Fist List: Homework, Naps, Marriage, 1 Million Dollars, Magazines, and Backaches

I am going to try to be better at recording my life at least once a week. I used to be the best journaler and would write every day...then I got into college, got married, and had a baby and am now juggling all three simultaneously.This picture comes to mind...only I would have a more frantic face and I am allergic to cats so in the future it will just be a dog or two: 

On a completely random note I just saw a picture with a caption that read "I love my computer because my friends live in it." It made me laugh quietly to myself. 

One of my best friends keeps her blogs using a "5 things list." I have decided to follow suit and make my own fist list of things I am thinking about/things that are going on/our future plans. This will help me stay focused and my entries easier to follow and shorter at times. 

1. Marcus and I spent this Saturday doing homework. We did take some time to go grocery shopping and get a bite to eat at the Great Harvest Bread Co. here in town. They make homemade bread daily (obviously) and the shop always smells so delicious. When we walked in a couple of girls gawked at how adorable Madeline is. I have to agree. She is. 

2. I miss taking naps. So much. I have always been fond of naptime. In preschool I remember going to sleep on those thin sleep mats and waking up to a tower of blocks falling three inches from my face. In high school I never had the chance to nap because my schedule was so hectic and I really wish we hadn't had to commute so far every day. In my freshman and sophomore years of college I napped every day usually around 1 or 4pm. I miss those days. Sometimes my husband lets me take a short nap when he has free time...that will not happen this semester. 

3. A marriage lasts because both partners are willing to give/sacrifice. Part of this process is through intimacy. Sometimes I wish there were more time in the day.

4. If I won $1,000,000 where would the funds go? 

• I would bulldoze my parents' house and give them $200,000 to build a new one. 
• We would pay off our student debts (It is around $50,000 combined). 
• We would pay off my in-laws' mortgage which would allow them to save money for future expenses. 
• A lot would go in savings.
• We would purchase a home in South Carolina.
• We would buy nice gifts for our siblings because we love them.

5. I have a dream to create a magazine-worthy living area and kitchen in my future home. I want to put some sweat equity into our homes and create something inviting, charming, and comfortable. I want it to represent mine and Marcus' tastes, but we have such different ideas of what looks good. He is more rustic (picture seclusion in a log cabin) and I am more modern/shabby chic (which does not mean rustic). We bud heads, but he mostly lets me get my way since the woman, generally, is the nest-maker (especially in our case). We do agree on some things; we both like a wrap-around porch idea and a big yard with enough space for two dogs and ten children.

6. I am having back problems! I have had Scoliosis for a while now, but more recently I have developed Kyphosis (which is the excessive outward curvature of the spine). It has gotten worse this last year and has been putting extra stress on the muscles around the curved areas. It has been difficult to carry Madeline (now at least 20 pounds), and anything excessively heavy. I went to the doctor and he took xrays. We are waiting for the radiologist to tell the measurements of the angles to determine what sort of treatment I need--physical therapy, back brace, surgery, or a combination. 

Peace and Blessings.

Funny Quote: All my life I thought air was free...until I bought a bag of chips.

Good Quote: A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

Juggling.

I'm sitting here watching Maddy try to reach for things in the television; she is trying to reach her fingers into the screen. It is hilarious. She especially likes the little fish that swim by (we are watching Bubble Guppies; I kind of hate it). Watching Madeline grow each day is a beautiful thing. Lately I have had so many comments of "she is getting so big!" You know what? She is. She is walking, mimics pretty much everything I do, holds conversations for sentences at a time (although it is just babble of course), and tries to use forks and spoons. She is also a pro at using a straw.

Going to school full time and being a mother is hard work. It is the hardest thing I have had to do in my life! I feel exhausted physically, emotionally, and cognitively. I feel like I am just surviving life right now. Yet, I know I am so blessed. I have an amazing family. My husband makes sure I am provided for. My daughter is healthy and growing. I get to attend a school with low tuition costs and where the Spirit is felt so strongly and is invited into each class. I can afford things I don't need but really really want. I am educated; I will have a degree in less than a year! My husband has a full time job and he can stay home and go to school still. I know I am blessed. If you don't know, please remember that you are a son or daughter of God who loves you very much! He is all-knowing and all-powerful. He will make things--good things--happen in your life. So, while my life is difficult to juggle right now, I know it will all work out.

Recent Things:

1. Last week we were on vacation at my parents' house. We went to the Santa Barbara Zoo, which Madeline loved.
2. I have been looking at homes to buy. It is more difficult than I thought.
3. Madeline loves animals.
4. My last semester started on Monday. It is Marcus' third-to last.
5. My car gets about 25-30 MPG on the highway! It is a 7-seater, so that is amazing!

Thanks for caring about us enough to read!

Impressions of the Spirit Session 1 of the 183 General Conference

God loves us. Regardless of our downfalls. He loves us. He always will. Even when I don't know what I am supposed to bear testimony on, I know God loves us. The Spirit that I have felt while watching Conference has been one of peace and excitement. It's okay that there are a lot of miserable things happening in the World because God will not let us down. He will never forsake us, even when we believe He has. Jesus Christ has made sure that we will return to our heavenly home to reside with God once more. We are free agents to make sure this happens, but it is in our power that it happens.

I was thinking that when we feel that we do not have a cheer-leading team here on Earth for the good things we do at least we have one in heaven. When we choose to compliment, to not gossip, to have patience with others, to endure the what-seems-like-endless misery, there is a team in heaven that is happy and proud of us; God is saying "that's my girl" or "that's my boy!" "Well, done though good and faithful servant." We can count on that.

So, don't worry. God loves us. He will make sure we are taken care of. Surely the person who created the heavens and the earth--the whole universe--will make sure we are okay. Don't for one second doubt that he is incapable of knowing how to help. He is omnipotent and omniscient. Trust in the Lord. Have faith in his power which is endless.