Confession

Things I Don't Care About

- Making the bed

- Folding the clothes in the dryer

- Blogging (my therapist and I are working on this)

- My cereal addiction

- Cleaning out my car

- Repeating outfits weekly

- Cooking dinner (sorry Adam)

- Getting ready in the mornings

- Mopping the floor (is there a pattern here?. . . . .  Yeah lost that cleaning feeling a long time ago

- Socializing-it's not you, it's us

- Sleeping

Let's hear your dark confessions,

what is on your don't care list?

grat·i·tude

Noun:

-the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful

-kindness awakened by a favor received

I have been meaning to write something I am grateful for

each day during November

I am a little behind, so am catching up tonight with 8 things:

1- The ability to run

2- My husband-I could write a months worth of reasons why

Currently I am grateful for his patience with the sink full of dishes, laundry room of clothes, and an un-made bed.

3- Freedom

4- My job-they have been so gracious in putting up with my insane schedule

5- Crockpots-new favorite kitchen gadget. I put some goodies inside in the morning, and come home after a long day to a home filled with a sweet, savory aroma.

6- School

7- Friends

8- Sleep- I love hitting my feather-down pillow at night, I just need to figure out how to get more!

Fall Resolutions

I am an official blog slacker!!

Today at work I finally got the blog bug again, something that I have not had for a long time.

I apologize for the LONG absence,
(emphasize when reading the word long)

It is my favorite season!

I love fall........


The bright colors


the stormy weather


Carving pumpkins


This lovely drink


and.......


the fall fashion


In honor of my favorite season,
this weekend I have made a few new "fall resolutions"

1-Training begins: I have taken a month and a half off. I went from running 23-26 miles a week to 10-15 a week (if I am lucky). The new running season is around the corner, and the lotteries for races are about to begin. So I made myself a new schedule and it starts on Monday.

2-Long hair: I have made a commitment to grow my hair out again. Sorry not a very flattering picture, I am at work so my picture selection is limited. I have also made a resolution that when my hair is long, I will do it more often, rather than rely on the oh-so-convenient ponytail.



3.Catch up on all my reading: This is a tough one, but something that must be done. Midterms were last week, and although I passed all of them, none of the scores will be bragged about. So to get the grades that I am hoping, I must re-commit myself to school this semester.

4.Spend more time on the important things: Why is it that the most important things fall so easily to the bottom of the list? I am reorganizing myself to spend time each day reading my scriptures, or anything spiritual. I hate how easily I tend to let these things slide.

I love how each week feels like a new beginning.

I hope everyone is enjoying fall!

L'oreal

Alright, 

this post is going to be a plea for help!

A little background:

L'oreal comes to BYU campus each year and hosts a competition.

It is called "Brandstorm" and each year they present us with a new brand

that we have to re-market, or create.

This year we have been asked to create a fragrance for Maybelline.

The competition starts at BYU, then goes to New York, and then the finals are in Paris.

Last year a team from BYU won the international finals in PARIS!!

So the competition is in phases:

1st Phase is: Research-we have to know the market, and also our target market

then if we pass that we move on to

Phase 2: which is where we actually create the brand.

So I need your help with the research.

I have attached a link to survey, 

it should take no longer than 5 minutes.

Just click on the link and answer the questions!!!

Thank you so much!!!!!

Survey here

Half Marathon

On Saturday August 30,

I woke up at 5:30,

Strapped on my new running shoes,

and headed to Emigration Canyon.

The sun was slowly rising over the mountains,

There was a strong chill in the air

My stomach was filled with butterflies as I approached the 

Starting Line at the bottom of the Canyon.

Thirteen miles, 

I stretched out my chilled legs and patiently waited for the

 race to start.

Here are some pictures of the days event.

We started at the bottom of the canyon,  

the first two miles were all up hill.

The race was incredible, and the view was breathtaking!

I finished third in my age group 

and my overall time was 1 hour 51 min.

I was very proud of my accomplishment

Next race: Marathon

Over The Rainbow

I am currently sitting on a round lunch table,

a table that has spots filled with crumbs,

lap top open,

papers spread out everywhere.

School started a week ago, and I feel like I haven't been able to catch my breath,

trying to balance 17 credits and 35 hour work weeks.

Those last few moments at night between climbing into bed

and falling into an exhausting sleep,

is the time Adam and I spend together.

Catching up with each other, right before our talking becomes incoherent mumbling.

Being busy is when I function best.

Having a plan or task for every hour of the day keeps me organized.

I manage my time better and get more accomplished.

I have cooked more in this last week, than I have in a long time.

I live by my planer and check list.

The days begin to blur into each other, but hey, I am getting things done.

I feel productive because I am busy, always going somewhere

or studying something.

It is only now, in this moment,

in a room filled with hundreds of people,

where there is a constant buzz of noise due to talking and laughing,

have I felt more, than I have in two weeks.

There is a piano 10 feet away from where I am sitting.

A guy just sat down and began playing,

and suddenly everything seemed to disappear.

The song "Over the Rainbow" began to echo through the walls,

and I was overcome.

Overcome with gratefulness

grateful for his musical talent, for this building,

for music, for the opportunity to go to school,

grateful for family, for a body that functions well, for people,

the list continues.

He has been playing for ten minutes now,

one beautiful song after another,

I have put all my school work aside and just sat for a moment,

doing nothing.

In one of his talks Elder Ballard talked about

"enjoying the fleeting moments, the quiet moments,"

and although he was talking about motherhood,

his words resonated with me today.

Only in those quiet moments, where we pause

can we see and feel the tender mercies of the Lord.

Sorry for the long absence, I am back now, and will be more consistent.

At least that is the goal!

A long post coming this weekend with pictures of a race I ran in two weeks ago.

Nie Day

For the last two weeks, I cannot seem to get Steph and her family out of my head.
Our families are connected by the same set of cousins,
So when I was younger I spent a lot of time over there.
I thought Stephanie was the "coolest" girl.
I loved her personality, her hair style, and you can just tell she knows who she is.

This tragedy has left me thinking,
Especially during the quiet moments right before I fall asleep,
and in the early morning hours, before I get out of bed.
I don't know why it has affected me so much-
We have talked over email a few times, and seen each other at family things,
but for some reason this crash has affected me a great deal.
I keep getting the reoccurring thought of how grateful I am for the gospel.
Events like this are so hard to understand or explain,
and although the Gospel doesn't take the pain or suffering away,
it provides some comfort, some hope.
The hope that Heavenly Father knows what is going on, and has a purpose for everything.

Tomorrow has been declared as Stephanie's Day!

There are so many different blogs putting on Silent Auctions, and Giveaways.

Here is just a small list of what is going on:

Design Mom- Silent Auction

Notes from Kate- Another auction

Caitlyn and Ashley are teaming up for a fantastic silent auction

Courtney is auctioning some BYU items off.

I will try to keep the list going as I find out more. Please take a look!

Prayers

Stephanie Clark Nielsen is a family friend and fellow blogger.
She and her husband were in a terrible plane crash this past weekend.
They are on the slow road to recovery, so please put them in your thoughts and prayers.

For more information go here

Say

This weekend was good,
I went to the Farmers Market for more tomatoes, and delicious Basil Focaccia Bread.
I then spent the morning sewing some pillows for our couch.
(Pictures to come on next post)
They turned out so well, and I am in fact very proud of myself
due to my naive sewing skills.
My mom swelled with pride as her daughter that once hated sewing,
has now become addicted.
I feel like a whole new world of crafts has been opened up to me.


We spent the day with family,
My handsome brother Jon arrived home from Kansas,
So we ordered pizza, talked, and played Legos (yes, all of us!)
It is so nice to have everyone here, even if it is just for a few days.


I was sitting in the car on the way home from church yesterday.
Adam and I received a new church calling,
So we now attend a Spanish Ward in Orem.
I do not speak Spanish, I took three semesters at BYU and
I was in a Spanish ward while living in London (a little ironic)
but because of the lapse of time, and lack of use,
my Spanish Skills have dwindled.
Needless to say, our first Sunday there went well, the people were so warm and loving,
and it was nice to have a husband who
so willingly translated the talks for me,
and let everyone know that my lack of response
was not due to rudeness,
but ignorance.


As we were driving home from church with
"Sounds of the Sabbath" playing gently from our radio,
the song "I Am A Child of God" came on.
Usually when I hear this song I am filled with nostalgic memories of childhood,
and singing time in Primary.
I sing along blankly, not paying attention to the words or their meanings.
But today it was like I was hearing the song for the first time.
Maybe it was because I was feeling very dependent on the Lord this weekend,
as I stressed and worried about attending the Spanish ward.
Or maybe because it was time for one of the Lord's gentle reminders.

As the song continued, tears began to fall as I was overcome with gratitude.
I, me, one person in a world full of a billion people,
am a child of God.
Heavenly Father knows me by name, and cares about me.
As the song ended I was so overcome with gratitude for this knowledge.
It is so powerful and comforting to know
that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me.
A Heavenly Father that watches over me, listens to me when I pray
and values the fears and concerns that I have.

There are times to often to count, when I take the Gospel for granted.
Too many days where reading my scriptures
falls to the bottom of the list.
This song brought to my attention (again)
what a great treasure it is,to know where I came from
and to know what lies ahead.
I am go grateful for the reminders we receive every so often,
that let us know that He is watching over us,
and to remind us of the great knowledge that so many of us have,
a knowledge that is so easy to take for granted.

Movie Review

We went,

We Saw,

And

We LOVED!!!

Dark Knight was AMAZING!!

I have never felt so emotionally invested while watching a movie.

This guy was incredible:



You wanted to hate him because he was so evil,
but there was a soft spot for him, even though I had no idea why.
His performance was amazing!!

Christian Bale was of course as dreamy as ever.


I give this movie a A+, and can't wait to go see it at the IMAX.


On Saturday afternoon I went and saw this movie with some of dear girlies.

It was a very fun movie to watch.

The music was amazing, I need the sound track!!

The daughter's voice is amazing, I wish she would have sung more,

and despite what some reviews have said Pierce Brosnan does a good job singing as well.

But I would recommend seeing this movie with girls,

If your husband is anything like mine, it will not be enjoyed!!

Da da da da da da da da, Batman!!

Well folks, the day has arrived.



Adam is as giddy as a school girl.

We have had our tickets for a month.

Tonight at 8 we will be heading to the Cinemark theater at Provo Towne Center

Adam is determined to get perfect seats

Our movie starts at ten,

So we will be the couple sitting on the floor at the front of line

Me-reading Harry Potter

Adam-reading a historical novel.

We may even bust out the playing cards,

Two hours is a long time to wait!

Next week we will be seeing it at the Imax.

I will let you know which version I enjoyed more!!



(anyone want to see Mama Mia with me,
Adam will be too busy seeing this over and over)

Blog

I have a routine that do every morning after I arrive at work:
1-Clock in
2-Turn on the lights
3-Log into my phone
4-Log in, and open all necessary windows on my computer screen
5-Blog Stalk

I have a certain order in which I click the links on my blog,
I usually start from the bottom and go up.
I am so eager to read the new posts, and am sad when I have made it to the top of the list.

My blog journey is over for the morning,
I have laughed, cried (yes, I have, you guys are great bloggers),
and always discovered a new site.

It is then I am filled with a bit of anxiety, no.......
Envy.... is the correct word to use.
There are so many creative writers out there,
Incredible artists,
Superb photographers,
and Professional Cooks.
What should I blog about?

I start having one-on-one conversations with myself
deciding on what would be an exciting, mind blowing post,
the wording I should use,
and the jokes I should throw in.
By the end of the self conversation, I am exhausted and decide not to post at all.

But today I decided, I need to get over this
feeling of blogging inadequacy.
I started this blog because it was fun, and something I enjoyed.
So I am working on releasing myself from my own personal Blog Pressure.
My posts may not always bring tears, or loud laughter,
but I will have had fun writing!!

Thank you to all the dedicated bloggers.
I love keeping in touch, and learning more about you and your family.
Thank you also for sharing your talents and skills.
I feel inspired all the time,
And realize that I can develop talents that I was once afraid to try.
My cookings skills have become better,
and my decorating ideas increase daily!!

Current Loves

Mallory, Caitlyn's sister posted this on her blog a few days ago,
and I thought it would be fun to do.

Some of my Current Obsessions:

• Yoga
• Oreos-especially crunched up in Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Harry Potter
• Sleeping
• Cupcakes-reading about them, seeing them, decorating them
• Running ( I forced myself to sign up for a half marathon in Aug. one of my New Year Goals)
  
• Orbit Peppermint Gum
• Mint Chapstick
• Baths
• Wii Tennis-currently working on becoming a "pro" only 200 points left
  
• Conference Ensign from May 2008
• Bare Minerals
• Scrapbook Paper
• Home Dec Ideas (yet to implement any though)
• Zuchinni-sauteed in olive oil and onions
  
• Bananas
• "Jon and Kate Plus 8"
• G2 Gatorade
• Reading
• Setting weekly goals
• Corn Salsa
• Honey Nut Cheerios
• Late night chats in bed with Adam
  
• Guessing the background stories of passing strangers
  
• Sun coming through the windows in the morning
• Cold Play
• Bungalow Home Styles (new favorite website: http://www.thebungalowcompany.com/)
  

If Money Grew on Trees

My dear friend Caitlyn said a few words yesterday about

the latest Anthropologie Catalog,
So as soon as we got home last night I ran to the mailbox full of excitement.
Ohhhh how divine,
Let me share a few beauties. . . . . .












Enjoy
(Anyone want to write me a check)

New Shoes, New Shoes. . . .

When I was a little girl,
Every time I got a new pair of shoes I would be filled with
excitement as we drove home from the store.
Not only because I got to wear the shoes, but I was excited to show my dad
so he could sing me the

"New Shoe Song"

Let me share with you this beautiful childhood memory:

"Jessie's got new shoes, new shoes, new shoes
Jessie's got new shoes on today."
(repeat 3x)

My dad sang this to me while I danced twirled in my new foot wear
with a proud smile on my face.
I would make my dad sing this song to me well into my teenage years.

On Saturday these babies arrived for me:


And I taught Adam the song and then informed him
that he was now passed the torch of singing the "New Shoe Song"
not only for our children but for me.

The drive home from Salt Lake was filled with:
"Jess' got new shoes, new shoes, new shoes
Jess' got new shoes on today"

"Jess' got new shoes, bright, red, shiny, shoes
Jess' got new shoes on today."

(We got a little creative)

BiRtHdAy GiRl

Today is June 11-the day my best friend was born!!
Whitney Kaye Stice-The person who has been there for me since 3rd Grade

(Sidenote: Because Adam and I are currently living in the dark ages with no internet I could not use the pictures I had planned cause they are on my computer, and I am at work!)

Happy Happy Birthday My Dear!!

In honor of your special day I wanted to share a few of my favorite memories of you!

1. Playing with our American Girl Dolls after school everyday after we got them for Christmas.

2. Our own "Silly Subject News" Newspapers (especially our Dear Abby Section)

3. Our first attempts at Scrapbooking

4. Playing "Hide and Go Seek" in your unfinished basement

5. Writing and then typing adoption papers for both of our parents to sign
so that it would be "official."
( I think we had Caitlyn do it to)

6. Eating a whole bag of Salsa Verde Chips in one sitting

7. Our Jamba Runs

8. Sunday drives listening to music

9. Our many sleep overs

10. Our fascinating American Heritage Class (that kicked both of our butts!)

11. No matter how long it has been since we last talked, everytime we get together we
just start where we left off-like no time had ever passed.


I love you very much, you mean the world to me, and I am so grateful for our friendship.
I feel so blessed to be a part of your life, and have you as a friend
I hope you have a wonderful day!!

You are a incredibly beautiful and so full of happiness and a wonderful example to me!

I am trying to get back into the world of blogging again,
so I decided that today I was going to post some stuff about me.
I always enjoy when others blog about themselves and give us some glimpses
into their thoughts, feelings, worries, and personalities.
So this may be quite boring, and I am not quite sure what is going to come out, but here it goes!
And it may be very long, so maybe it will give you something to read if you are bored at work (like me!)

1-I love stormy days-when I wake up in the morning to the sound of the rain bouncing on the roof I am filled with excitement. I love the way the dark clouds look in the sky,
and the loud claps of thunder.

2- I am a very sensitive person. We are talking way sensitive.
Being sensitive is not a bad thing-when you have a good balance, something that I lack.
I can get my feelings hurt over the silliest things, and words that were never meant to be taken personal- I take them personally.
I am constantly trying to sprout a thicker skin, and it is something that may take me awhile to conquer. This job has helped a lot in this area, because when angry customers call in and yell at me for something that I did not cause, I have learned to let it roll off.
Being sensitive is not all bad- it does help me to care more for other people,
and helps me be less judgmental. It also causes me to cry in every movie we watch-doesn't matter if it is a horror, comedy, or a cartoon. I can only imagine what I will be like when I am pregnant!!

3- I love love LOVE cookie dough- plain cookie dough, as an ice cream mix in, or completely frozen. It is a terrible addiction, luckily I have gotten my cookie dough desire under a bit more control from the no-sugar goal, but man I just love to eat it!! I rarely eat my finished cookies after they are baked, instead I just happily savor the raw dough straight from the bowl. I always look forward to a trip to Cold Stone so I can order my usual "Cake Batter with Cookie Dough." Because of my insane addiction, I bake cookies only once in awhile.

4- I stink at video games!! I am one of those people that uses her whole body to steer the car, or move my character! It is embarrassing!! I never had any type of video game when I was growing up, and so was never taught the skills. Last Christmas I thought this would all change when we got a Wii, suddenly it was advantage that I used my body while playing-I quickly became a tennis and bowling pro!! But this sad dream ended when we got Mario Cart a few weeks ago-sadly all of leaning, grunting, and twisting no longer helped, and I was back to video game slum!!

5- I am in a continual battle with my knee. It has been five years since I tore my ACL, and Miniscus, and I still get frustrated with the pain and swelling. The surgery was great, and everything went well, but I guess the image I always had of a perfect knee post surgery was not reality. I have a dream goal of running a marathon, but the reality is-by running a marathon, I choose to have more and worse long term knee problems. Most days it is just fine, the knee doesn't ache, and I forget that one is a better than the other. But currently I am training for a 10K in July and so in preparation for that race I have been running three times a week, which leads to more pain and swelling. I am grateful to still have a functioning knee, and that I am able to run the amount that I want to right now, but sometimes I look over at those people on the treadmill next to me and see their beautiful running strides, and 10 miles on their screen, and I turn green with envy!!

Favorite

Well, the weekend has come and gone, and SURPIRSE,
I still have not posted my high school tag, or pictures of our new home.
I could start by giving off a list of excuses, but browsing my past posts, I have already listed a bunch of excuses.
So my fellow readers, there is only one thing to say:
"I am a slacker."

My high school tag is ready to go, all I need to do is add pictures.
I have been hesitating with the home tour because I want everything to be "perfect" and so I have a few decorating projects that were supposed to get done this past weekend,
but did not.

So I have learned a lesson, I will not make any more deadline promises on my blog, because lately I have not been delivering,
and at night when I should be sleeping, my head is filled with stress
because of my broken blog promises.

My blog is something that I should enjoy, not something to add to my stress list that usually appears at night.
So dear friends, those two specific posts will be posted soon, and I am going to work harder at jumping back on the blog wagon.

Now after that intro, I wanted to share two of my favorite side dishes that
I have been enjoying lately.

The pictures that I am posting do not do the dishes justice, but I wanted to provide visual aide.


This is known at our house as "Yummy Corn Salsa"
It is very delicious, and fairly easy to make just requires a bit of chopping.
It is sweet with a little kick, Adam and I can eat this bowl relatively quickly
(kind of gross I know),
but it is pretty healthy so does not cause much damage!
The recipe is pretty broad with measurements, so that you can add as much or as little as you want.

1 Can of Corn Drained
1 Can of of Drained Garbanzo Beans
2-3 Chopped Tomatoes
Bunch of Cilantro
Bunch of Green Onions (4-5)
Avocado
Orange and Yellow Pepper (I use one of each)
1 Envelope Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing
1 Lime

Chop all the ingredients in a bowl, add the dressing and the juice of the lime and
Bon Apetit!

This is my other favorite side dish or snack, it is a very simple salad,
but tastes delicious.



I just use some :
Spinach
Chopped Red Onion
Sliced Strawberries
Almond Slivers
(If I am feeling really adventurous, I candy the almond slices)

Then I use this Poppy Seed Dressing:


I have yet to find a good homemade Poppy Seed Dressing, and this one is delicious, so it will work!

Enjoy!

Slacker

I just wanted to apologize for my absence to all my devoted readers (like 2 people!)

We still have not gotten our wireless set up, and so I have not been posting.

But this weekend two exciting posts:

1-The high school tag from Jamie-get ready for some sweet pics

2- And a house tour!!

PrOvO

(Jamie- I did not forget about your high school post, in fact I have it ready, just need to add pictures, but because we don't have our wireless set up I have procrastinated!)


8- Number of times we have eaten at Cafe Rio since we have been here

2- Number of times we have had FrEe MeAls at Cafe Rio (we saved all our cards while up in Idaho, and are glad we did!)

6- Number of Boxes I still have left to unpack

0- Number of times I have cooked since we have been here- (or does a frozen Stouffers Meal Count?)

41- Number of Hours I have been working each week

3- Number of loads of laundry that are waiting for me at the house

4- Number of decorating projects for our house that are waiting to be started

10- Number of minutes it takes me to fall asleep at night (believe it or not, I have not had a sleepless night since we have been here-knock on wood!)

4- Number of days we had to live without hot water-we forgot to call on a Friday, so spent the whole weekend minus hot water!! (Thanks mom and dad for letting us borrow your shower every morning!)

UPDATE

I am sorry for the slack of posts!
We arrived safely last Saturday night after a long day of moving!
Although the move was stressful we were blessed with family and ward members
that willingly devoted their time to ease some of the burden!

We are currently living in my parents basement,
and will be moving into our condo on the 29th.
We are very excited!

We just made our first purchase as " a married couple" by buying a
"Sactional" from Lovsac, so we are excited
and feel very grown up!

I am working at the Prosper Corporate office down here, and am enjoying it,
Adam started work with Van Buren Inc. on Monday and has been
smiling ever since.
He is already made quite an impact on the company and is becoming a driving force!

We feel very happy and blessed to be back and feel like this is where we are supposed to be.
Don't worry we have eaten Cafe Rio three times now, in the 6 days that we have been back!

I will post more soon!

Happy Spring

J Crew

Forever 21

J Crew



Anthropologie





Forever 21

The Sun is shining and the temperature is currently 69 degrees

Boxes, Scones, and a Movie

We are a week away from the big move.

Boxes are starting to overtake our house!!

Our walls are more bare each day

So today, after coming home from work, we packed boxes and more boxes

By the time five o'clock hit, we were tired hungry, and in the mood for a date.

So after cleaning ourselves up,

We decided to partake in the "fine cuisine" of Applebees-the hottest spot in town

Afterwards, as part of our "hot" date, we stopped to do some grocery shopping and picked up this:

And this was the result:

I tried my hand at homemade Honey Butter beccause of the no sugar goal

After enjoying some of these fried goodies, we cuddled up to watch some movies.

All in all a good productive day that ended in a lovely way!

Grateful for:

1. General Conference: I look forward to this weekend because of the Spirit that is present and the words that are spoken. It was such a wonderful experience to participate in the Solemn Assembly. It was so neat to stand together and all raise our hands in support of dear President Monson.

2. My husband's cooking skills: There are many time during the week and on Sundays where I am just too tired to cook. On those days Adam is more than willing to take over and whip up something delicious. It is a nice break!!





3. Food Saver: This baby is a miracle worker!! It is my new favorite kitchen gadget. It vacuums all the air out and then seals the bag around any food item that you want to freeze. I have done salmon, steaks, chicken, strawberries, peaches. So now we have a freezer full of food, ready to eat, and also safely protected from freezer burn!




4. Yogi Herbal Tea: As most of you already know, I have difficulty sleeping at nights. I should go to a doctor, but don't want to become dependent on sleeping pills. Last week while browsing the organic section at our grocery store I found this tea. I decided to give it a shot, and have been sleeping like a baby ever since! It is a wonderful flavor of lavender and has been working great! I drink 1 cup right before bed, and have been able to fall asleep easier and stay asleep longer!! An added bonus-each tea bag has a saying on it, last nights was "Be proud of who you are!", so I not only get sleep but happy thoughts!



5. Music: Each Sunday morning Adam and I have tried to make the habit of turning on "Sounds of the Sabbath," as we get ready for church. I love the spirit that music brings into our home. I love music-i am not very picky about what is playing as long as it makes me feel good. I am so grateful for the people who very willingly share their musical talents for us to enjoy!

Drumroll Please. . . . . . . .

I have an important Announcement!!!

I have been waiting to announce this until things were more official

WE ARE MOVING BACK TO PROVO!

Adam has received a new job offer, so after thinking, praying, and planning

we are moving back!

Despite some of my complaining, we have really come to love Rexburg!!

We have liked spending our first eight months of marriage out on our own away from family.

We have created wonderful memories here, and created a lot of friendships that we are sad to be leaving

We are excited for this new adventure and approach itwith bittersweet feelings as we leave!

We will be moving down the weekend of the 20th of April!

We are excited, nervous, stressed, and happy!!

(I just realized I did not post a "Gratitude Monday" post- I sincerely apologize and promise there will be one next Monday morning bright and early!)

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!