Well, it's been a while. To be honest, I probably won't be posting here as much anymore because Ben and I have our own website. I'll be more likely to update and post there. In fact, there's a post there that I was going to copy over here, but never did. Anyway, the website is http://benandlaura.us. But, if you want to see only my website, you can go to http://laura.benandlaura.us. Anyway, I'd recommend going there to see the post I did in May.

As I sit here typing, my bird, Flynn, is sitting on my chest and getting very puffy. He's quite adorable, actually. Don't believe me? Go to my gallery. There's a link at my website. He's molting right now, so he's a little ornery. But, he's getting to the point where he lets us rub his neck again, which is fabulous.

The pregnancy's going well. This is a pretty active baby, so I''m getting to know this kid pretty well. Ben and I got to see our baby on July 3rd. It was awesome! Everything looked healthy and on schedule. And no, we don't know the sex of the baby. We don't want to know what it is. So, if anyone's planning a baby shower, wait until after the baby is born.

(Flynn's now on my shoulder, rubbing his beak together, which makes a really cute noise. He's also on one foot, which means he's very comforatble.)

Ben and I are doing well. We're struggling for cash a bit, but that seems to be the way of newlyweds. Things are looking up, though. It's lots of fun looking forward to the day when we won't have to penny-pinch so badly. Soon, hopefully by November, we're going to be independently wealthy. If you have questions as to how, give me a call or send me an email. It's really an amazing thing.

I'm still working at the Writing Center at UVSC and finding that I still love it. I've been asked to be a coordinating tutor next fall, which I'm excited about, even if it doesn't give much perks money-wise. It's good because it shows that my boss is recognizing me and my experience. It's really quite fun. I'm excited for the day when I don't have to work, though. I want to be able to raise my baby. I'm sure you understand.

Anyway, that's it for me right now. Check my other website, since it's going to become my main update place. I'd like to keep this site around, but not for updates. I'm thinking of posting my short stories here for people to read. What do you think? Anyway, bye now.

Hello, everyone! You know, married life is busy! I'm always surprised how tired I am at the end of the day. And yet, I still don't get to sleep until 1 or 2 in the morning. Ah well. That really needs to change, though. I need all the sleep I can get. That's because. . .

. . . I'm pregnant!

Yep. I'm around two-months along now. I'm going to see the doctor for the first time on the 17th, so I don't have an exact due date. But, if it's anywhere near where I think it is, it'll be in November. (You can do the math.)

I've been rather sick these last few weeks. I threw-up again this morning. It was terrible because I hadn't eaten anything yet, so my body wanted to expell something, but there was nothing to expell. I dry-heaved a lot, finally got up some bile, and dry-heaved some more. Let's just say it wasn't the most pleasant experience ever. These last two days have been pretty good, though. I went to Ben's family's house for donuts last night and ate almost 4 of them. So, at least I was able to keep stuff down for a few days. I'm not sure exactly how I feel today. It's like my body can't decide. I feel a little sick, but eating doesn't repel me like it usually does. It's rather annoying, actually. Other than that, I've been sleeping a lot (because I'm tired and because it helps with my nausea). My wonderful husband is so patient with me. He's good at taking care of me and making sure I take my vitamins. So, I'm rather pleased with my choice of husbands :).

Anyway, wanted to share the big news. Feel free to congratulate me all you want. :D

Well, it's been a hectic few weeks. Ben and I are trudging along in our wedding plans. They seem to multiply. A few weeks ago we were saying stuff like, "Oh we're almost done" and "There's not really that much left to do." But now, we're singing a different tune. I still have to get my bridal pictures taken and figure out who we're going to hire for our photography. However, Ben and I have someone to film the day. We're gonna get a dvd in widescreen. Happy day! It took us a while to finally decide on who to hire, but the guy we chose is the best choice. His total cost will be below $1,000, which is amazing for this kind of work. Most of the time they cost a few grand. So, we're happy about that.

Our engagement pictures have been taken and we've decided which ones to use. (Yes, that is plural.) We couldn't decide on just one picture, so we're having four that we're just going to send out randomly. I think it's a rather fun idea. If you want to see these pictures, as well as other pictures we took, Ben's put them on the web, here. The ones we chose to use are in the Engagement Pictures-Second Attempt. And they're as follows:

1. On the second page, the middle one on the top row.
2. On the second page, the bottom right corner.
3. On the fourth page, the top left corner.
4. On the fourth page, the middle one on the top row.

I think they're adorable, but it was a hard choice to make. There are so many that we thought were cute, so we'll probably blow them up and display them at the reception. (Sorry about the quality.)

In other news, Ben and I have found a place to live in Provo. It's $400 a month flat. We'll have 2 bedrooms and a computer room, a full-size kitchen (including a fridge, stove, dishwasher, trash compactor), a living room (with a fireplace), access to a washer/dryer, high-speed internet, and satellite tv with a TiVo. We're rather excited because Ben won't have to move very far, just down the stairs. Yep, that's right. We've decided to live in Ben's brother's house in the basement. At first, I didn't want to live there, but I got to know the brothers we would be sharing the house with and I knew we could do it. Besides, the price is right and it's close to Ben's work and not too far away from UVSC. It'll be a good thing and I'm rather excited about it. It'll be super-nice because I'm gonna take my bed down and put it in the spare bedroom so that if Lisa ever needs to spend the night, she'll have a place to go. I think it'll be fun.

I'll still be coming up to Murray every week to teach piano lessons. So, I won't be a complete stranger. Anyway, that's it for now. I'll try and post more often, but I make no promises.

It's official. The date of my marriage to Benjamin Thomas Loveridge is February 24th. It's so exciting!

So that thing that I forgot. . . Well, I remember it. I was going to say that pain is evil. I think that any sort of pain should be outlawed, but especially mouth pain. I just got 2 of my 4 crowns replaced. While the temporary crowns were on, I was in constant pain. Sometimes so bad that it would radiate into my arm. It's really no fun living on ibuprophen. The reason mouth pain is the worst is that you still have to eat and drink. I mean, if you break your leg or something, you can get on crutches or a wheelchair or just claim that you're hurt and stay home all day (my personal favorite). But if you have a toothache or your wisdom teeth out or whatever, you still have to get nutrients in your system.

To sum up, my pain is gone, but the memory is still there. It's a very painful memory. As Daffy Duck says, "I can't stand pain; it hurts me!"