Sewing Adventures

So I recently took up an interest in sewing... andfor those who have never done it, IT IS HARDER THAN IT LOOKS! lol It took me awhile to get the nitch for it but after much concentration (and a cycle of sew, rip seam, try again!) I finally feel a little better! Now, I am no pro. I will not be making my own clothes anytime soon lol But it is actually very fun and rewarding to be able to make something! Here are my newest little guys...

Soooo CUTE! :)

This week I will also be making pillows for my couch and bed... and I am attempting to make a headboard... I will just have to post pics when I get done! Do you think I have turned into my mom when I wake up thinking about crafting, sewing, and such stuff? I do. hehe

Shout out to MY MOM! She is a very patient sewing teacher :)

It's official! :)

November 27th, 2010

Yesterday was surely one of the most important days in mine and my wonderful husbands life! Matt was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! The spirit was so strong at his baptism and I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with emotion. I feel so lucky to have him in my life and I am excited for our life to come. This is just one step closer to having an eternal family! I love Matt and all that he does for our family. He is patient, kind, loving, understanding, giving, and so many other great qualities. I found a keeper! lol After his baptism he said, "I really do feel different." This is just the beginning of so many blessings for our little family!

Our Day of Thanks...

Thanksgiving was a success! We had tons of food and good company. I still feel full from thursday ;) I am so very very thankful for my family and for my new little family that is expanding soon! This year has been amazing and I can't imagine what the Lord has in store for us. Enjoy the pics!

Halloween

I had a really fun night at the ward Trunk-or-Treat. I was so happy to be in good company and to be spending time with my family. Also, Parker came! Gosh I love that kid so much. He is adorable and such a joy. Don't tell my sister, but one of these days she will wake up and he will be gone... cause I am going to steal him!!! lol I really do just love him and miss him when he is away. Ask anyone, I am obsessed with him. :)

Tonight he dressed up as a rockstar and totally played the part! What a cute, smart, kid he is!

What a STUD!

p.s. Parker is profoundly deaf. He got Cochlear Implants and has been able to hear for about a year now! He is learning how to talk and can say so many things already! He is truly a little blessing sent from Heaven and definitely sent to our family for a reason. :)

It's never too early to start celebrating Christmas :)

For those of you who know me, know that I absolutely love Christmas. It's my favorite holiday! I love the weather, the feeling, and the music. There is nothing about Christmas that I don't love. lol

My favorite Christmas memory would have to be 2 years ago. I was living in Maui and it was my 2nd holiday season away from my family. I hated being away from them during the holidays and hated that Maui had nothing but warm, beautiful weather. (ok... I didn't hate the weather. How could you?) But I was really homesick and missed my family a lot. One day during the middle of November, my dad texted me and asked me if I would be able to get work off during the week of Christmas. I was working two jobs at the time and honestly had no idea. He then proposed that we surprise my family on Christmas Eve with my arrival HOME! (It had been almost a year and a half since I had seen my family). So I started right away with trying to get my shifts covered so we could book the flight. It was definitely the Lord's intervention because I had many willing people able to help cover my shifts and the planning began! I left December 23rd @ 11:00pm on a red eye to San Fransisco. When I got to the San Fransisco airport it was about 8am. My next flight was at 11am... but of course, it was delayed. All the meanwhile, me and my dad were texting back and forth plotting this amazing surprise! Well eventually my flight boarded... 6 hrs later! But I made it to Fresno at about 4pm. When I saw my dad I was in tears. I hadn't seen him in what felt like forever and it was so awesome to be able to spend some time with him. I love him! We then headed toward the house where he had a wrapped HUGE Christmas present ready for me to hop in. (For my later reveal!) My dad called my family and told them they needed to stay in the back bedroom (my parents room) while he unloaded the surprise for them. REMEMBER... no one knew what was going on! As I hopped in the box... my heart was racing!! I was nervous and excited but definitely overwhelmed with emotions. My dad gathered the family around the huge Christmas Present and told everyone that it was very difficult to ship this box. He had my youngest brother, Kenneth, say the magic words so the box would open. So my brother said "Abracadabra"... and I shook the box. Everyone was laughing and had no idea what was going on... And my Dad asked Kenny to say them one more time... so he did. And after he said them I popped out! My whole family was so overwhlemed. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. It was the most amazing and overwhelming feeling of love I have ever experienced. I couldn't believe how different everyone looked and how much I missed them. There weren't enough hugs to make up for the times lost.

Needless to say, It was an amazing Christmas. This is the reason Christmas means so much to me. It is definitely a time of year where you can "over-express" your love and appreciation for your family and loved one's. Even though that should be everyday of the year ;) It's also a wonderful time to celebrate the birth of our Christ, my best friend. So that is why this year, I started making my crafts early! I finally have my own home and my own little family to start traditions with. Basically, I am overzealous.

HERE ARE THE START OF THE PROJECTS! (not very great pictures... more to come of course)

I started making these acorns. They have numerous places they will
go in my house. But they are easy and adorable! I am making them with
green fabric and burlap as well.

And the start of my wreath!!! I have a little more to add, but it's getting there!

Most of my inspiration these days comes from this blog! Go check it out :)

ashbyfamilyblog.blogspot.com

BAPTISM!!

Well for all who don't know... MATT IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!

Yes, I was just as shocked as you are. lol

I got a text from my dad while I was in class telling me to call Matt when I had a chance. I knew that the missionaries had been over earlier because I was upset I couldn't be there since I had school. My mom and dad had both come over to our house to support Matt. Well, I was so anxious to find out what had happened that I left class momentarily and gave him a call. When he answered I asked if the missionaries were still over and he said that they were just about to leave and he would call me back. BUT I COULDN'T WAIT! So I told him that I knew something was up and to tell me what was going on. All he said was, "Don't worry babe we will talk about it when you get home." Really? Did he really think I was just going to back off? lol Finally, he told me that he had decided to get baptized. I, of course, started crying! My first question was, "You are not doing this for me, are you?" And he preceded to tell me that he knew it was right and that he thought he was ready. I support his decision 110%! The Lord answers prayers :)

Now how blessed am I? Rhetorical question, of course.

I am so excited for Matt and I am excited for our life. One day we will be sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. Our life may be a little unconventional and a little out of order but I could not ask for a better husband or a more supportive family. I am so in love with Matt and so excited to be a mom! How did I get so lucky?! Gosh life is surprising. :)

p.s. I am 29 weeks pregnant! And the sex of the baby is inconclusive.

Warning: Jealousy may occur during the viewing of these images! haha

27 weeks pregnant!!!!

This reminds me of Hawaii :(

I am married to a hottie.

Someone is in need of a tan, huh? lol

These guys are my favorite! I love me some meerkats!

My honey :)

Aren't they so cute!!

Feeding the dolphins!


We have so many more pictures but I will spare you the jealousy! hahaha It was a great time and it was my last trip without a baby! I can't wait to bring our little boy with us next time!

Our trip to the edge of the Border :)

Well as I am progressing in this pregnancy I am trying to balance everything on my plate. I work, i'm a full time student, and I am dabbling in volunteer work. NO, I am not complaining. Everything I do in my life I choose to do. But, it's still can be somewhat stressful.

Well to take off some stress, Matt and I planned a trip to San Diego. And I was counting down the days to get out of Fresno! I had not been to San Diego in a verryyyy long time and Matt had actually never been so we were very anxious. Plus, we were in need of some alone time considering Matthew is only home about 8 days a month on averge. So a 4 day getaway sounded like a plan!

The drive was long and very uncomfortable for me. Matt was patient with every stop we had to make (pregnancy takes a toll on the bladder!). (He also gave me numerous massages at the hotel to help me feel better. What a sweet husband.) I just had to keep reminding myself that we were "almost there" and that it is worth the drive! When we finally arrived I was SOOOOOOOO EXCITED! We actually went straight to the Wild Animal Park in Escondido. It was great weather and of course tons of fun! The rest of our trip was divided between Sea World (love this place!) and the San Diego Zoo (a classic) and let me tell you... we got plenty of exercise! We spent an average of 6 hours at each park just walking around and spending time together. It was a great trip and we were very sad to leave. We actually kinda fell in love with San Diego and Matt has decided to look into the SD police academy. :) I have absolutely no problem with this!


(pictures to come!)

Update!

I am alive. I have just been super busy!

I started school on August 16th and I am taking 16 units. I am also still working at Victoria's Secret too! Busy life. But of course I have lots of updates.

So, I am currently 24 weeks and my due date is now January 11th. (let's see how many times it will change during pregnancy... wanna start a poll?) I have a couple new baby pictures!

Anddd... It's a boy!!! :)

Aren't we blessed? As of 6 months ago we thought that having children was not an option for us (or at least not without help). I feel the Lord is blessing us everyday with not only a wonderful, active, healthy baby boy but many more things as well! I just can't wait to be a mommy and I honestly can't wait for the sleepless nights. I mean... I do get to share those sleepless nights with my baby. Everyone keeps warning me about "the sleepless nights" and "the exhaustion" but honestly, that will be a phase. I will try to enjoy EVERY moment, even the hard one's. I kinda signed up for this, so I am ready for EVERYTHING it entails. Overall, I just feel more than lucky to have a wonderful husband and a healthy baby that has been sent straight from heaven! Soon I will be holding this precious gift that has recently been with my Father in heaven. That will be amazing!

Here is a belly pic!

24 weeks down!

p.s. As far as the name goes.... it's a secret! Sorry guys ;)

Room in progress

When Matt and I first got married we didn't have a lot. In fact, we started off with just a bed. Well, lucky enough I have been able to accumulate things here and there. It's such a project decorating a room. Especially on a budget. I finally got started this last week and I am enjoying it so far! I have a couple projects in store and I will definitely blog about them as I go. This is a picture of the room so far. Mind you, we started off with just that bed. :)

This is it so far. A longggg way to go but a great start! I have tons of project ideas that hopefully my mom and I will do. Curtains, Pillow covers, and a chandelier soon to come! Yay for projects :)

p.s. Matt sent me the first "love letter". It was wonderful and it brought me to tears. I have a wonderful husband!

Fly Me to the Moon

Italy. France. Germany. Spain. Hawaii. Australia. Romania. Greece. Scotland. Ireland.

Just some of the places I want to visit. I love travelling. I love foreign cultures. But most of all, I LOVE VACATIONS! With a baby on the way and plenty of bills in sight, the possibility of exploring any of these wonderful places seems impossible. And at this point, it is. But I have learned throughout my life that if things were just handed to me I probably wouldn't be as appreciative. And if you know me then you know I never give up on something I truly want.That is why Matt and I have created this...

Yes, the answer to your question is that we will most likely have to fill this up a couple times in order to go to the exotic locations listed above. But we have a goal and we are working towards it! It will feel so rewarding when we have saved our pennies (literally) and can enjoy a vacation away without credit cards or savings used.

One of our goals when we got married, was to immediately eradicate our debt as soon as possible. Now the goal is to make sure this is done by the time the baby arrives. (edd: January 30th, 2011) This is possible as long as we keep our minds set!!

I really feel motivated and excited for the future! I feel blessed in so many ways. :)

-Life is good.

Love Letters

For those who don't know...

My husband Matt lives on the Ft. Irwin Army base. I am lucky enough to see him about 2 weekends a month. It is really hard living apart from him especially now that I am pregnant but we seem to manage pretty well.

Recently I have been looking through old emails between us from our first months together and realized that those letters from him were some of the best written proof of how much he loved me. (Of course that is why they are saved) So, as a challenge to our relationship we have decided to write each other love letters at least once a week.

Being married brings on a lot more challenging issues from when we were just dating. Of course shared finances, household duties, and work are just a few of them. The rules of the love letter are:

1. NEVER write anything negative.

2. Open the letter with an endearing name (this gets fun if you are creative) and of course close it with your own name.

3. Be open and write what is inspiring to you.

Instead of always texting and chatting on the phone about everyday things I really want to devote a portion of my time to telling Matt how much I love him. I love reading about history and one of my favorite subjects is about the great loves throughout time. Abigail and John Adams wrote over 1,100 love letters from the beginning of there courtship in 1762. Also, Heloise and Abelard's tumultuous love caused them to be separated for most of their lives but that didn't stop them from exclaiming their love through words. Many letters were exchanged even after they were forced to be apart.

Overall, I love the way things were centuries ago. The way the men courted the women, the letters they wrote, and the events their love endured. I eventually want to compile a book of the letters between my husband and I so that we can show our children. I feel like our love is a "great love of all time".

The Wonderful World of Blogging

I AM OFFICIALLY A BLOGGER!

Well, sort of. I have to say that getting this whole thing started was a lot more difficult than MYSPACE. haha... I guess I will give a little information on my recent life changing events.

On April 9th, 2010 I said "I do" to the love of my life Matthew Torres. Although it was an intimate (4 people intimate) wedding, it was everything I could have wanted. Because all I really wanted was to be married to Matt.

Matt and I go way back. 9th grade to be exact. I was a freshmen and he was a junior and unfortunately we sat next to each other in Spanish class. (I wasn't too fond of him at the time). I had begged our teacher multiple times to move me so I wouldn't have to sit next to him because he truly enjoyed pestering me. Of course, I still asked to wear his varsity football jersey multiple times. I guess you could say it was a love/hate thing at the time. We stayed in touch and flirted all through high school. He had serious girlfriends, I had serious boyfriends. But we always stayed friends.

I moved to Utah in March of 2007 and was emailing Matt consistently while he was stationed in Italy for the Army. When I moved back to California in August of 2007 we went on our first official date. We saw a movie (typical) and then hung out for a little. Although it was an amazing time, there was no first kiss. I was playing hard to get. He eventually had to go back to Italy and then he eventually was deployed to Afghanistan. At this point, we had moved on with our lives but still tried to keep in touch. He was in Afghanistan, I was in Maui, Hawaii.

Inevitably, we eventually started talking a little more consistently. And we talked about everything! I had never felt more secure and safe talking to someone before. I started feeling more and more in love with him after every conversation. I had never thought that this loyal friend could possibly be more. Eventually (after months of online romance) he proposed that we should get married. What started off as a joke, felt more and more real. And I almost felt like I should be on some eHarmony commercial. No one understood how I could have such a serious relationship with someone who lived so far away. But of course no one understood how much I loved him. We exchanged letters back and forth through email everyday and of coursed texted as much as we could. I felt like I was in a star crossed romance, something that only was found centuries ago.

Well as life goes, things didn't end up as perfectly as planned. Our engagement ended within 5 months and I became the runaway bride. Although Matt never gave up on me, I had given up on the idea of ever getting married. Long story short, I moved home from Hawaii on September 1st, 2009 and started hanging out with Matt again. It wasn't an instant reconnection but I definitely knew that I didn't want him out of my life. I was selfish and didn't want a relationship, but didn't want him to stop pursuing me either. Luckily enough, he eventually set me straight and "demanded" that I figure out what I want. (I was actually excited that he put his foot down cause I was ready to end the game,but my stubborn self wouldn't let down) We officially became a couple. It was a fast road from there but I had never felt so sure of something before. I knew that Matt was the person I was supposed to be with. And of course, we didn't waste any time.



I feel so blessed these days. I have to say that I have an amazing husband. He is the most loving, supporting, giving person. He loves me unconditionally and with all of his heart. I know when he says "I love you" to me, that it's not the kind of love you usually see in movies or read in books. It's the real deal. He is everything I have ever wanted in a partner and I am so happy to spend the rest of my life (eventually eternity) with him.



He is my soul mate.