Happy New Year! 2013 in 5 things.

This is terribly late, I know. My apologies. Funny how having a baby can make the time go by pretty darn quick and things escape you that you meant to do! But in nerdy fashion, here is the "card," as it were. And the top 5 things of a boring old couple's adventures and accomplishments.

Five hours of driving. Well, that's a rough estimate. In June Doug and Heather took a final roadtrip to St. George before the baby was born. It was kind of a last escape where we hung out with a lot of old mission buddies and swam in a pool.

Four semesters later. Doug finished his 4th semester of college and changed his major to boot. He is now going into Genetics at Brigham Young University. He should finish next April!

Three and a half long years. Heather graduated from Brigham Young University in April after surviving her first trimester of pregnancy with morning sickness while taking her final few classes. In less than 4 years, Heather was able to finish her degree in Family Studies and no longer has to take any tests in that abysmal hall they call the testing center. However, she hates graduation ceremonies and didn't walk, so no cap and gown pictures for her. Darn.

Two Anniversaries. Doug and Heather celebrated their 2 year anniversary shortly after Christmas and enjoyed some much needed alone time in Salt Lake while Emmett stayed with his grandparents. It was also Heather's second year running TheNerdNiche over the holiday's (which had its one year anniversary of launch back in September) and it turned out to be fabulous. After many hours creating all sorts of jewelry and plushies, all the hard work paid off.

One baby born. Emmett Douglas Johnson was born on August 1st after needing to be induced about a week early for medical reasons. His aunts like to call him Edj (in true Final Fantasy fashion) and he's adored by all sets of grandparents. Heather stays at home and loves dressing him in his homemade nerdy clothing and teaching him the ways of the force, all about muggles and the one ring, not to mention the four bending elements, and how one day, he too, can catch them all.

In short, the year was good to us. Welcoming Emmett into the world was wonderful. Being able to work from home doing things that I actually enjoy has been such a wonderful blessing and I'm so glad I've got the plans for expanding over the next month or so. Using my artistic talents to earn a little extra is something I never thought I'd actually be able to do. Doug having one of the most flexible jobs in the world has been such a blessing; allowing him to come home and help me and in turn just working later has been so very helpful. I don't know how it'll work out once he has a "real" job and has graduated. It will be different for sure. We spent too many nights up way too late, shared a lot of laughs and cries and baby coming early scares. 

I'm excited to see what 2014 holds for us. 

This Month. Blessed.

Although it's been quite a bit of work, I've been so blessed this month in my shop. I sincerely hope it continues, though I would appreciate more jewelry bring offered than plushie just so I can create some more stuff :P

Addict.

Once an addict, always an addict. Yes, you may recover, but that tendency will always be there. Same with mental disorders; it will always be there, even if kept at bay for the rest of your life.

I wish more people understood this concept. A lot could be learned and achieved if they did.

Friends For Life

This is Kayloni, Meghan and I (ignore my awful hair). I've been friends with Kayloni for longer than I can even remember and Meghan for a decade. These were two of my best friends all through Jr. High and I love them dearly. Honestly, do you see how gorgeous these ladies are?

We went on a couples date last night and I had more fun than I'd had in quite some time. Bowling is one of the best. And it was much needed. Not to mention I missed these to so very much. 

I miss the days when life was so much simpler and we talked on msn about our crushes, talked for hours about our Orlando Bloom obsessions and made recordings in super high pitched voices. Those were the days.

The Problem with Being Ahead of All Your Friends in Life

When talking about the friends I "regularly" (not that it's at all regular, but much more so than others) do things with, Doug and I are the youngest of them all. I am one of the 3 who are actually graduated from college. I am one of the 3 couples that are actually married. And Doug and I are the only ones with a kid.

It's hard to be that person and couple, you know.

Sure, I don't have school, and I "just" run an etsy shop, so I don't really work (I'm being 100% sarcastic here because it takes plenty of freakin' time to do) and all I do is play around with Emmett all day.

It's not that simple. And it's not that fun. At least not all the time.

So it's super frustrating that, ever since having Emmett, we've kind of been shut out. Actually, it's more like when I was pregnant and never wanted to leave the house because every time I did I had to puke from morning sickness (that was never in the morning, I might add). I don't think it's necessarily on purpose, but it has happened nonetheless. We're invited to much fewer things (except for the things that we don't have a prayer of going to [movie round up an hour before it starts? Or better yet, midnight movies anyone? Right, remember how we have a baby? Not happening.], and it sucks. It hurts. Seeing these activities planned out on twitter, or pictures of the event actually occurring is the worst. Better yet when you're just "forgotten."

Am I to gather I am now invisible then? Awesome.

The worst part, in all honesty, isn't even just being forgotten and left out. It's in the fact that all I do is sit at home every day since I rarely have the car and hang out with a baby. I have little interaction with other adults, outside of Doug and his mom. Sure, I can hop on facebook or twitter and see what's going on, but that's not the same. Human interaction pretty much eludes me all the time. And while I enjoy my solitude rather frequently, I enjoy being with other people and friends too.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't as "far ahead" as everyone else. Sometimes I wish I hadn't finished college in less than 4 years, hadn't gotten married less than 2 months after Doug got home and definitely didn't have a child yet (please don't even go to the "you must not love Emmett" place, either. I love him plenty.)

Conclusion? I need to get out of Utah and find friends who are in the same stage of life as I am. Because being here, capitol of all single Mormons, is not doing good things for me.

Story of My Life

Carry on.