Chickity China, the Chinese Chicken...

Just kidding, they're American, but still. They're getting so big! And we've moved them outside. They are like different chickens! They don't run away from us when they're outside, they're fun, they climb on our lap, so awesome. Would you like some pictures? Here you go! (Please forgive us for our lack of creativity on their names. I tried to give them awesome names and they didn't stick. Black Chicken, Brown Chicken, and White Chicken did. Lame, I know.)

Black Chicken

White Chicken

Brown Chicken

I wish this wasn't blurry, but she got way too close to the lens for me to focus.

Black Chicken is posing.

Please notice Brown Chicken flying to attack Drey.

Ohh cute pile of sleepy chickens.

Job lost. Like Paradise Lost, but oh so different.

So, my day was crazy yesterday. Needless to say, I don't work where I worked any more. I'm not going into details...I don't like the details.

I don't know that it has completely sunk in. I feel a mixture of freedom and anxiety, but lets be honest, I always feel anxious. Always.

There are so many things I can do now. And it all starts with sitting and diligently applying for job after job after job. Which is what I'm doing.

Drey got a job on campus, and he loves it. He helps tutor in a computer lab, but if no one needs help he gets to work on his own homework. He gets paid to do his homework people. We are both so grateful for that.

We have chickens. Have I written about that? We had four. Now we have three, and a majorly punished Luna. She had to sleep outside all night, and came in the next morning submissive and sorry. Or so she wants us to believe. She steers clear of the chicken room now.

Chicken room. Yes, they are in our house. But not for much longer, as my handy dandy husband is working on their new coop this weekend. Then on to an outdoorsy kind of life. I'm pretty sure they will be ecstatic. I'll post pictures of the coop as soon as its done.

Infertility

I posted a blog on a subject with its grasp firmly on my heart (dramatic much?) here, on my photography blog. Enjoy!

My mothers parents.

I want to write things that are important. Maybe not to anyone who is reading this right now, but to me in the future, when I may have forgotten.

So lets start with grandparents, mothers side first. What beautiful, wonderful, darling wrinkly old people.

My grandpa Peterson, my mothers father, was a cowboy. At least to me. He wore cowboy boots so often that his toes stayed in the pointed shape, even after the boots were off. He wore plaid shirts that snapped up the front with little pearlized snaps, and suspenders. He loved to make animal noises, and some of them were truly frightening. He also made a noise like wind, and if he did it right it would sound like a storm.  He told me that one time he was in school, and he made that noise so well that students ran to the window to see the storm. I'm not sure thats true, but I love it anyway.

Every time he met one of my friends, he would ask them if he could cut some of their hair off and make himself a wig. Every single time. He would pretend to cry when my grandma gave him a haircut, saying it was thin enough already.

One time, when I was probably around 5, he was chasing me around the house, and I slid underneath the side table between two couches. He sat on top of the table, with his legs covering my only way out. I was terrified. My heart was pounding, and I was so scared of the tickling he was going to give me if I tried to escape. So I sat under that table till dinner. It was probably only a few minutes, but it felt like hours.

He died when I was about 15. I was crushed. I laid in bed for multiple nights leading up to his death, sobbing into my pillow, praying out loud, asking why grandparents have to die. Why did my grandpa have to go away so soon? I still miss him. He was so fun, and teased all day long. I'm pretty sure that he's up in heaven now, teasing all his grandkids that haven't come down yet. What a heartwarming thought!

Next, my grandma Peterson. When I was little, they would visit, and she would sit at the coffee table and color with me for as long as I wanted. She was always careful with her coloring, and I wanted to be able to color just like her.

She loved garage sales. Whenever we visited her, every friday and saturday morning we went out to garage sales. I loved it. It was like treasure hunting!

She is still alive, but misses my grandpa terribly. She went on a mission after he died, to Arkansas. She loved it, and was a rock star at it. She crochet us a blanket for our wedding present. Its warm and lovely. She has a facebook, but doesn't quite know how to use it. She will sometimes write happy birthday messages on the wrong persons wall. But I think its darling, and love her so much.

For Brooke.

I keep disappearing! I actually guess I just feel like since I don't have kids, I have nothing cute or interesting to blog about. But I really do need to get better. So here it goes!

About a month and a half ago Drey had a bit of an accident. He was rock climbing and fell, landed so hard on his ankle that his skin and tendons ripped apart from pressure, and his ankle dislocated then went back into place. We rushed to the hospital and he was in surgery that night. It was stressful and crazy, but he is fine, and after a few weeks on crutches he is walking almost normal! So it was definitely a success.

I'm considering becoming a cna. If you have thoughts on that, comment! I am still a little unsure. It would be good though. I'm sure of it. I'd be helping people, which will be much more satisfying than cutting fabric at Walmart.

We are still trying for a baby. We are on month 18 now. Pray for us, if you would. Every month my heart hurts a little more.

Since I'm blogging from my phone, I think I'll end here for now. I hope you are all doing well and loving 2013 so far!

Farewell 2012! Welcome 2013!

My family came to visit! So, since my brother is off on a mission soon, I took it upon myself to force them all to stand out in the snow and smile for a picture or two. This is my favorite one.

Here is our somewhat delayed, traditional Christmas pajamas photo. I'm pretty glad that I married a guy who wasn't weirded out by this.

I love my family, so much. When they left (leaving Hannah with us, since she's going to BYU-I now) We were all in tears. Well, all of us except for Robot Husband. He's not as emotional as we all are...yet. He will learn.

I hate that we live far away from each other! If I think about it too much it really makes me sad. Hopefully we'll all live a little closer in the future!

Farewell 2012! You were filled with all sorts of ups and downs. None too dramatic, thankfully, but ups and downs all the same.

Welcome 2013! I can't wait to see what you have in store for us. I have my own secret (okay, not so secret) dreams for what I'm hoping you will bring, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Christmas 2012

Our Christmas was pretty low key this year. We didn't go to my parents or Drey's parents. We didn't exchange presents with each other, and while we did get awesome presents from our parents (iPhone 5 *cough*), we got them all randomly before Christmas and were told we could open them early if we wanted. Which of course we did. But in doing so, we ended up with no presents to open on Christmas morning. And actually, I was totally okay with that part (except I did miss the Christmas pajamas. Dangit.)

The part about this Christmas that I couldn't handle was the lack of my family. It was my first Christmas without them, and it was so foreign and lonely! I called each one of them in turn and made them tell me about everything they got, and then forced them to take pictures and send them to me so I could feel like I was there. They were all pretty cooperative, thank heavens. But I've come to a conclusion/decision.

Christmas is all about family. I knew that before but it is so blatantly obvious now. My decision? I never want a Christmas away from family again (unless we have kids, but even then I'm not so sure). I will set aside a special Christmas trip fund if I have to, just to ensure that I get to be with them for Christmas. It must happen!

One good thing that happened this Christmas though:

I FINALLY got Drey to agree to taking pictures that actually ended up cute! I'm so excited. This is my favorite, followed closely by this:

I love them. I'm so excited. About them. I just have to bribe him in huge amounts and then ta-dah! He is (mostly) cooperative!

And that is a wrap up of our Christmas. Lovely but definitely missing some major parts.