The Big Debut

Well it's official now!  Here is a pic of Baby Hufford at 10 weeks.  Our first ultrasound was today and everything went extremely smooth.  Granted it took me twice as long to figure out where the baby was on the screen.  John actually figured it out before the doctor could show us.  Yes, coincidentally, he was always quick to get those crazy "hidden image" pictures while I would struggle for days and finally give up hope.  Now the skills pay off I suppose.  Be assured though, with his and the doc's help, I was finally able to figure out where the baby was.  For those who are still struggling to make heads or tails of it - the head is on the upper right hand corner and is facing downward toward the bottom of the pic.  Still only 4 centimeters but definitely in there and definitely just one!! :D  The baby was very obedient.  Held still while the photos were taken and then decided to get it's wiggles out afterwards.  It was adorable to see the little hands and feet just moving all over the place.  This pregnancy thing is finally starting to sink in!  Finally, I get to visualize and enjoy something besides just being sick.  

Anyway, consider this an announcement to those who have yet to hear.....and for those who know...yes you can officially spread the word if you'd like.  We look forward to meeting our little one this May 17th!!!

A Busy Day At The Office

This is the pic I woke up to as I checked my email this morning.  John's busy day at the office.  He left at 5:30 this morning for a fishing trip!  Yes, work related....but I'm still not sure how.  He's not much of a fan of fishing (although it's hard to tell by this pic of him beaming with his catch!).  But I was quite impressed....and very grateful I was safe at home away from all things fishy.  I have fish-phobia.  I don't touch them or eat them and they don't touch or eat me....it's a mutual agreement I've entered into with the fish population.  Granted they DID accidentally bump into me when I was snorkeling in Cozumel once!  And yes, I freaked as a result.  They got the hint.

Anyway, I thought I should post so those in blog-land know how demanding and stressful John's job actually is!  Lol....ok normally they do actually do stuff in the actual office I promise (or at least that's what he tells me??  Thankfully this lake has a "catch & release" policy so no this will not be our dinner for tonight!  Phew.

My Quirky Self

I've been tagged by my wonderful sis-in-law Sarah! 

Here are the rules: "MY UNSPECTACULAR QUIRKS"
1.Link to the person who tagged you
2.Mention the rules on your blog
3.Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you
4.Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them
5.Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

So here we go...the quirks...

1. I am OBSESSED with staying hydrated. No, not the type of "water-drinking" hydration.  More so the the lotion and chapstick kind.  I may have mentioned this in an earlier post.  I MUST and I mean MUST have lotion and chapstick on my way to wherever.  I keep both in my car.  I first apply the chapstick as I drive (not the safest procedure I'm aware) and then move onto the lotion application on my hands.  I may have gotten quirky trait from a family vacation to Disney World.  My hands were dry and irritated and I kept rubbing them together.  Apparently enough to annoy my dad.  However, he wouldn't allow me to get lotion at the gas station (yes he's VERY thrifty) but my Mom snuck in and bought it anyway for me.  So now, ever since I suppose, I liberally apply lotion as much as I want with no repercussions from anyone!!  Thanks for watchin my back Mom!!

2. I have a tendency to coin nicknames to family members. And surprisingly my family actually adopts their use as well!  For example, Mom = Mooma (no not to be intended as bovine-related), Michelle=Polly Pocket (ok that one may have been Quentin's doing but it was funny seeing as she's the family runt ;-), Nick=Nickopopolous (no reason really), Quentin=Quentoni, Cassandra, Cassie = Cass (just plan old Cass, I guess the name Cassie was still too long for my liking) and of course Kayley=Punkin or Punky (not b/c of Punky Brewster but b/c she's been my "punkin" since birth. 

3. I love to do laundry but HATE to put it away. Something about the process of throwing in dirty things and having them come out clean.  It's refreshing....and maybe a bit OCD??  However, the joy stops after they come out of the dryer.  I'm NOTORIOUS for leaving them nicely folded on the coffee table in the living room....for DAYS at a time!!  I'm not sure why I quit at this step.  It's sad when you have to come out to the living room to dress yourself in the morning.  I'm currently in the process of trying to convince myself it's just as fun to put them away.....it's a long process......just ask John.

4. I eat before I go to church potlucks too.  Just like my sis-in-law Sarah.  I'm too picky of an eater to just start dishing up mysterious casseroles w/o knowing what's in them.  My fears don't reside too much in the "germ aspect" (although some of it is that) it's more a fear of unknown ingredients and not having everything cooked thoroughly.  I've had too many mishaps to just let this one go....sorry folks.  I eat before I come and push the potluck food around on my plate when I get there.   

5. I lock my car doors when I drive at night.  This quirk is thanks to my wonderful grandpa.  I used to visit them most every weekend when I was in college.  It was a mere 3 hour drive one-way.  But everytime I got ready to head home and say my goodbyes, he would always request I keep my doors locked while I drove.  Not sure why, maybe there would be bums on the corners that were tempted to jump in for a free ride when I drove by??  Either way it kinda made sense to me but I did it more as a favor for him.  He's long since gone but there's not a moment that passes, that when I lock my doors, I don't think of him.  It's a nice memory.

6. I am a "shower after you bathe" type person. Maybe this is more common than I think??  I consider baths for the purposes of relaxing only.  Rarely ever do I actually shampoo and soap up in the bath tub.  I think it's just nasty to do that while sitting in your own dirty water.  So, after relaxing, I promptly head to the shower where the cleaning can commence.  That water simply passes you over and goes down the drain, unlike the nasty bath water that lingers while you wash.  Yuck.

Now I must tag...

1. Michelle

2. Colton

3. Cass

4. Dana

5. Nik

6. Shaylyn

A Day In The Life

This is the start of a reoccuring post. I entertained this idea yesterday and thought what better way to recount my many many MANY memories of my childhood. Most of my memories will be funny/hilarious/embarassing as I retell of our white trash roots. But I'll throw in few "warm fuzzy" moments too. Not only is this a way for me to get sympathy (and free therapy) for the pain/embarassment my parents put us through all of our lives, but it's a way to make up for all those non-journaling years (ok probably 93% of my life). So here goes numero uno....enjoy!!

Technically this one involved my Grandpa Bell, not my father (who I thank for most of these embarassing memories....but it is his Dad and as you'll learn...the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree).

So, I remember spending MOST of my childhood days on my Grandma and Grandpa's farm. He was a cattle farmer and had TONS of land that made prime locations for tree houses, and all kinds of kid games. This specific story happened when I was maybe 16 years old. It was a typical family gathering at their house. Adults inside being loud and kids outside being crazy. I wandered through both before I found myself outside and noticed a gaggle of my little cousins (and siblings) gathered around the cattle guard poking it with a few sticks. I wandered over and became a silent observer to find out what they were doing.

They explained that there was a turtle stuck in the bottom of it and they were trying to save it's life. I looked down and sure enough it was a pretty good size turtle. I sat and watched while they tried effortlessly to help it with their tiny little sticks. My cousin Jake is quite the animal lover so he was extremely devoted to helping this turtle escape. Welp, before too long my loving grandfather came out with his shotgun, inquired as to what was going on, and told the kids to move back. Yup....you guessed it, he promptly pointed the shotgun through the cattle guard and blew that little turtle away, in front of all the cousins who were watching stunned. He walked away and muttered something about saving it's life for them.

Part of me sat in shock and pity for the cousins who spent most of their day trying to save the turtle and part of me just threw my head back and laughed hysterically at watching my grandpa come out and blow it away after hours of rescue attempts by small, animal loving children.

My grandpa is/was a great man but he was also hilarious and stubborn. Case in point: he tried to convince my Grandma that he was going to drive a car (that was broken and could only be driven in reverse) to a nearby shop in a nearby town to get it fixed. How was he going to get it there? He was going to drive backwards all the way there! Every one tried talking him out of it to no avail. However, my grandma finally came up with the solution. "Rex if you do that you'll get a horrible kink in your neck" So there it was...that simple fact alone convinced him it wasn't a good idea. He was an interesting sort. I love him and miss him so much.

One Year Ago

Well technically it's about 1 year and 3 days ago, but whose counting? (besides me ;-). I wanted to post this on Monday, October 6th but I forgot. I have been kinda lax on posting about big memories/dates but please know that I always remember them....just nothing beyond that for the most part.

So what was 1 year and 3 days ago? The day my life turned upside down.....in a good way!! October 6th 2007 was the day I moved from COMO to Arky and got a purty ring to boot! I became an arkansa'an and an engaged woman on the same day. The makings of anyone's dream come true right?

John came up the day prior with his truck and trailer. It was my last day at my job and all my stuff was in boxes waiting for his arrival. It didn't take long to load up, and start a little "treasure hunt" on our way. However, I was a bit slow with guessing/figuring out the clever clues he gave. In my defense my brain was in "moving mode" and once I'm in a zone I can't seem to focus on anything else. Without giving too many details and thus turning this into an extremely LONG post, I'll just say John was very clever and spent TONS of time creating a little treasure hunt of sorts. It started in COMO and ended in Arky where I found the treasure. My beautiful ring. Honestly, it seems like forever ago (again...in a good way)! He's the most thoughtful guy and I'm lucky to call him mine.

The day I saw John's picture for the first time (yes we met online - but in a very non creepy/crazy type of way) I avoided it like the plague. Merely for the fact that I had a distinct feeling that this guy would "take me out of my comfort zone". Now that I sit back and remember this I laugh because through the course of our journey (1 year 5 mos to date) I have definitely seen this thought come to fruition.....a million times over. From dating long distance, to letting down my guard, to falling in love, to moving to a completely new state, to becoming a real estate agent, etc. I've never traveled sooooo far out of my comfort zone!! But it's been a great experience and one I've needed to travel for a long time. I've grown so much I hardly recognize myself anymore. Through all of the changes/growth life has been great to me. Here's to many more years of happiness and fun!

Oh We're Going To The Hookie-Lau

::Insert hula waving hands here::

Welp...it's official! Now I can officially start getting excited. Yesterday we took the plunge and bought our tickets to the Hookie-Lau (also known as Hawaii). Let the starvation diets commence!

We grew tired of "talking" about the dream vacation and decided to finalize the dates/schedules and future fun. Granted the fun isn't scheduled to happen until January 2nd but it's not that far away to keep from holding back the excitement. This is going to be our 1st anniversary celebration (even though our anniversary is on Dec 15th). Who wants to travel during Christmas anyway? Why not start the New Year's right.....in a completely different state!

So, for those who have visited the Hookie-Lau and have recommendations....please share. For those who have not visited...please be jealous. Hahaha. I'll try to remember to bring home a granule of sand for each of you just to show you the love.

Tag!! You're It!

My friend Melinda loves me and because she does I'm doing this tag for her. Enjoy hearing about how old I am!!

FIVES: Five answers to each question:

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
-Living in Provo, UT
-Attending UVSC
-Living in a glam apartment w/3 other complete strangers.
-Working one of many telemarketing jobs
-Waiting patiently for a date (the beginning of many years of waiting).

2. What are 5 thing on my to do list today?
(Well since today is technically over...)
-Meet the water peeps at the Duplex to turn on the water (pointless).
-Laundry
-Attend Bryce's Princess b-day party
-Do floor duty at work
-More cleaning/working at the duplex

3. What are my 5 favorite snacks?
-French Fries
-Granola Bars
-Crackers
-Cheetos
-2% Chocolate Milk

4. What 5 things would I do if I was a millionaire?
-Travel the world.
-Buy a BMW
-Keep it a secret from everyone I know
-Secretly donate to people/charities
-Buy a monkey

5. 5 places I have lived.
Springfield, MO
Willard, MO
Provo, UT
Columbia, MO
Centerton, AR

6. 5 jobs I've had.
-Taco Bell
-McDonald's
-Walmart (for a week! It was horrible!)
-MBS
-Real Estate Agent

7. 5 people tagged by me. (but only if you want to...)
Sheri
Nik
Shaylyn
Dana
Sarah

No Worries - We Are Still Alive!!

So, I've been reminded by a few fellow bloggers that I'm a bit behind on my posting. I sat and wondered exactly why I haven't been posting but then realized..... One must do something exciting BEFORE posting!! Aha! And sadly, we are not currently do anything blog-worthy. Our free time has been devoted to remodeling a duplex for the last three weeks. Trust me, you'll be grateful I've spared you the details of these ever-constant outings. They aren't fun. Well technically the first 30 minutes of this project could have been considered "fun" but it quickly changed after that. Thus the reason for no blog posts.

So, in case you are still curious as to what we've been up to......

1. Ripping up and removing nasty stinky dirty carpet. Technically I let John do the honors while I watched. That was enough for me.
2. Up to our necks in paint (literally and figuratively). I've learned why they have professionals do this stuff and trust me, I'll be saving my pennies so they can do it for us next time.
3. Patching, sanding, texturing walls.
4. Driving back an forth and back and forth. I miss the days of coming home after work and vegging :( That was my favorite part of the day!
5. Cleaning, scouring, nasty germs and dirt (and we still aren't done with this one yet).

Bad news - it's not fun. Good news - we are almost done!! So I promise more blogging/posts in the future!!