Top Ten Headlines in Leininger Town

10. Young Women Make Dinner at Leininger Home

I am the second counselor in the Young Women's organization in our ward, which means weekly mutual activities. We frequently work on a skill that the girls would like to develop, and this particular week, we had chosen cooking. In keeping with the "warming only" rule in the chapel's kitchen, we had the young women over to our place for the endeavor. We decided on a simple stir fry, and let the girls do virtually all of the work. We had a great time, and the food was delicious. I just love these girls!


9. Sarah Gets Her Hair Cut

I was getting SO sick of my long hair. It was to the scraggly point, and the humidity out here is very unforgiving. So I chopped it off. I neglected to take a before shot, but let's just say that I lost about 6 inches. I am a big fan of the new, short(er) hair.


8. Jon Pulls Solid "A" on Project Proposal

Jon has started grad school at Johns Hopkins in engineering, and so we're back to the homework thing. He spent hours and hours and hours in the office working on a project proposal for his class that dealt with an automatic hour logging system for big rig trucks. And that was only after the hours and hours and hours he spent deciding on a project, changing it, and deciding on another one. Lots of research and lots of hard work. It paid off though...he pulled a solid 97%. I was very proud of my intelligent and diligent husband.

7. Maryland Family Watches All Four Conference Sessions from Comfort of Own Home

Comcast does not carry any station that broadcasts general conference, but thanks to the Church's amazing new media player and Jon's tech savvy, we were able to hook up our laptop to our TV and watch conference from the couch. It was wonderful. Not only the couch of course, but the inspiring messages. I just love general conference!!! The only thing that would have made it better would have been spending the Sunday afternoon session in Fairview with the fam. We missed you guys!


6. Father Visits Prodigal Children

Having two sets of parents now that we are married is a little confusing. Therefore, for the purposes of this blog, our respective fathers shall henceforth be called Dad Doug (Jon's) and Papa Joe (mine). Dad Doug popped in for a quick visit on his way to visit Lauren at SVU for Parent's Weekend. He brought with him many gifts including lots of books that we have been wanting to read, yummy Texan bbq sauce, delicious Texan pecan candy, and a trip to dinner on him. He also brought us epic movie "The 10th Kingdom" which we spent the next week and a a half watching. It was great to see him, and we had a super fun time. Thanks Dad Doug!


5. Couple Visits Aquarium, Attends Dolphin Show

We finally headed downtown to the National Aquarium, which just happens to be in Baltimore. It is right on the water and it was fantastic. We liked the huge sting rays and the Dolphin show, but our favorite was the long-horned cowfish. If you've never seen one, well...it resembles a floating block of cheese with a cow's face. Pretty incredible.


4. Cougar Fans Reunited with Football After Long Absence

Comcast also does not carry any station that broadcasts BYU football games (I think we need to switch cable companies) so it's been a long and dreary season for us as we hear about our friends enjoying the wonderful winning streak. We, like the rest of you, were disappointed last week, but hopeful that this week would bring better news. We were thrilled that our friends (and subscribers to Direct TV) Trevor and Sarah invited us over to watch the game with them today. We were even more thrilled with the exciting win! Go Cougs! It's good to be back. Also, I'm pretty sure we saw Kirsti on TV. That was exciting.


3. Baltimore Youth Takes Life-Changing Plunge

Our friend Kayla is the newest member of our Young Women group. Though she has been attending Sunday meetings and Wednesday activities for awhile now, she was baptized on Saturday October 18th. I got to give a talk at her baptism, and felt very privileged. Kayla was raised by her grandparents, and her grandfather recently became active in the church after 28 years and introduced Kayla to the missionaries. She is really amazing in her dedication, understanding of the scriptures, and application of the gospel. She has even already started Personal Progress! We love Kayla and are so excited to continue to grow with her!


2. Sarah Turns 27

I turned 27 on Thursday, the 23rd, and feel dangerously close to 30. You think it will never come, but then, there it is, just around the corner. That's okay though. I'll be a young 30 when that time comes. I have a pretty bad cold this week, and haven't been feeling too well, so instead of a night out, Jon brought home our favorite, PF Changs, and we celebrated at home. I got wonderful gifts from Jon and from home, and a flaming cake to top it all off! Thanks to everyone who made it a special day.

1. Baltimore Couple to Celebrate First Anniversary With Bang

Yep. We're having a baby!!!!!! We are SO excited! I'm due May 24th, one day after our anniversary, so for all intents and purposes...ON our anniversary. What a way to celebrate! This ultrasound was taken at 6 weeks for dating purposes, and the little dot on the left is what was then an embryo, and is now a fetus, about an inch in length (roughly the size of a medium green olive according to the book). When we got married I thought I wanted 12 kids, but now, after a month of nausea and vomiting, I think we might stop at one. ;) However, yesterday my doctor finally prescribed a miracle drug called zofran, and I am a new woman. I have eaten for two days in a row, and might actually start gaining weight now. I can go to work without wanting to die, and when at home, do more than lie on the couch and cry, with brief trips to kneel before the porcelain throne. A big shout out to my amazing husband who made many a trip to the local 7-11 for coke slurpees (they do wonders for a sick tummy), took over all household chores, and was on his own for dinner every night for a month, and to my mom and sister Maria who spent hours talking to me on the phone, distracting me from my misery, and generally getting me through it. I know that there are many women who have been much worse off than me, and I can only say that I now have even more respect for mothers than I did in the past. Especially those like my own mom who did this again and again. And pre-miracle drug zofran at that! I am so excited for this adventure and blessing, and so glad that thanks to modern medicine, I have myself back. I cooked today for the first time in a LONG time, and I think Jon is excited too. :)