life is definitely going to be changing for us and we couldn't be happier about it. we still have moments of panic as to whether we are really ready for this, but i'm not sure you ever feel truly ready.

in other news, steve finished up his first semester back at school. he is going to the university of utah and enjoying the half tuition benefits of being an employee there. if only we could use his half tuition and my half tuition to get free tuition, but no :( he's majoring in sociology and has 2-3 more semesters. he's already registered for another full load so pray we get through another semester. it's always an adjustment going back to school, especially after 10 years! he did great his first semester though so we can't complain.

winter temperatures are here, but the snow isn't. i usually love the seasons and winter included. I'm not going to lie though, i am not a fan of winter this year. everyday, i think about how i wish i was in a warm place with the sun beating down on me and a large body of water nearby to enjoy cooling off in. but if i can just get through this winter, spring and summer are going to be epic. i will not be pregnant and will have almost the entire summer off of work to enjoy being a new mama with the babe and steve, and the dogs. now i just need to find a pool where we can spend all day, everyday. even if we aren't by the beach, I'm going to make sure this darling loves the water like her parents. and secretly, since i became pregnant, i have been yearning to move back to the beach so our little offspring can have the same childhood that steve and i did. there really isn't anything better than growing up by the beach. but i'm biased.

we were able to go to california for thanksgiving which was amazing and much needed. the warm weather, sunshine, family. i loved it all, except when we had to leave. i can't wait to go back with our new addition in a few months!

being back in our house has been great, but it has sure made us want to start in on the projects again. maybe that's just homeownership? i yearn for the day when we own a house that is just how we like it and doesn't require any *major* overhauls. someday...

i am putting off school applications for another year just so steve can take his time to finish school, and we can adjust to parenthood. it's still in the 5 year plan though and i sure hope it all works out. of course i know it will work out how it is supposed to.

i have been terrible about taking pictures and such as of late, but i will be better from here on out. i was seriously WIPED OUT the first few months of this pregnancy. totally not myself and it scared me that i would never be the same in the aspect of being organized and such. slowly, but surely i am getting back to the old list-making, productive woman i once was.

christmas has snuck up on us and i just barely hung a wreath on the front door and put out a christmas welcome mat. that is the extent of our christmas this year. no lights, no tree, no cards, no presents. we are grinch's i guess you could say. maybe i will just decorate for valentine's day a bit early :)

regardless of us being grinch's, we hope everyone has a great holiday season!

everyone has heard of the freshman 15. in my case, it was the freshman 15, the nursing school and night shift working 20, the dating 15, and the married 20. needless to say steve and i were both in need of a change. we have opposite taste buds so going out was always the easiest thing to satisfy both of our pallets. but with some compromise both ways, we are in much better shape now. both literally and physically. we still have a ways to go, but are making some good progress. and what is helping me get there? well, i ate salad for one of the first times in my life, and i liked it. who knew???

a few weeks ago at work i had to transfer a patient to hunstman. while i was over there, i saw this beauty working the floors. she goes from room to room providing therapy for patients as they heal. i would most definitely not want to be the patient, but if i was, i know seeing this furry face would make me feel a little happier.

[hubs loves those doyers so we go to a game whenever we can]

[have to enjoy a balboa bar from the island. this street encompasses everything i love about where i'm from]

[koji bbq. the hubs has raved about this place for a long time. now i see why]

[no trip to OC would be complete without a trip, or few, to TK burger]

[the hill behind chavez ravine]

[dog beach]

[jackster was in HEAVEN]

[more food. this time the pizzookie.mmmm]

[even marley enjoyed basking in the sun. the swimming, not so much]

[spent a few days at my grandma's house in apple valley. enjoyed the pool, almost as much as jack]

holy sensory overload! i have found where all the other people in the world like me hang out and i LOVE it more than i can say. i'm afraid i may stop being productive at anything other than pinning from here on out. sigh...

hope you all enjoy this holiday and watch some fireworks for me. but of course, don't be stupid with those things. i worked in an ER for 4 years and have seen my fair share of fireworks gone bad.

[I got bangs. Not sure I love them but a fun change. AND I started a new job in an ICU. I like it but miss the ER. Here's hoping it will help me get into school though.]

[Cuteness that is our dogs]

[Softball and baseball season has started for Steve. The dogs and I love to bask in the warm weather and cheer for him. He's such a rockstar!]

[we went to Vegas for a quick getaway. Saw some friends and ate at Diego-only the BEST Mexican place. EVER!]

[took the dogs swimming in the raging rivers nearby. At least one of them absolutely loves it]

[I became AMAZING at words with friends]

Oh, and I became a CCRN, which probably doesn't mean a lot to anyone except nurses, but it's a great certification to have which basically means I am a rockstar nurse!

So yes. We are still around. We are having fun, but also staying busy trying to get my booty into grad school and plain old get more organized with life. At least that's what OCD me is busy with. Steve and the boys are busy getting me out of the house and enjoying summatime! Great combo if I may say so :)

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

[source:http://blog.lenacorwin.com/]

last week steve and his brother and a couple of our nephews went up to idaho to hunt coyotes and rabbits. they took the dogs because it had been rainy and the dogs had been kept in the house far too long. boy did they have a blast. they ran their little hearts out. of course, the only pictures taken were once they set up camp. but hey, they are my kids for the time being so i had to post a couple pictures of the boyz.

i'm a huge fan of quotes and sayings and such. in fact, i have a notebook full of such things i have come across over the years. like i said, i'm no good with words, so i say things vicariously through famous people's words.

my way with words is even worse when it comes to subjects that are really important or that mean a lot to me, like the way i feel about the hubs. i usually default to "i'm speechless", or "there are no words", but that only works for so long. there are already a handful of songs out there that are "our" songs, because they say how we feel so eloquently. and now we can add this one to the list. these lyrics just say it perfectly. i'm a big believer that things happen for a reason. we may not understand why at the time, but at some point, it all comes together and makes sense. i wouldn't trade any part of my life to be where i am now. my life isn't "perfect" by any means, but it's darn close to perfect for me, and i couldn't be happier to have all of this.

that's not to say i didn't get a fuss though. i got lots of presents, flowers, and birthday wishes from so many people in my life. sure brought a smile to my face and made me feel so special.

february 28th was our 2nd anniversary. life is busy and we were on our way back from california (we drove, with the dogs...long trip), so it was a very low key anniversary. technically, it was spent in a motel room in mesquite. romantic, huh? but nonetheless, it was a great day.

i feel like i have had a permanent smile on my face ever since the hubs came into my life. he is just so darn perfect me. it's like we were made just for each other or something :) (not that i ever really believed in that kind of thing, but still). it has been a great 2 years together, and i am so glad we have forever to go. there is no one in the world i would rather spend my forever with. love you hubs!

[huntington beach, CA, dog beach]

[the mr. and me with the birthday girl. by this time she was slosshed, as evidenced by her sweet party hat :) ]

and before the trip was over, we had to take the pupsters to the dog beach. marley used to go with me when we lived in california, but this was jack's first time. i think he was a fan.

[the hubs taking a dip in the cold pacific]

[...to catch the frisbee. pretty good job little buddy]