Good ole' Carmen

My newest endeavor this week is exercise...let's be honest, in the past I have never been a fan. I don't like sweating, stinking, etc. I decided I should probably make it fun, so I ordered some fun dance workout videos. My favorite so far has been Carmen Electra's Hip Hop dance video. So I am doing it yesterday, and during my "routine" there is a part were you are supposed to practically squat down on your feet with your hands in the air (ok, it is supposed to be a little more seductive than how I have made it sound). Anyways, I usually skip over it because I forget (anyone who has seen me try to dance will understand). Yesterday I was totally in the zone, nailing each move and without thinking I let gravity do it's thing. I thought I was pretty hot stuff until I tried to do the next step. I put a little pressure on my foot and dropped to the floor, trust me when I say it was not part of my workout! I stretched something very important in both my thighs, and today I have to admit walking is a struggle.

The morals of my story: I am no Carmen Electra and I should always stretch before I try to drop it like it's hot.

(sorry if that saying has some meaning I don't know about- I do mean it in the purest way possible, at least as pure as someone can be who is trying to imitate Carmen Electras sweet dance moves .)

Lets Get This Right

I dont know if I am doing this whole posting thing right but I wanted you all to know that my wife is handling things much better than she is leading on in her previous posts and I love her and respect her humility and patience with this whole process. Thanks everyone for all of your support.

Sometimes I wonder if my husband feels the need to post this around town...

WANTED

Name: Lindsey Stokes

Age: 24

Physical features: Brown hair, blue eyes, 5'6''

weight: unknown

Last seen: Monday night Feb. 4th 2008 taking a Yaz before bed

Plea from husband: When I woke up the next morning there was an imposter in my room. She looks like my wife, but she is no longer full of fun and energy. The look-a-like is emotional, on edge and no fun at all. Please contact me if you have any information. Reward for her return!

Seriously, I feel so bad for my husband, and any one else who comes in contact with me. This whole birth control thing is not my cup of tea (as Brooke White would say). I cry constantly and am VERY snappy- it is exhausting to be like this! I think the worst was on Valentines Day. Jared was so sweet and brought me flowers, chocolate and cheesecake. Such a sweetheart, and how did I repay him, I cried all night about the most random things. And we thought I was bad on Clomid. We are just glad we decided not to go on birth control when we were first married, can you imagine what that would have been like for Jared??? The good news is hopefully I only have to be on it for another week, and my husband can have his wife back.

The Husband Tag

My friend Amy tagged me almost a week ago, sorry it took so long- here we go:

What is his name?Jared Ellis Stokes
How long have you been together?Our 2nd year wedding anniversary is March 16th.
How long did you date? I am not exactly sure. We met January of 2005, and started talking on the phone everyday in April or May (he was in Virginia and I was in Flagstaff). He came back to Idaho (where I had moved) in September and we were engaged by the end of November. Not exactly sure when exactly D-day was (officially dating day).
How old is he?He is 25, old man!
Who eats more? Jared for sure, I think I have eaten more than him MAYBE 2 times.
Who said I love you first? I think he did, but I probably used my tricky tactics to get him to say it, so I could say it too!
Who's taller?He is by 5 or 6 inches. However, everytime I where my impossible to walk in black boots, I think I am taller. I make us stand in front of a mirror to see, and no matter how many times I am proven wrong, I do it EVERY time! What a patient guy.
Who pays bills? He does, because he graduated in finance, all though I think when I am no longer full time employed I probably will.
Who sleeps on the right side? I always thought I was a freak, but I have seen almost everyone who has done this says the same thing as me- he sleeps on the side closest to the door.
Who mows the lawn? We have always lived in an apartment, but my dad has prepared me well for when the day comes when we do have a lawn (although I will need Brooke to come mow any hills like she used to, since my dad always thought I was too weak-sauce to do those.).
Who cooks dinner?I usually do during the week, but he usually does the meat of Sunday night dinner. He doesn't really trust my Julia Child skills when it comes to pot roast or Salmon.
Who drives?Him, he makes me nervous (mainly because I can tell he is nervous) when I drive him, so I try to avoid it at all costs. Even on long trips; he drove the whole time on our way from Idaho to Connecticut..
Who kissed who first?Once again him, but I probably tricked him into that as well- never underestimate my sneakiness!
Who proposed? He did, but I knew he was going to. Just a little sidenote, as he is kneeling there with the ring all I can think ( and say) is, "Are you sure, I am kind of a brat?" What a stud, he didn't back out despite that AWFUL response!
Who has more siblings?We are both in the middle of 4 kids, so the same.

I hereby tag the following: Sara E., Ami M., Brookey Babe, Emily H., Sheena R., Rachel P., and Shaylee....and anyone else who wants to.

Help

I want a cute header on my blog. I don't know how to do it. Please help! I really like the ones with cute lettering and a design. Any suggestions and tips would be greatly appreciated!

Hmmmm....

I never thought I would say this but I am going to have.....


to take birth control this month!!! Hot dog!

I went for my appointment to make sure everything was ready for me to start my meds, and my follicles on my ovaries were HUGE. Now I am on birth control. At first I was really frustrated, but now it kind of makes me laugh. I have never been on it before, because Jared and I knew we wanted to try almost right away. We had also heard horror stories of the life altering mood swings they can cause, and let's be honest- I have lived up to the stories. Poor Jared. Hopefully it will clear up my skin, since my other medications have wreaked havoc on my complexion. I am also going to use this month to start an exercise routine. I have wanted to start exercising for awhile, but I have heard you shouldn't start exercising when you are pregnant....and I didn't know half the time if I was pregnant or not. I have been walking on a treadmill, but now I can get a serious exercise routine. So I will use this month of knowing for sure that I am not pregnant as a motivation to start a routine.
Yay for Yaz!

Oops

So the video showed up at the top. Read my Grateful Sunday before watching the video please.

Why we fight

In the last few seconds there are some bodies of prisoners in the background. Don't watch if that will offend you.

Grateful Sunday

So we had a rough week. We found out that our second IUI didn't work and a baby isn't happening for us in the next 9 months. I didn't take it as gracefully as one would hope, so Jared and I decided to just take it easy this weekend. The History Channel had a Band of Brothers marathon that we decided to watch (especially since there are no Pampers commercials to cry about on the history channel). I now love this series and it has inspired my grateful Sunday for this week.



I am so grateful for history, that we can study it and learn from it. Since around 6th grade I have had an interest in WWII (as morbid as it sounds). I have read many books about the war, the Holocaust, etc. but I have always wondered how war actually works. You always hear the location of the war, the casualties, the living conditions- but I never could invision what the actual battle looked like. I feel like I have a better understanding of what they went through on the daily basis.



I am so grateful for the people who have not only fought for our freedom, but also for the freedom of others. It was so touching to listen to the first hand experiences of the actual men who fought in the war. Their immediate goal was to protect themselves and who they were fighting next to, but they all fought for the greater cause. We have people who are doing the same thing for us right now.



Finally, this show made me realize how blessed my life is. There is a part in the movie near the end that really hit me hard. Throughout the entire series you are blown away by the horrific experiences these young men are going through. Then at the end, they stumble across a concentration camp where the guards have fled. The American soldiers are not even aware that such camps exist. They open the gates, and the prisoners rush over to them. An older male prisoner comes up to a young soldier and begins to sob and kiss him on the cheeks. I could see on the soldiers' faces exactly what I was feeling. I have NOTHING to complain about. Jared and I were talking about it, and he said every hard thing that we have been through in our entire lives combined does not even compare to 10 minutes of what these prisoners experienced. I have an amazing life and I am so blessed.


I have put a video clip below (hopefully it will show up). It shows a few scenes that I have written about. There are a few bodies in the background at the end, since it is a very realistic reinactment (just a warning).

The Bucket List

I saw the Bucket List the other day with Jared and the Moffitts, and I loved it. It is about 2 men who have terminal cancer, so come up with a list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket. I thought about what my bucket list would be, so here it is:
1. Not only have children, but to raise them righteously and be able to watch them be baptized, go on missions, get married in the temple and raise their own families. I can't wait to be a grandma!
2. Adopt a child who needs my love.
3. Learn to salsa dance.
4. Save a life.
5. Laugh so hard I pee my pants (I dedicate that to you, Erin)
6. Someday, be able to zip up a pair of size 3/4 jeans again- while I am wearing them of course
7. Learn to speak Spanish fluently.
8. Leave the United States (my adventure one mile into Canada doesn't count).
9. Ride a horse by myself.
10. Learn how to take amazing pictures.

So that is it, my bucket list. I am sure there are a few more things, but I can't think of them right now. I would love to hear your lists- you learn alot about yourself.

A Tribute to my Uggs

A little background info: For some reason, in November I became obsessed with Uggs. I told Jared I HAD to have some. They look so comfy and warm, and I think they are adorable (I realize some of you disagree, but I like 'em). Anyways, being the sweet husband he is, Jared spoiled me this Christmas and bought me my uggs, lets be honest it was not a cheap purchase. They have been everything I had dreamed of...and more! I LOVE MY UGGS. I want to wear them all the time. Though I don't do it often, I wore my beloved uggs to work today.

Now the actual point of this story: This is where it is important to remember what I do for a living. I work at an elementary school in a program for autistic children. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!?!?!? First, I took one of my little boys to lunch, and he almost dropped spaghetti sauce on them...twice. Disaster averted thanks to my amazingly catlike reflexes. Then tragedy struck. During the course of drawing on a whiteboard with one of my students, the dry erase marker made contact with my shoe. Not just an inconspicuous dot, a dark brown inch long line in the center of my shoe. Luckily one of the girls I work with has a husband who owns a dry cleaners. I decided I didn't want to wait until Monday to try to save my shoes, so....

Where the situation gets sticky: I don't have spare shoes at my work or in my car. I gave her my shoes at work (she was nice enough to come get them from me in my car since it was pouring rain). So I drove home barefoot, no problem right? Well, I get to my apt. complex, pull into the parking garage, sprint to the elevators so no one sees my naked feet, and hop on. My heart sinks as the elevator ascends only one floor then stops (I live another 5 floors up), and I can hear people yelling. An Indian couple gets on, and sees that I have already pushed the floor they need, and then proceed to continue their argument. They are standing on either side of me and continue to scream (no exaggeration) at one another in another language, and I am thinking to myself, "Self, this is the most awkard situation you have EVER been in"... but I was wrong. Amist the arguing, I had forgotten about the bare feet, and they hadn't noticed. Then the wife stops her yelling and just stares at my feet. The husband stops yelling to see what she is looking at, and they both stare at my feet, then me, then my feet, and you get the point. I think they both forgot what they were arguing about. It was like that for 4 floors, and our elevator is SLOW, it was the LONGEST 15 seconds of my LIFE! The elevator finally opens and I ran as fast as I could to my apartment. So embarrassing.

The moral: There are a few. Have a spare set of shoes in the car. Don't wear expensive shoes to work if you work with children. Ride elevators barefoot in the middle of winter, you never know how many fights you can stop and marriages you can save. I like to think I would have made Dr. Phil proud if he had been there.