seen my dad reel in his own fish. Each time he hooks a fish he hands the pole to me or another sibling. Zach and I tried to get him to reel in his own fish on this trip. Zach refused and I pretended to be too tired when he got one. My dad was begging Zach and I to come get his pole. The fish was getting slack so he had to start reeling. At this point he yelled, "Jill, DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO!" I jumped up and couldn't help but enjoy reeling in that fish. My dad is happy when we are catching fish and having fun. His family motto is, "A family that fishes together stays together."

This is the very first fish of the trip and I caught it! It's so small!
The first couple days were really slow because the salmon weren't in yet. We didn't let ourselves get bored. We went straight for the river. Jumping in the Nush is a thrill for us because it is SO COLD!

After that, the fish came in and we were all hooking into the big ones!

The last day I caught two really big ones near 30 pounds. (My dad hooked one of them) I had to fight one of them for 15-20 minutes. Every time I thought I got it close to the boat, it took out my line again. I love fishing for salmon!

We also did well halibut fishing. We all caught our limit, told jokes, laughed hysterically, and bugged our captains to death for the latter of the three.

(We saw these dahl sheep on the way to Seward.)

(And these are my lucky rain boots that I wore all week.)

Happy Graduation Jeremy!!!

2008-06-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

My little brother is not so little anymore! I attended his graduation today. His salutatorian speech was really good. The best part was when he quoted President Monson, "We must go forward, look upward, move onward, and rise heavenward." I am so proud of him and I am so excited that he will be a cougar this Fall.

I was also happy to be at the graduation because I got to see one of my very best friends, Haley Adams. Her little sister was the valedictorian. Congratulations Alivia! She also did a great job on her speech.

Friday the 13th!!!!!!!!

2008-06-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

Whoever established "Friday the 13th" as a superstitious, unlucky day is seriously mistaken. I have been waiting for this day for two years and I can't believe it's finally come. This lucky day I was able to see Elder Ringer!!! I greeted him at the airport and gave his hand a good shake, haha! It was so good to see him. This day is proof that "Friday the 13th" is really a magical day.

Hair Cuts for Lily and I

2008-05-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today after work I went and got my hair done by Jamie Zobrist. When I got home I found out that Lily got her hair cut too. Only her hair cut was free because Ollie was thoughtful enough to do the job for her. If I only knew that Ollie was so talented, I could have saved my money! Kidding… I love going to get my hair done by Jamie. We always have fun and she does a great job.
I cleaned up the mess but I took a picture so Katy could see it when she got home.

When we showed Grandpa what his four year old grandson had done, he laughed so hard and said, “Ollie, why did you cut your sister's hair?” He said, “So she would look like a boy.” I guess he thought if he changed her hair, he would have a little brother instead. Haha.

Here is a before shot.
And the after shots.