Megan Burnett

Some belly pics!

2011-09-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

30 Weeks 27 weeks

Okay these are the only 2 that were available to me right now but here they are! I also had an ultrasound at 33 weeks, about 2 weeks ago, and baby girl is healthy and right on track and was a little over 5 pounds. She moves sooooooooo much and I love that feeling!

Easter

2011-04-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend was exhausting but sooo much fun! It started on Thursday when my Sisters, Charla and Shannon, from Alabama flew up to visit. We celebrated my niece's birthday at Nakatos Japanese Steakhouse and then on friday we all went and saw Rio. That would be 14 of us!! It was raining and freezing that day but all the kiddos did great in the movie! And Scarlett LOVED it!!!! She did get a little bored at the end but luckily my dad was sitting in front of us so Scarlett played with his head....she licked it, patted it, and even put her toys on top of it! HILARIOUS! Then Saturday we went to my parent's clubhouse and had an easter egg hunt there where Scarlett could have cared less about the eggs she just wanted to explore!

It's been a while....

2011-04-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

Scarlett had her 1st Christmas and she had sooooooo many presents....my parents went crazy!!!! So we only got her 1 new toy for our house and then the 2nd picture is her surrounded by my parent's extravaganza!

We had an awesome vacation for Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico with my family....it was amazing!!!!! Warm weather, beaches, pools, the most beautiful resort!!! Scarlett loved it!

I will update more later but.....I am also PREGNANT with Baby #2!!! 15 weeks along! I threw up for about 6 weeks straight and was nauseaus all the time but I think I am finally over it and feeling much better. We can't wait to find out what we are having next month!

Grandfather's Wedding and Fall Photos!!

2010-11-15T17:56:00.001-08:00

We had our friend, Mindy take some beautiful fall photos! They turned out amazing and we couldn't be happier!!

Well my grandfather got married on October 16, 2010. He lost my grandmother 6 years ago and he has found a wonderful lady to spend the rest of his time on earth with! My grandfather is 80 this year and his lovely bride is 77! Love comes at all ages!

Pumpkin Pickin'!

2010-10-11T05:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to a pumpkin patch in Midland, NC with the Tedrows and the Ortons. It was sooo much fun!! Scarlett was happy the whole time, as usual, and she had such a great time. We had a picnic lunch, rode on a tractor, and even though we didn't get a pumpkin we had fun looking!

Oh yes and I hit a milestone this past week----I have LOST all of my pregnancy weight!!! Yay!!! 55 pounds ago I gave birth and I can't believe I put that much on! But I am so excited and my goal was originally to lose it in 6 months but 7 is not bad ;-) Hopefully with baby #2 I won't gain as much...but who knows!!

6 months old!!!

2010-09-09T18:51:00.001-07:00

Wow I can't believe she is already 6 months!!! We went to her appointment and she is 27 1/2 inches long and 20 lbs 4 oz. She is huge!!!! The pedi said she was the size of a 9 month old. She is sitting up on her own for really long periods now, she is babbling---da,da,da,da,ra,ra,ra but no mama :-( Oh well! She is so happy and still the best sleeper in the world!! The pedi agreed! Oh and I am way behind but we had professional pictures taken at 3 months and here are a few that we loved!!!

Beach Trips 2010

2010-07-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Well we have been very busy and by busy I mean traveling to Panama City Beach Florida for 3 weeks in the past month!! It has been awesome to see Scarlett in the sand for the first time. She loved it! She would dig her feet into it and splash in the waves. She also enjoyed the pool and seeing her cousins and aunts from Alabama. She is growing up so fast. We started her on rice cereal twice a day now per our pediatrician's orders. She is warming up to it but she doesn't like it too much but luckily is eating a little bit. We just put together her jumper and she loves to be in it! She also plays in at the Y when I work out and the ladies there said that she loves it. I have also been doing intense sleep training on Scarlett to help her sleep better during the day for her naps. And last night she slept from 8 pm to 8:30 am this morning!

3 Months Old!

2010-06-06T20:00:00.001-07:00

I can't believe Scarlett is already 3 months old! Time is flying by and I am loving every minute! Scarlett went on her first road trip to Alabama a couple weekends ago and she did beautifully. She slept the whole time and we had to wake her up to eat and stretch her legs. She also went to the pool for the first time but didn't last too long and fell asleep in the stroller. Speaking of sleeping...the woman sleeps 12-13 hours straight at night and has for about a month now! We are so lucky and I have so much energy and it is wonderful. I love being a mom and staying at home is such a blessing. I am still Young Women's President and it has officially been a year now. I can still remember when the bishop came over to my house to ask me and he jokingly asked if I wanted to be the nursery leader and I energetically replied YES! But he was just kidding! I am also working so hard to lose the baby weight. I am about 15 pounds away from pre-pregnancy...I have lost 40 pounds so far...yes I gained way too much weight with the little munchkin so I am paying for it now!

Scarlett is growing up so fast...she likes tummy time a little better now and is slowly learning to roll over she just likes to be on her side. She was in the 95% percentile for both height and weight at her 2 month appointment at 24 inches long and 13 lbs 8 oz! She is a little butterball but I love her delicious cheeks! I eat them for dessert every night!!

Month 2!!!!

2010-04-20T16:23:00.001-07:00

Well I can't believe Scarlett is almost 2 months old!! Wow where does the time go??? She has had so many milestones. Her first smile, cooing and oooing, and growing so fast and out of her 0-3 month clothes!! Today she gave me quite a scare. For the past couple days she has sounded a little congested. Her nose has been runny and she has been sneezing. I just thought she was developing allergies like me but her temperature this morning was 100.7. The doctor said that was way too high and that she needed to see her immediately. Well when we got there the tests began!

1. Nose swab out of both nostrils--she screamed!

2. Chest x-ray with a radiologist

3. Blood drawn from her arm--not sure who cried more me or her :-(

4. Catheter placed to check her urine for a UTI

So after all these tests luckily she does not have RSV, Pneumonia, the Flu, or a UTI. So it looks like she just has a common cold. We have to go back tomorrow to double check her fever but everything is looking better. Hopefully the humidifier and tylenol will help her breathe and sleep better tonight!!
Also here are some new pictures. I am a total slacker about birth announcements but they are coming and here are some new pics of her! We also blessed her on the 11th and we had so many family and friends there we filled up 3 rows it was an absolutely wonderful experience!

Week 2...So much better!!

2010-03-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well after all of the problems I have been having it has been nice to end week 2 with some happiness!! I gave up breastfeeding for the past couple of days because it got to the point where I was absolutely dreading feeding times because I would have to wake her up and literally wrestle with her to latch on. She would scream and cry the whole time trying to latch on and then if she did latch on it was incorrect. I would use the nipple shield, I would take it off, I tried everything, and in the end of the 45 minute ordeal we would both be crying. Roger was home 2 afternoons to truly experience this and he told me to stop and do what makes us both happy and it was too hard to watch us both be so miserable. So I started pumping and giving Scarlett a bottle. It has been an absolute lifesaver!!! I wake her up, Roger gives her a bottle, I pump her next bottle, and then we can snuggle and have happy time before she goes back to sleep. I am not totally giving up on breastfeeding but pumping is just working so well. I love being a mom and I love when she looks at me with those bright eyes and if she is just a little bit fussy I can place my cheek next to hers and she immediately calms down. The lactation consultant said this is because Scarlett knows my skin, my smell, and my voice already. I love that and I love her so much!!

Can a new mother get a break?

2010-03-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

So our first week home has been horrible! And not because of my child she is wonderful and makes me smile and laugh and cry but because I can not seem to catch a break. Here are just a few of the problems I have experienced this week:
1. When we got home she wouldn't stop crying I would feed and feed and she just was not satisfied and I had no idea what was going on. So we took her to the pediatrician and she had lost 15 ounces in the first 4 days home! It was horrible so they sent me to the lactation consultant immediately and I was not producing enough milk so now I have to breastfeed, give her a supplement, and pump at every feeding. It has been extremely difficult, time consuming, and exhausting but she is such a good baby now! She just wanted her belly full!
2. I woke up at 3 am on thursday absolutely about to die. I was achy, had a fever of 103, had continuous chills, and was dizzy. I thought I had the flu so I called the emergency nurse and found out I have mastitis. It is a bacterial disease that gets transfered from baby to mom. Luckily Scarlett doesn't hurt or get sick but I am miserable. I take 4 antibiotics a day now and I am hoping I will feel better soon.
3. Hemmorhoids...need I say more? Yes normal issue with moms who just gave birth but still!
So that is my life for now and I am just trying to push through but the best blessing I have had is a lot of family here. My mom has spent the night with us a few nights to help, my sister comes over when she can and when she doesn't have her 3 kids to take care of, my cousin came and spent the day helping yesterday, and my aunt has helped out too! So sorry about all of the whining!

First Major Bump on Motherhood Road

2010-03-09T15:06:00.001-08:00

Scarlett went in for her first doctor's appointment today! It was so weird to write her name on the patient check-in sheet. Well she is doing wonderfully except for her eating habits. She has almost lost a full pound since delivery and my doctor was extremely concerned. She hasn't been sleeping very well, especially at night, and has been crying a lot. At first I thought she was just a normal newborn but apparently I was wrong. I have had a lot of pain and problems trying to breastfeed so she sent me straight to the lactation consultant after my appointment. Scarlett is only getting 3/4 of an ounce after breast feeding so now I have to supplement with pumping and formula. She has been fussy and crying a lot and after we fed her and supplemented today she took a perfect 3 hour nap and is really like a whole new baby! I didn't want to have to use formula but I am going to do whatever I need to do to make sure she is healthy. Hopefully this won't happen forever but for now we just want to fill that tummy up!!

Our Baby Girl is Here!!

2010-03-06T17:22:00.000-08:00

Well after being pregnant for 41 weeks and 1 day our baby girl made her arrival!! Here is a short timeline of my birth story for all of those who like details:

Tuesday 3/2 Went to the hospital at 5 pm to be given cervidil in order to help me dialate. I was only 1 cm and 50% effaced; however, I was having too many contractions on my own to be given cerividil so they decided to use a technique that is not used as often, a foley balloon catheter. Ladies if your doctor wants to do this say NO!!!! It is extremely painful and it took him 20 minutes and lots pain later just to get it in.

Wednesday 3/3 Woke up and was supposed to be dialated to 4-5 cm and I was only 2 cm!! aahhh! Well they started me on pitocin and it took 3 hours to get me cranked up on contractions and after 8 hours on pitocin still only 2 cm!! Needless to say I was miserable and had a mini breakdown....Then the doctor came in and decided to stick to the cervidil.

Thursday 3/4 Well I was 3 cm when I woke up on thursday and they started me on pitocin again!! Well I responded immediately and I was 4cm by 11 so I got my epidural!! aaahhhh then they broke my water and I was 5 cm at 2 pm. I was making better progress; however at 3:30 pm I started shaking and I felt a lot of pressure. They checked me and I was 8 cm and 10 minutes later I was ready to push!! GO TIME! I pushed for 50 minutes and .....

Scarlett Rose Burnett was born at 5:00 pm March 4, 2010 21 inches long. Beautiful and perfect and she is such a blessing in our lives.

Headed to the Hospital Tomorrow....

2010-03-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor again today. I swear the nurses have to be sick fo seeing me! And of course a fingertip dialated and 50% effaced....no progress....so we are headed to labor and delivery tomorrow at 5:00 pm to start me on Cervidil which will hopefully help me dialate. Then early wednesday morning I will be started on pitocin to get labor started. I am very nervous and extremely scared about induction but the doctor seems extremely optimistic so hopefully everything will go well. Hopefully we will have baby Scarlett by dinner time on wed if we are lucky but the doctor did warn me that this will be a long process.....not so reassuring for a first time mom!! Then I watched the new episode of 16 and pregnant and she was induced and 27 hours later she had her baby!! aaaahhhh Just knock me out now if I am in store for a 27 hour labor. Either way we are definitely gonig to have a baby by the end of the week!!!!!

Dr's Appointment Today

2010-02-26T13:51:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor today and guess what? No dialation and 50% effacement which means no progress!! BOOOOO So that means that baby Scarlett does not want to come out yet. So the doctor set an induction date for next Wednesday. I am slowing dealing with the fact that I have to be induced. I just never thought I would have to wait until March to meet her!! Hopefully something miraculous happens in the next few days so that I can have her when she is ready. And the last thing I want is for my induction to fail and have to have a c-section. I never thought I would be in this position! I would never have predicted my last month of pregnancy would go like this...bedrest...induction...but the most important part is that I do have a healthy baby girl inside me and she is apparently loving it in my womb! Come on Scarlett!

Baby Bump Pics

2010-02-17T12:39:00.001-08:00

Yes I am officially a safety hazard! I was looking at these pictures and laughing at how huge I am!!! Well the picture in the purple and grey outfits are me at 38 weeks and the picture in the orange is 39 weeks. Amazing what 1 week can do!!

38 week checkup!

2010-02-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor today and Scarlett is still doing great! My blood pressure has been back to normal for the last 2 appointments now so the doctor's are very happy with this progress. I had an ultrasound last friday and she totally pouted her lips out when they took a picture of her profile!!! I swear she is such a show off! But they estimated that last week she probably weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces and this week they said she is definitely still growing! She is healthy and we can't wait to meet her. So I have 12 days to my due date! I am also dialated to 1 cm and 50% effaced so I am making progress...we will see when she decides to make her way into this world! We can't wait to meet you!

Traumatic Hospital Experience

2010-01-30T12:57:00.000-08:00

It was a normal thursday when I headed over to my OB/GYN appointment for my 36 week checkup. I can see now that for a few days I was not feeling too great. I was always uncomfortable, I was out of breath a lot, and I was just generally exhausted. However, I thought this was normal I mean I am 9 months pregnant so I ignored these symptoms. Then I went to my doctor's appointment and they looked at my feet and saw that I was extremely swollen. Then they took my blood pressure and it was higher than it has ever been. The nurse ran out of the room and sent in the doctor with no explanation!! The doctor came in and tried to act normal but I immediately asked him what my BP meant. Well he said he was trying to let me calm down before he took it again just in case it was just a stressful moment. Well he took it again and it was higher!! 144/98! So he quickly checked me to see if I was dilated or effaced and I was all closed up. So he lifted me up and told me he was sending me to labor and delivery for some tests and that I may have to be induced if it is affecting my LO or my liver. I was given some paperwork and sent on my way. Luckily my doctor's office is inside the hospital but unluckily for me I was all alone!! I called me husband and started crying and then I called me mom. My mom and sister were on their way to the circus with my niece and nephews. They immediately turned around. I was admitted and hooked up to an IV, given a hospital gown, and placed on a fetal monitor. The nurse said my veins were good but she poked me 4 times before she found a good one! Both of my arms are totally bruised now. The first person to arrive at the hospital was my dad. And for those of you who know my dad we don't call him Big Daddy for no reason! He busts into my room and yells, "I'm here!!" It was totally cute and I was so relieved to have someone there. Roger was stuck in traffic for almost another hour and my mom and sister got there before him! Well everyone got there and I started to feel better but I my blood pressure would not go down!! So the doctor came in and said my bloodwork looked good but he was keeping me overnight. I was given a sleeping pill, thank goodness, and when I woke up the doctor came in took my blood pressure immediately and it had gone down to 109/58!!! I was so excited and relieved so they released me but gave me restrictions to be on modified bed rest until further notice. The worst part is that I missed my shower!! I was having a baby shower at Vanessa's house at 7:00 on Thursday and I missed it! :-( I was sooo upset!! But I am glad that they went ahead and took good precautions just to make sure my little girl is healthy. I have more doctor's appointments scheduled this week than I have had in a month but I will keep everyone updated and hopefully this little girl can stay in a little closer to her due date.

I am getting HUGE!!!

2010-01-07T18:26:00.000-08:00

I love being pregnant absolutely love it but I don't love how huge other parts of my body are getting other than my belly! Oh well all of you skinny people out there look at these pictures and laugh at how humungous I am! The bare belly picture is 33 weeks! We had a great christmas and we can't wait to spend next year with baby Scarlett!

The Beauty of Pregnancy

2009-10-25T17:26:00.001-07:00

Well now that I am more than halfway through this pregnancy, I am feeling all of those wonderful milestones every pregnant woman experiences. I am no longer nauseaus or throwing up, I have more energy, and I finally have an appetite! All this still doesn't compare to feeling my little baby girl move and kick and stretch inside of me every day. And for some reason today I have felt her move more than ever before. It began this morning when I rolled over and routinely placed my hand over my stomach. I immediately felt her on the inside and out move and kick to respond to me. It was so beautiful! She continued to move like this all day and she is still moving right now! It is amazing and I just couldn't feel more blessed! Oh and this picture of me is at 21 weeks.

It's a Baby Girl!!!

2009-10-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor for my first ultrasound!! Roger and my mom were there and it was a horrific day in the beginning. We all show up at 9:30 on thursday morning and I sign in almost about to burst and then 5 minutes later the receptionist calls me up to the front desk and asks me why I was there. Apparently we made an appointment on monday and not thursday so we missed it!! I was so upset and on the verge of tears so they gave us an appointment at 3:00. Crisis overted and when we got there our baby was kicking and moving around like crazy!! Even the ultrasound tech was amazed. And it's a beautiful healthy baby girl!! And after the shock wore in on Roger's face, he was actually excited!

I just couldn't wait.....

2009-09-07T17:43:00.000-07:00

I am pregnant!!! And I was trying to wait until we found out what we were having to announce it but we are just so excited we can't stand it! We found out on July 3rd and I am officially 4 months along now. And after a few weeks of throwing up and nausea I am feeling a little better and actually getting my appetite back. I went maternity clothes shopping today and it was soo exciting!! And on September 24th we find out what we are having at our 1st ultrasound!!!

Hawaii

2009-07-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

I am sooo glad I picked Hawaii for my graduation trip. It was amazing!!! We stayed on the North Shore at Turtle Bay Resort. We went to all of the sites all on the island of Oahu: Pearl Harbor, The Polynesian Culteral Center, Waikiki, Hawaii Temple, and the list goes on and on. We did go to the Dole Plantation one day but it was so boring until we got to the dessert!! We had pineapple ice cream and it was delicious!! So worth the trip!! Then when we got to the car rental place where got a free upgrade to a convertible. People are so nice in Hawaii!! We even had dinner with some of Roger's friends from BYU and they were so incredibly hospitable and sweet. But one funny story, we drove down to the south shore where we went to see the Pearl Harbor Monument. Well I fell asleep with the top down on our convertible and I had on no sunscreen and perfectly silver circle necklace. Well when we got there I lifted up my necklace to find a perfectly formed white circle in the middle of my sunburnt chest. Yes I like to call it my Hawaii souvenir!

Graduation!!

2009-06-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well I can't believe it has taken me so long to write about one of the best days of my life so far----Graduation!!! Wow I didn't think I would ever get here but it did and it has almost been 2 months ago!! I remember walking across the stage and being handed my diploma and silence filled the air. My first thought was that my family was so late to graduation and that they couldn't yell for me! Wow could I have been more wrong?? Then a few seconds later I heard a scream, "Let's Have a Baby!!" and it was a voice I had heard a thousand times...yes it was Roger yelling perfectly clear to me that we should have a baby and everyone heard!! Including one of my professors who was extremely disgusted and confused! LOL!! Then when I sat back down all of the students kept on congratulating me thinking that I was already pregnant!! Well that was probably the most eventful part of my graduation day but I did walk away with a Business Administration degree from Queens University of Charlotte.

Twilight Ladies Night!

2009-03-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

Well as most of you know...I have an obsession with Twilight and all things to do with the Cullens! So I had a Twilight DVD Release Party on Saturday. We played Twilight Trivia and laughed and ate! There is also a picture of the cake I had made and when I went to Cold Stone to order it the girl behind the counter gave me the most ridiculous look!! Then when I had finished telling her what to write on it she asked "So you don't want Happy Birthday"? NO!! I am having a Twilight party not a birthday party! Anyway she also gave me a look when I picked it up but I was so high on Twilight I didn't care. We also went to Wal-Mart at midnight and waited for the movie. They had an awesome cake themselves and it was soo much fun! We then went home and watched the movie and stayed up until 4:00 in the morning!!! So fun!! I love my ladies!

Snowing in the SC!

2009-03-05T17:26:00.000-08:00

I must live in the Twilight Zone because it has snowed 3 times this year already!!! And we just had a huge snow storm on sunday! It was awesome. I took my regular sunday afternoon nap and when I woke up at 5:00 it was snowing! And I didn't really think anything of it because I thought it would stop and melt fast. Well I was defenitely wrong!!! It kept snowing and snowing and snowing. Then our door bell rang at 9:00 and it was our neighbors Jen and Darren and they were like get your snow gear on we are going sledding down your hill! So I ran upstairs and I found the only snow gear I had left from Utah and threw it on (hence the fantasticly unmatching outfit!) And we sled down out hill in the backyard. We had a snowball fight and then we had hot chocolate at our house. It was sooo fun!!

New Moon

2009-01-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

I am a member of Twilight Moms. It is a website that lets crazy, twilight-loving women like me post my obsession online and gain replies with similar obsessions from fellow twilighters. I recently posted a blog about the New Moon Movie. I am a little upset that Taylor Lautner is going to play Jacob Black again in New Moon. I know I have a disclaimer--I am a loser, totally, completely, undeniably, a loser---anyway. I really just wanted a hunk. I wanted this 6'5", buff, scruffy, dark-skinned, long haired, Jacob that literally took my breath away when he walked onto the screen. Kind of like the feeling I had when I saw Emmett walk into the cafeteria--OMG. Anyway, I just don't feel that this 16 year old boy can fulfill this role. I posted a similar blog onto Twilight moms and it was deleted!! I got an email that said this:

"While your feelings on the issue are understandable, TwilightMOMs stand has been, and continues to be, that discussions on "alternate actors" to play roles under contract are not allowed. Discussions such as these have taken place in the past, and have been known to create discord among the members. Additionally, we are aware that family members of some of the actors & actresses do visit our forums. To allow threads discussing alternate casting options would be disrespectful to the actors who have signed onto those roles."

I mean give me a break!!! I just want a hot Jacob!! And here is one of the young men that was rumored to take his place....Meggy likey. :-) haha

Graduation

2009-01-18T14:04:00.001-08:00

Well, I have been so busy lately with school, work, and thinking about starting a family that I totally forgot about Graduation!! I can't believe it but I am here I am taking my last 3 classes in my last semester of college!! In a little over 100 days I will have a degree in Business Administration. I am so excited and ready I could absolutely burst. There have been a few roadblocks to my college career but now there is nothing stopping me and I am so READY!!! This is also the last stepping stone I must cross before Roger and I have a family. We are so excited and I am not pregnant yet but let's just say we are getting ready for the big game :-)

Disney World

2008-11-30T16:57:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was soo fun because we went to Disneyworld!! We had so much fun and now we need a vacation to rest from our vacation. We had 5 of our nieces and nephews, my 2 sisters, and my parents so we rented a huge house. The weather was perfect and it was a great excuse to ride all of the kiddie rides without being teased! It was however, insanely packed with people. We were actually told that the week of thanksgiving was surprisingly slow but there was at least an hour wait for every ride. It was defenitely worth it but never again will we go during thanksgiving.

Babies

2008-10-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had something stalk you? Like everywhere you go you see doughnuts or manolo's? Well my vice is babies. I swear I have had pregnancy and babies stalk me for the past few months and I absolutely can not escape them! First of all EVERYONE is pregnant, except for me, and that thought is a melting pot of emotions: anger, jealousy, relief, and sadness. I know these emotions may seem extreme but Roger and I have been married for 3 years, we have a beautiful home and we feel very ready for kids EXCEPT for the fact that I need to graduate. And before you even think or say it I already know. I know that I need to finish school and that if I don't I will not only fail myself but my family and my future children. Believe me if I hear that one more time I might just have a breakdown. You know it's like people think they are helping me by telling me that but do they really think I don't know that? Oh well. Second, I have a handsome new nephew that I absolutely can not get enough of! Ryker Savage is now 5 months old and I know that I am biased but who cares! I guess for now I will just have to love on him until one day I can have my own.

White Water Rafting

2008-08-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

My first White Water Rafting trip was eventful to say the least. Do not be fooled by the smiles and the cute pose at the end of my disastrous trip because it was far from pleasant. I was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina where the only white water is either man-made or at the Carowinds tidal wave pool. I expected to arrive at the River Center obtain our guide, take a quick safety course, and then go down to the river to be walked through each rapid safely. Instead we rent the raft from a center in Boise, then we head down to the river, blow it up ourselves, put on a life jacket, throw around a few paddles and jump right in. Excuse me! Where is my guide and safety training class??? It was nowhere to be found. We head down the river and I am thinking in the first half hour or so this isn't so bad I might make it through this thing. Then we hit our first big rapid. Everybody is yelling Woohoo! Yeah! We are so excited! I am nervous but not too bad. Then we go straight down the first rapid and over a 10 foot rock. Our raft folds in half sending everyone either flying on top of each other or out of the boat. Then we hit another rock that traps us in the middle of the rapid going nowhere. I didn't even have time to scream or cry I was soo scared. Somehow we get over the rock and into safe water where we finally find my brother-in-law who did a back flip out the raft and was sucked underneath the rapid and spit out down the river. We lost two paddles and all of our confidence. Oh did I mention we had 2 1/2 hours left until our destination. Needless to say we were much more cautious and prepared for the next rapids and no one else fell out but I was quite shaken the entire trip and I think I will pass the next time someone asks to go white water rafting.

Twilight

2008-08-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

When I was 8 years old my mom bought me a board game called the Wedding Day. It was my favorite game for so many years. I played it so many times that I even lost a piece that represented the music at my reception and had to replace it with a carboard cutout labeled "Luther Vandross" with a pink highlighter. As I got older, I began to watch movies like Runaway Bride, When Harry Met Sally, and Notting Hill. My insatiable thirst for romance was never quenched and I moved to novels. That is when I found Nicholas Sparks. My first book I read was "Message in a Bottle". I never believed a novel could move you to tears but there I was 13 years old patting my damp eyes at 1:00 am on a school night. I continued to read and exapand my enormous collection of love stories. Then I read the Notebook. It was the most moving and emotional book I had ever read and swore the day I finished it I would never find such a romantic story again. Then, quite a few years later, I found Twilight. It is almost indescribable how much romantic perfection is achieved with this book. As I read on through the series I am overwhelmed and although I have been labeled as obsessive, neurotic, and unfocused ever since I met Edward and Jacob I don't care. Now as I lay the series to rest....for now....I can now say that my romantic vault has been filled and sealed eternally.