Well I am finally jumping back into the blogging world! I hope it counts as journal writing haha. Clint and I have been married for a little over 10 months now and our bouncy baby boy is due in about 8 weeks. I still can't comprehend that I will be celebrating my one year anniversary with a 2-3 week old baby. Sometimes it feels like I have become every Mormon stigma I swore I would never be. But it doesn't bother me so much, because as unexpected as my life has gone...it's been so perfect and wonderful. I couldn't have prayed for a better outcome. Even on the days when I want to strangle my husband ("Yes, I would love to leave halfway through my breastfeeding class to help you cut up elk meat dear")

or showers where I can't even shave my legs proper because my stomach is getting so big, I feel so completely and incandescently happy because life is just so good.

There are rare times when I fear that lurking behind some corner of my life, a huge trial is waiting for me in the shadows...just biding its time. I've had it too good for so long that I'm not sure I'm prepared to face anything unexpected. I need to go on another mission apparently. But my husband doesn't let me get too far with those thoughts. He lives in the here and now and has perfect faith and trust that whatever will come, will come and we will be able to deal with it then. I married such a great guy. So I am living in the here and now! The nursery/computer/craft room is almost done, I have stashed enough toilet paper away to get us into our next anniversary, and I am so close to perfecting casseroles. And yes, I have been able to successfully shave my legs without any help. You'd be amazed at the small accomplishments pregnancy will make you value.

I cannot wait to meet our son. He's done such a good job of perusing my internal organs already that I just know we will be the best of friends. There are even times I feel like gently scolding him because he kicks my ribs too hard... and I realize motherhood is upon me. And it feels so good and natural. I have prepared my whole life for this. It is so exciting. I treasure my friends and family who have been so honest about the realities of child-bearing and child raising, but who have also shown by sweet sweet example just how rewarding it is as well. I think it will be very near impossible to fail with them around me :) I look forward to playing dress up, and watch my husband give his first ever baby blessing, and squeal when he first crawls, and play trains and cars, and snuggle, and wrestle, and turn into my mother. 
 Fall is upon us and it has been so fun to look back in my journal (Back when I was good at doing that) and read and remember my young engaged and married self. I laugh as I see how far Clint and I have really come. I know a lot of people thought we were such a strange couple, so opposite from each other! There were times we thought the same thing...and were so close to just walking away. I am so glad we paid attention to the spirit and stuck it through. We are so happy. We've worked so hard and it has been such a wonderful journey. Antlers and mountain greens have overtaken my home...but he holds my hand and kisses me in public because he knows I need it. He's away on a week long hunting venture with the men in his family right now and I am shocked at how much I miss him. So here's a picture of us a year ago to celebrate.
So now I close this blog post, and think I'll have to make it a weekly habit. It feels so good to share :)