Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time....

I was really good at posting regularly!  Jake and I are renewing our vows in just 17 days (pretty much a wedding), so that means we are BUSY BUSY BUSY!

It doesn't mean I'm not thankful though :)

Here's the grateful recap for the past few days!

Day 8:

Today I am thankful for... Fridays.

Lately when Friday comes around, I have never been so grateful to get off work and get home.  Mainly because I want to change into my sweatpants and not change out of them for two days straight.

There is something so magical about having time to relax and be at home in your sweats.  Although I guess that would be true if we were actually lazy on the weekends, but lately I have been so busy running around doing wedding stuff I barely have time to sit down... but regardless, it's a weekend and I love it.  :)

Day 9:

Today I am thankful for... People who are amazing and help out when you need them.

Those of you in this world who will drop everything to be there for someone are heaven-sent.  I feel so blessed to have wonderful friends who are here for me when my to-do list is overflowing!

On a side note, I wish my to-do list looked like this:

Let's all promise to do this list... m'kay?

Day 10:

Today I am thankful for... FAMILY soup nights!

Jake's side of the family has a tradition to have a soup pot luck every few months.  I don't know about you, but I believe whole heartedly that soup is good for the soul.  It is so soothing, especially when it is a snow storm outside!  Jake and I hosted the first of many family soup nights at our house on Sunday and it was a great success!  19 family members and they all fit very comfortably in the house!  Between the homemade soups (chicken tortilla, chicken noodle, and split pea), the delicious bread, and the chocolate cake with orange sherbet... I was in heaven.  Add 5 little kiddos to the mix and it was the perfect night.  I love Jake's relatives.

This is a horrible picture, but I'm forgetful and didn't get out my phone until the night was almost over.  There was a dance party happening.

This was another one of our visitors on Sunday.

Why hello Mr. Moose!

Day 11:

Today I am thankful for... SNOW.

The beautiful white snow finally fell from the sky.  It took long enough!  We got about 6 inches of snow which turned Alaska into a winter wonderland.  I can't say I was grateful for the horrendous road conditions in the morning, but luckily I have a great SUV that handles the roads like a champ!  I'm hoping the snowy weather continues so I don't feel so guilty for baking wintery treats.  Bring on the cookies, cracker candy, homemade eggnog (although I won't be able to have any this year!), and pumpkin flavored everything!

Day 12:

Today I am thankful for... Physical Therapy.

It is working WONDERS.  I'm feeling fabulous and hoping I'll be able to run by this weekend!  No more than a couple miles but I'll take anything I can get.  I. MISS. RUNNING.

 Dear Shoes, 

I miss you too. 

Love, Brittany

Day 13:

Today I am thankful for...

This face.

Okay, I know I've already been thankful for Diego once this month.  But really?  Have you ever seen anything so adorable?

I am also thankful for my thoughtful husband that I fall more in love with every day.  I cannot wait to renew my vows with him in just a couple weeks!

On our wedding day two years ago!

Day 5 of being grateful: That place I go to sweat

Today I am grateful for:

The Gym

Not being able to run has been quite a challenge for me mentally. Not only is it my passion and an innate part of who I am, but pregnancy is a time when your body is not your own- a tiny little baby owns your every function! It is the most beautiful and miraculous thing I have ever been through and I am beyond loving it!  Feeling the kicks (that are now like hard jabs!) and seeing my stomach move is so surreal! 

However, I will be completely honest with you.  It is still hard to see the scale creep higher and higher! Actually that's a lie because I don't ever look at the scale. I step on the scale backwards at the doctors because I don't want my pregnancy to be about that number. I want it to be about how I feel and about making sure baby is healthy. He's growing on track and that's what is important! If I'm hungry, I eat. If I crave ice cream, I eat it - in moderation.  And if I crave pickles, I usually eat 5. :) Someone asked me the other day how many pounds I've gained. I laughed. That's not what growing a life is about and I hope no pregnant woman out there believes it is! There is so much pressure to keep the weight gain low but what is most important is to provide a good foundation for little bambino!  (That doesn't mean I don't have to remind myself that the body is resilient and bounces right back after being pregnant!) :)

So that is why today I am grateful for the gym. The elliptical, bike, pool, and weights help me feel strong and also help me know I'm keeping baby healthy!

Day 3: Sundays with My Hubby

Today I am grateful for...

Relaxing Sundays with my hubby. 

Jake has worked the past few Sundays so we haven't had a chance to spend a lot of time together... And now that I actually have a job, I remember just how precious our weekends together are!

So what did our day consist of?

An EXTRA hour of sleep (wahoo!  I love fall daylight savings!), Gym, breakfast, Church, errands, my first 3D movie (I'm not a big movie person but you have to see Gravity... It was amazing), dinner, pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and watching 24 on Netflix. 

Yes, we're pretty awesome in our 3D glasses

Jake and I don't have cable or even basic TV, just Netflix. Mainly because we'd rather spend time doing other things than sit in front of the TV. The winters in Alaska can get long and depressing because of the limited daylight and cold weather (Did you know Alaska has one of the highest rates of Depression in the country?). So to avoid that we try to have friends over, cook together, do house projects, and go out. 

With that being said... Jake and I are officially hooked on 24. Ha! We watched one season a few years ago and vowed never to watch it again because we were hooked and literally had all-night 24 marathons. Well... A few weeks ago, we decided to watch just one episode. Two seasons later.,. We're hooked. Luckily it's taking us a while to get through a season (Because I can't seem to stay awake much later than 9:30!) but we're definitely watching more tv than I like!  So here's my recommendation to you: if you are bored out of your mind and want to spend the next 24 hours of your life on a couch, then watch 24. I should convince jake to get two treadmills/ellipticals to watch it on, then maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty! 

It was a perfect day and now it's back to reality! I hope everyone had a good weekend :)

Day 2: A place to call home

Today I am grateful for...

The roof over my head.

I am so thankful to merely have a home to keep me warm in the Alaskan winters and to plant my roots and grow. In addition to that, I'm even more grateful that it is the beautiful new home that we bought in September!

Back View!

We have been hard at work to make it a comfortable and homey place, which is turning out to take a while! The house has 4 bedrooms and we moved from a house that we only used one. That equals no bedroom furniture! I have amazing parents who have helped us furnish the house with beds they no longer use, so we now have beds in three of the four bedrooms!  The only one that is not ready yet is baby's room... But we have plenty of time for that! And I know baby won't actually sleep in his crib until he's a little older, so we can take our time! 

If you have a place to call home, consider yourself blessed!