Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

Moving to a new place and meeting new people can be really exciting. It can also be really frustrating. We've definitely experienced both in the short time we've been in Milwaukee, mostly with driving and trying to find our way around (please let me know if you have any GPS recommendations). We can make it to church and the airport and Wal-Mart and the mall and that's about it. Granted, we've only been here two and a half weeks, but it would be so nice to not have to consult Google Maps and write the directions on an index card for every trip we take. I find myself actually missing the grid system of Utah, I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

Part of moving in is meeting new people and going new places and experiencing new things, and tonight I kind of did all of that at once. I was invited to the Relief Society's book club meeting tonight, and I decided it would be fun to go, at least I would meet new people even if I didn't read the book. The selected text was Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, the controversial piece published earlier this year about a Chinese-American's way of mothering her two daughters. There were 15 of us there, and half the time was spent chatting about random stuff, the other half about the book. However, I said about two words the entire time, mostly because I was the only one there who did not have a child. Only one woman actually brought her baby, but everyone else there was a mother. There were discussions about parenting styles and disciplining and doctors and hospitals and ultrasounds and other feelings/acts/things associated with children. I just sat there and sipped my water and ate my brownie. While we were chatting in small groups after the book discussion, a girl starting talking to me...

-So, do you have any kids?
-No, not yet.
-How long have you been married? (As if the answer would somehow excuse me for not having procreated yet)
-Over two years actually. Yeah, two years and a month or so.
-Oh.

Her eyes literally widened when she heard my answer, and I knew she was thinking, What is keeping this woman from having children?! Doesn't she know it's a commandment to multiply and replenish the earth?! Don't get me wrong, this sister is super sweet and great, but she was visibly taken aback when she heard my answer. I left shortly after the conversation, I just couldn't handle it. Let me explain...

Disclaimer: The following text is fairly frank and may be considered TMI. You have been warned.

I have ALWAYS wanted to be a mother. My biggest goal in life is to have children that Daniel and I can raise in the Gospel and love and care about and provide for. We have names picked out and I know what color I want to paint the nursery and what pictures of Christ and the temple I want to hang up and all that jazz. I want to nurture the precious souls that have been entrusted to me and give them everything. Unfortunately, my brain and my body don't match up.

I've never had regular periods. Ever. I've been menstruating for almost 10 years and nothing works right. Each one lasts about the same amount of time, but it may be 3, 4, 5, or even 6 months before the next one. Growing up, it was great. I hardly ever had to worry about Aunt Flo, and I was thin and athletic which also probably contributed. My doctor told me not to worry about it and that it would be dealt with at the appropriate time. I didn't make a big deal about it because it wasn't a big deal to me.

I started birth control the day after I turned 19. It was a miracle drug to me. I knew exactly when things were supposed to happen, and if I wanted to delay my period by a month, all I had to do was skip the sugar pills and move on to the next pack. I welcomed the acne and mood swings and bloating every month because I was thrilled that my body was working, something I had never experienced regularly. I hoped that when I went off the pills that my body would just keep going because I knew that it could.

Daniel and I have tried to get pregnant twice. Considering Daniel's schedule for the next several years, we tried to work out the timing where we'd have late spring/summer/late summer babies to maximize Daniel's time at home between school/research/etc.  Even though it's a small window, we figured six months each time was a good place to start. Both times were (obviously) unsuccessful. Off the pill, my body goes right back to the way it did when I was a teenager. Each time I went to the doctor I expressed my frustrations, and each time she gave me another 3-month prescription for birth control, just in case this time is the one that my body finally realizes what it's supposed to do without drugs.

Daniel and I have talked about the fact that it might take some time before we have children. We've talked about adoption and feel that even if we do have children of our own, it's something we'd still like to pursue. We also know that there is no magical timeline for trying before seeing a doctor about possible fertility issues, but the general guideline is six months to a year.

It breaks my heart not to be able to start a family yet. It breaks my heart that I can't experience the joy and pain of motherhood. It breaks my heart that I can't give Daniel the children he wants. It breaks my heart that I can't give my parents and Daniel's parents the grandchildren they would love to spoil. It breaks my heart that for right now, there is nothing I can do to fix my situation. It breaks my heart that there is so little support for people like me, especially in the Church, and I have such a small net of people I can turn to (or if there is some sort of group or something that it's advertised so poorly). Worst of all, it breaks my heart because it makes me feel broken, like I'm being punished. I'm obviously not righteous enough or charitable enough or compassionate enough or whatever, so I can't be trusted with bringing another life into the world until I get my act together.

So don't judge me (or anyone else for that matter) for not starting a family after two years of marriage. There is definitely more to the story than you think. And please don't rush to tell me that I'm great and awesome and wonderful and that things will work themselves out. I know I am and I know they will, I just get sad about it sometimes in the moment. I cross my heart that I'll be okay and I'll still love you and your baby and not get upset when you ask me to babysit or whatever. I could use the practice anyway.

-Jenn

Milwaukee

So we have been in Milwaukee for 8 days and are really loving our location. We're near some awesome little shops and restaurants and we're only a mile from Miller Park (where the Brewers play)! Our apartment is pretty sweet, we're a few blocks from the highway and we hardly know unless an ambulance or cop drives by with its siren on. It's not as nice as our place in Provo (no where we looked was as nice as our place in Provo, we were really blessed), but it feels cozy and lived in, and that's just fine with us. We haven't gotten used to the big kitchen yet, we still eat our meals on the couch like we used to, but we're hoping to start actually eating at the table soon.

 We rented a truck to get all our stuff down, I think Kendra was glad to get it out of the house!

 Grover was the designated "random stuff" car

 Kitchen!

 We're not used to so much room

 The green wall

 Second bedroom, "random stuff" room

 Anyone want a papasan chair? We're trying to find a good home for this one

 Just for fun

 Our bathroom is tiny. I was standing in the shower here

 Our bedroom

 Amazingly, all our stuff fit in this closet

 We painted the wall, it was a lot easier than we expected

 Bare bones bed

 King size bed = amazing

 This is Daniel's new baby

 Our cute shower curtain! Can you find Godzilla?

 So little

 I built that metal stand thing all by myself

 This is my seat of choice, I love my chair so much!

 Entertainment center

 Shoe tree, couch, Daniel, Jesus

 We got excited about so much counter space

 Sometimes I think the clock isn't working because I can't hear it tick. Then I remember I specifically wanted one that didn't tick

We even have a pantry!

One thing we did NOT have though is air conditioning. Milwaukee has been breaking heat records left and right and the thermometer in our apartment had been above 84 degrees for at least five days, so yesterday we bought a window unit and our place is livable again! Seriously, it feels so much better in here!

We celebrated our two year anniversary by going to the midnight showing of Harry Potter. Since it's been so long since I read the book, I was able to appreciate it as a film instead of constantly trying to remember how the book and movie matched up. Apparently there are lots of creative liberties, but I couldn't remember what they were so I really enjoyed it. The audience was fun too, and I thought the movie was really great, maybe we'll go see it again. I could look at Daniel Radcliffe all day long.

 I am such a sucker for blue eyes

Seriously, how is one person so attractive?

Yesterday I took my second to last final and am planning on taking my last one next week. I am SO excited to be done so I can move on to other things, like finding a job! I've applied to like 1340784231 jobs and so far I've gotten one call back, but the job is right up my alley, so I hope things work out. I will do pretty much whatever someone will pay me to do, so if you know anyone who's hiring, send them my way.

Also, our ward is awesome! There were 3 other new M-1 families at church, as well as a bunch of other students/residents, so we're in good company. There are two nurseries and at least 5 girls due in October, so it certainly is babyfest. Now that we have a decent temperature in our apartment, we're thinking of inviting some people over and hanging out. We've got so much space we don't know what to do with it all!

So that's life in a nutshell, thanks for taking time to read all about it. I'll try to update more frequently so each post isn't a novel.

-Jenn

Tomorrow

Operation Milwaukee commences tomorrow! Pics coming soon! Get excited!

-Jenn

Gone to Carolina

We're in North Carolina! We've already been sunburned from the beach and the pool, eaten alive by mosquitoes, and survived a week of camping and there's still two weeks left! I'm loving all the time with my family and the accents and the heat and the amazing food! I feel kind of torn about leaving in a few weeks; I'm excited to move into our new apartment, but I'm sad about being so far away from so many people I love. For now though, I'm enjoying my time here and not thinking too much about the future.

Last week Daniel and I went to Girl's Camp with my stake. I was an adult level leader over Jillian's group and Daniel was the "lifeguard" (he's not certified to be a real lifeguard, hence the quotes) and waterfront coordinator. He was also a part-time cook and helper to whoever needed him. Everyone was SO appreciative of him, it warmed my heart when people would stop me and ask me to thank Daniel for them for a task he helped with!

My tan is coming along nicely thanks to the abundant sunshine. I think I'll miss that the most in Wisconsin, the sun doesn't come out as much as I'd like. It turns out that our place in Milwaukee is about two blocks from where a family friend grew up, it's crazy to hear how the area has changed.

There are a lot more things happening, but the pool is calling my name. I'll post again if the weather gets yucky and keeps me inside.

And now I'll leave you with this. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Weird Al...





-Jenn

Home Improvement

Daniel and I have been acquiring amazing Craigslist and WG&R finds recently, my poor in-laws are running out of room in the basement! Here are some of our most recent additions...

Unfortunately, I didn't take a "before" picture of this dresser. We bought it for $50 and it had a medium brown finish. Daniel sanded it down to the bare wood (I helped a little), then we stained it a dark brown. We took up a third of the garage for two and a half weeks, but it's totally worth it.

I did the drawers and the second coat on the sides and Daniel did the top and the first coat on the sides.

 It's not perfect, but there's a sense of pride in looking at something you helped create!

Our awesome TV. 37", 1080p. Quite a leap from our dinky 20" analog in Provo, this is probably our best Craigslist find!

 We picked up this stand for $35 and it is everything we've been looking for. Since we have dark brown couches, we want some lighter pieces for the living room. I kind of wish there were drawers or door or something, but other than that it's perfect!

TV stand + TV

 This papasan chair is my new best friend. $30 at an estate sale. It is seriously my favorite thing. It's comfy and in amazing shape and since it's a lighter wood, it's most def going in the living room.

 Ahhh!

 Daniel LOVES this thing. We were trying to decide between a coffee table or an ottoman, and...

We found something that's both!

Storage too!

Not pictured...
* The headboard (we used the ship-to-store option, hopefully it'll be here in the next week or so)
* King-size mattress (killer deal at WG&R)
* Light blue sheet set (500 thread count)
* White down comforter (great for Wisconsin winters)
* Dark brown bedskirt (hopefully it matches the headboard)

Things we still need...
* Bedside tables
* An end table (or two) for the living room
* An area rug for the living room. Maybe
* A washer and dryer
* All the bathroom stuff

Each thing we get makes us more excited for our new place! We'll be sure to take lots of pictures once we move in!

-Jenn