Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in Las Vegas this year. We almost didn't make it because of our Buick. We took the car into the shop before we left because the light for low coolant was on. Turns out, we had a cracked head gasket. To fix that cracked head gasket would cost us a cool  $2000.00 which made me cry(That is a regular occurrence now). We decided to buy a new car down in Vegas. So we left for Vegas and made it there in one piece. One of the first things we did was go see Mike's brother Nate, who happened to be in the hospital again due to blood clots in his leg.

These are the beautiful isolation gowns and mask we wore. They made us look like ducks. Nate is doing good and is home now. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get out in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Dinner was yummy and delicious. I like Thanksgiving the best of the holidays because it involves food and family and you do not have to worry about presents. I made pomegranate salad and apple bars. I also made pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting. Yummy!

Saying goodbye to the Buick. (Notice the baby bump. It is there.I promise.)

We spent most of our free time figuring out our car situation. We ended up buying an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera 1994. It's a hot ride. White paint, with red velvet interior. It only had 75,000 miles on the car, and one owner in its lifetime. So we like the car. The doors are very heavy but that's all good. It did smell like old people at first but I bought an air freshener.

(This is our new car. Sorry for the picture quality. It was taken with my cellphone.)

We loved spending time with Mike's family. One of the best Garrard traditions for Thanksgiving involves camping. After Thanksgiving dinner the dads take the kids camping for the weekend. They leave as soon as dinner is over. It was really nice because then we were able to spend a lot of time with Mike's sisters. Sarah and Erin are very into the black Friday shopping. They map out their plan of attack by looking at the ads and organizing their route for the night. I decided to not go. Staying out that late is rough on me, and we didn't have money to spend anyway. They had some good stories to tell the next day, though.

We left Vegas on Sunday morning. The drive home is always the worst. Our Oldsmobile actually had better gas mileage than the Buick. 25 mpg on highway. We felt pretty good about that. Now it is back to school which I hate. Two more weeks and I feel like it is never going to end. I love school but I am finding that I hate my teaching classes. Not a good sign.

We also had our anniversary a couple weeks ago. One year of marriage down, and eternity to go. I managed to fit in the red dress that I wore on our wedding day. That was pretty awesome considering the fact that I was 22 weeks pregnant at that point. It was a little snug but I managed.  I gave Mike a volleyball he has been dying to have and some new ties. 

Don't you love his forced smile? We went to the temple and Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Simple and complete. It's crazy to think how different life is a year later. We have loved every minute of our first year. A lot of people say that the first year of marriage is the hardest but honestly we would have to disagree. If anything, life has been easier. Maybe it's because we are so awesome. Anyway, we are excited for this upcoming year because of our new baby. If you have baby name ideas for a girl send them our way. Food for thought is good.

Here is a picture of us on our first camping trip. We were only a couple weeks pregnant at this point and didn't even know about it yet!

Baby G is a girl!!!

So Wednesday was the day. November 9th took way too long to get here. Mike and I were both excited. People asked us if we were nervous. That question stumped us, mostly because there was nothing to worry about. We were just ready. The ultrasound technician showed us all her little body parts and organs. It was cool to see the heart beating. We also got to see the separate chambers of the heart. We saw the brain and the separate lobes of the brain. The whole time we were just wondering what the gender was. It was great seeing everything else, but we just wanted to know. Finally she told us, and Mike and I just smiled big and were so excited. It feels good to know the gender of our baby. She had the hiccups during the ultrasound and wouldn't stop moving her legs around. She also had her hands tucked underneath her chin. Already posing for pics before she is even born. Baby G weighs 13 ounces and is 21 weeks. It is crazy to think that we are halfway done.

It is kind of crazy to think that the baby is alive and moving around inside of me right now as I type. I feel her moving around a lot during the mid morning hours which is a fun experience. No one else has been able to feel her yet. Still small and hiding. This whole experience is kind of surreal. I am still only somewhat showing. When I tell people I am pregnant, they always comment on how I hardly look pregnant. So, still small and only looking thick.

Mike and I had a pact that we wouldn't talk about names until we knew the gender, because it caused strife between us. Now we know and let the talking begin. We have decided to keep whatever name we decide on a secret until she is born.

Mike and I both registered for classes this week. I am probably going to be taking 13 credits next semester and working as a teacher's assistant for Brother Bennion, an English professor on campus. I won't be working at the call center next semester. Mike is taking 13 credits. (I think. I can't entirely remember) Either way, it is going to be an incredibly busy semester. Baby G is due on March 22 which is two weeks before the semester is over. Let's hope she decides to arrive late.

My senior year of college has been rough. This is mostly due to the pregnancy. Sometimes I feel like I am becoming dumber rather than smarter. The pregnancy hormones kill my thinking power. Not to mention I have pregnancy induced ADD. (At least that's what I have decided) So sometimes I get distracted and forget that I am supposed to be studying. No worries though; I still have good grades. One more semester of classes and then student teaching is all I have left. I can't believe I am almost done. It makes me sad. I really do love being a student.

My major is English Education. I will be teaching secondary education. I am excited, but something I have realized this semester is that I want to go to law school. It is something that I realized too late. I have been talking to a lot of people about law school. I also talked to a Garrard family friend who went to law school. It just makes me excited and jealous all at the same time.  I like teaching, but I don't love it. I know that law school is not a possibility right now but one day I will go. It is on my bucket list. It is going to happen!

So that is all for now, but I will post again soon. We have our one year anniversary, Thanksgiving, and Christmas coming up. Lots of fun events to come.

This is our baby. You can really see a resemblance.