3 years and Charleston, South Carolina

Nick and I just celebrated our 3rd anniversary this past weekend on September 18th! The years just fly by and they keep getting better and better!  Our wedding day was such a special day and I can still say it was the best day of my life!!! So glad I get to spend forever with this hottie.....

To celebrate we went to Charleston, South Carolina y'all! It is about 3.5 hours from Charlotte and was so much fun.  We already can't wait to go back and have so many things we want to do that we weren't able to.

Here is what we did....

A carriage ride in downtown Charleston.  This place has so much character and we loved this.  We had a bunch of teenagers on our carriage with us though that threw something at one of the cars and these ghetto people got out and started yelling and swearing at us. That kind of ruined the mood....but also made it kind of exciting too.  Here are some pics of the carriage tour and some of the amazing houses.

We went to Fort Moultrie (for Nick---since he is into history and all of that) and it was pretty cool.  I learned fast that sometimes these history facts for me go in one ear and out the other.  If I did this tour/activity again it would be like the first time for me again.  It was pretty cool and cheaper than Fort Sumter (which was the starting place of the Civil War I guess?) We will go to Fort Sumter next time.

 And this will probably be the last picture I send of myself because it is starting to not be a pretty sight seeing the "fat Albert" side of Erica in her pregnancy. :) I am 33 weeks on Wednesday!!! Woo hoo!!

 Then we went to Boone Hall...BUT there was this huge Scottish festival that ruined our plans and it was total chaos so we left and did something even cooler. But here are some pics of Boone Hall Plantation while we were there...

 

Well...what did we do?? Do you remember that scene in the movie the Notebook where they are on the boat with all of those swans? Yes...that is where Nick and I went. They let you just take out a boat and just row around where you want. It was so quiet and calm and it felt like we were the only people there. And...did we see Alligators?? Yes...yes we did!! It was actually kind of scary! Here are some pics of Cypress Gardens... 

30 weeks and crazy dreams...

Just for those of you that are asking to see belly pics...here ya go!!
This one is of me at 30 weeks...I don't mean to complain but baby is seriously all up in my ribs I hope she doesn't get stuck there! It is kind of starting to hurt now. She moves around like crazy and I love it! I love feeling something like a foot or a hand just going from one end of my belly to the other. I had a dream lastnight that I could see through my skin and could see her inside of me and she was THE CUTEST! In my dream she was just giggling inside and smiling. :) And the other night I had a dream that her head came out through my skin on the top of my belly. She threw her arms up and said, "Surprise!" haha. I don't know what these dreams mean but they just make me laugh.

Here are some pictures of our townhouse in North Carolina as well..






I have been feeling a little homesick but each day I get less and less homesick!! My friend Marci was here for 3 days and I LOVED having her with me!! Her husband Adam was in North Carolina to do some training for his work. We got to have Adam and Marci and Lincoln eat Sunday dinner with us and then Marci and Lincoln stayed until Tuesday! I really needed her and realized that with every scary move/transition that Marci has always been there! She was there when I moved to Boston, etc. She came at the perfect time when I was just feeling really lonely out here.


Before I came out here, people kept telling me they were worried I would get bored out here not working. I didn't agree with them but BOY WAS I WRONG! I didn't realize that this "not working" business would be SO boring!! I kept telling people I was so excited to not work before the baby is born and it was great for...ummm.....2 days!! After that I really started getting so bored and was SO sick of being by myself ALL the time. I started losing my social skills too I swear. There is only so much reading, shopping, projects to do to keep you busy until you start going crazy. But I am so happy that I will be able to be home and NOT working when baby girl is born. Plus I won't be by myself all day when she comes--I will be consumed with her and can't wait to just play with her all day actually! Any advice from stay-at-home mommies??



Nick has been working so hard with law school and I don't get to see him as much which is really hard and will take some getting used to. There was a time when I felt like "what am I even doing here in North Carolina?" I felt like more of a distraction to Nick than anything because he has to make sure I am okay and not feeling homesick, etc. But he did tell me that if I wasn't here that he would go crazy and that I am just the thing he needs when he comes home. So I guess that makes me feel a little better. Just lots of crazy adjustments!

On a more positive note though...I have been able to make some new friends too and the ward here is AMAZING! I can't believe how nice people are and they really reach out to you and make sure you know that you are part of their family! I am really so grateful for that and it makes all the difference!!

This cute boy (Lincoln) was seriously smiling ear-to-ear the entire time he was here! I love him and am sad I couldn't get a picture to show-off his smiles!! We love you Adam, Marci, and Lincoln!! Thank you for coming to visit!

We are all still alive and back from outer space...

From growing a little baby girl in my belly to moving across the country....these past few months have been super busy to say the least! Yes we have moved from our little home in Kaysville, Utah to North Carolina. Nick starts law school next week. If you would like to you can read this post in a southern accent.



I could post so many things but I will keep it simple as far as my thoughts go with all of these changes:

1. It isn't easy leaving your "life as you know it" but can always be a good thing too. I loved my little comfort zone and my usual routine and I was definitely feeling comfortable where I was. It is amazing how you appreciate a place so much more when you know that you have to leave. Sometimes I think people should live their lives like they are going to leave it because you learn to enjoy it more and appreciate everybody in your life even more. I have actually been so excited about moving here though because it felt like it was the right place to go and I was more excited than sad or nervous. I think had it been anywhere else that we were moving I would have been more nervous about it. And I have to keep reminding myself that getting out of my comfort zone is such a good thing and I will grow so much more exploring new places and meeting new people. And it is crazy to think that North Carolina will become my "new comfort zone." It is really just so hard to leave so many people you care about and to go to a new place without those people. I wish I could pack everybody up in my suitcase and take them with me. But thank goodness for modern technology to help me keep in contact with everybody. I know we will make lots of new friends though and I feel like the few people we do know here in North Carolina have already taken such good care of us. It is true what they say about the people out here and their southern hospitality. And by the way...North Carolina feels like a dream world. It is seriously so beautiful and driving around the countryside just looks like it is not even a real place because it is so pretty! I know I will love it here and I already do. :) Yes it really looks like this:


2. For some reason I had a really hard time saying goodbye to our house in Kaysville. It wasn't just walls with a roof....it was our home and it symbolized a really fun chapter in our lives and leaving it felt like we were closing up on that chapter. We are renting our house out while we are gone so that gives me some comfort knowing we aren't leaving that house forever. But it won't be the same when we get back.... Especially because we won't be right next door to Nick and Emily and Jack Jack again. That was such a fun and unique opportunity to have them there and I will always look back and enjoy those memories! Bye Bye Kaysville House...for now! :)



3. We have had such a fun summer in Utah with lots of baby showers and get-togethers! Thank you so much for all of the sweet baby showers from everybody. We loved the "Moab Crew" baby shower, the shower at my mom's house, the Hart Family Shower, the Estate Shower, and the get-together pool party shower at Devrie's with the "townhouse girls." :) Even Nick's work threw him a baby shower that was way fun. The guys Nick worked with even came to the baby shower but I think they were a little bit embarrassed to be at a baby shower...but that was way nice of them to come. Probably the first and last baby shower they will ever attend. :) We are so lucky to have all of our friends and family and all of these showers were great excuses to get together with people to say our "goodbyes" as well. :) Here is what I looked like at 24 weeks.



4. The drive across the country was great! The only glitch was that Nick's air conditioner in his car went out the first day. I was in the car when it went out and I can't help but be a "Negative Nancy" when I am dying of heat and complain so nobody let me ride in the car the rest of the time. I thought that was a good time to pull the pregnancy card and not ride in his car the rest of the trip. :) Nick's parents drove out with us and we took both of our cars while our stuff was taken for us across the country. We had so much fun with Nick's parents and are so glad they came! They are so sweet to do that and we really did enjoy the drive. We got to stop at Liberty Jail which was an awesome church site along the way and it took us about 2 and a half days to get from Utah to North Carolina. Besides Wyoming the drive really was gorgeous. :)

5. And most exciting....There is still a baby growing fast!!! I am 27 weeks along (almost 28 weeks along) and I feel like this baby is so mad at me because there is no room in my belly for her to grow. Sorry for having a 2-inch long torso Baby Girl. I can feel her in my ribs now every once in a while. Seriously though I think she is so cute and I can just tell she really is way sweet. She even makes me laugh sometimes I don't know why...but when she kicks me or moves around it makes me think she is doing it to be funny and she is playing around in there. I love her. Here are some pics of her at 25 weeks. Isn't she the cutest? Well...I know some people don't think these pictures are cute but I sure do. They are on our fridge and I just love them and think she is so cute!


6. We had an amazing summer! Here are some pics:

Alaska Cruise:


So Ashlee and Jason (the newlyweds) moved to Oregon so they met us up in Seattle and it was so much fun. We hung out and went to a bunch of Seattle "hot spots." We shared a hotel room with them and it was so perfect that we got to see them on the west coast where they live. There were some hilarious things that happened with them on this little trip. I don't know what it is but I can't stop laughing when I am with Ashlee. Now we are even further away from them it is so sad. I am sure we would hang out a lot if we lived closer. This picture is a classic at the top of the Space Needle.

In Victoria, Canada
Bald eagles galore! Everywhere!
And yes we saw this bear and we were on BIKES! Yikes! It was so scary and Nick and I were all by ourselves. It really was one of the scariest moments of my life but after we got to town and were safe again I was so glad we saw the bear. For anybody that has read "The Secret" would understand that I really did not want to see a bear and couldn't get out of my mind how much I didn't want to see a bear (while on a bike ride) and of course...that is why I saw the bear!
Our bike ride was beautiful...and way hard for a pregnant girl.
Skagway!
Why are we frowning you might ask? Well when you pay $400 for a fishing charter and don't even get a single bite it really "bites the dust." I could not get over the fact that there were so many other things I could do with $400!


Idaho Summer:
Bear Lake

Getting ready to go to the beach!
Nick and Bob fishin!
I thought my fish was big...
But I was wrong...Nick's was huge!


Campfire up Bloomington Canyon.
The Murrays chillin by the campfire..

I love this pic of Carol, Leah, Jackson, and Emily.


One of my favorites. Avery and "Uncle Nack" at the Kaysville 4th of July Parade.

The Cute Bryner Bunch hanging out with us at the Kaysville Parade. That was one of my favorite parades. The Taco Time float was wild this year!! :) IT was so fun having them the entire month of June to just hang out!

Snow Cones with Jack Jack

Snow Cones with myself. There are no snow cone places here in North Carolina by the way. What a disappointment. Thanks Emily for the snow cone machine. It will come in handy!
And this looks like a picture of me but is actually of a beached whale

20 weeks and Snow Cones....

First things first...we are having a GIRL!!! I was so nervous for the ultrasound because I really wanted it to be a girl but had a feeling they were going to tell me "boy". Not that I wouldn't be excited for a boy but during this whole pregnancy I couldn't picture it being a boy and could only picture it being a girl! I guess there is such thing as Mother's Intuition right!? :) actually..probably only just a lucky guess! My sister got to come to our ultrasound too and that was really fun to have her in there when they told us what we were having. She even bought me this cute little pink pajama outfit for baby and I kept looking at it everyday after being so excited to put it on her. And...Nick is already such a cute Daddy. He is really excited it is a girl and instead of saying"How are you doing Erica?" he says..."How are my girls doin'? He is going to be the best Daddy ever and this little girl already has him wrapped around her little finger! By the way...I really do think from her ultrasound pictures that she is the cutest little baby in the world! I love seeing her profile pic with her cute nose and little arms and belly!

And I am 20 weeks along and feel great!! I have a ton of energy right now and think I am just in the fun stage of pregnancy where I can feel the baby a lot but it is still comfortable feeling the baby! I love that! And Nick can feel her kick now too which makes it twice as fun! She kicks a lot at night before bed so I look forward to getting everything I need to get done during the day so I can lay there and just have time to feel her for a while. :)

Ummm...yeah---and snow cones---I am a little obsessed this year and I actually don't think it is worse because I am craving them during pregnancy. I have always loved snow cones but it is really taking a hit on our budget this year because I get one almost every day! I was telling Emily that when the baby comes and the doctor tells me what blood type my baby is....it won't be A positive or O negative but will probably just be Tiger's Blood. But baby does move around more when I eat snow cones so she must love them too. :)

In case you're wondering...

Here is what Baby Hart will look like in about a year and a half. :) haha. Where the red hair came from?? ...I don't know...



Hello there by the way! It has been a few months since I have updated our blog but thought I would post a short message saying that there is a little baby Hart on the way! Baby Hart is due November 11th and we are so excited! We get our next ultrasound on June 14th and will hopefully find out what we are having then. Sorry for the boring post...there will be more to read about soon! But I finally get to put one of those fun Pregnancy gadgets on my blog now! :)

Here is a picture of our 9 week ultrasound and I just loved seeing our little tiny baby and can't wait until next week to see him/her again! I already love him/her SO much. :)

Good things to come

It seems like Nick and I have had our fair share of disappointments lately and we just keep saying, "We are due for some good news!" I am definitely learning a lot of patience waiting for some good news to come! Not to say life isn't great right now because we are so blessed and have everything we need. I am just learning that sometimes life doesn't go just as we plan it. But if there is one thing I have learned... it is that life always turns out better than you planned. And...good things come to those who wait!

If you know me well...I am not a patient person AT ALL! I am sure the Lord knows this and is testing my patience more than ever before! He has a bigger plan for Nick and me right now and I just can't see the big picture yet. I just have to remember from past experience that sometimes (well let's be honest..MOST of the time) I am SO glad that my life didn't turn out how I initially planned.

For example...when I started college I remember having a plan to get married before I graduated college and then when I graduated college and still wasn't married it was like, "wait a minute...now what??" But once I met Nick and realized he was SO worth the wait FOR SURE and exactly what I wanted and exactly WHEN I wanted I am so glad I didn't get married during college. Plus I got to experience so many things that I wouldn't have if I would have gotten married during college (like moving to Boston for a year, having all four years at Utah State with roommates, and living in a mansion in Salt Lake.) I met so many people that I wouldn't have if I had gotten married during college. So for that...I am so grateful that the Lord knew what was best for me because I wouldn't change anything!

So right now I am just going to remember that there will be good things to come even though I might have to wait a while. Even though I can't see the big picture right now, I have to trust that when things aren't working right now it will be okay in the end. I will look back and be grateful for how they turned out. But for now I just watch this Mormon Message and enjoy a good cry everytime I watch it. I just love it...

Good Things to Come- Mormon Message