How to be a perfect mom, wife and human being!

Do you feel like no matter what you do, you still find yourself falling short of celebrity moms, super mom bloggers, and even fellow moms on Facebook that you went to high school with?
You try so hard to have the beautifully organized and decorated home as seen on HGTV and Pinterest, but most days there's a weird smell when you walk in the door. You mean dishes don't do themselves after you slave over 3 meals every day? Rude.
Or maybe you commit a super sin and compare. You compare everything: your kids, your house, your meal decisions, your wardrobe, your significant other, and even yourself. Here are some questions I may have asked myself at one point or another:
Why can't my house ever look like my "Organized" pinterest board? Better yet, why is there always crap all over my house ALL the time?
Why can't my love life be more like a chick flick?
Why do my kids torture me in public?
Why can't I lose weight without drinking so much #*@$ water? I hate water!
How can she possibly have time to look that perfect with a toddler?
Will I ever lose weight? Or will I be fat forever?
Why do I suck at FHE and everything else church related?
Ok I should probably stop with the honesty, it's getting embarrassing.
You get the point! I really hope I'm not the only one that is so brutal to themselves.
I do have a point to this brutality and that leads me to my one and only New Years resolution this year.
Be content.
-Be content with what your house looks like, yes even right NOW! Wanna see mine?

Your argument is invalid, unless it looks like this. If it does, let's be friends!

-Be content with what your body looks like, yes right NOW! And no I'm not gonna show you mine. There will always be a mom that looks like she has it all put together, but by assuming her life is perfect is not only judgmental, but it's unfair to both that mom and to all moms. She could be fighting serious battles that just happen to not include her fabulous fashion sense or physical fitness. Or maybe they do! We don't know unless we know her personally. Cut the girl some slack and give yourself some while you're at it!

-Be content with what you have/don't have. Yes there is probably some sort of gadget that I could lust after for days, but all that does is make me ungrateful and selfish. Wouldn't our time be better spent focusing on more important things. I can think of quite a few things that are exponentially more important than gadgets and gizmos. It's ok to have slightly less than state-of-the-art electronics or cars. We are all in different places in life and we can't compare our beginning to someone else's middle.

-Be content with your love life. Don't set your husband up for failure by comparing him to unrealistic characters in chick flicks or romance novels. Besides, chances are he had some serious game by getting you to fall in love with him in the first place! Remember that next time you fantasize about a make out session in the rain on a boat dock or in a meadow somewhere. Do we really want all the drama and heartache that goes into all of those chick flicks anyway? Our love is enough. In fact it's probably more than enough. Love isn't Jumbotron proposals or viral youtube videos all the time. Love is the tiniest peck of a kiss on the way out the door and the smile on your faces when you see each other after a long day or working or staying home with the kids. Love is sending a little text telling each other you appreciate all they do for you. With this resolution of mine, I have noticed a huge difference in my marriage. Not because my husband all of a sudden became a PDA/hopeless romantic type, but because I changed my ridiculous fantasies of movies and books and appreciated him for what he is: the man I chose to spend forever with.

-Be content with your kids. It's ok if your baby isn't walking at 18 months, when every single one of your Facebook friends' babies walked 3 months ago. It's ok if you didn't breastfeed your babies and you fed them formula their whole baby life. Gasp! It's ok if your child isn't reaching developmental milestones before other kids their age. Don't fall into the trap of wondering and worrying about all of the things you think you did wrong or things you would have done differently to hopefully change an outcome. Love them exactly as they are, with ketchup all over their face and all. More often than not, my kids have some sort of dried food or liquid on their clothes. So many blogs and websites offer endless advice on parenting and I, like so many other moms, find myself gobbling it up. Why do we do this? Because we are all probably a little bit insecure with how we are doing as moms. Something that I think we all need to hear is that we are the best person for this crazy rewarding job. NO other mother is more fit for your child(ren) than you are. WE are the ones that know them best. WE are the ones that worry over every little detail of their lives because we have the deepest desire to help them succeed leaps and bounds beyond whatever we have done in our own lives. WE are the ones that love them the most. WE are enough. WE are amazing. WE need to know that and believe it.

-Be content with your spirituality. Whatever your religious/spiritual beliefs, the most important thing is to be content with where you are. I constantly find myself comparing to people in my ward/neighborhood. 

So many assumptions can be, and sadly are, made about the people of the church: 

*The relief society president (or anyone in a presidency calling) must be the most spiritually elite of the ward and therefore incapable of mistakes or trials like the rest of us.

Did it ever occur to any of us that someone in these callings needed to be put there for the challenges and experience that is sure to come from holding these positions? They could be in a place in their life where they need to be humbled or challenged and their calling is a straight-forward way to help them through it.

*The bishop and all of his family members are like the student body presidents or captains of the football team in the ward world. They must be in the position they are in because they are looked at in a more special way by the stake presidency or even Heavenly Father Himself.

Not true. Heavenly Father loves us all equally. Let that soak in. You and I are loved just as much as President Monson. No calling is more important or more favored in Heavenly Father's eyes. He rejoices in our success and longs for our return when we stray, no matter what position we hold in the church.

*Nursery teachers are those "inactive" people that need the calling to insure they come to church for more than just sacrament meeting. 

If I went to church often enough to be entrusted with a calling, I'm sure we would totally be those people, which is totally fine btw. Those kids are adorable. These kind of assumptions are just plain rude and would be devastating if heard by any of those people. That's probably a good indicator that it shouldn't be said or thought of, ever.

*People that don't go to church very often are considered "inactive" and must not be going to church because they stay home and drink booze on Sundays (maybe) or just aren't interested in the church at all anymore.

I'm considered "inactive" in the eyes of the relief society, my visiting teachers, and anyone else in the ward that knows I exist. I hate that term because it suggests that church attendance determines a person's spirituality or personal relationship with Christ. Thank goodness I have amazing visiting teachers that come visit me and treat me like another sister in the ward, and not a charity case inactive sister. Do me and you and everyone a favor and throw that term out the window and if you must assume, make someone's story a beautiful one. Assume that people aren't at church because maybe their spouse has to work or their kids are sick. Assume that if someone consistently misses church, that they still say morning prayers with their spouse and has the spirit of Christ in their home always. Even if it's not true, compassion will win.

I made the resolution to be content because I have a lot of work to do. I'm nowhere near average, let alone perfect, at being content in every aspect of my life, but giving myself permission to be ok with where I am right now has been very liberating. Here's to a work in progress.

-Alecia

He Lives

My original plan was to play catch up with the past two days of being a slacker. I forgot to blog about day 2 & 3 and I was going to just cram, read, and blog so I could be caught up. As I just finished writing day 2 and was moving on to day 3, I realized something really important about myself.
I don't always think of Jesus Christ, my Savior, as a real person. I look through this book that has absolutely beautiful illustrations that I've seen a million times and have come to love and cherish. Sometimes I get caught up in the beauty of the images to remember that He Lives! He isn't a piece of artwork that hangs on my wall. He is my Brother, my Protector. I can't rush building a relationship with Him for the sake of blogging, because that is not why I started this process. I started it as a personal journey that would help me strengthen my testimony of Christ. When I saw all of the people that had such a positive reaction, I got caught up in staying updated with my posts instead of staying in tune with the challenges and stories I read each day. For those of you that are embarking on the journey, or even just reading mine, I hope you understand why I can't fit 3 days of becoming closer to Christ into one day. This will help me actually read every day instead of cheating. :)
Tomorrow I will be back on track with Day 3!
xoxo,
Alecia

Day 2: Take His Name

Today's post starts with talking about the Last Supper. As the disciples entered the room and sat at the table, the last thing they expected to happen was exactly what did happen. Jesus Christ took a bowl of water and knelt at each of their feet and washed them. I can't imagine even letting my own husband wash my feet because it is traditionally deemed a lowly act. But for the Savior to do so says a lot about Him and His perfect example of unconditional love and sacrifice. After He washed all of their feet, He introduced the ordinance of the sacrament.
By partaking of the sacrament we covenant that we are willing to take upon us the name of His Son, and always remember Him, especially in our daily walk and conversation.
Up until the last few months, I hadn't partaken of the sacrament and I can't even remember how long it has been before that! Right now in my life is the first time in years that I remember actually going to church enough and having enough faith to feel ok about taking the sacrament (most of the time).
All through high school I struggled with taking it, as it seemed that there was always a new obstacle I was in that prevented me from feeling good about taking it. Needless to say, my entire life has been a battle of worthiness to take the sacrament. I know of people that take it so lightly and don't ever stop taking it on Sundays. I have been told by so many bishops that the sacrament is far more sacred and serious than, perhaps a lot of people realize! You wouldn't go to the temple and do temple work like baptisms for the dead if you hadn't gone through the process of meeting with your bishop to obtain a temple recommend first. "The weekly opportunity of partaking of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is one of the most sacred ordinances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints... We may fail to recognize the deep spiritual significance this ordinance offers to each of us personally." (David B. Haight, "The Sacrament," Ensign, May 1983, 14).
So I have a system that I go through every Sunday that helps me really know if I am worthy of the blessings the sacrament brings.
I ask myself the questions of obtaining a temple recommend, which I know pretty well. I make sure that I have not only been clean in actions, but clean in my thoughts. I think 90% of my weaknesses is in thought. Whether it be judging others, being quick to anger, or worse that I don't want to admit to the public. We all have our demons.
I'm not telling anyone how to take the sacrament or that you have to go through the same process as I do, but I would encourage everyone to do what a bishop once encouraged me to do. Take the sacrament more seriously. Sure, it is absolutely humiliating to nod your head "no" to the deacon handing you the silver tray of broken bread or mini clear cups of water, waiting for you to take it. I would know, it's practically as common for me to shake my head "no" as it is to accept it. Maybe as we take the blessings of the sacrament more seriously, the blessings that come will be great and more sacred to our hearts.
More important than the inner-battle of worthiness to take the sacrament is the importance of what we should be covenanting. This should be done whether we actually partake of the sacrament or not. We should always have our thoughts and minds on Christ and the many sacrifices He made for us so that we could be here.
Elder Robert D. Hales explains that when we take "His name and always remember Him and keep His commandments, He gives us the greatest blessing He can give us: that is to always have His Spirit to be with us" ("In Remembrance of Jesus," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 25).
Try to remember Him always.

The Invitation... Covenant

Read the account of the Last Supper in John 13:4-15

The Journey

-As you go through today, find ways that you can bring honor to Christ's name by letting the walk of your life exemplify Him. On this day, try to remember Him always.

-This 21 day journey will introduce different names of the Savior. Every chapter contains one name that relates to a scripture story or gospel principle. Take a moment each day to reflect on how each name describes a way that He blesses your life.

Day 1: Come and See

So instead of typing out the entire book (which I'm pretty sure is illegal anyway), I'm going to summarize the stories, add my own tidbits, but still share the scriptures, quotes, and challenges verbatim. 

The first part is a personal recollection of the author that I thought was beautiful. She talks about how she and her young son went outside after a vicious storm to see the damage left behind. They went outside expecting to find darkness and devastation, but instead were blessed with a beautiful sight instead, a giant rainbow. As they thought it couldn't become any more beautiful, a second rainbow formed over the first. They wanted to yell to everyone "Come and see!" because they didn't want anyone to miss the beauty and rarity of this wondrous sight. The invitation "Come and see" is so relevant to forming a personal relationship with Christ. 

As Christ walked along the Sea of Galilee, he invited two fishermen, Simon and Andrew, to come and see. (John 1:38, 39; Matthew 4:18-19) This simple invitation sums up Christ's ministry. It was always an invitation... Come and see. Come follow me. Come unto me. As His followers came, he showed them blessings like making the dead walk again, turning water to wine, the lame walking, and the blind seeing.

The invitation is the same for us as it was to those who actually saw Him. Will we cast aside our nets and come and see? There are so many distractions that interfere and entangle us.. Time constraints, daily chores, worldly pursuits, work demands, pride, etc. My distractions include being a mother and savoring quiet time by engaging in activities that aren't productive and definitely don't help me build a relationship with my Savior. The sacrifice of these distractions is worth having the Lord as our best friend. The author said "If we are to be truly happy, if we are to reach our full potential, I believe we must create a place for the Savior in our lives."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, "My desire today is for all of us... to have more straightforward personal experience with the Savior's example. Sometimes we seek heaven too obliquely, focusing on programs or history or the experience of others. Those are important but not as important as personal experience, true discipleship, and the strength that comes from experiencing firsthand the Majesty of His touch." ("Broken Things to Mend," Ensign, May 2006, 70)

Most often the quiet invitation of the Master will come as we read the scriptures, visit the temple (or aspire to go to the temple for those of us who haven't received those blessings yet), attend church meetings, and during the still moments when we sincerely pray.

She challenges in the book to pray before reading for the day to have an open heart. She assures (and I second her) that, even though we may doubt the strong presence of Christ in our heart, we can still have the assurance that we are not alone, and that every day we are growing closer to Him.

The Invitation: Come

Read the account of the fishermen in Mark 1:16-18 and in John 1:38-39

The Journey

-Determine what fills your nets. Are everyday challenges such as time constraints, demands from work or home, or feelings of inadequacy or fear holding you back from developing a relationship with Christ?

-Today try to listen for the quiet invitations from the Lord to come and see.

My personal responses to the invitation and the journey.. 

I know that being a mother and being pregnant is my favorite excuse for everything. I don't intend on using them as excuses, but it is easier for me to take a bubble bath or waste time on facebook when Milo is taking a nap, instead of using that time to read my scriptures or pray. There are feelings of inadequacy and fear that go along with my excuses that all hold me back from reading my scriptures or trying to build my relationship with my Savior. As of right now, I am taking time to write this blog post while Milo is awake! He is watching "Tangled" and dancing around the living room, being as good as can be while I am taking some time to do this for myself. That kinda sounds like I'm abandoning him and I'm sure if you took a picture of us right now it wouldn't look very good.. lol But I promise this post has taken me hours because I do take breaks and get him a sippy cup or something to eat! Now that I've justified myself writing this, I'll get back to the important stuff!

"If you want to know who Christ is, come and see." Simple as that.

Now to take on the challenge of listening for quiet invitations from the Lord to come and see.

xoxo,

Alecia

21 Days Closer to Christ

I have actually already started reading this book called "21 Days Closer to Christ" by Emily Freeman. I believe I started this process when I was on bed rest with Milo (2 years ago) and I had all the time in the world to read and blog. I don't ever want to be put on bed rest again, especially now having a toddler to take care of, but one thing I miss about it is all of the spare time (alone time) to read, ponder, journal, etc.
I will never have that kind of uninterrupted spare/alone time again until my kids are all old and married so I have to find the time to still fit in that kind of spiritual building. Once Milo got here, I stopped reading my scriptures and journaling (blogging). It was like I was only doing it to keep myself from dying of boredom, which makes me sad. I wasn't even fully "active" in the church at that time, but yet I look back at those posts and long for the spiritual strength that I had then.
Then I realized.. I wasn't necessarily any stronger spiritually, but I was being obedient. I was surrounding myself with the gospel and simply doing the things I should. That was the difference! So here I am, 2 years later, re-discovering myself spiritually.
Here are my goals:
1. Take on the 21 Days Closer to Christ challenge.
2. Blog/journal about my thoughts and progress on this journey.
3. Share something that may inspire someone else, as I have been so inspired by others.
4. At the end of the 21 days, I want to have a stronger relationship with my Savior and with my husband (who happens to be embarking on this journey with me).
So for anyone who is curious about the book and this challenge, I will be writing down the daily challenge/inspiration/scriptures that are included in the book so that anyone can feel free to do the same! Or for those who are interested on what the book is or where to get it...

http://deseretbook.com/21-Days-Closer-Christ-Emily-Freeman/i/4988482

I got this book at the "Time Out For Women" retreat, but the book is originally from Deseret Book. Here is what the cover looks like:

If anybody decides to do this journey with me, let me know! It would be so cool to hear someone else's perspective or personal experiences relevant to this journey. :)

Here's to one step closer to forever with my family!

xoxo,

Alecia

Summer Fun!

I think the best part of summer is the vibrant color! I love how cheerful and happy pictures are in the summertime. :)

June has been a busy, crazy, fun month for us! July is proving to be just as awesome! Here's our summer so far...

This is me at 28 weeks pregnant. Tomorrow I'll be 31 weeks pregnant! Yikes! It's getting so close! So far with this pregnancy we've had some freaky scares but nothing ever turns out to be wrong so we are grateful for that! Last time we were told, Max should be here September 8th!

This picture was taken the day before Father's Day! We went to the mall and got Mike some cute stuff for Father's Day and, like the cute daddy he is, wanted to play with Milo at the treehouse for the better chunk of the day. Father's Day was wonderful! It was a long day full of eating yummy food we've never tried (thank you pinterest) and lots of much needed R&R!

We found our new favorite summer hang-out.. The Lindon pool! Its like a mini seven peaks (and much newer and cleaner)! We have been there several times already and now Milo is a little fish! He can't get enough of the water, which is absolutely huge for him. Last summer he barely tolerated swimming, and he definitely didn't play in the water on his own free will! This summer he is having a blast now with all the swimming we do. :) Plus I can't go tanning in a salon so this is the only way my poor pasty skin gets any color. lol

This was at Strawberry Days in Pleasant Grove! I love PG for its small town feeling and because my mom grew up here and she has so many stories of going to places that are still there today. It brings the all-american feel to life! Maybe someday I will do a photo journal of all the neat places here and any stories I know of.. Hmm.. :)

This is also at Strawberry Days. On a side note from the caption to the first picture, I have felt a little defeated in my efforts of seriously pursuing a career in photography lately. I hit the ground running really hard, but realized I needed to build a portfolio to show clients what I am capable of, etc. So going to the carnival was, in a way, a challenge to myself to get some photos I'd be proud of. Judging them based on what I saw on my camera (a 2 inch screen), I didn't think they were good enough and I never wanted to edit them or even look at them on the computer! This picture above is one that I pleasantly surprised myself with. I know its nothing new or terribly interesting, but its above what I thought my standards were, which was a great feeling. There's my ranting about that. :)

July 4th! My mom and I decided we would ditch the husbands and go to the balloon rising just us and Milo. I hadn't been since high school or probably junior high! Its a totally different experience when you have a toddler, but isn't everything though? This picture is so special to me because he has the sweetest, most genuine look of discovery on his face. Seeing a hot air balloon for the first time must be cool!

Milo's only word he says right now is "Whoa!" And everywhere he looked he was saying Whoa! haha He cracks me up!

I'm so happy my mom took my camera from me long enough to get a shot of Milo and I. Its so hard to remember to be present in moments and not miss them all by being behind the camera. I want beautiful pictures to remember the moments, but sometimes we forget to just enjoy them without worrying about capturing it in the perfect way.

Changing from JPEG to RAW format was the greatest thing to ever happen to my photos. I never could control the way my pictures turned out as much as I can now. So many times I would toss them aside or just switch to B&W because I would get so frustrated that the coloring wasn't right and I couldn't fix it. Even if you just shoot pictures casually and don't want a career, I would recommend making the switch! Beautiful pictures are the result!

My sweet little guy on the way home from the balloons.

He has all of his teeth now except the very back 2! He's showing all of them to you, see? :)

Fireworks at Thanksgiving Point! We didn't camp out a spot or even really think about watching fireworks until maybe an hour beforehand and we were still able to watch them with nobody in front or around us at all! Such a great way to end the night!

So many more fun things are coming up that I can't wait for! In 2 weeks is American Fork Steel Days, my friend Carlie is getting married next week, lots of OB appointments coming up, and did I mention we're going to VEGAS tomorrow! Totally kid-free may I add. :) Lots of pictures to come I'm sure!

xoxo, Alecia

Life Remodel!

Well since the last post was about Milo's 1st Birthday, I have a lot to update!
Milo is now 19 months old! He is walking, running, jumping and being awesome. :)

We moved in November to American Fork to a cozy little townhouse. I say cozy because its kinda small, but we love having a place to call home.
<-- Here is a picture of our cute little set up.
We had our first Christmas as a family in our own place here and we loved it! I got the cutest little Christmas tree and we started a pretty awesome tradition that is new to both Mike and I, and that is to have real cedar garland! We are blessed with a cute staircase and so it worked out! Here's a picture of our 1st Christmas!

Milo was spoiled rotten of course! With all the families we have, its bound to happen! We are blessed with many many people in his life that love him. :)
In January, we found ourselves making new years resolutions to become better spouses, parents, and saints, just like anyone hopes to do. What we didn't realize when we were making new years resolutions is that we had a major factor to consider in part of our goal-setting, especially me!
We found out we are expecting another little one! Baby #2 is on the way and should make his/her appearance September 9th!

Ever since then, of course, we have been re-mapping our lives to accommodate for another baby Sage! I am going to the group of doctors that helped me every step of the way through bed rest with Milo at the UVRMC hospital, and I have not regretted that decision once! I love every doctor I see, and that is a huge step from the doctor I saw when I was pregnant with Milo. Ugh..
At the beginning of this month, we had an ultrasound to check the length of my cervix, because as I said before, my doctors are all awesome and are taking lots of steps to prevent pre-term labor. At that ultrasound, the lovely technician made a little sneak peek to see if this little one was willing to reveal the gender, and ta-da!
We are having a little BOY!!
Milo is getting a little brother and best bud. :) We are so excited!
We have decided to name him Maxwell Orson Sage. Orson is my Grandpa Christensen's middle name. We named Milo's middle name (Morgan) after Mike's Grandpa's middle name. We love keeping family names in the family.
Definitely a lot has happened since the last post! Our lives keep changing and evolving, and we are just soaking it all up.
As of today, I am 21 weeks pregnant and I feel little Max move all. the. time. He is a wiggle worm for sure! Yesterday was the first time that Mike got to feel Max kick and he lit up like the cutest daddy ever. He really is the cutest daddy ever though! I'm a lucky girl to have such an amazing partner in all of these crazy parenting adventures.
These are the most current pictures of our little fam. :) Thanks Mom for taking them!

To top off the updating, we have some exciting things happening in our life right now!

Yesterday, we met with the bishop for the first time and we have started the process of getting to the temple to be sealed as a family! We don't have a date set yet, but we are feeling the blessing that this simple step brings already!

Today I called some local colleges and made appointments for Mike and I to get back in school! Our goal is to be in school by the end of May!

Awesome things are going on. :)

All About Milo!

It's hard to narrow down the things I love about my not-so-little boy, but here are the things I love about my one-year-old Milo monster!
He is completely entertained with books and loves to be read to.
His face lights up and he starts to smile and kick his legs when he sees my face first thing in the morning.
He has a hilarious fake cough that he does just to be funny.
He knows when he's funny and he plays it up.
He loves rooms that echo so he can scream and laugh.
He loves it when the garage door opens.
He could eat french fries all day long.
He ate his first birthday cake in tiny little bites, when he usually devours any and all other food he eats.
His little teeth make noise on crackers and he loves chewing on them for that reason.
He loves dragging his hands along different textures.
He is so observant.
He sees small things around him and you can tell he just enjoys it and tries to understand what things are.
He is way too smart for a one year old!
When he figures out how to do something new, he does it over and over and over again.
He crawls goofy with one leg being dragged behind the other.
He is learning how to clap, and loves it when people say "Yay!" to him. He lights up like a christmas tree!
He gets really sad when Daddy leaves the room or gets out of the car.
He knows how to be gentle with other babies.
He loves doggies and would play with them all day long and never get sick of it.
He gives big open mouth kisses no matter what sticky gunk is on his face, and I enjoy every minute of it.
His kisses turn my insides to goo.
He sleeps like a freaking champ. No lullabies, night lights, or special accommodations required.
He doesn't usually get freaked out by being held by new people.
He just learned how to wave bye-bye, and gets bashful after he waves goodbye.
He cuddles into me like he did when he was little, but only when he gets really tired.
He is a little flirt with girl babies around his age. He smiles and pets their face if he's close enough!
He has the cheesiest little grin, accompanied by the most animated eyebrows of any baby I've ever seen.
He goes crazy for chocolate pudding.
He knows exactly who his daddy is, and says "Da!" whenever he sees him come into the room.
His face is super puffy and cute when he first wakes up.
He wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes and just wants to cuddle with mom and dad, while watching tom and jerry.
He reaches for whoever he wants to pick him up.
He has so much dedication when he puts his mind to it. He never gives up.
He brings our families together.
He is learning how to throw toddler tantrums, which is cute right now, but definitely won't be later!

Friendship Resume

Hello my name is Alecia.
I believe in true friendship based on honestly and acceptance. Here is what I have to offer as a friend.
I will never judge you based on your appearance.
I will always love you for who you are, no matter what crazy circumstances come up in life.
I am always on the other side of the phone when you have an emotional meltdown or just have something totally awesome to tell me.
If you have something personal you want to confide in me, I will be there for you not only for support, but as a safe place that won't deceive you by exposing your personal information for the sake of gossip.
No friendship is worth sacrificing for the sake of dishing the juiciest gossip.
Secrets are actually valuable and important to me, and I will always keep them.
I am loyal to my friends because true friendship is important to me.
I want a friend that accepts me when I am happy or depressed, fat or skinny, stylish or comfy, poor or wealthy.
I need friends that don't gossip about me when I don't look or dress perfect.
I will love and be loyal to any friend that can promise me the same.
Having said that, I am looking forward to starting my new endeavor of finding true friends that I can grow and explore with for the rest of my life.
Life is too short to waste on tearing others down or having fake friends.
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
- Mother Teresa

XOXO, Alecia

Blog slacker much?

My bad!
Not that I've seriously disappointed anyone by depriving them of my valuable insight.. haha
So much has been going on since May there is a lot to catch up on! I'll make it semi-brief.
1. We moved out of my mom's and are currently living with my aunt and uncle, just a few blocks away.
2. Mike lost his job that he has had pretty much his whole working life, which was really hard for him. BUT, he did get a job at US Synthetic through SOS staffing though, which is a huge blessing!
3. Milo still isn't crawling yet, which has me a bit worried, but he is sooooooo close. He can get anywhere he wants to go, but I couldn't tell you in words how he does it. It would be a combination of scooting, rolling, sliding, pushing, and pumping. haha
4. I have really kick started my goal of being a photographer. I started my own blog for my photography adventures and maybe someday I will actually make it a business. I don't feel confident enough in my ability to charge people yet. Hopefully someday I will because heaven knows we need the extra money!
5. My Grandpa Christensen had a stroke. This was really hard for me. I have always felt a disconnect from my dad's side of the family since moving out of my dad's and into my mom's when I was a kid, but lately its been really tough. Grandpa always accepted and loved me unconditionally and I felt it without a doubt. My passion for photography was largely because of his natural gift for photography. He never edited his photos and they were still calendar worthy. It is so hard to think that he may never be back to the way I remember and that he might have to be in an assisted living facility for the rest of his life. I've had such a hard time with that lately. But I know he is still the same Grandpa I love.
6. I am done with my first year of college at University of Phoenix! This is weird to me because I put school off for so long. It has been such a wild ride, but I am so glad I challenged myself to stick with it. I am trying to figure out what I want to declare as my major, because I am not as passionate about teaching Elementary school as I used to be. I took a psychology class and couldn't get enough of it! I was online studying way more than what was required, that should tell you something! Maybe I'll be a psychologist.. but how do I feel about that? :)
7. I have completely quit coke and all soda, besides diet coke. haha Hey! I have to have caffeine because I am the queen of migraines from hell. Diet coke gives me caffeine but has no sugar or calories! My goal is to still continue to lose weight (I've lost 10 pounds so far) so that I can be completely healthy before we even start to think about having another baby. And no I'm not dropping a hint about anything haha
8. I have started reading two new series of books. Yes, books!! I read on my spare time, what?? I was surprised too. I started to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is the start of a series. I have also started the Sookie Stackhouse novels, which is what the series "True Blood" is based on. I haven't read terribly far in either book, but I love them both so far. I just have to choose which one to finish first.
9. Milo's first birthday is coming up in a month! I am already starting to plan it! I am most likely going to do a cute monster theme, since he has always been our Milo monster. So the colors will be lime green, blue, and brown. I am really excited for it! :)
Here is a sample of an invitation I designed on tiny prints.

XOXO, Alecia