Karyn's Moving to Utah!!

Today I got the wonderful privilege of accompanying my Karyn (yes, she's mine and none of you can have her!) to Davis Applied Technology College. She was in town to take the admissions test, register for her CNA class, and buy her books. We spent about two hours on campus - getting her all set up and ready to go. Then we went into the bookstore and I found the CUTEST dress! Yes, I know, I'm a dork. I bought a dress in a bookstore at a tech school. So what? It's Downeast and I love it! Plus, Jason gets to use it as a Christmas gift to me. Less shopping for him so we're all happy!
So it's official - Karyn is going to be joining our happy little home here in a short while. I can't wait to have her! Plus, I'm really just thrilled for her to take this next step in her life!

We had our first ultrasound back in November to verify the due date, make sure the baby was healthy, and determine the sex, of course!
As you've already heard, we are having a girl! Everything looked really good in the ultrasound, except that my little girl is just like her mommy and loves to lay on her stomach. They were unable to see all 4 chambers of her heart, no matter how much pushing and prodding they did to try to get her to roll over.
Last Tuesday I went back in for another ultrasound, hoping that this time we would get a clear shot of her heart. Unfortunately, she was just as stubborn as she was before! I laid on that table for 45 minutes with the ultrasound tech pushing and shaking my tummy, trying to get her to move. At one point they even had me roll onto my side, hoping that that would convince her she wanted to lay on her back. She refused. Instead she would kick her little legs in protest and settle back into her original position.
Third time's a charm, right?? I am scheduled again on January 6th for yet another ultrasound. We'll keep our fingers crossed that maybe this time she'll cooperate! (But knowing that she's my daughter, we won't hold our breath.....)

Our 2 year anniversary

For our two year anniversary, Jason surprised me with tickets to see Phantom of the Opera in Vegas. We road-tripped it down to Vegas and had the time of our lives! It was the best anniversary ever!

I don't know if you all have been awaiting this quite as anxiously as Jason and I, but Tuesday we learned the sex of our baby. I'm sure you've already guessed - but it's a girl! We're right on track for our scheduled due date, and she is growing perfectly. She seems to have a lot more energy than I do...she was kicking those legs like a crazy marathon runner!
We are still trying to come up with a name. Our tastes are not very similar - so we'll see what we come up with. We have until April 7th to decide! We are so thrilled!

We're Pregnant!?!

Just Recently we have found out that we are going to be adding either or little boy or girl to the Jason and Jill Gast Family!!!! We are soooooooo EXCITED! and we can't wait until November 12th when we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl!

MOVING!! (wow, we're good at that.)

So for all of you that have been whining about me never updating this....I'm finally going to appease you!
Jason and I have found the most adorable basement apartment, and will be moving next weekend. We can't wait! It's right on the boundary between North Salt Lake and Bountiful, so it will be only about a 15 minute drive to work for me, and a 5 minute bus ride for Jason.
The apartment is absolutely adorable! It's actually quite spacious for a basement (1200 sq. ft.), with lots of big windows that let in the light, making it feel less like a basement. There is a huge brick fireplace in the family room, and two good-sized storage closets. There are hardwood floors throughout, and new paint and carpet. Plus, the family that owns the home lives upstairs and they are so cute and funny. We couldn't ask for better neighbors. :)
We are so excited for our new move. But mostly, we are thrilled to be able to shorten both of our commute times!

Jason's Surgery

For all of you that have been curious, Jason's surgery went very well. It was done on May 8th at LDS Hospital. His surgeon is very optimistic that he was able to get all the areas of his heart that were causing both the atrial fibrillation and the atrial tachycardia. This is the fourth time Jason has had this particular surgery, known as a catheter ablation. His recovery has been surprisingly quick....just a few hours after coming out of recovery, he was up and walking the hospital halls. He's quite the trooper!
The downside to all of this is if this surgery doesn't work (and we won't know the outcome for 3-6 months), the next step we will have to take is what is called a Maze procedure. This would involve cutting open the chest cavity with an incision that runs vertically. For obvious reasons, Jason is not too delighted with that idea!
So for now, we are crossing our fingers and praying that this surgery will (finally) do the trick. Hopefully we won't have to see the inside of a hospital for a while!

Back home to Utah!

We just thought we should update everyone....we are officially back in Utah now! We are currently living in Layton, in Jason's parents' basement. We were trying to sell our house in Rexburg, but have decided instead to rent it out. As soon as we get some renters in there, we're going to find our own place in SLC. Jason's parents have been so great. They have been generous enough to let us stay in Jason's old bedroom, and we're so glad to be back in Utah.
Jason is absolutely loving his new job! He's now working as a Lead Teller at a branch in West Jordan, which was a promotion for him. He's working a lot, and staying really busy. It's a nice change from his oh-so-slow branch in Idaho Falls.
I'm back at work at the dental office I worked at prior to our move. I, too, got a promotion upon returning! I'm now a treatment coordinator rather than an assistant. I'm really enjoying my new position! (Especially the pay raise that came with it!)
We are doing well, and are enjoying the warm weather! It's such a change from Idaho. We can actually see the grass - rather than just SNOW!
Just a heads-up everyone: We may be calling in favors with some of you - we could use some help moving!

Moving

Jason and I moved to Rexburg, Idaho back in October '07. Jason was accepted to BYU-Idaho, so we said goodbye to Salt Lake and bought a home in Rexburg. It was quite an adjustment! I was raised in a small town, but I've always considered myself more of a city girl. Jason had never lived outside the Salt Lake valley! So you can imagine how difficult it was for us to become accustomed to a town this size (17,000 people). Thankfully, Idaho Falls is a mere 30 minutes away, so we were able to get our "semi-big city fix" without too long of a drive.
Aside from the size, Rexburg was an adjustment due its freezing cold temperatures and icy winds. There were days the temperature got down to -30 degrees! We made it through the chilliest months without any permanent frostbite, and were quite proud of ourselves!
We've proven to ourselves that we can endure the frigid temperatures, the oh-so-quaint town, and the less-than-adequate shopping. (Trust me, the shopping has probably been the hardest part for me.)
As most of you know, Jason has a heart condition called congestive heart failure. Since being diagnosed back in 2005, he's also been experiencing atrial fibrillation, and just recently the problem has been compounded with atrial tachycardia as well. When we made the decision to move to Rexburg, it was with high hopes that his last surgery would fix the problem permanently. It didn't.
The next step? Jason's cardiologists have advised him that he needs another surgery. So we put our thinking caps on and made the decision to move back to Utah. Due to the present circumstances, Jason has had to withdraw from school, and so it seems we are in Rexburg for no apparent reason at this point.
We are sad to leave our adorable new home, and the friends we have made here, but we do know that it is for the best.
Thank you to everyone for all your support and prayers! We love you all.