tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26954725403691500552024-03-05T05:31:43.742-07:00Rhymes With LaundryWelcome to The Chatwinners! I'm Yándary, my husband is Stephen, and our little one is Charles. I'm a Ravenclaw, he's a Hufflepuff. I work in communications and government and use this little corner of the internet to document our family's day-to-day life, including our home renovation, travel, food, and thoughts on marriage, parenting, and family. Thanks for following along!Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-12992154481763459552021-11-11T11:26:00.008-07:002021-11-11T11:26:51.178-07:00Back to Work<p>Yesterday was my first day back at work since Clyde was born, and I'm still feeling all the feelings! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1X1NRd4yeBxgdaqj4XpK7-vvwkxxaRDbHgdnQGff-vvXKrfgG2_yORMzfGpyWqEX2SFkEAsi71TENZStoP-ZRX7-D1_vUP1Wq9R-ULXdMkkdYtrSPQrBLdwMfZgo4ZdCg61cBpBG5GQ/s2048/IMG_2955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1X1NRd4yeBxgdaqj4XpK7-vvwkxxaRDbHgdnQGff-vvXKrfgG2_yORMzfGpyWqEX2SFkEAsi71TENZStoP-ZRX7-D1_vUP1Wq9R-ULXdMkkdYtrSPQrBLdwMfZgo4ZdCg61cBpBG5GQ/w480-h640/IMG_2955.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snuggling at home on our last full day of FMLA</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Trying to catch up at work after being gone for 12 weeks feels like drinking from a fire hose (especially since I left during such a turbulent time). And I miss my little Clyde. These 12 weeks have had some difficult moments (especially in the first four weeks), but they've all been related to my own health. The actual baby part has been amazing and so joyful. Clyde is such a calm, happy baby, and I've cherished the time I had to be home with him. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Lx_sgsJdmcpsZrw7blkBU7xWiqYT9vnmZEg4JilLw5pT1-LFrJhZMhR7g0MbozqytDcTgIaGACT6M1mcEuJUHoVrJGEJFLgqGympsGCyzACJwa1hHxWRUfIr_vgkpkpn_CQuGhPyB00/s2048/IMG_2891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Lx_sgsJdmcpsZrw7blkBU7xWiqYT9vnmZEg4JilLw5pT1-LFrJhZMhR7g0MbozqytDcTgIaGACT6M1mcEuJUHoVrJGEJFLgqGympsGCyzACJwa1hHxWRUfIr_vgkpkpn_CQuGhPyB00/w480-h640/IMG_2891.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet little Clyde at home on Monday</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I'm nervous about him eating well at daycare (dude definitely prefers milk fresh from the tap and has made it clear he is not a fan of bottles), but I'm grateful that after having Charlie there for two years, I know and trust the people caring for my babies. <div><br /></div><div>And speaking of Charlie... He was sick on my first day back, so I took Clyde in alone. I've actually taken Clyde in to daycare a few times already (I did this with Charlie, and it helped ease my nerves immensely!), so drop-off yesterday was less difficult than it would've been if I hadn't done that. I would take him in once a week for just a few hours (long enough to get in one nap and one or two feedings) to A- help me ease into daycare, B- help the teachers get to know him, C- help him ease into bottle feeding.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzvmiZL50njhSng0KGWYbKDIXlPBdeWTMOerxVD2GvZPTKgRxN_mtLkJP3gcAyzoDjLKPzIDECxqxuVd2bjn-Et36nnS5sCdNYbB2MOAyi9kgWed8TjW7wWACwV4LfheUExPsDDeuXc8/s2048/IMG_2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzvmiZL50njhSng0KGWYbKDIXlPBdeWTMOerxVD2GvZPTKgRxN_mtLkJP3gcAyzoDjLKPzIDECxqxuVd2bjn-Et36nnS5sCdNYbB2MOAyi9kgWed8TjW7wWACwV4LfheUExPsDDeuXc8/w480-h640/IMG_2977.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clyde at morning daycare drop-off on my first day back at work</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMsPOSO3ZZH_Wpg-MDb-Qy2KF6iDfDwiVeZZCx4JQyjcefnbG602nsnqMQmlNwhocGGMLyw70CPlzh1BKqx9AzTqP09sQdQ-p7gNfk0QyOgqeXEqKXyTiI5Tbvo_2LdSpJtZ03g-Iqjs/s2048/UGWI1269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMsPOSO3ZZH_Wpg-MDb-Qy2KF6iDfDwiVeZZCx4JQyjcefnbG602nsnqMQmlNwhocGGMLyw70CPlzh1BKqx9AzTqP09sQdQ-p7gNfk0QyOgqeXEqKXyTiI5Tbvo_2LdSpJtZ03g-Iqjs/w480-h640/UGWI1269.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One last nursing at home before daycare drop-off on Day 1</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Let's hope things get easier soon. (And that I don't spill anymore of my pumped milk!)</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWA85dFtsu80OCYJrW_i0_ihY9zt5KYyc7HYVR1hi04-WZih89MliGGx5hf2iJEVMb5pKD-5B2SAKc2Z_-QZkprb36PW00qvODWwn6eVB13JO9hYxfYBSctYGREcmzQEchvUPaB-t6Xs/s2048/XJWT1377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWA85dFtsu80OCYJrW_i0_ihY9zt5KYyc7HYVR1hi04-WZih89MliGGx5hf2iJEVMb5pKD-5B2SAKc2Z_-QZkprb36PW00qvODWwn6eVB13JO9hYxfYBSctYGREcmzQEchvUPaB-t6Xs/w480-h640/XJWT1377.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa2RTFL9vYmQiX1_cUFZ1fogUy7Kuet1Abgav1WIIpc11zzSg5ddftO23h303cAosAFfCg07UErTqWKKqOzcuj_zrrjv4Lg4wSAL_Tw1vLGODF1efO9daDYs340j-3End-6ZnDq99XQE/s2048/IMG_3009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa2RTFL9vYmQiX1_cUFZ1fogUy7Kuet1Abgav1WIIpc11zzSg5ddftO23h303cAosAFfCg07UErTqWKKqOzcuj_zrrjv4Lg4wSAL_Tw1vLGODF1efO9daDYs340j-3End-6ZnDq99XQE/w480-h640/IMG_3009.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-84310279510683654682020-07-06T02:30:00.004-06:002021-11-11T11:36:57.901-07:00Birth Story: Charles Guillermo Chatwin<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">This blog post is long
overdue, but it has been in my thoughts, in my heart, and on a Note in my
iPhone for the last year. One thing I want to preface this story with is the
firm knowledge I have that God is in charge. I had done so much research,
listened to podcasts, asked questions, weighed my options for birth... But
the night before going in to the hospital, I remember the overwhelming feeling
that I needed to just... trust and let go. That, at the end of the day, the
most important thing was to get my baby here healthy and safe. As
long as that happened, the details didn't matter. Come what may. And it
served me well, because... I swear, every time a nurse or the doctor came in to
check on me, their plan and my options changed. But at the end, we got a
healthy, handsome baby boy. Here's how it happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Our little son, Charles Guillermo
Chatwin (Charlie) was born at 8:54am on Saturday, July 6, 2019. He was 20
inches long and weighed 8 lbs 3 oz, which was a big surprise to us, since both
of us were small babies! (I weighed 6.5 lbs at birth, and Stephen weighed 7
lbs.) As cliche as this may sound, it really is hard to believe Charlie has
only been with us for a year, because sometimes, I can't remember what life was
like without him. Thankfully, I took notes during labor, because I knew I would want to remember his birth forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">My due date was Friday, June
28th. That day came and went, and Charlie showed no signs of coming any time
soon. At my 40-week OB appointment, I was <i>maybe </i>0.5 centimeter dilated. So my doctor walked us through our options. I could be
induced, but I'd have to wait about another week. I wanted to delay that option
as long as possible in the hopes of being able to go into labor naturally, so
we discussed being induced either on the 3rd or 5th. (With the 4th being a major
holiday, it would've been a little trickier to be induced on that day.) We very
nearly went in on the 3rd (which means Charlie would've had a 4th of July
birthday!), but I <i>really </i>wanted to give him more time to come
on his own. We made plans to be induced on July 5th if Charlie hadn't come by
then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">In the meantime, we
tried ALL the things to get him here! (Except castor oil; my doctor was very
clear that we shouldn't resort to that!) I ate spicy food, I bounced up and
down, I tried curb walking, we tried acupressure, and a number of other things,
but nothing worked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">So on the morning of
July 5, we made our way to the hospital so I could be induced. The first couple
of hours were pretty low-key. My parents came down to the hospital. Throughout the day, other family members came and went (Chris, Shirley, Stephen's parents). Charlie wasn't born until
more than 24 hours from when I arrived at the hospital, so I'll refer to my notes
now to share about how things went.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b><u>FRIDAY, JULY 5</u></b></span></div>
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<b><u>10:15am-</u></b> I've been here for a couple of hours, and Doctor
Mutscheller just now came to check on me. She says because my cervix is thin enough (80%
effaced according to the nurse), we can skip cervical ripening (an option she had considered to help
get labor going) and go straight to induction! I’m still just .5 cm dilated, which means there hasn't been any progress since my appointment with her last week.
The nurse will connect me to an IV in just a bit so they can administer low
grade Pitocin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
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<b><u>10:20am-</u></b> Just had an ultrasound, and it shows
the baby is still head down and is sitting lower in my pelvis now than in my last
ultrasound. Yay!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><u>10:30am</u>- </b>I’m all connected now to the IV now. The
nurse will be back in a half hour to turn up the medication dose.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><u>11am</u>- </span></b><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;">The nurse just came to check on me. Apparently, the monitor says I’m
having contractions every five minutes, but they’re not strong. I’ve been asleep
and haven’t felt them yet.</span><br />
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<br />
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<b><u>1pm</u>- </b>I
was told that once you were admitted for labor, you weren't allowed to have any
more food. But because my labor is going so slowly, Dr. Mutscheller said I
could have food! Stephen went to get me a #1 deluxe combo from Chick-fil-A.
with a large lemonade, of course! (Chick-fil-A lemonade was one of my strongest
cravings during this pregnancy!)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<b><u>4:59pm</u>- </b>It's been a few uneventful
hours. They’re going to break my water shortly to speed things up. He
still probably won’t be born until tomorrow though.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></span>
<br />
<span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><u>5:22pm</u></span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;">- I’ve been on an IV getting pitocin for 6 hours, and I’m only 1
centimeter dilated. </span><span face=""segoe ui emoji" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;">🤦🏻</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">♀️ My doctor came in to break my water to help things move a little
faster. But since I'm not progressing, and because it turns out my cervix is
only 50% effaced, not 80%, the plan changed. Instead of breaking my water,
they’re now going to give me an epidural and then use a Foley balloon to open
my cervix. </span></span></div>
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The doctor hopes with the epidural, I’ll be able to sleep through
the night and then hopefully, the baby will be born tomorrow.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br />
<b><u>(a little later)</u>- </b>The epidural
went well, thankfully! I was super nervous, because after Dr. Mutscheller
checked my cervix, I went to the bathroom and was bleeding. Like, period
bleeding. I got anxious and started breathing quickly (not quite
hyperventilating but in the vicinity). Stephen and the nurses helped me regain
control, and the epidural went well. The anesthesiologist was very kind, and it
turns out he knows Dave! (Stephen's brother)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><br /></b>
<b><u>6:21pm</u></b>- My water broke on its own!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><br /></b>
<b><u>6:45pm</u>- </b>Change of plan (again).They can’t use the
Foley balloon if my water is broken. So I now have a monitor inside my uterus
to more accurately track contractions and to see if I need more Pitocin. They
won’t check my cervix again until I’ve had four hours of consistent
contractions.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br />
Also, the baby pooped just
before my water broke, and there was meconium that came out with my water...
They need to have a special nurse here when he’s born to check on him and make
sure he hasn’t inhaled any.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span>
<span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;">And, apparently, from here on out, I’m just
going to be constantly leaking fluids... including more baby poop. I had NO
idea there was so much that needed to come out! Or that it didn't all come out
when your water breaks. It’s so weird! I’m lying on a glorified puppy pad, and
they just change it out periodically. </span>I can't feel
much anyway because of the epidural, so it was weird to see how full the pad
was the first time they changed it.<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">Oh, and I’m not allowed to eat
until after he is born. :( </span><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif">On the bright side, I’m connected to a catheter, so no need to get up
and pee.</span></div>
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<span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="color: black;"><u>9pm</u>- </span></b><span style="color: black;">No
real update. My contractions aren't coming in a good pattern yet, so they reset
the monitor to make sure it's working correctly, and they're playing around
with Pitocin levels. I’ve been getting short of breath when I have a strong
contraction. I don’t feel pain, but my heart rate and breathing speed up
significantly during a contraction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">Also, Stephen is my Smoop, and
I love him. Annnnd I’m SO itchy everywhere! The nurse says it’s a normal
reaction to the epidural, but it’s driving me nuts!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: black;"><u>10:47pm</u>- </span></b><span style="color: black;">My epidural has run out. My nurse is in a
delivery, and I’m waiting on someone else to come switch out the IV. I am
feeling contractions now, and it’s making me appreciate the epidural so much
more! I’m also waiting for them to give me Benadryl to fight the itching. It’s
driving me crazy!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: black;"><u>11pm</u>- </span></b><span style="color: black;">Traci (my current nurse) is back, and she
is going to let me have jello! I’m not even a jello person, but it definitely
beats ice chips, so I’ll take it! She also gave me more epidural + Benadryl for
the itching. I have felt my last two strong contractions, so I had to push the
epidural button twice to get a higher dose. Hopefully it works!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="color: black;">SATURDAY, JULY 6</span></u></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: black;"><u>5am</u>- </span></b><span style="color: black;">The nurse came in to check my dilation.
I'm at four centimeters! Hooray for progress!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">Unfortunately, I’m also shaking
uncontrollably and have a fever of 101.2 degrees. I thought the shaking was
from being cold, and the nurse brought me some heated blankets. But after
taking my temperature, she took them away, and I was left shaking again. :(<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">They gave me more Benadryl
(because the itching is back with a vengeance) and Tylenol for the fever. The
baby’s heart rate is high right now because of my fever... They reset his
monitor and are watching him closely. If things don’t improve, worst case scenario
is we end up in a cesarean delivery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">The reason I have a fever is
because I have an infection: chorio infection. Here’s what I found about it
online: “Chorioamnionitis also known as intra-amniotic <b>infection</b> (IAI)
is an inflammation of the fetal membranes (amnion and chorion) due to a
bacterial <b>infection</b>. It typically results from bacteria ascending
from the vagina into the uterus and is most often associated with prolonged
labor.” They administered antibiotics via IV.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">Basically, we’ve been in labor too
long, and I’ve somehow gotten an infection. I was also feeling nauseated, so
they let me have more jello and apple juice. Stephen came and held me (to be my
blanket) until I fell asleep.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<b><span style="color: black;"><u>6:40am</u>- </span></b><span style="color: black;">My fever is now up to 102, and the baby’s
heart rate is fluctuating between 175-180, which is too high. They added
another medication to my IV, but the biggest concern right now is the baby.
He’ll have to be taken to the special care nursery after birth to be examined.
:( The risk of a cesarean birth seems to be increasing by the minute...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: black;"><u>7:18am</u>-</span></b><span style="color: black;"> I have a 102.38 degree fever. I also
got my cervix checked again. I’m still at four centimeters, and my cervix is
swollen. Cesarean is looking more and more likely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></b>
<u><b><span style="color: black;">Later that day...</span></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">We had to do a cesarean
delivery. Baby’s heart rate was just not stabilizing. My fever kept going up
every time they checked on me, and my cervix stopped progressing. (I never made
it past four centimeters.) Our baby was obviously in distress, and our doctor
advised us that getting him out ASAP via C-section was our best option. Stephen
and I discussed it and decided to accept her advice.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">And so, our little baby Charles
was born at 8:54am via C-section at LDS Hospital. The doctor held him up so
Stephen and I could see him, and then they took him immediately to the Special
Care Nursery to get checked for meconium inhalation or swallowing, for
infection, signs of fever, distress, etc etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">Unfortunately, I was lying on
my back and couldn’t see the baby when they showed him. I asked for them to
please hold him up again, but they had already taken him away, and I started
crying. I was so upset that they took my baby away before I could even see him!
But Stephen saw him and told me he had hair. Stephen went with Charlie to the
special care nursery and stayed by his side while he had his examinations. I
found out later that my sister was allowed to go with them to take photos, and
I'm SO grateful she could be there to document the moments I missed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">I stayed behind to get my
internal organs put back inside of me (ha) and to have my incision stitched up.
This sounds weird, but I remember feeling my organs being put back in... It
didn't hurt, but I felt pressure and movement. It was a bizarre feeling. I had
been fighting anesthesia in order to stay awake to see my baby after he was
born, but once he was taken away without me seeing him, I just gave up trying
to stay awake and fell asleep crying. I woke up towards the end of the
procedure, because Stephen came back with baby Charles. It was a wonderful and
emotional moment. I was so excited to see them! Especially my baby. But I was
still flat on my back in the operating room, so I couldn’t hold him. And I was
hardly conscious, if I’m being 100% honest. The first thing I remember thinking is, "He has hair!"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">When I got wheeled back to our
room, I tried to sit up and hold Charlie, but I couldn’t do it. I was dizzy, I
was nauseated, I almost vomited. And I couldn’t keep myself sitting upright. I
had to give the baby back to Stephen, and then I proceeded to conk out in my
hospital bed. (In hindsight, I wish someone would've helped me hold the baby on my chest while I was lying down so we could have at least had SOME skin to skin, even if it wasn't immediately after he was born.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">This was definitely not the
birth experience I was expecting, but I’m so grateful for modern medicine and
to live in a time when we have the knowledge, science, and technology that kept
both my baby and me alive. I’m keenly aware that in a different time period,
one or maybe neither of us might not even be here. </span><span face=""nirmala ui" , sans-serif" style="color: black;">ಥ</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "simsun";">﹏</span><span face=""nirmala ui" , sans-serif" style="color: black;">ಥ</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">And most of all, we are so
grateful to our Heavenly Father for protecting us and for helping us bring our
sweet boy into the world safe and healthy. We love him so much and can't
imagine our lives without him!</span></div>
</div>
Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-39496806033054142312020-05-20T13:37:00.000-06:002020-05-22T22:46:51.245-06:00What's Your Life Like Right Now?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQf0RK8RONFdJCo1Fmme19CAddyhAnuunyin6bz8H-ywx308ACP9g6ZU3URfyELKP-QETCjUS9c3innRlpBh5UTmER8yO-MCX-W5j1-zdv74EayH4GEcLkjyaGt06Esoyc7pb_ZMFaxvk/s1600/5-8-2020+Chatwin-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1067" height="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQf0RK8RONFdJCo1Fmme19CAddyhAnuunyin6bz8H-ywx308ACP9g6ZU3URfyELKP-QETCjUS9c3innRlpBh5UTmER8yO-MCX-W5j1-zdv74EayH4GEcLkjyaGt06Esoyc7pb_ZMFaxvk/s640/5-8-2020+Chatwin-46.jpg" width="605" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from our front porch session with Kayla from <a href="https://trulyphotographyut.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Truly Photography</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
In response to a recent post on one of my favorite blogs (I started this post several weeks ago but never finished. Oops!), I wanted to document answers to the questions in the post. (<a href="https://cupofjo.com/2020/04/whats-your-life-like-right-now/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here is the link to the post!</a>)<br />
<br />
COVID-19 has been such a remarkable time, and I know it's something our children and grandchildren will be curious to know about. Stephen mentioned recently that one of his ancestors died during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. We looked through Family Search and ended up calling his mom. It was fascinating to learn about her family history and to learn about her grandfather who did, indeed, die in 1918 during the pandemic (from "flu and pneumonia" is what one of the family records said). He fell ill and died within days. He had even hiked Mount Timpanogos a few days before he died!<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to the Cup of Jo questions:<br />
<h3>
<u>Where are you in the world?</u></h3>
We live in Murray, Utah and have been blessed/lucky enough to be able to stay home.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u>Are you living solo or with other people (and if so, with whom)?</u></h3>
People living in our home right now: My husband (Stephen), our baby (Charles), and one of my brothers (Spencer), who recently returned home from serving a mission for our church in El Salvador and Belize.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u>Are you working or passing the time in other ways?</u></h3>
We spend our days working, taking care of Charlie, and going on walks. When we can, we try to squeeze in some exercise, house cleaning, and maybe some time together after Charlie goes to sleep.<br />
<br />
Another thing I've been doing is cooking/baking. I really enjoy cooking and don't do it enough in my normal life. It's been really fun to have Sunday dinners at home, and I've used that as an opportunity to try new recipes. Some things I've made for the first time during quarantine include: cheesecake, buttermilk biscuits, rhubarb cake (first time cooking with rhubarb!), banh mi sandwiches (first time making a Vietnamese dish), sugar-free baby muffins for Charlie, and DIY baby food pouches (mostly fruit/veggie pouches and a savory chicken/carrot/potato/rice pouch last week).<br />
<br />
We also planted a garden last week (tomatoes, sweet peppers, spicy peppers, zucchini, baby butternut squash, herbs, and sugar baby watermelon), and Stephen has been working on cutting down tree branches, so we've all been spending time in the backyard lately. We cleaned the patio off in April and have had dinner outside a few times, and it's been really lovely.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u>What's hard right now?</u></h3>
<b>Work! </b>I'm not going to lie: <b>balancing our time </b>right now is HARD. We are SO grateful and SO blessed to be able to both work from home. (And we're glad that Spencer was able to start a job a few weeks ago where he can also work remotely!)<br />
<br />
Stephen and I have divided the workday into shifts. Stephen works from 7am-12pm, and I'm the primary person on Charlie duty during that time. I try to work when I can, but if I'm being honest.... It's hard to get things done on the computer while being engaged with him. I like taking calls or meetings during the morning shift, because I can multi-task with Charlie. I save tasks that require focus for the afternoon.<br />
<br />
Around noon, we go on a walk, get Charlie some lunch at our neighborhood school, and come home to eat lunch together. Then, it's my turn to work from 12(ish)-5pm. I take a few breaks during my "shift" to nurse, and I work as fast and frantically as I can otherwise. It can be a bit hectic to meet deadlines, but we're doing our best. Sometimes, we have to work after Charlie goes to bed to keep up, but we're making it work.<br />
<br />
Truly, we are grateful that we have the luxury of staying home when so many people -- including my parents -- have still had to go to work in person every day during this pandemic.<br />
<br />
Another thing that has been really difficult is <b>navigating family dynamics when we have different standards for social distancing</b>. Some of our family members still have to work every day. Other family members aren't taking social distancing as seriously as we are. It's hard to explain why we're being as strict as we are, and I know there have been hurt feelings. I hope and pray that things will calm down soon and that we can work on rebuilding family connections.<br />
<br />
<b>It's been really hard to not let anyone hold Charlie, especially his grandparents. </b>Thankfully, Charlie has been able to at least SEE his grandparents during this time -- either six feet away or via technology (FaceTime, Zoom, Duo, etc.). He is such a people person, and I know he has missed interacting with others. We were able to join in last week on a daycare Zoom call, which was SO fun. And we've been able to keep in touch with other family members through technology also, which we're grateful for. I really hope that things have eased enough by Charlie's birthday (6 weeks away: OMG!!) that we will be able to gather with at least some family members to celebrate him!<br />
<br />
And oh, my gosh. <b>Baby sleep is hard right now. </b>We have not done well with sleep training, and things are rough right now! Charlie is teething, which we think is hurting his nighttime sleep. I think he might also be in the middle of another mental leap (I need to check his Wonder Weeks timeline.), so that might be part of our problem also. He was never good at napping (except at daycare sometimes... IDK how they do it.), and it's hard to get him to nap for longer than 30-40 minutes right now. Often, the only way he'll nap is if we take him on a stroller walk. On the bright side, we're walking a lot more than usual. Lol.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u>What's bringing you joy (making, baking, playing, watching, etc.)?</u></h3>
Even though some things have been hard, we really do feel so blessed.<br />
<br />
The biggest silver lining is <b>being home with Charlie full-time. </b>It was SO hard to leave him at daycare when I had to go back to work! Charlie was three months old when he started daycare full-time. He was 8.5 months old when the pandemic started, and he is 10.5 months old now.<br />
<br />
That means he has spent about half his life with me home full-time and half his life going to daycare. It's not in the cards for me to be a stay-at-home mom at the moment, and I truly do enjoy and value my job. But right now, I'm getting the best of both worlds: being home with my baby while still getting to work full-time. I do not take this for granted and often feel guilty for how much I'm loving this time at home.<br />
<br />
When we first went into lockdown, Charlie was on the verge of crawling. Within the first week of quarantine, he had mastered crawling and by that Saturday, he had moved to standing in his crib and standing and scooting along the furniture! He now crawls super fast, zips up the stairs, stands and scoots like he's racing someone, and we are so grateful to have been here for so many fun milestones! He babbles all day long, he waves goodbye (Or "Bah," as Charlie says it), and is just such a joy to be around.<br />
<br />
Another thing that's bringing us joy is <b>spending time outside</b>.We live for our daily (sometimes multiple times a day) walks. It's wonderful to be in the sunshine, and it makes me wonder why I don't normally take a lunchtime walk when I'm at work. It's something I need to bring with me when we move back into post-COVID office routines. The weather has changed while we've been in quarantine, and we've enjoyed almost all of spring and are now about a month away from the start of summer. Charlie experienced grass for the first time on St. Patrick's Day and enjoys spending time outside, crawling in the dirt (and trying to eat it. lol), climbing on top of yard waste piles, etc.<br />
<br />
We also are a household of introverts, so the stay at home order was probably not such hard news for us as it may have been for others. <b>Turns out we enjoy being home, even when we're being "forced" to.</b> Ha. I've discovered that I still love my husband after spending 24-7 with him (even though we may or may not get a little impatient with each other sometimes. It's the nature of being home together 24-7, I guess.), but he's still my favorite person and the one I'd choose to be quarantined with over and over again. And while we would love to be able to gather with loved ones, as long as I have my boys, I'm happy here at home.Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-32531180931200695622020-03-24T22:10:00.001-06:002020-03-24T22:24:17.466-06:00WFH<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJ6uMIi2bc88vrlp73rRWdzHtm0ASHTw2hLAXSVpxwF2RWpGN8sOIoWu1yUv-DoPtzYg6ewUFnMvP2euneqObzBjz5YRD1A3rXT9pQIyzWYr5ZInUp8x-44PkKeq71jR7EwrUIwQ3O5s/s1600/426934FE-8BF4-4074-930B-829447D64347.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Me, nursing Charlie on the couch while working" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJ6uMIi2bc88vrlp73rRWdzHtm0ASHTw2hLAXSVpxwF2RWpGN8sOIoWu1yUv-DoPtzYg6ewUFnMvP2euneqObzBjz5YRD1A3rXT9pQIyzWYr5ZInUp8x-44PkKeq71jR7EwrUIwQ3O5s/s640/426934FE-8BF4-4074-930B-829447D64347.jpeg" title="Me, nursing Charlie on the couch while working" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nursing Charlie on the living room couch while working on my laptop</td></tr>
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We've been working from home for just a few days now, but it feels like it's been a year. 😂<br />
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During this time of economic uncertainty, we both feel EXTRA grateful for our jobs. We know many are being impacted by the economic downturn already brought on by COVID-19, and we know how blessed we are to not only have jobs, but to have good jobs, and jobs that are currently allowing us to work form home.<br />
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Our daycare is currently closed, which means that in addition to both of us working full-time, we also take care of Charlie during the day. Charlie is SUCH a delight, but it's SO hard for both Stephen and me to be productive for a full workday when we have to also balance taking care of an 8-month old. I'm used to taking four pumping breaks at the office throughout the workday, but caring for a baby in person is a whole other story!<br />
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What we've been trying out so far is working in shifts. Stephen works in the morning, and I take primary responsibility for Charlie while trying to somehow also work. And we swap at noon so I can work. (Except what actually happens is we eat lunch, Charlie needs to be wiped down, then he needs to nurse again, etc etc.) Stephen has set himself up in our little office downstairs, but I typically just work on the floor of the nursery or on the living room couch with my laptop. Anywhere where Charlie has room to crawl safely and toys to spread out on the floor.<br />
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It feels like everyone else suddenly has loads of time on their hands, and even though we don't have anywhere to be, we are busier than ever. We often work again in the evenings after Charlie has gone to bed, just to keep up with our workloads. We do feel very blessed to be in this situation and to be able to work from home, buuuut if anyone has tips on how to successfully have BOTH spouses working from home while caring for their baby (or tips on how the heck to get our 8-month old to NAP during the day), please send help ASAP! (I'm even considering going back to pumping during my half of the workday, just so I don't lose momentum or time.)Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-6457928489347124102020-03-24T01:00:00.003-06:002020-03-24T16:58:30.329-06:00COVID-19 update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This is going to be a bit disjointed, but I felt the need to get some thoughts down online. (It’s the easiest way for me to journal during this crazy time in the world.) We just started our second week of COVID-19-quarantine, and.... We're doing okay. I'm officially working from home as of Friday, which is much easier than Stephen working from home with Charlie and me working in a office feeling stressed about how hard Stephen’s day must be, trying to balance a baby + his work. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">This is also our second week of statewide school dismissal. Originally, the dismissal was supposed to last two weeks, but we got word today that we will be out of school until at least Friday, May 1. Last Monday and Tuesday, everyone was working in their regular buildings (except for our school daycares, which were closed). Teachers were supposed to use those two days to transition student learning to be remote as of last Wednesday, March 18. Wednesday was supposed to be the day when we would begin remote learning, give laptops to students at schools, etc. But then.... We had a 5.7 earthquake in Salt Lake County (epicenter in Magna), and it flipped everything even further upside-down. (Seriously; just when we thought things couldn’t get worse during a global pandemic.... They did.)</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Work is crazy, and the world is falling apart. It’s hard to find basics at the grocery store, especially things like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, water bottles, and Clorox wipes. Sadly, some crucial essentials like diapers, baby wipes, and formula are also hard to find right now, as well as pantry staples like flour, sugar, milk, etc. Many are hoarding these supplies, and it’s making things hard for a lot of people. The photo above is from a couple of weekends ago. My mom sent it to me from a shopping trip to Sam’s Club, but it’s the same in almost every grocery store.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Last week was tough with everything that happened. Stephen says it was the hardest and longest week of his life. We’re full of economic uncertainty, worries for our jobs, our duplex, our health. But I already feel like this week has gotten off to a better start. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Everything has been cancelled (sporting events like the NBA, NCAA tournaments, the Olympics, etc.; musicals; concerts, etc.), including Church. Last week, Governor Herbert shut down all restaurant dining rooms. Many places are now only open for take-out, curbside delivery, or drive-thru dining. And we have been asked to practice social distancing. We’re advised to stay home unless it’s essential that we go out (like to go to work or to buy food). If we have to be around other people, we’re supposed to keep six feet of space between us, and we’re supposed to limit groups to no more than 10 people. Those who are 60 years of age or who have pre-existing health conditions are considered high risk for COVID-19, so these guidelines are especially important for them. It’s infuriating how many people aren’t taking these guidelines seriously.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie y Mami at Costco on Friday, February 28. We were at Costco stocking up on essentials. We didn't know how bad things would get but had a feeling it would be smart to buy a few things we knew we'd need. At this point, water and toilet paper were already out of stock... (I actually went shopping for my mom two days later at a Costco 45 min. north and found empty shelves where sandwich bread and toilet paper should have been.)</td></tr>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Stephen thinks I’m a little paranoid, and he might be right. We’re still encouraged to get outside for things like walks around the neighborhood, as long as we keep 6 feet of space between ourselves and other people. I am not afraid to go off trail (we typically take our walks along the Jordan River Trail behind our house) when someone passes us and is not six feet away. I’d rather be paranoid and healthy than careless and sick/dying. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">As far as work, since the earthquake (the district office has not been earthquake retrofitted), we are mostly all working from home, but we still have some employees out at schools. We are still providing breakfast and lunch to students + emergency food boxes for families (working with the Utah Food Bank, SLC Mayor, and Church of Jesus Christ on this). And in addition to food +all the work that teachers did in the buildings last week, we've been checking out laptops the last few weekdays to students who don't have computers at home. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">With regard to the earthquake, I’m not gonna lie: it was a little nerve-wracking, especially since I vividly remember the earthquake my family survived in California in 1994. (That's actually the reason we moved to Utah.)</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Stephen was already awake and working downstairs. I had nursed Charlie in our bed about a half hour before the earthquake (it hit at 7:09am), so he was asleep, and I was up answering emails on my phone. I grabbed him and ran to a doorway (which you're apparently not supposed to do anymore. Oops.). Grabbing my baby mid-earthquake made me think of my mom and how she grabbed Jason upside-down in 1994 and then also made sure we two little girls were safe. That must have been so stressful!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">As soon as the earthquake stopped (it lasted about 20 seconds), I went downstairs to find Stephen. Then, I called my family. And in the middle of family calls, I started getting work calls and texts. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">We already had staff and families at schools that morning for breakfast, prepping for laptop check-out, emergency food boxes, etc. We had to get word out to principals to get everyone out of the buildings. The superintendent cancelled all food programs, laptop check-out, etc, until we could check the buildings for damage, so we had to let families and employees know ASAP. It was crazy!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And then an hour later, I had to report to work for a leadership meeting. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">That was the hardest part -- having to leave my family right after an earthquake. I was late to the meeting, but I was NOT going to leave without at least nursing my baby first. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The after-shocks throughout the day were also anxiety-inducing. But we're trying to be prepared and stay hopeful. It's really hard not to feel super anxious all the time though. We’ve felt after-shocks every day. I think I read in the news today that as of this afternoon, we have experienced 280 after-shocks.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">The day of the earthquake, I kept thinking that all the TP and water bottle hoarders and how maybe they had the right idea all along. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui";">😂</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">(We have a bidet in our master bathroom, and we had recently bought TP at Costco, so we haven't bought any more toilet paper during the pandemic. And we figure we have water in the tap, so we have two cases of water bottles but haven't been hoarding that either.)</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">That day, we filled up our bathtub with water (just in case), and Stephen loaded our 72-hour emergency food, snacks, a case of water bottles, and Charlie’s bags into the back of the Prius. Our emergency kits are in desperate need of being updated. I was going through them last night, and oh, boy. We had soup cans in there that expired in 2015.... Whoops! That’s one of my goals for the week — make sure our 72-hour kit is updated and ready to go with useful items for all THREE of us. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">On a brighter note, it has been really nice to slow down our pace of life and to spend so much more time together, especially with Charlie while he’s still so little! What a privilege to be his mother and to get to spend this time with him! He learned to crawl the week before we started our “quarantine,” and he is just constantly on the move! It’s made it a little more challenging for working from home, but we are so proud of all his progress! On Saturday, he stood in his crib for the first time, so we lowered his mattress. Today, he stood in the crib again for the first time since the mattress was lowered. He is such a happy, sweet guy, and we feel so lucky to be his parents.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I also live for sunshine walks with my boys every day. I’m glad we’ve had sunshine most days so far, because the sunshine lifts everyone’s spirits.</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I don’t know what our immediate future holds, but I’m trying to cherish this time at home, to not look at the news/social media so much (there’s nothing in good in the news right now, and that increases my anxiety), and to find gratitude where I can. So today, I’m grateful for home church, for Stephen who is able to bless and administer the sacrament for our family on Sundays, for the ability to work from home, for my job, for my family, and for our health.</span></div>
Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-45940820466732866582019-05-14T01:17:00.001-06:002019-05-14T12:09:11.584-06:00My First Mother’s Day<div class="p1" style="color: #454545; font-family: ".sf ui text"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Yesterday was my first Mother’s Day, and it was such a lovely day! </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">I woke up first, but once he was up, my Smoop brought me two dozen beautiful roses and breakfast (oatmeal + fresh strawberries, at my request!). He also got me an amazing gift, in the form of a PRENATAL MASSAGE, which I can’t wait to use!!</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">At Church, we listened to wonderful talks and to the Primary kids’ sweet musical numbers, and then Stephen and I taught our Primary class. I spent a lot of my time at church thinking about how like the Savior’s love the love of a mother is. Both have literally bled for us, to give us life, and to help us progress in God’s great plan. And even though my Chatbaby won’t be here until next month (in theory </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: ".applecoloremojiui";">😂</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">), I feel so much love for him already and am willing to go through whatever it takes to get him here safely. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">After Church, we spent time with our own moms. We visited mine first and enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner and time with family. My sister took a few photos for us while we were over. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">And I was so touched that my three siblings who aren’t on missions all wished me a happy Mother’s Day, and two of them even bought me presents! I was truly touched. </span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">Then, we went to the Chatwin Mother’s Day festivities, where we had a delicious second dinner and got to spend time with our Chatwin family members. </span><br />
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<span class="s1" style="font-family: ".sfuitext";">We ended the night at home, getting ready for the week together. Stephen finished putting together our nursery double rocker, and we sat in it together for the first time. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to become a mother and especially to get to do it with my Stephen. He is already the BEST dad, and Chatbaby and I are so lucky to have him!</span></div>
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Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-38884939331401792472018-12-17T15:38:00.000-07:002018-12-17T15:38:05.607-07:00Sick Weekend + 12 Week Pregnancy Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a rough weekend in the Chatwinners household, with <i>both </i>of us coming down with the flu. But even though it wasn't ideal, if you're going to be home vomiting and with a fever, why not do it with your spouse/bestie, amiright? 😂 Snuggling, soup, Netflix, breaking in our new couch and watching <i>Elf </i> by the light of our Christmas tree (which we finally decorated this week): what more could you want from a sick weekend?<br />
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At first, I thought I was just having more awful pregnancy symptoms. I haven't had any pregnancy-related vomiting, but I have been constantly nauseated (and I mean CONSTANTLY. I keep snacks in my nightstand for my two nightly trips to the bathroom. If I'm awake, I'm probably nauseated, so I have to eat something before going back to sleep.) for most of this first trimester. My nausea has gotten so bad, I am now taking two different prescriptions to fight it and am also taking another medicine for indigestion. So fun!<br />
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Anyway, I just assumed my symptoms were pregnancy-related. But then at 5am on Friday morning, Stephen threw up. A lot. (TMI. Sorry.) And then <i>I </i>threw up. That's when I realized it might be more than just pregnancy symptoms... We had also both had fevers since Thursday, which should've probably been my first clue that we were sick.<br />
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But, like, I said, we made the best of it and took care of each other as best as we could. We are feeling MUCH better and are both back at work today. We even felt well enough to go out for a Sunday walk yesterday. (Speaking of Sunday, we were supposed to both speak at church yesterday. We had to cancel, and I still feel so badly about it. But I'm sure they'll reschedule us at some point, right?<br />
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Amid all the craziness, we celebrated hitting our 12-week pregnancy milestone. YAY! My pregnancy symptoms haven't eased up yet, but I know the risk of miscarriage is now significantly decreased. We will get to see our little Chatbaby again this week at our next appointment, and we are just so excited to be this far! I had started writing down my pregnancy symptoms into my journal after we first found out we were expecting, buuuut I actually haven't even unpacked it yet (I think it's in a box in one of the other bedrooms?), so I've been doing a poor job of documenting my pregnancy. I figured I'd write out a quick recap here, but I'll try to actually write things down henceforth.<br />
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SYMPTOMS & MILESTONES SO FAR:<br />
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<li>Leg pain. This was SO WEIRD and one of the first issues I had! I had such severe leg pain, it felt like I had bruises ALL over. It started out with my thighs when I was 4 weeks pregnant, but by the end of that week, it had spread from knee to butt, where it was incredibly painful to even pull my tights on in the morning before work. It got better on its own, but I still have tender thighs.</li>
<li>Tender (and larger) breasts. So fun... I had to buy new sports bras at about 6 weeks...</li>
<li>General bloating. Me at six weeks: am I showing yet? Nope. Just bloated.</li>
<li>Nausea. ALL. the. time. I eat every few hours to keep it at bay and have tried just about every remedy you can think of except Seabands and acupuncture. But to no avail. Hence the prescriptions now. I tried Unisom + Vitamin B6 for a couple of weeks, but it's still been really bad. A few times, it's been so bad that even making turns while driving makes me feel super sick.</li>
<li>Peeing twice a night. or more. Ha!</li>
<li>EXHAUSTION! This was the first symptom. Before I had even taken a pregnancy test, I felt constantly EXHAUSTED. I assumed it was because we were working so hard on our house, which I'm sure made it worse, but nope. I'm just constantly exhausted and have had to shut my office door to put my head down a time or two.</li>
<li>Migraine. This one was just this weekend. I've only had one migraine EVER, and it was 3.5 years ago. It took me two days to figure out that's what this was this time around.</li>
<li>Indigestion. TMI again. Ha. Taking a prescription for it now, so hopefully that helps!</li>
<li>Constipation. TMI, TMI, TMI.</li>
<li>Lower back pain. Actually, pain everywhere. We bought a new bed that we LOVE right when we moved in to our new house. It's a firm mattress, and it is killing me right now! I had to go out and buy a twin-sized memory foam topper for my half of the bed this week... My SIL gave me the idea. Everything hurts all the time. It's made it super hard to try to exercise. The other night, I got nauseated just from walking on the treadmill for 30 min. My foam roller and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ERUSV2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">yellow peanut</a> are also helping a lot!</li>
<li>Feeling more easily emotional. It's even more fun when your husband laughs at you for crying at a Facebook video.</li>
<li>Food aversions: vegetables. I normally LOVE produce! But this kid has his/her daddy's appetite. Lol. More evidence: I've had soda and pizza cravings, which are two of Stephen's main food groups.</li>
<li>Food cravings: orange juice, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lipton-Soup-Secrets-Noodle-Extra/dp/B000EM8UJC/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1545086121&sr=1-4&keywords=lipton%2Bnoodle%2Bsoup&th=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lipton chicken noodle soup</a>, Pho, carbs, carbs, carbs. CARBS are my life right now!</li>
<li>Another fun milestone from December 6 (11 weeks): I officially can't button up my button-ups over my belly! I really thought the bust would be the first thing to go, but nope! It's the belly.</li>
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I'll leave the list at that. Pregnancy is SO weird, but it is also so exciting to be growing a little Chatbaby. 28 weeks to go!</div>
Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-54333890922031889552018-12-03T13:03:00.000-07:002018-12-03T13:03:25.606-07:00My Birthday + Disneyland + Chatbaby <div style="text-align: center;">
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We got back last night from four days in southern California, because Disneyland! Actually, because Stephen won a trip to Disneyland on the radio. AGAIN. I seem to have failed to blog about the trip he won last year, but we took my two youngest brothers last year and had a great time.</div>
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The timing of the trip ended up being the same as last year, where we went during my birthday week, but this time, my mom and youngest brother came, as well as Stephen's parents, one of his brothers, and his sister and her cute family.<br />
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It was a fun but tiring four days, because, well, Disneyland, but also a little extra tiring because... I'm pregnant! We are SO thrilled to be welcoming our little Chatbaby to the world and into our family next June.<br />
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Of course, we had to take advantage of being at Disneyland on MY birthday to share our good news on social media.<br />
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I know. It's a little cheesy, but I couldn't help it. :) We flew to California on my birthday, which meant we only had about four or five hours in the park on the first day, but I was so tired by the end, it was actually just the right amount.<br />
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A few more Disney photos from the weekend:<br />
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<br />Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-59695267028063204312018-09-25T15:47:00.000-06:002018-09-25T16:06:27.501-06:00Dining Room PlansWe're still in the thick of painting and nowhere near actually getting furniture in here, buuuuuut I wanted to put together a little round up of what I'm hoping to do in the dining room! (Patience never was my strength.)<br />
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As a refresher, here is the "Before" shot of our dining room. (This is the photo from the real estate listing.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-weEX13oOdkcdEkANrkWQYFK6NCjCn5543cDtpDNlh4EKZCwzyaGvFiV9ipUd1HOIqhTQW7lM9Tm-bd-gHgFxJ0TitDGoMU1GMcY74kzfNICzyGRVOriJ9TYWpYPEn4kt3VjmOMV_7o/s1600/dining+room+listing+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-weEX13oOdkcdEkANrkWQYFK6NCjCn5543cDtpDNlh4EKZCwzyaGvFiV9ipUd1HOIqhTQW7lM9Tm-bd-gHgFxJ0TitDGoMU1GMcY74kzfNICzyGRVOriJ9TYWpYPEn4kt3VjmOMV_7o/s640/dining+room+listing+photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And below is a roundup of my plans for this lovely room. The chandelier is definitely staying (<a href="https://www.wayfair.com/lighting/pdp/willa-arlo-interiors-diogo-6-light-chandelier-wlao1971.html?piid=22858735%2C22858737" target="_blank">link to a similar chandelier</a>), and I've purchased the following:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdit9OBojQEw31RyGZrFGbYXGdknhg9IPRSndaGgzjk9ME9Ro_xtQ_AHZ-btPq_Jb_1ffja5tPNhmJ-Y_uKkouTdax3ZbIPJs7Z2LeXGIPuWg7iJfxkmmDgsd1pWfYhhzgQk8BCQgw3tM/s1600/dining+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="665" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdit9OBojQEw31RyGZrFGbYXGdknhg9IPRSndaGgzjk9ME9Ro_xtQ_AHZ-btPq_Jb_1ffja5tPNhmJ-Y_uKkouTdax3ZbIPJs7Z2LeXGIPuWg7iJfxkmmDgsd1pWfYhhzgQk8BCQgw3tM/s1600/dining+room.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-MARQUEE-8-oz-S450-6-Tornado-Season-One-Coat-Hide-Interior-Exterior-Semi-Gloss-Enamel-Paint-Sample-MQ33316/206929099" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wall paint color</a> (Tornado Season by Behr) | <a href="https://www.westelm.com/products/parker-expandable-dining-table-g830/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mid-century expandable dining table</a> (West Elm) | <a href="https://www.target.com/p/copley-upholstered-dining-chair-project-62-153/-/A-52962328" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Copley upholstered dining chairs</a> (Target) | <a href="https://www.westelm.com/products/classic-cafe-dining-chair-walnut-h2099/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Classic cafe walnut dining chairs</a> (West Elm) | <a href="https://www.target.com/p/area-rug-aragon-indigo-7-x10-threshold-153/-/A-50398597?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Home+Decor+Shopping_Brand&adgroup=SC_Home+Decor&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=s&device=c&location=1014226&gclid=CjwKCAjw0JfdBRACEiwAiDTALgsyEtWaOgxBPWjXxjfOpX6kM758uvG0suVh4fPYNsAitseoPn-jxhoCNrUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Aragon indoor/outdoor area rug</a> (Target) </div>
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A few notes on my design choices:</div>
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<ul>
<li><u><b>Paint:</b></u> I wanted the dining room to be my "statement" room on the main level. Most of the house will be painted a light grey, but "Tornado season" will pack a punch in our dining room. We get a lot of great natural light in this room from those lovely windows, so hopefully it won't feel <i>too </i>dark. We've painted the trims white using <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-1-gal-White-Alkyd-Semi-Gloss-Enamel-Interior-Exterior-Paint-390001/203457549" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this Behr enamel</a>. </li>
<li><b><u>Dining table</u></b>: I wanted a dining table that was simple but attractive. And something not so trendy that it'll be outdated by next winter. AND I wanted to have a table that was expandable and could seat 10-12 when fully expanded. I'm thinking ahead here for holidays, family dinners, etc. (A few more thoughts on the table below.) I ordered the table over Labor Day weekend, but we won't get it until mid-October.</li>
<li><u style="font-weight: bold;">Dining chairs</u>: To be honest, my ideal chairs would've been upholstered, but we plan to have kids someday and want to make sure our home design choices are family-friendly from the get-go. So we went with eight of these cafe walnut chairs along the sides and the two grey upholstered chairs for the ends of the table. Since we won't have the table for a few more weeks, it'll be a little while before I know if this will all work together, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!</li>
<li><u><b>Rug</b></u>: I chose an indoor/outdoor rug for the same reason I chose non-upholstered chairs: practicality for use with future babies. Outdoor rugs are (theoretically) much easier to clean. I also like the color and pattern the rug brings in to the room without being TOO busy.</li>
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*A note about the table:<br />
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After I ordered the table, I felt like I was seeing it everywhere, and I worried I had chosen a table that was already TOO trendy! Exhibits A and B:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsyqjP5PoUt2Hw8X1V4qnEKvwR0LYnNZpxN_-WvQSdhsMD1I2m_LWJq_0q-yzk3iJUKPFDvH14QOPLXSo2NJZQc5-BibYcGKMkYuSZRZjNJ0eSY68I9TP1ofiFYAPRiDWxlXB4IK8omg/s1600/dining+table+home+tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="564" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsyqjP5PoUt2Hw8X1V4qnEKvwR0LYnNZpxN_-WvQSdhsMD1I2m_LWJq_0q-yzk3iJUKPFDvH14QOPLXSo2NJZQc5-BibYcGKMkYuSZRZjNJ0eSY68I9TP1ofiFYAPRiDWxlXB4IK8omg/s640/dining+table+home+tour.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From actors Bitsie Tulloch and David Giuntoli's home tour on <a href="https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/bitsie-tulloch-and-david-giuntoli-hollywood-hills-home-260956" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apartment Therapy</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEqXnXlpY1aSHH6zENBVQgZ0Z-Nsqa8F0f9RD_LdaJXxJlfcf-qYn_lhpxxK79cta385pJx1T9RbZlBpJTnhQtR5oNuKvPKq0LhngqXdVjH9yH95qV_lyjeDy_v_E55y7X41F_2GsE94/s640/latonya+yvette%2527s+dining+table.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From LaTonya Yvette's home tour on <a href="https://cupofjo.com/2018/09/latonya-yvette-house-tour/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cup of Jo</a></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">But then I decided that perhaps this was evidence in <i>support </i>of my table choice! I love how both families have made the table their own and have created completely different looks/feels, just by having different dining chairs. So in ten years, when I'm craving a dining room refresh, I can switch out the chairs, and it'll be a whole new dining room!</span><br />
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Just for fun, here is how Emily Henderson used the same rug I chose for our dining room in a living room makeover:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHchrrEzNfSpCjrwH7sS_o8ZUSzjouNsIjOjgbVZPDafLzcFi6fAnKpA88O79SQhv4yRyW6Gg2aCVgqgFiAdYQBe7zOb3RtulRD0KlJgwmXuRAYaL0oJoGqAnX7y1ZzQu8QnoIfoRbgE/s1600/emily+henderson+aragon+rug.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1592" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHchrrEzNfSpCjrwH7sS_o8ZUSzjouNsIjOjgbVZPDafLzcFi6fAnKpA88O79SQhv4yRyW6Gg2aCVgqgFiAdYQBe7zOb3RtulRD0KlJgwmXuRAYaL0oJoGqAnX7y1ZzQu8QnoIfoRbgE/s640/emily+henderson+aragon+rug.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image is from <a href="https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/sylvias-surprise-makeover-living-room" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this living room makeover</a></td></tr>
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Now, we just need to:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Paint (ha.)</li>
<li>Find window treatments (I'm leaning towards sheer white curtains to preserve the natural light, but I'm open to other suggestions!)</li>
<li>Figure out a china hutch situation (I'd love to have a built-in buffet/hutch someday (something like <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/162551867785382986/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this</a> or <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/162551867785383543/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this</a>), but in the meantime, I might make over a hutch we already own.)</li>
<li>Decide what else will go on the walls.</li>
<li>Count down the days until West Elm calls to tell me my dining table has arrived.</li>
<li>The chandelier is attached to the ceiling within its own little recessed space (I don't have a good photo to show this right now.). If we're feeling ambitious, we've considered using <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/162551867785701420/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this tutorial </a>to do a little ceiling stenciling in that space. Maybe something art deco-inspired, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AR4STEpLOgtM-phqUbIa5IPTc0l7x9nQNEWtlBVzFKny4n9z9EnAYPQ/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">like this</a>?</li>
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If you happen to have any brilliant suggestions or tips, I definitely welcome them in the comments! </div>
Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-11389785744762583022018-09-19T14:57:00.000-06:002018-09-25T15:57:27.945-06:00Billy Idol Birthday ConcertStephen's birthday isn't until the end of the month, but we started celebrating early at the Billy Idol concert on Monday at the Red Butte Garden amphitheater. It was our first time seeing a concert at this awesome venue (we've only been here for outdoor movies before), and we hope it won't be our last!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIcENmbzPNhmMGyci6vxyq_sTSw3M4a2XvkNr9Dw2WYvTeUNWqY74MBfKzp3dfcHmV0aEjtN4e62_Dv_vAEqzuitL6LCSG7XHBANHmGHZoWVAnvPSuI6BhnO2jZJNHFUXTqOBs0dbLG4/s1600/IMG_1621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="495" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXIcENmbzPNhmMGyci6vxyq_sTSw3M4a2XvkNr9Dw2WYvTeUNWqY74MBfKzp3dfcHmV0aEjtN4e62_Dv_vAEqzuitL6LCSG7XHBANHmGHZoWVAnvPSuI6BhnO2jZJNHFUXTqOBs0dbLG4/s640/IMG_1621.jpg" width="665" /></a></div>
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We made a mandatory pit stop at Thirst Drinks at the Heritage Center (the dining hall in the U of U residence halls, just below Red Butte) right before the concert, because A- Stephen loves Mountain Dew, B- He also loves winning prizes, and he won a gift card from Thirst in an Instagram contest.</div>
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We learned that for Red Butte concerts, people line up starting at 10am! We arrived about an hour before the door opened, and rather than waiting in line, we got ourselves a soda treat. :) We were still able to get pretty decent seats, since it was just two of us squeezing in. Lesson learned: don't arrive insanely early, unless you have a large group to find seats for. Instead, get a treat, and arrive right at 6pm when the doors open. Then, act fast to snag some lawn space! (Our tickets were general admission, so it was every man for himself on the lawn.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1aNAPSna4Rrt5_ikVBeGsb3iedfwowqtt7PG4g5lTL5J6cz0prtcTdf4Ha9UAyjhTxnVnzoZgIRSV6wlWwhLqJk4y9QgW3jNEZE6azTQ0-kET9FPZzYMNdLG4-OZVhII7RURS2u_OX8M/s1600/billy+shirt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="665" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1aNAPSna4Rrt5_ikVBeGsb3iedfwowqtt7PG4g5lTL5J6cz0prtcTdf4Ha9UAyjhTxnVnzoZgIRSV6wlWwhLqJk4y9QgW3jNEZE6azTQ0-kET9FPZzYMNdLG4-OZVhII7RURS2u_OX8M/s1600/billy+shirt.png" /></a><br />
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It's been an unusually warm summer, but it got cool enough on this night that we needed some light jackets. It was wonderful! Fall is my favorite season, and I am excited for temperatures to cool down.</div>
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Of note: three songs in, Billy had taken his shirt off. He later threw it out into the crowd. There were several costume changes. It was all very interesting. Also, there were a lot of F words. I kept trying to make a video while he was talking but kept having to start over because I didn't want F words in my video. In the end, I got this photo and some video for <a href="https://instagram.com/yandary/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram stories</a> (on my Highlights, under Concerts, after all my Taylor Swift posts!):<br />
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Can't wait to keep the birthday celebrations going this month! </div>
<br />Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-67672203320195415432018-09-04T16:55:00.002-06:002018-09-04T16:55:37.527-06:00We have a house!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKpo1nSuqrwtZhiMuKTLGOlHV_jMNSdF2R2zG0EQ5YKDjGXNZY7jP55WliBa_9i39u7M7eZeSi64FM-Uuq9hvB-TC39gaF-R0IlFAwap0El5ZaPhejZXxO_UTBUBbI8r_jwNx_n55ZUk/s1600/we+bought+a+home%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKpo1nSuqrwtZhiMuKTLGOlHV_jMNSdF2R2zG0EQ5YKDjGXNZY7jP55WliBa_9i39u7M7eZeSi64FM-Uuq9hvB-TC39gaF-R0IlFAwap0El5ZaPhejZXxO_UTBUBbI8r_jwNx_n55ZUk/s640/we+bought+a+home%2521.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It finally happened: we bought our first home! (Well, technically, second for Stephen. ;) He bought our duplex before we got married, but this is MY first time buying.) We are so thrilled to have bought this home and are excited to get to work on it.<br />
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We actually closed two weeks ago and have already put a fair amount of work into it. (Let's just say we grossly underestimated how much prep work we'd have to do before we can even PAINT.) It's hard work, but we feel so grateful and so blessed to get to work to turn this house into our family's home. It's definitely much bigger than we need for just the two of us right now, but in buying this house, we've shared a part of ourselves with the world. At least it feels that way, since we bought this house with the dream of filling it with family, with friends, and of course, our own children someday. I hope for our home to be a gathering place, and for all who come in to feel welcome and loved.<br />
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I'll be sharing more updates about our home renovation process (and soliciting opinions on paint colors and home decor choices!) here on this blog and on my <a href="https://instagram.com/yandary/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. And if you want a behind-the-scenes look at the "Before" of our home, check out the highlight on my Instagram Stories! (And if you're one of our friends in the SLC area and really love painting and renovating, come on over!)Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-21202924251665535232018-08-31T13:53:00.002-06:002018-09-04T16:56:03.500-06:00Wedding Website Info (Getting to know The Chatwinners!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFys8xBDGxhPA_J4edREW3ATUXvQD7gnst8t5Vutjjr2EZyJ3Mb5kjAkIF2wcSVUVP7UqqoUbS0zrchyphenhyphenelocaIOS6G0983FY0qW5kBOQOkC2zfZ9ySG6L_ev2wRd-CBib1JsrquCOd8w8/s1600/stephen%252By%25C3%25A1ndary-87.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFys8xBDGxhPA_J4edREW3ATUXvQD7gnst8t5Vutjjr2EZyJ3Mb5kjAkIF2wcSVUVP7UqqoUbS0zrchyphenhyphenelocaIOS6G0983FY0qW5kBOQOkC2zfZ9ySG6L_ev2wRd-CBib1JsrquCOd8w8/s640/stephen%252By%25C3%25A1ndary-87.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Stephen and I made a wedding website before our wedding last year. It's still live on <a href="https://www.theknot.com/us/stephen-chatwin-and-yandary-zavala-jul-2017" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Knot</a>, but I don't know how long it'll live online. I wanted to preserve some of that info, juuuust in case it ever disappears, and I figured it would be a fun way for my RWL peeps to get to know The Chatwinners a little better. :)<br />
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Our Story</div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.8px;">Once upon a time, in the year 1984, two little babies were born. Stephen came first, and Yándary followed 60 days later. 31 years later, it would take an iPhone, a Kindle, and a dating app called Bumble to bring them together.</span></div>
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As Stephen and Yándary got to know each other, they realized they had a lot in common and had actually had similar life experiences! Both of them majored in Political Science at the University of Utah. Both of them joined LDS sororities/fraternities in the fall of 2003. Both of them had spent time living in Yándary's favorite city, Washington, DC. It's a wonder their paths hadn't crossed sooner than the spring of 2016! In addition to their shared life experiences, Yándary and Stephen also share a love of thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers (even though Yándary is now lactose intolerant… sniff), all things Harry Potter, scoring good deals, winning online giveaways, and, of course, <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">each other.</em></div>
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<span style="color: #ac9f68;">About Us</span></div>
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<u style="box-sizing: border-box;">STEPHEN</u></div>
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Stephen was born and raised in Salt Lake City. He served an LDS mission to Lansing, Michigan and then earned a B.A. in Political Science, a B.S. in International studies, and a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Utah. (He's an over-achiever.) While he was an undergraduate at the U, Stephen was a collegiate squash player and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He currently works doing data management for the Neurosciences Department at Intermountain Hospital in Murray (aka he is really smart and is good with numbers and Excel). In his spare time, he enjoys sunning himself, playing squash (he actually played in a squash tournament the night he proposed to Yándary!), rock climbing, thrifting, and trying to teach Yándary how to sit still. His favorite snacks include Cheetos, Mountain Dew, and frozen pizza. ;)</div>
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<u style="box-sizing: border-box;">YÁNDARY</u></div>
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Yándary was born in El Salvador and raised mostly in Riverdale, Utah. She served an LDS mission to Oakland, California, where she got really good at walking backwards (she served at the Visitors' Center ;) ). She <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">also </em><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span>earned a B.S. in Political Science at the University of Utah (she and Stephen overlapped a bit in their college years but never crossed paths!), and she went to graduate school in DC at The George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. She lived in DC for five years before moving back to Utah two years ago to work for the Utah Democratic Party. She now works doing Communications and Community Relations for the Salt Lake City School District. In her spare time, she enjoys thrifting, baking chocolate-chip cookies, running, eating delicious things,and going on walks with Stephen. :)</div>
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Fun Facts</div>
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We filled out a questionnaire for a bridal shower game and thought we'd share our answers to help you get to know us a little better!</div>
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<u style="box-sizing: border-box;">Yá<span data-redactor-tag="span" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span>ndary's Answers</u></div>
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1. What was your first job?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Baby-sitting (age 12) and Chick-fil-A (high school)</strong></div>
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2. How many siblings do you have?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: I'm the oldest of five kids. I have one sister and three brothers.</strong></div>
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3. What's your favorite holiday?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: My birthday!</strong></div>
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4. How many languages do you speak? What are they?<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: 2.25: English, Spanish, and a little German (German was one of my college minors <b data-redactor-tag="b" style="box-sizing: border-box;">–</b> the other one was Campaign Management <b style="box-sizing: border-box;">–</b> but I haven't used it since my study abroad in 2004!)</strong></div>
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5. What musical instrument(s) do you play?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Violin</strong></div>
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6. What is Stephen's best character trait?<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"></strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: He is so patient! Whether I'm running late (yet again), can't decide what I want for dinner, or am having an off day, he is so patient and loving and kind. (Also, he smells good!)</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"></strong>7. What is your favorite food and/or meal?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Pupusas!</strong></div>
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8. What are your top three movies of all time, preferably in order?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: <em data-redactor-tag="em" style="box-sizing: border-box;">How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Legally Blonde</em></strong></div>
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9. What is your "guilty pleasure" TV show to watch?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Right now? <em data-redactor-tag="em" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The O.C. </em></strong><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"></strong><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">with Stephen.</strong></div>
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10. What is the best book you read in the last 1-2 years?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: <em data-redactor-tag="em" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Happiness Project </em>by Gretchen Rubin and </strong><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b data-redactor-tag="b" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up </b></em><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">by Marie Kondo.</strong></div>
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11. How long do spend getting ready in the morning?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: At least an hour; maybe more!</strong></div>
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12. If you had unlimited funds and could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Everywhere! But Thailand and Europe first.</strong></div>
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13. What is your favorite <span class="aBn" style="box-sizing: border-box;">midnight</span> snack, if/when you get the munchies?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Frozen balls of chocolate-chip cookie dough, which are always in stock in my freezer. :)</strong></div>
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<u style="box-sizing: border-box;">Stephen's Answers</u></div>
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1. What was your first job?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Paper boy</strong></div>
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2. How many siblings do you have?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Five (one sister, four brothers). I'm the youngest of six kids.</strong></div>
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3. What's your favorite holiday?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Memorial Day, because I get a day off and don't have to do anything.</strong></div>
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4. How many languages do you speak? What are they?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: 1: LOVE (English)</strong></div>
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5. What musical instrument(s) do you play?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: None</strong></div>
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6. What is Yá<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span>ndary best character trait?</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Her niceness.</strong></div>
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7. What is your favorite food and/or meal?</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Pupusas</strong></div>
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8. What are your top 3 movies of all time, preferably in order?</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: </strong><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"></strong><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Willow, Thoroughly Modern Millie, What's Up, Doc?</em><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></div>
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9. What is your "guilty pleasure" TV show to watch?</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: <em data-redactor-tag="em" style="box-sizing: border-box;">The O.C.</em></strong></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
10. What is the best book you read in the last 1-2 years?</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: <em data-redactor-tag="em" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Harry Potter and the Cursed Child</em></strong></div>
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11. How long do spend getting ready in the morning?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: 10 minutes</strong></div>
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12. If you had unlimited funds and could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Thailand</strong></div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
13. What is your favorite <span class="aBn" style="box-sizing: border-box;">midnight</span> snack, if/when you get the munchies?</div>
<div style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1em; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">A: Cheetos</strong></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-60330885471903104312018-07-23T23:42:00.000-06:002018-09-04T16:37:39.210-06:00Under Contract!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42887286314/in/dateposted/" title="House!"><img alt="House!" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/919/42887286314_9fa847bb21_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Just in time to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, we went under contract on our first house!!<br />
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The real estate market in the Salt Lake area is insane right now, with home prices, interest rates, and demand for homes on the rise, with no sign of letting up soon. Even though the market isn't favorable to sellers right now, we felt like we needed to be looking. We were in no rush, since we are just fine in our duplex, and we have a spare bedroom, which means we could even live here with a kid or two down the road. We set a deadline of July 21st (our one-year anniversary) and decided that if we didn't find a house by then, we'd take a break from house hunting for a while.<br />
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Well, we submitted an offer on Friday, we received a counter-offer on Saturday (our anniversary!), and we went under contract on Sunday. It all happened so fast! It's still not a done deal, of course, and we won't necessarily get the house, but we are excited to even be in the game, and I wanted to make sure I documented it. <br />
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Today, we scheduled a home inspection and found a title company we want to work with. Keep your fingers crossed for us during the next 30 days! 💓Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-30862783916250986122018-06-19T11:29:00.000-06:002018-06-19T11:29:02.494-06:00Visiting the Parkers<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42854510732/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1425"><img alt="IMG_1425" height="886" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1770/42854510732_bf243343e5_b.jpg" width="665" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quill, the goat, feeling very excited about things.</td></tr>
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Last night, we went on a walk to the library. Both of us were exhausted from a long (but good!) weekend and not enough sleep the night before. After a long day at work (and at the mechanic's and working from a coffee shop all day for me), we got home to tackle the housework we didn't get to over the weekend. (Looking at houses + baking all day for the Girls' Camp fundraiser + Father's Day with all the dads = not enough time for chores at home.) Stephen was AMAZING and fixed our bathroom sink. I washed ALL the baking dishes and made dinner, and just as we were getting ready to settle down, we realized our microwave was broken. After poor Stephen's frustration with the sink (did I mention how AWESOME he is for figuring it out??), we were ready for a break and decided to go on a walk to our local library instead of staying home. Fresh air and a change of pace is good for our grumpy souls, it turns out.</div>
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I checked out two new books (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Italy-2018/dp/163121666X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529420638&sr=1-1&keywords=rick+steves+italy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a> to help us plan our one-year anniversary trip later this year, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Text-When-You-Get-Home/dp/1101986123/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529420585&sr=8-1&keywords=text+me+when+you+get+home+book" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this one</a>, just for fun). I'm super excited for both! AND I've felt a renewed appreciation lately for my local library. I have so many books I want to read this summer, and it's nice that I can do it for free through our county library. Thanks, <a href="https://classroom.synonym.com/did-benjamin-franklin-open-first-public-library-11828.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ben</a>, for the books!<br />
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On our walk home, we passed by our friends, the Parkers. We go to church with them, and they live really close to us. They also have a lot of land, where they have.... chickens! horses! cats! a bunny! and BABY GOATS!! I heard bleating as we walked past their fence, and lo and behold, baby goats were approaching us through the gate!<br />
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We had to stop and play with them, of course.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42854511302/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_1430"><img alt="Kids love Stephen" height="478" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1790/42854511302_f3d5213a11_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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The Parkers were finishing dinner, so hung out with the kids (Get it? Ha.) on our own for a while. The goats' names are Quill, Gamora, and Rocket. :) The grumps melted away almost instantly once we were playing with these little guys. :)<br />
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A few minutes later, the Parkers came out, and we met everyone else! (Except the second cat, which is fine by me, on account of I recently found out from one of those poke-you-in-the-back allergy tests that I am a 5/5 allergic to cats, 5 being the highest possible. But good news: I am NOT allergic to horses.)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42854511852/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_1439"><img alt="Parker chickens" height="478" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1826/42854511852_1270c2b29b_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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It turns out that playing with animals is <i>also </i>therapeutic for our grumpy souls. I even got to RIDE A HORSE FOR THE FIRST TIME, and it was really fun!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42002472535/in/dateposted/" title="Parker horses"><img alt="Parker horses" height="665" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1823/42002472535_99f0212ee7_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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I'm grateful that we went on a walk last night, that it is *basically* summertime and stays light out much later, that we have such nice neighbors/church friends, and that they let us play with their animals (and also sent us home with a dozen fresh eggs + freshly picked cherries).<br />
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The moral of the story is: when the grumps have you down, go outside and/or visit some friendly animals!Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-24631852685434362402018-05-31T21:20:00.002-06:002018-05-31T21:24:00.294-06:00Whale Watching + Lahaina Banyan Tree (and some food, of course!)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42245243992/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_9559"><img alt="So excited for whale watching!" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/946/42245243992_73759b0697_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script> </div>
<br />One of the first things we did in Maui was to take a whale watching cruise. We were told peak whaling season ends in February, but the <a href="https://www.pacificwhale.org/cruises/maui-whalewatch/whalewatch-discount/" rel="nofollow" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">Pacific Whale Foundation</a><span style="text-align: start;"> (through whom we bought our cruise) also guaranteed us a whale sighting or we'd get to take another whale watching cruise for free within a year, so we figured why not book it?</span><br />
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And boy, were we glad we did! (Travel tip: you can book your whale watching cruise in advance. You can cancel without penalty up to 48 hours before your cruise, so it's a good move to book as soon as possible. As your trip date gets closer, you can check the weather to make sure you'll have good weather on your cruise. While I'm on a travel tip, I learned that they only offer sunrise cruises during peak season, which is why we took our cruise in the afternoon. Word on the street is that a sunrise whale cruise is an awesome experience. Oh, also, we booked our cruise leaving from Lahaina. If you do this, remember to leave plenty of time to find parking, most of which is in paid lots!)<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41390469955/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_9383"><img alt="Whalewatching in Maui" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/898/41390469955_08fe10e75f_c.jpg" width="665" /></a></span></div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41390474085/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_8921"><img alt="So excited to see whales!" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/889/41390474085_3b2dd1b5c3_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/28418871098/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_8944"><img alt="whalewatching cruise" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/901/28418871098_fb00fbbdb2_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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We saw not one, not two, but THREE (maybe four?) whales! Our guide said it looked like a love triangle: two males fighting over a female, which seemed especially probably at the end of mating season when the pickings are slimmer. ;)<br />
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I'm not sure what I was expecting to see, but the first whale sighting came from a fellow passenger and was sort of underwhelming. In fact, I didn't even see it! The whales were far from our boat, and the only way we could tell they were there was because of the stream of water from their blowholes every time they came up for air. Our captain told us to scan the horizon to see the blowhole spouting better, and that definitely helped. See blowhole spouts below! (Note that the photos below were taken once our boat was closer to the whales.)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41390465235/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_9456"><img alt="whale blowholes" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/943/41390465235_9e1e7fe35c_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41390473585/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_8943"><img alt="whale blowholes spouting water" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/978/41390473585_465229e3de_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Our captain steered our boat as close to the whales as legally permissible, and then he turned off the engine. And then the whales got closer (there's no law governing how closely the whale can approach the boat), and one of them even swam RIGHT UNDER OUR BOAT!! See its back and blowhole in the photo below?? That's how close we were. It was amazing! I'm actually shocked its tail didn't whack the bottom of our boat as it swam.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41570523744/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_9429"><img alt="Whale blowhole" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/955/41570523744_d6671ac6bd_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><br />
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Two whale videos from our cruise:</div>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41390386145/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_8946"><img alt="whale watching video" height="350" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/975/41390386145_f037d19496_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42291742601/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_8947"><img alt="whale tail in Maui" height="350" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/953/42291742601_aeb4f95f89_c.jpg" width="665" /></a></div>
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We had an amazing experience. I would highly recommend a whale watching cruise to anyone heading to Maui! Stephen and his parents have done whale watching cruises before, and they said this was, by far, their best experience ever. I guess my bar is set pretty high now! We decided that next time we're in Hawai'i, we'll try a dolphin cruise. :)<br />
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After our whale watching cruise, we spent some time in Lahaina Square. We stopped to snap a photo with the famed Lahaina Banyan tree, of course. It was originally planted in 1873, and its canopy spreads out over 2/3 of an acre! It's the largest banyan tree in the United States and the oldest banyan tree in Hawai'i.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41570516374/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_9589"><img alt="Lahaina banyan tree" height="886" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/971/41570516374_0f62236549_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42245243242/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_9571"><img alt="With the in-laws at the banyan tree" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/972/42245243242_995922565e_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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And then we had some fantastic burgers (voted Best on Maui 13 years in a row) at the <a href="http://www.coolcatcafe.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cool Cat Cafe</a> across the street. Our favorite was the monthly special, which included a burger patty, lettuce, tomato, bacon, a fried egg, and two glazed donuts in place of buns. It was so good! (Of note: I wish we'd known this beforehand, but <a href="http://www.coolcatcafe.com/lots-of-free-parking/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the Cool Cat Cafe will validate parking!</a>)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/27422667467/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_9593"><img alt="Donuts are better than buns any day" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/950/27422667467_312794661c_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Oh, and I can't end this post without mentioning one of my favorite food discoveries from our first day: Dole Whips! AND, even better, I learned they are DAIRY-FREE! Woot woot!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41390190865/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_8891"><img alt="Dole whip in Maui!" height="886" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/944/41390190865_7a399d8fef_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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We headed back to our resort after dinner to wind down and relax. It was a great first day in Maui!<br />
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<br />Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-81677616752410226892018-05-22T21:58:00.000-06:002018-05-22T21:59:48.098-06:00Maui Trip: my first time in Hawai'i!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/28418672418/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_0180"><img alt="Maui sunset" height="600" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/949/28418672418_fcbe6c6e3d_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Stephen and I had the opportunity to travel to Hawai'i a few weeks ago. His parents have a timeshare and were gracious enough to invite us to tag along for a week-long adventure. Stephen has been to Hawai'i several times before, but this was <i>my </i>first time, and I was NOT disappointed! We spent our week in Maui relaxing, snorkeling, whale watching, road tripping, and eating delicious things. I'll have to cover our trip via several posts due to the insane number of photos I took, but for anyone looking to plan a similar trip to Maui, below is the basic rundown of what we did.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42245116362/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_E8810"><img alt="Made it to Maui!" height="886" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/982/42245116362_6aaf5ccfcb_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b><u>LODGING</u></b><br />
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We stayed at the Sands of Kahana resort, where we were lucky enough to have a fully stocked and working kitchen. For that reason, the first thing we did once we left the airport was to make a pitstop at Costco. Hawai'i is expensive, so buying a few basic groceries helped us keep our money spent on eating out to a more reasonable amount and allowed us to enjoy our meals out guilt-free.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/40485520060/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_8837"><img alt="Sands of Kahana" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/878/40485520060_1bd6952c80_c.jpg" width="665" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our balcony</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41390196525/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_8846"><img alt="Sands of Kahana" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/878/41390196525_c630898cd6_c.jpg" width="665" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach at our resort.</td></tr>
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<b><u>TRANSPORTATION</u></b><br />
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My in-laws arrived the day before we did and rented a car for the week, so we were lucky to get a ride from the airport. The island isn't <i>that </i>big, but it's big enough that you really <i>will</i> need to rent a car to get around. Photo below of the leis my cute mother-in-law brought to the airport to welcome us to Maui, since it was my first time in Hawai'i. So thoughtful!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/42244971762/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_8878"><img alt="Welcome leis" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/947/42244971762_cde0847016_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/41390201935/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_8826"><img alt="Leis in Maui" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/890/41390201935_1cbdf2b2e7_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<b><u>DECIDING ON THE DAY'S ITINERARIES</u></b><br />
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I learned very quickly that the weather in Maui is quite fickle. We had laid out a tentative itinerary before our trip, but we had to be flexible because it was rainy and grey nearly every day we were there. So, unfortunately, we didn't come home with Hawai'i tans, but we had a good time anyway! I will say that while it <i>is </i>more work upfront, it was helpful to call ahead to some of the sites/venues we wanted to see so we knew their hours and cancellation/refund policies. For example, we booked a whale watching cruise but learned that we could cancel in advance for a refund. And we learned that they guarantee you'll see whales, or you get your money back! We also scheduled a luau that had a generous cancellation policy (you could cancel right up until the morning of). And since we had a rental car as our mode of transportation, it was easy to pack an assortment of supplies (snorkel gear, rain jackets, etc.) and clothing to suit the day's agenda.<br />
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More photos to come in other posts, but suffice it to say that Maui was amazing, everything was gorgeous, and we had such a wonderful time! 10/10 would recommend. :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/40485621160/in/dateposted/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_E8861"><img alt="Maui rainbow" height="478" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/959/40485621160_3cb5b173db_c.jpg" width="665" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One pro to having rain on vacation: Maui RAINBOWS!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-11307563750429799662018-01-23T07:30:00.000-07:002018-01-23T07:30:17.940-07:00Snowshoeing: MLK, Jr. Day 2018<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39112501324/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_6656"><img alt="Chatwinners go snowshoeing" height="665" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4608/39112501324_489f04155c_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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<a href="http://rhymeswithlaundry.blogspot.com/2013/02/wild-and-wonderful-presidents-day.html" target="_blank">It's been a while since I've gone snowshoeing</a>, but for Christmas this (last?) year, I got snowshoes for Stephen! That meant I also got some for myself, and we decided to take them out for a trial run on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39822044871/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_6645"><img alt="Snowshoes" height="478" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4748/39822044871_17c9c0f6c6_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/25949283858/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_6649"><img alt="snowshoeing" height="478" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4676/25949283858_1eb59d7879_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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We haven't had much snow this winter, so we had to drive a ways to even <i>get </i>to snow (though we did get a lovely snowstorm this past weekend!). We decided to go to the area near Snowbasin so we could visit my family in Ogden after. Our goal was to snowshoe on the Sardine Peak Trail. We got a little lost, but we still had a good time enjoying the fresh air and being outside. :)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39790067702/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_6643"><img alt="IMG_6643" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4701/39790067702_5909222c23_b.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39790069402/in/dateposted/" title="IMG_6666"><img alt="IMG_6666" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4765/39790069402_a36b5d9921_b.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Here's hoping we can get some more snowshoeing in this winter! (And yes, I wore my ski goggles to go snowshoeing. 😁 Gotta be prepared for spontaneous snowball fights! Also, built-in sun protection. 😎 )Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-47666515799450286732018-01-21T23:25:00.000-07:002018-01-21T23:25:43.001-07:006 months!Today is our 6-month anniversary! I still need to do a few real posts (I say a few, because there is NO WAY I could possibly share all the photos I want to share in just one post!) about our wedding, but I didn't want today to pass by without celebrating on this blog the fact that we've been married for a whole 6 months. :)<br />
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To mark the occasion, here are six photos from our wedding day:</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/25957438968/in/dateposted/" title="stephen+yándarywedding-155"><img alt="stephen+yándarywedding-155" height="478" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4707/25957438968_58175d9589_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39120985464/in/dateposted/" title="stephen+yándarywedding-129"><img alt="stephen+yándarywedding-129" height="462" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4672/39120985464_2477b11158_b.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38931614395/in/dateposted/" title="stephen+yándarywedding-116"><img alt="stephen+yándarywedding-116" height="462" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4655/38931614395_2103b741bc_b.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39798754832/in/dateposted/" title="stephen+yándarywedding-287"><img alt="stephen+yándarywedding-287" height="478" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4760/39798754832_23b9c53dbc_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39830306901/in/dateposted/" title="stephen+yándarywedding-370"><img alt="stephen+yándarywedding-370" height="478" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4607/39830306901_7524e9a13b_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/25957506398/in/dateposted/" title="stephen+yándarywedding-399"><img alt="stephen+yándarywedding-399" height="1014" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4656/25957506398_8fbc35a2dd_b.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Stephen is everything I could have hoped for and more, and these past six months have been the best ones of my life. We've learned a lot and we've grown a lot. We've made some wonderful memories, and I'm excited for all that's yet to come. Happy 6-month anniversary, boo! 💕💏😍</div>
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Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-60548218043020690022018-01-12T16:48:00.001-07:002018-01-12T16:49:01.418-07:00Death of a ProphetThe leader of <a href="http://www.lds.org/" target="_blank">my church</a>, whom we regard as God's prophet and mouthpiece on earth, passed away recently, and today was his funeral. I listened to the hour-long service online, and then I felt compelled to stand outside, waiting for his motorcade to pass. (Luckily, I work about a block away from the motorcade's route, so it was really easy to just pop out and stand on the street.)<br />
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I feel a deep love for him. I got to meet him twice, both very brief interactions. But I could feel, both in person, and any time I heard him speak at a conference, that this man truly was the prophet of God. The first time, I was 16 (I remember I was wearing a peasant blouse I loved!), and he had spoken at our regional conference at the Dee Events Center. The second time, I was a college freshman at the U. It was Christmas break (December 2002: yikes!!), and I was shopping with my family at Nordstrom. We were in the men's shoe department, when lo and behold, who should also be there but President Monson!<br />
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We were so excited to talk to him, and it was even more exciting to get to take a photo with him. I pulled out my trusty disposable camera (I seriously never left home without it!), and some nice stranger took our photo. (My dad thinks he's hilarious and pretended to be the shoe salesman helping Pres. Monson try on a pair of dress shoes. Smh, Dad. Smh.)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/24787745267/in/dateposted-public/" title="President Monson in the Nordstrom shoe department"><img alt="President monson" height="478" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4674/24787745267_115970703a_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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One thing that was really lovely about being on South Temple today is that the Cathedral of the Madeleine, which was located on the motorcade's route, rang their bells today from the time the funeral ended until after the hearse had passed. Such a lovely sign of comraderie and co-mourning from our fellow Christians. It was also really wonderful to see other people lined up on South Temple to bid our prophet goodbye. I stood next to a young mom with her four kids (all of whom appeared to be age 5 or younger!) and marveled that she had brought them out on a crisp January afternoon to see our prophet pass by. I teared up a little at the two ladies who brought white handkerchiefs and waved them as President Monson's hearse drove past. I ended up being 20 minutes late to a work meeting, but I'm grateful I had the opportunity to say goodbye. I'm a little puzzled, having not known President Monson personally beyond two passing encounters, by how tender my heart felt today. I loved our prophet and am grateful to know the line of prophets will not end with him. How truly blessed we are!<br />
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Here are some more photos from today:<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38947878844/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_6553"><img alt="IMG_6553" height="886" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4621/38947878844_4b282da691_b.jpg" width="665" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39657093451/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_6546"><img alt="waiting for President Monson's motorcade" height="478" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4653/39657093451_d32f0207e4_c.jpg" width="665" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Note the mom of four behind me)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="President and Sister Uchtdorf ride by" height="478" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4632/38947878764_d5edccdae9_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="665" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President and Sister Uchtdorf</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38947878764/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_6560"></a>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/24787739987/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_6574"><img alt="President Monson <3" height="478" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4694/24787739987_ff0a08555f_c.jpg" width="665" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our prophet <3 (aptly, in front of the Thomas S. Monson Building, which houses the Gardner Policy Institute)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
God be with you 'til we meet again, dear President Monson. 💗<br />
<br />Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-74451483574588343192018-01-09T07:30:00.000-07:002018-01-09T07:30:31.262-07:00The Cat GameSaturday night, we went down to Melanie's for a get-together she was hosting. And, of course, we had to bring The Cat Game. It's safe to say the game was a big hit! Especially with Melanie's cat, Willa. 😂<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39570364211/in/dateposted-public/" title="The Cat Game"><img alt="The Cat Game" height="665" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4644/39570364211_08c4754fe9_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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We've played The Cat Game so far with my family (teens and adults), Stephen's family (ages 2 and up), and friends (adults), and everybody has loved it! It's basically a glorified form of Pictionary... but with cats. 😸<br />
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I bought ours on a whim at Target on Black Friday, but if you're interested in getting your own, <a href="https://www.target.com/p/the-cat-game/-/A-52141265#lnk=sametab" target="_blank">it's still available</a>. :) $ well spent!Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-1713547865689687882018-01-07T22:58:00.000-07:002018-01-07T22:58:44.507-07:00Swimming LessonsHoly moly, I started swimming lessons this weekend! I am insanely scared of water (I learned what a panic attack was after having one before swimming at Zion National Park 5.5 years ago...), but two things: 1- Stephen and I are going to Hawai'i later this year, and it seems like it'd be a lot more enjoyable if I knew how to swim, 2- it is time: it is finally time to face my fears and learn to swim!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38861826294/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_6383"><img alt="Swimming lessons" height="665" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4634/38861826294_6dbcaf15b6_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Stephen came with me, and -- bless him! -- stayed with me through the whole class. I'm really grateful he did! Having him there helped me feel a lot more confident. The instructor was late, which was a blessing, because I was SO nervous on the car ride to the lesson, and it was nice to have a few minutes to just get used to being in the water. Stephen gave me a headstart on my lesson (he's been swimming his whole life and did swim team back in the day), and by the time the actual lesson started, I felt ready and not panicked, which was a <i>huge </i>step for me.<br />
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By the end of the lesson, I was able to swim the length of a lap, I practiced kicking, I learned that water <i>will </i>get in my ears but will eventually come out, and I started practicing how to breathe out through my nose underwater. Stephen and I stayed at the pool after class and practiced some more. He helped me learn how to swim on my back, he taught me freestyle stroke, and he helped me kick better when I was going sideways or backwards (yes, somehow I managed to move backwards while swimming).<br />
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I'm nervous but excited for the next few weeks, but I can't overstate how grateful I am for my sweet husband and for his undying support. I might've made it through the lesson without him there, but it was so much easier knowing he had my back. Wish me luck and lots of learning in the next few weeks!<br />
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Oh! Not only is my husband a great swimming support; he took me to brunch at Cracker Barrel for doing so well at my lesson! I've heard Cracker Barrel is tasty but have never gone. I wholeheartedly recommend the wild blueberry pancakes. A+<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/27794062589/in/dateposted-public/" title="Cracker Barrel brunch"><img alt="Cracker Barrel brunch" height="665" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4639/27794062589_60841bded5_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-56997483950856569222018-01-01T17:04:00.002-07:002018-01-02T08:44:13.139-07:00"Married" Christmas 2017<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39362851332/in/dateposted-public/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Chatwinners' First Christmas tree" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4686/39362851332_eea69ca0c3_c.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/25522738008/in/dateposted-public/" title="Our first Christmas"><img alt="Our first Christmas" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4642/25522738008_3b69fa5070_c.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
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Married Christmas... Merry Christmas. Get it? :) Happy New Year, everyone! Before I have to go back to work tomorrow, I wanted to make sure I documented our first married Christmas. :)<br />
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I tried to persuade Stephen to let us get a REAL Christmas tree, but, alas, it didn't work... But at least we got our faux tree on a Black Friday sale, so I suppose that's something. :) We didn't want to put up just any ol' ornaments, so for the first week or two, our tree just had lights on it. And then Stephen found a set of vintage ornaments for sale! We quickly scooped them up. I was a little wary, but they turned out to be much cuter in person. :) We also added a few special ornaments to our tree:<br />
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<ul>
<li>a Hogwarts express ornament from our trip to Harry Potter World in early December</li>
<li>a golden snitch ornament (that we made from a keychain) from the same trip (in honor of our golden snitch wedding cake ball toppers)</li>
<li>a cute snowman made out of s'mores (because we had s'mores at our wedding)</li>
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And then, because, realistically, many of our coming Christmases will hopefully involve little Chatwinners at home, we bought a few felt plush ornaments from Target to round out our little tree. :) We also tried to make a DIY golden snitch tree topper, but we weren't able to figure out this year. We improvised with a Gryffindor beanie as a tree topper instead. (Thanks to my Reddit Secret Santa for the beanie!) The golden snitch will have to wait for Christmas 2018.</div>
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Oh, and please note on the photo above that shows our stockings.... You won't see a Y ornament. Why? Because Target is super LAME and doesn't sell them, that's why. I settled for a Z instead. Maybe next year... (Or maybe next year, we'll find cuter stockings elsewhere.)</div>
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Now for the actual Christmas celebrations. Christmas Eve was on a Sunday this year, and we started our day by worshiping with our congregation. The services were shortened for the day and primarily consisted of a musical Christmas program. The music was lovely, and my heart was touched by the Christmas spirit. After church, we came home and had our own little Christmas brunch. I made German pancakes with berry compote and fresh fruit on the side. I'd really love to have a dish that can become our traditional Christmas breakfast, and this recipe seems like a good contender, mostly because it's so easy AND delicious!</div>
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We drove up to my family's for Christmas Eve dinner. We celebrate on the 24th and open all our presents at midnight, and it was especially fun this year to celebrate with my baby nephew, who is now 15 months old and aware of what's going on around him. :) Christmas with kiddos is so fun!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/27615890589/in/dateposted-public/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled"><img alt="Zavala Family Christmas 2017" height="495" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4635/27615890589_3fab2c9708_c.jpg" width="665" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole family! L-R: Daniel, Kim, Jasper, Stephen, me, Chris, Dad, Mom, Jason, Spencer (missing Jason's fiancée, Shirley)<br />
Below: Mom's tree + Jasper with Tía Yándary y Tío Stephen</td></tr>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38515061845/in/dateposted-public/" title="Connie's Christmas tree"><img alt="Connie's Christmas tree" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4687/38515061845_b8c574c2d1_c.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38515064035/in/dateposted-public/" title="Jasper and Chatwinners"><img alt="Jasper and Chatwinners" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4647/38515064035_cc7dae33de_c.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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It started snowing while we were up in Ogden, so our drive home was slow, and we didn't get home until about 2:30am. We were high on Christmas spirit and opened our presents to each other when we got home. :) And we were maybe a little <i>too </i>excited, because we decided to open our Santa presents then, too! (Good thing Santa came to our house early this year!) My favorite thing about Christmas gifts is watching people open a gift I've picked out with such love and care just for them, so this part of our celebration was extra fun for me. And I must say, Stephen really knocked it out of the park! He's so thoughtful. :)<br />
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Christmas morning, we slept in until 10am. We decided Chatwinners stay in their Christmas PJs all day, so we bundled up and made our way over to Stephen's parents for Christmas Day celebrations. We also brought over our new ugly Christmas sweater, and everyone had fun taking turns to try it on.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/27615859249/in/dateposted-public/" title="Chatwinners in Christmas PJs"><img alt="Chatwinners in Christmas PJs" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4637/27615859249_fb08ba0e06_c.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38684923494/in/dateposted-public/" title="Christmas sweater"><img alt="Christmas sweater" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4638/38684923494_fc4db91582_c.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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We had Christmas breakfast and lunch, played lots and lots of board games, and once all the in-town grandkids had arrived, we opened presents. It was really fun to see the kids enjoying their gifts!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/39362825792/in/dateposted-public/" title="Ev and her horse"><img alt="Ev and her horse" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4647/39362825792_b230118e10_c.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38684921364/in/dateposted-public/" title="GF pie"><img alt="GF pie" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4728/38684921364_56e4c33200_c.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/25522691778/in/dateposted-public/" title="Board game fun"><img alt="Board game fun" height="495" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4590/25522691778_46a10ac632_c.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Other activities we enjoyed on Christmas Day included going to Walgreen's to get me some Lactaid (oh, the joys of adult-onset lactose intolerance...) and napping in our Christmas jammies. Well, at least Stephen did. ;)</div>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38684918304/in/dateposted-public/" title="Christmas Lactaid"><img alt="Christmas Lactaid run" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4682/38684918304_a363c73219_c.jpg" width="324" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/25522690538/in/dateposted-public/" title="Christmas napping"><img alt="Christmas napping" height="432" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4737/25522690538_35c777c8cf_c.jpg" width="324" /></a></div>
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We ended the day at home watching one of our favorite movies. (I am proud to announce that we finished watching all eight Harry Potter movies over Christmas break AND Fantastic Beasts (Santa brought it for Stephen)!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/38515022595/in/dateposted-public/" title="Harry Potter Christmas"><img alt="Harry Potter Christmas" height="1180" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4731/38515022595_8d8078039b_o.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></div>
Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-71525308286703332302017-09-29T11:58:00.001-06:002017-12-28T12:25:20.617-07:00The Last Seven MonthsThe last few months have been a wild ride, such that... I haven't even blogged since February. 😅😬 I suppose the quickest way to give an update is via bullet points. In no particular order, here's a recap of my last seven months:<br />
<ul>
<li>In February, I got laid off. :( Naturally, we were super bummed about this. Applying and interviewing for jobs is THE WORST!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>A few weeks later, we got engaged! I knew Stephen had bought my ring at the end of January, and he didn't propose until MARCH 3rd. 😵😱 It was the longest six weeks of my life!</li>
</ul>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/37394518901/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_5119[1]"><img alt="engaged!" height="445" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4475/37394518901_d608328528_b.jpg" title="" width="310" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/36685903704/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_7058[1]"><img alt="engaged!" height="445" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4387/36685903704_3fb72004df_b.jpg" title="" width="310" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li>My Tío Jose passed away at the end of February. :( He had been sick for a few months, and I know he had been in pain, but it was still really sad. I'm glad I was able to use sky miles to travel to his funeral in California. And actually, Stephen proposed just a few hours before I flew out. It was really lovely and comforting to be gathered with family to celebrate my uncle's life that weekend. And it was nice to have some happy news to (tactfully) share amid our sorrow.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>We celebrated our one-year dating anniversary!</li>
</ul>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/37137441900/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_7298[1]"><img alt="symphony date" height="445" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4514/37137441900_fa3a788bed_b.jpg" title="one-year anniversary date to the symphony" width="310" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/37137443320/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_7311[1]"><img alt="one-year anniversary date" height="445" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4460/37137443320_868050cf70_b.jpg" title="one-year symphony date" width="310" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li>I learned how to ski! Two winters ago, I had purchased a lessons + season pass package to Snowbasin. The silver lining to getting laid off is that I had more time to actually use my pass. I updated briefly on this two posts ago, and I'm happy to say things improved after that post. I'm definitely still a beginner, but I felt a lot more confident towards the end of the season and even managed to make it down a blue run (albeit very, VERY slowly)! AND I didn't run over any more children.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I moved out of my little apartment! This was harder than I imagined it would be. I was so excited to be marrying Stephen. My lease ended at the end of April, and we decided it made sense both logistically and financially for me to move into our duplex first (Stephen bought a duplex last fall, and we'd spent the previous few months fixing it up, so he hadn't moved in yet). It was hard for a few reasons. 1- I <i>loved </i>my little apartment. I'd put so much care and effort into fixing it up and decorating it just so. It was hard to let that go. 2- While I was beyond excited to marry my bestie, I was concerned that I would have a hard time adjusting to living with someone else again. Living alone had been such a treat! (I'm happy to report that living with Stephen is an even more delightful treat!) 3- Stephen is amazing and always kept a "we" mindset about things, but part of me still felt a little bit like a mooch living in "his" house by myself? I've definitely gotten over that, but it was an adjustment. I've had an entire life before this chapter. I'm used to being on my own, taking care of myself, etc, and while I know I wasn't giving that up, part of me felt like I was. (I wasn't. I just had to get over myself a little bit.)</li>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/36724317933/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_7342[1]"><img alt="sad face: moving out" height="500" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4414/36724317933_5b9cef6963_b.jpg" title="sad face: moving out" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li>We spent months and months and months working on our house. We're still not quite done, but we're hosting family for a birthday brunch for Stephen this weekend, and we're at least to a place where we can mostly do that. Ha. :) If all else fails, we'll just shove everything into the second bedroom and shut the door. ;)</li>
</ul>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/23542245768/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_7426[1]"><img alt="Home Sweet Duplex" height="500" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4456/23542245768_cd2b8e875a_b.jpg" title="Home Sweet Duplex" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li>We planted a little garden, and it's still alive! I've never successfully kept plants alive for longer than a few weeks, but so far, we've eaten cucumber and zucchini, and we hope to have some tomatoes soon! We have a watermelon plant that might not have anything for us, and we planted a baby nectarine tree that will hopefully bear fruit in future years. Our lime tree got moved to my office yesterday, where it will live out the winter next to my big windows.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I started a new job in July! I was grateful to a good friend who passed along the job link to me shortly after I lost my job in February. It's a great opportunity for me, and even though the learning curve has been steep, I'm really enjoying it so far.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I free-lanced this spring/summer, and I learned I am not cut out for being an entrepreneur. (I think?) I also worked as a Matchmaker for a hot second, mostly because it sounded like fun. What I learned is that being a paid matchmaker is the WORST. Matchmaking for fun is, well, fun! </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Two weeks after I started my new job.... WE GOT MARRIED!! :) Wedding planning is one of the worst and most unenjoyable things I've ever done, but our wedding was SO much fun! We were actually a little sad to leave at the end of the night, because we were having such a great time. It was so wonderful to have the people we love most gathered in one place to celebrate with us. I loved meeting people who love my Stephen and have played an important part in his life, and I loved getting to introduce him to <i>my </i>people. It meant so much to have so many of our loved ones travel from so far to celebrate with us. We were married on July 21, 2017 in the Ogden, Utah LDS Temple. I'd love to write more about our wedding day in a separate blog post, but it is the most wonderful thing in the world to be married to my best friend. I count my lucky stars every day to have found him and to be his wife forever. The actual wedding day felt like a blur (I can barely even remember our sealing), but these last few months have been the greatest adventure.</li>
</ul>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/37137621750/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_1133"><img alt="first dance" height="495" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4436/37137621750_75547f9fec_b.jpg" title="" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/37137624810/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_1127"><img alt="IMG_1127" height="440" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4385/37137624810_3514e8345b_b.jpg" width="300" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/37137627770/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_1118"><img alt="Ogden Temple wedding day" height="440" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4446/37137627770_5ecf074a96_b.jpg" title="Ogden Temple wedding day" width="300" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li>We just got back from our honeymoon! This deserves its own post also, but we went to London and Paris and just had the best time. :) </li>
</ul>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/23544530788/in/dateposted-public/" title="Honeymoon recap"><img alt="Honeymoon recap" height="665" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4378/23544530788_2229c5ca5c_z.jpg" width="665" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-55915624470912510612017-02-16T00:52:00.000-07:002017-02-16T07:20:21.741-07:00True Love and Valentine's Day <div>
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<img alt="" id="id_4d6_263d_9a82_ed16" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DR1zWV-Q8yc/WKVZRG7Rs_I/AAAAAAAALpw/L8OkekoFaOU/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" style="height: auto; width: 353px;" title="" tooltip="" /> </div>
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<span style="color: rgb(69 , 69 , 69); font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 17px;">I learned a very important lesson this week. I've dated and Dated all sorts of guys in my life. Heck, I even dated one guy on and off for two years in college. Yet, I somehow managed to have never had a date for Valentine's Day -- until this year, that is. And I was super excited!</span><br />
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I made too big a deal of it, and I was humbled by the lesson I learned. My boo is the sweetest, and he thoughtfully selected a gift he knew I would love: a bright red KitchenAid! 😍😍😍 (!!! Though I made sure he knew we couldn't have the bar set that high for future Valentine's gifts, or he'll be sorely disappointed! 😜) It's such a thoughtful, wonderful, amazing, and personal gift! But I placed too much emphasis on all the stuff; on all the things that don't matter. </div>
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I was humbled on Tuesday as I reflected on my Stephen and how truly blessed I am to have him in my life. He is so, so wonderful to me! The latest example: I got really sick this weekend. Bed-ridden, sleep all day, and spend-my-nights-congested sick. On Saturday, he could have done anything: worked on his house, run his own errands, enjoyed his free time. </div>
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Instead, he brought me a care package with soup, medicine, cough drops, Cheetos, nasal spray... NASAL SPRAY! And then he bought me Chinese takeout when I said I was hungry for more than soup, and he spent Saturday binge watching Harry Potter movies with me. If love isn't someone who takes care of me <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(nasal spray, people!)</span>, who puts my needs before his own, and who still wants to cuddle with me and spend time with me when I can't breathe and spend most of my time loudly bowing my nose, I don't know what love is. </div>
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I am such a lucky, lucky girl to have a partner who gave me roses, chocolate, a KitchenAid, and a lovely date night <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">on Valentine's Day</span>, but I am ashamed by how much I had built this day up. What matters most isn't the chocolate, the flowers, and the material things society says I need from my man on a particular day of the year. What is most important is that I am blessed to have a man in my life who loves me 365 days a year, who cherishes me at my best and who stays by my side when I am at my worst. Who forgives me for the times I am selfish or unkind and who motivates me every day to be my best self. Who, when I tell him <a href="https://twitter.com/barackobama/status/831527113211645959" target="_blank">the Obamas are #relationshipgoals</a>, goes and gives me a <a href="https://twitter.com/chatwinner/status/831691742885744640)" target="_blank">Valentine's Day tweet</a> even though he NEVER posts to social media, because he cares about making me happy. What matters is that I am blessed and lucky enough to have My Person in my life; the rest is just stuff.</div>
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So every time I use my shiny new KitchenAid, I will remember the lesson I learned this Valentine's Day. I am so, so thankful for my boo. He is THE most important person in my life, and I'm so grateful he is My Person. </div>
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Happy (belated) Valentine's Day, boo! 😘❤️️</div>
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Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2695472540369150055.post-7519632092845619842017-02-12T20:22:00.000-07:002017-02-12T20:29:20.674-07:00Since I last posted...<br />
<ul>
<li>I became an aunt! 😆</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32822216435/in/dateposted-public/" title="Baby nephew"><img alt="Baby nephew" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2348/32822216435_9a1c02a855_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32007778703/in/photostream/" title="Baby blessing"><img alt="Baby blessing" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2468/32007778703_0a19ae629f_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li>we both turned 32</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32822214385/in/photostream/" title="Stephen's 32"><img alt="Stephen's 32" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2342/32822214385_3a5514599a_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32007881043/in/photostream/" title="32"><img alt="32" height="650" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3909/32007881043_effc883cf0_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32698960011/in/photostream/" title="32 dinner"><img alt="32 dinner" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2549/32698960011_522ab6bbec_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li>9 + months strong with this dreamboat! 😍 </li>
</ul>
<div>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32781376816/in/photostream/" title="Dreamboat ❤️️"><img alt="Dreamboat ❤️️" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3944/32781376816_0bec8faafa_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/31995314913/in/photostream/" title="Druid arch"><img alt="Druid arch" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/597/31995314913_ef3df6ca08_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32871184525/in/photostream/" title="Planetarium"><img alt="Planetarium" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2882/32871184525_e823466eb1_z.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32809471005/in/photostream/" title="Morning tongues"><img alt="Morning tongues" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2494/32809471005_ba1a4a6964_c.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32490088480/in/photostream/" title="😜"><img alt="😜" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2348/32490088480_b74962112c_z.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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<ul>
<li>I just finished my time with the Utah Democrats and am looking for my next Comms/Digital opportunity in SLC. (So if you know of anything, <a href="mailto:yandaryz@gmail.com" target="_blank">let me know</a>? I'm open to FT opportunities as well as contract/consulting work.)</li>
</ul>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32441543870/in/photostream/" title="Marty O'Malley"><img alt="Marty O'Malley" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/684/32441543870_62ccb24917_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/30306224780/in/photostream/" title="Utah Dems"><img alt="Utah Dems" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5341/30306224780_4d05216e75_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<ul>
<li>We voted! (#WithHer, of course. 2016 was actually my first year voting a straight Democratic ticket.) </li>
</ul>
<div>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32428808160/in/photostream/" title="Voted!"><img alt="Voted!" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2869/32428808160_2430ac9c50_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Unfortunately, we lost bigly on November 8th, so....</div>
<ul>
<li>I took refuge in Europe (London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Brugges for 10 days) and had the time of my life with Stephie and Nif! #misadventuresineurope</li>
</ul>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/31979376334/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Amsterdam!"><img alt="Amsterdam!" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2924/31979376334_8eb0031fe7_b.jpg" width="650" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amsterdam ❤️<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Every time I read the news, it feels like the country is up in flames. But also, it's been incredible to see the goodness of the people around me in response.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32441569670/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="SLC March 4 Refugees"><img alt="SLC March 4 Refugees" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2885/32441569670_912989f545_b.jpg" width="650" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">March 4 Refugees in SLC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32822116885/in/photostream/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="SLC Women's March"><img alt="SLC Women's March" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3880/32822116885_d988ed9337_b.jpg" width="650" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SLC Women's March</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<ul>
<li>I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It explains a lot, and I'm grateful to A- still have health insurance, B- to have found just the right therapist, C- for modern medicine and all the ways in which it improves our lives, D- for an uber-supportive boo. I am so blessed! <3</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Went to DC for Kathryn's wedding!</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32668581852/in/photostream/" title="Kathryn's wedding!"><img alt="Kathryn's wedding!" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/652/32668581852_55023be120_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Spent our first holiday season together</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32717691242/in/photostream/" title="Chatwin Thanksgiving"><img alt="Chatwin Thanksgiving" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2867/32717691242_42478165bc_z.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32717723912/in/photostream/" title="Matching onesies!"><img alt="Matching onesies!" height="875" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3711/32717723912_eefbe02edc_z.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Some shopping. ;)</li>
</ul>
<div>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32822102315/in/photostream/" title="Jewelry shopping"><img alt="Jewelry shopping" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/421/32822102315_3ef2775ae1_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Started ski lessons at Snowbasin. It ain't going so well. 😳 Last time I was there, I ran over a small child, got yelled at and shamed off the mountain, and basically cried all the way home.</li>
</ul>
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/90610648@N03/32822094705/in/photostream/" title="Ski lessons"><img alt="Ski lessons" height="500" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/519/32822094705_79cd1b4257_b.jpg" width="650" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Hope your 2017 has been good so far!Yándary Chatwinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11279408446179066744noreply@blogger.com0