Tuesday Thoughts and Sugar Donuts

Overall it's been a productive day for me. Jess and I woke up and took a long walk just to enjoy the warm weather that has finally graced us with its presence. I'm not holding my breath though...who knows how long it will last. After our walk we made homemade sugar donuts. So easy and so delicious. I turned in another resume at a dental office. Don't worry, I grinned real big to expose my big pearly whites. Isn't that what they care about when hiring in a dental office? I'm hoping I get this job because finding employment in Provo is getting ridiculously difficult. I cleaned the apartment and now I'm catching a rerun episode of Oprah featuring Celine Dion (love her) before I have to start making dinner. I talked to my bff, Meg, today and it made me miss my best friends, but I don't have to miss them for long because only 17 more days until our Park City reunion weekend. Heaven help that town when we enter it because it's going to be an collision of craziness. My thoughts and prayers are with the Finlaysons this week because their grandfather unexpectedly passed away, and my grams comes into town this weekend and I can't wait to hit up the Cheesecake Factory (our favorite place) with her. Lots to be grateful for and lots to look forward to.

Granite Flats

This weekend we went camping with some friends in our ward. It was raining while we were there, but we couldn't complain because it was so gorgeous up the canyon. There was a picturesque lake and a rushing river that lulled us to sleep that night in our tents. We ate yummy tin foil dinners and huddled around the fire all night. We played card games in the tent and didn't get much sleep, but can I just say that mummy bags are a life saver. Whoever invented those.....GENIUS! We went on a hike and just enjoyed every minute of our camping experience. The only thing that could have made it better would have been the summer heat. I'm still crossing my fingers that we will get a summer here this year and as soon as we do I'm packing our camping gear up again and meeting the Johnstons at our new favorite camping spot.

Our tents were over the bridge, across the river, and under the trees

I was a champ and set up the tent while Jesse was unloading the car

Kyle and Jesse

Me and Collette

The boys getting the fire started

Fishing at the lake

The boys did some target practice with the sling-shot

Jess chopping wood

Huddled around the fire in the rain

Good morning sunshine

Hiking

Jesse filling up his water bottle in the creek. I do realize that this wasn't the smartest idea and he could get sick or even catch a parasite from the water. Did I voice this to him.....yes! Did he listen....what do you think?

Gorgeous hike

Granite Flats campground was a little slice of heaven and we had a blast camping with good friends.

Typical Sunday

Lately our Sundays have consisted of Jesse and Kira doing puzzles for hours on end while I watched a movie. They are amazing at puzzles and honestly I'm kind of jealous since I can only begin to fit a piece in a puzzle when there are only tiny holes to fill in toward the end of constructing the puzzle. Another Sunday past time is going on drives. I grew up going on drives with my family. I love looking at houses and being in the car is therapeutic for me. I can't wait until it gets warm here and we can take leisurely drives up the canyon.

Ready to go on our Sunday drive in the rain

Anniversary Weekend

We started our anniversary by going to all-you-can-eat sushi at our favorite place in town, Sakura. We stuffed ourselves with sushi and then headed to Midway to stay at Jesse's grandparent's condo at the Zermatt Resort. We drove around and discovered the town a little bit. It is such a quaint town with the oldest, cutest homes. We love driving around and looking at houses so this town was very entertaining to us. We went in the spa twice a day and took full advantage of the relaxation room and sauna. I mimicked the CPK pear and Gorgonzola pizza recipe for our Friday night dinner which I was nervous about, but surprisingly my recipe is better and we devoured every bit. I will be making that dish often. Jesse made us flank steak with mashed potatoes and green bean casserole for our Saturday night dinner, which was divine. We ate at a Taco joint in town for lunch and spoiled ourselves food wise. We watched lots of movies and even laid out one day at the pool when the weather was nice. It was a great weekend and my wonderful husband got me the best gift ever.....a massage. I hope we can celebrate in the future as well as we did this year.

Looks Like We Made It

I woke up on May 22nd ecstatic to marry my best friend....finally! And I get that same feeling everyday I wake up next to him. What a fun ride our first year has been. I hope the future holds as much craziness as the past year has.

5.22.10

May?

So it's May here and still chilly, rainy, and windy. Get me out of here to warmer weather. Even with the bad weather Jess and I have kept ourselves out and about and busy. He was made Elders Quorum President on Sunday. We cleaned up the cemetery for a service project on Saturday and on Monday we cleaned the church. I only anticipate more church functions than normal with this new calling, but it's nice to have tons of service options to give us the "pick me up" we need each week. I watched the Justin Bieber movie last night.....Heaven! And I blasted his songs on the computer as I cleaned the apartment this morning. Yes I'm still on the job hunt. I got a job yesterday and quit yesterday. CLASSIC. I committed to the job and then realized when I got home what terrible hours, pay, and days it would be. So I dodged that bullet and now I'm on the search again. I'm currently reading The Art of Racing in the Rain and it has surprised me at how great it is. It captured me from the beginning. I'm counting down the days until The Bachelorette starts (6) and So You Think You Can Dance (9). So all in all I'm finding the simple things in life occupying of my time and soaking up togetherness with the hubs.

P.S. our one year is this weekend and we have no official plans. I don't understand what the hype is about anniversaries...especially the first few. I don't think we should be celebrating that we made it one year that's kind of pathetic, but we will go with tradition and party til we drop. I guess it is another excuse to eat out and spend money we normally wouldn't. I mean being married 20,30,40,50 years now that's something to celebrate. To be honest, it's easy to be married to your best friend. Now we will have to see what the weekend has in store for us. Cheers to one year down eternity to go.

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down

That song is so appropriate for a day like today. It's a Monday and it's raining, but I'm not feeling the blues about it because yesterday I got to talk to my little brother, Travis. My family at home, Travis, and Jesse and I were able to do a three way Skype. Travis looked great and sounded even better. We were able to talk for about an hour and get the scoop on his mission in Chile. He was eating dinner at a family's home and they adore Travis (who doesn't?). He sounded so upbeat and loves where he is at. Talking to him boosted my spirits and I'm still on a "happy high" from hearing how amazing my brother is doing. Some highlights from the conversation were that his bunk collapsed on his companion below him one night (classic), the police there are only allowed to shoot criminals with bean-bags there, they eat chicken everyday that are boosted with steroids so Trav says the kids that are 12 there look like they are 20, and Chileans love the English, Americans, and themselves. It sounds like a beautiful country and a beautiful culture.

Trav and I wearing our matching leather jackets

And a birthday shout-out to my bff, Megan Loar! I don't know if our friendship consists of anything else but laughter and that's why I love her. She is simply a true friend. Love you Meggy Baby!

Wonderful Mothers

Jesse and I are so fortunate to have been raised by strong, loving mothers who have taught us the gospel and are solely responsible for who we are and where we are today. I can't say enough about our mothers. Jesse has a unique bond with his mom being the baby of the family, and I have a unique bond with my mother being a girl and the oldest in the family. I am grateful that Jesse and I have learned how to have a realistic, healthy, and loving marriage through the examples of our mothers.

Everyone knows my mom is my best friend. Always has been always will be. I'd rather be hanging out with her than anyone else. Through observing my mom for 23 years she has taught me to treat people with compassion, to become more loving, to take responsibility, to be honest, to try my best, and to not sweat the small stuff. I know motherhood has thrown her a few curve balls with raising four kids, but my siblings and I are all exceptional people (if I do say so myself) with strong values and testimonies of Christ. We know who we are and have a strong sense of self worth. The greatest accomplishment I have seen my mom achieve is making each of us feel individually special and instilling self worth in each of us and because of this we each know we are a son and daughter of God. That, to me, is the hardest task a mother has in raising her children.

My mother-in-law has raised Jesse to be honest, ambitious, respectful, hard working, and a worthy priesthood holder. What more could I ask for. Observing Jesse and his mom's relationship over the last few years has been a treat. She is always a listening ear for him and a voice of advice in all that he does. She is interested in what we do and is always there for us.
"One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one."

- Thomas S. Monson

I'm eternally thankful for my mother and Jesse's mother. Happy Mother's Day!

Cinco de Mayo

Yesterday was cinco de mayo and what better way to celebrate then with a fiesta. We had a bunch of friends over to BBQ and the weather ended up being perfect. We had fajitas, carne asada, chips, salsa, seven layer dip, and the works. We enjoyed our food and each others' company on the front lawn. Then we all went and played kickball at the park and then back to our place for ice cream. It was a perfect day because I got my three favorite things all at once: family, friends, food.

Earlier that day Jess and I played around with the soccer ball in the yard. Later I laid on a blanket and read for a bit and basked in the sun. I'm so happy the sun finally decided to grace Utah with its presence. Hallelujah!

Jesse and Andrew BBQing

The guests:

Kira, Jackie, me