A few weeks ago, Nate & I went to slide rock with Mom,Dad, Brooke, Cody, & the boys, Britt, & Matt. When we were younger, we used to go there once a summer. Brooke's boys hadn't ever been though & neither had Nate! We found a Saturday that everyone could go & planned to leave at 6am to get there when it opened. That morning we looked at the weather report & it was stormy & rainy. Brooke & Cody had already woken up & left at 5:45, so we decided we might as well still head down there at the time planned. We drove down with Britt & Matt. We all met up at a restaurant & got hot chocolates & snacks while we watched the pouring rain & hoped it would stop. It was actually really nice & relaxing just being able to visit & watch the storm. After about an hour, the rain suddenly stopped & we headed to Slide Rock. There were hardly any people there so we hurried down & got a prime spot to be by the main rock slide. Half the fun is watching people awkwardly slip and fall and seeing their faces going down the slide, haha!!

The sun came out & even though the water was freezing, we all went down the rock slides over & over again, going in a train with everyone! It was so much fun! We took a break for lunch & then headed back down to slide down some more! It ended up being such a fun day!!!

Slide rock pictures are always the best!!!

Before Pics




After Pics




We renovated our kitchen about a year ago, but I forgot to post pics. First we sanded, primed, & painted the cabinets white. Then we installed the new countertop. Then did the backsplash. Last, Nate made the island with stock cabinets, a marble slab I found on craigslist, & headboard. We added some crystal knobs to the cabinets too, but they weren't on for the picture. Overall, we love how it turned out & it made such a difference & really brightens the whole kitchen/living room area! It took us 6 days to do everything but we were working about 12 hours a day each day & were completely exhausted when we finished! It only cost about $400 to do everything! Between that & painting almost all the walls in the house in 2 days, we took a break from doing home projects for a year!!

Well, the next 2 weeks we will be starting the process of IUI. I called the Fertility Treatment Center yesterday so we could get everything set up. The nurses there are so nice & I feel so grateful that we found out about the FTC, it was just when we needed to & I know that was a blessing from God. I know that I am not pregnant yet, but I can already look back on many things during these past few years & see the Lord's hand. Though it has been hard wanting to have children but not being able to these past few years, I am thankful for the time that Nate & I have had together. I know that this experience has strengthened us. I'm thankful for the trips that we were able to take together & that we could enjoy those times without worrying about infertility & the timing of anything & the procedures to come.

Nowadays, I do spend a lot of time worrying & I try to keep myself busy so that I don't have time to worry. I wish so badly that I wasn't so scared of shots & IV's & that I didn't feel so panicked & worry about it so much lately. I know that overcoming my fears & going through these procedures will be worth it in the end. One of my other fears is public speaking & on Sunday, we were encouraged to come up & bear our testimony if we felt prompted or if it had been a long time. I was sooo nervous but just felt like I needed to bear my testimony to show my love to the Savior. After a few prayers for courage, I went up there & was able to bear my testimony of my love for the Savior & my knowledge that we are given trials because the Lord knows we need them. That we grow closer to our Heavenly Father through trials & can always turn to Him for comfort & peace. Afterwards, I felt thankful that I was able to bear my testimony. I know that my Heavenly Father will help me to get through this procedure & whatever is to come. I have faith in Him & I trust His plan for me.

I will be going into the doctor's office today to have an ultrasound & to pick up the shots. One thing that really is a blessing is that when I called to see about starting the treatment, the nurse asked me if I wanted to do IUI with injections or without. I asked what was recommended by the doctor or her & she said that you always have a better chance with injections, but it does increase your chance of having multiples (especially twins). I asked the cost of the injections since IUI is already going to cost $1,000 & she said they would be about $300 but she would check if they had a sample kit. She came back a minute later & said that she had a sample kit so they would be free if we chose that option. I felt like it was meant to be & such a blessing that we will be able to have a higher chance & not have to pay the extra $300. It also made it easier to make the decision. I am thankful for the Lord & for all He has blessed us with. I'm thankful to know that He is watching over us. I'm trying not to get too much hope up, but I do feel very hopeful & excited to think that we might possibly be pregnant within the next month. How amazing would that be?! When I do get pregnant, I am going to enjoy it as much as I can! I don't want to worry about complications, I just want to feel completely happy & thankful to the Lord.



The cutest cluster of towns, Cinque Terre, where we walked about a million steps last summer! Worth it for the beautiful views!!!

Since the surgery was successful, we will now be able to try up to 3 rounds of IUI. If that does not work, then we will keep saving up for IVF. We are so hopeful that everything will work out. I feel hopeful & excited, but also worried about all of the shots that I need to have. Luckily 2 of my sisters are nurses & can give them to me, but I have still been feeling so stressed & worried about that. Of course, if we are able to have a baby it will all be completely worth it! But then a part of me doesn't want to get excited because there is a possibility that we won't be able to get pregnant & then we will need to save up longer for IVF since we will have used the money we were saving on these procedures. It is so hard to have a balance of having hope but not too much hope in case the procedures don't work & trying not to worry or stress too much & knowing that this could end in disappointment, but trying not to dwell on that, combined with the medicine that messes with my hormones.

Even though I know I shouldn't get my hopes up too much, I am just going to let myself have hope & be excited because I don't want to always feel like I need to think of the negative. I would rather dwell on the positive & then be disappointed for a day than be negative until we have positive results. If the procedure is successful this month, then I would be pregnant over Christmas. That would be such a special Christmas & the best gift. But I know that if the procedure does not work, I will still keep having hope & faith.

Well, I wanted to start out November by a thankful post & I have so much to be thankful for right now. On Friday, October 28th, I went in for a surgery, a Hysteroscopy with a bilateral cannulation to try & unblock my fallopian tubes, to be exact. I was trying not to think to much about the surgery because I didn't want to get more nervous & didn't want to overthink the possibilities if the surgery did or did not work. I also didn't really even research anything about the surgery for that same reason. We had so many family members & friends praying for us & putting our names on prayer rolls at the temple. We were hopeful that, if it was in the Lord's will & was the best thing for our family, that the surgery would be successful.

My sister, Brooke, took me in since Nate had to work. We got to the surgical center & I was so nervous to get an IV. I hate needles so much, they are my worst fear. I can't even type the word needle without cringing & feeling panicked.. Anyways, it was so nice to have Brooke there with me. She even let me squeeze her hand really hard & talked to me to distract me & then it was over! They had put it in while I was sitting in this recliner thing & I kept thinking, how will they carry me into the correct room when I am passed out, then I realized that the IV was in, but they wouldn't put the anesthesia medicine in until I was in the surgery room, haha, blonde moment!!! They brought me to the room where I would be having surgery & put a heated blanket on me, took of my glasses, & I remember feeling warm & comforted. I know that this was my Heavenly Father helping me to feel calm & peaceful because I had prayed for that exact thing. I started saying a prayer for the doctors & nurses & that everything would be okay & fell asleep in the middle of the prayers, as they started the anesthesia. The next thing I remember is groggily half waking up & someone telling me that the surgery had worked & they were able to unblock both tubes for the next 8 months!

It was such a miracle that the surgery worked & that BOTH tubes were able to be cleared. I was & am so incredibly happy!! Brooke came in & I remember crying & not being able to stop the tears because I was so happy. Then we headed home & that hour drive home is some of the most pain I have been in but it was completely worth it & I would take that pain as long as needed to be able to get pregnant! I felt like I was going to throw up & also the most painful cramping I've ever felt. Once I got home & could lay in bed, I started feeling a lot better. Nate was home, he decided to work from home the rest of the day so that he could be there if I needed anything. We were both so incredibly happy & thankful that the surgery worked. We are so excited thinking that I may be able to get pregnant in the next few months!!! If the surgery had not worked, our only option would have been IVF & that is so expensive. We have been saving up for a year, but would need to save up until at least March to be able to have the money for that. It is just so wonderful to know that we won't have to wait that long to be able to have a chance of getting pregnant! Our next step is to do IUI this next month & if that doesn't work, they will do 2 more rounds of IUI. I am so thankful for this miracle from my Heavenly Father & for all the comfort & peace He has given me through this process.

I also feel so blessed for so many friends & family that love & pray & care for us. Brooke was so nice to take me to the doctor to be there almost the whole day & to help me not feel as nervous & scared. Then Brittany came over Friday night & brought homeade chicken noodle soup & the cutest basket full of my favorite things! Then my mom came and kept me company on Saturday & made me lunch & dinner. I also had so many nice texts & phone calls from other family members & friends. I am so thankful for all of these blessings.

Found this old video I made of a camping trip we did down the coast when we were living in Washington. We did a camping trip on a 3 day weekend. The highlights were hiking along the coast with the prettiest ocean views, seeing a mom & baby whale swimming in the ocean when we got to the hike view point, camping & s'mores, & having a picnic at the Tillamook Cheese Factory (we brought a baguette, fruit, & cream soda & got the BEST smoked cheddar at the factory followed by the most delicious ice cream- marionberry & salted caramel hazelnut are both sooo good)! It was such a fun weekend!!