I was so right!

I know I said we weren't going to find out our baby's gender, but we changed our mind! I used my feminine charms to convince Jamin that we should find out, and sure enough, it's a boy! I am so excited even though I felt it was a boy all along. I can't wait for my little man to get here!

Oh, Happy Day!

I finally graduated on Saturday with my Masters in Literacy Studies! It was a fun weekend and I am so glad that some of my favorite people were able to come!

Here we are before the big festivities, at like 7:00 in the morning:


And here we are after the ceremony:


I am so glad that this stage of my life is behind me now! :)

Cat's Out of the Bag

Today, during math:

Student raised his hand to ask, "Mrs. Hunter, are you pregnant?"
"Yes I am," I answered, a little shocked.
He goes on to add, "Oh, I figured it was either that or you were getting fat!"


I guess I can't hide it any longer.

18 Weeks

Go Navy!

Happy Veteran's Day to all the vets out there! And most especially to my amazing brother who is currently in the middle of the ocean somewhere defending us from all sorts of crazy things. The Navy is lucky to have a talented pilot like you, Tyler! Stay safe!

Last Leg of the Journey

Today I presented my graduate research project at UNR. It went really well and it's a great weight off. It was cool because my principal and a few teacher friends came for support. Now I just have to finish my humongous paper which is due November 10and I will be done with my educational career. And that my friends, is some of the best news ever.

Funny

Today I saw a guy wearing a shirt that had the words "Recreational Gynecologist" in huge letters across it. I thought it would be rude to take a picture to post on here, so you'll just have to take my word for it. I wonder if his wife is the one who bought the shirt?

For the Inquiring Minds

Thanks to everyone for their kind words about the baby! We are so very excited. So, to answer a few of your questions:

1. I am 12 weeks and due April 26.

2. I haven't had any morning sickness! But I do have quite the gag reflex. I had a student throw up in front of me a few weeks ago and I just about lost it. I just can't handle anything gross right now.

3. I am not telling my students I'm pregnant (unless of course they read this blog!!!). I figure they'll figure it out eventually. I just don't want any awkward conversations about "How'd that happen?" Ironically, the Sex Ed. teacher is scheduled to come in the week I'm due, so I figure she can clarify for my students exactly how babies are made. In the mean time, they can just think I have a tumor or something.

4. We're not finding out what it is, but we are pretty sure it's a boy. (Forget I mentioned this if it ends up being a girl.) I want to find out, but Jamin doesn't, and so he wins.

5. All of the names I like don't sound good with our last name.

6. I wish I could start maternity leave now.

7. I have been very successful in my mission to give up Diet Pepsi during pregnancy.

So that pretty much sums up everything to this point! Only 8 weeks until graduation!

The bun's a cookin'

Yes, it's true...Jamin and I are going to be parents in April! We are so excited we can't even stand it!

Random Post

I don't have much to update, but I wanted to get my last depressing post off the top. Gladly, I am settling into the new semester and it is going really well. I present my Graduate Research project on October 25 if anyone wants to come. Haha! I am looking forward to finishing, and trying to focus on the positive. My class is still really nice, only 20 students, which is unheard of for 4th grade. I am really enjoying this year and feel that I am growing a lot as a teacher. Still, I can't wait for my break in just a few short weeks!!

I'm still working in Young Women's, and that is a lot of fun for me. I will be excited when I am done with school and can go to more activities during the week. Jamin is still busy with his calling of Executive Secretary, but it is a good busy. The dogs are good, we are good, life is good. Jamin has been lucky to stay busy with work-- a lot of construction business owners are really struggling, but we have been so blessed that he has had good, consistent jobs. He will finish school soon too, which will be so nice. We won't know what to do when we can have dinner together every night!

Alright, this post is long and random. I'm just really happy right now and wanted to write it down. So, thanks for reading!

Such a Positive Attitude!

When I was an Undergrad, the first day of Fall semester was a day filled with much anticipation and excitement. I usually wore a cute outfit, had all my binders pre-labeled and organized, and couldn't wait for classes to start. Oh, how times have changed. I guess by by one's 15th semester the newness has worn off. Since my class is from 7:00-9:45 pm, I am already exhausted before it even begins. That has to be the worst time ever. I live too far from campus to bother going home, so I just end up working in my classroom until it is time to go to UNR. This week as I walked to class, I was already thinking that at least I only have 15 more weeks to go. Yes, the light is at the end of the tunnel, but it seems so dim right now. December 6, 2008 is my new favorite day. That is, if I pass.

Down by the River

It was Jamin's birthday, and we pretty much celebrated it for a week straight. I am glad Jamin is a Leo, because he definitely compliments my Gemini mood swings! :)

Anyway, we started out with a nice birthday celebration at the Light's new home in Dayton. Heather decided to make Jamin a birthday cake so she could improve her cake making skills before Max's much anticipated first birthday party. Being the helpful friend I am, I allowed her the privilege of making Jamin's cake. It was either that or buy cupcakes from Wal-Mart. I think I made a great choice. Here is the cake in all its glory....


On his actual birthday, I made a spectacular dinner spread that was pretty amazing. We then went and got ice cream and opened gifts. Good times.

Then over the weekend, we went to tubing on the Truckee. My brother Tyler is in town for flight trainings, so he went with us, as well as my sister Jamie and her boyfriend. When I went down the river, I of course crashed into a rock, which was pretty embarrassing.




After that we went and got sushi, and played a mean game of Scattergories, which I won of course! Tyler said they let me win, but that is such a lie. I won fair and square.

So that's the recap of Jamin's amazing birthday bash!!

Update

Good Evening, friends. I am sure many of you have been waiting with bated breath to hear the lasted from the Hunter's. Well, there is not much to report. I am back to teaching, and I am pretty sure this is the best class of my career thus far! I love all my new students! It's been an amazing start to the year.

Not much else is going on. We spent last weekend perusing the cars at Hot August Nights, followed by a nice little BBQ at our place. We went a little extravagant and bought a $52 steak!! It was a dream of Jamin's to sample this particular type of steak, and it met his expectations. I am not much of a meat connoisseur, and I just dip mine in 57 sauce, so a steak of this quality was a waste for my banal palate. It was a good experience, nonetheless. Well, that is all, and I hope to post some pictures of us soon.

Husband Tag

Husband Tag!

So I was tagged by Jen to do this. I tag Stacey, Andrea, and Marielle.

1. What is his name?
Jamin

2. Who eats more?
Sadly, me. Jamin eats to live and I live to eat.

3. Who said I love you first?
Jamin did. He is much more open with his feelings than I am. But I came around!

4. Who is taller?
Him.

5. Who is smarter?
Lately it is definitely Jamin. I feel like I have no brain right now.

6. Who is more sensitive?
Me. Definitely.

7. Who does the laundry?
Both of us, but when I do the laundry I do both of ours, when Jamin does the laundry he only does his!

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Jamin

9. Who pays the bills?
Me. I'm a control freak like that.

10. Who cooks more?
Jamin. I think cooking is way over rated.

11. Who is more stubborn?
I am the most stubborn person you will ever meet.

12. Who is the first to admit that they are wrong?
Jamin. Refer to question 11.

13. Who has more siblings?
Jamin. He has 4 brothers.

14. Who wears the pants in the family?
If you know us you know the answer to this question.

15. What do you like to do together?
We go on long walks at night together. It's good because there are no distractions.

16. Who eats more sweets?
Actually Jamin. I should buy stock in Little Debbie.

17. Guilty pleasures?
We both drink too much soda.

18. How did you meet?
Single's Ward. Pretty original.

19. Who proposed?
I did! Ha ha just kidding.

20. What is his best features?
Jamin has really great eyes! I think he is so handsome!

21. What is his greatest qualities?
Jamin is the kindest, most patient person I have ever known. Also, he is so smart! He can fix anything, build anything, and pretty much DO anything. He shocks me all the time with the amount of knowledge he has. He is also such a righteous priesthood holder. He takes church very seriously and keeps me going on the right path. I am so grateful for such an awesome guy!

My Life Rocks

When bored, it is best to find useless ways to waste time on the Internet. Here is a fine example:

		I will marry Jamin.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in Caliente in our fabulous House.
		We will have 4 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Black Tahoe.
		I will spend my days as a Gypsie, and live happily ever after.

Maybe there is some truth to MASH after all?!?

Quads

This afternoon Jamin and I decided to head out into nature and go four wheeling. It was such a beautiful day and it felt good to get out of the house. Here are some snapshots of our adventure...

Good Times

One of my best friends, Marielle, is in town this week to do some photo shoots in Reno. Luckily, she had time to get together and we were able to go out to a fun little lunch. It was great to see her and Hadley. Hadley is so cute, and so well behaved. I'm secretly glad that Marielle has to stay in Reno for a few more days so that we can hang out more before she leaves!
Hadley showing some leg....

If any of you need a photographer, Marielle will be back in Reno in September to do more photo shoots. She takes the best pictures, and is so reasonable. Go to http://www.mariellehayes.com/blog/ if you are interested.

Flooding

Jamin's family in Indiana has had a really rough time this past week. Their home town of Columbus has made national headlines for the amount of flooding and rain they have experienced. Homes have been washed away, bridges have collapsed, towns evacuated, etc. We were watching the updates on CNN, and Jamin saw a lot of people he knows talking about the damage to their homes. We were very worried for Jamin's parents home especially, because they already lost their house to a fire about 15 years ago, and it would be awful for them to lose their home again!
Luckily, everyone is safe and their property damage is not serious. My sister-in-law was mentioning how glad she was to have food storage, as they have literally not been able to leave their house--and since the flooding was so sudden, they had no time to prepare. Of course, all of my nephews think this is all great fun. They are always up for an adventure! Hopefully all of the water goes down soon, and they can return to a semi-normal life.

My Birthday Weekend

This past weekend I went with my sister to good ole Caliente. We had a lot of fun going to "Lincoln County Idol," the town picnic, the softball games, BBQing, and all the other things that small towns do over Memorial Weekend. It was totally worth the 7 hour drive @ $4 a gallon! I sometimes wish I still lived in Cali, it really is a cool place. All of my city friends find it ridiculous that I would ever consider moving back there, but I think anyone who has ever lived there is a little reminiscnet of that lifestyle.

On Tuesday, I turned 25, which rounds up to 30! I had an awesome day. Jamin cooked me breakfast in bed, sent me roses, and got me the gift I have been dying for. Then at school, I got sang to like a million times by my students. Little kids are so funny with birthdays! We also went out to a very nice dinner and went and did a couple of things I have been wanting to do for a while. Thanks to everyone who called/text to wish me a happy birthday! It is so nice to be remembered!

School

Jamin and I both finished finals this week, and let me tell you, it is so good to be done! I am pretty much a professional student-I have been going to school for SOOOO long.
It feels so weird not to have a million things to do. I keep thinking I should be working on something, but for once I can just sit and waste time when I get off work. I definitely like that aspect, as I am pretty lazy by nature (just ask my Mom!)
The unfortunate part is that I start summer school again in 2 short weeks. I guess I will try to enjoy my stress-free days while I can.

Favorites

Since I have nothing exciting to blog about, I thought I would share a few of my most favorite items....

Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches---just finished the box this morning


Cargo bronzer---helps me look like I am not dead/albino


Shu Uemura eyelash curler---can't rave about it enough


Camelbak Water bottle---helps me get my 64 oz a day


Guitar Hero---here I am playing

Typical Day at Work....

Me: "Boys and Girls, tomorrow is 'Take Your Son or Daugther to Work Day,' so if any of you are going to work with your parents it is an excused absense, just let the office know.

Little boy in class: "Mrs. Hunter, I know for sure that I can't go to work with my mom because she works at Suzie's Adult Bookstore, and they sell lots of toys, magazines, and movies that are X-rated! I can't wait until I am 18, then I can go!!"

True Story.

Good Deal

I sell a lot of stuff on Ebay and Craig's List, but I hate using Paypal because of all the stupid fees. A friend of mine referred me to Revolution Money Exchange, which is the same thing but free. Even better, if you sign up before April 15, you get $25 in your account. I already got mine and transferred it to my banking account. You then get $10 for everyone you refer. So even if you don't sell online, it still is a good deal.

For an even better deal, I could send you a referral link to open an ING account online, then you would get another $25 bucks in that account. Let me know if you want me to e-mail you a link.

Here's to free money for you and me. :)

Interesting...

http://cnnentertainment.co.nr/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/01

Cancun Pictures!

Reno Home Show

Today Jamin and I went to the Reno Home Show. There were so many things to see, and I even won a month free membership at an awesome gym near my house. I am excited to go to all the fun classes they have there.

The highlight of the show was that Taniya Nayak from Designed to Sell was there. I love that show, so it was like meeting a celebrity for me. We were able to get pictures with her, and she gave us some free design advice. Jamin drew an example of our floor plan and she told us the best way to arrange our furniture, which of course is the exact opposite of how I have it. Her ideas will give me something to do when I get ambitious. She was so smart and could visualize things so well. I wish I had that talent. So, here is a picture of me and Taniya so you can visualize just how huge and white I look next to her.

Blessings

While we were in Cancun, Jamin's dad had open heart surgery. We called after his surgery, and everyone was amazed at how well he was doing. He was released a few days earlier than expected.

Over the weekend, Roger took a turn for the worse and was rushed to the E.R. He had some pretty severe complications from the surgery, and everyone was very worried. After he was in the hospital for two days, Jamin's family told us that we probably needed to come to Indiana as soon as we could get tickets. His doctors had no idea what was wrong, but they suspected a stroke. Then, Jamin's brothers gave him a blessing and he immediately started to turn around! All of his symptoms were gone and he was once again back to normal. They kept him in the hospital for a few days, but they decided he was fine. It was so amazing to hear the good news after we had been so worried.

I am so grateful that he is doing better and that Jamin's brothers were worthy to give him the healing blessing. We definitely had our testimonies strengthened over this Easter weekend. We are grateful for all of the great things we have in our life, and this little scare has helped us to be more appreciative of our families. I hope all of you also had a great Easter!

Cancun

We are back, and we had a lovely time in Cancun. We were not your typical vacationer who basically sits on the beach and drinks margaritas all week long. We spent a lot of time swimming in the ocean, snorkeling in cenotes and caves, and driving recklessly around the Yucatan Peninsula (I seriously thought we might die on several occasions; such as when a FedEx truck ran a red light and came barreling towards us at extreme speeds.) We also visited a Mexican Wal-Mart and the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. As our consular said, “A Mexican Wal-Mart is just like those in America, except all of the workers here are legal.” That is not entirely accurate, but I thought it was funny. We also spent some time at the Flea Markets where all of the sellers offered the same sales pitch of “Almost free!” or “Everything cheaper than K-Mart!” At these Flea Markets, we were also quietly offered Cocaine and Marijuana. Don’t worry, we didn’t buy any.
Politically, we were surprised to at the numerous document checks we had to endure to enter into Mexico, but at the apparent disregard for these checks in order to return to the US. I expected it to be the other way around. I guess we just look honest.
On our trip we saw some very beautiful places and some intense poverty—it was very eye opening to us. I am so glad that we got to go, and we are already planning our next vacation! I will post some pictures later—I need to go through them and figure out which ones to keep and which to delete. Adios!

Two More Days....

Then I am off for a month! Sleeping in every day, no responsibilities--I really can't wait.

The Strangest Thing....

I saw the strangest thing today...a baby who was probably 9-10 months old with their ears pierced. The strange thing was, it was a BOY! I thought it was sad. I think it can be cute for little girl babies to have their ears pierced, but boys? The majority of girls are probably going to pierce their ears anyway, but boys may not want it, even if their Daddy or whoever thinks it's cool. I guess it's just me, but I am definetly not going to be piercing my son's ears!

Ain't Life Grand?

So, today while I was working some jerk decided to break into my car to steal my iPod. No, he didn't do the old wire hanger trick, he decided it would be much better to bust out the entire window! Right in the school parking lot! Luckily (I guess) he didn't steal anything else. My principal was able to get someone to come fix the window by the time I got off work, so at least I didn't freeze on the way home. And the cops were able to get a fingerprint, so hopefully they catch the jerk, but I won't hold my breath. I hope someone out there is enjoying my beautiful pink iPod with my name engraved in the back. It makes me feel better knowing that at least they won't like my music!

Maybe I Should Teach At This School...

I am very excited for my Aunt Rae and Uncle Jim! An elementary school in Henderson was opened in their honor--James and Rae Smalley Elementary. My Aunt Rae is an awesome woman, and I am proud of her accomplishments. She is actually my Grandpa's sister, but she never forgot me on my birthday or any other holiday. How fun would it be if I taught at Smalley Elementary?

Life

We have nothing new to report, we are both back in school and that seems to exhaust most of our time, and whatever time is left is spent working. One highlight of our week was that we went out to dinner at a new place on Friday. The waitress brought Jamin the wrong meal, and we weren't going to say anything for fear that they would spit in our food if we complained. Jamin thought it was good anyway, so he wasn't going to worry about it. Anyway, the waitress quickly figured it out and brought Jamin the right food. And as payment for our troubles, she comped our meal! So we ate totally free, and she boxed up the wrong food for us to take home. Clearly, we get excited over very lame things these days. So, here's to free food and date nights.

Family Photos

I have been meaning to post some of our family photos for a long time! One of my best friends, Marielle Hayes, is an awesome photographer and we were able to have her take some family pictures of us. I am so lucky to have such talented friends! She does weddings and engagements too, so if you know someone who needs an AWESOME photographer for their wedding, let her know! Thanks again, Marielle!

http://mariellehayes.blogspot.com

Cancun

It is once again a snowy mess in Reno. All of the snow from the earlier storm had just about melted when we were hit with another round. This awful weather is making me really excited for our trip to Cancun in March! We are going to go for one week and I am so excited! We will be going with our friends Mike and Mallory Orton. It should definitely be a good time. If any of you have been, let us know what the highlights were for you!

P.S. I Love You

I went and saw this movie the other day with my friends Amy and Tara. I loved it. It was a total chick flick that I am sure my husband wouldn't appreciate, but I definitely recommend it! So cute!

Reno's Finest

This awesome man is from Reno, and he probably gave the best American Idol audition I have ever seen. This clip is long, but oh, so worth it. This is the type of crazies that we live among.

It's true. We're dorks.

So, we got a Wii, and it is awesome. I am suprised we like it so much since neithier Jamin or I are really gamers. In fact, the last video game system I played was the Super Nintendo way back when. My favorite game right now is bowling, but Guitar Hero is also super cool. I just ordered Dance, Dance Revolution which is the best game ever, and I can't wait until it gets here. So, anyway, this is how we entertain ourselves.

Snow Day

Here is a picture of our backyard with its ten inches of snow! I am just glad that my car has 4wd!

Indiana

We spent the week following Christmas in Indiana visiting Jamin's family. It was very beautiful, but sooo cold! We stayed busy visiting pretty much everyone in Jamin's family. We were able to stay the night with all of his brother's families as well as his parents. It was great to see how much our 2 nieces and 8 nephews have grown in the past year. The only downside to the visit was that we had to go to the ER because one of Jamin's brothers cut his hand with a chainsaw. Luckily, he was fine. For the past three visits we have had to Indiana, someone has ended up in the ER while we were there. I guess we are bad luck! Either that, or the Hunters are accident prone! We are grateful that we were able to make the trip and look forward to visiting again next year.

Hunter boys



Their wives




The kids