Latest and Greatest

            

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to write on my blog once a month. As you can see, I've already failed! Hello, February; you sure snuck up on me. I hope this isn't a foreshadowing of my other resolutions. This past year I got into sharing and writing more on Instagram, which kind of took my blog's thunder--or that's just my excuse. 

Here's a recap of the latest and greatest:

We got Oreo a bed. This is significant because now she won't leave it, even for me. I am wondering if this is the worst idea ever because now my pal won't leave her bed to follow me everywhere I go. Ben thinks it's the best idea ever because her hair stays in one localized spot. I'll take the hair and the dog, thank you very much. They are an all-in-one package. 

Ben got a new position at the bank a few months ago and finished his Executive MBA in December! I will not miss the two years of not seeing each other on Tuesdays and Thursdays and other nights where group projects and homework were the priority. He did very well in his program and made some wonderful connections while he was at it. It's crazy how much more time we have together now. Ironically, it is also so crazy how fast that time fills up. You think you'll have so much more time when you cross a finish line and then more of life happens. But still, Ben being free from school enables us to be together while working on the other things that fill our time, which brings me to my next point. 

We are moving forward with our kitchen remodel. I am getting so excited for a new layout, new appliances, and more! It always sounds so fun until you have to pick things like grout color out and then you wonder what you got yourself into. I am sure before and after pictures will be on the blog in the next few months! And because going through a kitchen remodel isn't enough...

This is a subject I've avoided on social media, but I figure it's such a part of our lives right now, it's better to be transparent instead of having people wonder. We have been trying to increase our family for almost four years with no luck. It has been one of the hardest things I've had to deal with-- there are so many emotional, physical, and social implications. We finally started tests and treatments in August of 2015 and have had no luck so far. With our case, our doctor thinks our best bet, with only a 35% chance of it working, is IVF. I always thought that if we had to do IVF, it would be the most devastating thing in the world (I hate needles and blood, etc.) However, since we have decided on that path, I feel very at peace. Time will tell if it works, and with our odds we might need to try it more than once, but we feel very peaceful about it, and it feels good to be moving in a direction. There were a few hours of a day where we didn't even know if we would be able to participate in IVF, and that was so devastating that now I am pretty much elated to have shots and blood work daily! We know Heavenly Father has a plan that is perfect for us, even though there isn't a current "why" that makes sense. So this means we will be redoing our kitchen and going through IVF at the same time because, why not? We will keep you informed of the success of the procedures as we feel we can. 

And through it all, we have something to look forward to! If you have Instagram, you already know that we are trying to attend all of the temples in Utah this year. This has been so wonderful for us so far. We have had many things in our life the past few years that have been completely out of control, so it is nice to feel like we can have something to look forward to every month. So far we have been to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, Ogden Temple, and Jordan River. These trips allow us fun date nights to new places and visits with family and friends. We are also excited that some of them will allow us to travel because I have always wanted to go to Vernal (just kidding!) 

Life is hectic and busy right now with so many decisions to make, places to be, and other demands, but I feel very at peace with where we are right now (except that Oreo won't leave her bed. That I just can't get over.)