2nd Frozen Embryo Transfer

2nd Frozen Embryo Transfer from Ali Gowdy on Vimeo.

Full of Emotions...

For the past few months I have seriously lived the life of Riley, from the movie Inside Out, with all of the emotions I am experiencing.  All the joy, sadness, fear, anger, and little disgust has me all over the place.  Life for us right now is like Screaming California, at California Adventure.  Things have been going so fast and aren't slowing down anytime soon.  We've had things come out of no where, we've had ups, we've had downs, and we've had some upside-downs.
Just to take a little trip down memory lane for some joy we had over Christmas.  Scott and I were able to go to Virginia to spend a week with his family.  It was so fun to be with everyone that made it out, and enjoy the simplicity of life away from home.

 Who doesn't love spending time playing with kids...they bring out the best of us, especially during the holidays.  

We took a day-trip up to Washington DC, my first time there, and it was incredible.  I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go and visit such special places.  

 The love everyone has for these cuties is unbelievable.  Oreo and Lucy were the life of the party.  Haha.

For New Years Eve, Scott and I were asked to go and help with the Youth Dance.  It was a pretty easy thing to help out with, and we had so much fun getting to spend the time together.  Made New Years Eve for us a little more eventful.  

  The new year came and it's going faster and faster.  We are both busy with work and all the other fun things we have going on.  About a month ago, I was called to serve as the Young Women's Camp Director for my ward.  It is hard to believe how different Girls Camp is here in Utah, compared to what I grew up with in California.  Regardless, it's going to be so fun and I can't wait to get the girls excited for the fun time we will have at camp.  Here's a look at what I've worked on so far...it's really not much, but it's a start.

Now, onto what has caused me to have so many emotions...

Back in December, I called the fertility specialist to schedule an appointment.  The doctor I was referred to had a three, yes, THREE month wait.  I didn't think the day would ever come, but it finally did.  

The whole waiting game was joyful, fearful, and full of moments of anger and sadness, just thinking of the possibilities.  This past Monday we went to our first appointment and it went so well! Scott and I feel so lucky to be working with this doctor, and we know that we are in the best hands we could ever be in.  I've gone through some tests and we're taking steps in the right direction, so we'll see what happens.  

Oh, and one more thing...that brings me so much joy! I've started a new workout program and I am LOVING IT! I have already seen huge improvements and I can't wait to see the progress that I keep making.  

But really, look at those ^ shoulders and traps! And that was even at the beginning of the workout :)

The simple things like that make me so happy.  

Why I Love HIM

I know I just keep giving you all snapshots of our life,  but that's all I can get around to right now.
We have been living the dream having fun with family and friends.  We love the life we have and make the most of it, even though we don't have everything.

To start with, do you know how sneaky Scott is?  Let me show you...

 I know these might be from quite a while ago, but they are from when he started.  I would always get worried when I heard an alarm go off on my phone, but then when I saw what it was, I would get the biggest smile! Seriously though.  These sweet alarms/reminders have been so wonderful and alway cheer me up when I need it most.  Thank goodness he hasn't set any in the middle of the night...I might not get a big smile at that time, but I'd still get a smile.

As some of you may know, Scott and I are regular gym goers.  We love the way it makes us feel and cherish the times we get to go together.  A few weeks ago Scott was trying to max-out and squat 500 pounds! Crazy, right?!  I definitely wasn't the one spotting him on that lift.  Here he is getting in the "zone" to go for it.  Sadly, the gym we were at didn't have the exact weights we needed, so he ended up attempting 505 lbs.  That ended up being too much.  So he's working at it again and is going to try and max-out sometime soon.

 Anyways...this is one thing that I love about Scott.  His continuous desire to push himself and do better. He is like this in so many aspects of his life.  He is always wanting to do more and do better to better himself and our family.  There is always room for improvement in his eyes, and I love that vision he has.

Scott absolutely LOVES his family.  We love when we are all able to get together, whether it be with family on his side, or my side.  It's a party and full of laughs and good times.  Anytime I get to see him with his nieces or nephew is a glimpse of what our lives may one day be.  He has so much fun and let them know he cares for them and loves them all at the same time.  I have been blessed to have found such a wonderful man that is so gentle and loving with children continually.

I couldn't help adding this one...he is so happy to have all those little kiddies around him.

They're all so grown up now.  They were so little in this picture!

Scott is so hard working and willing to serve those around him.  Now that Scott doesn't play rugby, he still finds a way to spend time with the team.  He is able to help organize a service day with the team and do great things.  This year they went to prep for winter by raking leaving, cleaning out the rain gutters, moving things around, and cleaning playgrounds.  It seemed like so much work, but when you get those boys going they get the job done.  It only took and hour, when I thought it was going to take a few hours!  Here they are after the hard work and representing their team through and through to show that you need to give back to your community, when they give so much to you.  

If that doesn't say enough, then come and talk to me because I seriously love Scott so much!

He's always there, cheerful, patient, funny, spiritual, hard working, driven, loving, and determined.  

He isn't all mine, because I share him with all of you, so you can have him in your life too :)

Here's to Scott and the wonderful man that he is!

Saturday Shenanigans

I'm sure you are starting to wonder what we look like and what we do...because, well, it's not every day that I post pictures of our life.
So, here you go.  Have fun taking look into our life.  Sorry there isn't more...I really need to be better about taking pictures.

Having a good time together at the State Fair.  Nothing beats spending time together, enjoying some good eats, and having fun.  

With the changing weather the past few weeks there have been more rainbows than usual it is always such a beautiful surprise.  I love the view of my school with the rainbows...there's no better way to remember our childhood than school, playgrounds, and rainbows.  

We went to the Farmers Market in Salt Lake City with Jody, Peder, and their girls.  Not only did we find some delicious local fruits and veggies, we found fun little toys and trinkets like these bubbles.  Oh and I might have spotted my dream dog...the cutest golden-doodle! One day we'll have one of our own and give you an overload of pictures.  

Tasty breakfast for General Conference weekend.  We loved hearing the messages that were shared and the testimonies that strengthened our own.  What a blessing to have a living prophet and and receive guidance and direction to better ourselves and live better lives.  

Fall and Football games are always a must do!  We love watching the games in the comfort of our own home, but we also love going to the games to cheer teams on with the fans.  

Yep...that's all mine, except for the little bit of white that's in there too.  Haha.  

Chop chop time.  I loved having my hair long agin, but I missed having it short.  So, it's back and I'm LOVING it!!!  

We've been working slowly on the yard, and we finally got rid of the weeds and laid down a temporary patio.  It's not much, but we'll at least get things going so come spring we can enjoy spending time outside.  We've still got a ways to go, but it's something!

We've been up to a few surprises around the neighborhood and spreading a little Halloween cheer!

Hope you're all enjoying this Halloween season and getting ready for the Trick-or-Treating fun.

Fast Forward >>

These last few weeks, or should I say months, have been a bit crazy.  

A new school year has started for me.  I feel like I'm doing my first year of teaching all over again.  Switching from one grade to another is a lot of work, but there are some advantages that are making it a little easier.  

Scott is so busy with work, and doing great with it as well.  He is also finishing up his last 2 classes before he graduates in December! I know it's a lot for him, but he's doing great and I'm so proud of him!

As for our lives and all that we've been doing, here is a little fast forward of what we've done the last few months...

AUGUST

We were able to go to the park next to our apartments and watch the super moon rise.  It took a while for Mr. Super Moon to show his face, but it was incredible when he finally did!  The not so incredible part of the night was I got back to our place and had close to 30 mosquito bites! Ugh...that was more bites than I got when I was a Girls Camp a few weeks before!

Olivia is a absolutely amazing!

For the past several months she has been suffering form severe back pain caused by a fractured disc in her back that was pinching a nerve.  Not only did it cause back pain, but it also caused pain through the lower left side of her body.

It was a miracle how it all happened, but she was scheduled for back surgery with the best doctor in Sacramento, all within 3 days.  The doctor performed the surgery and came out to tell my parents that it was a complete success...and it has proven true!

Olivia is someone that has dreams and goals, with nothing coming in the way to stop her.  She has been dreaming of playing volleyball for BYU for the past few years and now she is even more determined to get back on the court to push forward through recovery and be the best volleyball player she can be. 

 Scotty boy had a birthday! He's getting older, and wiser...that's for sure!

It was a fun day to celebrate, at least the time when we weren't at work.  We got home and Scott was able to see the fun presents that were waiting for him, and surprises too!

 I was so sneaky...I surprised Scott with a new phone.  He didn't ask for one, but he was in need of a new one, so why not!

SEPTEMBER

Something that I never imagined happening, really did happen...

Xochitl, my mission companion, from Chihuahua Mexico, is now living in Provo!

We were able to get together and catch up.  She has lived such an incredible life and is an inspiring woman.  I look up to her and cherish her friendship each and every day.

Road Trip!

We had a trip planned to go home, but weren't expecting the company of Dadio.  He had to come out last minute and it just worked out that we could all drive back together!

This was also the last trip that Scott and I took in Mario.  Olivia now has her license and Mario to go along with it.  She is loving Mario, but she now calls him "Maria"...if only she knew he was really Mario :)

While on our trip to visit my parents, we also made it down to San Francisco and had so much fun sight seeing, watching the spray paint artists, break dancers, and much more...

Scott and Dad enjoying their bonding time while they organize their new wallets.  Oh, so exciting! 

This past weekend, we were able to head down to Moab with our friends, the Stodmeisters.  Scott and I went last year with our singles ward and went rafting down the Colorado River, but we weren't able to see all the other fun adventures there.  We went hiking day after day and loved seeing the beauty in this world that is hard to believe is really there.  If you haven't been, go! It's worth it all.   

Fall is here now and I am so excited for the few things we have planned, but even more excited to see the changing leaves and this beautiful season!

Hope you're all excited too!