Dietbets and Arizona

Bullet points because I wait to long to post nowadays so it's easier...

• Had a birthday on the 14th. Celebrated on a plane to AZ to have a Jeff Earl girl weekend with my SIL's. Brandon's parents are renting a house in Gilbert for a couple months. They are looking at possibly moving there, so this helps them get the feel of what it would be like. Here's what it would be like: Amazing. It would be amazing. 
• Arizona happened from the 14th-18th. We shopped, and I actually shopped and had a great attitude the whole time! For those who aren't aware, I have a genuine dislike/borderline hate for shopping. I like to get what I need and get out. It's rare when I can browse shop. It makes it easier to do when you have your girls with you giving you all the Ooo's and Ahh's about how great your butt looks in those jeans and how tiny your waist looks in that dress. We ate yummy food from tapinyaki, carne tacos, BBQ, homemade bread, and some random diner food (WE REGRET NOTHING). We got pedicures. We went and looked at model homes, and all realized we need to contact the decorator of these said model homes. We had all the conversations. We hottubed. We did inititories at the Gilbert temple. Side bar, Gilbert temple is my new favorite temple. The celestial room was absolutely stunning. We visited Uncle Doug and Aunt Connie, and had wonderful conversation. Post visit picked fresh lemons off a nearby lemon tree in someone's backyard. We talked make up. We read our books in peace without kids needing you to watch their newest trick. All the while husbands back at home survived being Mr. Mom. I will say, since this trip Troy has been more about Dad than me. I won't be leaving for a while. Need to reestablish our friendship. Ya know? 

• We went to a wedding in San Diego for our good friends Brock and Katie who FINALLY sealed the deal. Literally sealed, (boom).  It was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life to watch them  kneel across the alter from one another and make their covenants to each other and to Heavenly Father. We have been blessed to have been able to watch them find each other, fall and be in love, and now be our new married friends. We are so excited for them and can't wait to see what their beautiful future holds in eternity!

• While we were in San Diego, my great grandma was admitted into the ER after visiting my aunt with my Grandma for the holidays. She was diagnosed with lung cancer recently and was having issues breathing when admitted, after which they diagnosed her with heart failure. We visited a couple times to see her and visit with my family. It was heartbreaking to see my great grandma, who I think of as this strong and free willed being, in such a frail state. I'm grateful for my Grandma and aunts who were all there to help her mend enough to get her home to Seattle where she is now. As of right now she is stable at home. She just celebrated her birthday yesterday! Happy birthday Grandma Great! Love you like crazy.
• We went on a double date this last week with our friends Lindsey, Garret, Ken, and Taylor. We ate at Kona Grill, then went and watched Ride Along 2. Super funny! 
• Troy is getting 4 teeth right now and trying to kick a cold. Poor dude. He's had a wet cough and runny nose for a couple weeks now. He's still eating, sleeping, and acting just fine so I haven't felt prompted to take him to a dr just yet. Rub some dirt on it, right?
• So Kelsey Edwards and I are doing this Dietbet with Our Best Bites. Basically you put $35 into a pot with other players and bet that you will lose 4% of your body weight within the next 30 days. If you don't, you lose out on you $35. If you do, not only do you get your money back, but you also get a portion of the pot from those who didn't lose their 4%. It's sweet and super motivating! Plus 4% is so easy to lose. I've been eating paleo friendly, and straight up this is how I live with the exception of a cheat meal once a week. My mom got me a paleo cookbook for my birthday with awesome easy recipes that keep you full. My dream would be to throw away everything in my house that is not paleo compliant and say, "If it's not there then this is what you eat instead." Maybe someday B will be on board? Eh? Anyway, we have been doing Zumba M-W-F with her friend's mom who teaches a class for free at a church building. I love Zumba. It's so fun! Then on the off days I'll do an at home crossfit routine or an online Zumba workout. It's fun guys it's fun! With money on the line how can you not be motivated to get your butt in gear right?

K peace out.

Summer

Bet you thought I wasn't going to give you guys any pictures, huh? WRONG! Here you go:

Let me just emphasize how grateful I am for my job, my co workers, and the great doctor who owns the practice. For real, I genuinely look forward to going to work in the bright and early morning despite being an anti-morning person. My co workers have become some of my best friends, and I am very blessed. 

My office did the Dirty Dash. I didn't think I could compete due to there being obstacles, but then I found out you could go around them so... DANG! Next time. Anyhow, Miriam (another preggo assistant) and I stood on the sidelines and people watched. We saw this one guy dressed in a full body pig suit, and I'm pretty sure within 5 minutes of that run he was regretting it. Hahahahaha

Our friends decided to make us a cuddle buddy. His name is Parker. He was born at the beginning of July. He's the sweetest and such a little trooper! Congrats Bryce and Callie :) We love you

Baby Earl update:

We are 26 weeks along. I'm craving EVERYTHING. No seriously. I say it a lot mostly to justify the problem of how much I'm eating. It ranges from chocolate to broccoli. It's different every two seconds. I just have a never ending appetite. 

He's quite the mover and kicker. He is most active in the morning when I first wake up and get started with the day, while I am working on a patient and the Dr's drill is going (I think he can hear it or something and it wakes him up), and right before I go to sleep. 

The best thing about being pregnant is feeling him move, and watching Brandon become more "into" the whole thing as I get bigger. It's an incredible blessing to know we have the ability to create life and we know that blessing comes from our Father in Heaven. 

Lately I have been trying to catch him moving on video, but he stops moving every time I hit record! Rude... But this morning I FINALLY got him! 

Every time Brandon and I take pictures now Brandon will say to me, "K, make sure you stand to the side so we get a good angle of your belly." He's quite proud. 

I have fallen more in love with my husband through this experience. He's so caring and aware of my needs. He is always asking me what I need from him and what he can do to make me more comfortable. Even with the crazy schedule he has between working full time and going to school taking mentally draining classes, he manages to find time for me. He talks to his son like they are already BFF's, and rubs my belly like I'm going to grant him a wish. I'm anxious to see our son in his arms. This baby is one lucky kiddo to have a father like Brandon. 

We have had company in and out of town between going to family reunions and needing a place to crash. We love being the mid-point for travels. 

Here's B's sister Kelsey, Cozette, and Jon. Aren't they adorable?

We went on a very long road trip/vacation!  A much needed one for us to get to spend more than a couple hours together before bedtime. It was the bomb.

  

We went to Brandon's mom's side of the family reunion, (did I phrase that right?)

The MARBLE reunion.

In Fort Warden Washington. We stayed in a huge house. It was once a military base camp, and our house used to home military captains. It was gorgeous, and slightly creepy all at the same time. Mostly amazing at the thought of who lived there before, and the history that was there. 

Weather was fabulous. 70's. We played outdoor games, had a family history lesson by my dear MIL, played on the beach, went to a whale museum, ate delicious food, went to the farmers market in town, Brandon cooed our newest nephew Sagan to sleep, and B also got to spend some bromance time with his cousin Preston. Any time we would discuss the reunion he would say, "All I know is I'm going to be attached to Preston so..." They love each other. It's cute. 

After the reunion we went to spend time with my grandparents in Arlington and see my home town. Driving there we stopped in Anacortas and ate some yummy clam chowder in a bread bowl. We both agreed it was the best ever, but could have been exceptional with a sourdough bread bowl. Duh? Then we stopped at the purple doughnut house. If you are a doughnut lover, like my husband, this is where you wanna go. They are fresh, delicious, and melt in your mouth.

We walked on the bridge of deception pass, and got a little vertigo, went golfing on the golf course my grandparents live on, met up with my childhood BFF Adrianne and caught up; she got baby earl new Nike shoes and Dory from finding nemo, went shopping, got yummy ice cream at Snow Goose produce, walked around green lake in Seattle, and just had the best time. 

The coolest part about the trip is that we got to go see my old house. So it's for sale, right? So we got the idea that we should call and schedule a viewing acting as interested buyers. We totally did. When we got there I told them I grew up in the house, and they were so awed at the idea that as we walked around they asked me a million questions about what all had been renovated. 

It was surreal walking through my old house as memories flooded my mind. However, it was was a little tainted seeing someone else's stuff in my house. Thankfully, the renovations that were made totally made sense, and made the house more appealing. I doubt I'll ever go back to see the house after that, but I'm grateful I got to go back there and share those memories with my best friend. I even got to pick and eat a Japanese plum from ones of our fruit trees.

To add to this, my grandma and I were walking around green lake and she told me that she wanted to show me the house she had grown up in. So we drove there, and the current owner of the house was outside painted her stairs. My grandma told her she just wanted to show me her old house, and the woman happily invited us inside. Mind you, we were in Seattle. That doesn't happen. I suppose she didn't feel threatened by a pregnant girl and an older woman. Makes sense. I Face Timed my mom as we walked around the house. It was beautiful. My grandma lit up as she and my mom swapped stories between climbing out of second story windows, and my grandma's last memory of her mom in that house. Very tender.

Next stop...

The final leg of our road trip was in Moses Lake at B's parent's. 

We went boating with the kiddos, played in the pool, chatted, made yummy food, went on a date with our good friends Ty and Janessa, and got to take out his parent's landscaper Fransisco on a boat ride for his first time. He was so giddy and excited. He asked me to take pictures so he could send them to his wife and children in Mexico. 

Our summer was marvelous, and spent with the best of people. Thanks for making our summer awesome you guys!

Here's what's happening now:

-Back to work

-B has started school again. He is taking Micro and Stats. Ew? Pray for him..

-Getting all our unnecessary debts payed off

-Preparing to be parents