Halloween 2011

Halloween is so much fun! Saturday was our ward and then my family party so Ben and I got all dressed up. Can you guess who we are?

If you guessed Paul and Rita DeBry (my parents) in the 1970's, then your right! Okay, maybe it wasn't that obvious but my mom and dad sure got a kick out of it. And although my costume wasn't a dead ringer for my mom (I couldn't get my thin hair to stay poofy), I thought Ben pulled off my dad very nicely.

Ben's suit was given to him as a going away gift by one of his elders in the MTC (when he taught there) and my dress, necklace, and shoes were compliments of Savers.

And the greatest thing about the dress? It fit my pregnancy bump. A week from tomorrow we find out what we're having. Can't wait!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Pregnancy Chatter: 18 weeks

In her excitement my mother-in-law Jane has already purchased us two items,

both of which I like very much.

Today I hit 18 weeks. Hallelujah for feeling better. Sometimes when you have morning sickness you fall into a pit of misery and woe and think, "I'm never going to be myself or feel better ever ever again". And usually this thought is accompanied by tears. Lots and lots of them. But what a relief to find that isn't the case. Life moves on, and so does the nausea.

With a first pregnancy there are a lot of new discoveries. Watching my belly grow has been interesting, but fun. My clothes are starting to not fit well and I've had to transition to some maternity wear. And just this last week I felt the baby move for the first time. At least I think I did. It felt like something did a somersault then kicked inside my belly, so unless I've developed a very acrobatic and strong tapeworm, I'm pretty sure it was the baby.

We'll be finding out what we're having at the 20 week ultrasound in just a few weeks. I can't wait. I thought it was a boy... then a girl... now a boy... let's just say I'm not too sure. Ben thinks it's a girl so we'll go with that for now. Be sure to vote on the sidebar or comment so we can see what you all think too.

To end all this pregnancy chatter, I thought I'd show you the most recent wonderful thing Ben did for his pregnant wife. I've been feeling great lately, but last week I had a fluke day and threw up a few times in the morning. I still had to go work a 12 hour shift after, but when I came home I found this in the bathroom. Ben later told me he'd been waiting the whole pregnancy for me to throw up a lot so he could buy me flowers. He's such a planner... and I love him a whole lot.

Inspiring

Every once in awhile you meet someone who really inspires you and recently one such person that came into our lives was Beth. Ben made a video about her for the Center for Service and Learning at BYU and I love how it turned out.



She and her family were a joy to work with. The best part was going to their home to watch the "premiere" of the video with their family. Beth was so excited- grabbing Ben's leg and hollering the whole time. I'm so proud of Ben and how he tries to incorporate service into his life, and I think this was one of his best projects yet.

Fun note: Beth later told me she wanted to marry someone as handsome as Ben one day :) It just melted my heart.

October Happenings

Here's a little update on some fun things we've been doing this October:

Ben's Mission Reunion

(L to R: Ben, Me, Landon Larkin, Jessica and Nate Shepard, Tim Wood,
Trevor Atkinson and Ryker. Not pictured: Brian)

On Saturday the 15th Ben invited a bunch of his mission friends over to our apartment for a get together. It was really fun to see many of the people so dear to him and also to get to meet Tim, a member from his mission who was visiting from Texas. We chatted until late and I got to hear some great stories from Ben's mission. He served with some great people and I loved having them come to our home.

Gardner Village

Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without a visit to Gardner Village. It is so fun to see the shops and how they decorate it. My sisters and I have the tradition to go every year.

Just a few beautiful things from the shops (and things I'll only be able to afford when we earn our first million)...

This chair, priced at $929 dollars, stole my heart. The fabric can be purchased for only $179 dollars a yard. What a great sewing project right? For that price I think I'd rather just buy the chair and forget the sewing.






And this amazing rug...












And of course, my beautiful sisters and mom:

Someone made a comment about my pregnant belly

A Fall Outing

Yesterday Ben and I had a lot to get done, but ended up going up the canyon to look at the leaves instead. We filmed a little footage while there, then realized that the audio wasn't on when we filmed. However that didn't deter Ben from making a fun little film of our excursion. Enjoy our outing!

My Secret Obsession: Bedding

This will be the third time I've shown a picture of my bedding on this blog so it must be evident I have a small obsession. That and a huge tupperware in my closet full of extra sheets and bedspreads for every season and color scheme: creme, red, blue, brown, white, spring, summer, winter, twin, king size... you can never have enough!

Having a mother who decorated three homes with six or seven bedrooms in each gave me the bug. When I went home once this summer, I saw two beautiful pillow shams she was going to give away. I had to have them. I brought them home to a puzzled husband asking, "Since when do we need more bedding?" and more importantly, "What's a sham?" After realizing that the shams would only match with my winter bedding, I put them in the tupperware and waited patiently for the first snow. This year I was rewarded early.

However since then it seems to have gotten warm again and Ben and I wake up each morning sweating under the feather comforter. But it's so worth it! The bedding is so beautiful! At least that's what I keep telling Ben and myself, mostly to avoid having to switch back to the summer bedding. We'll see who breaks first: me or the warm weather.

The Best Mission on the Planet

Please do not think me arrogant, but I have to state my opinion on something. Just like everyone else who has served a mission, I believe I served in the best mission on the planet. It's a similar emotion to a parent believing theirs is the most adorable child ever born. There is no true validation for said parent unless they win the Gerber "Most Beautiful Baby" contest or something, but even without winning a contest, I know my mission was the most wonderful ever. If you're not convinced, here are my arguments for why the El Salvador San Salvador / Belize mission is the best:

Argument #1) I got to serve in two countries, see numerous cultures, and learn multiple languages. Not only did I get to enjoy the culture and people of El Salvador upon my arrival in the mission, but I was also able to serve the people of Belize for 14 months. In Belize we spoke English, Spanish, and even a little Creole sometimes.



Argument #2) I had the opportunity to see/do all this and more:




Argument #3) Look at this handsome group of ex-missionaries:

Don't they just look like they changed lives? :) These are just a small number of the missionaries I served with in Belize, including the Dunford's, the senior couple that are sitting.

We had a reunion at their home the Friday night before conference and it was such a great event. We spent most of the time catching up, reminiscing about Belize, talking about the members, discussing areas and people we taught, and we later skyped my mission president and his wife in Guatemala. For great memories from our last reunion click here.

Argument #4 (the same reason every other returned missionary believes their mission is the best): For a time, Belize was everything to me. For 14 months, my life was the church, the investigators, the members, and the salvation of the Belizean people. And for the other people pictured, it was as well. We all gave everything we had for the same people and culture and that common purpose ties us together. That and the fact that we all lived through the same heat, illness, and at times, rejection. I guess some of that suffering can tie you together too.

Note for Ben: I guess the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission was pretty cool too :)