It's time to crack down and really get organized.

I don’t think that I am far enough along to be in the “nesting” phase of pregnancy, but there are so many things that I need to get done around the house. Scott’s parents are coming to stay with us for a few days while Scott has a break from School in a couple of weeks, so that might be part of the reason I am feeling the pressure now. I can’t imagine them coming out more than once or twice while we live out here in Wisconsin so I can’t let them think that we are total slobs. It isn’t that our place is a disaster or unclean, it’s just small and we have more things than I thought we did.

Right before I got pregnant I had so much motivation to start getting things organized. I was ready to start going through and making sure everything was clean and organized. Let me tell you what gets done when you have morning sickness that lasts all day… your motivation goes away and nothing gets done. So now that I am past that icky phase I think I'm ready to start getting everything done.

Well, I have 4 months give or take a week or two to get our apartment organized because I am sure that little progress will be made if I wait until after the baby comes. There are so many projects that I want to start working on, that I don’t even know where to start. Hopefully in the next week or so I will get started on some of the projects I would like to finish before October. 

If you haven't heard yet...

Scott and I have some pretty great news. We’re going to be having a baby! We couldn’t be more excited, and Scott is going to be an AWESOME dad (especially once he is done with dental school). Scott and I hit a few bumps in the road before getting to this point, and it took us a lot longer to get here than we were originally planning. We made it, finally, and we can’t wait for this little one to get here.

We found out that I was pregnant on Valentine’s Day, I was originally planning to wait until Scott’s birthday (February 17^th)  to take the test, but I just knew that I was pregnant and couldn’t wait any longer before taking a pregnancy test. I felt like February was going to be the month, so much so that I went to the store and bought a little boy and a little girl outfit to give to Scott once the test came back positive. As soon as I saw those two pink lines I went in to Scott and told him I had a present. I told him that he could open it for Valentine’s Day or his birthday, he could choose (I know Scott well enough to know that he will never choose to wait for a present when given the option). I got his reaction on camera, but Scott won't let me post it.

I am just shy of 15 weeks right now, putting my due date on October 27^th (6 months, seems like a long time but a short time all at once). If you want to follow my pregnancy a little more, I put a link up on the top of this blog to our page about the pregnancy.  

Confession

A few days ago I started a new blog so I can update everyone on the happenings with Scott and me. Let’s be honest, Scott’s life is pretty boring, school, study, TV, bed, repeat. I’m thinking that once it warms up enough to go outside Scott and I will have more adventures to blog about.  So… I since I don’t have much to say about the two of us right now I will continue posting on this blog all about me and what I’m up to.

Confession: I think that I might have a motivation problem.

Now that Scott is back to studying every day I have had a lot of time on my hands. Why is it so easy to neglect all of the things that I need to do? It’s really easy for me to cook dinner and then just not do anything, not even the dishes. I think it’s time for me to step up and do the things that desperately need doing.

Since work has been super busy for me this last week (not busy at all), I started making a “to- do” list for pretty much every day of the week. So far I have kept up with my “to-dos” but I forgot that doing dishes on Monday does not mean there won’t be dishes to do on all of the other days of the week. I hate doing dishes, I feel like they are never ending. It has helped doing them every night so they don’t get piled up too high.

Once I get into cleaning mode I sometimes go crazy… one thing leads to another and the next think I know I am mopping, vacuuming, and dusting.  I actually really enjoy the nitty-gritty type cleaning, but I’m not as big of a fan of the picking up mess type of cleaning. I think that it is because I don’t always have a place for the things that are lying around.

Since moving out to Wisconsin I haven’t taken the time to really get organized. We have things stuffed placed because that is where we had space, and our apartment now just looks cluttered and disorganized. So over the next few weeks I am going to spend my time organizing EVERYTHING, putting up pictures, and maybe I will even do some more painting (Scott said I have to wait until it gets warmer to paint so we can open a window to air out the place, so maybe I will just think about how I will paint for the next couple months).  I’m not going to need my friends to whip me back into shape. I’m ready to start spending my time a little more wisely. I'll let you know how it goes, I'm sure I will be using a lot Pinterest to get some organization ideas.

Now that we've been married for over two years...

I figure that it is about time that I make an official blog for Scott and I. I have had this blog since freshman year at BYU. People always ask me about how I chose the blog address. Amberbero was something that one of my good friends from freshman year called me and so I picked it for my blog address. I guess it is too weird for people to remember, and now that I have been married for 2.5 years I figure it may be time for me to include Scott in the address. I’m hoping that maybe amberandscottrobinson.blogspot.com will be a little easier for people to remember. I put a link up at the top of the page if you want to check out our new blog.  

It's a New Year

I think that it is funny that there is so much hype surrounding a new year. New Years day is just like any other day but it carries with it a fresh start, renewed motivation, the determination to be a better person for the next 365 day. I hate to be one of those people who makes a list of a million things that they are determined to do better this year and then fail after only a couple days. Although I have a list of things that I am working on doing better I only have one real resolution for 2014.

Last year was full of anticipation, I was excited to move out to Wisconsin and go on a new adventure with Scott. I was excited and nervous about find a job once we got out here. I was eager to meet new people and grow my circle of friends. I feel like I was always looking forward to the next big thing and not really enjoying the big thing we were experiencing.

This year I want to take the time to enjoy where I am right now. I want to stop counting down to our next big thing, and just be happy with what is going on right now. I'm sure this year will bring many ups and downs, but when I take a moment to think about my life I really can't complain. Even if my life isn't exactly how I pictured it would be, I have been blessed in countless ways.

So this is what old feels like

Yesterday I turned 25, which seems so old to me. Here are a few things that I have learned in the last 25 years.

1. You get out what you put in when it comes to relationships. My marriage rocks, it takes effort, but it's awesome. I couldn't ask for a better best friend and husband. This is true in all relationships, not just my relationship with my husband.
2. Cleaning only take a few minutes at a time if you do it as you are making the mess. I am still learning to master this art, but I am coming to realize that it really doesn't take that much energy to put my dirty clothes in the hamper instead of on the floor or to get up to put my ice cream bowl in the sink after I finish all my ice cream. It takes so much more time to clean when I let it all pile up. 
3. If you are waiting around to feel included by someone, you can bet someone else is feeling the same way about you.There have been so many times in my life that I thought that someone probably didn't like me because they didn't go out of their way to make me feel included. I realized a few years ago that there are probably other people feeling that same way because I didn't make an effort to make them feel welcome. Now I look for opportunities to reach out to people who may not feel welcome yet.
4. It's okay to be silly sometimes. When Scott and I first got married, I think I forgot how to have fun. I was so sleep deprived and stressed about school that I forgot to take the time to just be silly every once in a while. Even just dancing around while I make dinner or singing in the shower can change my mood in a matter of minutes. 
5. Sometimes life is rough. There are some days that it feels like the whole world is against you, and maybe it is. Looking back on those times I realize that is where I got to learn the most. That is where I got to learn how to pick myself up and keep going. I realize that life always gets better after times like that. 
6. Never hold a grudge. It just isn't worth it. People make mistakes, lots of mistakes, and sometimes over and over again. I have found that it takes so much more energy to be upset than it does to forgive and forget. 
7. It's okay to admit it when you're wrong. I have a REALLY hard time admitting when I am wrong. It's easier to move on once you admit that you were wrong instead of trying to find some justification to prove that you weren't COMPLETELY wrong. Pretending to be perfect doesn't make us perfect, it usually just makes the other person mad.
8. Be Honest. It's no fun getting caught in a lie, and in most situations lying really isn't necessary.  
9. Heavenly Father answers prayers. It amazes me to see how life always seems to work out. There have been a lot of things in my life that I never would have expected. Those experiences have helped me prepare, and realize just how amazing life is. I don't believe that it's just a coincidence, but often times answers to my prayers.
10. It's okay if not everyone likes you. I have obsessed about being liked by everyone that I meet. Sometimes two personalities just don't mix well. I'm okay with that. I'm not going to go out and do things to make people dislike me, but I'm okay with not always being liked.  

Working... FINALLY

This was the longest summer of my life... We moved out here with Steve and Heidi at the beginning of June hoping that I would be able to get a job. Well, the job-hunt took much longer than I anticipated. When we came out here, Scott still had an online class that he was trying to finish. Which meant that he was studying all day while I was... doing anything I could to keep busy. After interviewing for two jobs at the Medical School (10 interviews) I was offered both positions. It was nice having an option to choose what job I wanted to take. I decided to take the job working in the Ophthalmology department.

I have now worked for a month, and so far I have really enjoyed it. It is so different than anything else I have done in the past. I work as an administrative assistant to 3 retina doctors at the hospital. Some of the things that come across my desk are pretty interesting. It really has gotten me to think about how I really wanted to be a doctor. I don't think my grades would allow me to, but if I could go back I would probably try to do something in the medical field. Maybe get a Nursing degree instead of my Exercise Science degree. Maybe I will go back to school sometime once Scott is done with school. For now, I get to experience all the behind-the-scene happenings at the office.

Life is good right now, I am so happy to be back to work, Scott is back in school, and we are doing great! Milwaukee has been fun so far, and I think that we will enjoy being out here for the next 4 years.

White Coat Ceremony

Dental School follows the tradition of medical schools by starting off with a White coat ceremony. Each of the dental students in Scott's class got to walk across a stage one-by-one to get their Dr's white coat. Scott has worked so hard to get into dental school and I couldn't be more proud of him. Just check out the stud that I am married to. (The pictures are a little blurry because they were taken on my phone)

Brady, Scott, and Eric

I am so happy to already have some friends out here. It makes going to these kinds of events so much more fun. I usually keep to myself when I don't know anyone, so it has really helped to have Kimmy and Ali around. 

Mongolian Grill

Ever since we went to see the chalk festival Scott has been dying to go to the Mongolian grill that we saw. So the four of us decided to go out to dinner since Steve and Heidi are leaving soon (and I haven't been grocery shopping in a couple weeks). It was amazing! You get a bowl and go through a line to pick up any meat, veggies, noodles, and sauce you want and then they grill it for you. I remember going to a similar place with my dad when I was little, I was probably 8 or so, which is a long time ago. Anyway, the food was great, and it was fun to see how excited Scott was to be at a restaurant that reminded him of restaurants in Japan. Steve tried to learn how to use chopsticks, I guess it was harder than he thought it would be.

Eating with 1 hand didn't go as well as he had hoped. 

Take me out to the ball game...

During the month of August you could get a free $10 voucher to spend when you go to a Brewers game. Scott and I aren't very big baseball fans, but we thought it would be fun to go find out what all the fuss is about. We invited Eric, Kimmy, Brady, Ali, and Steve and Heidi. We went out to dinner first, and ran into some of our neighbors, Nick and Janey, who were also going to the game. We caught the shuttle to the ball park and when we went to find our seats we saw Nick and Janey. What are the odds that our tickets were in the same section as theirs. We decided to sit in the empty seats next to them. It was a lot of more fun than I thought it would be. Who knows, I might become a baseball fan in the next 4 years.

Chalk Festival in BayShore and a Picnic

Steve had heard about a sidewalk chalk festival at the bayshore mall, something similar to what is done back in Utah at the Riverwoods mall. It is really impressive what can be done in a few hours. I enjoy drawing, but I definitely don't have the skills or patience to do some of the artwork that we saw. Check them out...

For the Birds

Monsters Inc 

Iron Man, probably my favorite

After we walked around and saw all of the chalk drawings we headed to the park to meet up with some of our friends for a picnic. These are our new dental school friends, Eric & Kimmy and Brady & Ali. We are so excited that we get along so well with them. We're all going to be around for the next four years. I'm excited for the next four years.

A little Frisbee at the Park

Kimmy, throwing a football
(something that I cannot due without embarrassing myself)

Our Dental School friends (Eric, Kimmy, Brady, and Ali)

My extremely cute husband

Otterpops... one of our favorite treats this summer.

2 years!!

It's crazy that Scott and I have already been married for 2 full years. It really doesn't feel like it has been 2 years. On the other hand it feel like it has been so much longer than 2 years. This year we kept it pretty simple. Scott took me out to the Melting Pot to celebrate, he even had a coupon for some free chocolate covered strawberries. I'm just bummed that we didn't get any pictures of the two of us together.

I have learned so much from Scott over the past two years. It is so much fun being married to Scott and knowing that there is always someone who will be there for me. He is so AMAZING to me. He does the laundry, and helps keep the house clean. He is smart, and funny, and knows how to make me laugh. I could never express how grateful I am to have him in my life. I really don't deserve to have a guy like him. 

State Fair

From the first day we were here in Milwaukee our neighbors and our landlord have told us that that the Wisconsin State fair is a must. Heidi, Steve, Scott and I headed down to the fair to check it out for ourselves. First of all the state fair park is HUGE. Secondly, you can buy pretty much any fried food that you could imagine. They had fried pickles, twinkies, snickers, cheese curd, vegetables, oreos, cheesecake, even hamburgers using donuts as the bun. It was super warm the evening we went, but overall I would say that it was well worth the experience.

Fried Cheese Curd

Fried Snickers, pretty much it was melted chocolate
and caramel with a crispy batter outside

Performers 

Cheesy

Pizza Cone

We found a hobbit-hole...

We went out for ice cream custard tonight and on our way home we decided to drive around to see if we could find where the "rich" people live. That's when we came across this little gem of a place.

Where can you find the Shire you ask? On Rivendell Drive of course!

Rain and Shine

The weather in Milwaukee is much rainier than I was expecting it to be. It feels like it has rained every couple of days since we have lived here. I am totally fine with it being rainy. I love the rain, watching it, playing in it, running in it.

When it's not rainy we have been going over to the park to play frisbee. I learned that I can't throw a frisbee to save my life. The person on the catching end of my throws usually does a lot more running than catching. Maybe I will figure it out before this summer is over.