Cover up your Full Moon

This is Will! So the other night I went to bed setting my alarm clock for the odd hour of 2:30am. That's so I could get a good glimpse of the moon pulling up its pants (ie full lunar eclipse). I caught the last crack before he had his pants up. Check it out! I only had my binoculars. I wish I had a telescope!

I totally got stung by a bee today!

So today as I was walking over to a unit on my property that we manage, I stopped to talk to a friend, and suddenly, I felt like something was crawling on my leg. I shook it. A few minutes later, I realized something was crawling on my leg!!

Then all of a sudden I felt a sharp stinging sensation. So I screamed, shook my pant leg out...and out fell a dazed bee. In total shock of what just happened, I stood there and curiously watched the bee clumsily wabble around the sidewalk while my thigh throbbed with pain.

Then I came to my senses and smashed him with my shoe.

It's so weird, I don't think I've been stung by a bee since I was 10 years old. Those little buggers hurt!

Jenni

Theater Play and Family Play

Last weekend Will went camping with some of his guy buddies, and I was stuck home working all weekend. Yes the wives and I did have fun at the Cheesecake Factory, but I still went home and was sad I had to sleep alone all night.

This weekend, the original plan was that Will was going to come with me to "Young Frankenstein" with Erika (because Erika's husband was going on a scouting trip), but at the last minute Aaron convinced Will to come along on the scouting trip and leave the musical theater to us girls.

Lindsey, me, and Erika at Seattle's Paramount Theater, during the intermission for

"Young Frankenstein"

It was a tough decision, but Will couldn't just let Aaron be alone in that vast forest with all these boy scouts! What shame! So he had to help out!

"Should I go to the musical with Jenni, or go camping? It's tough...I really love those darn musicals, but somebody's got to keep an eye out on those boyscouts so that they don't get into too much trouble!"

It's all right, Will was really sweet about it and said he would come with me on Friday to the play, but I knew he would have more fun camping. So he went with Aaron, and then I slept over at Erika's this time so I wasn't alone. We watched chick flicks and ate ice cream and stayed up talking until 2am.

Saturday and Sunday we spent at my parents house - as my younger brother, Stephen, was up visting from Utah with his wife, Ileana and baby daughter Mackenzie.

One little baby just loved being in the kayak!

Mom and Dad

Will and I

Stephen and Ileana

We're just so healthy...

...that our doctors cannot find any reason why we aren't getting prego. LOL

Okay for all you confused people out there - please scroll down and read previous blog entitled "Fishing for Fertility" and then nod your head and say "Ahhhhh okay I get it." Thanks.

I just wanted to give the update. This week I underwent some more testing - blah. Can I just say I'm really tired of getting poked and prodded?? Will felt so bad for me, he told me after my last test on Monday that he would take me wherever I wanted to eat. Duh - the only thing I could think of, off-hand, was a DQ cookie dough blizzard. Wish granted.

Testing done:

HSG (ouch), ultrasound, pelvic x-rays, swimmer count, blood tests, paps, oral, etc, etc, etc,

Results:

Healthy, healthy, and healthy! In fact, we were both healthier than like all of my dr's patients combined that come in.

So....there can only be a few conclusions. The big one that pops into our heads is that the man upstairs isn't ready to send us children yet.

The other one is that vague unexplained reasoning why many people don't get pregnant: STRESS. And yeah I do sort of have a very stressful job.

At this point, we are very happy to hear that we are both in great health though. So at least we know that there isn't something "wrong" with us. In the meantime, I have a busy fall coming up with several concerts, some film-scoring projects and Will and I have been considering investing in some real estate. I would love it if I could replace my management job with my music, which is why I'm booking up my schedule to perform a lot this fall/winter - to see if it's even possible.

Till next blogging,
Jenni

Guys Night Out!!!

This weekend I went backpacking/camping up in the Alpine lakes area with two new friends from the Benson Hill Ward: Colton & Chris.

Colton & Chris

In order to sneak away on a Friday night of all nights, we had to agree that our wives (Jenni, Jen, & Jenny, how ironic) could get together and indulge in tasty food and to die for deserts at the Cheesecake Factory.

So, while they were being served on hot plates and later winding down to chick flicks and gossip, we the guys were hiking up the side of what seemed like Mt. Everest with enough gear to make sure we would survive a week, if the good chance that we got lost just happened to take place, eating our dehydrated powdered dinner with lake water that we were boiling to make sure we got rid of any bacteria that would cause us to be up all night ridding ourselves of any food that had enter our system in the past 48 hours.

And the wonderful thing about this Guys night out? We wouldn't have traded it for what our wives were being treated to for anything. We were as happy and content as a bunch of boys on their first Boy Scout outing.

After arriving at our destination and setting up the tent in the dark and warming our chilled insides with a watered down powder dinner, we slipped into our tent to enjoy a night sleeping on the ground.Chris supplied the 4 person mobile shelter, enough room so the three us didn't have to wake up too close to one another.

I'm not sure if I wanted to be up for the sunrise or if my body was just too sore after rolling from shoulder to shoulder all night. Maybe I was being kicked out for snoring, either way I ended up being up for the sunrise. It turned out to be a beauty.Grizzly Adams at 5:30 am

After some more powdery, watered down breakfast we took off on a small hike (this time without the packs) to view some more lakes. It was really pretty.

Colton & Chris soaking in the view above Rachel Lake.

Will on top of the world (or at least Rachel Lake)

Will falling off the top of the world (or at least pretending)

Pretty Flower

More Pretty Flowers

Lots of Pretty flowers (I must have been missing Jenni about now)

After our little day hike it was all down hill to the car. It's a lot easier hiking DOWN Mt. Everest, then UP it.

We stopped at some waterfalls.

Chris even found a hornets nest.

Lots of different Fungi

We made it back down to the car covered in dirt and sweat and enough outdoor memories to plaster smiles on our tired, overworked bodies only to realize we were the lucky ones who didn't get our window smashed in and car stripped of all valuables left inside. What a welcome back to reality other campers where going to get.

We then headed home, with the hopes of sympathy and compansion from our wives to nurse our wounded bodies back to health.

Awe, the perfect ending to a perfect guys night out! Thanks Chris & Colton!! We'll have to do it again next time the Jen's are craving gossip, chick flicks, and chocolate deserts!

Miss Mary Kay USA

I'm so incredibly proud and excited for my friend, Noelle, that I had to write a blog about her!

So okay there's not really such a thing as "Miss Mary Kay USA" but as you will see from her pictures, it totally looks like she is being crowned Miss USA or something.

I've known Noelle since we were 5 years old. And then we lost touch for years after my family moved away, and then we found each other again in the same stake just after we both graduated from high school. And then we lost touch again for like 7 years, and then found each other about 2 years ago. Noelle is married to an awesome guy and they have 3 little boys.

When Noelle and I found each other again 2 years ago, she was going through somewhat a rough patch - like we all go through sometimes. Over the last 2 years, I have seen her grow into this amazing successful business woman - all while still being able to be a stay-at-home mom for her children. (Okay I feel like I'm doing an advertisement here, but I'm not!) She has done so well, in fact, that she was just awarded 1st place in her "unit" (like a ward), and 3rd place in her region. She also won something called a "4 quarter pearl award" which is one of the highest level you can acheive. These pictures are of her from her recent trip to Texas for the national MK awards conference.

So to make a long story short, this girl is amazing - she has earned herself a car, a lot of jewelry, designer purses, and most important a sense of self esteem that I was missing seeing in her. It's good to have my Noelle back!

Noelle's site: www.marykay.com/dolledupdiva

If any of you girls out there are interested in MK, you should contact Noelle. She is AMAZING. And P.S. I'm excited to have an award-winning MK person come do a house party for me soon. Hehe. Anyone want to come?

Jenni

Fishing for Fertility

Let me just start this blog out by saying that what I am about to write about is something that Will and I have learned to take lightly, only because it is a serious subject and we had to learn to take it lightly or it would get to us. That subject being the question we have received numerous times over the past 2 1/2 years: "So when are you guys planning to have kids?"

Well for all you inquiring minds - here is what you've been waiting for!

We have kept to ourselves about the subject for the most part, simply because well it's not exactly something you wear printed across a tshirt in bright yellow letters "Attention everyone: We plan to have kids on _________."

But as most of you know, when you're one of the only married couples in the ward without children people tend to ask you the question. And then once they find out that you're going on 3 years of marriage and still don't have kids, well then they either get really curious OR just figure you're a lost cause all together - LOL.

Right around our 1 year anniversary mark people started asking us about kids. A LOT. Like pretty much every time they'd see us, the subject was brought up. And Will and I would just always joke around and say "We can't have kids" or "We're infertile" just to evade the questions and not give anyone direct answers, etc... NEVER thinking that infertility would actually be an issue down the road.

It was really hard for me - I even sometimes avoided hanging out with people because I was afraid that the subject would be brought up yet again and I was tired of trying to defend ourselves. We would rehearse with each other what our pre-determined answers would be for the night before heading out to a social evening/outing, but after a while you run out of answers and you just don't want to deal with it.

So yeah, it's been kinda hard. It's hard to go to church and see all the babies, or to get at least an email every month or so from a friend who is announcing that they are pregnant. (but I've always been happy for them!! :) I think what the hardest part for me is, from the female perspective, is waiting...and waiting. And then you find out that yet again you're not pregnant for the umpteenth time you've tried and of course at the same time you feel like crap, have pms, and are majorly hormonal. LOL

That day was today for me. For the 18th month in a row.

Which brings me to the reason I'm writing this blog. I know it's a serious subject and if you're reading this you might be wondering why the heck Jenni is divulging in the matter. But we are all adults here. To be quite honest, as Will and I have been going through this process we've discovered many other couples who struggle with the same issues. Off hand, I can count 4 of our close friends who are dealing with this as well. And these are like actual friends we hang out with, not just people we casually know. So I know it hits close to home for many.

What I'm speaking of is infertility. Let me just upfront say that we certainly hope we are not infertile, but "technically" that is what our doctors have labeled us since we've been trying to conceive for at least 1 year without success. We've been trying for a year and a half. It doesn't mean you're infertile as in you have no chance of having kids, but just that you should have had some luck on your own by now and since you haven't, chances are you need some medical help to make it happen.

I just thought I would be open about it for once. I asked Will if he would mind me sharing our experiences in our blogs, and he fully supported me. I think it will be good, and if there is anyone else reading this who feels alone in this - well don't. And I don't want this to be all serious and stuff...

Which is why I will tell you about our fish =) Everyone else always posts blogs about their kids, so we'll post about ours: Our fish. Haha.

This guy hiding behind the rocks is "Blue Fish" (yes that is really his name).

I'm not really sure what kind of fish he is, but he is generally shy, swims all day and blows his lips out really weird when he's eating food. Don't ask. He's been part of our family for about 2 years. He originally had 2 siblings, but they didn't survive the transition from the store to our tank, so they had a proper burial in the toilet shortly after arriving to our home.

Our other 2 children - "Bugger" and "Fluffy" (or Dori and Nemo)

Fluffy is the cute little orange clown fish. He is quite friendly -if you put your finger up to the glass on the tank he'll follow it, like a little puppy dog. Which is why Will let me name him Fluffy. LOL (and also since Will won't let me get a real puppy until we have a house where he can run in the yard).

Bugger is our super uber-annoying dumb fish. He is also the "Alfa" fish of the tank. He's a blue tang, which are more aggressive breeds. The problem is, he thinks he is really tough, but he's such a weenie. He will chase the other fish around, nip at their tails, steal their food, etc....but as soon as one of the other fish turns around and retaliates Bugger will swim away as fast as he can and hide behind a rock. He is truly a wuss. (We call him Bugger because he bugs everyone in the tank).

This is our sea-worm, named "Dusty" (because he is a "feather duster")

This is our clam, his name is "Chowder".

And last but not least, this is our sea urchin. Will named him "Dribbles" because he resembled a basketball. Though, you can't really tell that right now because he likes to camoflauge himself in shells.

So anyway, back to the whole fertility thing.

Over the next several months, Will and I will be going through the necessary steps to do testing, etc. for fertility. This might sound weird, but the frustrating thing right now is that Will and I are very healthy people - but it makes it harder for doctors to find out the causes as to why you aren't conceiving. We both are active, have great blood results, my girly doctor says everything so far looks normal and healthy, great cardiovascular systems, no signs of cancer or diabetes, etc etc etc.

Part of me wishes that they would just hurry up and find something wrong somewhere just so we would know what the problem is. But the more tests that they do and the more they continue to find nothing wrong...well it just means you have to do MORE tests. (P.S. My mom thinks it's stress related and that I should quit my job - haha).

Argh.

I go back in later this month for an ultrasound to make sure all my girly insides are normal (more comprehensive than just a GYN annual). If all is normal, then they have to go in through my bellybutton with a scope and do some more testing. (My friend just had this done and found it very awkward and painful for weeks afterwards so I'm not looking forward to that). And then of course, there are also series of tests that the Will has to go through too. But we won't go into that. LOL (for once the guy can feel apart of the whole process! haha!). If they still don't find things wrong, then they start perscribing fertility medicine and the last resort would be invitro fertilization (test tube babies), which we pray we will never have to do because of the expense (which insurance doesn't cover). But we will cross that bridge if we come to it and would gladly do it if it is our only option.

Phew. Okay so I got ALL that off my chest.

I want to say though, that I married the most wonderful, understanding, fun, patient man in the world. We have a blast together and we try to make the most of our "alone" time right now while we can before kids come (which is why you seeing us playing so much on our blogs). I know that one day we will be blessed with children when the time is right - even if it takes the help of doctors to make it possible.

I sometimes fear that others might think we are "putting off" having children so that we can advance in our careers or do whatever. That certainly isn't true. Hello I just turned 30 and had hoped to of been a mother before that milestone =) I just read the other day that I've already passed my best childbearing years!! Haha! But we also aren't sitting around crying about it. We try to play hard and often, dream big and work to make the dreams come true while we can and then when little ones come our way we will be so happy that they can join us and bring even more joy into our home.

Okay so maybe we did cry over all the money we wasted on unnecessary birth control during the first year and a half of our marriage, but oh well! LOL.

So I'll be posting every so often about how this is all going for us - if anyone cares to know. If not, you can skip those posts.

Alright - well that's all the seriousness for one blog I can handle. Next blog - I'll report on my upcoming boring weekend of working in the office while Will goes backpacking with the guys. (But he doesn't know that Friday night all of us wives are going to The Cheesecake Factory! Sshhhhhh don't tell!)

Jenni

P.S. I just read my blog and thought Gosh I hope no one thinks we were wanting sympathy. That's not it at all. We just wanted to be open with everyone - and it has actually relieved a lot of burden off me - so that I don't feel like it has to be hush-hush or if people wonder anymore I can just say "here it how it is".

Car rides, Camping, Concerts, and Coincidences

It was another beautiful weekend in the northwest and we decided to go play.

(Fort Flagler Lighthouse, near Port Townsend on the WA peninsula - where we camped)

The Car Ride:

Wait a minute...that's not our car. But what exactly is that??
(we followed this car for a while and just couldn't figure out what was on top of it).

Ah, here we go. The car ride:

The camping:

(Above: Wildlife)

(More wildlife)
LOL my eyes look squirly, but it's because I'm looking at the picture while Will's looking at the lense like he's supposed to, and I'm not.

Riding the ferry
...which was interesting I might add, because Seattle recieved some terrorist threats regarding the ferry system, so our ferry ride was accompanied by many guys wearing bullet proof vests. It was definitely not the normal ferry experience.



More wildlife....cute at that.

Looking out across the Puget Sound

The concert:

My friend, Joe Bongiorno invited me to be a guest performer at his CD release concert Sunday night, August 12th. I performed 3 songs from my album. It was at his home on the north end of Lake Washington - for a small intimate audience of 35 people. It was a lot of fun.

Joe - telling the story behind one of his songs

Joe just released his 3rd album. Check it out - you won't be disappointed. (link above)

The Coincidence:

A tiny little town where we got on the ferry, named Southworth.

Coincidence: Southworth is my maiden name.

And yes I know I look stunning. Wouldn't you after not showering for 2 1/2 days?

Where's the Grass?

Saturday night we did the whole "movie in the park" thing down at Lake Washington in Bellevue. We were pretty excited.

A night outside in the warm summer air with our calm, extremely mild-mannered friends Aaron, Erika, Todd and Lindsay (see below).

Will and I loaded up with piles of blankets and pillows - all excited to sprawl out on the lawn and snuggle during that nights showing of "Top Gun"....but alas, showed up and found it was concrete. Yuck.

2 hours and sore bums later we jetted. As always, we had fun with our friends though. Thanks Erika for bringing the lemon pound cake. LOL It was yummy.

Will got a calling!

This will be the shortest blog posting ever, but I just wanted to give an update to our blog posted entitled "You can only fly under the radar so long...before they call you into Primary."

My husband, who has successfully managed to dodge the bishopric's eye for over a year, has received a calling in our ward. Finally. :) Please welcome the Benson Hill Ward's newest "Emergency Preparedness Coordinator".

I think he will do really well in this calling. It's totally up his alley. Gosh - bishops are really inspired huh!