A Taste of Life as a Housewife

Well this semester I have experienced empathy for my mom, aunts, grandmothers, and any other women that have had to maintain a family and home. Day after day I clean the same things, I make the same bed, and pick up the same rooms. Most days I have to see the comical side of it and laugh it off to keep myself from crying haha. Then there are some days that I actually enjoy the mundane housewife chores....and there are some days that the chores pile up all on that same day. The laundry needs washing, the house needs cleaning, and dinner needs to be made for my husband (thank heavens I don't have to feed more mouths). Today was one of those days. I went grocery shopping bright and early, did the laundry, cleaned the house, and prepared a delicious dinner. I was sweating all day long from all the multi-tasking I was doing, but now as I finally sit down on the couch for the first time today I feel accomplished. I feel grateful for clean sheets and good meals. I know that I will have to make the bed and do the same sink full of dishes tomorrow, but right now I feel relieved that I can take a deep breath and relax.

The highlight of my day though has been reading my mom's new blog. She got the first letter from Travis and he is loving Chile, which comforts me. Not to mention he is living here:

Tome, Chile

He lives in the Chilean projects, but has this view of the ocean everyday. I'm sure this city will hold wonderful experiences for him and I can't wait to here more about this beautiful country.

A Birthday Shout-Out

My baby brother, PJ, turns sixteen this Sunday! Woohoo! He can legally drive and date....the world better watch out. Anyone who knows PJ knows he always has a smile on his face. He is always giggling and keeping things light-hearted. He is a talker once you get to know him, but also has a bashful side. I like to think of myself as the most coordinated one in the family but from his back-flip picture below you can tell he probably takes the crown for that one. He got the supreme good looking genes of the family. He is a great singer and dancer, but won't sing or dance once he knows you are watching because of his bashful nature. He is athletic and great at everything he does. He is smart and we still bring up the glory days when he was in GATE in elementary school. He is a great friend to everyone and always does what's right. I admire and look up to him for his fun-loving personality. All in all PJ is the life of the party and whenever I think about him I get a smile on my face. Happy birthday to my happy-go-lucky little brother whom I absolutely adore to death. LADIES WATCH OUT!

A Visitor

This weekend Paigey came into town and stayed with us. I love having family around even though we made it a lazy weekend and lounged around. As you can see from the pictures below I stayed in the same pair of sweats for the majority of the weekend. We watched movies and cooked and ate. To top the weekend off we got to talk to Trav on the phone when he left the MTC to fly out to Chile. He has a 19 hour flight...good luck with that one. He sounded great and it was nice to hear his voice. So grateful for my family and the close relationship I have with my siblings. I love that I can lounge with Paige and Jesse all weekend and have the best time and be completely content.

Our lunch date

Ready for church

Three's Company

Valentine's Weekend

I got home Friday after work and there were beautiful flowers on the table waiting for me from Jesse. We got ready for the night and Jesse took my to my favorite restaurant...Cheesecake Factory. We went all out and got appetizers and dessert to go with our meals. After dinner we rented a movie and watch it in our cozy apartment. On actual Valentine's Day Jesse got home from class late and I made chicken burgers with homemade French fries. It was a delicious dinner. Then we watched the Bachelor and ate sweets. It was a perfect, extended holiday.

Marrying someone you've wanted to be with since you were 17 is truly a unique thing. It makes me smile everyday knowing that life gets better and better every day that I'm with Jesse. He makes my life more fun and mellow and I love him for that. Feeling and giving unconditional love makes life fulfilling.

A Tribute to Travis

The other day I was so overwhelmed with gratitude for the unique siblings I have been blessed with and Travis is no exception. In fact he is definitely the most unique out of the four of us. Day to day life with Travis includes his crazy ideas that make you think he's from outer space, him singing at the top of his lungs to rap songs, quoting Cool Runnings and Heavy weights, and reading Tupac's book. He definitely keeps things interesting. I honestly cannot speak highly enough of my brother, but here is my best effort in honor of his 20th birthday, which is this Thursday, and he gets to spend it in the MTC. I have never heard anyone speak negatively about Travis and everyone enjoys his company. He can't stand judgmental people to say the least. It is really hard not to admire Travis. He is a natural athlete and is fast as lightning. He was blessed to inherit Grandpa Fleckner's genes where he couldn't gain an ounce of fat if his life depended on it. I was looking through my journal and found an entry that I wrote about Travis and the long journey he has been on to find himself and I thought that it encompassed how much I look up to him and how proud I am of him.

" Travis is finally serving his mission! I'm so proud of him. His conviction and conversion to the gospel are what I only hope to gain from a life time of living the gospel. he had to hit his rock bottom and struggle to get a testimony. He fought, studied, and climbed his way back to discover his testimony of Christ and his gospel. He has a testimony that most members yearn to have because he knows what it's like to be without one. He now cherishes what he knows, believes, and has faith in. I think it's a unique testimony that only those who once lost theirs have. "

Despite the heartache I went through watching Travis struggle with the gospel I am grateful he had to go through that because he now stands unwavering as an example to me and what a deeply rooted testimony should look and feel like. I love my brother Travis and am glad I was able to witness his miracle. Happy 20th birthday!!!

Super Bowl Sunday and the Debut of my Front Bangs

Super Bowl Sunday was a success. We went over to my cousin's house with a bunch of our friends. It was potluck style so everyone brought food. Jesse prepared his famous hot wings and everyone was drooling over them. Too bad I hate spicy/hot food so I didn't get to adore them with everyone else. His wings were the hit of the night. The Packers won which I was happy about and it was a great game overall. We stuffed our faces all night and even played commercial bingo. I also got front bangs this weekend. I have been a chicken my whole life about front bangs because most people look terrible in them, but I got gutsy on Saturday and took the leap of faith... and it worked out in my favor. I love my new bangs and think they are here to stay. I think I have finally found MY haircut.

Jesse cooking up his wings