Rach & Curtis

Our friends Rachael & Curtis are expecting their first baby in a month, so today, we spent some time at the park taking some pictures.

I have not done any editing on these so be kind.

I have to admit, it took a little bit of convincing to get Rachael to do the maternity pictures. When we first discussed doing them, she was about 5 months pregnant, and was thinking it was a good time because she was really starting to show. I told her we should wait until she was "huge and miserable" to make sure she really would have some great belly shots. Lately, she has felt just gigantic. I had to remind her that this is when I had told her would be the best time. She now says she is glad she did them, even though she really didn't want to before hand.

And of course, we had to do a few funny ones....

The Belly Contest

This is why pregnant women do not play hide and seek:

It was a lot of fun and I am very excited for Rachael and Curtis. When it comes to starting a family, we have had some interesting timing of experiences with them. I can't wait to meet their new little boy.

My First Blog Award

I am touched & excited to have been given my first Blog Award.This one is from my cousin Michelle and it is the "Let's Be Friends" blog award.

The Let's be Friends Award is given to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. The hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.




I have to admit, I had a hard time choosing. All of you are very uplifting on your blogs. But, after a long, hard process, I narrowed it down to these people.

• Monae at Backstage Center (I love her uplifting thoughts and getting to experience her life in the theater
• Terrie n Cory at The Bolander Family (The stories and pictures just bring a smile to my face)
• Cousin Audra at Little Black Bears
• Cousin Audra at LATTER DAY LADY (I know, I picked her two times but I love bother her blogs)
• Kristen at KRF Photography
• Katie at Katie & Tyler (Congrats on the little one due in November)
• Steph and Kev ( I love reading about their little ones)- UNFORTUNATELY, this one is blocked so I can't link it for you, or at least not so you can read it
• And FINALLY, Terrilyn at the Houdek Household. She has been an inspiration to me. I don't even know if she knows I read her blog or not.

Hopefully, some of these guys will give out the award as well, so we can get to read new blogs, new stories and be uplifted even more. Sorry it took me so long to pass on the award. I have just been so busy lately.

Oh My Goodness!

So all week I have been trying to win Kenny Chesney tickets before they went on sale. All I had to do was be the 15th kisser (caller, but since the station is kizn 92 they call it kisser). Well, Thursday, I called at lunch time and was caller one and then...YES! I was caller 15! I was way excited. I barely paid much attention to the fact that this also qualified me for a trip to Nashville to go to the CMT Music Awards and also, if I didn't win that trip, a trip to Chicago to see Kenny Chesney again there.
Today, I was listening to the radio, they said they were going to announce the grand prize winner at 8:50 in the morning. I was running a few minutes late to work, so when my phone rang at 8:27 from a number I didn't recognize, I thought it was a co-worker using her house phone to call me and tell me she was running late. This is kind of how the call went:
"Hello?"
"Rebecca....what are you doing right now?"
"Driving to work" (A little hesitation in my voice)
Then I hear the husband/male dj "Well, I hope you don't drive off the road because you just won a trip for two to the CMT Music Awards!"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

So that is kind of how it went. They took my info and told me I would be receiving a call from the promotions guy to get all the info on my guest and give me the details.

I am very excited. Mike is not able to miss work so my friend Sarah is going to come with me. I am very excited. I am going to work my butt of to lose 5 pounds or so by then.

My heart is elsewhere today....

Today, I must admit, even though the sun is shining and it is nice and warm here in Boise, my heart is else where. Today I would rather be:

Getting hugged by this sweet spirit

Listening to a story told by this little lady

Listening to this handsome young man's knock knock jokes

Hearing the gleeful squeals of this small comedian

And carrying this little princess in my arms

I know I should be grateful for all I have, it is just so hard, when these precious ones, and their wonderful parents, are so far away.

Happy Clean Up Your Room Day!

So you may be asking what? Happy Clean Up Your Room Day? Yes, Sunday, May 10th is clean up your room day!(This post may be a little scatter brained....just warning you)

About 3 years ago I was in search of a book that was about an LDS couple going through what Mike and I were going through with infertility. The only one I found was fiction, but a good story as the author really tapped in to what a Mother's Day Sacrament is like for someone like me. More on that in a minute, but basically, the husband found obscure holidays to celebrate instead. Like May 8th in the book was No Socks Day (this is accurate too). So that is what I have done for the last few years. Looked up different holidays.
Let me explain a little bit. Mike and I are still getting to know people in our ward. It doesn't help that there is another set of Robins (spelled Robbins) in our same apartment complex that are also relatively new. So when people meet us, or re-meet us, the first question is do we have kids...answer...no or not yet depending on what tone they used when asking.
Next question...How long have you been married.... going on 8 years.
You can see them trying not to show what they are thinking....
and then the so your husband must be in school.
I answer yes (after all he is) but you can tell that they ASSUME that is why we don't have kids yet.
I remember 2 years ago, Mother's Day Sacrament. Nice talks. I specifically told my husband not to urge me to stand up when they handed out flowers. People don't understand how it feels. First they ask all the MOTHERS to stand, then they realize it...oops....and these words came out of the Bishop or his counselor's mouth (I don't remember which)..."and all the wanna-be moms"
OUCH! I still didn't stand. I think he must have realized how it sounded because he then said, all the mother's in training. I still didn't stand. Then, as the flowers were passed out they had the congregation sing some song like Teach Me to Walk, that was my breaking point. I was done. I was in tears. A young woman who was helping pass out the flowers gave one to me and said "he said mother's in training."
Last year, I was able to miss the pain that is mother's day because I was trying to become a mother...(this is PG people, don't worry). Mike and I were going through the IVF process for the first time and this was the day they retrieved my eggs. So instead of going through the same embarrassment of getting a sympathy flower, I was trying to make it so that it would be the most memorable mother's day ever. We found out Memorial Day weekend we were pregnant, however, we did miscarry....
So this year....Happy Clean Up Your Room Day! I won't say how I am going to handle the church thing...because really, it is not the way I think it should be handled, but I have found that finding something else to celebrate has helped me out.
Being LDS and married for over 7 years with no kids makes you feel like the kid who came to school in his underwear on those old TV sitcoms....You stand out, you are strange, there is something wrong with you. I am becoming more comfortable in this role, but Mother's Day is still something I can not get through. So to all the mothers out there, enjoy your day, remember each child is a blessing, and have a great Clean Up Your Room Day!

Theater Photography

So my nephew Gregg played the male lead in Antigone (a completely different role from the role of Jesus in Godspell) for his final production at Meridian High school. The play was produced under public domain so I was able to photograph the entire performance! YEAH! I was able to experience all the challenges of theater photography (mostly the lighting).

Gregg did a great job. Here are some photos:

Good Job to the entire cast! Gregg- Congrats on your upcoming graduation and good luck in all you do.

Tagged 8

I was tagged....This list is all about the number 8
I agree with Steph....8 is a long list

Here we go:

My 8 favorite TV shows:
1) Biggest Loser
2) Chuck
3) Psyche
4) Jon & Kate Plus 8
5) Everybody Loves Raymond
6) Scrubs
7) The old Law & Order Criminal Intents (before they brought on a 2nd pair of cops and changed the captain)
8) Disney Channel Shows (Sad but true)

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1) Kicked butt at work
2) Walked on all 3 breaks/lunch
3) Went Visiting Teaching (even though I forgot until my partner was here to pick me up)
4) Worked out- TWICE
5) Laughed til I almost cried
6) Skipped dinner- that was bad, it was because of the visiting teaching thing
7) Played around on facebook
8) IM'd with Sarah

My 8 Favorite Resturaunts:
(I don't think I have that many)
1) Chilis
2) Cracker Barrel
3) Texas Roadhouse
4) Olive Garden
5) Rainforest Cafe (even though there isn't one in Boise)
6) Goodwood
7) Elmers (for BREAKFAST only)
8) Bad Boys (I ran out of real resturaunts so had to throw in a mom n pop (or brothers) drive-thru)

8 Things I am Looking Forward To:
1) My Photography Class
2) Texas
3) The next Girls Weekend
4) Summer Camping Trips
5) Our Nauvoo Trip (next year but still very excited)
6) My new laptop
7) Making my goal weight
8) Being able to where my chacos daily (once the weather decides to STAY warm)

8 Things on my Wish List:
1) Hawaii (2 years....for our 10 yr anniversary?)
2) Children
3) House (was supposed to be this year until had to buy a new car)
4) A 2nd Camera
5) Being able to make money from photography
6) Finding the words to write my book
7) Europe Vacation...specifically Spain.
8) Wii Fit (maybe in a month or two)

(I was tagged in 2 different versions so this is a little longer than Stephs)

8 Things I am Thankful For:
1) Mike
2) Gospel
3) My Testimony
4) Good friends
5) My trials
6) Jobs
7) Family
8) 31 cent scoops at Baskin Robbins Tonight...yummmmm

8 People I Tag:
1) Roxanna
2) Audra
3) Terrie
4) Sarah
5) Monae
6) Liz
7) Terrilynn
8) Anybody Else Who Wants to do this (I hate tagging people....)

I hope to be able to read some other peoples and get to know all of you a little better.

Just a little update...

Just a little update....first off, I haven't told many people yet (because I am not sure how many people I want seeing it) but we have another blog we started. It is our weight loss blog where we will share tips, tricks, struggles and recipes, etc as Mike and I go through our weight loss. If anyone is interested in following it just click HERE. If anyone would like to comment and leave recipes and stuff please do so.

Next, Mike and I took a trip to Swan Falls last weekend with his mom and our friend Matt. It was a gorgeous day, the sun was shining and the falls were at the highest water capacity they can be.

Mike is enjoying school and loves his new job. He is really enjoying having Fri, Sat, and Sun off. I am still adjusting to him being home on Saturday. I am working and next month will be taking some photography classes. I am looking for couples, families and individuals to photograph using techniques learned in the class. I am offering special rates for this. To see the rates feel free to visit my photography site.

Other than that, not much is going on here. I am feeling a little more inspired and ready to post but our laptop is almost dead so it is hard to do much on it. We are getting a new one next week so I will be able to do more posting and photo posts, etc.

A Place to Comment if You Voted Other

This is a post just so those who vote other on the Girls Weekend Poll have a place to comment and tell me what other is. Or if you just want to leave a comment on the poll. Please, vote. I had a blast on my last girls weekend and want to try and make it an annual event (with a few thrown in every now and then that are just because there is a free weekend).
If anybody is looking for a movie that is good, and likes dogs...MARLEY & ME was really good. You laugh, you cry.....I liked it a lot.

Conference and Sophie

As I said, I would probably post after conference. Conference is such a refreshing weekend for me. I felt every talk was geared towards me, as I usually do. I really loved the focus on Christ as Easter comes only a week after conference. One of my favorite talks was Elder Hollands about the Atonement. The description he gave really made one understand what the Savior must have gone through.
Saturday night, Mike and I had tickets to the 25th Anniversary Concert at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts. They honored Velma Morrison and then one of my favorite jazz singers, Sophie Milman, performed. It was wonderful. I have decided Mike doesn't take me out enough though because as I got ready I thought my nice black slacks would probably fit just right since I had lost so much weight....well, I was wrong. They were way too big. I told him when I can't know if my date clothes are going to fit me right he must not take me out enough.
In an effort to get more active, develope new hobbies and talents, and be reinspired I have decided to sign up for classes through Community Education and may enroll at CWI this fall. I am excited to take some photography classes beginning next month and am looking for oppurtunities to use the new skills I will learn (hopefully). We are going to be hiking, camping, and enjoying the beauty of Idaho. Hopefully all of this will reinspire me and I will be back to my blogging in no time.

SLC and a Blogging Break

Ok, I have not done a journal post in a long while. So I thought I would start off with that.

Last week, Mike and I both had Friday off so we went down to SLC to see Sarah. We met her for lunch at Chick-fil-a on Friday and wandered around the Layton Hills Mall. Then, she had to work, so Mike and I wandered and then made an early night of it and went to the hotel and watched some movies.

Saturday was great. We met Sarah for breakfast at IHOP and then went to Garden Village. It had the cutest shops and the best bakery and candy shop....So tempting! We then went and had lunch at the Mayan Adventure. Made me think of the Rainforest Cafe. We really enjoyed the Diving show. After that we took Sarah home and we were going to go out on a double date with her and Dustin that night to Texas Roadhouse but we were still stuffed from our late lunch and then Sarah scored tix to the Jazz game. So Sarah and I went to the game. They played the Phoenix Suns (Shaq's team) and won 104 to 99 in OT. WOOHOO!

We were going to meet Dustin the next day but unfortunately word came that some nasty storms were moving in. Mike and I made the decision to leave early Sunday morning. We missed most of the storms although we hit some 50+ mile per hour winds for about a hour stretch of the drive and then were slammed with some snow/hail mix just before Boise. It was a lot of fun and when I get a little more motivated I will post some photos from the trip.

Which brings me to the next part of my post. I am taking a little break. I may post something after conference or when something big happens. But I feel pretty uninspired at this moment. I think I just need a break. Catch me on facebook now and then. I hope to get reinspired soon. I now understand why some of my favorite bloggers (Monae) take breaks. I will be back soon.

Spring!

I just love spring! The days are getting longer and warmer (thank goodness). Flowers are starting to bloom, the lawns are turning green, the sidewalks and greenbelt are full of bikers, joggers, strollers (both the people and the child vehicle), the parks playground equipment is covered with children and there is just a feeling of happiness in the air. I love after a light spring rain (the kind that comes when the sun is shining so bright you are wearing your sunglasses while using your windshield wipers), to go outside and take a deep breath. The whole world just feels and smells so clean! There is just something rejuvenating about spring.
I also love the opportunity spring gives us to do things. I like being able to go on the greenbelt, hiking trails, out to jump creek, and our big one for March and April.... road trips. I absolutely LOVE that Boise is an area where we really can experience all 4 seasons.
We are very excited that Mike works Monday through Thursday so we can really enjoy our weekends this spring and summer. We really look forward to camping, swimming, and all the other activities we plan on doing this summer.
We really love our ward and feel this is where we are meant to be for the time being and so we are going to extend our lease for a year here. We are really growing and being able to see how strong our testimonies really are. I think it was a good thing for us to move to a ward where we didn't know anybody. It helped us to know that we really do have testimonies and are strong enough to stay active when we are away from the area where we know everyone. I really am learning a lot in my calling and Mike is enjoying his calling and growing from it as well.
As for the TTC (those who are wondering about this part of our lives will be able to figure out what it stands for), we have decided to hold off for a little while right now. Mike's family is having some things going on right now that makes it hard for us to think about it and we really do not feel that this is the time for us. We appreciate all the prayers over the years and will let you know if anything changes.
We hope all is well with all of our friends and family! I love reading your blogs and keeping up with all of you!

Thorvaldsen's Christus

Girls Weekend in SLC