Recently.

This is going to be quite the catch-all post, as lots has been going on and I haven't blogged in ages. 

We had a wonderful, albeit small, Christmas this year. Money was super tight but thanks to our sweet peoples we were able to go out and purchase a few small things for one another. Not having much helped me to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, our Savior, and to enjoy the time spent with family. 

On the 23rd we got to stay up super late and Skype with my sister in law who is currently on a mission in the Philippines! It was so good to see her cute face! We miss her so much but she is doing great things over on the other side of the world!

A few days after Christmas we took my family and their friends up to the cabin for the weekend. It was a blast! The family that came with my parents was actually one of DJ's professors this past fall semester. He and his wife are in my parent's ward! They have four small kids + Brandon and Ella = a super fun kid-filled weekend! The littles wanted to go to the snow (and there wasn't much) but we found a lake on top of the Rim that was frozen over with snow on the banks. Again, not much snow but the kiddos didn't care! They loved it! 

Benny was super confused by the snow, especially when the kids would throw it on top of him. I think he had fun though :)

I finished up my job as a nanny to Samantha. I'm so heartbroken that I can't continue caring for her! However, I'm super excited to be going back to school this semester. I only have about a year of school remaining and I'm SO thrilled to be working towards that goal once again. 

DJ just started his final semester of college EVER. He'll be done with his Master's in May!! We (mostly him haha) are super excited for this stage of his life to be over with. On to bigger and better things!!

We completed another round of fertility treatments. I had to have DJ give me an injection in the stomach every other day for a week and a half and it bruised pretty bad, which was nasty, coupled with all of the other wonderful medications. During our two week wait until we found out if we were pregnant I started to have a lot of symptoms of pregnancy (I've been pregnant three times, I have an idea what it feels like) and was SO sure that we were going to have a baby. I took a test and it was POSITIVE! YAY! We were so excited, told our parents and siblings and then found out later that it was a false positive due to a hormone left in my system from one of the injections. 

We are super bummed. We're SOOOO ready to start a family. DJ, who has been super tough throughout all of this, told me the other day that he is aching to have a baby. This just broke my heart. It's super hard having gone through what we have. I try to stay positive, but sometimes I feel like a failure for having a body that responded in such a manner the last three times that we were expecting. I should be able to do this, this is what God made me to do! It's unbelievably discouraging to see others get pregnant and have children without a care in the world while we are here: stuck, on a million nasty medications that I'd much rather NOT have in my body, waiting, hoping and praying that we will be able to get pregnant and then once we are pregnant to worry constantly about whether or not we will keep the baby. It's been a extremely difficult and still is, knowing that we will probably never have a child without medical intervention. 

On a lighter note, I am incredibly thankful that the medical knowledge to help us begin a family exists. Because we couldn't do it on our own. Making the decision to see a specialist was the best thing we've done in a long while. It has brought so much hope, peace, and happiness throughout all of the despair, confusion and fog that we have had to travel through.

Even though we have yet to be successful with our treatments there are happy, hopeful things happening all along the way. Like the fact that we were accepted into a program that allows us to get 75% off our unbelievably expensive medications. Or realizing just how awesome my dad is for working so hard to provide insurance for our family that covers so many of my expenses. Or the fact that we have a 50% chance of conceiving twins! :) There's light a midst the darkness and as we continue to progress we are learning more and more that God has a specific plan in mind for us and traversing this darkness is part of it. He wants us to work to see that light. He knows that we will learn important things from this trial. The Lord knows that finding joy in the journey is a vital lesson that DJ and I need to learn. 

We're looking for that joy.

And we're slowly, but surely, finding it. 

Update.

I realize it has been quite some time since actually writing a post with real, substantial content. Lots has been going on and life has been so crazy busy and wonderful. This is going to be quite a hodge-podge of information but here goes!

DJ just finished his first semester of graduate school! One more to go! Deciding to send DJ to grad school was such a great decision that has lead to some incredible blessings. It hasn't been easy, though. He had to quit his job to make time for his academic responsibilities and that put a lot of pressure on our finances. We've skimmed by, but it has been tight! I try to keep telling myself that we will never be poorer than we are right now! Ha! Something to look forward to :) Deej has excelled at his school work and has worked SO hard to pull off his great grades. I'm so proud of him!

We've made the decision to send me back to school next semester. Honestly, I am so excited. I think I really needed the break that I took the last four months. I was feeling pretty burnt out and taking a semester off has re-vamped my enthusiasm for getting an education. I'm also set on what I would like to major in (Family and Human Development) and I LOVE IT. Such a fun degree that I feel will really benefit our future family. Even though life will be crazy with both of us in school and working, I am anxious to begin learning again!

I'm currently finishing up my last week of work as Samantha's nanny. I've been with her for a year now, since she was 6 weeks old. It's a bittersweet feeling, moving on and going back to school next semester. I love my little Lovebug! The past year of my life I've spent raising her and loving her and I think I will really struggle not seeing her every day. 

My little Etsy shop is taking off! We have made a decent amount of money this year and the supplemental income has been such a blessing. I am able to work on orders while Samantha naps which sure beats sitting and watching TV while she sleeps. I love creating new things and sharing them with others all over the country. We're hoping and praying that the increase of sales continues into the new year.

Well, we are continuing to be treated for our miscarriages. I'll post an update on that chain of events later today. 

Life is good. We are looking forward to having some time off for the holidays. What a wonderful time of year it is! It has always been easy for me to recognize the blessings in my life at this time of year and as difficult as the past year has been, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Looking forward to the greatness that 2014 has in store for us! 

The Boss.

My wonderful husband has been working his butt off in graduate school and there is FINALLY a light at the end of the tunnel. All of his hard work is paying off!

ASU has a huge recruiting event called "Meet the Firms" where tons businesses in the state who are looking for new employees come and set up interviews with potential hires. Last year when DJ attended this event, he left without any interviews. 

This year he came out of Meet the Firms with NINE INTERVIEWS!

NINE! 

I couldn't even believe it!

The way that most companies set up interviews is that potential hires have a first interview at ASU, and then if the company is interested in them, they will schedule a second interview at their individual offices. After the second interview the company will decide whether or not to extend an offer.

So DJ got nine first interviews. Six of the companies decided to schedule a second interview with him, and ultimately he ended up with FOUR really awesome job offers! 

We weighed the pros and the cons of each offer and decided that DJ would accept a job offer with an accounting firm called McGladrey! 

They are the 5th largest firm in the US and a GREAT fit for DJ and our family. We are so incredibly excited and feel great about our decision!

I am SO SO SO proud of my husband! He has worked so hard to achieve what he has and I am so grateful that I married such a determined, strong man! GO DJ!

It Begins.

It's that time of year again.

The end of summer.

August.

School.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am taking the year off.

DJ, however, dives into his first quarter of graduate school on Thursday.

Bless his heart!

On Saturday, after our eventful evening at the hospital the night before, we decided to go out to dinner to mourn celebrate the beginning of a brand new school year.

We talked about DJ's goals for the year and how we can work together to achieve them.

College is hard.

Graduate school is harder.

DJ will do great, and I am so proud of him for making the choice to further his education for the benefit of our family.

Handsome Pants.

See this man?

Isn't he adorable?

I have a story to tell about him.

This amazing husband of mine just graduated with his Bachelor's degree in Accountancy from ASU.

Now, let me tell you why this is such a big huge enormous deal.

Unlike some, school never came easy to DJ. He has always struggled.

But he has never given up.

DJ has worked harder at obtaining a college degree than anyone I have ever met (and I've met lots of people).

Countless hours were spent studying, reading, writing.

Too many fun activities were skipped in order to study an extra hour or two.

But he was determined to complete his college career.

AND HE DID IT!

With an above-average GPA!

He did so well, in fact, that he was accepted into ASU's Accounting GRADUATE program. My husband is going to be a graduate student. Seriously, I think that is so cool.

I wish I was more like Deejer when it comes to schooling. His dedication and persistence, qualities that will help him in his future career, blow my mind. He is incredible, and I am so thankful that he has worked so hard to obtain his Bachelor's degree, something that I am sure will bring enormous blessings to our family for the rest of this lifetime.