Two, Soon to Be Three | Our Maternity Photo Shoot

Sometime in the next two to three weeks our lives will change forever. We'll be parents. We're both very excited to start this new chapter of our Beck treks. It's definitely an adventure, and we know we have lots to learn, but also a lot of love welled up and ready for our first-born.

Ryan's sweet sister took our maternity shots. Thanks, Tami! We wanted to capture this belly while it's ripe. These were taken at 36 weeks, and we're now at 38. Not much longer 'til we'll meet our girl. ♥

While I'm very excited to see/hold/snuggle our girl, there is something very special about being (literally) one with her. 

Yeah, Ryan definitely threw a snowball at me. Such a tease. Then we got the idea to make it look it was snowing. 

Two. Soon to be three. 

Preparing to Make the Cut

Forgive my blatant vanity: This post is about hair.

If you've seen me lately, you've noticed my hair is reeeeaaallllllyyy long. I've been talking about donating it for the better part of a year, and held out for a recent photo shoot with my high school friend (and incredibly talented professional photographer) Selena. Click here to see what we were up to. If you clicked, you'll notice my "writer girl" pictures for a soon-to-be-launched writing blog. (Our Beck Trek friends will be first to have a sneak peek...tune in soon!)

I'm so pleased with her pictures - both the creative writer ones and the outdoorsy head shots. If you're looking for a photographer in Arizona or Utah, Selena's a blast to work with. I highly recommend you check out her website. 

Back to hair...my lengthy locks can look like THIS!? After seeing Selena's magic, it almost pains me to make the cut. Almost.

Let's be honest. My hair in these pictures is the result of three hours of concentrated effort and two helpers (thanks, Katy and Jen!) I'm happy to have the movie star potential of my hair recorded, but would rather sleep an extra hour or finish a grad school assignment or actually go running or cuddle up with Ryan for Dr. Quinn than do a hairdo.

Thanks to Dad, I have an enviably thick braid. I'm grateful, don't get me wrong. Hair like this takes a lot of TIME I don't have/want to give.I literally only wash my hair every 5-6 days. (OK, OK...I even get away with a whole week sometimes.) It's so thick it only starts looking greasy on Day 6, and then I just bun-wrap  and nobody can tell. When I do wash it, a painful fight follows: Comb vs. Snarls. I hate it. The snarl fest is my least favorite 15 minutes of the week.

Because I have been given much (hair), I too must give. I have such a soft spot for cancer patients, mostly because I'm still missing my Auntie Melanie.  Yesterday we did the 5K for miss Millie. This is the week I'll be donating 9 inches. That's about two year's growth. And that's time well spent.

Two Weeks Notice

Here's my two weeks notice, Singlehood.

We've had a good thing going for quite a long time now. For years, you've introduced me to many opportunities, and I've learned alot from you. At times, I questioned if anything else could quite take your place. Let's admit it - you're just so fun and present such a variety of options! You've been good to me, but I have news for you.

I've found something - rather, someone - that fits me better than I could have hoped.

He's a dynamic kind, with a surprising range of skills rarely found in one person. In just the last two days I have witnessed him back flipping in the wee hours at the Salt Flats, and woo me silly dancing at the State Capitol during our wedding photo shoot (thanks to my ultra-talented uncle Tim Pannell), and spend the next day in the back-breaking task of lugging all my stuff three stories up to our first home. He built stilts for our bed with his bare hands and rugged know-how and manages to surprise me daily with all the things he can do. Most of all, he makes me forget about anyone else - and yes, Singlehood, that means you.

Yep, two weeks, and I'm gone for good. Joining the Married Club, and I couldn't be happier about it.