August 27, 2020

How to put your life in order

New York, NY, USA

This short story is taken from my self-published dating book... I've decided to add parts of the book to my blog so that you'll get to enjoy reading all my fun stories!


How does one put their life in order? Well you start by making a list of things that you’ve got going on in your life right now. 

The first item on this list is: To have a reliable transportation. I’m in no way bashing you and telling you that you need to go spend all your money on a brand-new car but, I do think that if you don’t have a car/bike/public transportation/Lyft to get you from point A to point B then your future partner might not take you seriously. If you live in New York City or San Diego for example: it makes no sense to spend money on a car when you could either walk to places faster or take a Lyft. One of the most unattractive things in the World is having to pick up your date because they just don’t have a reliable transportation (or they got arrested for a DUI and got their license revoked). More on this story later!

Do you have a dream Job? I remember when I was a little girl I used to dream about being a veterinarian (I eventually found out that I would have to take care of all animals and not just cuddly ones and my opinions changed quickly). You see, I have ophidiophobia and you should totally look that up because I can’t even type the actual word. When it comes to figuring out your career I want you think of something that makes you happy. I want you to be happy to wake up each day and go to work. If that means going to college full time and getting that degree you have always dreamt of then do it! It is never too late! No matter what people tell you. If you must get a job in the mean time that is just “okay” make sure to do anything in your power to show up and get work done. I know I keep going back to things that a partner might find “attractive” but I must because you need to understand that looks do fade. Having an education doesn’t! Say it with me: COLLEGE DEGREE=SEXY!


Now I saved the best for last because I find this extremely important:

“Schedule me time” and I mean it! I think that girls are usually a little better at doing this but guys, not so much... I want you to take at least 15-30 minutes of your day to do something for yourself. You can choose whatever you would like during this time whether it be “mani-pedis, a massage, read a book, watch your favorite show, eat a dessert, go to best-buy, go on a hike, go to the gym” honestly the list could go on and on.

There is something about taking the time to re-group and reconnect with yourself. Unplug from your social media if you can too!

“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how precious the time is you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.” 

What do you think? Are you ready to put your life in order? 



August 13, 2020

Birth Story: Happy Birthday Baby Olive

5063 S Cottonwood St, Murray, UT 84107, USA

Documenting as much as I could during my pregnancy journey was one of the main goals I had. Mainly due to the fact that this is my last pregnancy and I really wanted to take it all in (the growing belly, the heartbeat checks, the first kicks, and even the sickness). 

For this journal entry, I'm sharing baby Olives' birth process, but you can also check out my recap of the first trimester, second trimester, third trimester, and the fourth trimester(coming soon). 

Tuesday, August 11 - 9:30 am

Today I'm 39 weeks and my OBGYN has officially scheduled me for an induction. This visit was my last in-office visit and I couldn't help but feel this bittersweet feeling. This is the last time I'll go over this routine (check-in, give a pee sample, get my blood pressure, and weight) then chat with her about how close we are. Lastly, hear babies heartbeat and get checked for dilation. (She checked me today and I was close to a 3 yay) So we were able to get me scheduled for an induction at 39 +2 weeks. 

The hospital had called me the day before to tell me that I’m number one in line and they would call me the day of between 6:00 -11:00 am. The husband and I had a relaxing night of watching the frank Sinatra documentary. Enjoying a yummy dinner in our quiet little home. We finally were able to get some sleep at around 11pm. I think that both of us were too excited to sleep! 

Thursday, August 13 - 5:30 am 

Today our alarm woke us up around 5:30 am. I quickly got up and started to get ready for the day! Even though it is early, I'm feeling such peace and excitement! I get dressed and take one last belly picture for my weekly photo updates I'm working on. Looking at my big belly for the last time and rubbing my hands over gets me a little bit emotional. Once again, I can't believe that this is the last time I'll have a big belly. The last time I'll feel a little human inside me. (don't mind me casually bawling my eyes out).

It's around 6:00 am in the morning now and we still haven’t heard from the hospital so we both decided to take a nice little nap for a couple of hours. Daniel is sound asleep and I'm just looking around our bedroom thinking about how this is the last time it will just be the two of us in here. That baby bassinet will soon have our little human. Ahh! My sister just called around 7:30 am to see how I'm feeling. I just love her so much and the fact that we are the best of friends. I told her that we are waiting for the hospital to call us. I was finally able to get some sleep...

It's 8:30 am we finally get a call from the hospital and they asked me if I was ready to deliver this baby. I exclaimed YES!! At this point, I'm running around the house making sure everything is good to go. I quickly wake up Daniel and tell him it is time so off to the hospital we go. We get checked in and finished the registration process and were in our room by 9:40 am.



Our nurse came in and got all my IVs hooked up and went through all the routine questions to get us ready for birth. And if you read my pregnancy posts then you know that IVs were a huge part of my pregnancy and those little bags kept me going when I thought I was going to die of dehydration due to hyperemesis. The nurse asked us both about our birth plan and to be honest with you, our birth plan has always been pretty single: get baby out safely and try to avoid a C-section. Also: YES to an epidural and yes to skin to skin. 


10:40 am our OBGYN came in to get us pumped and told me that she was going to have the resident come in to break my water. The nurse then put me on Pitocin to get the contractions going. Right before they broke my water I asked for my epidural. See, with both Logan and Lia I knew that it would be best to get the epidural beforehand. So the anesthesiologist came in and got me all set up for the epidural. I squeezed Daniel's hand so hard because I was so afraid of the pain but this doctor was amazing! He did such a great job of keeping me calm by talking to me throughout the whole process. He had me lay on my side which was different from my last two pregnancies as they had me sit up. I honestly didn’t feel a thing besides the initial poke from the numbing injection. Daniel let me hold his hand and squeeze really tight! Once that was over the resident came in to break my water. I'm telling you, get the epidural! 


It’s now 11:20 am and I’m waiting for contractions to pick up and me to be dilated so that we can get our baby girl out! 


Around 12:20 pm our nurse comes in to see where I’m at. She checked me and I'm at 5 1/2. She told me this is great progress and that she would be right back since I'm dialing so quickly.  I tried to sleep but I couldn’t help but look over at Daniel, the man of my dreams. Just sitting on that uncomfortable couch and watching me and being there for me every step of the way. I started to get teary eyes because I’m so damn lucky! (honestly bawling right now just thinking back at all of the things we have gone through these last few months: him being a tech school and not sure he would make it for the birth, me being so sick and him being there and checking on me as much as he could all the way from Texas. Then, to him making me delicious meals when nothing sounds good).


It's 1:40 pm the nurse comes back and this time I’m dilated to a 7 almost 8. She gets really excited and tells our OBGYN that I’m doing so great on my progress and that soon I should be ready to push! 


So around 2:40 almost 3pm, I start feeling sick due to fact that I had yet to eat anything since 7:00 am, and with gestational diabetes, I’ve been so used to eating every 2 hours. I let her know and she gets me some more IV and Zofran. I start to feel better as I take some sips of water. 


At 3:00 pm my OBGYN walks in and says let’s get this baby out! Daniel and I both look at each other and get really excited. I suddenly have all these feelings going through my mind from the last 9 months and can’t believe that it is finally time to meet our little princess! I didn’t care that I have been so sick and had all these issues through this pregnancy because I already knew that she was going to be worth it when I get to see her little face. 


At this point, I’m crowning and get ready to push. My nurse is holding my leg on one side and Daniel is holding the other leg. I told him to look the other way because I know how he doesn’t feel good when looking at blood and such or me in pain. Plus I didn’t really want him to look down there anyway. Haha, so we start the count down to 10. I suddenly remember how I need to push ( It has been 7 years since my last baby) so I start pushing but I start getting really nauseous due to hunger and not having any energy. Right as I turn over to tell the nurse I throw up. It’s okay though, soon after I feel this great energy coming over me and I'm ready to push! So we do the count down two more times and baby girl is out. 


As they lay her on my chest she lets out the sweetest cry and I feel this relief over me. All that anticipation, all the hard work leading up to this moment, and it's finally here. We did it! She is perfect! Baby Olive was born at 3:20 and weighed 6 pounds 10 oz. Just a little bit over her sister but around the same weight! I forget how tiny they are. Feeling her little heartbeat over my chest as she lays there brings all the emotions out once again. Daniel cut her cord with such pride! 


My OBGYN then tells me I did great and no stitches needed or tearing. She gets the placenta out and then goes off to help another momma give birth. The nurse makes sure I'm comfortable and leaves the room to let Daniel and I enjoy skin to skin for the next hour. We both were smiling so big. I enjoyed having her just lay on me where once again I felt her little heartbeat. It's honestly the best feeling in the World! The human body is amazing you guys! 


4 ish pm After being overcome with emotions, taking lots of pictures of baby, it was time to get to our new room. They wheeled us over and we got to get situated while they checked her vitals for us. The next 24 hours were spent at the hospital bonding with our baby girl and thanking our lucky stars for this precious little gift! 



Daniel: Thank you for being the amazing life companion that you are! I can't imagine life without you in it. We make the best team and I appreciate every little thing you do for me and our little family. Olive is so lucky to have a daddy that will be there and shower her with love and affection for many years to come. So hashtag blessed! 


love, 




August 9, 2020

Day trip to Antelope Island - Utah

Antelope Island, Utah, USA

UTAH BUCKET LIST: ANTELOPE ISLAND

Antelope Island is the perfect place for a quick day trip with your kids! We woke up early on a Sunday morning and my husband suggested we would go check out the wild buffalos, bison, and antelopes. 

We stopped and got some drinks and snacks for the drive and hit the road. From where we live it took about an hour to get there but it wasn’t too bad at all!

Once you get to the gate before going over the bridge to the island you can already see how beautiful the view is. The price was $15 dollars per vehicle and if you have someone 60 and older it is only $10 dollars. They gave us a map of the island and off we went to explore.



There are a few different routes you could take when you get to the island. One leads you to a beach where there is also a burger joint, different hiking, and biking trails, while the other leads you to all the wild buffalos off to either side of the road.

There were a few other families there and the best part about it is that everyone we keeping their distance and taking their time while parked on the side of the street. We started driving on this winding road when we spotted the first heard. The kiddos got so excited to see them up close! 





The island also has hiking trails that you can go on and you can even go camping there which I think would make it for a fun weekend with the wild bison!

Here are some fun facts about Antelope Island found on the interwebs:

Description

Antelope Island, with an area of 42 square miles, is the largest of ten islands located within the Great Salt Lake, Utah, United States. The island lies in the southeastern portion of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at extremely low levels.

A balloon festival is held yearly, around Labor Day. Birdwatching on Antelope Island is well known. Observing wildlife is also popular on Antelope Island, especially the large numbers of bison which are part of the Antelope Island Bison Herd. Coyotes and antelope are sometimes seen close to the main roads and campsites, and bison often wander across the roads, though the bison are most often found towards the south end of the island near the Fielding Garr Ranch.




One of our favorite parts of the trip was when we were driving down the small road and this huge herd of mamas and babies decided to cross the road right behind us. We just all watched it right from our rear window as they went by. It was a fun experience to have them that close to us. 

As a reminder, it is not recommended for you to get out of your car when they are this close as they can charge towards you or your car and you can potentially get injured. They are wild animals after all!


Address: 4528 W 1700 S, Syracuse, UT 84075
Hours of operation: 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM (Sunday-Saturday)
Price: Entrance fee: $15 per vehicle up to 8 people (Visit the park site for more information)

Make sure to add a day trip to Antelope Island to your bucket list! If you aren't sure how to start a bucket list I have written a helpful post on it so that way you know exactly what to do



August 6, 2020

BEFORE I LOVE SOMEONE ELSE, GOT TO LOVE MYSELF.

Peru

This chapter is taken from my self-published dating book... I've decided to add parts of the book to my blog so that you'll get to enjoy reading all my fun stories! You can also read about how I found my forever love, my first kiss, and how I gave up dating for lent



What if I told you that failing is part of the journey? What if everything that you have gone through has happened for a reason? Would you give up? Would pick up the pieces and try again? I say YES! Don’t ever give up on yourself! Don’t give up on your journey!


BEFORE I LOVE SOMEONE ELSE, GOT TO LOVE MYSELF.


How are you supposed to let someone into your life without fully loving yourself first? This is easier said than done. I struggled with what some call “closet depression” what this means is that you are going through all those depression symptoms, but you are very embarrassed and ashamed of letting others know. I didn’t take any pills that my doctors wanted me to take. I didn’t feel comfortable doing so. Instead, I opted for something more natural such as getting high on endorphins. Every time I would walk through that Gold’s Gym I would feel better and better.


I loved the person I was becoming. At 26 I was finally figuring out my identity. It wasn’t until 2016 when I decided to take the trip of a lifetime with my sister to Peru & Brazil. I learned a lot about myself then. I experienced the culture and saw things that made me cry, smile and ponder on. This trip was just what I needed. I’m not sure if it was when I reached the top of Machu Picchu and finally got see one of the 7 wonders of the World that I realized just how lucky I was to be alive and well or the fact that I was I FREE! I was letting go of all that built-up resentment and anger.


PERU TRIP with my sister and college friends - 2016


August 3, 2020

How to Prepare for an Earthquake

Utah, USA
Earlier this year, right around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic there was an Earthquake here in Utah. In the city of Magna that occurred on March 18th with a mainshock of 5.7 magnitudes. It came as a shock to a lot of Utah residents as it was the last thing anyone expected to happen. Besides a few broken household items and minor damage to the city, Utah residents were left with what it seemed like 1 million aftershocks that even four months later are still happening. Today's blog post will help you with preparedness tips and what you should do if this situation happens to you.

The University of Utah has been great at updating their site with graphs, information, and aftershock data like the one below: 

curtesy of UofU Seismograph Station


Here is how to prepare for an earthquake if you live in areas commonly known to quiver and shake. It's better to be safe than sorry, and this article shows you how.



If you live near an active fault line, you must know how to prepare for an earthquake. When preparing yourself, you must understand that half of the preparations deal with behavior during the quake, and the rest is how to live after. Read this article if you want to arm yourself with information on how to keep yourself and your family safe during and after an earthquake.

Earthquake Appliance Preparation

Earthquakes often cause broken gas lines or dangerous situations with energy and heating/cooling. Make sure your gas and electric appliances are in tip-top working order at all times. Especially repair any gas leaks by hiring professionals. Stores sell flexible pipe fittings for water and gas lines. Make sure your appliances and pipework have these fittings to prevent breaking.

The most dangerous aspect of an earthquake is all the falling debris. Inside your home, you probably have many things that could hurt you if they fell over. Secure heavy appliances like the water heater, furnace, and refrigerator to the studs inside the wall, suggests FEMA in an article called, "Are You Ready?". Also, make sure you place heavy items on lower shelves.

In each room of your house, make sure each family member knows the safest location during an earthquake. Under a table, a sturdy door frame, or the inside corner of the wall make relatively safe locations if they are away from windows and potential falling objects.

Practice drills and help your family learn how to prepare for an earthquake by timing them in each room. Have children and adults rotate rooms, so they each get practice in every room of the house. Let everyone know that they should never go outside until the quake ends. This is when people get injured.


Emergency Kit

An earthquake emergency kit differs from a longterm disaster kit. Earthquake kits must be completely mobile and near you at all times. You should keep one at work and one handy at home. In this kit, include 12 dust masks, at least two candles, matches, toilet paper, safety pins, a small knife, cash, water, and a filtration straw. If you wrap the entire thing with a t-shirt and then a waterproof plastic bag, you'll be all set for a couple of days after an earthquake.

Although most people will never get injured during a quake, learning how to prepare for an earthquake protects you if the unthinkable occurs. Make sure each family member not only has their own emergency kit but also has knowledge of the safest places to go during an earthquake.

Here is a great PDF that was created to help you understand Earthquakes and what you should do. Download HERE