Awkward Stories of the Week

• My boss was making a list of things I needed to buy for a company luncheon and after a congrats for handling everything, he mentioned, "You should get some chocolate too." I immediately jumped and said "Oh no, I'm fine! You're so nice! I've actually got some in my desk. Trying to lay off it though…" mid sentence he interrupts me, "No, umm I actually meant for the luncheon. You're not a dog, I wasn't rewarding you." Message received...
• I've already killed the "love plant" that Caleb got me for Valentines Day. He said it was a symbol of our love and devotion…
• One of my classmates will not stop asking if I've dyed my hair. Like everyday. I'm now starting to think that it's more of a suggestion than an innocent question.
• I was trying to find my friend's bonfire birthday party at Utah Lake. I drove around in the dark for a half an hour before I found a parked car and some people sitting on the dock. I jumped out of my car and said, "FINALLY! I'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU GUYS!" I then realized that it was only 2 people and they were probably kissing while I was this random loner girl who was apparently circling and flashing my brights at them for 15 minutes. 

Sweet Sweet Overload

For the past couples of days I'm ashamed to say how many sweets I've eaten (which should be a good indicator of how overboard I went since trace amounts of sugar and cookie dough can be found in my blood stream) and how many times I've promised myself I would stop. I'm addicted! If anyone is curious there's still about a half of an angel cake, a life supply of oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough and some crumbs from the cake bites I finished off left in the kitchen. Another attempt at healthy eating is about to start!

This weekend was also a sweet overload because of Valentines and a visit from my little sister. I love having all of my ladies together and doing things that Caleb rightfully should not have to do. 

Eva's Bakery in SLC has heavenly Mac and Cheese though I am biased that my own recipe is better…the ambiance here is perfect for a girl-date and makes you feel so sophisticated (?) even though this is your third lunch in one day...

My always up for a solo-pic-pro

Getting "affectionate" and so lady-like at Afternoon Tea

This place will stuff-you-silly on tiny bite sized food! I think it was supposed to take about 2.5 hours to have tea, but we zoomed through in under an hour. We were sitting there and wondering, "Wait, those ladies came in way before us and are still on the first course, should we have paced ourselves…whatever."

Caleb's pink Valentines breakfast. Once again he blew me out of the water for any special occasion with all of his surprises. I always think that I'm ahead of the game and then he comes out of nowhere!

Another small update on baby business: we are preparing for our transfer that should take place at the end of March. I didn't realize that everything we've done before is kind of the easy part. Most of the shots or drugs I'll start taking in the next few weeks continue up until I'm "hopefully" 10 weeks pregnant! Testing and waiting on results has been crazy. My heart skips a beat every time my phone rings because it's usually from some doctor or lab giving me an update. Caleb and I have so many questions and we usually leave every conversation with new things and questions we haven't even considered. If there's anything I've learned in these past couple of weeks it's that natural conception and the birth of a healthy baby is a gift! There are so many different syndromes and chromosome deficiencies that are possible so I now look at every baby as a little wonder. Embryo testing has opened my eyes to what odds are really against you when trying to have a baby. Also, this guy at the pharmacy and I are now officially friends; he tells me what he thinks of my outfit choices and I listen to his stories about visiting Frankfurt in 2005. Whoop.

Sunshine

This weekend we took a short trip to Arizona and sucked up all the sunshine we could in three days. Although Utah is feeling pretty warm (for winter and people who don't understand what warm truly means) we wanted to visit Caleb's family. The trip included ...

• a pretty impressive haul from Last Chance and my first time stalking a woman for a pair of shoes. It was hard and at some point it became more about me winning the shoes from this random woman than actually wanting to buy the shoes. I failed, but I'm learning the thrills of bargain hunting. 

• a tour of a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Phoenix. I know this guy was a genius, but it was probably the last place I would ever want to live. The bathroom resembled a very small-awkward aluminum square and the entire home felt so illogical and raw. If you like triangles-this is your dream home. Caleb loved the Lego model!

• naps in Caleb's hammock that we realized is also a horrible place to take photos during the day because you are blinded by glorious sun. We are so photogenic. 

• a visit to the Phoenix Botanical Gardens which was more or less a desert-cactus walk. I love that Caleb wanted to take me here the first time I visited his home town because he thought it captured everything he loved about Arizona. Nothing says romance like cacti. I'm glad we went because it really did make me appreciate desert beauty and I felt like it was initiation into my small Arizonaian-hood. 

We landed in Utah Monday morning and I was instantly caught of guard by the coldness and all the stuff I forgot to do before we left. I'll pretty much spend this next week playing endless catch-up, but it was so worth it!

Progress

I think I've written about 3 different posts about everything that is going on and our current adventures. However, as soon as I sit down something happens that completely changes my feelings and makes my writing feel 100 years out-dated. In recent Barton news...

We finally had our IVF retrieval and the roller coaster of emotions that go along with it. I was at first nervous, relieved, a bit mad at myself, and then totally at peace with what will happen. Caleb get's the brunt of everything with many text messages and even more emojis. I feel like one of the greatest lessons that I've had to learn from all of this is to let go of my crazy need for control. There are just some things that I can't dictate or demand of myself (or anyone else for that matter) so I need to relax and enjoy the ride. That doesn't mean I won't stop freaking out, it just means that I've realized closure and peace are somewhere along the way. It's okay. Breath.

We took some couple-time during the week (so rare!) to get a treat and go to the BYU MOA. Nostalgia hit me hard! There was an exhibit on BYU and Provo architecture that made me realize that we live in a special place with a lot of ugly special buildings. I'll miss it!

I got some much needed girl time with my Mom this weekend. In the middle of a freak out after our retrieval, she swooped me up from work and we went to lunch and shopping. I don't think she realizes how much that meant to me! I wish I could insert a photo of me with a "Heart MOM" tattoo but I'm not that good at photoshop...and that's 100% cheesy-factor.
P.S. Salmon salad at 6th & Pine is yummy! Skip the apple pie for dessert, its only worth it if Ruby Snap is closed.

Grandma Kendrick's 80th birthday was this weekend so we spent that night up in Ogden. She is so cute and I love seeing Caleb's family dynamics. It cracks me up. Farr's Fresh (from the bit that I tasted) is also a suitable choice when skipping the apple pie (if you can take the drive).

He obviously can't wait to show me off...