Cliff’s Notes version:
I am 26, a wife of five years, and work from home full-time as a blog and web designer. When I’m not glued to my laptop, I’ll find any excuse to shop, go out, have fun, travel, eat, be merry – the usual. I constantly re-train for mini marathons I never end up running, and fad-diet like it’s not already out of style. If it’s crafty, pretty, artsy, pink, glittery, smells like Ed Hardy (or the inside of a magazine), tastes like Diet Coke (or a cake-pop), or looks like a baby – I will love it.
I also like Facebook and Twitter and all that stuff that makes me more popular online than in real life. *hangs head in shame*
War and Peace version:
Okay, let’s see if I can sum up my life in a paragraph or ten. Not too hard, since I’m only 26. My birthday is January 17th by the way…. I’ll wait for you to write that down.
*waits*
Welcome back.
I married my husband Bradley almost 5 years ago. The wedding was awesome, but the proposal was epic. We are perpetual college students, and I finally stopped going when I collected two two B.A.’s and a few minors. (Smarter for it, yes. Poorer, YES.) Bradley on the other hand, is in the middle of school to become a pediatric nurse - though I try to convince him to specialize in something more beneficial to my vanity. Like the kind of nurse that administers Botox or does laser hair removal. Stupid admirable dreams crushing my needs. Pfft. This is what we look like as cartoons.
This is "real-life" us.
I started my first blog in 2008 called “Normal Mormons.” Looking back, it was the non-satirical and less-funny version of Seriously, So Blessed that made fun of Mormon life and being “in” it. Then I started April Showers, where I blogged about my life and finally had a “girly” place on the web where I didn’t have to worry about Mormon controversy. After a few months of blogging, I played with my blog design and started offering design services to my readers. I built a business from April Showers, and in about a year I was making more with that part time hobby than I made full time! So in June 2010 I left my day job to work from home, and am still not wearing pants to the office. (Mostly.)
Bradley and I have been through a LOT together. First, we both got the Lap-Band surgery in December of 2008. He lost over 150lbs and I lost a total of 63lbs from our highest weights. Luckily, we aren’t back there – but we have gained some back and are continually trying to drop the weight. The Lap-Band definitely isn’t a fix-all, but can help if you’re motivated. I will blog a lot about this because it helps keep me motivated when I have to answer to the internet.
Then we tried having a baby. I even started a new blog to talk about our babymakin’ efforts, and was obsessed with TTC for a long time. (All those posts you can find on this blog now.) Just as I was about to do a pregnancy test after our third failed cycle of clomephine, Bradley had his first heart attack on October 19th, 2010. Then a second heart attack on November 2nd, 2009. And a third again on June 12th, 2010. All caused by blood clots. The ER had a VIP section for us, and the TTC was put on hold. He moved away for school, and between continual hospital and ER visits, various health problems, and my business taking up my entire life – our relationship was strained.
NOW – everything seems to be coming full circle. We are happily living together, bettering ourselves by working out and eating right, and trying to make all that strain worth it! “The sunshine after the storm” as they say. This is now my personal blog, and April Showers is my professional blog.
There will be a quiz on this later.
