Wife Mommy Me

Sooo...I may have saved the best post for last. Why you ask? Well, it's about me! Truly though, I didn't expect it to be about me and when I read it - well, I cried. I'm a crier and Stephanie, you know how to make a girl cry! Guys, meet my cousin. She's a wife to James, a mommy to Connor, and a SAHM who just moved from here in the buckeye state to Texas, where I hear everything is bigger and better. Pay her a visit, get to know her and I promise you won't regret it! This is the last week day that I'll be gone so I'll be back Monday with a vacation recap! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Stephanie and I at her wedding - with a Henry on the way!

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Hello! I'm Stephanie. You can find my little corner of internet Heaven over at Wife Mommy Me.

When I volunteered to write a guest post for Jenn, I was found myself wondering what I was going to write about. I want something worth reading and sharing on someone's blog. It took a day or so but then the idea hit me. I will write about Jenn. I mean, you are her follows and I can give you a little more insight on the girl beyond Ripples and Waves.

How do I have all this inside information? That's easy! I'm Jenn's older cousin. Jenn and I didn't have a close close relationship growing up. You've read a bit about her Mom, well... you know. Anyways. Through the years, we've kept in touch and if asked who some of my favorite family members are, I would, hand downs, without a doubt, mention Jenn. Why? Like I really need to explain. But let's!

Jenn has a heart of gold. She is one of the kindest human beings I have ever met! I think she gets that from her sweet Grandma! Who by the way is the tiniest little piece of sweetness you will ever find! Back to Jenn. She would do anything for anyone and I find that endearing since I'm not so kind. (However, we both are brutally honest. Right, Jenn?)

Nowadays it's hard to find someone who has complete faith in God and yet, Jenn does. It astounds me that no matter what she is going through, she knows that our Heavenly father will get her through. I truly envy her for this. I hope one day to have that type of faith.

I am so impressed with the amount of weight Jenn has lost! I can honestly say she gets her body type from her Mom's side of the family. I'm the smallest one and I am not small by any measure! It really is genetics! But like any goal Jenn sets for herself, I know she is is going to kickass at this one, too! Keep up the hard work, Jenn!! You will be a MIL* before you know it!

I'm sure you didn't expect a post selling you on Jenn, right? Well, she is fabulous and I'm not sure if her true beauty comes through her blog sometimes. She is a wonderful girl and not only am I lucky to be her cousin, but I'm also lucky to have her as a dear friend.

Enjoy vacation Jenn! Kiss that baby boy for me and give Jeremy a squeeze!

I'm ready, but I'm not

Hey guys! I want you to meet Katie over at Perfectly Us. She is a wife to Rob (her high school sweetheart!) and a mommy to Jaqs, the cutest little dumpling of a girl who just turned one. Katie is also a DIYer! I love her wreaths and her decorating style mirrors my own style a lot. She blogs a lot about her daily life as a mommy and wife and I love keeping up with everything they're up to. Go check her out and share the love!

I'm ready, but I'm not

Isn't it funny how everyone is always ready for the next big thing?

When you're single, people want to know why. When you're dating, people want to know why you aren't engaged yet. When you do get engaged, they want to know when the wedding will be. When you get married, people want to know when you're going to have kids. And when you have that first kid, you think you're going to get a break, but nope! They want to know when you're going to have number two! Obviously.

My baby girl, Jaqs, just had her 1st birthday, so I can only imagine that I'm going to pressed for number 2 a little harder than I already was before. But here's the thing, I don't feel like I'm anywhere near ready for number 2 just yet. Naturally I miss the newborn baby snuggles and the absolute sweetness of a baby that has no opinions, *wink, wink* but I'm kind of enjoying sleeping all night right now. It took us a bit to get into the groove of a baby's schedule with napping, eating, and what-not, so I'm not quite ready to go back to the chaos of having an itty bitty. Plus, I wouldn't be able to lay on the couch with a baby on my chest for much of the day like I did last time because now I have a toddler to care for!

On top of all that, I selfishly want time with just Jaqs to do things with for a couple of years. We're just getting into the fun stuff here! Going to the park, zoo days, spending our entire summer at the kiddie pool, having lunch dates, and maybe even a family vacation in the future. I'd also be lying if I left out the fact that facing football season with TWO under 2 would be absolutely overwhelming. Whew, I'm still recovering from last year ;)

With all that said, I definitely think having children close in age would be a lot of fun, and I have tons of respect for those of you who do, but I'm not sure if I'm cut out for it. My brother is 7 years older than I am, and I think it's pretty safe to say that we both had a great childhood despite being far apart in age. Sure, he picked on me a whole lot, and I always wanted to tag along with him everywhere, but now that we're adults? The age gap doesn't seem that big...we're still very close, and I wouldn't trade it.

So to sum it up? I'm ready, but I'm not. I want more kids, God-willing, no doubt about it! If He surprised me with one tomorrow, I'd be absolutely thrilled, BUT I'm not going to press this issue just yet ;)

Yummy Guacamole

I'm sure you guys remember Sarah from Friday - with her awesome giveaway and Drew's cute face, how could you forget her, right? She's sharing her yummy guacamole recipe with us today! I'm not going to lie, she's almost tempted me to make it and try it with her gorgeous photos, and I don't even like guacamole! Make sure you guys hop on over to Our Journey and get to know Sarah better! I promise you won't regret it!

Yummy Guacamole

Hi all! I'm so excited to be guest posting for Jenn while she's off soaking up the rays! After our friends devoured my guac on St. Patty's day, I realized I've never posted it online anywhere. It's one of our favorite dips and is a great 'go-to' when heading to a party as it's super easy! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, peeled and chopped

1/4 c. finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. parsley

1 T. oregano

1 T. olive oil

1 T. vinegar (or white wine)

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except for the feta cheese. Stir gently to mix.

2. Then gently stir in the feta cheese.

3. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Our Fairy Tale

Meet Tayler! I haven't been following Tayler for a very long time, so I'm still getting to know her myself, but from what I've seen and read, I'm really enjoying her blog so far! I know she'd appreciate your visit, so read a little about her and then hop on over to her little space and say hello!

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Hi there! I’m Tayler from Our Fairy Tale. I started blogging as a way to open up with my feelings and practice my writing.  I started out with my thoughts and feelings on writing and books, since that is what I love, and my hope is to one day be a published author of fantasy. I play soccer and volleyball, and am currently training for a half marathon when my strained LCL allows me to. I love reading historical fiction and fantasy, and love writing it as well. I love watching anime, Once Upon a Time, Disney movies, Psych, Doctor Who, Parenthood, and Marvel movies! And I am Mormon!

I am married to the most wonderful person in the whole world: Justin Morrell. Find out how I met him and fell accidentally, but madly in love with him here. We are perfect for each other. He is stoic and rational, I am nervous and anxious. He is very sociable, I have a harder time face-to-face. I plan everything out, am on top of things, and work until everything is done, Justin sometimes needs a push to get off the video games and into his statistical analysis homework. We both love to cook and that is another difference of us. Justin doesn't believe in measuring. If I am trying a new recipe, or have been taught to cook a meal a specific way, I most definitely measure. We've had quite the interesting adventures in our kitchen!

Justin always makes me laugh!

Dw i'n siarad yn Nghymraeg. Dw i'n hoffi Cymru a theithio. Dw i'n gobethio i dychwelyd yno ryw dydd. 

I speak Welsh. I love Wales and traveling. I hope to return there someday. When I was 20, I had the chance of a life time to study the Celtic language of Welsh in Wales and Great Britain. I took immersive courses and traveled almost every day of the week to different castles, historic cities, and breath-taking place. That was 3 years ago. Ever since then, my heart and soul has ached for Wales, or just to travel in general.

I'm on the left. Liz, my archaeologist friend is center. Dawn, a social studies teaching friend, is on the right.

I teach Utah Studies and the first half of U.S. history to 7th and 8th graders. It can be a little discouraging at times, dealing with the toughest years of teenage life. But, I love all of my students and I know this is the right profession for me. I love history and exploring it with my students. Seeing their eyes pop open as they make connections, seeing them struggle with points of view other than their own, reading their thoughts and their creative stories and solutions is what keeps me going. I have my favorite students and some of them claim me as their favorite teacher. It always warms my soul to see the different drawings they give me, or the notes they leave on my wall. It's also nice when Christmas, Easter, and Teacher Appreciation Week comes along. My 8th graders have finished a project on expanding west. They wrote a travelogue diary with 5 stops. I am just about done grading it, and as soon as I am, I will be posting another installment of "Student Writings." Be on the look out! They are good! They are hilarious! 

Come on and read all about my fairy tale. After all, "Every life is a Fairy Tale written by God's Fingers." 

Wedding Bells

Yay! My first guest post for the week! Meet Kristen over at 31 Million Seconds. She's guest posting first this week because SHE'S GETTING MARRIED in just a few days!! So make sure you hop on over to her blog and wish her congratulations (and good luck)! Thanks for taking time out of your already busy schedule to post here, Kristen!

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I was so excited when Jenn offered up her little spot on the Internet for guest posting.  I love getting the chance to meet new people.  But then I was one of those annoying folks who asked for special privileges and wanted an early day to stop by and say hello to everyone.  I promise I have a good reason though.  I'm getting married on Saturday!  So, yeah, things are a little insane at the moment.

Here's the thing, I've learned some important stuff about wedding planning along the way.

One, men are pretty much useless when it comes to wedding planning.  (I'm sorry sweetheart.  You know I love you with all my heart, but you have to admit it's true.)  At first, I tried to include him in all the decisions.  But after multiple times of hearing, "I don't care" or "Whatever you'd like, dear"  I gave up.  He lost all decision privileges.

Two, if you stick the words "bridal" or "wedding" in the description, expect the price to triple or more.  I kid you not.  A glittery headband at the mall costs $8.00.  The same exact glittery "bridal" headband at a "bridal" boutique will set you back $108.00.

For someone like me, who is trying to save as much money as possible and do this thing as cheaply as possible, that just drives me crazy.  It also means I've had to be pretty creative at times.

Three, you find out that your friends know you very, very well (maybe a little too well).  Especially when, out of nowhere, they send you a text that says, "JUST BREATHE".  Because they knew you were in the middle of a nervous breakdown.

Four, I know I'm marrying the right guy.  If anyone can put up with the insanity and the stress that comes along with a wedding, and still love you, there's no doubt in my mind that he's the one.

I would love for you to stop by and say hello, but just remember, I'm a little out of it right now!  So maybe next month?  I'm sure I'm going to need all the newlywed advice I can get.