Random things

I have allergies. This is no secret to anyone who knows me. When I watch video of myself, I realize just how much I itch my nose, clear my throat, and sniff. But I'm sorry--that's just the way I am. However, since arriving here, my allergies have been worse than ever in my life. This picture was taken on Friday morning. I woke up early full of snot (sorry if that's gross, but it's a reality of my life) and decided to go out on the couch where I could blow my nose without waking up Eva and Andrew. I had left the clean laundry there the night before, so I used that as a pillow and covered up with 2 extra towels. (Gotta love living in a hotel.) And this is how Andrew found me, and was so gracious to take a picture of me. With Eva looking stoned in front of me. I post this so that any of you who do not suffer from SEVERE allergies will count your blessings. But here's an update: I have been a ton better since we moved into our new room. So--gross as this is--I think there was mold somewhere in that room, since I am way allergic to mold as well. Strike 758 against our old room.


The pool opened on Friday. It was an event I had been waiting for--and sweating for--since we got here a couple weeks ago. It was a way nice pool, we got season passes, and Eva gets in free. There are 2 water slides, 2 diving boards, 2 slides for younger kids, and a little kid area under the shade with another big slide coming out of a frog's mouth. Although they have a stupid rule against any sort of flotation devices so we can't use Eva's cute boat thing or our rafts...it's okay. The water was freezing cold on Friday, and we didn't stay long. Saturday it was a little warmer and Eva liked it better than the first time. It just feels so good to swim again! It also feels good to be weightless for a few minutes of every day, as I get bigger all the time and my back hurts more every day. That's a sign I have to be getting close to the end. :) I found some shorts to match my cute maternity swimsuit, and although I don't look cute, at least it's not some big tent-looking thing. Eva wore her adorable little pool cover-up--we call it her "hoochie mama dress"--and her little yellow swimsuit. Is there anything cuter than a baby girl in a swimsuit? I don't think so.


I also just wanted to include this picture of Andrew. Can you guess what he's doing? Your first thought may be grocery shopping. But no. He is actually moving our stuff from our old home to our new home. Using a stray shopping cart that hangs around the area. White trash, yes, but much easier than hauling it all by hand.


On Friday night for dinner I wanted to do homemade pizza. Now, I grew up eating homemade pizza. It's much cheaper than ordering one, and almost as easy. But truthfully, I never liked my Mom's. The crust was too thick and there was never enough cheese, and it just wasn't as good as Dominoes. But with my baking kick going, I thought I should try it myself. I found a recipe for dough on Smitten Kitchen (a great cooking blog). Andrew and I absolutely LOVE white pizza--you know the kind with like feta and mozzarella and spinach--so we decided to try to make that. No pizza sauce. Just dough, LOTS of cheese, and spinach. Oh, and some tomatoes. And it was SO good. Seriously, it could have come from a restaurant. The crust was a little on the thick side (I prefer thin crust, obviously), but it still was delicious. I will definitely be making that again.


Today at church I was able to go to Relief Society for the first time in a long time. Andrew insisted that I go, although he had to make me because I didn't feel like being social, since after Leighton is born it will be a while again before I get to go. So I gave in and went, and it was great. Not only did I get to taste and get a recipe for delicious wheat bread (I know, I really need to get over the whole recipe thing), but I heard a great lesson and met 2 really nice girls. This ward is looking better after all. :)

So we had yummy ribs and potatoes for dinner, and I made some chocolate brownies that are very good. I'm not bragging about my cooking abilities--I'm really just pleased to have found such a great recipe. Honestly, Nigella Lawson is a genius. And Andrew licked the beaters clean, so they had to have been good. (By the way, Andrew does not have a little rattail going on--it's the handle on the cabinet door. I know, I'm an awesome photographer.)