Snow Shovels and Ugg Boots

This is the view from outside my porch currently.

Don't be fooled by the bare grass showing, the three inches of snow
that fell there last night, have since been blown everywhere
because of the 30 miles per hour wind.

This is our porch-covered in snow, although we live up on the second floor
and never get snow up there.
Thanks wind!



This is the three inches of snow that mysteriously appeared this morning
that I had to trudge through to get to my car!
Thank goodness for pink Uggs!


This is the office door that was frozen shut this morning
due to the Snow, Ice, and Strong Wind.

Have a good day!

Monday Gratitude (Tuesday in this case)

I am a day late on this post-last night was crazy and I ran out of time, so I apologize to all of my devoted readers! (ha ha) Here are the five items I am grateful for this week:......

1. Our Bed-Now although it is not the most comfortable, and Adam is counting down the days till we get a King size, and even though I do not much get sleep here because of anxiety (who knows why I don't sleep); I am grateful we have a place to relax, cuddle, and in Adam's case snore every night!

2. My Planner- I am a list and planner person. I cannot function without my planner, it reminds me of my daily tasks, appointments, and goals. I also find so much joy in crossing things off on my "To-Do" list!! Adam bought me this cute for Christmas and I love it!!

3. Prayer- We have some big decisions to make this week and I feel so grateful and comforted to know that I can pray to Heavenly Father for guidance and direction with confidence. It is a blessing to know that if we ask, we will be guided to the correct choices and decisions.

4. Easter- Sunday was a wonderful day-from Church, to enjoying a delicious meal with Adam and Jon. I am grateful for our Savior and for the blessing of the Atonement. Although we dearly missed being with our family, we did our best to bring a lovely day into our home!

5. Fancy Dishes- I love dishes, and am always on the hunt for fancy dishes especially black, red, and pink ones. This set was given to me by my wonderful Aunt Cathy. We used them for Easter, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Wow

Well, I regret for ever saying in my previous posts that my life up here in Rexburg

is uneventful, or slow paced.

These last three days have proved far otherwise!

Here is what my house looks like right now:

Here is what happened:

WeDeNsDaY:

Adam and I were coming home from work Wednesday night. It was raining outside and we were running from the car to our house. There is a hill that we have to go over to get to our apartment and while we were running and laughing Adam suddenly slipped and fell backwards-Smack on his head and back.

(The scene of the vicious fall)

He was knocked out due to the impact on his head, and he could not breathe because of the impact on his back and lungs. He finally tried to get up, with my help as he is gasping for air. I was beyond terrified, started crying as I helped him make our way up the stairs to our house.I checked for a concussion and would not let him go to sleep for the next hour.My super man brother Jon came over and made sure Adam was okay, and then stayed for an hour to make sure I was okay. Needless to say I did not get very much sleep that night constantly checking on Adam.

ThUrSdAy:

I got up to go to work around 7:20. I was late so was trying to quickly get ready when Adam called from the room telling me my phone has been going off. So I got my phone as I ran out the door and saw I missed two calls from home, and my brother has sent me two texts. I returned my Dad's phone call as I was getting in the car and he soon informed me that Jon was in the hospital. I freaked out, and was then told that he drove himself to the hopsital (what!) at 4 this morning because his stomach had been hurting all night. He had appendicitis and they were operating later that morning.

I ran back insid the house to get Adam who has up and dressed in 2 minutes and we were on our way to Madison Memorial Hospital. We spent the rest of the day there, making update phone calls, taking care of Jon, and talking to the Doctors. He went into surgery at 11:00 a.m. and was out of surgery by 1:30 p.m. My parents made the fabulous drive up from Provo and arrived around 6:15 p.m. We hung around to visit and then we headed home around 8, and went to dinner at Applebees at 9.

FrIdAy:

I took Adam to work at nine after another sleepless night and made a quick stop at the gym. Jon and my parents arrived at our house around 10. He was doing pretty well but was ready to be home and rest. Mom and I went to do some grocery shopping, and made a quick stop at her favorite place: Porters. We spent of the rest of the morning and early afternoon cooking, cleaning, and then have a business meeting with Dad. (save that for another post). I headed to work at 2:00-tired, emotionally exhausted, and just burned out!

We got home from work at 5:00, ordered some pizza, and spent the rest of the night watching basketball games. I finally got bored and went into our room and watched ENCHANTED! It was bliss! Then after the cute, cheesy love filled movie-I enjoyed my first night of sleep in three days!

Jon has been a wonderful patient! He is recovering great-walking around, and eating all kinds of yummy food! It is fun having him here with us!

The stinker invalid refused to sleep in our bed because he felt bad (he is naughty!)

so this is his bed!

Dinner Success

I really enjoy cooking, but most nights after working 6-8 hours my motivation to cook runs very slim. After feeling guilty for not cooking each night I set a personal goal of cooking at least three nights a week. I not only set a goal to cook but to try new recipes and come up with my own. Adm and I are trying hard to eat only wheat carbs and as much vegetables as possible (to make up for all the crappy stuff that we eat!). I love looking here and here for delicious and healthy recipes and ideas!

So last night I decided to make

Pesto Chicken Pasta with Sauteed Zuchinni,

along with Strawberries and Cream for dessert.

It took a bit longer than I expected,

but when we sat down and took our first bite I was filled with pride!!

And felt that all the stress and mess was worth it!

The cooking mess!

My homemade pesto (sorry the picture is blurry-I was hurrying)

The sauteed Zuchinni with fresh Parmesan on top

The final product!

Monday Gratitude

Mondays are usually viewed negatively:

The First Day back to Work,

The farthest day from the weekend,

The day that brings the schedule back for the rest of the week.

Although on Mondays I don't go to work until the afternoon,

I still find myself complaining Sunday night, that the dreaded day is already arriving.

So tonight I decided that each Monday I will post five things I am grateful for.

These things will range from large, valuable items, to small and somewhat insignificant things. This talk has left an impact on me and since reading it for Family Night two weeks ago,

I decided that each day I would write one thing in my planner that was a blessing that day.

So in light of that inspiration,

here is my first "Gratitude Monday."

Enjoy!

1. My Husband- He is currently working very hard to provide for our small family, and is contstantly doing all that is humanly possible to make my life as wonderful as possible!

2. Swiffer Mop-Yes I know it seems silly, but hear me out. I have grown up in homes that all have Cental Vacuum Systems which means that I had never used a broom inside a home until I moved into an apartment. I have become pretty good at it, but still hate to sweep.

I have been looking forward to purchasing "The Swiffer" for weeks now, and tonight we got it!!

Using it was divine!! It picked up everything, and for the first time in months I could mop standing up!!

(Old picture)

3. My Family- We were able to spend a brief visit with my family this last weekend. Adam had a business meeting in Provo at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon-we arrived just in time, and then left at 5:00 p.m. the next day. Although the trip was short, it filled me with love and gratitude as all eight of us sat around the table while we enjoyed a delicious meal at P.F. Changs.

(Thanks Dad!)

4. New toothbrush- I have a bad habit of brushing my teeth very vigorously and very hard!! My dentist has had to cover some of my exposed tooth nerves because of my my rough brushing. I brushed so hard and have worn away my gums.
So despite my best efforts, I go through toothbrushes very quickly.

Each time I open a new brush I relish in that brand new bristle feeling!

5. My Hair Straightener- This is the best invention!! The only electric tool that has been able to tame my thick, coarse, wavy hair!! If only they were around and popular during my junior high years!

(Those of you who were there with me remember my full volume, untamed hair!! I am surprised that I had friends back then!)

Got Ya!

For the last week our small town of Rexburg has been enjoying

the beginnings of Spring!!

The snow around our apartment complex has melted away

and the grass was sprouting.

My winter coats were hung up in the back closet

My bright clothes were making their debut!!

Then I woke up this morning to this. . . . . .

The green grass has now disappeared under 2 new inches of Snow!!

Say hello to the winter coats once more!!!

My best friend Blue Sky has been replaced with FOG and SNOW

My heart is gloomy

London Longing

For some reason during my slow start this morning I started looking at all my pictures from living in London for 4 months and I got a bit nostalgic. Our life is pretty simple right now, so I thought I would post some London Memories today.

My home-it is two flats in one-all forty of us lived here, plus the classroom!!

It used to be used as an Embassy, so the inside is very fancy

Our Street-Palace Court

After waiting in line for three hours we got our front row tickets to Wicked!!!

My London Bestie Erika and I in front of the Charte Cathedral in France

The beautiful Big Ben

Us Girls at the Lake Districe-prettiest place EVER!!

The beautiful Tower Bridge

Chicken of the Sea

This tuna is a symbol of my sweet husband.

He showed up to work today with a fresh tuna and pickle sandwich-just the way I like it.

He spent the day making sure that my stressful day turned into a peaceful day.

I woke up this morning

feeling like I had ran a marathon-a night filled with no sleep,
tossing and turning,
and a lot of bathroom trips.

I opened the window to see this:

My morning continued as I became increasingly overwhelmed with the day's tasks.

My stomach continued to increase in pain with aches that seem to appear each month and choose to stay for 24 hours straight.

After a long eight hour shift I came home to find:

The dishwasher loaded and running

My clothes washed and neatly folded

Our dresser organized and dusted

All my stress seemed to melt away and I was overcome with love and appreciation for a husband who senses when I am having a hard day and showers me with kindness.