Summer Lovin'

Summer is great, crazy, but great! We have done so much, roofing, skydiving, gardening, fencing, etc. Here are a few of our finished roof. We think it looks pretty good. And it doesn't leak. That's a plus. Thank you to everyone who came to help. You are amazing. We could not have done it without you. Seriously. We know that we live far from family, but it meant so much that we had people (both family and friends) who were willing to take time out of their schedule (some even driving 6 hours) to help us. This is a virtual sloppy kiss on the check for helping.

Ryan's birthday was good (see previous post about skydiving). I tried to make him a cake. It ended up being a blob. I cried. He laughed. I learned that making pretty cakes must not be my thing. Good thing I'll have years of practice under my belt by the time we have kids.

The 4th was fun, my little brother Anthony came to visit us for a few days. It was nice to be able to spend time with him and just hang out before he goes back to school in the fall. He is the coolest of the cool. Yup.

We went with some friends from our ward (who are very awesome too) to the parade up here. Logan and Shalee were also kind enough to let us tag along with them to the fireworks show here in Idaho Falls. Now, of course we have heard about the fireworks show here. How it is the biggest west of the Mississippi. How there are thousands of people. How the show is amazing. No words can do it justice. It was AMAZING! If you ever get the chance to see it, please do. You will never look at fireworks the same way again. So, here are just a few pictures from the day.

Thank you Logan and Shalee for an awesome day! We had such a fun time!

While Anthony was here we went for a short hike/drive up by the windmills east of Idaho Falls. It is amazing what they are doing now to harness the power of the earth. Crazy cool.

(This would actually be a great picture if his eyes were open . . .sorry Anthony)

We have also spent the past week building a fence. Last fall we had a giant windstorm in the area that knocked over dozens of trees, left people without power, and finished off the last of our failing fence. So because we are usually glutton for punishment, we have been working on it every day for the past week. When this side is finished we'll head to the other side of our yard and do that side as well since it is on it's last leg too. Here is what it looks like from our side,

And this is from our neighbors side,

Isn't my hubby handsome? Hubba, hubba!

And, of course no post would be complete without a puppy lovin' shot (you know, to go with the summer lovin').

Okay, maybe a few . . .

Happy Summer! Enjoy it while it lasts.

We Didn't Die

Ryan is turning the ripe ol' age of thirty! I know right? He can't be that old. But alas, here we are.

Speaking of where we are, this morning at 11 something we found ourselves barreling towards the ground at over 120 miles per hour (yes, Ryan had to do the math on that one). But that's not where the story starts. Let me start from the beginning.

The beginning of this story actually starts about two months back. I was sitting down to work when I had this amazing idea. I would make Ryan's 30th birthday the best day ever. Now anyone who knows me knows that I can sometimes go over the top to make people happy, even if it means high discomfort to myself. Despite my better judgment I decided to take him skydiving.

We left the house at 5:30 am (on a Saturday to boot) and headed towards Boise. I was a nervous wreck and Ryan was as calm as a placid mountain lake. The 4 1/2 hour drive was long. Long enough to make me ruminate on my bad decision.

When we arrived at Skydive Idaho, the situation did not get any better. We were handed a form and told to watch the following video. BTW, check out his wicked beard!

Talk about comforting. This was the scariest moment for me. They were basically saying, "Well, you could die, or be seriously maimed, and even if it is our fault, suck it." So, we signed the forms (probably not the smartest moment of our lives) and got suited up. Oh, and by the way, this video and a quick how-to from the instructor were the only "instructions" we got for our experience. Confidence baby!

From there it was off to the plane, a small one seater that had barely enough room to fit the four of us jumpers on the floor. By the time we reached 10,000 ft our legs were cramped and asleep. But, it didn't matter because we wouldn't be using them. This is what happened . . . (Please note Ryan's awesome exit face.)

The final result. We survived and we loved it. I had been losing sleep for about a week because I was so worried about it. I had nothing to worry about. It was honestly one of the best experiences I have ever had, and this is coming from a chicken who doesn't like heights. Since it was Ryan's birthday I'll let him say what he thought . . .

As far as birthday presents go, I think this one takes the cake. We had such a great time, and I hope we get the opportunity to do it again some day. I think it's funny that Patricia has been stressing over this for the past week and it didn't bother me until we were in the airplane at about 7,000 feet. The best part for me was the free-fall before the chute opened. Those thirty seconds were so thrilling I didn't even notice the beautiful view.

The tin can we flew up in. The ride up was about 20 minutes. Down, about 5.

Us after the jump.

We also decided to stop by the Boise temple. It is beautiful, and it was such a gorgeous day.

So, if you are thinking about going sky diving, do it and tell us so we can go with you! The End.

My Amazing Husband

So, this is totally a brag post. I just have to tell the world that I have the most amazing husband. Ever.

Proof? Why yes. Check this out. . .

Yeah, he made this. It is a storage ottoman. He surprised me with it last week. I went to Colorado with my sister-in-law Deborah. When I got home this was my reward for coming back. I'm glad I did.

We have been looking for a place to hold all of our games. So, he made me a custom ottoman. Ottomans this big sell in furniture stores for $200-$300. He made this for half that. And it fits our games perfectly. Amazing. Here are more pictures for those of you who want to drool some more.

And I thought I would include a picture of our crazy puppy at her cleanest, just after a hair cut. Isn't she cute.

Man I have the best life. . . now be jealous.

Is anyone out there planning on making an ottoman, how about a kitchen table or a bookshelf? Even if you are just planning on making dinner you are doing better than me. I'm thinking PB and J tonight while Ryan is at class. :)

The Painful Truth of Infertility

I know that we promised dance party pictures for the Kiesels, but today is not the day for dance party pictures. That day will have to come later. If you are getting anxious you can email me and I'll send them on.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about infertility. As I write today, I hope I have approached the subject with sensitivity. Some things are difficult to talk about. This is one of them. We are not looking for sympathy. Every person has their challenges and this is ours right now. However, for whatever reason, I feel compelled to write this post. These are our experiences, both the good and the bad.

When Ryan and I were engaged we discussed the topic of children. At that time we decided that we would begin trying for children immediately after marriage. At 21 yrs old I was young and nervous about having kids, but it felt right. Sometimes I still feel young and nervous, but that doesn't change the fact that we want to have children. As of today we have been trying to have children for two years and nine months. For the past year we have been trying for children with the help of medications. I thought I would outline the bad and the good that comes from infertility. Here goes . . .

Seven not-so-pretty facts about infertility.

1.) After years of trying for a baby, you start to go crazy. Seriously, your emotions are everywhere. Today I was planning a trip with my sister-in-law. When thinking about the dates for the trip and I broke down crying because we “might” be on the trip for my ovulation days. I cried because I would be away from my husband and his lovely sperm for a few simple days. Never mind the fact that we haven’t been able to get pregnant on cycles that are perfectly planned. Eventually I realized that I need to enjoy my life. I can’t plan everything around my erratic monthly cycle.

2.) You hate people who have kids. It’s not that you truthfully hate them; it’s just difficult to see someone with a brand new baby without feeling bad for yourself. When you are dealing with infertility you just have to learn to be happy for others while accepting the fact that you may still be sad for yourself. You may also find yourself resenting people who disrespect or mistreat their kids.

3.) Infertility is expensive. Prescriptions, fertility testing, and procedures cost money. A lot of money. Plus, a lot of insurance companies don’t pay for infertility treatments so you are left footing the bill on your own. Sometimes you wonder how long you should pay for treatments that “might” work before moving on to something like adoption that has a higher likelihood of giving you children. Of course, you always have that nagging voice in the back of your head that says, “but this month could work.” In many ways this inner battle is more difficult than paying the out-of-pocket costs.

4.)It physically hurts. Having an IUI hurts. Other women go through far more invasive treatments that involve surgery and recovery time. Fertility drugs make menstrual cramps difficult to deal with and many women going through infertility get hormone shots monthly.

5.) You will go through more pregnancy tests in a month than some women use in their entire lifetime. After spending a large amount of money on pregnancy tests for several months, I bought 50 pregnancy tests online for a bulk price. Some people may laugh, but it is quite possible to test five or six times in a month. Every negative test hurts, but somehow the itch to know “for sure” has you peeing on those expensive sticks every other day. Sometimes every day.

6.) People can be incredibly insensitive with their comments and you can incredibly sensitive. No one wants to hear “maybe you should just adopt”, “relax and it will happen,” or “it’s just not the right time” when they are dealing with infertility. However, saying something is usually better than saying nothing. Infertility is often invisible. No one wants to talk about cervical mucus, when you do the baby dance, or the latest treatments you are going through. The truth is, even if we are grumpy or overly sensitive, sometimes we just need a shoulder to cry on. It really does help to know that somebody cares about what you are going through.

7.) You will blame yourself. The truth is, in a couple dealing with infertility, one or both of you will find yourself questioning your life. You will ask yourself questions like, “What have I done?”, “Is God angry with me?”, “Am I eating the wrong things?”, or “[enter other crazy reason]?” No matter how great of person you are, your insecurities will come to the surface.

There is a happy side to this story. No, we are not pregnant. Not yet, but we have hope for the future. So what is the good thing about going through infertility? It makes you stronger. I am confident that I will be a better mom because of this struggle. I doubt I will take my children for granted. I have become closer to Ryan. Together, we know we can tackle anything. We have had the opportunity to really get to know one another. We have had more time to finish school. I have had the chance to work as a writer. We got a dog. Most importantly, we have learned that God truly is in control of our lives. We will have children, but it will be on His timeline. I think our Faith is stronger. Truthfully, we can’t complain about our lives. We are so blessed and we know we will continue to be blessed. I want all of you to know that God lives and loves us. He watches over us in all that we do. Our lives don’t always go the way we want them to. They are messy, raw, unfinished, and sometimes painful, but this life wouldn’t be beautiful without all of it.

Patricia

Catch Up

It seems like we are always trying to catch up on the blog. Well, this post is no different. These are the happenings in the Davis home for the month of December. First, we celebrated our puppy's first birthday and then we had a wonderful Christmas. Presents and puppies and meat pies. Oh my.

Mmmm . . .meat pie. For Dity's first birthday we decided to make her a meat cupcake instead of the traditional cake.

Next up: Christmas. We had a wonderful Christmas. Ryan made me a headboard for Christmas which I LOVE. Pictures below.

Santa left stockings for Ryan, Patricia and the Puppy.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Sniffing out the loot.

Ryan's Christmas gift to me. It is a headboard that he made to match our bedroom. He worked long and hard on it and it turned out beautifully.

In place with the canopy bed he made me last year for Christmas. So fun.

Ryan, showing off his good looks on Christmas day. This is an obligatory picture that I am putting up because we don't have any others of him on Christmas.

And . . . for all of you Kiesel's who may happen to read this blog, this is a teaser picture to get you coming back for more. We have the dirt on a hilarious dance party that went on in January.

Stay tuned for more to come . . .