Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

Christmas was wonderful this year. Kelly and I have been in California for a few days and having a blast. Kelly has been spending time playing X-box with my dad and my mom and I having been shopping like crazy! When we got here my mom didn't have any of the Christmas shopping done so we were able to it all together. I had SO. MUCH. FUN.

Here are a few other highlights from the week:
We went for a long bike ride up Mt. Diablo and Kelly slipped on the way down. Chad had to check out the damage when we got home. Kelly had a few scrapes but he was just fine. He was lucky to fall in the dirt instead of the cement!
I was able to meet 6 of my high school friends for lunch at Chevy's. It was great to see everyone and catch up. We are growing up and it's weird to hear about all the "adult-like" things we are all doing. I only have a picture of Nedda and I from this event. That's okay because she's probably the only one who reads our blog anyway!
After our long days of shopping my mom and I turned on Miracle on 34th Street and spent 3 hours wrapping all the presents. Don't they look beautiful under the tree?
On Christmas Eve we went out for a steak dinner at Tahoe Joes. I filled up on salad and appetizers and by the time the food came I could only eat one bite of steak.
When we came home from dinner we decided to get a few pictures by the tree. This was my favorite.

My family has a tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve but no one wanted to do it except for Chad. He could tell by the shape that this particular gift was a DVD so he was really excited to open it. We woke up on Christmas morning to Chad knocking on our door yelling, "it's Christmas, Santa came!" Before we opened any of our presents we decided to support those who are forced to work on Christmas and go to 7-11 to get some diet cokes!
Kelly and I got his and hers Ipods. We are excited to be able to listen to music while we work-out!

Merry Christmas!

Worry Free Fun

I cannot believe how much fun we have been having since school is out for the semester.

• On Friday night we went out to dinner at The Olive Garden (thanks to my Grandma Drena!) and then we drove out to Blackfoot to see a Christmas concert. My best friend Ashley goes to school in southern California and she is dating a guy from Blackfoot. Ashley and her boyfriend Dan are both amazing singers and Dan put on a Christmas concert and Ashley sang in a few duets with Dan. We had a great time seeing both of them.


• Saturday we slept in late and did our usual Saturday morning routine of Diet Pepsi's from Horkley's and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins from Great Harvest. Then Kelly decided to join me at the gym. Afterwards we went to Quizno's and shared a sandwich and then we went to the dollar movie theater and saw Fireproof (it turned out to be a Christian film about a troubled marriage). Neither of us knew what the movie was about but it wasn't half bad.


• On Tuesday we went to the temple and then made dinner together.


• Tonight we met Ashley and Dan at Texas Roadhouse. We had a ton of fun talking and catching up with them.

It has been so much fun to be worry free since we don't have to be concerned about tests and homework or surgery and doctors! Tomorrow we are heading to California to celebrate our nephew Nicholas' 1st birthday and to spend the holidays with my family. We are also going to meet with my brain surgeon on Friday for a post-op check up and to talk about fertility. I will make another post to update about what we find out!

Looking Back on the Semester

Finals are over and Kelly and I are truly enjoying our free time together!

We are really glad that this semester is over. Looking back over the semester I realize that we have been through a lot but have also grown a ton from our experiences.

As the semester started I was taking a steroid drug that was supposed to shrink the tumor I had on my pituitary gland. I hated taking this medication because of all the horrible side effects. I was constantly exhausted, I got dizzy all the time, not to mention I gained about 15 pounds in the 3 months I was taking it. The worst part about the medicine was the fact that I was going through all of that for nothing because my tumor was not getting any smaller.

This semester we had to make one of our toughest decisions yet. Since the drug therapy was not working for us our next two options were surgery or radiation. We spent many hours praying and contemplating our decision. We decided that surgery was the way to go. Since pituitary tumors are not very common it was really hard to find a surgeon that was experienced with this type of surgery. 100% of the credit goes to my mom who spent countless hours on the phone and Internet trying to find the best doctor out there. We are so blessed to have found Dr. Kunwar.
*On a side note Kelly is so grateful to him he wants to name our first child after him...how do you incorporate 'Sandeep Kunwar' into a kids name?*

We were so grateful to be able to get into see Dr. Kunwar so quickly and set my surgery date for October 20th. We were happy that we were going to be able to get everything done so quickly but also quite nervous because it would happen so fast. The surgery has an 80% success rate and we were worried that we were going to be part of the 20% but to our absolute glee everything went perfectly and I am tumor free!

We have been told that it takes 3 months for all the hormones to go back to normal. I seem to be doing a lot better in that area recently and I am excited to finally be able to start trying to get pregnant. We have a post-op appointment with Dr. Kunwar on Dec. 19th and I'm hoping we'll be able to start some fertility treatments then. It is expected that it will be a bit of a challenge to get pregnant because of all the changes going on in my body but Kelly and I are in good spirits and are hopeful that pregnancy will happen quickly.

This was one of Kelly's toughest semesters yet and he did awesome even though he was traveling to and from California for my surgery. It really feels like such a triumph to be done with this semester, not just because it's a few more classes out of the way but because we finally got some good news when it comes to my health. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Gobble Gobble

Thanksgiving was so much fun this year! It was my first time at the "Allred Thanksgiving" and it did not disappoint. Kelly's dad's side of the family all gathers together at the church for a huge meal and a rousing game of dodge ball. It was a wonderful day and I had a great time meeting everyone.

Most of the family was able to make it for the holiday (we missed you Autumn!) and Kelly and I thoroughly enjoyed playing with our nieces and nephews. We kinda liked talking to the adults too ;)

On Saturday night we were able to go to the Parade of Lights in Afton, which I was told is Star Valley, Wyoming's biggest parade of the year. We got to see a lot of the Allred cousins there which was awesome! Overall the holiday was amazing and I think I may have survived with only a few extra pounds.

Our First Christmas Tree

Kelly and I are really excited for Christmas this year!! We have definitely had our ups and downs this year and are ready to settle into the Christmas season. We decided to get our Christmas tree early because we are leaving Rexburg a week before Christmas and we want to enjoy our tree for as long as possible.

We didn't get a tree last year or decorate our apartment but we wanted to get more into the Christmas spirit this year. We got two Christmas CD's and listened to our Christmas music while we decorated our tree. The tree is a bit bare since we have not had time to collect ornaments or decorations. The dollar store was our friend! We used ball ornaments, tinsel, and candy canes. I've decided that we need to start buying two or three ornaments a year until we have a nice collection.

We had a blast going around town and finding all the things we needed for our tree. We have had beautiful fall weather this year, the sun was shining today and we were both wearing short sleeved shirts! We were laughing that we were buying a Christmas tree and there was no snow on the ground. I have been preparing Kelly for a non-white Christmas since we will be in California.

We are going to Star Valley to be with the Allred's for Thanksgiving and we cannot wait. It will be nice to come home to a decorated house. Happy Holidays!

what's in a name?

Before I met my husband I didn't know any men named Kelly. The only Kellys I met were female. I have come to realize that many people assume that people named Kelly are always female. I have to admitt I used to be guilty of this, but when people think my husband is a women, it bothers me. Kelly is not just a female name. In fact, the name Kelly means warrior and connotes aggressiveness and strife. That sounds pretty masculine to me. Although I do get annoyed when people think my husband is female it does have its advantages as well.

• I have never had trouble getting information about Kelly's credit cards, medical records, or bank information. When the company asks what the name on the account is I say, "Kelly Allred." They always relpy with "alright Kelly what can I do for you?"


• I can always cash checks with Kelly's name on them. He, however, has trouble cashing checks with my name on them.

This post will serve as a reminder to all that Kelly is not just a girls name!

passing the time

The best thing about having surgery is that people send you gifts!!!! Thank you to everyone who sent flowers, packages, cards, phone calls, and texts. I feel loved and cared about and am so grateful for such wonderful friends and family.

My grandmother sent me a card with some money to play with. I was specifically told that I was not allowed to pay bills with the money, so I thought, why not buy a sewing machine.? It's a random thing to buy...I know but I figured it's probably something I'll use for the rest of my life. It's the perfect way to pass the time since I am not allowed to do much as far as physical activity. I have been having so much fun with it. I bought a bunch of fabric to make some Christmas decorations. So far I have made an adorable apron and a throw pillow. I am in the middle of finishing the rest of the pillows and making a Christmas quilt. I love my sewing machine and I am relieved to have something to do besides lay around and watch TV. I actually feel as though I have accomplished something when I finish a project. Thanks Grandma!

the worst is over...

I am home from the hospital and feeling better. I still have some pretty massive headaches but the Dr. was able to remove the entire tumor and my prolactin levels are already back to normal! It was all worth it. It will probably take another few weeks to get back to normal life but I am so relieved that it's all over. I'm recovering at my parents house in California and Kelly, my mom and I will be returning to Idaho on Sunday. My mom is going to stay with us for a few days since Kelly is gone during the days. Thanks for all your support, love, and prayers...they worked!

Politics

I definitely do not claim to be a political smarty pants or anything but I have been watching the debates and keeping up as much as I can. I am really excited about his election because this will be the first time I am allowed to vote in a presidential election. Last election I missed the cut-off date by 4 months.

There has been a lot of talk here in Idaho about Prop 8 in California. We have been asked to call, as LDS church members, the residents in California that are for Prop 8 and remind them to vote. I heard in church today that if Prop 8 doesn't pass that marriages will no longer be allowed to be performed in the temples in California. I don't know if it is true or not but someone mentioned it today. I tried to do some research to see if that is true but I couldn't find anything. Does anyone know if this is true?

why must you sleep like that?

My Dearest Husband,

I now completely understand and support your brother Kory's decision to push you off the bed you two were sharing many years ago. I know that you have no idea what you are doing while asleep but let me share with you a few of your many sleeping quirks.

• Before you fall asleep your constantly rub your feet together and violently shake one of your legs and thus shake the entire bed.
• Exactly 7.2 seconds after your head hits the pillow, you make one fast jerk and then begin breathing heavily, indicating that you have fallen asleep. In the meantime, I stare aimlessly at the ceiling, listening to you breath, while I attempt to fall asleep.
• On multiple occasions you have tried to suffocate me. I woke up one night with your entire hand covering my mouth and nose as you were sleeping peacefully...I'd like to know what you were dreaming about.
• Several times a night you roll over and land on top of me and decide to park it. I tell you to move and gently nudge you to your side of the bed only to find you on top of me again 5 minutes later.
• You steal covers and pillows...you are a selfish sleeper.
• You make clicking noises with your tongue and sometimes you grind your teeth.

Thank you for not snoring or making gross smells while you sleep. Even though you can be quite annoying I love being able to roll over and see your adorable self lying next to me every single night.

Always and Forever,

Your sleepless wife

one word answers

*This fun tag is going around the family and I am it...enjoy!

ONE WORD ANSWERS

Where is your cell phone? dunno
Where is your significant other? sleeping
Your hair? unkempt
Your mother? friend
Your father? hilarious
Your favorite thing? family
Your dream last night? none
Your dream/goal? health
The room you're in? office
Your hobby? reading
Your fear? infertility
Where do you want to be in 6 years? family
Where were you last night? school
What you are not? calm
One of your wish list items? house
Where you grew up? California
The last thing you did? bath
What are you wearing? Pajama's
Your TV? distraction
Your pet? eventually
Your computer? broken
What do you think of tags like this? interesting
Your mood? tired
Missing someone? yes
Where would you rather be? paradise
Something you're not wearing? bra
Favorite store? Nordstrom
Your summer? short
Love someone? unconditionally
Your favorite color? changes
When was the last time you laughed? today
Who will participate? Lisa

The Verdict

Kelly and I have decided, after many doctor visits and prayers, that I need to have surgery to remove my tumor. The date is October 20th.

While I was in California I saw a specialist, Dr. Sandeep Kunwar. He is a UCSF research doctor who specializes in the pituitary. He removes about 120 pituitary tumors a year. My condition is not very common so we were very lucky to find someone who is so specialized. I feel 100% confident that Dr. Kunwar knows what he is doing.

The surgery is done through the nasal canal since the pituitary is at the stem of the brain. There is no incision and the recovery is fairly quick. I will only be in the hospital for one night and I can fly home after 5-7 days. I will be back to school full time within 2-4 weeks. I will have a runny nose for 3 or 4 days and a bad sinus headache. I say that is pretty minimal for having brain surgery!

There is a possibility that the tumor could be slightly embedded in the vein which means the Dr. would not be able to remove the embedded portion of the tumor. If that is the case the tumor will come back in 3-5 years. If that does happen I will have to go back on the medication but I will take a much smaller dose and we will catch the tumor before it gets too big. Dr. Kunwar told us that there is an 80% chance that he will be able to take out the entire tumor and we will never have to worry about it again.

There is a chance that I will need to use fertility treatments to get pregnant. The doctor mentioned hormone treatments and possibly in vitro fertilization. I don't know how I feel about this. I am trying to take things one step at a time but I would love to hear from others who underwent fertility treatments. How did they make you feel? What worked the best? What do you suggest trying or not trying?

*I feel like all of my posts lately have been about my health issues...sorry! Everything else is going well. Kelly is staying incredibly busy with school and we are enjoying our time together. We are excited to be able to put this all behind us.

Love it!

My new obsession as of late has been decorating/crafts/design. I came across HGTV a couple weeks ago when I wasn't feeling well (laying on the couch all day :). I LOVE IT. I love getting new ideas and thinking of little things I can do to brighten up a room. I started making some new throw pillows for our couches and I have painted/stained a few pieces of old furniture. It's a slow process but I am having a blast.
My new project is our extra bedroom. I want to make cute bulletin board to put on the wall and reorganize a bit to make the space more useful. I think do-it-yourself projects are awesome because they are inexpensiven and I always feel as though I have accomplished something when I'm done.
I am not a very creative person but I can copy someone else's ideas. I find that when my house is organized and decorated nicely, I am more productive. I feel happier and more comfortable when things are neat and tidy. I can't wait until Kelly and I can buy our own home and I can really go crazy with paint colors.

P.S. Thanks for all the kind comments last week. I love feeling supported and understood. This week has been much better! I'm going to California on Monday to get a few second opinions from some doctors there. I'm excited to see my family and hang out for a few days. I'm coming back on Thursday and my mom is coming with me. She's going to stay a few days so she can see Kelly since he can't come to California with me because of school.

Tough Week

Last week was the first week back to school for Kelly and I. Kelly is taking some really hard classes and I was planning on taking 19 credits in hopes of graduating this April. We had some discouraging test results this week. The growth on my pituitary gland causes my prolactin levels to sky rocket. I have been on a medication that is supposed to shrink the growth. The way we measure how well the medication is working is by testing my prolactin levels. A normal persons levels are between 2.8-28 (if they're not pregnant). Mine were at 401. After 6 weeks on the medication they went down about 50%! That was exciting news and Kelly and I assumed after another 6 weeks I would be back to normal...wrong. At my last blood draw, after another 4 weeks on an increases dose of medication, we found out the levels had actually gone back up a bit.

Needless to say we were extremely discouraged and searching for some answers. Our doctor didn't seem to think it was a big deal but we didn't like that response. We are now in the process of getting a second opinion and making sure we are on the right track with this.

This has all been going on right in the middle of our first week back to classes. I decided to drop a few classes and take on an easier load. I am a little bit disappointed because I was really looking forward to being done but whats one more semester? Right? School has been going pretty well, I can already tell that it's going to be a tough one for Kelly. It's hard to concentrate on school when there is so much going on.

We've had our moments of frustration this week but we are confident that everything will work out. We are doing our best to keep a positive attitude and to have some patience. This has been a test of faith for us but I know that trials will only make us stronger. Not to mention, if you have to wait to het a baby it will make those 3 a.m. feedings seem easier, right? Wishful thinking, I know!!!

First day of school, don't we look excited?!

Kelly 101

1. I am 24 years old.
2. I get mistaken for a lot younger. I hear comments like “are you getting ready to put in your mission papers?” My reply, I’ve been home from my mission for 3 years.
3. I get super hot really easily.
4. I love sports.
5. My favorite teams are the San Diego Padres, and the San Diego Chargers.
6. I loved growing up in Star Valley.
7. I love hanging out with my entire family and laughing until my side hurts.
8. I love golfing, hunting, or doing anything with my brothers and Dad.
9. I’ve been married to Brittany for a little over a year.
10. My wife is hot!!
11. The first time I rode in Brittany’s car when we were dating, she started it and I said, is this a diesel!? She said yea a turbo diesel. I got really excited, I like turbo diesels!
12. My drink of choice is Diet Pepsi.
13. My brothers and sister in-laws are awesome!
14. I love playing with my nieces and nephews
15. I miss my family and wish we lived closer together.
16. I love taking my brother-in-law Chad (he has Down syndrome) to 7 eleven. He is probably the happiest person in the entire world. I feel so lucky to have him as a brother-in-law.
17. When I’m with Chad he always asks me “You’re my brother, right?” It always makes me smile and I say yes we are brothers.
18. I’m a paralegal for my Father-in-laws Law Firm.
19. One summer when Kory was living at home for the summer during college, every night we would drink mountain dew, watch Seinfeld, and play twisted metal on play station.
20. My Dad made me a basketball hoop for Christmas when I was 5. I still have it in Star Valley and still love playing on it 20 years later.
21. I was the only one in Junior Jazz that could do left handed lay ups. (Thanks Dad!)
22. I hate it when I’m with a group of people and they’re talking about something I don’t know anything about, or a story I’m not a part of, so I’m of course not saying anything, then they look at me and say “Well your sure talkative” or in a sarcastic voice “Kelly let someone else talk.” I’ll talk when I have something to say.
23. I don’t like public speaking.
24. I’m very protective of my wife. On the way back from our honeymoon it was late and we stopped at a rest stop to use the bathroom and I saw this creepy guy walking around the rest stop, so I went with Brittany and stood right in front of the bathroom entrance. I’m sure the other people there were thinking, what is this weirdo doing?
25. I’m a junior in college.
26. I have broken my right arm three times.
27. I like spicy food.
28. My Dad’s Dutch oven chicken and potatoes are the bomb!!
29. I love when something happens that is so funny that I can’t stop laughing
30. My cars name is Ivan. I swear something new breaks on him every week!
31. I got on the most well behaved list in my Junior High (I think it was called the warrior clan) during the term I wasn’t even there.
32. I like adding, subtracting, and multiplying in my head.
33. I have always looked up to my brothers Kory and Aaron.
34. I miss my brother Eric.
35. I could talk about cars with my Dad for hours and not even get sick of it.
36. My parents are awesome, I am thankful for the way they raised me, and all they do for us.
37. I love my nieces and nephews nick names, Mikayla (Miks), Garrett (Gabe), Kamron (Nammers), Linnea (Nea) Trevor (I don’t know, we have not met yet), Avery (Monster or The Terrorizer), Summer (Scrumps), Teegun (Teegs), Nicholas ( Nik-a-nus)
38. I’m horrible at reading comprehension
39. During the reading comprehension section of the ACT, I remember them saying you have 2 minutes left to finish, I remember thinking crap, I just finished reading the story.
40. My wife is a good cook.
41. My favorite TV show is sports center.
42. Someday I want to own a Chevy Silverado Duramax diesel.
43. My wife is the most amazing person, she helps me with school, cleans, cooks, is patient, and calms me down when I get stressed out. I am the luckiest man in the world!!
44. The first time I kissed Brittany it was in front of her door at her apartment, when she went inside I heard all 5 of her roommates screaming and cheering really loud as I was walking down the stairs. I felt like the coolest person in the world!
45. My-in-laws (the Cordons) are such fun and awesome people. Mike and Sabrina have made me feel so welcome in the family, and I’m thankful for all they do for us.
46. I am thankful to my father and mother in law for raising such an amazing daughter.
47. I really don’t like school all that much, but know it is important.
48. The new Doritos flavor chipotle ranch and zesty taco is so good! I could eat chips all day long.
49. I hate when people are boastful or who always try to one up you on everything.
50. On my mission I got this package that was pretty heavy, I opened it and it was a 24 pack of mountain dew from my brother in law Dal. I think it cost him about triple the amount of what the soda cost to ship it to me. That was one of my best packages (You are the Man Dal!)
51. Me and my friend Casey Frome ran our cars into each other in our high school parking lot
52. I can’t wait to have a family and be a Dad.
53. I get extremely motion sickness. Even the rocking of a ski-boat overtime can make me motion sick.
54. Like lots of my family I always think before I say something.
55. I think the only time I could really be mean, is if someone was harming my wife or anybody in my family.
56. I hate it when I’m in class and I happen to be day dreaming during a lecture, and then the teacher says Kelly what do you think?........... “ummhh, uhhhh, let’s see well I think that uhhhh, ummh? can you repeat the question?
57. I pretty much like all foods, the only thing I don’t like is mustard and blue cheese.
58. During school, I would rather get stuff done early so I can be lazy later, rather than be lazy and then do school work.
59. I can faint really easy (although I’m getting better). I have fainted in elementary, high school, and one time in church.
60. I really don’t like anything to do with needles or any kind of medical procedures.
61. I would rather eat something salty than sweet.
62. I am a business/finance major.
63. I like ranch flavored sunflower seeds.
64. I like learning about different types of animals.
65. The chargers just lost by 2 points in the last play of the game.
66. I gained 10 pounds on my mission.
67. Iron Man is one of my new favorite movies.
68. I would love to own a chain of car dealerships.
69. I like to eat Jalapeno’s.
70. I have worked at: My Uncle’s dairy farm, my neighbor’s pig farm, family Thriftway, Castle Rock, Star Valley Detail, Robinson Motors, Ensign Toyota Honda, Call Gravel, Taylor Chevrolet, and Nursing Home and Elder abuse law Center.
71. I would say that I’m a laid back person.
72. Sometimes Brittany gets annoyed with me because when she asks me a question that she wants to know my opinion on I just say “oh I don’t care, whatever is fine with me.”
73. Chad is the biggest Oakland A’s fan there is, I love to go to the games with him, sometimes he stands up out of his seat and points and yells at the other team. It is great!!
74. I could probably still play farm like I did when I was little.
75. On our honeymoon Brittany and I went to a Padre’s game at Petco Park. It is such a pretty ballpark.
76. I would love to work for a professional sports organization.
77. I am taking 15 credits of intense business classes this semester.
78. I wish I could take my wife on a shopping spree.
79. When I fill my car up with gas it has to stop pumping right on the dollar. If it doesn’t, I squeeze in a little more so it will.
80. Cars I’ve had so far: 1987 Chevy S10 blazer, 1995 Pontiac Grand Am, 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue.
81. When people tell me to smile on the spot, I can’t do it. You just have to catch me in the moment when I’m smiling.
82. I never owned a pair of flip flops until I met Brittany, and now I wear them everywhere.
83. I like to put tons of hot sauce on my taco’s/burrito’s.
84. I like the smell right after it rains.
85. When I was 12 years old I fed my neighbor’s goats, one day, one of the big rams charged me and flattened me to the ground. I was pretty small at the time so I threw the pitch fork at it.
86. April and I are pretty good on a team during game night when the family is together.
87. Brittany got me a Tivo for my Birthday and I love it. No more commercials!
88. I want to see a Chargers game in person someday.
89. I was on the high school golf team.
90. Like my brother Aaron, I have had my same haircut since I was like 14 or something, and don’t plan to change it anytime soon.
91. I usually only spend about 15 to 20 dollars on a new pair of jeans…..My wife on the other hand…..
92. I’m with Aaron I don’t really care what kind of clothes I have, just if they look and feel good.
93. Like my sister Autumn I have never been outside of the US, not even to Tijuana.
94. I would rather eat more of my dinner than have dessert after.
95. Sometimes I over worry about things.
96. I promised Brittany that we could get a dog as soon as we have our own house.
97. Unfortunately I’m in my first week back to school, it is already killing me!
98. One time my older brothers made Eric and I sleep in their room with only one little blanket in the middle of January and they had their window open.
99. Places I’ve lived: Star Valley, WY, Logan, UT, San Diego, CA, Rexburg, ID, ????????
100. My favorite color is red.
101. My nickname since I can remember has been GOV.

101 RANDOM things about Brittany

All of my family members have been making lists of 101 things about themselves and Glenae tagged Kelly and I. School starts again tomorrow so I figured I better do this today while I still have time.

*Kelly has started his list as well and will be posted in a few days*

1. I am 21 years old...I have been told I'm mature for my age.
2. I am from Danville, CA - about 30 minutes east of Oakland.
3. I absolutely LOVE my hometown and wish it wasn't so expensive to live there. The trees and mountains (Mt. Diablo) are gorgeous, but it is close to all the modern conveniences.
4. Whenever I am cold, Kelly is perfect. Whenever Kelly is hot I am perfect. If I'm hot, Kelly is about to melt.
5. I will never get used to the cold. I've been told its because I have thyroid issues.
6. Although I complain about living in Rexburg (#5) I am so grateful to be here and have the opportunity to get my education.
7. I am taking 19 credits this semester.
8. I am majoring in Marriage and Family and will graduate in April...hopefully.
9. Kelly and I met on a blind date.
10. When I found out Kelly was from Wyoming, I asked him if he rode bulls...haha. That's what I thought people did in Wyoming!
11. I love going to Star Valley, Wyoming and I love it when the entire Allred family gets together.
12. I have two older brothers, I am the baby and the only girl.
13. My mom used to put curlers in my hair every Saturday night so I had cute hair for Church. I have been told that I never wore the same outfit twice from birth to age 5. Needless to say, my mom was very excited to have a daughter.
14. I have the greatest mother in the world. She is truly the reason I am the person I am today. She is very caring and nurturing and definitely knows how to have fun!
15. I have scoliosis and had two metal rods put in my back when I was 17. It was a 9 hour surgery. I spent 3 days in pediatric ICU, and 5 more in the hospital. I missed the first 2 months of my senior year while I recovered at home. When I started to wean off of vicodin, I got horrible headaches and the shakes. I slept in my parents bedroom while I recovered so my mom could keep and eye on me. I learned from that experience that I don't like being helpless but I must accept help when it is needed.
16. I love that I married into a big family because there is always so much going on at family get-togethers.
17. I have an amazing, patient, loving, helpful, caring, and passionate husband. He is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.
18. I love going to California and shopping with my mom and sister-in-law.
19. I adore my sister-in-laws. I always wanted a sister and now I have 5!
20. If you would have told me 3 years ago that I was going to marry I guy from Wyoming I would have told you you were insane!
21. I love my father and mother-in-law for raising such an amazing son.
22. I have a hard time thinking before I speak. My dad used to try to get me to work on that when I was in High School. I never did quite master that skill.
23. I forget/lose things a lot. I have tried to get better and I have made some progress but I still struggle a bit.
24. I have 3 or 4 day planners that I bought in hopes of organizing my life but it never works out.
25. I like to think of myself as organized but I don't think its necessarily true.
26. I love grocery shopping but I don't like cooking. I always make a meal plan at the beginning of each week and I end up making only 2 or 3 of the meals I planned. I say that I will be better when I am done with school...we'll see.
27. I enjoy eating out.
28. I have every intention of working out but I usually start an exercise routine and only end up doing it for a week or two. I wish I was better about it.
29. I am insecure about my body.
30. I despise getting ready in the morning...so monotonous.
31. I can't wait to have children and think I will be a great mother.
32. I am a social person and don't like to be alone.
33. I think I talk too much.
34. I have a problem with interrupting people. It goes back to #22. When an idea pops into my head I say it. I will work on that.
35. I have always looked up to my brother Jared. I loved spending time with him when we both lived at home. I thought he and his friends were the coolest people ever.
36. I am proud to be Chad's sister. He is one of the happiest people I know and feel privileged to have him in my life.
37. I think my parents are saints for raising Chad to be so self-sufficient and well behaved. They are so patient with him.
38. The first thing I do when I get home is take off my pants and put on something comfortable.
39. I am not naturally blond. My hair is more of a dirty blond/nasty brown color.
40. I have a pituitary adenoma. I just found out about it in June and have been taking medication for it ever since.
41. My family is medically cursed. My dad has skin cancer/moles and has stuff cut out of him all the time. Jared has had his appendix out and has asthma/allergies. Chad was born without a hip socket and no one knew till he was 23. My mom had endometriosis and ovarian cysts. You already know about my issues...plus I take medication for my under active thyroid.
42. I went to Greece and Turkey with my High School choir and would love to take Kelly to Santorini.
43. I love being an aunt and have the cutest nieces and nephews.
44. In High School I hung out with a big group of girls and a big group of guys...we had a ton of fun together.
45. I went to early morning seminary at 6:15 AM.
46. I am so grateful for my religion but 3 hours of church can feel really long sometimes!
47. Kelly and I are in a married student ward and there are about 60 infants in our ward...Sacrament meeting can get very noisy.
48. The TV shows I like are: Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Prison Break, John and Kate plus 8 and Flip This House.
49. I have always wanted to be a young mom.
50. I have used to have a feeling that I would have a hard time getting pregnant but I never knew why because no one in my family has struggled with infertility. My pituitary adenoma has made it difficult for us to get pregnant and has been a really big trial for us.
51. I appreciate when people are open and honest about the trials they go through. I like to talk to people who have gone through the same things I have.
52. I love water sports and swimming.
53. My birthday is in March and I used to have pool parties...I love California weather.
54. I hope our children don't get my legs.
55. I would love it if our kids look just like Kelly...I think he's adorable.
56. I like to spend money. Kelly and I are on a strict budget (college students) and if we ever have extra I make him transfer the money to our saving account ASAP or I WILL spend it!!
57. Kelly handles the finances. I think I would do okay with it but he really enjoys it!
58. I was in the Choir in High School. I love to sing but I get horrible stage fright so I can't do solos.
59. I love sweets and would rather eat a small dinner and have dessert at the end.
60. I am addicted to Diet Coke. I have tried to break the habit many times but have been unsuccessful.
61. My favorite sound in the entire world is Kelly's laugh...I can definitely pick it out in a crowd.
61. Kelly tells me I'm a good cook but I beg to differ.
62. I had braces when I was in High School but I didn't wear my retainer so I want to get braces again. My dad says I owe him 5 grand.
63. I had my teeth cleaned a few weeks ago and the hygienist told me that I had bad plaque build up on my bottom teeth. So I started flossing my teeth everyday. We'll see how long it lasts!
64. I love to get new decorating ideas for our apartment. I am a fan of HGTV.
65. I could eat Mexican food for every meal of every day...the spicier the better...but not too spicy!!!
66. I enjoy reading for fun. I love Nicholas Sparks. I also liked the Twilight books.
67. I love chick flicks. Kelly says he watched way too many chick flicks while we were dating.
68. I don't like westerns or fantasy movies. I never understood the Star Wars hype.
69. I like to have my room cool while I sleep. I love to cuddle up with my blankets. I love our down comforter.
70. I sleep with 3 pillows. One for my head, one in between my legs, and one to hug. I have converted Kelly to using a "huggy pillow."
71. I think my Bishops wife has a hard time hearing because she whispers really loud. She was sitting next to me in Relief Society and she kept talking to me during the lesson, she thought she was being quiet but she was quite loud! She is a super nice lady but it was embarrassing today!
72. When I was little I wanted to be a Whale Trainer at Sea World. I was chosen to pet, feed, and pose in a picture with the Killer Whales.
73. I try to keep a clean house but it gets messy sometimes.
74. My favorite household chore is vacuuming. I love the way the house looks when I'm done.
75. My mom rarely cooked dinner while I was growing up. We ate a lot of takeout. She didn't cook dinner, but I did have a hot breakfast every morning at 5:30 AM before seminary.
76. I cannot decide if I am a morning person or a night person. I don't think I'm either. I just like to sleep.
77. Kelly does most the laundry.
78. I drive a red Jetta name Ulga.
79. One of the best feelings in the world is sitting in the Celestial room of the temple with Kelly. Life feels so simple there.
80. I love the Oakland A's. My dad gets A's tickets through work so I have been able to go to a lot of games.
81. My mom and I went to New York right after September 11th because it was so inexpensive. While we were there people were so nice and everyone thanked us for coming. I guess the economy was not doing well because tourism dropped a lot after the terrorist attacks.
82. I love watching the Chargers with my husband...he gets SO into it.
83. Kelly never spends money on himself so whenever he wants something I usually encourage him to get it.
84. I love taking pictures, I took a basic photography class at BYU-I but I wish I had time to take more.
85. I would love to be an event planner. Once I have kids I don't want to work unless I can work my schedule around Kelly's so he can watch the kids.
86. I often try to think of different things I can do with my hair but I feel like it looks the same everyday.
87. For the first time in my life my moms hair is longer than mine.
88. I really enjoy the Christmas season. I love to drink hot cider, make gingerbread houses, and sing Christmas Carols.
89. I find that I am more productive when I have a lot to do. When I am busy I work very efficiently but if I only have one thing to do during the day I usually won't get it done because I lay around and do nothing. I like to be busy. I like to have a reason to get out of the house.
90. I love the sunshine and I find overcast days depressing.
91. I prefer snow over rain but only if there is a clearly shoveled path to walk on. I prefer sunny, warm days over all of it.
92. When was in High school I was a hostess at a restaurant called The Blue Footed Booby Canoe Club.
93. Kelly is watching Seinfeld while I type this. He loves that show. I prefer Friends. We like to watch King of Queens and Yes, Dear together.
94. I like to go for walks on Sundays. We have a really pretty park close to our apartment that is fun to walk around.
95. I love to listen to Brian Regan...if you haven't hear him go on YouTube and search his name. His bits are hilarious and he is very clean.
96. Kelly and I went to our honeymoon in San Diego. We went to a Padre's game, Sea World, the Zoo, Coronado Island, and Old Town. It was awesome.
97. I wear contacts but I want to have laser eye surgery eventually.
98. My favorite breakfast is cold cereal.
99. My maternal grandfather was a marathon runner. He died of colon cancer when I was a year old. I can't wait to meet him.
100. My parents had to put our black lab to sleep but they told my brother Chad that he went to a farm to chase birds. That was about 6 months ago and Chad still has no idea.
101. I love bull dogs and want to get one but they are a lot of maintenance and cost $1000. I will probably never have one.

About Kelly

Lisa requested that we do a post about Kelly. I told him that he needed to get online and make a post himself. He said "I'll tell you what to write...I know how much you love blogging!" So here I am typing for my adorable husband.THE GAME - List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.

3 Joys -

1. My Wife.

2. My Family.

3. Knowing that someday I might graduate from college.

3 Fears -

1. Needles.

2. Anything to do with doctors.

3. Something happening to my wife.

3 Goals -

1. Graduate from BYU-Idaho with a business/finance degree.

2. Have a family.

3. Win the Superbowl on Madden 09 (my PlayStation).

3 Current Obsessions/Collections -

1. Chevy Trucks.

2. Sports...Go Chargers!

3. Diet Pepsi.

3 Random Facts -

1. I was voted "nicest kid in school" in my 7th grade yearbook.

2. I could eat spicy food for every meal.

3. I have been to 5 major league ball parks and want to eventually see every one.

About Me

THE GAME - List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself.

3 Joys -

1. Having the greatest marriage in the world!

2. Playing with my adorable nieces and nephews.

3. Learning something new and interesting.

3 Fears -

1. Something happening to my husband.

2. The boogy man that walks around my house when I turn the lights out.

3. Bee's.

3 Goals -

1. Graduate with my Bachelors in April 2009.

2. Start my own business working from home (any ideas would be helpful).

3. Start our family.
3 Current Obsessions/Collections -

1. The Twilight Books.

2. Baking (I made cinnamon rolls from scratch for the first time on Sunday...Delicious!)

3. Online Shopping.

3 Random Facts -

1. My brother Chad has down syndrome and has helped make me the person I am today. He is one of the most important people in my life.

2. I played Wendy in a children's performance of Peter Pan when I was in 8th grade.

3. I learned to water ski when I was 4 years old but I still suck at it.

I love to see the temple

We are so lucky to have a temple that is literally within walking distance of our apartment! We LOVE the Rexburg temple and have taken advantage of having a temple so close. It has been such a blessing to be able to go to the temple on the spur of the moment. Plus I love driving by on Fridays and Saturdays and seeing the beautiful brides.

Family Matters

Last weekend Kelly and I went to Star Valley to see his parents and his brother Aaron and his family. We had a wonderful time. We took a picnic to Crystal lake and enjoyed lunch with the beautiful views. We also went to Cottonwood lake...Wyoming is absolutely gorgeous. I borrowed Breaking Dawn from my mother-in-law (Thanks!!!) and spent a lot of time reading. FYI - I loved the book, it was not my favorite of the series but I definitely enjoyed it. Kelly, Aaron, and McKell played a few games of baseball in the backyard.Crystal lake was beautiful!! I have never been to a lake where you can see all the way to the bottom.

Barbeque

I have figured out the secret to getting Kelly to help me cook. I just tell him we are going to barbeque. Working the grill is much more manly than sauteeing the mushrooms!! Our friends Andrew and Jessica gave us their grill when they moved (thanks, we LOVE it) and we can't get enough of it. We have grilled chicken, steak, hamburgers, hotdogs, and veggies. It's totally awesome. I'm glad I finally figured out a way to get out of cooking a few nights a week!

Another Phobia

When we went to Sea World last weekend I developed a new phobia. Seagulls. I am now terrified of these horrific animals. I will explain.

We were eating our lunch on some tables outside when a HUGE seagull swooped down and landed on our table RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. He grabbed my hamburger and started chowing down. When I get scared I tend to scream and then I cannot move. So I am sitting there sqealing like a little baby and Kelly started swatting the bird to get him to leave. Even after Kelly hit him, he still sat there and enjoyed his hamburger. Kelly kept swatting and he finally left. I was shocked that he wasn't afraid of us.

Needless to say I am now, and will forever be, afraid of birds!

Summer Time

My computer is fixed and I am excited to post some of the pictures from our little vacation from Rexburg.
The trip started about 2 hours after I finished my last final. We came home and finished packing and cleaning the house and got in the car to make the long drive to the Salt Lake airport. It is a little tradition of me and Kelly to stop at Chipotle in Bountiful. We have done it almost every time we go to the airport since we have been married. We both love Mexican food and we don't have a Chipotle close to us so it's a nice treat.

We flew from Salt Lake to Vegas where we had a 30 minute lay-over. We landed in the Ontario, CA airport where we met my brother and the three of us made the 90 minute drive to Big Bear Lake where we were meeting the rest of my family. The road up to Big Bear is very curvy and by the time we got to the cabin Kelly and I were totally motion sick and ready to go to sleep. It was a long day!
We spent 5 days in Big Bear boating, playing games, eating, and relaxing. The water in the lake was warmer than I thought and we had a lot of fun wake boarding and me and Kelly's personal favorite was the 3 man tube. I even got to drive the boat a bit. It was a wonderful break and we were more than happy to sit around the cabin and relax.After Big Bear we went back to my parent's house in Danville where we did some work for my dad and hung out with the family. We especially loved playing with baby Nicholas. Kelly learned to feed him and he even changed a few diapers all by himself. I was very proud of him.
The trip ended with a few days in San Diego. We went there to attend my cousins wedding in the San Diego Temple. While in the beautiful city of SD we got to walk along the beach and go to Sea World. Our 3 week getaway was awesome but by the end of the trip we were tired and ready to go home. We are now back in our little town of Rexburg and getting pumped up for our next semester.

Broken

Our laptop is completely broken. We have sent it back to the manufacturer 3 times and they can't seem to fix it. I am going crazy without a computer. I am in the library catching up on everyones blogs right now. Kelly and I just got back from a 3 week trip to California. Kelly spent most of his time working. He works as a paralegal for my dad and usually does most of his stuff over the internet but there were a few big cases they were working on so we went flew home to help.
We also got to go boating for a weekend and to San Diego. I have tons of pictures to post but I can't since I don't have my computer. I will update the blog as soon as we have our computer back. I hope everyone is having an awesome summer!

The Best Year of Our Lives

We have officially been married for one year. Yesterday Kelly and I went to Jack London square in Oakland and had dinner by the bay to celebrate. We walked around and watched the sail boats come in and out of the bay.

We were talking about how quickly this first year has gone by and how we feel so lucky to have each other. Kelly said to me, "this has been the best year of my life." My feelings exactly.

Here's to our first wonderful year together and many more to come.

Thanks for the Memories

Sorry this picture sucks! We put the camera on the car and set the timer...Kelly's head got cut off and the picture is really blurry...I think I need a new camera.

Our BEST FRIENDS Andrew and Jess are graduating tomorrow and leaving Rexburg for good. We are SO SAD! Andrew and Kelly met while they washed cars together at Taylor Chevrolet. They decided to get the wives (actually Kelly and I were engaged at the time) together for a double date and we have been inseparable since.

Whenever we hang out with Andrew and Jess we know we are in for a good laugh. They tell the greatest stories and we LOVE hearing them. We started a tradition this semester to have a Sunday game night. We get together and play Mexican train and 4-square.

Andrew and Jess are the kindest and most giving people and are always willing to help us out. On Valentines Day this year I was extremely sick and they brought Kelly and I a BEAUTIFUL dinner so we could try and enjoy our day. We moved in the dead of the winter this year and Andrew and Jess came over and shoveled snow, cleaned, and help us move our ENTIRE apartment. They are so awesome and we could not have asked for better friends.

We are so grateful to have met such wonderful people and feel lucky to have made life long friends. We will miss you Andrew and Jess!

Yee-haw...I'm a Country Girl...sort of...

We went camping with Kelly's family this weekend and had a blast. We spent our time fishing (which I have never done before), eating, and relaxing. McKell and Glenae planned an amazing menu that consisted of dutch oven chicken and potatoes (amazing), eggs, pancakes, hash browns, bacon, smores, popcorn, candy bars, and much more. Billy brought a couple of his guns with us so we got to do a little target practice. I was the first person to knock down a soda can (I told you I was a country girl). We sat around the campfire for hours and just talked and laughed.

• Kelly informed us that he held in way too many farts while he was in the
  dating stage of his life. He explained that it gave him quite a few belly aches and he
  will not be holding them in anymore.
  

• McKell made popcorn for everyone and he burned a few batches. He said, "It's hard to see in the dark". Really, I had no idea! That gave us a good laugh.

• On Saturday morning we played Catch Phrase, boys against girls, and could not stop laughing the whole time. For one of Aprils turns she gave the clue, "another word for cops" and Glenae yelled out "Robbers!". It was hilarious. When you play that game with the Allred's it gets pretty intense.

Overall the weekend was absolutely wonderful and I am very grateful for the chance I had to spend with my in-laws. I love spending time with them and getting to know them better. I feel blessed to have awesome in-laws who love me and gladly accept me into their family. Thanks for the great weekend!

Honor Code Violation

BYU-Idaho has an extremely strict dress code and one of the restrictions is NO FLIP-FLOPS. This has proven to be quite tempting for me because I live in flip-flops...they are definitely my shoe of choice. Monday I succumbed to the temptation to wear my beloved flip-flops. One of the other rules is no shorts or capris so I can usually get away with wearing my flip-flops because my long pants cover the shoes.

I was punished for disobeying because on my walk home from school I got the worst splinter I have ever had! Kelly had to shovel into the bottom of my foot with the finger nail clippers and then dig the splinter out with the tweezers. It was quite painful and I was wishing I would have knocked myself out before the procedure. Once the whole ordeal was over I felt much better.

Moral of the story=no more flip-flops on campus...yeah right!

Girls Night Out

Last night I went out with my friends Leah and Jessica. We decided to go see Baby Mama (on tuesday nights tickets are only $2). It was nice to get out and have some girl time. It is awesome to have such good friends.

Gobble Gobble

No, we didn't forget that Thanksgiving is in November! Kelly's previous employer gave him a turkey last November for a Thanksgiving bonus...it has been in our freezer ever since then. In fact, we even brought it with us when we moved.

There are a plethora of food items in our cabinets that have been there for quite some time. We decided to try and avoid grocery shopping until we use up the things we already have. Hence the reason we cooked a 15 pound turkey in the middle of June! (I don't recommend this...having the oven on for four hours can make the house nice and toasty :)

We had a delicious dinner of mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, turkey, and green beans. I was so proud of our turkey because I have never made one before and I was worried about how it would turn out. It came out beautifully and now we can live on turkey for the next 3 weeks!


We had no idea what we were doing but I think Kelly managed to get most the meat off our monstrous turkey.

Birthday Boy

Today was Kelly's Birthday and we had a wonderful day. We were able to celebrate a bit on Sunday when my family was in town. My mom and I decorated the apartment and had a big birthday dinner. We made steaks and potato salad with homemade roles and an Oreo pie for dessert. The food was delicious! Tonight Kelly chose Chili's for dinner so he could chow down on their chips and salsa. We met up with our friends Andrew and Jessica and then we went back to our apartment to have cake and play games. We enjoyed celebrating Kelly's birthday and had an awesome time.

We had a delicious dinner and they even gave us a free dessert for Kelly's birthday.
I am definitely not a professional cake decorator but I thought it turned out cute.
Hopefully his wish comes true...he won't tell me what it was!
Kelly was really excited about the gift I gave him. I wrapped it up and put it in the living room so he could look at it and wonder what it was all week long!
Look at the grin on his face...I don't know how I will top this present next year.
Chad wanted to pose with Kelly and his new TIVO!

Happy Birthday Kelly! I love you.