General Women's Session

October 2017 General Women's Session 

General conferences are the semiannual worldwide gatherings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church members gather to receive guidance and encouragement from Church leaders about gospel living based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

As this Women's session was approaching I realized it would be the first one I wouldn't be attending with my mom and sisters or mother-in-law. My first thought was that I would just stay home and watch it online. Then I told myself I HAD to go otherwise I wouldn't pay attention as well at home and wouldn't really get what I needed to out of it. So I made the decision to get out of my comfort zone and invite this other wife, Rachel, who I had just met in the branch here at Fort Gordon. I am so glad I did invite her because it was more than a spiritually uplifting night for me. It was a much-needed girls night out! I don't care who you are, you can't deny that everyone needs a GNO every once in a while.

 I believe and testify that the Lord puts certain people in your life for a reason and exactly when you need them. Being one of the few wives that came to this training and the only LDS one his group, has been harder than I expected. So when I met Rachel and her husband, it was exactly what I needed. Although Rachels husband is attending a different training here, we are so blessed to have met them. Not only do we have another LDS couple here to befriend but it just so happens that she is almost exactly two months behind me in pregnancy. I LOVE having someone else here who is pretty much going through the same experiences I am. It's definitely been a unique experience to accompany our husbands for the first time living on a military base and at the same time going through our first pregnancy. We will both be delivering here in Augusta, thousands of miles away from our families but fully relying on our supportive husbands & our Heavenly Father. And now...each other!!  

 I have met another girl, not LDS, who is my gym buddy 5 days a week. Growing up in Utah I have rarely been in the position to talk about my religion and what I believe so I have really enjoyed having this friend to share what I believe whether it's been by word or example. As well as learning about her beliefs, it's all been a little testimony builder to me.

We attended the conference at the Augusta Ward church building here in town that the Fort Gordon Branch is attached to and everyone there was so welcoming and inviting. We even found out there are more LDS wives living on base but who attend the ward instead of the branch. So now it's time to convince the husband that we should to attend the ward and not just the "10-20 headcount" branch. ;)

This women's session just really hit the spot for me. I felt like they were all talking to me and encouraging me to be a good example while living here on base. I just wanted to share a few things that stood out to me and that I want to remember. 

Sharon L. Eubanks: 

 Integrity is more important than visibility. 

BE righteous, BE articulate, BE different and BE distinct.

Neil F. Marriot:

 There is no other true & lasting happiness. 

Some things matter; most things don't

A few things last; most things won't.

The more we follow Christ, the more we feel his love & direction.

Serve when serving isn't convenient.

Joy D. Jones:

I am a Daughter of God. I am special. 

Worth vs. Worthiness

If we sin we are LESS-WORTHY but we are never WORTH-LESS.

Spiritual worth means to value ourselves the way the Heavenly Father values us, not as the world values us.

Don't compare your worst to someones best. Comparision is the thief of Joy.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

There are many reasons not to be sad/mad. 

Love your enemies. Our love for them is independent of their love for us.

She lived joyfully, not because her circumstances were joyful but because SHE was joyful.

Never forget: 

You are a daughter of God

Rich blessings are in store

If you but learn to do his will

You'll live with him once more.

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Our Gospel lovin Gym Buddy! 

The first couple of days I attended the Gym out here I noticed this "crazy" old man that would dance around the gym with his eyes closed, headphones in and occasionally throwing his arms in the air praising the Lord! As each person passes him he'll fist bump them with a "God bless or God is good!" Everybody knows him...you could say he's quite popular around here. ;)

Anyways, he has pulled my friend Paula and I over to pray for us twice now. He literally stops us right there in the gym in front of everyone, makes us hold hands and bow our heads, and prays for us! It's both the weirdest and sweetest thing I've experienced out here in the South. He honestly just wants people to be happy and to share his message about God and His love for us with everyone he meets. And he's accomplishing that! No one walks past him without a smile on their face and after his prayer for us this morning, I honestly felt God's love. I don't necessarily share all the same beliefs or religion as him, but I do share the knowledge and understanding that God lives, that he loves me and he genuinely just wants me to be happy and share that message with others! This "crazy" dancing old man is a great example to me of sharing your testimony with others, no matter who it's with or where you're at. (even in a gym in Georgia) 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2017

30 Weeks

10 weeks left. Wait, what?! Here's this weeks updates for those interested.

Baby is the size of:

Baby girl is now the size of a summer cantaloupe measuring close to 17 inches and weighs somewhere near 3.5 lbs. My lovely husband made the remark this week "Wow babe, you're really looking like a pregnant lady this week!" Gee thanks babe. It's safe to say I'm a little self conscious about my weight/appearance already. Which is not good to be experiencing this soon since she's expected to put on about half a pound each week until she's born. Wowza!!

 Symptoms:

•  She got her first case of the hiccups (that I've felt) and it was both amazing and annoying to feel haha Is that terrible to admit? Hiccups are something I get A LOT and poor Ethan can't stand listening too! But all of a sudden his little girl gets them and he thinks it's the coolest thing in the world ;) 

• I had my first emotional "breakdown" this week. I have always been a big fan of Dairy Queens chicken basket or good old fashion cheese burger but Ethan doesn't care much for it so we don't go there a lot. Well I finally talked him into it using the big C word ("craving") and it was... horrible. Apparently the DQ's out here in the south switched out their chicken baskets and cheeseburgers for hot dogs and sandwich's. Hot dogs & Sandwich's!!!! Now I didn't cry or loose any sleep over it but I did complain to Ethan for the remainder of the day. When you are craving something and you don't...can't get it, it sucks!! Not fair on a pregnant lady! 

• I'm officially up to 2 baths a day. My body just loves a good SOAK! I know some moms of more than one child probably want to slap me but I am trying to enjoy all this me-time and selfishness/laziness before I can't anymore. I did have to go get a better cushioned tub mat and prop a pillow behind my back in order to enjoy it, but I can't pass up time in the tub. 

• My body is starting to feel those third trimester aches and pains. I can't sit too long without a pillow behind my back and I struggle to cross my legs. It feels like my body is always crunched in half. 

• I had the first stranger ask to rub my belly! Surprised it didn't happen until now but thankfully it was just a nice older lady from my Zumba class and not some creepy dude. And while we are talking about Zumba class, I have been so grateful to have a healthy pregnancy that has allowed me to continue working out daily. It really helps not just physically but emotionally/mentally. This week I've decided to add in a weekly Yoga class and I think it's really gonna help my prego mom bod to give it some yoga lovin. 

How I'm sleeping:

I can sleep well for the most part, but I do still get up a couple times a night to use the restroom. I've mastered locating the toilet in the pitch black because if I turn on the light, it'll wake Ethan up. *the joys of living in a hotel! 

Best moment this week:

  
This week Ethan had staff duty where he basically has to be the security at the signal towers here on base for anywhere from 8-12 hours. At the end of the shift he has to walk around checking the buildings to make sure they are locked up. I was worried about him walking the route alone at like midnight so I decided to go walk with him. Well at one point, we split up and I went to check the backside of a building where I came face to face with a fox! Did I mention we are surrounded by forest and fog on base so this was just the icing on the creepy cake! Luckily the fox was super chill and just stared at me as I slowly backed away and then he/she ran off. I know this doesn't have anything to do with the baby, but I just wanted to look back and remember life of a pregnant army wife, doing security rounds at midnight and running into random wildlife...and living to tell about it ;)

Next Doctors Appointment:

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017 @ 8:30am

Fort Gordon Hospital 
(my first of two-week appointments)

• I got my results back from the glucose test and turns out I don't have Gestational Diabetes!! Thankfully! I have a sister-in law that's had it and I just really admire the changes she had to make with her diet. Even though I don't have to follow those guidelines they really did amazing things for her and have me a little tempted to follow them as well. 

Extras from this week:

Ethan has been ready to upgrade his car for some time now and since we are out here with all the free time in the world on the weekends, we decided to go to Columbia and test drive some cars to decide which one he's interested in. He really LOVES cars that are FUN to drive. Originally he wanted this two door car to which I vetoed immediately because of the third addition coming to our family real soon. I know I'm no fun as a wife! Someones gotta reign in these husbands and their crazy ideas  sometimes. Plus he managed to find a car that goes manual & automatic so we can both drive it easily. 

How do you teach NEED vs WANT to a man?

M A T E R N I T Y

A grand adventure is about to begin...

When I surprised my family by coming back to Utah a few weeks ago I realized it would be my only chance to get some photos taken to remember this pregnancy.  Luckily Megan was able to fit me in last minute for a maternity session. Megan is a long time family friend and so great to work with. She really worked her magic when I was already feeling huge and not very photogenic but she just knew what to say and how to pose me that we were able to catch some really great shots I can cherish forever! 

If you're looking for a talented family photographer, she's your gal!    

@Megan Poulton Photography 

(click to enlarge)

Ma + Pa Janson Visit

There is nothing we love more than company!! After my trip home to Southern Utah last week, I  was able to book my flight back with Shannon + Steve. It was a lot easier to travel with family than all on my own. Steve was the best and lugged my big carry on through the airports which was a huge help to my prego body. <3  Sadly we had a whole weekend getaway mapped out in Savannah and Charleston but good old Hurricane Irma had other plans. By the time it reached us it had luckily downgraded to a Tropical Storm and hardly did any damage. His parents will be here for about a week and then we plan to join them up in Greensborough, SC for Steve's extended family reunion. Shannon made a joke to someone out here that she's a storm chaser coming all the way from Utah just to see the Hurricane and someone walking past heard her and started telling their friends,  "No way, that lady is a storm chaser!" I felt pretty safe/fun to be with a storm chaser all weekend. ;) Despite the unfortunate weather, we managed to have a great weekend exploring Georiga, and Aiken, SC. Our traveling this weekend just made me fall a little more in love with GA. Below are some pictures of my favorite spots we found.

P H I N Z Y  S W A M P  -   AUGUSTA, GA

(click to enlarge images)

  

                                               

                                               

H O P E L A N D    G A R D E N S  - AIKEN , SC

AIKENS MAKEN - AIKEN, SC 

FLANIGAN'S ICE CREAM PARLOR  - AIKEN, SC

28 Weeks & Southern Utah

Wednesday, September 6th, 2017

28 Weeks

Hello, 3rd Trimester!! Here's the update for those interested.

Biggest craving right now:

 Food. Any food. I think I may be out of the "craving" stage right now. My goal right now is just to eat well and enough to keep baby girl healthy. 

Baby is the size of:

A coconut. She weighs about 2.5 lbs and is almost 16 inches tall. She is getting so much bigger/stronger. Now it's more than just kicks. It's full on movements and pressure. I swear this last week she did a full on flip in there. Such a weird but cool feeling. I hope I never forget what it feels like to feel her growing and moving inside me. Random fact to remember: she favors my left side. It's where I feel all her kicks and see her movement the strongest. 

Best moment this week:

This week was such a blast. My sweet hubby let me leave him alone in Georgia at classes for a week so that I could go back to Utah and surprise my family at our annual reunion. The reaction from my parent was one I will never forget and made the whole 5-hour plane ride at 28 weeks worth it! If you know my mom at all, this reaction won't surprise you one bit. As much as I loved being home with family for a week, an equal best moment of this week was to come back "home" to Eth.  

How I'm sleeping:

I am officially a beached whale. When I try and roll over it takes a literal "humph" to get there or a good push when getting up from my unjudgmental husband. ;) I have been trying to avoid drinking too close to bedtime so I can cut back on my nighttime pit stops.  

Next Doctors Appointment:

Tuesday, September 19th, 2017 @ 10:50

Fort Gordon Hospital 

• I was scheduled with the chief of OB Dr. Seehusen ~ sounds like a man who knows what he's doing! And I found out they don't deliver on the base hospital (which is what scared me the most from horror stories I've been told) but that they are contracted with another hospital so we'll be delivering at one called Doctors Hospital which is in town. I'm registered for a tour and a bunch of free classes. They even have one just for new daddy's that Ethan willingly agreed to attend. You can never be too prepared.

• I am getting my results back from the glucose test for Gestational Diabetes at this next visit. I don't think I have any of the symptoms in favor of it but it'll be reassuring to know for sure. Plus the test wasn't nearly as bad as everyone was warning me it would be. Maybe I just lucked out on a good flavor. ;)

Up next will be all about our week long visit with Ethan's parents in town! We visited some of the most amazing gardens and parks out here I hope we never forget.

PHOTOS FROM MY TRIP BACK TO SOUTHERN UTAH:

The best cousins in the world. Ethan wanted to talk to her!

This best brother spent a lot of his time accompanying me up the side of the hill to get service so I could check in with Ethan each day. We saw some pretty amazing sunsets from up here. Thanks, brother :)

Luckily I got to have lunch with my two favorite college girls while I was in town  + Berkley!

Grayson Spendlove Nephew #8 

This precious boy was born two days before we left to drive out to Georgia so we are still getting to know each other. I quite enjoyed our little nap together, he totally made me a little more anxious to get my baby girl here on the outside to cuddle with.