Kids

Having kids has kind of been a weird subject for me. I get A LOT of pressure/comments/suggestions/judgments about being married for four years, 25, and no kids yet. Not that it really is anyone's business, but I feel like I should clarify. I think there is a difference between not wanting kids at all- and wanting them in the right time. I have been in both boats. I think when you are in the first boat you should not have kids... if you don't want them, then by all means do not have them. You aren't doing anyone any favors by doing that. I feel like it is worse for someone to have kids because that's what is expected or that's the next step is when they don't really want them, than the person that just doesn't have kids. I feel like at this point in my life I am in the second boat. I want kids. I also want to have kids in the right time for me and Sam.

I have always been one for preparation. I literally bought most of the stuff I wanted for my house before I got married and had it in a tote for a few months. I wanted to be prepared, in fact I didn't buy toilet paper or paper towels for like a year after I got married because I had started buying it before and saving it. I like to know that my necessities are taken care of before I take huge leaps. I feel like that's a good thing. It is really weird to me that I get a lot of negative feed back for being that way- what gives. Kids to me are one of the biggest leaps- if not the biggest that you will ever take in your lifetime. I feel like a lot of couples don't give that choice the credit it deserves. I want to be ready for kids- I feel like they deserve that. I want to be able to look my kids in the eye and tell them that I PLANNED and PREPARED for them- and not that I wasn't ready but got ready after I was already pregnant. I am by no means faulting those people that choose to do things differently than me, I mean to each his own, but I also am a little tired of being faulted for the way I am choosing to do things. So, here's where I am at.

I want to have kids. I want my kids to have the best life possible. I want my life to be as good as possible. I want to be the best mom possible. I know that I cannot do or have those things without getting ready first. I realize I will never be fully ready for kids, but I can get as ready as possible and set a time frame that works for me and Sam. I appreciate that certain people are interested in our personal life, and I honestly take it as a compliment when people want us to have kids and talk to us about having kids. I am not, however flattered when people fault or degrade where we are, or somehow think we are less of a family without kids. I appreciate advise and words of encouragement, so thank you to those that provide that. When my planned time comes, I will be very happy to welcome kids into the Weldin family, but until then I am happy being married and 25, and I hope our friends and family can be happy with that too. I mean isn't that enough? :)

Sorry about the little rant- Its out of my system and I feel much better thank you. :)

I Love Target

I seriously love Target. I guess its really more of a love/hate relationship. I love it and I can ALWAYS find something I want there, but I could seriously spend my whole paycheck in there and not even think twice about it. I have gone through periods of time where I have had to limit how many times I can go there in a month- which was 4. Sad, I know. Well, on my last trip there Target was good to me. I found the CUTEST rugs. There were a steal for $12! Whooo hooo, so I bought three of them. I love how rugs change the whole feel of an area, and I am OBSESSED with stripes lately. Successful shopping trip if you ask me.

4th of July

Happy Independence Day!! The fourth of July is such a fun holiday. I usually love to sit in some water to celebrate our beautiful country, but this year we headed up to the cabin ( I actually think we usually go to the cabin, but I always want to go swim) We are so lucky to have such a nice place to escape to that is not too far- but just far enough. The cabin has so many fun memories- man if those walls could talk. We had a barbecue and this year we decided to go try to fish as kids pond. I had never been there before- which is weird because its literally up the road from our cabin. It is super cute there. One tradition we have is that we always eat See's Candy on the Fourth. It started one year at Christmas time. Our family has received SO many boxes of See's candy. Us girls would have been happy downing all of them without even worrying about it, but my dad said no. He took a box and put it in the freezer. We all freaked out and asked when we would be able to eat them- in true parent fashion he said The Fourth of July. So, that's just what we did. We opened up the frozen box on the fourth and enjoyed. Ever since then its not the fourth without some frozen See's. 

 We are so blessed to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I am glad we got to spend the holiday enjoying this beautiful part of the country and our amazing family! God Bless America! 

Anniversary Trip {June 30, 2012}

Sam and I have kept our anniversaries pretty low key (not my choice). We have stayed home and gone to dinner or gone to the lake or whatever- nothing crazy by any means. This year I decided would be different. No more staying at home and going to Benja's- we needed to celebrate. So, Sam reluctantly agreed to go to California for the weekend with me. We went to Huntington Beach (which is where we went on our honeymoon). We tried to go to an Angel's game(something we did on our honeymoon) but they were out of town that weekend. So, we spent the entire weekend at the beach. Dreamy. I LOVED it! The weather was so perfect and sunny but not too hot. We ate fast food and cupcakes and sat on the beach, which is seriously one of my favorite ways to spend the summer weekends. I was so happy to get away and go to the beach, I would live there is Sam would let me. Life is so simple and awesome there. I heard a quote one time that salt water fixes everything (sweat, tears, and the ocean). I could not agree more. In my heart I am a beach bum. Thanks Sam for letting me control the anniversary this year- it was the best! I cannot wait to spend many more weekends on the beach with you!

Thankful

Today I feel thankful. Sometime I get so wrapped up in whats going around me (or not going on around me) that I forget how much I have been blessed with. I have done this before where I list what I am thankful for, and its really good for me to go back and look over it when I am having a not-so-thankful day.
1. Sam. He is so funny and sweet to me. Today he got off work early and brought me a drink because he knew I would want one. That makes me feel loved.
2. Our House. We are SO lucky to have our house. A lot of people are in danger of loosing their houses because of fires right now. I am so lucky that I am not fearful of that. I am so lucky that we can afford our office. Many other people have lost their homes because of the economy. I am so glad that we have not had to worry about that.
3. My family. I really have the sweetest best family ever. My parents are so sweet and show me the best example. They are good, honest, hard working people. Nowadays that is quite rare. My sisters are the best too! I am so blessed that my sisters are my best friends. We get a long and have had so many fun adventures. I am so blessed to be able to travel with them.
4. My job. Number one glad that I have a job. Number two so blessed that I have good job that I feel confident in, and that I can really excel in. Those are pretty hot commodities.
5. St. George. I am seriously so grateful for St. George. I know many people think its just some stupid small town between Vegas and Salt Lake, or a pit stop on the way to Zion, but to me its home. I love the weather, the area, the people, the atmosphere, the small/big town that it is. I can't imagine going anywhere for very long and leaving this place. It really is the greatest place on earth.
6. Friends. Its fun to see our friends and get together with them. Sam and I have been so lucky to find friends everywhere we go. We are so lucky that there are so many great people that we share interests with. Friends really are the best.
7. Gator. Gator is the best, and I am the only the slightest bit sad to admit that I am one of those weird dog people. He is so much fun and makes me and Sam both so happy. We just love our little Gatorlicious.
8. Traveling. I have been SO BLESSED to be able to travel. I love seeing new places and experiencing different cultures and areas. I feel like traveling makes me a better person. I love having trips to look forward to and having past trips to look back on. Traveling is really important to me and I am so lucky to have a husband that supports that, and sisters that feel the same way.
9. Exercise. After high school I started to get into working out, before that I really had no interest in it, that was one of the best choices I ever made. Exercise is important to me on so many levels. I like getting into shape and working on training for a marathon, but the emotional clarity I get from exercise is really the best part. There is something so amazing that happens after you exercise- my entire attitude and mood changes. I have more self confidence and I feel much more relaxed about life. Its amazing how that works.
10. Education. I have always been pretty into school and learning. I have pretty much always loved school. One thing I have come to learn as I get older is that education comes in LOTS of forms. Its not just a text book and lecture. I have come to learn that you can learn new things in so many different ways, you just have to look at it that way. I have learned SO MUCH through my work, through working with people, at church, from our friends and family, from Sam, from myself, from bad situations, from good situations, from failing, from being open to learning. I know I will be a perpetual student for my whole life- not necessarily because I want to go to school forever but because I want to learn from everything around me. Learning is power.

Its Our Anniversay {June 28, 2012}

Yup, today is our anniversary. As of today we have officially been married 4 years! That seems so crazy to think. In some ways it really has seemed like that long, and it other ways it doesn't seem like long at all. I feel really lucky to be married to Sam. Marriage has not been easy by any means, but we are both really blessed that we both keep trying every day. Since its our 4th anniversay I will give 4 pieces of wisdom I have learned in the past four years:
1. Every relationship is different. You can't compare your to anyone elses because they are not you and you are not married to their spouse. It seems so obvious but it can be a real issue.
2. Finding what works for you is not the battle- its keeping everyone else out of what works for you that is. Everyone has an opinion or a judgement or a suggestion about how your relationship should work.The only people that should have a say in your relationship is you, the other person, and your Heavenly Father. Thats it.
3. Laughing and joking with your spouse is the fastest way to get closer to them.
4. Don't take anything too seriously. (This one is the best one- but the one I struggle with the most). One thing I have really tried to do, and let me start off by saying that I know its weird, but I always think about if I would care about whatever I'm mad about if Sam were to be gone. Like if he died or we got divorced or something would that issue really matter? Would it really matter that he didn't take the trash out? Would it really matter that he left his clothes around the house? Or would that be somethig I would miss? Once I answer that question, most of the things that bother me, don't really bother me anymore. Weird- but it works for me! :)

Since I have been the picture stickler through most thing here are some pictures of us through the years:

Goodbye Gluten

Recently I have been having a lot of problems with my stomach. I get some of the WORST stomach aches and my stomach swells up making me look like I'm five months pregnant (and I'm not pregnant to clarify). I have had some problems in the past with my stomach and such, but it kind of went a way and we could never really figure out what was wrong.Well, turns out I am allergic (I guest intolerant is the better word) to gluten.
I have started  monitoring what I was eating, and  noticed that breads and grains caused me the worst problems. Instinctively I started cutting those things out, but I was still having some problems. It has been really hard for me to pin point what has gluten in it- turns out some of my favorites have gluten like  ranch, candy, chocolate. Basically anything really delicious and amazing has gluten. I really needed some help figuring out this stuff, so I turned to a good friend of mine that has the same problem. After talking to her I realized that becoming gluten free would be the death of me and nearly impossible (especially for me).

Despite my sweet tooth screaming at me, I have decided to really make an effort though to cut most of the gluten out of my life. I feel like it is going to be really difficult, but hopefully not as difficult as wanting to explode every time I eat gluten. My friend gave me some AMAZING advice on things to avoid and things to replace gluten with- which I am so grateful for. I have also found some other great sites with gluten free tips and recipes.

These seem like the best ones
The Gluten Free Goddess
Gluten Freely
Simply Gluten Free

I hope this works and that I can get things under control. Wish me luck.

Summer To Do's

It seems like every January and July I get the itch to start new projects, finish old ones, and set some good goals. I have always heard (and said) that you have to write things down or you will never accomplish it. So, here are my summer goals:

Better Homes and Gardens really gets me inspired

1. Finish landscaping our back yard

2. Get ready for the St. George Marathon. (and subsequently get in shape).

3. Try to save at least a dollar

4. Paint at least two rooms in my house this gray color.  I love this website for choosing paint colors. It seriously has such a good selection and shows what they really will look like on the walls. 

5. Go to the lake as much as possible

Sounds like a pretty good summer to me!

Bridal Shower Ideas {June 25, 2012}

My sister Kati just got engaged and the wedding planning has begun. So, that means my bridal shower planning is already well underway. I LOVE throwing showers. I think they are so fun. I LOVED throwing Brooke's shower earlier this year, and I hope it gave me enough practice to make this shower run a little smoother. Kati's style is different than Brooke's and I am excited to do something a little different. Kati is really simple and classic. She loves more bohemian and rustic things, so thats what her shower will be. Thank Heaven for Pinterest to give me lots of ideas. Here's some of the ideas I have found so far.

I found SO many amazing blogs to help me out with my rustic themed shower... here are my favorites:

Santa Barbara Chic
Simply Rosie
Hostess With The Mostess

I think there are few must haves for a rustic shower:

1. Mason Jars- they are so cute and versitile you can use them for drinking, serving, displays, and center pieces. The best part is-- they aren't too expensive and you can send them home with the guests as their part of their gift... double duty.
2. Burlap - Burlap is one of the cheapest fabrics you can buy- seriously. It comes in TONS of colors and you can use it for SO many things. The key to a good party is having items that can perform double or even triple duty.
3. Lots of white - White makes things clean and simple, nothing is more rustic than simple. For Kati's shower we will have all white linens, napkins, and flowers. Simple and no worrying about matching.
4. Twine - Twine is so cute and also really inexpensive. You can make almost anything rustic by adding a little burlap and twine. Quick and easy.
5. Wood-  I am in LOVE with the wood planter with the white flowers. I am hoping this can be one of my DIY's for the shower. I would love that to be the center pieces. All it is is four pieces of wood nailed together with glass jars down inside (in our case mason jars) with some gorgeous white flowers. Done and Done!

I think texture is going to be the key for her shower, not so much color. I am thinking alot of browns, tans, and whites. Nothing too crazy.
Since I have been known to string my self a little thin I am going to work off a to-do list. Man do I love to do lists. Nothing better than cross things off and seeing your list get smaller and smaller. So, here's my shower to do list:

1. Get a guest list
2. Find a location
3. Design and send invites
4. Get a menu (I'm thinking a lemonade drink, cupcakes/cake, fruit, veggies, and a pasta salad)
5. Order mason jars ( I think I can just pick these up at Walmart- but I need to price compare online)
6. Get tables and chairs
7. Pick up twine and burlap
8. Order flowers ( I always just order them from Costco, they seem to be have the best price)
9. Order cake and cupcakes ( My friend Shannon is my go to girl. Go here, here and here to see some of her AMAZING cakes!)
10. Find a take home gift (I'm thinking mason jars with some kind of treat inside)
11. Get linens
12. Order straws and other papergoods
13. Set up
14. Enjoy the shower ( I  have to put that one on the list, because sometimes I forget that part :) )

I'll keep you posted on my progress with the shower. I can't wait to see it all come together.