a little dilemma here

i'm contemplating a hard decision to make and need everybody's help. here it is: should i keep my facebook account or blogger? the deal is that i dont wanna do updates TWICE, i'd rather just do it once. so one is probably unnecessary and therefore needs to be eliminated. i'll continue to contemplate as you help me by answering the poll. thanks!!!

wonderful day ...

nothing compares to working in the temple, going to the temple, or just driving by the the temple. since matt is no longer interested in blogging, this is my blogg now. bu-ah ha ha ha!!! jk.

any way, i went to the temple saturday and helped with the tons of laundry that needs to be done for initiatories and baptisms in behalf of those who have passed on. it was great, plus it was easy. what a neat thing to have a small house of God just around the corner where there's need enough that i can help and participate in many different capacities.

think of it this way: if this was a LARGE temple, cleaning crews are brought in, laundry is done by workers, and the landscaping is hired out. but in a small temple, sign up sheets are circulated for volunteers to help clean, do laundry, and help with other minor tasks needing attention. small temples are where it's at. personal. homey. inviting. not intimidating.

SNOW!!!

snow is a hard thing to come by in KY, but FRI thru SAT we had our fair share for once!!! it was exciting to have all that wonderful powder but it messed up plans quite a bit for me! i was planning on attending a massage therapy continuing education conference in lexington, ky until the snow and slush made it terrible to drive on the highways! then to top it off, the storm hit worse in lexington than louisville so we'd be more than likely stuck there for an extra day ... not in the budget. so i had to cancel and not go the conference ... i was so poopy and sad.

but waking up sat morning to all that snow just made me so happy! i went out all by myself and played! i tromped around the yard and the street, made a snow angel, scraped the snow off the cars a bit to see how deep it was, and just enjoyed to freshness that was all around! i had missed that for the past several years being in the worng places at the wrong times to get the good snow. but this time i didnt miss it! it came to me! so enjoyable!

then later in the morning we decided to shovel the driveway (and part of the road so we could get in and out of the driveway) and almost everybody wanted to help! jen ended up getting burried alive in all the snow shoveled off the driveway by jon and nate. we had snowball fights. and every thing was just so much fun! thank heavens for 4w drive and front wheel drive! life savers in slush and snow!

at the end of the day (SAT) i took a walk and already my snow was beginning to melt too quickly! so one last shot saved the beauty of the snow for me! i miss it now that it's all mostly melted and gone ...

a walk in the park!

today i decided to go to cherokee park after eating lunch w/matt. i just needed to get out and ejoy the weather today. i've become pretty restless lately so this was much needed! anyway, i began walking on the road, but i despise hard flat surfaces - they ruin the arches in your feet - and looked for the trail signs. i found one and was off! i didnt really keep track of where i was so i wouldnt get lost, so i just had such a fun time enjoying all the birds singing, the great views, and being active. one trail lead to the next and by the time you know it i could see my car again and decided that i would leave more adventures for the next time i came to the park.

i just love nature! i dont quite enjoy taking photos of ppl as much as i love capturing the brililant colors, dynamic contrasts, and eye-candy lines that just make me follow -them -until -i -cant -see -anything -more type elements i find more in nature. and the best part ... i took all of these photos AND EDITED THEM w/my PHONE!

hope you enjoy them as much as i did running up and down the paths taking them!

belly shots

first finding out we're pregnant ... no belly just normal. the pre-belly look so comparisons can be accurate.









moving right along ... this was the day that "the Belly" magically appeared! i went to bed the night before and there was no belly. When i awoke, there it was ... a little baby bump!















and today here is the progress the baby has made! i now "show" with just about every shirt i wear. i've had to buy a couple of maternity pants because some pants are just too tight when i sit and move around. still can't tell too much from a straight on view, but from the side it's quite obvious! it's so much fun!

i felt the baby move for the first time yesterday, 4 mar, and that was such a spiritual experience! it was amazing!

i just can't wait til AUGUST to see our little baby!

our "little baby" frog

to more fully prepare ourselves for our baby arriving in Aug we adopted my little green frog i got on my mission as our "baby." i love it and take care of it, and am a good "mommy."

but matt doesnt like our little "baby!" he plays too roung and hurts him with an anaconda eh-squeeze to the eye and a pile driver to the face.

not to mention the karate chop to the throat just before bed time. i try to protect him and keep him safe from the evil matthew, but i am no match for "philippino libre!"

this has all been for fun and games. more updates will come later to the story.

rachel

XMAS MORNING!!!

christmas morning is a drag for this little one ... he wanted to keep sleeping in ...

i just love the christmas story ... i only wish it were in the scriptures all in one place ... but dad did some skipping around for me this year and i like it tons!

here's dad working out and pumping that iron that was mom's gift while mom plans to take over da vorld vit tis bazooka! ha ha ha! jk it's her new tractor muffler since the old one was damaged and broken.