Finishing the Blog Challenge

I know my blog challenge is supposed to last for 30 days, but as you've noticed, I'm flying right through it. Well, because I want to soon devote my blog to my upcoming IVF cycle, I'm going to go ahead and finish this up. :)

This is going to be information overload right now, so bear with me!

Day 21 - Picture of myself

This picture was taken at a fun little park in Sunriver, Oregon. Ella is a little over 2-1/2 years old. This picture makes me smile because it captures the raw action of me being a mom and Ella being my daughter. No staged smiles, no say "Cheeeeeese!" Just us being. :)

Day 22 - Favorite city

That's an easy one...Portland, Oregon!

Day 23 - Favorite vacation

Well, my favorite vacation growing up has to be when my parents, Sister and I went to Walt Disney World and on the Disney cruise. That was such a fun week!

My favorite vacation as Mrs. Johnson has to either be one of the trips to Sunriver...

or one of the camping trips we've taken to Patrick's Point State Park.

Day 24 - Something I've learned 

If there is anything I've learned throughout my life, and especially as of late with our infertility, is that I am not in control. God is in control of my life. I am such a take-charge, controlling, create-my-own-destiny type of gal, and even though having those traits does bring some direction in my life, God still has the final say. I've learned through our infertility the art of surrendering. I have surrendered our infertility to God. I have surrendered my life to God. I surrender my every day to God. Releasing that familiar and comforting control is hard, but once submitting it to God, I have felt so much better.

Day 25 - Put my iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Since I'm on our iMac, I'll just shuffle through our iTunes songs. This may be embarrassing, but here it goes...

1.  Kelly Pickler - I Wonder

2.  Black Eyed Peas - Shut Up

3.  Theme song from Love Story

4.  Switchfoot - Gone

5.  Chris Daughtry - Over You

6.  Eminem - My 1st Single

7.  Ray LaMontagne - You Are the Best Thing

8.  Celine Dion - Brahms' Lullaby

9.  Brian Adams - Please Forgive Me

10.  U2 - With or Without You

Day 26 - Picture of my family

This picture was taken at a nearby park a few months ago.

Day 27 - Pets

Bob, our 1-year old pug.

Zoe, our 7-year old black lab mix.

Day 28 - Something that stresses me out

A lot of things stress me out. But, I'm working on it. I guess a main stress is finances. With IVF, we weren't quite sure where our financial future would take us. But, once we determined it'd be best to have Aaron finish up his Master's degree in special education, thereby having the option to defer his student loan payments for another year, we feel better about things. We will have extra each month, and our goal is to either pay off our IVF debt or pay off our car, so that once the student loan payments kick in, we'll be sitting more comfortably. :)

Money is a common stress we all share, though. I guess another thing I stress about is time. I do not like being late to places, and if Ella chooses to take 15 minutes to put her shoes on or if Bob absolutely refuses to go in his crate or if Aaron won't leave the house without a mug of coffee, I get stressed. I can't stand that anxious feeling of not being on time. I can't imagine what it'll be like with two kids! So, I'm trying to train myself to give myself enough time to take care of Ella's shoes, Bob's stubbornness, Aaron's coffee and still manage to put a little mascara on! :)

Day 29 - 3 Wishes

Wish #1 - For IVF to work. Wait, better yet, to get pregnant naturally. :)

Wish #2 - For money to never be something to worry about, or in other words, to always be able to provide for my family.

Wish #3 -  For three more wishes, of course!

Day 30 - A Picture

And I will leave you with a picture of my mom and me at my college graduation in June 2005. Don't we look alike??? :)

*All pictures, other than my own personal property, are courtesy of Google images.

Miss Nickname

Day Nineteen

Things I Miss

Here are some things I miss, on the top of my head, in no particular order,

• Date nights with Aaron (with just the two of us);
• Baby Ella (she's such a big girl now);
• Our dog, Samson, who we had to give away once he started biting and showing aggression towards Ella;
• My parents' dog, Cujo, who we recently had to put down;
• Putting effort into my "appearance," instead of putting all my effort into Ella (this is just a matter of making time, I suppose);
• The amazing first year Aaron and I were married (everything seemed so simple and effortless back then, not to say things are hard now...just much more on our plate now);
• Having my hair highlighted (not worth the money now, but back when I had it highlighted, I loved it!);
• More Starbucks outings (Aaron and I used to go all the time, now...not even once a month);
• Stormy weather (although, Fall weather has shown its wonderful face around here lately!);
• My parents' old house (the one I grew up in); and
• Sister time.

Day Twenty

My Nicknames

When I saw I got to write about my nicknames, I laughed to myself. I have a ton of nicknames, so hopefully I remember them all. I'm sure my husband will read the list and think of a few I forgot.

• Bob (not my favorite);
• Bob-leah (my middle name is Lea, so some friends in college would call me Bob-leah);
• Boboli (yes, like the pizza)
• Bobbi Sue (my father-in-law calls me this and I love it!);
• Bobster the Lobster (traumatizing nickname stemmed from my insane ability, if you want to call it that, to blush when embarrassed, and you better believe once they started calling me this, I'd blush unseen colors of red);
• Carne Asada, of which Carne Necar and Carne originated from (when pregnant with Ella, I would crave carne asada, so Aaron started calling me this and it stuck ever since);
• Nink (term of endearment from Aaron), and now Ella is called Little Nink;
• Babes and Babe Babe (more terms of endearment);
• B (my brother-in-law calls me this, and surprisingly he's the only one!);
• Sister (Sister calls me this, hehe); and
• Sweetheart Love and Love Love (Ella's special terms of endearment, among the usual Mom, Mama (yes, she still calls me that and only when she wants something), and Mommy).

Regret is Hard to Live With

Day Eighteen

Something I Regret

Wow, this is a hard one. I don't know if it's necessarily hard to think of any regrets (because I can think of many), or if it's just hard to fess up to these things. So, I'm going to be as honest as I can in this post. :)

Some of my regrets are too personal. Yes, even too personal for my self-revealing, ask-me-anything-and-I'll-tell-you blog, so I'm going to keep those regrets where they belong...in the past.

On the top of my head, some regrets I have are:

• Allowing people to walk all over me;
• Asking for second chances myself, but not giving them back in return;
• Not saying "No" when I needed to;
• Not saying Yes" when I needed to;
• Allowing people to affect my self-confidence and my ability to dream and do BIG;
• Falling away from Christ and the church while in college and my first years of marriage;
• Not being honest with myself in college;
• Not giving Oregon a long enough chance to become my home;
• Not living a Christian lifestyle, but still calling myself a devoted Christian.

I realize some of those regrets are vague and can have infinite meanings to them, but they are true regrets I have nevertheless, and I think a lot of people could perhaps relate to some of them, due to their generalized nature.

Okay, I'm having a self-revelation right now! There is a lightbulb going off over my head!

From re-reading that list, I see that most of my regret is from my PAST. That wasn't my intention while brainstorming that list - those are just the regrets that went straight from my heart to my typing fingers.

Honestly, I cannot think of any regrets in my life right now that are currently weighing heavily on my heart. I mean, of course, I regret sometimes not always being as patient as I should be with Ella or being quick to anger towards Aaron, but those are not necessarily regrets, so much as growing opportunities. I see how I'm acting, I don't like how I'm acting, I will, therefore, change how I'm acting.

By God's grace, I have moved on from a past that I'm not too proud of. Through His forgiveness, my past wrongs have been washed away. He does not hold onto those things and neither should I. He has blessed me immeasurably more than I deserve, which just shows how good of a God He is. His grace does not have a short reach for those who live so-called perfect lives. His grace wraps around the entire world, embracing every one of us, so as to make our imperfections perfect. Regret is not a way to live life, and God gives us the ability to see the promise in every tomorrow rather than the anguish in all our yesterdays.

Lots to Look Forward to

Day Seventeen

Something I'm looking forward to

You all know the obvious answer to this. I'm looking forward to peeing on a stick and seeing two lines. God knows how badly I'm looking forward to that! :)

But, I don't know when (or even if!) that will happen, so something I do know will happen that I'm looking forward to is family visiting for Christmas!

Aaron's parents and brother are coming down for an early Christmas celebration. They will be staying with us from December 18th to 22nd. We couldn't be happier to open our home to them. We're so looking forward to simply hanging out by the Christmas tree with them, listening to Christmas music, sipping on hot cocoa or egg nog and laughing our hearts out!

They took this picture today. As you can see, Aaron's dad, Dan, has lost all his hair from chemotherapy. He's keeping good spirits, though, and is charging right through his treatment, with the love and support of all his family and friends. :)

And then, as they leave on the 22nd, Sister and her husband, Tim, will be arriving to spend Christmas and, I think, New Years with us. I haven't seen them forever, so you can imagine how much I'm looking forward to Sister time!

I will also be finding out if IVF worked around the time they are all visiting.

I'm very excited to have all the ones I love the most around me to celebrate in potentially the best news imaginable!

But, I'm also grateful to have them all around me in case there is no reason to celebrate. I will have lots of shoulders to cry on.

Praying, praying, praying for the best Christmas present ever, though. Don't they say 3rd time is a charm? Well, this will be our 3rd Christmas where we've been trying to conceive. Let it be this Christmas!

Home is Where the Heart is

Days Fifteen and Sixteen

Bible Verse and Dream House

As you can probably tell, I'm zooming through my 30-day blog challenge. :)

One of my favorite Bible verses is, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15) I would love to get this wall vinyl someday.

My dream house would include the following:

• Lots of windows;
• 4 bedrooms / 2-1/2 baths;
• Big kitchen with new counters and cabinets (similar to this, in my wildest dreams!);

• Beautifully landscaped yard; and
• In Oregon.

Speaking of Oregon, I'm going to cut this short and go enjoy the Portland-esque weather outside. Bring on the wind, rain and dark clouds! :)

Pictures Galore of My One and Only

My husband posted tons (and I mean, TONS!) of his favorite pictures he's taken of Ella over the years. Feel free to jump on over to his blog, Aaron J. Johnson Photography, or click on any of the following links to see our growing miracle. You'll likely be able to tell when he started using an SLR camera because the quality of the pictures change drastically.

• Take One
• Take Two
• Take Three

And, I know I've said this before, but I'm SO LUCKY to have such an amazing photographer as a husband. He is able to capture not only our daughter, but our entire lives together, in such a creative light that freezes moments in time...those moments we don't want to soon forget. :)

Day Fourteen

A Picture I Love

It seems only appropriate that I post a picture that I love (for my 30-day blog challenge) from some of those pictures. The problem is choosing just one is not possible! So, I'm literally just going to close my eyes, scroll down and STOP! Whichever is on my screen, is what I will post! Ready...set...here it is...

My Goals

Day Thirteen

My Goals

Well, since my blog is basically an open book to my EVERYTHING, you all (or, as my sweet friend, Jennifer, says, "y'all!") should know what my immediate goal is. And, that is to HAVE A BABY!

But, aside from all that infertility hooplah, I do have other goals. After all, I am more than my infertility. I am more than a mom, although that is, by far, my greatest joy (other than being Aaron's wife, of course).

So, some of my goals, in no particular order, are:

1. Move back to Oregon hopefully someday soon.
2. Pursue something (I don't know what) that involves my passion of interior design.
3. Scrapbook. (Silly goal, I know, but it's a very important one!).
4. Love like there is no tomorrow, because sometimes there isn't.
5. Pray more, worry less.
6. Follow the truth that Christianity is a lifestyle, not a title.
7. Pay off IVF debt as quickly as possible.
8. Continue encouraging Ella to do ballet, so long as she remains interested and has fun.
9. Increase my self-confidence. (This has been an ongoing goal).
10. There are many more goals, if you'd like to check them out on my 101 in 1001 list (which is located in the right-hand margin of my blog). I try to update that as much as possible and am trying to hold true to the nearly impossible task of of crossing everything off by May 16, 2013! :)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! It's going to be stormy here, which I cannot emphasize enough how happy that makes my husband! And, now, he's slowly but surely embedding an appreciation for all things weather-related to our dearest daughter. I love watching their eyes light up in excitement as a storm front moves in. Ella is becoming our weather girl. "It's raining, but no thunder and lightning. There is wind, though!" Just wait until we move back up to Oregon! She's going to be in for a real treat! :)

I Believe!

Day Twelve

What I Believe

90-year old Regina Brett was a columnist in Cleveland, Ohio, who wrote a column, which ended up being the most requested one of her career. I believe in everything she wrote, and bolded the items I feel strongly about. And although this isn't necessarily a list of what I believe, per se, it is, however, a list of life lessons I believe in. Older people always have better insight with these kinds of things. :)

Okay, here it is...

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's okay to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's okay to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry, God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29 What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

I hope you all found this column as inspiring and insightful as I did. :)

What's TV?

Day Eleven

Favorite TV Shows

I hardly watch TV.

Aaron and I would watch occasional TV, and by that I mean, he was watching something on The Discovery Chanel or The History Chanel while I blogged or did things around the house. But, when we knew IVF was in our near future, we decided to cut back on superfluous expenses, and our AT&T U-Verse was high on the list.

Even though it stinks not having Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel for Ella or FoxNews and HGTV for myself, and of course, Aaron's "man" shows, we've hardly missed it at all! Ella barely watches TV as it is, and when she does, she doesn't mind watching reruns of The Backyardigans or SpongeBob on our Blu-Ray. Aaron watches a constant flow of movies on Netflix. And I, well, other than the two shows listed below, I don't watch any TV. And you know what? I don't feel like I'm missing anything at all!

Glee.

Grey's Anatomy.

My once favorite shows, though, are becoming more and more about S-E-X- and sleeping around, that I'm starting to lose interest. Maybe I'll just cut out TV altogether? :)

What am I afraid of?

Day Ten

What I Am Afraid Of

Now knowing about Aaron's sperm quality and the reality that our only way of conceiving is through IVF with ICSI, my obvious fear is that Ella will be our only child (or, our only biological child).

I'm afraid IVF won't work and we'll literally throw $15,000 (or more!) out the window, and subsequently, have to live a financially strapped life for nothing.

I'm afraid that if IVF doesn't work, we won't have the financial means to possibly do a frozen embryo transfer (that is, if we are so fortunate to have embryos leftover to freeze).

I'm afraid that if IVF doesn't work, we won't be able to fork out the thousands of dollars to adopt.

I'm afraid of what the financial repercussions will be on Aaron, Ella and me as we try to reach our dream.

I'm afraid of what the emotional repercussions will be on Aaron, Ella and me if our family stops here.

I'm afraid that I will not accept money being the only factor stopping us from growing our family. Money is just money, but family is my heart, my world, my everything! How can I possibly consider stopping from gaining the whole world due to something so unimportant as money? Money can't love back. Money can't give me my heart's desires. And that is why I'm willing to trade money (and lots of it!) to grow my family. But, I'm afraid I would not know when to draw the line, if it came to that.

I'm praying with all my heart, mind, body and soul that God will so bless us with a successful IVF, so that all these fears can be wiped away. And even if we are not so blessed, I will strive to live by this Bible verse...

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

Having faith is the opposite of worrying, so I am trying to put my fears aside and living faithfully.

B.F.F.s

Day Nine

A Picture of my Friends

Other than Sister, my good friends are pretty limited. I've sadly shut myself off from a social life once infertility reared its ugly head. It's not that I'm not happy for my friends who are pregnant or have recent newborns, it's just that seeing their happiness is a reminder of what I so desperately want. So, in the meantime, I've been devoting all my energy on my family. After all...what's more important than family?

Well, these three people come very close! Matt and Danielle (and their darling daughter, Hadley) are, by far, our best friends. They live up near Portland, Oregon, so we only get to see them a few times a year, but our visits are always really great. Aaron and Matt are best buds, have been since 9th grade, and believe it or not, they both met their wives on-line (go figure!). And, that was just the beginning of how our lives seriously seem to intertwine and reflect each other's.

To our happy surprise, they were able to visit us earlier this year, so of course, we had to take them to Yosemite, which is only about 1-1/2 hours from where we live.

So, here is a picture of our friends at Yosemite. :)

“A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.”

Travel Fun

Day Eight

Places I've Traveled To

Atlanta, Georgia for a National Youth Gathering.

New Orleans, Louisiana for another National Youth Gathering.

Two trips to Las Vegas (to visit my best friend at the time).

Walt Disney World in Florida with my family.

The Bahamas (Disney cruise) with my family.

Wakiki Beach, Ohau, Hawaii with all of my high school friends right after graduation.

A couple times to Seattle, Washington.

Multiple trips to the bay area, at large, along with trips to the Central California coast, such as Monterey, Carmel, and the surrounding area.

San Diego, California, where I lived for four years while attending U.C.S.D. I guess you can't really call it a trip, but while living there, I felt like a tourist practically the whole time!

Portland, Oregon and surrounding area. This is where Aaron and I lived for short of two years when we first got married. Now, most of our vacations are to travel up to the Portland area to visit family and friends. What was once our home is now our #1 travel spot. :)

I likely forgot a place or two. I haven't gone anywhere internationally (well, other than the Bahamas and Mexico a couple times while living in San Diego). I would really love to travel, but until money starts growing on trees, that won't be happening any time soon. :)

My Favorite Movies

Day Seven

My Favorite Movies

To name a very select few...

Sunriver Makes Me Smile

Day 6

A picture of something that makes me happy

Sunriver, Oregon. This place surely holds a special place in my heart.

I have been to Sunriver three times now and I hope to go back many, many more times. The first visit was only a few months after Aaron and I got married. We went up there with his parents and brother. Having not been there before, I was just amazed that a place like that existed. It's a small community of cabins, and being smack dab in the middle of Oregon, you can imagine the opportunities for outdoor activities. But not only that, but the place just screams, "Relax!" which is my #1 priority during every visit. And truly, there's nothing like hot tubbing when the snow is falling all around.

The second visit was when Ella was only two months old. Again, we went with Aaron's family. This visit was a lot of fun because it was our first trip as parents, and Ella's new grandparents and uncle got to spend a ton of time with the spunky two-month old. Yes, even at two months old, she was spunky!

Our third visit was in March 2009 when we drove up from California (since having moved there) and met a handful of Aaron's family. I hope the trend remains and we are able to go up there every couple years or so. Sunriver is truly one of God's masterpieces. Central Oregon is beautiful, and Sunriver captures the essence of this beauty.

And although very aesthetically beautiful, I think a lot of the beauty of Sunriver is held in my memories that lie there. The laughs, the adventures, the time together with Aaron's family, and not only just his parents and brother, but grandparents, aunts, uncles...everybody! I'm so blessed to have married into such a remarkable family. :)

Sister

Day 5

My Sibling

A conversation I had with Ella a couple days ago went something like this...

Ella, "Do you love Sister?" (when I talked about my sister, I just call her Sister)

Me, "Yes, very much so."

Ella, sadly, "I'm not a sister."

Me, "Well, Mommy and Daddy are trying to give you a baby brother or a baby sister."

Ella, "Then I'll be Big Girl Sister!"

Then, again, today she told me, "Mommy, I want to be a sister."

I think God is giving me hints that Ella is ready to be an older sister, just as I am an older sister to one of my favorite people in the whole word...Sister!

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there.

(Amy Li)

Sisters is probably the most competitive relationship within the family, but once the sisters are grown, it becomes the strongest relationship.

(Margaret Mead)

How do people make it through life without a sister?

(Sara Corpening)

Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.

(Author Unknown)

When mom and dad don't understand, a sister always will.

(Author Unknown)

My Parents

Day 4

My Parents

What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give.

(P.D. James)

Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.

(Robert Fulghum)

To understand your parents' love you must raise children yourself.

(Old Chinese Proverb)

There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.

(Hodding Carter, Jr.)

A parent's love is whole no matter how many times divided.

(Robert Brault)

My First (and Only) Love

Day 3 

My First Love 

For you see, each day I love you more. Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.
(Rosemonde Gerard)

Love is a symbol of eternity.  It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.

(Author Unknown)

To find someone who will love you for no reason, and to shower that person with reasons, that is the ultimate happiness.

(Robert Brault)

Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

(Robert Heinlein)

It is astonishing how little one feels alone when one loves.

(John Bulwer)

Why "The Johnson's Journey"?

Day 2

Meaning Behind My Blog Name

I originally started blogging in February 2010 as a therapeutic way to deal with my infertility. It grew into more than just posts about my infertility, so my original name "Never Losing Hope" didn't quite fit. In July 2010, I had Faith @ A Design of Faith custom design my webpage, and because I was paying for this template, I decided to change the title of the blog. That way, after I conceive and have our second child (notice how I didn't say if!!!), this title is more applicable.

Plus, my blog is very much about Aaron, Ella and my journey together. It's a reflection of this Johnson family's journey through life, as you can probably tell. From home decor to Ella's ballet to our jobs to Aaron's photography to my fears and dreams...I discuss much more than just infertility.

Aaron actually thought of the name. I originally thought of "This Johnson Family's Journey" (because it's such a common last name), but Aaron liked the condensed version, and it immediately grew on me.

I wanted to use one of my all-time favorite Bible verses, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths," (Proverbs 3:5-6) in my header. I thought the verse tied in with the whole idea behind "journey." We are a family trying to lead a Christian life. And despite times of doubt or uncertainty, we are daily learning to "lean not on [our] own understanding," and to seek God. We simply need to allow Him to lead us, no matter where that may take us, without so much as a "But, why?" surface our minds.

Infertility has brought a "But, why?" or two or couple hundred, but it has also brought us to truly realize that God is in control. And we are honored to have you all follow us on our journey...The Johnson's Journey. :)

Blog Challenge - Day 1

I figured I might as well start the Blog Challenge tonight. Lucky for you!

Day 1

Introduce, Recent Picture, 15 Interesting Facts

I was born in Stockton, California, but raised in Turlock, California. I have a younger sister and two amazing parents. :) Church was a big part of my life, as was school. I was (and still am) quite shy, and all throughout my school years, I buried my shyness in my academics, where I excelled. I graduated Turlock High School with over a 4.0 g.p.a., which gave me the opportunity to attend U.C. San Diego, where I majored in political science and minored in law and society. I worked at two law offices while living in San Diego, which made me further consider law as my ultimate career. A month after I graduated, I married the love of my life and moved up to Portland (where he is from). I worked at MacMillan, Scholz & Marks, P.C. as a legal assistant. Soon after working there I found out I was pregnant with Ella. On September 22, 2006, I brought my beautiful daughter into the world. When she was 6 months old, we moved back to my hometown, Turlock, where we are still living. For awhile there, I considered pursuing law school, but Aaron and Ella came first. I'm now working as a paralegal at the Law Office of Ronald W. Hillberg part-time, while being a wife and mom full-time.

That's pretty much my life in a very small nutshell. :)

As for a recent picture (other than the picture you see on my blog profile), this is a semi-recent picture. It was taken in April of this year.

On the pier in Monterey with my loves.

Okay, as for the 15 interesting facts...

1. I rearrange furniture and reorganize household accessories when I'm stressed. Aaron is constantly asking where things are because I move things around so much. :)

2. I hardly watch TV. So much so, in fact, that we have cancelled our HD, DVR and satellite service (other than basic cable) for almost two months and we haven't missed anything. We obviously couldn't cut out internet, though. When we were eliminating superfluous monthly expenses (to help pay for IVF), getting rid of TV was an easy decision.

3. I want four kids. Always have, always will. Aaron has always wanted two, but with what we have gone through to just conceive our second, he told me that he will not stop me from having four. :) Praying that it's in my cards. Adoption is not something I won't consider, though! God is good. There is no telling what our future holds.

4. When living in California, my favorite season is Fall. When living in Oregon, my favorite season is Spring.

5. Photography will always be a passion, despite the fact that my husband's talent so clearly excels my own.

6. Christmas is my favorite time of year, and although many people gripe about having decorations, etc. at stores even before Halloween, I have absolutely not problem with that. :)

7. I worry too much.

8. I am practically vegetarian. I hardly eat meat. The only meat I do eat is ground turkey and chicken, and even then, I usually make "meaty" meals only for Aaron. In fact, lots of times I go without when I do make meat for Aaron. But, give me a big juice hamburger, and I'm all over it. Go figure!

9. I am so crazy picky about cheese. I can eat a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, but make a grilled cheese sandwich with it, I couldn't eat it. I can't eat cheese on my pizza, either.

10. I have a huge passion for interior design, and if given the opportunity, I would change careers for that.

11. I was accepted to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo as an architect major, which was a difficult program to get into. A huge part of me regrets not going there because I really feel like that might've been my calling. I'm so into architecture (mainly home design), but at the time I was accepted, I wasn't completely sure I wanted to dive into that 5-year commitment, so I chose to go to U.C.S.D. as an undeclared major.

12. Aaron loves pugs and soon after his childhood pug, Otis, passed away, I surprisingly bought home Bob, who has been Aaron's true joy and therapy this past year. Pugs are so expensive, though, with their eye and skin problems, but you can't put a price on him!

13. Our house looks like a completely different house, both inside and out, from when we moved here. Hard work and patience does pay off. :)

14. Every time we visit Portland, I get so excited to move back up there!

15. I never (and I mean never) pamper myself. I don't get pedicures or manicures. I used to have my hair professionally highlighted, but the money I spent on that now goes to my family and my family's needs. Maybe I should pamper myself every now and again? Every mom deserves some "me" time, and what better way than beautifying oneself.

Okay, I guess that's it for Day 1! I'm super tired, so I'm going to bed now. 'Night everybody!