the little things

A couple weeks ago I was driving home from the grocery store. It had been just one of those busy days where you seem to be moving but not really getting anywhere all day. I was having a rough time, and kept thinking about all the current challenges we had as well as the ones looming in the future. A good cry was definitely in the cards for me that day - although I was surprised by the reason for the tears.

**Disclaimer** I love associating certain songs with time periods and different experiences throughout my life. I could hear one song by so and so and immediately think of a church dance when I was 14, or remember singing in the car with one of my sisters, or think about my freshman year in college and how much fun it was to feel/act independent even though I really wasn't!

So while driving home that day, a song on the radio came on that I'd never heard. But almost before the chorus began, the tears had started. For the most part, I am not a fan of Trace Adkins ... I prefer artists who actually sing. But there is definitely an exception - and this is it. The song's called "You're Gonna Miss This" and it immediately became a favorite of mine. The song describes this girl going through life always looking forward to the future and wanting to skim-over what's happening right now.

There's such a strong temptation in our lives right now to say "oh after this block and after this test we'll have more time" or "when we're out of medical school then we can do this" or even "can't wait until the weekend!" And I admit, that day I definitely fell for it. But I have to remind myself that every day is a good day if I want it to be, and that I am in control of enjoying it. Even some of the most difficult times can be the most enjoyable ones, and I know that Ryan and I really do have a very good life and are blessed tremendously! We will miss these days in the future, and wish that they didn't go by so fast. So even if I'm having a hard day, I like to remember that and try to think about ways that I can make the most of it. It's hard work - but I know it's worth it!!

dominating the elementary school

Amid the never-ending amount of studying that Ryan does on a weekly basis, he honestly tries to get out and participate in some form of physical activity. He does a really good job of it in my opinion (maybe because walking around the track is a huge accomplishment for me these days!), and plays a lot of pick-up games with other medical students and friends. And this past weekend he proved - with other first-year med students - that domination on the school playground still counts for something.

Let me ask you, when was the last time you felt this ecstatic?

What was the last time you played dodgeball?

It was a pretty exciting day. Many guys showed up with sweatbands, funky jersies, even mouthguards - ready to play the most intense game ever. And after almost two and a half hours of play, Ryan's team won the championship! We got a pile of coupons of restaurants around here which we will use to go and celebrate our victory with the entire team. And they even got medals. It was pure sweetness! It definitely took me back to being ten years old and playing line tag, four square, and tetherball ... ahh the memories.

Oh, and he was definitely sore the next day. But it was well worth it. Even though we didn't get pictures, we hear there's another tournament coming up soon where the guys can defend their title. We'll keep you posted.

the new home!

Ryan and I would like to make an announcement ... ... After six months of living in Ohio, we finally have a real living room! This may sound silly to those of you who are unfamiliar with our previous situation. To help you feel just as excited as we are, let me tell you about it! Quick recap: here is our living room when we first moved in:

Once boxes were cleared (organized was more like it), we had one place to sit down: our large love-sac-wanna-be. The only other thing in the room was a coat rack. We searched garage sales, craig's list, furniture stores, and second-hand stores until we got a couple of screaming deals ($10 hide-a-bed couch, $5 TV stand unit, and moving boxes turned up on their sides to create some very rustic and natural looking bookshelves) and bought ourselves some time until we found what we really wanted.

We eventually found couches that we liked, and then made a stop at IKEA on our way out to PA for the ski trip to buy a bookshelf and other fun items! This picture does not do it justice whatsoever, but I tried to capture the feeling. The boxes that held the bookshelf were just a few inches longer than we had anticipated ... and since we were also carpooling with our friends and had to fit four bodies plus gear into our Jeep, our stop at IKEA made the car ride a little bit tighter than expected!!

So use the picture above and your imagination: Ryan's seat is as far forward as it could go. His knees were touching the dashboard. The wheel blocked his view of the speedometer, thus making him lower the wheel as much as possible causing him to hold his arms at a 90 degree angle the entire drive. Additionally, there was no head rest other than the box - if he tried to check his blind spot too quickly it was a painful reminder that there really was no head room! Thankfully, we made it home safe and sound!

And here is the result!! Our lovely living room with actual pictures on the wall - it's amazing! I still get surprised walking into our house and realizing that people actually live here!! It's awesome! There are still a few additional items needed (curtains and baskets) ... but this is the most complete it's ever been and we are so excited!! Yay for having a real home! :)

30 weeks ...

This picture was taken last Sunday - after a long day in a very full car (ski gear plus a trip to IKEA will do that to you). So forgive the tired look in my eye, and the very natural look (who cares about make-up at a time like that?). Either way, you can tell that our baby is growing! He's getting heavier and stronger every day, and it's so much fun to actually see him moving around - as weird as that sounds! I am almost 31 weeks, and realizing more every day that this baby's coming in two months! Holy cow! What were we thinking?! Becoming parents? I don't think so! We still want to play and be kids ourselves! I guess this whole medical school thing and baby thing are really changing our plans - although secretly we think it's for the better. :)

skiing in the midwest?

So as many of you know, Ryan is an avid skiier. And thanks to him and my two brothers, I have become addicted to the sport as well. Living in Utah, we were surrounded by skiing resorts, and tried to take advantage of them. We have many memories on family ski trips (visit my brother Dave's website for full details and some really funny videos too!) and wish that we could go more often now. But sadly - Ohio does not have any mountains! People say that there are some, but we want to clarify their falsehood by stating the fact that they are merely hills. There is no such thing as a mountain out here. Sadly enough.

So when the medical school started publicizing a ski trip in January, Ryan and I were a little sketchy about if it would be worth it. But skiing is skiing, right? And desperate times call for desperate measures. We decided to chance it. The resort was four hours away, in a place called Champion, Pennsylvania; and we heard that it was one of the best resorts out in the mid-Atlantic region (which, honestly, instilled little confidence).

Even though it was different than other ski resorts we'd been to, for instance the elevation was 3,000 feet with a 750 foot vertical drop, and the longest run is barely over a mile long which gives you just enough time to really get warmed up and then you're back at the lift again. When we first drove up, it was like the entire mountain (if it really is on) could be seen all at once. All the runs were wide open and visible from the bottom it seemed like - not much room for exploring! Nevertheless, it was still skiing! And that made it all worth it! Here's some pictures from our adventures:

These are the pictures of what is right outside the lodge. Wide open space, covered with people. We decided that this really was one of the best resorts for about a 4-5 hour radius - meaning that everyone from Washington D.C., Virginia, Ohio, PA, and surrounding states would all accumulate here. It was a very busy weekend!

The one on the left is Ryan showing what scary terrain they have. No easy way down? Hmm ... looks pretty flat to me! The picture on the right are our friends Justin and Brianna. It was Brianna's first time ever skiing, and Justin was a great teacher! Plus, I had some company in the lodge whenever Brianna wanted a break, and Ryan had some company out on the slopes whenever Justin was available! We made a great team.
This last picture was needed for documentation purposes. Yes, we did drive 4+ hours to get there. Yes, we did have a chance to go skiing at least once this winter. And yes, I would've given anything to be out there on the slopes with Ryan if I could've. But there is a slight chance that this baby will be forever grateful that I did not risk mine and his life for one weekend of pure pleasure. I was the fan club watching everyone's belongings in the lodge, and trying to read as much as I could. It was a hard sacrifice to make, but I guess I'm just in training! However, I am pleased to announce that he was moving around like crazy whenever I would go outside. He likes the snow already, and he will definitely have skis on his feet as soon as possible. It's for his own good. Trust us.

it's never too late

So I know that it is now a month past due. But honestly - I work at a computer all day long, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is to go on the computer again. So I apologize for not posting these earlier. I'm home today sick, so I figured I could at least do something to feel productive!

Anyway - here's the previously mentioned Christmas pictures! It was so much fun, and we loved seeing all of Ryan's family. What a blessing!

So this is all of us kids waiting downstairs on Christmas morning. The Christensens have a tradition of having all the presents out (including one big gift for each kid that is unwrapped),
Christmas music playing, and camera/video cameras ready and waiting before the kids are allowed to come up and see. The anticipation is worth it!

These pictures are of our nephew Colby and niece Sara - both were quite the center of attention this year as you can tell! Colby loved to have Cynthia play with him, and she loved every minute! He also learned a new trick - called "freak out." It was so funny! Whenever you said those words, he would flex all of his muscles in a spasm kind of way and stretch our his arms and hands. His face was often the funniest part - and I caught it one time! It's really one of those you've-got-to-be-there moments, but I still love the picture. He's a riot! And sweet little Sara was adorable, and Jen and I had a lot of fun doing photo shoots with her.
This family picture is not the best - but it's the only one with everyone in it. There will be a better one coming soon hopefully! Thank you for such a wonderful and enjoyable Christmas break! We miss you so much already!

a few days in utah

So after Ry and I arrived in Denver, I caught another flight into SLC. I flew in and stayed with Dave and Tiff for a day - and it so much fun to see them again!! Besides picking me up at the airport at 10:30pm, letting me sleep with the heater right next to me, coordinating it so I could have a car to use the next day, letting me eat their food, taking me out to lunch at Tucano's the next day (we ate like kings!), hanging out in Provo with me, and going to my baby shower (only Tiff came ... how come guys aren't really even invited to baby showers? Sorry Dave - hope you didn't mind!), Tiff topped it all off by making her famous oreo cookies just for me (well ... that's what she said at least!)!!! It was pure icing on the cake (or should I say cookie? oh well)! I mean, honestly, could there be any better friends than that? I submit that there cannot!

Even though we've only been away from Provo for five-six months, I have to admit that I cried when I saw our old apartment and walked onto BYU campus again. I am just so grateful for all the wonderful memories that we created there!

So like I mentioned before, my two sisters-in-law on Ryan's side of the family threw me a baby shower while I was in Utah! It was so much fun to see old friends and to catch up - how I miss you all! And I missed all those who couldn't make it too! Sadly, I forgot to ask for a group picture until after Emily left - but she was there, and I included a picture with her in it to prove it! Thank you all for coming and for your friendship!! What would a girl do without her friends?! You all are such great examples to me!! A BIG thank you goes to Cassie and Jen for planning it and doing all the work!! And Jen and Tiffany took all the pictures, so thank you for that! I wish I could see you all again!!

we are alive!

So the month of December seems to be non-exsistent in our blog entries! Please don't mistake that as nothing happened! Because a lot did happen! For instance ...

1. Ryan passed his anatomy block in medical school! (okay, so this actually happened in November, but we were still celebrating in December)
2. Heather hit her 400-hour requirement mark for her internship
3. Ryan finished Autumn quarter, and was able to completely relax from any and all school work for the entire Christmas break
4. Heather completed her internship experience with the Ohio State University Department of Recreational Sports
5. The OSU Dept. of Rec Sports asked Heather to work for them until she had the baby! She will be working with membership and with facility scheduling; there is no committment after the baby comes; she will get paid; we will have an income; the department needs to fill a hole only temporarily; it's a win-win situation for everyone! Did we mention that we will now have an income? It's amazing!
6. We flew out to CO to spend Christmas with Ryan's family
7. Heather continued to fly out to UT to see some of her family
8. Cassie and Jen threw Heather a wonderful baby shower for her Utah friends while there - pictures to come!
9. A snow storm hit Utah and kept Heather from going to her cousin's wedding in Manti which was the original reason she flew out to begin with! It was a sad day!
10. Once back in CO, we were able to have an awesome Christmas and New Year with Ryan's family. There was one new baby, one new sister-in-law, and a baby on the way! It was a full house, and we loved every minute of it! Thank you Gary and Cynthia! (pictures to follow as well)

Coming back to Columbus after Christmas break was harder than we expected! It reaffirmed the fact that we were far away from family, and that we would soon become parents. Scared out of our minds, we have tried to get into a normal schedule of school and work. We did make a big purchase and finally bought a couch and loveseat set (horray!! - pictures to come), and we are starting the preparations for the baby's room which is also the study room and the storage room. :)

As for the baby update: the pregnancy is going really well. Heather is getting bigger every day, but has this issue of being the main and only subject in pictures. She would much rather have something else be the spotlight then her growing belly! Nevertheless, pictures will come soon. Our last doctor's visit said the baby was growing healthy and strong, and at the rate that he should. She is starting her third trimester now, and while there are moments when she's tired and exhausted, we are both very grateful for her health and the blessings we have received! We realize that a relatively smooth pregnancy is few and far between, and we feel the need to count our blessings every day that we can. Our heart and our prayers go out to Troy and Melissa as they are helping their little boy survive after being born 14 weeks early - all prayers are needed!

the little guy

Right before we left for Thanksgiving in Mississippi (pictures still to come), Ryan and I went to the doctor's for the ultrasound! It was so much fun, and our little baby was so incredibly active! The doctor had to keep moving the wand just to keep up with him! He kept rolling and changing directions - it was so funny to watch! We loved hearing how strong he was, and how he was growing just as he should be. And just so there are no doubts, he was sure to give us a clear view of his identity! We are so excited to meet him!! It is amazing to think that an entire little body could be inside of me!

The doctor snapped a picture right when he put his two hands together - cute huh?

Because he was so dang hyperactive (makes me pretty nervous for years to come!!), we couldn't get the traditional profile picture. Instead, here is one with him looking straight at the camera ... His face looks a little alien-like, but we're sure he'll be as handsome as ever when he's born! :)

And if in case you needed any more proof that yes I am pregnant - here's a picture of me. When I asked Ryan to take a simple picture of me, he was making me laugh so hard that this was the only semi-normal looking one. Hope you don't mind the mis-matching clothes, or the Christmas decorations in the back. And I'm not sure if it was all the food I ate this past weekend during Thanksgiving, or if this baby finally decided to start growing. But either way, I'm getting bigger and it is so much fun! (ps***this is me at 21 weeks)

our freezer

A few weeks ago, my brother, Dave, made a post to his blog regarding my family's known addiction to cold cereal. Since reading this (and serving as living proof to its validity), I have started pondering on numerous other unique traits I have as a direct result of the home I grew up in. One of these "Adamson" traits would include the love of watching movies, err ... rather falling asleep while watching movies. Other not-so-pleasant qualifying traits could be the famous "Adamson-twitch" or sleeping-with-the-mouth-open (ask my brother-in-law Eric for full descriptions). On the brighter side, I believe that many positive, enriching qualities have also been gained from being a member of my family such as patriotism, a love of music, a testimony of the gospel, a good sense of humor, and so forth. However!! There is one addiction / habit / trait / "undying affection" within our family that I think just might be my favorite. And here's a picture to prove it:
Why on earth Ryan and I need six - count them SIX - cartons of ice cream between the two of us is a mystery. Especially since two of which are duplicate flavors, indicating the need not to go a moment without even the option of choosing vanilla (to accompany cake, apple crisp, or a good ol' root beer float) or a mixed sherbet (for homemade smoothies). Even the very thought of being 'without ice cream' can be devastating, so we take all precautions we can to avoid such a traumatic experience! Believe me - it's not worth the risk. Such an occurrence will almost immediately result on an impulse buy of a more expensive brand simply to satisfy the void felt (which actually, isn't such a bad thing every once in a while). Nevertheless, when we scream for ice cream, it's serious business!! :)

the awkward beginnings

I have to be honest, I think going through the beginning stages of pregnancy during the fall months is the best time. Just as the seasons change, and you start layering more clothing to bundle up! It's perfect timing to hide the awkward gaining-weight stage before it's obvious to others that you are pregnant. I get to wear sweaters or keep a light jacket on the entire day while at the office, so no one can see the slow and uncomfortable progression of my clothes getting tighter! I am almost half-way there in the pregnancy, and have tried so hard to feel the baby kick. No such luck yet, but I have a feeling it's going to come soon. In the meantime, enjoy this cartoon I found. :)

modern-day heroism

For any of you out there who have seen the all-time classic “While You Were Sleeping,” there’s a scene in it where Lucy is talking to Peter about a heroic thing he did when he was little. The scene goes as follows:

Lucy: I saw a picture of you, when you saved the three squirrels.
Peter: Ah ... they never call, they never write.
Lucy: (laughs)
Peter: That was a long time ago.
Lucy: I guess we don't get to do many heroic things as an adult, huh?
Peter: Oh that's for sure. [pause] You do though!
Lucy: Oh, no. Jumping in front of that train was unusual.
Peter: I don't think I've done anything truly heroic my whole life. .....
Lucy: You give up your seat everyday on the train.
Peter: Yeah, well, but that’s not heroic.
Lucy: It is to the person who sits in it.

I have come to value this exchange day after day as I stand while riding the bus to and from campus. I wish that everyone who ever rides the public transit has the privilege of seeing this heroism in action. Idealist? Yes. I know that somewhere, out there, there are still people in this world who believe in being polite and giving up their seats to others. To the few of you who live in Columbus, Ohio, I thank you! To the rest, you definitely need to rent this movie. It will change your life. :)

i've been hit

... I have been tagged (actually twice now) and must share 6 facts/habits about myself. Then I must tag someone (or as many people as I wish) and leave a comment on their blog to notify them, and they get to leave info about themselves and proceed to tag someone else.

Six. My ultimate favorite ice cream, dessert, candy, anything includes chocolate and peanut butter. I am willing to admit that I am addicted to Reese’s! I like the Big Cups the best – the ratio is perfect!

Five. I will officially graduate from BYU in December after I finish my Administrative Internship with The Ohio State University Department of Recreational Sports. Administrative Intern: another name for “Secretary on steroids” as Ryan likes to call it.

Four. If I could, I would scrapbook literally all day long without looking at the clock once. Half of the time would be spent coming up with the idea, and the other half making sure that it looks as good as it can. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to being creative. The two don’t usually work well together – but with time and patience, I have found a method to my madness.

Three. I really like to pretend that I love to cook and be in the kitchen – especially when it comes to buying new kitchen gadgets (I’m really good at this one!). But sad to say, it is true: cooking is probably one of my least favorites among ‘domestic’ responsibilities. Any quick recipes, shortcuts, or secrets to success are appreciated and welcome. Please help me!

Two. One of my main goals in life is to play the piano like I know I should. Only one problem: I need to find access to a piano or keyboard. If only I had used my time for this while at BYU where every building has at least 10 pianos in it!

One. Even though I’m practically four months along now, only I can notice any difference in my outward appearance. As we’ve started to announce it, I’ve gotten a little used to the fact that when people find out they immediately look at my stomach in hopes of seeing something – but there’s nothing there to show! Sorry to disappoint you, but I think this baby’s a little shy to come out in public just yet.

the heart beat

So I guess this is our formal announcement - I'm pregnant! Yesterday Ryan and I went to the doctor's and heard the heartbeat for the first time. It was super loud, really strong, easy-to-find, and seems to be healthy! We've already had one ultrasound to determine the size of the baby, and it's fun to see pictures. The big ultrasound where they can determine more things (eg: boy or girl) will happen on November 20th. Right before Thanksgiving! So come April 4th, 2008, the Christensens will become a party of three! Let the celebrations begin! :)

PBR

So it's true - deep down, Ryan and I really wish we could live out west. But since we're closer to the east side, what better way to let out our 'cowboy inside' than to go to the Professional Bull Rider event?! It was surprising really fun, and if you look closely you can see Ryan's massive belt-buckle that actually has a bull rider on it. I guess he was made for this kind of thing.

This particular even was the last chance for all these bull riders to compete before the final championship in Las Vegas in two weeks. We saw some really good cowboys out there - and enjoyed it with some great new friends that we've met here in Columbus. Yee-haw!