Just Stuff

This post is a little random. Just bear with me okay?

First, Brian got me the most beautiful 2 Dozen pink Roses for our anniversary:







Second, I have the cutest son ever. He is starting to get a little picky though. For example, he doesn't want his dinner, he wants our dinner. Oh and for breakfast he likes Styrofoam cups. We went to have the truck's oil changed this morning (after he refused to finish his breakfast of apples and whole wheat bread). On our way home he decided that the free coffee cup I had given him for entertainment purposes was now his well balanced meal of plastic, rubber and some sort of adhesive.



Lastly, Brandon loves the hitch on the back of the truck. Most of the time he wants to taste it. He does however, like to look into the bumper and wave hello to the baby looking back at him.





The End.

Piano Playing

Brandon loves playing the piano. I have to let him have some "playing time" otherwise he tries to tip over the keyboard!

Running: The Mom

(My Mizuno's - one of my two pairs of running shoes)

Most of you know Brian has been running for many years. He has tried multiple times to try and get me to run as well. Basically, I'm a lazy bum. I'd rather sit on the couch and eat Nilla Wafers and chocolate milk. We are members of "Road Runner Sports" they are a store pretty much only geared towards runners. I get their weekly emails and I usually just forward them to Brian since they really had nothing to do with me.

A couple of weeks ago one such email did have something to do with me. It was talking about "Runners help friends live long: 16 Years to be exact!" I thought that was pretty impressive so I kept reading. Then it said "Less risk of Heart Disease, Women who just run 1 mile, three times a week, reduce their risk of stroke by 80%" That's what got me. I had not thought of it that way before. I knew running had all kinds of benefits, including lowering the risk of heart disease, but I didn't know I could only run 3 miles a week and it would still make an impact!

From what I understand both my mom and my dad's' sides have history of Heart disease, in fact my Dad's mom had a heart attack in her 40s. That's pretty serious family history. I decided that I could run one mile a day, three times a week. Even if I walked the mile, it shouldn't take me much longer than 20 minutes.

So last Wednesday, I did it. I ran 1 mile after Brian got home. He took Brandon in the jogging stroller on his run and I ran two laps around the road we live on, it equals to just about over 1 mile. That mile took about 10 minutes. I was so pumped! I hadn't run in years! Maybe I'll be a marathon runner like Brian? Well Friday rolled around and I wasn't as thrilled about running anymore. I had aches and pains here and there and I was tired. If you remember, last Friday Brian was home because we thought we would have to evacuate. So I ran in the morning and it took me 13 minutes. I felt like I ran for hours. I was breathing heavy, sweating like a pig and all of my joints and muscles hurt. I didn't walk once. I kept pushing through it saying to myself it would be better next time. Next time was Monday and it was better! I didn't feel sore and I brought my iPod along. It helped me not think so hard about what I was doing. I ran it in 12 minutes.

Today was my forth day. I decided to run in the morning because it is so much cooler and less humid. I brought my iPod again and the run was pretty smooth. I tend to get tense and pull my arms in close, but usually I start feeling it and I relax again. Breathing was easier today too. I didn't feel as much burn in my throat as I have before. I ran it in just over 12 minutes.

Now when I use the word RUN. I am using it pretty loosely. A more accurate word would be, JOG. I don't go very fast (obviously), but I am definitely not walking or speed walking. I am thinking that I will report my jogging/running experiences as I go. I hope maybe I'll become a "runner" like Brian and influence some of you out there! I am hoping that at the end of the summer or beginning of the fall that I can run a 5k. That is my goal!

3 Year Anniversary

Today is April 28th, and our 3 year wedding anniversary!

This was our wedding announcement: (Photo and Announcement done by Rachel Wight)

Some Wedding Pictures:


I can't believe it's been 3 years! That seems like such a long time, yet so short. We've grown and learned so much from that time.

The semester we were engaged I had to write a 50 page paper on anything I wanted. I decided to write about "our story". I still have it on this computer so I'm going to take some excerpts out. Please ignore grammar and punctuation mistakes!

"The day we got back (from summer break), me and Brandi dropped a friend off in the apartment opposite of Brian’s. Some guys in our ward saw us and asked us to have dinner with them. Seth and Lorenzo are there names (both of which are now engaged). They wanted to BBQ steak and have corn on the cob, which is in my opinion the best dinner ever. We ran home and unpacked, and got ready. While we were eating Brian stopped by because he had been home for a few days and was really bored because no one else he knew had gotten back to Rexburg yet. Brandi and I decided that we wanted to go to the Back to School Dance that was in an hour or so. Usually this dance is pretty lame, mostly new freshman. But we had nothing else to do, we had been sitting in a car all day and we wanted to get out and do something. Seth and Brian decided that they wanted to go with us. When we got to the dance we were talking about marriage for some reason, and Brandi and Brian were joking around about what their babies would look like if they got married. I remember Brian simply saying that he wanted blonde and blue eyed babies so he would have to marry me instead. I thought that was great."

(This is Brian after that dance, he was wearing my other roommates jacket)

"The first week of school (of winter semester) was very tiring for Brian. It was the second week of January and in Rexburg, it was snowing a lot. He was on grounds crew so he had to shovel the snow in the morning before classes started. He was already exhausted because of the trip home and had no time to catch up on sleep. The first Thursday that we were back, Brian figured out that he loved me. It was quite funny because I could tell that we wanting to say something but he was completely fighting himself. I kept asking him what he was thinking about and what he wanted to say. We were sitting on the couch and he tried to get up and get some water so he wouldn’t have to talk about it. I wouldn’t let him get up. I wanted him to say it, because I knew what he was thinking about. Then, for some reason my grandparents (Lloyd side) were brought up in the conversation. I started talking about them, and Brian started to ask a lot of questions about them. I could tell he wanted the attention off of him so I just started talking about them. I just went on and one. I felt silly, but I knew it was making him feel better. Then all of a sudden Brian put his index finger up to my lips to make me stop talking and said “Shhh…I love you.” I was soo adorable. I quickly said I love you back, of course I had already known that I loved him for a couple of weeks. I felt great, and really felt at that point that we were going to get married it was just a matter of time. I didn’t realize how soon that would be.

The next day was Friday. It was boys/girls out and we were in the lounge. I remember it was snowing and raining outside. Someone else was watching a movie on the television in there so we were sharing a big chair that was on the other end of the lounge. Brian got really quiet and I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking about. I asked him and he didn’t say much. It was then I realized that he was thinking about marriage. I thought why beat around the bush? So I asked him if that was what he was thinking about. He smiled a little and didn’t say anything. A couple of minutes later he said, “Eternity is a long time, do you think you could put up with me for that long?” I was completely shocked. I didn’t expect it to be brought up so soon. I looked out the window so I wouldn’t have to look at him and said, “Yes…I meant I think so…I don’t know.” I didn’t want to seem too eager. Earlier that night he had asked me how ready I thought I was to be married. Being a math person I thought about it and realized that I really felt ready and I didn’t know many other ways to prepare myself. I told him I was 99.9% ready. He was surprised and said, “Really?” I asked him if he thought he was ready. He said he didn’t know how else he could prepare so he thought he was. He compared it to a mission. There is only so much you can do to prepare. The Lord helps you take care of the rest. Back to the lounge, after I told him that I thought I could put up with him for eternity I asked him if he thought he could put up with me for eternity. He said, “I think so.”"

And the rest is history!

Something about Brian

Brian was featured in the St. James High School newspaper. He filled out a questionnaire and that is what the article is based from.



This picture is of Brian and his brother Victor hanging out with their boys during a Red Sox game a couple of months ago. So cute!

Fire Update 3

Well, everything is fine at the Conary home. The fire is still 85% contained. Our neighborhood is still vulnerable because of hotspots near us, but everything is going well.

The smoke settles at night and in the morning visibility is pretty much at 0. The weather people keep saying it's fog. No offense people, but I definitely know the difference between smoke and fog. And maybe it's a mix of the two...smog. Fog does not smell like smoke. Sorry.

Anyways, I have a bunch of pictures from Wednesday.


(taken from our front door @ 9:30 AM on Wednesday)


(taken from our front foor @ 10:30 Am on Wednesday)


(Taken from Brandon's bedroom window @ 11:30 AM Wednesday)


(Taken from front door @ 12:30 PM Wednesday)

Brandon and I decided to play in the sprinklers while we were watching the smoke:





I couldn't figure out why I didn't have pictures from Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Then it occured to me that Thursday was the day that the fire started heading towards us. I packed the camera and forgot to take pictures. Sorry.

Fire Update 2: New Map

Right after I posted earlier they came out with a new map. Of course. So here is the new map, as you can see the fire is slightly closer but the real concern is the "hot spots" near us. Everything has quieted down now that it is cooler and we have more humidity, for now. The wind has saved us so far, we'll see if mother nature keeps it up tomorrow.

Fire Update

The picture below is the official picture of where the fire is and has burned. I saved it and put a red dot on where we live so you can see the relation of where the fire is to us. At this point we are good and the fire is not moving in our direction. The winds are pushing it away from us. However, the sea-breeze will be coming in from the east and that is what made the fire head towards us yesterday. The humidity is down and the temperature is in the high 70s. We are still prepared and ready to go at any time :) Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

Horry County Fire

(This picture is from our front door)


(This picture is about 2 or so miles down the road from us taken by Billy Pournaras on scnow.com)


(This is just a half mile down the road from the picture above, last night. From scnow.com Ed Parsons/Intracoastal Waterway Bridge @ Robert Grissom)

You can see more pictures here)

This post is to inform people that we are okay at this point :) There is a huge wild fire burning just north of us (about 5 or 6 miles). It has been going since yesterday at noon and we have been having very windy and dry conditions that is obviously not helping the situation. It is said to be moving north, and we are south of it. We should be okay, but I'm still a little skeptical because they are not reporting that the fire is contained at all.

I have a list of things to gather if they tell us to evacuate, and our 72-hour kits ready. There are multiple shelters and we have friends that are willing to help us out. Here is the latest in the news:

From scnow.com

"NORTH MYRTLE BEACH – Fifteen thousand acres have burned and 70 homes have been destroyed so far by a fast-moving Horry County wildfire that started Wednesday north of Conway and burned into North Myrtle Beach early Thursday morning.

Gov. Mark Sanford declared a state of emergency because of the wildfire.

Horry County schools in North Myrtle Beach are closing and 2.500 residents living in the area between SC 22 and the Main Street Connector at SC 31 are being evacuated after a wildfire spread into North Myrtle Beach Thursday morning.
School officials sent out a release Thursday morning indicating parents could pick their children up at the schools until10:30 a.m. After that point students will be taken to Loris area schools for the remainder of the day before being returned to North Myrtle Beach for transportation home, according to the release.
Shelters have been set up at North Myrtle Beach City Hall and Barefoot Church. The Red Cross has established shelters at The House of Blues and the North Myrtle Beach Aquatics and Fitness Center, 1100 2nd Ave. South.
Pets are not allowed in the Red Cross shelters, however, arrangements are being made with Horry County Humane Society to bring in a mobile trailer with individual cages to house pets.
As of 7 a.m., a spokesperson for the Red Cross said there were approximately 200 people registered in the shelter at the Aquatics Center and 26 at the House of Blues with dozens more milling around in the parking lot area.
North Myrtle Beach Public Information Officer Nicole Aiello says between 30-50 homes burned in the Barefoot Resort area off of Highway 17. Most of the damage occurred in the Longwood and Dye Club part of the resort, Aiello said.
So far, no injuries were reported.
The SC Department of Natural Resources and the SC Forestry Commission estimate the fire had burned between 7,000 - 8,000 acres by Thursday morning.
Aiello says officials requested air support from the National Guard, beginning at daybreak.
Horry County Fire and Rescue spokesman Todd Cartner says residents living on Water Tower Road were also evacuated overnight.
The fire has forced the closure of two major roads in the area – Highway 22 from Highway 17 to Highway 90 and Highway 31 from Grissom Parkway to Water Tower Road.
Shortly before 7:30 Thursday morning, authorities reopened Highway 90 from Lee’s Landing and Old Reaves Road.
Horry County schools will operate on a regular schedule Thursday, although some buses may be delayed due to the road closures.
The Horry County Emergency Operations Center will open at full activation at 8 a.m.
Citizens can call Horry County Emergency Management at 915-5150 for updated information.
Horry County fire Rescue spokesman Todd Cartner reported Wednesday night that the fire had spread to the Grande Dunes Golf Club. Officials at the club say the fire jumped Highway 31 and got to the protective berm that separates the highway from the golf course. Firefighters were able to contain the fire and it never reached the first hole of the course. The club will be open for business on Thursday morning.
State Forestry Commission spokesman Scott Hawkins says organic material in the swampy soil is feeding the fire. Hawkins says crews continue to struggle to contain the fire and that high winds and low humidity will hamper firefighters through Thursday.
The Red Cross opened a shelter Wednesday afternoon at Tilly Swamp Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 4619 Hwy 90, Conway in the area where the fire originally broke out.
As of 6:30 Wednesday night, 13 people had registered at the shelter. The Red Cross closed the shelter Thursday morning after authorities gave evacuees in the area the all clear.
Stay with scnow.com and News13 for more on this developing story as new information becomes available.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report."

TEA Party: Myrtle Beach, SC

A while back I did a post on the "TEA Parties" that were going to happen on April 15th. On the 15th it rained in the morning so it looked like I wasn't going to be able to go since I was taking Brandon, but it cleared up and we went!

The Myrtle Beach TEA Party was pretty calm. There were speakers and "open mic" periods. I had Brandon in the backpack carrier with a sign on the back saying "don't break my piggy bank".



To me this protest was about all the spending our Government is doing right now. Not only will I pay for it in my taxes, but Brandon and all of my children will be paying this debt down. I just don't find that fair or justified in anyway.

Brandon was feeling under-the-weather because he had an ear infection, but we otherwise had a good time hearing other people speak their beliefs freely.





What these protests come down to is the fact that Americans have the freedom and the right to protest the government. Whether you agree with us or not, you can't deny that. It's crazy that people, especially in the media, are calling us racist, rich, or just plain stupid. I'm not any of those things. I'm not for this movement because I hate Obama (especially not because he's a different color than me), I don't like ANY part of the government right now. I am most definitely not rich. And although I don't have a ton of formal education, I have researched these topics to the best of my ability and have used common sense. You can't get out of a debt problem by going into more debt. You can't "boost" the economy with money we don't have. Plain and simple.

i {heart} faces Week 15

Okay, so this week is "Self Portrait" week at i {heart} faces. (Go check out all the other great self protraits!) Generally speaking when I want a nice picture of myself I go on a secret photo shoot(away from people) and attempt to take a semi decent photograph of myself. Unfortunely, I always feel like my nose looks too big, my eyes aren't open enough, or I have weird look on my face. I've always struggled to find that perfect balance (at least when taking my own photo) between cheesy grin and looking like I'm trying too hard. I almost gave up, but then I started looking at all the other great self portraits at i {heart} faces who also confessed of hating taking pictures of themselves. So I did it. I got myself all dolled up this morning and went about taking pictures of myself. I took about 150 photos and found about 3 I was trying to choose between.

Here is my entry for the Adult Category:



Here is my entry for the Kids Category:



This picture of Brandon and I was pretty fun to take. He was playing with his toys and I was trying to hide the camera behind my legs because usually the moment he sees it he trys to get it. Well, I sat next to him and I said "Brandon, give mommy a kiss?" And he gave me one! I am puckering because his nose was a little runny and I didn't want to taste his boogers. YUM, being mommy is the best!

Carolina Forest 10k

Brian won a race located near us this past Saturday. It was too early for Brandon and I to go so I don't have any videos or pictures.

Well, I guess he didn't win overall, but got second overall and 1st for men. It's okay though because the women in front of him was an Olympic runner! Not so bad huh?

The race was on the our local news this morning, and you can see the online article here

Swimming Lessons

Brandon is now taking the Infant/Toddler Swimming Lessons at the rec center where Brian works during the summer. Yesterday was the first day! Brandon was nervous at some points, but overall he loved it! He couldn't stop looking at Daddy up in the bleachers and waved and blew kisses.

Easter Egg Hunt

We were invited to Tiffany's family Easter Egg hunt (Tiff is my sister-in-law) and dinner the Saturday before Easter. Brandon had so much fun! Here are some pictures of the event:







After Brandon found a few eggs he wanted to stop and play with his eggs! He didn't understand why we wanted to find more. Silly boy.



Then he decided he was so happy with what he found he put them on his head! This is his favorite game with many of his toys at home, especially balls.











Needless to say, he loved those eggs.



I just like this picture and wanted to put it up: