i dont know how he did it...

the morning of my birthday i woke up with a new ring on my finger... there is a really cool pearl farm here in guaymas... brent had heard me talking about how cool it is that they have black pearl rings.. and that i love them because they are odd shaped... so i woke up with this pearl ring on my finger...

...soon after that we were off to the doctors office to check up on how the baby was/is doing! we were able to see the heart beat flicker on the screen while my doctor did an ultrasound... what i was wishing for!

... then it was off to the resort/spa for a relaxing rest of the weekend! it was so great to get away and relax without anything to worry about...

... thanks for my cake rachel!!! xoxo...

how could one ask for more....

brent, for my birthday, was surprising me and taking me out of town for the weekend... =missing mutual (which is every saturday here in mexico)... my counselors, with the young women decided to switched it to friday... then we, brent and i were able to go... they planned a fiesta de trajo... or a bring whatever you want... for a back to school party... well, i am very naive and believe anything... but they actually planned the mutual as a surprise birthday party! so sweet...

then later that night right before i was about to go to bed, there is a knock on our door ...

...a few young men with guitars and some of my young women were there...

they had done this to our front door....

little hearts were everywhere with the sweetest notes on them... and they were all singing a happy birthday song... they definitely know how to make someone feel special!!!! ... i love them all

coconuts and dancing....

regional youth conference 2007.... while we were waiting for it to start, we tried a new mexican treat...

here is brent trying coconut milk that was cut out of a coconut, nice and fresh about 3 minutes before this...

next... is eating the coconut that the milk came from... one of our friends here wanted us to try one... so i told her that she would have to prepare it for us... since i have no idea how you are supposed to eat them here in mexico... so fresh coconut, lime, lots of lime... salt.... and chili powder with a little chili sauce... bon appetite...

as you can tell from brents face... he did not like it very much... i didnt find a liking to it either... but good to try finally...

here is our ward and stake.... barrio miramar.... guaymas stake.... dancing at the regional youth conference.... it was pretty cool.... all the stakes of the whole state of sonora where there... each stake had their own dance and traditional clothing... our stake danced the tariachi... there were so many people there...

Brent's first attempt

Ever since I got a free demo tape of a band called "Fu Manchu" at a Ski Pro tent sale in 9th grade and learned that not only is Fu Manchu a sweet band name, but also the name of a sweet breed of moustache, I always wanted to nurture my own some day.

In case you don't know what a fu manchu is, let me explain...

According to Dictionary.com:

Fu Man·chu mus·tache /ˈfu mænˈtʃu/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[foo man-choo] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
a mustache whose ends droop to the chin.
Also called Fu Manchu.
[Origin: 1935–40; after the mustache worn by Fu Manchu, an Oriental master criminal in films of the 1920s and '30s, based on novels by British author Sax Rohmer (1883–1959)]

Derek, this is how us men do it.

blessing in a very good disguise....

you know what this means.....

the disguise.... morning sickness.... uggg....

the blessing... a baby... yeah!!!

the good news.... brent and i are very very excited... i am, as of today, 9 weeks 4 days along... due date ...march 15th or around that date, give or take a few days...

the not so good news....i ... we....were/are a little nervous about announcing... (because of our last miscarriage) but ...

more good news... disguised as i listed above... this pregnancy is so different from the last... including the morning sickness part... our doctor says that everything is great and that i should not worry.... we have our next appointment on my birthday... so for my birthday, i want to hear the heartbeat... then i wont be so nervous...

brent is hoping for a little girl... i am mixed... some days i want a girl others i want a boy... so we will see...

p.s.... i thought of that title while throwing up this morning... ewww... i am sure you wanted to know the details... haha...

a great man...

a great man passed away this morning: James E Faust. although i have a tear in my eye, i have happiness throughout my body and soul, because i know that he is with our Heavenly Father right now being praised for all the good he has done while here on this earth. what a great man! i cannot demonstrate by words alone how much i love him and the way that he spoke and taught. i had the wonderful opportunity to meet him, along with the other graduating seniors in my ward, and although it was a short meeting, the spirit was felt and love shared for him and the wonderful gospel that he so strongly represents... read his short bio... more eloquently written than i could tell... we will miss you... but we will see you again...

the best soup ever...

i say this every time i make it.... i seriously love this soup... so i figured i could share... plus it is super easy to make... vicki made this 'chicken enchilada soup' when we watched last april conference at their house... thanks vicki...

1 onion diced

1 jalapeno diced

1 tablespoon garlic diced

3 tablespoons butter

4-5 chicken breasts diced

saute these ingredients until the chicken is cooked, then add:

1 can of corn

1 cup of water

bring to boil...

then add:

2 cups cream (i think i might try milk next time to see if i can be a little healthier...)

1-2 tablespoons cumin

3 chicken bullion cubes

about 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

bring to boil... then turn off heat... add:

1-2 diced tomatoes

serve... so good

we put diced avocados on top sometimes too...

love thursday...

those of you that know me... already know this... but i dont know what i would do without english muffins... they are my all time favorite food... so yummy... my favorite ones... "whole wheat" oroweat brand... i also love the "heath nut" ones too...