What I'm LOVING Wednesday

 What are YOU loving today?! Link up here!

I am loving that I only have 2 more days of my Summer School Class.

Goodbye UNLV until August! :]

I'm loving having my nails done and being pampered every two weeks.

I'm loving our house progress (even though there are bumps in the road) and hoping to have our house COMPLETED by the end of Summer. I know there will always be things I want to change, but I'm excited to complete our to-do list.

I'm loving my puppies and how Daisy is definitely a Momma's girl and Duke is definitely a Daddy's boy.

I'm loving dreaming of our future family together.

I'm LOVING Glee! I watched the ENTIRE first season in like 4 days, hahaha. Thank you NETFLIX!

Does anyone know where I can watch the next season? :]

I'm loving Etsy and 41WestDesigns. I ordered two AMAZING signs that I can't wait to get!

I'm loving that I still have birthday money to spend.

I'm loving that I'm going to Kauai SO SO soon.

I'm loving being an Auntie to two ADORABLE kids.

I'm LOVING my LIFE!

And as always...

I'M LOVING BEING MARRIED TO THE MOST AMAZING MAN ON EARTH! :]

What are YOU loving?!

House Progress

I think I previously mentioned that I am no longer loving the blue in our front room.

I mean, it isn't a horrible color. It just doesn't say, "Welcome to our lovely home." It more like SCREAMS at you. I especially don't love it with our nice new tile.

So, what did we do? We went and looked for paint colors and decided on a nice, calm, welcoming yellow. We compared it to our tile and I was SURE it was the color...

Little did I know. I was totally wrong. Andrew started painting our hallway first (to test the color) and needless to say, I am not happy with the color.

I came home after babysitting to a nursery colored yellow, NOT my welcoming, calm yellow.

COMPLETE bummer.

On the bright side...Andrew said we can use the yellow as a primer when we paint the room....

GOOD old TAN! :]

I decided tan would be the best color. You can't go wrong and it will flow nicely into our red kitchen, green office/adventure room, grey guest/craft room, and (to be determined) bathroom.

I'm excited to find the perfect color for our front room and move on to our next project!

Here are some pictures of our house progress:

This is our hallway/mirror wall that has been in progress for EVER now. I probably have all the mirrors needed now, but after I've broken a few and because I haven't been able to ask Andrew for help, this still is unfinished. I'm excited to get the painting done so I can officially lay out the mirrors the way I want (not how they are pictured above) and get this project FINISHED.

Our tile progress...

Ignore the mess...doesn't the tile look the bomb.com?! Andrew did a really good job.

Please also excuse our furniture flung about...

OH THE HORROR! I really don't love the color. It is just so blah...

Isn't Daisy cute though?! She is my sidekick.

This makes the yellow look a little better, but trust me...it isn't the right color.

I'm super grateful for my hubby putting up with me and my painting requests. He is the BEST! I LOVE YOU HONEY!

Wish us luck on our search to find the PERFECT tan! :]

Before Baby Checklist

Does anyone else ever get the feeling that they were meant to be a Mom?

I KNOW that I'm supposed to be a Mom and I'm so excited for that day to come when Andrew and I bring a beautiful baby into this world.

While we aren't trying to have babies yet, I am super excited for that day to some day come.

Some days I just can't wait to be a mom, but other days I wonder if I'm ready and think of all the things I could/should do before we start a family.

One thing in my favor is the fact that I have a WONDERFUL husband that loves and supports me and who would love to start a family.

Andrew always mentions how he wants to be a dad and I know that he would be a fantastic daddy to our babies, but I can't seem to get over all the things we could do to our house and with our budget before we bring a baby into this world.

I want to bring a baby into the best environment possible and I seem to let my list of to-dos get bigger and bigger.

However, today is the day that I put my list in writing. I want to be able to work on my list and cross things off, however if I never write the list down, it will always get altered and get bigger, meaning that our ultimate goal of having a beautiful, healthy family will keep getting pushed back. Maybe it's the perfectionist in me, but I know that I need to attempt to bring my future babies into the best environment and plan as much as possible. So, here it is...my "Before Baby Checklist."

BEFORE BABY CHECKLIST

(in no particular order)

1. Create a realistic budget and follow it strictly, proving that we can live off of Andrew's paycheck alone.

2. Work hard to save as much money as possible and use my paychecks to pay for making our house into a home.

3. Become as healthy as possible.

4. Make our house into a home which includes:

-Getting rid of the nasty carpet that was in the house when we moved in-IN PROGRESS

-Getting a new washer and dryer that is in tip-top shape (babies require a lot of laundry)

-Getting a new couch because the one we have now is tore up from the floor up

-Redoing our bathroom (our babies need a nice tub to bathe in)

-Painting our front room and hallway-IN PROGRESS

-Making our back yard a nice place where our future kids can play in

5. Keep falling more and more in love with my husband each and every day so I can bring my babies into a happy and healthy environment-ALWAYS IN PROGRESS! :]

I know my list doesn't include a ton of things and the things I have listed aren't the most important things in the world. I also know that if I were to get pregnant I would be the happiest person on Earth. However, until then, I will work on the things I have listed above and when Andrew and I are both ready, we will move forward and start a family.

It's so amazing to see a lot of people we know having babies and raising their family and I look forward to the day that Andrew and I will bring a baby into the world.

Sweet Summer Time

HELLO SUMMER!

After the worst semester of my life, I am happy to say that I am enjoying Summer already and trying not to think of my three week Summer School class that starts tomorrow.

After finishing a HORRIBLE 6 HOUR FINAL EXAM (that I got an 88% on by the way) we got to go to Utah this weekend (Saturday morning instead of Friday night due to my exam) with our friends Meagan and Justin. It was JUST what I needed to kick off Summer and get me through this three week class. We spent all Saturday just relaxing, watching movies, playing outside, zip-lining, and doing whatever our hearts desired. I helped Meagan with some things for her sister-in-law's baby shower, we ate yummy food, and ended the night with a fire and smores. We basically just had a fun weekend getaway and did whatever we wanted, leaving reality behind.

Today we slept in and got ready to leave Paragonah. After making sure the house was clean, we said goodbye and Andrew drove us up to Brian Head to show me the ski resort. I was surprised at how much snow there was in May! It seemed to me like they could still take customers, there was so much snow. We drove all the way past the resort without realizing that the Cedar Breaks exit was closed (even though I read a sign stating so on the way up without thinking and putting two and two together haha). So we turned around and made the journey home back through Paragonah. It was a wonderful trip!

Once we reached good old Boulder City, we went to pick up Daisy and Duke from Andrew's parent's house. Duke was acting weird/hurt and we weren't comfortable with how he was acting so we took him to the vet right away. The doctor couldn't really find anything wrong with him, besides a lump where he had been vaccinated last week, so he just gave us some antibiotics and sent us on our way. Duke still acts like he is hurt but we are hoping he'll get better and back to his good old self soon.

Once we were back home again, we relaxed, ate some dinner, and watched a movie. Then we got down to business. With the help from a guy in our ward and Andrew's dad, Andrew got working on our TILE in the front room. YIPPEE! While he was working on that, I did the dishes, folded some laundry, and decided to organize our pantry. As a result, I found the ingredients to make a reduced fat banana cream pie and also got really organized. Then I gave both dogs a bath and ended the night by watching Khloe and Lamar.

I'd say this weekend was a HUGE success. Here are some pictures to prove it. :]

Andrew driving me through Brian Head!

Me and all the snow. Unfortunately, these are the only two pictures from our trip.

 I thought I had some picture of our living room before Andrew ripped everything out, but now I'm wondering if I took them without my memory card in my camera. So the above pictures are the "before tile" but "after ripping out old tile and gross carpet" pictures.

The pictures above are of Andrew in action...working hard to make our house even better!

 Lastly, this is where he left off for the night! YAY!

My only worry now is that the blue doesn't go well with the tile?! Eek. Now would be the time to make a decision because we are working from room to room so I need to decide now. What do you think?

While Andrew was being the hard working man, I decided to CLEAN!

I forgot to take a before picture, but here is our organized pantry.

Nice huh?

THEN I made a yummy pie:

 It's made with love! :] (If you can't tell, that's a heart, haha.)

And finally I gave our puppies baths:

 They weren't very happy, but at least they are clean!

As you can tell, we had a VERY productive day and a wonderful weekend. As you know from my weight loss journey, we are hoping to have babies in the future and Andrew and I were able to talk about that more today.

I REALLY want to be a stay at home mom and just picture myself being there for my babies through every step of their life. To do that though, we need to be able to be financially stable on Andrew's money alone. We talked about it more today and think it MAY be a possibility. So...for the next few months (or just indefinitely) we are going to do so and use my money for my school payments, savings, and for fixing up our house. I can't wait to see how this goes and hope we are able to do everything as planned. I'm super excited for our future together, for when we decide to try to have a baby, and for all the fun things we are doing to our house.

Life is good and I'm not going to let this Summer School class get me down.

I hope you are having a wonderful Summer so far as well and that you have fun things planned for your future! 

Introducing: LOSING WEIGHT WITH THE LAWRENCES

If you've been around for awhile you know that I keep complaining about my weight. Complaining, that is, with no results.

After the way I feel, after realizing I weigh the MOST I've ever weighed, after realizing my clothes don't fit like they used to...at all, and after seeing myself in pictures, I'm just COMPLETELY FED UP.

I'm ready to STOP making excuses and to get my butt in gear.

You see, this isn't my first rodeo. Growing up I was pretty much always heavy. I DID lose SOME weight in eighth grade/freshman year, but after I stopped playing volleyball my sophomore year it was all down hill from there.

In high school I gained a TON of weight and was really unhappy with how I looked.

Looking back at pictures, I'm sad that I even let myself get that way. One picture I hate, that I have access to is this one:

My face is just so puffy, and I'm not who I see in the mirror. That's one of the worst things about being overweight, sometimes you think you look SO good, and then you see a picture and become really upset.

Anyways, back to the story. During my Senior year, something hit me and I decided to join Weight Watchers with my Aunt Lisa. (Who by the way is SUPER amazing and not only lost almost 100 pounds doing Weight Watchers, but has KEPT IT OFF) It was my saving grace and I lost over 50 lbs doing the program.

I felt WONDERFUL and kept dreaming of losing even more weight.

I feel stupid NOW that I wasn't always happy with how I looked, when today I would LOVE to be that weight.

Here is one of my most favorite pictures from my "skinny days."

Oh how I wish I looked like this again.

But alas, that is not the case. I got married to the LOVE of my life. We kept going on fun dates and eating out. I stopped watching what I was eating. And eventually I stepped on the scale and saw a SCARY number. Not only do I see a SCARY number, but I get really upset when I try to look cute for my husband and nothing fits. I also get super upset when I DO get all dressed up and feel super cute and confident, and then see a picture of myself. For example:

This was for one of my best friend's birthday parties. I went and bought an outfit and felt SUPER cute before I left the house. I had my hair and make up done and just felt so confident. That is..until I saw this picture. I wouldn't even send it to Steph to post because I felt so disgusted about it. This, along with many other things pushed me to the edge and it HIT ME that I need a change.

 I stopped eating fast food a month or so ago...which is good, but with what seems like no results. I also have been doing Jazzercise for a month or so and it KICKS my butt, but again..with no results on the scale. I've joined Weight Watchers on and off since being married (because I know it works) but just can't keep motivated. I know I'm obviously not doing enough...

Which BRINGS ME to the reason why I am making this post.

I am going to be sharing with EVERYONE my weight loss journey.

Because, I know I'm not the only one who gained a TON of weight after being married.

Because, I know there are others out there who just need some accountability to help them reach their weight loss goals.

Because, if I have faith and stay motivated, I WILL look like my "skinny" picture again.

Also, I DREAM of having babies some day soon, but just can't imagine adding MORE weight to my unhealthy weight. So, for not only myself, but for my husband, AND my future family, I am going to GET HEALTHY NOW.

You may be wondering: Well how will this all work?

While I AM working out the kinks still because this is all new to me, I will give you the low down right now.

Each week I will WEIGH IN. While I will never expose how much I actually WEIGH (until the end when I'm at my goal weight) I will give updates on how much I have LOST and how much I WANT TO LOSE.

I will have two goal weight numbers: the first weight will be the weight I want to be before I start trying to have babies, and the second will be my DREAM weight in which I hope to stay at for my entire life so I can be healthy not only for myself, but for my family.

Each Monday I will post pictures of my progress to keep me motivated, and to be able to look back on my journey in hopes to never return to my "bad weight" again.

Also, if it helps others, I can start doing a "link up party" in which others can share their weight loss journey as well.

So, HERE IT GOES:

DAY ONE:

Today I weighed in and need to lose:

73.2 POUNDS to reach my "baby making weight."

and

103.2 POUNDS to reach my lifetime goal weight.

Here are some pictures of how I look TODAY and of hopefully how I will never look again:

(Just a side note, this picture DID remind me of a prego picture someone would take to track their baby's growth...but this however, is not the case, haha).

Please excuse my workout clothes and bad make-up/hair. I HAD to take pictures today or I would have put this off even more. So I'm glad I had the courage to put these up.

Speaking of working out, today I started my journey out right by not only GOING to Jazzercise, but WALKING there. Not only did I walk there, but I walked there with a 10 pound weight vest on. I almost regretted my decision half way there, but am now super proud of myself and hope to someday RUN to Jazzercise and maybe even take the class with a weight vest on.

I found out on Google Maps that my walk was over 2.5 miles long total and I am glad that I chose to walk instead of driving. I hope the weather stays nice for a bit longer so I can continue to walk for the next month or so. :]

I am super proud of my decision and proud that I gave up not one but THREE offers for rides home. I stuck with my plan and walked there AND back, all with my weight vest on.

Hopefully I can do the same tomorrow!

The only thing that MAY hold me back is this bad boy:

Yes ma'm. That IS a horrible blister. Not only is it a blister, but it's a blister inside of what ALREADY was a blister. The other day I had a surprise walk around campus because of my Geography Lab which created a blister. Then last night I got annoyed and clipped the old blister away, not thinking about the consequences.

I now have learned that old blisters can be removed, but NEW BLISTERS may form. Blisters that hurt even worse. Needless to say, I'm hoping this goes away SOON, and I will NOT mess with it...I hope.

I hope that I have the strength to keep up with this no matter what road blocks may get in the way and that I give others motivation in the process.

So...here's to my weight loss goal and everyone else's quest to be healthy as well! I hope we all find success on the road to healthier lifestyles.

GOOD NIGHT!