Wellll helloooooo there

SOOOOOOOOOOOO it's been a while huh??

The last month has absolutely flown by in a mix of happiness, hilarity, and complete sadness.

I don't really know where to begin.

Let's start with how cute Bella is so I can keep the mood happy :)
I gave my little sugar a tutu (amongst a million other cute tiny human clothes) for Christmas and today her mom send me this picture...

Clearly, she's destined for fashion greatness.  HOW CUTE IS SHE!!!!  I can't even handle it.  The poor baby has RSV now and is on a breathing treatment, and of course she looks cute doing that too.  :)

My uterus basically talks to me in my sleep and tells me how much it needs a baby in it....

The mix of happiness and sadness comes in with my trip home to Illinois to see my family.
Who doesn't love seeing the people they love most in the world??  My family is a freakshow.  Never met a funnier bunch of people in my life, and I'd give anything to see them more often than I do.  The 8 days I got to spend with them included getting to celebrate Bella's 2nd birthday with her, getting to see my dad's girls' basketball team win their state qualifying game (obviously they won the championship), and have many a glass of wine with my mom.
I do feel the need to toot my own horn when it comes to packing for said trip.  Mind you, I own more clothes than any 20-something should and my shoes have taken over a large portion of the closet I recently had to kick my husband out of...
However, I managed to turn this...

...to this...

...in a matter of an hour :)
***pats back***
(I'll choose not to include the cuss words this included OR the fact that I had to lay my body on top of the suitcase just to zip it...)

This trip also forced me to learn how to A) take the train in Chicago, B) not kill Brandon after he gave me shitty instructions, C) carry a broken suitcase, D) make camping boots look REALLY good, and E) sleep even harder on a plane/train than I do in my bed.

Leaving Illinois was incredibly difficult, not just saying goodbye but knowing that I was coming home to an impending separation as well as getting back into work mode after 8 days off.
My dad drove me to the airport and took me out to dinner (and a little gambling at the casino) before walking me to airport security.  I was then THAT person sobbing as security scanned my bags, sobbing as I waited for my plane to board, and sobbing as it took off.  I cried so much the ticket lady (Lisa) felt sorry for me and upgraded my seat (hell to the yea!) and the guy sitting next to me on the plane offered to keep buying me drinks...I took the upgraded seat, but not the drinks...**pats on back again**

Now I'm "home" in Utah, dealing with life, and making damn sure that I make myself a priority from now on.

I'm sure I'll get the urge to post more later today...