Apartment 424

I have been meaning to do a post about our apartment...oh...since last MAY when we moved!  Oh geez, it dawned on me that I have never taken pictures of this apartment.  Now, I know this is definitely a post that is probably more for me than for anyone else but I want to remember the place we lived when our family grew from two to three.

Little storytime.  When we found out that we were going to have little Jacob we knew we wanted to move into a bigger apartment.  We really liked the apartment complex that we were in and so started investigating into their two-bedroom apartments.  Our lease on our one-bedroom went until the end of July of 2012 and Jacob was due at the beginning of July.  We thought, "hey, we can definitely make it work for a couple of weeks."  Although, moving with a newborn didn't thrill my soul, we knew we could make it work.

However, we were watching online to see when various apartments became available and a two-bedroom in the same building was available starting in the end of May.  That was perfect!  (Also, I guess I should note, there are 22 buildings in our apartment "community" so we felt so lucky that one was opening up in the same building we were already in!)  So we moved before we had Jacob into this apartment.  It was so nice to be able to kind of have everything set up before he got here and feel a little more settled.

So here is the grand tour (it's not really that grand, but that's sounds WAY more exciting!)

We are the top one!

Our doorway of...doors.  Lots of doors greet you when you enter.  Across from the front door is the half bathroom.

Our itty-bitty half bathroom.

Jacob's room!  This is where all of the fun happens :)

You round the corner and you enter our living room/family room/dining room...etc.

Next to the fridge is the door to our laundry room - I am SO glad we have a washer and dryer in our apartment!

Our bedroom.

Our bathroom.

Our balcony.

The view from our balcony - we really do love living by our little "lake."

Well that's it!  Nothing too fancy but it's ours for right now and for that I am very grateful.  I must admit when I first looked at these pictures I was a little embarrassed.  I kept thinking how plain it was and not very put together everything is.  But then something unexpected happened.  I thought of this quote by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  I read this talk...a lot.  I know I have quoted it before and I will probably quote it again, but it gives me comfort and makes me feel good.  You can read the whole thing here.

He is talking about being a young mother and he says,

"The apartment is usually decorated in one of two smart designs - Deseret Industries provincial or early Mother Hubbard." 

It made me smile when I thought of this because it made me feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my life.  Looking at these pictures I think of all of the things we have been given by such kind and generous family members.  Pretty much everything we have has been given to us and we are extremely grateful.  Life is good.  

Who would have thought writing about my little home would make me feel so good?!  I definitely wasn't expecting that.  Tender mercy.  Plus, tonight was the General Relief Society meeting and I am just feeling good everyone, feeling good.  

Also, just because pictures of people are fun, here are some of us from the last week :)

Roxborough State Park

FAMILY FUN!  To enjoy the last day of summer we went to Roxborough State Park.  It was beautiful.  We went and hiked down the Fountain Valley Trail.  It was beautiful and a perfect morning to do it.  I love this area of Colorado for the red rocks nestled in a green setting.  It makes for a beautiful contrast. 

The trail started out in one direction and then splits to go into a loop.  At the far end of the loop is this house built by Henry Persse in the early 1900s.  He had meant to build a resort there - kind of interesting.  The resort never happened and we were grateful because it's such a beautiful area. 

Shortly after we had left the house we had a little bit of excitement.  We turned a corner and a small group told us that they had just seen a black bear up ahead and to be on the lookout.  I must say, at first I just wanted to turn around and go back up the loop the way we had come.  But we kept going forward and I quickly asked Mark what I was supposed to do if I saw a bear - act big or be quiet?  Well, I'll tell you this much, my eyes were scanning the brush like crazy! 


I think what was making me the most anxious was that the area we were hiking in had this deep brush on both sides and it was just hard to see and I just didn't want to come along it and startle it.  We walked a little ways and didn't see anything and started to relax a little bit and then saw some very fresh "remains" left by a bear.  We walked further and we got to a little grove and Mark and I are positive there was a bear in there.  We could definitely hear the bear.  It was a little creepy.  Not being able to see anything but know that it's there.  Uggg...Mark was a little disappointed because he had never seen a bear in the wild before but I was just fine. 

Jacob was unaffected by the bear walking around :)

Anyway, it was a great morning hike and we enjoyed being out in some beautiful nature.

Project: Get Healthy

So, I don't mean to "toot our own horn" but I am pretty darn proud of Mark and I.

Let me go back in time just a little bit though.  I debated within myself to even write about this but it's been a big part of our life the last couple of months and so should be documented.

It all started back when I was pregnant with Jacob.  I wish I could say that I was one of those women that feels the "pregnancy glow" but I am just not.  I didn't love the way that I looked and in all honesty, I knew that it would probably be difficult to get back into shape.  I've never been a super "skinny" girl and it definitely just doesn't happen naturally for me - I just don't have that body type and I accepted that a couple years ago.

However, that didn't and doesn't mean that I don't want and need to be healthy.  Now, I really don't feel like Mark and I were eating "bad" we ate lots of fruits and veggies but our biggest problem was snacking and overeating.  The result was that we just weren't really happy about our bodies.

I was beginning to feel pretty bad about it.  I was trying to make changes in our diet and exercise and literally nothing was changing.  After months and months of this I finally went to the doctor to see if there was something wrong.  I literally hadn't lost a single pound (other than the weight of Jacob) from when I was pregnant!  Seriously.  It was frustrating to say the least.  And I was actually really hesitant to even go see the doctor because I didn't want it to seem like I was just trying to find some quick fix, I just didn't understand how it was possible.  But it was possible.  The tests all came back fine and I was (other than my weight) totally healthy.

Mark wasn't totally exempt from this, he was beginning to lose weight, but not as much as he would have liked either.  So, we decided that we needed to make a lifestyle change.  And, oh my goodness, I am so glad that we did!  The last two months our lives really have changed in a lot of ways, and like I said at the beginning, I am pretty proud of us.

For the first time in my life we started counting calories.  And it has been such an eye-opening experience.  We have become so much more aware of what and how much we eat.  It has also even changed how I view food.  We have even changed how we work out.  We are now consistently working out in the ways that work best for us.  We feel great.  Really great.  And even though we hope to continue slimming down in some areas, we feel like we are behaving and eating healthier than we ever have.

Now for the real kicker.  So, in the last couple months Mark has lost 45 pounds.  That's right.  I have lost 25 pounds.  So, to wrap it up, we are just really happy with the choices we are making right now with regards to our health.  Things are good.

Also, Mark teased me about whether or not I was going to put up before and after pictures of us.  The answer is no.  But hopefully you'll be able to notice more and more as the months progress in our regular pictures.

But what's a post without pictures?!  You get Jacob! :)

For All Seasons

As I sat down tonight to write a blog post - I realized I had quite a bit on my mind.  A couple paragraphs in I realized that I was getting far to personal to be sharing with the whole wide world (even though there is really only a handful of people that read our blog regularly, but you know what I mean).

But with all of that said, I still want to share a little something to remember my feelings of this week (after all, that's the purpose of this blog).  The other day I was reading this article about the different seasons of our lives.

I have been very blessed to have the life that I have.  It's been a very happy one.  I hope it continues that way :)  I've definitely had my share of trials and hard times, just like anyone, and I know that there are more in store for me.  But nevertheless, my life has been a happy one.

I love the seasons.  All of them - except for maybe summer (ugg...I hate the heat), which is maybe a little ironic because of the comparison of seasons I am trying to make right now...but moving on!

"We have seasons in our lives as well.  Some are warm and pleasant.  Others are not.  Some of the days in our lives are as beautiful as pictures in a calendar.  And yet there are days and circumstances that cause heartache and may bring into our lives deep feelings of despair, resentment, and bitterness."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I have been blessed with many "warm and pleasant" days.  But sometimes things can get rough.  I wouldn't say I am feeling any "deep feelings of despair, resentment, [or] bitterness" (I promise this isn't a cry for help!) but sometimes things are not very warm and fuzzy either.

But one thing is definitely pretty certain if you ask me.  Every year, no matter how hard the winter has been, spring always comes.  I completely believe that to be true with our lives as well.  And I am actually grateful that I see things that way.  That I still have hope for things to get better.

Especially, though, I am grateful for my little family that helps me remember this important truth.  On the side of our blog I have this quote by Elder Richard G. Scott.  He is speaking of marriage, but I believe it also just speaks of life.  "...You have times when you are extremely happy, times of testing, and times of trial, but the Lord guides you through all of those growth experiences together."

I realize that this post may not make any sense.  I guess I just hope that we can all find happiness in our lives.  And if it's hard to find happiness in an aspect of your life right now, know that spring will come, and with that comes happiness.  

Now, enough serious talk.  I will end on someone that makes me super happy!  Seriously, how can you look at this face and not be happy?! 

This is totally my life right now.  Jacob and I had come home from a walk (yep, sometimes I take Jacob on walks when he's still in his pjs - we HAVE to beat the heat!) and I went to put my shoes away, I come back and this is what's happened.  He LOVES his books!!!  And apparently, likes to have a wide variety of books to choose from at all times :)

And this is the smiling face I get to wake up and see every morning - yep, I am a blessed woman.  ***I also get to see Mark's cute face every morning but I am not sure if he would have appreciated the close-up as much as Jacob did!***

Smoothies and a Book

Here's a little story.  Mark's birthday was on Monday which means we needed to do a birthday activity.  Mark decided he wanted to do a hike on Saturday (which is today).  So that's what we had planned.  But then on Thursday night we got told about this Saturday morning football thing some men in the ward were going to do at the park.  Mark totally wanted to do it.  And I don't blame him at all - I wanted to do it!  It sounded like fun and they said that families were invited so we thought it would be a great thing to do. 

However, it would also mean...no hike.  Bummer.  Our Saturday was already pretty packed with things we needed/wanted to do and there just wasn't going to be time.  We were now faced with the possibility of having no birthday activity.  That would not have been fun.  But we still had Friday afternoon.  So, on a whim, we decided we would do one of Mark and I's favorite pastimes...stroll through the bookstore and get a tasty Jamba Juice. 

We would do this a lot when we were first married to finish off our "dates" (which were basically our weekly trips to Logan to go grocery shopping) before we headed back up the canyon.  It was great.  Now we have Jacob which basically just means that now I spend half my time in the children's section.  I love it!

It was totally relaxing and fun.  And we spent time together as a family.  Which is what it's all about, right?!

He LOVED it!  Can you tell? :)

Mark's 31st Birthday

Yesterday, was Mark's 31st Birthday!  WOOT WOOT! 

Seeing as it was Monday, he did have to go to school - bummer.  But when Mark got home in the afternoon we were able to do some fun things.  While Jacob was taking his nap we played an intense round of Mario Kart.  Yep, we still play this. 

Once Jacob got up we played blocks and made cookies.  It was pretty great. 

Mark decided that he wanted to go to Chipotle for dinner - but get take out so that we could have a little picnic at home.  So we went and picked it up and had a little picnic in our living room.  It was delicious and relaxing. 

We then opened cards and presents.  We are so lucky to have such wonderful family. 

We got Jacob all scrubbed and tubbed and off to bed.  Despite being STUFFED from our yummy dinner, you just have to have some sort of treat on your birthday.  We're not really big cake people around here so Mark decided that he wanted chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.  Done and done! 

I hope Mark had a good birthday.  I sure do love that man.  I hope that he was able to feel how much we love and appreciate him.  Happy Birthday, Mark!

P.S.  Birthday activity scheduled for Saturday.  Stay tuned :)

Abby

On Tuesday, my family made the difficult decision to put our dog, Abby, to rest.  I miss that adorable little pup already - and yet I know, in all honesty, it hasn't really hit me since I am so far removed from the situation.  I know it will be difficult when we go back home.

Now, although it may seem silly to some, Abby was very much a part of our family for the last ten years and so it really has been an emotional ride dealing with the thoughts and the actuality of losing her.  But, I have been blessed to be able to focus on all of the wonderful and endearing memories of Abby that we were able to create together over the last ten years.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted a dog.  Really bad.  I think I was kind of losing hope of it ever happening, until my fifteenth birthday rolled around.  This is a Clegg family story that's been told and retold over the years and never fails to get a reaction amongst ourselves.  When my family was moving to Utah my parents asked us if there was anything in particular we wanted (like our own room or something like that).  I asked for a dog.

A couple years went by and my Dad and Megan were talking about my upcoming birthday.  Megan then informed my Dad that he had made this "promise" to me and since he hadn't given me a dog, he was a "promise-breaker."  My poor Dad.  Well, my birthday arrives and a dog was the very last gift I was expecting to receive.  But for my last present I pulled out a dog collar and immediately started crying.  I am not sure if I thought it was some cruel joke or I was in complete shock, but I was then informed that we were getting a dog - today!

We piled in the car and I was able to pick out our adorable little Abby.  In all honesty, I was planning on getting a boy dog, after all, I thought my Dad deserved to have a boy for a dog since he was already swimming in a sea of estrogen.  But, Abby was just too perfect to pass up.  So we added another girl to the family.

The first day we brought Abby home with us...

I was on cloud nine for a good long while.  I actually really loved taking Abby on walks and taking care of her.  Although I always did find it amusing that she was the "family dog" most of the time, but then she would randomly be changed as "my dog" when she needed to be taken out.  :)  Either way, I loved having Abby.

Abby was never much of a cuddly dog.  She definitely had some attitude.  It was either her way or no way.  Let's be honest, she was high-maintenance.  But we loved her just the same.  I loved the way she would lean up against my door early in the morning when I was still asleep.  I loved how excited she would get the moment you would say "walk."  I loved when you walked into the house and she'd come bounding up to see you and give you "loves."  And no matter how long I had been away she always knew and loved me just the same.

And I loved how, despite her "attitude", she knew when you needed some loving.  Remember when I said Abby wasn't much of a cuddly dog?  Well, she would definitely pick her moments well though, and perhaps that made them mean even more.  She seemed to know when you were having a bad night and would come and put her head in your lap or lick your leg.

One tender memory, which is one of the very last memories I have of Abby, is from our trip there in July.  Abby's health was so poor at the time and she would often just lay down and cry.  It was heartbreaking to see and hear.  It was our first night there and Jacob had woken up in the middle of the night crying.  I walked up to the room he was in and was sitting on the floor in the dark trying to calm Jacob down.  I had left the door open slightly and I saw it open and in hobbled little Abby.  I felt so bad for waking her up as she really seemed to struggle at night.  But she came in and gave Jacob some "loves" on his head and then laid down against me.  It was so hard to watch her labored breathing and soft whimpers as I held Jacob.  I didn't want to move and cause her any distress but after ten minutes her crying became too much for me.  I went and asked my Mom if I could give her any medicine to help with the pain she was feeling.  I ended up moving Jacob to our room so that she wouldn't keep up Abby anymore.  But I don't think I'll ever forget the way she so tenderly came in when someone was sad, gave them some love, and laid there with them.  That's how I will remember, Abby.

She was a wonderful member of our family and she will be greatly missed.

Love and miss you Abs.