Dear Baby Byram,
From the first day that I found out about you, I knew that you were meant to come to our family, and I couldn't believe how lucky I was. I am going to be a mom!! YOUR mom! You should have seen how excited your dad was when he heard the news- I'm pretty sure that he literally jumped for joy. Needless to say, we are both beyond excited for you to get here, and I am only 14 weeks along!
I don't know much about you yet, but I do know that you're very active. Recently, every time I have had an ultrasound, you won't sit still for even a second. It's sure fun to watch! I heard your heartbeat for a total of about 2 seconds because that was as much as the nurse could get with you squirming all over the place. I can't wait until I can actually feel you moving.
I also know that you are very special. I am surprised by how much I already love you, and love carrying you. Sure, I have had my sick days, and I tend to constantly crave meat that I can't afford to eat very often, like steak (yum!) but I have had a relatively easy pregnancy compared to many. Plus, I absolutely love learning about how you're growing and developing.
I have suspected that you are a boy, (as have many others!) but nothing is sure yet. I am SO ready to start shopping for you, so I hope we find out soon! And since you won't be here until the end of August, (your due date is August 30th) I am going to prepare myself the best I can to be your mother. I can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mom
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
How It Began
Recently, I have had a lot of people ask me to tell the story of how I met my husband. Well, when we got engaged, my mom asked me to send her the story of how we met, and she put it on her blog. I figured I'd steal that blog post from my parents and put it on here, for anyone who hasn't already read it and is interested. Michael also added his own version, which is embarrassing, but he's convinced that his side of the story is "way better and more accurate," so I'll add that too.
It's crazy to think that I have actually known him for 5 1/2 years! When I met him, I had just started my BYU adventure and he was still a UNLV student (I have since forgiven him for this) ;-) about to leave for London on his mission. It's also crazy that exactly six months ago we were in the temple, being sealed for time and all eternity. :-) Best decision ever. Anyway, here it is:
Carly:
Michael and I met in September 2005. A lot of his friends from Las Vegas were in my freshman ward and he came to visit them before he left for his mission to London. One day after work I came back to my dorm and my roommate told me that some "random cute guy" named Michael had come over looking for me and had wanted to take me on a date. I thought it was funny but figured he was just acing like a funny 'freshman' and I would probably not ever even meet him. The next day I went to a dance party that the guys' hall in our ward was throwing. While there with my roommates, someone came behind me and said, "Carly?" When I turned around he said, "My name is Michael Byram and I tried desperately to get a date with you." I was surprised by how cute I thought he was. After talking to him, I found out that he was a UNLV student and would be leaving for his mission in about a week. He then asked me out for the next night. I already had plans and also had to work so I turned him down. He said something like, "Okay, well it was nice to meet you," and walked away. I was a little bummed I would never see him again but figured it wasn't a big deal since he was about to go on a mission anyway. About two minutes later he came back to me and said, "Okay, how about lunch tomorrow?" I was impressed by his persistence so even though I was going to have to miss a BYU football game to go out with him (gasp!) I agreed. The next day we went to lunch at Brick Oven and saw the movie "Just Like Heaven." We also got ice cream at Cold Stone and played a couple video games at Best Buy. He was quite the charmer. When he dropped me off at my dorm he got my address and told me he'd write me. I figured I would never hear from him again, but he ended up keeping in touch with me for his whole mission. When he got back from his mission he decided to transfer to BYU and we became fast friends. A couple years later we started dating and now here we are!!!
Michael:
I met Carly before she met me. Visiting some friends at BYU I saw her teach a Sunday school course on...you'll never guess... eternal marriage. When I saw her and listened to her testimony the Spirit spoke to my heart and I knew that this girl was special. Of all of the girls that I have ever met I had the hardest time getting Carly off of my mind. I knew that I was leaving on my mission in a little over a week, but I also knew that if I didn't at least go find out about this amazing woman that I would regret it for the rest of my life. I did not want to spend forever wondering what might have been so I took some initiative and went to ask her on a date. It took me over a day of telling myself that I had to go talk to her before I was able to muster up the courage to ask her out. After an interview with her roommate and then her RA, seeing if I was fit to take her on a date, I was told that she wasn't home.
I strongly dislike dances and parties, but "she" was going to be there, so I went the next day. I kept asking people when she was going to come and looking around for her, but when she got there I was mortified again. Not only was she special, but she was the most breathtaking beauty that I had ever seen. She was beautiful enough to intimidate a 19 year old, very cocky Michael Byram. So I came up behind her and started talking. "Carly, my name is Michael Byram and I tried desperately to get a date with you yesterday." I found it easier to talk to her if I didn't have to make eye contact. I asked her out for the following evening and she told me she had a "mandatory meeting" for work, which, as everyone knows, means a date at 7pm on a Saturday. Finally beaten, I wished her well and walked away. A friend of mine asked me what happened as I was walking away and when he found out said, "I knew you couldn't get a date with her." I stopped, looked at him, and turned back around. Much in the same way as I had begun talking to her before I said, "How about tomorrow afternoon? Don't make me beg, I will beg in front of all of these people and then you will just look mean if you tell me no."
As we sat across from each other at Brick Oven the next day I couldn't eat my pizza. My stomach was all tied up in knots. I seriously only ate one slice while Carly sat across from me and ate over half the thing. I was seriously so nervous. Never in a million years did I think that I could have been on a date with someone so pretty. As the date went on it got worse. Not my nerves, but that she was so enthralling. I wanted to hear everything that she had to say. I was having the time of my life. Terrible timing. So I went on my mission. I wrote her almost every week; she wrote me bi-yearly. I returned home two years later and sought after her ever since. After a couple of years of convincing I got my chance. I am so lucky for the way everything has worked out. I often wonder what would have happened if I hadn't found the courage to approach the woman of my dreams.
Michael and I met in September 2005. A lot of his friends from Las Vegas were in my freshman ward and he came to visit them before he left for his mission to London. One day after work I came back to my dorm and my roommate told me that some "random cute guy" named Michael had come over looking for me and had wanted to take me on a date. I thought it was funny but figured he was just acing like a funny 'freshman' and I would probably not ever even meet him. The next day I went to a dance party that the guys' hall in our ward was throwing. While there with my roommates, someone came behind me and said, "Carly?" When I turned around he said, "My name is Michael Byram and I tried desperately to get a date with you." I was surprised by how cute I thought he was. After talking to him, I found out that he was a UNLV student and would be leaving for his mission in about a week. He then asked me out for the next night. I already had plans and also had to work so I turned him down. He said something like, "Okay, well it was nice to meet you," and walked away. I was a little bummed I would never see him again but figured it wasn't a big deal since he was about to go on a mission anyway. About two minutes later he came back to me and said, "Okay, how about lunch tomorrow?" I was impressed by his persistence so even though I was going to have to miss a BYU football game to go out with him (gasp!) I agreed. The next day we went to lunch at Brick Oven and saw the movie "Just Like Heaven." We also got ice cream at Cold Stone and played a couple video games at Best Buy. He was quite the charmer. When he dropped me off at my dorm he got my address and told me he'd write me. I figured I would never hear from him again, but he ended up keeping in touch with me for his whole mission. When he got back from his mission he decided to transfer to BYU and we became fast friends. A couple years later we started dating and now here we are!!!
Michael:
I met Carly before she met me. Visiting some friends at BYU I saw her teach a Sunday school course on...you'll never guess... eternal marriage. When I saw her and listened to her testimony the Spirit spoke to my heart and I knew that this girl was special. Of all of the girls that I have ever met I had the hardest time getting Carly off of my mind. I knew that I was leaving on my mission in a little over a week, but I also knew that if I didn't at least go find out about this amazing woman that I would regret it for the rest of my life. I did not want to spend forever wondering what might have been so I took some initiative and went to ask her on a date. It took me over a day of telling myself that I had to go talk to her before I was able to muster up the courage to ask her out. After an interview with her roommate and then her RA, seeing if I was fit to take her on a date, I was told that she wasn't home.
I strongly dislike dances and parties, but "she" was going to be there, so I went the next day. I kept asking people when she was going to come and looking around for her, but when she got there I was mortified again. Not only was she special, but she was the most breathtaking beauty that I had ever seen. She was beautiful enough to intimidate a 19 year old, very cocky Michael Byram. So I came up behind her and started talking. "Carly, my name is Michael Byram and I tried desperately to get a date with you yesterday." I found it easier to talk to her if I didn't have to make eye contact. I asked her out for the following evening and she told me she had a "mandatory meeting" for work, which, as everyone knows, means a date at 7pm on a Saturday. Finally beaten, I wished her well and walked away. A friend of mine asked me what happened as I was walking away and when he found out said, "I knew you couldn't get a date with her." I stopped, looked at him, and turned back around. Much in the same way as I had begun talking to her before I said, "How about tomorrow afternoon? Don't make me beg, I will beg in front of all of these people and then you will just look mean if you tell me no."
As we sat across from each other at Brick Oven the next day I couldn't eat my pizza. My stomach was all tied up in knots. I seriously only ate one slice while Carly sat across from me and ate over half the thing. I was seriously so nervous. Never in a million years did I think that I could have been on a date with someone so pretty. As the date went on it got worse. Not my nerves, but that she was so enthralling. I wanted to hear everything that she had to say. I was having the time of my life. Terrible timing. So I went on my mission. I wrote her almost every week; she wrote me bi-yearly. I returned home two years later and sought after her ever since. After a couple of years of convincing I got my chance. I am so lucky for the way everything has worked out. I often wonder what would have happened if I hadn't found the courage to approach the woman of my dreams.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
It Pays To Marry Nerdy
As many of you know, Michael started working at Best Buy last October. He is now much more into computers and tech-y stuff and has learned lots of useful things by spending some of his shifts with the Geek Squad.
Well, when we first got married I thought that we wouldn't need to buy a new computer or laptop for a long time since Michael had two laptops that were working just fine. However, within a couple weeks of our wedding one laptop pretty much fell apart. All we had left was the newer (but not as nice) one. Well, that one has slowly been falling apart as well. Just our luck! Since it would be unbelievably inconvenient to not own a laptop or computer, we decided that we'd use our tax return money to get a new computer. Michael has converted to more of a computer guy rather than a laptop guy, so we went to Best Buy a couple weeks ago to look at their computers. It's not exactly cheap to get a nice one... and we really wanted one that would easily last long enough to get him through grad school. So Michael proposed the idea of building a computer himself. He said it would be much cheaper this way for a quality computer. I was skeptical at first because .... well ... it just seemed complicated. But eventually Michael convinced me to let him to do it and I'm so glad I did! We have a brand new computer and it didn't even hurt our wallets too much! Here are a couple of pictures... the first one is of Michael and his friend building the computer, (I guess they needed a hard surface to work on, which is why they're in the kitchen) and the second is of the finished product!
Yay!! I am so glad that my husband is a nerd! It has proven very useful. :-)
Anyway, earlier this month we got to take a trip to my parents' house in LA for my little brother's homecoming! It has been so great to have him home, and it was SO nice to be with him and the rest of the family... and in warm weather! Gosh how I miss the warm weather. As our plane descended into Nashville we were greeted by yet another winter storm. I have gotten very sick of hardly being able to open my car door early in the morning when I'm leaving for work because it is frozen shut. Sorry, I didn't really mean to start on another winter rant... ha. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the trip.
Oh, and one other thing that I think is kind of funny- Michael joined an intramural basketball team at Lipscomb and guess what their team name is? The Flying Fredettes. The best part is that Michael didn't even come up with the name... a bunch of guys on the team just knew that Michael went to BYU and surprised him with their team name. I love it, because now a few of those guys have become huge Jimmer and BYU fans. As far as I am concerned, Michael has done them a lifelong favor.
Well, when we first got married I thought that we wouldn't need to buy a new computer or laptop for a long time since Michael had two laptops that were working just fine. However, within a couple weeks of our wedding one laptop pretty much fell apart. All we had left was the newer (but not as nice) one. Well, that one has slowly been falling apart as well. Just our luck! Since it would be unbelievably inconvenient to not own a laptop or computer, we decided that we'd use our tax return money to get a new computer. Michael has converted to more of a computer guy rather than a laptop guy, so we went to Best Buy a couple weeks ago to look at their computers. It's not exactly cheap to get a nice one... and we really wanted one that would easily last long enough to get him through grad school. So Michael proposed the idea of building a computer himself. He said it would be much cheaper this way for a quality computer. I was skeptical at first because .... well ... it just seemed complicated. But eventually Michael convinced me to let him to do it and I'm so glad I did! We have a brand new computer and it didn't even hurt our wallets too much! Here are a couple of pictures... the first one is of Michael and his friend building the computer, (I guess they needed a hard surface to work on, which is why they're in the kitchen) and the second is of the finished product!
Yay!! I am so glad that my husband is a nerd! It has proven very useful. :-)
Anyway, earlier this month we got to take a trip to my parents' house in LA for my little brother's homecoming! It has been so great to have him home, and it was SO nice to be with him and the rest of the family... and in warm weather! Gosh how I miss the warm weather. As our plane descended into Nashville we were greeted by yet another winter storm. I have gotten very sick of hardly being able to open my car door early in the morning when I'm leaving for work because it is frozen shut. Sorry, I didn't really mean to start on another winter rant... ha. Anyway, here are a few pictures from the trip.
Oh, and one other thing that I think is kind of funny- Michael joined an intramural basketball team at Lipscomb and guess what their team name is? The Flying Fredettes. The best part is that Michael didn't even come up with the name... a bunch of guys on the team just knew that Michael went to BYU and surprised him with their team name. I love it, because now a few of those guys have become huge Jimmer and BYU fans. As far as I am concerned, Michael has done them a lifelong favor.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas Festivities
I love doing Christmas-y things every year..... and really, who doesn't? This year was no exception. One of my favorite things to do around this time of year is look at all of the Christmas lights. Well, there aren't very many houses in our neighborhood, and as a result, not a lot of Christmas lights. However, Michael's school is SO festive and has some of the prettiest lights I've ever seen on a school campus. He surprised me by taking me there to look around.
Christmas was fun too. We woke up early, opened our presents, emptied our stockings, talked to family, and saw the third Chronicles of Narnia movie. We also had a white Christmas- brr!!
Then we came home and made a gingerbread house. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. I made it all from scratch. (Ha, yeah right. Thank you, Wal-mart, for selling gingerbread house kits! They are very handy!) This is the finished product, which made a cute decoration. And Michael made the tree on the back of the house, which he was very proud of. :-)
Growing up, we always had our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, so after Michael got off work on Christmas Eve we had a yummy feast including ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and crescents.
Christmas was fun too. We woke up early, opened our presents, emptied our stockings, talked to family, and saw the third Chronicles of Narnia movie. We also had a white Christmas- brr!! Showing off my presents.
Michael showing off his presents.
I love our matching PJ's. Thanks mom!
I really needed a new earring holder, so I'm glad I got one. Michael thinks I have too many earrings. Is that even possible?!
Anyway, the reason we stayed in Nashville for Christmas is because we're going home to LA for a few days next month for my little brother's homecoming. Yay! The whole family will be there, so we're very excited!!!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Winter Woes
I hate the cold. Like, I really, really hate it. Being too hot is uncomfortable, but being too cold is just miserable. Ever since moving away from California I can't even enjoy the fall season properly because I know that in just a few short months the worst season of all will rear its ugly head. I absolutely love Christmas, but Irving Berlin (he wrote "White Christmas") had it all wrong. Nothing is more magical than sunshine and flip flops. Yes, even on Christmas.
Growing up, my family always traveled in the summer, so it was a long time before I ever experienced snow and freezing weather. When I went to BYU, I was actually excited for it to snow because I thought that it would be this amazingly cool thing. The first time it snowed, I admit that I was excited. I grabbed my roommate and my camera and took this picture:
This is pretty much the only picture that exists of me being in the cold and enjoying it. :-) After experiencing frozen limbs and some seriously nasty falls, it didn't take me long to make my Facebook status something like, "Carly hates fluffy show, wet snow, slushy snow, icy snow, powdery snow, slippery snow, muddy snow, white snow, and yellow snow."
I thought that leaving Utah and coming to Nashville would mean warmer winters. I am very sad to say that it's not any warmer. If anything, it's even colder!!! I don't know if it's the humidity or the wind chill or what, but it has suddenly gotten ridiculously cold here. Obviously it's not the coldest place in the country, but I was just hoping for it to be slightly warmer. And it's not even officially winter yet! I told Michael that as soon as he's done with school, we have to live somewhere warm. I am way too wimpy and whiny for cold weather.
I know, I know- just call me Mr. Scrooge. At least there is a lot making me smile despite the weather, like this:
Merry Christmas from Michael and Carly!
Growing up, my family always traveled in the summer, so it was a long time before I ever experienced snow and freezing weather. When I went to BYU, I was actually excited for it to snow because I thought that it would be this amazingly cool thing. The first time it snowed, I admit that I was excited. I grabbed my roommate and my camera and took this picture:
This is pretty much the only picture that exists of me being in the cold and enjoying it. :-) After experiencing frozen limbs and some seriously nasty falls, it didn't take me long to make my Facebook status something like, "Carly hates fluffy show, wet snow, slushy snow, icy snow, powdery snow, slippery snow, muddy snow, white snow, and yellow snow."
I thought that leaving Utah and coming to Nashville would mean warmer winters. I am very sad to say that it's not any warmer. If anything, it's even colder!!! I don't know if it's the humidity or the wind chill or what, but it has suddenly gotten ridiculously cold here. Obviously it's not the coldest place in the country, but I was just hoping for it to be slightly warmer. And it's not even officially winter yet! I told Michael that as soon as he's done with school, we have to live somewhere warm. I am way too wimpy and whiny for cold weather.
I know, I know- just call me Mr. Scrooge. At least there is a lot making me smile despite the weather, like this:
Merry Christmas from Michael and Carly!
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