In the mood...

Being patient isn’t something that comes easy for me. Being pregnant and it being summer I feel like I come up with 5 new excuses a day for summer to be OVER!! I haven’t always been like this. I used to love summer; I grew up in Florida for goodness sake. But I can officially say right now I couldn’t wish summer away fast enough. So I sit at my desk and think about all the fabulous things I love about fall. Here is what I am in the mood for and get giddy inside just thinking about them;


College football – Watching Gator football games literally brings Goosebumps from head to toe. Pirate football has been an experience I will never forget and I will be proud to call ourselves “Pirates” this time next year. It’s not quiet the same as the swamp but it has a special place in my heart.

Season Premiers - I’m not sure why but it always seems as if the BEST shows come on in the fall. SYTYCD (being my favorite), Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, The Bachelor, Burn Notice are just a few of what I am looking forward too. New Moon – Yes I am one of those addicted Twilighters (as is Josh but he wont admit it) and I can’t wait for this movie to come out. I’m hoping for it to be longer then Twilight but we shall see. The only bummer about the release date of the movie, its one day after I’m due… Halloween – This is probably my most favorite holiday ever!!! Second is Christmas and then 4th of July. There is something so fabulous about Halloween. The smells, candy, colors, costumes…it’s so great! I have to say since living in NC and seeing the 4 Halloween stores go up around town starting in July it just makes it that much better. I’m not into the scary Halloween’s but the cutesy kind. I also think one of the reasons I love Halloween is because that’s when the Gators play the Bulldogs and it’s ALWAYS a huge football weekend. What more could you ask for, Halloween & college football all in one!! Holiday Decorations – With being so impatient also comes with wanting to change things frequently. Being able to do this October through January is just simply amazing! I am one of those who will buy those little nick knacks and plates for ANY holiday. I think we need to add more Holidays throughout the rest of the year.

Leaves changing – After living in Florida my entire life moving to places where the leaves actually change and you get all 4 seasons its pure magic! I honestly don’t think I could ever live in a place where I can’t get all 4 seasons! The trees here are AMAZING and makes you want to stand outside and sing like you are in a musical. Pumpkins – It’s amazing to me what this veggie (right?) does! I mean think about it, what other vegetable is more popular or famous during a holiday?!! Decorating with them, carving, pumpkin seeds, soups, cookies, costumes, the list goes on and on! Hot Chocolate – Lets face it…nothing beats hot dark chocolate on a chilly day. Morning, noon or night!
Fall Clothes – I am usually one who is all about the beach on a hot day but THIS year I cant wait for it to be freezing outside, being able to put on jeans (post baby) my fuzzy boots and a long sleeve tee and wearing a different scarves everyday of the week!

Lincoln Alexander Smith – This is probably the thing I am MOST in the mood for. I can’t even put into words how ecstatic I am to meet my little man. To see him with his daddy, I have a feeling he isn’t going to look much like his momma. That’s ok because I’m a pretty big fan of his daddy. He is moving so much these days and it just makes the wanting to see him that much worse. I feel so blessed to be able to be a mother. Still I think the thing I'm scared of the most is labor but hopefully I will be stronger then I think. If not someone please take care of my poor hubby. :-)

Just looking at my list again makes me smile. I think its time to switch to a fall sent for candles and such!!

26 weeks and counting...

I am now at 26 weeks and honestly, ready to have this little one. Everyone keeps telling me “oh wait till you hit 32 weeks” or “when you think your belly can stretch no further it will double”. Those promises aren’t thrilling me too much but I guess it’s just apart of everything. I have enjoyed being pregnant, feeling him kick and move, eating whatever I want because at any time, etc. But I am ready to meet this little guy. Hold him, smell him, play & read with him. Josh, I think is just ready to dress him up and make him a “mini me”. Little does he know how much newborns love to get dressed!!!

I’m ready for the adventure to start. I know I shouldn’t rush this time and people say I will miss being pregnant but I'm not so sure about that. I’m not one of those patient people. If I list out the things that need to be done before he gets here, it should be putting me over the edge with stress. My 25th birthday is Saturday (not very happy about this one), we are moving the following weekend, driving to GA for Josh’s sister, Ryan, son to be baptized and see all the family the weekend after the move, I have a baby shower the following weekend in FL by my best friend Melissa, then it will be Josh, my sister Gannon & my moms birthday. Not to mention the holidays that will shortly follow. I have no nursery set up, no diapers or any baby gear for that matter except for a blanket, three outfits & a bassinet (thank you Robin). Considering all that, I still want him to come tomorrow. Ill just think about labor and maybe that will “push” this feeling off a bit. Ha-ha.

This was taken at 24 weeks.

It's about time!

I am officially the world’s worst blogger. Josh and I have been married for almost 7 months and we are expecting out first little one November 19th. It’s a boy and we are going to name him Lincoln Alexander Smith. So far we have had a very mixed reaction from people about his name but it does have some great meaning to us. We went to DC last year for the 4th of July. As we went to museum after museum, monument after monument feeling completely overwhelmed by the history of our country, we stopped at the Lincoln Memorial. Of course it was packed beyond all belief and boy was it HOT. We found a little side elevator that takes you down under the Memorial. We were curious and it had AC. As we entered to what looked like an autobiography come to life in one little room, the spirit was so strong. I couldn’t figure out why or what I was feeling at first, I’m a sucker for stuff like that and could just stand there for hours soaking it all in. Josh and I both agreed that there was something about the name Lincoln and how cool it would be to name our son that. Almost a year to the day we had this experience, another amazing spiritual experience came about. Now that we were married and we were having a son we thought of the name again. I had kept having dreams about him in the military (not my first choice, trust me) then as a Politian and doing amazing things with the church. People have asked me how he makes me feel…you mean besides nauseous, tired, & moody?? I started paying more attention to his movements and how having him inside makes me feel. Words like brave, feisty, love, unstoppable, passionate, protective were coming to mind. Now those of you who know me well know that I am feisty and sometimes act as if I'm unstoppable but all of these things were heightened.

This past July 4th the name Lincoln kept coming to Josh and I. As we are sitting in church that Sunday after celebrating a low key but very pleasant holiday, we were singing the National Anthem and chill bumps covered my body. The 4th of July is probably my most favorite holiday so this chill bumps things happens every time this song is sung or heard. We sat down to say the closing prayer and all I could see was this little baby boy! I opened my eyes to find them filled with huge tears. I began to cry so hard I thought I was going to faint. Poor Josh looking scared out his mind from not knowing what was going on asked what in the world was wrong. All I could muster out was “His name is Lincoln”. He of course smiled, held my tummy and said “ok can I call him Link?” Bless his heart.

Now on to his middle name. After feeling like he was a true American boy we talked about the name Alexander, which we had picked out with Brock but people kept saying Barack so that was out. I had it after Alexander Graham Bell but we later found out it was Josh’s great grandfather’s middle name too. Lincoln means Colony and Alexander means defender of the people so in a way we feel like he is going to be a great defender of this nation. I’m sorry to ramble on but it’s one of those things you can’t leave out the details. I am now 5 ½ months along (I will post pictures soon) and he is starting to kick like crazy. Josh felt him for the first time last night! We are excited about our little man and can’t wait to start on his room.

Easter In Florida!!

Ok so last weekend we had a little bit of a trip to go down to Florida to visit with Maghen's parents. Her dad got surgery so we went down there and help him out and also do a blessing and all that good stuff. His surgery went really well and he is recovering in the hospital right now. well we had the whole easter weekend thing, Maghen's sister Erin came down also Gannon and Jp and all their girls came down. We did an easter egg hunt and had a big dinner it was so much fun. Maghen has such an awesome family they show so much love and are so kind and love you no matter what! I am grateful to be blessed with such wonderful families in my life!

Spring Eating!

As spring approaches everything changes, so does my appetite. Cooking is one of my absolute favorite things to do (besides be with my hubby & dancing). I love trying new things especially when they aren’t what you would expect. Going along with that factor, I LOVE cooking with fresh meats, veggies, fruits, herbs and fresh ground spices. I check food network about 3 times a week along with some other site in search of new recipes. In doing so I came across this list which I found very interesting. It’s not quite complete with the goodness of everything but I thought I would pass it on to hopefully help with healthy eating. Sometimes I think if I know why it’s good for me then it helps my psychosis and I eat more of it.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye… and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All o f the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.


Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body’s cells. Today’s research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Happy and Healthy Eating!

Muchas Gracias, Merci, Danke, Obrigada, Faafetai lava, THANK YOU!

We now have been married for 1 month, 2 weeks and 1 day; guess how many “Thank You” cards I have left to write? 156!!!! I know proper etiquette says you have I think 6 months to get your wedding “Thank Yous” out but I feel like it’s been six months! Josh says the reason it taking me so long is because I make them to personalized. I’m a very detailed oriented person and it’s hard to only write; Thanks it meant a lot. Hope all is well. Love Maghen & Joshua. It’s seems so cold to me but then I re-read one of mine and it’s too detailed. An old funny story from back in the day or something I remember most about them. I need a happy medium. Help!! I will take any suggestions for those who have been in my shoes. I want to get them out so the gift givers don’t think I forgot about them. Also is it necessary to mention the gift that was given? I need a format for these. Anyone who has a wedding coming up guess what you are getting along with your gift? A pack of thank you cards!! They need to put out the procedure for what to do after the wedding!

Cheese Anyone?

We have had some of the best luck with messes! It was going to be our first break the fast in our new ward. I didn’t want to be the new couple that didn’t bring anything but I was having the hardest time figuring out what to make. I think they should theme it every month but anyway. I was thinking since it was super bowl Sunday that I would bring some yummy cheese dip and chips. So I got up early Sunday morning and get everything together. I did up some ground beef with yummy spices. I don’t know about you but I can’t stand when ground beef is still in its squiggly packaged state, so I have to chop it up itty bitty. After I got the meat done and got the cheese in the crock pot I set it on low while I got dressed for church. I made a stack of stuff that needed to go for Josh to put in the car, bowls, chips, etc. Now any of you that know Josh he is very peculiar about his car. He loves it and hates for it to be dirty. He put the crock pot in one of the bowls for the chips so it wouldn’t tip over or be to hot for the seat. I was finishing up my makeup while we headed out of the apartment complex to church. We didn’t even make it down the road when we heard the awful sound. Yup that’s right a 4 quart pool of nacho cheese dip was covering the backseat, Sunday school manuals, scripture and more. Not only did it get all that but it go into the child safety holes in the seat and the seatbelt clicker. You could push on the seat and it would ooze out. YUM! Needless to say we didn’t make it sacrament meeting. We spent the next 45 minutes scraping cheese out of the mustang. About ten minutes into it Josh starts laughing sooo hard, grabs the camera and away he went with the pictures. He considered getting a bag of chips out of the trunk and going to town. Ha-ha I’m so glad I have such a great husband that can just laugh bad things off. First the paint then the cheese, wonder what’s next?

Warning!!!! This a long post so you better get comfy.

Well it’s been a while since my last post. Ha-ha more like 2 months. I’m usually much better about keeping up with things. The good news is WE ARE MARRIED!!! It seemed like an eternity to get here but alas it did! We had a family/rehearsal dinner at my sister Thursday night. We played games (a tradition in my family) had Moe’s cater, laughed and joked till our faces hurt. It was truly a great way to kick off the wedding festivities. The sealing was Friday night with our families and closest friends. We had a wonderful surprise when we walked in; Josh’s Aunt & Uncle from Utah flew out for the sealing. Uncle Kent was diagnosed with cancer this past year and has been undergoing radiation/chemo therapy. Needless to say it was very special that they were there. The spirit was so strong, it was amazing. We took tons of pictures (soon to come I promise) and then headed off to and fabulous hotel in downtown Raleigh while our families went to dinner. I’m so glad we did the wedding and reception two different days. Saturday morning getting the gym ready was a little chaotic but we came together like an army and got it all done. Our three moms’ really took charge and got it done. We are so blessed to have such great family & friends who love us so much. The reception looked amazing!! It was just what I had sketched out in my mind. We hope everyone who came had a good time and knows how much it meant to us that you were there! Saturday night after everyone helped clean up we loaded up the cars and went back to my sisters and all lied in the living room and talked until the wee hours of the morning. It was awesome. Josh and I went home and crashed then got up early the next day and proceeded to pack till we could fit no more. Our flight was at 4:50pm and for those of you who know me, I push things till the last minute. This of coarse is something I'm trying to work on. Bless my husband’s heart. Thanks to the lead foot of a very good friend of ours we made it just in time. We were on our way to Squaw Valley, California. It’s about 15 minutes away from Lake Tahoe and probably the most beautiful place I have ever been. Our resort was absolutely amazing. The views were breath taking no matter which window you looked out. It came with a little kitchen stocked full with pots, pans, knifes and dishes. What a great way to save money and do something I haven’t been able to for like a month, COOK!!! I absolutely love to cook and I’m not too bad if I do say so myself. We did go out a couple of times just to say we ate there. Ha-ha. The week consisted of Snowboarding (which is very scary in California, ill go into why in a later post) at a place called Homewood. It’s were the locals go and the lift tickets were a steal of a deal. Josh was in heaven and I got my courage up about half way down the run. I’m just glad he is so patient. I’m not as bad as you would think but apparently I’m a big chicken when it comes to heights. We went sledding (which neither of us has ever done) in a little place called Granlibachen. Don’t ask about the name, I have no idea. There is this Cable Car the size of a small hotel room at the bottom of Squaw Valley that takes you to the very top of the mountain. It’s a good 15 minute make your stomach drop to your toes experience. I used to think I was pretty tough but apparently that only goes so far. Once at the top you can go Ice Skating outside on the side of the mountain. This is something else I had never done before. I used to love roller blading, growing up in Florida it’s what you did, so I figure it wouldn’t be that bad. Well…it’s a little bit more slippery then I would have thought. After about 30 minutes I got over my fear and josh and I were hand in hand in the middle of the ice. We were even working on some spins. Josh is an expert! I am proud to say that neither of us fell which was nice. After a long fabulous week of sleeping in, staying up late, redbox movies, hot tubing, free game room, beautiful drives in the mountains, hiking Vikingsholm, walking on frozen parts of Lake Tahoe (we didn’t realize until we looked next to us and saw the end of a dock, oops), picking up hitchhikers, doing little random acts of service, saving dogs (that’s for you hunny), and meeting new people, I have to say that we had the best honeymoon imaginable. I’m so blessed to have such a wonderful husband. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for him. We are back home now and getting settled in. The jet lag has been awful but we are getting through it. Josh started school on Monday and he’s so excited about it. He’s so cute in his little back pack. We both just got callings, well I got mine at the reception (our Bishop is my brother in law, he wanted my first calling in the ward to be memorable. We love him lots.) and Josh just got his Monday. I am the second counselor in the Young Women’s presidency. I’m so excited to be in there with the girls. Josh hasn’t been sustained yet so I’ll post again when it’s official. We are loving life and happy as can be. Rainy days feel like sunshine to us. We want to thank everyone who was able to share in our very special day. We love you all.

Joshua & Maghen Smith