Carrie- My Life Twin

I just wanted to quickly say CONGRATS!!!! to my friend Carrie who just had a baby a few days ago.
Little Grant Coplen- Isn't he the cutest!!

Carrie and I have this eerie connection to each other. We are total life twins. If it happens to me, it will happen to her and visa versa. Totally weird. Here are some examples:

*We both moved to Tampa from out of state at about the same time into the same ward
*We both then bought houses.
*We both decided we wanted to have babies
*We then both had problems getting the baby thing to work.
*Finally, we both got pregnant within 8 weeks of each other.
*Right after getting pregnant, we both found out our husbands would be taking jobs out of state.
*Our husbands both moved out of state, leaving us pregnant and finishing school (her as a teacher, me as a student)
*We both couldn't sell our houses, so we both signed with the same rental management company
*We then both finished school and finally moved to where our husbands were about a week from each other.
*Both of us just lost our tenants the same weekend as each other.

The list goes on...............

Love you Carrie!!

KEVIN on TV Thurs!!

OK. We think for real this time. They said they postponed the episode because of the Olympics, but they are scheduled to air it tomorrow night (thurs. the 28th) at 8:30 EST. I'm not sure when it will be on PST, but check listings. The show is called "Some Assembly Required" on the Discovery Channel. Look for the one with Ludwig Drums in the description. It should be pretty cool. Hopefully, it won't be another false alarm. If you miss it, I can try to find out when it will be on again.  So excited!!

Baby Girl Packard -30 Weeks

We went to our 30 week appointment last week and had our 4th ultrasound done! Crazy that we have had that many! I had one at 7 weeks, just to make sure there was a heartbeat (cause of all the problems we had before), one at 16 weeks (so Kev could be there to find out gender), one at 18 weeks ( done by my doctor without Kev to double check gender and take measurements) and now at 30 weeks! Apparently, there was no detailed report written about my 2 trimester ultrasound. My new doctor said he needed to see a detailed ultrasound report or he would have to order one done. He also felt like I was measuring a little small for my due date so he wanted to make sure everything is progressing. It turns out, she is measuring a little small, but nothing to worry about. She is right on as far as development, but is just a little smaller than most her age. It's crazy because even though taken alone, my belly may be small, on me it's HUGE! It sticks straight out and I already look like I am ready to pop! My due date will not change, it just looks like she may be only a 6 pounder or so. She was not quite 3 pounds yet by the doctors estimate. The doctor said average is about 3.3 pounds for 30 weeks. I, on the other hand, have hit the 20 pound mark! Not sure how much more I will be gaining, but it feels strange. We also found out that we have been talking to her butt for the last month. She pretty much has been in the same position for the last few weeks. I feel kicks and prods in the same exact places every time. I thought the hard bulge I always see was her head, so we would talk to it and rub it. I thought her head was up and her feet were the things tickling me down by my hips. It turns out, she is already head down and it's her hands that have been tickling. The "bulging head" is actually her bum and her feet pushing up against my ribs. 

My third trimester has brought on a whole world of new pregnancy issues. I have had a pretty easy pregnancy the whole time so far and I can't really complain about much. I suddenly became super emotional and crazy these last couple weeks. I will have little freak-outs about nothing and get annoyed easily. Poor Kevin! He just takes it in stride and tries to tread lightly when he knows I'm in a mood. This is very strange for me because I have never been a moody person. I never had those hormonal pms episodes or anything. It comes out of nowhere and I usually have to cry it out in order to get over it. 

Also, I never thought I'd say this, but the constant kicking is really getting tiring now. I love knowing that she is alive and well, but does it have to involve my ribs so much?!? I'd like to get some sleep....... 

Andrea's Wedding

I have been meaning to write a post about this, but I didn't have the pictures to go with it. One of my best friends from college, Andrea, got married a few months ago and I got to be a bridesmaid! It was so much fun and I felt honored to be part of her special day. The ceremony and reception were held aboard a yacht in the Newport Harbor in Ca. Some of the pictures are taken at the St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point. An AMAZING hotel that we got ready at and the couple stayed at the night before. You may recognize the dress from my senior recital. The dress was originally strapless, so we quickly sewed on some sleeves which made it look much better. After the wedding and for my recital, we modified it even more so I could wear garments with it. Such a great dress! I was about 3 months pregnant in these photos. I miss being skinny.......... Anyway, as you can see, the wedding was absolutely beautiful! Much luck and happiness in your future as a married couple, Andrea and Julian! I love you guys!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Well, it was nice while it lasted........

Some of you may have read my earlier post about our relief of finally finding tenants for our home in Tampa. I thought I would give an update on the mess and craziness that has ensued. We got a call from our management company while I was in California telling us that they had found some renters for our home. It was 3 young college students( 2 boys, 1 girl) that all passed the credit, criminal, and rental checks. It seemed strange because we lived pretty far from the college, but we didn't really have a reason to turn them down. The management said they seemed nice and they put up all the money needed. We went ahead and accepted them with a year lease. I was so excited to finally find someone! It didn't last long..........
They day after they moved in, we received calls from both of our neighbors notifying us that the night before, the tenants had a huge, out of control party till 4 a.m. There was loud cursing, fighting on the driveway, beer bottles left around and just a big mess. Apparently they had also left underwear on the lawn. I was really annoyed, but thought "ok, it's their first night there, maybe they just wanted to have a move-in party and it just got out of had."One of my neighbors is a police officer and he was pretty mad. He went over and put some fear in them the next day and they explained how sorry they were and that it would never happen again. I apologized to my neighbors who both have young children and hoped that everything would be fine.
Then the weekend came. Friday night, after being there only a few days, it happened again. They had a party loud enough that it kept people up across the street all night. There was another fight outside the house, beer bottles left in my neighbors yards, they were speeding up and down the street and shouting obscenities at each other. It was disturbing the whole street. We lived in a very quiet, family neighborhood with an association and nice, decent people. They were treating it like a frat house and had no respect for the neighbors. We called the management and let them know about the complaints and they gave them a warning. If it happened again, they could get evicted. I wanted to give them a chance, but if they were leaving trash and fighting outside, I wondered what was happening to the inside.
Then, not even a few days go by before I get another call about them. A neighbor across the street came out early in the morning to find extremely offensive, nasty language written in chalk across our driveway. She took a picture of it and sent it to the Clubhouse manager in the neighborhood. I got a copy of the picture and sent it to our management. After seeing the language written, (which I could never repeat outloud) they were absolutely irate. With some of the language, they felt it could be characterized as a hate crime. They decided that there was no other choice than to evict them. Apparently, the tenants friends wrote it as a prank and thought it wouldn't be a big deal. Again, probably at a frat house it would be funny, but not in a neighborhood where kids are walking to school.
They also had a dog without our permission and had 2 more people living there that were not on the lease. To their defense, they did apologize again to our neighbors who said that they seemed like nice kids, it was just the trash they were inviting over that was the problem. Even still, they must be responsible for who they associate with.
The management met with them and let them know that this was unacceptable. If they left on their own in 7 days, they would be let out of the lease without having to be evicted and they could have their deposit back (minus damages). Otherwise, we would go through the eviction process. It's always better to part peacefully since and eviction takes longer and costs more.
So, after living there only 2 weeks, they are moving out and we are looking for new tenants.
Back to the drawing board! We are just praying that we will get someone SOON! We don't want to have this baby and still have to worry about our house in Florida.

*SIGH*

What a mess.

Baby Shower and a Graduation!

Here are some more pics from my baby shower in California. Thanks so much to Sarah, Sheri, Lorie, Andrea, and my Mom for throwing such an awesome party! It was so much fun! Thanks to everyone that came as well. Also, a big congrats to my little sister Sheri for graduating from BYU! She just got a degree in English and I am so proud of her. Way to go! I can't believe how grown up and beautiful she is getting!

My beautiful sisters!

Some fun baby games..........

This pic is so funny! One of my best friends in the world

 Andrea bonding with the baby.

So many adorable gifts!

I love seeing old friends!

Isn't she gorgeous?!

One last note: On further discussion, Kev and I have decided to keep the babies name a secret for now. It's mostly because it may change and we don't want to call her something that we are not 100% sure about. We are going to wait until we see her before we really make the final decision. We haven't told anyone, not even family so don't feel bad if you asked and we didn't tell you. : ) You will know in couple short months!!

29 Weeks! So much has happened!

I was in California for 2 weeks and had so much fun!! Lots of relaxing, visiting family and friends, an amazing baby shower and even a trip to Disneyland and the Hollywood Bowl!

 I had wonderful baby shower this last week at my parents house and I am waiting to get pictures from my mom so I can post them. It was an amazing shower and everyone was so kind. My sisters and best friend really outdid themselves with decorations and planning. It was great! I will post pics as soon as I can. Also, for those of you in Utah, I will be having a baby shower out there on September 6th at my inlaws house. More details later...... 

Here are the highlights from the trip:

One of my best friends Andrea and I went to Disneyland! I'm not sure it was such a good idea since I had to either sit down and rest, cool off inside, or pee every 10 minutes. It's just not the same without Kevin,  but I had so much fun with her anyway and went on a lot of things I never get a chance to go on. Thanks Andrea! I miss you!

When Kevin finally flew in from China to meet me, his band Checkpoint Charley played at Fais Do Do out in L.A. Such sexy rockstars!!!

The Hollywood Bowl has always had a special place in our hearts. We used to love going to summer concerts there. I have also performed on the stage twice and there is no other stage like it! We decided to go see "Les Miserables" in concert and my parents came too!

As far as other news, the baby seems to be doing well. My friend let me borrow a baby doppler so we have been listening to her heartbeat a lot. It's so cool! We will be having another ultrasound next week because the doctor says I am measuring a little small. It's funny to me because I gained 9 pounds this month bringing the total weight gain to about 20 pounds. My face is getting chubby, but that's ok. I know I am still in pretty good shape and hope that the baby is getting all the nutrients she needs. If she needed me to put on 50 pounds, I would do it! We think we may have decided on a name, but are debating over whether or not we want to make it public. We are thinking we may wait until the big day to announce it to everyone. Not sure yet, but if you speak to me in private, I just might let you in on it ; )

Beijing 2008 Olympics

Shanghai on one side of the river.

Kevin has been to China at least a dozen times over the years. He usually goes 2-3 times a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. He usually goes in October, but for obvious reasons, he went early and got to see the Olympic mayhem up close. I was so envious! I have only been once and will hopefully go again sometime. He was there for 2 weeks and left Beijing only 2 days before the start of the games. He was there when the torch came through Tiananmen Square, but the crowds and security were too dense to see it. He watched it on a big screen a few blocks away. He was interviewed by several news stations including Reuters. He was absolutely blown away at the changes the Chinese have made to the country (or at least how well they cover up their flaws). Even in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzo and other cities, the clean-up effort was amazing. The vibe there is incredible. If you think New York City is big, just go visit Shanghai or Beijing. The skyline is never ending and futuristic buildings look like something out of the "Fifth Element." No US city can compare with the enormity of these cities. The Chinese have an intense pride for their country. When we went, they always wanted to touch you and talk to you because many of them had never seem an American in person before. They truly admire the U.S. but they are always quick to say that they love their life and their country. It is quite humbling to meet people who truly don't know how oppressed they are, but are still happy and cheery. Anyway, he saw many of the olympic sights as well as the beautiful countryside. I am only posting pics from this trip even though we have amazing ones from other trips of the Forbidden City, the gardens, and the beautiful temples. Maybe another time........

Here are some pics:

This is what you might eat...........(yes those are chicken and fish heads)

But this is where you will sleep if you are a high roller like Kev! : )

The spirit is everywhere. People were shaving their 4 year olds' heads like this.
   The famous Water Cube.
The famous Birds Nest.

This is the soccer stadium in Tianjin (i think?)

The Forbidden City before all the mayhem

Kevin on TV this Thurs!! *UPDATE*

This Thursday August 14th, Kevin and his company will be featured on the Discovery Channel show "Some Assembly Required." He flew out to North Carolina a few months ago to their main US factory for the taping and we have been waiting to hear when it would air. It will be on the Discovery Channel at 8:30 p.m. I think. It says it will be on again on Friday the 15th at 12:30 p.m. You may want to check first because it may be on at different times depending on service and location.  If you have never seen the show, they profile different companies and show how they are manufactured. Apparently, Kevin is interviewed and can be seen playing the drums on the show. I haven't seen it, so I don't know exactly what will be on it. Anyway, everyone should watch my rockstar husband!!! If you can't, then you better Tivo it! : )
*Update: My mom says it's on in California at 5:30 p.m. at least on her cable. Anyway, just check the time first. If you are able to see information on each show, it's the one with Ludwig Drum company in Charlotte, NC. Thanks!

*UPDATE: So obviously if you tried to watch Kevin last night, you discovered that they played a different episode than the one listed. Apparently, they postponed his episode. We don't know when it will finally air, but when it does we will let everyone know. Thanks for trying anyway!!

HALLELUJAH!!!

We FINALLY found renters for our house in Tampa! After putting it up for sale for one month back in March, we determined that it would be more beneficial for us to keep the property and rent it out until a better market came along. We put it up for rent at the end of April and moved out the beginning of May. I stayed there during the month I was there for the opera, but it has otherwise been vacant for over 3 months. Not only have we had to continue paying our mortgage AND rent in Indiana since April, we had to keep the utilities on and had to pay for lawn maintenance also. We are going through a rental management company so we don't have to worry about it as much and they will be taking care of the yard for the renters. (It also protects us from getting fines from our association). We are very hopeful that the stress is over and the management will do a good job with keeping an eye on the property. I don't know much about the renters, but I do know they are young-ish and I think maybe related. It is 1 girl and 2 guys. They passed a credit check, rental history check, and criminal check, so they seem like they will be ok. Fortunately, we happen to have a sheriff that lives next door to that house that is excited about keeping an extra eye on it for us. Overall, this is very, very good news as we can now devote more money to preparing for our little bundle of joy! We prayed very hard that this would happen soon, so thanks to everyone that prayed with us. Aside from the high cost, it is just really draining having a property in another state that you can't be there to take care of. I was always wondering if everything was ok and had to keep scheduling showings all the time. So glad it's over!

On another happy note, I am here in California visiting my family and friends. It's kinda sad though cause I only have a couple of friends that actually still live here. Everyone is moving to different states these days! I got here about a week ago and am here until the 13th. My sisters and friends are throwing me a little baby shower on the 12th and all of you that live in CA should have gotten an invite already. (Unless I don't have your address. In that case, send it to me!!) I came out because Kevin was going to be in China for 2 weeks and I usually take that time to visit family when I can. He left over a week ago and is coming home via California tomorrow. He is going to stay the rest of the time here with me before we both go back to Indiana. I intend on doing a whole post about his trip when I get pics from him, but this China trip was extra exciting as he will be in Beijing only 3 days before the opening of the Olympic Games. If you have never been to China, I must tell you it is one of the coolest, most interesting and eye-opening places I have ever been. It is just incredible! Kevin has said that the 40 billion dollar clean-up of the country is amazing and he has never seen China look that good. I wish I could have gone. At least I went with him once and can hopefully go with him again sometime. He usually goes 2 or 3 times a year and his big China trip is usually in October. For obvious reasons, he took this trip early so he doesn't have anymore trips the rest of the year. His next major trip will be in March or April to Germany. We always dread being away from each other, but it always leaves us even more grateful for our strong marriage. Fortunately, anytime I am available (or not pregnant) I am welcome to go with him and the company will pay for everything but airfare.
I'll give a more detailed post about it later with the pics, but one exciting (kinda scary) thing I wanted to share was that Kevin actually had to flee Taiwan in front of the Typhoon that came through there. He started his trip in Taiwan before going to Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzo, and Beijing. There was a typhoon that was headed their way and was set to cover the whole island. This is only a week or so after a typhoon hit in the same area and killed a couple dozen people. For fear of being stranded or worse, Kevin arranged to fly out to Shanghai 3 days early. He wasn't sure he could even get out until he got to the airport and got on the plane. He decided that he didn't want to freak me out needlessly, so he didn't even tell me about the whole thing until he had secured a flight. Probably a good idea, but I was just glad everything turned out fine. No one ended up dying in the typhoon this time, but electricity was out and thousands were stranded from the flooding.
Anyway, it seems that all is well with us and we are truly blessed! I am SO excited to see Kevin tomorrow as neither of us do well away from each other. He has been leaving me voice messages on my phone for our little baby and telling her stories and that he misses her and her mommy desperately. For those of you that know my husband, you know that he pretty much cries at the drop of a hat and is notorious for crying during movies. Well, apparently this has only increased now that we have a baby on the way and everything is "cute" or "precious" to him now. I love that he can watch Bambi 10 times and still cry every time. Sometimes for seemingly no reason, he will look at me with tears in his eyes and tell me how much he loves me and is grateful for me. It's so wonderful to have a husband that treats you like a queen and really appreciates everything you do.  Lately, he has been bursting out in tears every time he hears a sweet lullaby saying he wants me to sing them to our children. I love him so much.................