Michael Buble in Concert

 Commencing picture overload. And I apologize for the grainy quality of some, it's hard to get the exposure just right in a dark arena with my little point-and-shoot camera. But none of that matters when we get down to the awesomeness that was this concert. 

I have wanted to see Michael Buble in concert for many years now and I finally had that dream come true last week at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake. He was fantastic. I mean, I knew he was going to be amazing, because I've heard wonderful things about his concerts from friends who've attended them in the past, but I was really quite blown away with how great of a show he put on. His opening act, Naturally 7, was amazing. I was left almost completely speechless just watching and listening to them. You must check them out as what they do is nothing short of awe inspiring. 

I think what I loved the most about the concert was watching Michael Buble move around the stage. He danced the entire night and had on these slippery shiny shoes, which he used to slide around while dancing. Mark of a true entertainer that one, he engaged all the senses during his performance. Of course, his voice was impeccable and he ended the concert by singing completely acapella, with no amplification or earpieces in. And his voice...it filled up that arena pretty well. I was impressed!

 The man's got soul. Another fun story, he bashed on Justin Bieber (fellow Canadian) for about 5 minutes during the concert. It was hilarious. And thank goodness someone with real talent recognizes how silly that little excuse for a singer/Hollywood star is. Ugh, Justin Bieber. He's just a punk that needs to be taught some manners. But I digress.

 I almost forgot to add that this was baby girl's first concert to attend. And she sure moved around a good bit here and there throughout the event. I can't think of a better concert to start her off with on what I'm sure will be a long history of good music that she loves.

This video isn't that great of quality, but I just had to add it to show you a little bit of his dancing from that night. It was seriously so much fun watching that man move and have fun on the stage! What a great concert and one more I can knock off my concert bucket list.

Louisiana in October

Say "hello" to the first new and exciting thing (or rather, puppy) that I got to meet/experience on my trip to Louisiana last month. This is Shrimp, my brother Michael and his wife Natalie's adorable dachshund puppy. He and I became best buds while I was there. We snuggled everywhere, he gave me puppy kisses and was just SO MUCH FUN to play with. What a good little pup!

 I got to visit my grandparents in Lake Charles on my way up to Alexandria. We had lunch at Ryan's, the classic buffet to go to with them. My grandpa Eddie and grandma Mary were so sweet and kind and I was glad to be able to spend some special (albeit short-lived) time with them. It'd been too long since seeing them and as they are getting older, who knows how many more times I'll be able to see them. My grandma squealed with joy when she saw me and my baby belly. It was such a cute moment!

And the reason I took the trip in the first place...

My best friend's wedding! Heather Gross (now Anderson) has been my best friend since 8th grade. That girl got me through teenage years and was maid of honor at my wedding 4 1/2 years ago here in Utah. It only made sense that I go to her wedding. I just love her! She was absolutely gorgeous and it was a beautiful wedding and ceremony. How lucky I feel that I was able to stay with her for a couple days and have some special one-on-one time before she tied the knot.

Her husband, Jay, is such a fun and kind-hearted man. Being around him for those few days, I could tell he was a perfect fit for Heather (and I'm not just saying that). He did the cutest thing for their wedding video that was showed during their ceremony...all I'll say is "country boy voice and impression". It was hilarious and adorable. I'm so glad that Heather has found someone down to earth who knows how to laugh and have fun and does all that with her!

These following pictures are from my Sunday lunchtime visit to my dad's grave. They were taken before the heavens decided to open up and pour down torrential rain upon me! I had to run under shelter of a tree, wait that out for a few minutes, then book it to the car until the rainstorm died down. Yeah, I miss those types of rainstorms. Wish we'd get those in Utah, but, alas, it's the desert.

 This is the headstone for my father's parents, who died a VERY LONG time before I was born.

Cue the last few pictures from the trip, which consisted of car pictures. I was loving the clouds and actually enjoyed driving in the rain. There is something so nostalgic and soothing about it. 

 This was as I was on my way back to Denham Springs, to spend the last night with Michael and Natalie. Anybody who has driven this stretch of road from Lafayette to Baton Rouge, knows the forever long bridge you have to drive on. It seriously feels like it will never end and I just wanted to document that!

It was such a fun trip and I am so glad I was able to take it, as baby girl and I are very healthy and there were no problems with the flights (except for some serious motion sickness on my way into Atlanta that first day). But, all is well, and it was wonderful to spend so much sibling time with my brother. We don't get to do that often enough, so I loved every minute of it. Can't wait until we get to see him and Natalie again (hopefully sometime soon)!

{Baby} 27 Weeks

Well, sorry that it's been a month since I last did a baby girl update! Life got a bit crazy there with our family room remodel and my trip to Louisiana, so I guess time just flew by and before I knew it, we were almost finished with the second trimester!

I almost can't believe we are this far along and how much I've grown in the past few weeks. Seriously, my belly has officially started to creep over my line of sight to my toes and before long, I believe I will have to make Michael paint them! That being said, everyone still tells me how tiny I am, but I can't help but think how much bigger I will feel or look after 3 more months of growth. It's all for good and worth it, so I'm totally not complaining!

I've started to reach the uncomfortable stage, sleeping with a pillow under my belly and between my knees at night, just so I can try to reduce the hip pain that I'm now experiencing. I really do miss sleeping on my back, but even now I can feel how weird it is if I lie on it for just a couple minutes. Everything kind of shifts, and I can definitely tell that side sleeping is best! That being said, I had a wonderful night of sleep the night I came back from my trip to Louisiana. I think it's because I was SO tired from flying late into the night and from the trip itself, that my body was just grateful to be in a familiar place and bed. I didn't wake up once during a 9 hour stretch! It was like heaven itself!

My Louisiana trip was fun and I had about 20 people rub my belly at my home ward alone. And get this, only 1 person asked permission. So funny. But, I really don't mind the belly rubs (without asking permission) as long as they are from people I know. Now, if it was some random stranger in the grocery store, I'm pretty sure that would freak me out a bit.

Along with the growth stage, I'm grunting anytime I have to bend over or reach anything, so I've just started to let others do that for me. And the belly is beginning to get big enough that it hits things without me thinking it will (like, random strangers on the airplane when I get up to go to the bathroom) and just gets in the way of daily tasks. I tried to tie my gym shoes the other day and couldn't do it without putting my feet up on another chair next to the one I was sitting in! Michael giggled and made a facebook post about that one. He thinks all this is so cute and just smiles when it takes me longer to roll over in bed, or maneuver around things. And he's super helpful, lending a hand or reaching things that I can't. He's a good one, that hubby of mine.

Baby girl is growing perfectly like she should and her heartbeat continues to sound strong and steady. I have noticed her constant movements throughout the day now and I'm amazed how much she really is moving in there! It's fun to start seeing my belly bounce around at times. I can only imagine how much more I will be able to feel her the bigger she grows. Our Ob-Gyn says that everything is going smoothly and we have no worries. What a blessing. We started to discuss our birth plan with her at the most recent appointment and she was incredibly supportive of everything we want. But, we also understand that being flexible is the most important thing. Whatever we can do to get this baby girl here alive and healthy, we will do, no doubt about it. We both feel that it's just best to be educated about what you want (and what can happen) and then you can make the best decisions when the time comes!

Next post will most likely be the first of the 3rd trimester, and then it will be no time before she is here and we get to hold her in our arms! There are 3 major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years) between now and that moment. We have lots of things still left to do, but know that it is going to all come together wonderfully. Thanks to everyone for your support and love. We really feel it and appreciate it!