Harms Family

Medical Problems

2010-04-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

I am still having some of that stomach pain sometimes and I have an appt at the end of the month to get more stuff checked out. I will let you all know as soon as I do.

Travel Pictures

2010-04-19T11:43:00.001-07:00

I went to SLC and NYC recently but I haven't had a chance to get the pics on the computer yet. They will be on soon! :)

2010-02-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I was at U High for the solo/ensemble competition playing the piano for some of the competitors. I had been pretty sick all morning. I decided that I would go lay down in my car between the performances. My conditions worsened and I was hit with some severe stomach pain. I called Mack and he brought me to the hospital where I spent the next 4 hours in the ER hooked up to an IV. Having morphine pumped into me was not the most pleasant feeling.

Then this morning I had to go back to the hospital so that they could run more tests. So far, I do not have ovarian cysts, bladder infection, or kidney stones. This morning's test was for my gall bladder. It sucked.

I'm really just tired of everyone guessing about what is going on and wish that I wouldn't have to keep taking these tests. I will let everyone know once I find out what's going on.

aging

2010-01-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

Weigh in was okay this week. I lost 1 lb, but that's better than gaining anything. I probably would have lost more if I hadn't eaten that payday bar and rice crispy treat and handful of M&Ms last night.

So not only am I having issues with not liking how much I weigh, I have also recently noticed I am starting to get some fine lines around my eyes. So I am really trying to get my skin to look more youthful. I bought this moisturizer by Aveeno called Positively Ageless and it has SPF 30 in it. I love it so much. It is really silky and not sticky and thick like I thought it might be. And it smells really great! I was also thinking that if I used a daily moisturizer with sunscreen in it, it will protect my skin from aging further. However, I really just need to get over it. Aging is just a part of life and it is inevitable that wrinkles, drooping, and dark circles will appear.

Thanks

2010-01-17T15:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks for reading my blog ;)

weigh in

2010-01-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my fifth or fourth week (I'm not sure) at weight watchers. I weighed in and I have lost a total of 11.6 lbs. I have reached my first goal of 5% body weight lost, and also my first personal goal of losing 10 lbs. For losing the first 10 lbs I rewarded my self accordingly with a non-food reward. I am excited to keep achieving my goals.

This past week I went over to Seattle to visit family, and also to take my practical exam for my Cosmetology license. I found out two days after taking the test that I passed with an 85%. I was really worried that I wasn't going to pass, because everyone inside my exam room was doing the exact same thing and I was doing everything completely different. I think that they were all from the same school. It seemed like some of them knew each other. Regardless, all of the worrying was for nothing because I passed. Now I'm just waiting to get my professional license in the mail. I can't wait to get everything organized and squared away and be done with jumping through hoops while I'm in limbo.

counting my blessings

2010-01-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

I went to seattle the last couple of days to take my practical exam to get my cosmetology license. We stayed at my uncle and aunts house. The test was pretty nerveracking for everyone. I am really worried that I may have done something wrong, because everyone around me was doing something differently than what I was trained to do. All I know is that I did the best that I could. I will know next week hopefully, whether I passed or not.

I arrived at the testing center 45 minutes early, as I was instructed to. I was worried that I would get lost and not make it on time. The building was a little difficult to find because it was in an industrious part of town and was hidden behind other buildings. Thankfully, everything worked out fine, and I was able to find the place.

I noticed that during this experience I was blessed in so many little ways. I woke up at 5:28am, two minutes before my alarm was suppose to go off. I'm so happy that I did for a couple a reasons. Reason one being that I was able to turn it off so it wouldn't waken up Phoebe. Reason two is I was worried that I would be in such a deep sleep that I wouldn't hear the alarm.

I can't wait to find out. I will keep everyone posted!

Just another monday

2009-12-28T11:51:00.000-08:00

So over the holiday it was a bit hard for me. I went to my meeting this morning and I had gain .2 lb. Ok so it's not really all that much but I was hoping to at least maintain. The women who weighed me said that I did really excellent considering the holiday and everything and told me that .2 lb is like a glass of water. I guess if I took off all my clothes I would have weighed less, but that kinda feels like cheating. And I don't think that the people there would really appreciate it all that much.

Anyways, I have been trying some new recipes as you know, and tonight I'm going to try a chicken burrito recipe that I'm pretty excited about. I made a breakfast burrito recipe that had WAY too much cilantro. I also am excited to try flank steak with a corn avocado salad, except I probably won't be using as much lime as it calls for (the bok choy disaster is still haunting me.)

So I plan to do a lot better this week and get moving more. I went to the gym once last week. My goal is to go 3 times this week.

Lots of encouragement is needed! So please post a comment and help me on my way to a better healthier me!

recipes

2009-12-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

Ok so I made a couple of the weight watchers recipes. Needless to say the one that called for the bok choy was disgusting. It was a kind of asian salad and the dressing had way to much lime in it. We did make some moo shu pork wraps and they were super good. Here is the recipe:

4 Tbs reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs cornstarch
1/2 lb pork tenderloin cut into thin 1 inch strips
3 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves
1 Tbs minced peeled fresh ginger
5 c shredded Napa cabbage
1 c sliced white mushrooms
5 scallions, sliced
1 tsp Asian (dark) sesame oil
4 whole wheat tortillas, warmed

1. Whisk 2 Tbs of soy sauce and cornstarch in small bowl until blended; add pork and toss to coat.
2. Spray large deep nonstick skillet or wok with nonstick spray and set over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles on it. Add egg whites and stir fry until firm, about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate.
3. Spray same pan with nonstick spray and increase heat to medium-high. Add pork; stir-fry until no longer pink about 2 mins. Add garlic and ginger; stir-fry 1 min. Add cabbage, mushrooms, and scallions; stir fry until cabbage starts to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add egg, remaining 2 Tbs of soy sauce, and oil and stir fry until heated through, about 1 min.
4. Spoon about 1 c of pork mixture onto each tortilla and roll up to enclose filling.

4 Servings

Per serving: 219 cal, 5g fat, 1g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 24mg chol, 849mg sod, 26g carb, 5g fiber, 20g prot, 125mg calc.

What is bok choy?

2009-12-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

This week has been very busy so far. I started weight watchers this week, and I'm actually attending the meetings. So on Monday, I went to the meeting and got all of the materials I needed, including some recepie books. So I was looking at the recepie books and there are some interesting foods that they want you to cook with. So I was at the grocery store and I was wandering around the produce section, looking for a certain vegetable called bok choy. I could not find this thing anywhere. I went up to the man who was stacking vegetables, and asked if they had any bok choy. He kindly pointed it out, and gave me a funny look, because it happened to be directly in front of me. I didn't know what bok choy looks like! Other items on the list included shallots and scallions. I didn't know what either were (I still don't know what scallions are) and luckily I happen to stumble upon the shallots. And, after all that I forgot to get soy sauce. Anyways, I am interested to see how these recipes turn out.

2009-12-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

Life has been going ok for us so far. We are struggling a little bit, but only emotionally for the concerns we have for many of our family members. Every day I feel so blessed to have good people surrounding me and supporting me in the tinest things- like Christmas shopping for four hours (thanks mom), just so that I may have a little comfort.

I feel like I lack a little of the Christmas spirit this season, and I can't quite put my finger on why that is. Last year I was very excited for Christmas to come. I think that I am really a little upset that there is no snow so it doesn't really feel like Christmas yet.

Phoebe is doing really great. She is very healthy. She is in the 10 % for her weight and the 50 % for her height. Despite her small frame, she is very energetic and happy. Here is a picture of her playing in the bath.

She loves the bath and the shower. She tries to reach out and grab the water when she is in the shower. She likes to run away when you try to put on a diaper or clothes on her, and then she looks back to see if you will chase her. She can clap her hands and recognizes the sound of an applause. She is working on giving high fives and I think that I will try to teach her how to wave next. She is just now learning how to snuggle with us. She is starting to understand the word no and a sterner tonality of voice. Avery and Phoebe often feed off of each other. One laughs and the other laughs. It's funny to watch them together.

Pain in the Neck

2009-10-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

So I went to the Dr to get my ears checked out to make sure that I could still hear ok, and the Dr tells me that I have bumps in my throat. He then proceeds to tell me that it's my thyroid gland that is swollen. I have to get an ultrasound on Monday to determine whether there is anything abnormal happening.

I have been looking on the internet about thyroid...and it's probably just adding to my paranoia... and I have several of the symptoms, but what worries me the most is that I will have an abnormaly in my throat other then the thyroid. I'm always thinking about the worst case scenerio. I guess if worst comes to worst I will have thyroid cancer and I will die. Ok that is pretty bad. But if best comes to best...I will just have low thyroid and have to take a pill every day. It worries me that I have problems with it already because it's not commenly found in people my age according to the research. It's mostly found in people older then 30 or 40 years old.

So the swelling in my neck is big enough that it's like I have a little friend sticking out. With the help of a friend at school we have decided to call my lumps Fred. Fred hurts a little, now that I'm more aware of him, but I probably wouldn't have thought twice before we found him. It just looks so gross...like I need something that makes my neck look fat...ha! Well hopefully it will all be resolved soon!

crawling?

2009-08-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

So I guess that Phoebe did a little army crawl thing. I was gone so I didn't see it; but Mack said that she did it for like an hour, he called me all excited and told me exactly how she was doing it. I can't believe how much she is growing up. It's going by so fast.

Friends

2009-08-16T21:45:00.001-07:00

So I'm not crazy. I really just like the show Friends. So anyways at school on Saturday I kept saying "Have you seen that Friends episode when...." and they would laugh after I told them. So everyone else thinks it's really funny too. OK so you don't have to agree with me. But, I will always keep watching it...just like I am now!

Mentor

2009-08-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

So I have to make a mentorship portfolio for school, on somebody who is in the beauty industry. The requirements include writing a two to three page paper, clippings of articles, pictures, etc. I have no idea who to do it on so some suggestions would be awesome.

So Sorry

2009-07-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while I have been super busy with school. School is going really well, I am enjoying learning so much and I'm so excited to get out on my own and start making the world beautiful!
The family is doing really great. Phoebe is growing up so fast! I'm so unhappy that I can't be with her all the time because I feel like I'm missing out on her growing up, but I know it's important for me to finish my education. She is almost beginning to crawl, she just has to lift her belly off the ground! She smiles so much, I'm telling you there is not a happy baby in the world than our daughter. She smiles when she bathes, she smiles when she is playing, she smiles when she sits on your lap, she smiles when she is about to sleep, and I'm pretty sure that she smiles when she pottys.

HELP!!!!

2009-06-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

Help me Help me Help me. I need your help with building myself a clientele. So, if you are interested in getting your hair cut, colored, massaged or shampooed, or maybe you would like a mani, pedi, or some waxing, please come and see me at Paul Mitchell the School Spokane. I especially need a clipper cut by the end of the month. Tell all of your friends. You can get a great service at a very reasonable price. Just make sure you have plenty of time. The hours are Tuesday thru Friday 1pm-3pm and Saturday from 9:30am-3pm. Make an appointment and request Justine at 509-924-7454.

2009-06-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our beautiful daughter. Here she is wearing daddy's NC hat, and below she is smiling away.

This week I started school at Paul Mitchell. I have to go to the day school because they have not gotten enough people for the night school. I was tired of waiting, so I decided to attend the day school until they get the night school started and then transfer over. The reason I did not want to go to the day school is I didn't want to have to have everyone babysitting her, plus I just miss her so darn much! Despite the inconvenience of it all, school is going ok. I have a

little bit of catching up to do, but I think that I will get it down soon enough. I'm just happy to be completing my hours. My feet aren't used to all the standing, and my legs complain a lot, but I'm sure I will get use to it in time. Phoebe is growing up so fast as you can see in the pictures. We have been trying and trying to get some professional pictures taken but our schedules have been so busy and we hope to get them done by next week. Phoebe can now roll over from her stomach to her back and she is starting to laugh. I think that it's one of the most precious sounds I have heard! She is a very easy and happy baby. She had been starting to sleep through the night until recently, and I think it's because of the changed to routine. It's a little harder now to get up with her during the night because we are both pretty beat by the time we get home. I think that women who work and mother are really putting a lot on their plates, and if they are able to do both, then more power to them. I don't think I'm cut out for it! It's really difficult for me just to be away from her, so there is emotional stress, and the added physical stress from wearing yourself down all day, makes it hard for me to calm down and relax enough to enjoy the company of my baby. I try however to keep an upbeat attitude, and look at the big picture and remember that six months is only a blip of time and it will all be over soon enough.

Before and after.....

2009-05-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

I don't like having my picture taken because I'm not so photogenic but here are the best pics I could find....

I look like a chunk!

Here is the after....maybe you will see all of me when I lose the next 15lbs....we'll see.

Weigh In 8

2009-05-23T19:00:00.001-07:00

Previous weight: 180.4
Current weight: 175.8
Total weight loss this week: 4.6
Total weight loss: 22.4

So I made my goal and I'm really proud of myself. I will continue to blog my weight each week because I still want to lose 15 more lbs. I have not yet decided what sort of goal I would like to make for myself, so if anyone has suggestions they are very much appreciated. I expect it to be a little bit easier because I will be attending school, and I think that I will be going during the day instead of night school like I had planned. For those of you who don't know I will be going to Paul Mitchell by the end of next month for sure. I think it will be easier for me to lose weight because I won't be sitting at home all day with all the food just waiting for me to munch on. I'm really excited to start, and also excited and hopeful for more weight loss. Even clothes that I bought three weeks ago are starting to go loose. So as a reward for making my goal, I have been shopping for new clothes. Most of my old jeans fit me okay, but my summer wardrobe is very sorry looking, and I don't have very many pants for school, with the all black dress code.

I think what helped me with the weight loss the most this week is that time of the month was over so I wasn't retaining nearly as much water, and also I have been eating fat free microwave popcorn, and pudding! Yum, yum! Helps a ton when I need a serious chocolate fix! Again if anyone has suggestions or encouragement to help me I would like some. I will try to post some before and after pictures if I can find any befores!

2009-05-16T06:54:00.001-07:00

Here is a small update of what is going on in our home. Mack is working hard as usual. We have decided to get cable, and I have been enjoying that a lot. My favorite channels are TLC and ABC family. Mack likes the Discovery channel and Disney XD because he likes to watch the old X Men cartoons. We have enjoyed it a lot, and it really beats the two channels we would have gotten after the June 12 digital switch.

Phoebe is growing up so much! I can't believe how big she is getting. Yesterday she started drooling a lot, and her sleeping and eating have become much more erratic so I thought she was starting to teeth, but now I think that she is just going through a growth spurt.

I am redoing the kitchen. Currently it is the ugliest mauve pink I have ever seen. The cabinets are painted on the inside with this color...all I keep thinking to myself is "who does that?" The window above the sink is unfinished so I will finish that up and paint it. We also will be tiling the floor. It was actually cheaper than buying vinyl. I actually think that it will look nicer too. I also am going to replace the counter top. I will post some before and after pictures when it is all done. I hope it turns out nicely.

Weigh In 7

2009-05-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Previous weight: 181.4
Current weight: 180.4
Total weight loss this week: 1.0
Total weight loss: 17.8

So I was really surprised that I lost any weight at all this week because I had my birthday so I kinda ate whatever I wanted and I didn't have time to work out because my beautiful daughter has decided that she likes to be awake at night again. She was sleeping through the night for about two weeks and now all of the sudden I'm up three times a night with her. I don't really like taking her to the gym, but I know that it's important for me to make the effort to go. Well, I have one week to go and 2.2 lbs. I hope I can make it I'm so close. I will have to be super good!

Weigh In 6

2009-05-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Previous Weight: 183.2
Current Weight: 181.4
Total weight loss this week: 1.8
Total weight loss: 16.8

Just 3.2 lbs to go and two weeks. I'm scared that I'm going to reach a plateau so I had a friend make a suggestion. She said to eat all fruits and vegetables for a week, and it's suppose to jump start your system and signal it to lose weight. I don't think that I can do it for a whole week. I would crave meat and definitely crave the carbs. So I'm going to try it for three days, and if that goes well then I will keep going with it. I just have to go to the grocery store to get more veggies. Ick. I hate the grocery store! But this is something I have to do!

Phoebe Is Growing!

2009-05-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Phoebe is growing and growing. She has grown out of a lot of her newborn clothes, but she doesn't fit into the 3 months clothes very well yet. She is very in between sizes. She is smiling a lot more. Everyone keeps commenting on her eyelashes. She gets those from her dad!

We had an interesting night last night. She didn't take a nap in the afternoon so she slept from six pm to four am and was awake until about four forty five but I couldn't fall back asleep until five thirty. It's so weird. I hate getting up at four in the morning. I wonder how old she will be when she starts to sleep through the night the way that I like to sleep through the night or if it will ever happen. Here are some pictures!

Weigh In 5

2009-05-01T10:15:00.000-07:00

Ok so another week goes by and here it is:

Previous weight: 185.6
Current weight: 183.2
Total weight loss this week: 2.4
Total weight loss: 15.0

So I have three weeks left and 5lbs to go. I am pretty confident that I will make it to my goal. I have been constantly losing, and I haven't reached a plateau yet. I hope that I don't soon. I feel like I have been working hard to lose this weight and as soon as I lose these next 5lbs my clothes will fit a LOT better. I still have a pair of my small jeans tucked away in the drawer that I hope to put on some day soon, but I will have to lose at least another 20lbs before I can do that! I'm going to try! We'll see what happens. Hopefully I can get into them this summer.

Weigh In 4

2009-04-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

Okay so I've made it to week four which means I'm halfway through for my goal. Here are this weeks results:

Previous weight: 187.8
Current weight: 185.6
Total weight loss this week: 2.2
Total weight loss: 12.6

I knew this week wasn't going to be as great as last week because of Mack's birthday and other stuff, so I'm just happy I lost anything at all. This next week should have better results. A few more pounds and more of my clothes will start fitting! Bah!

So Phoebe had her two month appointment and she did really good. She now weighs 10.1 and is 23 inches long. She is in the 50 percentile for her weight and the 75 percentile for her height. I think she is going to be pretty tall. She had her first set of shots done as well. I had to leave the room because I couldn't bear to watch it, but I heard her scream anyways. I felt so bad for her because the rest of the day, if she wasn't sleeping, she was crying because she was so uncomfortable. I felt so helpless! It sucks knowing something is wrong and being able to do very little to help! On the positive side, she didn't run a fever and she was pretty normal the next day.

Cousin Avery loves to play with Phoebe. She wants to crawl in her carseat with her. She was poking her head in there and accidentally head butted Phoebe, who started to cry. It was kinda funny. When we were at the gym I covered Phoebe's carseat with my sweatshirt so she could sleep and Avery kept lifting it up, I think it was to make sure the baby was still in there. It will be interesting to see how they will react next year with each other as they get older.

Weigh In 3

2009-04-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

Okay its Friday again so time to weight in! Here are this weeks results..... (drumroll)

Previous weight: 192.6
Current weight: 187.8
Weight loss this week: 4.8
Total weight loss: 10.4

So I'm a lot happier with the results this week and I hope that I can keep it up. I'm ahead of my goal right now but that could change next week. I really hope that it doesn't though!

2009-04-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Phoebe started to smile...here are some pictures I tried to get! Enjoy!

Weigh In 2

2009-04-10T11:53:00.000-07:00

Previous weight: 195.4
Current weight: 192.6
Total weight lost this week: 2.8 (again)
Total weight lost: 5.6

So I am declining slowly. I tried harder this week, but it didn't seem to help much. I was disappointed that I didn't lose more because I was feeling really proud about how good I was. I figured that I would have to lose at least 2.5 lbs a week to meet my goal. I am on track so far, so I will keep it up and hope that it continues.

Wish me luck!

Weigh In!

2009-04-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

Ok so it's been one week since I started my diet and here are the results:

Previous weight: 198.2
Current weight: 195.4
Total weight loss: 2.8

Ok so that's like hardly any weight at all so I have decided that I need to add more green vegetables. Here are some of the green veggies that I like: green beans, asparagus, spinach, lettuce, and zucchini. I don't like peas. If anyone has suggestions of other green veggies or good healthy recipes that include green veggies please share!

I also am going to replace skinny cows with fat free chocolate pudding.

Hopefully all this helps! If anyone has post-pregnancy weight loss tips I would appreciate it!

Thank you All!

Cravings!

2009-03-31T01:32:00.000-07:00

Okay so it's 1:30 am and I can't sleep because I'm worried sick about my daughter. She has been sick the last couple of days and she is not eating well. She is sleeping ok, but not great. I think that she is having a hard time calming down because she is in pain. I know I might be freaking out, but I can't really tell because Phoebe is my first baby and I really don't know what to expect. I feel so badly for her. I just want her to be better and healthy. She is not running a fever or wheezing yet and I'm monitoring her closely and I'm taking her temp like once a day. I know I'm a freak.

Anyways...I decided to blog about my cravings to stop being overly worried about Pheebs, and also to help me cope with the craving. So today I have craved a Domino's pizza, and an ice cream sundae, which made me crave Cold Stone.

Ok the same infomercial is on channel 2 and 4. Lame.

So back to the cravings...I really want some diet Coke. Here is what I think about diet Coke. I am not addicted to it, I just like the feeling of holding a can in my hand. I am thinking about replacing it with light minute maid lemonade that comes in a can, for the sake of my diet. Plus all that carbon and caffeine is not good for me anyways. Mmmmm...today I also craved brownies and chocolate chip cookies when I saw them on my TV show....with a tall glass of milk. YUM!

Well, I guess I should try that sleeping thing now!

GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY!

20 in 8

2009-03-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have decided that it's time to get serious about losing some weight. I decided to set a goal for myself and blog about my weight loss to hold myself more responsible, and stay motivated. So the goal is to lose 20 lbs in 8 weeks...let's just say that's where I'm starting. So if my blog gets really boring because I talk about everything I ate that day...I'm really sorry I will try to blog about better stuff too.

Current weight: 198.2
Current goal: 20 in 8

How am I gonna do it? I'm going to follow the Weight Watchers outline, but I'm not going to go to the meetings...and I also will be going to the gym 3 days a week at least to do an aerobics/weight training.

So wish me luck and keep me motivated and accountable!

Sleeping Patterns

2009-03-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

I read somewhere that infants sleeping patterns are very erratic for the first couple months of life. Phoebe fits perfectly into this category. When we first brought her home from the hospital, I couldn't sleep because every single sound that she made I had to get up and check to make sure she was ok, and then when she wasn't making any sound I had to go and check her just to make sure that she was breathing. So about the first two days, I didn't sleep at all because I was being a psycho. On some nights, Phoebe gets up every two hours to feed. Other nights, she sleeps an hour here and a few hours there. As of late, Phoebe fusses from about 8-9 o'clock to 12-1 o'clock, then she passes out until 3-4 am and wants to eat. I can usually get her to go back to sleep until about 6-7 am then she eats again. It takes her a little longer to calm down at this time, most of the time she will at least fall back asleep until 8 am. She is in and out of naps throughout the day, usually asleep from 1 pm to 4 pm for her long stretch.

Ok so you are reading this, and if you were me you would be saying "ok Justine, this is pretty boring. No one cares about your baby's sleeping habits." However, I do have a point. First things first though. I have to say that I love my child so much. More than I ever thought I could love something or someone. Ok so the point: THIS SLEEPING PATTERN OR LACK THEREOF DRIVES ME INSANE!!! I guess that pretty much says it all.

Being a New Mom

2009-03-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

Being a new mom is quite the experience!

I definently didn't understand how much time and energy it takes to take care of our little one. I mean... I knew that it was going to be hard, but I wasn't expecting it to be THIS hard. She needs constant attention, and most of the time she just wants comfort. Not because she needs feeding or changing. No she is like her momma and she just wants some love!

Ok the whole thing with changing diapers is funny. One of the first times that I changed her, she thought it would be funny to pee all over everything right while I was replacing the diaper. She also likes to soil her newly replaced diapers. I change the dirty ones and then seconds later...anyways. Also, I have changed so many diapers that it takes me only seconds. Mackenze on the other hand is very careful...that means that it takes him two minutes. He has to fold over the dirty parts of the wipes in perfect squares, use the hand sanitizer before and after, and I'm pretty sure he has some sort of phobia with the diaper genie. No...I take that back. I think he has a whole diaper-phobia. Same thing with the toilet. Is there a name for that??? Fecal Phobia? Waste Phobia?? Ok well I might be embellishing this a little. I'm very grateful that he at least changes them and helps me out. He is a great daddy. And Phoebe always settles down better with him than with me. I think that it's because he has so much more patience then I do. I give up too easily.

Here are some more pictures!

Labor and Delivery

2009-02-28T20:12:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy!

It is so wonderful to be a new mother...ok well I can't say that it's completely wonderful...it does have it's ups and downs.

But it is so completely wonderful to not be pregnant anymore! Yes! No more sickness and no more heartburn!

So I guess I will start with the labor, in the words of Adrian Monk...here's what happened:

It was about 11:00 pm and I started getting the small contractions I was used to getting so I didn't think too much about it. It started to worry me when they had been going on for fifteen minutes so I started to time them and they got stronger and longer. At this time I still didn't think that the baby was coming, I thought that it was just another fake out. However, around 12:00 things started to really get going, and I started hurting pretty bad, and I let those pains go on for about another half hour until I couldn't take the pain anymore. Ok so where was Mack during all this you ask? He was in bed asleep of course, as anyone would be doing at this time of night! So I walk in our bedroom and I loudly tell Mack to get up and we are going to the hospital. He didn't freak out at all. He was really calm and collected, and was like ok let's do this. Which was a really great attitude to take because I was really out of it. By the time we were checking in with the lady at the desk I felt horrible.

Ok so we get all checked in, and the first thing I do when we get in the room is change into the gown and then they strapped me in. I was hooked to the wall for the next 11 hours. They put these belt type things on to monitor the contractions and the baby's heartbeat. Then they checked me and I was dilated to five centimeters. Then there was that whole IV thing. Ok so the nurse preps me by saying...oh it usually only takes me two tries at the most...two? Yeah ok! So they try twice in my left arm...and then she goes to get the other nurse because she didn't want to try again she said the two times was her limit. So the other nurse pokes me twice in my right arm...which again was unsuccessful. So anyways...the last try they finally get it in my left hand. I had never been hooked up to an IV before that I could remember, so it was a really weird sensation when the liquid started to flow into my hand. It hurt worse then when they poked me with that huge needle. In addition to the liquids they had me on, I had to have three doses of penicillin before the baby arrived because I tested positive for a type of strep. Alright, so by this time I'm really out of it and I really need some meds. As soon as the penicillin got going they were able to get the anaesthesiologist in there and give me the epidural. I was so scared of the epidural but not because I couldn't move while he administered it, but because I thought it was going to hurt A LOT! Turns out...that hurt less then IV poking spree. Then they gave me a catheter, which probably would have been a lot more interesting if I was able to feel below my waist. It was so wonderful after that because the pain was GONE! I wasn't able to sleep...but Mack was able to get a few winks. During the whole process, I was able drink juices and have as much water as I wanted. However, drinking juice is not the equivalent to eating solid food. So I got to about eight centimeters, and my labor all of the sudden stopped. They gave me some drugs to get things moving again. Then the nurse walked in and said...it's time to push. I felt like crying I was so happy. So we did about five pushes and they called the doctor. When the doctor came I only had to push a few more times, and my darling Phoebe was here! It was a really great feeling. All of the pressure was gone. Then they stuck her on my chest and I had a strange mixture of feelings. I had forgotten what babies look like when they come out of the womb. She was all covered in white slime, and all I could think was eww...that's kinda gross. However, at the same time I was really elated and relieved.

It was a little while before I got the feeling back in my legs. The first time I got up to go to the bathroom, the nurse was helping me and asked if I could walk and I really thought that I could but my right leg was not cooperating and I ended up on the floor. The nurse asked if I was ok. I said, Yeah I can't feel anything, and then I thought to myself...duh! That is why I fell over! The rest of my stay at the hospital was pretty great. I was able to get a little sleep, and we were able to get things in order, and bring our beautiful baby back home with us.

All in all the labor went really smooth, and I feel very grateful and blessed that there was no complications during the delivery, and our daughter was whole and healthy.

Phoebe is a normal baby. She sleeps all day and is awake a good part of the night. Thankfully I am able to get a little sleep during the day when she is sleeping. It's hard for me to get up during the night, I often fall asleep while feeding her. I wake up and she is sleeping on my chest her mouth still a little bit open. I hope that soon her days and nights will fix itself. I'm starting to get used to it.

We are so blessed to have this little one in our lives. She has brought us so much joy in the very short time that she has been here. Here are some pictures, enjoy!

She's Here!

2009-02-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

Phoebe Samantha Harms arrived on Tuesday, February 17th, at 10:35 am. She weighed in at 7 lbs 13 oz, and measured 19.5 inches long.

Pictures will be up soon!

OVERDUE!

2009-02-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

I am now officially OVERDUE! If you check out the little baby ticker to the right, that is actually the number of days I'm over, not the number of days left to go. Hopefully our daughter will be joining us soon! I will have lots of pictures up once she is here. We can't wait!

25 random things about mack!

2009-01-31T19:07:00.000-08:00

1. I love my truck

2. I think my wife is beautiful- no matter what she is wearing

3. I like big TVs

4. I hate Volvos

5. I listen to 103.1 at work

6. My brother and I are going to be country singers

7. My wife will not let me be a bounty hunter or rally racer

8. I kick butt at go karts

9. I hold all the Wii fitness records on my in-laws Wii

10. I'm addicted to Dragonball and Dragonball Z

11. I wish I was Vegeta

12. Baby Peach sucks- Bowser rules!

13. "Come Thou Fount" is my favorite hymn

14. I want a PlayStation 3

15. My favorite superhero is Batman

16. My second favorite superhero is Ironman

17. I am an Eagle Scout

18. I served my mission in Raleigh, NC

19. My wife says I'm a geek

20. I love "Sweet Tater Casserole"

21. My favorite sport is snowmobiling

22. I don't like heights- but only when there is a chance of falling

23. I have a dream to ride all the roller costers on the west coast

24. I have a new Dark Knight phone

25. I am a business owner

2009-01-27T19:04:00.000-08:00

25 Random Things About ME!

1. I do not like raspberry flavored anything
2. I'm addicted to FRIENDS
3. My goldfish are alive and well
4. I like karaoke
5. I can not cook like my mom
6. I like Ellen DeGeneres
7. My green couches do not match my green carpet
8. I have a birthmark on my left leg that looks like a mouse
9. I have not worn my wedding ring for 5 months
10. I hog the blankets
11. I have accidently kicked Mack in the face
12. I have broken my leg playing volleyball
13. I have not worn make up since last Saturday and that was only because of my baby shower
14. I often do not shave my legs- and not because I'm pregnant...just because I don't need to.
15. I smell something weird
16. I have a vase painted by a very special person
17. I have never been a bridesmaid, only a bride
18. I miss my toes
19. My husband calls me sweetheart
20. I have never been skiing or snowboarding
21. I want to go on a cruise very very badly
22. I would like to have at least two children
23. I love vanilla ice cream
24. I can put a whole cupcake in my mouth
25. I like spicy scents

2009-01-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

Just in case anyone was wondering there is no baby yet!

We hope that she will be joining us very soon!

2009-01-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

This blog's owner is currently unmotived and useless!

Regular blogging will resume shortly.

2008-12-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

This is just a tiny baby update for you all. She is like kicking the crap out of me right now! My stomach is really creepy looking because it's moving all over the place.

Also it's creepy looking because of the really dark deep purple stretch marks all over it. It kind of upsets me that my body is changing and that it can never be the same again. But I guess that is just another part of life, that most women go through anyway. Some are really lucky. And I don't think that it will really seem like that big of a deal once I see my baby, and see that it was all worth it.

I love to feel her move inside me. It makes me think that she is happy and comfortable. Although, I hope that she is not too comfortable so she will come out of me, because I would like to hold her eventually in my arms.

It's funny trying to explain to my loving adoring husband what it feels like to have the baby moving inside of me, or what certain pains feel like. He does his best to understand, but really...there is no way he can really get it.

I have been having a lot of Braxton-Hicks lately in the past week. And also a lot of nausea has decided to present itself. The Braxton-Hicks feel like menstraul cramps except I feel back pain a long with it and instead of it lasting for fifteen minutes it only last for a couple and then comes back again like 20 minutes later. Last week when I went to work, I threw up every day in the morning before 10am. One of my co-workers was kind enough to mention that the whole building shook when I puke. Great. Like I wasn't embaressed about blowing chunks already, now I have to be nervous when my stomach tries to make its way out of my mouth.

Sometimes I feel like some women think that pregnancy is not big deal. It's hard for me to understand where they are coming from because it's a really big deal to me. It has been so hard for me to deal with the way my body is changing and dealing with different pains and sicknesses. I also have a hard time dealing with my hormones. I think to myself...why am I crying about this?? and then I realize the reason I'm crying is because of my hormones and it makes me angry and cry even more because I feel like there is nothing that I can do to stop it.

Even though I complain about the hardships of my pregnancy, I'm so happy and grateful to be bringing a new life into this world, and even more estatic to have such a wonderful loving man by my side. I know Mackenze will be an awesome dad, and more importantly I know he is ready to be a father. He has been so supportive of me throughout this pregnancy, and I couldn't ask for a better person to be with.

2008-12-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve 2008 was pretty exciting. We spent most of the evening at Mackenze's parents home. This is a picture of our niece Gabree, and Mackenze's Aunt Amy.

This is Mackenze playing with his other niece, Gabree's sister, Christi. The kids had a lot of fun jumping on him.

And here is Mackenze's cousin Jarron jumping on him. Jarron is Amy's son.

This is Mackenze's Grandma and his Uncle Adam. She's chowing on some very yummy turkey noodle soup.

This is Keesha Mack's sister and her hubby Richard. They are enjoying a fleece rubber ducky blanket, one of many that I made for our family. This one is for their little boy, soon to join them!

And here we are standing in the kitchen. From left to right: Christi, Chris, Gabree, Penny, Justine, Mackenze, Melissa, Richard, and Keesha. We had one great Christmas Eve!

2008-12-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas began early this year and the first event we attended was Aunt Sue and Uncle Bill's Christmas Party.

There was a taco theme for the food and everyone was suppose to get there at 5pm, but no one showed up until 6pm so we didn't eat until 6:30pm and let me tell you, Aunt Sue was starting to get a little uppity about it, but we don't mind we just love her anyways.

So there was about forty people there I heard, and there definently seemed like there was. We had a White Elephant gift exchange. Mack got this really cool key chain that is like a digital picture frame, and it holds 60 pictures. And the best part is that it's pink.

Oh yeah. And I got a toy security camera. I'm not sure where it went. As you can see, I'm not too broken up about it. We kindly donated some picture frames, and metal napkin rings.

These are the only two pictures I was able to get. I forgot the memory card to my camera.

2008-12-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

Coco.

That is what we named our American Coot who came to visit us.

She fell into our window well by our bedroom sometime during the huge snow storm we had a day ago. She has beedy red eyes, full black feathers, green chicken looking feet, and a white beak with a spot of black at the top.

I had to look up on the internet to figure out what kind of bird she was, and all the while I was wondering why she didn't fly south for the winter, because as far as I knew that is what all birds did. Turns out this type of bird is year-round here in Spokane, WA but they mostly keep to marshy areas. They need water to propel themselves into the air, and they are kinda like a cross between a duck and a chicken. A chuck if you will.

She began all burrowed down in the snow, probably trying to keep warm. When we would walk into the bedroom near the window she would get up and become all territorial.

Anyways, we left her there figuring that she could just fly out if she wanted to. So, I was down
stairs doing the laundry and I kept hearing a strange tapping noise. I went into the bedroom and found the bird freaking out and flying into the glass over and over again. I seriously thought that she was going to hurt herself, and I wouldn't be able to bear a dead bird in a window well...at least not one this big...if it was like one of those stupid parakeets I wouldn't mind...the world could do with a few less of those suckers.

So I got out the shovel and dug myself a little path around the house to the window well, and just sort of scooped her up with the shovel and she kinda flopped out and skidded/ flew across the snow. I let her go from there I figured she would be ok.

So now you know. I'm an American Coot rescue agent.

2008-12-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

Sorry the page has not been updated in a while. There will be a thanksgiving post coming shortly.

2008-11-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2008 was absolutely fantastic!

We started out at Mackenze's parents home. We had a wonderful meal and a 30 lb turkey. The bird was so big that they had to buy a special pan for it, which it didn't even fit in. They had to put it in sideways and cut off the neck for it to fit. My favorite part of the whole meal was the gravy. It tasted so yummy.

From there, we went to Wal Mart and picked up some wrapping paper. At my parents house we decided to have a gift exchange because my brothers are not going to be here in Spokane for Christmas, therefore, the reason for the wrapping paper. We had dinner around five, the size of this turkey was at least half of the other, and we didn't even eat all of it! Mom sent us home with some leftovers so that was great! I just love stuffing. It was just the stove top kind but man did it hit the spot. After we ate we exchanged gifts. I love giving gifts because I love to see the look on the others faces when they get something they want.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I can't wait until next year.

2008-11-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

Every Sunday Mackenze and I have the opportunity to be Nursury workers. There are about 20 to 25 children in our nursury, all unique in their own way. We have the insanely shy to the ones who want to tell you everything that they ate yesterday. Even though I am left absolutely exhausted after two hours, I'm so happy to be able to have the experience of being around these children each week.

I thought that I might share just a few happenings that we have seen in the last month.

There is one girl who, I am convinced, is the definition of diva, even though she is only three. This year she was Barbie Rapunzul for Halloween and boy did I get an earful about that. Next year she is either going to be a cheerleader or Hannah Montana she hasn't decided yet. And every week she brings me the same worn out Snow White storybook, and every time she is scared of the wicked hag.

Then there is the chewer. She chews on books, toys, clothes...basically anything she can get her hands on. But, her favorite thing to chew is wax crayons. She gets it all over her face and the paper on the crayon is covered in saliva. It's quite disgusting. I just worry that she is going to choke on it so I try to keep the crayons away from her.

There are also the train boys. These boys will fight over these toy trains and try to get you to put them together and then get frusterated as you try to explain that these trains are broken. There are other toys with wheels, but every one of them has their little heart set on the broken choo choo.

Then there is Mackenze's twin. He just loves Mack. He is upset a lot of the time and he doesn't want to see anyone but Mack. He is shy. He also loves dainties. I will tell you the dainty stories another time, but for those of you who know what dainties are this kid just sucks on them like crazy. He loves the feeling.

There is also the girl who LOVES dogs. I mean LOVES. She will take the stuffed animals, puzzles, hard toys, anything that resembles a dog. She picks it up and says "Hi Doggie." She loves them so much that she throughly enjoys taking anything that looks like a dog from another child. She is really good about giving it back when asked to though because she knows that she is not suppose to do that.

All of the children love bubbles. They go absolutely psycho when Mack gets them out and starts blowing away. Those kids will run over each other just to stomp on the bubbles or catch them. So we get them all good and hyper right before their parents come to get them.

It has been such a blessing working with these kids and even though you feel like you are going crazy they still have such a sweet spirit that it's hard to be upset.

2008-11-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

I love my Family. They are the most precious thing to me in this world. I wouldn't be the person that I am without their love and influence. I'm so grateful everyday for the great people they are.
Mom aka Cheryl- I could literally go on forever about what a great women she is, but I will just try to highlight the great stuff. When we were younger, mom was always there for us. She would pick us up from school when we were sick or bring us the homework we forgot. She did a wonderful job of teaching us wrong and right, and how to be hard workers. I remember having to do yard work and house chores that I just hated. It wasn't until much later that I realized how useful it was to me as an adult. My mom and I have very similar personalities. In fact, we are so similar that it's scary. One time, we were sitting in my grandparents living room and my dad had said something great about himself (which is typical of his nature) and my mother and I said "Oh pul-eez" at the same time in the exact same tone. I love my mother very much, and want to be more like her in many ways. She truly is a heroine.
Dad aka Michael- I'm so grateful for my father's hard working nature. He really knew and understood the importance of providing for our family. I think that he taught each of us how to be motivated through his great example. My father also is an entertainer. It was great when we were younger. He would make us laugh. I remember him telling us Goldilocks at bedtime. He would do it so animatedly. He also sang. I remember loving to hear him sing "I Heard Him Come" and some song in spanish.
Jay- My brother Jay is about two years older than I am. He was always the person who had the greatest ideas when we all were playing when we were kids. We would play ninja turtles and I would be April because she was the only girl. We would also play power rangers and I was always the pink ranger because let's face it she was the prettiest and the girliest and I was pretty much a diva. Jay and Brenn would always do the funnest stuff like playing basketball and I would get to play too but I had to be all time offense.
Brenn- My brother Brenn is a very caring and loving person. Except for the countless times he would just stare at us across the breakfast table to annoy us, or the time that he threw a log at a seagull. No, but really he has a big heart. Brenn always kept all of us children entertained and was always willing to play any weird game us girls could come up with. He will kill me for saying this but I'm not so concerned because he lives on the other side of the country...so....this one time he even played make up....he didn't put it on or anything he was just helping me. And he can deny it all he wants but I really know the truth. I love Brenn and it makes me happy to see him so happy with his beautiful wife.
Danica- Danica and I have an interesting relationship. I think that it's safe to say when we were growing up we had...moments?...several of them. The sisterly kind of course. It reminds of the relationship that Bianca and Kat have on that Ten Things I Hate About You movie. The sisters are severe opposites but despite that they still love each other. So I am betting you want to hear what some of those moments are. Well Danica had this nickname...ahem...Danica the Destroyer...and yes, it fit her well. I had just gotten my tonsils taken out, and my mom or someone had gotten me this creepy clown that you wound up and it would play music and move it's head from side to side. I loved that little guy. Anyways, I specifically told my mom that I didn't want Danica to play with it because I didn't want it to break. Anyways, she got a hold of it and it broke and I cried like the little baby I was. But I have long forgiven her of that discretion and Danica and I have definitely grown up. She has a wonderful testimony and spirit that has helped her grow into the beautiful young women she is today. She has become more considerate, and I know that she is going to be an excellent mother and wife to a very lucky man someday.
Jordyn- One word always comes to my mind when I need to describe my sister Jordyn. Sweet. Not like dude that is SA-WEEET!!! But the kind of sweet that makes your very old grandmother pinch your cheeks. I used to think that she was shy, but I think that she has grown out of that now. She is a very talented individual. Jordyn write poetry that touches my heart and makes me bawl. Though that is pretty commonplace for me these days. But really she is great.
The above is just my immediate family! There have been so many additions in the last couple years and I'm excited to share that with you too!
Mackenze- Let's face it! I could go on and on and on and on about this man so I will just let you read what I have posted previously if you want to learn more about him!
John- John is Mackenze's father or my father-in-law. He is a very hard working man and wants to do everything to make sure that his family is happy and provided for. I'm very grateful for the many kindnesses that he has shown to Mackenze and I, and that he has provided Mackenze with a job and many other talents.
Penny- Penny is Mackenze's mom or my mother-in-law. Penny is a very hospitable person. I remember after we went snowmobiling (the one time that I have gone) we were all so tired and worn out and Mack and I were crashed on the couch and she brought us an electric blanket and made sure that we were comfortable. Penny is a very sweet person. She also did a wonderful job of raising her children. I'm so happy that Mackenze has grown up in a great household and I attribute that to his Mother. Penny also home schooled her kids. I definitely admire parents who do that, because I don't think that I could take on such a task.
Katie- Katie is my brother Jay's wife. Katie is a wonderful women. I have always thought that Katie is very intelligent and smart about the choices she makes. Katie is also an awesome mother. I admire that she takes the time to enjoy watching Avery grow, and doesn't let the stress of mothering bother her.

Jess- Jess is my brother Brenn's wife. Jess is a very energetic and funny person. She keeps me laughing the entire time I am around her. Jess has a beautiful smile. I haven't had very much time to get to know Jess but I look forward to getting to know her better in the future.

Keesha- Keesha is Mackenze's sister. Keesha is very vibrant and full of energy. She also is pregnant about four weeks behind me and I'm so happy to be able to share this experience with her. She has a loving spirit, and is going to be a wonderful mother to her baby boy.
Chris- Chris is Mackenze's older brother. He just recently moved here to Spokane from the west side of the state with his two beautiful daughters and his caring wife. Although I don't know them very well yet, I look forward to the years we get to spend so close together.
I care a lot about my family, and I'm so grateful to share this life with them. I can't wait to have my own family!

2008-10-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

Today was an interesting day.

Yesterday, I went to Wal-Mart and bought three of those five dollar DVDs. When I got home, the first one that I opened didn't have the DVD in it.

So today I went back to Wal-Mart and explained the situation to a customer service employee. They told me to go and get another one and they would exchange it for me. So I went all the way back to the movie section and grabbed another one, walked all the way back up front to the customer service counter, and waited again in line to get this movie exchanged.

They employee was in the middle of the process of returning it, when she told me that the number on the video didn't match the numbers on the receipt so she couldn't return it and she couldn't do anything else for me.

I told her that it was no big deal it's only five dollars and it's just not worth all the trouble if she can't do anything about it.

It really wasn't that big of a deal but I still felt like crying. And I was so upset, by the time I got home...which was about a five minute drive...I began to feel angry because I felt like crying over something that was that stupid. Talk about complicated.

So today was interesting. And that's my little story about how it feels to be pregnant.

2008-10-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Being married has been a wonderful experience for both Mackenze and I. Every morning I'm so elated to wake up next to someone so wonderful.

Although we felt completely fulfilled in our marriage, we wanted something more. We started trying to get pregnant only two months after we were married. It felt like the right thing to do and we both desperately wanted a family.

I had expected to get pregnant right away. I had heard it was fairly simple for it to happen. However, after a few weeks I still had not seen that little plus sign I was awaiting. I was beginning to despair thinking that something might be wrong with me. I was trying to be patient which for me, in particular, is not the easiest thing to do.

Sometime near the end of May, I woke up one morning and decided just to try to see if I might be pregnant. I was so happy when two minutes later the test reflected a positive. I went downstairs right away to tell my loving Mackenze who was just as excited as I was.

The next couple weeks were a piece of cake. I felt completely fine. It was after those weeks, the blessed morning sickness began to debut. I'm not sure who decided to name it "morning" sickness because it should have been named "anytime of day you can think of" sickness. Not only was a puking in the mornings, but also mid-morning, early afternoon, early evening, and at 2:00 am.

That was the first trimester.

As I entered into my second trimester, I kept thinking: Ok this is going to be great! No more sickness! At least that is what the doctor and books all say...

And this is where I learn that doctors and books can be proved very wrong. It wasn't until the middle of the second trimester I was feeling better.

Now I'm just about to begin my third trimester, and I still occasionally feel sick. And I can't believe how often I eat! I have to eat at least six times a day, but I can't ever eat a full meal. It drives me crazy. And the trips to the bathroom are even worse. Sometimes I think that I live there, with as often as I go. My least favorite is stumbling up the stairs in the middle of the night. I'm always afraid I'm going to hit my head on the low part of the ceiling on the stairs, or my leg on the sharp corner of the bed. The list of possibilities of how Justine can hurt herself is virtually endless. I wasn't born with a whole lot of grace...add pregnancy and sleep deprevation....well....no explanation is needed.

Speaking of my clumsiness....

When Mackenze and I were dating, one night we decided to watch a movie at his parents house. His mom had made these amazing coconut brownie things....and naturally I ate five of them because we are sweet deprived at my parents house. So we popped in the Other Side of Heaven DVD, but apparently I had all this excess energy from the brownies so I decided to show Mack some of my wicked awesome cheer leading moves, and also how fast I could run around the coffee table. In the process of all my jumping I some how landed on one of my weak ankles. The popping sound it made was NOT pleasant. Then I started crying but I don't know if it was because it hurt so bad or if I was embarrassed...probably a mixture of both. I knew right away that it wasn't broken, but Mackenze was really worried because it was super purple and swollen. He called my mom and she told him to take me to the hospital just to make sure that it wasn't really broken.

My mom said that when the hot male nurse strolled me away in the wheelchair Mack didn't look too thrilled.

Turns out it was just a bad sprain. But, at least Mackenze had a little taste of what it's going to be like to take care of a stumbling idiot of a wife.

Thankfully, we haven't had any other unplanned trips to the hospital...knock on wood...I desperately hope that our children turn out more like their father.

2008-10-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

February 2nd, 2008 is the day my life became complete.

Our wedding ceremony was beautiful. I was crying so much. It was so wonderful to see my family and many friends there at our sealing. I was elated.

Of course, it was my wedding day so everything didn't go completely smoothly. My darling husband had been living on the couch for the past week, and not because he's a potato, but he was sick. Thankfully, by the time the big day came, he was well enough to enjoy it.

And then there was the pictures. It was so cold out we could all see our breath. By the time we got done with our family pictures and it was time for Mackenze and I, he barely got our a couple of good pictures before he started feeling sick again.

All in all, it didn't matter if everything or nothing went wrong. I was so happy I absolutely did not care about what was happening. I was estatic to be Mrs. Mackenze Harms.

The reception was...long. We had fun, but we were definitely ready to start the honeymoon.

We did most all of the traditional stuff. We did the bride and groom dance, the mother son dance, daddy daughter dance, we tossed the boquet, cut the cake, and stood in line for what seemed like forever. I kept the top tier of the wedding cake, and we plan to use it on our first wedding anniversery.

And my favorite part was that we had a theme. Four leaf clovers. Mackenze gained a nickname on his mission, Lucky Harms. It was perfect for us. The centerpieces were different sizes of vases filled with water and clear green and white rocks at the bottom. I wanted some sort of light in them though, and my mom found some green LED lights from a bar website that worked perfectly. Over the water and around the vases, we sprikled little plastic clovers. The cake was three tier, with white buttercream frosting, and little fondont kelly green and light green clovers. My boquet and his bootineer had white lillies, white roses, tiny light green mums, and of course, clovers!

Only one word comes to mind when I think of our photographer. Remarkable. Hans has extraordinary talent with the camera, for being so young. The pictures came out excellently.

My greatest of thanks goes out to my mother who put all my ideas into action when I couldn't, and helped me remember the things that I didn't. I love you so much, and I can only hope to be the mother you are to me.

We spent that night in Idaho at a resort named Stoneridge. The snow was piled up ten feet high to the side of the road. Everything was covered in a beautiful sheet of white. It was breathtaking.

One day later we were back to real life. And it still seems so surreal. I love my husband with all my heart and I will for the rest of eternity. Not just because he gives the world's best foot rubs. My husband is the single most caring and kindest man on this earth. I am proud to be his wife.

2008-10-04T12:26:00.001-07:00

Your typical cheerleader doesn't date your typical geek.

I guess that makes our relationship...untypical?

When I first told Mack I wanted to be his girlfriend I guess that I expected a little more excitement. But he just sat there on my parents couch, all calm. Then he tried to tell me that he would need a week to think about it.

HUH?! What the heck does he need a week for? He has been following me around like a lost puppy for the better part of seven months, and he needs time to think????

I wasn't having any of that.

"Why? Is that how you really feel?" I had pretty much expected this to be smooth, and him to be elated. Not with his forehead creasing in contemplation!

"Let's say I had a date this weekend. Would you let me go on it if you were my girlfriend?"

Ok, so I hadn't thought about that. Yes, I would let him keep his date that he already had planned. Mack is so kind-hearted that it literally kills him to be mean to someone. Of course, I would be freaking out the whole time. That is just how I am.

So I told him how I felt and that I would be near hysterics when he went, and he said that as long as he kept his promise to this other girl, we could be together.

Being with Mackenze made me more happy than I had ever been in my whole life. I didn't know what it felt like to be treated well by a man until I met him. All of the sudden, the man that I had always wanted and dreamed of was with me.

The next four weeks were absolutely wonderful. Every waking moment we spent with each other.

On Christmas Eve 2007, Mackenze proposed to me in my parents family room. I had just woken up from a nap, and tired Justine can be very cranky if she doesn't have enough sleep. His whole family and my whole family were in the living room and he said that he wanted to read a poem to me.

"Ok lets go out to the family room." I had just woken up and I didn't want to be around all these people.

"I wanted to do it out here."

"No, lets go to the family room."

"Ok." Mackenze is not one to push things more than once so I thought that was kinda odd that he almost insisted we stay there. I was so tired, I probably would have gave into him, but then had an attitude the whole time.

So we went out to the family room and he began to read me the poem. It was so sweet. We were sitting on the couch and I was enjoying hearing all these great things about me, we all of the sudden at the end of the poem he gets up and gets down on his knees.

It was then I realized what was happening and guilt swept over me in all forms. I understood now why he had wanted to be in front of the family. So they could all see and hear too. My heart sped up, and every little sound that was in the room muted itself, all I could hear was the words he was saying.

"Will you marry me?"

I think my yes was slightly inaudible. I was in complete shock. I usually know when big things like this are coming. How did he keep this from me??

Afterwards, we proceeeded out back to the living room and told everyone the news. Everyone was happy, and my Aunt was crying. Which started to make me cry, of course. Partly still in shock, but mostly in happiness.

Sometimes when I look back I think that I was in some sort of teen flick where two complete opposites fall in love. But what Mackenze and I have is something way better than a movie or book could ever depict.

2008-10-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

"Hi Mack."

Daddy is the word that I probably thought after that. And who wouldn't with a tall, dark, and handsome man staring at you.

"Hi Justine."

This is most likely what he actually said.

"So, I was wondering if I could have your number, some of us girls don't have it and we'd like to invite you to things... and stuff."

That's right. I asked him. That is what started it all. I tried not to smile too widely as I watched his eyes bug further out of his head. I found out later he was absolutely terrified that a girl was talking to him. His gorgeous brown eyes looked slightly nervous as he gave me his number.

After church began, I wondered why I didn't pay more attention to him while we were in high school. I don't remember him looking so handsome. He must have lost at least thirty pounds. In fact, I thought that he wore these thick lensed glasses all the time, which it turns out that he didn't. I didn't even remember that he was the seminary president. I only found this out after I was looking through his yearbook and reading the comment that I wrote in it. Yeah, he had definitely changed in someway, even if I couldn't put my finger on it.

Ok so you get it now right? Mack is hott.

Despite this, I still found myself reluctant to actually date him. I guess I thought him...what's the word...geeky. Although I think that the words stalker and goober were the words I used to describe him to others.

Don't get me wrong. Mack definitely had his moments where I sat wondering to myself why I didn't take the plunge. For instance, he calls me up asking me if I wanted a ride to some activity we were having. Sure I said, I'm at my parent's and I need a ride anyways. So he comes to the door.

"You ready?"

"Yup."

We stepped out from the porch, and there it was. Just sitting in the driveway, trying to blend in with the mediocre surroundings, but surely not succeeding.

"Is this your car?"

"It's my mom's."

"Cool."

So we get in the gleaming pale blue, two seat er, Z-3 BMW, with its top down.

"Hang on. My mom has to see this."

I dialed the number quickly and tell her to look out the window. She was just as impressed as I was. I think to myself...this is one way to get my attention.

After the activity, we spent a good part of the night driving everywhere in Spokane. The weather was cooperating perfectly. The warm wind hit my face, making me feel more alive than ever. I don't really remember a whole lot about what we talked about in the beginning, but the conversation eventually led to my past life, and his family. I don't know why I did, but I shared some deep feelings that I wouldn't normally, with an almost stranger. I guess I was trying to gauge his reaction, deep down I really wanted to know what he thought of me.

In turn, he shared his secrets with me. It was then and there our friendship began.

For the next six months, we hung out together regularly. We saw each other at FHE and singles dances, sat with each other at munch and mingle...you know when I would get over myself and I didn't think that I was too cool for him...

And then my life did a flip-flop. I had lost my job. They fired me. It wasn't fair. I'm not the type of person who gets fired. I'm not lazy, I'm very punctual, and I'm a quick learner. It is still beyond me why I ever lost that job. It had to have been one of the most trying days I had at the time. And you know what sweet Mackenze did? He left a white carnation and a Wal-Mart gift card, labled for ice cream on my doorstep. I knew it was him because he is the only person I know who writes in cursive. I called him and he even tried to pretend like it wasn't him. It was funny.

So, it put me in a tough spot. I had to move into my parents house and start job hunting. During that time Mackenze and I got to know each other even more. He would come over to my house and we would sit down in my room (I know...I couldn't imagine why my parents let me have a boy in my room...but hey...I wasn't about to say anything) watch movies and then he would rub my feet.

Oh...My...Gosh. Mackenze would be the foot-rubbing god if there was one. I don't know what it was, but pieces of my heart were quietly stolen from those foot-rubs. And because Mackenze was the best at foot-rubs (and also wonderfully sexy) he got some special treatment too. Let's just say he has nice lips.

Even then, I still couldn't convince myself to be his girlfriend. Maybe I wasn't ready. I can't exactly explain my hesitation. But I believe that it was meant to be that way. It wasn't the right time.

When I finally realized that what I had been looking for was right smack in front of my face for the past seven months, I was actually very surprised. I didn't expect it. I wanted to be with him.

And I was going to make it happen.